Inside the chamber of the Universe Chaos Stele, chaotic currents swirled everywhere, carrying the aura of laws. Wu Yun studied it alone.
Very few people dared to choose this Chaos Stele. Sometimes, no one chose it for hundreds of thousands of years. After all, comprehending both time and space at once was absurdly difficult.
"The Chaos City Lord's level is so high that his understanding of time and space surpasses that of the creators of the other Chaos Steles."
Wu Yun had studied the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, which meant he had some understanding of space in the Three Realms. And space always shared certain commonalities between worlds.
He had also personally merged with the Primal Universe's spatial movement. At the very least, he was familiar with its fundamental essence, which was why he could accurately judge that the Chaos City Lord had reached the highest level.
The essence of space could be divided into 108 varieties. The Nine Universes Chaos Stele explained them through its Rainstorm Diagram, depicting raindrops, drizzle, and torrential rain.
The Universe Chaos Stele's illustrations, however, followed a completely different concept.
The first diagram, which concerned space, depicted a black sphere made up of 10,081 tiny particles. At first glance, it looked like a single whole, but from other angles, the particles appeared scattered in every direction.
The second diagram concerned time. It, too, presented a broad, unified structure, but closer inspection revealed an analysis of its microscopic layers.
As Wu Yun gazed at the diagrams, he seemed to glimpse an ocean of time: boundless, vast, and full of endless mysteries. It was like standing face-to-face with a broad, open road.
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye, and his time studying the Universe Chaos Stele came to an end. From then on, he had to earn more time by challenging the Heavenly Bridge. Since Wu Yun was already a World Lord, he wouldn't receive rewards such as doubled points.
He wasn't in a hurry to challenge the Heavenly Bridge just yet. After studying a Chaos Stele, he needed time to digest what he had learned.
He had few chances to live in Chaos City, and Wu Yun treasured this time. As soon as he left the Universe Chaos Stele, he eagerly went from place to place, searching for traces.
They were traces left behind by powerful figures who had lived there in the past.
His level in the Primal Universe wasn't very high, so even the traces left by a Marquis-Level Immortal could greatly benefit him.
Wu Yun devoted time to studying both time and space. The difference was that his main body focused on space, while his Blood Luo Clone focused on time.
Wu Yun knew that the King-Level Immortals and even the Universe Venerables watching him would surely think he was biting off more than he could chew by choosing the Universe Chaos Stele.
He already had a deep understanding of the Law of Water and some insight into the Law of Space. Why not simply choose a Chaos Stele that suited him?
So Wu Yun didn't rush to show off his strength. He only challenged one level of the Heavenly Bridge when he needed more time to study the Universe Chaos Stele, then stopped once he passed.
He waited for the day when he would either remain unknown forever or astonish everyone with a single feat.
Wu Yun sometimes attended lessons taught by King-Level Immortals. There were very few masters in the Universe Chaos Stele lineage—only seven in this era.
The Nine Universes Chaos Stele lineage, by comparison, had more than a dozen.
Though they were few in number, all seven were at least High Kings. After all, no mediocrity could reach King-level by following this path.
But Wu Yun had no intention of taking a master.
On the Blood Luo Continent, Wu Yun had already received guidance from a Universe Venerable. He wanted to astonish everyone and be taken on directly by a Universe Overlord or even a Universe Master.
Inside the Virtual Universe.
Wu Yun carefully browsed the secret techniques. When he had first entered the Giant Axe Secret Realm, he had received more than a million free points.
The Giant Axe Arena really was generous when it came to nurturing young talents.
When a Domain Lord was recruited into the Core Layer, they still had to be sent out on missions to earn points.
But when a World Lord was recruited, they were given points free of charge right from the start.
"This Time and Space Essays secret technique was supposedly left behind by the creator of the Universe Chaos Stele. That means the Chaos City Lord wrote it himself." Wu Yun had browsed nearly every secret technique and read through a great deal of reference material.
In the end, he decided to buy this secret technique. As for the others, Wu Yun couldn't be bothered to look at them. There was simply no need.
Secret techniques created by King-Level Immortals or Universe Venerables were things he didn't lack.
The Blood Luo Continent had everything.
Only Unity of Time and Space was different. It was a secret technique left behind by the Chaos City Lord himself, and it was far more rigorous than Time and Space Essays. It also cost more points.
Essays were just that—essays. The creator of the Nine Universes Chaos Stele had simply recorded whatever came to mind. But the Chaos City Lord was an incredibly serious person, and the secret techniques he left behind were absolutely rigorous.
Wu Yun immersed himself in these years of cultivation. As Ancestor Dongyan had said, his devotion to the Dao burned fiercely.
He made swift progress in comprehending the essence of space. He had already studied it deeply before entering Chaos City, and had comprehended more than a hundred varieties, though he had concealed his abilities during the assessment.
Only the most complex varieties remained beyond his grasp. Now that he was in Chaos City, had studied the Universe Chaos Stele, and had the guidance of methods like Unity of Time and Space, his progress was naturally swift.
Once he fully comprehended all 108 varieties, he could reach the twelfth level of the Heavenly Bridge even without any amplification techniques. With amplification, he could reliably reach the thirteenth level.
Soon, the day came for him to leave Chaos City.
Wu Yun boarded a spaceship alone and departed. His solitary figure looked somewhat forlorn.
"After such a long time, he's only challenged the Heavenly Bridge three times and studied the Universe Chaos Stele three times." King Pujin was utterly baffled. "He hasn't even taken a master. What on earth is he thinking?"
Just hearing about Wu Yun's conduct made him feel somewhat irritated. A World Lord who fought life-and-death battles at the Giant Axe Arena had gotten lucky and entered the Core Layer, and now he was acting so arrogantly.
Given the talent Wu Yun had displayed, it wouldn't have been difficult for him to become a Universe Venerable's disciple, let alone a King-Level Immortal's. Yet he had stubbornly refused to take a master.
Taking a master in Chaos City was a delicate matter. For example, if you wanted to become a disciple of a certain King-Level Immortal, you had to attend that person's lesson the first time you went to one.
Wu Yun's first teacher had been King Chongshan, who belonged to the Giant Axe Arena. Later, he had also attended lessons taught by King Jiujian and other King-Level Immortals.
King Jiujian was none other than the future Venerable Jiujian. He was already very close to a breakthrough: he had comprehended all three branches, and only the complete Law of Space remained beyond his grasp.
Moreover, King Jiujian had cultivated for a relatively short time and was hailed as a highly promising candidate to become a Universe Venerable. So many youngsters had racked their brains trying to become his disciples.
"He's already a World Lord and still this arrogant. I heard his performance was average, but Venerable Shihuo valued his potential and specially gave him a chance to enter the Giant Axe Secret Realm. Who would've thought he'd be such an ignorant, conceited fool?"
"Your Giant Axe Arena's Secret Realm Qualification Battle is coming up soon, isn't it? He'll definitely be eliminated then."
"What kind of strength can he have without a teacher to guide him?"
Aside from the permanent residents, Immortal Gods often came to cultivate in Chaos City. With nothing better to do, they liked to gossip about the geniuses in the secret realms.
After all, ordinary Immortal Gods could only serve as guards for true geniuses. In terms of status, they ranked below World Lords from the Original Secret Realm.
Besides the Immortal Gods who discussed him, the King-Level Immortals also had a poor impression of Wu Yun.
In most people's eyes, Wu Yun had already been branded arrogant. Choosing a particular Chaos Stele only showed that he had ambitions in his cultivation—or that the Universe Chaos Stele genuinely suited him.
But he had failed to seek a teacher in Chaos City. Was he waiting for a King-Level Immortal or even a Universe Venerable to take the initiative and accept him as a disciple?
So what if a World Lord could rival an ordinary Immortal?
World Lords in the Original Secret Realm and the Giant Axe Secret Realm could generally reach that level in every generation. There were far too many of them. Even many World Lord Generals on the Outer Realm Battlefield could do the same.
But they had no idea that Wu Yun was cultivating at a terrifying speed.
"I've fully comprehended all 108 varieties of the essence of space. Now I just need to focus on time." Wu Yun sat on the spaceship's sofa, carefully studying the secret techniques concerning time recorded in Unity of Time and Space.
Time, too, could be divided into 108 varieties of essence.
His progress in this area was slower, but with guidance from King-Level Immortals and Universe Venerables, Wu Yun had forced his way to comprehending 102 varieties. It was only a matter of time before he comprehended them all.
Thirty years in Chaos City, plus the journey back to the Giant Axe Arena: he had comprehended all 108 varieties of the essence of space, along with 102 varieties of the essence of time.
If anyone else found out, they would be so astonished they wouldn't know what to say.
The Blood Luo Continent.
"Your progress in the Law of Water is impressive. You could easily comprehend the Law of Space first, then study the Law of Time." Elder Yan had never brought this up with Wu Yun before.
He had thought Wu Yun was too ambitious, trying to comprehend two higher laws—time and space—at the same time. He assumed Wu Yun would hit a wall and realize this path wouldn't work, so there had been no point in saying anything.
When Wu Yun came to ask him about the Law of Time, Elder Yan had been more than happy to answer.
But who could have guessed that, all these years, Wu Yun had truly devoted himself to the Law of Time? He had cultivated so intently that he forgot to eat and sleep, while leaving space completely untouched.
Seeing Wu Yun about to ruin his own prospects, Elder Yan was naturally worried sick.
In the Human Race, not many powerful figures would pay attention to a genius like Wu Yun. But on the Blood Luo Continent, things were completely different.
"Elder Yan, my progress in the Law of Space is even faster than in the Law of Time," Wu Yun said with a smile. "I've fully comprehended all 108 varieties of the essence of space."
If Elder Yan hadn't been so powerful, he might have wondered if he'd misheard. He stared at Wu Yun's handsome face in disbelief.
"You've comprehended all 108 varieties of the essence of space?" Elder Yan looked as if he'd seen a ghost. He had barely seen Wu Yun study space.
He had come to see Wu Yun precisely because he feared the young man was neglecting his proper studies and delaying his comprehension of space.
"That's right." Wu Yun pointed into the air, demonstrating all 108 varieties of the essence of space to Elder Yan. There was no need for him to hide his abilities on the Blood Luo Continent; the stronger he was, the more resources he could obtain.
Elder Yan was a Time Venerable. He was currently studying the Law of Space the most, and if he could fully comprehend it, he would become a Universe Master.
Yet Elder Yan had painstakingly cultivated the Law of Space for hundreds of billions of years and had only comprehended Teleportation so far. Space Strangulation and Space Lockdown were still far beyond him, let alone mastering the complete law.
Becoming a Universe Master was incredibly difficult.
When he heard that Wu Yun had fully comprehended the essence of space and was close to comprehending the essence of time as well, Elder Yan was so shocked and delighted that he couldn't put it into words.
"Cultivating time and space at the same time—if you can fully comprehend the essence of time, your strength will undergo a tremendous transformation." Elder Yan spoke quickly. "Whenever you have questions about time, come to me."
Normally, fully comprehending all 108 varieties of essence, along with a lower law and amplification techniques, would let a Peak World Lord rival an ordinary Immortal.
But if he comprehended the essences of time and space, he could rival even a powerful Army Lord Immortal. King-Level Immortals who cultivated both paths also possessed extremely formidable combat strength.
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