Provocation

"An will on par with a top-tier True God at 90,000 times. It seems I'll need Void-level will to break through 100,000 times."

Shi Yan stood in the void. The powerful Will Impacts around him had already brought a faint look of pain to his face. If he went any farther, he probably wouldn't get far before his whole body began to tremble and he could no longer control it.

"Star Lord Beichi's will has indeed reached the Void True God level."

The place where Star Lord Beichi cultivated year-round had a Time Acceleration multiplier of 110,000.

Considering that Will Impacts at the limit could seriously hinder a powerhouse's cultivation, it stood to reason that Star Lord Beichi could withstand impacts far stronger than 110,000 times. Perhaps his limit was over 170,000 or even 180,000.

That level of will was impressive even among Void True Gods.

"Cultivating for more than two Reincarnation Eras really is no simple feat." Shi Yan admired Star Lord Beichi.

With that level of will alone, if Beichi used a Soul Attack in conjunction with a Soul-type Supreme Treasure, Shi Yan would probably struggle to withstand it. No wonder even the usually lawless Rampaging Demon God was willing to befriend Star Lord Beichi.

"The Secret Patterns carved into this Black-Veined Stone Pillar are quite profound. I'll cultivate here for a while and see if they can help me break through to the Eighth Order." Shi Yan gazed up at the Heaven-Reaching Demon Pillar, which stretched from earth to sky, and thought.

Then he slowly began to retreat. Under the Will Impact at 90,000 times, Shi Yan could no longer keep his mind calm enough to cultivate.

80,000 times... 70,000 times...

He continued retreating until he reached a point where the Will Impact was about 55,000 times. There, he felt it would no longer interfere with his comprehension.

Whoosh!

A massive boulder several kilometers in diameter swept past Shi Yan. With a flicker, he landed on it, sat cross-legged, and began studying the intricate Secret Patterns on the Black-Veined Stone Pillar.

A cursory glance was enough to leave him unsure where to begin.

The Secret Patterns carved into the Black-Veined Stone Pillar were naturally unfathomably profound, but they were far beyond his current level.

It was like asking a student who had just learned basic elementary functions to understand exercises in complex analysis. They would only be able to see them through a haze.

After a short while, Shi Yan changed his strategy.

"My fundamental path lies in time and space. I reached True God by using the Beast God Path as my foundation, and ultimately broke through by following the path of time and space.

"The carvings on this Black-Veined Stone Pillar are unfathomably profound, containing mysteries from countless different paths. I'll focus only on the Secret Patterns related to the mysteries of time and space."

Once he had made up his mind, Shi Yan began scanning the patterns indiscriminately, searching for sections that might be connected to the mysteries of time and space.

But the Black-Veined Stone Pillar was of such a high level that Shi Yan couldn't determine which sections of the Secret Patterns were related to those mysteries.

At his current level, he could only identify which patterns were more likely to be connected to the Path of Time and Space, then select the most promising ones to study closely.

Most of the time, he gained little. But the occasional insight deepened his foundations, and the Eighth Order bottleneck holding him back grew increasingly unstable.

Shi Yan spent 600 eras comprehending the patterns. Of course, with Time Acceleration at over 50,000 times, only a little more than 100 years passed in the outside world.

Over the course of a century, the Primal Universe was once again stirred into turmoil. Two of the Monster Race's Universe Masters broke through, becoming known as Dream Demon Ancestor and Starry Sky Ancestor. With three Universe Supreme Beings holding the fort, the Monster Race's prestige in the Primal Universe rose once more.

It was worth noting that even peak races that had experienced an entire Reincarnation Era generally had only three to five Universe Supreme Beings. With three of them, the Monster Race truly stood above the rest of the Primal Universe.

For a time, the major factions of the Primal Universe seemed poised to join forces against the Monster Race.

The factions across the Universe Ocean showed little interest in the upheaval in the Primal Universe. Its vast world was no longer their era. With no major events unfolding in the Universe Ocean and no news of precious Supreme Treasures appearing, the various factions were getting along quite peacefully.

"Hmph... How boring. All those Universe Masters have gone and hidden away with that old Beichi. There's nobody for this Demon God to have some fun with." In the Black-Veined Stone Pillar Space, Rampaging Demon God wandered aimlessly, bored out of his mind.

He was a lone Universe Supreme Being from the Second Reincarnation Era and had always been used to doing as he pleased. His strength was above average among True Gods, and he had a Supreme True Treasure Divine Armor protecting him. Few powerhouses in the entire Universe Ocean could threaten him alone.

Only beings skilled in Soul Attacks, such as Original Ancestor and Star Lord Beichi, made Rampaging Demon God somewhat apprehensive.

Besides, as a True God of the Second Reincarnation Era, he still had nearly two Reincarnation Eras to cultivate. He wasn't under the same pressure as the True Gods of the First Reincarnation Era.

"Hm? That's the 15th Stone Pillar. Is someone new here?" As Rampaging Demon God wandered around, he came to the outskirts of the 15th Stone Pillar Space, where Shi Yan was cultivating.

True Gods could command everything around them with a word, so Rampaging Demon God spotted Shi Yan cultivating cross-legged from far away. Shi Yan noticed him too.

"Is that Rampaging Demon God?"

Though Shi Yan had changed his appearance and had never met Rampaging Demon God, anyone able to spot him from so far away was undoubtedly a True God. That made Rampaging Demon God the most likely candidate.

"A Universe Supreme Being? A silver-haired human? Is he the one who made a name for himself in the Universe Ocean some time ago?"

The two exchanged glances. Rampaging Demon God frowned, unsure what to do. He rampaged through the Black-Veined Stone Pillar Space, but usually only picked on Universe Masters. When facing a Universe Supreme Being, he generally showed respect unless they had a grudge.

As a lone Universe Supreme Being, he had no faction to worry about. But Universe Supreme Beings all had tempers. If he offended too many, a few of them might decide to join forces and hunt him down. Then he'd be in serious trouble.

Before Rampaging Demon God could make up his mind, the unfamiliar silver-haired human across from him instantly teleported to his side.

"Are you Rampaging Demon God?" the silver-haired young man—Shi Yan—called out.

"That's me," Rampaging Demon God admitted without hesitation.

"Good. Rampaging Demon God, I've been adventuring in the Universe Ocean for a while and have gained some insights. I'd like to spar with you. What do you say?" Shi Yan smiled, showing a row of white teeth.

After several eras studying the Secret Patterns on the Black-Veined Stone Pillar, Shi Yan had gained many scattered insights. Now he felt his foundations were solid enough to break through to the Eighth Order at any moment. He only needed to integrate and test his many insights.

With his Supreme True Treasure, Rampaging Demon God could only bring his strength to the peak of the Eighth Order. And because of the type of his treasure, he excelled more at defense and was a little weaker on offense. He was the perfect sparring partner for Shi Yan.

And given Rampaging Demon God's temperament, Shi Yan wasn't worried he would refuse.

Sure enough, at Shi Yan's words, Rampaging Demon God immediately bristled. "Good, very good! I've been in this Black-Veined Stone Pillar Space for so long, and you're the first to dare provoke me like this. Let's see what you can do, you skulking coward!"

With that, Rampaging Demon God's aura surged. A blood-colored armor covered in intricate Secret Patterns appeared on his body, followed by a boundless golden glow.

"Blood Sea, strike!"

A mighty Will Impact surged from the Blood Sea Demon Armor and slammed into Shi Yan's mind. For a moment, Shi Yan seemed to see a boundless Blood Sea drowning him in an aura of slaughter.

However, the Will Impact from the Blood Sea Demon Armor was only a secondary effect. It was a serious threat to Universe Masters, but to Shi Yan's True God-level peak will, it was child's play.

"Rampaging, don't embarrass yourself with such a petty trick. I'm no Universe Master." Shi Yan laughed. As his voice rang out, the space and time around them twisted, and arcs of lightning flashed through the void.

"Chaotic Space-Time, twist! Thunder Punishment Prison, suppress!"

A terrifying force of pressure and restraint descended. Rampaging Demon God immediately felt as though he had sunk into a quagmire. With his Secret Technique combined with the Peak Domain-type Supreme Treasure, Thunder Punishment Prison, Shi Yan took control of everything around him.

"A domain Secret Technique? It's this powerful when combined with a Peak Domain Supreme Treasure?" Rampaging Demon God was startled.

Over his long life, Rampaging Demon God had seen quite a few Domain-type Supreme Treasures. In his view, this power was already on par with that of some ordinary Domain-type Supreme True Treasures.

"Hahaha... What's the matter? Is the mighty Rampaging Demon God afraid?" Shi Yan's body became a streak of light as he rapidly closed in on Rampaging Demon God. At the same time, his right hand became a Heaven-Reaching Palm and came crashing down.

"So what if your domain is strong? It only puts a little pressure on me and restrains my movements. Its power can't hurt me in the slightest!" Seeing how brazen Shi Yan was, Rampaging Demon God flew into a rage.

With Supreme True Treasure armor on, Rampaging Demon God had nothing to fear.

His golden, radiant body suddenly collided with Shi Yan's enormous palm.

Boom!

The terrifying shockwaves spread outward from the 15th Stone Pillar Space. In an instant, all the powerful beings in the Black-Veined Stone Pillar Space looked in their direction.

"Shockwaves from a battle? Shockwaves from a battle between Universe Supreme Beings? The source is... near the 15th Stone Pillar Space. Is Rampaging Demon God fighting another Universe Supreme Being?"

Feeling the terrifying shockwaves, the Universe Masters in the Black-Veined Stone Pillar Space quickly determined the strength of the combatants. Universe Masters would have a hard time producing shockwaves of this magnitude.

"..."

Star Lord Beichi, who usually cultivated in seclusion, also opened his eyes and looked toward the source of the disturbance, frowning slightly. Then he vanished from the enormous boulder where he had been sitting for countless eras.

"Star Lord Beichi has left. He's probably going to watch the battle. Should we go take a look too?"

Some of the Universe Masters were eager to go. Battles between Universe Supreme Beings weren't exactly rare in the Universe Ocean, but neither were they common. Most Universe Masters had a hard time witnessing one.

They might gain some insights from a battle between such powerhouses, making it highly appealing to Universe Masters.

"A battle between Universe Supreme Beings? Of course I can't miss it."

"Pure Eye, let's go together."

"I'll pass. I specialize in the soul, and I won't gain much from a battle between Universe Supreme Beings."

"..."

Most of the Universe Masters headed toward the 15th Stone Pillar Space. Only a few chose not to join the crowd.