Metamorphosis

"Open, now!"

Faintly, a roar echoed in Shi Yan's ears.

"Is it the Future Self?"

Shi Yan was startled. This energy was utterly familiar to him—it was his own power.

But now, this strength he had painstakingly cultivated was under the control of his Future Self.

"I must not let him break free!"

Shi Yan directly teleported to the Origin Land of the world, swiftly manipulating the World Origin to begin suppressing his Future Self.

"Boom!"

Two terrifying forces collided in the Origin Land.

The Origin Land trembled, and the violent vibrations spread toward the entire world, but they were completely stabilized by the World Array, not affecting the common people.

In the sky, however, two towering, colossal phantoms now appeared, dominating everyone's line of sight.

One was a mysterious figure shrouded in a black robe, while the other was an old man with white hair wearing the attire of the Celestial Master Palace—the spiritual leader of the entire world, the Celestial Master Palace's Palace Master Shi Yan, who had led humanity into the Phoenix Calendar.

The two phantoms battled each other. The black-robed figure remained expressionless, but all around him were sky-covering claw phantoms. Where the phantoms passed, time became chaotic and space tore apart.

Shi Yan, meanwhile, hid under the protection of the World Origin, manipulating its power to fight the enemy.

But Shi Yan was ultimately relying on external force to control the World Origin. Having only unlocked 7011 Rhino Emperor Games, the Origin resisted him, making it difficult to wield freely.

The Eight Great Elements were steadily pushed back under the Future Self's attacks, and for a time, Shi Yan was suppressed into a disadvantage.

"Hahaha... Original Body, you really surprise me. I thought my final opponent would be the Past Self—how did that waste get killed by you?" The Future Self laughed wildly while relentlessly suppressing Shi Yan.

Shi Yan's expression turned grim.

He had never imagined that fighting in this Origin Land, relying on the World Origin, he would still fail to surpass his Future Self in terms of time and space.

Now, time and space were entirely in the hands of the Future Self. The opponent wielded True God-level power in the Dao of Time and Space and controlled the surrounding spacetime. Relying only on the other elements, Shi Yan was completely at a disadvantage.

His domain expanded, and the Future Self, relying on the Original Body's power, unleashed "Chaotic Space-Time" to suppress the surroundings. With every move, the claw phantoms easily scattered the Eight Great Elements under Shi Yan's control.

"Heh, trying to suppress me with the World Origin? How foolish. This world was built primarily from our own heart. Other things aside, when it comes to time and space, how could the World Origin possibly be a match for our own power?"

The Future Self sneered, then cast a pitying glance at Shi Yan. "But I don't blame you. With power in my hands, your defeat is inevitable. Even if you ruined my escape plan, what of it? It's all futile in the end. Making it this far is proof of your effort."

The Future Self was brimming with confidence.

Shi Yan, however, was frantic, his eyes red. He had lost all ability to counterattack, forced to hunker down in defense. But even that defense wouldn't hold for long.

He had never expected that using the World Origin would come with such a problem—it completely caught him off guard.

But as the Future Self said, what other choice was there?

"Am I truly destined to fall here?"

Shi Yan refused to accept it. He didn't want to fail here.

Yet just as Shi Yan was on the verge of despair, the World Origin, which had been resisting him, subtly became more docile. For a moment, Shi Yan found manipulating the Origin effortless.

"What's happening?" Shi Yan was stunned.

And all of this traced back to a few minutes earlier.

Rewind to a few minutes ago.

Right after the phantoms of Shi Yan and the Future Self appeared in the sky, countless people had already noticed.

"It's the Palace Master! Who is that?"

"Idiot! Anyone fighting the Palace Master can't be a good person... Hey, look at the phantoms that black-robed guy's attacks leave behind—don't they look just like those super monsters from before?"

"Really, they do! Could this black-robed figure be the mastermind behind the Monster Catastrophe?"

For a time, people across the world buzzed with discussion. The Grand Celestial Masters of the Celestial Master Palace quickly spread what Shi Yan had told them through the Celestial Masters stationed everywhere.

"The source of the Monster Catastrophe?"

"That black-robed man?"

Public sentiment flared with indignation. People all over the world began cheering, praying, and rooting for Shi Yan.

"Grandpa Palace Master, go!"

"You have to win! You're invincible!"

Countless people prayed. Countless people offered their blessings.

The will of a single mortal was weak. Ten, a hundred, even thousands or tens of thousands of mortal wills were equally weak.

But if it was the will of nearly all mortals in an entire world, that was different.

Living beings are the soul of a world. The will of nearly all intelligent life in a world is the will of that world itself.

The power of the people's wishes influenced the world. With the recognition of all living beings, the World Origin no longer resisted Shi Yan but instead became much more docile.

Thus, with the World Origin obeying his every command, Shi Yan, who had been suppressed by the Future Self, gradually gained the strength to contend with his opponent.

"Hmm? The people?" Shi Yan felt the World Origin acknowledging him, and joy surged in his heart.

"Rumble..."

The eight great origins of the Origin Land, under Shi Yan's manipulation, transformed into a grand formation. Their power instantly surged—thunder raged, hurricanes howled, and other origins launched coordinated attacks.

The control required for such a formation was extremely delicate. Originally, the origins resisted him, and without being able to manipulate them freely, the grand formation could not be arranged at all. Even if forcibly set up, it would easily collapse.

But now, with the aid of the sentient beings' will, Shi Yan could arrange the formation at will.

"Despicable! Relying on a mere swarm of ants!"

The Future Self was somewhat irritated. The Sentient Willpower greatly enhanced Shi Yan's control over the world's origins. Although he still lacked the Space-Time Origin and was no match for the Future Self, he was now merely at a disadvantage, with no immediate danger to his life.

Yet the Future Self only fumed for a moment before sneering again: "How long can the Sentient Willpower sustain you? The advantage is mine now. In the end, defeat and death are your only outcome."

"..."

Shi Yan fell silent at these words.

What the Future Self said was the truth. The will of sentient beings was not limitless. If he could not find a way to turn the tables in this brief window, the final result would only be a struggle before death.

But what other options did he have now?

For this battle, he had prepared for decades. Every method he could use, every trick he could think of, he had already employed.

He was at his wit's end.

For the first time, Shi Yan felt this sensation.

"Ugh... so tired."

"So hungry."

"..."

Before long, the tide of Sentient Willpower began to recede. A vast number of people felt an irresistible wave of hunger wash over them.

Shi Yan also noticed that the world's origins were once again resisting him, and the grand formation of origins began to destabilize.

"Hahaha... It seems this is the end, Esteemed Self."

The Future Self laughed heartily. A massive light sword appeared in his hand, and he slashed repeatedly at the grand formation. Wherever the sword light passed, endless time and space shattered.

The already unstable grand formation of origins trembled and completely collapsed. The Future Self pressed his advantage, swinging his sword at Shi Yan. Shi Yan struggled to manipulate the scattered origins to resist with all his might, but the opponent's attack still advanced like a splitting bamboo.

"There's no way..."

Shi Yan sighed. He truly had no more strength to give. He had done everything he could, yet this was still the outcome.

"Xi Yun, Past Self..."

The figures of the two flashed through Shi Yan's mind. They had both hoped he could turn this illusory world into reality, but he could not do it.

"Qing Huan..."

His only disciple must have been expecting him to return to the Universe Ocean, but he likely would not have that chance.

"God Eye True Master, Blood Orchid Ancestor..."

The great vengeance remained unavenged, and Shi Yan's heart was filled with unwillingness.

"Palace Master Grandfather! Don't give up!"

"Grandmaster! Keep going! You can do it!"

"Hmph! Just a bunch of ants destined to dissipate soon." The Future Self's voice rang through heaven and earth, dismissing the crowd's encouragement with contempt.

But the sentient beings seemed unafraid of the Future Self, who resembled an invincible demon god. Instead, they cheered Shi Yan on with even greater fervor.

"Grandmaster! Defeat him! You are undefeated!"

"What's that bastard so smug about? Lord Palace Master will surely win!"

Across the entire world, people from every region were shouting encouragement to Shi Yan and cursing the Future Self.

"..."

Shi Yan, who held the origins, could also hear the cheers and support from all over the world. They were all hoping he could turn defeat into victory.

Most of these people were Celestial Masters, whose willpower could last longer than ordinary mortals, but this level of willpower could no longer help him. As for the greater number of common folk, though their strength was spent, Shi Yan knew they too were hoping for his triumph.

"Even mortals are still persevering, and I, a true god, can only give up... How ironic." Shi Yan laughed bitterly at himself.

The hearts of mortals had not only helped him match the Future Self for a time, but even now, they were far braver than he, a born divine being.

At this thought, Shi Yan suddenly froze.

The hearts of mortals could rival gods? Then... what about himself? In this world, he fought by relying on the World Authority, but in truth, was he not also a mortal?

In a daze, Shi Yan recalled the days he had traveled the world with his wife—days that felt almost like those of a mortal.

During that time, he had truly regarded himself as an ordinary mortal, roaming the world with his wife, righting wrongs, living freely and joyfully. That life of ease and following his heart still lingered in his memory.

But after his wife was sealed away, Shi Yan's mindset gradually shifted closer to how he had been as the Time Beast God, forgetting that feeling. Now, however, he remembered it.

"The tiny heart of a mortal can rival gods... Then why should I rely on any authority or formation?"

Shi Yan suddenly understood.

The Past Self had told him that this world was an illusion, and the Future Self had also said that this world was built from their inner hearts.

Then...

"Of course, this is my world. Everything moves according to my will!"

At that moment, the gray radiance shrouding Shi Yan's True God Heart shattered completely. The True God Heart blazed with incomparably dazzling brilliance, even more stunning and overwhelming than before he had entered this world.