Transformation

"Open up for me!"

A faint roar echoed in Shi Yan's ears.

"Future Self?"

Shi Yan was startled. He knew this energy all too well—it was his own power.

But now, the power he had painstakingly cultivated was under Future Self's control.

"I can't let him escape!"

Shi Yan teleported straight to the World Origin, swiftly took control of it, and began suppressing Future Self.

Boom!

Two terrifying forces collided in the World Origin.

The Origin Land trembled. Violent tremors spread throughout the entire world, but the World Array stabilized it completely, preventing any harm to ordinary people.

Yet two towering, enormous phantoms appeared in the sky, filling everyone's view.

One was a mysterious figure shrouded in a black robe. The other was a white-haired old man dressed in Celestial Master Palace robes—the spiritual leader of the entire world, the Celestial Master Palace's Grand Celestial Master, Shi Yan, who had led humanity into the Phoenix Calendar.

The two phantoms fought one another. The black-robed figure remained impassive, but countless enormous claw-shaped shadows blotted out the sky around him. Wherever they passed, time fell into chaos and space tore apart.

Shi Yan, meanwhile, was sheltered by the World Origin as he manipulated its power to fight back.

But Shi Yan was ultimately controlling the World Origin through external force. Having unlocked only 7,011 formations of the Rhino Emperor Game, the Origin still resisted him, making it difficult to wield freely.

Under Future Self's attacks, the Eight Great Elements steadily retreated. For a time, Shi Yan was actually forced onto the defensive.

"Hahaha... Main Self, you've really surprised me. I thought my final opponent would be Past Self. How did you manage to kill that useless fool?" Future Self laughed maniacally as he relentlessly battered Shi Yan.

Shi Yan's expression was grim.

He had never imagined that even while fighting in the Origin Land and relying on the World Origin, he would still fail to overcome Future Self in the realm of space-time.

Future Self now controlled all of space-time. He wielded True God Level power along the Path of Space-Time and had command over the surrounding space-time. Relying solely on the other Origins left Shi Yan completely outmatched.

Future Self unleashed his domain and used Main Self's power to cast "Chaotic Space-Time," suppressing the area around them. With every move, the claw-shaped shadows easily scattered the Eight Great Origins under Shi Yan's control.

"Heh. You think you can suppress me by relying on the World Origin? How foolish. This world was built around our own hearts. The rest might be different, but in matters of space-time, how could the World Origin possibly rival our own power?"

Future Self scoffed, then looked at Shi Yan with pity. "But I can't blame you. The power is in my hands, so your failure is inevitable. So what if you ruined my plan to escape? It was all for nothing. At least making it this far proves you tried your best."

Future Self was utterly confident.

Shi Yan, meanwhile, was so anxious his eyes had reddened. He had lost the ability to fight back and could only hunker down on the defensive. But even then, he wouldn't last much longer.

He had never expected that relying on the World Origin would cause this kind of problem.

But as Future Self had said, what other choice did he have?

"Am I really destined to perish here?"

Shi Yan was unwilling to accept it. He didn't want to lose here.

But just as he was close to despair, the World Origin, which had been resisting him, began to grow slightly more compliant. In an instant, Shi Yan found it much easier to control.

"What's going on?" Shi Yan was startled.

It all began a few minutes earlier.

A few minutes earlier.

As soon as the phantoms of Shi Yan and Future Self appeared in the sky, countless people noticed them.

"It's the Palace Master! Who's that other person?"

"Idiot! Anyone fighting the Palace Master has to be a bad guy... Hey, look at the shadows that appear when the black-robed man attacks. Don't they look like the super monsters from before?"

"They really do! Could that black-robed man be the mastermind behind the Monster Catastrophe?"

The people of the world began buzzing with speculation. The Grand Celestial Masters of the Celestial Master Palace quickly had Celestial Masters in various regions spread what Shi Yan had told them earlier.

"The source of the Monster Catastrophe?"

"That black-robed man?"

Public anger flared. People across the world began cheering Shi Yan on and praying for him.

"Grandpa Palace Master, you can do it!"

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

Countless people prayed. Countless people sent their blessings.

The thoughts of one ordinary person were weak. So were the thoughts of ten, a hundred, or even thousands upon thousands.

But the thoughts of nearly every ordinary person in an entire world were different.

Living beings were the soul of a world. The will of nearly every intelligent lifeform in a world was the will of that world.

The people's Vow Power influenced the world. With the people's support, the World Origin stopped resisting Shi Yan and instead grew much more compliant.

With the World Origin now at his command, Shi Yan gradually gained the strength to stand against Future Self, who had been suppressing him.

"Hmm? The people?" Shi Yan felt the World Origin acknowledging him and was overjoyed.

Rumble...

Under Shi Yan's control, the Eight Great Origins in the Origin Land formed a vast array, and its power surged. Lightning raged, violent winds howled, and the other Origins joined in the attack.

Controlling an array required great precision. Before, with the Origin resisting him, he couldn't control it freely enough to set up the array at all; even if he forced it into place, it would easily collapse.

But now, with the people's thoughts helping him, Shi Yan could arrange the array however he pleased.

"Damn it! You're relying on a bunch of ants!"

Future Self was somewhat angered. The people's Vow Power greatly strengthened Shi Yan's control over the World Origin. Although he still couldn't match Future Self without the Space-Time Origin, he was no longer being thoroughly overwhelmed and wasn't in immediate danger.

But Future Self was only annoyed for a moment before sneering again. "How long can the people's Vow Power help you? I have the advantage now, and your defeat is inevitable."

"..."

Shi Yan fell silent.

Future Self was telling the truth. The people's will wasn't infinite. If Shi Yan couldn't find a way to turn things around in the short time he had, all he could do was struggle a little before dying.

But what else could he do now?

He had spent decades preparing for this battle. He had already tried every method and used every trick he could think of.

He was out of options.

For the first time, Shi Yan felt what it meant to be completely at a loss.

"Ugh... I'm so tired."

"I'm so hungry."

"..."

Before long, the people's will began to ebb. Large numbers of people were overcome by an unbearable hunger.

Shi Yan also noticed the World Origin starting to resist him again. The Origin Array began to destabilize.

"Hahaha... Looks like this is where it ends, Main Self."

Future Self roared with laughter. A massive light sword appeared in his hand, and he slashed at the array again and again. Wherever the sword light passed, endless space-time shattered.

Already unstable, the Origin Array trembled and collapsed completely. Future Self pressed his advantage and swung his sword at Shi Yan. Shi Yan did his best to manipulate the scattered Origin and resist, but Future Self's attack still barreled through everything.

"There's nothing I can do..."

Shi Yan sighed. He was truly powerless. He had done everything he could, yet this was still how it had ended.

"Xi Yun, Past Self..."

Their faces flashed through Shi Yan's mind. They had both hoped he could turn this Illusory World into reality, but he couldn't do it.

"Qing Huan..."

His only disciple must have been waiting for him to return to the Universe Ocean, but he might never get the chance.

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

He still hadn't gotten his revenge. Shi Yan was filled with bitter regret.

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

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

"Hmph! You're just a bunch of ants who'll disappear sooner or later." Future Self's voice rang across the world, dismissing the people's encouragement with contempt.

But the people seemed utterly unafraid of Future Self, who appeared like an invincible demon god. Instead, they cheered Shi Yan on even more fiercely.

"Founder! Defeat him! You're undefeated!"

"Why are you gloating, you bastard? The Palace Master will definitely win!"

Across the entire world, people in every region cheered Shi Yan on and cursed Future Self.

"..."

Shi Yan, who controlled the Origin, could also hear people across the world cheering him on. They were all hoping he could turn the tables.

Most of them were Celestial Masters, whose Vow Power would last longer than ordinary people's. But even their Vow Power was no longer enough to help him. As for the countless ordinary people, though they had already exhausted their strength, Shi Yan knew they were still hoping for his triumphant return.

"Even ordinary people are still holding on, while I, a True God, can only give up. How..." Shi Yan gave a self-mocking smile.

The hearts of ordinary people had once let him stand against Future Self. Even now, they were far braver than he was, a being born divine.

At that thought, Shi Yan suddenly froze.

Could the hearts of ordinary people really rival the gods? Then what about him? In this world, he fought by relying on World Authority. Wasn't he, in truth, no different from an ordinary person?

In a daze, Shi Yan recalled the days when he and his wife traveled the world together—the days when he had lived as if he were an ordinary person.

During that time, he had truly thought of himself as an ordinary man. He had roamed the world with his wife, righting wrongs and living freely. The memory of that carefree, easygoing life still remained with him.

But after his wife was sealed away, Shi Yan's mindset had gradually shifted back to what it had been when he was the Time Beast God. He had forgotten what that life felt like. Now, though, he remembered.

"The small heart of an ordinary person can rival the gods... If that's true, why should I rely on any Authority or array?"

Shi Yan suddenly understood.

Past Self had told him that this world was an Illusory World, and Future Self had said it was built from their hearts.

Then...

"This is my world, of course. Everything moves according to my will!"

In that moment, the gray radiance shrouding the True God Heart within Shi Yan completely shattered. The True God Heart burst into dazzling light, brighter and more awe-inspiring than even when he had first entered this world.