Underlying Currents

Silver light shimmered several times, then vanished.

Shi Yan's realm had also reached the peak of the Seventh Order, just a hair's breadth from breaking through to the Eighth Order.

"Too bad. If it weren't for that bastard..." After his excitement faded, Shi Yan felt a surge of resentment.

If the Monster Beast Progenitor hadn't interfered, he would have been highly confident of breaking through to the Eighth Order.

An Eighth-Order True God, with a suitable Supreme True Treasure, could drive its Secret Patterns to their limits after studying them and unleash Ninth-Order strength—a power among the very strongest in the Universe Ocean.

Now, although he had reached the peak of the Seventh Order and was just a hair's breadth from breaking through to the Eighth Order, there was no telling when he would cross that final gap.

"Once I create a suitable Secret Technique, I'll make the Monster Race pay." Shi Yan gave a cold snort.

The Monster Beast Progenitor wasn't particularly strong among the True Gods, with only Seventh-Order strength and no Supreme True Treasure. He was basically one of the weakest True Gods in the Universe Ocean.

But Shi Yan had only just broken through. Although his realm had reached the peak of the Seventh Order, he hadn't yet created a suitable Secret Technique. If he fought the Monster Beast Progenitor now, he might not even gain the upper hand.

At that thought, Shi Yan lost all interest in observing his newly formed Miniature Universe. He forced down his anger, sat cross-legged, and began creating the Secret Technique best suited to his current realm. At the same time, he revisited some of his insights into Chaos Evolution, hoping to break through to the Eighth Order.

As Shi Yan began to consolidate his realm, the Monster Beast Progenitor, who had been relentlessly attacking Shi Yan's Miniature Universe from outside, finally stopped.

"It's been so long. Chaos Evolution should be over by now." The Monster Beast Progenitor tilted his enormous head, then grinned viciously. "Since we're already enemies, you can't blame me. Missing out on Chaos Evolution is your own bad luck... Without those insights, I doubt that old Time Beast God can even break through to the Seventh Order."

The thought made the Monster Beast Progenitor grin even more broadly. He had great confidence in his attacks. Most True Gods would probably need to devote two or three tenths of their will to shielding themselves from the tremors of a Miniature Universe.

What the Monster Beast Progenitor didn't know was that Shi Yan's universe was far more stable than he imagined. His attacks barely required any willpower to shield Shi Yan from the tremors.

"Hmph. I've accomplished my goal, so there's no point wasting any more time here. What bad luck, running into that Time Beast God..."

The Monster Beast Progenitor shook his head as he flew away from Shi Yan's Miniature Universe, preparing to return to the Primal Universe and discuss with the Universe Masters of his race how to deal with the Time Beast God's coming retaliation.

Shi Yan retreated to create Secret Techniques, falling into temporary seclusion.

Meanwhile, the Monster Beast Progenitor hurried back to the Primal Universe and returned to the Monster Race's stronghold.

"Ancestor, how did it go?"

At that moment, many powerful members of the Monster Race had gathered at their stronghold. Every one of them was at least a Universe Master, and there were seventeen mighty beings in all.

Besides the Monster Beast Progenitor, another figure stood at their head: a Strange Beast with a sawtooth shell, none other than the Monster Race's other Universe Supreme Being, Demon Ancestor Zhen.

"I interfered with the Time Beast God's Chaos Evolution. I'd guess it'll be difficult for him to even break through to the Seventh Order. As for anything else..." The Monster Beast Progenitor shook his head. "After all, he's becoming a Universe Supreme Being. The peak of the Sixth Order is the bare minimum."

At his words, all the Universe Masters furrowed their brows.

The peak of the Sixth Order was still absolutely invincible in the Primal Universe. They had expected as much, but it still gave most of the Universe Masters a serious headache.

Few among them had even reached the Fourth Order. Most were only at the Third Order, and against a Universe Supreme Being at the peak of the Sixth Order, they would likely be killed with ease in three or five moves.

"Enough, everyone."

A figure who looked rather like a Beast God spoke up. "No one could have predicted that the Time Beast God would break through to become a True God. What's done is done. From now on, we need only be careful in the Primal Universe. As for the Universe Ocean... I imagine the various factions there will be very interested in a Natural Beast God with the strength of a Universe Supreme Being."

"Well said, Lord of Starry Sky."

The Monster Race's Universe Masters might not have agreed with the Lord of Starry Sky, but this operation had been pushed through single-handedly by the Monster Beast Progenitor, so they didn't dare say much.

The Monster Beast Progenitor glanced around and realized that the Universe Masters seemed rather dissatisfied. He grew irritable at once. "Enough. This matter ends here! It's only one Time Beast God. The Monster Race won't be destroyed by him."

The Monster Beast Progenitor forcefully ended the meeting, and the Monster Race's Universe Masters had no choice but to leave in small groups.

"Hmph!"

The Monster Beast Progenitor vanished in a flash, no one knew where he had gone.

He didn't know that after he left, Demon Ancestor Zhen, who had seemed so quiet and reserved, exchanged a meaningful glance with the Silver White Serpent Meng Cha and the seemingly conciliatory Lord of Starry Sky.

"Meng Cha, Old Beast God, how much longer will you two need? And Old Beast God, will the Time Beast God's breakthrough affect you?"

At the edge of the Monster Race Territory, in a desolate stretch of space, three mighty beings appeared and began speaking with one another.

Demon Ancestor Zhen was the first to speak. Gone was the quiet deference he had shown in front of the Monster Beast Progenitor. His small eyes were now full of cunning.

The Silver White Serpent Meng Cha flicked her enormous tongue, then rasped, "Becoming a Universe Supreme Being isn't easy. Even if you've found the path, reaching the final step takes time. Zhen Jiao, you should know that better than anyone."

The Lord of Starry Sky nodded beside her, his voice low. "That's right. Advancing the Path of Fusion Laws to the level of a Universe Supreme Being is difficult. Fortunately, the Time Beast God shouldn't be following the Beast God Path. Now that he's broken through, I don't feel as though my own path has been cut off."

"That's good... The Monster Beast Progenitor fancies himself the guide of all the Strange Beasts and Starry Sky Giant Beasts. He's stubborn and self-willed. Back then, he insisted on making an enemy of the Original Ancestor, causing heavy losses for the Monster Race. Now he's so rashly provoked a powerful enemy like the Time Beast God. In the long run, he can do as he pleases, but the Monster Race can't afford to be buried alongside him." Demon Ancestor Zhen's heavy voice echoed through the void.

"The Monster Beast Progenitor calls himself the Progenitor, yet he doesn't care for his race the way the Original Ancestor of humanity or the Father God of Machine Race do. We can't let him continue leading the Monster Race," the Silver White Serpent said coldly.

"Once the two of us break through, it'll be time for the Monster Beast Progenitor to step down. By then, we might even be able to reconcile with the Time Beast God and put all the blame on the Monster Beast Progenitor," the Lord of Starry Sky suggested.

"Heh, that's a good plan. It's best not to make an enemy of a lone Universe Supreme Being. Even if we have to pay a few treasures in compensation, it won't matter."

"Then it's settled. You two should break through as soon as possible."

"Agreed."

The three mighty beings reached an agreement, then each went their own way.

"Heh, the Monster Race..."

Watching Demon Ancestor Zhen and the Silver White Serpent leave, the Lord of Starry Sky, who had fallen a step behind, grew pensive. Then he, too, vanished from the void.

The undercurrents among the Monster Race's top powerhouses didn't affect its many ordinary Universe Masters. To them, the Time Beast God was the most immediate threat.

The thought of a lone Universe Supreme Being becoming their race's sworn enemy kept the Universe Masters on edge for hundreds of years. Yet as time passed, the Time Beast God never showed himself.

Gradually, some of the Universe Masters began venturing out into the Primal Universe again. Most of the Monster Race's Universe Masters, however, chose to remain in hiding and watch. After all, even staying dormant for several thousand eras was a trivial matter for a Universe Master.

Meanwhile, after cultivating in his Miniature Universe for several hundred years, Shi Yan suddenly opened his eyes.

"..."

Time flowed through Shi Yan's left eye, a thousand years passing in a glance, while his right eye seemed to contain endless space, constantly forming and breaking apart.

But the next moment, all those phenomena vanished.

"The Beast God Path has reached its limit at this point." Shi Yan stood and transformed into his Beast God True Form. Space and time raged around his platinum body, while the Eight Great Elements—metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, light, and lightning—interwove and surged.

A moment later, the Eight Great Elements vanished, and space and time settled. Yet space and time alone now seemed even deeper, more unfathomable, and ever-changing.

"The fusion of the Ten Great Laws takes space and time as its foundation, drawing on the Eight Lower Laws as nourishment. In truth, it manifests the Chaos Law through space and time... If I truly achieve that, I'll probably be able to reach Saint-Calling." The platinum Beast God stood at the center of shifting space and time, watching in silence.

Those several hundred years of cultivation had been a period of explosive growth for Shi Yan.

Even before becoming a True God, he had mastered the Wind-Time and Thunder-Time Beast God Paths, both belonging to the laws of time, as well as the five Beast God Paths belonging to the laws of space. Only the Water-Space Beast God Path had remained beyond his complete mastery.

Now that his realm had reached the peak of the Seventh Order, mastering the Beast God Paths was much easier. After all, the Beast God Path was only a law of the Universe Master level, and it became easier to cultivate once his realm advanced.

After mastering all eight Beast God Paths, Shi Yan began trying to completely integrate the Eight Lower Laws into space and time.

If he could fully achieve that, he would reach the Saint-Calling realm. Shi Yan was still far from it, but simply setting out on this path had already allowed him to create several peak Seventh-Order Secret Techniques. He also had a feeling...

"All I need is an opportunity to break through to the Eighth Order." The platinum Beast God transformed back into a silver-haired young man with sharp brows and bright eyes. "It's time to go out and make the Monster Beast Progenitor pay."

"Too bad I can't reveal my Beast God form whenever I want anymore. I'd better travel in human form for now." Shi Yan looked himself over.

As a Natural Beast God, his Beast God True Form was the body he knew best. But a Natural Beast God was also a natural delicacy. Even though Shi Yan had become a True God, he still had to be careful while traveling through the Universe Ocean. He didn't know how long he could keep his identity hidden, but every extra moment was precious. The day he gained Ninth-Order strength would be the day he could truly roam the Universe Ocean without restraint.

Because Shi Yan had inherited that foreign soul, he was also quite comfortable with human form, second only to his Beast God True Form. So he decided to appear as a human while traveling through the Universe Ocean.

With a flash, Shi Yan appeared outside his Miniature Universe.