The Laws of Time and Space

Early the next morning, Luo Chen got up at dawn.

Sunlight streamed through the inn's window lattice and fell on the Gulu Balls by his bedside. Their surfaces gleamed with a faint golden luster. He reached out and picked one up, turning it over in his palm as he sensed the peculiar, faint fluctuations within.

"Evil Emperor," he called silently.

"What is it, kid?"

"Last night, you said my Martial Soul was more than just a way to capture Soul Beasts. Tell me more."

The Evil Emperor fell silent for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. After a while, his voice sounded in Luo Chen's mind. "I only figured it out last night myself. On the surface, your Gulu Ball just captures Soul Beasts, but I sensed it carefully—and the instant it hit its target, space and time around that target briefly came to a standstill."

"Came to a standstill?"

"Right. It was as if time had been paused and space compressed. Otherwise, how could you fit a Soul Beast dozens of times bigger than the ball inside it?" The Evil Emperor's voice carried a hint of wariness. "I've lived for hundreds of thousands of years and seen countless Martial Souls, but there are only a handful that can touch the laws of time and space..."

Luo Chen narrowed his eyes. It made sense that the little Gulu Ball could capture Soul Beasts because it contained the laws of time and space.

"You mean my Martial Soul is connected to the laws of time and space?" Luo Chen asked.

"It's more than a connection," the Evil Emperor said. "I suspect your Martial Soul is the very embodiment of pure laws of time and space! When I—when you trapped me, I clearly felt space twisting and time congealing. I've mastered the laws of time and space myself. I couldn't be mistaken."

Luo Chen listened quietly as the Evil Emperor continued. "I think that if your Martial Soul can reach a higher level, you might truly be able to master the power of time and space!"

"You mean...!" Luo Chen's breathing quickened. Time reigned supreme; space was king. With fate absent, cause and effect wore the crown!

The two supreme laws of time and space—the God of Time and Space God of the Douluo Continent...

The God of Time had barely been mentioned, but the Space God had been written about. His true form was a "Void Worm," and he had an older sister named "Tang Kongkong."

If he really could master the laws of time and space...

"Don't get ahead of yourself, kid. Your job right now is to level up fast. You've only got one ordinary Gulu Ball and one Tidal Gulu Ball, and you're already thinking about the laws of time and space?"

Luo Chen rolled his eyes.

"But I do know a place that could help you grasp the laws of time and space quickly."

"What place?" Luo Chen asked.

"I stumbled across it by chance when I first arrived on the Douluo Continent. I'd planned to investigate after taking care of business. But I never expected Di Tian to be so powerful. I was still a little short of his strength. Hmph! The Dragon God's power... If I could become a god, I'd make sure the descendants of my Evil Eye Clan were blessed, too!"

"Hold on. I asked where the place is," Luo Chen interrupted.

The Evil Emperor clicked his tongue, apparently displeased at being interrupted, but continued anyway. "What's the rush? I was just about to tell you."

Luo Chen rolled his eyes and waited for him to go on.

"That place is in the Far North of the continent." The Evil Emperor's voice turned serious. "In the deepest part of the Far North Ice Plains, there's a wasteland buried beneath a layer of everlasting ice. Nothing grows there, and Soul Beasts rarely venture near. But at the center of that wasteland lies a massive ice crevasse. When I passed by, I sensed incredibly powerful fluctuations of time and space coming from within."

"Fluctuations of time and space?" Luo Chen frowned.

"Right. Not from a Soul Beast, nor a natural treasure—pure, untainted power of time and space." The Evil Emperor's voice held a trace of reminiscence. "It felt as if someone had forcibly torn open a rift in time and space beneath the ice, with the other end connected to some unknown realm. I'd planned to go down and investigate, but there were other opportunities. One was known to many people; the other, only I had discovered. I decided to take both, so I went after that giant worm first."

Luo Chen knew he meant the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. He said nothing and asked, "What do you think is in there?"

"Hard to say," the Evil Emperor mused. "It could be the ruins of a deity who wielded time and space, or a rift in time and space left behind by some ancient battle. Whatever it is, the laws of time and space within are bound to be purer than anything you could find elsewhere. If you want to master their power, that place... is your best bet."

Luo Chen's eyes brightened slightly.

The Far North.

"But aren't there a lot of powerful Soul Beasts in the Far North? I think there are the Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North, too. I can't go there yet, can I?"

The Evil Emperor said, "There are a few fellows there whose strength is passable. With your current abilities, you'd just be walking into their mouths. But I can help conceal your aura, so you might be able to head straight for that crevasse. Still, if you're discovered, you'll almost certainly be doomed. Knowing that, would you still dare to go?"

Luo Chen's gaze sharpened. "Of course. Why wouldn't I? Fortune favors those who brave danger. What's the Far North to me? I'm going to become a god, too. There's no time to lose. Once I've said goodbye to my parents, I'll set out at once!"

"Quite the gutsy kid. And you think you'll become a god? You'll be lucky to become a Titled Douluo."

Yet the Evil Emperor couldn't help feeling a little hopeful. If the kid became a god, perhaps he could ascend to the Divine Realm with him?

Luo Chen, meanwhile, thought that although his awakened Martial Soul was the Gulu Ball, something that had appeared in his previous life, it was still a little underwhelming compared with the phoenixes and Dragon Kings other transmigrators had. So he had to take a gamble. Maybe that rift in time and space was an opportunity meant just for him!

Winter break lasted two months. Luo Chen wanted to make a trip to the Far North during those two months. He planned to set out in ten days, and before then, he wanted to spend some time with his parents.

He also needed to make arrangements for Su Heng.

"Brother Chen, are you up?" Su Heng called from outside.

Su Heng knocked on the door and said, "Brother Chen, Uncle Dashan made fish soup. I ran into him, so I brought you some. Drink it while it's hot."

Luo Chen took the bowl and drank a mouthful. Warmth flowed down his throat.

"After we eat, let's go see Uncle Fule first." Luo Chen set down the bowl. "There's something I need to discuss with him."

"What are we going to do?" Su Heng asked.

"You'll find out when we get there. Most likely, we'll have to end winter break early."

"End winter break early? Are we going back to school?" Su Heng's face immediately fell.

Luo Chen planned to explain his intentions to Fule, then have him send someone to take Su Heng back to Heaven Dou City. That way, Luo Chen could set off for the Far North without worrying.

He would also send a letter to his teacher, telling him not to worry. Once everything was taken care of, he would return to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.