Temporal Temple

In a space where time flowed at an incredibly rapid pace, Zhou Zheng opened his eyes in confusion.

The surroundings were unfamiliar. Aside from him, there were three other figures here, each with a different appearance. Of the three, only the woman in a blue mage robe seemed to be a Xia Clan member.

"Where is this?"

The female mage looked around warily, and before long, her gaze settled on Zhou Zheng. The reason was simple: aside from herself, Zhou Zheng was the only one here who looked human.

"I don't know!" Zhou Zheng took a step back, placing one hand on the hilt of the sword behind his back.

"Heh, don't be nervous, newcomer!"

A lightly amused voice rang out.

The speaker was a "monster." He had humanoid limbs, but his head was flat, with curved horns growing from it.

His mouth was sharp and long, his teeth serrated. Red scales covered his body, and a thick tail extended from his back.

"You're... a demon?"

The blue-robed female mage's expression changed slightly, and a shield instantly rose around her body.

"I already told you not to be nervous!" The monster stuck out his long tongue and licked his lips as he spoke in an odd tone.

"I come from the Dark Abyss. By your standards, I am indeed a demon! Elsewhere, living beings like you with delicious souls would be my favorite prey. But here... regrettably, we are companions!"

"What does that mean?" The woman was full of confusion, though she had not lowered her guard by much.

"You'll have your answer soon enough!"

The monster spoke unhurriedly. Before long, an invisible ripple descended, and a flood of information rapidly entered everyone's minds.

"Temporal Temple."

That name appeared in Zhou Zheng's mind, and he soon fully understood what was happening.

Zhou Zheng had transmigrated into this world fifteen years ago. Strictly speaking, he had transmigrated into the world of "Snow Eagle Lord."

Its precise coordinates were the Xia Clan World, one of the countless Material Worlds within the Tianyu Universe of the Chaos Void.

The time was the year 1231 of the Dragon Mountain Calendar. To put it more vividly, there were still more than eight thousand five hundred years until Dong Bo Xue Ying, the chosen son of this world, would be born.

Zhou Zheng had transmigrated because he had obtained a Gate of Time and Space that could take him to countless worlds.

After acquiring this "Gate of Time and Space," Zhou Zheng had assumed he would begin in low-level martial worlds before gradually stepping into worlds of greater and greater levels. Who could have expected that the first world the Gate of Time and Space sent him to would be the world of "Snow Eagle Lord"?

There was no need to elaborate on how dangerous this world was. Beings capable of wiping Zhou Zheng out with a puff of breath were as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

But since he was already here, it was too late for Zhou Zheng to regret it. Every use of the Gate of Time and Space required a period of recovery afterward.

Moreover, Zhou Zheng did not believe this transmigration was entirely a bad thing. After all, fortune was found amid danger.

This world was extraordinarily dangerous, but if he could survive here and grow stronger, the benefits would be enormous as well.

Being merely somewhat strong in this world would probably make one a top figure in certain low-level martial worlds.

If he could reach the very pinnacle of this world, it was simply unimaginable!!

Of course, reaching the pinnacle of this world had been utterly impossible for Zhou Zheng when he had first arrived. So, he kept his feet on the ground and began his path of survival.

Zhou Zheng had little impression of his birth parents after transmigrating into this world. His father had died in a duel before he was born, while his mother had died of a sudden illness not long after giving birth to him.

Zhou Zheng grew up under the care of an old servant in the household. It was from that old servant that he learned one of this world's fundamental powers: the cultivation method for Battle Qi.

Zhou Zheng's aptitude for cultivating Battle Qi had not been particularly good at first. Fortunately, the Gate of Time and Space that had brought him here continuously released a special power that altered his aptitude.

The changes to his physical aptitude allowed his Battle Qi realm to advance by leaps and bounds, while the changes to his soul aptitude made his thinking sharper and his comprehension of heaven, earth, and nature clearer.

Thus, Zhou Zheng broke through to the Title-level at the age of twelve, becoming one of the foremost mortal experts in the entire Dragon Mountain Empire in a single leap.

In the Xia Clan World, there were two paths of cultivation: Knight and Mage. The early stages of both paths could be divided into three major realms: mortal, Transcendental, and Deity.

Among them, the mortal realm could be further divided into Human Tier, Earth Tier, Heaven Tier, Meteor, Silver Moon, Starry Sky (Title-level).

Before the Title-level, breakthroughs basically only involved the body's accumulation of Battle Qi. As long as one had good physical aptitude, one could continue breaking through all the way.

However, breaking through from Silver Moon to Title-level was difficult, because it required comprehending Unity of Heaven and Man.

Because of the Gate of Time and Space's transformation, Zhou Zheng's physical talent had approached the very peak. Thus, he easily cultivated his Battle Qi to the Silver Moon level, a level many people could never reach in their entire lives. Then, due to the changes in his soul aptitude, he soon comprehended heaven, earth, and nature, reaching the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man.

Naturally, this was how he had managed to break through to the Title-level at the age of twelve, becoming one of the foremost mortal experts in the Dragon Mountain Empire in a single leap.

However, not long after Zhou Zheng broke through to the Title-level, the old servant who had accompanied him throughout his growth passed away due to his advanced age.

Thus, Zhou Zheng abandoned the family estate and set out alone on the path of challenging powerful experts.

This was also his path of seeking Transcendence.

That challenge lasted three full years. During that time, Zhou Zheng won and lost, but his strength continued growing until he no longer had an opponent among mortals.

And it was at this time that Zhou Zheng suddenly arrived in this strange place.

Now, Zhou Zheng also understood why... he had been forcibly abducted by the Temporal Temple and made into one of its Cyclic Reincarnators.

Within the Tianyu Universe, the Temporal Temple was one of the most powerful forces. Its founder, the Island Master of Time and Space, possessed strength sufficient to rank among the Top Ten in this universe.

The Island Master of Time and Space had forged the treasure known as the "Temporal Temple." It possessed intelligence and could freely investigate everything that had occurred in the Past throughout Endless Space.

This gave the Temporal Temple an incomparable advantage when selecting talents. Unless someone was a super genius, the Artifact Spirit of the Temporal Temple would have few reservations. If it took a fancy to someone, it would usually abduct them directly and turn them into a Cyclic Reincarnator of the Temporal Temple.

And Zhou Zheng had clearly received precisely this kind of treatment.

This damned Temporal Temple can control part of one's soul! Zhou Zheng raged inwardly. Naturally, he had no desire to be manipulated by others, especially when they held his soul in their grasp.

But before a colossal entity like the Temporal Temple, he had very little power to resist.

I can only endure for now. Once the Gate of Time and Space finishes cooling down, I'll leave immediately. I refuse to believe that you, Temporal Temple, can cross different dimensional worlds to pursue me! This thought flashed through Zhou Zheng's mind, and he finally calmed down completely.

No matter what, survival came first!