In the empty eye sockets, two points of black light as deep as the abyss suddenly lit up, as if the ancient gods who had been sleeping for hundreds of millions of years cast their first indifferent glance at this moment.
Between the thrones, on the huge light screen, this scene was captured in detail by [Myriad Phenomena Devouring System]'s surveillance perspective.
However, Uchiha Xuan's gaze did not stop at the skull itself. His pair of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan suddenly shrank and locked onto the area around the skull.
There was no sound, no vibration, not even a trace of dust in the air.
The moment the skull opened its eyes, everything within a three-meter radius centered on it fell into an absolute, palpitating "stasis."
The flying dust froze in mid-air, the natural flow of energy was forcibly frozen, and even the light seemed to be dragged into slow motion.
[System prompt: Local space-time curvature anomaly detected.
The time flow rate in this area is reduced to 0.01% of the normal value.
Abnormal duration: 0.7 seconds.]
[Warning! The source of cross-time axis energy fluctuations is undergoing high-dimensional observation!]
Uchiha Xuan leaned on the cold throne, tapping his fingertips on the armrest unconsciously, making a slight "tap, tap" sound, which was a sign that he was deep in thought.
It's not the resurrection of the dead, nor is it the materialization of resentment.
This is... a traceback.
A kind of "existence" from the future is crossing the torrent of time and observing the time node of "now".
And that new skull is just a "coordinate anchor" passively formed in this era when it projects its sight.
"Interesting prey." Uchiha Xuan's mouth curved into a cold and cruel arc.
He raised his head, his scarlet pupils peering through the light curtain, as if he were looking at the sight from afar across time and space.
He doesn't care who the other person is, he only knows that anyone who dares to spy on him will be included in the devouring menu.
The real threat is not the illusory "door", but the "I" who has not yet been born but is already trying to interfere in the present.
He made his judgment almost instantly.
To be able to have such a deep causal connection with him and observe it in such an incredible way, there is no other possibility except to evolve to a higher level of yourself.
"Chiyo." He said indifferently.
"My subordinate is here." Chiyo Saori's figure walked out of the shadows like a ghost, kneeling on one knee with a humble posture, but the shock of witnessing Uchiha Xuan crushing the taboo ring still remained in his eyes.
"Pass my order, with Flame Master Ruins as the center, set up three layers of the highest level blocking barrier. No one is allowed to come within a hundred miles of the ruins."
"Yes."
"In addition," Uchiha Xuan's eyes turned to another screen, which showed the twelve motionless "Bone Obsidian" puppets in the underground chamber, "Bring them all to the ruins and melt them on the spot."
Chiyo Saori was slightly startled, but did not ask, just waiting for the next step.
"Melting them into an altar," Uchi Hagen's voice was without a trace of emotion, as if he was describing the production process of a work of art. "The appearance must be exactly the same as the fire that burned Ghost Cleaver."
Chiyo Saori instantly understood Uchiha Xuan's intention.
This is creating an illusion!
An illusion that "the ceremony is still going on and the inheritance has not ended yet"!
Since the future "I" is observing, it means that it is not omniscient and omnipotent about the "present" situation.
It needs to get information through anchor points.
Then, show it what it wants to see.
Only when the consciousness behind that "door" thinks that its infiltration plan is going smoothly will it lower its guard and expose more... body coordinates for devouring!
"Subordinate, obey!" Chiyo Saori nodded heavily, with fanatical admiration shining in his eyes.
This kind of layout that uses the entire world as a chessboard and even includes the future in calculations is exactly the power she follows!
For the next three days, the entire Flame Master Ruins was completely blocked.
Under the personal supervision of Chiyo Saori, twelve humanoid puppets made of forbidden materials and superb craftsmanship were thrown into the blazing flames.
The weird alloy between bone white and jet black slowly melted and reorganized under high temperature, and finally solidified into a "pseudo-altar" filled with skeleton-like structures that was exactly the same as Ghost Cleaver's memory in the center of the ruins.
The newborn baby's skull was enshrined at the top of the altar.
The third day, noon.
Under the scorching sun, without any Fire Release Ninjutsu applied, the black and white altar began to heat up on its own, with hot red lines appearing on its surface.
At the top of the altar, from the hollow mouth of the baby's skull, a drop of black liquid as thick as petroleum slowly seeped out and dripped onto the surface of the altar.
"Zi--"
The black liquid corroded the alloy, emitting a burst of green smoke, and finally solidified into a line of twisted and ancient Uchiha Clan text on the altar:
[You will eventually Flame Master.]
A prophecy full of malice and curses.
Between the thrones, Uchiha Xuan looked at the words floating on the light screen. Instead of being angry, there was a playful sneer on his face.
"Finally can't help but communicate?"
He closed his eyes and his consciousness sank into the system space.
"System, start the 'reverse resonance module'."
[Command confirmation.]
[Retrieving the database of swallowed souls... Target locked: Ghost Cleaver and the remaining sixteen soul fragments of Flame Master ritual participants.]
[Start the forced reorganization of consciousness frequency... simulate the 'collective response of the teacher group'... the resonance signal is generated!]
The next second, on the altar of Flame Master Ruins, the baby's skull shook violently!
It seemed to hear something that shocked it in response. It was not a single consciousness, but seventeen familiar and malicious consciousness frequencies. At the same time, through the medium of the altar, they sent a silent roar to it!
Uchiha Xuan did not respond to that prophecy, but used the soul frequencies of these "losers" who were swallowed by him to fight back roughly!
This is a provocation, but also a declaration: your time has passed, now, I am the one who calls the shots here!
Buzz--!
The tremors in the skull reached its peak, and the black light surged in the two deep eye sockets, projecting a blurry image!
It was a piece of scorched earth shrouded in bloody moonlight.
Atop the endless ruins, a solitary figure stood prominently.
He was wearing Six Paths Hagoromo embroidered with nine Tomoe, and his pure white robe was rustling in the strong wind of the apocalypse.
He didn't look back, but just that figure from his back exuded an absolute coercion that could make even the gods tremble and dominate the universe!
His eyes are two rounds of Rinne Sharingan that emit strange purple light!
And his right hand was slowly raised, and what he held in his hand was a broken piece... Obsidian Ring!
On the throne, Uchi Hagen's pupils shrank to the extreme at that moment!
That's... himself!
The wavelength of chakra and the texture of his soul all come from the same source as him, but the level of that power is at least three dimensions higher than what he is now!
Super Kage Level, Six Paths level, Otsutsuki Clan level... No, it has even surpassed Kaguya, reaching a realm of creation gods that he cannot yet understand!
The enemy in the future is actually myself who has ascended to godhood and evolved to the end!
However, there was no trace of panic on Uchiha Xuan's face.
He was still leaning on the throne, and his breathing rate had not changed.
He just looked at the back quietly, with an unprecedented, almost crazy appetite burning in his scarlet pupils!
Future me?
Just in time, it saved me a long time of evolving step by step.
Just... swallow you up!
He calmly raised his right hand, and a ray of extremely pure chakra that belonged to him, like the most slender spider thread, silently injected into the light curtain in front of him.
This ray of chakra, through the transformation of [Myriad Phenomena Devouring System], was transmitted back through the false link between the broken ring residue and the skull on the altar.
What he sent back was a carefully forged "memory".
In the picture, "Uchiha Xuan" stands in front of a blazing altar. Under his feet are the cold corpses of Chiyo Saori and the eight surviving students.
He lit the flames with his own hands, burned his last followers completely, and completed the most cruel and thorough "final lesson".
This is the answer that "The Gate" is most looking forward to seeing - a successor who cuts off all ties and completely falls into darkness and aloofness.
This is also the moment when it thinks it is in control of everything, so it is the most relaxed and vulnerable!
Sure enough, after receiving this "memory", the skull in the distant space and time stopped trembling.
The black light in the eye sockets became softer, and there was even a faint, satisfied mental fluctuation similar to a low smile.
That's it now!
Uchiha Xuan suddenly closed his eyes, and the sneer on his face instantly disappeared, replaced by a god-like aura and determination!
The [Myriad Phenomena Devouring System] in his body was operating at full power with unprecedented power at this moment!
Boom--!!!
He didn't cut off the link, that would be too low-level!
He wants to follow the thread of consciousness that spans the time dimension, go upstream, actively and crazily, to reversely devour the source of the spy!
[Warning!
Warning!
High-dimensional cognitive pollution source detected!
Trying to parse... Parse failed!]
[System core module is overloaded! Forced locking is in progress... Locking successful!]
[Start... Root Devouring Protocol!]
Also at the same moment.
On the scorched earth of the future, that stalwart figure with its back to the bloody moonlight seemed to feel something, and suddenly... slowly turned around.
His face was exactly the same as the current Uchiha Xuan, but those Rinne Sharingans were full of divinity and endless vicissitudes of indifference to all things.
He looked in the direction of "now", and a cold and cruel smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, which was exactly the same as Uchiha Xuan.
He didn't make any sound, he just mouthed and said silently:
"Finally, it's your turn."
Between the thrones, Uchiha Xuan's body shook violently, and a trace of black blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
In his mind, the system's alarm almost tore his consciousness apart, but amidst the chaos, a stream of information that had been forcibly parsed and encrypted in countless layers was clearly presented in the deepest part of his consciousness.
That was a memory fragment forcibly torn from the high-dimensional pollution source during this "reverse devouring".
[System prompt: Cognitive pollution analysis progress is 0.1%.
Successfully extracted an encrypted memory fragment.]
[Decrypting...]
Uchiha Xuan endured the severe pain of his soul being torn apart and looked at the information coldly.
Expensive snooping always brings back some interest.
And this interest seems to have revealed a secret older than "my future self".
[Decryption completed.]
The system's cold notification tone fell, and a line of text appeared in his mind.
Seventy years ago, the real...