He paused.
"One more is coming. He'll be here any moment."
The moment he finished speaking, the entire continent shook again.
This tremor was different from the one that had accompanied Yang Jian's arrival. Then, the rules of the world had moved with him.
This time, time itself moved with the newcomer. Past, present, and future trembled at once. Yang Jian glanced up at the sky, and the corner of his mouth lifted again.
"He's here."
High above, a rift opened in the gap between the Extreme Sun and the Extreme Moon.
It was not a spatial rift. It was a rift in time.
Three people emerged from it. No—they were three temporal states of one person.
The figure on the left had white hair, an aged face, and eyes weary from countless ages.
That was his past self. The figure in the middle looked middle-aged, with a composed face and eyes sharp as knives.
That was his present self. The figure on the right looked like a young man, with thick black hair and a devil-may-care smile. That was his future self.
Three selves across time. Taiyi Celestial Venerable. Li Yi.
All three figures stepped out of the temporal rift together. With every step, the flow of time throughout the Supreme Heavenly Realm shifted.
It sped up.
It slowed down.
It reversed.
It surged forward.
It swung wildly back and forth.
Every living being felt their timeline waver. Some suddenly grew younger, others suddenly grew old, then changed back. It was terrifying, as though someone held their life in one hand and could twist it however they pleased.
The three figures spoke at once, their voices overlapping. Past, present, and future merged into one voice, every word perfectly clear.
"Sorry we're late."
All three figures landed before Naruto, their