The Peak Supreme God of the True Dragon.
One of the earliest dragons in Legend, an ancestor of all pterosaurs, and one of the purest and most powerful beings in the Dragon Clan bloodline. Its existence predates many major planes.
Having become the mount of the Mother of the Stars, the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur have not appeared before the world for countless years.
But the dragon shadow that appeared at this moment, the Lord of Time was absolutely certain, was the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur, for His Eternity Dragon Body was trembling, yearning.
It's not a phantom, not a projection, not a clone.
It was a real, living Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur.
However, He wasn't in good condition.
The Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur ' bodies were bound by countless silver chains. These chains were not ordinary chains, but "Law Chains" formed from the primal power of the Mother of the Stars, specifically designed to bind beings that transcended ordinary dimensions. Each chain was inscribed with complex sealing runes, suppressing the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur ' power to its extreme.
His eyes—those eyes that once made countless worlds tremble—were now filled with weariness and helplessness. He looked at the Lord of Time, at this descendant who also had Dragon Clan blood flowing through his veins, and there was no anger, no hatred in his eyes, only a deep, indescribable sorrow.
"Lord of Time..." The voice of the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur was low and hoarse, like the sob of the wind blowing through ancient ruins, "Mother Goddess, are you... going to give me to this traitor of the Dragon Clan?"
The Mother of the Stars did not answer, but only sighed softly.
The Lord of Time stared intently at the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur, his eyes burning with an almost insane desire.
Within the body of the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur flows the purest bloodline essence of the True Dragon. It is something the Lord of Time has always dreamed of—if He could obtain that bloodline essence, He could break through the bottleneck of the First-Step Eternity and step into the threshold of the Second-Step Eternity.
A single step can make all the difference.
The difference between First-Step Eternity and Second-Step Eternity is like the difference between a mortal and a god. If He could step into Second-Step Eternity, He would have more choices, more freedom, and more possibilities.
"Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur," the Lord of Time's voice trembled slightly, "Your bloodline essence is mine."
The Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur closed its eyes.
He has given up the struggle.
It wasn't because she didn't want to struggle, but because struggling was pointless. The chains of the Mother of the Stars' laws suppressed ninety-nine percent of her power. In her current state, she couldn't even defeat an ordinary Nightmares Beast, let alone an Eternity being like the Lord of Time.
"You'll regret this," the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur said softly, his voice devoid of any emotion, only a profound understanding that transcended everything.
"Lord of Time, do you really think the Mother of the Stars will carry you across the Destruction Tide? Do you really think She will take you to the Land of Origin? You are merely a pawn of Hers, like the Nightmare Hydra."
The Lord of Time's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Perhaps," said the Lord of Time, "But it was my own choice."
"Besides... I've heard that phrase far too many times."
He turned to the Mother of the Stars, bowed his head, and spoke with a hint of urgency in his voice.
"Mother Goddess, please give Him to me."
The Mother of the Stars gazed at the Lord of Time, and a fleeting, elusive emotion flickered in her eyes, which reflected countless worlds. The emotion vanished in an instant, so quickly that even the Lord of Time failed to perceive it.
"Take it."
With a gentle push from the Mother of the Stars, the bodies of the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur, along with the chains of law, floated toward the Lord of Time.
The Lord of Time stretched out his dragon claw, trembling as he caught the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur.
At that moment, His eyes were fixed only on that enormous body, brimming with the essence of the True Dragon bloodline. His dragon claws caressed the scales of the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur, feeling the power contained in the blood flowing beneath the scales, and His eyes burned with an almost manic joy.
"Finally... finally..."
He murmured softly, his voice filled with the relief of finally receiving a reward after waiting for countless eons.
The Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur opened their eyes, looked at the Lord of Time's longing expression, and gently shook their heads.
"Pitiful."
He only said two words.
The Lord of Time ignored it.
He took the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur into his Time Domain, preparing to slowly extract their bloodline essence at the appropriate time. The bodies of the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur slowly sank into the depths of the Time Domain, their weary eyes taking one last look at the Lord of Time before disappearing.
In that glance, there was no anger, no hatred, only a deep, indescribable compassion.
It's like watching a blind person about to fall into Abyss.
The Mother of the Stars watched all this silently, without any expression.
Only after the figure of the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur completely disappeared into the realm of time did He slowly speak.
"Lord of Time."
"Exist."
The Lord of Time suppressed the longing on his face, regaining his calm, composed, and unperturbed expression. But in his eyes, a trace of excitement still lingered, impossible to completely conceal.
"I have done what you promised me," the Mother of the Stars said calmly. "Now, it is your turn to fulfill your promise."
The Lord of Time stiffened slightly.
promise.
The promise made by the Mother of the Stars is surrender.
It's not cooperation, not Alliance, not mutual benefit, but utter and unreserved surrender.
The Lord of Time remained silent for a long time.
Countless thoughts, possibilities, and escape routes flashed through His mind. He wondered how much of a chance He had if He backed out now; how far He could escape if He fled now; and how long He could hold out if He resisted now.
The answer is harsh.
zero.
No matter how He calculates it, the answer is always zero.
Before the Mother of the Stars, He had no chance of victory, no way out, and no possibility. The oppressive power of Third-Step Eternity was not First-Step Eternity could resist, just as an ant could not resist an elephant.
Moreover, the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur were already in His hands.
That was something He had dreamed of for countless eons. If He could obtain that essence of bloodline, He could break through to the Second-Step Eternity and have the opportunity to gain more freedom and choices.
But the prerequisite is that He can live to digest those blood essences.
The prerequisite for survival is submission.
The Lord of Time slowly lowered his head.
For the first time, those clock-like eyes lowered before another person. Those eyes that had once overlooked countless worlds and witnessed countless rises and falls were now staring at their own dragon claws, at the blood of the Nightmare Hydra lingering between the claws.
"Lord of Time," the Mother of the Stars ' voice rang out again, this time carrying a hint of oppression, "What are you hesitating about?"
"I..."
The Lord of Time's voice was somewhat hoarse.
He wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back.
He remembered the last glance from the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur.
The compassion in that glance.
That instant understanding.
That prophecy seen in a single glance.
You'll regret it.
The words of the Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur echoed in His mind.
Will He regret it?
Maybe.
But what He feared even more was that those who refused to submit would die.
Beings in the Eternity Realm do not truly die, but they can be sealed, imprisoned, or suppressed to the point where even their consciousness cannot function. That state is more terrifying than death.
"I..."
The Lord of Time took a deep breath, suppressing all his hesitation, resentment, and fear.
He slowly bent down, his enormous golden dragon wings folding into his sides, his posture humble and submissive.
"Lord of Time, I submit to the Mother of the Stars."
His voice was not loud, but it echoed for a long time in the Void of the Land of the Heart.
"From this day forward, the Lord of Time is willing to serve the Mother Goddess, even unto death."
The Mother of the Stars looked at the Lord of Time's bowed head, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
There was satisfaction in that emotion, but also a trace of pity.
"Raise your head."
The Lord of Time raised his head, his clock-like eyes meeting the eyes of the Mother of the Stars, which reflected countless worlds.
"Remember what you said today," the Mother of the Stars ' voice carried a hint of warning. "I am not the Lord of No Void, and I will not trust you because of a few kind words. What I want is absolute loyalty, absolute obedience, and absolute—usefulness."
"If you can't do it, or are unwilling to do it, then--"
The Mother of the Stars raised her right hand, and the primal essence extracted from the Nightmare Hydra appeared in her palm. This essence contained the full power of the Nightmare Hydra and the entire essence of the Fantasy Dimension, and it was now slowly rotating in the Mother of the Stars ' palm.
"Your fate will be no better than that of the Nightmare Hydra."
The Lord of Time's pupils contracted slightly.
"I understand." He bowed his head. "Please rest assured, Mother Goddess."
"Very good."
The Mother of the Stars withdrew her right hand, and the primordial essence returned to her body. Her gaze shifted from the Lord of Time to the ravaged battlefield in the Void.
"There's one more thing to do next."
"What's up?"
The Mother of the Stars turned her gaze toward the Astral Realm Will.
"The Astral Realm," He said softly, "Is about to be."
The Astral Realm Will is struggling in agony.
The collapse of the Fantasy Dimension and the Elemental Dimension completely paralyzed His digestive system. The planes that were being digested began to spiral out of control, the absorbed energy began to flow back, and the smaller dimensions attached to the Astral Realm began to collapse.
The wailing of the Astral Realm Will echoed throughout the entire Astral Realm, and every living being could feel the excruciating pain.
But no one could help Him.
Because nobody knows what to do.
until--
A white light exploded in the center of the Astral Realm.
The light was so dazzling, so warm, so full of hope that all living beings who saw it felt an indescribable comfort. It was like a drowning person grabbing onto the last piece of driftwood, like a lost person seeing a distant light, like a desperate person hearing the song of Angel.
The Mother of the Stars emerged from the light.
His body manifested in the Astral Realm as an unimaginably enormous form, crowned with stars, draped in a robe of earth, and standing on the sea of Void. His face was compassionate and solemn, his gaze gentle and profound, inspiring involuntary kneeling, prayer, and offering of everything.
"Astral Realm."
The voice of the Mother of the Stars echoed throughout the entire Astral Realm; every living being could hear it, understand it, and feel the emotions contained within it.
"I'll take you away."
The wailing of the Astral Realm Will paused slightly.
He sensed the power of the Mother of the Stars, a being that transcended ordinary dimensions and was almost divine. He sensed the primordial power in the Mother of the Stars' palm—the origin of the Fantasy Dimension, His lost digestive organ.
"You... you have Fantasy Origin?"
The voice of the Astral Realm Will was weak and trembling, like that of a dying old man.
"Yes," the Mother of the Stars said with a loving tone, "I have reclaimed the Fantasy Origin from the Nightmare Hydra. Although a portion has been digested, the remainder can still rebuild the Fantasy Dimension."
"Really... really?"
The voice of the Astral Realm Will was filled with disbelief and hope.
"Certainly."
The Mother of the Stars smiled gently, a smile that could melt even the coldest heart.
"I am the guardian of the Material Dimension, a part of the Astral Realm, and your child. How can I stand idly by while you suffer?"
The Mother of the Stars raised her right hand, and the primordial energy in her palm slowly rose into the air, exploding in the center of the Astral Realm and transforming into countless points of seven-colored light. These points of light, like dandelion seeds, drifted to every corner of the Astral Realm, to those planes eroded by the Nightmares Mist, and to those smaller dimensions that were collapsing.
Wherever the seven-colored light passed, the Nightmares Mist was Purification, the collapsed dimensions were repaired, and the out-of-control planes were stabilized again.
The wailing of the Astral Realm Will gradually turned into sobbing, the sobbing into sighing, and the sighing into trust.
"Thank you... Mother of the Stars..."
The voice of the Astral Realm Will was filled with gratitude.
"Thank you... for saving me... for saving the entire Astral Realm..."
"You're welcome. After all, I am the guardian of the Material Dimension."
The Mother of the Stars ' voice was as gentle as water.
"But there's something I need to tell you, Astral Realm."
"What's up?"
The Mother of the Stars was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.
"Destruction Tide is coming."
The Astral Realm Will was stunned.
"Destruction... Destruction Tide?"
"Yes," the Mother of the Stars ' voice carried a heavy tone, "The Destruction Tide gestating in the Chaos Sea surge forth every long cycle, sweeping across all dimensions. Last time, it merely touched the edge of the Astral Realm, yet it devoured hundreds of thousands of planes. And this time, according to my calculations, it will strike the Astral Realm head-on."
"At that time, all planes, all living beings, and all existence in the Astral Realm will vanish into nothingness in an instant."
The Astral Realm Will fell silent.
Although His intellect is simple, He can understand the meaning of the word "Destruction".
Is there... is there any way?
"Have."
The voice of the Mother of the Stars was firm and powerful.
"Third-Step Eternity. Only the power of Third-Step Eternity can erect a barrier large enough to cover the entire Astral Realm, keeping the Destruction Tide at bay."
"Third-Step Eternity..." the Astral Realm Will murmured, repeating the phrase. "What is that?"
"It is a realm beyond the First-Step Eternity and the Second-Step Eternity. To touch the threshold of the Third-Step Eternity, one needs to refine the entire Astral Realm into Inner Universe, integrating everything in the Astral Realm —matter, energy, laws, life, dreams—into oneself."