Unknown how long had passed before Wu Ming’s consciousness finally awakened.
“What’s going on? Didn’t I ultimately accept the Great Luo Mark at the end of transcending the River of Time?”
In an instant, numerous thoughts flashed through his mind, restoring Wu Ming’s composure.
“If I still exist… then what happened with my ascension to the ninth level…”
Suddenly, he noticed his surroundings.
Nothingness! All around was complete emptiness, without even the most basic chaos.
Even the passage of time felt absent!
Vast and desolate, tranquil and profound, without birth or beginning, without decay or annihilation.
“This is… the end of the River of Time! I’ve successfully arrived here, which means… transcendence!”
A brilliance erupted in Wu Ming’s mind, instantly revealing his current state.
No physical body, no magical energy, not even the Great Luo Mark remained.
At this moment, he was a colossal celestial body, larger than a star, existing at the end of the River of Time.
“After breaking through to the ninth level, my physical form actually expanded to this extent?”
Wu Ming surveyed his current state with a sense of helplessness.
“It seems I still need quite some time to adapt to the power of the ninth level… Hmm, and what about that pursuer? Where is he?”
He hadn’t forgotten that previously, he was being hunted by another ninth-level being.
Even though he had achieved transcendence, dealing with his pursuer would still be no easy task.
“Unfortunately… I probably can’t leave this place for now…”
Wu Ming felt helpless.
At his current state, his power was simply too immense. Before adapting, even a single stray thought might destroy a minor world.
Therefore, any desire to return and visit the main world, the Great Zhou world, or even other universes had to be temporarily shelved.
Suddenly, a voice rang out. Though faint, in this desolate and silent end of the River of Time, it was like thunder:
“That’s right! You temporarily cannot leave this place, of course, there’s no need to worry about the ninth-level being—Aukstofelis chasing you anymore…”
A young man in a black robe suddenly appeared beside Wu Ming, completely unfazed by the ninth-level energy radiating from him, appearing extremely relaxed.
Even though compared to Wu Ming’s massive form, the young man was like a firefly next to the moon, yet in terms of terrifying presence, Wu Ming was astonished to find that the young man’s aura was unfathomably deep, surpassing his own.
“Aukstofelis?!”
Merely tasting the name, Wu Ming sensed the presence of a vast being. However, the sensation he received from that being at this moment was surprisingly weak, even weaker than his own, as if gravely wounded by some other existence.
“This is the true name of that previous ninth-level being!”
Wu Ming was certain, and his wariness grew accordingly: “And who are you?”
“Me?”
The young man in black smiled: “Just a bored traveler… I happened to sense the presence of a descendant here…”
“The ancestor of the Infinite Serpent, the ancient evil god!”
Even though he had already somewhat guessed, at this moment, Wu Ming still gathered all his power.
“No need to be so tense!”
The black-robed young man glanced at Wu Ming and shook his head: “That Infinite Ouroboros is already countless generations removed from my bloodline. How could I have any sentiment towards it? Moreover, you, who inherited part of its mark, can also be considered my disciple!”
“Not to mention, there’s also a kind of connection between you and me!”
After the young man in black finished speaking, an ancient aura emerged from him, vaguely revealing the coordinates of a world.
“So you are also…”
Wu Ming suddenly understood.
“That’s right… We are of the same kind, rising because we obtained an opportunity, even… sharing the same homeland, although on different timelines…”
For beings like them who had transcended time and space, appearing from the past or the future was nothing extraordinary.
“Alright, I must depart now!”
The young man in black slowly turned around: “One piece of advice for you… You are the ninth level, yet not quite the ninth level, because you still lack the final step—to return from here, the end of the River of Time, back into the multidimensional universe!”
“Return?”
“Exactly! To transcend and then re-enter the world, arriving here is one transcendence, successfully exiting is another transcendence. Only when the two are united can one achieve true self-realization!”
Light surrounded the young man, directly breaking the boundaries of time and space. In the next moment, he was about to vanish: “With your talent, before Aukstofelis recovers, you will surely complete the ninth level. After that, even without me, you won’t need to fear Him anymore…”
“Wait a moment!”
This rare opportunity, although knowing the danger, the yearning for transcendence still compelled Wu Ming to ask: “After the ninth level, is there a new realm? How can one achieve eternity?”
“Eternity?”
The young man’s figure completely vanished, only his voice echoing around: “For us ninth-level beings, the path to eternity is actually very simple… Just keep existing, and you will be eternal!”
“Just keep… existing!!!”
Wu Ming murmured, from which he sensed an immense determination and terror.
Ninth-level beings are immortal and indestructible, yet within the universe and the River of Time, there are still numerous calamities. Surviving them and continuing to exist forever naturally means eternity!
Simple, yet containing profound truth.
“This is the path of the tenth level, the Eternal, isn’t it?”
Wu Ming’s thoughts stirred, already making up his mind: “I will surely attain this realm too!”
…
At the end of the River of Time.
There was no concept of time or space here, nor could any other living beings exist. Just staying here, an eternal solitude lingered in Wu Ming’s heart.
“Indeed… this place is difficult to enter and difficult to leave!”
Wu Ming’s mind was unshakable through countless trials, naturally not tormented by this loneliness. However, after numerous attempts, he could only reluctantly admit that he still lacked just a little to leave the end of the River of Time.
“Control over my own power?”
After multiple attempts, he already had a guess.
If he could fully contain the immense power of the ninth level, condensing it back into a human form, perhaps he could meet the conditions for going out.
Yet achieving this would take untold effort.
Fortunately, at this moment, Wu Ming was immortal and indestructible, and the greatest threat had been temporarily eliminated by that mysterious young man in black. He had plenty of time to try slowly.
…
Time passed swiftly, but at Wu Ming’s location, time stood still, while outside, countless eons had passed.
In a multidimensional universe, a peculiar cosmos radiated brilliance, in no way inferior to the previous main world.
However, this universe did not follow the path of supernatural powers but instead pursued science and intelligence.
After nine technological revolutions, the rulers of this universe, the Klyve Alliance, had conquered their home star system and numerous surrounding colonies, now advancing into deeper space wormhole jumps and two-dimensional time experiments.
In the silent cosmos, an immense space station, as large as a behemoth, floated quietly.
Inside the space station was a land as vast as a continent, where over a million Klyve lived, working, living their entire lives within this station.
Thanks to cloning technology, consciousness transfer, and even breakthroughs in genetic lifespan limits, the average Klyve lifespan exceeded ten thousand years, and among the elite, immortality was no secret.
“Beep beep! Dear Phia, it’s time to wake up!”
In a research facility on the space station, a mechanical voice accompanied a polite knock on the door from an intelligent housekeeper.
“Mm… I know!”
Phia, lying in bed, sat up and elegantly stretched, yawning as she asked, “I stayed up too late observing yesterday’s black hole annihilation experiment… Butler, what’s for breakfast today?”
A standard Klyve beauty, nearly three meters tall, Phia bore little difference from humans in appearance, except for her slightly pointed ears, a strange pattern on her forehead, and three pupils in each eye.
“For breakfast today, I have prepared for you the A1 series energy bars, available in three flavors: Absen fruit, Zerg roast meat, and molten yolk.”
The mechanical housekeeper responded in a precise tone.
“Enough already…”
Phia covered her forehead: “Our alliance has conquered one star system after another, even unlocking the secret of immortality, peering into the boundaries of time and space. In ancient times, each of us would have been gods! Yet now, as the alliance’s top research institute and observatory, I can only chew on energy bars?”
“My apologies, Master!”
The housekeeper humanely shrugged his shoulders: “If you’re dissatisfied, I can submit a report to have the supply depot replace the energy bars with a different series next time…”
“Never mind!”
Phia wore an expression of helplessness, quickly washing up before donning a white coat. In the living room, she nibbled on an energy bar while watching news pushed by her intelligent computer:
“Supernova News: Yesterday, the Alliance Academy announced the successful development of the latest ‘God’ quantum computer, with all data currently normal!”
“Battlefield Report: Our alliance military has breached the Zerg’s last planet, captured the queen, and fully incorporated the Bank star system into the alliance territory!”
“Comet Station News: New achievements in black hole annihilation and wormhole observation…”
…
“It’s already on the news!”
Phia’s lips curved into a slight frown: “Although I understand their eagerness to succeed in research, gain recognition, and return to planetary living, that wormhole isn’t the same as the previous ones…”
With a worried heart, she entered the research institute.
“Phia, you’re finally here!”
An old man with a white beard, eyes bloodshot, spoke with unusual excitement: “Look… that wormhole! Oh my, I’ve studied numerous space-time channels and wormholes, but none have ever given me such excitement. This is simply a treasure bestowed by the gods! If we successfully study it, we will surely grasp the mysteries of time and space completely!”
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