The heavens split asunder, revealing the river of time.
The Gate of Time swung wide open, and from within emerged a massive cauldron, hovering above the golden desert. Majestic and boundless, it blotted out the sky and earth.
Who was that man? Everyone was stunned!
Even the immortal beings paled, their expressions shifting in shock. How could an outsider suddenly intrude upon this battlefield, radiating such overwhelming might?
*Splat!*
Blood rained down from the fissure in the heavens, extinguishing the sky.
Some belonged to that man, while others were the essence of his enemies—spilled from beyond the heavens, from the river of time itself.
The scene was utterly astonishing. The cauldron devoured the sun and moon, its maw swirling with countless great stars. Yet, whether on its surface or among the celestial bodies, all were stained crimson with blood.
What kind of epochal battle had this been? Everyone trembled in awe. Even as the borderlands teetered on the brink of disaster, the sudden emergence of this conflict from the rift was enough to chill the soul.
“*ROAR!*”
A deafening bellow erupted as someone fought with their life on the line. Blood energy eclipsed the sun and moon, and the stars of the cosmos flared in resonance. From the rift, a colossal claw emerged, blotting out the heavens.
*BOOM!*
It lashed toward the man above the cauldron.
Everyone was dumbfounded. Not only had a cauldron and a man appeared, but another peerless creature had followed, locked in fierce combat with him.
The man stood with his back to the world, facing his opponent alone, calm as if he had already endured the most brutal of battles—charging through armies—only to encounter yet another formidable foe.
“*BOOM!*”
His body erupted with light, dazzling and radiant. In an instant, even his jet-black hair took on a golden hue as his aura surged explosively.
“*Moo…*”
Below, on the battlefield before the Imperial Pass, the golden-backed aurochs let out a terrified wail. The cauldron had not descended, but the man it bore fought above, unleashing boundless radiance. Yet, even this mere presence was enough to instill dread.
*THUD!*
The man threw a punch—divine, eternal, and invincible—directly toward the claw that blotted out the sky.
“*BANG!*”
Primordial chaos erupted. The claw twisted slightly, wounded, spasming as it recoiled.
Suddenly, the claw retracted before lunging forward again. A monstrous beast, its golden scales vaster than the stars, shrank in an instant, transforming into a humanoid figure.
*CLANG!*
The sound of divine armor clashing rang out. The beast had taken human form, clad in azure-gold battle armor, its face concealed save for a pair of piercing green eyes fixed upon the man atop the cauldron.
Neither of these supreme beings spared a glance downward, wholly focused on each other, their gazes brimming with boundless killing intent.
*SHING!*
Time itself seemed to dance as they moved with blinding speed. The cauldron shrank slightly, darting forward like lightning.
*CLANG!*
The azure-gold armor flared as the beast-turned-humanoid countered with divine might, unleashing boundless power and laws that split the heavens, clashing against the cauldron forged of immortal metal and the essence of creation.
The impact was unimaginable, shaking the river of time itself, threatening to divert its course once more!
This upheaval even unsettled the immortal beings below, stirring unease in their hearts.
Everyone was stunned. None had expected such a pair of supreme adversaries to emerge at this critical juncture, locked in a brutal, blood-soaked duel.
Who were they? From where did they come? To which era did they belong?
In that moment, all understood—they did not belong to this time and space. They had emerged from the Gate of Time.
This was beyond shocking. Ancient texts had recorded a similar event in the past, but who had ever witnessed it? It was a miracle rarely seen across the ages.
Now, they all bore witness—not just one person, but the millions-strong armies of the foreign realm, the defenders of the Imperial Pass, from lowly cultivators to immortal beings—all saw it unfold.
And most astonishingly, these two were engaged in a battle of the highest order!
Some realized the truth: this phenomenon occurred because the borderlands were the stage for the most supreme battle, where several Immortal Kings sought to sunder the heavens. Meanwhile, another time and space hosted its own great war, a battlefield vast and bloody, reaching its climax.
The mightiest figures clashed across two eras, their blows coincidentally breaching the barriers of time, allowing the river of time to surge forth, carrying these two combatants here.
This was myth within myth!
Together, they witnessed a miracle of the ages!
“Flowing Light of Time!”
A whisper came from among the immortal beings of the foreign realm. Even they were awed—proof of the two combatants’ overwhelming power.
Every movement they made stirred the currents of time, their strength unparalleled. With a wave of their hands, they could annihilate all things. Yet now, they were locked in combat, intertwined as if fused into one.
*BOOM!*
In the end, the figure who resembled a Heavenly Emperor summoned the cauldron, smashing it against the armored man with a deafening explosion.
Blood sprayed from the armored figure’s lips as he was sent flying backward, straight toward the rift in the heavens. The force of the blow had dealt him a grievous wound, caving in his chest despite his divine armor.
On the ground, countless gasped. Whether the overlords of the foreign realm or the heroes upon the Imperial Pass, all felt their scalps tingle.
The cauldron was undeniable—its maw breathed the essence of creation, countless stars swirling within. How vast, how majestic its pressure!
Had anyone else been struck by it, what would remain? Not even ashes!
Yet, the man in azure-gold armor had withstood it. Even wounded, his prowess was peerless!
*RUMBLE!*
In the void, the man stepped upon the cauldron, pursuing with impossible speed, transcending time itself. It was as if everything was reversing—terrifying beyond measure!
In this moment, he truly seemed like a Heavenly Emperor descending upon the mortal world, his hair wild, his divine might unmatched!
The cauldron eclipsed the sun and moon as it soared, chasing the armored figure. Soon, the man reached out, grasping forward.
“My King, shall we strike?”
From the foreign realm, an immortal being sent a covert message, seeking An Lan’s counsel. This was the perfect opportunity—a fatal blow now might slay the man atop the cauldron.
For even the immortal beings sensed a threat. Preemptive action was their way—better to strike first than react.
At last, a ripple emerged from the silent war chariot—An Lan’s response.
Throughout the siege, whether bearing the Primordial Imperial City or weathering the attacks of the Imperial Pass’s monuments, An Lan had remained unmoved.
But now, he reacted!
“He and I do not belong to the same era. He appears due to the machinations of fate. Let him come, let him go. Should we clash, the river of time would rage, and the consequences are unimaginable.”
An Lan’s words, spoken softly to the immortal being alone, carried an eerie calm, as if discussing something wholly unrelated to himself.
The man atop the cauldron stretched out a hand, blotting out the sky as he sought to seize his foe.
“I’ve endured you long enough! Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!”
The armored figure—his face fully encased in azure-gold, only his eyes visible—suddenly turned, roaring five “kill” commands in succession.
*BOOM!*
The heavens shattered, the earth quaked. Ghosts wailed, gods howled. The river of time threatened to change course!
*THUD!*
The cauldron rose, hovering above the rift, sealing it, suppressing the river’s turbulence, forcing the battle to remain here.
This drew An Lan’s first intense gaze from within his ancient chariot. The two could have departed, continuing their duel elsewhere.
Yet, the man atop the cauldron chose to stay, resolving the fight here and now.
The azure-gold armor ignited, blazing brighter than all the stars and moons combined. His aura skyrocketed, his killing intent shaking past and present.
Many trembled uncontrollably.
Though these two existed outside their time, separated by mysterious forces, their pressure alone made the onlookers quake in fear.
Then, for the first time, the man atop the cauldron spoke. His language was foreign, belonging to no known era.
Yet, through supreme Dao principles, all understood his words.
His voice shook heaven and earth, like a Heavenly Emperor decreeing divine law—majestic and overwhelming.
“*Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Shu, Zu, Qian, Xing!*”
Nine characters emerged, transforming into nine orbs of light before erupting with boundless power. Merged into one, they formed a supreme secret art, piercing through all obstacles in an instant.
“*Pfft!*”
The armored figure spat blood, staggering back.
The man atop the cauldron pressed forward, his movements grand and righteous. He seized his foe and—*rip!*—tore him apart, body and soul alike!
*SHING!*
The cauldron’s maw glowed, swallowing the corpse and blood within.
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