Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

The upper limit of the speed of light was denied, or rather, the time required for this ten-light-year journey was completely erased by divine authority. The instant Zheng Zha's fist struck the surface of that pure light, all the brilliance converged into one, followed by the ultimate destruction that shattered the universe!

The four dimensions of the universe collapsed here, and all units of measurement became worthless in that instant. Exploding outwards from the core of the battle, a spherical region spanning approximately one light-second transformed into absolute pure white, devoid even of the true ether that forms the foundation of the universe. And as the universe's corrective forces began to operate, instantly filling this spacetime anew, the battlefield had already traversed a distance nearly infinite for mortals, erupting directly on the outer edge of the Milky Way's first cantilever arm!

"Looks like you're just one step away, Zheng Zha." Ex's form was reforged in light. No longer playing house as before, she finally used her power of time. The moment she landed at the boundary of the first spiral arm, she cast thousands of erosion anchors into the past, ranging from one hundred million to several decades. The erosion phenomenon then erupted simultaneously in reality in a region several light-years away!

The light of order enveloped this new battlefield.

With five gems floating behind her, Exus materialized from the light in a human form suitable for close combat. Her crimson lightsaber clashed with Zheng Zha's blood-red greatsword, which she unleashed in this attack. The pure power she generated even surpassed that of Zheng Zha in his 'Dragon Transformation', causing Zheng Zha, who was sent flying backward, to crash directly into an unawakened primordial star!

'Boom—'—Strictly speaking, no onomatopoeia is needed here. However, the roar from the impact came from the interior of the planet that was struck! The celestial body, which should have been torn to pieces by pure kinetic energy, began to stretch and expand the moment it came into contact with Zheng Zha. In an instant, it was eroded and grown strong by the 'Path of Opening,' taking on the shape of a living organism like a black shadow!

The sound of the Dao being eroded was incessant.

The dark shadow was born from celestial bodies, and the power of creation after its birth made them its primary food source. It wielded a scythe made of stacked fragments of spacetime, sweeping away the ordered stars of Exusiai like a farmer harvesting rice, making them a breeding ground for its own kind—the vampires of the stars, the hands of Zheng Zha, the weapons created by the 'Path of Creation' to destroy the 'Path of Order'—they might be called 'Star Gods', and their existence negated the home field created by Exusiai.

A war that will continue indefinitely if no victor is decided in the first instant.

Exx gained the upper hand in the first round, but with the score tied at home, the second encounter ended in a draw.

There is no such thing as overwhelming power, because the true god represents the upper limit that the universe can bear. There are also no techniques or secret arts to turn the tide, because those are nothing more than the stacking of power and the transformation of energy. For the true god, these are nothing compared to a straightforward punch.

For one true god to defeat another, the only way is through power that surpasses the limits of the universe's tolerance. And at the very moment the third strike was born from the clash of swords, the primordial chaos of the collapsing four dimensions erupted outward from the point of their battle!

A new world was born from the impact, but it was torn apart and shattered in the aftershocks before it could fully develop. When the four-dimensional collapse caused by this third impact was restored by the universe's self-repairing force, Zheng Zha and Ex's forms had already vanished without a trace from this first spiral arm.

When they reappeared, the Galactic Center became the new battlefield. And it wasn't until their forms had completely shifted that Zheng Zha's reply to Ex's words came from the space surrounding this nameless first spiral arm.

“Yes, just one step away.” His words transformed into the Dao Erosion phenomenon, causing the already formed Star God's Familiars on this abandoned battlefield to cool and stiffen, turning them from living beings back into lifeless stars, dimming the scattered, orderly stars, and restoring them back to cold blocks of iron and true ether.

"And this step is even more daunting."

Thus, the abandoned battlefield cooled down, and looking down from above the Milky Way, one could see a star field flashing and dimming, a cosmic phenomenon resembling a 'flash'.

Zheng Zha did not use his Primordial series of combat techniques, and Ex simply countered with the Dao Erosion Phenomenon, which she no longer reserved, and pure swordsmanship. Even so, the 'Flash' phenomenon spread to every corner of the Milky Way in the following time and rapidly expanded towards extragalactic systems.

The war in Heaven has begun. The otherworldly gods, unable to contain themselves any longer, no longer suppress their authority and power.

The moment Zheng Zha made his move, he was teleported to the outside of the massive city gate of Ur, where he witnessed the collapse of the world and the Abyss of Destruction stretching from the south of the earth all the way to the depths of the starry sky. He witnessed the disintegration of the earth, the annihilation of the light band, and the transformation of the repaired and unrepaired singularities into the real world. Only then did the Chaldeans recover from their shock and struggle to close their drooping jaws.

"Oh my god... what have I done?" Fujimaru Ritsuka murmured. Although she had been mentally prepared, she still almost lost her footing when it actually happened.

The next moment, outside the eight planes that had become reality, accompanied by the rumble of cracking and collapse, a magnificent, pure white palace suddenly appeared!

The Ninth Reality, the Grand Temple of Time, has arrived!

Chapter 80: The Battle of Heaven - Like Gods

The spacetime structure collapses.

When the very structure of pan-human history is negated, and Earth disintegrates into eight realms, the temple of time, which relied on the timeline of pan-human history to remain hidden and thus calmly overlook the past and future, ultimately loses its lofty independence. It falls into reality, and then—

—To become a reality.

“Adam, I hope you still dare to say ‘everything is going according to my plan.’” Luo Yinglong’s figure appeared at the top of the Temple of Time, watching the eight split earths together with the other two giants of the Celestial Team. The purple and green twin swords flickered around him, and his face was neither happy nor sad.

Reality, reality is a tragic world.

Every inch of light shimmering in the Milky Way was clearly reflected in the perception of the reincarnators, and it was precisely because of this clear perception that the reincarnators of the Celestial Team could understand the true difference in power between gods…

“The captain of the Central Continent Team…” Song Tian gazed at the shimmering Milky Way, his voice pausing with an unusually long pause. “I’m not confident I can withstand even one of his moves. No, right now I can’t even join his battle. He could probably finish me off with just a glance… or maybe not even a glance.”

“Me too.” Luo Yinglong said calmly. “Adam, perhaps you would like to offer an explanation, or even make a suitable decision. For example, if we set off now and return directly to the Main God Space, we should be able to minimize our losses and avoid ending up with nothing.”

He looked at Adam, while Song Tian on the other side also cast a questioning glance at Adam.

This was perhaps the first time that two of the Celestials' leaders had simultaneously attacked Adam. So much so that, drawn by the Dao Erosion phenomenon, even the Celestials' reincarnators, residing in the lower levels of the Temple of Time and deemed unqualified to participate in this temporary meeting, instantly became tense and ready to fight.

Behind Lina, a pair of sword wings rose, and several Eastern swordsmen or Western monks with similar auras to Song Tian experienced a surge of tangible power. Meanwhile, the elegant and graceful spellcasters were surrounded by elemental tides or starlight. In an instant, the lower levels of the Temple of Time were engulfed in chaotic storms of will and power.

A battle was imminent. But it was only imminent.

Even facing criticism from two teammates, Adam, the captain of the Celestial Team, maintained his usual gentle and cheerful smile. He knew his teammates… at least for now, they were still comrades. And since they were still comrades, there was no need for them to fight each other.

Outside the temple, something was vaguely writhing in the churning space. Waves surged in the imaginary ocean, which was not on the same spatial plane as the real universe—the flames of war had been ignited and were spreading outwards, and perhaps it wouldn't be long before the battle within the imaginary ocean spread to the real world.

Adam raised his hand, signaling his companions to calm down.

“We are not in dire straits, my friends,” he said with a smile, speaking slowly and deliberately. “On the contrary, this is the perfect opportunity for our Celestials.”

Before he could finish speaking, the two swords, one purple and one green, that were swirling around Luo Yinglong merged into one, transforming from a tangible sword into an invisible blade that pressed against Adam's forehead.

"Adam, if you want to die, I'll send you on your way right now." A cold laugh snorted from his snort. The clouds swirling around him manifested several battlefields on the outer edge—snapshots of the war between true gods, concrete data he had left behind by consuming the precious recording artifact of the main god's token. Any rational supernatural being could instantly discern the difference in power between the opposing forces upon observing those battlefields!

This is suicide! It's like a little black mouse running wildly on a highway on a moonless night! But deep in Luo Yinglong's heart, a genuine killing intent also erupted. He knew he wouldn't hesitate, and he knew that if Adam couldn't give a clear explanation, he would really stab him with his sword!

However, Adam simply extended a finger, his smile unchanged, his movements slow but surprisingly effortless as he deftly deflected the sword pointed at his forehead—his movements were elegant and graceful, as if the immense power entrusted to the fused sword light did not exist at all!

"I say this is a perfect time because a full-scale war has already broken out—don't worry. I have a clear understanding of the four initial limits, the four intermediate initial levels, and even the four intermediate limit levels of the true god realm. I know exactly what they all mean and I know the gaps between them."

"A single step can make all the difference... Do you have a plan?" Song Tian frowned and asked.

“Yes, I have a plan. Because this world is very special.” Adam smiled and nodded, gazing at the eight continents floating in the cosmic sky. He clearly saw that with the start of the divine war, the phenomena of Dao erosion originating from different true gods appeared on all eight continents to varying degrees. And those Servants who had been forcibly repatriated due to the interruption of 'Fate' had reconnected with the earth because of the abandonment of pan-human history. This time, whether they were Servants on the side of good or evil, they had united and stood under the same banner to fight for humanity.

They became more powerful than when they were first summoned, as if blessed by the Holy Grail, each Servant possessing power sufficient to fill the limits of their own spiritual rank. With their assistance, the numerous ferocious beasts generated by the Dao Erosion phenomenon—which was not serious in nature but proliferated in quantity—were quickly suppressed, and then a new war broke out.

"This world is very special. It took me a long time to finally uncover most of the secrets of this world. And now I am basically certain that this is the battlefield of the Saints—a battlefield that is too peaceful."

"There are two possibilities: one is the eye of the storm in the center of the battlefield, and the other is a remote area on the outskirts of the battlefield. Without a doubt, this is Chu Xuan's doing. Although I don't know exactly how he created this miraculous stage, I can at least be sure that on this stage, anyone who holds their own path can rapidly increase their power by demonstrating their own path."

"...So?" The blurry sword light split into purple and blue, then slowly returned to Luo Yinglong's side and circled rhythmically.

"This means that once we complete our advancement, our power will grow to the limit of our current level in the shortest possible time. Because the resources of this world are limitless, and as long as we increase our influence in this universe, we can bypass the long accumulation period and directly reach the peak," Adam said with a faint smile.

"This is why, even though we are in this Temple of Time doing nothing, we can still feel our power, which has already reached its limit, continuing to grow. It's because we have replaced the Demon King, replaced the original final boss in this story, and thus exerted influence on this world."

“And this also means…” He stretched out his hand, gently clenched his fist, and his eyes burst forth with colorless pure light. “No matter what method we use, as long as we overcome the obstacles of the four beginnings and gather the light of our hearts, we can grow into true gods representing the four extremes in a very short time. And the many hidden dangers we leave behind in order to quickly cross this barrier can be made up for and filled in the subsequent struggle with this endless resources.”

The next moment, the pure light in his eyes turned into color, transforming from colorless to pure gold!

“Yes, you guessed right, my friends…” The golden light emanating from his eyes expanded outwards at a speed that seemed to defy time, almost instantly engulfing the entire Temple of Time—the newly born Ninth Reality vanished again the moment it appeared in space. And at that very instant of its disappearance, a 'cosmic flash' erupted around it!

He watched as Zheng Zha's 'ordinary punch' pierced through the light-transformed Temple of Time, like a reflection passing through a mirror.

The next moment, the location of another 'cosmic flash' was already tens of thousands of light-years away from the sun, and even beyond the Milky Way.

This was inevitable; it was something he had calculated and sensed long ago.

"...I have reached the four limits, and I have become an independent figure on the stage." His tone was as calm and composed as ever, and with his declaration, the small conflict at the bottom of the Temple of Time vanished without a trace, because the entire silver-white Temple of Time had been transformed into a pure golden illusory sea under his will.

Song Tian's aura subsided, and he no longer displayed any fighting spirit.

Luo Yinglong closed his eyes. Then, he slowly opened them.

“You… took over my Four Symbols, Five Elements, and Eight Trigrams Formation without my knowledge.”

"This is also for everyone's safety," Adam said with a smile and a shrug. "After all, it's just an unverified hypothesis, and we can't let others suffer if something goes wrong."

"...You devoured the Demon King." Luo Yinglong's tone was certain, his gaze fixed intently on Adam.

“Yes, I devoured it. Just like how Miss Patchouli devoured the Awakener and became the Celestial One. I used the artifact of the Supreme God to devour the Demon King, who was not yet a true god but was still among the top four, thus replacing its existence and assimilating all its power.” Adam answered unhurriedly. He waved his hand, and the next moment, the luminous Temple of Time was surrounded by countless Demon Pillars that were also stained with a layer of golden light—they had become a part of him, his kin, his claws.

“I know this will have hidden dangers. It will make my foundation shallow, prevent me from constructing time paradoxes, and give me the weaknesses that the Demon King Goetia would have originally possessed, just like the Solomon who resides in Chaldea.” He smiled slightly: “But my weaknesses are limited to this. As long as I avoid him and prevent him from reaching the interior of this temple, then I, who possess the Light of the Mind and control this Temple of Time, will be a true god of the four limits.”

"And even this weakness has the potential to be remedied."

The next moment, the radiant Temple of Time, this concealed Ninth Reality, appeared atop the European continent where the First Singularity was located. And countless golden, shimmering demonic pillars descended!

"Although he is a powerful being who possesses power equivalent to the Light of the Mind, he is essentially just a native who doesn't even have a first-order gene lock. The Demon King Goetia's wish is to destroy these many eras and use them as materials to create a new world. As long as I complete this great undertaking, then the remnants of Goetia will not be able to become an obstacle for me."

Adam stretched out his hand, causing flames to erupt from the earth. Even with a casual strike, the power of the true god was still a catastrophic blow to this land. In an instant, most of the European continent was engulfed in a boiling sea of ​​fire!

"Our Celestial Team has prepared for so long; we're not here to play the fool. My plan is nearing completion. And my friends, will you still come with me?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Song Tian appeared behind him.

However, Luo Yinglong moved Lina to his side and stared at Adam without saying a word.

"Is that so?" Adam shook his head sadly.

"...That's a real shame."

Chapter 81: The War of Heaven - A War Node

The wrath of the gods was pouring down upon the earth, but the flames had barely risen from the ground when a sudden eruption of another kind of erosion twisted the flames and the earth into other shapes—

—What was originally just a high-temperature gas of natural fire transformed in an instant into living things, into dragons, into swarms of Force insects, and into faceless Valkyrie girls. Immediately afterward, a massive number of space bubbles rapidly manifested from the surrounding light-transformed Temple of Time. More than 100,000 demonic dragons, Benares, emerged from the cluster of space bubbles, their scorching breath instantly turning a huge chunk of space white—enough to fit three Earths into it!

Spacetime was disrupted, then rapidly reassembled by the universe's self-repairing force. The golden Temple of Time, which had been floating on the continent of the First Singularity, had vanished without a trace. However, in an instant, the heads of the approximately one hundred thousand demonic dragons all shattered and broke apart, transforming into a disintegrating sea of ​​Force Insects!

The power of the true god can be considered infinite even in a single universe.

Even if you add another infinity to infinity, it still can't surpass another infinity. After all, in this day and age, there's no way an illiterate true god would deliberately try to block an Aleph-zero!

The next moment, three perfectly preserved golden temples of time simultaneously appeared atop the continents formed from the second, third, and fifth singularities, unleashing wind, thunder, and millennia of decay upon them. Immediately following, Rome transformed into a whirlpool, the ocean was covered in lightning, and the North American continent crumbled and decayed under the erosion of millennia!

Dragons appeared, dragons of rules born from the Path of Creation. One of them wielded the rule of fire, drawing upon the raging flames of the First Singularity and swallowing the Force swarm whole. Insectoid marks immediately appeared on its body, before it was instantly overwhelmed and slain by a massive horde of faceless Valkyries, whose calculations seemed utterly foolish—the dragon's remains fell to the ground, their residual mass becoming gravitational points that reconstructed all the incinerated phenomena. And immediately following, another batch of dragons of rules manifested from the wind, from the thunder, and from time itself!

War, endless war.

Adam did not deceive anyone. Although he had cheated his way through the fourth level, he had indeed manifested the power and authority of a true god at this moment—regardless of the price he paid or the risks he took. But at least for this moment, he was on par with the other reincarnated true gods on this battlefield of true gods!

Because this universe is special, because its resources are limitless, and because it's a world where those at the True God level can do as they please in the struggle for power. In other universes, the situation might be different. However, there are no "ifs," so the infinite can never be superior to the infinite!

Four singularity continents became battlefields, their inhabitants being destroyed thousands of times in a matter of seconds by calamities cast by temples of time from different points in time. The reason they could be destroyed thousands of times was because they were reborn thousands of times after their destruction, and their resurrection was accompanied by the erasure of painful memories of death.

A promise is a promise. Since he had promised to open a path to survival, Zheng Zha would not let these people die before they could even take the first step. Each of their resurrections was accompanied by the bestowal of the 'fish' and the sowing of the seeds of power. Perhaps one day, they would be able to take a step despite the erosion of the Dao.

The war reached a fever pitch from the moment it began.

Adam wouldn't easily approach the Seventh Singularity, and even if Patchouli launched a sudden attack, teleporting the entire Seventh Singularity continent to the vicinity of the Temple of Time, he would avoid it beforehand. The suddenly unfolding Star Knowledge Heaven transformed into a mimicking Andromeda-type nebula vortex, covering this space, and then, in the next moment, was torn apart by a pale, gigantic hand extending from the suddenly ruptured Imaginary Ocean!

This was merely a minor interlude, devoid of any significant meaning. Miss Qihuang, dragged into the ocean of imaginary numbers by the assassin siblings, briefly revealed her presence before vanishing again. Patchouli, having failed in her attack, also retreated, returning to her hiding place.

She didn't really care about the outcome of the battle; it was just a game, and there was no clear winner. So she only dabbled briefly and then stopped interfering. The Andromeda star vortex, which covered eight continents, vanished without a trace as silently as it had appeared, and her will also subsided. She retreated to her residence, leaving Zheng Zha to continue fighting Adam and Ex.

And where she stayed was reality.

It was the first reality, the largest continent that had revived from chaos after being denied by the burning of human reason. She landed lightly in a western palace on the continent's surface, then casually assumed the identity of a Byzantine princess and returned to her throne.

Ah… I almost forgot that Byzantium had long since perished, and the Eastern Romans never called themselves Byzantines. But that doesn't matter; if she says it exists, then it must exist. If she wants Constantinople, then Istanbul has to obediently get lost. Under her will, the Eastern Roman Empire was revived during World War I and overthrew the Austro-Hungarian Empire, allowing the pro-Romans to revel in their triumph while this newly born ancient nation replaced the later European Union, developing to the point where it could offer her a title, allowing her to be called the Purple Princess.

It was just a bit of leisure, nothing serious. And it was precisely because she was here that, even though this continent known as the First Reality was experiencing unprecedented chaos, it was still chaos, not a catastrophe. At most, it would just be some minor regional conflicts or a slight increase in accidents or man-made incidents. Compared to the other continents on the outer edges, which had been squeezed and molded by the Dao Erosion phenomenon, this level of change was far better.

So she clapped her hands, changed into the purple robe that she had been used to wearing back then—it looked like pajamas—and then comfortably lay down on the elegant sofa. A group of classical court ladies, created because of her eclipse, served her, offering her fruit platters formed from solar system surveillance intelligence and rich black tea transformed from various secondary processed data.

She took a small sip, and as she expected, it tasted terrible. Indeed, aside from the black tea Alice had brewed, she found it difficult to drink anything. This could perhaps be called a young girl's capriciousness and quirk—she looked up and saw another sofa placed beside her.

—And Miss Sirin's figure happened to appear on the sofa.