Lu Yuan could finally accelerate time by three thousand times!

Such an extreme multiplier nearly suffocated Jian Ruhai and Jian Ru’dun; only now did they understand what an unparalleled genius truly meant.

And Lu Yuan was about to break through to the third layer of the World Realm, with no time to waste. Lu Yuan immediately sat down cross-legged, his consciousness sinking into the Sword Space. As soon as he settled in, his state returned to what it had been within the Map of Time, allowing him to observe the Particles of Time within the Sword Space.

The Particles of Time were utterly chaotic, far more disordered than those found in the Central Heavenly Dynasty.

"Ten thousand swords tremble, ten thousand swords submit, all come under my command! Consciousness activates, time accelerates!" Lu Yuan roared. As his voice echoed, the surrounding time particles began to stir, losing their chaotic movement and violent collisions.

Three hundred times!

Five hundred times!

Eight hundred times!

One thousand times!

When the time acceleration reached one thousand times, Lu Yuan discovered that within his own Sword Space, the flow of time particles had recovered the same smoothness as the outside world. At that precise instant, the current of time began to flow; a surging long river of time manifested within the Sword Space. Time had finally arrived.

An indescribable joy surged through Lu Yuan at that moment.

He had finally reached the Time Realm, the third layer of the World Realm.

Reaching this layer had been truly arduous.

At this instant, Lu Yuan felt the true energy coursing through his body like molten heat. His mystic power was significantly enhanced compared to before, and he sensed that time itself seemed faintly controllable by him. This feeling of mastering time was exquisite; his Iron Rule of Time had advanced another level.

And that wasn't all. His physical body, reshaped by the Particles of Time, had grown exponentially stronger. These particles seemed capable of dispersing an enemy’s attack across time—meaning, if attacked, the Particles of Time would naturally shunt a portion of the incoming force into future time slots, lessening the impact endured in the present moment. In essence, the resilience of his physical body had vastly improved.

Now being in the Time Realm, the third layer of the World Realm, his next step was the Material Exchange Realm, the fourth layer. This realm allowed for the alteration of a living being's life form—for instance, turning stone to gold or transforming a person into a dog. While this was the ability of that stage, Lu Yuan knew he still had a considerable distance to travel before reaching the Material Exchange Realm.

"Congratulations on reaching the Time Realm, the third layer of the World Realm," Jian Ruhai remarked from the side. "However, you still have some time. Why not use this moment to cultivate further and accumulate more mystic power? After all, the early, middle, and late stages of the third layer are vastly different."

"That is true." Lu Yuan nodded. He did possess a substantial cache of Earth-grade Spirit Stones. Counting them up, he had thirty thousand Earth-grade Spirit Stones, some from Jian Fengzhong Zu’s faction, some from the Desolate Beast Gate disciples, and others acquired from reclaiming Earth Dragon Star—a total of thirty thousand.

He immediately ignited twenty thousand of the Earth-grade Spirit Stones, instantly causing the spiritual energy in the area to explode.

Simultaneously, every inch of Lu Yuan’s body began ravenously absorbing this spiritual energy, causing his mystic power to surge upward continuously.

Time slowly passed; the spiritual energy in the vicinity diminished, while Lu Yuan’s mystic power climbed higher.

World Realm Third Layer—Early Stage.

World Realm Third Layer—Middle Stage.

World Realm Third Layer—Late Stage.

And finally, the Peak of the World Realm Third Layer.

This was the benefit of having abundant Earth-grade Spirit Stones; burning twenty thousand stones allowed him to directly reach the peak of the third layer. However, when it was time for a true breakthrough, he would still need to advance honestly and not try to cheat the process.

Upon reaching the peak of the World Realm Third Layer, Lu Yuan opened his eyes. "Thank you, Senior Jian, for your assistance. I shall depart now." With that, Lu Yuan vanished instantly.

At this time, the figures led by Qiu Qingshan of the Sword Sect, those headed by Ji Qianyu of the Thousand Water Sect, and the group led by Zhu Yan of the Fire Control Sect, were all helpless. Over the past fifteen days,

they had exhausted every possible solution, but no matter what method they employed, they could not break through the Bewildering Array or send out any message. Ji Qianyu of the Thousand Water Sect had believed her Grand Water Control Art could dissolve the mists of confusion within the array, but that required thirty days, not fifteen.

"There is no way to speed it up?" Zhu Yan asked.

"No," Ji Qianyu shook her head, her hands weaving as countless mists billowed.

In that very instant, an overwhelmingly immense, primordial aura surged forth from within the mists of confusion. This aura felt like the awakening of an ancient, supreme behemoth, embodying the true essence of Desolation—the legend of the Wild, the breath of the Savage, and overwhelming tyranny. Even before the powerful presence landed upon Earth Dragon Star, it caused immense discomfort for those with weaker cultivation.

Even Qiu Qingshan, who had recovered somewhat over the last fifteen days, suffered terribly under this immense pressure of the Wild. While Qiu Qingshan, a World Realm Third Layer expert, could barely withstand it, the experts of the Sword Sect at the Chaos Hole Realm suffered much more acutely; some even spat blood.

Ancestor Level!

Without a doubt, someone possessing such a powerful aura, like a supreme deity, was definitely an Ancestor-level expert.

And specifically, an Ancestor from the Desolate Beast Gate.

Everyone instinctively looked up. In the void, a giant descended from the heavens. This giant stood about nine feet tall, every inch of its skin hammered and tempered, emitting a faint glow. Its upper body was bare, and across its chest were two terrifying, cross-shaped blade scars that radiated an even more horrifying might.

The Battle Beast Ancestor! Indeed, the arrival was none other than one of the two great Ancestors of the Desolate Beast Gate. Off to the side, a thin, slight, oddly shaped old man attracted little attention; this person was naturally Bu Mi, the one who had laid the Bewildering Array. The Battle Beast Ancestor had finally arrived.

"Oh, the forces of the Thousand Water Sect, Fire Control Sect, and Sword Sect are all here," the Battle Beast Ancestor roared upon landing. His voice was overwhelmingly potent. "Where is Lu Yuan?" His primary objective was Lu Yuan; killing the others was merely venting. Killing Lu Yuan guaranteed an immensely significant reward, a difference in value that could not be overstated.

He scanned the crowd, finding no sign of Lu Yuan. He directed his divine sense toward Qiu Qingshan of the Sword Sect. "You are not Lu Yuan; you are much older than him." After scanning thoroughly again, he stated, "So Lu Yuan is not here. He must have fled, knowing this Ancestor was coming. What a cowardly wretch. Does he think he can hide? How ridiculous."

The Battle Beast Ancestor’s voice boomed like thunder. He looked down upon the people from the Thousand Water Sect, Fire Control Sect, and Sword Sect, then said coolly, "Very well, I shall slaughter all of you first, then hunt down that little insect Lu Yuan. Who shall be first?" The Battle Beast Ancestor fixed his gaze on Zhu Yan and struck out with a palm. Zhu Yan immediately unleashed the Seven Tribulations Fire of the Fire God to resist, but the so-called Fire God's Seven Tribulations Fire was utterly annihilated by the Battle Beast Ancestor's supreme, overwhelming palm strike. Zhu Yan himself was blasted tens of thousands of feet away, spitting blood.

The Battle Beast Ancestor then looked at Ji Qianyu. "Oh, the woman who mastered the Thousand Water True Scripture from the Thousand Water Sect is quite pleasing. She can serve as one of this Ancestor’s concubines." With a sweep of his hand, a stream of spatial mystic power shot toward Ji Qianyu. Ji Qianyu’s expression shifted drastically. It was widely known that the Battle Beast Ancestor was a sadist who kept numerous wives and concubines, who constantly endured his tyranny. Many concubines chose suicide, but if they failed, they faced double the torment, their very souls subjected to his perversion for a thousand years of unrest. Now, the Battle Beast Ancestor had set his sights on Ji Qianyu.

Ji Qianyu immediately summoned the Three Thousand Weak Waters from the Thousand Water True Scripture, but the Battle Beast Ancestor’s power was terrifying. It blasted through the energy, literally crushing the Three Thousand Weak Waters. Weak Water, the ultimate in softness, should be impossible to shatter like that! Yet, it was pulverized! Before she could react, Ji Qianyu was caught in the Battle Beast Ancestor’s massive hand. The slender Ji Qianyu looked minuscule in his grip. "Not bad," the Battle Beast Ancestor grinned, then tossed Ji Qianyu into his personal space—a personal space that could accommodate living beings only once time flow was established within it.

Thus, the Battle Beast Ancestor demonstrated his absolute, formidable strength, achieving this much single-handedly: easily defeating Zhu Yan and capturing Ji Qianyu.

The Battle Beast Ancestor then turned to Qiu Qingshan. "Oh, you are from the Sword Sect. You have some strength. Fine, today I shall destroy you." He swung a massive palm toward Qiu Qingshan. Within this single strike seemed to surge endless primordial air currents, the immense pressure of his mystic power crushing down on Qiu Qingshan. Qiu Qingshan tried to evade but found himself subtly locked down by the Battle Beast Ancestor's gaze—there was nowhere to run.

And this time, the Battle Beast Ancestor clearly harbored absolute killing intent, aiming to execute Qiu Qingshan.

Qiu Qingshan struck out with his longsword, but his immortal sword was utterly pulverized upon meeting the Battle Beast Ancestor. "Swords? Those are mere children's toys. How dare you play with me?" The Battle Beast Ancestor bellowed a laugh like rolling thunder. "Die!"

The immortal sword was shattered! Qiu Qingshan’s spirit suffered a severe injury! At this moment, he was facing mortal peril, and most terrifyingly, no one could save him. Faced with the Battle Beast Ancestor's shocking might, the others lacked the strength to move, and certainly lacked the courage. The Ancestor's entrance was too impactful; his entire aura was too terrifying.

In that very instant, a streak of azure light seemed to appear.

This light was faint when it first emerged, but it rapidly grew incomparably brilliant—a dazzling azure radiance comparable to the primordial cosmos itself.

Qiu Qingshan instinctively felt that this azure light was a sword light. He had no tangible proof, only the instinct of a sword practitioner.

Who exactly had suddenly appeared!

Could it be him!