Stronger with Crimson Modifier

In mere seconds, the once-bustling city block was reduced to a desolate wasteland, as if it had endured a thousand years of weathering and Erosion.

Outside the ring of light, people watched in horror, as if witnessing a silent apocalypse.

At that moment, the four Mechas frozen in mid-air began to change.

Their energy cores were completely depleted.

They dissolved into motes of light and vanished.

The four Mecha Masters inside them rotted away in an instant, turning to dust and dying on the spot.

It was Ancient Eye’s ultimate technique: [Temporal Decay].

It caused time within the ring of light to accelerate exponentially.

Almost no living thing could withstand it.

’He didn’t understand why they had suddenly betrayed him, but it didn’t matter. He had the power to crush any opposition. Since they had betrayed him, he would simply kill them and use Sunstones to create a new batch of Forbidden Mecha Masters.’

With this in mind, he prepared to retrieve the Sunstones.

However, to his surprise, the Sunstones were nowhere to be seen after the four Mechas dissipated.

"Where are the Sunstones?!"

His expression changed drastically.

’The Sunstones were fundamental; they couldn’t possibly be destroyed by [Temporal Decay].’

Just then, the right arm of his Mecha broke off without warning. The severed surface was as smooth as a mirror.

"Hm? You’re completely unaffected!?"

Inside the Mecha, Ancient Eye snapped back to reality. He stared at Hu Qi, his face a mask of utter astonishment. ’How can he be completely unscathed inside my [Temporal Decay] Domain? Impossible!’

However, Hu Qi didn’t respond.

He just kept swinging the scythe in his hands.

Space twisted and tore. Wherever the scythe passed, the nigh-impenetrable shell of the Hourglass Radiance Ring Forbidden Mecha—a shell as tough as a planet—was sliced open as easily as paper.

Ancient Eye, still inside, was cut in half along with his Mecha.

But it was no use.

The Mecha dissipated, and Ancient Eye reappeared in another location, both he and his machine completely unharmed.

"You..."

He had barely uttered a single word...

...before another slash cut him in two.

It was so fast he had no time to react.

’Ancient Eye couldn’t understand. If he’d been instantly killed the first time because he was caught off guard, that was one thing. But now? He had summoned the Hourglass Radiance Ring and was fully prepared. How could he still be killed in an instant? And how was this man ignoring his ultimate technique, [Temporal Decay]?’

He never had the chance to voice these questions.

Every time he revived, a spatial rift would tear him apart and swallow him whole.

And Hu Qi was accomplishing all of this without using his true body, relying solely on the power of the vessel he currently inhabited: Bai Kong.

The Light Bloodline was a gift from the sun, one of this world’s most fundamental powers.

And after he used the Crimson Modifier to transform the Light Bloodline into the Sun Chaser Bloodline, that power was greatly enhanced.

Forbidden Mecha could only be piloted by Mecha Masters who possessed the Light Bloodline.

The purer the Light Bloodline, the greater the power one could wield.

Now, with the boost from the Sun Chaser Bloodline in his body...

...he could unleash three hundred percent of the Eclipse Hermit’s power.

That was why his opponent was utterly powerless against him.

Soon, as Ancient Eye was slain again and again...

...the time it took for him to resurrect grew longer and longer.

It went from instant resurrection at the start to taking a full five or six seconds to reform.

"You... you’re siphoning my power!?"

This time, when the newly resurrected Ancient Eye spoke, his tone was no longer placid, but filled with terror.

PUFF!

His voice was cut short as he was slain yet again.

According to the original timeline, only Zhao Yao, the bearer of the Celestial Mandate, was meant to possess the Sun Chaser Bloodline and the power of the Siphon.

He was to become the strongest, step by step, collect all the Sunstones, and complete the Reincarnation cycle of reigniting the sun.

Once the Sun Chaser Bloodline awakened, it, combined with the power of the Siphon, would allow him to plunder Ancient Eye’s power.

It was all predestined.

Hu Qi was now simply replicating that path.

Another half a minute passed.

After dying one last time...

...Ancient Eye did not revive. His Mecha also failed to appear.

In his place, a Sunstone the size of a human head appeared.

In terms of sheer volume...

...this single Sunstone was larger than the other eleven Sunstones combined.

Hu Qi took it without hesitation.

Without pausing, his figure vanished into the void.

He reappeared in the cosmos, just outside Azure Flame Star.

His target was none other than the great, pitch-black sun in the distance, long since extinguished.

Just then, however, a terrifying will that chilled one to the bone washed over the area like a surging tide.

In an instant, space itself seemed to be clenched in an invisible, giant fist, freezing solid into an unbreakable block of ice.

Looking up, he saw a colossal golden figure that seemed to touch the heavens and stand upon the earth. It had appeared at some unknown point in the vast, boundless cosmos above.

The figure emanated a boundless aura. Strangely, it had no facial features in the conventional sense.

Upon its smooth face was a single, massive vertical eye, cold and profound, as if it could perceive all of creation.

This was none other than the Eye of the Heavens, the personification of this world’s will.

However, unlike the Eyes of the Heavens in other worlds, this one was different.

It had condensed into a humanoid form.

"So, you’ve finally decided to show yourself."

Hu Qi’s expression was placid.

He had long anticipated this.

According to Black Erosion, each Reincarnation was divided into two stages.

Before the sun was extinguished, the main will was dominant.

But now that the sun was gone, the world’s primary consciousness had fallen dormant.

This was why Black Erosion had been able to emerge and stir up trouble.

And the place where that main will slumbered was within Ancient Eye himself.

Now that its host had been killed, the world’s main will would naturally awaken.

If things had followed their normal trajectory, it would have been fine.

But thanks to Hu Qi, everything had been completed years ahead of schedule. This, combined with the altered fate, immediately alerted the main will that something was amiss.

"Hmph? Heretic! Die!" The golden figure’s voice was a dull roar, like the tolling of a great bell, sending sound waves rolling through space.

The moment the words were spoken, its giant palm slapped down without warning. The hand blotted out the stars, as if the golden firmament itself were crashing down.

In its eyes, Hu Qi was nothing more than an insignificant ant, to be crushed with a casual swat.

Instantly, the Power of Rules of this world churned violently, as if stirred by an unseen hand. They nearly solidified into tangible matter, weaving a net of death from visible, esoteric patterns, threatening to smash Hu Qi into dust.

BOOM—!

At that moment, Hu Qi’s true body manifested, shining like a brilliant star. The majestic power of the True God Realm erupted without reservation. Like a tsunami or a volcanic eruption, it shattered the terrifying restrictive force that sought to freeze everything in place.

He met the golden figure’s descending palm with a palm strike of his own.

The two attacks collided with tremendous force.

At the same time, a colossal, pale python materialized behind Hu Qi.

HISSS!!

The great serpent’s cry echoed through the void.

The pale serpent raised its head and shrieked, its massive body coiling as it radiated a bone-chilling aura.

It seemed Hu Qi was finally going all out.

However, even so, after exchanging a few blows, he began to stagger, and cracks appeared on his body.

"Black Erosion, what are you waiting for?! Make your move!"

Hu Qi’s voice boomed like thunder, his face etched with anxiety.

The instant his words fell, it was as if time itself had frozen.

The massive golden figure attacking Hu Qi froze mid-motion, as if struck by an Immobilization Spell.

Then, a horrifying change began.

The surface of the figure’s resplendent golden body began to show signs of Erosion from an unseen dark power, starting with just a few specks.

The spots spread rapidly, and soon, bizarre black blotches even appeared on its golden vertical eye.

Black Erosion, who had been hiding in the shadows, had finally made its move.

’It had wanted to wait longer. It knew that if it acted and failed, it would almost certainly face a reckoning from the main will. But Hu Qi’s performance had disrupted its plans. The man’s performance was just too pathetic. It had no choice but to act now. If it missed this golden opportunity, who knew how long it would have to wait for another?’

However, in the very next second, Black Erosion’s shocked and furious voice rang out.

"Damn it! What are you doing?"

Its fury was justified.

The expected scene—Hu Qi joining it to suppress the main will—never happened.

The instant it moved to ensnare the main will, Hu Qi turned tail and fled without the slightest hesitation!