Douluo Continent: The Ruler of Time, Reigning Supreme

The story begins in Chapter 133.
Deep within Yin Chen's eyes, there was no panic like Zhang Lexuan's; instead, there was calmness and... a faint golden glint.

'Now is the time,' he murmured to himself.

The earth-shattering explosion outside, the escape of Hyotei and the others, the pursuit by the Hall of Rebirth... all these chaotic causal threads were the perfect opportunity he had been waiting for, the best time to quietly intervene without being noticed.

He did not respond to Zhang Lexuan's suggestion, but instead focused all his energy into his body, communicating with the being located deep within the origin of his soul.

'Ishtar, wake up, get up and help me.'

Thoughts are like pebbles thrown into an ancient well.

The next moment, he felt his consciousness being pulled away and instantly entered a strange golden space.

This space is boundless and infinite, with a "water surface" flowing with golden light beneath your feet, reflecting countless star-like points of light.

In the very center of the space stands a magnificent golden tree whose grandeur and mystery defy description.

This is the inner manifestation of his fourth soul skill, "This Moment and That Moment," and also the projection of the world's time laws into his soul.

Here, he can transcend the normal flow of time, observe, choose, and even... attempt to interfere with the river of infinite possibilities.

As he entered, Yin Chen seemed to casually scoop up the slightly ethereal figure of a sleepy, silver-haired girl in a platinum dress—Time Ruler Istaru—from a corner.

"Well……"

Ishtar yawned, and after taking in her surroundings and the silver dust, her delicate face instantly filled with question marks and reluctance, her tone full of complaint:
"What are you doing? I already helped you get 'This Moment, That Moment' ahead of time, giving you the ability to interfere with fate at the Soul Master stage. You've already overdrawn so much power, and you still want to drag me out of bed to work? Then all my previous efforts were for nothing! I want to sleep."

Yin Chen had anticipated her reaction and went straight to the point:
I know you want to slack off, but this situation is special; I might not be able to handle it alone, and I need your help.

He paused for a moment, then threw out the prepared chips.

In return, I can grant you partial access to my memories, allowing you to browse... things you've always been interested in, about the world I lived in my past life, and other possible otherworldly knowledge related to your homeland.

He knew that Istaru had little interest in the turmoil of Douluo Continent, but was extremely curious about the bizarre and fantastical knowledge and information from another world in his mind.

Whether it was the vastly different technological civilizations, philosophical ideas, or the fantastical creations called "novels" or "games," everything seemed novel to her.

Yin Chen had been strictly controlling the leakage of this information, precisely because she was afraid that this ruler of the time, who already liked to slack off, would become completely addicted and turn into a true "homebody," which would really ruin her.

But now, forced by circumstances, he needs Istaru's help, and she had indeed secured huge benefits for him before. It is only right and wrong that he should return the favor.

Sure enough, Ishtar's lazy eyes lit up instantly upon hearing this condition.

Without almost any hesitation, she immediately put on a "I'm super serious" expression and clapped her hands, saying:

"Deal! You'd better keep your word. Tell me, what do you need my help with?"

Yin Chen's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. Sure enough, there's only motivation when there's profit to be made.

He turned his gaze to the giant golden tree.

This giant tree, a symbol of time and possibility, has countless branches of varying thicknesses and alternating shades of light and shadow.

Each branch represents a potential future derived from the current reality. The shifting light and shadow on the branches vaguely reflect scenes unfolding or potentially unfolding in the far north—

He saw the Hyotei, its blue light dimmed, pierced by a purplish-black scythe.

They saw Hyotei successfully shake off their pursuers and disappear into the depths of the snowstorm.

They witnessed the Ice Emperor perish together with the arrow of the Light Feather Douluo, shattering the sky with countless ice crystals.

I witnessed the tragic scene of Titan Snow Demon King being besieged by several Title Douluo and dying from exhaustion.

We witnessed the resolute act of Ice Bear King Xiaobai, who self-destructed to delay the pursuers in order to cover Ice Emperor's escape...

Countless possibilities, like an intricate and complex painting, flicker and fade on the branches of the tree of time.

These are all "possible futures" that evolve naturally under existing conditions.

What Yin Chen needs to do is not simply to choose a relatively favorable future to "anchor".

What he wanted to do was find the future that could perfectly realize all his intentions.

He worries that among the countless future branches of natural evolution, there is no such "perfect" option.

"If you can't find it..."

Yin Chen took a deep breath and said to Istaru.

“If what I want isn’t in these branches, we need to… force a new branch to grow.”

This means that they will rely on their understanding and power of the laws of time to forcibly create a tributary in the river of time that did not originally exist, and create a "future" that they want.

This is undoubtedly going against the will of Heaven, and for Yin Chen at this point, it is almost an impossible task.

Ishtar tilted her head, looked at the giant golden tree, then at the determined look in Yin Chen's eyes, and pursed her lips:
'I knew it wouldn't be anything good... Forcing future branches will deplete my reserves. Fine, for the sake of that memory, I'll go along with your madness this once. Let's begin, let's write the story.'

Yin Chen nodded, concentrated all his attention, and began to carefully search and sense among the countless shimmering branches.

He didn't need to worry about Zhang Lexuan outside. In this space, time outside was frozen, giving him ample time to write his story.

The biting wind, like a steel blade scraping bone, whipped at Hyotei's delicate yet weary face, carrying ice shards.

She hugged the 100,000-year-old snow lotus, which radiated a soft white light and the breath of life, even tighter in her arms, as if it were the most important thing in her life.

Because this is not just a snow lotus. Deep within the layers of petals lies a snow pill, an ice-blue color containing vast soul power and ultimate ice and snow power—that is the Snow Emperor's most of his soul essence and power forcibly separated at the last moment when he self-destructed his physical body to create the illusion of destruction.

He sacrificed his physical body, which he had painstakingly cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years, and nearly half of his cultivation, in exchange for this chance to shed his skin and preserve his last spark of life.

If she hadn't been forced into a desperate situation, how could she, as the ruler of the far north, have made such a tragic choice?
However, for the Ice and Snow Maiden, who was originally formed from the extremely cold elements of heaven and earth, her physical body was not an indispensable foundation. As long as this Origin Snow Pill remained, she had the possibility of reuniting the elements and returning to the world.

(End of this chapter)