With Jiang Yan's single spear destroying the Zerg Mother Nest—
The plane space dedicated to the Genius Battle fell into absolute silence.
On the central square, millions of contestants stood frozen.
Luo Feng.
Hong.
Thor.
Even Scale-Armor Giant Thirteen and the Immortal leaders of the 1,008 Universe Nations—
All wore stunned expressions, as if their thoughts had been completely severed.
Several breaths passed.
Then—
The square erupted.
"Time Stands Still!!"
"My god—that was Time Stands Still!!"
"He hasn't just mastered teleportation, one of the three great mysteries of the Space Law—he's also mastered Time Stagnation, one of the three great mysteries of the Time Law!"
"Is this monster even alive anymore?!"
"I used to think calling him a genius rare in hundreds of millions of epochs was exaggeration… now?"
"I'm convinced. Completely convinced."
"Great Demon King!!"
"Third Brother is insane!!"
The millions of geniuses were no longer merely shocked—
They were utterly subdued.
When Jiang Yan was teleported back to the square, Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor immediately surrounded him, smiling broadly.
Bolan stood nearby, bitterness filling his eyes.
"So… this is the gap between us?"
Uka shook his head.
"This guy truly deserves the title of Great Demon King."
Rong Jun spoke solemnly.
"I only hope that in the arena battles… I don't run into him in the first round."
Ai Chen stared at Jiang Yan, her shock no less than anyone else's.
She had known long ago that Jiang Yan's Time Law had crossed the threshold—
But she had never imagined his comprehension had reached the point of Time Stands Still.
That was no longer mere talent.
That was transcendence.
"Thirteen, congratulations."
"This time, your Qianwu Universe Kingdom truly stole the spotlight."
"At Star Level, he's already mastered mysteries of both Space and Time… once he reaches Realm Lord, comprehending laws will be effortless."
"Breaking through to Immortality only requires mastery of a single law—and his comprehension…"
"It's monstrous."
"But cultivating two superior laws simultaneously… his ambition is terrifying."
"If it were anyone else, I'd say they're biting off more than they can chew."
"But Jiang Yan?"
"He has the capital."
The Immortals' expressions were complicated.
In the end, all of them turned toward Scale-Armor Giant Thirteen and offered sincere congratulations.
The Nine Swords Venerable looked at Jiang Yan, then at the countless geniuses below, and sighed softly.
"This era…"
"…was always meant to belong to Jiang Yan."
"These children standing beside him—whether it's their honor…"
"…or their sorrow, only time will tell."
At the same time—
Across the entire human race, the 1,008 Universe Nations' highest executives were shaken.
Jiang Yan's strength had exceeded all expectations.
"All contestants—return to your residences!"
The Immortals issued their commands one after another.
Scale-Armor Giant Thirteen turned to Jiang Yan and the others.
"Follow me."
Building 0825 — First Floor
"Well done."
Thirteen smiled, unable to hide his satisfaction.
"In this Genius Battle, Qianwu Universe Kingdom has achieved outstanding results."
"Jiang Yan, Luo Feng, Rong Jun, Hong, and Thor—all ranked within the top 100."
"You are now core members of the Virtual Universe Company."
"Especially Jiang Yan—first place."
"And Luo Feng—third."
"This is the best result Qianwu Universe Kingdom has ever achieved."
"There are also three others who entered the top 7,300 and may compete for the remaining 900 spots."
"As for the rest—your Genius Battle ends here."
"You may return immediately, or wait for automatic teleportation."
He paused, then smiled again.
"Jiang Yan—your group—come with me."
As they left—
The remaining 992 eliminated contestants sat in heavy silence.
"We failed…"
"So close to the top 7,300…"
"If I'd killed just a few more Nine-Headed Pythons…"
"Enough. We still have the Dry Witch Secret Realm."
"Our cultivation path has just begun."
"Universe Level. Domain Lord. Realm Lord."
"Our future may not be worse than theirs."
But disappointment still weighed heavily in the hall.
Beyond the Human Race
Jiang Yan clearing the Seventh Trial Tower—
Did not only shake humanity.
It sent shockwaves through the foreign races.
Within the human race existed countless spies.
Some were ordinary mortals.
Others—Immortal Kings. Universe Venerables.
All of them had been enslaved at the soul level by foreign races, often without even realizing it.
Deep within the primordial universe—
Inside a hidden spatial interlayer—
A massive Zerg Divine Kingdom lay concealed.
Zerg warriors fought endlessly within, devouring the dead to evolve.
At the center stood a turquoise palace, guarded by thousands of Immortal-level Zerg.
A human Immortal flew toward the palace.
"Master! Urgent intelligence!"
The Zerg guards roared—but did not attack.
This human was a soul slave of the Mother Emperor.
"Oh?"
A gentle voice echoed.
The moment it spoke, the raging Zerg fell silent.
The human Immortal's eyes filled with fanatic devotion.
"Master," he said reverently,
"The human genius Jiang Yan—hailed as once in billions of epochs—has cleared the Seventh Trial Tower."
"He has mastered Space mysteries… and Time mysteries…"
"Cleared the Seventh Trial Tower?"
A beautiful figure emerged from the palace.
Her appearance was dreamlike.
Her expression—grim.
"Even Ke Ti failed to clear it."
Her eyes hardened with murderous intent.
"Back then, it cost us two Universe Venerables to enslave him."
"This Jiang Yan…"
"…is even more dangerous."
"List him as Assassination Target Number One."
"Kill him while he is still weak."
Across the cosmos—
Mechanical Race.
Demon Race.
Other hostile powers—
All received the same intelligence through buried agents.
All reached the same conclusion.
If Jiang Yan were allowed to grow—
He would become a catastrophe.
Now—
While he was still young—
Was the only chance.
Just as they had done to Ke Ti.
The net had been cast.
And the killing intent—
Had arrived.