Chapter 469 — Ancient Devil Combat Power

Devouring the broken parts of the Demon Layer had granted Liora great benefits.

Above all, her World of Heart, which had already turned into a demi-plane, experienced a further transformation.

Following another thunderous rumble, it grew completely material, turning into an actual lower-level world.

This transformation triggered a surge of power within Liora.

The Way of the Heart power system reached a level equivalent to the Ascension stage, while even her Devil strength increased dramatically.

Yet ultimately, these changes were nothing.

No matter what, contending against an Ancient Devil was impossible for her. The opponent could swat her away like a fly.

...Or at least, that was the case until she and the Four Elements Devil signed the Devil Contract.

The moment the other party fused with her, his body transformed into the concept of four elements and merged with her World of Heart.

Instantly, this world was strengthened.

From a lower-level world, it was quickly upgraded to a medium-level one.

Though the improvement was only temporary and the world was unstable, it provided Liora with unimaginable power.

For one, she could finally move.

Her World of Heart descended to the outside world, spanning several kilometers around her.

Liora felt a sense of omnipotence within that space, as if she had turned into its Will. With a flicker, her figure teleported to the edge of the world, before that world shifted positions.

Its edge moved further away.

Then, Liora teleported again.

Teleportation after teleportation, again and again.

Before long, Liora had left the transitional space between the Demon Layers behind her, appearing outside the Demon World and preparing to flee.

Unfortunately, her opponent would not let her.

Though the cooperation between her and the Four Elements Devil was sudden, the Hollow Ancestor reacted quickly.

This time, he didn’t display a casual attitude. Instead, his gaze sharpened as he chose to take action in person.

Stretching his hand, a thin blade materialized in his palm, which he swung towards the space before him.

One moment, it was thousands of kilometers away. The next, it had emerged in front of Liora and threatened to engulf her.

The former Liora would have been unable to deal with such a blow in the past.

But her integration with the Four Elements Devil, combined with the near omnipotence she felt within the space of her World of Heart, granted her ways to counterattack.

Her mind moved. The massive World of Heart grew smaller, rising and turning into a painting before her.

As the blade struck it, the painting shook. Several "painted" creatures on its surface broke apart, while the landmarks were left devastated.

Yet, the painting was able to suppress the impact.

Before Liora could breathe a sigh of relief, however, an inexplicable power washed over her.

It seeped into her body and flowed toward her Throne, revolving around it as if threatening it.

The Four Elements Devil had fused with her World of Heart and could witness the battle. Though he didn’t know what was happening to Liora’s Throne, he could guess something.

His cold voice immediately rang within her mind.

"Be careful! The attacks of every Ancient Devil are accompanied by the power of time. Unless one has brought their Throne out of the River of Time and partially transcended its shackles, they’ll be corrupted once they touch it."

"Only a being with the same control over time can fight against this. Use your world to protect your Throne. With my strength, we should be able to—"

Halfway through his sentence, the Four Elements Devil paused.

Not because he wanted to act mysterious, but because he witnessed something shocking.

An illusory river suddenly appeared around Liora and protected her, shrouding her in its transcendent shadow.

The power of time accompanying the Hollow Ancestor’s attack was wiped away.

Though the illusory river churned violently and seemed to have been affected, this was already shocking.

"What a strange technique... It contains the power of time and seems able to call upon the River of Time."

"Given enough time, this woman will surely become an Ancient Devil.", the Four Elements Devil judged, though he didn’t say anything.

Liora did not care about his thoughts.

After withstanding the impact of the Hollow Ancestor’s blow, she unfolded the World of Heart and teleported once again.

She knew very well that she couldn’t fight against the opponent. Even if one ignored the power of time, the Hollow Ancestor was already terrifying enough.

If not, the Four Elements Devil would not have given up control over his body and chose to cooperate with her without any hesitation.

In the blink of an eye, Liora teleported hundreds of times, drawing near the nearest Demon Layer.

She wasn’t planning to enter it, but to alert the powerful beings in it, hoping to use them as shields.

Unfortunately, the Hollow Ancestor seemed to have guessed her plan. His hand moved, and he struck again, launching several blows in just a moment.

Liora was forced to stop and defend. At the same time, the Snake of Time technique was pushed to its limit, nullifying the incoming power of time.

With the Four Elements Devil’s assistance and the existing power of the World of Heart itself, she managed to withstand the material blows.

Yet, she found herself at a disadvantage in the department of the power of time. This was normal. She was not an Ancient Devil after all.

The Snake of Time grew increasingly unstable.

The power of time started pouring into her soul space and flowing toward her Throne.

Liora sensed part of her lifespan disappear as the two touched. As if time had been sped up for her, she instantly lost thousands of years.

Even if her current lifespan was extremely long, such an expenditure was enough to give her a heartache.

Moreover, this was not a one-time thing.

With each of the Hollow Ancestor’s blows, part of her lifespan would be harvested.

"Are you crazy? Use your world to defend!", the Four Elements Devil screamed in her mind, but Liora paid no heed to his words.

She had a hunch that if she gave up on using the Snake of Time, a large disaster would befall her.

A few seconds later, she finally understood where that intense sense of threat stemmed from.

With a thunderous crash, the Snake of Time shattered. It let out a sorrowful cry, with only a few pieces of it returning to Liora’s soul space and settling into a corner.

Its protection disappeared.

But the Hollow Ancestor did not attack again. Rather, he glanced at Liora and the integrated Four Elements Devil, the corner of his lips curving upward.

"It’s finally time.", he whispered.

The moment his words fell, the space around Liora froze. An inexplicable power emerged from the Four Elements Devil’s body and turned into a circle that bound the two.