Chapter 608 — Ascension Stage

The river exuded an aura of transcendence that far surpassed that of the Cultivation Star.

It seemed to have been born from the Supreme Laws governing everything, towering above every world and the Origin Sea as a whole.

Every droplet within it contained a scene—of the past, of the present, of the future.

Staring at it was akin to tracing back through the Origin Sea’s very history.

In its depths, several "objects" could be seen.

Most of them were indistinguishable, at least for Liora.

Only a single one of them was clear to her, which happened to immediately capture her attention.

It had the shape of a throne.

Countless intricate patterns could be seen squirming on its surface, while it exuded several distinct auras.

Taking a look at it would give the onlooker many different sensations.

They would feel as though their soul was being sucked into the Throne, then extinguished by the power of death, before being reborn under the powers of the rest of the concepts that had been integrated with it.

As soon as it appeared, Liora sensed her strength surge once more.

More precisely, she felt as though a part of her power that had previously been sealed had been unlocked once more.

The Throne and Liora could be said to be one and the same.

In the past, there was a thin membrane separating them as the River of Time seemed to exist in a different dimension.

Now, however, with the River of Time’s appearance in the "real world", that film had been completely shattered.

Liora was not too happy to see this.

She knew that as long as the River of Time disappeared again, that film would be born once more and her strength would return to its normal level.

At most, this state could be used as a temporary measure to enhance her combat prowess in desperate times.

Liora stared at her Throne for several seconds.

Compared to the past, its surface was no longer as withered.

After being continuously washed by the River of Time’s waves, it seemed to have withstood their impact and regained its original brilliance.

It was now surrounded by an ancient aura, as though it had stood its ground for billions of years.

As Liora’s mind stirred, the Throne trembled.

Originally embedded in the depths of the illusory river, it now seemed to have broken free from its shackles.

As though it was floating, it began to rise through the illusory waters.

It was only by a few centimeters, insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Yet what it represented was astonishing.

The final stage of an Archdevil—Ascension.

During this substage, a Devil had to slowly raise their Throne from the depths of the River of Time and bring it onto its surface, before completely taking it out and placing it on the river’s "shore".

Once there, they would have completely escaped the shackles of the power of time, becoming Ancient Devils.

Their lifespan would then be truly infinite, having been granted control over their own timeline.

Liora’s Throne moving, albeit slightly, meant that she had now surpassed the Anchoring stage and reached Ascension.

Moreover, the changes in her Throne were bound not to end there.

As she looked at her shaking Throne, Liora’s eyes narrowed.

Without hesitation, she took action. The Cultivation Star within the Cosmic Sea shook.

Its aura of transcendence soared in the sky, escaping the boundaries of the Cosmic Sea and appearing in the outside world.

It wasn’t contained within the trial hall. It continued surging upwards, breaking out of the palace and the city fragment as a whole, before merging with the River of Time.

As this aura was integrated with her Throne, its trembling grew even more apparent.

Likewise, its upward momentum increased significantly.

From only moving a few centimeters, it immediately traversed several meters and continued unabated.

With every breath, Liora’s strength increased.

A sense of antiquity emerged around her and, just like her Throne, she seemed to have lived for billions of years.

Liora examined these changes closely, mulling over what this represented.

Still, most of her focus remained in the River of Time.

As she watched her Throne rise, the satisfaction in her heart slowly retreated.

The River of Time... was simply too big.

With the current speed of her Throne, it would take thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years to reach its surface.

For ordinary Archdevils, this was enough for them to celebrate.

After all, Archdevils had long gotten rid of their lifespan shackles and had many ways to extend it further. For them, a few thousand years were nothing, similar to a blink of an eye.

Yet for Liora, this speed was somewhat inadequate.

Even if one were to ignore the fact that it had only taken her a few years to reach her current point, just the situation she was facing made her unable to afford wasting precious time.

Whether it was the cultivation civilization, the Eras and the ancient creatures, as well as the Hollow Ancestor, they were all like swords hanging above her head, ready to slash down and reap her life.

She needed to improve her strength.

And improving her Devil stage was perhaps the easiest way to achieve this goal.

With that thought, Liora chose to take action once again.

She took one more look at the River of Time before shifting her attention to the Cosmic Sea.

With her advancement, it had also undergone several changes.

It had turned far more lively than ever before. The few creatures that had been born received several benefits, as though the improvement of the Cosmic Sea had fed back to them too.

Liora observed this scene for a brief moment, as the phantom constructed by a wisp of her consciousness materialized.

Then, it waved its hand.

Instantly, an illusory river appeared around her.

It had long inherited some of the characteristics of the River of Time.

Moreover, with Liora’s control over the power of time improving, this technique’s nature had long surpassed its previous state.

Yet Liora had not summoned it to use it in battle.

The moment after the illusory river appeared, she pointed toward the sky casually, and it surged upward in response.

The illusory river fired toward the space above the Cosmic Sea.

Next, it began to fuse with it. Not with that particular space, but with the Cosmic Sea as a whole.