Chapter 1694: Spring Autumn Law Master Surrenders! Promotion to Supreme Lord Second Reserve!

Chapter 1694: The Spring-Autumn Law Master surrenders! Promoted to Second Reserve High Lord!

My third brother has surpassed me?

The Heavenly Punishment God stood motionless, stunned.

This thought—He had once harbored it before.

After all, the third brother's potential was well known. Anyone who had even a slight understanding of Zhou Zhou's growth would inevitably believe that he would one day surpass many powerful beings.

And naturally, this included Him, the Supreme Being of the Uppermost Unfathomable Will.

But He had always imagined that his brother would surpass him—only after tens of thousands of years, perhaps hundreds of thousands, or even millions of years.

How could he have surpassed Him now?

Could the third brother's potential be this extreme?

Yet the Supreme Will would never lie to Him. It could never utter such a falsehood.

Then only one possibility remained.

Perhaps the third brother had, without even realizing it, already surpassed himself.

Even if He had only just ascended yesterday to the lower realm of Supreme Will, and only today to the middle realm of Supreme Will.

Yet He had, without a doubt, truly surpassed himself.

Though the Supreme Will did not see the expression on Tiancheng God King's face, He could still feel what was passing through the God King's mind.

A soft sigh stirred within Him, yet there was no desire to offer counsel.

What use would advice be?

The Emperor of the People would not diminish his strength merely because of His words. The God King would remain in his current state of superiority.

To recognize reality early—this was precisely what the God King and the Spring-Autumn Law Master, like Him, as geniuses, needed most to do.

To blame.

It can only be blamed upon them and the Chaos Emperor Sovereign, such aberrations, sharing the same vast cosmos.

If they had lived in different cosmic realms, whether it be the Heaven-Punishment God King, the Spring-Autumn Law Master, or even the Supreme Demon Master—each of them would have had a near-certain chance of becoming the supreme prodigy of their own cosmos.

Yet, having encountered a prodigy like the Chaos Emperor Sovereign within the same universe, there was no choice but to accept their fate.

Under the unchallenged radiance of the Chaos Emperor Sovereign, all others could do no more than serve as mere foliage beneath his towering presence.

The Supreme Will sighed inwardly.

He himself had never imagined that the Chaos Emperor Sovereign's ascent had been so swift.

It had been so short a time.

It was nothing short of a perfect recreation of the original Great Clan Sovereign Rivalry he had once participated in.

Back then, he had only just begun to finalize the intricate series of sovereign events—when this young man had already claimed supremacy, leaving no one in his wake.

So much so that the Great Clan Sovereign Rivalry had to be abruptly terminated, forcing him to prematurely advance into the ranks of the Supreme Sovereign Reserve.

Now it's the same.

This boy, who hasn't even formally faced off against the Heavenly Punishment God King, already possesses power surpassing that of the Heavenly Punishment God King.

What kind of battle is this?

Why not simply have the Heavenly Punishment God King surrender?

Otherwise, the gap between them will only widen, and the Heavenly Punishment God King will suffer ever greater disgrace.

What if... we actually have the Heavenly Punishment God King surrender outright? Let the People's Emperor Sovereign take direct control of the Dusk Battlefield and ascend to the true position of Supreme Lord?

The Supreme Will began to seriously ponder this matter.

After a few seconds of contemplation, it decided to hand the question over to the Heavenly Punishment God King, letting Him make the decision himself.

"God of Punishment, you now know that the People's Emperor Sovereign's power has surpassed yours."

"So, what are your plans moving forward?"

"Are you aiming to further strengthen your power, waiting for the Emperor of the People to advance step by step until he stands before you and challenges you?"

"Or are you planning to fight the Emperor of the People right away, then have Him take your position as First Reserve Supreme Commander, and immediately ascend to become the true Supreme Commander?"

The Supreme Will asked.

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Punishment God's lips curled into a bitter smile.

The Master has abandoned even the pretense—offering me such a direct choice?

And now, he claims to hand over the position of Supreme Commander to me outright, refusing even to let me serve as First Reserve Supreme Commander for a few more years?

I've been serving as First Reserve Supreme Commander—how many years have I forgotten?

You're being utterly biased!

Of course.

Though the Heavenly Punishment God felt a pang of resentment, he also recognized that the Supreme Will's favoritism was not without reason.

Who among us wouldn't want to shed their burdens early, passing on their position to such a brilliant successor?

If it were Him, he would surely make the same choice.

But...

He still harbored a lingering reluctance.

The Heavenly Punishment God took a deep breath and said:

"Master."

"Even though my third brother has now surpassed me in strength."

"I still wish to give it a try."

"Let him pass each trial one by one, and finally face me."

"If he wins, then I will gladly relinquish my position as the First Reserve Supreme Lord, and with joyful pride watch him ascend to the Supreme Lordship."

"But if He fails, perhaps we can give the third brother a little more time to mature."

"Believe me, with the third brother's potential, a bit more time won't do him any harm."

"Moreover—"

"I will ascend to the lower realm of transcendent will before that happens."

"My power will surge once again."

"Then, I'll be able to fight the third brother with even greater enjoyment."

Upon hearing this, the Supreme Will finally turned and glanced at the Heavenly Punishment God.

He could clearly sense the lingering resentment and defiance in the Heavenly Punishment God's heart.

Yet, He found it entirely unsurprising.

That was simply the nature of his greatest disciple—the Heavenly Punishment God.

Whether or not they can win, they must fight once first.

If they cannot win, then consider other options.

Should the other side, after hearing His words, immediately and without hesitation abandon their position as the First Reserve of the Supreme Lord, then He would truly be surprised.

"Very well."

"Then let your third brother come in slowly."

"You're right."

"With your third brother's potential, spending a bit more time accumulating strength would indeed make His future stronger."

The Supreme Will still held one more thought inside, unspoken.

But Tian Cheng—have you ever considered a possibility?

Right now, you are still unable to defeat the Emperor of the People.

If you choose to wait a little longer, and face the Supreme Sovereign of the People's Realm once more,

by then, the Supreme Sovereign's power might have reached a level even your master cannot comprehend.

At that point, your challenge might just be enough to stand a chance against your third brother.

But after some time passes, you might no longer have the right to stand before the Supreme Sovereign.

Ah.

The choices you make are yours alone to bear.

Since you have chosen to persist, then your master shall grant you one more chance—to lose, and truly accept it.

No words are exchanged between master and disciple as they gaze downward upon the disciples battling one another.

…

On the River of Time and Space.

Chunqiu Fa Zhu and Zhou Zhou stood facing each other.

In his heart, Chunqiu Fa Zhu silently commanded his ten manifestations, preparing to surge forward simultaneously toward Zhou Zhou, ready to deliver a spectacular opening strike.

But the next instant—

He saw Zhou Zhou slowly lift the lower-tier Transcendent Holy Artifact, the Holy Sword, held in his hand.

King!

Instant activation!

All the power of the ten Transcendent Will Beings surged instantly into the body controlled by Zhou Zhou.

BOOM!

The pressure of a mid-tier Supreme Will Being instantly exploded, surging to the level of an upper-tier Transcendent Will in the very next moment—and still rising.

Boom... boom... boom...

The Eternal Continent trembled violently, as if struck by a magnitude-10 earthquake. Beings standing upon its vast expanse swayed unsteadily, many collapsing directly to the ground from the shockwave.

Whoosh!

A colossal tsunami surged across the Temporal River. Wave after wave crashed against its surface, splashing countless fragments of temporal water, each ripple reflecting a myriad of ambiguous parallel universes. Upon closer inspection, one could even see the inhabitants of those worlds—unaware of the changes beyond, living their lives as ever.

Spring Master observed the upheavals in the heavens and earth, sensing the terrifying pressure emanating from Zhou Zhou’s form. He instantly felt bewildered.

Even the ten manifestations of True Wu behind him froze, stunned.

Then, all of them turned their gaze toward the original body of Spring Master.

Their expressions conveyed one simple, sharp question:

How dare you summon us to challenge such a force?

"You little bastard, you're not playing fair," one of the Spring Master’s manifestations said to his original form.

Then He folded the Universal Chaos Pool in His hands and turned, walking toward His own alternate timeline world.

"What are you going to do?"

"Where else would I go? Back home to fish!"

The Spring and Autumn Law Master's avatar said without turning around. "I don't want to give my death a gift to you."

The Spring and Autumn Law Master was utterly stunned.

Before such a great enemy, His very own personally forged avatar—had deserted in the open?!!

This was utterly humiliating!

And worse, He couldn't stop it.

For this method of avatar creation, though seemingly flawless, possessed one unavoidable flaw.

His forged avatars, though treating Him as a true brother, would willingly step in to save Him when danger arose.

But if the crisis at hand is one that can only end in defeat, they would likely not truly risk themselves to save the main body.

In simple terms:

Minor help is acceptable, but major efforts? Better not.

At worst, if the main body perishes, I, the offshoot, will simply become the next main body.

The offshoots of the other Springtime Masters are almost entirely shaped by the same character as their master.

Once the first offshoot surrenders, the remaining nine or ten incarnations of the Ten Directions all declare they won't participate—no matter how desperately the Springtime Master pleads, kneels, or begs, they remain unmoved, steadfastly refusing to die for him.

When the final incarnation of the Ten Directions is about to step into its alternate timeline, the Springtime Master finally collapses under the weight of despair, throwing himself into the master’s legs and weeping openly, without any shred of decorum: “Brother, are you really my brother? Please help the main body! I can’t hold on any longer!”

“Little Spring,”

this incarnation of the Springtime Master gazes pityingly upon the main body, “Should you surrender now? Surrender.”

“Shame is better than death.”

"Of course, you could also try your hand against this third brother. I think he's a fine character—his will is sharp, yet devoid of malice; he doesn't seem like a brother who'd resort to killing."

"Just fight him normally, and lose normally. That's all. The matter ends there."

"As for me helping you? Absolutely impossible."

"Though this method may be sound, I still advise you to surrender outright—at least that way, the ending is more dignified."

"That's all I have to say. Choose for yourself."

With that,

He kicked Spring's Law Master violently into the air, then vanished into his own alternate timeline world.

Spring's Law Master stood frozen.

Zhou Zhou remained silent.

The various powerful figures observing from above also fell into silence.

What the hell is going on?

How can it feel like the final battle hasn't even begun, yet it's already drawing to a close?

Where's the epic showdown we were promised?

Why does everything suddenly feel utterly devoid of suspense?

They watched the terrifying pressure erupting from Zhou Zhou's body, felt the sudden, overwhelming dread rising within their hearts. A question flashed through their minds.

How strong is the Celestial Sovereign of the People, now?

No one could know the answer.

Yet one thing they were certain of: the Third Reserve Commander, Spring and Law Master, was no match for the Celestial Sovereign of the People.

What would Spring and Law Master do next?

Would he persist in a desperate battle against the Celestial Sovereign of the People?

Will you simply yield and recognize the situation?

Quickly.

Chunqiu Fa Zhu smiled bitterly, flipping his hand, and the Universal Chaos Pool in his grasp vanished.

"Third brother."

"No, I should say second brother."

"I surrender."

"With your strength, I cannot even muster a single thought of resistance."

Chunqiu Fa Zhu sighed, "You have already claimed the position of Second Reserve of Supreme Lord."

"I admit defeat."

"Thank you, Third Brother."

Zhou Zhou smiled lightly.

Yet within, there was an extraordinary stillness, no trace of the excitement he had imagined.

"Perhaps... I've never truly valued the position of Second Reserve Supreme Lord."

"When I finally ascend to the true Supreme Lord, I might feel a flicker of excitement—just for a moment."

Zhou Zhou mused.

After all, he was now a powerful being with transcendent will and supreme combat strength.

To be excited merely about attaining a Second Reserve Supreme Lord title? That would be strange indeed.

Clap. Clap. Clap...

With the sound of resounding applause, the Supreme Will, the Heavenly Punishment God King, the Universal Demon Master, and countless other beings of transcendent will materialized around him.

And besides the Supreme Will, even the Heavenly Punishment God King, in the gaze directed at Zhou Zhou now, carried a subtle hint of reverence.

Through their recent battle, they had all come to see it clearly.

This young, barely-ripe Supreme Lord in training possessed a transcendent will and a top-tier combat strength—indeed, a supreme force of the highest caliber.

In the entire Ultimate Void Cosmos, such beings were exceedingly rare, truly standing at the very apex of existence.

Should this one become the future leader of their cosmos, it would naturally inspire awe and respect.

"Respectful greetings to the Supreme Will."

"Brother, you've arrived too."

"Respectful greetings to all of you."

Zhou Zhou spoke politely.

"Peoples."

The Supreme Will chuckled, "Your growth rate once again exceeds my expectations. I never thought you could have defeated the Spring Law Master so swiftly."

"Perhaps I underestimated you when I set the trials before you earlier."

"The next trial must be more challenging."

"The Supreme Will is merely joking."

"I only won against my elder brother by luck."

Zhou Zhou smiled.

The powerful ones present twitched slightly at the corners of their mouths.

Luck...

They had just witnessed a victory achieved by sheer luck—those very beings had devoured their own excrement on the spot!

Yet, within their hearts, a subtle sense of warmth began to stir.

This newly appointed second reserve of the Supreme Lord is not only immensely powerful, but also so humble in character.

The Supreme Will truly has found a treasure.

"From this day forward, you are officially the second reserve of the Supreme Lord."

"Your permissions have been elevated accordingly."

"What further reward do you desire?"

The Supreme Will asked, with a smile.