Chapter 682: The Immortal of Devouring Evolution, The Gate of Time and Space
In the courtyard that was both miniature and grand, wind swept through the corridor, lifting wisteria blossoms onto the dragon’s scales before the next gust carried them elsewhere.
Garoth observed every subtle change in Titania’s expression.
This petite and exquisite Faerie Queen laughed without any restraint, her eyes curving into crescent-moon arcs, revealing neat white teeth.
She had been able to maintain the dignity of a fey sovereign just moments ago.
But the moment excitement took hold, the special temperament that seeped from the depths of her bones could no longer be hidden.
There was even a certain combative, fierce edge to it.
Not at all like the legendary graceful and dignified Faerie Queen.
But then again, a chaotic good deity could hardly be considered normal by mortal standards. And besides, this was merely a convenient aspect she used to communicate with Garoth; her true form was likely far more complex than what appeared before him now. Nothing would be strange.
“Since I’ve decided to join the Joyous Court, I naturally won’t stand by and ignore matters concerning the court.”
Garoth said earnestly, “Friendship and cooperation are mutual. The Joyous Court extended a helping hand when I needed it, so when the court is in need, my claws and breath will not be withheld. That is my promise.”
Titania’s small hand patted his scales twice again.
“You’ve got the right idea.”
She beamed, her eyes curving into beautiful arcs as she said, “I like straightforward dragons like you. Dealing with you has no twists and turns, no delays, just clean and efficient.”
As she spoke, she released her hand from the dragon scales and stepped back a short distance.
“Since you’re so forthright, I can’t be too stingy either. I don’t mind giving you a few more benefits.”
“Let me think... I do have quite a lot of good stuff here, but since you haven’t even reached Immortal yet, there isn’t much you can actually use. Give you a divine artifact? You wouldn’t be able to unleash its power; it would just be a decoration. Hand you a secret tome? The spells inside would probably be beyond your ability to cast anyway, so reading it would be pointless...”
She muttered to herself softly, one small hand supporting her chin, her brow slightly furrowed.
“There’s no need to force it.”
Garoth said, “The Immortal Spirit Fruit is already an incredibly generous gift, more than enough for me. Besides, the matter of the Divine Seat already exceeded my expectations. I am very satisfied.”
“Don’t interrupt, I’m thinking.”
Titania cut him off without any politeness.
She paced back and forth in midair, her hair gently swaying with her movements. After a few circuits, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and her gaze fell back on Garoth.
“Speaking of which, there’s something I can tell you in advance.”
“Among the many realms, there are quite a few promising talents. Some lives are born with astonishing natural gifts; others have honed incredible resilience through adversity... The Joyous Court needs beings who can hold their ground in the Material Plane, and before you, I wasn’t exclusively considering you.”
“But most of them were still somewhat lacking.”
“Those with enough talent but not enough will—they grow rapidly in favorable circumstances but collapse the moment they encounter setbacks. Those with enough will but not enough vision—they fixate only on the patch of land right in front of them, unable to see the broader world. Or their temperament simply didn’t suit the Joyous Court.”
“You should have already felt the atmosphere here: freedom, looseness, spontaneity.”
Garoth’s pupils shifted slightly.
“The powerful lives valued by the Faerie Queen, even if ultimately not chosen, must have had their own shining points. Their achievements and experiences must be extraordinary.”
He said.
“Yes.”
Titania nodded, acknowledging the statement, then shifted her tone: “Among those lives, there is one I think you need to pay special attention to.”
He needed to pay special attention to someone?
What connection could that have to him?
Garoth revealed a hint of confusion.
Titania said, “That is a human Immortal. Like you, he wields an evolution-type Potency.”
Evolution Potency?!
The moment those two words landed in Garoth’s ears, his pupils instinctively contracted, and the heartbeat in his chest paused for a beat.
He understood too well what this term represented.
Garoth knew how much time and blood he had paid for everything he had today, but he never denied the influence of natural talent on himself. The Battle Dragon trait was also his greatest reliance, honed through countless life-and-death battles.
An evolution Potency in any other life would never be mediocre.
It meant the ability to change oneself, and self-change often meant limitless room for growth, an unending climb upward.
Moreover, Titania had clearly seen through the nature of his talent.
But that was hardly surprising; the vision of a high-tier deity was far beyond what mortals could imagine.
*Whoosh!*
The red iron dragon took a deep breath, calming his emotions, and fixed his blazing gaze on the Faerie Queen.
“This Immortal—what specific type of evolution Potency does he have?”
He asked solemnly.
“The devouring evolution type.”
Titania said, “By devouring the flesh and blood of other powerful lives, he plunders their talents and traits, integrating them into himself to grow stronger. This method of evolution is extremely efficient, much faster than your daily grinding.”
She paused, then shook her head slightly, a trace of regret flashing in her eyes.
“But the human body has its limits.”
“The human frame is not as tough as your dragon clan’s; it cannot bear too many foreign powers in a short time. Every time he devours a new trait, he needs time to digest and integrate it.”
“That human has devoured too much, too chaotically, too messily.”
“He grew extremely strong in a very short time, but he also paid a tremendous price. His spirit has been torn apart by power that exceeds his limits, becoming chaotic and broken.”
Her voice grew low.
“Now, in order to devour more powerful beings and make himself even more ‘perfect,’ he has become completely unscrupulous. His mind has irreversibly fallen to the evil side, with no chance of turning back.”
“I once had high hopes for him. Unfortunately, he’s beyond saving.”
“To guide him back to the right path, I once sent an Apostle to approach him personally, trying to steer him in the right direction. But he offended my authority and devoured my Apostle.”
The Joyous Court didn’t require its members to be of good alignment. Many chaotic neutral beings existed among the fey deities.
But a madman who couldn’t even control his own reason could never join any order-side pantheon.
Garoth listened, his heart churning with waves.
Devouring evolution.
By devouring the flesh of other lives to gain their traits, thereby making himself stronger, more perfect...
“Claudia, that chrome dragon, has a talent related to devouring.”
“But his devouring can’t be called evolution. It only increases his various stats, allowing him to grow faster, but he can’t obtain the traits of what he devours. The two are fundamentally different.”
Garoth pondered inwardly.
Compared to adaptation evolution, this devouring evolution theoretically had a much faster growth rate, almost leaps and bounds, allowing one to cross paths that would take others countless years.
But correspondingly, as Titania had said, this could easily lead to problems due to talent limitations.
Also, race was very important.
The limits of the human body were far lower than those of a great dragon. Even with a devouring evolution talent, one needed to consider whether they could bear the subsequent effects.
If it were a natural-born great dragon who also possessed the devouring evolution talent...
That would be a terrifying combination. The body of a great dragon was already incredibly tough, capable of bearing far greater power limits than humans. Paired with devouring evolution, the speed and height of growth would be limitless.
If he, himself, had the devouring evolution talent instead of adaptation evolution...
In the same amount of time, would he have been able to grow to a higher level? Or would he also have run into problems due to being too reckless?
Garoth thought carefully and felt the probability of the latter was not small.
The reason he could temper himself day after day was partly due to his strong will, but it was also related to the type of talent he had. Adaptation evolution belonged to the ‘slow-burn’ type, very much requiring a solid foundation, followed by gradual progress and patient accumulation.
If he had obtained devouring evolution...
Garoth felt he might not have been able to settle down and focus on training.
He would have been thinking about how to devour a stronger opponent to make himself stronger, leaning more toward hunting prey rather than self-cultivation.
But then again, he wasn’t the type to be driven by immediate gain.
If he found his spirit having problems because of his pursuit of power, he would definitely restrain himself at the first sign, rather than letting himself sink. In that case, he would stop, examine his state, and adjust his pace.
After a few seconds of deep thought, Garoth looked at Titania:
“I know the cruelty of Potency conflicts.”
“Between immortal beings wielding the same type of Potency, they are destined to become each other’s prey and hunter. The closer their Potency paths, the greater the benefit from devouring the other’s Potency.”
Titania blinked and added, “You know quite a bit, but that’s not all.”
“Two Immortals with similar Potencies, even if they are several planes apart, even if they can’t sense each other’s existence at all, will eventually be pushed by fate to grow closer until one day they collide head-on at some node.”
Like attracts like?
If so, the Potency conflict was even more brutal than he had imagined, inescapable...
The red iron dragon’s pupils grew sharp.
“Please give me more detailed information. I want to know which world this Immortal is in and what his exact rank is. I need to make thorough preparations.”
Titania glanced at him, then shook her head.
“Don’t rush.”
“That body of his, after countless devouring evolutions, is no longer the flesh and blood of an ordinary human. In terms of toughness, it far surpasses even most great dragons.”
“You are not his match yet. Even though you can fight above your level, so can he.”
“Once you step into Immortal and formally condense your Potency, I will give you more information. Only then will you be qualified for a Potency conflict. Telling you too much now will only distract you.”
Garoth slowly nodded, not pressing further.
He trusted Titania’s judgment.
“I’ve taken note.”
A flame seemed to ignite in the great dragon’s eyes, his voice low: “So far, I’ve never encountered any other being with evolution talent...”
He lifted his head slightly, his gaze blazing.
“But precisely because of that, I look forward to meeting this human Immortal in the future. Encountering an opponent also walking the path of evolution is a rare fate.”
Titania smiled upon hearing this.
“Don’t worry, I guarantee he won’t disappoint you.”
“Also, don’t forget that behind you now stands the Joyous Court. When dealing with evil beings, we don’t need to talk about morals. Let him taste a fair beating by the forces of justice!”
Titania shook her small fist, her form petite yet full of momentum.
A gentle breeze passed through the courtyard again.
A few wisteria petals fell from the corridor pillars, spinning and tumbling in the air before landing.
At the same time, Garoth withdrew his thoughts from the devourer he had never met, and the churning ideas gradually settled.
Now, there was another unresolved matter.
The great dragon raised his right forelimb, turning his wrist toward Titania.
“One more thing.”
“Regarding this ring on my wrist, Netal said it’s embedded in the interlayer of the river of time. He can see it, but he can’t remove it intact. He said you can. This has troubled me for a long time.”
Titania’s gaze fell upon his wrist, and she narrowed her light purple eyes slightly.
“It looks like a nice ornament on you.”
She extended her hand, and her slender index finger lightly tapped the air.
Nothing happened—at least nothing visible to the naked eye.
But Garoth could feel the air around his wrist suddenly grow heavy, as if some invisible force was gathering and condensing in that area, bringing a slight sense of pressure.
Then, he saw it...
A river.
Or rather, a phantom of a river, emerging from the void, flowing with a silvery-gray light.
It extended from his wrist outward, unfolding into the void. It wasn’t wide, but it was bottomless. The water flowed silently, as if containing infinite weight within.
Titania’s finger delved into this illusory river, her fingertip gently stirring the water’s surface.
Ripples spread, expanding outward in rings, each ring quickly contracting as it expanded. At the same time, her finger scooped lightly within the water.
A ring condensed, inch by inch, from the illusory water.
At first, it was only a blurry outline, but as Titania’s finger lifted it above the water, the blur became clear, revealing its true form. Every detail was vividly distinct.
It was a golden ring, its surface covered in an extremely fine layer of dragon scale patterns.
Its material looked like metal, yet also like some kind of solidified light, presenting different shades of gold from different angles—from the shallow gold of dawn to the deep gold of sunset—flowing slowly between Titania’s fingers.
Titania held it up before her eyes and turned it gently.
The ring shrank in her hand.
It had originally been large enough to fit around Garoth’s forelimb, thick and sturdy, but as it spun in her fingers, it shrank smaller and smaller, eventually becoming an exquisite ring only the size of her palm, delicate and refined.
Titania pinched it with two fingers and held it up to her eye, peering through the center of the ring at the great dragon.
“Interesting.”
“This dragon-patterned ring has an aura identical to yours. Every grain, every thread of it is exactly like your essence. And yet you are completely unaware of its existence. Let me take another look...”
She flipped the ring over and brought it closer to examine it.
“Oh, I see.”
“It was made from the material of your body in a certain state, processed and carved with precision. No wonder its aura is exactly the same as yours. It is essentially a part of you, yet it has surpassed your control, forming a self-contained whole.”
The great dragon’s gaze fell on the tiny ring, the muscles beneath his scales tensing slightly.
“A gold dragon obsessed with studying the mysteries of time. He used the special scales I evolved as material to create it. That gold dragon’s name is Audothos, once the leader of a dragon domain and a senior researcher of time.”
“After leaving this ring, he vanished. He never appeared in anyone’s sight again.”
“Can you help me find where he is?”
Garoth asked.
Titania held the ring in her palm, her other hand’s index finger lightly pressing on its surface. At the same time, she raised her head, a faint, profound light flashing in her violet eyes, penetrating the barriers of countless worlds.
A moment later, she blinked gently.
“I just observed across all realms, but I can’t see the gold dragon you mentioned.”
“My vision can cover most known planes and worlds, but there are always places perception can’t penetrate. Certain cracks between planes, worlds that have not yet been born, extremely deep abyssal layers... He might be hiding in these secret places, concealing his existence.”
She paused, holding the ring higher.
“Or perhaps, he has gone to another timeline.”
At those last words, the red iron dragon’s pupils widened slightly, a look of surprise showing beneath his faceplate.
“Do different timelines really exist?”
He couldn’t help but ask.
“They do.”
Titania nodded very calmly.
“Every high-tier deity can vaguely sense the existence of different timelines.”
“For instance, at certain specific moments, some extremely brief instants, we can feel the echo of ourselves on another timeline. Those echoes are similar yet different from us, like an infinitely branching giant tree. Each branch represents a different choice, growing countless possibilities from the main trunk.”
Her gaze grew distant, as if piercing through the white stone pillars of the courtyard, looking toward an indescribably remote location.
“But even a deity with the office of time would not rashly travel to another timeline. For gods like that, and for high-tier deities like myself, crossing a timeline is not difficult in itself. What’s difficult is bearing the consequences that follow.”
This was esoteric knowledge not found in his inheritance.
Communicating with a high-tier deity gave Garoth immense gains. Many concepts that had only been lightly touched upon in his inheritance were now clearly laid out before him.
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze focused: “Consequences? What do these consequences come from?”
Titania withdrew her distant gaze and refocused on Garoth’s face.
She slowly shook her head and made a *shush* gesture at him, raising her index finger to her lips.
“Shh... sometimes, ignorance is safer.”
“What you need least right now is to fill your head with knowledge about timelines. Believe me, when you reach a high enough level, you will naturally come to know these things. For now, they would only be a burden and a danger.”
So mysterious?
Garoth wisely stopped probing that question and suppressed his curiosity.
He gazed at the ring before Titania and changed the subject, asking, “What is this ring for? I know nothing about it.”
Titania held the ring up to her eyes again and said, “It’s embedded in the interlayer of the river of time. The water of time washes over it, seeps into it, and at the same time, it absorbs, compresses, and precipitates the time energy drop by drop...”
“This process is very slow, but it has been happening all along.”
She toyed with the ring, letting it spin and dance nimbly between her fingers, and continued, “The moment the energy is fully charged, it will open a door to a different timeline. If you fail to detect the change in advance, you will most likely be swept away through the door without knowing it.”
Audothos!
You really left me a “wonderful” gift!
A completely uncontrollable timing device, embedded on his wrist, that could send him to a completely different timeline at any moment... No matter what Audothos’s original intention was, this outcome was extremely unpredictable.
The red iron dragon bared his teeth, revealing thick, sharp fangs.
He thought to himself that if he ever caught that gold dragon, he would definitely teach him a lesson.
Across from him, Titania seemed to see his worry.
“However...”
“I can make a small modification to it, make it a bit more docile. For example, once it has accumulated enough time energy, you can decide for yourself whether to activate it.”
“This way, you won’t have to worry about waking up one day in the middle of a dream, thrown into some unknown time and space.”
“You can wait until you’re ready, then step through the gate of time and space, calmly facing the unknown.”
Garoth’s gaze lingered on the ring for a moment, then he shook his head.
“Your Majesty, you jest. Even a high-tier deity like you wouldn’t rashly set foot in different timelines. Naturally, I won’t go looking for trouble.”
Titania let out a light laugh.
“You’ve got one thing wrong.”
She corrected him, “The danger I spoke of refers to the high-tier deity level. For someone like you, the situation is the opposite. You don’t need to worry about the things I worry about at all.”
“Danger only visits those who have truly touched its edge.”
“And you... are still far from that edge. Traveling to another timeline won’t carry the same risks as it would for a high-tier deity. Those rules and locks don’t apply to you yet.”
She said earnestly, her eyes filled with encouragement. “On the contrary, for you, it will be a wonderful adventure. Different timelines mean different possibilities, different fateful nodes, different choices and outcomes. Every one is worth exploring.”
“You might see another version of yourself.”
“A version that made a completely different choice at some crucial juncture, or a version with a different bloodline, different talent... This kind of experience is priceless for growth, more valuable than any secret tome.”
An adventure across time...
The red iron dragon lowered his head, lost in thought.
He wasn’t the kind of dragon who went on adventures for the sake of adventure. He was always cautious and methodical. But he couldn’t deny that he was curious about the possibilities different from the world he knew.
For example, seeing a completely different Atlan, Bernardo, or even a world where Garoth Ignas had never existed.
“In any case, having an extra choice can’t be wrong.”
Garoth raised his head and said, “Please, Your Majesty, help me modify this ring. At the very least, make it a tool I can control. I don’t want to be swept into an unprepared time-space jump one day.”
Titania said, “No problem. A trivial matter.”
She picked up the ring and gently stroked it.
Where her fingertip passed, something appeared on the ring’s surface: a pattern of daffodils, extremely fine, extremely delicate, each petal unfolding as if captured at the moment of blooming, frozen within the metal. Vine patterns intertwined between the dragon scale lines.
The entire process lasted less than three breaths.
Titania withdrew her hand, examined her work, and nodded with satisfaction.
“All right, done!”
“Look, isn’t it prettier now? I added a few flowers, gave it a bit more elegance.”
She said.
The red iron dragon was a bit surprised: “Was the modification finished that quickly?”
Titania’s eyes widened, as if she were slightly annoyed. She puffed out her cheeks.
Then she stretched out her hand, pointing her index finger at her own small nose: “Standing before you is a high-tier deity! Don’t underestimate me just because I look cute and tiny. The great Titania is almost omnipotent! This little thing wasn’t even enough for a warm-up.”
Garoth immediately lowered his dragon head and made a solemn bow.
“Please forgive me. My vision is too narrow to fathom the power of a high-tier deity. In my understanding, any operation related to time should be extremely complex, requiring long rituals and extensive preparations. I still need to broaden my horizons.”
Titania’s expression softened at once, her brows relaxing.
“As a dragon chosen by me, your vision is not narrow.”
She said, “It’s just that I am too great. That’s not your fault. After all, if you could fully understand my power, you’d be close to standing at the top of the multiverse. I won’t hold you to that standard.”
With that, she tossed the ring lightly.
It flew toward Garoth’s wrist, resuming its original size midair, then silently sank beneath his scales and vanished again.
Garoth looked down at his right wrist.
Nothing.
His naked eye couldn’t see anything, just like before. The scales were flat and smooth, showing no abnormality.
But when he concentrated his attention, he could clearly feel its presence.
Not only that, he could also sense it absorbing the energy of time, but he couldn’t clearly perceive its progress.
Garoth asked, “About how long until it’s fully charged?”
Titania said, “Hard to say. The river of time doesn’t flow linearly. It might be full in the next second, or it might take a thousand or ten thousand years. Even I can’t accurately discern it. Time always catches you off guard.”
As she finished speaking, Titania gave a little wave of her hand, signaling the topic was over.
“Alright. Next, I’ll start shaping a Divine Seat for you. That’s not a simple task; I need to concentrate and not be distracted.”
“Let’s end our exchange here for now.”
“Garoth, you should go back. Enter the Immortal realm as soon as possible. Your world still has new challenges waiting for you.”
The red iron dragon nodded: “Are the challenges you speak of the ancient Primordial Wastes?”
Titania said, “Yes. On Bernardo, I have already sensed the aura of the Primordial Wastes. It’s gradually drawing closer. But it is your challenge. Aside from taking care of trouble from other deities, I won’t interfere too much. This is your stage.”
“Be prepared to face it. Prove to me that I didn’t choose the wrong dragon. Prove that my investment is worthwhile.”
Legendary and Immortal were a huge dividing line.
Being overwhelmingly powerful at the Legendary stage didn’t guarantee maintaining that unstoppable posture after entering Immortal. Many Legends, after crossing that threshold, instead hit a bottleneck and could hardly advance further.
The Primordial Wastes was a challenge, and also a test.
The red iron dragon had only joined the Outer Court, not the Inner Court. Under these circumstances, Titania was still willing to invest more in him, but on the condition that he proved he was worthy of more resources and attention.
“I never expect anyone to take care of all my troubles for me.”
“Whether it’s the Primordial Wastes or something else, want to invade a world that belongs to me? It had better be ready to be reduced to ashes.”
The red iron dragon left his words there.
He didn’t join the Joyous Court to seek shelter.
That wasn’t his style.
Frankly speaking, if Titania hadn’t sincerely invited him, he would have had no interest in the Joyous Court and would never have actively sought a deity’s protection. Long before the Joyous Court’s invitation arrived, Garoth was already prepared to face the coming of the Primordial Wastes.
However, the Primordial Wastes’ sense of time seemed a bit off, or perhaps the scale of the universe was too vast.
It was still on its way and no one knew when it would actually arrive.
If it came too late, Garoth might not even bother to care about it.
By the time he entered Immortal, the threat of the Primordial Wastes would probably no longer be enough to truly tense him up.
“Good! That’s the spirit!”
“Go do what you need to do. I can’t wait to let my fey subjects know that the Joyous Court will soon gain a powerful Lord of Victory and Glory! This news will surely liven up the entire court.”
As Titania spoke, she flew over and lightly patted the great dragon’s head, her small hand pressing against the scales on his forehead.
In an instant, everything was turned upside down.
The scene before Garoth twisted. The courtyard, the floral curtain, the stone pillars all spun and stretched in his vision. He once again experienced the feeling of being teleported by Netal.
When he came to his senses, he was back on the meadow of the Verdant Homeland.
The evening wind blew, passing over his faceplate.
“Hey, did Titania say I did a great job and was ready to let me back into the Inner Court?”
Netal was right beside him, asking eagerly.
Garoth shook his head: “No. She didn’t mention anything about you. Not a single word.”
Netal’s dragon face immediately drooped. He flopped down on the grass, rolling around and throwing a tantrum, his wings flapping haphazardly among the blades of grass.
I sweated for the Joyous Court! I bled for Titania! But why won’t she let me back into the Inner Court?! Damn it! I bet you she invited you, Garoth, to join the Inner Court. I know she’s always wanted a fierce dragon.
“You’re going to become a core member of the Inner Court soon, while I can only stay in the Outer Court!”
“Wah wah wah, we can’t be friends anymore! There’s a sad wall between us now!”
The red iron dragon couldn’t help but chuckle, then said with a serious face to comfort him:
“Titania did invite me to join the Inner Court.”
“But, considering you, Netal, are in the Outer Court, I firmly refused her. I resolutely told her that if such an excellent deity like Netal wasn’t in the Inner Court, there was no point in me going there either.”
The golden faerie dragon’s crying stopped abruptly.
He shot up from the grass like a spring, his face radiant.
“Ah, Garoth! You actually refused the Inner Court for my sake! I’m so moved! You are going to be Netal’s best friend!”
He circled around the red iron dragon, shouting excitedly.
Garoth just lightly shook his head, thinking to himself that a dragon deity was still a dragon, and his Dragon Taming Technique was as effective as ever.
On the other side.
Under the deep night, the fey of the Verdant Homeland had already set up the banquet venue, dancing and singing around a burning bonfire, their shadows cast upon the meadow.
The red iron dragon turned his head to look, then approached together with Netal.
Vira and the assembled fey had been waiting for a while. Seeing the red iron dragon’s figure, the fey cheered enthusiastically, waving their wings and arms to welcome him.