Sage Monarch

'Just as I expected, the Brahman Immortal World is filled with more secrets than anyone could have guessed. Considering that Proud Heaven built it, I can't afford to underestimate this place. I think the first place I should start my investigation is the divine likeness of Proud Heaven himself. Maybe I can find some clues there that will lead me in the direction of my mother. Although, I have the feeling that Proud Heaven took her to the future world.'

His run-in with the Inspiring One had been fortuitous to say the least. Without the information he had gained during the encounter, it was impossible to say how long it would have taken him to begin unraveling the secrets of the Brahman Immortal World.

WHOOSH!

As Yang Qi proceeded on his way, he considered the fact that there was still about a year left before the time came to report his mission completed. That was how much time he had to learn everything he could, and also come up with a new plan. After all, when the time came to hand in missions, his identity as Hu Yanmeng would be useless.

'Why did the Brahman Immortal World change the mission deadline from the usual one hundred years to only three years? It's really a dramatic difference. How do they expect the children of Brahma to finish the missions? In any case, I now have a year to try to acquire some more unique constitutions. For example, there's Brahma Erudite, the Heaven Moving One. And the top child of Brahma, Brahma Echo-Silk, who's an Enlightened One. With their constitutions, I could make significant progress toward the Godmyth level.'

He was especially interested in the Enlightened constitution.

As a child of Brahma, it was easy for him to go through the Brahman River and into the depths of the immortal world. As he did, he noticed an intangible power stirring, something that ordinary Demolishers wouldn't be able to detect. It was almost as if the vital energy and magical laws in the area were bubbling. It was definitely something that only Godmyth patriarchs would notice.

It was evidence that this immortal world was about to rise to a higher rank. But at the same time, there was destructive energy brewing in the depths of the Brahman Institute.

'I'd bet the Brahman Immortal World is going to become a sixth or seventh ranked immortal world.' When he focused on the talisman that was the Brahman Institute, he could sense the passageway that it was sealing, and knew that it was so powerful that he would be destroyed if he opened it.

'Could it be power from the future world that will propel the Brahman Immortal World to a higher rank? Probably. Normally, it should be impossible to travel from the future to the present. But the future world has been united, and its leader is like me, a person with a God Legion Seal. And whoever that leader is, their divine abilities are vastly superior to my own. This entire effort to set up a stronghold in the present, and expand influence and territory, must be an effort to find my God Legion Seal. To find me.'

It made sense why the future world had chosen the Brahman Immortal World as the stronghold, instead of some higher location. Someone must have divined that the God Legion Seal would appear in the territory of the Titan Emperor Heaven, and specifically the Titan Emperor planetary system. Perhaps they had even narrowed the location down to the Rich-Lush Continent, although that seemed unlikely.

Regardless, the catastrophe from the future would likely end up focusing on Yang Qi himself.

'I can't let this passageway remain. Right now they're just sending power, but next it will be resources, and after that, armies. If they send experts from the future to start looking for me, how long could I possibly last? That said, maybe I can use the passage to get to the future world on my own. The only downside is that whoever has the God Legion Seal there would then sense mine. I have to figure out a way to mask its aura. Probably the only way is to get all nine of King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions. Or at the very least, six of them.'

Yang Qi's mind operated like a well-oiled machine as he considered all sorts of plans and possibilities.

As soon as he arrived, he found Hu Latu.

"Milord, you're finally back. Did you kill August Patriarch Fire Dragon and get those talismans? There's still a year left for the mission, which isn't much time. The atmosphere here in the Brahman Institute is very tense. People are saying that the parliament of elders and the Godmyth patriarchs are in session, preparing to push our immortal world to a higher level. I have a feeling some big changes are coming."

"Yes, I killed August Patriarch Fire Dragon. And I accomplished some other things as well, although they don't concern you. Let's head to the Brahman Institute. Didn't you say there's a divine likeness of Proud Heaven there?"

"That's right, Milord. Proud Heaven's divine likeness is in the Unknown Temple. Actually, there are divine likenesses of many top experts there, including all of the founding patriarchs. The children of Brahma can go there to offer worship and gain inspiration from the statues, and sometimes, blessings. If a given patriarch takes kindly to one of the children of Brahma, the godpower left behind in the statues can reward them. For instance, Brahma Echo-Silk once acquired a god item from one of the divine likenesses."

As they proceeded together into the Brahman Institute, Yang Qi felt more than ever that there was immense power simmering underfoot. It was terrifying, making it feel like he was walking on the edge of a volcano.

This was the sealed godpower of the future world, a place that had united billions upon trillions of immortal worlds into one immense empire, ruled by someone with a God Legion Seal. The fact that such forces were after his own God Legion Seal caused Yang Qi to shudder.

'I wouldn't be surprised if there were other founding patriarchs who were also Future Ones,' Yang Qi thought. 'That said, the young man in yellow was also from the future, and he was just an ordinary person who, by chance, happened to travel to this time period.'

Before long, Hu Latu and he were in front of the Unknown Temple.

Children of Brahma were coming and going. Some were in high spirits; they were obviously ones who had already completed their mission even though only two years had passed. Others were scowling on the verge of tears; they hadn't finished their missions, and had obviously returned to the institute in the hopes of getting help from others. And there were other children of Brahma who seemed to be privy to confidential information walking around with mysterious smiles on their faces.

Some of the elders seemed unprecedentedly busy. Many were returning from distant locations with deliveries of materials that were shuttled into the depths of the Brahman Institute.

The atmosphere was very tense, and machines of war could be seen everywhere.

Even the most moronic fool would be able to tell that big changes were underway. However, while many people would assume that it was all centered around the improvement of the immortal world, Yang Qi knew that the truth was more complicated. Perhaps the Brahman Immortal World would rise to the tenth rank or so, but the true purpose was to allow for the arrival of an army of Future Ones.

Even an army of ordinary people who traveled to the present from the future would be baptized by the process, ending up as Future Ones with terrifying fighting prowess. And there was no way that the future world would send an army of commoners. They would obviously send crack troops.

Thanks to the memories of the young man in yellow, Yang Qi knew that the future world had armies filled with ninth division Godmyths, people who were close to being in the legion of gods.

For ages, the children of Brahma had come to the Unknown Temple in the hopes of gaining the favor of the divine likenesses there. That was even truer now, considering how many of the children of Brahma had missions to accomplish. It was truly a case of embracing Buddha's feet only in one's hour of need.

As Yang Qi and Hu Latu prepared to enter, they saw Brahma Erudite walking out. They locked eyes, and Brahma Erudite flashed a cruel smile.

"Well if it isn't Hu Latu and Hu Yanmeng, the two scumbags. You two sure are in a hurry. Didn't finish your mission, did you, so you've come to beg for help from the patriarchs? Sadly, the divine likenesses aren't going to give you a lick of help."

Hu Latu chuckled coldly. "Don't worry. I've been wanting to beat the crap out of you for a while now, but luckily for you, we're here in the Unknown Temple in front of the divine likenesses. It wouldn't be good to stir up trouble here. After we hand in our mission next year, I can teach you a lesson."

Brahma Erudite snorted. "You just wait until you're out of the temple. I'll make sure you wish you were dead!" Not even he would dare to cause problems in the Unknown Temple. Although he would normally defy even the grand elders of law enforcement, he didn't dare risk the fury of the patriarchs. In the past, there had been children of Brahma who started fighting in the Unknown Temple, only to be blasted into ashes by the wrath of the divine likenesses.

Without another word, Brahma Erudite stalked off.

As for Yang Qi, his eyes glittered as he watched him leave. Obviously, there was no way he was going to let a Heaven Moving One slip through his grasp.