CHAPTER 713: TYRANTHIR’S TRUE POTENTIAL

Tyranthir’s hunger for strength was endless. It drifted closer to the black hole that is roughly 700,000km in diameter, absorbing more and more power. The black hole tugged at its wings, pulling the enormous creature closer, but Tyranthir resisted with godlike effort.

Fourteen and a half million years crawled by.

Finally, finally, it broke through to 15 circle realm, becoming a colossus over one hundred thousand kilometers long. Its roar shook meteor belts. Its third eye glowed like a star. It still wasn’t satisfied. Wanting to become the strongest being in the universe, it tried to consume the black hole itself, and when it approached the singularity while greedily absorbing the energy, at one spot, it started to get overpowered. Instead of escaping, it went on getting absorbed. The gravity tore into its body. Feathers, scales, teeth, bones, everything collapsed inward. The beast was devoured by the very thing it fed on.

And then something impossible happened.

The black hole shuddered.

Its surface warped.

And then, it instantly collapsed into a single human figure wreathed in stardust, turning the remaining. A young man floated there, naked, glowing faintly with cosmic energy. His face was the exact one Mark saw in the mirror every morning in his past life. It was basically the founder of the clan. Is it really himself?

Meanwhile, the figure blinked, looking at his own hands in surprise. "I broke through already?" he muttered, turning in the vastness of space. "I wonder how long I’ve been in here..."

And those words were the last thing Mark heard in his head.

As the dream shattered like a glass, Mark awoke with trembling fingers, feeling the weight of a creature that lived for millions of years... and died in hunger for power.

He whispered into the empty room, "So, he fed Tyranthir and then consumed it as a whole to make the breakthrough. Isn’t it like adopting a cub and then raising it to a monster, only to kill it when it matured and then eat it? Ugh... when put like that... feels disgusting..."

Just then, a series of crisp notifications floated before his eyes, and Ark’s calm voice filled his mind:

[ Bloodline: Tyranthir is added to your bloodline.]

[ 1 Bloodline Skill have been extracted from the essence and added to the character.]

He leaned back against the wall and stared at his trembling hand. Was it fear, or excitement? Mark had no intention to think about it.

But one thing made his pulse quicken in realization. "Did I spend millions, no, tens of millions of years as a singularity, swallowing stars, planets... entire solar systems? Just to break through? Why couldn’t I use Cosmic Essence Absorption to absorb energy from Stars instead?" His voice softened as he thought about it. And then the answer clicked inside his head, "I guess it’s because if I became a black hole... time wouldn’t exist in there. At the singularity, time stops completely. So, even though millions of years passed outside, for me, it was an instant. But that also means... I see... that is why I have gone to the past... because in the future, there would be my family, friends, and everyone."

Now it made sense why he went to the past. And perhaps, after breaking through, the original one might have taken some disciples and taught some techniques. They developed the sect, and then the future counterpart goes back to the past to do the exact same thing so that the timeline won’t get fractured. And then all he had to do was get back to the timeline he was originally from.

Mark exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples.

"But then again... If I did all that, it should be for a breakthrough to either 15-circle or even 16-circle... Don’t need to think about time travel now. Let’s think about why I have things for myself as a part of inheritance. I can understand with Supreme Core and Supreme Crystal and even the Antimatter cannon, but not this one. Does Tyranthir have some special ability that I need? Or did I give it out because I felt bad for killing it and thought it was a pity to waste its bloodline?"

With curiosity filled his had, Mark opened the character interface. That’s when he realized that Tyranthir was never added to Primeval, as it did with the others.

Instead, it was registered separately.

And when he tapped on it and saw its lone bloodline skill that he received, his eyes widened at it.

Tyranthir Transformation: Transform into Tyranthir’s peak state form upon unleashing the skill. Effect: 15-circle-realm. Cost: 1% ether per second. CD: None

"+15.0 Stats?" he whispered, shocked. "No cooldown penalty? And no time limit on how long it lasts? This is just..."

It wasn’t like the other transformations he had obtained before. Those gave a measly +1 stat increase. This one gave a direct +15, an absurd leap that could let him fight near the level of Elder Gods such as Hei Zhenyu or the Emperor, even in his current realm. Moreover, there is no cooldown or time limit either.

But it was then that Mark also remembered its biggest weakness. If he transforms when the beast is at its peak state, it could mean he will become a gas-giant-sized. Mark didn’t visit other planets in the same plane, but at the very least, he does know that scientifically, it is impossible to have a planet to have the size of Tyranthir at its peak state. The thought electrified him. "I guess I really need to be careful when to unleash it, but it will be nice if I can control my size in that beast form."

He paused and leaned back against the wall again, a dangerous grin spreading across his face.

"But one thing is for sure, with this and the Antimatter cannon, I can handle the Emperor. No matter how strong he thinks he is... he won’t be ready for this. But I cannot show it unless I am driven into a corner."

His voice grew quiet, almost amused at the thought of surprising the Emperor.

"Anyway, let’s not go ahead too much..." he chuckled. "I still have a traitorous old man and his loyal supporters to deal with."

*

Two days later;

Mark’s residence felt unusually calm for once.

The sun was dipping low behind the frosted mountains, the air outside crisp and quiet, while inside the sitting hall, a delicate fragrance of peach-blossom tea drifted around the low table.

Mark sat straight-backed on one side, Shang Jiao beside him with her usual gentle poise. Along with both of them sat Lan Jing, as he too was considered a family. Atleast in the eyes of Mark.

Opposite them sat Lan Xia, back straight, hands resting politely on her knee, and next to her was her master, who was also her foster mother, Grand Elder Yuxuan, wearing an expression that was neither stern nor warm, but something in-between.

It was the atmosphere of a formal family meeting. Hence, Frost and Pyro were nowhere in sight; Mark had ordered them to rest in their respective rooms to avoid startling Yuxuan and disrupting the peaceful talk.

Yuxuan took a slow sip of her tea before finally speaking, her voice even and composed. "I know both of you have already decided to marry... and will marry whether I approve or not," she said, her eyes shifting between Mark and Lan Xia. "But I am still Xia’s foster mother and her master. I raised her, taught her, protected her, and in our customs, that means I am her guardian, the bride’s family. So, even if you are the Patriarch, Lan Zhen, if you want her to marry you properly, with respect to tradition, then you must answer my questions. Before I give permission, I need clarity about your background, your household, your marriages... and what position my daughter will hold after entering your home."

Lan Xia quietly set her cup down, clearly choosing to let her master take the lead in this conversation. Mark could feel the tension beneath her calm posture, but she kept her face neutral. So Mark answered instead, meeting Yuxuan’s eyes directly.

"I will be direct with you, Elder Yuxuan," he said without any hesitation, lowering his cup. "You already know that I come from the mortal realm. I came here with my sister." He paused briefly before continuing with calm honesty. "Regarding my family, I have been married twice. My principal wife holds no political authority. My queen consort, my second wife, currently rules in my place as the Empress Regnant. I had a daughter who is sixteen months old and a son around 37 months old."