231: Chapter 231: My First Encounter with My Future Self!

Lu Chen's return was like an anchor, instantly stabilizing everyone's wavering hearts; all the remaining survivors saw a glimmer of hope.

That bone-chilling yet endlessly majestic killing intent brought a momentary dead silence to the chaotic battlefield.

"Brother Chen! You've finally made it back."

Yu Linglong looked at that familiar figure, tears bursting from her beautiful eyes once again, but this time, they were tears of joy from surviving a desperate situation.

"Xiao Chen!"

Lu Sen and Chen Rou were also greatly heartened. Seeing their son return safe and sound, the heavy boulder in their hearts finally lifted, replaced by an indescribable surge of pride.

Dong Tian, Yuan Feng, Lu Tie, and the others trembled with excitement. The pillar they firmly believed in had finally returned at the most critical moment!

On the other side...

After his initial shock, President Lin Tianxiao's gaze turned venomous. He quickly pointed at Lu Chen and said, "Mr. Kyle, that kid is Lu Chen! If we don't eliminate him, there will be endless trouble later!"

High in the sky, after his initial shock, a cold, evil smile appeared on Kyle's face.

He slowly stood up from the Throne of the Knight of Light, his pale gold pupils locking onto Lu Chen like a falcon targeting its prey.

"Oh? You actually managed to escape from the claws of the Sky Overlord, Veraphil? You do have some skill."

Kyle's voice carried a hint of playfulness, as if Lu Chen's return was entirely within his expectations.

But!

Even if Lu Chen managed to escape back here, so what?

A mere Rank Eight kid was like an ant trying to shake a giant tree compared to them.

Kyle nodded slightly and turned his gaze to the mountain-like West Sea Overlord. His voice echoed across the battlefield, "West Sea Overlord, I'll leave Lu Chen's family to you. As for Lu Chen himself... I will deal with him personally!"

"Roar!"

The West Sea Overlord let out a world-shaking roar, its burning abyss-like pupils staring intently at Lu Sen and Chen Rou, filled with deep-seated hatred.

If not for Lu Chen!

Its path to ascension wouldn't have been cut off by that existence.

This grudge!

Lu Chen must bear it!

"Lu Chen!!! This Overlord will make you watch with your own eyes as your beloved family members wail in pain before you, unable to live and unable to die!"

Boom!

The West Sea Overlord's giant claw, covered in pitch-black bone armor, once again gathered destructive abyss energy and slammed down fiercely toward Lu Sen and Chen Rou. Under this claw, the space let out an unbearable cracking sound, and a large swath of the Void Realm shattered.

Lu Sen was startled: "Dodge, quickly!"

Lu Chen's gaze suddenly turned as cold as ten-thousand-year-old black ice.

He clearly assessed the current situation.

Kyle, Adam, President Lin Tianxiao, and the more than thirty Rank Nine powerhouses from various Western nations behind them—this combined force was arguably the pinnacle of the Blue Star.

Even if he went all out and revealed all his trump cards, he might barely be able to fight them, but he definitely couldn't kill them all in a short time.

And that amount of time would be more than enough for the West Sea Overlord to pose a fatal threat to his parents.

Normal methods could no longer break this death trap.

Now!

The only way was to rely on that newly acquired rule-bending treasure—the [heaven-stealing time bead]!

"Today, no matter who it is..."

Lu Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling coldness that seemed to come from the Nine Netherworlds, clearly reaching the ears of every living being: "All Invading Monsters and class-transfers who invaded the Great Xia will be completely wiped out. Not a single one... will escape!"

"Hahaha! Facing death and you still dare to spout such arrogant words!"

President Lin Tianxiao let out a mocking, wild laugh: "Lu Chen, you can't even save yourself! No matter how much of a Prodigy you are, can you really stand against all the Rank Nine powerhouses of the Western nations? Besides, your family is about to fall into the hands of the West Sea Overlord! Today, you are destined to meet your doom!"

Lu Chen spoke no more, a sharp, murderous edge rising in his eyes.

With a flip of his hand,

a perfectly round bead of a Chaos color, inside of which countless fragments of time seemed to drift and cycle, quietly appeared in his palm.

The [heaven-stealing time bead]!

"I hope I can summon a future self at Rank Nine or above..."

Lu Chen muttered to himself and activated the bead's effect without hesitation!

Buzz!

A mysterious aura that transcended the shackles of time and space erupted outward, centering on Lu Chen!

It was not an earth-shattering explosion of energy, but a ripple of rules, as if a pebble had been tossed into the long river of time, stirring up layers of ripples.

The next moment,

in front of Lu Chen, the Void Realm was silently pulled open like a water curtain, and a time-space summoning portal emitting a hazy halo suddenly swung wide open!

Inside the portal,

were flowing fragments of time and a hazy stream of Chaos energy.

Immediately following that,

under the watch of countless horrified gazes, a tall and slender figure stepped out of that time-space portal with unhurried composure.

His white robes fluttered, his black hair danced lightly, his face was cold and stern, and his eyes were as deep as a sea of stars.

His appearance and build were exactly the same as Lu Chen's!

Future Lu Chen and Current Lu Chen

The only difference lay in the aura radiating from his body, which was more reserved and unfathomable, as if he had merged with heaven and earth, carrying an invincible, kingly majesty.

Future Lu Chen from another timeline makes his entrance!

"How is this possible?! Two Lu Chens?"

Chairman Adam shrieked, the composure on his face vanishing completely, replaced by a ghost-seeing horror.

"Is it a Clone? Or an illusion?"

A Western Rank Nine powerhouse rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

President Lin Tianxiao's pupils shrank even further as an extremely ominous premonition rose in his heart: "What kind of item did he use?"

Even Lu Sen, Chen Rou, Yu Linglong, and the others were dumbfounded, their minds going completely blank as they stared at the two virtually identical Lu Chens on the field.

At this moment,

Future Lu Chen, who had stepped out of the time-space portal, swept his gaze across the field before finally landing on Current Lu Chen. The corner of his mouth curved into a smile that was slightly different from his usual indifferent style, carrying a hint of playfulness and nostalgia.

"Me of the current timeline, nice to meet you. Let's have a great cooperation!"

He...

He has his own consciousness?

Lu Chen's heart shook violently; this was a situation he hadn't anticipated: "You... you have your own consciousness?"

Hearing this, Future Lu Chen chuckled, his smile carrying the composure of someone who had seen through the world: "Look at what you're saying. I'm your future self, and I'm not dead, so what's so strange about having my own consciousness?"

He paused, looking up at the rules that seemed to ripple slightly due to his appearance, and his tone became a bit more serious: "However, this is limited to just greeting you. Due to the restrictions of the rules, I cannot interfere with the trajectory of the current timeline. Revealing too much would trigger unpredictable consequences."

His gaze seemed to penetrate Current Lu Chen, seeing his internal state, and he nodded slightly: "You have pretty good luck to have summoned my Rank Nine self. If you had summoned an even higher Rank... cough, cough, I can't say more."

Future Lu Chen raised his hand, stopping his urge to continue speaking, and his body began to emit a soft yet majestic radiance.

"Let's begin! You can use my Rank and everything else for ten minutes!"

As his voice fell, Future Lu Chen's figure completely transformed into a dazzling stream of light, merging instantly into Current Lu Chen's body like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!