Immortality Starts With Diligence(Xianxia Litrpg)

633. Only One Breath Left! Has Lin Fei Failed?

"Hold on!" was the sole command from Azure Emperor, yet every Supreme understood its full weight. They must endure for ten breaths.

"Kill!" The eight Supremes launched an offensive. Only Black Tortoise Supreme stayed close to Lin Fei, ready to protect him at a moment's notice, prepared for any emergency.

At this moment, Lin Fei had his eyes closed, his consciousness entirely focused within his internal Eternal Realm, which was undergoing a profound transformation. Lifeforms were emerging—numerous, including some of enormous stature.

Yet, Lin Fei was waiting for a very special kind of life to appear: intelligent life. Only with the emergence of intelligent beings would his world hold boundless potential; otherwise, it would remain a primitive realm.

Meanwhile, Lin Fei's progress in cultivating his Eternal Realm continued to advance: 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%...

His realm evolved slowly because he had consumed the essence of a Dark Demon Supreme's flesh. This essence catalyzed the transformation, but such changes required time.

Hence, Lin Fei had asked Azure Emperor for ten breaths—to let his Eternal Realm fully transform into a True Monarch-level world. With this, even without becoming a Supreme himself, Lin Fei felt confident in possessing power comparable to one.

With both his Illusory Realm and Supreme-like strength, Lin Fei could become a variable—a variable capable of slaying Supremes.

However, enduring these ten breaths proved immensely challenging.

One breath!

In just a single breath, Azure Emperor found himself overwhelmed. He faced the Dark Demon Lord and was repelled with a direct strike.

Simultaneously, several other Supremes lunged at him. The Dark Demon Lord alone was formidable, but in the Divine Realm, he did not possess the power to overwhelm everything. It was the force he commanded—the many Dark Demon Supremes—that truly exemplified his terrifying strength.

In an instant, the Azure Emperor was surrounded by numerous Dark Demon Supremes. The Dark Demon Lord did not linger in the fray but instead charged directly towards Lin Fei.

"Boom." Black Tortoise Supreme intervened again, colliding with the Dark Demon Lord and sending him flying.

Two breaths!

Both sides had started with all their might. Although the battle seemed intense, only two breaths had passed.

Lin Fei's required ten breaths seemed achingly out of reach. Under full exertion, the eight Supremes managed to hold off their opponents for merely two breaths.

Seeing this situation, Azure Emperor's expression turned icy. He knew they must fight desperately now.

"Particle Separation! Explode!"

Azure Emperor decisively split off a portion of his particles.

"Boom."

The particles of a Supreme are terrifyingly powerful, and their self-destruction unleashes earth-shattering force. The explosion of Azure Emperor's particles momentarily stalled several Dark Demon Supremes.

Three breaths!

That was all they had managed, and only by Azure Emperor sacrificing himself. Seeing this, the other Divine Realm Supremes exchanged looks and gathered together.

"The next particle explosion should be mine."

"We have no choice but to resort to particle self-destruction!"

"Correct, particles can eventually be restored. Today, even if we perish, we must block these Dark Demon Supremes."

"Each of us will detonate a portion of our particles. With that power, even if the Dark Demon Lord knows we're delaying, he can do nothing about it."

"Each explosion can delay them by about one breath, which should be enough!"

Seven Supremes remained who had not yet detonated their particles. With only three breaths passed so far, if each Supreme could delay for one more breath, they could indeed secure Lin Fei the ten breaths he needed.

"You..."

The Dark Demon Lord, witnessing the Supremes repeatedly detonate their particles, his face gradually darkened. He clearly saw that the Azure Emperor and the others were stalling for time. But how long could they possibly delay? At most, only ten breaths. And what good were ten breaths?

Despite a creeping unease in the depths of his heart, the Dark Demon Lord was powerless to prevent it. Particle detonation was a desperate measure, causing severe losses that would take a long time to recover.

Supremes would only resort to such a tactic when absolutely cornered, a sign they were at their wits' end and left with no other option but to fight with everything they had.

Four breaths!

Five breaths!

Six breaths!

As time incrementally passed, one Supreme after another detonated their particles. The Dark Demon Lord scoffed, "You just want to delay time, huh? Fine, I'll give you the chance to delay!"

The Dark Demon Lord was now curious to see just what these people were trying to accomplish by delaying. His cunning nature allowed him to see that these Supremes were subtly protecting Lin Fei. Even the efforts to delay time were likely for Lin Fei's benefit.

But Lin Fei was just a mere Martial Ancestor. How could he justify such extreme measures from so many Supremes? Even if they succeeded in delaying, could a mere Martial Ancestor turn the tide and save them?

Naive!

Regardless of what the Dark Demon Lord thought, time was slipping away.

Seven breaths!

Eight breaths!

Nine breaths!

In the blink of an eye, nine breaths of time had passed, but Lin Fei remained motionless, his eyes still closed.

"Ten breaths are almost up, but there's still no sign from Lin Fei. Has he failed?" wondered one of the Supremes.

"Lin Fei asked us to delay for ten breaths; he must have had his reasons. But now, with almost ten breaths gone and no movement from him, it's likely he has failed," another speculated.

"There's still one breath left, why panic now?"

"Wait! Just keep waiting! As long as ten breaths aren't up, we wait!" Azure Emperor asserted with resolute determination.

He believed in Lin Fei, despite the time nearing its end. Even with just one breath remaining, and many doubting what could possibly be achieved in such a brief moment, Azure Emperor remained steadfast.

"Only one breath left now. Lin Fei still hasn't made a move. A mere Martial Ancestor, what earth-shattering ability could he possibly possess? Even if he became a Supreme, what of it?" sneered the Dark Demon Lord.

He had been closely monitoring Lin Fei, watching him intently. He too was curious to see what Lin Fei could possibly do after ten breaths that warranted the self-sacrifice of eight Divine Realm Supremes.

Yet, Lin Fei hadn't stirred, appearing to have failed. This only made the Dark Demon Lord scoff inwardly more. He felt he had overestimated Lin Fei—a Martial Ancestor remains a Martial Ancestor and couldn't possibly compare to a Supreme.

Meanwhile, within the Eternal Realm, Lin Fei was not oblivious to the outside world. He was aware of everything, including that nine breaths had elapsed. He had only one breath left. However, his Eternal Realm seemed to still be short of transforming.

"It's close, so close... Intelligent life is about to emerge..." Lin Fei murmured under his breath. He was watching the Eternal Realm intently; it already harbored ample life, which should have been enough to give rise to intelligent beings.

Yet, intelligent life had not emerged.

"Maybe it lacks a final catalyst. Or perhaps, I need to push it further..."

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed through Lin Fei's mind.