Just as Zhou Fan was about to relish in his breakthrough, a river appeared. It covered a large portion of the Universe, and a frantic fish was struggling within it.
"Zhou Fan! Time is completely out of my control, even with the thread of the Source of Time! Something unimaginable is happening!" The fish shouted.
Zhou Fan did not need his warning.
He could tell that all around the Universe, dense clouds created from time were appearing. These clouds were so unfathomable and powerful that Zhou Fan couldn't help frown in confusion.
Just what the hell is going on?
Suddenly, a humanoid figure walked out from one of the clouds of time.
His skin was pitch black, without the slightest light, and his eyes were dark red.
"Where am I? What happened?" He muttered to himself.
Zhou Fan looked over in shock. This being had the aura of a False Immortal!
Suddenly, the figure's eyes widened.
"I fell into the River of Time! How am I alive?"
He looked around, and when he saw the River of Time in the distance, he shrunk back in pure terror.
After a few moments of primal fear, he stopped.
His being returned to calm as he examined the surroundings. Countless thoughts seemed to flicker in his head as he looked around.
Suddenly, he exclaimed. "Could the prophecy be true? This couldn't possibly be the Origin Era, could it?"
He examined every being in the Universe, and his eyes lit up with joy. He turned his gaze to Zhou Fan. "You! You must be the first Immortal! Haha! The prophecy says that if I can get my hands on you, becoming the next Celestial Emperor is no longer a dream!"
Just as the being took a step forward, another voice rang out.
"The Origin Era! What a conclusion! However, it seems you are right."
Another figure appeared in another cloud of time. This figure looked just like an elf. He held a bow in his hand.
Multiple figures appeared around the Universe, all having the aura of a False Immortal.
They seemed to share glances with each other before looking at Zhou Fan.
"Capture him first, and we can talk about dividing him up afterwards." One figure shouted.
With that sentence, twelve figures shot at Zhou Fan.
Each one was in the False Immortal realm, but something felt off to Zhou Fan.
He reached out his hands and pressed down. The twelve figures felt as though the Universe itself was pressuring them to the ground. They stopped in place, unable to move.
"I have a lot of questions, but first and foremost, why are you so weak?" Zhou Fan asked.
The twelve figures were too deeply entranced in their shock to respond.
Zhou Fan waved his hand, and a head flew through the air, reducing the figures to eleven.
"Still want to stay silent?"
Finally, everything seemed to register with the group.
"I am so sorry, sir! If I had known you were so magnificent and lofty, I would have never dared raise my head to you. In fact, I would have begged to be your servant!"
"You think you are qualified to be this lofty lord's servant? I'll be your dog, sir! Just please spare me this once."
The eleven figures, as if planned, all began to spit out such sentences, even arguing with each other.
Zhou Fan frowned. Was this really the bearing of False Immortal's? Why did they seem more like low level thugs?
Just as Zhou Fan was about to speak, he heard a rumbling noise. From another cloud of time, a figure appeared. This one let out an aura that exceeded even a False Immortal's.
Zhou Fan was momentarily shocked, before waving his hand. The majestic presence, which was so strong it nearly ripped the Universe apart, dissipated. Before even being able to speak, the figure was suppressed and dragged towards Zhou Fan.
"You! You!" The figure could not properly formulate words.
Zhou Fan did not think much of it. This man was a Cultivator, and how could a Cultivator go against the creator of Cultivation? Defeating him was as effortless as swatting a fly.
Even the Path Creators, yet to become False Immortals, would have taken more effort to suppress.
Zhou Fan could tell that this man was above the False Immortal realm, but did not examine his cultivation base, going so far as to completely seal his ability to do so.
He had already somewhat understood what was happening, and examining the man would cause disaster to befall his future path.
"So. All of you are from the future?" He asked.
Everyone present, including the being above the False Immortal realm, nodded obediently.
"Explain." He said, looking at the being above the False Immortal realm.
The man dared not dilly dally, spilling everything.
He was from a place known as the Fire Spirit Universe. He was an elder of the most powerful sect in that Universe.
Ages ago, rumors had circulated not only across his Universe, but other Universe's, about changes in the River of Time, which governed the time of all existence.
According to these rumors, a path to the Origin Era, which was known as the first era in history, would open.
Nothing like that had ever happened, and few even believed the rumors. Yet, here they were.
The man began to go into more and more detail, but Zhou Fan stopped him. He had a deep understanding of time, and learning of the future would do nothing but cause harm.
The only additional information gathered was that the man was in the Loose Immortal realm, the realm above False Immortal.
This realm had yet to be created in Zhou Fan's time, but in the future, it naturally existed.
Knowing the name would cause no harm, but Zhou Fan made sure to avoid any knowledge relating to what exactly the Loose Immortal realm entailed.
Seeing Zhou Fan in deep thought, the man couldn't help but stutter out a few words. "You… wouldn't happen to be a God of Creation, would you?"