The Phoenix's body burned with intense Ki flames, flapping its wings as it spiraled upward into the sky.
This time, Taro sent out hundreds of Ki clones from his body. After removing the power of the eye technique's catalyst, the residual energy was fully absorbed by the Phoenix's body.
Mitsurugi, who was watching from above, looked at the scene with surprise.
Though he didn't understand the principle behind the humanoid Ki (now, of course, he realized it wasn't Taro himself), the giant hand formed by the energy of countless humanoid Ki clones clearly carried the same aura as the "young man" he had seen before. Yet, all of this energy... merged into the bird's body?
He understood the idea of refining internal power and sending the purest Ki to others to use, but what he couldn't fathom was how such a massive aura could be absorbed by that small bird. How could it bear such power?
What Mitsurugi didn't know was that the Phoenix was a special creature born from Taro's blood, which was why it could easily absorb and utilize Taro's Ki.
Ivan, the Holy mage, once said that although the Phoenix had a strong bond with Taro and possessed incredible vitality due to the unique nature of Taro's blood, it could not reproduce due to the way it was created.
The waves crashed fiercely, and seabirds could be seen faintly on the horizon.
The Phoenix bathed in white light, its wings spread as it soared, its eyes sparkling. Occasionally, it would let out a loud, resonant cry that echoed through the air. Suddenly, a figure appeared—Taro.
The Phoenix was pleased, flapping its wings excitedly as it flew toward Taro.
Taro hovered in the air and waved at it, feigning anger. "Alright, stop playing around. Get to work now!"
"Ugh..." The Phoenix let out a low, pitiful cry, circling Taro twice before turning reluctantly. With a powerful flap of its wings, it became a streak of white light and flew toward the distant sea.
Only then did Taro turn to look at Mitsurugi, who was still hovering nearby. Taro took a step forward and was instantly standing before him, startling Mitsurugi, who involuntarily slid back half a step.
"What's wrong?" Taro asked.
"Nothing," Mitsurugi sighed, a wry smile on his face. "If I had known your power was so unfathomable, I wouldn't have come here to make a fool of myself. The Earth's gods seem to have acted unnecessarily..."
Taro shook his head, not commenting on that but instead asking, "You're a martial artist from ancient Earth. How much do you know about the Demon Realm?" He paused before adding, "Specifically, the time differential between the Demon Realm and the human world..."
When he was in the Demon Realm, only a day and night had passed there, but six years had passed in the human world. Several decades later, the Demon Realm should have only experienced half a month, yet looking at the Red Demon Queen and Black Demon King, it seemed as though his "killing" of the Red Demon Queen was over a hundred years ago.
Recalling the "hyperbolic Time Chamber" from the Lookout, where a single day and night equaled a year outside, Taro became intrigued and decided to inquire further from Mitsurugi.
"The Demon Realm..."
Mitsurugi also shook his head, his gaze distant, as if recalling the era that once belonged to him. "The Demon Realm on Earth is a special space-time that is attached to the human world. The flow of time within it..."
He looked at Taro and slowly spoke, "It is always changing! Back in my time, I discovered several different time flows in the Demon Realm. Sometimes, one day in the Demon Realm equals one year in the human world, and other times, one day in the human world equals one year in the Demon Realm..."
"Constantly changing? Is there any pattern to this time change?" Taro raised an eyebrow, curious.
"There is!" Mitsurugi nodded, then shook his head. "But knowing the pattern... doesn't make much of a difference! The time flow in the Demon Realm speeds up and slows down, and after slowing to the extreme, it gradually speeds up again. Sometimes, in the blink of an eye in the human world, the Demon Realm undergoes tremendous changes, while at other times, decades may pass in the human world, yet the Demon Realm doesn't change a second..."
"I see..." Taro nodded gently, now understanding. It seemed that when he accidentally entered the Demon Realm, it was during the "slower" phase of the Demon Realm's time flow, and after he left, the time flow gradually sped up... This explained everything.
"The most important thing," Mitsurugi continued, "is that the 'acceleration' of time in the Demon Realm, whether it speeds up or slows down, is not fixed! Sometimes, the time can change from the slowest to the fastest within the span of only a short time in the human world. I've seen too many people trying to secretly enter the Demon Realm to train, only for them never to return, their bones left behind."
Mitsurugi said seriously, "I know your strength is profound, but that place... the Demon Realm, you'd be better off avoiding it. The power of 'time'... it's not something you can resist just because you're strong."
Taro nodded, not opposing, and said, "Don't worry, I understand the risks."
At the same time, he silently thought to himself: Time... and space, these forces that are like rules, must be domains that only so-called gods can touch.
In the world of Dragon Ball, even the strongest mortals were ultimately just built upon strength. The gods, though they might not have as much power as skilled mortals, possessed incredible, mysterious forces that elevated them above all.
But these... whether space-time or so-called gods, were still far from Taro. He quickly decided not to think further; there was no use in doing so.
"Let's go. I'll go with you to the Lookout," Taro floated forward and placed his hand on Mitsurugi's shoulder.
Mitsurugi was about to feel puzzled, but suddenly, the world around them shifted. In the blink of an eye, they found themselves atop the divine temple in the sky. He then realized that Taro had appeared in the same sudden manner earlier. Did he... have the ability to teleport? Mitsurugi looked at Taro and found him even more unfathomable.
On the vast temple square, only the dark figure of Mr.Popo stood. Taro nodded at him in greeting, his gaze sweeping over to a spot on the edge of the temple's circular perimeter.
"You've arrived..." Kami turned around at the edge of the temple, walking over with his staff. Upon seeing Mitsurugi, he smiled wryly and sighed, "Thank you for your hard work"
"Too kind, too kind," Mitsurugi waved his hand repeatedly, sighing. When he came to Earth this time, he had been confident that he would resolve the troubles for his homeland's descendants, but unexpectedly, not only had he failed to solve the problem, but his life was almost lost as well. Thankfully, Taro had acted in time and wiped out all the demon race—
Though he didn't know how Taro had killed all the demons in such a short time, considering Taro's profound abilities and that unforgettable sky-splitting palm strike, Mitsurugi decided not to overthink it. With such power, any method would seem unsurprising.
So he said, "Kami, please send me back. This trip to Earth has been quite fruitful. After I return, I will apply again to go to the Supreme Kai's planet to train harder."
"I wonder when the next Other World Tournament will be held. Hopefully, after more training, I can place well..." Mitsurugi thought to himself. This encounter with Taro, another martial artist from Earth with such incredible power and techniques, was truly a great stimulus.
"That's fine,"
Kami nodded. He walked over and placed his hand on Mitsurugi's shoulder.
As they were leaving, Mitsurugi glanced at Taro, If he enters the Underworld after death, he will probably be summoned by the Grand Kai for training right away... If he joins the Other World Tournament, I wonder if he can make it into the top sixteen?
Probably not!
The top competitors in the Underworld were all supreme experts from various cosmic races. It was said that they could dominate entire star systems. Taro, though strong, was still a living person, and with his profound abilities, his lifespan was likely long. Who knew how many years would pass before he died...
With a flash, Kami took Mitsurugi away from the temple.
Mr. Popo turned around and looked at Taro, asking, "The
Kami said that you are going to gather the Dragon Balls to resurrect all the dead... how will you do that?"
"Isn't that what I'm already doing?" Taro smiled slightly, walking to the edge of the temple and looking down. His gaze pierced through the layers of clouds, and he saw a red bird bathed in white light, soaring across the human world.
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