The sudden appearance of the Supreme Kai of Time, Chronoa, disrupted the thoughts of Goku XENO and Vegeta XENO.
At this moment, they had no way of knowing that the Chronoa standing before them was not the one they were familiar with.
Due to contact between timelines, they had traveled from another timeline into this one.
The Chronoa from their world could not come here. The one now present was Chronoa of Lin Chuan's timeline.
"I didn't expect you to catch up with us, Lady Chronoa.
Sigh… too bad we couldn't catch Fu, he's vanished completely, and we've lost all leads."
Goku XENO took the initiative to speak, like reporting a failed mission to a superior.
As a leading member of the Time Patrol, Goku XENO was generally easygoing, and treated the Supreme Kai of Time with great respect.
Vegeta XENO, on the other hand, while tempered by time and no longer arrogant, still kept his pride. He wouldn't bow like Goku XENO.
They had completely different mindsets and priorities.
Goku XENO fought for peace and order across the timelines, fulfilling his duties as a Time Patroller.
Vegeta XENO was more focused on eliminating threats, to him, anything that disrupted time was an enemy.
Standing on the Temple of the Gods, Chronoa nodded to both of them.
She had come for them specifically.
"This may be complicated to explain," she began, "but I'm not the Chronoa you two know."
Everyone was stunned again. Goku XENO and Vegeta XENO looked visibly shocked.
"What do you mean, Lady Chronoa?" Goku XENO asked quietly.
Vegeta XENO frowned.
"You're not the Chronoa we know? Then… who are you?"
"Let's put it this way," Chronoa said, "You two are Time Patrollers from a team that I, another version of me, created."
"What?!" Vegeta XENO gasped.
Goku XENO was just as stunned.
"But… didn't you tell us there were no alternate versions of you across the timelines?"
"That's why I need to clarify," Chronoa continued.
"Since you've crossed timelines and even carry my time seal within you, it shows you already understand the nature of time quite deeply."
"What I'm about to say may shake your understanding of reality.
But since you've come from a different timeline, you need to know."
As she spoke, everyone listened intently, including Lin Chuan.
A direct explanation from the Supreme Kai of Time was not something to ignore.
"Our world is massive, so vast that even I can only see a small portion of it."
"Some of you may not be aware yet, but Goku and Vegeta from the other timeline, you should understand."
As she spoke, Chronoa raised her hand and a red dot appeared in the previously empty space.
"This is what we often call the Starting Point."
With a wave of her hand, a thick white line extended from the red dot.
"This is what we refer to as Time, or more accurately, the Timeline."
"Time is inviolable. If anything happens to the main timeline, it can branch into countless different futures. Like this.."
She waved her hands again. From points on the white line, thin white branches extended outward.
"These are alternate timelines, birthed from a single thread.
Each becomes a full world, spreading further and forming even more timelines…"
Seeing no one interrupt, Chronoa pressed on to the real point.
"Now comes the part that may completely overturn your previous understanding.
This is not only for Goku and Vegeta from another timeline, but for everyone here."
She then pulled out a thick golden line from the red dot.
It also began to branch.
"The white line is a complete timeline, that's the one you two come from."
"The golden line is also a complete timeline, this is the timeline of this world."
"Normally, two main timelines would never intersect.
But at some point, due to some event or cause, they did."
As she spoke, she crossed a thin golden line with a white line, visually demonstrating her point.
Everyone suddenly understood.
All were smart enough to grasp the concept.
"So, Vegeta and I ended up in a completely different timeline, this world's timeline?!
No wonder everything feels so different."
Goku XENO was amazed.
This was uncharted territory.
He used to think there were infinite parallel timelines. Now, he realized his worldview had been too narrow.
It was like they had been trapped inside an egg this whole time.
And now Chronoa had shown them that there are many such eggs, all stored inside a huge basket.
Vegeta XENO also understood but took it further,
"So you really aren't the Chronoa we know…
I always wondered how there could be only one of you across infinite time, turns out, there's a different you in every main timeline."
"Exactly. You're sharp, alternate Vegeta," Chronoa nodded.
"I didn't expect you to piece that together so quickly."
"Hmph. I've always been like this.
It's just that your version of me never really understood me," Vegeta XENO replied coldly.
With the explanation complete, everyone else slowly came out of their shock.
Dende and Mr. Popo were gods and attendants of Earth. Piccolo, once part of the Kami, understood the gravity of what had been explained.
What troubled them most was this,
If beings from alternate timelines were now appearing in theirs,
what did it mean for the future?
It meant others were already reaching into broader realms, while they had only just learned of this.
"So that means villains from another timeline have entered ours.
Then what should we do about Fu?"
This world's Vegeta asked the real question, the one he cared most about.
Before, he saw Fu as a mere rat in the shadows, a petty clown.
Now he realized that Fu was a ticking time bomb.
He hadn't forgotten how Broly crushed him a month ago.
Once he found out Fu had helped Broly, Fu landed on his must-kill list.
"We can't allow this to happen again," he thought.
To prevent it, Fu had to be found, and eliminated at the root.
"You don't need to worry," Chronoa addressed him calmly.
"I've already learned about Fu's movements.
I came here specifically to assist Goku and Vegeta from the other timeline."
"Given your identity and strength, you'll face challenges operating in this timeline.
So I'll accompany you for now.
Of course, I'll also mobilize the patrol team from this timeline to help track down and eventually capture or destroy Fu."
Her words were decisive.
Hearing this, both Goku XENO and Vegeta XENO's eyes lit up.
That was exactly what they needed.
And they were especially interested in seeing the Time Patrol of this timeline.
The mood seemed to settle, but Lin Chuan remained uneasy.
Chronoa's appearance clearly had a purpose.
Now that he understood the situation, Lin Chuan grew more concerned.
"Supreme Kai of Time… you're the same Chronoa I once met, aren't you?"
He stepped forward and asked directly.
Everyone turned their eyes toward them, especially those of this world.
They had all witnessed the Vegeta invasion of Earth, and remembered meeting Chronoa then.
So, was she the same person?
Or yet another version?
Chronoa met Lin Chuan's gaze.
"Yes. It hasn't been long since we last met,
and yet you've grown so powerful, it's hard to believe," she said.
She smiled knowingly and teased,
"I should've expected it.
With your current strength, you rival a God of Destruction.
Soon, you might even…"
She trailed off.
In truth, she shouldn't have interfered with this timeline.
But it was because she once brought Lin Xue to meet a past version of Lin Chuan that this new timeline branched off, growing more unstable by the day.
Even if everything seemed fine now…
Something had already changed.
The timelines' contact had brought Goku and Vegeta XENO into this timeline.
Having gotten the answer he sought, Lin Chuan took a deep breath and looked toward the open time tunnel.
He couldn't see anything, but he felt… watched.
As if something, or someone, was observing him from within.
Chronoa was not alone.
Others, her Time Patrol agents, were surely inside that rift.
They just hadn't revealed themselves yet.
"Since you are the Chronoa I met before…
I have one more question," Lin Chuan said.
"My future daughter, Little Xue… is she alright?"
He had confirmed her identity, and now asked what he most cared about.
Chronoa had clearly anticipated the question.
"You don't need to worry. Little Xue is doing well.
Since joining the Time Patrol, she's become part of our big family.
She's just been on too many missions recently, which is why she didn't come with me this time."
She explained Little Xue's current status and activities.
Her words sounded sincere, but were in fact somewhat evasive.
Lin Chuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
Whether Chronoa was lying or not, there was nothing he could say.
After nodding, Lin Chuan got to the point, saying,
"You came to this timeline for two reasons, first, because of this Goku and Vegeta, and second, because you're afraid that the Fu from your timeline will encounter the Fu from ours and trigger an even more terrifying conspiracy, right?"
Two Fus, that was no joke.
One Fu alone was already difficult to deal with. If two appeared, it would be a nightmare.
Chronoa didn't deny it, she simply smiled and nodded,
"Exactly. Fu is a threat to all timelines. If we don't eliminate him, it could eventually lead to the collapse of the entire timeline."
And once a timeline collapses, all space-times within it will vanish.
No one would have the power to resist.
Lin Chuan said nothing further.
He had already learned what he wanted to know, and it was clear Chronoa had no intention of bringing him along.
Rather than try to curry favor and be brushed off, it would be better to use his own strength to do what even they couldn't.
For example, they might struggle to find Fu, but he might not.
After all, Lin Chuan had planted a unique energy mark inside Fu's body.
If he could enter the time tunnel, with his full power, he might be able to sense him.
That was the first point.
The second, Fu wasn't easy to deal with.
They thought they had everything under control, but in truth, Fu was toying with them like ants.
As a transmigrator, Lin Chuan understood Fu's methods better than anyone.
To be honest, an unawakened Fu would be easy to kill.
But once awakened, after absorbing enough energy and other factors, his power would be at least 10th-dimensional or higher.
"Lady Chronoa, what should we do next?" Goku XENO asked with concern.
Vegeta XENO glanced at Lin Chuan, then at his alternate self in this timeline, before finally turning to Chronoa.
"So… it's time to go.
We must find the Fu who came from your timeline, before the two Fus meet."
"Come back with me to the Time Nest of this timeline," Chronoa said.
"Fu is difficult to locate because he can mask his presence, but… recently, our timeline's Towa and Mira have started stirring again…
Fu can sense the power fluctuations from these temporal disruptions, he will inevitably show himself."
She looked at Goku XENO and Vegeta XENO as she explained.
Honestly, it was a weak plan.
They were handing initiative to the enemy, leaving themselves in a passive state.
Chronoa's reasoning was sound, Fu had always been collecting energy from temporal distortions.
But if that Fu could sense it, wouldn't this timeline's Fu do the same?
Of course, at this point, Lin Chuan wasn't going to warn them.
Even if he did, they would likely ignore him, and besides, it wasn't his responsibility.
What was laughable, though, was that despite his strength, Chronoa, just a minor deity, really, still seemed to look down on him.
In the end, Goku XENO and Vegeta XENO followed Chronoa into the time tunnel.
As the three stepped through, the portal closed quickly behind them, leaving no trace.
Meanwhile, inside the time tunnel,
When Chronoa entered with Goku XENO and Vegeta XENO, two shadowy figures stood waiting.
The newcomers were now face to face with them.
Their identities were finally revealed to Goku XENO and Vegeta XENO,
They were the future versions of Son Gohan and Lin Xue from this timeline!
They were also both handpicked by Chronoa, elite among elites, chosen from across the timelines.
"You are...? Another version of Gohan from this timeline's future? Your power is… whoa, !" Goku XENO gasped.
He had seen many versions of his son across time, but this Gohan…
His strength far surpassed even Goku XENO's own.
Even after recovering from the intense fusion battle with Lin Chuan, the gap was still massive.
This showed just how far ahead this timeline's development was compared to their own.
"Yes. I'm the Gohan from this timeline's future.
Nice to meet you, Father from another timeline," Gohan replied firmly, nodding.
He was cheerful and confident. Having studied the timeline since youth, he had met countless versions of his father.
So accepting another Goku was nothing to him.
The two Gohans chatted briefly, father and son, from two worlds.
Then, Goku XENO and Vegeta XENO turned their attention to the girl beside him.
They didn't recognize her.
But they could tell, she was strong. Her energy had clear Saiyan traits.
"If I'm not mistaken… you must be Lin Chuan's daughter, Lin Xue?" Vegeta XENO asked.
His logical mind connected the dots. Based on all the intel he'd gathered, this was the most plausible and boldest guess.
Something about her aura felt familiar, though he couldn't quite explain why.
"That's right, Uncle Vegeta from the other timeline," Lin Xue nodded casually.
Then she turned to Chronoa,
"We've brought in Goku and Vegeta from the other timeline, what's next?"
"Of course, we'll return to the Time Nest and plan accordingly," Chronoa said.
"To be clear, Goku and Vegeta, you'll be staying in this timeline for a while."
Everyone understood from her words, this wasn't a short mission.
"Alright, let's go.
It's a shame we didn't get to meet Uncle Lin Chuan and my dad this time…
but I'm sure we'll get another chance in the future," future Gohan said.
"Mm," Lin Xue nodded.
After seeing her father's past self once before, she had already come to terms with it.
Seeing him again from the shadows was exciting and shocking, he had grown so powerful so fast.
But now wasn't the time for reunions.
This timeline was highly unstable, and she didn't want to cause more disruption.
She and Chronoa had already agreed to keep a low profile.
Yet even with all precautions, things still spiraled out of control.
First, future Gohan had crossed time to deliver medicine, and destroyed Golden Cell.
Then came the fusion of timelines… and the arrival of Fu.
Now, even Goku XENO and Vegeta XENO had entered this world.
Back at the Temple of Earth's Guardian,
With Goku XENO, Vegeta XENO, and Chronoa gone, the group stood in silence.
Everyone needed time to digest everything.
And not just that, they had to start planning for the future.
These weren't ordinary people, even Dende, the weakest among them, was still Earth's Guardian.
After a long silence, it was Gohan who finally spoke,
"Uncle Lin Chuan, Uncle Piccolo… from now on, please train me strictly.
I don't want to waste time anymore like I used to."
He wanted to train.
He wanted strength.
He wanted control over his own destiny.
After everything that happened, Gohan's worldview had expanded tremendously.
"You're giving up on your academic path? You're not going to be a scholar anymore?" Piccolo asked, surprised.
That would mean all the future achievements of the "scholar Gohan" timeline… would be erased.
The reason they'd gone easy on Gohan recently was because of the message from future Gohan.
Even if that wasn't the only reason, it played a big part.
Gohan shook his head,
"No. I'll still pursue that dream. But I'll make more time to train with you and Uncle Lin Chuan.
I want to be strong enough to protect our world,
to protect the people I care about."
In this state, Gohan radiated pure protagonist energy.
Let's be honest, the main character module had officially activated.
After all, in the original series' Cell Saga, he was portrayed as the true successor.
"Looks like our little Gohan has finally grown up.
In that case… it's time for you to take your first real step," Lin Chuan laughed heartily.
Everyone looked at him, drawn in by his laughter.
They all seemed to sense it,
Lin Chuan had been hiding something…
And now, it was finally time to reveal it.