Chapter 3974: A Mysterious Move

Boom!

Space collapsed.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Chang’s massive body was knocked back, but Qing Xing was flung into the distance like a meteor, only stopping when he was caught by Dan Jin.

An immense force ran through her body, causing Dan Jin’s arms to tremble as she staggered back involuntarily.

Qing Xing spat out a mouthful of blood. He was completely shocked. “What monstrous strength!”

He had inherited the Chaotic Ancient Qi Art from Greater Sancte Mi Jin, and it was an Immortal technique. But even when he empowered it with Immortal matter, he had only succeeded in knocking Chang back.

This was far outside of Qing Xing’s expectations.

Dan Jin was also startled by Chang’s physical strength. The being was truly monstrous.

The Great Master peered into the distance. Chang’s physical might was absolutely overwhelming. Not even when Gu Duanke worked together with Deathmound’s experts had they been able to force the beast back. The Nest civilization’s plan was all too obvious, and yet they were also just as confident in their success.

Lu Yin clenched a fist. There was no denying that he wanted to test his body against Chang’s, but killing Unbroken Time was their first priority.

“Behave.” The Great Master attacked from above again, and Luo Chan was sent flying, left dazed and reeling for a second time.

Even so, the creature was quite tough, as it showed no indications of actual injuries.

This was completely different from Unbroken Time, who had started cracking after just one blow from the Great Master’s oar.

Every lifeform had its own strengths and weaknesses. Unbroken Time was bizarre, and its mastery of time allowed it to remain undefeated. However, should anyone manage to land a blow, its defenses would be quite weak.

“Leave this thing to me. You deal with Unbroken Time,” the Great Master sternly ordered. She could be considered Luo Chan’s nemesis.

Unbroken Time’s alternating sun and moon fluctuated more rapidly than ever. It was clearly uneasy that Luo Chan had not shared news of the humans’ assaults on the swarms.

Why were the humans not attacking the other three battlefields? Their actions made no sense.

The humans should have seized the opportunity of the four Insect Lords’ absence to deal with the other three battlefields.

Could the humans have discovered Luo Chan’s ability?

Right when that thought occurred to the creature, Lu Yin’s Wheel of Karma swept over. Again, Unbroken Time’s sun and moon were riddled with new cracks. The damage that had been mended over the course of more than a year while the River of Aeons washed everything away had instantly reappeared.

“Do the humans know about Luo Chan’s ability?”

“That’s possible.”

“Then we must finish these humans off. They can’t escape.”

“Unbroken Time, leave the human that’s attacking you to me. I can sense his strength.”

“Forget it. This human needs to die. Not only is he physically powerful, but he can also move along the River of Aeons and has even comprehended karma. He is too great a variable; I will kill him.”

“Are you finally going to use that? Hehe, let me watch him die! No one has ever survived that ability of yours. At least this trip won’t be wasted.”

“End him, Unbroken Time.”

Consciousness descended. The Heaven and Earth Lock, empowered with Immortal matter, sealed Unbroken Time. As that happened, the Tri-Azure Sword Intent emerged from behind Lu Yin, but before slicing out, it also fused with Immortal matter.

Lu Yin believed that this slash would be able to strike Unbroken Time. Even if the attack was eroded by time, Lu Yin would keep the creature pinned down and use karma to deduce a way to eliminate it.

But both his Heaven and Earth Lock and Tri-Azure Sword Intent missed. Unbroken Time instantly appeared right in front of Lu Yin, less than a meter away.

How?

Lu Yin stared at the needle that was extremely close to his hand. It had not moved. Instead, the sun and moon had formed a second needle, and he was currently inside of that. He had no idea how he had ended up there.

The Great Master, Qing Xing, and Dan Jin all saw what had happened, though they were all equally baffled as to how Lu Yin had been swallowed by Unbroken Time.

That was exactly what it looked like at this moment; Lu Yin seemed to have been swallowed by Unbroken Time.

Far, far away, Master Qing Cao’s eyes narrowed sharply. At his side, Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s expression turned grave. Did that creature still have more abilities?

Unbroken Time was simply too bizarre. How could such a lifeform exist?

She prepared to take action. She could not allow Lu Yin to be killed.

Even if she did not know what Unbroken Time had just done, this timing indicated that it had just used a hidden trump card. Could Lu Yin survive?

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

Lu Yin looked at the needle. It was so close to him that he could easily reach out and touch it. He could clearly see each and every crack on it, and he was confident that, if he grabbed it, he would be able to snap it.

How did I end up inside of this thing? Was I swallowed by Unbroken Time?

He had not been able to sense anything. It was as if time itself had been broken into two parts. On one part, he had been far away from Unbroken Time, chasing after it, while on the other, he was already inside its body.

But what did it intend to do to him?

Lu Yin raised a hand to grab the other needle.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

His hand passed through the needle. He was not able to touch anything.

Lu Yin looked around. He was inside the second needle, the one formed by the alternating sun and moon, but he was unable to touch anything in the second needle either.

Far away, Dan Jin and the others stared on in shock. The Great Master said something, but Lu Yin could not hear even a single word.

He released his inner universe, refusing to believe that Unbroken Time could truly keep him trapped.

Suddenly, the needle that he was looking at started to spin quickly, and its speed increased further and further. Eventually, he could see only a circle, due to how fast it was spinning.

Lu Yin stared at the needle.

So fast?

It never stopped at any position.

If the needle’s spinning so fast, then does that mean that time’s being accelerated?

From outside, Dan Jin and the others saw something else entirely.

As the needle spun around, they saw a Nest. It looked crystalline, and it was dazzlingly beautiful. Although it was clearly a Nest, they were struck by an inexplicable sense of wonder as they looked at it. It was as if they were staring at the most beautiful object in all existence.

After the Nest appeared, the spinning needle gave birth to an indistinct creature that radiated a seven-colored light. It appeared to be so sacred and so noble that even Dan Jin and the other peak Dukkhans felt ashamed from just gazing at it.

They felt as if they were looking at the most exalted creature in the entire cosmos. This was something that humans could not bear to even look upon directly.

As that vague being took form, the needle spun even faster.

Lu Yin had released his inner universe, as well as his Karmic Dao. Doing so made no difference. He was able to release any and all of his powers, but he could not escape from Unbroken Time. It was as if he and the creature existed in an entirely separate slice of time and space.

Shan Xiao’s laughter rang out. “This ability has even slain Immortals! Hehe.”

Her words caused Dan Jin and the others to shudder in fear.

Master Qing Cao and Greater Sancte Awe Gate were also shaken. Had Unbroken Time actually killed an Immortal?

Unbroken Time was merely overcoming Dukkha. Even if it was a bizarre creature that was unique throughout the cosmos, it should not be capable of overcoming the gap in realms to kill an Immortal. Immortal matter had not even been used, and it also did not seem to possess Lifeforce. How could it accomplish such a thing?

Greater Sancte Awe Gate could no longer restrain herself, and she moved to attack. Lu Yin could not be allowed to die.

However, Master Qing Cao stopped her. “Wait. Given Lu Yin’s strength, even if that thing can kill him, it’s impossible for him to die without even putting up a fight. If this ability really has killed an Immortal, then it’s also a threat to you and me. Watch carefully. The original purpose of this technique might have been to eliminate the two of us.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s expression turned grave. “Lu Yin cannot die.”

“I understand, but his opponent is merely a Dukkhan. No matter how strange it may be, it is impossible for it to prevent us from intervening and saving him. Just wait,” Master Qing Cao said in a heavy tone.

In the middle of outer space, Lu Yin reached for the needle again, only for his hand to pass through it, grasping nothing.

Time. This was the power of time, yet he himself felt nothing change. When he looked outside of Unbroken Time, Lu Yin could see the disbelief on Dan Jin and the others’ faces. They looked as if they were staring at a dead man.

What? Are they already convinced I’m going to die?

Lu Yin let out a long breath. Time was truly a strange power. Even with the power that he had revealed, Dan Jin and the others no longer trusted that he would win.

His focus shifted, and he saw Shan Xiao also staring at him, a smile on her face. She even gestured at him that it was all over.

Did they all really trust Unbroken Time that much?

Time was indeed a formidable power. The ability that Unbroken Time was using might be something that not even the Great Master, a ferryman of the River of Aeons, could understand. It was likely an ability or innate gift that was entirely unique to Unbroken Time. Lightstream could not interfere with what was happening, despite all of its recent enhancements.

In that case, let’s first figure out what’s actually happening with this attack

.

Time is miraculous, but is karma in any way inferior?

So long as that was what Lu Yin wanted, there was no karma that he could not uncover.

He had already released his Karmic Dao, but it was useless against Unbroken Time. Not even the Wheel of Karma could touch the creature. Since nothing could be done to Unbroken Time, Lu Yin decided to examine his own karma.

Whatever Unbroken Time was doing was intended to kill Lu Yin. That meant that his death was the effect, so he needed to determine the cause: why would he die?

Vast consciousness erupted behind Lu Yin. It did not affect Unbroken Time, though the creature could hear Lu Yin’s voice.

When I alone am absent, what remains is benefit.

When I alone change, what remains is nothingness.

With clarity of heart, unafraid of desire,

as firm as Everstone, unafraid even of myself

the true self shines to the heavens.

Wheel of karma, I face the sky,

gazing upon endless lives afar, protecting this megaverse and all within it.

Each word echoed in its ears. Karma swirled out from Lu Yin’s hand, rising upwards in an inverted tornado that seemed to connect heaven and earth. He was searching for the cause of his own death.

In an instant, a large portion of his Karmic Dao was consumed, and even his consciousness steadily drained away. He was using consciousness as an aid to search for the answer. Lu Yin refused to believe he could not find what he was looking for.

There was not a single sound as the Karmic Dao dissipated.

Lu Yin lifted his head to look back at Unbroken Time. The shock in his eyes could not be suppressed.

So, that’s how it is

.

He would have never imagined that such a bizarre technique could exist. This was neither a battle technique nor the result of Unbroken Time’s comprehension of time, but more of a flaw that came about from interfering with the natural order of the cosmos. This was a loophole that ignored the laws of reality.

Unbroken Time had created a template, and it was able to force other creatures into that template. Their lifespans would then be compared to the template, and if the creature being examined had a longer lifespan than the one used for that template, they would remain unharmed and unchanged, completely unscathed. However, if the examined creature had a shorter lifespan than the one used for the template, they would instantly die. There would be no injuries, and the creature would simply be erased.

The being used to create this template was the Immortal Lord themselves.

It was no wonder why Dan Jin and the others had looked at Lu Yin as though he were a dead man.

How could Lu Yin possibly survive having his lifespan compared to that of the Immortal Lord? Unless he himself broke through and became an Immortal, it was not even a matter of what was possible, but rather what was reality.

He watched as the needle continued to spin. It was spinning through the years that the Immortal Lord had lived. Once the needle started to slow, it would indicate that the Immortal Lord’s lifespan had been exhausted and that what remained was the time that Lu Yin could still live.

Anyone with a sense of reasoning would instantly understand that comparing their lifespan to that of an Immortal was nothing less than accepting death.

The word “Immortal” alone explained everything.

Still, even within the Immortal realm, there were differences in strength. Lu Yin believed that the Immortal Lord was far from a weakling, even among Immortals. The Immortal monster that he had encountered in the past would undoubtedly lose out in a competition of lifespan with the Immortal Lord, let alone Lu Yin.

This was Unbroken Time’s greatest ability.