But through time itself.
One second, he was meters away. The next, his palm was pressed against Yun Lintian's chest.
And Yun Lintian felt it.
His skin wrinkled. His muscles weakened. His divine bones brittled. Centuries, millennia of time compressed into a single moment, rushing through his body like a tidal wave.
Nian Shi smirked. "Let's see how you handle decay."
But Yun Lintian's mismatched eyes remained calm.
The Power of Chaos erupted from his core—Creation and Destruction intertwined. The aging effect shattered, time itself reversing around him as his body returned to its prime.
Nian Shi's smirk vanished.
Yun Lintian's sword was already moving.
The moment Yun Lintian's sword descended, the universe itself seemed to fracture.
Nian Shi's silver eyes widened—a rare flicker of alarm crossing his face as he twisted through time, barely avoiding the blade that could rend even eternity itself.
Yun Lintian didn't let him finish.
His left fist, wreathed in the Primordial Azure Dragon's lightning, slammed into Nian Shi's gut. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the frozen time around them, cracking the stillness like glass.
Nian Shi coughed blood—silver, divine—but his lips curled into a sharp grin.
Time rewound around him, his wounds sealing instantly. Then—
And Yun Lintian froze.
Not by space. Not by force.
His muscles locked. His thoughts slowed. Even the divine energy in his veins seemed to stagnate.
Nian Shi stepped forward leisurely, examining his trapped opponent.
"You're strong," he mused. "Stronger than I expected. But time... time is absolute."
His fingers reached for Yun Lintian's throat—
The frozen time shattered as Yun Lintian's Power of Chaos erupted outward. Creation and Destruction intertwined, unraveling the temporal prison like rotten thread.
Nian Shi barely had time to react before Yun Lintian's knee slammed into his ribs.
The God of Time was sent flying, crashing through the remnants of a dead star.
Yun Lintian didn't pause as the eight divine beasts' power surged through him.
Nian Shi's playful demeanor was gone now. His silver eyes burned with cold focus as he wiped blood from his lips.
"I didn't expect that... Fine. Let's get serious."
He clapped his hands together—
And the universe split.
Countless afterimages of Nian Shi appeared across time itself, each one attacking Yun Lintian from a different moment—past, present, future.
A fist from yesterday.
A kick from tomorrow.
A blade strike that hadn't happened yet.
Yun Lintian's body was bombarded from all directions, his divine flesh tearing under the onslaught.
The God of War's battle instincts merged with the God of Balance's harmony, allowing him to predict the temporal attacks before they landed.
The God Slaying Sword intercepted a blade that hadn't even been swung yet.
His fist collided with a kick that was still seconds away in the future.
Nian Shi's eyes narrowed. "I must say, you're learning very well. In every battle I've seen so far, you always adapt mid fight. This is your strong point."
"I'm ending this," Yun Lintian growled.
He exploded forward, the Golden Qilin's power enhancing his speed to impossible levels. The God Slaying Sword hummed with Chaos, each swing carving wounds in time itself.
Nian Shi was forced back, his temporal clones flickering out one by one as Yun Lintian erased them from existence.
"Come!" Nian Shi snarled—the first real anger he'd shown.
His hands wove through complex seals, and the river of time churned violently.
The very fabric of time around Yun Lintian imploded, trying to crush him into nothingness.
But Yun Lintian pushed back.
The Power of Chaos met the collapsing time head-on, Creation and Destruction battling against eternity itself.
For a single, breathless moment—
The two forces stalled.
The backlash sent both combatants flying.
Nian Shi crashed through a cluster of dead stars, his silver robes in tatters.
Yun Lintian skidded across the void, his divine beast transformations flickering unstably.
It wasn't his usual playful chuckle, but something darker. More real.
"You really are something else," he admitted, pulling himself upright. "To think that you can push me this far..."
Yun Lintian steadied his breathing, the God Slaying Sword still gleaming in his grip.
Nian Shi's laughter faded. His silver eyes gleamed with something unreadable as he straightened his tattered robes. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, he wiped the blood from his lips—and smiled.
That same playful smile.
An invisible wave exploded outward from his body. The cosmos froze.
Not just space—time itself came to a complete standstill. Stars halted mid-explosion. Light particles froze mid-flight. Even the residual energy from their battle hung motionless in the void.
Behind Nian Shi, the River of Time materialized—a vast, shimmering current of silver energy stretching endlessly through the cosmos.
He stepped forward, his boots making no sound as he approached Yun Lintian.
Yun Lintian's body was locked in place. His thoughts still raced, his consciousness untouched by the temporal freeze—but his flesh, his divine energy, even the God Slaying Sword in his hand—all of it was trapped in absolute stasis.
Nian Shi stopped inches away, tilting his head as he examined Yun Lintian with amused curiosity.
"You've improved significantly over the years," he mused, his voice echoing strangely in the frozen time. "Truly impressive. To think a mere mortal could reach this height... But alas."
He sighed dramatically.
"You still lack understanding of the true power of Creation."
Then—he leaned closer, his silver eyes boring into Yun Lintian's.
"I'll leave you for now. After all... you still have one last duty to fulfill."
His fingers brushed against Yun Lintian's chest—light as a feather, yet carrying the weight of eternity.
"Defeat Yin. Seal the Chasm of Uncreation. And then..."
"It will be your turn to die."
With that, he stepped back—and vanished into the River of Time.
The moment he disappeared, the frozen time shattered like glass.
Yun Lintian gasped as movement returned to his body. His muscles tensed, his grip on the God Slaying Sword tightening instinctively—but Nian Shi was already gone.
Complete, utter silence.
Yun Lintian stood alone in the void, his breath coming in slow, measured intervals. His mismatched eyes darkened as the reality of what just happened settled in.
At the very end, when Nian Shi truly willed it... Yun Lintian had been completely helpless.
A deep frown etched itself onto his face.
"This... is the true power of time?"