A shockwave of distorted time erupted beneath his feet. The air itself seemed to fracture as conflicting temporal forces tore at Yun Lintian's body.
Yun Lintian's muscles locked as his left arm suddenly aged a thousand years - skin wrinkling, bones calcifying - while his right leg regressed to infantile weakness.
Blood vessels burst in his eyes as he forced the Seed of Time to stabilize his form. The backlash sent him stumbling back three paces, each footstep cracking the stone shore beneath him.
"Big Brother Yun!" Qingqing cried out as she saw fresh blood trickle from his nose.
"I'm fine." Yun Lintian said and waved his hand to stabilize his injury.
He stared at the lake and smiled faintly. "Interesting. This is definitely the strongest formantion we've ever encountered."
"Yes." Linlin responded with a serious expression. Without Yun Lintian's protection, Linlin and Qingqing on his shoulders would have been blasted into nothingness by now.
"Let's try it again." Yun Lintian spoke up and took a step forward onto the lake again.
Yun Lintian exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing as he prepared to take the first step again. The lake's surface shimmered ominously, as if anticipating his movement.
The moment his foot touched the water, the same violent temporal shockwave erupted. But this time, Yun Lintian was ready.
The power of the Mountain God surged through his veins. A massive earthen barrier materialized around him, reinforced by the golden glow of the Golden Qilin God's bloodline.
The temporal distortion crashed against the defense, causing the shield to crack violently—but it held.
Yun Lintian's muscles strained as he forced his body to stabilize, his left arm trembling as it resisted the aging effect. Blood still trickled from his nose, but he remained standing.
From the shore, Nie Tong's frost energy flickered in surprise. "He blocked it?"
Qian Jinglei's eyes gleamed with realization. "That wasn't just brute force. He countered the temporal attack with earth-based divine power—suppressing the distortion with sheer stability."
Xiong Yu scoffed. "Lucky. The lake didn't hit him with the same force as before."
Nie Tong shot him a cold glance. "You wouldn't have survived even this weakened version."
Xiong Yu's face darkened, but he said nothing.
Yun Lintian steadied himself, preparing to take the second step. But just as his foot hovered over the water, his instincts screamed.
He leaped back instantly—
A colossal column of water erupted where he had stood, piercing the sky like a divine spear. The sheer force of it ripped apart space itself, leaving behind a swirling void where the attack had passed.
Even from a distance, the shockwave sent Nie Tong, Qian Jinglei, and Xiong Yu stumbling back.
"That…" Qian Jinglei whispered, her face pale, "would have killed even a Primordial God."
They had just realized how lucky they were to be alive after attacking the lake previously.
Yun Lintian's expression turned grim. "So the lake adapts."
The moment Yun Lintian withdrew, the lake's surface calmed again—as if resetting. He would have to start over.
Yun Lintian took a deep breath and took the first step again.
The same shockwave struck, but this time, Yun Lintian was faster.
Golden light surged from his feet, anchoring him to the lake's surface as the Mountain God's power reinforced his body. The temporal distortion still wracked his flesh, but he endured, refusing to be thrown back.
Blood dripped from his lips, but he stood firm.
This time, Yun Lintian didn't hesitate. The moment his foot touched the water for the second step, he activated the Storm God's movement technique, blurring sideways—
Another water column speared upward, missing him by inches. The force of its passage burned his sleeve, but he was unharmed.
"It predicts my movement," Yun Lintian realized. "The lake isn't just attacking—it's learning."
Yun Lintian withdrew again, his mind racing.
"If it adapts… then I'll have to be unpredictable."
This time, when he took the first step, he didn't just block—he redirected.
A barrier enhanced by the Mountain God's power quickly appeared before him.
The temporal shockwave slammed into his barrier, but instead of resisting, he angled the defense, sending the distortion spiraling harmlessly into the sky.
Now, for the second step.
Instead of stepping normally, he vanished, using the Void God's spatial step—
The lake erupted where he should have been, but he was already three feet to the left, his foot touching down safely.
But the trial wasn't over.
The moment Yun Lintian prepared for the third step, the lake's surface darkened.
Not just water this time—liquid time itself gathered beneath him, forming a swirling vortex of annihilation.
"Oh, you're serious now," Yun Lintian muttered.
Yun Lintian's eyes narrowed as the swirling vortex of liquid time formed beneath him. The air itself screamed in protest as space fractured around the growing maelstrom.
Blue energy surged around Yun Lintian as he summoned the power of flowing water to counteract the vortex's pull.
A massive earthen barrier reinforced his position, stabilizing his footing.
Golden light enveloped his body, attempting to neutralize the temporal distortions.
For a brief moment, the three divine powers held firm against the vortex. The lake's surface trembled violently as the competing energies clashed.
The Mountain God's barrier shattered first, crumbling into dust.
The River God's flow destabilized next, the water energy dissipating into mist.
Finally, the God of Balance's golden light flickered and died.
The full force of the vortex slammed into Yun Lintian. His body convulsed as temporal energy ravaged his meridians. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was forced back—
Right into the path of the second step's water column attack.
At the last possible instant, Yun Lintian vanished, reappearing back on the shore. His knees buckled as he landed, barely catching himself with one hand.
Linlin and Qingqing immediately jumped down from his shoulders, their small faces filled with concern.
Yun Lintian waved them off, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "I'm fine."
His mismatched eyes burned with determination as he stared at the now-calm lake.
Beneath the lake, Tang Wei's liquid form rippled violently. "Incredible! To withstand even a fraction of that vortex... this man is indeed extraordinary!"
Long Chen's hands trembled. "Senior Tang, is there truly no way to break through?"
Ling Xuan shook her head, her usual confidence shaken. "That attack... no one could survive it. The lake's power is absolute."
Xiong Ba scoffed, though his face was pale. "Then we're all doomed to die here."