When the light faded, Nian Shi stood alone in the empty void.
His divine sense swept outward, scouring every inch of space for any trace of escape. Any lingering presence.
Every last one of Yun Lintian's loved ones had been wiped from existence.
A cold smile curled Nian Shi's lips.
"I hope you enjoys the gift I've prepared for you, Yun Lintian."
With that, his figure dissolved into silver mist, leaving behind only the hollow echo of his malice.
Far away, in a realm untouched by the battle—
A place resembling the Misty Cloud Sect's sacred peak—
Snow fell in gentle silence.
A tiny spatial rift tore open.
From it fluttered a single, almost invisible fragment of ice.
It landed softly on the snow, indistinguishable from the rest—
—until a faint, childlike voice whispered from within.
The unborn child who should have perished with Lan Hanyu.
Yet here she was—her consciousness clinging to the last remnant of her mother's ice.
"You must hold on," Bing'er murmured, her voice fragile but determined. "I'm going to revive you… soon."
The wind howled, carrying her words into the endless white.
The snow beneath the ice fragment pulsed once.
The Endless Abyss trembled as the silver-haired Nian Shi materialized before the emerald barrier, his divine sense connecting with his trapped counterpart.
"It's done," the outer Nian Shi spoke coldly. "Yun Lintian's women are erased. Not a single trace remains."
Inside the barrier, Nian Shi's lips curled into a vicious smile. His silver eyes locked onto Ning Yue, anticipating despair—a crack in her composure.
"Did you hear that, little tree spirit?" he mocked. "Your precious 'Big Brother Yun' will return to nothing but ashes."
Ning Yue stood beneath the World Tree's luminous branches, her jade-green eyes calm as still water. Not a single tremor disturbed her expression.
Yin, who had been observing silently, suddenly chuckled. "Interesting." His abyssal gaze studied Ning Yue with renewed curiosity. "Even now, you don't falter. What gives you such confidence?"
Nian Shi's smile faded. This wasn't the reaction he wanted.
"Are you deaf?" he snapped. "Yun Qianxue, Lin Xinyao, Lan Hanyu—all of them are gone! Even that insolent daughter of his was unmade!"
Ning Yue's only response was a faint smile.
That single word, spoken so lightly, sent a ripple of unease through both Nian Shi.
The outer Nian Shi's expression darkened. "You think this changes anything? Their deaths are absolute. Even if Yun Lintian returns, he'll find only—"
"Enough." Yin interrupted, his voice dripping with amusement. "Nian Shi, is this your grand plan? Killing some women to break his spirit?" He shook his head mockingly. "How pathetic. We're still trapped here."
Nian Shi's face twisted with fury. "You—!"
His gaze flicked to Long Yi, who stood frozen in shock. A realization struck him—
His divine sense swept across the collapsed timeline.
"Long Xi... Nantian Fengyu... Yun Niu... Yun Xia... that descendant of Black Turtle God." His eyes narrowed. "They weren't there."
The outer Nian Shi's expression mirrored his counterpart's. "They must have crossed to another timeline."
"So what?" the trapped Nian Shi sneered. "Even if those stragglers live, it changes nothing. Yun Lintian's wives—his true women—are dead. That's what matters."
Ning Yue's smile deepened slightly.
Yin laughed, a sound like crumbling stars. "Oh, Nian Shi. You still don't understand, do you?" He gestured lazily at Ning Yue. "She knows something. Something you've missed."
Both Nian Shi turned to Ning Yue, their silver eyes burning with suspicion.
The outer Nian Shi stepped closer to the barrier, his voice dangerously soft. "What game are you playing, World Tree?"
Ning Yue tilted her head, her jade-green eyes reflecting ancient wisdom.
She paused for a moment and added. "And this time, time won't be on your side."
Her words hung in the air.
The Endless Abyss fell into an eerie silence.
Two Nian Shi and Yin stood frozen, their gazes locked onto Ning Yue's calm figure. For the first time in their eternal existences, they felt something foreign—unease.
Ning Yue's words echoed in their minds.
This time, time won't be on your side...
A threat? A prophecy?
Neither Nian Shi nor Yin could decipher it, and that uncertainty gnawed at them.
Yin chuckled, breaking the silence. His abyssal eyes gleamed with dark amusement.
"Little sapling... you truly make me curious." He tilted his head, studying her like a puzzle. "In all my existence, no one has ever made me feel this way. What secret are you hiding?"
Ning Yue didn't answer.
Yin's smile widened. "No matter. If you won't speak... I'll force you to."
Even suppressed by the World Tree's power, the Chasm of Uncreation's might was terrifying. Darkness surged around him, devouring the very fabric of reality near the barrier.
The two Nian Shi acted simultaneously.
The outer Nian Shi raised the Blade of Eternity, its fractured edge humming with temporal annihilation. He slashed at the barrier, each strike carving wounds in spacetime itself.
Inside, the trapped Nian Shi moved with lethal precision. His fingers danced, weaving threads of stolen time—accelerating, reversing, looping—all aimed at Ning Yue's core.
The barrier trembled under their combined assault. Cracks spiderwebbed across its emerald surface, yet Ning Yue remained unmoved.
Her jade-green eyes flickered with something unreadable.
The World Tree's roots pulsed.
Yin, sensing something amiss, hesitated—but it was too late.
Ning Yue's aura exploded.
The barrier didn't shatter outward—it imploded, collapsing inward with terrifying speed. In an instant, it shrank from encompassing the entire battlefield to a tiny sphere surrounding only Ning Yue, the World Tree, and Long Yi.
The sphere disappeared without a trace.
No spatial fluctuations. No residual energy.
Nian Shi's Blade of Eternity struck empty air. Yin's darkness clawed at nothingness.
The two Nian Shi exchanged glances, their silver eyes wide with disbelief.
"Impossible," the outer Nian Shi hissed. "Even the World Tree shouldn't be able to escape my perception!"
Yin's laughter cut through the void—but this time, it wasn't mocking. It was... intrigued.
"Fascinating." His abyssal gaze swept the empty space where Ning Yue had stood. "She was actually waiting for this moment."
The two Nian Shi didn't say anything. They tried to search for Ning Yue and the World Tree across countless timeline but nothing could be found.