Yun Lintian tried to sit up, but a sharp pain lanced through his chest. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself upright, his hands pressing against the cold surface beneath him. His divine sense surged outward—only to rebound as if hitting an invisible wall.
His brows furrowed. This wasn't right. Even in the most secure prisons, his divine sense could extend at least a few meters. Here, it was like his perception had been severed entirely.
A prison designed specifically for him?
Gu Tianyi had said this was the will of "the one who bound him." Someone even the Overseer couldn't defy.
Yun Lintian's jaw tightened.
Summoning the Seed of Time, he willed time to reverse around him, undoing his injuries. But nothing happened. The Seed pulsed weakly in his Divine Core, its power muted.
A low chuckle echoed through the darkness.
"Struggling is pointless."
The voice was deep, ancient, carrying the weight of epochs.
Yun Lintian's head snapped toward the sound. "Who's there?"
Only the faint sound of footsteps—slow, deliberate—approaching from the dark.
Yun Lintian's muscles coiled, ready to fight even without his full power.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Cloaked in shadows that clung to him like a second skin. His face was obscured, but his eyes…
Not like Gu Tianyi's. Not like the Chasm's.
These were voids that watched.
"You're awake," the figure said, his tone almost amused. "Good. I was beginning to think you'd sleep through the end."
Yun Lintian's fists clenched. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted his head. "A warden. A guide. A remnant." He stepped closer, the darkness parting for him. "Call me what you will. It makes no difference."
Yun Lintian's instincts screamed. This man—if he could even be called that—was dangerous. More dangerous than Nian Shi. More dangerous than the Chasm.
Because he was unknown.
"Why am I here?" Yun Lintian demanded.
The figure chuckled again. "Because you're not ready."
Yun Lintian's blood ran cold.
The figure continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You think you understand your enemies. Nian Shi. The Chasm. But you've only seen fragments. Shadows." He leaned in. "There is a third player. One who has moved in the dark since the beginning."
Gu Tianyi's warning flashed in Yun Lintian's mind. "The hidden enemy you are not yet aware of."
Was this that person?
This man didn't feel like an enemy.
The figure straightened. "You will remain here until you awaken the final power within you. The power that even the Creator feared."
Yun Lintian's breath caught. "What power?"
The figure didn't answer. Instead, he raised a hand—
And the darkness moved.
It coiled around Yun Lintian like a serpent, seeping into his pores, his meridians, his soul.
White-hot, all-consuming agony.
Yun Lintian's back arched as he screamed, his voice swallowed by the void.
The figure watched, unmoved. "The Seed of Time was never yours to begin with. It was always a key. A key to this."
The pain intensified.
Yun Lintian's vision blurred. His bones cracked. His blood boiled.
From deep within his soul.
Yun Lintian collapsed to his knees, gasping. His body trembled, but his mind…
His mind was clearer than ever.
The figure nodded, satisfied. "Good. You've heard it."
"Heard what?" Yun Lintian rasped.
"Your truth... What you truly are."
With that, the figure stepped back, merging with the darkness once more.
"But the trial is just beginning."
"Survive, and you will understand everything."
Leaving Yun Lintian alone in the dark.
With nothing but his thoughts.
And the echo of that voice.
"More what?" Yun Lintian was puzzled.
Minutes. Hours. Days.
Yun Lintian couldn't tell.
The darkness was endless. The silence, absolute.
But he didn't despair.
Because now, he knew.
This wasn't a prison.
A trial to awaken something more.
Yun Lintian sat motionless in the endless darkness, his brows furrowed in deep concentration.
"Gate of Beyond Heaven!"
The ancient artifact that had always answered his call remained silent. His connection to it—severed.
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Without the Gate, without his divine sense, he couldn't locate Linlin, Qingqing, or Long Qingxuan. Were they safe? Had they escaped the Temporal Palace's collapse?
He clenched his fists.
If this was truly a trial, then panicking wouldn't help. He needed to understand the rules.
Closing his eyes, Yun Lintian turned his attention inward, to his Divine Core.
There, floating in the center of his core, was the Seed of Time—its usual golden radiance dimmed to a faint glow. Beneath it, the Tree of Life stood tall, its branches stretching endlessly. Surrounding them were the manifestations of his powers
The blazing Sun. The tranquil Moon. The raging Storm. The crackling Thunder. The unyielding Golden Mountain. The fertile Earth. The spinning Spatial Wheel. The radiant Light Pole. And the devouring Dark Pearl.
Yet none seemed connected to the Seed of Time. They existed as separate entities, orbiting but never interacting.
One by one, he tried activating his other relics—all useless.
Nothing responded to his command. It was as if he'd been reduced to a mortal.
A cold realization dawned on him.
This wasn't just a suppression of power.
This was a separation.
Yun Lintian frowned deeply… What he was supposed to do?
Time passed as he tried to figure out. It was because he was also worried about Linlin and the others that made him lose focus from time to time.
Yun Lintian had no idea how long it had passed.
It was at that moment did he remember the shadowy figure's words.
"The Seed of Time was never yours to begin with."
"Not mine?" Yun Lintian repeated the word to himself.
If it wasn't his… then who was it? Who did it belong to?
Frustration bubbled up, but Yun Lintian forced it down.
Not just the flow of moments. Not just the manipulation of past and future.
The realization struck him like lightning.
Time connected all things. The past to the present. Cause to effect. Seed to fruit.
And right now, his powers weren't connected.