Nian Shi spread his arms wide, the hourglass floating between them as golden sand swirled in impossible patterns. His silver eyes gleamed with cruel amusement as he regarded Yun Lintian.
"Since the Creator died by my hand," he began, his voice dripping with mockery, "countless ’Seeds of Fate’ have emerged across the timelines. Potential successors. Would-be Creators."
He gestured toward the rift in space, where fleeting images flickered—figures that bore subtle resemblances to Yun Lintian. Some wielded swords of starlight, others commanded armies of divine beasts, all radiating terrifying power.
"Like you," Nian Shi continued, "they rose through the ranks. Gathered power. Thought themselves destined for greatness." His lips curled into a razor-edged smile. "Do you know why none succeeded?"
Yun Lintian remained silent, his golden-black eyes fixed on Nian Shi. The God Slaying Sword hummed quietly at his side, its dark edge pulsing with restrained energy.
Nian Shi chuckled. "Because those idiots thought they were predators." His voice dropped to a whisper. "When in truth, they were always prey."
The air thickened as Nian Shi stepped forward, his silver robes rippling despite the frozen time.
"Just like you." His gaze locked onto Yun Lintian’s. "You think you’re the hunter? The apex existence?" A cold laugh escaped his lips. "You’re nothing but a bug dancing in my palm."
He twirled the hourglass, watching the golden sand defy gravity. "No matter how strong you become, no matter how many gods you slaughter..." His smile widened. "...you’ll always be prey. My prey."
Yun Lintian’s response was a single, devastating slash.
The God Slaying Sword screamed through space, its edge severing the very concept of "arrogance." The attack should have cleaved Nian Shi in half—
—but the God of Time simply raised the hourglass.
The sword struck the artifact with a sound like shattering stars. Golden sand exploded outward, forming a swirling barrier that absorbed the blow completely.
Nian Shi didn’t even flinch. "Still don’t understand?" He sighed theatrically. "Let me show you."
The hourglass pulsed.
Yun Lintian’s body locked in place. Not frozen by external force, but by something far worse—his own power turning against him. The Seed of Time in his Divine Core convulsed, its energy reversing flow, surging backward through his meridians.
His veins bulged as golden light leaked from his pores. His muscles seized. Even his thoughts slowed, as if drowning in molasses.
Nian Shi stepped closer, examining Yun Lintian like a specimen. "The fragment in this hourglass isn’t just a piece of the Seed." He tapped Yun Lintian’s abdomen, right over his Divine Core. "It’s the original control mechanism. The Creator’s failsafe."
A cruel smile. "And now, it’s mine."
Yun Lintian’s eyes burned with silent fury, but his body refused to obey.
Nian Shi leaned in, his whisper carrying the weight of eons:
"Every move you’ve made, every power you’ve gained—it was all according to my design." He gestured to the frozen rift, where images of other "Seeds" flickered. "Like them, you were never meant to win. Only to grow strong enough... to be worth harvesting."
The hourglass glowed brighter, its sand swirling faster. With each passing second, Yun Lintian felt his connection to the Seed of Time weakening—not being severed, but being overwritten.
Nian Shi’s will was replacing his own.
"Don’t look so grim," Nian Shi teased. "Your body will make an excellent vessel. Far better than those other failures." His fingers brushed Yun Lintian’s cheek, leaving trails of silver light. "With your strength and my knowledge, becoming the new Creator will be trivial."
Yun Lintian’s fingers twitched.
"Still resisting? Admirable." Nian Shi raised the hourglass. "But futile."
The sand surged upward in a violent spiral, forming chains of golden light that coiled around Yun Lintian’s limbs. Each link pulsed with temporal energy, binding not just his body, but his very existence across all timelines.
Nian Shi stepped back, admiring his handiwork. "Perfect."
Yun Lintian was smiling.
Not a smile of defiance. Not a grin of desperation.
A cold, calculated smirk that sent a shiver down Nian Shi’s spine.
Yun Lintian’s voice, when it came, was calm. "You talk too much."
The sound echoed through the void as the golden chains shattered. Not from external force—but from within.
Nian Shi’s eyes widened. "Impossible! The control mechanism—"
"—only works," Yun Lintian interrupted, "if the Seed is complete."
He raised his free hand—
—and opened his palm.
A tiny, shimmering fragment of golden sand floated above it.
Nian Shi’s breath hitched. "When did you—?!"
"The moment you activated the hourglass." Yun Lintian closed his fist, crushing the fragment.
The remaining chains disintegrated. The hourglass trembled violently in Nian Shi’s grip, its sand scattering like frightened birds.
Yun Lintian stepped forward, his aura expanding with each word.
"You’re right about one thing." The God Slaying Sword flared to life, its darkness deepening. "There is a predator here."
His golden-black eyes burned.
Nian Shi’s composure shattered.
He lunged backward, tearing open a rift in time—only for Yun Lintian to flick his wrist and seal it shut.
Space itself became a prison.
Yun Lintian’s body erupted with golden-black energy, the chaotic fusion of Creation and Destruction pulsing violently through his meridians. The Seed of Time in his Divine Core resonated, weaving temporal power into the mix.
Nian Shi’s silver eyes widened.
He’s been holding back.
The realization struck too late.
Not through space. Not through time.
But by erasing the distance between them entirely.
The God Slaying Sword, wreathed in swirling chaos energy, slammed toward Nian Shi’s chest—
—and the God of Time finally unleashed his true power.
The Blade of Eternity materialized in Nian Shi’s grasp, its edge shimmering with the weight of infinite timelines. He swung it upward to block—
The collision shattered reality.
An apocalyptic explosion erupted, consuming everything in a storm of golden-black and silver energy. Stars vaporized. Galaxies trembled. The very fabric of existence groaned under the strain.
Two figures stood amidst the ruins of space, both barely recognizable.
Yun Lintian’s robes hung in tatters, his body covered in wounds that pulsed with silver energy—Nian Shi’s temporal corrosion eating away at his flesh. Blood, golden and shimmering, dripped from his lips.
Opposite him, Nian Shi fared no better.
His silver robes were charred black, his once-pristine skin cracked and bleeding. The Blade of Eternity in his hand had fractured, its edge dulled. His breathing was ragged, his divine aura flickering erratically.
They had both underestimated each other.