Yin’s smile never wavered as he examined his creations.
Just as he had designed them.
"Listen well," he said softly. "Your targets are simple."
"First—Nian Shi’s little toys. Break them."
"Second—the remnants of the Creator’s power. Consume them."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Leave Yun Lintian to me."
The ten shadows bowed.
No words were needed.
Yin turned, his robes fluttering as he strode toward the abyss’s exit.
Behind him, the ten figures dissolved into the darkness—each heading to a different timeline, a different battlefield.
There would be no survivors.
Nian Shi’s silver eyes narrowed as Yin’s presence vanished completely from his perception. For the first time in eternity, a trace of unease flickered in his heart.
His countless selves across timelines immediately activated, scouring every corner of existence for any trace of Yin.
Tantai Lanling watched as Nian Shi’s fingers tightened around his throne. "Master?"
Nian Shi ignored her. His mind raced.
He had studied Yin meticulously—through the Creator’s ancient records, through countless experiments with corrupted Primordial Gods. Those tainted by Yin’s power were strong, yes, but manageable. That’s why he had allowed Yun Lintian to hunt them freely.
Yin shouldn’t be able to disappear completely. Not from him.
Nian Shi closed his eyes. Behind him, the River of Time surged violently as he pushed his power to its limits, peering into countless future possibilities.
Blood sprayed from Nian Shi’s lips, staining his silver robes crimson. His eyes snapped open, pupils trembling with disbelief.
Tantai Lanling gasped. "Master! What—"
Nian Shi wiped the blood from his mouth, his expression darkening.
For the first time since his birth, the River of Time had shown him nothing. No possibilities. No outcomes. Just... emptiness.
A cold laugh escaped his lips.
"As expected of the Uncreation."
Tantai Lanling’s face paled. She had never seen Nian Shi —not frustrated, not angry, but... unsettled.
"What do we do?" she whispered.
Nian Shi’s fingers twitched. "Prepare the contingencies."
His gaze turned toward where Yun Lintian meditated.
"And accelerate the plan."
In a distant timeline, the sky split open.
A black-robed figure descended upon a thriving divine realm, his presence alone causing the land to wither. Flowers turned to ash. Rivers ran black.
The local Primordial Gods sensed the intrusion immediately.
The God of Sunlight roared, his golden aura flaring. "Who dares—"
The black-robed figure raised a hand.
The god exploded into motes of light, his essence devoured before he could scream.
The other gods froze.
"Lord Yin sends his regards."
Then the slaughter began.
Yun Lintian sat cross-legged in his pocket dimension, golden-black energy swirling around him as he refined his power. The God Slaying Sword hovered at his side, pulsing with restrained energy.
Outside the dimension, space rippled.
Nian Shi stepped into the void, his silver robes pristine as always. His eyes narrowed as he observed Yun Lintian’s isolation.
"Enough hiding," he uttered coldly "It’s time to—"
A spear of pure darkness pierced through space, aimed directly at Nian Shi’s throat.
Nian Shi’s pupils contracted.
Or at least, it should have.
But the spear kept moving.
Nian Shi barely twisted aside, the dark edge grazing his cheek as he retreated. A thin line of silver blood dripped down his face.
His gaze snapped toward the attacker.
A figure in black robes stood silently, his face obscured by mist. A dark spear materialized in his grip once more.
"Number Four," the figure said simply.
Yun Lintian’s eyes opened.
For the first time in years, surprise flickered across his face.
Number Four didn’t even glance at Yun Lintian. His focus remained entirely on Nian Shi.
The dark spear lashed out again.
Nian Shi raised a hand, summoning a barrier of condensed time—
The spear shattered it effortlessly.
Nian Shi’s expression darkened as he was forced back again, his silver robes fluttering from the impact.
Number Four pressed forward, each strike faster, heavier than the last. The void itself trembled under the force of their clashes.
Yun Lintian watched silently but he was shocked inwardly.
Nian Shi—the being who had always seemed untouchable—was actually being suppressed.
And this "Number Four" wasn’t even using his full power.
He was testing Nian Shi.
Nian Shi’s silver eyes flashed with cold fury as he wiped the blood from his cheek. The wound stung—a sensation he hadn’t experienced in eons.
"Who are you?" His voice carried the weight of countless timelines.
Number Four remained silent, his dark spear twirling effortlessly.
Nian Shi’s frown deepened. "Yin’s dog, then?"
Still no response. Only the hum of the dark spear cutting through space.
Nian Shi sneered. "Pathetic."
With a wave of his hand, he unleashed the full might of time itself—
—and watched in shock as the temporal energy dissipated before reaching Number Four.
An invisible vortex surrounded the black-robed figure, devouring Nian Shi’s power like a black hole consuming light.
Time couldn’t be nullified.
Yet here it was happening before his eyes.
Yun Lintian stood up and stared at Number Four solemnly. Even he hadn’t expected this.
Number Four finally spoke, his voice flat: "Time means nothing to Uncreation."
The spear thrust forward.
Nian Shi barely dodged, his silver robes tearing as the weapon grazed his side. More blood spilled—divine blood that should have regenerated instantly but didn’t.
The wounds resisted healing.
Another impossibility.
Nian Shi’s aloof demeanor cracked. For the first time, true alarm flickered across his face.
He tried again—rewinding time locally to undo his injuries.
Number Four advanced, each step measured, each strike precise. "Your tricks won’t work."
Nian Shi’s mind raced. This wasn’t just resistance to time manipulation—this was complete immunity.
Yun Lintian observed coldly from the sidelines. The mighty God of Time, forced into retreat by a single attacker.
Number Four’s spear blurred—
—and Nian Shi screamed as it pierced his shoulder, pinning him to a fragment of broken spacetime.
Silver blood dripped onto the void below.
The God of Time, impaled like a common mortal...