Myth Beyond Heaven

BOOM—!

The impact was devastating. Nian Shi’s copies were actually pushed back by the two dragons.

The dozen copies, which had formed a perfect siege around Yue Bingyao, were thrown into complete disarray. They were forced on the defensive, their precise temporal attacks replaced by desperate parries and blocks against the twin whirlwinds of scale and fury.

From his vantage point, the prime Nian Shi observed the sudden shift. A slight frown creased his brow. This was… inconvenient. The power surge in the two dragons was beyond his calculations.

The emotional catalyst of their mother’s death, combined with the last vestiges of the Tree of Life’s power, had created a temporary but significant anomaly.

One of his copies, managing to create some distance, shouted towards him, “Their power is unstable but potent! We need to—”

BANG!

The copy’s words were cut off as Long Qingxuan’s tail, moving faster than thought, slammed into it, sending it crashing into a nearby rock formation.

Nian Shi’s frown deepened, but he did not move. His cold logic quickly assessed the situation.

“Let them rage,” he said aloud, his voice cutting through the roars and explosions. He wasn’t talking to his copies; he was reaffirming his own strategy. “Their power is a flashfire. It will burn brightly and then extinguish itself. Their emotions are their fuel, and fuel always runs out. All of you will eventually adapt and suppress them. It is merely a matter of time.”

His silver eyes, devoid of any concern for his struggling copies, refocused on Yue Bingyao. She was the true variable, the reconstructed Primordial God whose power, though waning, was based on a fundamental law of the universe, not fleeting emotion.

“Why do you bother?” Nian Shi asked her, his tone almost conversational amidst the chaos. He took a step forward, the Hourglass in his hand glowing steadily once more. “They fight for a future they will not see. You fight for a past that is already gone. Your light dims, Moon God. I can see the flicker in your aura. How long can you maintain this facade?”

He raised the Hourglass slightly. “Surrender the sword. Step aside. Your end does not have to be as… messy as theirs will be.”

He gestured with his chin towards the raging dragons, a cold dismissal in the gesture. His focus was absolute.

Yue Bingyao did not answer with words. Her response was a silent, undeniable action. As Nian Shi spoke of her fading light, her lunar aura, instead of dimming, flared with renewed intensity.

The silvery light around her solidified, becoming almost tangible, a shield of pure moonlight that pushed against the oppressive pressure of the Hourglass of Beginnings.

She took a single, deliberate step forward.

The ground did not crack. The air did not shake. But the circle of disoriented Nian Shi copies surrounding her was physically forced back several feet by the expansion of her domain. Their forms flickered, struggling to maintain cohesion against the sudden surge of her power.

One copy, slower to react, found itself within arm’s reach. Yue Bingyao’s movement was too fast to follow. The God Slaying Sword, sheathed in moonlight, lanced out in a simple thrust. There was no grand technique, only perfect precision.

Puff!

The blade pierced the copy’s core, and with a sound like shattering crystal, the temporal entity dissolved into nothingness.

She retracted her sword, her expression unchanged, her breathing steady. She stood her ground, an island of serene, constant power amidst the chaos. Her gaze remained locked on the prime Nian Shi, a silent challenge in her moonlit eyes.

Her power was not a flashfire; it was a deep, steady burn, fueled by a resolve as constant as the celestial body she embodied.

Nian Shi’s slight frown deepened into a genuine scowl. His analysis had been wrong. Her decline was not as rapid as he had predicted. This was problematic.

To break her defense truly and quickly would require him to exert more of his true power, to stop playing with temporal manipulations and unleash the raw, unfettered might of the End of Time itself.

His silver eyes flickered, glancing briefly behind him towards the distant figure of Yin.

The embodiment of Uncreation was still watching, a faint, amused smile on his lips. This was the true constraint.

Nian Shi knew, with absolute certainty, that the moment he revealed the full extent of his power against Yue Bingyao, Yin would see an opportunity. He would not honor any truce or stand by idly. He would strike, aiming to eliminate both his rivals in one fell swoop while they were weakened and distracted.

As this thought crossed his mind, Nian Shi noticed something else. Across the battlefield, Number One and Number Two, who had been systematically dismantling his other copies, suddenly stopped their attacks. They disengaged smoothly and retreated to float silently behind Yin, becoming statues of shadow once more.

The message was clear. Yin was pulling his pieces off the board.

As if sensing Nian Shi’s observation, Yin chuckled. The sound carried easily across the distance, light and mocking.

“Go on, Timekeeper,” Yin called out, spreading his hands in a gesture of false magnanimity. “Don’t let me stop you. Show us your true power. I give you my word, I will not interfere. I simply wish to witness the legendary might of the Blade of Eternity firsthand.”

His smile widened. “I promise.”

Nian Shi’s face remained an impassive mask, but cold fury simmered beneath the surface. Believe Yin’s promise? He would be a fool. Yin’s word was worth less than the dust beneath his feet. It was a trap, laid out in the open.

But the trap also presented an opportunity. Yin had withdrawn his hunters. The path was clear for a decisive move, if he could neutralize the threat of a backstab.

Nian Shi’s mind raced through possibilities at the speed of thought. His eyes then fell upon Tantai Lanling, who had been standing guard at a distance, her expression tense as she watched the unfolding calamity.

“Lanling,” Nian Shi’s voice was a sharp, mental command that sliced into her mind. “The Law of Separation. Now. Isolate this sector. Lock me, the Moon God, and Yun Lintian inside. Leave him outside. Maximum strength. Now!”