The weeks of intense, specialized cultivation in the Silent Cloud Shrine had finally culminated in a fragile but functional synergy. Lin Feng's Six-Law Crucible felt like a perfectly balanced, immensely complex machine within his core. He was now ready for the Silent Star Crevice—a naturally occurring nexus of distorted spatial and temporal Laws.
His most agonizing preparation had been the attempt to integrate the minimal concept of the Law of Time into his already crowded Void Domain. Time was a Heavenly Law, far above the elements of the Mortal Star Field, and even with the aid of the Essence of Transcendent Insight, Lin Feng felt like a child trying to hold the ocean.
"The Void is the medium for all laws, but Time... Time is the conductor," Lin Feng murmured to himself, resting a hand on the cool stone floor. He had spent hours attempting to slow his perception by mere microseconds. The effort left his spiritual sea drained and his mind aching, often resulting in momentary disorientation where his vision lagged behind reality. He hadn't achieved control, only the faintest, most rudimentary perception of the timeline's flow, enough to potentially sense a spatial trap half a second before it sprung.
"It will have to suffice," he decided, rising with a ruthless determination. The purpose wasn't to fight time, but to use his perception of its flow to navigate the spatial chaos.
The final tactical meeting took place in the main chamber, lit only by the soft, controlled light of Xia Qingwu's Phoenix Fire.
"The Crevice is not a single location, but a dynamic, twisting network of spatial folds," Yin Xiu explained, tracing lines on her geological map with a sliver of solidified shadow. "If the spatial folds don't tear us apart, the temporal fluctuations will. An hour of cultivation inside could be an entire day outside, or worse—a year."
Xia Qingwu presented her solution: three vials of viscous, shimmering liquid. "These are Anti-Temporal Agents. Not capable of stopping the flow of Time, but they will stabilize our internal Qi against minor temporal distortions. Crucially, they prevent the sudden, rapid aging effect if we hit a major temporal vortex."
She handed a vial to Wanying. "Wanying, your role is crucial. Your Primordial Ice Law is the purest elemental energy we have. We need you to sustain a continuous, absolute cold field around the Astral Jade once we locate it. It must be frozen instantly to prevent the destabilization caused by the Crevice's spatial Qi."
Wanying accepted the vial, her silver eyes resolute. "My core is stabilized by the Void. I will maintain the absolute cold. My Law is ready for this task."
Lin Feng surveyed his three allies—each an Origin King, each fiercely independent, and each bringing a unique, indispensable skill to the mission. He couldn't help but feel a surge of arrogant pride in his command.
"We are not here to fight the Dynasty; we are here to rob a natural treasure," Lin Feng stated, his voice calm and commanding. "Yin Xiu, your path is lawless. Qingwu, your defense is absolute. Wanying, your cold is the final purification. I will be the eyes and the anchor."
He paused, then added with a casual, confident grin: "If we get stuck in a time loop, at least we can enjoy a few extra years of practice before the next big fight."
The journey to the Silent Star Crevice was a testament to Yin Xiu's stealth mastery. They spent a full week navigating remote mountain trails, bypassing military patrols, and slipping through minor territorial borders.
The Crevice itself was an unsettling sight. It was not a grand valley, but a small, jagged tear in the side of a massive black monolith of stone, radiating a faint, high-pitched whine that grated on the ears. The air was thick with residual spatial energy, causing Lin Feng's own Void Domain to hum in uncomfortable sympathy.
"The outer boundary," Yin Xiu whispered, her form already blurring into a shadow. "From here, the physics of this plane are unreliable. Be prepared for anything."
Lin Feng led the way, stepping first into the fissure. The change was instantaneous and disorienting.
The path ahead was impossibly twisted, folding back on itself in non-Euclidean angles. A small pebble Lin Feng had just stepped over was now impossibly floating five feet to his left. The light itself seemed to bend and warp.
"Keep close!" Lin Feng shouted, channeling the full power of his Void Domain.
He allowed his mind to sink into the painful, barely perceptible state of temporal awareness. For a flickering moment, he saw reality not as a static image, but as a series of layered timelines: the path they were on, the path they would take if they stepped wrong, and the path where they had already been reduced to dust.
"To the right!" Lin Feng commanded sharply, pulling Wanying and Xia Qingwu back an instant before the space directly in front of them violently compressed, forming an invisible, silent blade that would have sheared them in half.
"That was a spatial shear," Xia Qingwu breathed, pale. "I didn't sense it."
"I saw the timeline where we died," Lin Feng admitted, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow. The effort had been tremendous. "It only gave me half a second of warning. This entire place is a natural formation test."
They moved deeper into the labyrinthine fold of the Crevice. Lin Feng maintained the psychic pressure, constantly scanning the temporal layers.
Suddenly, Wanying stumbled. She looked down at her hand in horror. A single, small crystal of ice she had manifested for warmth was rapidly shrinking, consuming itself.
"The spatial fluctuations are destabilizing my Law!" Wanying cried out. "The purity is too much for this chaos. I can't maintain control!"
Lin Feng acted instantly. He unleashed his newly refined Void-Wood/Water Loop, not as an attack, but as a soothing, regenerative shell around her Primordial Ice Domain. The resilient, life-sustaining energy of the Wood and Water elements formed a stable buffer, gently cradling Wanying's fragile core.
"Restrain it, Wanying! I will be your sanctuary," Lin Feng instructed, his face grim with focus.
His arrogance was forgotten, replaced by the deep, protective commitment of a sovereign. He had not only countered the spatial threat but simultaneously used his unique power to protect his most vulnerable ally.
They had navigated the external temporal traps and countered Wanying's internal threat. But as they rounded a massive, shimmering rock formation, the tunnel opened into a large cavern.
The air here was electric, and in the center of the cavern, emitting a terrifying aura of ancient power, was not a Dynasty guard, but a creature. It was small, no larger than a kitten, with fur the color of starlight and eyes that resembled swirling galaxies.
And it was crying, its powerful, cosmic wails causing the very space around them to ripple and shatter.