The sight within the cavern defied all logic. In the center, near where the faint silver light of the Astral Jade Vein pulsed from the rock face, was not a monster, but a child—a creature no larger than a fox pup. Its fur was the deep, swirling color of a nebula, and its powerful, cosmic wails were the source of the dimensional chaos.
This was an Infant Chronos Dragon—a mythical beast rumored to possess mastery over both Space and Time, a bloodline that had been extinct in the Mortal Star Field for millennia.
"It's... adorable," Xia Qingwu whispered, momentarily forgetting the danger.
"It's an elemental nuclear reactor," Lin Feng corrected, his voice tight with focus. "It's a baby, but its power is absolute. Its uncontrolled cries are tearing the fabric of the Crevice. We must not harm it; we must subdue it."
The creature's distress intensified. Its wails became visible energy: Temporal Rifts—shimmering, heatless waves of distortion—rippled outward, causing the cavern walls to flicker through different states of existence. A section of the wall momentarily dissolved into dust, only to reappear instantly, aged by a thousand years.
"Temporal Rift inbound! That will age us into dust!" Yin Xiu shrieked, instantly activating her signature defensive skill: Shadow Veil Displacement—a fluid manipulation of her own Domain to slightly displace their positions in space.
Lin Feng felt the temporal wave wash over him, and for a terrifying instant, he sensed his own life force flicker. The Anti-Temporal Agents Xia Qingwu concocted barely mitigated the effect. He knew a direct hit would be fatal.
The creature's next cry was followed by a terrifying spatial attack: Void Collapse Fragments—minute, razor-thin tears in reality, shooting toward them.
Lin Feng stepped forward, his eyes burning with the cold fire of a Sovereign determined to protect his own. He raised his hands, focusing his stabilized Six-Law Crucible into a single defensive technique.
"Void Sovereign Aegis!"
His Origin Domain flared, instantly manifesting a triple-layered defense: an outer shell of Void-Earth (for structural stability), an inner layer of Void-Metal (for absolute hardness), and a continuous flow of the Void-Wood/Water Loop (for instant repair and resilience). The defensive aegis formed an impenetrable dome around the four of them.
The Void Collapse Fragments struck the dome, and while the Void Sovereign Aegis held, Lin Feng felt the immense pressure destabilize his internal cores.
"It's too powerful! We have to find the Jade and leave!" Xia Qingwu yelled, already assessing the rock face.
"No, Qingwu! If we leave, the creature dies from its own power, and the entire Crevice collapses. We subdue it first," Lin Feng insisted. He knew this unique creature was an asset too valuable to lose and a chaotic force too dangerous to leave behind.
Lin Feng needed an attack that could neutralize the creature's power without causing it physical harm.
"Wanying, I need your purest focus! Hit it with the ultimate calming force!"
Wanying, her face strained but resolute, channeled her Primordial Ice Law. She didn't aim to freeze the creature's body; she aimed to freeze the Law itself.
"Ice Empress: Absolute Stillness!"
A single, shimmering, silver-blue beam of Primordial Ice shot from her fingertips. It didn't carry kinetic energy, but pure, terrifying cold that sought to halt all molecular motion. It struck the Infant Chronos Dragon, and for a glorious, brief moment, the surrounding Temporal Rifts slowed, their chaotic energy visibly suppressed by the absolute stillness of the Ice Law.
The effect was instantaneous. The creature's wails softened into confused whines.
"Qingwu, use the stillness! Now!" Lin Feng roared.
Xia Qingwu, leveraging Wanying's temporal slowdown, launched a technique prepared specifically for neutralizing chaotic elemental power.
"Phoenix Seal: Tranquility Cuffs!"
She unleashed three spiraling bands of non-damaging Phoenix Fire Qi—pure, warming energy—designed to gently wrap around the creature. Fire and Ice, normally antagonistic, worked in perfect, calculated synergy. The fire was meant to soothe and contain the temporal chaos, preventing the creature from accidentally erasing itself from the timeline.
The Infant Chronos Dragon was now confused, wrapped in a shimmering cage of Ice and Fire synergy. It wasn't subdued, but it was momentarily manageable.
Lin Feng realized the creature's true fear. It wasn't being attacked; it was afraid of its own catastrophic power.
Lin Feng dropped the Void Sovereign Aegis. The entire structure of the cavern groaned under the renewed spatial pressure. He approached the creature, stepping with deliberate calm, his Void Domain a continuous, soothing hum of absolute neutrality.
"You are safe," Lin Feng spoke softly, his voice amplified by a gentle infusion of his Void-Wood element—the Law of life and gentle growth. "You are powerful, but you are not alone."
He extended his index finger. Around it, he manifested his most advanced, complex technique of control: Void Sovereign Nexus. This technique channeled his entire Six-Law Crucible, allowing the Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, Earth, and Void Laws to cycle in a perfect, harmonious, miniature universe of balance.
Lin Feng gently touched the creature's starlight fur with the Void Sovereign Nexus.
The effect was immediate. The Infant Chronos Dragon, which had only known chaotic, destructive power, felt the perfect harmony and stability of the Six-Law Crucible. It was an environment of absolute balance, the very thing its volatile nature craved.
The creature's galactic eyes focused entirely on Lin Feng. The terrifying chaos stopped, replaced by a low, purring sound that gently stabilized the cavern's spatial flow. The creature melted against Lin Feng's hand, recognizing the ultimate stability it had been desperately seeking.
Yin Xiu cautiously approached the Astral Jade Vein while Lin Feng stabilized the pet. She confirmed the treasure was there.
"The Jade is stable, Feng. We have the Astral Jade Vein," she reported, her voice filled with relief.
Xia Qingwu, recovering her breath, admired Lin Feng's reckless bravery and flawless execution. "You are truly terrifying when you move, Sovereign."
Lin Feng didn't take his eyes off the creature, which was now settling comfortably in the crook of his arm, its purring a continuous, soft stabilization field. He realized that taming the beast was not about force, but about offering a stable sanctuary.
"I need a name for a creature who can travel space and time," Lin Feng mused, scratching the creature's chin.
The creature nudged his hand affectionately.
"We will call you Siku (Time-Space)," Lin Feng decided, a genuine smile replacing his arrogant demeanor. "Welcome to the family, Siku. Your chaos is now my responsibility."
They had achieved the impossible: secured the Astral Jade and tamed a mythical beast with the bloodline of Time and Space. But now they had to quickly extract the Jade and return to the Shrine before the Dynasty or the temporal disturbances caught up to them.