Myth Beyond Heaven

Yun Lintian finally spoke, his voice calm but firm. “You’re not leaving today.”

Rip—

Before Nian Shi could respond, Number Four moved. The Spear of Emptiness thrust forward—not at Yun Lintian, but at the temporal pathways Nian Shi had been preparing for his escape.

The attack consumed not just space, but the very possibility of departure.

Nian Shi’s anger turned to icy rage. “You think trapping me here will benefit you? Fool! That thing will kill us both!”

Even as he spoke, he was already analyzing the dimensional seals Yun Lintian had erected. They were surprisingly sophisticated—woven with both creation and uncreation energy in a way that made them resistant to temporal manipulation.

Number Four advanced, its form shifting between solidity and void. The Mark of Uncreation on its forehead pulsed rhythmically, each beat causing reality to flicker and destabilize.

Nian Shi made a decision instantly. He couldn’t afford to be trapped here with both Yun Lintian and Number Four. Not when he had just gained crucial understanding about Yin’s methods.

The Hourglass of Beginnings materialized again, but this time, Nian Shi didn’t aim it at Number Four. Instead, he turned it toward the dimensional seals—and reversed the flow of time within them.

The golden-black barriers began to unravel, not from force, but from never having been completed in the first place.

Yun Lintian’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t expected Nian Shi to target his seals rather than Number Four.

In that moment of surprise, Nian Shi struck—not at Yun Lintian, but at the space between them.

The Blade of Eternity reappeared, cutting not through dimensions, but through the concept of “obstruction” itself.

BANG!

The path cleared instantly.

Seeing this, Yun Lintian’s hands moved in a blur, forming ancient seals that shimmered with golden-black energy. He immediately performed the Heavenhold Formation, aiming to block Nian Shi’s path again.

Buzz—

Space itself solidified around Nian Shi, layer upon layer of dimensional barriers materializing with impossible complexity. The formation didn’t just block physical movement—it severed temporal pathways, cutting off Nian Shi’s access to alternate timelines.

Nian Shi’s eyes burned with silver fury. “You insignificant ant! Do you truly believe—”

His words were cut off as Number Four’s Spear of Emptiness thrust toward his heart.

BANG!

Nian Shi barely deflected it with the Blade of Eternity, but the impact sent silver blood spraying from his lips.

“Damn you both!” Nian Shi roared, parrying another void-infused strike that sought to consume his very essence.

Yun Lintian maintained the formation calmly, his expression unreadable. He watched as Number Four pressed its attack with relentless precision, completely ignoring his presence. The Uncreation being focused solely on Nian Shi, as if Yun Lintian were merely part of the scenery.

Why doesn’t it target me? Yun Lintian wondered silently. From beginning to end, it’s as if I don’t exist to this creature.

Nian Shi’s situation grew increasingly desperate. Each block cost him more energy, each parry left deeper temporal wounds that refused to heal. The Spear of Emptiness didn’t just damage—it erased parts of his existence across all timelines.

“Yun Lintian! Call off this madness!” Nian Shi shouted between clashes. “You have no idea what you’re playing with!”

Yun Lintian remained silent, strengthening the formation instead. The Heavenhold barriers glowed brighter, becoming increasingly resistant to temporal manipulation.

Number Four’s attacks grew more ferocious. The Mark of Uncreation bled darkness that consumed even the silver light of Nian Shi’s temporal aura. With each passing moment, the God of Time was being pushed closer to true annihilation.

“GOOD! VERY GOOD!” Nian Shi’s voice echoed with finality. Silver blood dripped from numerous wounds as his aura underwent a fundamental transformation. “Since you both seek death… I shall grant it!”

Rumble—

Suddenly, the River of Time materialized fully—not as a manifestation, but as the actual cosmic river itself. Its silver waters swelled, engulfing the entire battlefield and beyond.

Yun Lintian and Number Four were immediately pulled into its currents, their forms buffeted by temporal forces that could erase civilizations.

Nian Shi stood at the river’s heart, his form radiating silvery light so intense it transcended mere brilliance. He was no longer just the God of Time—he had become time’s living embodiment, his every breath shifting epochs, his every heartbeat altering realities.

“Behold the price of provoking time itself,” Nian Shi’s voice carried the weight of dead universes. “In this river, you will experience every possible death across all timelines simultaneously.”

Number Four struggled against the temporal current, the Spear of Emptiness pulsing as it tried to consume the river itself. But this was no ordinary temporal energy—this was the source of time’s flow, the foundation upon which all existence was built.

Yun Lintian’s Heavenhold Formation strained, its barriers cracking under the pressure of the full River of Time’s might. For the first time, he truly understood why Nian Shi was considered among the strongest Primordial Gods.

This wasn’t power. This was authority made manifest.

And it was only getting stronger.

Nian Shi stood at the center of the raging River of Time, his silver eyes cold and merciless. “You thought you could challenge time itself? You are but insects struggling against the inevitable flow of eternity!”

The River of Time compressed around them, its currents becoming crushing forces that sought to grind both Yun Lintian and Number Four into nothingness.

The pressure was immense—every moment contained the weight of entire epochs, every droplet of silver water held the memory of dead civilizations.

Yun Lintian gritted his teeth, the Seed of Time within his Divine Core spinning frantically. Golden-black energy surged around him as he tried to assert control over the temporal forces.

But the River resisted his command. This wasn’t like the temporal energies he had manipulated before—this was the source itself, wild and primordial, answering only to its true master.

Nian Shi laughed coldly. “Fool! You wield a fragment of time’s power and think you can command the ocean? That Seed is but a drop in my river!”

The pressure intensified. Yun Lintian felt his bones cracking under the temporal weight, his very existence being stretched across countless timelines simultaneously.

Just as it seemed both would be crushed into oblivion, something changed.

Number Four’s form shuddered violently. Its aura plummeted for a heartbeat—then exploded outward with terrifying force.

BOOM!

Yun Lintian was blasted out of the River’s currents, thrown through layers of reality until he crashed through the dimensional barriers he himself had erected. Blood sprayed from his lips as he tumbled through the void.

What happened next made both him and Nian Shi stare in shock…