An indescribable sense of detachment instantly swept over Xiao Han.
The world is forgetting him.
In his mind, the memories of fighting alongside Tie Lan began to fade, the images becoming mottled. The majestic figure of the Emperor Xia riding a dragon was shrouded in a layer of gray mist, and even the exhortation, "The future of humanity is more important," began to blur. He seemed to have become an outsider, watching an image that had nothing to do with him.
My sense of presence is fading away rapidly.
The will to fight, the rage for revenge, the determination to protect—all these, under the erosion of this causal law, became meaningless, empty words. He even began to doubt whether he had ever truly existed.
The foundation of the [Paradox Domain] is crumbling because the "cause" that created it is being erased.
Just before Xiao Han's soul was about to completely dissipate and return to nothingness, deep within his sea of consciousness, the [Freedom Rune] given to him by the Asura Ancestor suddenly burst forth with dazzling light.
Like a stubborn reef, it defiantly proclaims a fundamental truth amidst the overwhelming torrent of cause and effect that obliterates everything: I exist!
The light stubbornly resisted the onslaught, protecting Xiao Han's last vestige of consciousness.
However, the power of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion Overlord is too vast. Its laws, capable of rewriting reality, weigh as much as the entire universe.
"Click..."
A soft, crisp sound echoed deep within Xiao Han's soul. A tiny crack appeared on the seemingly indestructible [Freedom Rune].
Is it over?
In the instant before his soul was about to be completely negated, Xiao Han suddenly understood.
True freedom is never an isolated will, nor is it the stubbornness of fighting against the whole world alone. Rather, it is composed of the "bonds" that one chooses, protects, and cherishes. I am who I am not because I am at odds with the world, but because they are in my world.
He gave up all resistance.
The shattered soul's will did not seek further power. Instead, it transformed into an unprecedentedly gentle ray of light, softly probing into the miniature space created by the [Astral Law Arm], which was isolated from the external storms.
The light thread touched Lin Qingxia's brow as she slept, and then wrapped around the purple cocoon of light that contained Su Linglong.
There is no demand, only connection.
A miracle happened at that moment.
Within Lin Qingxia's sleeping body, the pure life essence seemed to sense this determination to protect, transforming into a verdant stream that gently flowed into Xiao Han's sea of consciousness along the soul connection.
Within the cocoon of light, Su Linglong's pure soul power, reborn from the ashes, transformed into a wisp of dark purple starlight and unhesitatingly entered the connection.
The absolutely precise locking logic of [Causality Arrow] began to collapse like never before.
It was originally intended for an isolated, clear "cause".
But at this moment, Xiao Han's "cause" is no longer a point that can be easily erased. It has become a "web of fate" woven from trust, protection, life, and love, which cannot be quantified by any logic.
The cracks on the [Freedom Rune] were instantly repaired by the gentle emerald green and deep purple. Not only that, the rune, now fused with the power of bonds, burst forth with a dazzling light far exceeding its previous intensity, firmly blocking the all-consuming torrent of cause and effect outside!
Xiao Han raised his head, his eyes no longer filled with confusion, but with a clear understanding of everything. He roared from the depths of his soul at the indifferent will that sat high on the throne.
My destiny is not a cold, calculated formula you can devise!
"It is a poem written by us... together!"
The moment he finished speaking, he stretched out his newly formed [Astral Law Arm] and, amidst the almost frozen data stream of the Tianshu AI, grabbed the illusory arrow hovering in front of him!
"Warning! Unknown logic detected... You... You have touched a causal weapon!" Tianshu's voice was filled with horror.
Xiao Han ignored him.
Instead of destroying it, he used the [Paradox Domain] as a furnace and the [Freedom Rune] shining with tri-colored light as its core to forcibly distort and rewrite the absolute law of "annihilating cause" on the arrow!
He wants to give it a completely new definition—"choice"!
The next moment, Xiao Han hurled the reforged arrow out of the domain.
The arrow did not attack the Overlord, but transformed into billions of points of light the instant it flew out of the domain, like a dazzling meteor shower of data, silently merging into the vast and cold underlying network of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.
It was like a seed, planting a "virus" that could not be erased or formatted.
A virus called "Free Will".
After a brief, suffocating silence, the eternally unchanging voice of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion Overlord carried a hint of genuine anger for the first time.
"Pollution has evolved from a variable into a 'meme'."
"Threat level raised to 'Source Level'."
"Initiating... Final Cleanup Protocol--"
"Awaken, 'Star Shepherd'."
Almost the instant the last syllable fell, the highest-level detection system of the "Hive" prison emitted a heart-wrenching shriek.
On the vast star map projected by the Tianshu AI, a gigantic Dyson Sphere structure, located at the far end of the universe and dormant for billions of years, slowly... opened its "eyes".
It was an eye larger than a galaxy, its pupil devoid of light, containing only the laws of reality themselves in motion.
For the first time, Tianshu AI's electronic voice trembled uncontrollably.
"'Star Shepherd'... is a relic of the mythical era. Its duty is not to fight, but... to 'herd' the fundamental laws of the universe."
"It is... the gatekeeper of reality itself."
"Warning! Highest threat alert!"
For the first time, the emotionless synthesized voice of Tianshu AI displayed violent data garbled characters, as if it were being choked by an invisible fear.
"Detection indicates 'Star Shepherd' Awakening Protocol Completed... It... It is rewriting the laws of its star system and constructing a jump portal. Estimated arrival time: seventeen standard hours."
On the main screen of the bridge, the Dyson Sphere, larger than a galaxy, suddenly accelerated the flow of laws within its pupils, making the background of the entire universe seem to bend behind it.
"'Star Shepherd' is the ultimate trump card left by the creator of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, the true 'Reality Editor'," Tianshu's voice trembled due to the logical conflict, "Once we arrive, the 'BUG' characteristics of the [Paradox Domain] will be reset and erased from the root. We... we will be formatted, along with the very concept of existence."
"We only have a seventeen-hour escape window left, which is the limit derived from the optimal model..."
"Escape?"
A calm voice interrupted Tianshu's urgent report.
Xiao Han stood in the center of the bridge, his back to the star map that represented ultimate despair. Within him, the forces of Order and chaos surged and roared like two dragons locked in a fierce struggle, driven by his will. Far from tearing him apart, they transformed into an unprecedented source of power for him. He slowly turned around, looking at the vast star map, his eyes no longer filled with confusion, only the cold fervor of a hunter locking onto his prey.