Erha had gone mad.
It had been knocked unconscious by the Time-Space Houn and chained to a massive boulder with some kind of iron chain.
Why had Erha suddenly gone mad? The Time-Space Houn said it might have been possessed. But it was Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's mount—how could it possibly be possessed? It had always been plenty wicked to begin with.
Xie Yi and I arrived where Erha was chained. It had already awakened and was struggling in pain. The chain binding it did not look thick, only as thick as a pinky finger, yet it could not break free at all. The chain radiated a grim black aura, seemingly carrying some kind of dark-element law.
"What kind of chain is this?" Xie Yi had also noticed that something was wrong with it.
"The Time-Slaying Rope. It is condensed from time itself. It can trap this kid at a certain point in time, and he cannot break free from time's restraints."
I narrowed my eyes. The Time-Space Houn actually had such an ability. This seemed to be a true time prison, and it could even Draw a Circle to Imprison.
"Although everything looks normal to us, he is actually at a specific point in time. To him, time has stopped moving."
I nodded, feeling as though I understood a little, yet not quite.
Xie Yi said, "It is like standing on a crowded street where everyone is busy moving toward their own goals, while we are simply standing by the roadside in a daze. The crowd is moving, while we are still. The only difference is that his time has stopped. It is like... like pressing the pause button."
The Time-Space Houn froze for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "You could understand it that way."
I knew Xie Yi's