The Crisis of Total Annihilation
In a world shrouded in gray fog, time seemed to lose its meaning.
Lin Yi and Liu Yun had been walking through this desolate place for two whole days.
The surrounding scenery remained unchanged.
The billowing gray fog, the jagged black stones, and the ground covered with fine dust created a monotonous and oppressive atmosphere.
"Team leader, we've explored about 300 kilometers in this direction."
Liu Yun's voice came through, sounding slightly tired.
Although the wings of light on his back had regained some of their luster, the aftereffects of the Burning Light Method had not completely subsided.
Lin Yi did not turn around, his gaze calmly sweeping across the area shrouded in gray fog ahead.
His clone scouted ahead, its form appearing and disappearing in the mist.
"Continue to deploy relay nodes to ensure overlapping signal coverage."
"Clear."
Liu Yun took out a relay and skillfully embedded it into a relatively flat crevice in the rock wall.
The faint light flowing across the surface of the device quickly dimmed, entering stealth mode.
This has been one of their main tasks over the past two days: to build a communication network as wide as possible in this secret realm where rules are strictly enforced.
The frequency of Mist Beast appearances seems to have increased slightly in this area.
In two days, Lin Yi killed more than forty of these monsters formed from condensed mist.
Most of them are at the early stage of the Star Core level, with occasional individuals at the Star Vortex level. However, in the face of the laws of time, they are not fundamentally different from their weaker counterparts.
Time stands still, space is divided.
This has become Lin Yi's standard combat procedure in the secret realm.
Highly efficient, energy-saving, and leaves no trace.
The gray crystal cores left behind after the slain Mist Beast disintegrated were all collected by Lin Yi into a special isolation compartment in his bracelet.
As the number increases, the fusion phenomenon between crystal nuclei continues to occur, but the critical point for forming black channels has not yet been reached.
As Lin Yi walked, he organized the known information in his mind.
Mist Beast, Crystal Core, Fusion Phenomenon, Black Channel
And that Abyss Race prodigy who forcibly broke through to the Star Vortex level and was instantly killed by him.
Behind these seemingly scattered pieces of information, there must be some kind of connection.
However, there aren't enough clues yet.
"Master, a faint energy fluctuation has been detected ahead, possibly a sign that the Mist Beast is about to condense." Xuanji's voice rang in her mind.
Lin Yi looked up and saw that the gray fog about two hundred meters ahead was churning violently, and a gray energy that was much denser than ordinary gray fog was rapidly gathering.
"Mid-stage Star Vortex level, energy structure relatively stable," Xuanji quickly assessed.
Lin Yi did not stop.
He didn't even send his clone to attack.
Just as the gray energy began to condense into a blurry humanoid outline, before it was fully formed, Lin Yi casually raised his right hand and lightly tapped his index finger in the air.
Silver-gray ripples of the laws of time emanated from his fingertips.
The Mist Beast that was taking shape suddenly froze, and even the surging gray mist around it seemed to be frozen in Amber.
The next moment, Lin Yi's fingertip made a barely perceptible downward slash.
A spatial rift as thin as a hair appeared out of thin air and precisely pierced through the Mist Beast's not yet fully formed core.
The cloud of gray mist dissipated silently like a burst bubble, leaving only a slightly darker gray crystal core that fell from mid-air and was caught in Lin Yi's hand from a distance.
Liu Yun's eyes twitched slightly as she watched from behind.
This is the terrifying aspect of the laws of time.
Faced with absolute control over time, all conventional combat logic becomes meaningless.
"Keep moving forward." Lin Yi put away the crystal core.
The two of them, one after the other, disappeared into the gray fog once again.
Time passed slowly.
Just as Lin Yi was about to let the team take a short rest and check the operation status of the relay network.
"Alert! Encrypted distress signal received! Signal source: Our standard communication relay node (number: relay-23). Signal strength: Medium, ongoing. Message analysis: Encountered a powerful enemy, three people are being chased, coordinates attached."
Xuanji's urgent alarm suddenly sounded.
Lin Yi's eyes narrowed.
Relay-23 was one of the nodes he deployed yesterday afternoon.
"Walk!"
Without any hesitation, Lin Yi's mind stirred, and the silver-gray Space Rule power instantly enveloped him and Liu Yun simultaneously.
The space rippled like water.
The next moment, the two figures had vanished from their original spot.
--
180 kilometers away.
Three figures were frantically fleeing through the gray mist.
Leading the group was a prodigy of the Spirit Race, enveloped in a pale green aura of Life Rule, with complex runes flowing across the surface of his armor.
He was at the fourth level of the Domain Realm, and was currently activating his full power, forming a rule barrier behind him to slow down the pursuit.
Following behind him were two companions: one Star Spirit Race prodigy, surrounded by starlight and possessing Triple Domain; the other a Spirit Race prodigy, whose aura was slightly weaker and who only possessed a single domain.
All three had varying degrees of damage to their armor and bore obvious injuries.
The most seriously injured was the Spirit Race at the first level of the cultivation realm; his left arm hung limply, clearly indicating a broken bone.
Pursuing them were three prodigies of the Devouring Race.
They vary in appearance, but all bear the distinct characteristics of the Starry Sky Insect Race.
The lead creature resembled a giant, purplish-black mantis, with forelimbs that were two bladed legs that shimmered with an eerie light, their surfaces covered with fine barbs.
Its aura had reached the sixth level of the Star Vortex level, and its body was shrouded in a corrosive dark purple power of rules.
On the left is a bulky, beetle-like Devouring Race with a thick carapace and six pairs of compound eyes that gleam with a cold, calculating light; it is Star Vortex level 4 member.
On the right was a slender, blade-like flying insect of the Devouring Race, its four pairs of semi-transparent wings vibrating rapidly, leaving afterimages in the gray mist; Star Vortex level 1 creature.
The three Devouring Race prodigies pursued the fleeing trio in a triangular formation, their attacks perfectly coordinated, each pounce precisely blocking the escape routes of the fleeing trio.
"Damn it. They're too fast!"
The Star Spirit Race at the Triple Domain gritted his teeth and swung his starlight spear, barely managing to block a surprise attack from the Flying Devouring Race, but the impact left his arm numb.
"This won't do." The Spirit Race at the first level of the cultivation realm looked pale. "Their source energy level is far higher than ours; our rule-based attacks are unlikely to inflict effective damage."
"I know."
A resolute glint flashed in the eyes of the Spirit Race prodigy at the Fourfold Domain cultivation. "So what if I break through to the Star Void Realm? If all else fails, I'll..."
His words came to an abrupt end.
At that very moment, the Devouring Race was chasing at the forefront suddenly stopped.
No, it's not just that.
Three Devouring Race prodigies, along with the dark purple corrosive rules surging around them, their vibrating wings, and their imminent pounce.
Everything froze in the same instant.
Time seemed to have been paused.
The fleeing trio also sensed something was wrong, and they instinctively turned around.
A silvery-gray ripple spread out from a certain point, freezing everything in its path.
At the center of the ripples, two figures slowly emerged.
The dark silver Spirit Shadow Armor stood out starkly against the gray mist.
Lin Yi's gaze swept over the three Devouring Race prodigies frozen in time, his eyes turning slightly cold.
Then, Main Body and the clone simultaneously raised their right hands, loosely clenching their fingers, and then gently squeezed them.
The Devouring Race's hard carapace cracked under the strain, the Devouring Race's bulky body was deformed by the pressure, and the flying Devouring Race's slender limbs broke off inch by inch.
The three Star Vortex level Devouring Race prodigies were crushed under the absolute pressure of the Space Rule, forcibly compressed into three spheres mixed with carapace fragments and dark purple blood mist, before completely dissipating into the gray mist.
The fleeing trio stared blankly at the scene, momentarily forgetting to breathe.
Lin Yi finally turned his gaze to them and calmly asked, "How are your injuries?"
The Spirit Race prodigy at the Fourfold Domain was the first to react. He quickly bowed and said, "Spirit Race, Green Leaf, thank you for saving my life, leader."
"Star Spirit Race, Xing Hen." The three prodigies also quickly bowed.
"Spirit Race. Mu Xi." The prodigy endured the excruciating pain in his left arm and spoke with difficulty.
Lin Yi nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the injuries on the three people before looking at the spot where the three Devouring Race prodigies had disappeared.
Three fist-sized, dark purple, insect-shell-shaped containers remained.
"The shell of a space worm?" Lin Yi remotely took the container into his hand.
He had heard of this container before; it was a unique storage device of the Devouring Race, crafted from the shells left behind by a rare insectoid species called the "Void Worm." Its internal space was stable and extremely well-concealed.
"Xuanji, try to crack this container. Be careful to guard against any potential toxins or traps."
"Yes, Master."
Lin Yi handed the container to his clone, then looked at Green Leaf and the other two. "Tell me the situation."
Green Leaf took a deep breath, calmed his turbulent emotions, and said:
"Reporting to the leader, after entering the secret realm, I explored it alone according to the tactics manual, while setting up relay nodes along the way. About a day ago, I encountered Xing Hen."
He pointed to the Star Spirit Race beside him, "We've shared information links and decided to operate as a team; it's safer that way."
"Later, we encountered a two-person team consisting of Mu Xi and another prodigy from the Spirit Race, and we decided to merge into one team to explore together."
At this point, Green Leaf's voice lowered. "But just before that, we encountered those three prodigies of the Devouring Race."
"They have one triple-level, one double-level, and one single-level. We have the advantage in both numbers and strength, and we originally planned to try and take them down."
Green Leaf clenched her fists slightly. "But those three Devouring Race, upon seeing us, without saying a word, suddenly triggered their breakthroughs simultaneously."
Xing Hen continued, "Yes, leader. They didn't hesitate at all and broke through to the Star Vortex level almost simultaneously. After the breakthrough, their source energy aura not only didn't become unstable, but instead surged instantly, clearly indicating that they used some kind of secret technique or drug."
Mu Xi, her face pale, added, "We never expected them to do this. After breaking through to the Star Vortex level, the mantis- Devouring Race launched an attack immediately. It was too fast; another Spirit Race prodigy in our team couldn't react in time and perished on the spot."
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
Lin Yi's gaze darkened.
He died.
The Myriad Secret Realm are extremely special; if you die here, you cannot be resurrected in the Main Universe —you are truly dead.
"The three of us fought back desperately, barely managing to hold off the first wave of attacks, and then we started to flee," Green Leaf said through gritted teeth. "They chased us relentlessly, and our source energy and rule power were greatly depleted. If our leader hadn't arrived in time..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.
Lin Yi remained silent for a moment, then slowly asked, "Are you sure those three Devouring Race broke through simultaneously the moment they met?"
"Absolutely true."
Green Leaf asserted, "They didn't even try to communicate or confront each other; they simply chose the most extreme approach."
Xing Hen nodded, "This behavior is too abnormal. Even if they felt they couldn't defeat us, they only needed one member of the Devouring Race to break through to the Star Vortex level to turn the tide of the battle. Why did all three of them break through? The price is too high."
Liu Yun, who had been standing quietly behind Lin Yi, suddenly spoke up, "You might not know, but I met a Abyss Race. He broke through to the Star Vortex level the moment we met."
The three of them Green Leaf Liu Yun, looked at each other with surprise and doubt on their faces.
"Is the Abyss Race like this too?" Green Leaf quickly asked.
Liu Yun nodded and briefly recounted her experience of encountering the Abyss Race prodigy.
After hearing this, the expressions of Green Leaf and the other two changed completely.
If the behavior of one member of the Devouring Race could be explained by "individual madness," then the fact that both the Devouring Race and the Abyss Race exhibit the same behavior is definitely not a coincidence.
Lin Yi's face was ashen.
His mind raced, piecing together all the clues.
The prodigies of the Devouring Race broke through to the next level upon meeting, and the prodigies of the Abyss Race did the same.
A chilling suspicion gradually took shape in his mind.
"You say," Lin Yi began slowly, his voice icy, "That the other two races might allow all the prodigies who enter the secret realm to break through to the Star Vortex level if necessary?"
These words struck like a thunderbolt, exploding in everyone's ears.
They were all geniuses carefully selected from various races, with sharp minds, and naturally understood the meaning behind Lin Yi's words instantly.
"All members, breakthrough?"
Xing Hen murmured.
"How is that possible?" Mu Xi retorted instinctively, "Once they break through to the Star Vortex level, they won't be able to get out; it's as if they're already dead. How could this be?"
His voice gradually faded.
Green Leaf took a deep breath and forced herself to calmly analyze the situation.
"The team leader is right, it's not impossible. If the other side's higher-ups issue such an order, then all the prodigies must obey."
Liu Yun's face was so gloomy it was almost as if water could drip from it.
"I understand. With a leader present, they would have been at a significant disadvantage in the secret realm, likely unable to bring back much Source Essence. At the same time, they could have used the unique environment of the secret realm to their advantage, effectively killing the leader."
He paused, then didn't continue.
But everyone understood the second half of the sentence.
Therefore, they chose to prevent anyone from taking the Source Essence out.
Lin Yi chimed in, "That's right, they can even use the unique environment of the Myriad Secret Realm to try and kill me."
He looked at everyone and slowly said, "Now it seems that, putting aside everything else, the other two races have clearly reached a tacit understanding regarding the secret realm."
"Once a prodigy from the sixth or seventh level breaks through to the Star Vortex level and temporarily boosts their source energy level using a secret technique, they can pose a threat to me. If they are combined with a large number of Star Vortex level prodigies attacking them..."
There's no need to say anything more.
Everyone present knew that if a hundred Star Vortex level geniuses were to attack him, even someone as strong as Lin Yi would be caught in a fierce battle and might even perish.
"What a vicious plan," Green Leaf said through gritted teeth.
Lin Yi shook his head and sneered, "What we see as malicious is, to them, a win-win situation."
Mu Xi opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found her throat dry and unable to utter a single word.
If Lin Yi's guess is true, then they are now facing an unprecedented predicament.
"Strictly speaking," Lin Yi suddenly said, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, "You may have been dragged down by me."
Green Leaf was taken aback, then quickly realized what was happening and said, "Team leader, this is malicious on their part, it has nothing to do with you."
"Yes, leader," Xing Hen hurriedly added, "If it weren't for you, we would probably have died at the hands of the Devouring Race long ago."
Mu Xi and Liu Yun nodded repeatedly.
They're not stupid.
Even if the thought "If Lin Yi weren't so strong, the other party wouldn't have resorted to such extreme measures" had crossed their mind, they absolutely could not say it aloud at this moment.
Because everyone knew that if the situation was as dire as Lin Yi had predicted, their only way to survive was to closely follow the leader who had mastered the laws of time.
Only Lin Yi has the potential to lead them through the encirclement and suppression efforts.
Lin Yi naturally understood what the others were thinking, but he didn't care.
At such a critical juncture of life and death, any selfish thoughts are secondary.
Because now we're all in the same boat.
"Forget it, now's not the time to complain," Lin Yi said calmly. "These past few days, with the expansion of the relay network, the frequency of our meetings has increased significantly. The other two races have similar means of communication, so it's likely the same. It won't be long before large-scale gatherings occur."
His gaze swept over everyone. "By then, if the entire opposing team has truly broken through to the Star Vortex level, our disadvantages will be magnified infinitely."
Green Leaf and the others felt their hearts sink.
They could imagine that scene.
Hundreds or even thousands of Star Vortex level Devouring Race and Abyss Race prodigies formed a battle formation and launched a massive, overwhelming attack.
That would be a massacre.
"What we need to do now is to hurry up and gather as many people as possible together." Lin Yi's voice interrupted everyone's thoughts.
He looked at Green Leaf, "You all immediately synchronize your information links with my tactical network. Then split up and search in four directions from here, setting up relay nodes along the way to expand communication coverage."
"If you encounter the enemy, don't linger in battle. Send a message for backup immediately, and I will teleport there to provide assistance."
Green Leaf and the others exchanged glances and replied in unison, "Understood."
"Be careful," Lin Yi concluded. "If you encounter any abnormalities, seek help immediately. Don't be reckless."
"Don't worry, team leader," Green Leaf said solemnly.
The four bowed to Lin Yi and then disappeared into the gray mist.
Lin Yi watched them leave, then he and his clone, one in front and one behind, resumed their exploration.
--
Meanwhile, in another area of the secret realm.
The gray fog churned, and the light from the collision of rules flickered continuously within it.
Edith moved with lightning speed, darting swiftly among the jagged black rocks.
Her silver-white armor was covered with runes that intertwined light and darkness. The armor on her left shoulder was broken, revealing the skin underneath that had been burned by the power of the rules, and blood was slowly seeping from the wound.
Behind her, ten Star Core level prodigies from various races of the Pan-Spirit Alliance were desperately following her.
These prodigies were in terrible condition, their armor was damaged, their aura was weak, and they bore injuries of varying degrees.
They sped along while also dealing with attacks coming from the flanks and rear.
Behind them, thirteen figures were hot on their heels.
Thirteen prodigies from the Abyss Race.
These Abyss Race, without exception, all emanated energy fluctuations at the Star Vortex level.
The highest-ranking one was a dragon-shaped Abyss Race covered in dark gold scales. Its domain was at the fifth level, and its source energy fluctuations had reached the eighth level of the Star Vortex level.
The remaining twelve Abyss Race are all between the first and sixth ranks of the Star Vortex level.
"The three Abyss Race are flanking us from the left!" a Crystal Spirit Race prodigy exclaimed urgently. The crystal on her forehead had already dimmed, indicating that she had consumed a great deal of energy.
Edith didn't turn her head, but waved her left hand behind her.
"Spacetime Fold!"
The power of rules surged forth, and the space on the left began to twist and fold, forming invisible folds and barriers.
The three Abyss Race who attempted to encircle the enemy suddenly slowed down after entering the area, as if they had sunk into a viscous swamp.
But this distraction suddenly increased the pressure on the front lines.
Seizing the opportunity, the dark golden dragon-shaped Abyss Race suddenly opened its mouth and spewed out a stream of dark golden dragon breath.
Wherever the dragon's breath passed, the gray mist evaporated, and a scorched furrow was plowed into the ground.
Edith's pupils contracted slightly, she spun around rapidly, and clasped her hands together at the same time.
"Light-Dark Cycle!"
A black and white halo appeared behind her, spinning rapidly to form a vortex of light and darkness that devoured everything.
The dragon's breath slammed into the vortex, unleashing a deafening roar.
Edith groaned, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of her mouth.
The vortex of light and darkness trembled violently, barely managing to absorb the dragon's breath, but the backlash also disrupted her power of rules.
"Your Highness!" several Spirit Race prodigies exclaimed.
"Continue the retreat." Edith wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. "Don't stop."
She knew she couldn't stop.
Once they stop, they will be completely surrounded by these thirteen Star Vortex level Abyss Race.
The team continued its journey through the gray fog.
They fought and retreated, each encounter fraught with danger.
A prodigy of the Li Race was grazed by the claws of a wolf-like Abyss Race, his armor torn apart, and a deep, bone-revealing wound appeared under his ribs.
He stumbled and nearly fell, but was caught by his companion.
"Hold on!"
Edith gritted her teeth and focused on manipulating the rules of light and darkness, conjuring a black and white shield behind the Li Race prodigy, barely managing to block the Wolf-shaped Abyss Race's subsequent pursuit.
But this made her even more exhausted.
The clone has dissipated due to excessive consumption of the power of the rules and needs time to reassemble.
The Main Body's spacetime and light-darkness rules have also been consumed by nearly 40%. If this continues, it will soon be completely exhausted.
"My energy source is almost depleted," a Spirit Race prodigy roared, his right arm twisted unnaturally, clearly broken. "Running away like this isn't a solution. If all else fails, the few of us will have to force our way into the Star Vortex. It's better than being hunted to death together."
Edith knew this all too well.
However, in this way, the person who forcibly breaks through the realm is essentially dead.
She didn't want things to turn out this way if there was even a glimmer of hope.
"Hang in there."
Edith took a deep breath, her emerald eyes rekindling with fighting spirit. "I've been continuously sending warning signals through the tactical core. As long as we enter the coverage area of any relay node, the signal will be forwarded. As long as there's one of our squads nearby, there's hope."
This was their only hope.
As long as the signal can be received by teammates, there is a chance of receiving backup.
The team continued its journey through the gray fog.
Time passed by, second by second.
Every second felt incredibly long.
--
At the same time, about 120 kilometers away from Edith's team.
Liu Yun had just finished setting up a new relay node and was about to report the progress to Lin Yi when his tactical core communication module suddenly started flashing violently.
"Warning! High-intensity, continuous warning signal received! Signal details: Enemy attacked by thirteen Star Vortex level Abyss Race, currently fighting and retreating, coordinates continuously updating."
Liu Yun's expression changed drastically.
Thirteen Star Vortex level Abyss Race?
Without any hesitation, he immediately contacted Lin Yi.
"Team Leader! Emergency! I just received a continuous warning signal. One of our teammates is being attacked by thirteen Star Vortex level Abyss Race and is currently fighting and retreating. I have already synchronized the coordinates to the tactical network."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communication.
Then, Lin Yi's calm voice came through. "Coordinates locked. I'm coming right away."
At this moment, two more prodigies were injured on the battlefield, and the situation became extremely critical.
The Dark Gold Dragon-shaped Abyss Race seems to have lost patience.
It raised its head and let out a deafening roar, its dark golden scales standing on end as terrifying energy gathered wildly in its mouth.
This dragon's breath was more powerful than any before.
Edith could clearly sense that she couldn't withstand this attack.
At least, they can't handle it in the current state.
"Everyone, scatter!" she shouted sharply, while forming a hand seal in front of her chest.
The rules of light and darkness began to surge wildly, and the power of spacetime began to vibrate violently.
As the First Heavenly Prodigy Spirit Race, she naturally had her trump cards up her sleeve.
Rather than sacrificing others to save her own life, she was willing to pay a price to use forbidden techniques.
If we can severely damage that dark gold dragon-shaped Abyss Race, we can buy a chance for the others to survive.
But just as the rules of light and darkness were about to completely go berserk...
Time stood still.
The dragon breath gathered in the mouth of the dark gold dragon-shaped Abyss Race froze in mid-air halfway through its exhalation.
All thirteen Abyss Race prodigies, whether they were attacking or flanking from behind, froze at the same instant.
Even the surging power of rules surrounding them, their ferocious expressions, and their fierce eyes were all frozen in the long river of time.
Edith's forbidden technique, which she was about to unleash, came to an abrupt halt.
She stared blankly at the scene before her, her emerald eyes widening in surprise at first, then flashing with delight.
Then, she saw it.
Above that frozen space and time, two figures slowly emerged.
Lin Yi's Main Body and clone hovered in mid-air, calmly looking down at the battlefield below, where time had been frozen.
Edith opened her mouth, but found herself at a loss for words.
Lin Yi, however, had already made his move.
Main Body and the clone simultaneously raised their right hands and then pressed them down.
The area where the thirteen Abyss Race prodigies were located began to silently disintegrate.
Like a pencil drawing erased by an eraser, those ferocious figures, sharp claws, and heavy shells were all crushed by the absolute Space Rule, turning into the finest energy particles and dissipating into the gray mist.
Not even a trace of wreckage remained.
The entire process was eerily quiet.
When time began to flow again, only Edith and ten wounded Pan-Spirit Alliance prodigies remained on the battlefield.
Lin Yi slowly landed and stood in front of Edith.
His gaze swept over the injuries on everyone's bodies, finally settling on Edith's tattered armor and pale face.
Are you alright?
The three words, "calm," instantly relaxed Edith's tense nerves.
A complex light flashed in her emerald eyes.
"Fine."
She said softly, "You came just in time."
Lin Yi nodded slightly, said nothing more, and turned to look at the ten prodigies who had survived the ordeal.
"Hurry up and tend to our injuries; we need to get out of here."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a reassuring power.
Edith watched Lin Yi's retreating figure, remained silent for a moment, and then gently pressed the wound on her left shoulder.