He would return

Has an anomaly finally occurred?

When this thought crossed Lin Yi's mind, he found that he was not as nervous as he had expected; instead, he felt a strange sense of calm.

It's like waiting for the other shoe to drop; after waiting so long, when it finally hits, it's a relief.

He remained seated cross-legged, not getting up immediately, but gently placing the dimmed Source Essence Crystal in his hand on the stone platform beside him.

"Tell me what exactly is going on."

Lin Yi asked.

"Data from multiple detectors shows that the distance between them has been slowly and subtly decreasing."

Xuanji reported, "Although the shrinkage is very small, it is continuous, with all nodes showing a centripetal trend. The preliminary judgment is that the space is shrinking uniformly as a whole."

Lin Yi frowned.

Distance reduced?

Uniform spatial contraction?

He paused for a few seconds, letting the information settle in his mind. "Any other anomalies?"

"No other abnormal energy fluctuations, rule disturbances, or spatial structure abrupt changes have been detected so far. The monitoring network is operating normally, and there have been no statistically significant changes in the activity frequency and distribution pattern of the Blood Mist Beast."

"Good."

Lin Yi stood up and patted off non-existent dust from his robes.

He stepped out of the meditation room and issued a brief call to action over the camp's public communication channel, "All members, assemble in the central cave."

News of the anomaly in the secret realm has been shared with Edith and the others.

When Lin Yi reached the central cave, the others arrived one after another.

Soon, everyone gathered again.

Without wasting any words, Lin Yi directly brought up the monitoring data chart provided by Xuanji on the crystal platform in the center of the cave.

A pale blue holographic projection unfolds against a background of blood mist, displaying the relative positions of a dozen monitoring nodes, as well as the marked contraction rates and direction vectors.

"We've seen everything," Lin Yi said. "The distance between the monitoring nodes is decreasing. If this shrinkage is uniform, then the entire secret realm is slowly decreasing in size."

The cave was deathly silent.

After a few seconds, Green Leaf asked in a low voice, "Will it keep shrinking until it disappears completely?"

No one answered.

Edith turned her gaze away from the data chart, her emerald eyes looking at Lin Yi, then sweeping over the crowd.

"If this contraction continues, we will first face a practical problem."

Her voice was calm, as if she were analyzing a tactical scenario.

"As space compresses overall, our activity areas will become increasingly closer to those of the Blood Mist Beast, leading to a significant increase in encounters. The density of Blood Mist Beast will also rise, meaning that a single Mist Beast may have less room to survive and its aggression may increase."

"More importantly, there's the territory of the Blood Mist Beast. If the space continues to shrink, their activity area will inevitably overlap with our camp. At that point..."

"By then, we'll have to squeeze in with the Beast King."

Hui Yao picked up the thread, "And it's not just the Beast King. If the concentration of blood mist increases with spatial compression, could it give rise to something even stronger?"

Someone murmured, "Perhaps this is why those who were lost in the Myriad Secret Realm never reappeared."

The air inside the cave seemed to grow even heavier.

No one refuted it, because the speculation was too reasonable.

The secret realm shrank, space collapsed, rules were squeezed, and Mist Beast rampaged—in the end, everything returned to nothingness.

This aligns well with the physical explanation of the ironclad law that "those who fall into the trap disappear permanently."

Lin Yi did not offer any words of comfort.

No one here is a fool; empty words of comfort will only make people more irritable.

He waited a few seconds, allowing everyone to process the possibility, before speaking.

"Considering these things now is pointless."

"There's a saying in my hometown: 'Do your best and leave the rest to fate.' All we can do is improve our strength as quickly as possible. The stronger we are, the better we can cope with any unforeseen events. If we ultimately have to face the Beast King's siege or the annihilation of space, at least we'll die standing with our swords in hand, not kneeling and waiting to die."

No one raised any objections.

At this point, there's nothing more to discuss.

There's only one road; just keep going forward.

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Lin Yi watched their departing figures; their backs were straight, none of them hunched over, none of them dawdled.

These proud warriors, declared "fallen," who had spent two years honing their skills in the bloody mist, had long since learned to suppress their fear and focus their strength on their hands.

Edith stayed until the very end.

She walked to Lin Yi's side, looked at the now-closed holographic projection, and asked softly, "How long do you think the contraction will last?"

"Have no idea."

Lin Yi answered frankly, "It might stop in a few days, or it might shrink until it disappears. The monitoring data from Xuanji isn't enough yet; we need to observe for a while longer to see any patterns."

"What if... it really is the worst-case scenario?"

Lin Yi paused for a moment, then smiled, "Let's see if I can kill it faster, or if it can back down faster."

Edith glanced at him, said nothing more, and turned to leave the cave.

Lin Yi returned to the quiet room and sat down cross-legged again.

He took out the remaining Source Essence Crystal from his storage space, mainly the forty-odd large crystal cores, each containing the Source Essence equivalent to five ordinary crystal cores.

He placed his hands lightly on the pile of crystal cores and closed his eyes.

Consciousness sank into the Purple Mist Space.

Without hesitation, Lin Yi began extracting the Source Essence from the crystal core.

The pure energy flowed in through some mysterious connection, transforming into new Spiritual Enlightenment Qi within the Purple Mist Space.

It took Lin Yi another five days to absorb all the Source Essence Crystal.

He then spent a day adjusting his mindset.

The next day, in the quiet room, Lin Yi immersed his mind in the Purple Mist Space, looked at the purple mist inside, and took a deep breath.

The Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, ignite!

Fragments of the mysteries of the laws of time unfolded in Lin Yi's consciousness, like a star map that could never be fully pieced together.

He began to understand the "nested structure of time faults," that is, how to create multiple layers of time flow rate differences within a small range, and how to make time ripples overlap and resonate between different faults.

Each layer of understanding this structure requires a massive amount of Spiritual Enlightenment Qi to support it.

The purple ocean is burning, transforming into fuel for pure enlightenment.

Lin Yi's soul was immersed in this burning ocean, like a piece of metal being repeatedly forged.

One day, two days, three days.

Occasionally, the footsteps of patrol members could be heard outside the quiet room, and the roars of Blood Mist Beast could be heard in the distance, but these became indistinct background noises.

Lin Yi's entire mind was immersed in the ocean of laws.

finally.

An invisible barrier shattered deep within the soul.

Understanding of the Law of Time: 10.2%

Lin Yi opened his eyes, a flash of silver-gray light disappearing from his pupils.

The air within a three-meter radius around the person exhibited a slight stagnation; this was a "field" naturally emitted after the level of law was raised, which had not yet fully subsided.

He flexed his fingers, feeling the power surging within him.

10% is a watershed moment, signifying that the mastery of the laws of time has entered a new stage.

Now he can not only manipulate the flow of local time more precisely, but also initially construct a "Time Fault Shield", allowing attacks to pass through several layers of time with different flow rates before reaching him, weakening their power layer by layer.

But that's not enough.

Lin Yi knew very well that this improvement was far from enough in the face of possible spatial collapse and the siege by the Beast King.

--

One standard month later, on Blue Star.

In the virtual conference room, all the top leaders of the Silver Blue Civilization gathered.

Several light screens floated in the conference room, displaying massive amounts of data streams and battle report summaries.

But everyone's attention was drawn to one of the encrypted documents bearing the joint insignia of the Supreme Council of the Purple Gold Star Union and the Star Realm Army.

<Notification Regarding the Human Race Supreme Council and the Full-Scale Conscription>.

"According to Article 7 of the <War Mobilization Order No. 77974>, all registered Level 3 and above civilizations must, within two standard years, organize no fewer than the prescribed number of the Star Realm Army battle groups according to the organizational standards stipulated in Appendix A, and deploy them to the designated War Zone for assembly."

The announcement was long, with cold and formal wording, but its core meaning was simple.

Now, a full-scale war has broken out on the border between the Human Race and the Kunmo Race. With setbacks in many places, the Purple Gold Star Union has officially entered a state of first-level combat readiness and, based on the authorization of the Supreme Council, has issued a full-scale war mobilization order to all member civilizations within its jurisdiction.

The Silver Blue Civilization must complete the formation, arming, and basic training of at least three standard Star Realm Army combat groups within two standard years, and deploy them to the designated secondary battlefields in the "Source Energy Barren Zone".

"The conscription order has the highest priority; there's no room for negotiation." Zhou Donglai, as the military commander, spoke first. "We cannot afford the consequences of refusal or failure to meet the deadline. The Star Realm Army's enforcement fleet is not just for show."

"The three standard combat regiments operating in Source Energy Barren Zone require a full complement of 100,000 Star Core level personnel, along with commanders, logistics, ships, and equipment."

Li Zhenguo rubbed his temples. "We can gather these things. But the problem is experience. We lack experience in large-scale interstellar warfare. The recruits have only received relevant training in Virtual Network. Sending them in like this is just filling in the gaps."

All eyes turned to Aurelia.

She is the only one here with relevant experience, and whose strength and status are sufficient to make the decision.

Aurelia remained silent for a moment, her emerald eyes flickering with light before finally settling into stillness.

She has protected the Blue Star for thousands of years, observing the rise and fall of civilizations; her decision at this moment carries a calmness that transcends time.

"The recall order must be carried out; there is no shirking responsibility."

She set the tone first, and then said:

"My suggestion is to recall more than half of the Veteran Platform of the East Peak Mercenary Group. Chen Yu, Elizabeth, and Zhang Zhen —these key members who have experienced border warfare and are familiar with the Star Realm Army system and the Kunmo Race's combat tactics—must return."

"Using them as the backbone, we will build our own battle group command and training system. At the same time, the East Peak Mercenary Group will be replenished with five times the number of recalled personnel, with new blood undergoing basic training. Led by core members such as Liu Yuan and Andre who remained behind, the Mercenary Group, continuing to operate in the relatively familiar border areas. This will allow them to acquire resources and train their troops."

"The recalled Veteran Platform will be organized into the ' Star Realm Army Silverblue First, Second, and Third Battle Groups' according to the standard organizational requirements of the Star Realm Army. I will personally draft the training syllabus and coordinate with the Star Realm Army to dispatch a small number of instructors to provide guidance."

Aurelia's plan was well-organized, taking into account both the overall situation and preserving Silverblue's own manpower to the greatest extent possible, clearly indicating that she had given it considerable thought.

Zhou Donglai and the others breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a sense of heaviness.

This means that the Silver Blue Civilization will officially step into the interstellar battlefield, and bloodshed and sacrifice will become the norm that it must face in the future.

"That's settled then." Li Zhenguo, representing the top leadership, stated, "Commander Aurelia, everything is under your command. Silver Blue Civilization will fully cooperate. Provide manpower and resources as needed."

The meeting ended, and the projection disappeared.

The order was issued swiftly.

At the East Peak Mercenary Group's base, Chen Yu, Elizabeth, and a group of battle-hardened Veteran Platform received an emergency transfer order.

On the communication screen, after hearing the order, Chen Yu paused for only two seconds before standing at attention and replying, "Understood, Deputy Commander. Mission accomplished."

Despite their reluctance to part with the Mercenary Group and their comrades on the Frontline, no one questioned their decision.

They completed the handover with maximum efficiency, transferring the tasks at hand and giving instructions on important points.

As they boarded the transport ship returning to Silverblue, many people turned back to look at the lights of the Mercenary Group's base, remaining silent for a long time.

Meanwhile, within the Silver Blue Civilization, a new round of mobilization has begun.

Countless Star Core level warriors, trained by the East Peak Military Academy or who excelled in daily hunting and patrols, were selected to fill vacancies in Mercenary Group and fill the ranks of newly formed battle groups, filled with tension and passion.

Nie Chang took the initiative to find Zhou Donglai.

"Let me go," he said. "The military academy system is already well-established. It would be a waste for me to use my skills teaching in the rear. The Frontline need experienced commanders who are familiar with the characteristics of our soldiers."

"Besides, all the students I've taught have gone to the Frontline; there's no reason for me to hide in the back."

Nie Chang's reasons were very valid, and his attitude was very firm.

After repeated requests, Zhou Donglai finally had no choice but to approve.

Soon after, Nie Chang resigned from his position as vice Principal and became the Commander the Star Realm Army Silver Blue First Battle Group, with Chen Yu serving as his deputy and commander of the assault brigade.

On the day the appointment was issued, Nie Chang returned to the East Peak Military Academy and sat in his office all night, carefully organizing and archiving his teaching plans and insights from over the years.

At daybreak, he put on his brand-new Star Realm Army uniform, straightened his hat brim in front of the mirror, turned and left, never looking back.

The New Era in 1224.

The Silverblue First, Second, and Third Armies of the Star Realm Army have completed their reorganization and basic joint training.

On the day of departure, a brief send-off ceremony was held at the Blue Star geosynchronous orbit spaceport.

There was no grand farewell ceremony, only the cold hull of the ship and the solemn crowd.

Nie Chang stood on the flagship's bridge, looking down at the azure planet, with Chen Yu standing beside him.

Behind them were three fleets and 300,000 soldiers.

"Depart." Nie Chang gave the order, his voice echoing across all the warships via the communication channels.

The engine ignites, and a beam of light pierces the darkness.

The three fleets departed from Blue Star's orbit and headed towards the brutal battlefield known as the "Source Energy Barren Zone."

Countless people watched the fleet sail away through the live broadcast, silently praying.

They knew that many of them might never come back.

--

Time flowed relentlessly amidst the churning blood mist and the flames of war in the starry sea.

The New Era in 1408.

Battle reports continue to arrive at the borders of the Human Race's territory.

Under the long-planned and fierce attack of the Kunmo Race and its vassal races, the Human Race defense line was breached in many places, and about 7% of the territory has been occupied.

The Silver Blue Civilization mobilized again, bringing the total number of Silverblue series warbands participating to 16, spread across several secondary battlefields.

Blood and steel are constantly being spilled in the cold universe.

Meanwhile...

Within the Myriad Secret Realm, Blood Mist Layer.

The contraction of space continues, but the magnitude has increased slightly compared to the initial contraction.

Within hundreds of kilometers of the camp, the frequency of Blood Mist Beast appearing increased significantly, forcing the group to make several minor adjustments to the camp's location to avoid the edge of the compressed Beast King's territory.

The hunting party's battles became frequent and brief; often, they would clear one area only to have a new Mist Beast roam in shortly afterward.

In the quiet room, Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within the soul, the perception of the laws of time flows like a silvery-gray galaxy, possessing a profound and powerful rhythm.

The 10.2% mark has already been surpassed; it's now at 20.5%.

Through the Spiritual Enlightenment Qi gained from continuously absorbing and transforming Source Essence Crystal, and through over a hundred years of repeated refinement and practical application of the laws of time under the pressure of life and death, his control over the power of time has entered a new level.

Today, the scope, precision, and duration of time freezes have all seen a qualitative leap.

He even began to vaguely grasp the surface of "time sequence".

"Master, according to data from the repeater retrieved by the clone from the Gray Mist Layer, the spatial structural stability of the Gray Mist Layer is rapidly declining. Based on the current contraction rate model, the Gray Mist Layer may completely collapse within two years."

Xuanji's voice rang out.

Lin Yi's eyes narrowed slightly.

Is the Gray Mist Layer about to collapse?

He got up and left the quiet room.

The camp had expanded, its defenses were more robust, and fragments of blood mist crystal cores were embedded in its edges, emitting a faint glow in the mist.

The bewilderment on everyone's faces had vanished, replaced only by a hardened, resilient demeanor.

They all knew that time was of the essence, and every bit of gain was immediately converted into strength. People could often be seen sitting cross-legged in the cave absorbing crystal cores, their bodies fluctuating with energy.

During a patrol, Green Leaf was ambushed by a small group of Mist Beast and suffered minor injuries. He was currently grimacing as Liu Yun helped treat his wounds.

Seeing Lin Yi come out, he grinned and said, "Team leader, you've improved again? Time seems to be sticking around you."

Lin Yi nodded. "The contraction is still ongoing, everyone keep up the good work."

"Clear."

--

The New Era in 1912.

The war between the Human Race and the Kunmo Race has entered a stalemate.

After paying a heavy price and receiving support from the Spirit Race who had recovered, the Human Race's momentum of defeat was barely halted, but 12% of their territory had already been occupied.

The battle lines were locked in a stalemate, with both sides repeatedly locked in a tug-of-war across the vast star field. Each planet could change hands multiple times, leaving behind countless remnants.

The Silver Blue Civilization suffered heavy losses, with multiple warbands crippled and reorganized, and new recruits filling the gaps in their ranks.

The number of participating legions remained around five, fluctuating between attrition and replenishment.

Nie Chang's Silver Blue First Battle Group had long been a tough nut to crack on the Frontline, and the "83227" fortress they defended had become a thorn in the side of the Kunmo Race.

In a crucial fortress defense battle, the Silver Blue First Battle Group was ordered to hold a key jump point at all costs.

Facing an elite assault group of the Kunmo Race that outnumbered them several times over, Nie Chang and Chen Yu led their troops to rely on the terrain of the fortress and launch a series of attacks.

The battle lasted for seventeen standard hours.

The Outer Defense Line of the fortress were completely lost, the inner armor was shattered, and multiple sections of the energy pipelines were melted down.

Nie Chang stood in the fortress command room, where a deep red torrent representing the enemy was pressing in from three directions on the tactical map.

The communication channels were filled with shouts and reports mixed with the sounds of explosions.

"Ninth Defense Zone breached!"

"Second defense zone requesting support!"

Nie Chang turned his head and glanced at Chen Yu, whose face was covered in blood, beside him.

"Chen Yu, take your guards to the second defense zone. The inner gate must not be breached; if it is, the entire central zone is finished."

"Yes!"

Without hesitation, Chen Yu roared into the channel, "Guards, follow me!"

Soon, dozens of figures rushed towards the second defense zone.

Chen Yu charged ahead, casually smashing the carapace of Kunmo Race that was trying to flank him from the side.

His teammates quickly dispersed and set up a makeshift defensive line.

However, a heavy bioplasma cannon struck one of the fortress's core energy nodes.

The violent explosion shook the entire fortress.

A brief silence fell over the communication channel.

Then came the intermittent shouts.

"Energy core damaged, shield ineffective!"

"The passageway on the east side has collapsed, and people are buried inside!"

Nie Chang took a deep breath.

"Everything that can still move, retract into the control room."

Nie Chang gave the order over the internal channel, his voice regaining a hint of composure, "Abandon the outer perimeter, defend the Core Zone."

A few muffled responses came through the communication channel.

The survivors began evacuating from the various shattered defense zones and converging on the main control room.

Chen Yu led his remaining guards, now only a few men, back to the front. He had several deep, bone-revealing wounds on his body, and his left arm hung limply at his side.

"General," Chen Yu gasped for breath, "The second defense zone can't be held."

Nie Chang nodded, shifting his gaze from Chen Yu's face to the twenty-odd people still standing in the command room.

Everyone was wounded, their armor was torn, but their eyes still burned with fire.

"Let's hold them off one last time," he said. "Pile all the remaining explosives at the entrance to the control room. Detonate them when they rush in."

No one raised any objections.

Nie Chang walked to the main control panel and brought up the fortress's self-destruct program interface.

That's a red button that requires triple verification.

Fortress commander authority, Star Realm Army battlefield regulations authorization, and biometric verification of no fewer than two senior officers.

Nie Chang entered his commander code.

"Battlefield situation verification has passed." A mechanical electronic voice announced.

Then he looked at Chen Yu, and then at the other two officers who were still able to move.

"Come here," Nie Chang said.

The group placed their hands on the biometric panel.

Blue light scan confirmed successful.

The self-destruct program was activated.

Thirty-second countdown.

Nie Chang straightened up and took one last look at the fortress.

The area was now obscured by the swarms of Kunmo Race insects; the starry sky was nowhere to be seen, only nauseating dark purple carapaces and compound eyes.

"What a pity," he said softly, as if talking to himself, "That the Principal didn't return."

Chen Yu grinned, tugging at the scar on his face. "Principal, don't worry, I have a feeling Brother Yi will come back."

Countdown: 10, 9, 8

The Kunmo Race's "Citybreaker" giant insect smashed through the final gate, and a foul stench rushed into the command room.

3, 2, 1.

The white light engulfed everything.