Cold.
A coldness born from the depths of his soul, the coldness of being firmly locked onto by a higher predator, crept inch by inch up Hyuga Xiao's spine.
In his mental vision, that string of coordinate information composed of countless complex runes was branded deep into his mind like a chain burning with ominous red light. At the end of that chain, the scarlet countdown mercilessly devoured what little breathing room he had left, second by second.
[28 days 13 hours 41 minutes 05 seconds... 04 seconds... 03 seconds...]
Everything around him seemed to slow down.
The gurgling of flowing magma, the scrape of bones against gravel as Orochimaru dragged the snake corpse, the mixed stench of sulfur and scorched flesh permeating the air... All sensory information was automatically filtered out by his brain, leaving only that endlessly ticking number. Like a Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, every flicker made its blade descend another inch.
"Heh..."
A faint laugh, mixed with coldness and fervor, escaped Hyuga Xiao's throat.
He slowly raised his head. His azure eyes, newly transformed and glittering with brilliant starlight, pierced through a thousand meters of rock and looked toward the dim sky shrouded in wind and snow.
Three months?
No, not even one month.
Because by devouring that fleshy tumor fused with God Tree Remnants, he had effectively lit an extraordinarily conspicuous navigation Beacon for those lofty "masters" in the dark, lifeless depths of the universe.
They had already located him ahead of schedule.
"Advance Team..."
Hyuga Xiao mulled over the term as he activated the Tenseigan's ocular power once more, mercilessly grinding it into that shattered sea of memories in an attempt to squeeze out more valuable intelligence.
Boom!
A clearer and more despairing image violently washed over his consciousness.
It was