Space-Time seemed to stand still.
On that gray-white two-dimensional plane, the afterimages of the Lord of Truth and the Mother of the Stars remained motionless, like two strokes of ink frozen in a painting.
A strange stillness permeated the surrounding Void —all elemental fluctuations subsided, all laws ceased to flow, and all energy surges dissipated, as if even the River of Space-Time itself had forgotten to flow for that instant.
The gazes of the Eternal turned toward them, their eyes meeting and theirs swirling with tension.
The golden eyes of the Goddess of Fate reflected the two ancient silhouettes; the threads of cause and effect trembled slightly at her fingertips, yet she dared not easily pluck them. The gaze of the Lord of Time swept simultaneously along the upstream and downstream of the River of Space-Time; the flow of time in his eyes accelerated wildly, yet was repeatedly pulled back to its origin by some invisible force.
The World Tree leaned slightly forward, its countless emerald branches taut silently, as if ready to react at any moment;
The Lord of Frost and Thunder's knuckles turned white as he gripped the Frost and Thunder Staff. His frenzied fighting spirit was unusually subdued at this moment, replaced by an extremely solemn and observant posture.
The Magic Pioneer and the Ruler of the Abyss also ceased their battles. They exchanged a glance across the shattered Void, both seeing the same thought in each other's eyes.
Someone is stirring up trouble.
In that brief, seemingly Eternity stillness, some of the Eternal could no longer contain themselves.
The Goddess of Fate trembled slightly at her fingertips, a strange light flashed in the eyes of the Lord of Time, and the Lord of Frost and Thunder even took a half-inch forward—they were all pondering the same question: if the two were both severely injured, if they were both weakened, would they have a chance to take advantage of the situation?
The ownership of the Astral Realm, the ultimate spoils of victory, the supreme authority that would determine the Fate of the Astral Realm —all these temptations surged into their hearts in that instant.
Just a moment before that thought was about to turn into action—
Rumble!!
The Black Hole vortex started spinning again!
The deep, heavy rumble exploded from the very center of the gray-white canvas, like the first roar of an ancient beast awakening from the Abyss.
The black ring of the Black Hole rotates, expands, and multiplies wildly on the two-dimensional plane, like a spring that has been compressed to its limit suddenly releasing all its potential energy!
The surrounding elemental forces dissipated rapidly at a visible speed—as if some higher force had "squeezed out" all their remaining energy, like a wrung-out towel that could no longer yield a drop of water. The entire two-dimensional plane was brought back to life under the pull of the rotating Black Hole: the monotonous gray-white background began to ripple with color, the flattened dimensions began to expand and grow again, the erased spatial folds began to fold and unfold again, and the stagnant River of Space-Time began to flow again.
Dimensional ascension!
The entire gray-white canvas, like a crumpled scroll, was unfurled, straightened, and given a new three-dimensional life. In that process of dimensional ascension, the figures of the Lord of Truth and the Mother of the Stars rose from two-dimensional silhouettes, regaining their complete three-dimensional form and a real sense of presence.
The Lord of Truth and the Mother of the Stars stand one light-year apart.
A light-year is an insurmountable chasm for mortal beings, a distance they could never cross in their lifetime. But for beings of their level, it is merely a step away. Yet at this moment, this light-year distance is like an invisible chasm between them—their auras are fluctuating violently, like candlelight in a storm, like a lone boat in a raging sea. Each rise and fall reveals their weakened state, which is now on the verge of its limit.
But their auras were firmly locked onto each other.
That kind of lock-on is not a simple perception or attention, but a more fundamental "Fate lock-on"—their causal lines are forcibly bound together at this moment, and their Fate are nailed to the same track. If the other party has the slightest flaw, the slightest hesitation, or the slightest relaxation of power, they will face utter and irreversible defeat.
They all understood that they had reached the final stage of this battle. There would be no more probing, no more gathering of strength, no more regrouping.
Every strike that follows will be an all-out attack, and every moment that follows will determine the ultimate fate of the entire Astral Realm.
Seeing these two powerful figures stand up again, the other Eternal felt a chill run down their spines.
The Goddess of Fate's fingertips stiffened slightly, and the causal threads that had been raised silently fell back down; the strange light in the eyes of the Lord of Time quickly subsided, returning to the deep and calm stillness of an ancient well; the Lord of Frost and Thunder quietly withdrew his foot that had moved half an inch, and the fingers that had been gripping the Frost and Thunder Staff loosened slightly and then tightened again.
They quickly suppressed their ulterior motives.
They had witnessed the entire battle, seeing it clearly. Every collision, every attack, and every clash of laws between the two figures far exceeded their comprehension.
As the Magic Pioneer gazed at the Mother of the Stars' near-perfect elemental transformation, a complex mix of emotions welled up within him. He finally understood how rudimentary and immature his proud magical path was compared to the true source of magic. The Ruler of the Abyss, observing the Triune Fusion of the Lord of Truth and sensing the ultimate Dao of Chaos, Order, and Devouring contained within it, a rare hint of trepidation flickered in his dark Abyss eyes.
They all understood: both of them were monsters. Compared to either of them, they were far inferior. Even if everyone attacked together, they would most likely not be able to defeat either of them.
If faced alone, they would be suppressed, wiped out, and completely eliminated in a very short time.
Various thoughts swirled within the shattered Astral Realm. Some Eternal were calculating which side to take, some were thinking about how to protect themselves, and some were secretly preparing their escape routes.
But before the Lord of Truth and the Mother of the Stars have determined their final victor, no one dares to act rashly.
And in the fleeting moments between those thoughts—
Two afterimages flashed out again!
The Lord of Truth and the Mother of the Stars activated their highest possible speed almost simultaneously! The speed was so fast that even the distance between light-years was compressed into a mere foot, so fast that even the perception of the Eternal could only capture a blurry afterimage, so fast that two long-lasting tracks were left in the Void, like deep ravines plowed out by a tremendous force!
In an instant, a distance of light-years was traversed.
The shattered Hammer of Earth and the broken Truth Spear collided with a deafening roar!
Boom!
At the moment of impact, the entire Void of the Astral Realm trembled violently. The hammerhead of the Hammer of Earth was covered with dense cracks, and the spear of Truth Spear broke in two from the middle. Yet, these two broken weapons still unleashed terrifying power under the will of their masters.
The auras of both sides surged and filled the air.
Behind the Mother of the Stars, countless stars twinkle incessantly. Those starlight are like countless eyes shining in the darkness, each reflecting a microcosm of some corner of the Astral Realm.
The four elements surged and flowed around Him, with fire, storm, water, and earth revolving around Him in a perfect balance, sometimes separating and sometimes joining together, forming an elemental ring.
Behind the Lord of Truth lies a completely different scene. Countless roaring, Endless Gods emerge in the Void —they are the heavenly soldiers and generals of the Spirit Saint Domain, projections of the wills of billions of living beings. They rely on the Heavenly Net and take the Heaven-Bearing Reincarnation Disc as their core, like countless golden streams converging into a vast ocean.
Beyond the gods, a Black Hole slowly rotates, a spiderweb spreads silently, and above all, a colossal eye floats in the highest place— the Eye of Truth, containing Endless wisdom and insightful light.
One collision, two collisions, ten collisions, a hundred collisions.
Vibrations, originating from the depths of Space-Time, echoed throughout the Astral Realm. Each collision was like an invisible giant hammer striking the very foundation of the Astral Realm, stirring up layers upon layers of ripples of law that spread in all directions. The overall structure of the Astral Realm became loosened in this continuous collision—like two giant beasts fighting inside a house, occasionally crashing into the walls, leaving huge dents and cracks, causing the entire framework of the house to begin to shake dangerously.