readease Chapter 889 The Origin of Time
Chapter 889 The Origin of Time
"Time begins to flow."
The moment the fingers snapped, the hazy gray halo that enveloped the heavens and earth suddenly contracted inward, dissolving into the air like shattered glass.
The frozen moment resumed its flow without warning, without ripples or delays, as if that brief stillness had never existed.
In the wilderness, everyone continued to move along the same path, completely unaware that they had been imprisoned by time.
Chen Ling's sinister smile was still on his face. His iron fist, wrapped in cold Yuan energy, was still slamming down hard on the back of Wang Jie's head. Huo Yuan's aura surged, the Yuan Sect disciples' momentum of attack did not diminish, and the panic and resistance of the Dao Sect people did not stop in the slightest. Everything continued naturally along its original trajectory.
At that very moment, the pebble that Xiao Ling had flicked out moved first.
It suddenly accelerated the instant time resumed, transforming into a slender yet unstoppable silver-white streak, its sound as faint as a mosquito's buzz, yet its speed so fast it tore through the line of sight.
"Ding--!"
The pebble struck a hovering piece of gravel hard, instantly deflecting and changing direction. The streak of light drew a sharp angle in mid-air and shot out like a thunderbolt.
Before the previous fragment could fall, it collided with another speck of dust, its trajectory shifting sharply once more. The silver light bounced, refracted, and bounced wildly among the scattered stone fragments, each collision scattering tiny streaks of light that wove together in mid-air into a dense, deadly net.
call out--
A streak of light suddenly pierced the head of a Yuan Sect disciple. Before blood could even spurt out, the pebble struck a piece of debris and bounced off again.
call out--
Another arc swept through the air, and the second disciple fell to the ground.
huh, huh, huh-
The silver light bounced repeatedly through the array of stone chips, moving with lightning speed, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, sometimes up, sometimes down. Each refraction precisely locked onto the head of a Yuan Sect disciple, its trajectory as mysterious as star trails and its speed as violent as thunder.
In the blink of an eye, the tiny streak of light had crisscrossed the crowd dozens of times, using stone chips as springboards and reflecting light as sharp blades. Wherever it passed, Yuanmen disciples collapsed to the ground one after another, without even having time to utter a scream.
And all of this happened in the blink of an eye.
It was so fast it defied logic, so fast that not even a thought could linger. The Yuan Sect had already suffered more than half its casualties. Most of the disciples fell to the ground like grass before they could even groan, their heads riddled with tiny, terrifying blood holes.
Strangely, none of the Dao Sect members suffered even the slightest scratch, as if that deadly streak of light had eyes and only targeted the Yuan Sect members for slaughter.
Chen Ling's fist continued to thrust forward, the force of the punch not yet fully released. He even maintained the ferocious posture of about to kill Wang Jie, only vaguely sensing a trace of extremely ominous palpitation.
The next second, he clearly saw Huo Yuan, who was facing him from afar, have his head explode without warning, with red and white matter flying everywhere, without even a sound of surprise.
The scene was so sudden and terrifying that Chen Ling's pupils shrank, and the thought of "what happened" had not even crossed his mind yet.
Almost at the same instant.
He himself suddenly felt an indescribable pain and emptiness in his head.
Then came boundless darkness, which completely swallowed up all consciousness.
After piercing through the head of the Dust Spirit, the stone that had traversed the carnage seemed to have completed its mission. Its power was completely exhausted, and it instantly disintegrated into a wisp of fine dust, slowly drifting down in the stagnant air.
Immediately following was the muffled thud of Chen Ling's body crashing to the ground.
This loud thud seemed to be a command, and it merged with the sounds of the Yuanmen disciples who had been pierced by the light falling to the ground. The muffled thuds rose and fell, as if they had all landed at the same moment, causing the cracked wilderness to tremble slightly.
The swift massacre had just ended, and the desolate wilderness suddenly fell into deathly silence. All the disciples of the Yuan Sect perished on the spot; not a single one survived.
This horrifying scene struck the Dao Sect disciples, who were still deeply engrossed in the battle and fighting desperately. Everyone froze on the spot, their minds blank.
One second they were fiercely fighting and overwhelming the Yuanmen members, the next they were all dead on the spot. There was no warning or indication. This sudden and shocking reversal was like a thunderclap, leaving them completely bewildered and unable to react to what had happened. They could only stare blankly at the corpses on the ground, their bodies stiff and unable to move.
Wang Jie, whose pupils had already contracted and who was waiting for death to arrive, found that the fatal blow she had anticipated was delayed. She blinked subconsciously and was met with a scene of utter devastation and the complete annihilation of the Yuan Sect. Her pretty face instantly paled, her heroic eyes filled with disbelief, and the vast Yuan energy around her suddenly became chaotic. She froze in mid-air, her heart filled with overwhelming shock.
She let out a long, hoarse breath, as if she had survived a disaster. Her chest heaved violently, and her eyes scanned the open field frantically, trying to find the cause of this strange turn of events.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, her instincts as the senior disciple of the Heavenly Palace returned instantly. Suppressing the turmoil within her, her clear voice, imbued with profound Yuan energy, suddenly resounded in everyone's ears.
"Everyone, stay calm and don't panic!"
This stern shout finally brought the Daoist disciples, who were deeply shocked, bewildered, and at a loss, back to their senses.
Everyone composed themselves and turned their gazes to Wang Jie, who stood in mid-air. Their eyes held a lingering sense of reliance as they awaited the decision of this senior sister of the Heavenly Palace.
Despite the turmoil in her heart and her inability to understand what had just happened to cause the arrogant Yuanmen members to die on the spot, Wang Jie, who had survived, still suppressed her shock and immediately used her divine sense to look around, trying to find any clues.
The next moment, her gaze suddenly sharpened, fixing on the figure standing quietly not far away.
The man was tall and slender, standing amidst the chaos and bloodshed, yet he seemed to exist in his own world.
His face was calm and expressionless, without the slightest ripple. His aura was light and distant, carrying a sense of detachment and a desolate calm that came from having seen it all.
His handsome features were almost dazzling, with well-defined features and elegant, refined eyes. Yet, a faint smile played at the corners of his lips, gentle yet indifferent. Even though he was right in front of him, the aura he exuded was cold and aloof, as if the world's turmoil and life-and-death struggles were irrelevant to him, as if he existed in his own transcendent world. A single glance from him inspired a sense of awe.
Looking at that highly recognizable handsome face, Wang Jie's eyes suddenly narrowed, and related memories flooded her mind, and she immediately recognized the person.
She clearly remembered that this man was someone she had seen before in the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace camp. Although they hadn't interacted much, he had left an impression on her because of his unique temperament.
Then, recalling the unexpected and inexplicable scene just now, where the Yuanmen members who were confident of victory one second ago were all killed the next, while the person in front of him stood calmly from beginning to end, seemingly outside the battle yet in control of everything.
Comparing this strange expression with the earth-shattering event, Wang Jie understood that the bizarre massacre that wiped out the entire Yuan Clan was definitely related to him.
"This gentleman from the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace, I wonder if you were the one who did what happened before?"
Wang Jie asked, though she was already certain that the person before her was the benefactor who had saved her and the Dao Sect members. However, the unpredictable and swift annihilation of the entire Yuan Sect still made her wary. Her expression was grave, her gaze fixed on Xiao Ling, her brows furrowed with obvious vigilance, and her aura subtly tense.
The other Dao Sect disciples followed her gaze and looked at Xiao Ling. Their faces showed surprise and doubt, and their eyes were filled with confusion, fear and wariness. They all stared at the figure that had suddenly appeared.
Is this how you treat your benefactor?
Xiao Ling raised an eyebrow slightly, the faint smile on his lips unchanged, but his aloof tone carried an undeniable air of authority as he spoke softly.
He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. His tone remained calm, yet carried a chilling intensity.
"You should be glad that I'm in a good mood today, otherwise, all of you would have ended up like those people from the Yuan Sect."
A seemingly casual remark, yet it weighed heavily on the hearts of all the Dao Sect disciples, causing their expressions to change and a chill to run through them, instantly plunging them into despair.
Wang Jie stiffened slightly, momentarily speechless, completely unsure how to respond.
She knew all too well that this person possessed the terrifying power to annihilate the entire Yuan Sect with a flick of his finger. If he really wanted to attack the Dao Sect, annihilating them would be a trivial matter. This overwhelming difference in strength left her speechless and unable to utter a single strong word.
"I will not dwell on what happened today. However, I will not let go of my gratitude for helping your Dao Sect."
As soon as Xiao Ling finished speaking, he casually tapped the air with his hand.
The bodies of the Dao Sect disciples who had died fighting the Yuan Sect were slowly radiating a warm and bright light of life to everyone's astonishment.
Within their once lifeless and cold bodies, wisps of vibrant life quietly began to emerge. In the blink of an eye, all the disciples who had already passed away opened their eyes in a daze, their expressions filled with confusion and bewilderment.
After the strange phenomenon subsided, Xiao Ling raised his eyes to look at Wang Jie, a faint and distant smile playing on his lips, and slowly spoke:
"Go back and tell your sect leader that I will personally visit the Yuan Sect soon. At that time, I will ask him for the reward for today's favor."
As Xiao Ling finished speaking, a gentle breeze suddenly swept across the shattered battlefield.
His figure flickered slightly in the wind and shadows, then vanished without a trace, as if he had never appeared here at all.
The Daoist disciples stared blankly at the spot where he had stood, their minds still reeling from the earth-shattering power he had displayed, unable to recover for a long time. It wasn't until the fellow disciples Xiao Ling had saved awoke in a daze, and familiar disciples rushed forward to help and inquire about their well-being, that the crowd finally began to stir.
"Senior Sister, what exactly happened? What is that person's background? The oppressive feeling just now was even more terrifying than the Sect Leader's. He could not possibly be just an ordinary disciple of the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace!" A young disciple, unable to contain his shock, hurriedly looked at Wang Jie and asked in a trembling voice.
Wang Jie composed herself slightly, pondered for a moment, and said softly:
“The thoughts and actions of a powerhouse at this level are beyond our comprehension. We only need to do as he says and report everything that happened today to the Sect Leader.”
……
In the hidden void beyond the battlefield, Xiao Ling's figure flickered silently and appeared beside Ling Qingzhu without warning.
"How exactly did you do that?"
A clear, pleasant voice rang out first, tinged with barely suppressed surprise.
Ling Qingzhu immediately withdrew her gaze from the battlefield below. On her beautiful and aloof face, her clear and indifferent eyes showed ripples for the first time, and her brows were filled with deep shock and confusion.
What just happened completely overturned her beliefs over the years. In the blink of an eye, Xiao Ling disappeared from her side without her noticing any fluctuations in Yuan energy or any afterimage. Below her was the horrifying scene of the complete annihilation of the Yuan Sect.
Such methods of instantaneous slaughter and silent killing have transcended the scope of ordinary martial arts. They are extremely fast and strangely powerful, causing an unquenchable storm to surge in her heart. Her gaze towards Xiao Ling now contains a hint of inquiry and deep curiosity.
"Heh, just a little trick."
Xiao Ling chuckled lightly, his tone as casual as if he were talking about something trivial, "It's just a pause, you should understand."
This ability to manipulate time was a unique skill he had recently developed by combining the rare treasures and techniques he had recently obtained through the system with his own insights into the origins of time gleaned from the Meteor Tear.
Just as Xiao Ling said, the essence of this move is the suspension of time.
In the brief moment when time stood still, everything in the universe except himself was frozen in an instant, unable to move or retain consciousness. He was able to do this because of his profound understanding of the origin of time, forcibly distorting the flow of time within a certain space and completely freezing it.
The cost of such methods is directly related to the size of the paused area and the strength of the plane in which it is located.
For example, the same size space is much easier to manipulate on the Tianxuan Continent or the Douqi Continent than on the Great Thousand World. The higher the plane level, the more stable the rules of heaven and earth are, and the more astonishing the price to pay for forcibly freezing time will be.
Moreover, the larger the area of the pause, the greater the consumption on Xiao Ling himself, far exceeding what a small-scale stagnation could achieve.
Although Xiao Ling has not yet actually tried it, he already has a good idea of what he can do. With his current cultivation level and understanding of the origin of time, he is capable of briefly pausing time in the entire Tianxuan Continent.
As for how long the freeze could last, he had never tried it himself and could not give a definite judgment, but he estimated it to be about three seconds.
However, Xiao Ling firmly believed that as his understanding of the origin of time deepened, the duration he could pause would inevitably continue to increase. (End of Chapter)