Another half day passed when the droplet creature’s antennae twitched. The rivers that surrounded it abruptly dispersed, only to reform into a slender stream that shot forward.
The solitary stream plunged into the album of time, reemerging on the bug’s right. The stream continued to flow, from in front of the bug to endlessly piercing through the album of time without breaking.
The album of time was neither an offensive nor a defensive technique. It simply shifted time about within its range, but it was not capable of severing the stream.
You scattered time to form this album, but I will create a thread to bind this album back together.
An ordinary thread would be useless. Only a line that was reinforced with Immortal matter and wielded by an Immortal could stitch the fragmented shards of time back together.
Zhao Ran’s expression changed. “Not good! Cut that stream apart! Hurry!”
Jiang Feng stepped off the small boat and slashed at the stream. His blade clearly passed through it, but the flowing droplets never broke.
He tried again, hacking at the stream again and again.
It was as though the stream did not even exist.
He closed his eyes, surrounding himself with darkness as clusters of flame appeared. A golden glow covered the man’s body. He refused to believe that the stream could not be cut. He had ripped open a wound on the Immortal bug itself. He would not lose to a mere stream.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped back open before he spat out blood and collapsed. At some point in time, the void had been filled with the bug’s Immortal matter. Unseen, it had fused with some droplets that had struck Jiang Feng.
Powerless, he watched as a stream dropped down upon him from above like a spike, aiming to pierce his body.
At the last moment, the small boat appeared and whisked the man away.
The Immortal’s antennae twitched. It had managed to find the end of its thread. It had already known that the ferryman of the River of Aeons would reveal herself. Without her, it would be impossible to find the end of the thread, though binding the album of time fully with the stream would take time.
The ferryman herself could not break the stream, which was why she had to force that human to take action. That was the opening that the droplet creature had been waiting for.
In the Aevum Inch, Lu Yin’s heart dropped. They had taken the bug’s bait.
Uncle Jiang had attacked because he had been lured out by the bug, which had exposed Zhao Ran. However, they had had no other choice. Even if Jiang Feng had not attacked, the stream would have eventually bound the fragments of time back together.
The most important detail was that no one knew how long it would take the Immortal bug to complete the binding. They could not afford to gamble.
In the Tianyuan, the droplet creature replaced Zhao Ran as the end of the thread. The stream abruptly tightened, and at that same instant, the universe shook. The once shattered time snapped back to normal, and almost simultaneously, the stream shot towards Zhao Ran’s small boat. Die, puny ferryman of the River of Aeons!
Zhao Ran watched the stream surge towards her, her face growing ashen.
Jiang Feng clenched his jaw and prepared to strike, only for a long red sword to suddenly appear in the void. It stabbed into the stream, split it from the center, and scattered the droplets before slicing at the Immortal bug.
Startled, the creature moved from its spot for the very first time. The red sword sliced through the void and vanished.
Everything was over in the blink of an eye, from the sword’s appearance to its disappearance.
Shan Xiao even thought that the entire series of events must have been an illusion.
And yet there was no denying that the Immortal bug had moved. An attack had just appeared that had threatened an Immortal.
In the Aevum Inch, Lu Yin sprang to his feet. That red sword had just attacked. What did that mean? He was almost completely certain that there was a member of Obscura hiding in the Tianyuan, but why would they help humanity?
In the Tianyuan, the Immortal stared at the place where the red sword had just vanished. That aura... Is it that civilization?
Has that civilization actually made contact with humanity as well?
But why would they help this megaverse?
The creature continued to stare into the distance in a daze. For a moment, it did not move at all.
Zhao Ran let out a breath of relief and hurried to use her album of time again. While the Immortal bug had found a way to counter the technique, she had no choice but to use it again. Even the smallest delay was worthwhile.
Far away from the battlefield, Skydog stared into the distance in terror. The aura of an Immortal was too horrifying.
Wang Xiaoyu’s expression was also grave. Why help them?
Beside her, Forgotten Ruins God raised a hand to catch the red sword. She chuckled. “How should I put it? Since we still haven’t left yet, if the people of this megaverse are exterminated, we won’t be able to escape from under an Immortal’s nose.”
Wang Xiaoyu stared at the red sword, lost in thought.
The battle fell into a stalemate. The Tianyuan’s humans were greatly outnumbered by the attacking insects, and yet the average strength of the humans was greater.
Luo Chan remained locked down by Lu Yin, who was constantly keeping the bug in check with small rings of karmic walls.
Shan Xiao had stopped attacking. She was waiting for the Immortal to finish off Jiang Feng.
However, the droplet creature had not made a single move since the red sword’s appearance. It remained trapped within the album of time.
Another day passed.
Shan Xiao could not help but speak up. “Master.”
The creature’s antennae twitched, and it turned to look about the album of time. Whatever that civilization intends to do, this megaverse is already doomed.
“I must admit that your megaverse has some skill. You continue to counter the pressure I put on you with new techniques, but this is the end.” Blue light flared across the bug’s body as its voice swept across the megaverse. “Humans, you lack a proper understanding of Immortals. After days of struggling, you have even begun to harbor a laughable delusion of victory.
“I will now completely erase that delusion for you. I will show you the truth regarding Immortals.”
Lu Yuan, Ancient God, and others grew grim. Was the Immortal finally going to get serious?
Within the album of time, Zhao Ran and Jiang Feng stared at the creature. What was it going to do?
At this moment, not even being in the album of time felt safe.
Wei Nu’s voice reached Zhao Ran from the River of Aeons. “Return now. If that Immortal truly attacks, you will die.”
Zhao Ran pretended to not hear anything, and she continued to stare at the Immortal.
Wei Nu grew anxious. “Come back! There is no need for you to die for the people of this era. Even if you care about them, that emotion comes from Lu Yin, who is not even here. These people are not worth it. Come back.”