The lights in the underground central hall of the Reality Alliance were so bright they hurt your eyes.
Lin Yi staggered and steadied himself on the alloy control panel, a metallic taste rising in his throat—the wound that had been grazed by the spatial turbulence in the rift was still bleeding, but his fingers remained tightly gripping the key, his knuckles turning white.
"Vitality rate 87%, immediate injection of repair medication recommended." Chu Yao's virtual projection rose from the control panel, her hair still glowing with the blue light characteristic of data. "However, the analysis progress of the fragments left by Night Owl has reached 92%, expected to be completed in 30 seconds."
The shadowy figure removed his blood-stained tactical glove, his metal fingertips tapping rhythmically on the control panel: "Deal with the keys first." His voice was like a blade tempered with ice. "Night Owl can buy us three months, but we might not have three months."
Long Wu ripped off his wristband to cover the burn marks on his arm, and his Tang sword clattered into the ground: "Brother Lin said to go through with the ceremony, so we'll go through with the ceremony. I'm willing to risk my life for this, what's a key?" As he grinned, there was still some black blood still stuck in the corner of his eye.
Lin Yi took a deep breath, the smell of blood exploding in his nostrils.
He gazed at the newly appeared silver marks on the key's surface, recalling that stormy night in the starting village—he had crouched under the eaves of a dilapidated temple, clutching a rusty key, raindrops dripping from his hair onto the key's teeth, a temperature somewhat similar to the warmth of his palm now. "Chu Yao, analysis results."
\"bite--\"
The holographic projection suddenly unfolded, and four dark red spots of light flickered on the star map.
Chu Yao's voice became more tense: "The remaining four Keys of Creation are located in the Tower of the Abyss, the Eternal Winter Ice Plains, the Annihilation Swamp, and the Starfall Canyon, respectively."
Night Owl's encrypted logs show that he originally planned to complete the spatial anchoring in three months, but now that 40% of his core has been destroyed, it will actually accelerate the transfer of the remaining keys.
"Divide the troops into four groups," Lin Yi blurted out. "Long Wu, take the first team to the Tower of the Abyss, Old Black..."
"Wait." The shadowy figure suddenly raised his hand, the silver lines in his eyes glowing slightly—that was the unique energy flow of an enforcer of a higher civilization. "The keys are essentially fragments of rules, each of the seven carrying laws of a different dimension."
Without a unified will to guide it, forcibly seizing things will only cause them to repel each other. He tapped the key in Lin Yi's palm with his knuckles. "This key of yours, fused with the core of causality, can it serve as an anchor point?"
Lin Yi remained silent.
He could feel the core of cause and effect burning deep within his sea of consciousness; it was the power he inherited from the image of the white-haired old man.
The fragments I saw in the Core of Cause and Effect three months ago suddenly surged: countless keys floated in the chaos, each bound by a black chain, and at the end of the chain... was a pair of hands tinged with bronze rust.
"Yes." He pressed the key to his chest, the heat of the Core of Cause and Effect coursing through his veins. "I'll use the Core of Cause and Effect as a resonance source."
Suddenly, ripples appeared on the control panel, and a semi-transparent figure emerged from the light.
Stardust clung to Su Qing's hair, and the silver bells on her sword tassel swayed gently: "I'll help you." Her voice was like a wind that had traveled through a thousand years, yet it made Lin Yi's eyes sting—this was the last remnant of her consciousness left in the core of cause and effect.
"Brother Lin!" Long Wu's loud voice broke the silence. He had already donned heavy tactical armor, twirling his Tang sword in his palm. "I'm going to scout out the Abyss Tower first. If I run into Night Owl's bastards..."
"Be careful." Lin Yi grabbed Long Wu's wrist; the touch was still burning hot even through the tactical armor. "If you can't hold on, contact me using the key's resonance."
Long Wu patted the back of his hand hard, and as he turned around, his tactical boots kicked up sparks on the ground.
The shadowy figure handed over an energy syringe: "He's right, treat the wound first."
The moment the injection was pushed into the vein, excruciating pain shot from my arm to the top of my head.
Lin Yi gritted his teeth and looked at Chu Yao: "Initiate the preparation procedures for the integration ceremony."
"The ceremony chamber is ready." Chu Yao's projection suddenly flickered, "But Dragon Five Squad has been ambushed!"
Remnants of the Night Owl army have been detected outside the Abyss Tower; their numbers are... more than three times the initial estimate!
The alarm suddenly went off.
Lin Yi suddenly sat up straight, the key burning in his palm. He could clearly sense the location of the other key—three hundred meters in front of Long Wu, enveloped in dark energy.
"Old Black, control the resonance frequency!" He closed his eyes, and the power of the causal core erupted like a volcano, causing the starry patterns on the key's surface to begin rotating. "Chu Yao, locate the other two keys that have already been seized!"
"The second key is in the Everwinter Frozen Wasteland, the third key is in the Obliteration Swamp, energy fluctuations... responding!"
Lin Yi's forehead was covered in cold sweat.
He could see three bands of light extending in his spiritual world—the resonant chain between the keys.
Long Wu's Tang sword cleaved through a black light, blood splattering onto his tactical mask. His roar came through the communicator: "Brother Lin!"
These bastards are courting death!
"Next!" Lin Yi shouted in a low voice.
Suddenly, golden light exploded in the void before Long Wu's eyes.
Two translucent keys flew out of the light, an ice spike pierced the throat of the nearest enemy, and a ball of black fire exploded in the enemy ranks.
Long Wu's Tang sword glowed red as he laughed and cleaved two enemies in two: "Damn it!"
Brother Lin's move was really powerful!
"Key resonance field coverage complete." Chu Yao's voice regained its composure. "Dragon Five Squad has broken through the ambush zone and is approaching the key storage location."
Five minutes later, a metallic clanging sound came from Long Wu's communicator: "Got it!"
This damn key is heavier than me—damn, that bastard Night Owl left a mark at the bottom of the tower!
Damn it, they're gathering their main force. I've sent you the coordinates!
Lin Yi gripped the newly acquired fourth key tightly, and ripples appeared on the surface of all four keys at the same time.
The blue light in the integration ritual cabin suddenly flickered violently, and the four keys seemed to repel each other as if they were living things, sparking as they collided in mid-air.
"Rejection reaction!" Chu Yao's voice rose. "The energy countermeasure index has exceeded the critical value; the ritual chamber may—"
"Stop." Lin Yi raised his hand and pressed his temple.
He could hear whispers coming from deep within the key, like countless people speaking at the same time, their voices overlapping into some ancient rhythm.
That was... a memory?
He closed his eyes tightly, his consciousness sinking along the lines of the key.
Countless fragments floated in the chaos.
There was an old man with silver hair sighing before the star trails, an owl laughing wildly in a pool of blood, Su Qing smiling at him with her sword in hand, and... himself?
The image suddenly became clear.
On the bronze altar, seven keys form a circle, and at the center of the circle stands a person who looks exactly like him.
The man turned his head, his eyes gleaming like an inverted Milky Way: "You think you've been chosen?"
No, you are the creator.
"What do you mean?" Lin Yi reached out, but touched nothingness.
"Fate is never predetermined." The voice sounded like his own, and like a million others. "Every choice you make creates a new destiny."
The marks on these keys are the old gods' obsession with 'predestined fate'.
The image is shattered.
Lin Yi suddenly opened his eyes. The four keys fell silent in his palm, and the repulsion lines on their surfaces were disappearing.
He could sense that the dark shadow deep within the key was being devoured by the core of cause and effect—that was the memory imprint of the old god.
"Success?" The shadowy figure's voice carried an unusual surprise.
The four keys suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light and merged into one larger key.
The key's surface shimmered with the light of the universe's birth, and a tiny "林" (Lin) character was engraved on the handle.
\"boom--\"
Suddenly, the ceiling cracked open with spiderweb-like patterns.
Lin Yi looked up and, through the shattered glass dome, saw black clouds churning in the sky, within which the outlines of countless giant metal ships were visible.
The owl's laughter pierced through layers of protection, making one's eardrums ache.
"Lin Yi, do you think you can win just by getting the key?"
What I've assembled is an entire legion from another dimension!
The integrated key was burning hot in Lin Yi's palm. He looked at the shadows on the horizon and suddenly smiled.
Su Qing's illusory figure rose from the key and gently took his hand.
When the door to the Reality Alliance’s central hall was pushed open, the guards saw their leader standing amidst shattered glass, holding a key that seemed capable of splitting the heavens and the earth.
The light from the key made his eyes shine, as if it could burn away the impending war.
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