As metal fragments from the Mother Nest dome rained down like a torrential downpour, the hairs on the back of Lin Yi's neck suddenly stood on end.
The source core trembled violently deep within his sea of consciousness, as if it had been gently touched by the fingertips of some ancient being—it wasn't an energy fluctuation, but more like a touch at the level of consciousness, carrying a rusty, sweet-smelling scent, much like the stench of temporal turbulence he had smelled at the edge of an interdimensional rift.
"Chu Yao!" He grabbed the girl's projection by the wrist and darted behind cover, the Causal Scepter held horizontally in front of him, cleaving two red-hot metal fragments in two. "There's something inside the Fire Seed fragment!"
"Analyzing the residual energy field—" Chu Yao's projection suddenly showed bluish-gray noise, and the light clusters at the ends of her hair exploded into tiny starlight. "A non-mother nest native consciousness has been detected!"
The fluctuation frequency...exceeds the threshold of mythical-level perception!
From within the black mist that had burst open from the tumor came the laughter of a night owl, sharper than before, like fingernails scraping glass.
Lin Yi saw the black mist reorganizing, no longer in the form of a sticky tumor, but gradually condensing into a semi-transparent human-shaped outline, with silvery light bands flowing under the skin. Each light trace corresponded to a timeline he had experienced—the dusk when he rescued the little girl outside the novice village, the rainy night when he confronted Long Wu in the space-time rift, and even the oil stains that splashed on his apron when he cooked porridge for his mother in reality three days ago.
"You finally figured it out?" The owl's voice was no longer hoarse, but rather carried a certain rhythm, as if a million people were speaking at once. "The mother nest is the cocoon, the spark is the bait, and I..." He raised his hand, his fingertips digging into his chest, and a walnut-sized, pale blue crystal immediately floated out from the band of light. "It's the placenta that hatched the Weaver of Fate..."
Lin Yi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his source core.
He then noticed that the crystal in Night Owl's hand had fine golden patterns floating on its surface—the embodiment of the laws of spacetime, exactly the same as the fragments of laws in his [Spacetime Dominator] professional talent, only more complete and more...ancient.
"You said that overlapping timelines are a gift." Lin Yi gripped the Scepter of Cause and Effect, golden light swirling around its shaft. "Now I know, it's the Weaver of Fate collecting my karma."
"Clever." The owl's figure began to blur, but the light band under his skin grew brighter and brighter. "When all the 'Lin Yi' in all timelines are entangled by the same cause and effect, he can squeeze in through the gaps in the laws."
"And your action of cracking the core of the mother nest..." he laughed, "just happened to help him break through the last membrane."
Chu Yao's projection suddenly froze.
Countless data streams pulsed in her pupils, and her originally sweet voice turned cold and hard like a machine: "The overlap between reality and virtuality has been detected to have expanded to 37%!"
The overlap between Hangzhou University Library and the timeline of the boy in the white shirt is exceeding 90%—the timeline of the boy in the white shirt is merging with the Mother Nest Energy Matrix!
Lin Yi suddenly turned his head.
Through the gap in the collapsed dome, he saw half a library floating in the void, its marble walls overlapping the purple crystal walls of the Hive. The boy in the white shirt, whom he always ignored, was walking down the corridor carrying "Introduction to Quantum Physics," while three feet above his head, the energy matrix of the Hive's third combat zone was slowly falling, blue and white arcs of electricity striking the floor at the boy's feet, burning a charred hole.
"He is the anchor point of the real timeline." Lin Yi's breathing suddenly quickened. "If the energy matrix breaks through the overlapping area, the causal chains of the two timelines will break!"
"What's worse is yet to come." The Night Owl's voice surged from all directions. His figure was completely transparent, leaving only a skeleton made of light bands. "You think I wanted to trap you in a loop?"
No, I want you to see with your own eyes... that every choice you make is a script already written by the weaver of fate.
The tremors of the source nucleus suddenly reached their peak.
Lin Yi felt an ice spike pierce his forehead, reaching the deepest part of his sea of consciousness—where his professional badge, which had been floating there, was now wrapped by a dark golden thread, the other end of which extended toward some indescribable entity in the void.
"That's..." He gritted his teeth, raising his hand, his fingertips almost touching the thread, "The tentacles of the Weaver of Fate?"
\"bite--\"
Chu Yao's projection suddenly popped up a red alert, and the data stream exploded into fireworks around her: "Another-dimensional law erosion has been detected!"
The underlying code of the Mother Nest system is being rewritten... No, this isn't the Mother Nest's code, it's... the primordial laws that existed since the birth of the universe! Her voice finally carried a hint of human terror. "All the secrets of the Mother Nest that we've cracked before might just be bait deliberately placed by this being!"
The owl's light-bearing skeleton suddenly twisted into a bizarre spiral.
He raised his hand to his temple, as if receiving some kind of information. The next second, all the light bands suddenly expanded, enveloping the entire collapsing Mother Nest ruins in a cocoon of light: "He's here."
Lin Yi's source core suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light.
The vortex on the Scepter of Cause and Effect expanded instantly, enveloping his and Chu Yao's projections in a golden light shield. Outside the shield, the Night Owl's cocoon of light was absorbing the surrounding spatial turbulence. With each absorption, a dark golden pattern appeared on the surface of the cocoon, perfectly matching the threads in his sea of consciousness.
"Long Wu!" Lin Yi suddenly turned his head to look to the left.
Before anyone knew it, Long Wu, covered in blood, stumbled over. Half of his dragon scale armor was torn open, revealing the bleeding muscles underneath. "How did you get in?"
The space lock in the core area of the mother nest should have been locked long ago—
"Boss!" Long Wu's voice was hoarse with a metallic friction, and golden dragon patterns surged in his pupils. "I sensed the resonance of the True Dragon's Reverse Scale in the Third District!"
That thing...that thing is gnawing at the timeline of reality! He suddenly staggered and knelt on one knee, his palm pressing against the molten metal floor. Spiderweb-like golden cracks immediately appeared on the ground. "I tried to use my bloodline power to fix the overlapping areas, but...it's too cunning; it always shifts the instant I lock on!"
Lin Yi stared at the golden patterns on Long Wu's palm.
The patterns were spreading along the ground, and when they touched the owl's cocoon of light, they suddenly twisted into reverse spirals, as if they had been forcibly broken off by some force.
He suddenly remembered Chu Yao's warning—they were just pieces on the chessboard, and now, the hand holding the pieces was finally about to fall.
"Chu Yao, connect to the emergency channel of the Reality Alliance." Lin Yi took a deep breath, and the golden light of the Source Core began to cover his entire body. "Tell them to activate the 'Space-Time Anchor' plan, and all Mythical-level job changers should immediately head to the overlapping area."
Long Wu, you...
"Boss, look!" Long Wu suddenly pointed to Night Owl's cocoon of light.
The dark gold patterns on the surface of the cocoon are peeling away, revealing an even more ancient shadow curled up inside.
The shadow had no specific form, yet it caused Lin Yi's source core to instinctively let out a mournful cry, as if it had encountered a natural enemy.
"That's..." Chu Yao's projection suddenly became incredibly clear, the shadow reflected in her eyes. "The true form of the Weaver of Fate?"
The owl's light-bearing skeleton suddenly emitted a piercing shriek.
His voice became hoarse again, as if some force had forcibly taken back control of his body: "Go quickly!"
Before he fully wakes up!
This cocoon of light can only trap him for three seconds—after three seconds, all timelines will be crushed into mud by him!
Lin Yi's pupils suddenly contracted.
He grabbed Long Wu and slammed the Causal Scepter heavily onto the ground: "Chu Yao, locate the nearest spacetime rift!"
Long Wu, prepare to use your bloodline power to stabilize the rift exit!
"The rift coordinates have been locked!" Chu Yao's projection began to flicker. "But the exit is right in the overlapping area of the Hangzhou University Library!"
The boy in the white shirt... he's still there!
Lin Yi's source core suddenly boiled.
He recalled the first time he entered the game, the figure on the library steps blasted apart by an energy cannon, and the system notification that said, "Irrelevant NPCs have been removed"—it turned out they were never irrelevant, but rather a deliberate...trigger left by the weaver of fate.
"Take him away." Lin Yi's voice was deep and thunderous. "Use whatever means necessary to get him out of the overlapping area."
Long Wu suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His dragon scales began to glow red, a sign of his burning bloodline: "Boss, I feel... my reverse scale is burning hot."
It might be able to create a temporary passage, but...
"But what?" Lin Yi's gaze was like a knife.
Long Wu suddenly grinned, revealing his blood-stained tiger teeth: "But I might lose half my life."
But... well, what can I do? I'm Long Wu of the Time-Traveling Legion.
The owl's cocoon of light suddenly roared.
The dark gold patterns completely peeled away, and the shadow began to stretch out its "body." An invisible sense of oppression surged in like a tide, and even the golden light of the Scepter of Cause and Effect began to sway.
Lin Yi gripped Long Wu's wrist tightly, the golden light of the source core and the red light of the dragon scales merging in their palms: "In three seconds, I need you to use all your bloodline power to tear open space."
Chu Yao, prepare the support on the real side.
Chu Yao's projection suddenly materialized.
She reached out and placed her hand on top of Lin Yi's and Long Wu's: "The data link is connected, and the mythical-level job changers from the Reality Alliance are on their way to the library."
The boy in the white shirt... I will protect him.
The owl's cocoon of light began to disintegrate.
The shadow stretched out a "finger" and pointed to Lin Yi's location—in that instant, Lin Yi felt the whole world slow down.
He saw the dragon patterns in Long Wu's eyes solidify into a tangible dragon shape, saw Chu Yao's hair tips regain a stable cluster of light, and saw the golden threads in his sea of consciousness suddenly break, scattering large fragments of laws.
"Three seconds are up." The night owl's voice carried a relieved laugh. "Remember, this isn't the end... it's the beginning of you truly becoming chess players."
Just as the shadowy "finger" was about to touch him, Long Wu's body suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light.
His dragon scale armor shattered completely, revealing the reverse scale patterns emerging on his chest—the core power of the true dragon bloodline, which can only be used once in a lifetime.
"Go!" Long Wu's roar shook the Mother Nest Ruins. "I can't hold out for ten seconds. Boss, you take Chu Yao first—"
"Shut up." Lin Yi slammed his Causal Scepter heavily onto the ground, a golden light enveloping the three of them. "If you're going to leave, you leave together."
The shadow's "finger" finally touched the light shield.
Spiderweb-like cracks immediately appeared on the surface of the light shield, and the reverse scale pattern of Long Wu was fading away at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Lin Yi stared at Long Wu's increasingly pale face and suddenly remembered the first time they met, when this big guy held up a brick and said he wanted to team up with him to fight the newbie village boss.
"Hold on," he whispered. "You haven't taught me how to temper weapons with dragon blood yet."
Long Wu laughed, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth: "When we get out... I'll teach you... how to brew wine with dragon's saliva."
The photomask is getting more and more cracked.
Chu Yao's projection suddenly materialized, her hand pressed against Long Wu's chest, and data streams burrowed into his bloodline like silver snakes: "Reverse Scale consumption speed reduced by 30%!"
Spatial rift...forming in three seconds!
Lin Yi looked up at the illusory image of the library in the void.
The boy in the white shirt was standing directly below the energy matrix, looking up at the suddenly appearing golden light with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Chu Yao, pinpoint his location." Lin Yi's source core burned to its limit, the vortex on the Causal Scepter almost tearing space apart. "Even if it costs this body, I will bring him out."
The shadowy "finger" applied pressure again.
The light shield let out its final mournful cry, and above everyone's heads, a purplish-gold crack finally tore open—a path to survival that Long Wu had bought with half his life.
"Go in!" Lin Yi pushed Long Wu and Chu Yao into the rift, then turned to face the shadows, his Causal Scepter pointing towards the gradually forming spacetime passage. "Chu Yao, take Long Wu first, I'll cover the rear!"
"Lin Yi!" Chu Yao's scream was swallowed up by the roar of the rift.
Just before being pulled into the rift, Long Wu suddenly turned around. His reverse scale markings had completely disappeared, and he seemed drained of all strength, yet the light in his eyes shone brighter than ever: "Boss, I'll be waiting for you in reality—to brew wine with dragon's saliva!"
The instant the rift closed, Lin Yi saw the shadow's "fingers" pierce through his light shield and stab into his left shoulder.
The excruciating pain surged like a tide, but a smile crept onto his lips—because he saw, at the other end of the time-space tunnel, the figure of the boy in the white shirt was being enveloped by Chu Yao's data stream, slowly drifting towards the library in reality.
Amidst the deafening roar of the complete collapse of the Mother Nest ruins, Lin Yi touched the wound on his left shoulder, feeling the residual heat of the Dragon Five bloodline within the Source Core.
He looked up into the shadows, and the Scepter of Cause and Effect shone with even brighter golden light in his palm.
"The weaver of fate." His voice, tinged with blood and foam, was clear and powerful. "I, Lin Yi, have never believed in any script."
The shadowy "body" suddenly paused.
Meanwhile, at the university library in Hangzhou, a thousand miles away, the librarian who was tidying up the bookshelves suddenly looked up.
He saw a blood-soaked boy step out of the void, holding an unconscious boy in a white shirt in his arms. Behind him was a projection of a girl with sparks flying from her hair, and a burly man covered in blood who was laughing like a fool.
"Excuse me?" the administrator asked hesitantly. "Do you need any help?"
Long Wu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and put his arm around the boy in the white shirt's shoulder: "Help me find an empty classroom. We... need to have an important meeting."
Chu Yao's projection suddenly resumed its sweet voice. With a light tap of her finger, all the library's surveillance screens went black: "By the way, please ask security not to disturb us—the story I'm about to tell is a bit long."
Lin Yi stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the sunset in reality.
He could sense that something was regenerating in his mind's eye—not the threads of fate weavers, but his own cause and effect, called "resistance."
The oppressive feeling of the shadows lingers. ### Chapter 327 "The Gate to Break Through Boundaries, the End of Destiny"
As the core of the Mother Nest collapsed, Lin Yi and the others noticed something unusual—a consciousness beyond the mythical level was lurking within the fragments of the Fire Seed.
The owl's black mist reformed into a humanoid figure of light, revealing itself to be the "placenta incubating the Weaver of Fate": the mother nest and the spark were both bait, with the aim of collecting the cause and effect of all of Lin Yi's timelines to help the Weaver of Fate break through the barrier of laws and descend.
The overlap between reality and virtuality is expanding rapidly (the overlap in Hangzhou University Library exceeds 90%). The boy in the white shirt, as the "anchor point of the real timeline", is in crisis - the Mother Nest Energy Matrix is about to break through the overlap area. Once the causal chain breaks, the two timelines will be in complete chaos.
Faced with the approaching shadow of the Weaver of Fate, Lin Yi decisively launched an escape plan: Long Wu forcibly tore open a spacetime rift with the "True Dragon's Reverse Scale" (a core bloodline power that can only be used once in a lifetime), and Chu Yao connected with the Reality Alliance to provide support. The goal was to rescue the boy in the white shirt from the overlapping area.
During the process, Long Wu burned his bloodline to stabilize the rift, while Chu Yao materialized to help reduce the consumption of the Reverse Scale. The three of them worked together to fight against the oppressive shadow.
As the rift formed, Lin Yi chose to stay behind to draw the shadow's attention. Even with his left shoulder pierced by the shadow, he firmly declared, "I, Lin Yi, have never believed in any scripts." In the end, everyone successfully escaped to the Hangzhou City Library in reality, and the boy in the white shirt was safely transferred, laying a crucial foreshadowing for the subsequent stabilization of the timeline.
After escaping, Long Wu, Chu Yao, and Lin Yi gather at the library, where a blacked-out surveillance screen foreshadows an impending secret meeting.
In Lin Yi's sea of consciousness, the cause and effect of "resistance" replaced the threads of fate weaver. The threat of shadow still exists, but "the real war has just begun," setting the stage for the main storyline of the subsequent confrontation with higher beings.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com