Reborn with infinite panels

Chapter 284 Cultivation World 73
After venturing an unknown distance, a vast expanse of ruins came into view.

The broken, massive stone pillar is lodged diagonally in the desert sands, and traces of some ancient palace can still be vaguely discerned.

What's peculiar is not the ruins themselves, but the layers upon layers of time and space fragments surrounding them, like pieces of broken mirrors pieced together!
Countless historical dust and solidified energy flows twist, hang upside down, and repeat themselves repeatedly within these fragmented barriers—it could be a breathtaking sword strike, or it could be the final burst of light and shadow from a colossal creature before its demise.

Time here is a broken jigsaw puzzle, and space is a misaligned Rubik's Cube.

Si Lingle's expression turned serious. This was not a static barrier, but a labyrinth that was constantly being created and destroyed, containing deadly time traps within.

Those flickering lights and shadows are not just images; they may also contain terrifying attacks frozen in fragments of time and space!
“The remnants of the ‘Time-Space Corridor’…” she murmured to herself. With a thought, the Heart of the Void Realm’s Remnant warmed slightly, and a more refined spatial control flowed out.

She did not attempt to destroy the barrier, as that would only trigger a frenzied backlash from the spacetime turbulence.

Her figure transformed into an extremely faint silver thread, moving close to the relatively stable but actually deadly "seams" along the edge of the barrier.

She compressed her presence to the extreme, and the power of space gently smoothed out every ripple of time and space beneath her feet that could trigger a chain reaction, as if walking on a tightrope on the edge of a storm.

Suddenly, a fragment of time within the barrier fluctuated violently, and a stellar shockwave, as if awakened, roared out of the barrier and rushed straight towards Si Lingle!

Si Lingle neither dodged nor avoided!
He rapidly drew an extremely complex miniature rune in front of him, containing fragments of the "Heart of Space" engravings.

The rune flashed and disappeared in an instant. Immediately afterwards, the stellar shock beam, which was enough to annihilate an ordinary Earth Immortal, crashed into Si Lingle about ten feet in front of him, as if it had entered a boundless pocket space that was shrinking infinitely inward.

All the light and heat were compressed and absorbed in an instant, disappearing silently into a single point without even causing a ripple.

Si Lingle's face paled slightly, indicating a significant depletion of energy, but it also confirmed the terrifying enhancement of the "Heart of the Void Realm's Remnant" in terms of spatial control.

She dared not linger, and quickened her pace through the outer area. Finally, near the core, on a relatively quiet and ancient altar, she discovered a small piece of strange metal covered with crystalline blue stardust—[Cosmic Dust Silver].

This is a treasure left behind after being washed by the power of time and space countless times. It contains a trace of the laws of time and space intertwined. Although it is far inferior to the fragment of the "Heart of Space", it is still an excellent auxiliary material for refining top-level time and space immortal treasures.

Continuing onward, at the end of the indigo sea of ​​sand, the scenery suddenly changes.

A vast basin shrouded in a hazy, illusory light appeared.

Within the basin, pavilions and towers appear and disappear, celestial palaces and halls stand side by side, celestial music floats in the air, auspicious clouds drift, and countless peerless treasures and wondrous gems float and shimmer in the misty haze.

The entire basin exudes a deadly allure, as if leading to a dreamlike land.

"'Mirage of the Illusory Sea'...a supreme illusion generated by spatial distortion and the remnants of laws." A few icy shards appeared in Si Lingle's silver eyes.

She keenly perceived the surging spatial traps and omnipresent spiritual allure beneath that beautiful facade.

Ordinary cultivators, even those at the late True Immortal stage or early Great Luo Golden Immortal stage, if their will is slightly weak or their spatial mastery is insufficient, will find their physical bodies lost in the endless overlapping mirror space once they fall into it. Their primordial spirit will be twisted and devoured by the power of illusion, eventually becoming part of the mirage that nourishes it.

Si Lingle took a deep breath, and the power of the remnant heart of the Void Realm surged. She did not look at the ever-changing tempting images, but instead slowly closed her eyes, her spiritual power infinitely condensed, and sank into the spatial interlayer—the "Void Realm".

No matter how realistic the illusion may seem, it is still based on a distorted projection of real space!
From the perspective of the virtual realm, the vast basin seemed to have its colorful mask peeled away, revealing its cold and cruel essence: the entire basin was a huge, constantly rotating vortex!

Countless twisted spatial passages are nested and combined like a spider web, with a point of convergence of consciousness at the center that exudes chaotic soul fluctuations (perhaps formed by the residual obsession of a powerful being who fell here, combined with the laws of space).

Having located the core of the obsession, Si Lingle's figure traversed the virtual world in a short distance, ignoring the complex illusionary paths around her, and appeared near the core of the obsession in just a few flashes.

The core is not a physical entity, but an ancient stone tablet covered in cracks that is suspended in the center of the vortex.

The stone tablet is made of neither gold nor stone, and what is engraved on it is not text, but fragments of the flow trajectory of some kind of law power!
Although most of the runes were broken and dimmed, the remaining light still outlined a profound concept of manipulating the tides of spatial energy—[Tidal Space Manipulation].

Just as Si Lingle was trying to imprint the laws of this broken stele with the power of space, the core of the obsession seemed to have sensed the invasion. Countless beautiful illusions instantly transformed into man-eating shrieks and twisted spatial blades, attacking from all directions at the same time!

Si Lingle snorted coldly. Her pupils suddenly shone like two silver stars!
She did not confront the illusion head-on. Instead, her ten fingers plucked invisible strings, and ten strands of pure spatial Dao energy shot out simultaneously, precisely piercing ten spatial nodes around the stone tablet.

"quiet!"

The shared aura of the fragments of the "Heart of Space" then permeated the air.

Om-!
As if injected with a stabilizer, the entire raging illusionary vortex suddenly paused! The frantically attacking attacks also slowed down and became chaotic for a moment.

A close call!
Si Lingle's divine sense flashed like lightning, instantly completing the imprinting of the fragment of the stone tablet's laws.

The moment she succeeded, she retreated swiftly, disappearing from the core of the vortex like a fleeting shadow.

The attacks, having lost their targets, collided and annihilated each other. The vast mirage slowly returned to calm amidst a low hum, once again donning its magnificent cloak, awaiting its next prey.

Following the pulse of the "Heart of Space," Si Lingle arrived at a desolate and lifeless rocky valley. The spatial laws here were unusually "thin," instead permeated with another unsettling "vacuum feeling."

The earth was a dark, rocky ground, as if it had been completely drained of energy.

However, Si Lingle, whose perception had been elevated to a new level, immediately noticed the anomaly—within those seemingly ordinary, honeycomb-like giant black reefs, countless extremely faint, yet extremely cold and hungry life fluctuations were hidden.

They are the native inhabitants of this place—the [Void-eating Lice]!
This creature feeds on spatial energy and leaked fragments of rules. It is extremely small, resembling a flea, with a semi-transparent carapace and sharp mouthparts capable of devouring ordinary celestial treasures.

A single Void-Eating Lice is not a threat, but they are like an invisible swarm of ants, living in groups of hundreds of millions, and can perfectly blend into the thin background of space, making them difficult for even a celestial being to detect.

Once enveloped by it, one's immortal power will be exhausted and the protective immortal treasure will collapse in no time, and even the primordial spirit will not escape being devoured.

Si Lingle stopped in her tracks. She could feel the pulse of the fragment of the Heart of Space growing clearer deep within the largest black stone mountain ahead, pointing towards the core of the mountain's belly, but this terrifying swarm of lice was the only way through.

Forcing one through would be extremely costly and could easily trigger a riot by the entire lice infestation.

A glint flashed in his silver-gray eyes. A slightly risky plan, yet one that would avoid most trouble, formed in his mind.

She didn't activate any conspicuous immortal energy shield. She relaxed her body slightly and connected with the "Heart of the Void Realm's Remnant" in her dantian.

A nearly imperceptible force field covers the surface of the body—this force field is not for defense or isolation, but a disguise: to simulate the extremely thin, almost "nothing" spatial laws background of the surroundings!

At the same time, she carefully guided a trace of the original spatial Dao rhythm originating from the fragment of the "Heart of Space" to swirl around her body, exuding an aura of "superior" that was highly similar to the energy of this region but of a higher level.

For the Void-Eating Lice, which is extremely sensitive to spatial energy, this aura is like the intimidation of a giant beast of its own kind.

Si Lingle, like a ghost blending into the thin air, stepped into the lice's nest.

The gravel beneath our feet fell silently.

She stepped precisely into the subtle gaps in the lice's movements, or into natural "safe zones" formed by the shadows cast by huge reefs.

Countless gnats were right next to us, some even crawling quickly along the edges of holes in the rocks.

They paused occasionally, their translucent compound eyes turning towards Si Lingle with a hint of confusion. The lingering aura of that higher space instinctively made them feel both "comfort" and "a barely perceptible sense of oppression," as if it were the scent of the mother nest. After a moment's hesitation, they continued busily collecting the meager fragments of space from the crevices of the reef.

Si Lingle held her breath, her mind tense to the extreme, perfectly controlling every breath. Beads of sweat almost seeped from her forehead but were silently evaporated by the spatial power within her body.

She walked very slowly, each pause perfectly avoiding the invisible lines of surveillance.

Finally, she successfully crossed the most densely populated danger zone without being truly noticed or having an alarm triggered by a single louse, and arrived at the foot of the largest black rock mountain.

A deep, eerie entrance to a rift, emanating a chilling aura and faint spatial fluctuations, appeared before them.

Just as she was about to enter to explore the core secrets, her keen spatial perception suddenly detected an unusual and violent spatial fluctuation coming from the far left front!

It seemed to be the result of a fierce battle, accompanied by a sharp aura that felt somewhat familiar to her? It seemed to be... some kind of sword energy?

Si Lingle frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping over the entrance to the mountain's belly before turning to the distant depths of the sea sand from which the ripples emanated.

The pulsating core of the "Heart of Space" fragment is summoning, while the sudden burst of battle fluctuations, seemingly caused by a sword cultivator, exudes chaos and danger.

Si Lingle stood at the entrance to the mountain valley, the cold indigo light outlining her aloof profile.

Before them lay the destination guided by the "Heart of Space," yet the lingering echoes of a distant, storm-like battle reverberated in their ears.

In the depths of her silver-grey eyes, the galaxy and universe flowed slowly, a barely perceptible sharpness quietly emerging. After a brief deliberation, she chose to obey the fragment's clearer and stronger call.

Her figure vanished silently into the dark crevice of the mountain, like a stone thrown into a deep pool. A deeper darkness and the secrets of that strange core slowly unfolded before her eyes.

The moment you step into the crevice, the heavy, cold spatial pressure suddenly increases, as if viscous seawater is squeezing your body.

The cave walls were riddled with holes left by the Void-Eating Fleas, and the inside was pitch black. Only at the extremely distant core, a faint silver-white halo pulsed rhythmically, which was the final guide of the fragment of the "Heart of Space," and its summoning feeling became clearer and stronger.

Si Lingle composed herself, and the almost invisible disguise field on her body became even more restrained. Her movements became even lighter and more silent, like a fish swimming in inky glue.

The depths of the cave are not straight, but meander like the rotting intestines of a giant creature. The spatial structure is extremely fragile, with tiny spatial cracks flashing past the cave walls or in the void from time to time, exuding a dangerous aura.

Suddenly, a relatively spacious cave-like space appeared ahead, its walls embedded with strange, dark blue minerals that faintly absorbed light.

It was here that the beckoning silver light became within reach—it floated in the center of the cave amidst a cluster of naturally formed crystalline stalagmites, exuding a pure, primordial aura that captivated the soul.

However, just as Si Lingle stepped into the cave and her gaze locked onto that silvery-white spot of light—

"call out--!"

A chilling and extremely cunning sword aura, silent and without any magical fluctuations, struck first despite being delayed, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, precisely piercing her vital heart!

The timing of this sneak attack was impeccable, precisely the moment when Si Lingle's mind had calmed down and she sensed being drawn to the core of the "Heart of Space" fragment.

The person who made the move was clearly experienced and had extremely clever hiding skills. He had been lurking in a distorted, shadowy area near the entrance of the cave, using the special environment to conceal his whereabouts and patiently waiting for his prey to take the bait.

Unfortunately, he miscalculated one thing.

Si Lingle didn't even turn her head; countless lines of laws flashed across the depths of her silver-gray pupils.

Just as the tip of that immortal sword, adorned with the unique flowing cloud patterns of the Fuyou Sacred Land, barely touched Si Lingle's clothes—

hum!
A spatial ripple, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, spread out from Si Lingle's center in an instant, covering a distance of less than an inch.

This ripple wasn't for defense; rather, it precisely opened a tiny passage leading to the "Void Ruins" in front of the sword tip, just wide enough for the sword tip to pass through!
Time seems to have frozen.

The attacker—a young cultivator (late-stage Celestial Immortal Realm) dressed in a white robe with cloud patterns from the Fuyou Holy Land, his face cold and aloof—suddenly froze, his ferocious and greedy killing intent frozen.

He felt an irresistible and incomprehensible immense suction force instantly lock onto his sword, and frantically devour everything in his path through the blade!
The immense immortal power he poured into the sword, the primordial spirit imprint attached to the sword, and even his arm and half of his body gripping the hilt were all like dust thrown into a black hole!
"No—!" He only had time to let out a short, indistinct roar filled with boundless fear and disbelief.

The next moment!
The immortal sword, along with the arm holding it behind it and the upper half of its owner's body above the chest, seemed to have evaporated into thin air!

There was no splattering of blood, no sound of bones breaking, only the purest and most efficient "annihilation" of spatial power.

The young cultivator's upper body, along with his immortal sword, vanished into thin air less than a foot behind Si Lingle.

The lower half of the torso, which had been cut open with an extremely smooth cut, crashed to the ground. Faint spatial cracks flickered at the cut, as if half of the human body had been erased by an invisible eraser.

Only the lingering echoes of the almost dissipated spatial ripples remained in the air, along with a faint, almost imperceptible smell of burning space.

The entire process was incredibly fast, without even disturbing the fragile spatial structure of the cave.

The young cultivator's greedy and fierce gaze had not yet faded from his face when it froze in his final shock, remaining permanently fixed in that moment.

Si Lingle remained with her back to the remains of the attacker, not even fluttering her clothes.

Her silver-gray eyes were calm and still, as if she had merely brushed away a speck of dust without stirring up the slightest ripple.

She gently raised her hand, and the silvery-white fragment suspended among the stalagmites obediently sliced ​​through the thin air and fell into her palm.

The fragment was about the size of a thumbnail, made of neither gold, jade, nor stone, and extremely cold. It seemed as if stars were moving inside, emitting an aura that was the same as the core law of the "Heart of the Void Realm" within Si Lingle's body, but even more ancient and desolate.

"Hmm?" Si Lingle's gaze shifted slightly, landing on a jade slip emitting a faint light beside the mutilated body.

That was the storage artifact hanging at the young cultivator's waist. Affected by the spatial annihilation power, it was now flickering with unstable light and looked like it was about to collapse.

With a flick of her fingertip, a silver light shot out, instantly stabilizing the fragile space around the jade slip and capturing it in her hand.

Divine thoughts probed in.

Inside the jade slip, besides a few basic recovery pills and a small amount of immortal crystals, there was only an ancient jade tablet fragment of extraordinary material, about half the size of a jade pendant, engraved with the iconic flowing cloud runes of the Fuyou Holy Land and some incomplete, mysterious and complex patterns.

An extremely faint spatial Dao essence emanated from this fragment.

"It seems to be a core fragment of some kind of spatial artifact?" Si Lingle pondered for a moment, but did not sense any obvious tracking or trap marks on it.

Although the Fuyao Holy Land had no real grudges against her, this disciple's sneak attack in order to seize the treasure deserved to die.

This fragment might be of some use.

She collected it along with the fragments of the "Heart of Space" and turned to walk deeper into the cave.

The indigo light reflected on her cool face, and the murderous intent that had just been there had vanished without a trace, leaving only a calm demeanor as she explored the unknown.