From Fanwu to Xinghai

Chapter 36 Dimensional Laws

Xiao Yan's laughter stopped abruptly.

Because after he devoured more than a dozen Time Eclipses, a change occurred.

The crimson flames on his body suddenly surged, changing color from red to purple, then from purple to black, and finally transforming into a ball of pitch-black flames that enveloped his entire body.

"Xiao Yan!" Lin Chen wanted to rush over, but Lin Yuan grabbed him.

"Don't go over there!" Lin Yuan's expression was more serious than ever before. "He's undergoing some kind of...transformation."

The black flame burned ever brighter, and the temperature within a hundred feet radius suddenly dropped. Although it was a fire, it exuded a bone-chilling cold.

The Time Eclipses ceased their attack and retreated, emitting terrified howls.

They are afraid.

Or rather, they were in awe.

"This is..." Lin Chen's eyes widened.

In Lin Chen's perception of time, the timeline around Xiao Yan was undergoing violent distortion. That ball of black flame was no ordinary thing, but rather a manifestation of the power from the dimensional rift within Xiao Yan's body.

"He's about to break through," Lin Yuan whispered. "And not just any ordinary breakthrough, he's going to forcefully leap into another dimension!"

"What?!"

"Dimensional leap!" Lin Yuan's voice became urgent. "This is an extremely dangerous act! Without a sufficient foundation, a forced leap will only result in one outcome!"

"Completely destroyed, body and soul!"

Within the black flames, Xiao Yan's figure appeared and disappeared intermittently.

His face was no longer crazed, only deathly calm.

"You don't understand," his voice came from the black flames, "This is my destiny."

"The power of the dimensional rift chose me; from the moment I entered that secret realm, I was destined to walk this path."

"I originally wanted to wait until I was stronger before breaking through, but now... I've been forced into this situation, so I have no choice but to act ahead of schedule."

Amidst the black flames, Xiao Yan slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing through the flames to meet Lin Chen's eyes.

"Lin Chen, do you know what dimensional leap means?"

Lin Chen did not answer.

"It means completely breaking free from three dimensions," Xiao Yan answered himself. "No longer bound by time, no longer limited by space. Becoming a being of a higher dimension."

"But the price is!" he smiled bitterly, "that we can never come back."

"Once I successfully ascend, I will no longer be 'human'."

Lin Chen finally spoke: "Then why do it?"

"Because this is the only way to become stronger," Xiao Yan said. "While your Time Guardian bloodline is powerful, its potential is limited. But I..."

He looked at the ball of black flame, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"I don't want to live in someone else's shadow forever."

"Shen Qingluan, a favored daughter of heaven, a grandmaster of her generation. Someone my father could only look up to throughout his life."

"I've lived in her shadow since I was a child. No matter how hard I try, I can only see her departing figure."

"Therefore, when the power of the dimensional rift chose me, I did not hesitate."

"Even if the price is becoming a monster, I'm willing!"

The black flames surged again, and Xiao Yan's figure completely disappeared into the flames.

"No!" Lin Chen suddenly moved.

He broke free from Lin Yuan's hand and rushed towards the ball of black flame.

"Lin Chen!" Lin Yuan and Qin Mo exclaimed at the same time.

But Lin Chen did not stop.

The mark between his brows activated at full power, releasing an even stronger light than before. He recklessly plunged into the black flames.

In an instant, endless darkness engulfed him.

There is no light, no sound, and no passage of time here.

There was only emptiness.

"Xiao Yan!" Lin Chen shouted.

"What are you doing here?" Xiao Yan's voice came from all directions. "Looking for death?"

"I'm not looking to die," Lin Chen said. "I'm here to take you back."

"Go back?" Xiao Yan's voice was laced with sarcasm. "I can't go back anymore. This void you see is the entrance to the dimensional rift. Once you enter, there's no turning back."

"Then don't look back," Lin Chen said, "but there's no need for a leap forward either."

"What do you mean?"

"You can take the power of the dimensional rift out," Lin Chen said. "You don't need to ascend to a higher dimension; you only need to borrow its power."

"Borrow?" Xiao Yan's voice was filled with doubt. "How could that be?"

"Why not?" Lin Chen said. "The power of the dimensional rift is essentially a form of energy. You don't need to become its vessel; you only need to absorb a portion and transform it into your own power."

"It's like!" he paused, "like drinking water. You don't need to become water, you just drink it."

In the darkness, Xiao Yan remained silent.

"What you said...makes sense." After a long pause, his voice rang out again, "But why should I believe you?"

"Because you had no choice," Lin Chen said. "You already know the consequences of a forced ascension. Rather than perish completely, you might as well take a gamble."

"and……"

He took a deep breath and said the key sentence.

"Shen Qingluan is still alive. She's waiting for you to come back."

In the darkness, all was silent.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Yan's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of weariness and a hint of relief.

"good."

I'll trust you this once.

In an instant, the endless darkness began to recede.

Lin Chen felt himself falling rapidly, and then, "Bang!"

He fell heavily to the ground.

He opened his eyes to a gray, overcast sky. Qin Mo and Lin Yuan stood not far away, looking at him with concern.

"Are you alright?" Qin Mo asked.

"I'm fine." Lin Chen got up. "Where's Xiao Yan?"

"There."

Qin Mo pointed to a figure not far away.

Xiao Yan lay on the ground, his body charred black, as if he had just been pulled from a fire. But his chest was still rising and falling; he was still alive.

Even more strangely, the black flame on his body had disappeared. In its place, a faint purple light enveloped his entire body.

"This is..." Lin Chen looked at Lin Yuan.

"He succeeded." Lin Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. "He absorbed the power of the dimensional rift without forcibly ascending."

"How is this possible?"

"Theoretically impossible," Lin Yuan said, "but he did it."

He looked at Lin Chen, his gaze now more scrutinizing.

"However, what I'm more curious about is—how did you convince him?"

Lin Chen was silent for a moment, then said, "I just wanted him to know that some things are more important than power."

"for example?"

"For example, being alive," Lin Chen said. "For example, having someone waiting for him."

Lin Yuan looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"You are better than me."

"What?"

"When it comes to persuading others," Lin Yuan said, "I always prefer to reason and forget about feelings. Sometimes, feelings are more powerful than reason."

"In this respect, I am not as good as you."

Lin Chen didn't speak, but just looked at Xiao Yan lying on the ground.

He didn't know if his words could make Xiao Yan fully realize his mistake, but at least, at least he survived.

"etc."

Qin Mo suddenly spoke up, pointing into the distance.

"What about those Eclipsers?"

Lin Chen then noticed that the surroundings were eerily quiet. The Time Eclipses that had been screaming wildly just moments before had all vanished.

"Disappeared?" Lin Chen frowned. "How is that possible?"

"They didn't disappear." Lin Yuan crouched down to examine the ground. "They...retreated."

"retreat?"

"Yes." Lin Yuan pointed to some marks on the ground, "They left traces of a retreat."

Lin Chen leaned closer and saw strange trenches on the ground, like the tracks of some kind of creature. But those tracks didn't lead into the depths of the wasteland; instead, they led towards...!

"Northeast," Lin Yuan said, "the direction of the dimensional rift."

"Are they retreating?"

"No." Lin Yuan's expression changed. "They're gathering."

He stood up and looked towards the northeast.

"Xiao Yan absorbing the power of the dimensional rift must have triggered something. Those Time Eclipses sensed the threat, so they are gathering, preparing for a final assault."

"A full-scale offensive?" Qin Mo gasped. "Doesn't that mean—"

"Yanhuang Pass is in danger."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a purple beam of light suddenly rose into the sky in the distance.

The beam of light shot straight into the sky and could be seen for miles around.

"That's..." Lin Chen's eyes widened.

"The dimensional rifts have been opened," Lin Yuan said gravely. "They no longer need to be hidden."

"The final assault... has begun."