The first generation of monks

The primal energy of the Wind Howling Silver Wolf suddenly fluctuated violently. It pointed towards the depths of the Sea of Chaos, where a damaged battleship emerged from the giant energy waves!

The wreckage of the battleship was covered with familiar star steel alloy patterns. It was precisely the Explorer, which had gone missing a hundred years ago. Even stranger, a figure strikingly similar to White Night could vaguely be seen in the battleship's cockpit, desperately pounding on the control panel.

"Is that... you from the future?" The Silver Wolf's consciousness trembled with disbelief.

White Night's pupils suddenly contracted. He could clearly see that the "himself" on the battleship had a dark golden crystal sword plunged into his chest—that was the weapon of the Primal Guardian! This meant that if they rashly entered the time node, they would likely repeat the same mistake and fall into an abyss of no return.

"This is a warning from the time loop." White Night forced himself to calm down, and the origin dharma wheel rapidly deduced, "The Sea of Chaos is warning us that there is a fatal danger ahead. But at the same time, this also proves that our direction is correct—the Explorer must have discovered the core secret of the Sea of Chaos to be trapped here by time energy."

Half an hour passed in a flash, and a silver passage indeed opened in the center of the Sea of Chaos. Liquid time energy flowed along the inner wall of the passage, and countless time fragments darted through the energy like fish. At the end of the passage, an even older "Heart of Time" than the primal law core could vaguely be seen. That was the source of the Sea of Chaos's time loop.

"Remember, no matter what you see, do not leave the protection of the primal law." White Night finally instructed the Silver Wolf. Both of them simultaneously transformed into two streaks of light and rushed into the time passage.

The temporal pressure inside the passage far exceeded imagination. White Night's primal barrier vibrated violently under the energy impact, and the law patterns on its surface constantly shattered and reformed. The Wind Howling Silver Wolf clung to his side, its primal energy forming a dark golden shield that, together with his barrier, barely resisted the cutting of the time fragments.

Just as they were about to pass through the passage, the surrounding time energy suddenly solidified. White Night was horrified to discover that his body was becoming transparent, and the operation of the primal law had also stalled—they were stuck at a time node!

"What's happening?" The Silver Wolf's consciousness was panicked; its front paw had completely vanished into the time energy.

White Night's gaze swept over the solidified time fragments around them, and he suddenly noticed that all the fragments were repeatedly playing the same scene: at the moment the Primal Universe collapsed, a dark golden figure holding the Heart of Time threw the primal law core into the Sea of Chaos, and was then swallowed by time energy. And the face of that figure was identical to the Primal Guardian!

"The Primal Guardian wasn't naturally born... it was the last cultivator of the Primal Universe!" White Night's sea of consciousness felt as if struck by lightning. "It threw the primal law core into the Sea of Chaos to prevent the formation of the time loop! But it failed, and instead was assimilated by time energy, becoming a puppet guarding the loop!"

This discovery, like a key, instantly unlocked the mystery of the Sea of Chaos. The Primal Guardian's "trial" was not a test at all, but a warning—it was trying to use a future tragedy to stop them from approaching the Heart of Time, because the truth of the Heart of Time was enough to overturn the entire Multiverse's law system.

The solidified time energy began to flow, and the scene at the end of the passage suddenly distorted. Around the Heart of Time, countless chains appeared, composed of pure time law, linking every time node of the Multiverse. The other end of these chains was wrapped around an old man sitting cross-legged—the old man's body had long since merged with time energy, leaving only a beating heart, which was precisely the Heart of Time!

"It's you... you've finally come..." The old man's voice echoed directly in White Night's sea of consciousness. This voice was completely different from the Primal Guardian's rocky tone, carrying the vicissitudes of ages. "I have waited for this day for billions of years."

White Night's origin dharma wheel rotated violently. He could feel that the old man's aura originated from the same source as the primal law, but it also carried a hint of temporal decay: "You are... the first cultivator of the Primal Universe?"

"Something like that." The old man's voice carried a bitter laugh. "They all call me 'Time Prisoner.' Back then, to save the collapsing Primal Universe, I forcibly merged the time law and the primal law, but ended up creating this time loop—the Sea of Chaos cycles once every million years, and I am trapped at the center of the loop, forever repeating the fate of 'guarding the Heart of Time.'"

The Wind Howling Silver Wolf suddenly let out a low growl. It discovered that countless familiar law imprints hung on the chains around the old man's heart—one of them was precisely the energy signature of the Mechanical Race's Explorer!

"Those are all the sacrifices who tried to break the loop." The Time Prisoner's voice was filled with sadness. "Like you, they sensed the anomaly of the Sea of Chaos, but they were all swallowed by the time loop and became part of the cycle. Including the 'future you' that you saw, which is actually a failed reflection from the previous cycle."

Cold sweat seeped from White Night's back. He finally understood that the so-called "time loop" was not naturally formed at all, but the product of the first cultivator's failed attempt to merge laws. And the primal law core was very likely the key to breaking the loop—this was also why the Primal Guardian both warned and guided them. It wanted to escape its puppet fate, but also feared a greater disaster if the loop shattered.

"What will happen if the loop is broken?" White Night gripped the primal law core. The transparent crystal had begun to heat up, evidently resonating strongly with the Heart of Time.

"I don't know." The Time Prisoner's voice carried a sense of release. "Perhaps the Multiverse will break free from the shackles of time loops and truly evolve freely; or perhaps all timelines will collapse simultaneously, returning to primal chaos. But no matter the outcome, it's better than being forever trapped in this endless cycle."

His heart suddenly beat violently, and the Heart of Time erupted with dazzling light. The surrounding chains began to tighten, firmly trapping White Night and the Silver Wolf—this was not an attack, but the Time Prisoner transmitting power! Countless time laws surged into White Night's origin dharma wheel along the chains. These laws contained billions of years of temporal insight, purer than any time law mastered by any cultivator in the Multiverse.

[Absorbing the primal time law, primal law merges with time law, unlocking the "Time Freedom" ability]

[Obtained the inheritance of "Time Prisoner": can freely control the flow rate of time within the Sea of Chaos]

"Quick! The node of the cycle is approaching!" The Time Prisoner's voice became urgent. "Use the primal law core to sever the chains. I will use my last strength to protect the Multiverse's timeline and buy you a chance at survival!"

White Night no longer hesitated, injecting both the primal law core and the time law into his origin dharma wheel. Dark golden time patterns appeared in the pale golden dharma wheel, forming a "Space-Time Slash." This slash combined the creative power of the primal law with the cutting power of the time law, capable of severing any known law chains.

"Primal Law: Space-Time Break!"

The moment the slash fell, the Sea of Chaos churned with towering waves. The time chains snapped inch by inch under the attack. With each chain that broke, a slight tremor occurred at a certain time node in the Multiverse—the sacrifices trapped by the loop were returning to reality in another way.

The Time Prisoner's body began to disintegrate as the chains broke. His heart (the Heart of Time) transformed into a streak of light and merged into the primal law core. Under the nourishment of the Heart of Time, complete time loop patterns appeared on the surface of the transparent crystal. Then, with a "crack," it shattered into countless pale golden light points, merging into the energy of the Sea of Chaos.

"Farewell, new Law Apostles." The Time Prisoner's voice echoed among the light points. "The future of the Multiverse is in your hands."

The instant the light points dissipated, the time loop of the Sea of Chaos completely shattered. The formerly gray-black energy began to clear, and countless time fragments transformed into brilliant stardust, flying in all directions of the Multiverse—this stardust contained pure time law, which would make the Multiverse's timeline more stable, and no similar loop traps would ever appear again.

White Night and the Wind Howling Silver Wolf were enveloped by a gentle energy and instantly teleported out of the Sea of Chaos, returning to the Primal Hub of the Multiverse Law Alliance. Inside the hub, leaders of various races were anxiously waiting. Seeing their safe return, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"The Sea of Chaos... is gone." The Mechanical Emperor pointed at the observation screen. Where the Sea of Chaos once was, there was now a brand new starfield. The time law there was stable and gentle, and countless nascent planets were slowly orbiting.

White Night walked to the center of the hub and re-condensed the fragments of the primal law core, which had merged with the Heart of Time. Although the transparent crystal had shattered once, it was now even more brilliant, with the merged energy of primal law and time law flowing within it. This was proof of breaking the time loop and a symbol of the Multiverse entering a new era.

"We did it." The Wind Howling Silver Wolf returned to its physical form, affectionately rubbing against White Night's palm, its fur still dusted with some stardust from the Sea of Chaos.

White Night stroked the Silver Wolf's mane, his gaze fixed on the new starfield outside the observation screen. He knew that breaking the time loop was just the beginning of new challenges—with the disappearance of the Sea of Chaos, the "temporal barrier" between the Multiverse and the outside world also disintegrated. In the more distant "beyond space-time," other "law civilizations" might exist, and their attitude towards the Multiverse, whether friendly or hostile, was yet unknown.

But he wasn't worried. The Primal Hub's alarm system rang again; this time, the alarm was not a warning, but good news—the Mechanical Race's Explorer was back! From the battleship's cockpit, the figure similar to White Night stepped out of the hatch, his face showing the relief of surviving a calamity, holding a crystal condensed from Sea of Chaos stardust in his hand. That was the "time law sample" they had failed to bring back in the previous time loop.

The old and new "Explorers" met in the hub's main hall, with no awkwardness, only knowing smiles.

Perhaps this was the meaning of breaking the time loop—to give every regret a chance to be remedied, and to allow every history to be freely written.

White Night handed the fragments of the primal law core to the Elder Council of the Multiverse Law Alliance, allowing all races to collectively guard this hard-won achievement.

He and Wind Howling Silver Wolf embarked on a journey once more. This time, their destination was a newly appeared star field on the Observation Screen—they planned to establish the "Time Law Academy" there to pass down the Time Law legacy brought back from the Sea of Chaos and cultivate more Cross-Universe Cultivators capable of mastering time.

As their figures vanished into the transmission channel of the Origin Hub, the fragments of the primal law core in the center of the hall suddenly projected a phantom—it was the Time Prisoner's final smile, along with his last words:

"The ultimate goal of law is not permanence, but change."

These words were like a seed, taking root and sprouting in the heart of every Alliance member.

The story of the Multiverse, only at the moment the Time Loop was broken, truly escaped the shackles of fate and began to grow freely toward a future of infinite possibilities... Soon after.

At the groundbreaking ceremony for the Time Law Academy, White Night embedded the fragments of the primal law core, which had merged with the Heart of Time, into the space-time stele at the center of the academy.

Pale golden light spread along the stele, outlining countless Time Runes on the ground. These runes resonated with the Stardust brought back from the Sea of Chaos, forming a "Time Shield" that covered the entire academy—this shield automatically filtered chaotic time energy, ensuring students could study in a safe environment.

Wind Howling Silver Wolf transformed into its physical form, squatting beside the space-time stele, its wolf eyes reflecting the representatives of various races who had come to observe the ceremony.

The Captain of the Explorer of the Mechanical Race (the figure resembling White Night) brought the newly developed "Time Stabilizer," which fixes the flow rate of time around the students at "one-to-one," preventing beginners from aging or reverting to childhood due to uncontrolled law; the Anti-Matter Venerable Lord donated the "Anti-Matter Hourglass," which can visually display the residual energy of the Time Loop and serves as excellent teaching material; even the most mysterious Quantum Universe dispatched three "Time Observers" to serve as guest lecturers. They can project time-line branches of Parallel Space-Time in class to help students understand the multidimensional characteristics of time.

"For the first lesson, we will start with 'Time Perception.'" White Night stood on the academy's outdoor podium, faint Time Law surrounding him. "Everyone's understanding of time is different. Some think of it as a linear river, others believe it is an overlapping spiderweb. Now, close your eyes and use your Law Heart to touch the surrounding time energy."

A hundred students followed the instructions. They came from various races across the Multiverse: Human Cultivators from the local universe, Dark Purple Clansmen from the Antimatter Universe, and even Translucent Life Forms from the Quantum Universe. As their consciousness sank into the stream of time, the Time Shield suddenly rippled. A young student from the Mechanical Race let out a muffled groan of pain; his arm visibly withered, as if he had instantly aged a hundred years.

"This is bad!" White Night instantly moved next to the youth, injecting the Origin Law into his body to disperse the out-of-control time energy. The wrinkles on the youth's arm slowly faded, but fear still lingered in his eyes. "I... I saw a black shadow shuttling through the flow of time, and it touched my arm!"

Wind Howling Silver Wolf suddenly stood up and let out a low growl toward the "Time Library" on the west side of the academy. Stored there were the Time Fragment Classics brought back from the Sea of Chaos. At this moment, a distorted black shadow could vaguely be seen flashing across the library window, moving so fast it seemed like an illusion.

"Time Phantom?" The Captain of the Explorer's expression changed slightly. He called up the Mechanical Race's Time Record, and the screen showed that, in the preceding moment, the flow rate of time on the west side of the academy had experienced "negative growth"—that is, time reversal, a typical characteristic of residual Time Loop energy.

White Night's origin dharma wheel spun rapidly, tracing the black shadow's trajectory. He discovered that this shadow was not a physical entity, but was composed of "Time Echoes" that escaped when the Sea of Chaos loop broke. These echoes carried the failure memories of hundreds of cycles and instinctively interfered with the timeline of living beings, like drops of ink polluting clear water.

"Everyone enter emergency status immediately!" White Night commanded over the academy's broadcast system. "Time Observers, activate Quantum Projection and lock onto all time anomaly areas; Silver Wolf, use your origin energy to track the Echo's movement trajectory; Captain, activate all Time Stabilizers to form a Cross-Fire Network!"

The moment the order was given, the entire academy plunged into organized activity. Quantum Projection unfolded in the sky. Amid countless green time lines, a black trajectory darted wildly like a swimming snake, and wherever it passed, the green lines broke; Wind Howling Silver Wolf transformed into its dark golden Origin Form, pursuing the scent of the Time Echo. Its wolf claws could tear through the Time Barrier, leaving silver claw marks in the void; the Mechanical Race's Time Stabilizers emitted blue beams, weaving a giant energy net on the ground, attempting to trap the black shadow.

But the Time Echo's movement speed far exceeded expectations. It avoided Silver Wolf's pursuit, broke through the Stabilizer's energy net, and plunged deep into the Time Library. When White Night and the others arrived, they saw that the time classics inside were rapidly weathering. The parchment scrolls originally recording the Time Law turned into ash, and the murals on the wall were changing in reverse—reversing from the scene of the Sea of Chaos loop breaking, back to the moment the Primal Universe collapsed, finally freezing on a dark golden figure. That figure looked exactly like the Primal Guardian but had a pair of eyes filled with malice.

"It's absorbing time information to strengthen itself!" the Captain of the Explorer exclaimed, his mechanical arm suddenly pointing at the mural. "Look! That's not the Primal Guardian, it's the 'Negative Will' of the Time Loop!"

White Night's pupils suddenly contracted. He finally understood that although the Time Loop in the Sea of Chaos was broken, the negative emotions accumulated over billions of years had not dissipated. These emotions attached themselves to the Time Echoes, forming a self-aware "Law Phantom." Its goal was not to harm the students, but to consume time information, re-coalesce into a physical entity, and allow the Time Loop to be reborn within the academy.

"Origin Law: Time Reversal!" White Night pushed the Time Law to its limit. Everything in the library suddenly played in reverse—the weathered classics were restored, the mural reverted to its normal scene, and even the black shadow was forcefully pulled back into a visible state. This was the "Time Freedom" ability he acquired in the Sea of Chaos, allowing him to reverse the flow of time within a small area.

The visible Law Phantom appeared semi-transparent and black. Its outline constantly shifted, sometimes taking the form of the Time Prisoner, sometimes transforming into the Primal Guardian, and finally freezing on the image White Night least wanted to see—himself from the previous cycle, with a Crystal Sword stabbed through his chest.

"You can't escape..." The Phantom let out a roar mixed with countless voices, including the sigh of the Time Prisoner, the warning of the Primal Guardian, and the wails of victims from hundreds of cycles. "The Time Loop must be reborn! This is the fate of the Multiverse!"

It abruptly charged toward the space-time stele, attempting to contaminate the primal law core fragments embedded within it. Wind Howling Silver Wolf was prepared; its dark golden origin energy formed a barrier, firmly blocking the Phantom in front of the stele. But the Phantom's body could penetrate energy barriers, and its arm transformed into black tentacles, already touching the surface of the space-time stele.

"Now!" White Night and the Captain of the Explorer exchanged a look, and both launched an attack simultaneously. White Night's "Space-Time Slash," carrying the light of the Origin Law, accurately struck the Phantom's core; the Captain activated the "Anti-Matter Bomb" hidden in the library—this bomb does not explode, but releases an anti-matter stream completely opposite to time energy, neutralizing all Time Echoes.

"No—!" The Law Phantom let out a horrific scream. Its black body dissipated inch by inch under the combined assault of the Space-Time Slash and the anti-matter stream. But before total annihilation, its core erupted with a black Shockwave. This wave ignored the Time Shield, instantly swept through the entire academy, and then spread toward all directions of the Multiverse.

[Successfully eliminated Law Phantom, obtained "Time Loop Negative Core" x1, Time Law Fusion Degree + 20%]

[Warning: Residual loop energy has spread to the Multiverse, potentially triggering regional time anomalies]

After the commotion subsided, White Night stood before the space-time stele, looking at the black mark left on the stele's body. This mark could not be erased by any amount of Origin Law, as if it were a curse left by the Time Phantom. Even more unsettling, subtle cracks appeared in the academy's Time Shield. The time energy seeping from these cracks had the same fluctuation frequency as the loop energy of the Sea of Chaos.

"It didn't want to rebirth the loop; it wanted to turn the academy into a new loop starting point." The Captain of the Explorer pulled up the Multiverse's Time Monitoring Data, and the dense red dots on the screen were alarming. "Time reversal phenomena have already appeared in thirty-seven Star Fields, and residents in five of those Star Fields reported seeing 'deceased relatives' walking in the streets—those are Residual Shadows from the previous cycle."

Wind Howling Silver Wolf suddenly lightly licked White Night's palm, its wolf eyes reflecting the black mark on the space-time stele. White Night looked down and found the same mark had appeared on his own palm. This mark was absorbing his Time Law energy; although weak, it was slowly growing.

"It transferred a portion of the Negative Core onto us." White Night's expression became solemn. He tried using the fragments of the primal law core to purify the mark, but found that the fragment's light dimmed upon contact. "This is a 'Time Contract.' As long as the mark exists, we will continuously attract residual loop energy until we are completely assimilated."

...