339: Chapter 339 Time Thorns

He had to find a way!

At that moment, a look of ruthlessness flashed in Chu Lan's eyes. She knew that if they didn't give it their all, both of them would die here.

She bit the tip of her tongue and spat another mouthful of Essence Blood onto the Time Vine!

That mouthful of Essence Blood contained Chu Lan's purest life force; the moment it landed on the Time Vine, it was absorbed. Having absorbed this Essence Blood, the Time Vine erupted with an unprecedented, brilliant light!

Within that light, countless thicker and sharper vines grew frantically, coiling back toward those Time Clan soldiers!

Time Thorns!

This iteration of Time Thorns was several times more powerful than the previous one! Containing the power of Chu Lan's Essence Blood, their speed of absorbing time energy was astonishing, and their counter-attack power was terrifyingly strong!

Caught off guard, those Time Clan soldiers were entangled by the Time Thorns and immediately let out shrill screams! Their time Spells were absorbed by the thorns, which in turn eroded their own bodies!

Some soldiers aged decades in an instant; their skin shriveled, their hair turned white, and their teeth fell out, turning them into frail old men in the blink of an eye!

Others underwent reverse aging, regressing from adults to youths, then to children, and finally into infants, unable to even cast Spells!

Some soldiers were frozen in place, their bodies flickering between illusory and solid states—a manifestation of temporal disorder. They were trapped in the cracks of time, suffering a fate worse than death!

Other soldiers fared even worse; their bodies began to disintegrate, vanishing into specks of silver light. This was a sign of being completely devoured by the power of time!

Ten soldiers lost their combat capability instantly! Some fell to the ground wailing, some were unconscious, and some simply vanished into nothingness!

However, the commander managed to evade this wave of attacks. At the moment the Time Thorns erupted, he utilized Time Acceleration to retreat a hundred feet away, just barely avoiding the entanglement of the vines.

He looked at the soldiers rolling on the ground and then at Chu Lan, whose face was as pale as paper, a look of ferocity flashing in his eyes.

"Good, good, good!" He said the word three times, staring at Chu Lan with the gaze of a venomous snake. "I'd like to see just how much more Essence Blood you have to spit!"

He formed hand seals as silver light flared around him; a power of time even more terrifying than before was condensing. This was his trump card Spell—Time Reversal!

Once unleashed, everything within a hundred feet would be swept into a temporal backcurrent, either aging to death instantly or regressing until they vanished; there was absolutely no chance of survival!

Chu Lan's face was pale to the extreme. Those two mouthfuls of Essence Blood had nearly exhausted her entire life force. she was swaying, unable to even stand steadily. The Time Spirit Plant Array had also lost its glow, and the vines hung limply on the ground, no longer able to absorb time energy.

"Senior Brother Gao Feng..." she whispered, her voice so weak it was almost inaudible.

Gao Feng shielded her, gripping his vajra sword tightly while staring fixedly at the commander who was condensing his Spell.

He could feel that the next strike would be the one to decide life or death.

He took a deep breath as the War God Art circulated frantically within him. All his spiritual energy and all his power converged onto the vajra sword at this moment. Around him, the golden light grew brighter and more intense, nearly submerging his entire being.

Come on.

He said silently in his heart.

No matter what kind of Time Reversal it is, no matter how strong you are!

The commander formed hand seals, the silver light around him growing more intense and dense until he was almost entirely submerged. Within that light, countless profound runes could be seen flowing, each emitting an eerie and terrifying Aura.

Chu Lan's face was already as pale as paper. She leaned against a giant rock, unable to even stand, the light in her eyes growing dimmer. The Time Vine hung limply beside her; those silver vines had lost their luster, looking as if they might wither at any moment.

"Senior Brother Gao Feng..." she whispered, her voice so weak it was almost inaudible.

Gao Feng shielded her, gripping his vajra sword as he stared at the commander condensing the Spell. He could feel that the impending attack would be the strongest strike he had ever encountered in his life.

Time Reversal—once unleashed, everything within a hundred feet would be swept into a temporal turbulence. One would either age to death instantly or regress until they vanished; there was no possibility of survival.

He took a deep breath, his mind rapidly recalling every form, every move, and every mnemonic of the Nine Styles of the War God.

The first form, War God Slash, focused on offense, using power to overcome technique.

The second form, War God Break, specialized in piercing defenses, being indestructible.

The third form, War God Shatter, broke mountains and crushed cities.

The fourth form...

His eyes suddenly lit up.

The fourth form: Time Insight!

This form was extremely unique among the Nine Styles of the War God because it wasn't meant for ordinary enemies; it was specifically designed to counter eerie powers like time and space Spells. When he was meditating on it in the Meteor Battle Tower, he hadn't understood this form because he had never encountered an opponent skilled in time energy.

But now, facing the nearly formed Time Reversal, he finally understood the true essence of this form.

Time Insight was not about resisting or evading time Spells, but about turning the enemy's time energy into one's own! The stronger the enemy's Spell, the greater the power of this form!

He closed his eyes, the War God Art circulating frantically. He did not resist the surging time energy; instead, he opened his mind and actively absorbed it into his body!

The commander, who was focusing all his strength on condensing Time Reversal, suddenly felt something abnormal with his Spell. He discovered that a portion of the time energy he was releasing had actually vanished, as if devoured by something.

He looked up and his eyes widened instantly.

Around Gao Feng, golden War God Power and silver time energy were intertwined, forming a massive vortex that was frantically devouring the surrounding time energy! The Spell energy he had painstakingly condensed poured into that vortex like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, vanishing without a trace!

"How is this possible!" he blurted out. "You are only at the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer; how can you possibly absorb time energy!"

Gao Feng did not answer. He was currently enduring unimaginable pain.

That time energy poured into his Meridians like countless sharp blades cutting his vessel walls; it poured into his Dantian like boiling lava scorching his spiritual energy core; it poured into his flesh like tens of thousands of ants gnawing at every inch of his skin.

That kind of pain was enough to make any Cultivator faint on the spot.

But he gritted his teeth and endured it by sheer force of will. His body trembled, his face contorted, and blood leaked from the corners of his mouth, but his gaze remained steady and his will remained tenacious.

Because he knew that if he couldn't pull through, both he and Chu Lan would die here.

Time became incredibly long amidst the pain. Every breath felt like a year; every moment felt like eternity.

After an unknown amount of time, when the last wisp of time energy was absorbed into his body, the nearly formed Time Reversal Spell actually collapsed completely!

The commander stared blankly as his Spell dissipated into nothingness, his eyes full of disbelief. He had Cultivated for hundreds of years and had never encountered such a bizarre thing. A human at the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer had actually used his Physical Body to forcibly devour his Time Reversal!

"You... what kind of monster are you!" he said with a trembling voice.

Gao Feng opened his eyes.

Within those eyes, one side was now golden and the other silver, eerie and majestic. The golden War God Power and the silver time energy had perfectly fused within his body, forming an unprecedented new power.

He said nothing, simply raising the vajra sword and striking out.

This sword strike seemed ordinary, without any fancy techniques or any violent Aura. But wherever the sword light passed, the Void Realm distorted and time became disordered.

The commander discovered in horror that his body could no longer move! The time energy contained within the sword light had locked him firmly in place, preventing him from even attempting to escape!

"No—"

He let out a desperate roar before being submerged by the sword light.

Golden and silver light intertwined, enveloping him. A moment later, the light dissipated, leaving only a shriveled corpse behind, as if it had endured thousands of years, turning into dry bone.

Until his death, the commander did not understand why he had lost to a human at the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer.

The battle was over.

Gao Feng stood in place, panting heavily. That sword strike just now had almost exhausted all his power, as well as the time energy he had just absorbed. His body swayed, nearly collapsing.

But he did not fall.

Because he could feel a wonderful change occurring within his body.

Though most of the time energy he had absorbed had been released with that sword strike, a tiny fraction remained. That residual time energy had completely fused with his War God Power, turning into a minuscule thread of gold-and-silver power lurking in his Dantian.

Though that power was weak, it contained an indescribable mystery.

His cultivation showed signs of loosening at this moment. A small crack appeared on the barrier of the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer Perfection. Though it was just a crack and there was still a long way to go before a true Breakthrough, it was already his greatest progress since his three-month secluded meditation.

"Actual combat... really is the best opportunity for a Breakthrough," he murmured.

He turned around and looked at Chu Lan.

Chu Lan leaned against the giant rock, her face pale and her breath weak. But seeing Gao Feng safe and sound, a glimmer of relief flashed in her eyes. She wanted to say something but found she didn't even have the strength to speak.

Gao Feng hurried to her side, supported her, and took out a jade bottle from his robe, pouring out a few drops of spirit marrow to feed her.

As the spirit marrow entered her stomach, Chu Lan's face finally regained a hint of color. She took a few deep breaths, feeling some strength return to her body, and whispered: "I'm fine... just too much exhaustion..."

Her gaze fell upon the dying Time Vine beside her, a look of heartache flashing in her eyes.

This Time Vine had just been a huge help to them, but it had also nearly exhausted all its power. Those silver vines had lost their luster and hung limply on the ground, with some parts even starting to wither as if it might die completely at any moment.