198: Chapter 198 Breaking the Impasse Beyond the Realm: The Golden Spacetime Force and the Soul-Devouring Lord

Section 1: Extraterrestrial Navigation: Space-Time Turbulence and the Gilded Successor

The Alliance Mothership had just sailed out of the Local Group when the starry sky outside the window changed—the originally clear stars began to distort like crumpled paper, and the instrument panels inside the cabin flashed red frantically, their needles spinning like tops. Lu Yu gripped the control console, nearly being thrown off: "What on earth is this? This is even more sinister than the Dark Matter Mist! All the navigators have failed!"

"It's Space-Time Turbulence! The space-time of Extragalactic System is unstable; ordinary navigation is useless!" Xiao Juan's gloves suddenly lit up, and a golden line appeared on the induction membrane. "A strange Qi Energy is leading us! It's right ahead!"

Just as she spoke, a streak of gilded light suddenly slammed into the hull of the mothership—it wasn't a painful impact, but rather like water flowing over a stone. The light slid along the hull and gathered into a man wearing gilded martial arts attire. He held a "Space-Time Crystal Core" in his hand, which was wrapped in fine space-time fragments; as he approached, the surrounding time seemed to slow down.

"I've finally found you!" the man gasped, the sweat on his forehead shimmering with golden light. "I am Liu, the successor of the extraterrestrial 'Golden Spacetime Energy.' Our galaxy's Source of Martial Tradition is about to be swallowed by the Space-Time Spirit-Devourer Lord! I was the one who sent the signal just now. If I had arrived half an hour later, even the galaxy would have been twisted into dust by the space-time distortion!"

Ling leaned over, wanting to poke Liu's Qi Energy layer, but as soon as his hand reached out, it was actually bounced back to his movement from three seconds ago— "Whoa! How can your technique rewind time?" Ling jumped up in shock. "This is even more sinister than Xiao Kaya's Erosion Energy!" Liu gave a bitter smile and shook the crystal core in his hand. "This energy can manipulate space-time fragments. I accidentally triggered 'Space-Time Regression' just now. Your equipment needs to have a 'Space-Time Stabilization Layer' added; otherwise, once you enter our galaxy, even your bodies will be torn into past and future parts."

Chen Wu immediately ordered the entire crew to stop the ship, and Liu began teaching everyone how to modify their equipment. He ground the Space-Time Crystal Core into powder and mixed it with fragments of stardust, star orbits, star cores, and Erosion Energy, then applied it to the outer layer of the spacesuits. As soon as the golden powder touched the old Qi Energy, it condensed into a transparent membrane, and the space-time fragments on the membrane crawled around like tiny insects. "This layer can stabilize your Space-Time Coordinates so you don't get torn to shreds by the turbulence," Liu said while applying it. "By the way, the Little Whale Spirit's cabin needs to be handled separately; its Qi Energy is unique and easily attracts Space-Time Turbulence."

The Little Whale Spirit's Qi Energy cabin was wrapped in three layers of Space-Time Membranes by Liu. The little fellow spun around inside and actually spat out a small ball with gilded light—it could actually absorb Space-Time Energy! Liu's eyes lit up. "This little guy is a treasure! The Space-Time Spirit-Devourer Lord fears pure Space-Time Energy the most. With it here, our chances of winning have increased by half!"

The bullet chat of the global live stream was flying: "Brother Liu's Space-Time Energy is so cool! It can actually rewind!" "The Little Whale Spirit has unlocked a new skill again! That little gilded ball is so cute!" "Extragalactic System actually have Space-Time Turbulence; the sense of adventure is maxed out!" News came from the Technical Department that the mothership's Space-Time Stabilization Layer was now in effect. The star map provided by Liu showed that they would arrive at Liu's galaxy—the "Space-Time Source Galaxy"—in two hours.

Section 2: Space-Time Source Galaxy: The Lord's Threat and Equipment Preparation

As soon as they entered the Space-Time Source Galaxy, everyone gasped—the stars here were like kneaded playdough. In some places, time was so fast that one could see stars aging, while in others, it was so slow that even light seemed to crawl. Liu pointed at the black vortex in the center of the galaxy. "That is the lair of the Space-Time Spirit-Devourer Lord. It has trapped our Source of Martial Tradition, the 'Space-Time Crystal Core,' inside and is swallowing the Space-Time Energy bit by bit. Look at those distorted celestial bodies; they were all ruined by its Space-Time Energy."

Xiao Juan's gloves were pressed against the porthole, and the images on the induction membrane made her face turn pale. "There is a 'Space-Time Distortion Field' around the Lord. Any attack that goes in will be converted into space-time fragments. When Liu sent the signal earlier, most of it was blocked by this thing, which is why we only received a blurry image."

Combat preparations began immediately. Liu taught everyone to use Golden Spacetime Energy to draw "Space-Time Anchors." "Drawing this on your weapons can fix the Space-Time Coordinates of your attacks so they won't be distorted by the Lord." Leo held his Star Core Energy greatsword, his hands trembling as he drew the anchor. "This thing is much harder to draw than a Star Core Crystal Core. If I draw it crookedly, will I rewind myself back to yesterday?" Liu patted him. "Don't worry. If you draw it wrong, at most the sword will be half a beat slower. You won't die."

Lu Yu was installing "Space-Time Energy Shells" into the Alliance Mothership's cannons, the shells mixed with Liu's crystal core powder and the Little Whale Spirit's gilded light. "These shells can shatter the Space-Time Distortion Field, but it takes ten minutes to load—you guys have to hold out and not let the Lord get close." Little Karim and Mei were practicing their coordination on the deck. Little Karim's Pyramid Force was wrapped with a Space-Time Anchor, and Mei's throwing stars also had anchors drawn on them. "This way, my throwing stars can hit the Lord directly and no longer fear being distorted."

The Little Whale Spirit's cabin was moved next to the cannon muzzle. The little fellow's gilded light ball grew larger and larger, and occasionally, space-time fragments would drift by and be sucked into the light ball upon contact. Liu crouched by the cabin, his eyes shining. "Its energy can purify space-time fragments. When we fight the Lord later, let it throw the light ball into the Lord's core. I guarantee it will break the distortion field."

Chen Wu gathered the Traditional Martial Arts Tokens from various galaxies near Liu's Space-Time Crystal Core. The light from over twenty tokens intertwined with the gilded light, shimmering with a rainbow-plus-gold radiance. "This time, we aren't just saving the Space-Time Source Galaxy; we also need to find out the origin of the extraterrestrial Spirit-Devourers. Liu said the Lord crawled out of a 'Space-Time Rift.' That rift might hide an even greater threat."

The hearts of the global audience were in their throats. The bullet chat was full of comments: "Space-Time Anchors sound so complicated! Leo, don't draw it wrong!" "Little Whale Spirit, make the light ball bigger! We're counting on you later!" "Lu Yu, load the shells faster! I'm dying of anxiety!" News from the Technical Department arrived: the Sources of Martial Tradition from all the galaxies were funneling energy into the mothership, and the energy bar for the Space-Time Energy Shells was quickly filling up.

Section 3: First Encounter with the Lord: Space-Time Distortion and the Alliance's Setback

As soon as the Alliance Mothership approached the black vortex, the vortex suddenly exploded—a giant beast wrapped in space-time fragments crawled out. It was fifty meters tall, with a body of flowing blackness, and the space-time fragments on its body were like knives, slicing a nearby asteroid in half with a single swipe. "It's the Space-Time Spirit-Devourer Lord!" Liu shouted, his gilded energy instantly condensing into a shield. "Don't use ordinary attacks! It will distort your Qi Energy!"

The Lord opened its mouth and spat out a mass of black "Space-Time Distortion Qi Energy," heading straight for the Alliance Mothership's cannon muzzle. The shell Lu Yu had just loaded was actually twisted into a spiral shape by the energy, nearly blowing up the barrel! "Holy crap! This thing can even twist shells!" Lu Yu scrambled to dismantle the cannon. "We have to wait for its distortion field to weaken before we can load!"

Ling charged forward with his Stardust Energy greatsword, which had a Space-Time Anchor drawn on it. "Watch me!" But as soon as the sword got close to the Lord, it was twisted into a curve. Ling was nearly bounced away by his own Qi Energy. "Why isn't this anchor working? Liu, you lied to me!" Liu was hopping mad with anxiety. "The anchor has to be drawn right on the face! You drew it too shallowly!"

Leo's Star Core Energy fireball didn't fare any better—as soon as the fireball flew out, it was twisted into a ring, circled around the Lord, and slammed into the Triangulum ship, burning a hole in the hull. Colin shouted angrily, "Leo, can you be more accurate! Our ship is about to be blown up by you!" Leo's face turned red. "It's not that I'm not accurate! The Lord's Qi Energy is too sinister!"

Xiao Juan suddenly shouted, "I've found its weakness! There's a red Space-Time Crystal Core in the Lord's chest! That's its energy source! As long as we pierce that crystal core, its distortion field will weaken!" Liu immediately nodded. "Yes! That was formed after it swallowed our galaxy's Source of Martial Tradition! The Little Whale Spirit's light ball can purify it!"

The Little Whale Spirit immediately threw the gilded light ball toward the Lord's chest, but as the light ball approached, it was twisted flat and drifted back slowly. The little guy spun in circles inside the cabin in frustration, then spat out an even larger light ball, this time wrapped in four types of energy: stardust, star orbit, star core, and erosion. The light ball finally wasn't distorted, but it was swatted away by the Lord's claw, hitting the mothership's hull and making everyone stumble from the tremor.

The bullet chat of the global live stream was full of: "The Lord is too powerful! All attacks are being twisted!" "The Little Whale Spirit's light ball was actually swatted away! I feel so bad for the little guy!" "Brother Liu, think of something! We're going to lose at this rate!" The sweat on Liu's forehead increased, and the light of his gilded energy dimmed slightly. "Its distortion field is too strong. We need to use 'Space-Time Freeze' to let the light ball in, but my energy alone isn't enough..."

Section 4: Climax: Universal Space-Time Resonance and the Final Clearing of the Lord

"We'll help you!" Chen Wu suddenly shouted. "Traditional martial artists of the entire galaxy, channel your Qi Energy into Liu! Use Golden Spacetime Energy to freeze the Lord's space-time! Little Whale Spirit, get the light ball ready. Once the Lord is frozen, throw it into its crystal core!"

The traditional martial artists of the entire galaxy acted immediately—the Stardust Energy of the Solar System, the Star Orbit Qi of Andromeda, the Star Core Energy of Triangulum, and the Erosion Energy of the Small Magellanic Cloud... Over twenty streams of Qi Energy flowed like a colorful river into Liu's body. Liu's gilded energy surged instantly, and golden light enveloped the entire Lord: "Space-Time Freeze!"

The Lord's movements suddenly stopped, and the space-time fragments on its body stopped spinning, clearly revealing the red crystal core in its chest. "Now! Little Whale Spirit!" Xiao Juan shouted, and the little fellow immediately threw its largest light ball—this time, the light ball was wrapped in the Qi Energy of the entire galaxy and gilded light, heading straight for the Lord's crystal core like a small sun.

As soon as the light ball touched the crystal core, it exploded—golden Space-Time Energy and colorful traditional martial arts Qi Energy surged wildly inside the core. The Lord's distortion field weakened instantly, and its black body began to slowly dissolve. "Everyone! Channel your Qi Energy into the crystal core! Purify it completely!" Chen Wu shouted. Holding the fusion jade and using his Dual-Qi, he was the first to charge forward, pouring his Qi Energy into the crystal core.

Ling, A-Yue, Leo, Xiao Kaya... everyone in the Alliance charged forward. Over twenty streams of Qi Energy were like countless knives stabbing into the Lord's crystal core. The Lord roared, trying to break free from the Space-Time Freeze, but Liu's Qi Energy was too abundant. It couldn't move at all and could only watch helplessly as its body was purified into space-time fragments and scattered into the Universe.

To everyone's great surprise, after the Lord's crystal core shattered, the swallowed Source of Martial Tradition of the Space-Time Source Galaxy was revealed—it was a golden Space-Time Crystal Core, shimmering with a soft light. The surrounding distorted celestial bodies slowly returned to normal. Liu rushed over to embrace the crystal core, tears streaming down his face. "Our Source of Martial Tradition... is back!"

The bullet chat of the global live stream had already exploded, the screen filled with: "This is so epic! Universal Space-Time Resonance!" "The Little Whale Spirit's light ball was so crucial! Without it, we couldn't have broken the crystal core at all!" "The Lord is finally cleared! The Space-Time Source Galaxy is saved!" The Little Whale Spirit floated to Liu's side and handed him the remaining gilded light ball—the light ball wrapped a fragment of the Space-Time Crystal Core, a part of the Lord's core that hadn't been contaminated.

Section 5: Aftermath: Extraterrestrial Clues and the Alliance's New Journey

After the Space-Time Source Galaxy stabilized, Liu held an "Extraterrestrial Traditional Martial Arts Exchange" on the Alliance Mothership. He showed everyone the "Space-Time Rift Sample" taken from the Lord's crystal core: the sample was wrapped in a wisp of black Qi Energy, different from the previous Dark Matter Spirit-Devourers—it was colder and more sinister. "This is the Qi Energy of an 'Extraterrestrial Primordial Spirit-Devourer.' The Lord crawled out of a Space-Time Rift, and there are more Spirit-Devourers like this behind that rift," Liu's face was very grim. "They want to swallow all extraterrestrial Sources of Martial Tradition and then enter our galaxy group."

Chen Wu looked at the sample and gripped the fusion jade tightly. "It seems our mission isn't over yet. We need to go to the Space-Time Rift and find out the origin of these Spirit-Devourers; otherwise, they'll come looking for us sooner or later." Ling patted his shoulder. "Let's go! No matter what's behind the rift, we in the Alliance will face it together! With Liu and Space-Time Energy joining us, what is there to fear?"

Liu suddenly pulled an "Extraterrestrial Traditional Martial Arts Token" from his pocket—it was a stone wrapped in gilded light. "I found this in another extraterrestrial traditional martial arts galaxy. It has their signal on it. Maybe there are other traditional martial artists still alive. We can go find them and fight the Primordial Spirit-Devourers together."

As the Alliance Mothership prepared to leave, the Source of Martial Tradition of the Space-Time Source Galaxy shot out a wisp of gilded light that wrapped around the fusion jade—it was the token of the Space-Time Source Galaxy, which could sense the fluctuations of the Space-Time Rift. Liu stood on the deck, waving his hand. "I will guard our galaxy and wait for your news! If you need help, send a signal anytime!"

The final scene of the global live stream showed the Alliance Mothership flying toward the Space-Time Rift, followed by ships from the entire galaxy. The Little Whale Spirit's gilded light ball led the way like a golden star. Chen Wu spoke to the camera: "From Earth to the galaxy group, and then to the extraterrestrial regions, every step we take is to protect traditional martial arts and our home. No matter what lies behind the rift, as long as the Alliance remains, we will not lose."