178: Chapter 178 Three Spirits United

It had been a full half-year since Guardian Lin Jingyun returned from the sea of Karma.

During these past six months, Guardian Lin Jingyun had barely left the small courtyard beside the Monument of Heroes.

All day long, he sat cross-legged on a futon, simultaneously digesting the vast information of the three Laws of Chaos, Space-Time, and Karma.

The three Laws intertwined and entangled within his body, sometimes fusing and sometimes clashing; every collision caused his Meridians to ache as if they were being torn apart.

But he gritted his teeth and persisted.

Because he knew that only by completely fusing the three Laws could he truly become the protector of the Chaotic Universe.

Only by becoming a true protector could he protect the starry sea and those he had sworn to guard.

Early this morning, as Guardian Lin Jingyun was deducing the method for fusing the three Laws, he suddenly felt a violent wave of energy surge from within his body.

The fluctuation was so strong that his entire body trembled.

He abruptly opened his eyes, and at the center of his palms, three-colored lights surged forth simultaneously—the golden light of Chaos, the silver-white light of Space-Time, and the light cyan of Karma.

The three lights intertwined in his palms, wrapping around and repelling each other, forming a constantly changing sphere of light.

The sphere of light grew larger and brighter until it finally broke free from Guardian Lin Jingyun's control, soaring into the sky and transforming into a three-colored pillar of light that pierced straight through the clouds.

The entire Yongning City felt this fluctuation.

Commoners stepped out of their homes one after another, raising their heads to look at the sky with eyes full of shock.

That three-colored pillar of light was so bright that it eclipsed even the sun.

The Disciples of the Guardian Academy stopped to Cultivate, looking at that ray of light with an inexplicable sense of awe welling up in their hearts.

In the Alliance Grand Hall, Shen Qiuyu was processing government affairs when she suddenly felt a palpitation in her heart.

She hurriedly rushed out of the hall and saw the three-colored pillar of light shooting straight up into the sky.

Her expression changed instantly.

"Ancestor..."

She muttered to herself, then ran desperately toward the direction of the Monument of Heroes.

In Ling Shuang's small courtyard, Ling Shuang was watering flowers.

Feeling that fluctuation, the watering can in her hand paused slightly.

She raised her head to look at the three-colored pillar of light, a complex look flashing through her eyes.

"Jingyun... you have finally reached this step..."

She put down the watering can and slowly walked toward the direction of the Monument of Heroes.

In the small courtyard beside the Monument of Heroes, Guardian Lin Jingyun sat cross-legged on a futon, his entire body enveloped in three-colored light.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, and his complexion was as pale as paper.

The Fusion of the three Laws was far more difficult than he had imagined.

Chaos is balance and inclusion.

Space-Time is circulation and change.

Karma is connection and destiny.

The three Laws differed fundamentally in nature; trying to fuse them together was like forcibly uniting the three elements of water, fire, and wind, so one could imagine the difficulty.

Every attempt at Fusion subjected his Meridians to a massive impact.

Several times, he nearly suffered from Qi Deviation, relying entirely on the Legacy of the Spirit of Chaos to protect his mind and soul.

But he did not give up.

Because he knew this was his mission and his responsibility.

When Ling Shuang arrived at the small courtyard, this was the scene she saw—Guardian Lin Jingyun sitting cross-legged on a futon, with three-colored light circulating around his body, his complexion as pale as paper, yet still gritting his teeth and persisting.

She did not disturb him, but quietly stood outside the courtyard, watching this Disciple she had nurtured with her own hands.

She recalled back then what Guardian Lin Jingyun looked like when he first entered the Guardian Academy.

At that time, he was still an ignorant youth, his eyes full of yearning and anxiety for the future.

Now, he had grown into a powerhouse capable of bearing the fate of the entire starry sea.

Time truly flies.

Shen Qiuyu had also arrived; she wanted to rush in, but was stopped by Ling Shuang.

"Do not disturb him," Ling Shuang said softly, "He is doing a very important thing."

Shen Qiuyu stopped in her tracks, her eyes filled with worry.

"Senior, Ancestor... will he be alright?"

Ling Shuang was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"I do not know. But I believe in him."

The two stood side by side outside the courtyard, guarding in silence.

The three-colored pillar of light lasted for a full three days and three nights.

During these three days, the entire Yongning City was shrouded under that light.

The commoners prayed day and night, and the Disciples of the Guardian Academy meditated day and night, praying for the Ancestor in their own ways.

Late in the night on the third day, the three-colored pillar of light suddenly contracted, shrinking back into the small courtyard at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Then, everything went quiet.

Ling Shuang and Shen Qiuyu exchanged glances, both seeing tension in each other's eyes.

They cautiously walked into the small courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, Guardian Lin Jingyun was still sitting cross-legged on the futon.

His eyes were closed, and his complexion remained pale, but his aura had already stabilized.

Around his body, the three lights no longer clashed, but slowly circulated, forming a perfect cycle.

The golden light of Chaos embraced the silver-white of Space-Time, the silver-white of Space-Time carried the light cyan of Karma, and the light cyan of Karma connected to the golden light of Chaos.

The three Laws had finally fused together.

Ling Shuang breathed a sigh of relief, a look of gratification flashing through her eyes.

"It's done."

She said softly.

As soon as her words fell, Guardian Lin Jingyun slowly opened his eyes.

In his eyes, the three-colored lights of gold, silver, and cyan flashed past and eventually settled into a deep black.

But within that blackness, it seemed to contain endless starry skies, endless years, and endless Karma.

He saw Ling Shuang, saw Shen Qiuyu, and smiled slightly.

"Master, I have succeeded."

Ling Shuang nodded, tears in her eyes.

"I know."

Guardian Lin Jingyun stood up and walked out of the small courtyard.

He raised his head to look at the sky; there, the three-colored pillar of light had disappeared, but a faint three-colored halo had appeared in the sky.

That halo was like a ribbon, wrapping around the entire Yongning City, as beautiful as a dream.

He knew that was the trace left behind after the Fusion of the three Laws.

From now on, this halo would forever guard Yongning City, guarding this land he deeply loved.

He turned around and walked toward the Monument of Heroes.

At the top of the monument, the chaotic-colored light remained bright.

He knelt before the monument and said softly.

"Ancestor, the three Laws have fused. From now on, I am the protector of Chaos, Space-Time, and Karma. I will use these three powers to guard the starry sea and everyone who needs to be protected."

That light jumped gently, as if responding to him.

Ling Shuang walked to his side, standing shoulder to shoulder.

"Jingyun, how do you feel right now?"

Guardian Lin Jingyun thought for a moment and spoke slowly.

"I feel... the entire world is different."

He raised his hand, and a cluster of three-colored light emerged at his palm.

Within that light, infinite possibilities were contained.

"I can see the past and the future. I can perceive the Karma of every living being, and I can touch the veins of Space-Time."

He paused and continued.

"But what I want most is to guard the present. To guard those who are living right now, and to guard this prospering land."

Ling Shuang nodded.

"Then go do it."

Guardian Lin Jingyun stood up and looked into the distance toward the Alliance Grand Hall.

There lay his unfinished enterprise.

There were the people he needed to guard.

He took a deep breath and strode forward.

In the following days, Guardian Lin Jingyun began using the power of the three Laws to do more for the starry sea.

He used the Power of Space-Time to repair the space barriers across the various domains of the starry sea that had become fragile due to the erosion of time.

Those barriers were the shield between the starry sea and foreign spaces; once broken, the energy of foreign spaces would flood into the starry sea, causing immeasurable disaster.

He used Karma Power to sort out the Karmic connections between the various domains of the starry sea.

He discovered that some domains had formed Karma due to historical grudges; if those Karmic ties were not resolved, they would sooner or later trigger new conflicts.

He visited those domains one by one, listened to the voices of both sides, and resolved their grudges.

He used the Power of Chaos to balance the Spiritual Veins across the various domains of the starry sea.

He discovered that the Spiritual Veins of some domains were on the verge of exhaustion due to over-extraction, while the Spiritual Veins of others had energy congestion due to long-term idleness.

He guided the surplus Spiritual Vein power to the deficient domains, allowing the Spiritual Veins of the entire starry sea to reach a perfect balance.

Every single task required a tremendous expenditure of mental effort.

But Guardian Lin Jingyun never tired of it, because he knew this was guarding, this was building.

On this day, as Guardian Lin Jingyun was adjusting the Spiritual Veins in the Lingxi Realm, he suddenly felt a faint Space-Time fluctuation.

That fluctuation came from the deepest part of the starry sea, so faint it was almost imperceptible, but after the Fusion of the three Laws, his perception had become sharp enough to capture any minute anomaly.

He stopped his work, closed his eyes, and used his heart to feel that fluctuation.

The fluctuation was very faint, yet very regular.

It appeared once every two hours, lasting the time it took to burn an incense stick each time.

The source of the fluctuation seemed to be a barren region deep within the starry sea.

Guardian Lin Jingyun opened his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed.

He had never been to that barren region.

According to the records of the Investigation Department, that region had no valuable resources nor any signs of Life, so no one had ever explored it in depth.

But now, Space-Time fluctuations had appeared there.

He pondered for a moment and decided to go see for himself.

Three days later, Guardian Lin Jingyun arrived at that barren region.

The scene before him left him stunned.

This was not a barren land, but rather intentionally hidden by some power.

Beneath his three-colored eyes, a thin layer of disguise was peeled away, revealing the true appearance underneath.

That was a massive ruin, more magnificent than any architecture he had ever seen within the Chaos ruins.

The ruins were built entirely of an unprecedented silver-white material, the surface densely carved with runes.

Those runes were identical to the ones left behind by the Spirit of Space-Time, yet even more complex and profound.

At the center of the ruins stood a giant gate soaring a thousand feet high.

The giant gate was tightly shut, its surface similarly carved with runes.

Those runes slowly circulated, exuding faint Space-Time fluctuations.

Guardian Lin Jingyun slowly approached the giant gate and reached out to gently touch it.

The moment he touched the giant gate, the runes on it abruptly lit up.

An aged and exhausted voice resounded in his mind.

"Latecomer... you have finally come..."

Guardian Lin Jingyun's heart shook.

"You are... the Spirit of Space-Time?"

That voice laughed, a laughter incomparably desolate.

"No... this seat is not the Spirit of Space-Time... this seat is... a remnant soul of the Spirit of Space-Time..."

"Back then... the Chaotic Universe shattered... the Spirit of Space-Time turned into fragments with his own body... sealing the Power of Space-Time... but this seat... is a consciousness left behind by him... guarding these ruins... waiting for the true successor..."

Listening to this, a wave of respect surged in Guardian Lin Jingyun's heart.

"Senior, how many years have you waited?"

The voice was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"This seat... does not know... there is no concept of time here... perhaps ten thousand years... perhaps one hundred thousand years... perhaps even longer..."

A sourness arose in Guardian Lin Jingyun's heart.

"Senior, you have worked hard."

That voice laughed.

"It is not hard... this is this seat's mission..."

"Latecomer... that you can come here... shows you have gained the recognition of the Spirit of Space-Time... the three Laws... have also fused within your body..."

"These ruins... are the final gift left to you by the Spirit of Space-Time..."

"Inside... there is the complete Legacy of the Spirit of Space-Time... and... a space-time ark..."

Guardian Lin Jingyun was stunned.

"A space-time ark?"

The voice explained.

"The space-time ark... is a supreme treasure refined by the Spirit of Space-Time with his own Origin... It can shuttle through any space-time... can travel to any Karma node... can cross any Chaos barrier..."

"With it... you can truly become the Space-Time protector... and truly guard the Chaotic Universe..."

As the voice fell, the giant gate slowly opened.

Behind the gate was a massive star skiff.

The star skiff was entirely silver-white, a thousand feet long, its surface carved with space-time runes.

Those runes slowly circulated, exuding a soft glow.

The shape of the star skiff was like a giant bird spreading its wings, its streamlined hull both elegant and majestic.

Guardian Lin Jingyun walked into the star skiff, feeling a majestic Power of Space-Time.

That power was gentle and inclusive, as if welcoming his arrival.

He walked to the control room of the star skiff, where a silver-white spar floated in mid-air.

Within the spar was contained the complete Legacy of the Spirit of Space-Time.

He reached out to touch the spar, and a massive amount of information poured into his Sea of Consciousness.

That was hundreds of millions of years of comprehension by the Spirit of Space-Time, the ultimate mystery of the Space-Time Law, and the manipulation method of the space-time ark.

He closed his eyes, quietly absorbing this information.

Not knowing how much time had passed, he opened his eyes.

In his eyes, a silver-white light flashed and vanished.

He turned around, walked out of the star skiff, and bowed deeply toward the ruins.

"Thank you, Senior."

That voice had already disappeared.

The ruins began to slowly collapse, transforming into countless silver-white specks of light that dissipated into the Void Realm.

Those specks of light drifted to various parts of the starry sea, merging into every inch of space and every inch of time.

Guardian Lin Jingyun knew that was the very last shred of consciousness of the Spirit of Space-Time returning to heaven and earth.

He took a deep breath, turned around, and stepped onto the space-time ark.

Silver-white light lit up, and the space-time ark slowly ascended.

Like a giant bird spreading its wings, it tore through the firmament of the starry sea and flew toward the direction of Yongning City.

One month later, the space-time ark arrived at Yongning City.

The entire Yongning City boiled over.

Commoners had never seen such a magnificent star skiff; they stepped out of their homes one after another, raising their heads to gaze up.

The Disciples of the Guardian Academy stopped Cultivating, looking at that silver-white figure with eyes full of shock.

Ling Shuang stood before the Monument of Heroes, watching that star skiff slowly descend, a look of gratification flashing through her eyes.

"Jingyun, you have grown stronger once again."

She said softly.

The space-time ark landed on the plaza in front of the Alliance Grand Hall.

Guardian Lin Jingyun walked out from the ark in a silver-white robe, complementing the star skiff.

He walked before Ling Shuang and bowed deeply.

"Master, I have returned."

Ling Shuang helped him up, looked him up and down, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, you have the demeanor of the Ancestor back then."

Guardian Lin Jingyun smiled slightly and turned to look at the space-time ark.

"Master, from now on, I can use it to shuttle through any space-time and go anywhere I am needed."

Ling Shuang nodded.

"Then go. The starry sea needs you, and this Universe needs you as well."

Guardian Lin Jingyun nodded solemnly.

That night, he came alone before the Monument of Heroes.

At the top of the monument, the chaotic-colored light remained bright.

He knelt before the monument and said softly.

"Ancestor, I have found the space-time ark and inherited the complete Legacy of the Spirit of Space-Time."

"From now on, I am the protector of Space-Time, the protector of Chaos, and the protector of Karma."

"I will use these three powers to guard the starry sea and guard this Universe."

"You can rest assured."

That light jumped gently, as if responding to him.

Guardian Lin Jingyun smiled and kowtowed deeply.

In the distance, inside Ling Shuang's small courtyard.

Ling Shuang stood before the window, looking toward the direction of the Monument of Heroes.

She saw the chaotic-colored light, brighter than ever before.

She smiled slightly and said softly.

"Ancestor, have you seen this? Jingyun can already stand on his own."