67: A First Understanding of Time and Space, The Shadow of the Imperial City

Three black thin lines moved silently, yet they carried a Soul-freezing chill and a deathly aura that annihilated everything, instantly sealing off all space for Lin Fan to dodge.

Fast! Indescribably fast! It even surpassed the limit that Lin Fan's Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils could capture!

In the thin line between life and death, the hair on Lin Fan's entire body stood on end, and he felt a coldness deep within his bone marrow. But he did not panic; the combat instincts forged through several life-and-death battles erupted at this moment.

If I can't dodge, then I won't!

"Suppress!" Lin Fan roared in his heart, and the star pagoda within his Dantian shook violently! An unprecedentedly brilliant starlight radiated from his body—it wasn't an attack, but rather, within three feet of his body, it forcibly propped open a miniature "Star Domain"!

Within the Domain, starlight flowed, and space seemed to become viscous and stagnant. This was a defensive measure Lin Fan performed with a flash of inspiration under extreme pressure, combining the suppression dao rhyme of the star pagoda with his superficial understanding of the Initial Deciphering of Boundary Runes.

Ssss! The three black thin lines shot into the Star Domain, and their speed visibly slowed by a fraction! Although it was just a fraction, it was enough for Lin Fan to react!

His figure twisted in a posture that defied common sense, as if dodging in three directions simultaneously while leaving a faint afterimage in place. The formidable Physical Body and control granted by the Eternal Indestructible Body were displayed to the fullest.

Pfft! Pfft! Two black lines grazed past Lin Fan's ribs and shoulder, taking away a small piece of clothing. A burning sting came from his skin, as the residual force had actually cut shallow bloody gashes. A cold, bone-eroding aura tried to invade, but it was immediately extinguished by the surging golden blood and Qi.

The third black line, however, could not be completely avoided after all; it shot toward his heart!

At the critical moment, the silver inner armor on Lin Fan's chest, gifted by his father, automatically activated, lighting up with a layer of ripple-like soft light.

However, that black thin line treated the soft light as if it were nothing; after a slight pause, it pierced through and continued to stab toward Lin Fan's heart!

"Not good!" Lin Fan's pupils shrank sharply; the penetration power of this black line far exceeded his estimates!

Just then, the "space-time dao rhyme fragment" that had been quietly resting in the profound void ring seemed to be stimulated by the extreme external threat and the violent fluctuations of the star pagoda. It suddenly melted on its own, turning into a cool and profound torrent that surged into Lin Fan's Sea of Consciousness!

Buzz! Lin Fan felt his mind clear up, and everything around him seemed to slow down. The trajectory of the black thin lines, the subtle coordination of the three black-clothed men's movements, the floating dust in the air, and even the abnormal space-time fluctuations of Ancient Stele Alley itself... everything became incomparably clear, as if disassembled into countless continuous moments.

With a flash of inspiration, he subconsciously raised his right hand. It was neither a block nor an attack, but rather his five fingers moved in a mysterious and indescribable rhythm, lightly tracing a stroke within a tiny range in front of him.

Where his fingertips passed, a nearly imperceptible silver pattern, finer than a hair, flashed and vanished. That was the first complete basic boundary rune he had truly "sketched" under the pressure of life and death, combining his two days of meditating on the Initial Deciphering of Boundary Runes with the space-time dao rhyme that had just flooded in!

The moment this pattern appeared, the space within a foot of Lin Fan's front underwent an extremely subtle and hard-to-detect "wrinkle" and "offset."

Ssss! Under the influence of this spatial "wrinkle," the black thin line that was originally shooting toward his heart actually produced an extremely tiny deflection, like light passing through an uneven medium!

It was this tiny deflection that allowed the black line to pierce through while grazing the edge of Lin Fan's heart! It left a bloody hole the size of a chopstick that went straight through his left chest!

Intense pain struck, but a terrifying light erupted in Lin Fan's eyes! He didn't die! He had won the gamble! The power of time and space was indeed this mysterious!

"Hmm?" The leading black-clothed man let out a light sound of surprise, clearly not expecting Lin Fan to deflect his killing blow in such a bizarre way. But his movements did not stop for a moment. The three figures merged into the shadows of the alley like ghosts, and in the next instant, they attacked again from three tricky angles at Lin Fan's side! Each held a dark, lightless short blade, the blades flowing with a black light that swallowed all light.

This time, it was close-quarters combat! Lin Fan endured the intense pain in his chest as his Eternal Indestructible Body operated frantically. Granulation tissue writhed at the wound, beginning to heal slowly. He took a deep breath and, instead of retreating, he advanced, actively charging toward the black-clothed man in front!

The Star Domain opened up again, smaller in range but with a stronger sense of stagnation! At the same time, his fists glowed with golden light as he fully unleashed the Indestructible Divine King Fist. Fist shadows layered upon each other, each punch containing a mountain-collapsing force and the heavy suppression of stars, enveloping the black-clothed man in front.

The black-clothed man swung his short blade rapidly, carving out black lines that tore through the Domain to clash with the golden fist shadows, producing dull thudding sounds. His movements were secretive, but power did not seem to be his forte. He was shaken back repeatedly by Lin Fan's fierce and peerless fist force, a flash of shock and anger appearing in his eyes beneath the mask.

The attacks from the left and right sides had arrived!

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Lin Fan slid his body like a swimming fish at the critical moment. Starlight condensed at the tip of his left finger as he used a "Star Finger" to strike the short blade attacking from the left, while his right hand formed a palm-blade, carrying a sharp whistle that tore through the air to chop at the right-side black-clothed man's wrist.

Clang! Clang! Two crisp sounds erupted almost simultaneously. The short blade on the left was deflected by the Star Finger's force, while the right-side black-clothed man's wrist shook violently, the short blade nearly falling from his hand.

But the three black-clothed men coordinated with perfect chemistry. When one strike missed, they immediately changed their moves, their figures crossing and their blade light forming a net that covered Lin Fan from all directions. Their movement techniques and blade arts were all bizarre and unpredictable, carrying a heavy aura of shadow and death, clearly originating from the same terrifying Legacy and specializing in combined attack techniques.

Lin Fan pushed the defense of his Eternal Indestructible Body to the limit, golden light flowing over his skin as he tanked most of the unavoidable attacks. Simultaneously, he utilized the Indestructible Divine King Fist, the newly understood Star Finger, and spatial deflection to their extremes. He maneuvered and dodged in the narrow alley, with fists and fingers flying, actually fighting to a temporary draw with three enemies who were at least in the Mid-stage Divine Power Realm and specialized in assassination and combined attacks, despite only having a Condensing Spirit Realm Great Perfection cultivation!

If this were to spread, it would be enough to shock the entire Tianyang City! But Lin Fan knew very well that he was overextending himself. Although the Eternal Indestructible Body was strong, the bizarre power attached to the opponents' short blades was extremely poisonous, constantly eroding his blood, Qi, and spiritual energy. The Star Domain and spatial manipulation consumed a huge amount of Divine Sense. If the battle continued, he would surely lose!

He had to end this quickly! A look of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes as he deliberately left a flaw, taking a blade strike from the right-side black-clothed man. Another deep-to-the-bone wound was added to his left shoulder, blood splattering. But he also took this opportunity to thrust his left hand out, his five fingers instantly turning pale gold like forged divine iron, grabbing the short blade!

"Let go!" Lin Fan barked, and a terrifying force erupted, actually snatching the short blade away! At the same time, his right leg was like a whip, carrying the sound of wind and thunder as it kicked the opponent's abdomen hard!

Boom! The black-clothed man felt as if he had been hit by a heavy blow, groaning as he was sent flying back, crashing through a wall piled with broken steles, dust filling the air.

The moment he snatched the blade, without even thinking, Lin Fan threw the dark short blade back at the black-clothed man on the left who was about to launch a sneak attack!

The short blade left his hand, letting out a piercing shriek, its speed incredibly fast! The black-clothed man clearly didn't expect his companion's weapon to be snatched and thrown back, and he hurriedly swung his blade to block.

Clang! Sparks flew everywhere. The black-clothed man's arm went numb from the massive force, and his figure stalled.

Now! The star pagoda inside Lin Fan's body radiated light. He poured most of his spiritual energy and the small amount of Divine Sense he had just recovered into his right index finger. At the tip of his finger, a point of starlight, brilliant to the extreme, with a nebula seemingly being born and destroyed within and a silver pattern winding around its edge, condensed!

The Star-Breaking Void Finger, a Fusion of the Eternal Indestructible Body's Origin, the star pagoda's dao rhyme, and a trace of the power of time and space!

He pointed a finger straight ahead at the leading black-clothed man who had been giving him the most pressure! When this finger was pointed, the time and space of the entire Ancient Stele Alley seemed to freeze for a moment! That point of starlight seemed to cross the distance of space, ignoring the opponent's blocking short blade and protective dark light, appearing directly three inches in front of his forehead!

For the first time, the eyes beneath the leading black-clothed man's mask showed horror and disbelief!

He let out a mad roar, and a thick, solid black shadow erupted from his body, trying to swallow and neutralize the point of starlight. At the same time, he tilted his head with all his might.

Pfft! The starlight ultimately failed to be completely avoided; it pierced through his left shoulder, leaving a bowl-sized hole that went straight through! No blood flowed from the wound, only constantly annihilating black mist and strands of silver light intertwined!

"Ah!" The leading black-clothed man let out a howl of pain. The star purification power and space-time erosion contained in that starlight were extremely damaging to someone like him who cultivated dark techniques.

"Retreat!" He gave Lin Fan a look of extreme resentment and made a decisive decision. His figure turned into a wisp of black smoke, merging into the shadows on the ground and instantly vanishing. The other two black-clothed men did not hesitate either, each using secret techniques to flee.

In the small alley, only Lin Fan remained, leaning against the wall and panting heavily. Blood flowed from multiple wounds on his body, and the wounds on his left chest and left shoulder were particularly shocking. But he stood straight, his gaze sharp as a blade.

He didn't chase, nor did he have the strength to. That final finger strike had nearly drained him dry.

"Who on earth are these people?" Lin Fan quickly took several healing Medicinal Pills. While treating his wounds, his mind raced, "Their techniques are bizarre, they are well-trained, their coordination is perfect, and their killing intent toward me is pure. This is definitely not comparable to the provocations of noble sons like those from the Huangfu Family. Are they more professional assassins found by the Great Elder? Or some other unknown force?"

He walked to the wall that the kicked-away black-clothed man had crashed through, searching among the rubble and broken steles. Aside from some fragments of torn black clothing, there was nothing else of value. The opponents had retreated extremely cleanly.

"I must leave here as soon as possible." Lin Fan sensed several not-weak auras in the distance being alerted by the battle fluctuations and approaching. He forced himself to take a breath, used his movement technique, and quickly left Ancient Stele Alley, sneaking toward the Qingyun District.

He didn't return directly to Courtyard No. 7 of the 'Jia' Rank but circled around the city a few times to confirm no one was following before quietly returning.

"Divine Son, you are—" Lin Feng was greatly shocked to see Lin Fan return covered in blood and with a withered aura.

"It's nothing, I just encountered some small fries." Lin Fan waved his hand, signaling him to be quiet, "I need to heal immediately. Stay in the courtyard; do not see any visitors. If anyone tries to force their way in, immediately activate all the alarm Formations in the courtyard and seek help from the Imperial City Guard."

"Yes!" Lin Feng and Lin Xue realized the severity of the situation and responded with solemn expressions.

Lin Fan entered the secret room of the main house, set up layers of Restrictions, and immediately began to heal with all his might. The power of the Medicinal Pills dissolved, and the powerful self-healing ability of the Eternal Indestructible Body activated, his wounds beginning to heal at a visible speed.

At the same time, he recalled the battle just now, especially the final "Star-Breaking Void Finger" that fused the power of time and space, as well as the momentary insight into the space-time dao rhyme and boundary runes between life and death.

"The power of time and space is indeed infinitely mysterious. With just a superficial understanding, it allowed me to find a glimmer of hope in a desperate situation and even heavily wound a strong enemy." Lin Fan felt both lingering fear and excitement. This encounter was dangerous, yet it also gave him a clearer understanding of his own path.

"Those black-clothed men... their techniques seemed to have a certain resistance to the power of time and space? Or rather, they themselves carry some kind of shadow-space attribute?" Lin Fan carefully recalled the scene of the opponents fleeing, "Perhaps I can ask Ye Lingyun or Xia Qingyue about this matter."

He faintly felt that this assassination might not just be targeted at him personally; it might involve a deeper vortex.

While Lin Fan was healing, deep within a hidden, luxurious mansion in Tianyang City.

Three black-clothed men knelt on one knee, the leader's left shoulder wrapped in thick bandages that constantly leaked black Qi.

In front of them hung a beaded curtain. Behind the curtain sat a slender figure whose face could not be seen clearly. Only a pair of eyes that seemed to contain an endless starry sky yet also resembled a bottomless cold pool looked over indifferently through the beaded curtain.

"Failed?" A gentle voice sounded, yet it carried no emotion.

"Your subordinates are incompetent! The target's strength far exceeded our estimates. He is suspected of having initially mastered the power of time and space and possesses at least one heavy treasure containing the Origin of stars. That final finger strike was no small matter." The leading black-clothed man lowered his head, his voice carrying fear.

"power of time and space, star treasure..." The person behind the curtain repeated softly, silent for a moment, "Interesting. It seems this Lin Family Divine Son is more interesting than any of us expected."

"Master, whether to continue—"

"No need." The person behind the curtain interrupted, "The Prodigy Assembly is imminent, and those hounds from the Imperial City Division have already caught the scent. If we act again, it will be easy to draw fire to ourselves. Besides, he is not the only pawn. At the assembly, someone will naturally go and test his weight."

"Yes."

"Go and heal your wounds. Remember, keep your mouths shut."

"Thank you, Master!" The three felt as if they had been granted a great amnesty and bowed as they withdrew.

Behind the beaded curtain, those deep eyes looked toward the direction of the Imperial City outside the window, fingers lightly tapping the armrest.

"Lin Fan, Eternal Indestructible Body, power of time and space... will you be that variable? It's truly something to look forward to."

As the night deepened, Tianyang City was brilliantly lit, yet who knew how many undercurrents were quietly surging beneath this brilliance.