Chapter Ninety-Six: A Glimmer of Hope

Just as he thought he was about to be shattered to pieces, a voice tinged with emotion suddenly pulled Tianming from his daze.

“...Is she a World Spirit?” His eyes brightened, and an unexpected flicker of hope stirred within him.

Before him stood a figure clad in purple armor—majestic and imposing, resembling the armor of the World Warrior he had seen earlier, yet this one was a female armored being.

“Why?”

At this moment, the World Warrior approached the World Spirit with evident confusion.

Considering the power in his arm, though this world could not withstand it, under the spatial lock and his control over his strength, it was impossible for him to affect this world.

“There is no ‘why.’ Even if it means taking a fragile life, it should be decreed by the World God himself, not you acting on your own,” the World Spirit said coldly, glaring. In an instant, she appeared before Tianming.

“...Thank you!” Tianming whispered softly, gazing at the World Spirit who had suddenly come to his side.

This was perhaps the most reluctant and stifled expression of gratitude Tianming had ever uttered, for even if these armored beings spared him now, there was no telling what might happen in the future.

Simply put, they played both the villain and the savior before him—beating him with a stick, then offering a candy.

“No need to thank me, for even if you do, I will not release you!” The World Spirit shook her head.

Her words were as calm and emotionless as a machine, with only the faintest trace of feeling almost imperceptible.

“Is this my only choice?” Tianming asked with a bitter smile, his hope fading.

Sure enough, he could not escape the inevitable meeting with the so-called World God. Tianming knew that if he went, all secrets would be lost.

From the context, he could deduce that the World God must be the sovereign of the Primal Epoch; no matter how vast the universe, it could not surpass the scale of an epoch!

One could imagine just how formidable this World God was, wielding almost complete control over the realm.

“Perhaps there is a glimmer of hope in choice, but—”

“Fine! I will go with you,” Tianming interrupted resolutely before she could finish.

“Still, only the World Spirit could have tamed this mortal so quickly,” the World Warrior laughed as he approached.

Seeing him come near, the World Spirit remained silent. She grasped Tianming’s body, and a white energy shield enveloped them both. In a flash, they vanished from sight at a speed even light could not capture.

Seal!

Seeing this, the World Warrior snorted coldly and absorbed the surrounding space-encasing cage as if it were a black hole devouring everything into his core.

With the cage gone, the landscape immediately returned to life: blue clouds floated overhead beneath a blazing sun, and a colossal black-winged mystical turtle soared through the sky.

The cycle of reincarnation, the boundlessness of the heavenly way.

The myriad paths of the great Dao, dreams revisited thrice.

“One turn for affection, two turns for ruthlessness, three turns for remembrance! Borrow the power of heaven and earth, forbid all things!”

Having absorbed the Primal Epoch’s spatial lock into his own world, the World Warrior did not leave but instead fixed his gaze on the black objects flying ahead.

Simultaneously, his hands moved in rapid succession, chanting incantations that seemed like the very language of heaven and earth. The wind shifted violently, divine thunder crashed down, and a black-and-white soul ring instantly radiated from him.

In that instant, wherever this barely visible black-and-white soul ring passed, everything came to a standstill!

After completing these actions, the World Warrior wasted no time and swiftly entered the interior of the flying saucer.

Swish!

In the blink of an eye, the three saucers plunged into a dark and profound tunnel, disappearing from sight.

Boom!

Boom! Boom!!

With the World Warrior’s departure, life quickly returned to the world. The black-winged mystical turtle flapped its vast wings once more.

...

Inside a tent somewhere, a delicate figure was about to step out but suddenly froze.

“...What was I supposed to do?”

The delicate figure parted her thin lips, whispering to herself, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not remember.

Only two vague words came to mind: Tianming! Who was he? The figure was bewildered and had no choice but to retreat back into the tent.

She was not alone in this confusion. A purple figure who was about to lie on a bed and smile foolishly abruptly stopped, frowning, “Strange! Why was I laughing?”

...

“Who is that person, really?”

“Why did I suddenly think of that name?”

“Who exactly is he?”

...

Such questions arose not only within the Tianyan Sect, the Black-Winged Mystical Turtle, and the Tianjian Sect but also among the dark demon cultivators of the Southern Wilderness Continent. It was as if something was missing from their memories, yet at the same time, it felt like something that had happened in a dream...

Vague, elusive, intangible!

...

Tianming, who had been brought into an unknown space, was sweating profusely. He had never witnessed the World Spirit’s speed before.

If not for her protection, the spatial turbulence caused by surpassing the speed of light alone would have torn his frail body apart!

From an outsider’s perspective, Tianming might have seemed unimpressed, accustomed as he was to such things. But when he truly experienced it, he realized there were always greater forces beyond.

Even a tenth-grade Golden Immortal could not compare; it was like a small witch encountering a great sorcerer.

Sigh...

Thinking this, Tianming exhaled quietly. From this, he knew he would not die just yet.

At that moment, he began to examine his surroundings. Three armored figures identical to the World Spirit were operating the cockpit, differing only in color.

From the view outside, Tianming discerned that they were inside a spacetime tunnel.

Those three armored beings pressed the intricate buttons with lightning speed, the clicking never ceasing as if they would never tire...

“What are you looking at?”

Suddenly, a voice shattered his thoughts. Tianming turned to see the World Spirit approaching, carrying a terrifying device.

“Uh... You’re all so powerful, and you’re still afraid I’ll try to escape?” Tianming asked with a bitter smile, the corner of his mouth twitching.

“...Follow me!” The World Spirit, having secured his shackles and chains, ignored his words and walked toward a certain portal.

Seeing this, Tianming did not resist. After all, a wise man knows when to accept his fate. Besides, he could not resist since the World Spirit held a black chain connected to a mechanical hand attached to him.

He had no choice but to comply.

“World Spirit, where are you taking me?” Tianming asked curiously, allowing himself to be led.

“Silence! Do you think you can casually call me by my name?”

A cold gaze swept over him, and her words were utterly devoid of emotion.

What had happened to her?

Tianming, feeling as if he stood before an icy abyss, shuddered and looked at her with fear. He had not expected her anger to come without any warning.

Yet, fearing her power, Tianming dared not speak further, lest he provoke her again and suffer worse consequences.

Soon, the World Spirit threw Tianming into a sealed chamber and left without a word.

Along the way, Tianming observed that although the saucer was not large, it could sustain its own space—much like his own two-dimensional space—infinitely extending.

However, he was not surprised. With such a formidable figure, lacking such an ability would hardly be fitting for a World God.