Myth Beyond Heaven

Chapter 3022: Caught In Cold

Number Four wasn’t just resisting the River of Time—it was consuming it. The Uncreation being transformed into a massive black hole that devoured the silver waters, swallowing epochs and eras into absolute nothingness.

Nian Shi’s composure shattered. “Impossible! Nothing can consume the source of time itself!”

Yet the evidence was before him. The River of Time was being drained, its mighty currents vanishing into the void that was Number Four. The Mark of Uncreation blazed like a dark sun, pulsing with terrifying hunger.

“Yin… what have you created?” Nian Shi whispered, genuine alarm in his voice for the first time.

He stopped holding back. Silver light erupted from him as he poured his entire being into maintaining the River. “I am time! You cannot unmake what I am!”

The River of Time churned violently as Nian Shi and Number Four engaged in a cosmic tug-of-war. Silver temporal energy clashed against absolute void in a struggle that threatened to unravel the fabric of existence itself.

Number Four offered no response, only intensifying its consumption. The black hole that was its form expanded, swallowing entire epochs of the River’s flow. Where the silver waters touched the void, they simply ceased to exist—not destroyed, but unmade from reality itself.

Yun Lintian stabilized himself in the chaotic void, his golden-black eyes wide with realization.

This power… he had felt it before. The Devourer that Yin had consumed—but this was different. More refined, more absolute. Number Four’s devouring capability made the original Devourer seem like a child playing with shadows.

How? The question echoed in Yun Lintian’s mind. How can Yin create something like this while sealed?

Then the deeper truth struck him like a physical blow.

He was alone.

Nian Shi had countless versions of himself across timelines, each growing stronger with every passing moment.

Yin had who knew how many Number Fours—each a being of pure Uncreation capable of challenging a Primordial God.

But Yun Lintian? He had only himself. No alternate versions, no powerful subordinates. Just one man against two primordial forces that had existed since the dawn of creation.

The realization should have crushed him. Instead, it crystallized his resolve.

Nian Shi roared in frustration as another section of the River vanished into Number Four’s void. “Enough of this farce!”

The God of Time’s form blazed with silver light as he performed a series of complex gestures. “If you wish to consume time itself, then feast on this—THE ETERNAL PARADOX!”

The River of Time reversed, then split into countless contradictory flows. Time moved forward and backward simultaneously, created and destroyed itself in endless loops, became both particle and wave—all within the same space.

Number Four’s consumption faltered. Even Uncreation struggled to process existence that defied all logical consistency.

Nian Shi pressed his advantage. “You see? Your power has limits! Yin’s creations are flawed!”

But even as he spoke, Number Four adapted. The Mark of Uncreation pulsed rhythmically, and the void began to consume the paradoxes themselves—not by understanding them, but by erasing the very concept of paradox from reality.

Yun Lintian watched, his mind racing. This was beyond anything he could currently achieve. Both combatants wielded power on a scale he couldn’t match.

Yet he noticed something. Number Four’s adaptation wasn’t perfect. Small temporal fractures appeared in its void form—microscopic imperfections where the Uncreation struggled to fully process Nian Shi’s complex temporal manipulations.

Flaws, Yun Lintian realized. Even perfection has flaws.

Nian Shi seemed to notice too. “Ah… so that’s your weakness. You can consume anything, but you must consume it completely. Partial consumption leaves you vulnerable.”

The God of Time changed tactics, no longer trying to overwhelm Number Four with power, but with complexity. He created temporal patterns so intricate that even the void struggled to process them fully.

Number Four’s form began to flicker, its consumption becoming erratic. The black hole wavered between solidity and dissolution.

“It’s over,” Nian Shi declared, gathering the River’s full power for a final strike. “Return to the nothingness that spawned you!”

Nian Shi’s silver form blazed with triumphant light as he gathered the River of Time’s full power for the final strike. The temporal energy condensed into a singularity of absolute force that would unmade Number Four completely.

“Now perish—” Nian Shi began, but his words cut off abruptly.

Puff!

A spasm of agony twisted his features as silver blood sprayed from his lips. His injury flared violently, disrupting his concentration at the critical moment.

The River of Time wavered, its power fluctuating unpredictably.

Nian Shi’s eyes widened in frustration. Not now!

He made a split-second decision. Victory wasn’t worth risking permanent damage to his core. With a final glare at both Number Four and Yun Lintian, he tore through dimensions and vanished.

The void fell silent.

Number Four’s form gradually stabilized, returning to its humanoid shape. The Mark of Uncreation still glowed faintly on its forehead, but the consuming void had receded.

He didn’t even glance at Yun Lintian before dissolving into shadows and disappearing.

Yun Lintian stood alone in the ravaged space, the aftermath of primordial conflict swirling around him.

He watched both combatants depart, his mind racing with the implications of what he had witnessed…

***

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Light-years away, Nian Shi stumbled through a dimensional rift into a dead star system. Silver blood dripped from his nose as he leaned against a frozen asteroid.

“Damn it,” he snarled, wiping blood from his chin. He didn’t expect the injury to flare up at such an inconvenient moment. He had pushed too hard against Number Four, and now he was paying the price.

Just as he prepared to move again, his temporal senses screamed a warning.

Swoosh!

A void arrow materialized from nothingness—silent, absolute, and moving faster than time itself.

Nian Shi’s instincts took over. “Time, freeze—”

But the arrow didn’t freeze. It didn’t even slow. It simply… continued, as if temporal stasis meant nothing to it.

Impossible!

Puff!

The arrow struck his chest with devastating precision. Silver light erupted as it pierced through his divine defenses, embedding itself deep in his core.

“Ugh!” Nian Shi gasped, stumbling backward. The pain was unlike anything he had felt—this wasn’t just physical damage, but the unmaking of his very essence.

At this moment, a figure emerged from the void—a woman clad in form-fitting black armor that seemed to drink the faint starlight.

In her hands, she held a longbow made of the same void-stuff as Number Four’s spear. Her eyes glowed with the same Mark of Uncreation.

“You…” Nian Shi choked out, silver blood now flowing freely from his wound.

The woman smiled coldly. “Number Three.”