Chapter 22: Two Paths

Lin Jiufeng and the Young Shura King descended directly onto the nameless island.

The island was small, barely large enough for a single glance to take in its entirety. There was a small forest on it, and the rest of the island was completely visible.

The Young Shura King immediately said, "There's nothing else on the island. That human sword god must be hiding in the forest. You take the lead, and I'll provide backup."

Lin Jiufeng knew what the Young Shura King was trying to do—he wanted to get him killed. Mimicking the behavior of the Night Demon King, he feigned dissatisfaction and said, "Why should I take the lead?"

"Do you want the key to the Ta Yuan Immortal Mansion that's in the human sword god's hands?" The Young Shura King glared at Lin Jiufeng and whispered, "I'm already in possession of a key to the Ta Yuan Immortal Mansion, so I don't need it. Why should I go ahead?"

"But I..." Lin Jiufeng hesitated, pretending to doubt.

"If you still want to surpass the Night Demon King," the Young Shura King began to manipulate him, "the human sword god has already been injured by the Night Demon Ancestor. There's nothing to be afraid of. He's now just a paper tiger, no match for you. Besides, I'll be here to back you up."

Lin Jiufeng pretended to be swayed, as if deep in thought, before finally nodding. "Alright, I'll prepare then."

He drew his weapon—a long sword.

The Young Shura King saw Lin Jiufeng pretending to be the Night Demon King falling for his manipulation and internally sneered. "With such a simple mind, you think you can challenge me? What's there to fear when I've already shared all the information with you?"

Outwardly, he continued to encourage Lin Jiufeng's imitation of the Night Demon King, completely unaware that Lin Jiufeng had already aimed the long sword directly at him.

Suddenly, the Young Shura King felt a chill run through him and immediately looked up at Lin Jiufeng, realizing that the Night Demon King in front of him had become blurry.

"No, you're not the Night Demon King!"

The Young Shura King was struck with panic, cold sweat pouring down as he instantly realized something was wrong. But it was too late.

The Sacred Beast Qilin, transformed into a long sword, was already ready. He had been waiting for three seconds and now unleashed his innate divine power.

Space Confinement!

At that moment, the space around the Young Shura King froze. His body could not move, and a deep sense of panic washed over him as he tried to break free with all his strength.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The frozen space immediately began to crack. This Young Shura King was stronger than the Night Demon King. Both were at the Fourteen Banned Dao Golden Core level, but the Young Shura King completely crushed the Night Demon King.

The Sacred Beast Qilin's innate divine power could confine the Night Demon King for less than a second, but it was nowhere near effective against the Young Shura King. Half a second was already too long.

Feeling the pressure, the Sacred Beast Qilin roared and transformed back into his true form—the Qilin—flames swirling around his body, increasing the pressure.

The Young Shura King glared at Lin Jiufeng and the Sacred Beast Qilin, having never imagined that the Night Demon King he had thought was before him was actually a human in disguise.

Panicked, he struggled, his fear of death taking over.

In that brief moment, the space confinement loosened further.

The Young Shura King's burst of power put immense pressure on the Sacred Beast Qilin, who urgently looked at Lin Jiufeng.

At this moment, Lin Jiufeng, with a serious expression, slowly moved his hands, gathering a streak of green energy in his palms. It then transformed into a clock, ticking away.

This was a thread of the Dao of Time that Lin Jiufeng had comprehended in the human realm. It was non-aggressive but could accelerate or slow down time within a certain range by tenfold.

This thread of the Dao of Time had been preserved by Lin Jiufeng for a long time. He had always wanted to understand it but had never fully comprehended it. Now, seeing that the Young Shura King was about to break free from the Sacred Beast Qilin's divine power, Lin Jiufeng recalled this Dao and quickly activated it.

The clock, created by the Dao of Time, flew to the Young Shura King's side. Suddenly, his movements and the flow of time in that space slowed down.

Tick! Tick! Tick!

The clock's ticking slowed the flow of time in this space by a factor of ten, cutting it off from the outside world.

Now, the Sacred Beast Qilin's divine power, which could only confine the Young Shura King for half a second, was extended to five seconds thanks to the addition of the Dao of Time.

Five seconds was more than enough to do many things.

Lin Jiufeng then activated his Life Scroll. Using the world as the canvas and the Dao patterns as the ink, he inscribed a deadly technique onto the scroll.

A scroll appeared and absorbed the Young Shura King into it.

"No..." The Young Shura King cried out in terror, struggling with all his might. But under the suppression of both the Dao of Time and Space, he had no power to resist.

The Life Scroll began to etch his life story.

His flesh was worn away, and his true spirit was duplicated. His memories were used to quickly sketch out his life.

The Sacred Beast Qilin's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Lin Jiufeng. "Brother, you just used the Dao of Time?"

Lin Jiufeng slowly nodded, his gaze fixed on the Life Scroll, not even glancing at the Sacred Beast Qilin's astonished expression.

The Sacred Beast Qilin yelled, "Brother, when did you comprehend the Dao of Time?"

Lin Jiufeng gave him a brief glance and casually replied, "I comprehended the Dao of Time when I was in the human realm."

It was when they were exploring the Fallen Immortal Tomb together.

Because this particular thread of the Dao of Time had no aggressiveness, Lin Jiufeng rarely used it.

"You comprehended the Dao of Time while you were in the human realm, and then you comprehended the Dao of Space here in the Dimensional Battlefield? Space as king, time as respect. These two terrifying Daos, you've mastered both?" The Sacred Beast Qilin was utterly stunned.

He knew Lin Jiufeng was exceptionally gifted, but now, calling him talented was an understatement.

With just the Twelfth Banned level of cultivation, Lin Jiufeng had already grasped both the Dao of Time and the Dao of Space. What kind of monstrous genius was he?

Lin Jiufeng corrected him, "It's not that I've mastered both Daos, just that I have a slight grasp of the very surface of Time and Space. Compared to the vastness of Time and Space, my understanding is like an ant gazing at the sky."

"Even so, you've comprehended two Daos!" The Sacred Beast Qilin was still in shock.

Lin Jiufeng shook his head, no longer responding to the Sacred Beast Qilin. He focused on examining the Life Scroll, which was now completing the Young Shura King's life.

The Young Shura King's memories were far more complex than the Night Demon King's.

The Night Demon King was like a naïve child, straightforward and simple-minded. No wonder the Young Shura King tried to use him as a scapegoat. He had no fear of betraying him.

As expected, upon reviewing the Young Shura King's life, Lin Jiufeng found it filled with hardships.

Born into a humble family, the Young Shura King was chosen to serve the Night Shura King because of his talent. From an early age, he bowed to the Night Shura King and was obedient.

But that was all on the surface.

Deep down, he was never one to accept being beneath others, always striving to improve and waiting for an opportunity.

In his youth, he discovered an ancient legacy and obtained the "Pan Wu Divine Strength" technique. With his effort and dedication, he eventually grew from a mere attendant to a Junior Shura King, second only to the Shura King in his generation. Though his reputation was terrible due to betraying friends and even killing relatives, he didn't care—he just wanted to grow stronger.

But this time, he had met his match in Lin Jiufeng, and everything had gone wrong.

The Young Shura King had never imagined he would suffer such a huge setback. Normally, it was he who betrayed others; when had he ever been the one tricked?

After finishing reading the Young Shura King's life, Lin Jiufeng sighed, "Those who spend their days hunting geese end up being pecked by them. He got what he deserved."

[You have finished reviewing the Young Shura King's life. Your comprehension has activated, and you have learned the Pan Wu Divine Strength technique.]