Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 137 Golden and Silver Eyes - The Eyes of the Time-Space Nightmare Beast

In the cultivation room, Lin Yun sat cross-legged, with the spatial ring left behind by the Lord of the Guanglan Realm placed before him. He had already sorted through most of the treasures—cultivation resources, secret manuals, force weapons, the Flowing Light Armor, soul imprints… each one had benefited him greatly. But when he probed the deepest part of the ring with his spiritual power, he discovered that there was one item he had overlooked.

Those were peculiar eyes.

The eyes, small, only about the size of a fist, lay quietly in the corner of the ring. One was gold, the other silver; the gold one emitted a faint spatial fluctuation, while the silver one emitted a faint temporal fluctuation. The two fluctuations intertwined, forming a strange rhythm that made one feel as if spacetime itself was slightly distorted.

"What is this?" Lin Yun took out the pair of eyes and placed them in his palm.

The skin felt warm and smooth to the touch, and one could sense the immense energy contained within. That energy was neither genetic energy nor mental power, but a more fundamental and profound force—the power of spacetime.

"Master, this is one of the most special treasures left behind by our former master," Xiao Lan's voice echoed in his mind. "These are the eyes of a Time-Space Nightmare Beast."

"A Time-Space Nightmare Beast?" Lin Yun's eyes lit up.

"That's right," Xiao Lan said. "The Time-Space Nightmare Beast is one of the eighteen royal families of the demon race. At its peak adulthood, it can naturally reach the Domain Lord level. It has two heads, one with golden eyes and the other with silver eyes. The golden eyes can influence space, and the silver eyes can influence time. Once the golden and silver eyes are activated simultaneously, they have strong control over the surrounding spacetime. When combined with a Law Domain, the power of the Law Domain can be multiplied."

"The Demon Clan's royal family..." Lin Yun murmured. He certainly knew what the Demon Clan's royal family meant. In the universe, the Demon Clan's royal family stood at the very top of the pyramid, and every member possessed extremely powerful talents and bloodlines. Although the Time-Space Nightmare Beast wasn't among the most elite royal families, its time-space talent was something countless cultivators dreamed of.

"Master, these eyes were obtained by chance by the previous master in the battlefield beyond the realm," Xiao Lan continued. "At that time, the previous master encountered a severely wounded and dying Time-Space Nightmare Beast, and after killing it, he took these eyes. The previous master originally intended to use them to forge a Time-Space treasure, but he never had the chance. Later, the previous master's teacher told him that the best use for these eyes was not for forging weapons, but for studying the laws of time and space."

Lin Yun nodded, carefully placed the Eye of the Time-Space Nightmare Beast on the stone platform in front of him, and examined it closely.

The golden and silver eyes emitted a faint glow, the two lights intertwining to form a miniature spacetime vortex. Lin Yun probed into it with his spiritual power and could feel space distorting and time slowing down. The feeling was incredibly strange, as if he were in another dimension.

"Xiao Lan, just how strong is the Time-Space Nightmare Beast's Time-Space Talent?" Lin Yun asked.

"Master, the golden eyes of the Time-Space Nightmare Beast can influence space," Xiao Lan said. "When cultivated to the extreme, it can imprison space, tear space apart, and even teleport. The silver eyes can influence time; when cultivated to the extreme, it can accelerate time, decelerate time, and even stop time. When the golden and silver eyes are used simultaneously, a time-space domain can be formed, within which the caster is almost invincible."

"Space-Time Domain..." Lin Yun murmured.

"However, Master, don't have too high expectations," Xiao Lan reminded her. "The spacetime talent of the Time-Space Nightmare Beast requires a long time to cultivate. Moreover, the laws of spacetime are hundreds or thousands of times more profound than lower-level laws. Even for a Time-Space Nightmare Beast, it is difficult to cultivate its spacetime talent to its fullest potential. You are still young, you have plenty of time."

Lin Yun nodded. He was well aware of the difficulty of the laws of spacetime. In the Swallowed Star world, the laws of spacetime were superior laws, far more profound than inferior laws such as metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, and light. Even the most unparalleled geniuses in the universe mostly began to comprehend the laws of time and space only after becoming a world lord.

Lin Yun looked at the Eye of the Time-Space Nightmare Beast in his hand, and a thought surged in his mind.

He has already crossed the threshold of the fundamental laws for the ten basic laws: metal, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, and light. The law of wood only awaits the successful formation of the Tree of Life's avatar; crossing into the fundamental law shouldn't be a problem then. That leaves only the laws of time and space.

Although the Golden Horned Beast's clone possesses talents in both the laws of metal and space, its spatial talent is not outstanding, and it currently focuses primarily on comprehending the law of metal. If it could have a clone with a dedicated spacetime talent, its comprehension of the laws of time and space would be much more efficient.

"Xiao Lan, if I had a secret technique that could create clones, could I use these eyes to create a Time-Space Nightmare Beast clone?" Lin Yun asked.

Xiao Lan was silent for a moment, then said, "Master, you actually possess a secret technique that allows you to create clones?"

Her voice was filled with shock. As an intelligent being who had lived for hundreds of millions of years, she knew all too well how rare the talent of creating clones was. In the universe, even those who had reached the level of immortal kings or cosmic venerables rarely possessed clones. This talent was mostly bestowed by the primordial universe, something that could only be encountered by chance.

"Yes." Lin Yun didn't hide anything. "The Primordial Universe bestowed upon me a talent technique called 'Avatar,' which allows me to create a corresponding avatar from a wisp of flesh or fur. I've already created a Golden Horned Beast avatar using the flesh of the Golden Horned Beast, and also a Life Tree avatar. I still have a few avatar slots left."

Xiao Lan remained silent for a long time.

"Master, your talent... is even more terrifying than I imagined." Xiao Lan's voice was tinged with emotion. "You've stepped into the threshold of the Origin Law with seven elements of law, and you also have the talent to create clones... Even among the core members of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, you can't find many geniuses like you."

"Therefore, I want to use the Eye of the Time-Space Nightmare Beast to nurture my third avatar," Lin Yun said. "The Time-Space Nightmare Beast's golden and silver eyes represent its talents in space and time, respectively. If I can possess a Time-Space Nightmare Beast avatar, the laws of time and space will no longer be a problem."

"Master, your idea is excellent," Xiao Lan said. "However, the Eye of the Time-Space Nightmare Beast is only a part of its body. Is your innate secret technique suitable for this situation?"

Lin Yun thought for a moment and said, "The description of the innate secret technique is that 'a corresponding clone can be conceived from a wisp of flesh or fur.' The eyes are also part of the Time-Space Nightmare Beast's body, containing the beast's complete genetic information. I think it's worth a try."

"If successful, you will gain an avatar with the talent of time and space," Xiao Lan said.

"That's good. Now I have the keys to all ten fundamental laws," Lin Yun said.

Moreover, Lin Yun now possesses the rules of life, so the level of his life genes is not a problem. His original human form has already reached 50 times the level of life genes, which is similar to some ordinary special life forms. Once the Time-Space Nightmare Beast is successfully conceived, he will cultivate the rules of life, further enhance his life genes, and his time-space talent will also improve once again.

"Master, when do you plan to start nurturing the Time-Space Nightmare Beast clone?" Xiao Lan asked.

"After the Life Tree clone is born," Lin Yun said, "the Life Tree clone will be born in a little over two years. After it is born, I will begin to nurture the Time-Space Nightmare Beast clone."

"The master has considered everything very thoroughly," Xiao Lan said.

Lin Yun stored the Eye of the Time-Space Nightmare Beast into his spatial ring, already having a complete plan in mind. His ten fundamental laws—metal, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, and light—had already reached the threshold of mastery. The law of wood would naturally follow once his Life Tree avatar appeared, while the laws of time and space would be entrusted to the Time-Space Nightmare Beast avatar. Once all seven avatars were in place, his cultivation speed would reach a terrifying level.

"Master, our previous master left behind some records about the Time-Space Nightmare Beast," Xiao Lan said. "Would you like to take a look?"

"Of course," Lin Yun said.

Xiao Lan transmitted a message to Lin Yun's auxiliary computer. It was a detailed document recording the habits, talents, and cultivation methods of the Time-Space Nightmare Beast, as well as the experience of the Lightstorm Realm Lord when he encountered that Time-Space Nightmare Beast in the extraterrestrial battlefield.

"The Time-Space Nightmare Beast, one of the eighteen royal families of the demon race, ranked twelfth." Lin Yun read the text from the data. "At its peak adulthood, it can reach the Domain Lord level, and a few geniuses can reach the World Lord level. Its golden eyes affect space, and its silver eyes affect time. When both eyes are used simultaneously, a time-space domain can be formed. The Time-Space Nightmare Beast's cultivation mainly relies on devouring the power of time and space. If it has a time-space crystal core to assist in its cultivation, it can master the time-space domain more quickly. However, time-space crystal cores are rare treasures in the universe and can only be found in time-space rifts."

"Space-Time Crystal Core..." Lin Yun murmured.

"Master, Time-Space Crystal Cores are extremely precious," Xiao Lan said. "A single Time-Space Crystal Core is worth hundreds of thousands of Chaos Yuan. Moreover, they are extremely rare and difficult to obtain. The wealth left by our previous master did not include any Time-Space Crystal Cores. If you wish to quickly enhance the strength of your Time-Space Nightmare Beast clone, you will need to find Time-Space Crystal Cores yourself."

"No rush," Lin Yun said. "Let's talk about it after the clone is born."

He continued reading the documents. The documents also recorded the Guanglan Realm Lord's encounter with the Time-Space Nightmare Beast—a severely wounded and dying beast that the Guanglan Realm Lord had accidentally discovered in the outer battlefield. The Guanglan Realm Lord had paid a heavy price to slay it and remove its eyes. That Time-Space Nightmare Beast was extremely powerful; even severely wounded and dying, it had still inflicted considerable damage on the Guanglan Realm Lord.

"The Time-Space Nightmare Beast's strength is indeed terrifying," Lin Yun thought to himself. If it weren't for the Golden Horned Beast's ability to create clones, in terms of individual strength alone, the Golden Horned Beast might not be a match for the Time-Space Nightmare Beast.

He saved the information, intending to study it later.

"Master, what are you planning to do now?" Xiao Lan asked.

"I'm going into seclusion to cultivate," Lin Yun said. "There are less than two years left until the Genius Battle, and I need to raise my strength to its peak during this time."

"Master, your cultivation level has already reached the peak of the ninth rank of the Hengxing level," Xiao Lan said. "From now on, you don't need to improve your cultivation level anymore. Instead, you should focus on comprehending the laws and creating your own secret techniques."

"I know," Lin Yun said. "Although my seven elemental laws have all stepped into the threshold of the fundamental laws, their depth is still insufficient. I need to cultivate each elemental law to a deeper level during this period. In particular, the wind and light fusion secret technique 'Flowing Light Illusion' can only create three clones now, and its speed is only twice that of the main body. I want to strive to increase the number of clones to nine and the speed to three times before the Genius Battle."

"Master, the Flowing Light and Illusionary Shadow is a top-tier secret technique, extremely difficult to cultivate," Xiao Lan reminded her. "Our previous master only mastered this technique at the World Lord level. For you to reach even a minor mastery at the Heng Star level is very difficult."

"I know," Lin Yun said, "but I have experience cultivating the 'Light, Wind, and Illusion,' and my understanding of the laws of wind and light is far deeper than that of ordinary people. Moreover, I have a detailed explanation of the secret techniques of the Lord of the Lightstorm Realm, and I also have the aid of the Flowing Light Crystal Core. I believe that two years will be enough."

"It's good that Master has confidence," Xiao Lan said.

Lin Yun took out the Radiant Crystal Core left behind by the Lord of the Radiant Realm from his spatial ring. It was a fist-sized crystal core, entirely bluish-white, with fine patterns on its surface, emitting a faint glow. The crystal core contained extremely dense fragments of the laws of wind and light; holding it in his palm, he could feel the power of the two laws slowly flowing through it.

"Radiant Crystal Core..." Lin Yun murmured.

He held the crystal core in his hand, closed his eyes, and immersed his consciousness in the ocean of wind and light laws. With the aid of the luminous crystal core, the fragments of wind and light laws became several times clearer. He could sense the vibration of each fragment and the veins of each law.

He began to practice the secret technique of Flowing Light and Illusion.

The core of the Flowing Light and Illusion technique lies in fusing the profound mysteries of the Wind Law's clone technique with the profound mysteries of the Light Law's speed of light. The clone technique's mystery lies in creating clones; the speed of light's mystery lies in granting clones ultimate speed. The combination of the two creates extremely fast clones, making them impossible to defend against.

Lin Yun raised his right hand, activating the fused fragments of law. A bluish-white light flew from his palm, splitting into three clones in mid-air. Each clone was as real as a physical entity, possessing power. Their speed was astonishing, leaving afterimages in the air.

"Three clones, twice the speed." Lin Yun sensed the state of the clones, "but it's still far from enough."

He withdrew his clone and continued his cultivation.

"Master, please don't be impatient for quick results," Xiao Lan said. "Cultivating a peak secret technique requires patience. Even our former master spent hundreds of years cultivating the Flowing Light Illusion Technique to a minor level. You've only been practicing for a few days; don't expect to break through immediately."

"I know," Lin Yun said, "but I don't have hundreds of years. The Genius Battle is less than two years away, and I must improve as much as possible during this time."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes again.

Time passed day by day. Lin Yun was immersed in cultivation, forgetting everything in the outside world.

He practiced the Flowing Light Illusion Technique repeatedly, deducing the fusion of the profound mysteries of the clone technique and the speed of light over and over again. With each failure, he would carefully analyze the reasons, identify the problem, and then improve in his next attempt. Fragments of laws from the Flowing Light Crystal Core continuously flooded into his consciousness, greatly accelerating his comprehension.

At the same time, he was also trying to fuse "Light and Wind Illusion" and "Flowing Light Illusion". "Light and Wind Illusion" is a secret technique that combines the mystery of clone technique with the mystery of light refraction, while "Flowing Light Illusion" is a secret technique that combines the mystery of clone technique with the mystery of light speed. The mystery of clone technique plays a bridging role in this process, which also gives Lin Yun the hope of fusing three different mysteries!

Time slipped by quietly in the cultivation room. Outside the window, the bright moon hung high, and the stars twinkled.

Meanwhile, in another world, the Panlong World, he continued to cultivate the laws of wind and light within a miniature plane.