Chapter 291: Nowhere to Escape?

That sense of crisis rushed up his spine like a bone-chilling current, and Luo En began to maintain absolute stillness in the consciousness space.

"The observation of the ancient memory of the 'Hermit' just now seems to have attracted the attention of some creature."

With the enhanced perception of "Knowledge of the Hermit," he captured the energy fluctuations seeping from that misaligned gap:

Cold as ice, sharp as a knife, like a spider waiting for a rabbit, approaching the struggling prey in its web.

"Time Hound..."

This term emerged from the depths of his memory, carrying a strong ominous premonition.

That was an existence Eve warned him about in one of their exchanges.

Her expression at that time was unusually solemn, her eyes full of genuine fear:

"Wizard Luo En, historical research is dangerous, especially venturing to peek at those fragments involving the long river of time."

"Those places... have guardians."

"No, rather than guardians, they are a group of hyenas that will rush over if they smell a scent."

"Time Hounds; they are not any dutiful dimensional inspectors, but predators in the true sense; any intruder will be treated as prey..."

At that time, he just nodded politely and didn't pay much attention.

Now it seemed that the warning was indeed worth its weight in gold.

After all, he had never thought that he would delve so deeply into these overly ancient memory fragments so quickly, to the point of attracting... a hunter...

"It's too late, the link has been established."

His alertness came just in time; this micro-channel was some kind of special time-space hunting device.

That crack was silently expanding, turning from an invisible degree into the thickness of a hair in an instant, then a needle, then a quill...

The extension of perception made him realize that it was not just a simple crack, but more like a special "anchor point," connecting to a completely strange dimension.

What made his heart sink even more was that in this special angle where consciousness and the long river of time intersected, he had been completely locked by some invisible net. 【291

It was as if he were trapped in an isolated little world; any outward fluctuation was like a stone sinking into the sea, unable to be transmitted to his physical body in the real world, let alone call for help from anyone.

"The trap is completely finished."

Luo En had already seen it: "This is a predatory strategy—trapping the prey within an angled space, cutting off all possible escape routes."

"Calm down... analyze the situation..."

He forced himself to suppress that instinctive fear and began to think rationally:

"At least I detected the abnormality in advance. If I were attacked at the critical moment of returning to reality, I, stuck between two states, would have no power to resist."

Luo En decided to look for countermeasures in the consciousness space; after all, this was his home turf, and he at least held a certain amount of initiative.

He carefully adjusted his mental structure while strengthening his consciousness barrier, attempting to perceive the existence behind the crack more clearly.

As his focus increased, that crack underwent a subtle change visually...

The crack expanded from a two-dimensional line into a swirling three-dimensional entrance, like a miniature vortex on the river of time.

Deep inside, something was wriggling.

Without any warning, a cone-like mouthpart shot out from the crack like an arrow!

It was so fast that its trajectory could not even be captured.

That mouthpart was aimed precisely at the core area of his consciousness body.

If it were a physical body, it would probably be equivalent to the position of the heart.

—Flowing Barrier

With a near-instinctive reaction, Luo En instantly activated this defensive skill, which had long been honed to the level of an instinctive reflex.

Silver-gray liquid surged from the depths of his mental power, rapidly constructing a flowing barrier around his body.

This was his first line of defense when facing unknown threats, and it had saved his life in countless battles.

However, a scene that made him shudder occurred.

That cone-shaped mouthpart passed through as if it were nothing, easily piercing the Flowing Barrier without the slightest deceleration, stabbing directly into his consciousness body!

"Crack!"

An indescribable, intense pain instantly overwhelmed all of Luo En's senses.

This was a tearing sensation acting directly upon the essence of his soul.

It was as if someone had sliced open his entire existence and then peeled it away piece by piece.

A terrifying hole appeared on his consciousness body, and darkness like ink-black nothingness spread from it, devouring the surrounding consciousness structure.

The pain was so intense that he was almost unable to maintain basic thinking ability.

The surrounding space began to twist and collapse; everything became blurry and distant.

Luo En roared silently, only to find that he could not even emit the most basic sound.

His soul was trembling, and his spirit was shattering.

This experience far exceeded all the pain he had ever endured, even a hundred times more terrifying than the "Bloodline Baptism" he had undergone at the bloodline altar back then.

【Warning! Abnormal time fluctuation detected!】

【Warning! Extra-dimensional invasion!】

【Warning! Consciousness structure has suffered severe damage!】

The warnings on the translucent panel flickered in his remaining consciousness, but Luo En was almost unable to focus his attention to understand this information.

The only thing he could feel was an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

The mouthpart quickly withdrew, and bright red mental energy flowed along that straw-like structure toward an unknown depth.

As the predatory action was completed, a blurry outline began to condense around the crack.

It was an existence that completely defied all known laws of physics.

Its form changed constantly, with no fixed shape or structure.

At times it looked like a giant snake with countless segments, at other times like some kind of multi-legged arthropod, and occasionally it would even twist into geometric shapes completely beyond Luo En's cognitive scope.

The only thing that remained constant was that cone-shaped mouthpart still dripping with mental energy, and a pair of "eyes" flickering with scarlet light.

If those could truly be called eyes...

Luo En could feel that this creature was evaluating his value in its own way, just like a gourmet commenting on an expensive dish.

This suffocating sense of oppression even exceeded the experience he had once faced when confronting the "Holy Disk."

At that time, at least he could find the opponent's weakness, but now... he was nearly dying before he could even react.

"... Cannot... just... die here..."

Luo En gritted his teeth, enduring the unspeakable intense pain, and began to re-gather his remaining mental power.

Accompanied by that instinct for survival, his thinking gradually regained a bit of clarity, and he began to quickly analyze the current situation.

The enemy before him had speed far exceeding his reaction ability; simple defense was clearly ineffective.

But if he could predict the next attack, perhaps he could find an opportunity to counterattack.

First, he needed to understand this creature's attack pattern.

The newly acquired "Hermit's Knowledge" began to take effect.

He could feel that the energy within the hound was gathering again, clearly preparing for a second attack.

Moreover, the energy condensation speed this time was faster than the last, and the intensity was higher.

It seemed it had already confirmed Luo En's "deliciousness" level and decided to increase the intensity of its predation.

Time was running out; he had to act immediately.

"Combining 'Meta-Magic Technique' with 'Flowing Barrier'...

Plus the defensive correction formed after the first hit brought by the 'Eternal Inscription' trait, and the strengthening of the spell structure itself by 'Micro-Structural Adaptation'..."

Luo En quickly mobilized all available mental power to construct a brand-new defensive system.

Unlike the barrier that relied purely on energy density before, this time he designed the defense system to be more precise and complex.

It was as if, on the basis of the original barrier, he had additionally added dozens of layers of micro-energy reflection layers, each of which could absorb a portion of the impact and redirect it to another direction.

Energy flowed and intertwined in his consciousness, forming an exquisitely crafted defensive network.

Almost at the same time he completed the final layer of defense, the Time Hound's second attack had arrived!

That terrifying mouthpart thrust forward at a speed faster than the last time, but this time, it crashed into layer after layer of energy reflection layers.

Each time it penetrated a layer, it was slowed down by a fraction, and the energy was dispersed a bit more.

Although it still could not be completely blocked, Luo En at least bought himself precious reaction time.

Just as the mouthpart was about to pierce his consciousness body again, Luo En decisively released the long-accumulated "Mental Blast"!

A pure mental shockwave erupted from the core of his consciousness, like materialized lightning, striking the Time Hound's center directly.

This attack did not rely on physical form but acted directly on the essential level of existence.

Any existence possessing a consciousness structure would find it difficult to completely evade.

"Zzz!"

A strange hiss emanated from within the Time Hound. It was not a sound in the usual sense, but rather an energy fluctuation of a certain frequency.

Its movements noticeably stalled, and that mouthpart, which was about to devour Luo En's consciousness, paused at a position only a hair's breadth away from him.

Its terrifying suction was still attempting to extract his mental energy.

"Now! Pocket watch!"

Luo En seized this fleeting opportunity and decisively activated the strongest life-saving means he carried with him.

Space seemed to freeze for an instant around him, and the flow of time became viscous and slow.

Accompanied by a subtle energy fluctuation, the shocking hole in his consciousness body began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The shattered consciousness structure re-condensed, the mental energy that had been forcibly extracted began to flow back, and the damaged mental power circuits gradually regained their vitality.

Luo En could feel his condition improving rapidly; his consciousness became clear, and his thinking became more agile.

Although he had not fully recovered to his peak state, it was already enough for him to continue fighting.

Almost at the same time the recovery was completed, Luo En immediately injected all his mental power into his strongest attack spell.

—Sonic Oscillation Erosion State!

Invisible sound waves, like materialized blades, tore through space and struck the Time Hound's core directly.

The moment the sound waves made contact with the Time Hound, the effect was immediate.

That constantly deforming existence suddenly stalled, and its form showed obvious distortion and shattering, like a mirror hit by a heavy hammer.

Several deep cracks spread outward from the point of contact, and the entire creature seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

"Effective!"

Luo En's eyes lit up, and a glimmer of hope surged in his heart:

"Continue the attack; cannot give it a chance to recover!"

Just as he was preparing to launch the second wave of attack, the next moment, a scene that made him feel a bone-chilling cold occurred...

The Time Hound's body was like a reversed image; every shattered part was reassembling at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Those deep cracks seemed as if they had never appeared, and the entire creature almost instantly recovered as if nothing had happened!

"Damn it!" Luo En's pupils contracted sharply, and a sense of despair climbed up his spine:

"It can also reset its own state? And it seems to be an innate instinct, usable without any medium..."

This was simply the worst-case scenario.

Relying on the silver pocket watch's time ability, he might still be able to barely protect himself.

But if the opponent could also manipulate time, then his greatest advantage would be gone.

The Time Hound seemed to have been enraged by this attack.

Its form became even more frantic and unstable, and the surrounding consciousness space began to twist and shatter due to its runaway energy fluctuations.

Those "eyes" flickered with a light more intense than before.

The terrifying mouthpart also became thicker, like a Grim Reaper's scythe ready to harvest at any moment.

Luo En felt unprecedented pressure.

Since merging his soul, except for that time when Davod lost control, he had never been so close to death.

Facing a target with such a large gap in strength, all his skills and knowledge seemed to become pale and powerless.

Pure power confrontation was meaningless here; he had to find a smarter way to cope.

"Calm down... think..."

Luo En forced himself to calm down and re-examine the situation:

"No matter how powerful, all individuals have their patterns and limitations of action. Finding its weakness is the way to victory."

He began to observe the Time Hound's movement patterns more meticulously, especially its trajectory in the consciousness space and the laws of its energy flow.

As the observation deepened, a subtle pattern gradually emerged—

"Interesting..."

Luo En noticed that whenever the Time Hound was about to attack, it would always prioritize those corners with deeper shadows.

It seemed that only by utilizing these special "angled spaces" could the opponent exert the unavoidable nature of its attacks.

"It relies on the shadows within this space... or rather, some kind of spatial intersection point..."

Luo En quickly deduced in his mind, and a bold plan began to take shape.

If this hypothesis held true, then as long as he reduced these shadow areas, he could limit the Time Hound's range of activity.

And among all his spells, the one most suitable for achieving this goal was none other than...

—Ring of Radiance

A golden halo formed around Luo En, like a miniature sun.

With Luo En's continuous input of mental power, the halo gradually expanded, illuminating every corner of the consciousness space.

Those shadow areas that were originally hidden in the darkness began to decrease significantly, and the Time Hound's range of activity was compressed accordingly.

"Sure enough!"

Luo En confirmed his conjecture and immediately increased the output power of the "Ring of Radiance."

Light surged like a tide, almost dyeing the entire consciousness space into a dazzling gold.

Every inch of darkness was dispelled, and every shadow was filled.

The Time Hound's reaction confirmed Luo En's judgment.

That agility of being like a fish in water was gone; it began to wander between the few remaining shadow areas.

Its form also became more unstable, like a dancer who had lost their balance.

But merely limiting its movement was far from enough; Luo En needed a power capable of countering the Time Hound's essence, a type of energy that could truly harm it.

Currently, his two greatest trump cards were only "Time Stasis" and "Record."

"Time Stasis"... The opponent was also an existence capable of manipulating time to a certain extent, and that power to manipulate time came from itself, not by relying on external objects like him.

Using the stasis ability rashly would likely be counterproductive and make things worse.

In a critical moment, Luo En could only choose the "Babble" once recorded by the "Thousand-Change Phantom."

It did not come from the sea urchin monster he had defeated during his early high-apprentice period.

But rather the more primordial "Babble" he had risked recording during the process of advancing to a formal wizard and establishing a connection with the "Devourer"...

This "Babble," carrying terrifying high-dimensional pollution, was also his final resort.

Using it was undoubtedly a risky move, potentially triggering more severe mental pollution or even complete loss of control.

But at this moment, facing a Time Hound that could devour him completely at any time, Luo En had no other choice.

"Must take this risk..."

He gritted his teeth, his gaze becoming firm and cold: "In the face of survival, everything else is secondary."

Luo En took a deep breath, concentrated his final mental power, and began to play that segment of "Babble" he had kept sealed for a long time.

It was not a sound that could be described by conventional language, but more like a vibration transcending dimensions, every syllable carrying the power to distort reality.

"iai'lethn'ghafhtagn..."

As soon as the first syllable surged out, Luo En felt a terrifying energy backlash.

It was as if he had touched a switch that should not have been opened; a chaotic and violent energy surged into his consciousness from the depths of the dimension, almost causing him to collapse on the spot.

But he gritted his teeth and persisted, continuing to play, one syllable after another, each more twisted and dangerous than the last.

"shugalv'dorunyth'drn..."

As the babble continued, the entire consciousness space began to twist and deform in an inconceivable way.

It was like a reflection on the water surface being suddenly broken; all rules and boundaries became blurry and unclear.

Luo En could even see the edges of his consciousness beginning to dissolve, turning into clusters of nothingness mist.

However, the Time Hound's reaction to this change was far more intense than he had imagined.

That constantly deforming existence suddenly stopped all actions, and that pair of "eyes" revealed an emotion Luo En had never seen before—fear.

Pure, instinctive fear.

"It... is also afraid of this?"

Luo En instantly grasped this key point: "Afraid of high-dimensional power?"

Regardless of the continuous collapse of his own consciousness structure, he gritted his teeth and continued to play, while simultaneously guiding that high-dimensional pollution power toward the Time Hound.

Those twisted, filthy words, as if alive, coiled toward the hound and began to erode its structural existence.

The Time Hound struggled desperately, attempting to shake off this power it could neither understand nor resist.

It frantically shuttled through the remaining shadows, even attempting to escape back into that dimensional crack.

(End of chapter)