Chapter 292: Eternal Chaos

"And then?" Thinking of this, he continued to press, attempting to understand more details:

"I remember the 'Clock King' did not ultimately become a Wizard King..."

Youteer's phantom sighed:

"Yes, she successfully advanced to Great Wizard, and in the following few hundred years, she also created many unprecedented time-based spells.

But the story's ending... was not perfect."

He paused for a moment, his voice carrying obvious sorrow:

"During a large-scale 'Primordial Abyss' erosion in the late Second Era, as a rare time specialist, the 'Clock King' would provide infinite benefits to any Awakened who devoured her.

Therefore, she also faced the greatest pressure, with a full dozen Apostles joining forces to attack."

"Even with her ability to control time, facing enemies of such scale, she could only choose a near-suicidal defensive strategy.

That is, she created a massive 'Time Stasis Field,' isolating the entire battlefield from the outside world."

"When the dust settled, Aierka's phantom remains had long since vanished.

Only layers of ceaseless bell chimes remained echoing over that ancient battlefield; to this day, chimes still echo there."

Youteer's voice became exceptionally heavy:

"Some say she died in the Apostles' siege, but more rumors suggest she might have used some method to transfer her consciousness into an anchor, choosing a brand-new way of existing.

This rumor was never confirmed, and that anchor also vanished in the subsequent wars."

This story left Luo En deep in thought.

Perhaps this was the reason why the 'Silver Pocket Watch' and the Time Hound both possessed the 'Time Reset' ability?

After all, according to what Youteer just said, when Aierka forged this soul anchor, she incorporated the 'Dog King' structure.

"A tragic and great story."

Luo En finally commented, his tone containing both respect for that great wizard and reflection on a similar fate:

"Every path leading to power seems to be accompanied by a corresponding price."

"Not just a price, Luo En."

Youteer's voice became lighter, and the phantom dimmed a fraction:

"Aierka's tragedy reveals the most cruel essence of this universe—the orderly power we wizards represent is forever a minority in the entire universe."

His phantom swayed slowly in the air, the silver light appearing exceptionally dim:

"Do you know? Every time an Abyss explorer is devoured by the Abyss, countless twisted creatures are conceived within it from their power.

And when a formal wizard falls within it, the Abyss acts like it has eaten a delicious little snack, precipitating some distinct Abyssal creatures..."

Youteer's voice carried a kind of deep powerlessness:

"Those Abyssal creatures and Apostles, every time they successfully devour a powerhouse from our side, they gain some of the devoured's twisted knowledge and skills.

A distortion that originally acted only on instinct, after devouring a formal wizard, can gain a certain level of intelligence and similar spell-like abilities."

He paused for a moment, his voice becoming more gloomy:

"This is why Aierka faced a joint siege from a dozen Apostles; the time manipulation ability she mastered was an incomparably desired 'nutritional component' for those disordered ones.

Imagine, if those Apostles successfully devoured her, they would very likely gain the ability to manipulate time.

A group of Apostles capable of resetting battle results and predicting future attacks—that would be the end of the entire orderly world."

Youteer's phantom trembled:

"So the more powerful Aierka was, the more fatal her attraction to chaotic power became.

Her very existence was a provocation to the Abyss, and her every breakthrough told those hungry distortions—here is a sumptuous feast."

His voice became nearly desperate:

"The most ironic thing is, if Aierka had chosen mediocrity, chosen to be an ordinary wizard, she might have been able to live out her life in peace.

But it was precisely her pursuit of power, her desire for perfection, that pushed her into the abyss of certain death.

This is the fate of orderly power; we strive to become stronger in order to protect ourselves.

But the stronger we are, the more enemies we must face—more, stronger, and crazier.

And once we are defeated, the gains the enemy receives will far exceed everything we have accumulated."

Youteer's phantom almost became translucent:

"At the entrance of the Abyss Research Center, there is this warning:

'Order is like a candle flame, chaos is like a gale;

The brighter the candle flame, the fiercer the storm;

When the fire is extinguished, darkness is eternal.'

This is why even someone as strong as Aierka ultimately could only choose to perish with the enemy."

He sighed at last:

"Power is not a blessing, Luo En.

In this universe, every powerhouse is prey in the eyes of chaos, a marked lamb.

What we call growth is merely a countdown to our own death."

But, despite this, the wizard civilization has still blossomed and borne fruit brilliantly today.

Such a terrifying Great Abyss also seems like a petri dish for those Wizard Kings and higher existences, left to develop wildly.

Clearly, there is some deeper power struggle that he does not know about.

But at this very moment, Luo En could only nod in response:

"Of course, Professor, I will keep your teachings in mind and maintain a sense of humility toward power."

………………

Ending the exchange with Youteer, Luo En returned to his residence with heavy thoughts.

The night was deep, and the starry sky of the Central Land was still brilliant, but he had no heart to admire those distant lights at this moment.

Various information he had just heard echoed in his mind:

The weaknesses of the Time Hound, the principles of the Three-Phase Blast, the legendary story of the Clock King, the chaotic essence of the universe... every detail was worth repeated scrutiny.

"Speaking of which, it has been over two months since I returned from the Abyss Outpost."

Luo En sat at his desk, took out a detailed schedule log, and began to sort out the progress during this period:

"The improvement speed of the History Research skill is faster than expected; every exchange with Professor Youteer brings significant progress. According to the current pace, I should be able to break through to the proficient layer in about another half a month."

He flipped through the logbook gently, those dense symbols and notes recording his research results for every day.

From the initial stumbling, he was now able to analyze low-grade memory crystals relatively proficiently.

This speed of progress could be called astonishing even in the Crystal Spire, where geniuses gathered.

But Luo En knew clearly that behind this rapid progress, besides his own talent and effort, it was inseparable from the careful guidance of Youteer, a top-tier historian.

In every memory crystal analysis lesson, the old professor would personally demonstrate the most exquisite techniques.

Those practical experiences that could absolutely not be learned from books were the key to his rapid growth.

However, in the last few exchanges, Luo En keenly sensed some subtle changes.

Youteer would occasionally reveal a hidden worry, an expression that had never appeared when lecturing on academic knowledge.

"The professor seems to have something on his mind recently."

Luo En recalled the subtle fluctuations of Youteer's phantom projection tonight:

"And not just him, even Princess Yi Fu's state recently is a bit off. Although she still actively participates in my lessons, she always gives people a feeling of being absent-minded."

As someone good at observation, Luo En found it hard to ignore these details.

Inside the Crystal Spire, there seemed to be some kind of interest distribution mechanism he did not yet fully understand.

Although everything appears orderly on the surface, the undercurrents of the power struggle have never ceased.

"Speaking of which, recently Princess Yi Fu seems to have told me one thing: her mother, Cassandra, seems to be coming back soon..."

Luo En thought of this intelligence, but frowned, not quite understanding:

"But that makes no sense... Tower Master Cassandra returning from an expedition is undoubtedly a good thing for Youteer and Princess Yi Fu.

A mother returning triumphantly from another world would actually make Princess Yi Fu feel unhappy..."

A few days ago, he was heading to the review board, preparing to submit his new paper.

He inadvertently saw several lecturers, who were usually full of dignity, gathered together, communicating silently via magic, their expressions all exceptionally solemn.

This even included that Associate Professor Wei En, who was known for his detachment; his face revealed obvious worry.

"Must be more cautious, more focused."

Luo En warned himself in his heart:

"No matter what changes happen at the high echelons, for a mid-level wizard like me, the most important thing is still to improve my own strength.

Only by being strong enough can I protect myself in any change."

He closed the schedule log and took out the silver pocket watch from the drawer.

The moonlight spilled onto the surface through the crystal window, making the pocket watch emit a mysterious and ancient luster.

"Since tonight's history research training hasn't been conducted yet, why not try..."

Luo En took a deep breath, his gaze becoming firm:

"It failed last time, let's try again this time; after the Time Hound's power was injected, I felt like something in this pocket watch was awakened."

This thought had been brewing in his heart for a long time.

Ever since obtaining this pocket watch, it had demonstrated abilities beyond imagination, but he knew very little about its origin and creator.

And Youteer's account of the Clock King just now made him develop a strong curiosity.

"That kind of time reset ability, as well as the time laws contained within the pocket watch itself, indeed match the legend of the Clock King perfectly."

He carefully placed the pocket watch on the specially made sensing platform, then began to enter the specialized meditation state for history research.

This was an advanced technique taught to him by Youteer; through a special way of running spiritual power, one could perceive the 'time marks' remaining on an item.

As his consciousness gradually sank, the surrounding real world began to blur, replaced by a peculiar state of perception. In this state, the pocket watch was no longer a simple object, but a carrier bearing countless time fragments.

Every scratch, every bit of wear, recorded a specific historical moment.

Luo En's spiritual power extended like silk threads, gently touching the time marks on the pocket watch's surface.

Initially, only some blurry fragments flashed by:

A battlefield of blood and fire, complex alchemical rituals, countless fine-tunings...

But as he skillfully applied the technique, these fragments began to become clear.

Suddenly, a shocking scene appeared in his consciousness.

It was a magnificent clock tower, towering into the clouds, the tower body cast from a special metal emitting a faint glow.

On the huge clock face, the hands did not run according to the conventional twelve-hour system, but moved in a complex trajectory, as if recording the passage of multiple time dimensions.

In the workshop at the top of the tower, a slender woman was working intently.

She had long gray hair, and her eyes presented a peculiar indigo color, as if they contained the profundity of time.

But most eye-catching were the countless translucent clock phantoms surrounding her, each running at a different speed.

"Clock King Aierka..."

Luo En's heartbeat accelerated slightly; he knew he was watching an extremely precious historical fragment.

Aierka in the scene was making something, her every movement precise to a breathtaking degree.

Various rare materials flowed and fused in her hands as if they had life, and those clock phantoms were responsible for precisely controlling the timing of every step of the craft.

Luo En could see that she was forging exactly the pocket watch in his hand.

But this production process was far more complex than imagined, requiring not only top-tier alchemical skills but also a profound understanding of time abilities.

The scene suddenly shifted, and Luo En's perspective came to a weird time-space rift.

There was no fixed ground or sky here, only countless twisted time flows intertwined, forming a chaotic and dangerous hunting ground.

Aierka was standing in the center of this dangerous area, surrounded by at least seven or eight Time Hounds.

They constantly shuttled between various time flows, launching attacks on her from different angles and time points.

"This is... the Time Hound's nest?"

Luo En looked at this scene in surprise.

Aierka was not fighting the Time Hounds in conventional space, but had actively entered their home field—the time rift itself.

The battle began.

The first Time Hound launched an attack from the side, its mouthparts piercing toward Aierka's head like lightning.

But just as it was about to hit, Aierka's figure suddenly vanished, appearing behind the hound the next second.

"Time Jump?"

Luo En carefully observed Aierka's technique.

He discovered that she was not simply teleporting, but fine-tuning on the time axis through some method, allowing herself to temporarily jump out of the current moment.

The second and third Time Hounds then joined the battle, the pincer attack from three directions putting Aierka in a dangerous situation.

But her way of responding was even more shocking—she simultaneously released three spiritual blasts, hitting the three hounds respectively.

——Three-Phase Blast

Luo En's eyes lit up; this was exactly the advanced technique Youteer had mentioned.

He observed Aierka's spellcasting process with full concentration, attempting to understand the mystery within.

In his observation, the key to the Three-Phase Blast was not in simple consciousness splitting, but in learning to exist simultaneously at multiple time points.

Aierka, through some special time talent, anchored her consciousness simultaneously at three time points: past, present, and future.

Then, she released spiritual blasts at these three time points respectively, forming a continuous attack spanning time.

This attack method was almost impossible to defend against, because the target needed to simultaneously withstand impacts from three different times.

The Time Hounds were clearly disrupted in their rhythm by this attack, but they quickly demonstrated the terrifying nature of group coordination.

The remaining hounds began to organize and adjust their attack rhythm, attempting to cooperate through time resets, forming an unsolvable attack loop.

Aierka realized the danger, her expression becoming exceptionally focused.

The surrounding time flow suddenly became viscous, as if the air had suddenly turned into a gelatinous substance.

——Time Anchor

Luo En recognized this technique; this was exactly the spell Youteer mentioned that could imprison the Time Hounds' reset ability.

Under the effect of the Time Anchor, the Time Hounds lost their greatest advantage and could no longer perform state resets.

And Aierka seized this opportunity, launching a massacre in the true sense of the word.

Her attack techniques were far beyond Luo En's imagination, every blast precisely hitting the Time Hounds' weaknesses.

Besides this, she seemed to be able to predict the movement trajectory of every hound, always able to make the optimal response in advance.

"This is the strength of a top-tier combat wizard..."

Luo En was shocked in his heart; the battle before his eyes gave him an intuitive understanding of higher realms.

Aierka's every movement showed perfect control over power, without a trace of waste, every attack just right.

All the veteran wizards he had seen so far, including Youni and Hayeke and others, all had research on the compression and concentration of power.

All attack spells were pursuing extreme destruction of single targets, and causing damage to the surrounding environment was considered a sign of poor control.

The battle quickly neared its end, and most of the Time Hounds had been defeated.

Only the last one remained—that was the largest one, which should be the so-called Dog King.

The Dog King clearly realized that defeat was certain, and it began to release an ability Luo En had never seen before.

The entire time-space rift began to shake violently, countless time fragments falling like raindrops, each containing terrifying twisted power.

But Aierka did not panic; she slowly raised her right hand, and an exquisite silver pocket watch appeared in her palm.

"So that's how it is..."

Luo En suddenly realized; the pocket watch in Aierka's hand was exactly the one he now possessed.

………………

The battle ended, and the pocket watch emitted a dazzling light, like a newborn star.

Aierka looked at the finished product in her hand with satisfaction, her eyes revealing the pride unique to a creator.

However, just at this moment, she suddenly looked up.

Her indigo eyes pierced through time and space, looking directly at Luo En, who was observing all of this.

That feeling was extremely weird, as if she had long known that a successor would observe this experience through history research.

The corners of the gray-haired witch's mouth slowly lifted, revealing a meaningful smile.

That smile contained a kind of wisdom transcending time, and also carried a hint of indescribable expectation.

"Interesting little guy."

Aierka's voice clearly entered Luo En's consciousness, despite being separated by the long river of time:

"To be able to peek into this memory, it seems you have already mastered decent history research skills."

Her figure began to become blurry, clearly this memory was about to end:

"Use it well; it is the crystallization of my life's work.

Remember, time is the most impartial judge, and also the most severe enemy."

The scene dissipated completely, and Luo En's consciousness returned to the real world.

He opened his eyes and found that the pocket watch in his hand was emitting a faint warmth, as if responding to the historical flashback just now.

【Special historical fragment analysis detected, gained extra skill insight】

【History Research (Entry) Experience +1】

【History Research (Entry) Experience +1】

【History Research (Entry) Experience +1】

……

【Current Progress: History Research (Entry 45/50)】

【Essence of 'Three-Phase Blast' skill detected, Spirit Blast skill gained upgrade direction hint】

However, the biggest harvest was far more than these...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 293 =====