Many found hope blossoming in their chest. They thought they might finally see the end of the Fiends in the Divine Lands. The dark shadow that had lorded over them all their long lives would end!

Lind did not share in their hope. He would not celebrate until the Bastard was 3 days dead. Also, while the effect was powerful, it was not truly infinite. He was not a God.

It did exactly what it was supposed to do, buy him some time to recover. The Bastard was currently using various methods, artifacts, and even some treasures Lind had not heard of before.

Some strange crystal that was also a liquid, for instance, snapped outward and even Lind thought it would reach before the energy exhausted itself.

After nearly a solid week of near hysterics, the Bastard finally stopped. Cheers rose as those watching thought the end was finally near but Lind felt a chill.

The Bastard was no longer panicked, just calm. He assumed a lotus position in midair yet was not cultivating.

The longer he did that, the more Lind began to prepare for the worst. His actions did not go unnoticed.

He summoned more harmonic grenades but some strange discs flew out as well. They were small, no bigger than a palm and vanished to the naked eye at certain angles.

They flew outward until they encircled Lind.

He could no more violate the time trap than the Bastard. He had not had time to make it completely under his control. It had been an act of desperation.

Now, all his instincts were screaming that it was not enough.

He did not understand how. He only knew that his instincts were not wrong when it came to Fiends. He then conjured up his Mystery Weapon once more.

The staff hummed in his hands and many noticed his serious face. It was only then that the Master Tiers and those able to observe from afar realized something was wrong.

The Bastard finally opened his eyes and looked grim.

"You are better than the others. They tried to kill with power. Always trying to strive for more power and match me, but I must admit, this method may have actually killed me long ago if they had been able to enact it." The ashen grey face looked down before smiling. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The world shimmered and the sound of glass was heard. Wails of torment filled the air and every cultivator aside from Lind fell over in horrible pain.

The Celestials in all worlds collapsed as the gold began to fade from their skin. It was happening again! The world was being broken in a fundamental way.

Lind felt odd. He felt a slight tremor in his dantian but his harmony flared and it went away. He also quickly analyzed the time trap.

It was gone! Not shattered, just removed entirely! What was that shattering sound?!

He then felt his Divine Authority weaken dramatically. It was not his end but Heaven and Earth. He looked up at the Bastard and saw him with his jaw hanging open.

"How–how are you alright?" For the first time in all their encounters, the Bastard was honestly flabbergasted. Lind ignored him.

He focused on all his senses and realized the Divine Lands felt dimmer to him. Everything felt off! It was not being drained, it was more like something fundamental had vanished.

His emerald eyes shot wide.

He did it again! The Bastard repeated whatever made him a Fiend in the first place only he controlled it this time! Lind had zero idea what it was but the effects he knew well!

[RETURN!] With every last scrape of his Divine Authority he sent his harmony flaring into the Heavens.

The act snapped the Bastard out of his stupor. His dark laughter then filled the air.

"HA HA HA! It is useless! I will wipe away all your allies and progress with that defective race! I have all the time in the world but you don’t! All alone against a whole new horde of Fiends and no armies?! What will you do?!" The Divine Authority did fail.

He did not lose any vitality but he thought it was more like it was no longer functional. Had such a tragedy struck when the Bastard originally returned as a Fiend? No wonder the Fiends were able to rise up!

Their longevity and natural ability to consume souls would have faced practically no resistance!

The Bastard seemed happy to watch as the world fell apart around them. He had all the time in the world now! Lind would have no allies and no hope!

Despair was closing in but then his mind seemed to accelerate. The world slowed in his perception as all the knowledge and experience flashed through his mind.

Time had no mercy. He had used it externally but now he used his Time Layer in an internal way. There had to be something he was missing.

Why had the Bastard not pulled this move earlier? It was clearly a game winner, so why now? Why only when backed into a corner would he rely on it and not before?

He had no sure answers but there had to be a risk. A grave danger that came with the advantages. Lind then snapped his eyes wide.

The Bastard was already beyond Heaven and Earth in many ways, so how could he break it again unless–?!

His Mystery Eyes focused on the Bastard and he saw them! To break Heaven and Earth, one had to integrate back into it! The Bastard was not moving just to gloat but because he couldn’t!

If he did, a tribulation would be triggered instantly as he was still affected by Heaven and Earth at that very moment! The process would complete when he finally broke the final chains he had just rebuilt!

The Bastard was the last to be freed, not the first!

Lind was also beyond but he now knew what he could do. It was a very, very bad idea, yet it was all he had.

Time began to move forward in his mind but externally it was shimmering around him. The weight was heavy, the world could not be stopped by him, but it could be slowed!

The Bastard froze again but sneered. He well knew that breaking was far easier than controlling.

Lind spared no thought to it as the differential in his personal time and the rest of the world caused lightning to appear. A frown crossed the Bastard’s face when suddenly the world blurred for both men.

The Bastard felt dizzy and could not immediately orient himself. The damage he had caused was inevitable but it seemed something had changed. Lind also was nauseous but he was smiling as he was now looking down at the Bastard.

They had swapped positions!

"Why–?!" The Bastard was truly confused until Lind moved forward. The reaction was instantaneous. The center of his breaking of Heaven and Earth was disrupted by Lind!

Black clouds gathered to the far horizon. It was larger than any tribulation cloud ever seen and the pressure was off the scale!

"NO!" The Bastard’s eyes became pinpricks. The nexus may have been where Lind disturbed the process, but it was his aura that was tied to it! "YOU HAVE KILLED US BOTH!"

Lind shrugged his shoulders as his staff whirled in his hands.

"Let’s see who lives or dies. I have faced a lot of Heavenly Wrath in my life while you have avoided tribulations all your long horrible existence. You have a lot of time to make up for!" Lind was actually laughing as his instincts screamed at him about the danger but there was nowhere to run.

How long and how many realms had the Bastard skipped the tribulation to become what he was? The only consolation was the rest of the worlds.

The instant the tribulation began to gather, the shredding chains and transforming Celestials stopped. They were not going to become Fiends again!

The rest of the cultivators felt freed as well if weak. They still realized the horror of what was coming and the Master Tiers swept up all they could to get as far from the pair as possible.

The Bastard became wild eyed and quickly sought to take someone with him. He would not let Lind have his way!

A massive emerald tail slapped him straight into the ground. He had been so distracted he had not seen Lind transform!

The sinuous dragon body covered the sky as crimson and gold lighting danced in the clouds. It was not a tribulation but death incarnate so far as the Bastard seemed concerned.

Lind felt fear, yet it was perhaps the best result. Inside the tribulation, there was no escape. Lind could only hope he could actually kill the Bastard before he died by the lightning as well.

Once more they were back to when they first faced each other.

Life or death, one would succeed or fail, but in the end there was no escape.

Lind roared as emerald flames shot out but then discs appeared around the Bastard as well!

Emerald beams shot out catching him off guard as his limbs were vaporized. He was still able to regenerate yet he could not escape as his energy was going to be needed to survive!

The grenades then compounded the issue as he only just realized they were still there too! The liquid harmonic Qi sizzled on his flesh and made the Bastard scream.

The lightning had not even started and Lind was already getting ahead. The 2 enemies were roaring as the first lightning bold slammed down from the sky.