If Xiao Yan’s reaction had been even a fraction slower...

He would have died on that battlefield, his name buried in the sands of time.

Even after surviving, the wound had never truly healed. It lingered. Like a curse. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Like a reminder of that day.

Over the years, he had used countless methods, rare medicines, and forbidden techniques to suppress it.

On the surface, he appeared fine but deep within, that arrow’s intent still remained, gnawing at his life force, waiting for the moment he grew weak enough to be consumed.

And yet... Lin Feng had seen through it instantly. Without probing. Without asking.

As if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Xiao Yan’s gaze toward Lin Feng changed slightly.

This was no longer just suspicion. It was... wariness. And a trace of expectation.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng remained completely focused.

His hand hovered steadily in the air, fingers slightly spread, as if sensing something invisible.

A faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation began to gather around his palm.

Then...

He pressed down.

"This technique...!" Xiao Yan’s heart trembled violently as shock surged through him.

He could clearly sense what Lin Feng was doing and that was precisely why it was so terrifying.

This was no ordinary healing method.

Lin Feng wasn’t mending wounds, nor was he suppressing the lingering damage.

He was... reversing it.

Rewinding the state of Xiao Yan’s body to a time before the injury had ever occurred.

Time itself was being tampered with.

The very flow of existence was bending under Lin Feng’s will.

Xiao Yan’s mind went blank for a moment.

He had lived for over a million years.

He had seen countless experts, witnessed unimaginable techniques, and even stood at the very peak of cultivation in his era.

And yet this was something he had never even come close to touching.

"This... this is the Dao of Time..." Xiao Yan muttered inwardly, his thoughts in complete disarray.

Among all Daos, time was known to be one of the most elusive and unfathomable.

It wasn’t just difficult to cultivate... it was something most people could never even perceive, let alone control.

Even at his peak, when his strength shook the heavens and his name inspired fear across countless lands, he had never managed to step into that domain.

Not even the threshold. And yet Lin Feng was wielding it so casually as if it were second nature.

Xiao Yan’s breathing grew uneven.

At this time, Lin Feng also truly understood how grave his injury had been.

For over a hundred thousand years, this old hero had struggled, endured, and suppressed the wound left behind by that single arrow.

He had exhausted treasures, techniques, and countless opportunities yet he could only delay the inevitable.

The injury had long since fused with his very existence. It was no longer just a wound.

It was fate. Had Lin Feng not appeared...

Death would have eventually claimed him, no matter how much he resisted.

Xiao Yan slowly lifted his gaze, staring at Lin Feng as if seeing him for the first time.

Shock. Disbelief. And something deeper... something akin to awe.

He simply couldn’t comprehend it. How could someone so young wield such power?

How could someone exist who could manipulate time so effortlessly?

"Don’t look at me like that, old man," Lin Feng said lightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he continued his work.

"You may be a hero of this world, but I don’t entertain any old man fawning over me."

His tone was teasing, almost casual. As if what he was doing wasn’t a heaven-defying act.

But Xiao Yan didn’t respond. He couldn’t.

His eyes remained locked onto Lin Feng, the shock within them refusing to fade.

Because no matter how Lin Feng joked... What he was witnessing right now was absolutely nothing short of a miracle.

***

Meanwhile, chaos had already erupted outside.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Violent impacts rang out as waves of spiritual energy slammed relentlessly against the sealed chamber doors.

"Open the doors!" someone shouted anxiously, their voice filled with urgency.

"Can’t you see we’re trying?!" another snapped back. "If you’re so capable, why don’t you do it yourself?!"

The crowd was in disarray.

Dozens of experts had gathered, each unleashing their own methods... palm strikes, sword qi, even full-powered techniques but the result was the same every time.

Nothing. Not even the slightest tremor.

"We can’t force it open," one elder said through gritted teeth, lowering his hand after yet another failed attempt.

"Senior Xiao Yan personally reinforced this chamber with multiple defensive formations. It’s not something we can break through so easily."

"Easily?" another scoffed, frustration evident on his face. "We’ve already used enough force to shatter a mountain, and this thing hasn’t even scratched!"

The sounds of impact gradually slowed, replaced by heavy breathing and tense silence.

Everyone stared at the door.

It stood there, completely intact... unmoved, unshaken, as if everything they had done amounted to nothing more than a light breeze brushing against it.

A younger clan member stepped forward, his expression filled with disbelief as he ran his hand across the surface.

"This... what is this made of?" he muttered.

Another elder shook his head slowly, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"Just how did Senior Xiao Yan construct this chamber...?" he said in a low voice.

"This door alone is more durable than the finest defensive treasures in our entire clan."

The realization sent a chill through the crowd.

***

Far to the south, in a land shrouded by endless darkness and deathly silence, an extremely beautiful woman sat upon a throne forged from countless skulls.

The throne itself exuded a chilling aura.

Each skull seemed to whisper with the resentment of the dead, their hollow eyes flickering with faint green light.

Beneath her feet, rivers of dark mist coiled like living serpents, rising and falling as if breathing alongside her.

She sat there lazily, one hand supporting her cheek, her long hair cascading down like a black waterfall.