I can rewind time to prevent death

The boundless expanse of pitch-black space.

Here, there is no light, no air—only an overwhelming presence of dark particles, stretching endlessly.

Occasionally, a magnetic field floats by—these are Wandering Spirits, Sculpting Spirits, or even Ethereal Spirits.

The size of the magnetic fields and the density of the particles vary, drifting aimlessly.

Suddenly, all actively moving magnetic fields scatter rapidly. From within the depths of the darkness, something without any magnetic fluctuation approaches—like a black cloud.

Beside this black cloud is another, smaller black cloud. From within the smaller cloud, a voice suddenly emerges, transmitting tremors directly into the mind of the larger entity.

"Father, why are they all afraid of you?"

The pitch-black cloud replies in the same manner to the smaller cloud beside it, "They fear being assimilated by me."

"You mean possession?" the smaller cloud continues to ask.

"Yes, possession," the larger black cloud responds. "Aside from Sylvanus and the other, no one here is not afraid of your father."

"I'm not afraid," states the smaller cloud.

The pitch-black cloud emits a laugh and warns, "Rock, when you meet Sylvanus and the other, it's best for you to keep quiet. They won't show your father any favor and will certainly trouble you."

"Understood." The smaller black cloud suddenly dives behind the pitch-black cloud, taking on a humanoid form and attaching itself to the larger entity.

A hushed voice reaches the pitch-black cloud's mind: "Father, I'll hide behind you. Sylvanus and the other won't spot me."

The pitch-black cloud, Luo Zhong, chuckles and indulges his tone, "Alright, you mustn't come out!"

The endless darkness remains unchanged. Rock doesn't know how long his father has been moving forward until he suddenly feels the surrounding atmosphere grow colder.

In truth, Rock has no physical sense of temperature; the coldness he perceives now feels more psychological—a direct intuition, a primal reaction born of fear.

"Hello, Sylvanus! Hello, uh..." Luo Zhong's voice rings out.

"Heh heh heh..." Sylvanus's signature cold laughter echoes from the nearby darkness.

On the other side of the void, another shadow seems to emerge.

The shadow speaks, "I, Niu Liguo, permit Luo Zhong to call me by my true name now."

"Father, has he always been this domineering?" Rock's voice echoes in Luo Zhong's mind.

"More or less," Luo Zhong replies. "Remember, unless he allows it, do not mention his name, discuss him, or draw his attention."

"Niu Liguo, what's the reason for summoning me and Sylvanus here?" Luo Zhong asks the shadow.

The three Demon Spirits cannot see one another; they rely solely on their heightened sensory abilities to pinpoint each other's location and actions in the moment.

"I've discovered an Outer Space," Niu Liguo announces.

As his words fall, Luo Zhong and Sylvanus suddenly perceive a brightness ahead. Within the darkness, a rift reveals itself, and through the rift shines a faint, mist-like light, exuding an extreme mystery.

"To ensure fairness, I specifically brought both of you here so we can explore together," Niu Liguo says calmly, his tone devoid of excitement.

"Before we arrived, had you already gone inside?" Sylvanus questions.

"No, I've just been guarding here," Niu Liguo shakes his head.

Sylvanus gazes at Luo Zhong.

Outer Space, beyond the Strange Space, has always been the target of the three Demon Spirits. With their power, leaving the Strange Space could open up even greater realms for them to exert their influence.

Previously, Luo Zhong attempted to possess ordinary strangenesses whose obsessions were about to fade, waiting for them to reincarnate into the Human World so his Avatar could escape.

Yet reality proved that this method only resulted in newborn infants becoming mentally impaired or dying prematurely; his Avatar's possession could not leave the Strange Space.

Sylvanus tried a different approach, using the power of true words to infuse texts that could summon him outside into the minds of individuals whose obsessions had dissipated and who had reincarnated in the Human World.

Over time, these words evolved, eventually forming a rumored ancient book, which purportedly held the key to Sylvanus's escape from the Strange Space.

To pursue this goal, Luo Zhong and Sylvanus once collaborated, allowing their respective summoning texts to be carried out in similar ways.

Yet to date, neither has felt any indication of being summoned.

In truth, humans, without directly witnessing the strangenesses, wouldn't take alleged summoning methods seriously—even with the Book of Change or the Book of Oath placed before them.

And now, Niu Liguo has discovered a rift leading to Outer Space. This is akin to finding a far more direct treasure.

Still, despite the balance of power between the three Demon Spirits, Niu Liguo is unquestionably strong, and both Sylvanus and Luo Zhong remain wary, suspecting him of potential traps.

Yet the allure of Outer Space is undeniable. Sylvanus and Luo Zhong, mesmerized by the obviously distinct realm beyond the Strange Space, can't resist their curiosity.

At this moment, Niu Liguo says, "Here's the plan—I'll enter first. You two will stand guard. If there's danger, it'll only target me. But if the passage truly leads to the outer world, I'll notify you immediately."

"Does this sound feasible?" Luo Zhong's voice resounds in Sylvanus's mind.

Sylvanus calmly replies, "We can at least observe."

"Very well, we'll guard for you," Luo Zhong tells Niu Liguo.

Since Niu volunteered as the first to test the waters, there's no reason to intervene.

Niu Liguo quickly drifts toward the faintly glowing rift without hesitation, entering swiftly and vanishing from sight.

Moments later, a sound emerges from the other side—not speech, but laughter, uncontrollable laughter born of immense excitement.

Sylvanus and Luo Zhong immediately approach the rift, but they cannot see inside. To discover more, they must go through it themselves.

"Able to transmit sound—is it truly an exit to the outer world?" Luo Zhong questions, doubtful.

Sylvanus hesitates for a moment and asks, "Shall we examine it together?"

Luo Zhong considers briefly, then nods, releasing Rock from the protected magnetic field. He tells the boy, "Child, your father and Sylvanus will go inside to investigate. Stay out here—it's dangerous."

"Be careful, Father."

Standing firm, Rock watches as Luo Zhong and the diminutive Sylvanus enter the rift and vanish.

In the blink of an eye, the rift in front of Rock begins to shrink and quickly disappears.

"Father? Why… why is the passage gone?"

Rock stands motionless, staring fearfully at the spot where the rift vanished, the young boy utterly lost and overwhelmed.

Within the rift's space.

A faint white light emanates throughout, shrouding the surroundings in a misty haze without revealing anything visible.

Luo Zhong and Sylvanus exchange glances, quickly realizing the rift behind them is gone, and they cannot see Niu Liguo, who had been laughing moments prior.

"Niu Liguo?" Luo Zhong searches around but finds nothing.

Sylvanus tilts his head back, drawing a deep breath before speaking, "It seems he has hidden himself."

"What is this place?" Luo Zhong asks.

Sylvanus offers no response, choosing instead to shut his eyes.

Luo Zhong's form rises, circling the area quickly. All he sees is the same misty white expanse; there is nothing here. It does not resemble a passage to the Human World.

"Stop searching," Sylvanus says as he opens his eyes, his expression complicated. Wrinkles pile up on his face, momentarily aging him tremendously.

Luo Zhong descends from midair, standing before Sylvanus.

"We've fallen into Niu Liguo's trap and are now trapped here," Sylvanus declares. "This place must be an intricate Void he has created—without him, we cannot leave."

Sylvanus raises his hands. Black energy begins to seep from his form, uncontrollable.

Luo Zhong glances at himself, noting that his own black energy is similarly escaping, absorbed by the white space.

He frowns, "I saw Niu Liguo's true form enter. If we cannot leave, neither can he."

Sylvanus looks upward. "True, he cannot escape either, but he can condense Avatars within the Void—eventually, he'll find a way out."

"Heh… Void… Demon!" Luo Zhong laughs bitterly, his anger immeasurable.

Sylvanus regains composure, musing aloud, "In fact, we aren't completely powerless to leave. If the summoning rituals we arranged are ever activated, we can bypass the Void's barriers and appear where the ritual takes place."

Considering this, Luo Zhong nods slightly before sitting down, saying, "Niu Liguo wants to confine us, draw upon our combined energies, and tear through the Strange Space to escape. Let's see, Niu Liguo, how long you'll wait for that day."

With that, he raises his right hand, surrounded by black energy. His fingers spread, then clench tightly.

Instantly, the dispersing black energy retracts, coiling around him, lingering unyieldingly.

Sylvanus chuckles sinisterly, "In sealing us, he seals himself as well. Heh, that's amusing!"