Myth Beyond Heaven

The Hourglass of Beginnings pressed down on Yue Bingyao, its power making the air feel like thick syrup, trying to slow her, to pin her in a single moment for the killing blow. But her lunar domain held, a sphere of constant, steady light that refused to be compressed or distorted.

"Is this all the God of Time can muster?" she asked, her voice still calm, though a faint strain was now detectable. "You summon your other selves to fight your battles and hide behind artifacts? I expected more for someone who wants to be the new Creator."

Her words were a deliberate provocation, aimed at the prime Nian Shi observing from the rear.

One of the copies, more aggressive, lunged forward with a roar, its Blade aiming for her heart. "You dare mock us?!"

Yue Bingyao's eyes narrowed slightly. "I do not mock. I state fact."

Instead of blocking, she flowed. She pivoted on her heel, the attacking copy's blade passing mere inches from her robes. In the same motion, her God Slaying Sword lashed out in a crescent arc of pure moonlight.

Shing!

The blade didn't just cut through the copy's armor; it severed the temporal thread that connected it to the prime Nian Shi. The copy's eyes widened in shock, its form flickering violently before dissolving into scattered silver motes of light, its energy reabsorbed by the timeline.

The other copies hesitated for a fraction of a second, their perfect coordination broken.

In that heartbeat of surprise, Yue Bingyao went on the offensive. She pointed her sword at the Hourglass held by the prime Nian Shi.

"Your 'beginnings' are an illusion, Nian Shi. There is only the eternal now… Shatter!"

Buzz—

The moonlight wreathing her sword coalesced and shot forward, not as a beam, but as a shimmering, mirror-like wave. It didn't attack the copies. It struck the energy field emanating from the Hourglass of Beginnings.

The effect was instantaneous. The heavy pressure weighing her down shattered like glass. The wave of moonlight reflected the hourglass's own power back onto itself, causing the flow of sands within to stutter and chaos. The silver light flickered wildly.

The twelve copies, their power linked to the hourglass, recoiled as the feedback disrupted their connection to the prime.

Yue Bingyao stood tall amidst the confusion, her lunar aura burning brighter than ever. She had not just defended; she had counterattacked the very concept of his artifact.

She looked past the disoriented copies, her gaze locking onto the prime Nian Shi, her expression still one of serene indifference, but now edged with undeniable challenge.

"Your time is not absolute, Nian Shi. Now, face me yourself, or admit your weakness."

Nian Shi's lips curled into a cold, dismissive smile. He didn't even flinch at the destruction of his copy or the slight disruption to his Hourglass. Her provocation was like water off a duck's back to his ancient, calculating mind.

"Weakness? You speak of weakness?" he said, his voice laced with icy amusement. He gestured vaguely around them at the countless temporal copies still locked in combat. "I have an infinite number of selves across countless timelines. Losing one is less than a drop in the ocean. I can afford to lose a million more. Can you afford to waste even a fraction of your power?"

His silver eyes, sharp as fractured ice, narrowed on her. The initial analytical curiosity was gone, replaced by the cold certainty of a predator that had identified its prey's fatal flaw.

"Your bravado is impressive, Moon God," he continued, his tone dropping to a condescending murmur. "But pointless. While you were busy posturing, I was observing. That counterattack against my Hourglass... it was brilliant, truly. But it cost you, didn't it?"

A cruel glint entered his eyes. "Your light. It flickered. Just for an instant. Your constancy is a facade. You are not the true Yue Bingyao, whole and complete. You are a memory given form, a will fueled by sacrifice. And that fuel... it is burning away. You cannot hold this form much longer. I didn't notice the gradual decline while fighting you directly—your skill masks it well. But from here... the dimming of your moon is evident."

His words were like ice water, dousing the brief hope that had flickered among the defenders. He had seen through her. The immense power she wielded, the perfect parity she had achieved, had an expiration date.

Long Qingxuan and Long Niu, who had been watching with bated breath, exchanged a single, desperate glance. The grief for their mother was a fresh, bleeding wound, but Nian Shi's cold analysis cut deeper. He was right. They could feel it too—the magnificent lunar aura, while still powerful, had lost a sliver of its initial blinding intensity. It was waning.

"There's no more time," Long Qingxuan whispered, her voice raw with emotion but firm with resolve.

Long Niu nodded, her expression grim. "This is our last chance. Let's do it."

They did not hesitate. There were no grand declarations, no final words. Only action.

ROOOOAR!

Two earth-shaking roars tore through the sky, filled with grief, fury, and unwavering determination. Two colossal forms erupted where the women had stood, their sheer size blotting out the bleak sky.

Long Qingxuan transformed into a majestic Azure Dragon, her scales the color of the deepest ocean, shimmering with an overlay of brilliant, pure light—a testament to her dual heritage. Her presence was vast and commanding.

Long Niu became her twin in majesty but different in aspect. Her dragon form was more robust, her scales a darker azure, edged with gleaming silver, radiating the formidable pressure of the Earth and the unwavering stability of the mountains, yet also blazing with the same inner light. She was the strength to her sister's grace.

Above each of their gigantic heads, a magnificent projection materialized—the soul of the Primordial Azure Dragon God, their father. It was a spectral image of an ancient dragon so vast it seemed to hold up the heavens, its eyes burning with primordial power.

The projections roared silently, adding their immense spiritual pressure to the physical might of the two daughters.

They descended upon the circle of Nian Shi copies surrounding Yue Bingyao like twin avalanches of scale, tooth, and claw. Their target wasn't the prime Nian Shi; they knew that was suicide. Their goal was to break the siege, to scatter the copies, to create an opening.

The temporal copies, caught off guard by the sudden arrival of two Primordial Dragon-level beings that were supposed to be powerless by now, were forced to break their formation.

Blades of Eternity rose to meet dragon claws that could shred mountains. Temporal energies clashed against torrents of azure fire and focused beams of destructive light.

BOOM—!