this infinite world

"Then...what exactly is that?"

At this moment, Andy was no longer as calm as before.

As someone close to the essence of the Primordial Flame, capable of manipulating space and time at will, and utterly omnipotent, he felt a long-lost sense of insignificance the moment that gaze was fixed upon him.

It wasn't a tangible gaze, but a dimensional tremor. In an instant, Andil felt this fragment of time, painstakingly extracted from the world, groan under its unbearable weight. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the barriers of space, and the flow of time began to become disordered and reversed, as if being forcibly taken under the control of some greater being…

...Then, the next moment, everything stopped.

Space ceased to tremble, time ceased to be chaotic, as if nothing had ever happened. Only the overwhelming sense of terror of being watched lingered in the depths of the heart.

"It's nothing, just something you can't understand yet."

To be fair, Andil's abilities have already exceeded the limits of the fourth tier to some extent. They are even somewhat similar to the faceless immortal that Yang Yun fought alongside Zheng Zha in the Pacific Rim world. Both are methods that those who do not understand the mysteries of the four elements would definitely not be able to deal with... At the very least, they are not something that ordinary fourth-tier beings can handle.

But Yang Yun is different.

He's cheating.

If Yang Yun were truly just an ordinary fourth-tier beginner, he would certainly be at Andil's mercy right now. But as a drop of blood separated from the main body, how could he not have a way to connect with the main body? It's just that he hadn't done it before... Now, just a fleeting glimpse from outside the world has made Andil, who previously thought victory was assured, break out in a cold sweat and live in constant fear.

Of course, even though it was just a glance, it wasn't without its costs. In fact, if Yang Yun's actions in this world hadn't established a karmic connection with the two princes of Lothric, the Demon King Oceloes, and Adil before him, his gaze wouldn't have so easily reached this world. After all, the vortex outside the world still existed…

—But that's enough.

A gaze from beyond this world, belonging to another dimension, was enough to make Yang Yun, within this world, understand many things. With a light stomp of his foot, green light spread across the dark earth, transforming into a summoning mark identical to the runes beside Andir…

"...That's really a good method."

Sensing the aura emanating from the summoning mark—an aura that belonged to another world yet undeniably existed—Yang Yun gently shook his head, his tone tinged with admiration: "Using the summoning mark as a temporal beacon, one can inscribe corresponding anchor points at key junctures in the river of time. On one hand, this allows one to rewind to those decisive historical moments at any time; on the other hand, by taking advantage of the dispersal of these anchor points, one can gradually achieve omniscience and omnipotence in the 'time dimension'..."

"you……"

Witnessing Yang Yun's actions, Andir almost popped his eyes out. Good heavens! He had spent countless hours studying the composition of the soul, painstakingly researching the mysteries of the Primordial Flame, and combining the magic of the ancient Sun God race with the lost legacy of Ulashiru, finally comprehending the laws of time. He had developed a summoning mark within the "campfire" system upon which the undead rely for rebirth, using it as a springboard to anchor his existence to the past, slowly retracing time and gradually spreading his influence across the corresponding timelines…—yet, what had this person before him done?
He was neither familiar with the composition of the First Flame, nor with the mysteries of the soul, nor even with any reference parameters for measuring time. He simply used his right foot to randomly trace the complete runes of the Summoning Mark on the ground, and yet he perfectly replicated them. Even more incredibly, the energy infused into the runes had absolutely no connection to the First Flame!

How is this possible? How is it even possible?

Watching Yang Yun's actions, Andy felt his research system, built up over countless years, rapidly crumbling. He had always believed that any manipulation of spacetime must be based on a profound understanding of the fundamental rules of this world. The Primordial Flame was the source of energy, the soul was the foundation of existence, and time was the axis that ran through everything—all three were indispensable.

But Yang Yun's actions completely overturned this understanding. It was as if someone had lit a flame without any fuel right in front of him, or floated in the air without any support, completely violating the laws of the world as he understood them...

There's no need to be so surprised.

Considering that the person in front of him had given him some inspiration and allowed him to make connections, Yang Yun smiled and explained, "Although I am not familiar with the specific rules of this world, my understanding of the nature of time and my mastery of these basic runes are sufficient."

With a gentle touch, the newly inscribed summoning mark on the ground instantly emitted a soft light. This light was completely different from Andil's mark—it wasn't white, but a pure cyan stream of light, carrying a quality that transcended the laws of this world.

“Look,” Yang Yun continued, his voice as calm as a deep pool, “the mysteries of time are not explored through just one path. You try to understand time by studying the soul and the primordial fire, while I approach it directly from time itself.”

These seemingly casual words stirred up a storm in Andy's heart. Starting directly with time itself? This meant that the other party's understanding of time had reached a level that Andy could never attain, even with a lifetime of effort.

It's like two people trying to measure the height of a mountain: one painstakingly climbs a steep path, repeatedly measuring with the most sophisticated instruments; the other stands high above, overlooking the entire mountain range. Although they both ultimately arrive at the same height, their perspectives are worlds apart.

"and--"

In Andil's perception, the mountains were still mountains, the water was still water, and the world before him was still that eternally dark place; but deep in Yang Yun's right eye, a different scene was reflected.

A vast and boundless river of time is flowing ceaselessly.

Countless fragments of history rise and fall in the river, while the possibilities of the future shimmer among the waves. Every choice becomes a tributary, every decision stirs up ripples. This long river flows through the past, present, and future, weaving all things into an intricate web of cause and effect.

In Andy's eyes, mountains are mountains, and water is water; what he sees is still this incredibly dark world. But in Yang Yun's eyes, what he sees has changed completely; it is a vast and flowing river of time...

...Just like what he had seen in the world of Red Alert 2. (End of Chapter)