Chapter 39
As the wave of white light swept through the dungeon, Lin Bai instantly recognized it — the power of time turning back. The Silkworm Dragon Spirit merged with him, platinum dragon scales flashing as its devouring force surged across his skin, struggling to resist.
But it was a meaningless effort. No matter how powerful the Silkworm Dragon had become, it was still insignificant before the power of time. The gap was too wide, one that could never be crossed.
The white light engulfed everything. The fourth reincarnation began.
This time, Caesar took the initiative. Not only did he send soldiers armed with the accumulated gunpowder of Hope Town, but he also handed out the magic weapons acquired from the godhead. The soldiers launched a relentless assault on Lin Bai from the shadows.
It was Lin Bai's most miserable moment yet. Even with the Silkworm Dragon Spirit's protection, countless weapons and spells struck him. His platinum scales dulled, blood streamed down his body, and deep wounds revealed bone.
Yet strength was strength — it couldn't be faked. The serious injuries only provoked Lin Bai's ferocity. Like the second round, he relied on the Ruyi Qiankun Gun's martial spirit, reversing the fight and killing Caesar once more.
…
**The Eighth Reincarnation.**
Caesar's vertical pupils were bloodshot, his expression ugly. He had triggered time reversal seven times in a short span, paying a price far beyond what others could endure. Now, the godhead could no longer rewind the world on such a scale. This was his last chance.
"Filthy, despicable humans… how many more dirty tricks do they have left?"
He kicked a nearby stone in frustration. The unstable, temperamental nature of a warlock was fully on display.
In seven reincarnations, no matter how carefully Caesar schemed, Lin Bai always found a way to retaliate. In the sixth round, Lin Bai had even fired Cupid's arrow, nearly making Caesar abandon his pursuit of the godhead and escape into the fake sun.
If not for his obsession with the godhead, he might've fallen to the artifact's manipulation right then.
The soldiers of Hope Town weren't doing much better. Though Caesar could retain their memories with each reset, it meant every soldier remembered how they'd died — again and again, in every imaginable way. The accumulated fear and pain had pushed them to the brink. Were Caesar any less powerful, they might have mutinied already.
"…This won't work." Caesar gritted his teeth. "The divine artifact lets me rewind one minute without cost, but it's too short — useless against that human. Damn it… if only he'd shown up earlier."
Caesar clenched his fists, blood seeping from his palms. Though his bloodline carried the might of a red dragon, he was originally nothing more than a lowly kobold.
He thought back to a certain sunny afternoon. In a remote cave, a kobold named Dog Ya had stumbled upon a dead red dragon that had perished trying to merge with a godhead. Over dozens of failed attempts, Dog Ya consumed the red dragon's corpse and treasure, enhancing himself through blood rituals and countless time reversals.
And when Lin Bai appeared, Dog Ya — now Caesar — had even sacrificed the last red dragon corpse to empower himself.
Shaking off the memories, Caesar packed up, donned his gear, and left the cave shielded by ancient enchantments. He wasn't planning to stay. The townspeople believed he'd sealed the dungeon's entrance, but in truth, Caesar had no such power. His real plan had always been to leave quietly after growing stronger — but now, that time had come early.
At that moment, Lin Bai arrived at the entrance of Hope Town.
"Outsider… welcome to Hope Town."
A middle-aged guard recited the greeting woodenly, his face blank.
The accumulated deaths had frayed their spirits. Unlike Caesar, these men weren't warlocks — they couldn't bear the pain of endless slaughter and resurrection.
Lin Bai frowned at the man's empty eyes. Something about the town felt off. He paused, sensing a wrongness in the air.
The guard stiffly realized he'd misspoken, but his mind was too sluggish to care anymore. In the end, he sighed inwardly. What did it matter? Either way, they'd die again soon.
"Hey… you alright?" Lin Bai asked reflexively, then instantly regretted the pointless question.
He had no time for sympathy. Since he didn't plan to enter the town, Lin Bai released his telekinesis, visualized a dragon's form in his mind, and extended his mental sense inward.
A concentrated scan reached farther than ordinary telekinesis, though it consumed more energy — something Lin Bai rarely used unless necessary.
Almost at once, he sensed numerous soldiers hiding within the town, their minds trembling. His heart tightened. Extending his mental power a bit farther — no more than 500 meters — he found what he sought. Though Hope Town called itself a "town," it was closer to a large village.
On the far side, a heavily armed kobold was stealthily fleeing through the back.
Lin Bai's eyes narrowed. Withdrawing his telekinesis, he ignored the guards and wrapped himself in telekinetic force, silently soaring above the town.
Two hundred meters out, he circled behind the village and waited behind a jagged triangular boulder for his quarry.
Hiding there, Lin Bai calmed his breathing, resting his chin on his hand.
"Judging by the movements… that kobold should be my target. And it holds the godhead of time and space." He murmured, eyes narrowing. "I'll have to watch for time-related tricks."
There wasn't enough time to set elaborate traps. After gauging Caesar's escape route, Lin Bai moved to a low mountain along the road ahead.
He pulled out the Mountain God Seal, formed a sequence of swift hand seals, and planted the artifact into the earth. Its power swiftly merged with the ley lines.
"I claim this mountain — its veins, its strength — as my own."
Earthen energy surged around him, thick and heavy. Within a minute, Lin Bai had become the mountain god of this peak.
He took a few moments to attune himself to the terrain and ley line flows.
Ten minutes later, Caesar arrived, warily scanning his surroundings. He was familiar with the dungeon's boundaries and had often mapped routes to someday break the blockade with the godhead's power.
Atop the peak, Lin Bai sat cross-legged, eyes closed. Manipulating the mountain's power, he silently dug shallow pits behind Caesar, leaving thin layers of soil to conceal sharp stone spikes.
He carved out the mountain's insides, undermining the earth beneath Caesar's path. The strain on the ley lines grew heavier, and soon, the Mountain God Seal began to reject him. Its repulsion reached its limit.
Lin Bai felt it but didn't care. The artifact's rejection was part of its refining process. To kill Caesar, this was a price worth paying. He'd make up for the loss once he obtained the godhead.
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