A streak of white rainbow light, like a meteor tearing through the sky, carried Jie Ming’s desperate will to survive, racing toward the wizard camp’s outline at a speed beyond conventional limits. Where the light passed, time and space seemed to blur.

But as he neared the camp’s defensive perimeter, a colossal, irresistible repulsive force slammed into him. It was the outermost protective array, automatically triggering its forced repulsion mechanism upon detecting a high-speed anomalous energy body. In his radiant state, Jie Ming’s terminal couldn’t transmit a friendly signal, causing the array to mistake him for an enemy attack.

“Pfft—!”

Under the terrifying force, Jie Ming was forcibly expelled from his radiant state. His body, melded with light, was flung as if thrown from a speeding train, instantly reverting to flesh. His energy and blood surged chaotically within him. It felt like an invisible mountain had struck him head-on, his organs misaligned, a sweet taste rising in his throat as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He was in terrible condition, barely clinging to life. Activating the Five Aggregates Rainbow Mirror for his radiant escape had already drained all his true essence and mental energy, pushing his body to its limits. Now, the array’s brutal force had ripped him from that state, the clash of energies detonating within him like a bomb, leaving him gravely injured.

His survival was thanks to his body cultivation, which made him resilient enough to withstand the blow. Otherwise, it would have been fatal.

But even so, he couldn’t maintain basic flight. Like a kite with its string cut, he plummeted helplessly from the sky.

The wind howled in his ears as his consciousness blurred.

“At least… this height won’t kill me…”

Just as he was about to crash, his descent slowed. An irresistible gravitational pull was countered by a gentle yet powerful force, leaving him hovering mere meters from the ground.

In his near-unconscious state, Jie Ming couldn’t resist even this simple levitation spell, letting it lower him gently.

In a daze, he mustered his last shred of strength to open his eyes, trying to see who had saved him. Through a blood-tinted haze, he glimpsed a calm, authoritative face—an elder in plain gray robes, exuding the steady aura of a rock, his eyes shimmering like a starry sea.

It was Master Erwin, one of the three Grade 5 wizards overseeing the camp!

“I have… urgent… intelligence…” Jie Ming forced the words from his throat, his voice barely a whisper, like incoherent muttering.

Fortunately, a Grade 5 wizard’s perception was keen. Erwin’s eyes narrowed slightly, effortlessly grasping Jie Ming’s intent. Expressionless, he conjured a green potion radiating vitality, gently but firmly administering it to Jie Ming, signaling him to continue.

The potion took effect instantly, a warm, vast life energy spreading through him like spring rain on a parched riverbed, rapidly mending his torn meridians and damaged organs. Jie Ming felt his condition improve, the brink-of-death weakness temporarily suppressed.

But with the immediate danger gone, the willpower that had sustained his escape collapsed like a broken spine. Overwhelming fatigue and drowsiness surged, threatening to pull him under.

He knew he couldn’t succumb yet. With his last ounce of strength, he fought to stay conscious, speaking to Erwin in a rapid, clear burst, condensing his intelligence into three sentences:

“The snow monsters and lava giants have allied!”

“They possess… strategic-grade time abilities!”

“The frontline node has been breached!”

During his radiant escape, Jie Ming’s time perception had entered a strange, chaotic state, where everything appeared slowed, like frozen frames. This unique perspective allowed him to clearly witness what had happened at the frontline node.

The phenomenon where even dust hung still in the air was unmistakable—the advancing lava giant army carried a terrifying “time-pause field.”

Other abilities, like large-scale mental control or rule-altering field spells, could produce similar effects. But Jie Ming’s certainty stemmed from the plane’s unique nature.

As previously noted, the wizard world’s four fundamental elements represented higher concepts beyond their attributes. Fire symbolized “energy,” water symbolized “time.” The Frostflame Plane, bathed in projections of both fire and water elements, naturally imbued its creatures with these traits.

Lava giants, as fire’s favored children, differed from other planes’ elemental beings by their immense energy reserves. Each adult lava giant was a walking energy source, expending it extravagantly in battle, making them stronger than similar creatures elsewhere. They could also manipulate earth veins for large-scale energy mobilization. Their “strategic weapon” was essentially an instantaneous release of vast energy, raising temperatures to raze cities.

If lava giants were tied to “energy,” then snow monsters, as water’s creations, were linked to “time.” Normally, their time-related talents only accelerated themselves, manifesting as incredible speed and reflexes, often catching foes off guard. This trait, though powerful, wasn’t particularly notable, often attributed to natural gifts rather than deeper scrutiny.

But this time was different. Their time talent had evolved to a terrifying degree, capable of pausing surrounding time. Even stranger, the ability was wielded not by snow monsters but by lava giants!

This led Jie Ming to his conclusions. The lava giants supplied near-infinite “energy” as fuel and amplifier, enhancing the snow monsters’ innate “time” talent to its extreme, merging two opposing forces through some unknown method to create this strategic-grade ability.

After expending his last strength to relay this intelligence, Jie Ming could no longer hold on. His vision blackened, and he fainted.

Master Erwin, standing before him, showed a faint, grave flicker in his eyes. He nodded calmly, as if prepared for this news, and handed the unconscious Jie Ming to Viola, who had arrived unnoticed.

Viola took him, her silver-gray eyes gleaming with an odd, excited light as she observed his bloodied, half-dead state.

The surrounding wizards, having overheard Jie Ming’s three sentences, erupted in shock.

“What? Time pause?! Are you kidding?”

“Damn! The frontline node was breached that fast?”

“The lava giants and snow monsters allied… not surprising.”

After initial shock and panic, the wizards’ strong mental fortitude calmed them. Deep down, most felt relief. Thanks to this wizard’s desperate report, they had critical intelligence.

Time-based abilities were elusive and deadly when unknown, often wiping out forces in a single encounter. But with their existence and mechanics known, countermeasures were feasible.

“Full alert!” Erwin’s voice, though soft, reached every wizard clearly, silencing the clamor.

His gaze swept the crowd with undeniable authority. “Activate the ‘Temporal Stability Anchor’! All defensive nodes, switch to anti-time distortion mode immediately!”

“Order the potion department to mass-produce ‘Time-Cohesion Potions’!”

“Notify all combat teams to equip ‘Time-Lag Runes’!”

Erwin issued orders methodically. Under his command, the wizard camp sprang into action like a precision war machine, preparing for the approaching enemy.