The scene unfolded like a dazzling starry sky.
At its center shone a piercing white light, like a single brilliant point. Around it stretched a vast accretion disk, its flickering brilliance both boundless and deep, giving off a suffocating sense of being pulled inward.
"Report: world cleanup completed. Retrieving the corpse of the Immortal Beast."
Inside a warship connected to this radiant starry world, a technician announced the latest update.
"Hurry," the commander urged. "We need more Immortal Artifacts."
"Yes, sir!" The technician saluted crisply before hurrying away.
Back in primordial times—when all people were still in ignorance—this world saw the birth of the very first transcendent being: the Immortal Beast (永生兽). His appearance reshaped the world in ways never seen before.
What exactly is an Immortal Beast? It is a title given to a person who cannot truly die. But there is a secret behind this "immortality."
The Immortal Beast does die. Yet every time he dies, a new timeline branches off. In that timeline, he is dead—but in another, he still lives.
Thus, there will always exist at least one timeline in which the Immortal Beast continues to live.
If disaster reaches a point where no possible timeline could allow him to survive, then the Immortal Beast will jump back to a random point in the past, branching a new timeline and inheriting his former self's identity—continuing life anew.
In the timelines where the Immortal Beast dies, his corpse transforms into a relic imbued with extraordinary power. Such remains might command time, warp space, or even twist destiny.
On the warship's screen, radiance shimmered, reflecting in the admiral's eyes. He muttered with fervor:
"This time… what kind of power will your corpse evolve into?"
Elsewhere.
It was the same school rooftop. Only, this time, the person beside Wu Bai (吴白) was different. Yue Mao (月卯) was gone, replaced by Pai Pai (派派).
When Wu Bai stirred awake, Pai Pai looked at him curiously.
"Why are you sleeping on the rooftop? You'll catch a cold."
"Trying the feeling," Wu Bai replied casually, his memories not yet fully restored. He found Pai Pai's presence unfamiliar but guessed this must be a friend of his in this timeline.
"Life has a lot of firsts worth experiencing, right?"
It was common after apocalypses—Wu Bai knew well—that though one survived, one often had to slip into new identities and relationships. Years had passed already.
Pai Pai grinned. "Artistic type, huh? I get it. But sleeping on the school rooftop isn't great. Next time, come to my place—our rooftop has stronger winds. Guaranteed cool!"
Wu Bai: "..."
Instead of answering, he asked, "Why are you here?"
"Bored. Came up for some fresh air."
"Then keep enjoying it. I'm heading back." Wu Bai waved and turned away. As he walked, he forced himself to recall this world's version of himself: a high schooler, an orphan, mediocre grades, invisible presence, already thinking about dropping out.
Then—he froze.
Wait… Who was that guy just now?
No matter how hard he dug, Wu Bai couldn't find any memories of a "Pai Pai." This was a timeline he had already lived through. At this exact moment, something like that should not exist.
The butterfly effect couldn't have changed things so suddenly—not right away, as he had just leapt here without even acting yet.
"Am I… about to die again?"
Wu Bai scanned the empty rooftop. Few people around. He sighed and sat cross-legged on the floor.
"Come out. You've finally found a way to track me, haven't you?"
A low hum answered.
A terrifying radiance burst forth. In an instant, everything was cleared away. Towering skyscrapers, neon-lit streets—all crushed to dust by a vast forcefield, melting into the earth. The world turned barren, stretching endlessly to the horizon.
From a fissure in spacetime, a skeleton stepped out, exhaling rings of smoke.
"…Immortal Beast Wu Bai. Where does your power come from?"
"I've explained countless times. I truly don't know." Wu Bai studied the figure. Though its skull lacked features, his instincts told him this was himself—the corpse of a Wu Bai from another timeline.
The Skeleton didn't seem to care whether he was lying. Either way, Wu Bai's fate was sealed.
Another puff of smoke. The dense fog enveloped Wu Bai. His consciousness dimmed, and he was captured with ease.
"So decisive," a voice chimed.
Across the boundless plain, Pai Pai strolled forward, watching with amusement. "No hesitation at all? Don't you want to observe more? A living Immortal Beast is a rare sight."
His words sounded contradictory, yet they revealed the truth.
As an Immortal Beast, Wu Bai would always exist in some timeline. But in the majority, he was dead. His corpse became a powerful artifact. A living Wu Bai, on the other hand, was incredibly rare.
And alive, he was nothing but a fragile human—easy to subdue, easy to kill.
Such a precious resource—no faction could afford to let him fall into enemy hands. Without overwhelming strength, the safest choice was always to kill him quickly, reclaim the power, and then keep searching for him in new timelines.
In the early days, factions had tried to control Wu Bai alive. Normally, the living outweighed the dead in value. But Wu Bai proved the exception.
Those who tried to seize him failed. Worse, their secrets leaked, and Wu Bai was snatched by outsiders from parallel timelines. Their own timeline was erased by these invaders.
After that, almost no force attempted to preserve Wu Bai alive.
For peace and stability, all sides came to a tacit agreement on the Immortal Beast's fate.
"No. He isn't dead yet," the Skeleton said quietly, stepping into a time-tunnel. "Now that we've mastered the tracking technology and secured another Immortal Beast, there's no need to maintain the current balance any longer."
As he left, the newborn timeline itself was obliterated.
To cover their tracks, his timeline's agents also destroyed several other branches—ones without any Immortal Artifacts.
Beyond the world's veil—
Yue Mao's trio found themselves blocked by Liu Yi's trio.
"This is unfair! Three against two!" Yue Mao stomped furiously, watching the events unfold inside. "Shameless! Absolutely shameless!"
"Ahem. Technically, he already withdrew. That makes it three versus three," Liu Yi replied with his ever-present smile.
"Then he has no right to interfere!" Yue Mao snapped.
"He's just spectating up close. Why not? If you've got the ability, call for backup too—we won't mind." The Master of the Horse Talisman smiled politely, making Yue Mao nearly cough blood in rage.
Shameless didn't even begin to describe it. They were utterly shameless.
"Enough," said Long Ziqiang, stepping in as mediator. "He's only there as a reporter. He won't interfere much. The outcome still depends on us. In the end, whichever side the Observer leans toward—that side wins."
The tense standoff eased, just enough for the game to continue.