Lin Luo's current strength stands at the first heaven of the Celestial rank, equivalent to having just broken through the Half-Celestial barrier.

Originally, after completing the Counter-Causal World within the Schwarzesmädchen (Girl in the Rose Garden) world, having completely shed the concept of bodily duality, he should have naturally recovered to the ninth heaven of the Celestial rank, the state he held when fighting Luo Tianyi.

However, Lin Luo did not do so. The power that returned to him upon awakening his past life's memories was deliberately stored away again... A portion was his own strength as Lin Luo, and the other was the power of the Commander of the Time Travelers' Corps. Although they shared the same origin, there was a subtle difference in their essence. During the battle with Luo Tianyi, while he had completely fused these two streams of power, they subsequently separated again due to Luo Tianyi's influence.

The reason he had not re-fused these two powers after recovering his self-awareness was because... because nine Counter-Causal Lines had manifested within his body!

The Counter-Causal does not possess inherent good or evil; it is merely a phenomenon, distinguished only by existence and non-existence. Yet, it is also a power. With nine Counter-Causal Lines appearing in Lin Luo’s body, it was akin to possessing nine streams of Counter-Causal Force.

Heaven, Earth, Man, Qi, Life, Soul, Fate, Causality, and... Concept!

Visible and invisible, these nine streams of Counter-Causal Force encompass almost everything in the world. Any single stream holds a power unfathomable even to Saints. Mastering the Counter-Causal of Heaven allows one to become a Heavenly Emperor; mastering the Counter-Causal of Earth elevates one to an Earthly Sovereign; mastering the Counter-Causal of Man grants the authority of a Human King.

And if someone could grasp all nine streams of the Counter-Causal, they would be nearly unrivaled, if not the absolute foremost existence.

On the other hand, given the immense and terrifying power contained within the Counter-Causal, it is certainly not something just anyone can master. Theoretically, even a dying mortal receiving a single stream of Counter-Causal Force could ascend instantly. In reality, however, this is impossible. Because leaving aside ordinary people, even a Quasi-Celestial expert might not be able to contain even one stream of Counter-Causal Force... it is much like how a mercury lamp cannot hold the entire Fifth Element; the vessel is too weak.

Simultaneously, truly mastering the Counter-Causal Force does not merely require its presence within the body. It demands refinement—a process that cannot be aided externally and is exceptionally difficult. A single misstep could result in the soul being scattered completely. Even for a Celestial expert, attempting to refine even one stream of Counter-Causal Force is a situation of near-certain death.

Lin Luo refrained from merging his past life's power precisely to pursue the refinement of these nine streams of Counter-Causal Force.

Yet, refining a single stream is as difficult as scaling the heavens. His ambition to refine all nine simultaneously was almost delusional folly.

Whether it seemed like the ravings of a madman or sheer fancy, Lin Luo deemed the refinement of the nine Counter-Causal Forces absolutely necessary. This was because Luo Tianyi possessed three World Hearts and one Mirror of Truth. If she could utilize these four artifacts perfectly and unleash their maximum power, it would be virtually equivalent to facing four peak-level 'Beyond the Heavens' experts!

At that juncture, not only would they have no hope of winning in their current state, but even if he and Qiqi recovered to their peak, survival would be far from guaranteed. Only the Time Travelers' Corps at its absolute zenith could possibly contend.

But the peak era of the Time Travelers' Corps was long past. Even if recovery were possible, it would take several epochs—time Lin Luo could not afford, and time Luo Tianyi certainly would not grant him.

Therefore, to stand against Luo Tianyi, against the Hearts of Truth, and against his elder sister, Lin Luo had no alternative but to refine these nine streams of Counter-Causal Force.

Furthermore, did the very manifestation of these nine Counter-Causal Forces within his body not serve as a sign urging him toward this path?

Lin Luo had no certainty of success; in truth, even he held little faith. Thus, his action was a desperate measure of throwing himself into death's embrace to find life. When the Creator asked him which entity his immense killing intent was aimed at, the answer was obvious: himself.

Without the resolve to die, one could never hope to refine the Counter-Causal Force!

But even armed with the awareness of death, Lin Luo encountered monumental resistance while attempting to refine the nine streams.

Lin Luo was situated in a pseudo-realm created by himself. As the saying goes, intent stems from the mind; as long as he willed it, leveraging the marvel of the Law of Creation, a single thought could transform his internal vision into reality. Be it flowers, trees, blue skies, vast oceans, or even all living beings of humanity, he could manifest them with a single thought. Naturally, such a world, and everything within it, would vanish just as swiftly at his command.

Lin Luo sat cross-legged upon an endless expanse of verdant grass, beneath a vast, shifting blue sky dotted with clouds, allowing the cool breeze to caress his body as he closed his eyes in meditative focus. To deeply internalize the secrets of the Counter-Causal Force, he accelerated the flow of time within this world. One moment was the warmth of spring, the next, a flurry of snow—the cycle of seasons passing in the blink of an eye.

Countless cycles of spring and winter passed; Lin Luo lost track of time. He only knew that the nine streams of Counter-Causal Force within him remained stubbornly inert, lodged there like gallstones. Even when he tried to actively stimulate them with his power, there was zero response.

This situation utterly confounded Lin Luo.

Logically, the moment he began to refine these nine streams, they should resist. Regardless of success, there should be some commotion—most likely an impact against his body, similar to how the Fifth Element struggles to break free from the mercury lamp.

But now... Lin Luo felt as if he were wasting his affections on a blind man. The nine streams of Counter-Causal Force simply ignored him. Even when his intent surged to an extreme, wielding a will capable of annihilating heaven and earth to refine them, they remained indifferent, as if nothing Lin Luo did mattered.

If this were all, it would be a blessing for Lin Luo. The problem was that if the Counter-Causal Force offered no reaction, he could not refine it either.

Lin Luo could not fathom the reason for this state.

He felt as though something crucial was still missing...

After contemplating for a long while without any breakthrough, Lin Luo decided to proceed methodically, as this was his first attempt at refining the Counter-Causal Force; he had no experience to draw upon and could only press forward blindly.

In truth, there was someone beside Lin Luo who possessed a profound understanding of the Counter-Causal: Qiqi. However, refining the Counter-Causal Force could not be delegated to another, and Lin Luo understood the theory well enough, so Qiqi could not truly assist him. Furthermore, to avoid the illusion of "receiving Qiqi's help," Lin Luo had deliberately sent her away.

Thus, Lin Luo remained seated, unmoving, as the scenery shifted from spring to winter, again and again. In this vast world, he was alone... or so it should have been.

Just as Lin Luo was immersed in the difficult task of refining the nine streams of Counter-Causal Force, indifferent to the passage of seasons, time abruptly froze during the vibrant bloom of springtime. Amidst the soul-stirring fragrance, a figure materialized silently within this world, then stepped onto the emerald grass, drawing steadily closer to Lin Luo...

Since this world was of Lin Luo's creation, he inherently possessed absolute control over it. Even with all his focus poured into refining the Counter-Causal, any intrusion should have been immediately detected.

Yet now, someone had clearly entered this realm, even altering the speed of its time flow, and Lin Luo remained unresponsive. This situation admitted only two explanations: First, Lin Luo was aware but feigning ignorance. Second... this person's strength and cultivation far surpassed Lin Luo's, reaching a level capable of deceiving the very heavens.

Finally, the newcomer reached Lin Luo's side.

"This won't work," the person murmured softly.

Lin Luo abruptly opened his eyes, looked up at the visitor, and his expression shifted slightly. "Yukari?"

Holding a parasol, clad in opulent robes, with waist-length golden hair... indeed, the arrival was Yakumo Yukari!

"Impressive," Lin Luo admitted, gazing at her. "You managed to enter here while eluding my senses." Had she not spoken just now, he truly would have perceived nothing. Judging by this, Yukari's current strength was at least above the third stage of the Celestial rank.

"Of course. If I couldn't even reach this level, how could I emerge from the Ancient Illusionary Realm?" Yukari replied with an air of certainty. Though she spoke lightly, Lin Luo knew the Ancient Illusionary Realm was a true path of near-certain death, operating outside the normal flow of time. For her to exit at this level, she must have endured thousands of desperate struggles.

"Are you the first?" Lin Luo inquired. Regarding the battles Yukari endured in the Ancient Illusionary Realm, he wouldn't press if she chose not to share.

Yukari nodded. "Just a bit lucky."

"What did you mean by what you just said?" Lin Luo pressed again. Although he was Yukari's master and possessed greater overall insight, she was the Host. Moreover, having just emerged from the cultivation of the Ancient Illusionary Realm, she must have made contact with the World Heart at its peak, meaning her understanding of it would surpass his own.

The very reason he obtained these nine streams of Counter-Causal Force was inextricably linked to the World Heart. Since Yukari claimed his current method was ineffective, he knew she spoke with conviction.

"It means you still need to perform some special actions..." Yukari began, her expression suddenly shifting into something subtly mischievous and warm, reminiscent of the intoxicating beauty of springtime.