However, after the flaming meteor fell, it failed to shatter the barrier. It remained incredibly stable, utterly unbreakable.
"What's going on?" Goddess Yuyan furrowed her brow.
"That divine artifact at the center of the island below is extraordinarily powerful. Its divine power sustains the barrier," Goddess Yuyan said.
"Is this the power of time and space?" Nie Li's eyes snapped open.
"The power of time and space?" Goddess Yuyan was filled with confusion.
"That's right — the most mysterious of all divine powers, the power of time and space!" Nie Li nodded. He drew out the two pages of the Book of Time-Space Demon Spirit from inside his chest, and the torn pages began to emit a faint glow, hovering above the barrier.
"I understand!" Nie Li shouted in a low voice, pouring all of the divine power within his body into the torn pages of the Book of Time-Space Demon Spirit.
A massive pillar of light erupted outward in all directions, with the torn pages of the Book of Time-Space Demon Spirit at its center.
With a deafening boom, a colossal breach was torn open in the barrier.
Nie Li flicked his right hand, pocketing the two torn pages of the Book of Time-Space Demon Spirit. He leaped forward and transformed into a streak of light, plunging through the gap into the barrier.
Goddess Yuyan considered for a moment, then quickly leaped in after him.
Before long, the barrier sealed itself shut once more.
Nie Li and Goddess Yuyan landed on the island's ground. Before them stretched a beautiful forest, with colorful little deer scattered everywhere.
Seeing these little deer, Nie Li was utterly astonished. "These deer must be the legendary Time-Space Elk!"
"Time-Space Elk?" Goddess Yuyan couldn't help but ask. "These are the Time-Space Elk? I've heard that very few people have ever laid eyes on them."
"The outer barrier is a sealed time-space barrier, which is the only reason these Time-Space Elk have been trapped here. Time-Space Elk can traverse through time and space," Nie Li explained. "In the past, spotting even one was considered incredibly fortunate. I can't believe there are so many here."
The Time-Space Elk continuously teleported across the ground — appearing here one moment, there the next, as though they might vanish at any instant.
The moment he touched down, Nie Li's head was suddenly wracked with an excruciating, tearing pain.
"Ahh!" Nie Li screamed in agony.
"Nie Li? What's wrong?" Goddess Yuyan asked, startled.
"Ahh!" Nie Li clutched his head, thrashing about. The terrifying, searing pain felt as though it would rip his skull apart from the inside.
Goddess Yuyan watched in alarm, hurriedly casting spell after spell to ease his pain, but Nie Li kept writhing.
Nie Li felt as though his consciousness was being torn to shreds. He let out a muffled, guttural roar, and after struggling for what felt like an eternity, he finally lost consciousness.
For what seemed like an eternity, Nie Li sensed himself sinking into a dark, primordial void.