I can rewind time to prevent death

Now the fact proves that his own name holds far greater control over the True Word Demon's subconscious than Dong Sheng's ever could.

"Payne Damon, Payne Damon..."

Just at this moment, on the other side, Payne, who seemed to have caught on to something, began muttering softly without realizing it.

Dong Sheng, enraged, howled at Payne: "You bastard! Payne, you idiot! Use every means you have to kill Yan Junze immediately, now!"

Payne froze, then snapped to action, unleashing a Magnetic Field Storm aimed at Yan Junze's back.

But in the next second, both Payne himself and the storm vanished instantly, falling once again into Space-Time Lockdown.

This time, accompanying Payne in the frozen time-space was an additional figure—a man clothed in black.

The Magnetic Field Storm, devoid of a target, dissipated quickly after its howling retreat. Payne turned and found a man with Huaying features standing behind him. Tall and gaunt, it was none other than the Reaper, Han Yu.

Han Yu similarly didn't know what method Yan Junze had used to isolate him and Payne, but he had prepared ahead of time. He wasted no moment and unleashed a Silent Magnetic Field attack on Payne.

Outside the locked time-space, Yan Junze addressed Sylvanus: "Sylvanus, now do you understand who the true master calling you forth is? Neither Jeffrey nor Dong Sheng acts independently—they all follow my orders. So, do you think it's proper for Dong Sheng to usurp my authority at this moment?"

To Dong Sheng, these words sounded eerily familiar, nearly identical to what he had said to Sylvanus earlier.

But the situation had now reversed entirely.

Sylvanus shook his head slightly.

"Then, shouldn't you defend my authority as the true master just this once?" Yan Junze asked.

Hearing this, Dong Sheng felt like his lungs were about to explode in fury.

This was exactly what he had said earlier, almost word for word; Yan Junze was blatantly mimicking him!

Sylvanus nodded slowly, then turned his gaze toward Dong Sheng.

Dong Sheng's face turned pale as he realized his position was lost. He turned and ran.

Smack!

Sylvanus placed his slender hand above the hovering Book of Change and spoke two words.

"Dong Sheng!"

With a thud, the fleeing Dong Sheng stumbled and fell to his knees. His body pitched forward, skidding a distance before his hands uncontrollably gripped his own throat, just like Jeffrey had earlier.

As he howled and struggled, his gaze quickly fixed on Lin Yishan, who had just moved away and was now standing in front of him. His face was filled with resentment and reluctance.

Lin Yishan shuddered and quickly ducked behind a giant pillar.

Ten seconds later, Dong Sheng's struggles gradually ceased. He lay there on the ground, lifeless.

A moment later, Lin Yishan, seeing no further movement, cautiously emerged from behind the pillar and approached Yan Junze, saying ingratiatingly, "Master Yan, I've completed all you instructed me to do."

To Lin Yishan, he held only admiration and reverence for Yan Junze. Since the outbreak of the strangenesses, Yan Junze had predicted each step with divine precision, pointing out paths he hadn't faltered on once.

Coupled with what he had just witnessed—Yan Junze's cunning maneuvers against Jeffrey, Claudia, and the others—it seemed to Lin Yishan, a lifetime Yin Yang Master, that he had already equated Yan Junze with a god.

Yan Junze smiled slightly, patting his shoulder. "You've worked hard all these days."

At this moment, the locked space behind him released. Payne's body lay on the ground, while Han Yu's gaunt figure stood nearby, coughing violently, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

This guy's strength was indeed stronger than ordinary Reapers; after killing Payne, he was only mildly injured.

However, Payne's corpse was beginning to undergo something unexplainable—gradually solidifying. His skin started to harden into large patches, and every gap in his facial features fused, turning him into a wax-like monolith.

Sylvanus cackled and approached Han Yu. Its wrinkled skin quivered slightly as it walked, a sight both grotesque and revolting.

Han Yu froze in place at that instant.

It wasn't that he didn't want to move—some bizarre force had descended, pinning him rigid to the spot.

Sylvanus scuttled forward on all fours, expertly climbing up Han Yu's pole-like legs.

"The magnetic field is mutating... Hmm, not bad, still proliferating."

As it crawled over Han Yu's body, it muttered to itself.

Then Sylvanus paused, its nostrils flaring as it sniffed the top of Han Yu's head. "Why do I smell my own scent?"

It trailed off into another burst of eerie cackles, asking Han Yu, "What would happen if I were to spit on you right now?"

Han Yu's entire body shuddered but he remained silent.

Yan Junze glanced at Sylvanus, grabbing the hovering Book of Change just as Jeffrey did, cradling it like a treasure as he walked over to Jeffrey's corpse.

Sylvanus didn't look at him. It remained intrigued by Han Yu, one of the stronger figures in the Reaper sequence.

To Sylvanus, Han Yu appeared to be evolving toward the power realm of the God of Death, making him a subject worth thorough study.

If necessary, it might even need to crawl inside Han Yu's body to fully understand him.

As for Yan Junze, there was no way it would abide by his commands all the time. To a Demon Spirit like Sylvanus, humans held no distinction—none would ever truly be its master.

The so-called power of true names was merely a byproduct of summoning it with the Book of Change; it only served a temporary, interest-driven function.

Sylvanus didn't care who it killed; what it cared about was that Book of Change.

Through that book, perhaps negotiations could take place. However, Yan Junze couldn't even understand the text within, being no better than Jeffrey. If Lin Yishan gained custody of the Book of Change, cooperation with Sylvanus might be smoother.

Taking advantage of Sylvanus focusing on Han Yu's unique Silent Magnetic Field, Yan Junze bent down and retrieved a feather quill from Jeffrey's corpse.

He softly asked Lin Yishan behind him, "What kind of language can the Book of Change recognize?"

"Any language works," Lin Yishan quickly responded in a low whisper.

At the same time, he instinctively glanced at Sylvanus perched on Han Yu's shoulder, sensing that Yan Junze's question might be targeting this True Word Demon.

Yan Junze nodded slightly, turning his back toward Han Yu. Opening the book in his hands, he flipped to a blank page at the back, exhaled lightly, and started writing with the pen.

Sylvanus had already slid one hand into Han Yu's ear, fiddling with something inside. Han Yu's face was contorted in anguish, drenched in sweat, yet he remained paralyzed.

At this moment, Sylvanus paused, sensing that something was amiss. Standing on Han Yu's shoulder, it straightened up and looked toward Yan Junze, who had his back turned.

It saw that Yan Junze had opened the Book of Change and was scribbling on a blank page, the feather quill visibly darting across the page.

"What are you doing?" Sylvanus's pupils contracted slightly as it leapt off Han Yu's shoulder toward Yan Junze.

Han Yu's entire body spasmed, the shackling force dissipating. He slumped to the ground, sitting heavily.

Sylvanus's figure vanished into a swirl of gray mist, condensing beside Yan Junze within an instant, its eyes fixed on the words scrawled on the blank page.

Just as it arrived, Yan Junze finished writing the last sentence and neatly added a perfect period.

[As a sealed Demon Spirit, the True Word Demon Sylvanus has always secretly desired for a Strange Space rift to appear beside it. Ever since its departure from the Land of Seals, its heart has been irresistibly drawn to the call of its longed-for return.]

"No!"

Sylvanus's expression froze for a moment before it realized the implications. It extended its arms and snatched the Book of Change, its slim right hand frantically scrubbing at the written words on the blank page.

But it seemed to have no effect. The letters remained clearly etched upon the paper.

At the same moment, a sharp crack resounded above. A black fissure ripped open, manifesting out of thin air above Sylvanus.