Chapter 44: A Long Way to Go

Li Chen shouted aloud: "Guardians of the Four Empresses, let us together restore this shattered space-time and jointly safeguard the peace and tranquility of this world!"

Li Chen's roar echoed through the empty expanse of space-time. Suddenly, four pillars of light soared into the sky from around him—the response of the Guardians of the Four Empresses. Within the beams of light, four guardians clad in armor of distinct hues slowly descended, their eyes gleaming with unwavering resolve.

At that very moment, space-time began to tremble violently. A massive black hole slowly formed in the distance, and a surge of evil power gushed forth from within it. Li Chen and the Guardians of the Four Empresses exchanged glances; no words were needed, for they already understood each other's determination.

Transforming into four streaks of light, they charged straight toward the black hole, vowing to reseal this evil force and protect the peace and tranquility of this world.

Just as they were about to reach the black hole, space-time suddenly twisted, and an ancient, powerful force swept them into an unknown realm.

Here, stars floated like dust, and time and space lost all meaning. To their astonishment, they found themselves standing upon an ancient altar, in the center of which was embedded a gemstone emitting a soft glow—the Heart of Space-Time.

This gemstone seemed to be the key to maintaining the stability of space-time. A mysterious voice echoed in their ears, guiding them that they must unite to activate the Heart of Space-Time in order to reverse the black hole's devouring and permanently imprison the evil force in another dimension.

Faced with this sudden challenge, Li Chen and the Guardians of the Four Empresses smiled at each other, their eyes filled with a burning desire for victory.

Just as they were preparing to follow the mysterious voice's guidance and jointly activate the Heart of Space-Time, ancient runes suddenly emerged around the altar. These runes slithered like living creatures, weaving together into a series of murals depicting an ancient great war.

Amidst this interplay of light and shadow, a forgotten truth gradually emerged before their eyes: that evil force was actually a mere fragment that had escaped when the Heart of Space-Time shattered, and it yearned to devour everything in order to reforge itself.

Realizing this, an unprecedented sense of urgency ignited within the hearts of Li Chen and the Guardians of the Four Empresses. They had to find a way to repair the Heart of Space-Time within this chaotic realm, or the entire world would plunge into eternal darkness.

Just as Li Chen and the Guardians of the Four Empresses were deep in thought, devising a countermeasure, the ancient runes suddenly burst into a dazzling light, casting their silhouettes into an illusory mirror image.

Here, they beheld different timelines, each twisted by the fracture of the Heart of Space-Time, with countless disasters flashing rapidly before their eyes. Yet, amidst this chaos, a peculiar blue light caught their attention. It seemed to originate from an unaffected parallel world, which held the vital knowledge needed to repair the Heart of Space-Time.

A stir went through the four of them, and they resolved to cross the boundaries of space-time, chasing that glimmer of hope, vowing to find the key to repairing space-time and saving the world within this endless chaos.

Just as the four of them were about to step into that strange blue light, a massive fissure suddenly tore open beneath the altar, and an elderly man draped in silver-glowing robes slowly stepped out from within, his eyes seeming capable of piercing through past, present, and future.

The elder spoke softly: "Brave warriors, repairing the Heart of Space-Time cannot be accomplished by the strength of one; it requires the spirits of all realms to achieve greatness. I am the Guide of Space-Time, and I am willing to show you the way, but before that, you must pass the three trials I have set to prove that your hearts are as steadfast as bedrock."

Before his voice had even faded, the elder gently waved his sleeve, and the scene before the four of them shifted abruptly. A trial concerning wisdom, courage, and faith quietly began.