In Dragon Ball: A brutal beating of Frieza at the start

Page 11

“Trial?” Vegeta’s tailbone scraped against the metal floor, his thumb hooking the buckle on his battle suit collar. “Get out of the way, old man. Saiyans don’t have time for your childish games—”

"Vegeta!" Lin Ye's shout, amplified by the system, shook the cave ceiling, causing rock fragments to fall. "When you attacked Frieza's ship without permission last time, who used the healing pod to pull you back?" As he turned, he caught a glimpse of Gohan's clenched fist, a detail that reminded him of the scene in the original story where young Gohan first unleashed his power.

The elder's cloudy eyes suddenly turned to Lin Ye: "The device on your waist... is it the God Terminal of Korin Tower?" This question caused all the warriors' energy guns to droop slightly. Lin Ye was secretly delighted; the system notification "Namek Elder's Favorability +15" confirmed his strategy of deliberately revealing the terminal.

"We accept the trial." Lin Ye knelt on one knee, a gesture that conformed to Namekian tradition while making Vegeta's sneer stand out starkly. "What do you need us to do?"

The elder pointed to the volcanic cluster in the southeast, where lava traced winding red lines beneath the clouds: "Deep within Mount Moro lies the lava altar, where Garuda guards the crystal coffin that seals the Dragon Ball. Its flames can burn the souls of liars—but only three of you may enter."

"Three people?" Klin's voice came through the communicator. He and Number 18 were on guard duty on the perimeter. "Then I..."

“Let Gohan and Vegeta go.” Lin Ye interrupted him, deliberately ignoring Vegeta’s suddenly tense jawline. “And me.” He brought up the system panel, and the progress bar for the task “Persuade the Saiyans to participate in the trial” jumped to 85%—just one last step away.

When the three stood on the crater, the ground vibrated at a frequency of 120 times per minute, perfectly matching the "signs of a divine beast awakening" simulated by the system. Vegeta suddenly ripped off the shoulder armor of his battle suit, revealing a hideous scar below his collarbone: "Kid, hide behind me later." As he said this to Gohan, his tail unconsciously wrapped around his thigh—a physiological reaction of Saiyans when nervous.

"Warning! Super Saiyan God-level energy fluctuation detected!" Lin Ye's retinal projection suddenly turned red. From the surging blue flames in the magma pool, the outline of a giant beast was rising as if tearing through the ground. It was a creature resembling a giant bird, with a wingspan of at least a hundred meters. Every feather was spraying liquid flames, and the lava dripping from its beak burned deep, sizzling holes in the rocks.

“Garuda…” Gohan’s voice cracked with the typical lisp of a boy. He remembered his father’s description of the “Trial of God,” but the oppressive feeling before him far exceeded his expectations. Vegeta, however, suddenly revealed a fanged smile. His battle suit shattered into dust in the burst of ki, and his blond hair stood on end: “Stronger than Frieza’s third form? Interesting.”

"Wait!" Lin Ye's system suddenly popped up an emergency notification, "According to the ancient Namekian texts, Garuda can read the challenger's subconscious!" Before he finished speaking, the blue flames suddenly condensed into three giant hands, grabbing at the three of them respectively.

Vegeta's palm unleashed a golden energy blast: "Enough talk! Shatter—" However, the energy blast was swallowed up the moment it touched the flames, and the giant fiery hand accelerated its approach, casting a distorted blue light in Vegeta's pupils. Lin Ye then saw clearly that each flame reflected the challenger's most terrifying image—Vegeta saw the illusion of Frieza crushing Bulma's head, Gohan saw himself transforming into a Great Ape and losing control, and what he saw... was the system terminal suddenly going black.

"Envelop your entire body with Qi!" Lin Ye roared, activating the protective shield. A nanoscale energy membrane formed a pale blue barrier on the surface of his skin. "Don't attack the flames, that's its consciousness! Attack the core!" He shouted as he mobilized the system's computing power, marking the location of the behemoth's heart on his retina—2.7 meters below the third primary feather on its right wing.

Vegeta's tail was suddenly engulfed in flames, the searing heat reminding him of the moment Frieza pierced his chest. "Saiyans are all trash," Frieza's laughter echoed from within the flames, "Bulma was calling your name even in her dying moments—"

"Shut up!" Vegeta's hair instantly shone with golden light, and the aura of Super Saiyan 1 forced the surrounding flames back half a meter, but the burning sensation on his tail intensified. Lin Ye noticed the bloodshot in his pupils, knowing this was a sign that he was caught in a subconscious battle. He traced healing runes in the air with his fingertips, thinking to himself that he couldn't let his opponent expend too much energy here.

Gohan's situation was even worse. The flames transformed into the form of his mother, Chi-Chi, who cried and hugged his legs: "Gohan, stop fighting... Your father is dead on Namek..." The boy's fists trembled, and the first crack appeared in the energy shield.

"Gohan!" Lin Ye unleashed three energy blades, severing the flames binding him. "Look at your hands! Do you remember the feeling of holding the Destructo Disc for the first time?" These words unlocked the boy's memories like a key. Gohan suddenly recalled his father's teachings in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and a verdant blade of light gradually coalesced in his palm. Lin Ye's system simultaneously analyzed his energy fluctuations, recognizing that using concrete actions instead of emotional confrontation was the key for a novice warrior to overcome psychological barriers.

Just then, Garuda let out a deafening shriek, and the rocks in the crater began to collapse on a massive scale. Lin Ye's system showed that the behemoth's energy was surging at a rate of 15% per second—clearly, it sensed a threat.

"Vegeta! Use your strongest move to hold back its right wing!" Lin Ye shouted as he pushed Gohan toward the edge of the lava pool. "Gohan, when I count to three, you stab the Destructo Disc into its heart!" "What about you?" Gohan saw that the terminal on Lin Ye's wrist was operating at overload, with blue data flowing out of his sleeve.

"Leave me alone!" Lin Ye suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. The system, in order to analyze the weaknesses of the divine beast, was forcibly retrieving Saiyan genetic data from his brain. "Three! Two! One—"

Vegeta's Ultimate Flash struck Garuda's right wing at the last second, the golden beam of light colliding with the blue flames to create a blinding flash. Gohan's Destructo Disc almost simultaneously pierced the monster's heart, but was deflected upon contact with its crystal-like core—where a broken green Dragon Ball was embedded.

"This is..." The moment Gohan's fingers touched the Dragon Ball fragment, a surge of information flooded his mind. He saw the Namekian civil war thirty years ago, where the High Priest, to prevent the Super Dragon Balls from being misused, sealed them within Garuda with his own life. And the so-called "trial" was actually...

"The true purpose of the trial is to make the challenger confront their own fears." The elder's voice suddenly echoed deep within the volcano, as the lava began to recede, revealing seven Super Dragon Balls neatly arranged below. "And the three of you all chose to trust your companions at the most dangerous moment."

Vegeta wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, staring at Lin Ye's healing arm: "Your injury..." "The system has a built-in healing function." Lin Ye smiled, panting, deliberately concealing the cost of overdrawing his genes. "Now, it's time to get down to business—"

His words were suddenly interrupted by a violent tremor. Dozens of green dots appeared in the sky—Frieza's army warships. Vegeta's tail snapped straight up: "Those bastards actually came after us!"

"Summon Shenron first!" Gohan had already raised the Dragon Ball, green light gathering in his palm. At that moment, Lin Ye's system issued a piercing alarm: Frieza's energy reaction detected, combat power index: 1,200,000. This number made his pupils shrink—twice as high as Frieza's when they first arrived on Namek in the original story.

"Wait!" Lin Ye suddenly grabbed Gohan's hand. "The wish must be accurate to the atomic level, otherwise..." Before he could finish speaking, an energy blast pierced through the edge of the volcano. Amidst the rain of rubble, Lin Ye saw Frieza's figure slowly descending on a wave of energy. His golden form gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and his fingertips were still dripping with the blood of the Namekian warriors.

“Outsiders,” Frieza’s voice was like a viper’s hiss, “hand over the Super Dragon Balls, and I might let you die a quick death.” Vegeta’s teeth clenched, his Super Saiyan aura erupting once more, but Lin Ye noticed his knees trembling slightly—a sign of exhaustion. Gohan’s hand, gripping the Dragon Balls, had veins bulging on the back, while the Elder’s crystal pendant emitted a dying groan.

He had to make his wish within 17 seconds. Lin Ye's system began its countdown. Frieza's energy was rapidly gathering; the next attack would be the Death Beam. He suddenly remembered the elder's earlier hesitation and glanced at the Super Dragon Balls—each one had tiny cracks on it, much like the sealed Garuda core.

“Gohan, listen to me.” Lin Ye’s voice suddenly became unusually calm. “Wish that the Super Dragon Balls gain self-awareness, and then…” He paused, looking into Vegeta’s crimson eyes, “let them choose their true guardians.”

This unconventional wish made Gohan's eyes widen, but the green light projected from the system terminal had already enveloped the Dragon Balls. As seven beams of light shot into the sky, Frieza's Death Beam struck Lin Ye squarely in the back. In excruciating pain, he saw the Super Dragon Balls transform into green fireflies, entering Vegeta, Gohan, and himself, while Garuda's phantom spread its wings in the sky, emitting a deafening roar.

"What...what's going on?" Frieza's voice trembled for the first time. Lin Ye looked down at his healing wound. A system notification sounded, accompanied by a mechanical female voice he'd never heard before: "Super Dragon Ball has successfully recognized its master. Host has acquired the skill: Space-Time Rift (Beginner)." Vegeta's battle suit fragments were moving without wind, his ki suddenly surging to a new level, while Gohan's pupils reflected star-like green patterns.

From the depths of the volcano came the elder's sigh: "It seems the High Priest's prophecy was true... These three outsiders will rewrite the fate of the Dragon Balls."

Chapter 43: Trial of Flames

As blue fireballs rained down on the ground, Lin Ye's retinal projection instantly marked seventeen potential landing points. "Three steps to the left!" He grabbed Bulma's belt buckle, his nanotech combat boots sparking as they scraped against the lava debris. Trunks' energy sword cleaved the nearest fireball, but the sword energy was distorted and deformed by the recoil of the flames. Beads of sweat dripped from the boy's forehead into the grooves of the sword hilt, reflecting the flickering firelight.

"This damn thing's attack frequency is increasing!" Vegeta's deep blue aura, crackling with rubble, shot skyward, his palm gathering a ki blast powerful enough to shatter mountains. "Kid, watch out—"

"Don't try to force it!" Lin Ye's system alert suddenly changed tone, "Its skin has energy-devouring patterns!" This sentence caused Vegeta's attack to abruptly change direction halfway. The golden beam grazed past the Divine Beast's wing, but its brightness was absorbed by thirty percent the moment it touched the flames. The Divine Beast let out a piercing shriek, and the barbs on its tail suddenly popped out, each coated with liquid flames, shooting towards Bulma.

"Mom!" Trunks' voice cracked as his energy sword wove a net of light before him. Lin Ye noticed his sword-wielding hand trembled—a stress reaction he'd only experienced three months ago during training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, when facing a virtual Frieza. The system quickly retrieved its database: Trunks' current fear level is 68%. It is recommended to use specific commands to break the thought loop.

"Use a cross slash to cut through the tail spikes' trajectory!" Lin Ye's shout, amplified by the system, rang out. "There's an opening at the three o'clock position!" The boy instinctively executed the command, and the cross-shaped light blade drawn by the energy sword indeed sliced ​​the tail spikes into four pieces. Bulma seized the opportunity to raise her portable scanner, blue light dancing among the scales on the divine beast's belly.

"Its core is in its abdominal cavity!" her voice came through the communicator, "but there are neural synapses connecting the scales, so an attack will trigger a pain response—"

"Pain?" Vegeta's lips curled into a cruel smile, his deep blue aura suddenly surging. "Saiyans are best at pushing their limits through pain!" His figure transformed into a blue light, crashing into the beast's abdomen, but his fist was repelled the instant it touched the scales, the recoil sending him tumbling three times in mid-air. Lin Ye noticed that his ankle was slightly bent when he landed, a sign of an old injury flaring up.

"Don't be impulsive!" Lin Ye unleashed three energy chains that bound the divine beast's forepaws. "The system analyzed its flame spectrum, and it matches the frequency of the Namekian elder's crystal pendant—"

"So what?" Vegeta wiped the blood from his mouth, his tail thumping the ground in frustration. "You want us to play house with a monster?"

Bulma suddenly grabbed her scanner and charged onto the battlefield: "Wait! The flames' wavelengths fluctuate with emotions! When Trunks protected me, its attack power dropped by 12%!" She was completely oblivious as her high heels melted a small hole in the lava. "Try disrupting it with positive emotions!"

Lin Ye's system instantly activated the psychology module. Positive emotional resonance requires a concrete trigger point, he thought to himself, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield: Trunks's hand gripping the sword hilt, Vegeta's fingers on his waist, the sparks in Bulma's hair. His memory suddenly flashed back to the Namekian elder's crystal pendant—those cracks were the concrete manifestation of emotional energy.

“Trunks,” he suddenly said, “do you remember how your mother praised you when you first learned the Flying Technique?” The boy paused, his fingertips tracing the hilt of his sword. “She said… that my stance was ten times cooler than Uncle Vegeta’s.”

“Vegeta,” Lin Ye turned to the blond warrior, “when Bulma sewed your battle suit last time, what pattern did she secretly embroider on the collar?” Vegeta’s ears suddenly turned red, and he turned his face away: “Boring… just a star.”

Bulma's eyes suddenly welled up with tears: "That was the Star Badge I found in the ruins when you first came back from the brink of death..." Her voice was swallowed by the crackling of the flames, but it caused the Divine Beast's pupils to contract slightly, and a blurry light and shadow appeared in the blue flames—like another Divine Beast affectionately rubbing against its cub.

"System, synchronize their emotional frequencies!" A soft green light shone from Lin Ye's palm, a calming incantation learned from the Earth Temple. "Trunks, materialize your protective instincts towards your mother into sword energy! Vegeta, remember your promise to Bulma to return alive!"

Trunks' energy sword suddenly burst forth with a bluish-green light, the color unique to Super Saiyan form. His sword tip stopped trembling and instead pointed steadily at the divine beast's brow: "Don't touch my mother!" This roar was filled with the repression of three months of training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, his adoration for his father, and his fear of the future—all these emotions materialized into sword energy, causing the divine beast's flames to freeze for a moment.

Golden patterns mingled with Vegeta's deep blue flames, a brief resonance between his Super Saiyan and Deep Blue forms. He recalled Bulma working late into the night in the Capsule Corp. lab, Trunks' awkward expression when he first called him "Dad," and Bulma's expression as she held the newborn Bra and told him, "Don't die too horribly." In the instant these images flashed across his retina, his fist finally pierced through the flames, slamming solidly into the scales on the Divine Beast's belly.

"This time... no hiding!" His voice trembled without him even realizing it.

The divine beast let out a long, mournful cry, and the flames suddenly turned a soft, pale blue. Lin Ye saw the ferocity in its eyes gradually fade, replaced by a childlike bewilderment. Bulma seized the opportunity to rush forward and press the scanner against its chest: "Look! The emotional spectrum has dropped to a safe level!"

When Lin Ye's soothing light enveloped the divine beast, it obediently lowered its head, and a super dragon ball radiating a warm glow rolled out of its open mouth.

As Vegeta bent down to pick up the Dragon Ball, his fingertips touched the tiny scratches on the surface of the divine beast's tongue—marks from being sealed in a volcano for a long time.

“It’s not a guardian,” Bulma suddenly whispered, “but a sealed prisoner.” This statement caused everyone to gasp. Lin Ye’s system quickly searched the ancient Namekian texts and, sure enough, found a cryptic record among the yellowed pages: Garuda was originally a guardian beast, but due to the high priest’s incantation, it went berserk and had to devour negative emotions every thirty years to maintain its seal.

"So that attack just now was actually..." Trunks slowly loosened his grip on the sword hilt, the boy's eyes reflecting the divine beast's gradually transparent body, "It was calling for help?"

The divine beast's body began to transform into blue specks of light, the last speck landing in Lin Ye's palm. The system notification sounded unusually pulsating: Hidden skill acquired: Beast Language (Beginner). Vegeta suddenly turned and walked towards the volcano's crater, his silhouette stretched long in the setting sun, his tail unusually drooping at his side, like a defeated beast.

“Next time I encounter this kind of monster,” he said in a muffled voice, “I definitely won’t hold back.”

Lin Ye watched his retreating figure, suddenly recalling Bulma's words: "The Saiyans' gentleness is always hidden beneath their most violent exterior." Krillin's exclamation came through the communicator, saying Frieza's fleet was approaching, but no one noticed that the cracks on the Super Dragon Balls were emitting a faint glow, as if some ancient contract was taking effect.

Chapter 44: Mysterious Message

The Super Dragon Ball lay in Lin Ye's palm, its warm light reflecting the fine engravings on its surface, like some kind of ancient script flowing within. "These patterns..." Bulma, wearing a magnifying glass, leaned closer, her metal-framed glasses sliding down to her nose, her fingers nervously rubbing the edges of the lenses. "They're very similar to the spacetime runes I've seen in the ancient texts of Korinta, but the arrangement is completely different." She suddenly looked up, a flicker of fear in her eyes. "Do you think this isn't some kind of curse mark?"

Lin Ye's system emitted a high-frequency beep, and a scarlet warning box popped up on his retinal projection: "Time-space encryption information detected. Consume 5 evolution points to analyze?" His finger hovered over the virtual interface for half a second, and the horrific scenes of the last mission flashed through his mind—to obtain these 10 evolution points, they had fought a bloody battle against mutated monsters in the ruins of the Cell Games for three whole days. "Confirm!" He gritted his teeth, his nails almost digging into his palms.

The moment the blue light surged, Vegeta suddenly grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him back with such force that Lin Ye's teeth even grazed his tongue. "Idiot!" Vegeta's tail slammed into the ground, smashing the rocks and creating spiderweb-like cracks. "What if it's some kind of trap? How are we going to fight Frieza?" A rare look of worry flashed in his eyes, the kind of look he only showed when thinking of Bulma and Trunks.

The words were ripped apart by a violent spatial tremor. The seven Dragon Balls floated in an array, projecting a distorted holographic image. In the image, a figure in a golden robe was impaled through the chest by a dark purple energy chain from a figure in black robes, blood raining down in front of the mysterious Temple of Time. "We can't let him get the Key of Time... Once the seal on the Temple of Time is broken..." The golden-robed figure's voice, crackling with electrical noise, was filled with despair, "the entire spacetime will..." The image suddenly distorted, turning into a snowflake.

"The Key of Time?" Trunks' energy sword unconsciously drew half an inch from its sheath, the blade reflecting his taut jawline. He suddenly recalled the future three years ago, in that world destroyed by the Androids, where the elderly Gohan murmured before his death, "The Key of Time... the last hope..." This long-buried memory made his hands tremble slightly.

"Never mind the legends!" Vegeta suddenly slammed his fist into the ground, sending magma flying two meters high, the scorching shockwave blowing away his blond hair. "This damn system is going to rip us off our points again! 5 points is enough for three form boosts!" He turned and glared at Lin Ye, his eyes burning with fury. "If you dare to make decisions on your own again, I won't hold back!"

Just as Lin Ye was about to retort, the system alarm suddenly ripped through the air, ten times sharper than before. "Warning! Energy fluctuations of the black-robed figure are detected approaching! Energy level: Beyond Deep Blue Form!" His combat suit instantly displayed a defensive matrix, with nanomaterials weaving into a dense net on his skin. However, when he saw the distant space being torn open as if by an invisible giant hand, and a figure wearing a bronze mask emerging from the dark mist, his heart still skipped a beat.

"You've all had a tough time." The black-robed man's voice was like a venomous snake's hiss, each word carrying a chilling edge. Purple energy seeping from the gaps in his mask corroded the ground, creating a hissing crater. "From Namek to Earth, and here, every step you've taken has been part of my script." He flicked his wrist, and Vegeta's deep blue aura suddenly and eerily extinguished, causing him to collapse like a puppet with its strings cut. Bulma screamed and lunged at her husband, only to be repelled by an invisible barrier, her knees slamming heavily against the rocks.

"Father!" Trunks roared, unleashing an energy sword wreathed in Super Saiyan light. However, when the sword tip was still half a meter from the black-robed man, the boy suddenly froze—black chains had inexplicably wrapped around his wrists, the runes flowing along them frantically devouring his energy. Trunks watched in horror as his golden hair gradually dimmed, his power draining away like sand in an hourglass.

Lin Ye felt a cold touch on the back of his neck; without turning around, he knew it was the chain pressing against him. System pop-ups flashed: "Time-space confinement field detected; current combat power utilization 17%." He caught a glimpse of Bulma stealthily reaching for the capsule at her waist and immediately shouted, "Don't be impulsive! He can sense energy fluctuations!" But it was too late. The black-robed man merely smiled contemptuously, and the capsule in Bulma's hand instantly turned to dust.

The man in black robes let out a low laugh, the bronze patterns on his mask glowing eerily. "Clever lad. But you think the Super Dragon Balls are for making wishes?" Runes identical to those on the Dragon Balls appeared in his palm, and the seven Dragon Balls suddenly broke free from their control, forming a rotating star chart in the air. "These are fragments of the key to the Temple of Time, and you are merely a bunch of competent key collectors." His voice was filled with sarcasm, as if he were looking at a group of helpless ants.

Vegeta suddenly erupted, his deep blue aura breaking through some of the suppression, but his fist was deflected by the purple barrier just as it was about to strike the black-robed man. The powerful recoil sent him crashing into the volcanic rock wall behind him, sending debris raining down. "Bastard! If you've got the guts, let's fight one-on-one!" He struggled to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes grew even more crazed. "I, Vegeta, will never lose to a coward like you!"

"A one-on-one duel?" The black-robed man's mask cracked, revealing half a face covered in dark red curse marks, which seemed to writhe beneath his skin like living creatures. "You lost the moment you started analyzing the Dragon Ball information." He suddenly flicked his finger, and black chains burrowed into their bodies like living things. Lin Ye felt the system tremble violently; all skill icons turned gray, and he heard the system's final warning before its collapse: Energy core overload... Self-destruct program initiated...

Before his consciousness was swallowed by darkness, he heard Bulma's desperate cries and the black-robed man's final whisper: "The gates of the Temple of Time are finally about to open..." At the center of the star map formed by the Super Dragon Balls, the phantom of half a key slowly emerged, flickered twice in the void, and vanished completely. In the distance, the outline of the Temple of Time appeared and disappeared amidst purple lightning, and the ancient tolling of bells echoed throughout the planet, as if announcing the arrival of a terrifying era.

Chapter 45: Unexpected Rescue

The black-robed man's black chains, like a greedy python, were only half a meter away from the Super Dragon Ball, the eerie runes on the chains flashing with a light that seemed to devour everything. Lin Ye's veins bulged as he struggled desperately, only to hear his bones cracking under the immense pressure, as if he would be crushed by this terrifying force at any moment. In that critical instant, when his heart almost stopped beating, the sky suddenly split open with a spiderweb-like white crack, and blinding light poured down like an ancient divine punishment, illuminating the entire battlefield as if it were daytime.

"What?!" The man in black robes looked up abruptly, a gasp escaping from beneath his bronze mask, his voice filled with undisguised shock and fear. Lin Ye felt the restraints on his body vanish suddenly; the stark contrast caused him to stagger and fall to his knees. His nostrils were filled with the acrid smell of burning energy, the pungent odor left by a violent collision of energies. He forced himself to look up and saw a silver-haired woman slowly descending on particles of light. Her long, silver-white dress fluttered without wind, the runes flowing on the hem identical to those on a dragon ball, seemingly containing some mysterious and powerful force.

"The Supreme Kai of Time?!" The black-robed man roared as he retreated, the black mist around him churning violently like a boiling black swamp. "Impossible! You clearly already..." His words were cut short as he suddenly crushed a black jade slip, and a spatial rift rapidly expanded behind him, purple lightning raging within the crack, emitting a heart-palpitating roar.

The silver-haired woman landed gracefully, every movement exuding an ethereal quality. With a light touch of her fingertips, a transparent barrier instantly enveloped everyone, its surface rippled with energy. Lin Ye's system frantically popped up: "Detected energy fluctuations surpassing god-level! Danger level: Deactivated." A hint of weariness flashed in her eyes, a few strands of gray hair peeking through her long, silver-white hair, as if telling tales of countless years of hardship. "Sorry I'm late. I am Agnes, guardian of the Supreme Kai of Time." She glanced in the direction the black-robed man had disappeared, a cold smile playing on her lips, a smile brimming with confidence. "However, some people are destined not to escape."

"Who exactly is that man in black robes?" Lin Ye propped himself up on his knees, his battle suit tattered and charred in several places from the energy impact. "And the Key of Time, he said the Dragon Balls are fragments of the key..." Before he could finish speaking, Vegeta suddenly rushed forward like a whirlwind, grabbing Anise by the collar. Deep blue flames crackled in his palm, and a powerful shockwave ripped up the surrounding debris. "Stop beating around the bush! Why did you have to come all this time? Are you in cahoots with that guy?" Vegeta's eyes widened, filled with wariness and suspicion.

Anise calmly pried Vegeta's fingers apart, her movements gentle yet possessing an irresistible force; Vegeta couldn't budge an inch from her grasp. "Saiyans are still so volatile." She glanced at the Super Dragon Ball in Lin Ye's hand, its light reflecting a star map in her pupils, as if she could see through all secrets. "Some secrets aren't good to know too early. However," she suddenly raised her hand and waved it, causing space to distort like crumpled paper, the surrounding scenery spinning rapidly, making one dizzy.

In the blinding light, Lin Ye felt a churning in his stomach, as if his internal organs were being churned together. When his vision cleared, a bone-chilling cold swept over him, and he couldn't help but shiver. He then realized that everyone was standing before a colossal structure floating in the clouds. Hundred-meter-high crystal pillars pierced the sky, their surfaces entwined with flowing golden patterns that shimmered in the sunlight. The entire temple seemed to float in the Milky Way, with countless points of light dancing like fireflies beneath its dome, a scene of dreamlike beauty, yet also exuding a sense of mystery and majesty.

“This is…” Bulma removed her goggles, the lenses instantly fogging up. She excitedly grabbed Anise’s sleeve, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “This is the legendary Temple of Time?! I’ve seen sketches in Grandpa’s notes, but this scale…” Her voice was filled with disbelief.

“The outer perimeter of the Temple of Time.” Anise nodded with a smile, her skirt sweeping across the ground, leaving a fleeting trail of runes that flickered a few times before disappearing. “The path ahead is yours to walk.” She suddenly looked at Trunks, her gaze piercing, as if she could see into the boy’s heart. “Young man, the temporal paradox within you is more severe than anyone else’s. Remember, some choices, once made, cannot be reversed.” She spoke slowly, her tone heavy and serious.

Vegeta suddenly snorted coldly, his tail slapping impatiently against the ground with a series of cracking sounds. "Easy for you to say! Who knows if this is some new trap?" Despite his words, he had already taken the lead and walked towards the temple gate, his palms gathering a protective shield of energy, ready to deal with any potential dangers.

Just as Lin Ye was about to follow, Anise suddenly pressed down on his shoulder. A cool energy surged up his spine, like a cold little snake crawling through his body. His system interface suddenly popped up an unfamiliar notification: "Spacetime correction field detected, repairing energy disorder." "Your integration with the system is deeper than I imagined," Anise whispered, her voice only audible to Lin Ye, her tone tinged with worry. "But be careful, over-reliance on external forces will eventually backfire."

The temple doors slowly opened with a heavy creak, and the distant tolling of bells echoed through the empty space, seemingly traversing endless ages. Lin Ye turned to look, but Anise's figure had already vanished in the light, leaving only a faint whisper: "The secret of the Key of Time lies hidden in the seventh corridor... Beware the eyes in the shadows." These words sent a chill down Lin Ye's spine.

The moment Lin Ye stepped into the temple, he felt all sound vanish, as if he had entered a silent world. The floor was made of a translucent material, with glittering stardust flowing beneath it; every step felt like walking through a galaxy, the stardust shimmering with each step. Vegeta suddenly stopped, pointing into the distance and shouting, "Look! Those statues..." His voice broke the silence, tinged with tension.

Following his finger, everyone saw twelve enormous statues standing on either side of the corridor. Each statue wore different combat suits; some wielded energy swords, the blades still bearing the aura of battle; others were entwined with mysterious runes, which emitted a faint glow. Suddenly, Lin Ye's system emitted a piercing alarm, and the eye of one of the statues flickered—it was a figure wearing a black hood, holding in its hand half a key emitting an eerie light. The light flashed, seemingly challenging everyone, or perhaps concealing some earth-shattering secret.

Chapter 46: The Temple Maze

The moment Lin Ye stepped into the Temple of Time, his temples throbbed, and the frantically flashing red alerts on his retina nearly blinded him. "Warning! Spacetime turbulence detected. Combat ability reduced by 30%!" The system's shrill notification, mixed with static, sounded as if it were about to completely collapse. He reached out and touched the cold, gleaming wall; its surface was icy to the touch, and the runes on it seemed to come alive, flickering in the darkness.

"This godforsaken place even restricts power?" Vegeta's veins bulged as he slammed his fist into the eerily glowing wall. Sparks flew, and the runes suddenly blazed with a scarlet light, like countless eyes opening in the darkness. The ground exploded, and hundreds of warriors formed from solidified energy burst forth. Their armor gleamed with a liquid metallic sheen, and the eerie blue light swirling around their longswords made the air hiss and freeze. Seeing this, Vegeta's tail involuntarily wrapped tightly around his thigh—an unconscious reaction of tension when facing an unknown and powerful foe.

Trunks's mechanical arm sounded a piercing alarm first, and his sword-parrying motion was a fraction of a second slower than usual. "These guys' attacks have a time-slowing effect!" The boy's voice was filled with terror. The moment the sword clashed with the longsword, his movements froze for 0.3 seconds—in the blink of an eye of battle, that could be fatal. He staggered back a few steps, his back slamming heavily against the wall, a muffled groan escaping his throat.

Lin Ye's pupils contracted sharply, and the system's combat analysis interface instantly unfolded: Target Weakness: Left Chest Rune, Energy Transmission Node. "Attack the rune on their left chest!" His Annihilation Thrust tore through the air, the golden spear tip precisely piercing the lead warrior's weak point. With a synthesized scream, the warrior vanished, but more figures emerged from the void like ripples in water, the sound of blades cutting through the air like the whisper of death. Lin Ye felt his arms begin to go numb; each attack felt like a battle against the rules of spacetime, consuming far more energy than usual.

“The runes are changing!” Bulma suddenly ripped off her goggles, revealing wildly fluctuating holographic data projected onto the lenses. “They form a formula! If I’m not mistaken, it’s a time puzzle! Solving it will shut down the monster spawning device!” Her fingers flew across the virtual keyboard, beads of sweat dripping from her forehead onto the device and instantly evaporating into white mist. “I can’t hold on much longer! This data is constantly self-correcting!” Her voice trembled, but her eyes remained fixed on the screen, refusing to relax for a moment.