Martial Evolution Tower.
It was enormous and towering, a full ten light-years tall, standing in the most vital heartland of human civilization, worshiped day and night by countless living beings.
Within the tower's deepest chamber, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged. It was a vast domain, and not far away stood eighteen extraordinary trees swaying lightly in the breeze.
These eighteen trees could directly absorb chaos energy without undergoing any refining or purification. Their oppressive aura was no weaker than that of any Path-Clearing peak expert.
"They can directly take in chaos energy because they have some special internal structures that handle it," Lin Yuan reflected, a surge of inspiration rippling through his mind.
Back at the 11th rank, he had obtained these eighteen Dominance-level trees and became intrigued that they could directly inhale and exhale chaos energy. He had researched them multiple times. After Lin Yuan reached the 12th rank, he finally completed the last piece of that research; all his scattered insights converged into a fully developed secret art.
[Your Unrivaled Insight has perceived the trees absorbing chaos energy. You have comprehended a secret art for directly taking in chaos energy.]
A secret art took shape in Lin Yuan's mind. At its core, it made small adjustments to his internal universe so it could draw in chaos energy similarly to how the trees did.
"At last," Lin Yuan said with a smile. The secret art increased his efficiency at using and absorbing chaos energy, so he no longer relied too heavily on chaos stones.
A Path-Clearing expert's internal universe can indeed absorb chaos energy but only by going through multiple steps. Usually that's fine, but in a critical moment—like during battle—who has time to absorb chaos energy at a slow pace? That's when chaos stones become important.
Chaos stones, refined by Chaos Venerables themselves, contained exceptionally pure chaos energy ready to be absorbed straight away. Now Lin Yuan could do something similar, directly taking in chaos energy.
"The best part of this secret art is how it helps me understand chaos energy," Lin Yuan mused.
Chaos energy is the most common power in the Chaos Void, the basis of everything. Precisely because it's so common, 12th-rank experts often take it for granted.
…
Guming Chaos Continent, Mingchuan City.
Inside an inn.
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, his aura gradually stabilizing.
"With my current grasp of chaos energy, the physical body of this avatar can fully attain the Path-Clearing peak."
A small grin emerged on Lin Yuan's face.
Previously, when he subdued dozens of alien 12th-rank experts in the universe, his dozens of avatars each had nearly Path-Clearing peak power. Roughly on par with Xuanyuan the Strongest one or the Mother Empress of Insect Race, maybe a bit stronger.
But now, each avatar genuinely reached the Path-Clearing peak.
Bear in mind, "close to the Path-Clearing peak" and "actual Path-Clearing peak" are two entirely different concepts. Xuanyuan, the Mother Empress, and the others had approached the Path-Clearing peak long ago, yet whether they could break through before the universe's Great Destruction remained uncertain. Odds were against it.
As for the two Calamity Race powerhouses at the Path-Clearing peak, that was because they had cultivated through more than one cosmic epoch. Under normal conditions, hundreds or thousands of epochs might pass in a universe without spawning a single Path-Clearing peak being.
"Still, I need to be cautious. This isn't my home universe." Lin Yuan scanned his surroundings, calming his momentary excitement.
In his own universe, he was absolutely invincible, sweeping all opponents. But here on Guming Chaos Continent? Even if his avatars were at the Path-Clearing peak—and even if his true body possessed Dominance-level power—he couldn't act recklessly.
A Dominance-level expert is indeed quite strong in the Chaos Void, but this is a Chaos Continent overseen by a Chaos Venerable, gathering countless 12th-rank beings from the wide surroundings. Path-Clearing experts are found everywhere, Dominance-level as well. There might even be the occasional Chaos-level being passing by.
"Hmm?"
"Someone's looking for me?" Lin Yuan sensed it and glanced outside the inn.
"I've been here training ever since arriving on this Chaos Continent. Who'd want to see me?" He felt a bit surprised.
After pondering, Lin Yuan stood and made his way into another section of the inn.
The inn was large enough to be a minor world of its own, partitioned into different areas.
"Greetings, my lord." Awaiting him was a woman whose gaze was gentle and manner respectful.
In one look, Lin Yuan discerned she was an 11th-rank being. The cuffs of her robe bore the insignia of Guming Chaos Continent, meaning she served under Guming Venerable's command.
Of course, she wouldn't be a direct subordinate of Guming Venerable but at least someone working in his system.
"What is it?" Lin Yuan asked directly.
"Replying to your lordship, half a year from now, our Mingchuan City will host its 'Thousand Treasures Gathering.' During that event, many rare objects, seldom seen under normal circumstances, will be available. By order of the city lord, I've brought you a copy of the 'Thousand Treasures Record.' It lists the items for sale at this time."
She produced a small compendium.
"Understood." Lin Yuan's expression did not shift as he took the volume.
"I'll take my leave, then." The woman departed at once.
Lin Yuan flipped through the 'Thousand Treasures Record' filled with numerous items.
Mingchuan City provided this record so he could prepare in advance, gathering chaos stones. Knowing in advance what would appear at the Thousand Treasures Gathering gave him time to get ready if there was something he desperately wanted.
"Mingchuan City's 'Thousand Treasures Gathering' is backed by Guming Venerable. Its credibility is trustworthy. The items that appear are often extraordinary, drawing in many strong cultivators from the nearby Chaos Void."
Lin Yuan had already learned much about the Thousand Treasures Gathering from the intelligence left behind by Cang Weiyang.
"This Gathering will feature 8,633 items, all of decent quality."
He skimmed it.
"5,311 Path-Clearing artifacts, 1,476 Dominance-level items, and even six Chaos-level treasures? As for the rest, they're various exotic flowers, bizarre fruits, unusual materials, and so forth."
Lin Yuan noted that even a single Thousand Treasures Gathering showcased riches far beyond the entire net worth of Cang Weiyang, a Dominance-level powerhouse.
"Crystal of Time: Contains a high concentration of time power. Using it greatly speeds up comprehension of time-based laws, effective only below the seventh layer of time mastery."
"Base price: 800 chaos stones."
"A direct boost to time law comprehension? That's quite uncommon," Lin Yuan remarked, "but it won't help me."
His comprehension of time laws had already reached the ninth layer. Only a single step remained to transform it into Time Dao. Among the fundamental pillars, time rules are not as difficult as fusing space-time rules, so Lin Yuan reached the ninth layer quite early.
"Seven-Colored Thunder Stone: A strange rock fallen from the Chaos Thunder Pool, harboring seven-colored lightning. Immensely beneficial for a 12th-rank cultivator on the path of lightning."
"Base price: 10,000 chaos stones."
The Chaos Void teems with many strange locales, each requiring special conditions to enter. The Chaos Thunder Pool, for instance, is filled with endless destructive lightning. Only a Chaos Venerable specialized in lightning can enter.
Over lengthy intervals, it spits out certain stones—Seven-Colored Thunder Stones—imbued with some essence of the Chaos Thunder Pool and serving as a prime source of lightning for deepening lightning Dao.
"Lightning…" Lin Yuan paused for a moment. He had no urgent craving for lightning-based laws.
"Ten thousand chaos stones is about an average Dominance-level cultivator's entire fortune," Lin Yuan mused.
Still, the Seven-Colored Thunder Stone is so rare that it can be priceless. Being expensive is normal.
He continued browsing through the Thousand Treasures Record, many items piquing his interest, until he saw a particular listing.
Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed subtly.
It was a golden box, weathered by time, likely ancient. In its lower-left corner lay a complex etching that struck Lin Yuan with a sense of familiarity.
"That's the Mysterious Emperor lineage's mark?" he realized.
Having inherited the Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm, Lin Yuan was considered a descendant of His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign and thus recognized that insignia.
"This box might be from the Mysterious Emperor lineage…" he guessed.
He glanced at the notes on it in the Thousand Treasures Gathering's info:
"Unknown Box: Emitting Chaos-level energy fluctuations of unclear origin and effect."
"Base price: 30,000 chaos stones."
The golden box had been in Mingchuan City for some time, and even Guming Venerable had failed to determine its background. But since it radiated Chaos-level power, they considered it a Chaos-level treasure and priced it at 30,000 chaos stones.
In fact, that price would be deemed low for a Chaos-level treasure. Typically, any Chaos-level artifact would fetch 50,000, 100,000, or more chaos stones.
"So, 30,000 chaos stones. Guming Venerable must not know its true background," Lin Yuan thought. His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign had been a peerless Great Saint.
How could something passed down from a peerless Great Saint's lineage be worth only 30,000 chaos stones?
Of course, that made sense. His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign had existed countless cosmic epochs ago. Even back in the era of the Devil Jade Tower's master, knowledge of him was already extremely rare. The Devil Jade Tower's master learned of him only via ancient ruins.
"30,000 chaos stones. I'll give it a shot," Lin Yuan decided. None of the other 12th-rank cultivators, nor Guming Venerable himself, could figure out the box, but Lin Yuan was different, as he cultivated the Mysterious Emperor lineage. He could at least attempt it.
Any leftover treasure from the Mysterious Emperor's lineage, surviving all these epochs, was bound to be extraordinary. Lesser items would have vanished long ago with the passing ages.
…
Deep in Guming Chaos Continent.
Guming Venerable abruptly opened his eyes, looking grave.
"Guming, what's wrong? Did you discover the origin of the coming threat?" asked a nearby Chaos Dragon Beast.
Some time ago, the beast had foreseen a crisis drawing near and alerted Guming Venerable.
"Yes," Guming answered with a nod, the weight never leaving his expression.
"What is it?" asked the Chaos Dragon Beast.
"Shadowfiend Great Saint and Nine Phoenix Great Saint are battling, and their fight will spill into this region," Guming Venerable replied.
"Shadowfiend Great Saint and Nine Phoenix Great Saint…" The Chaos Dragon Beast's heart lurched.
Those two were famous Great Saints. They had been archenemies since they first stepped into Chaos-level power, fighting each other constantly. They ascended to the Great Saint realm around the same time, and their feud continued for epoch upon epoch.
Ever since becoming Chaos Great Saints, they had waged unending war, ravaging large swathes of territory. Through inquiries with his contacts, Guming Venerable learned their battlefront would likely pass near Guming Chaos Continent.
Even the aftershocks of a battle between two Great Saints could plunge the entire continent into chaos. A being like the Chaos Dragon Beast, approaching Chaos-level, could be badly injured from residual blasts alone.
That's if the Chaos Dragon Beast tried to dodge. When these two Great Saints fight, entire regions disintegrate. Even any universes nestled in their path might be forced into early Great Destruction.
Shadowfiend and Nine Phoenix had been clashing for tens of cosmic epochs, forcing many universes into ruin long before their time.
"Unlucky for us to be right in their route," Guming Venerable murmured.
A normal Chaos Venerable is vastly weaker than a Chaos Great Saint. Killing a Chaos Venerable outright might not be easy for a Great Saint, but destroying everything around them is trivial.
"Indeed, we're very unlucky," the Chaos Dragon Beast sighed.
The Chaos Void was immeasurable, so even a widespread conflict might remain a small corner of the total cosmos. That was why no other Great Saints had tried to stop their fight; from the bigger picture, it wasn't worth intervening.
"Guming, what do we do?" asked the Chaos Dragon Beast.
"I plan to drive this Chaos Continent away as far as possible," Guming Venerable said. In principle, they could abandon the continent and flee, likely avoiding any danger. But Guming Venerable had poured nearly a hundred cosmic epochs of effort into this place; he didn't want to let it go.
Guming Chaos Continent was huge as hundreds of universes combined, far too large for Guming's internal universe to contain. So the only option was shifting the entire continent itself, hoping it could escape the region of destruction as the Great Saints passed.
Of course, moving a continent at that scale was much slower than Guming's own flight, but it was a plan. Even if they couldn't fully outrun the aftershocks, at least they wouldn't be dead center, making survival more likely.
"There's no other way," the Chaos Dragon Beast agreed.
"This region is about to face annihilation," Guming Venerable said softly.
As a Chaos Venerable, he could flee and survive. But the many universes in this vicinity—and the countless lives within them—lacked that luck.
...
In the Human domain, at the Martial Evolution Tower.
"Thirty thousand chaos stones..." Lin Yuan considered his own assets.
He currently had only a few thousand chaos stones—those left behind by Cang Weiyang, a Dominance-level powerhouse. To buy that golden box connected to the Mysterious Emperor lineage, Lin Yuan planned to collect the full thirty thousand if possible.
"Looks like I need to sell some weapons," Lin Yuan thought.
Right now, he owned many spare weapons and artifacts, though most were at the Path-Clearing realm. A few Dominance-level items had belonged to Cang Weiyang.
"I'll send these items to the Guming Chaos Continent, sell them there, and see if it's enough." Lin Yuan selected pieces from his treasury that he would not be using.
If he still fell short, he intended to part with a few Dominance-level trees. As for the Chaos-level treasure he owned, he preferred not to sell it unless there was no other way, since it would be useful once he himself reached the Dominance realm.
"I really do lack chaos stones," Lin Yuan sighed inwardly.
Strictly speaking, Lin Yuan's current understanding of chaos energy meant he could refine chaos stones by himself, much like a Chaos Venerable—directly separating them out of the swirling mass of chaos. But it was one thing to be able to do it, and quite another to do so efficiently.
Without the powerful mind and internal universe of a Chaos Venerable, Lin Yuan could probably refine fewer than ten chaos stones a year.
"Time to go."
Raising a hand, Lin Yuan tore open a spatial fissure that cut through every layer of space, linking his universe to the Chaos Void. Then he threw the chosen items through it. With a single thought, beyond that tear—out in the Chaos Void—he formed an avatar to take them.
Even his avatar now possessed Path-Clearing peak power, more than enough to roam the Chaos Void at will.
Rustle.
With a wave, Lin Yuan closed the fissure of about thirty meters in length.
Technically, once the spatial layers were severed, Lin Yuan could have left a permanent rift if he wished.
"Ninety days per strand of Boundary-breaking source energy… that's the limit? I can't boost it further?" Lin Yuan wondered.
Upon reaching the 12th rank, he had attempted to increase the rate at which the Gate of Myriad Worlds gathered Boundary-breaking source energy—perhaps by creating a bigger permanent rift—but it had remained stuck at a single strand every ninety days.
"There must be some unknown requirement for absorbing more Boundary-breaking source energy," Lin Yuan mused.
At the Martial Evolution Tower, he took the initiative to contact the Goddess of Wisdom.
"Respected human Strongest one, the Goddess of Wisdom is at your service," came a cool and formal voice.
The three Goddesses of human civilization were originally derived from certain off-world objects that had fallen into the universe—one of the greatest opportunities ever obtained by humanity. Each possessed mental and computational abilities on par with Dominance-level lifeforms, enabling them to support nearly all decisions, large or small.
"Upload the 12th-rank Path-Clearing portion," Lin Yuan said.
He had essentially completed the 12th-rank section of his Martial Evolution path, so he could publish it. In fact, uploading this portion wasn't hugely significant—unless Lin Yuan perished, no other martial cultivator would reach the 12th rank anyway.
"I could open up branches of martial cultivation in the future," Lin Yuan reflected.
A single evolutionary path is like a great Dao. If it's wide enough, it can spawn many branches, and each branch could theoretically produce a 12th-rank being as well—provided the foundation is robust, like a large river splitting into tributaries that are still wider than most streams.
"Any offshoot Daos generated from Martial Dao will also benefit me," Lin Yuan recalled from his Ultimate Leap experience. Widespread adoption of one's path helps sustain one's own existence, which is much harder than simply living forever.
By uploading the Path-Clearing realm portion of Martial Dao, Lin Yuan's method instantly became the top evolutionary path among humans. This outcome surprised no one—not the masses nor the other nine Strongest ones; it was perfectly logical.
Martial Dao had already ranked fifth with only up to the 11th-rank portion available. Now that the 12th-rank Path-Clearing segment was out, not being number one would have seemed strange.
…
Within the Martial Evolution Tower.
"Tower Master, this is a comprehensive list of every individual who ever contributed to human civilization but has already passed away," said Zhang Tianzhi respectfully down below. As the first human to reach the 8th rank via Martial Dao, he joined the Martial Tower the moment it was established.
Although not high in status due to his limited strength, he had earned enough recognition to attract Lin Yuan's attention.
Lin Yuan glanced at the dense names—billions upon billions recorded there. Though the Star Sea Calendar spanned just over two million years, human history stretched back much further, and countless humans had been born. Even if only a tiny fraction contributed to civilization, that fraction was still an enormous quantity.
"Tower Master, you're planning on reviving them?" Zhang Tianzhi asked cautiously.
"They contributed to human civilization, so they can certainly be revived," Lin Yuan said.
Previously, reviving the dead required meeting various criteria: potential, strength, and contribution. That was done partly out of concern for the nine Strongest ones, who would face the universe's backlash each time they resurrected someone. One or two revivals were fine, or maybe hundreds or thousands, but tens of millions would leave a Strongest one seriously injured.
Now, however, Lin Yuan's life essence had grown incomparably powerful. Reviving even an 11th-rank lifeform caused negligible backlash. He intended to lower the threshold dramatically and extend it over a far longer timeline. It was a belated benefit for the ancestors of human civilization who had perished.
…
A few days later.
Every human evolver of 9th rank or higher gathered outside the Martial Evolution Tower.
When a Strongest one brings someone back from the dead, it involves reversing the flow of time, the explicit manifestation of time-space rules. Observing it offers insight to those watching.
In the past, whenever the nine Strongest ones performed a resurrection at their Evolution Towers, countless evolvers came to observe. Lin Yuan himself had seen Xia Qin, the Strongest one, revive someone.
"Is the Milky Way Strongest one about to resurrect those who died for humanity in ages past?"
"I hear the scope of this resurrection is unprecedented. Anyone who contributed to humanity at all, no matter their potential or power, is on the list."
"Unbelievable. How huge must the backlash be?"
Many evolvers whispered among themselves. Now that humanity had taken over the entire universe, resources were no longer an issue.
Xuanyuan, Xia Qin, and the other Strongest ones arrived as well. They had wanted to help Lin Yuan bear the brunt, but he declined.
"Let's begin."
Lin Yuan had performed a similar resurrection before in the Immortal World, bringing back loved ones and friends of that dimension. But the Immortal World's River of Time was distinct from that of the main universe.
The main universe's River of Time is, strictly speaking, just a tributary of the Chaos Void's great timeline.
Buzz.
Lin Yuan began moving upstream. Armed with the list of those to revive, he possessed precise knowledge of each target's life essence. Reaching into the vast River of Time, he pulled them back into the present.
"Awaken."
With a gentle exertion, over ten billion evolvers were forcibly drawn out and returned to the present era.
Every instant, another ten billion came back to life. In the span of a few breaths, the resurrected had exceeded ten trillion.
"How is the backlash from the universe failing to affect him at all?" the onlookers murmured. Resurrecting billions of lives normally caused turbulence in the Time River and a potent backlash targeting the Strongest one, yet it didn't even stir Lin Yuan's robes.
"His life essence is too powerful. I get the feeling that, if we weren't already anchored in the timeline, the Milky Way Strongest one could probably revive us too," observed Xuanyuan and the other Strongest ones in awe. They had resurrected people many times, so they knew what cosmic retaliation was like.
Reviving billions of souls in a single move would severely injure any Strongest one. Yet Lin Yuan was doing it repeatedly in an instant, reviving well over ten trillion in mere moments.
"I… I'm alive again?"
"Our civilization actually produced an ultimate being?"
Countless individuals from far earlier periods in human history opened their eyes, recalling that in their era, humans had no 12th-rank existence; they never imagined they could possibly return.
"Me too?"
Among them was a cold-looking man named Ou Yin, who had died at the hands of Black Abyss Qingyu. Judging by his talent and achievements, he would never have qualified for resurrection under the old system.
"The Milky Way Strongest one…" Ou Yin lifted his head to glimpse a towering figure stooping slightly, gazing in his direction, wearing a kindly smile.
"So it was the Milky Way Star Lord who claimed what I left behind on the alien battlefield?" he muttered, piecing things together as a wave of complex emotions rose inside him.
"All done, more or less," Lin Yuan remarked, scanning the crowds of newly resurrected beings. Then he looked over at the many 11th-rank evolvers and entrusted them with arranging the details of reintegrating these people. With that, he disappeared.
Back inside the Martial Evolution Tower, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged.
"I've finished everything I needed to," he said with a soft exhalation.
"It's time to explore that Source World."
His mind shifted, sinking into the depths where the great Gate of Myriad Worlds towered.
..."Source World."
Lin Yuan looked solemnly towards the Source World coordinates deep within the Gate of Myriad Realms.
"Now if I want to transmigrate, I no longer need to expend Boundary-breaking Source Power."
Lin Yuan thought to himself that since ascending to the twelfth rank, his life essence had undergone a leap, not only eliminating the need for Boundary-breaking Source Power when transmigrating to worlds he had already descended into.
Even for worlds he had not yet transmigrated to, no Boundary-breaking Source Power was needed.
All he needed was the correct world coordinates.
"It seems that in the past, the Boundary-breaking Source Power used for transmigration was to protect my True Spirit Consciousness," Lin Yuan speculated.
After ascending to the twelfth rank, his life essence was strong enough, and so was his True Spirit Consciousness, eliminating the need for additional protection from the Gate of Myriad Realms, thus saving some Boundary-breaking Source Power.
"I'd better choose to transmigrate using my True Spirit Consciousness," Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Transmigrating with True Spirit Will has the sole flaw of a period of weakness.
But this flaw had been largely compensated for since Lin Yuan ascended to the twelfth rank.
"A period of weakness? At worst, just return directly to the Gate of Myriad Realms and continue with the next transmigration."
After all, no Boundary-breaking Source Power needed to be expended.
And now, Lin Yuan's use of Boundary-breaking Source Power meant that even if he encountered some danger during the period of weakness, he could fend it off.
Minor dangers could be avoided with the help of Boundary-breaking Source Power.
For major dangers, he wouldn't have to resist; he could simply abandon and begin the next transmigration.
As for his true body? It was stationed in the cosmic starry sky, ensuring its safety beyond doubt.
Especially while in the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm, even if the universe were to collapse, Lin Yuan could ignore it.
"Let's begin."
Lin Yuan immediately allocated a portion of his True Spirit Will to surge into the Gate of Myriad Realms.
After ascending to the twelfth rank, Lin Yuan could transmigrate without all of his True Spirit Will flowing in; a portion sufficed. This also meant that his body in the transmigrated world and his body in the cosmic starry sky could operate simultaneously.
In addition, he could utilize numerous other avatars.
"Hmm?"
"Nearly one-third of the True Spirit Will?"
Lin Yuan gazed at the Gate of Myriad Realms. At this moment, a small portion of his True Spirit Will surged into the Gate of Myriad Realms, descending upon that Source World, preparing to integrate.
In a daze.
Lin Yuan's slumbering consciousness began to awaken.
"Young master, don't die, please don't die, don't die! It's all my fault. If I hadn't been careless and left, this wouldn't have happened to you."
"The Dongyang family, if something has really happened to the young master, even if the lord and madam can bear it, I won't spare you!"
"We're almost there, almost home. Once we reach home, young master, you'll be saved."
Lin Yuan's consciousness faintly sensed spatial fluctuation from the outside, clearly indicating that someone was leading him through large-scale spatial transmigration.
"The fiefdom of the Qingfen Marquis in the Qingfen Domain? The Qingfen Marquis is a high-level existence, a Marquis of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom, with terrifying strength. I am the most promising disciple of the Yu Family, competing with the Dongyang Family for the Qingfen Marquis disciple quota. The Dongyang Family, in order to join the Qingfen Marquis's ranks, secretly attacked me."
Lin Yuan quickly absorbed a large amount of memories into his mind, understanding his current predicament.
Whether it's the Yu Family or the Dongyang Family, both are only second-class families in the Qingfen Domain. If they could establish a connection with the Qingfen Marquis, they could at least hope to be promoted to a first-class family.
And a first-class family means a lot of resources and status.
"Dongyang Meng" – a stunning figure flashed in Lin Yuan's mind.
The Yu Family and the Dongyang Family were competing for the Qingfen Marquis disciple quota. The Yu Family's best hope was the original host, while the Dongyang Family had Dongyang Meng.
In fact, the original host and Dongyang Meng had a good relationship in secret; the original host even admired Dongyang Meng.
At this time, when the competition between the two families was at its peak, logically, the original host should have hidden within the family to prevent any accidents.
But Dongyang Meng contacted him, wanting to meet and claiming to have a way to ease the relationship between the two families and resolve the current tense situation between the Yu and Dongyang Families.
"So, your so-called method is to eliminate me?"
A thought flashed in Lin Yuan's mind – the last thought that emerged from the original host.
Upon knowing that Dongyang Meng wanted to meet, the original host, ignoring everything else, secretly slipped out of the family, bringing only an old servant.
Then, he met Dongyang Meng. To keep their conversation private, he even dismissed the old servant.
However, what awaited the original host were Dongyang Family experts who had been lying in ambush on the side.
If it weren't for the original host carrying numerous life-preserving measures, and the old servant quickly returning upon sensing something wrong, he would have been killed long ago.
"My physical body and soul," Lin Yuan felt his current state.
At this moment, his physical body and soul were being eroded by a dark force, rapidly weakening.
However, deep within his physical body and soul, there was still a vibrant force supporting him, though the latter was clearly retreating step by step.
"If nothing unexpected happens, within at most five breaths, the original host's soul and physical body would be completely annihilated."
"What should I do?"
Lin Yuan felt somewhat helpless.
Having just transmigrated, he hadn't set up any defenses and had no means to resist the continuously eroding dark force.
As for the spiritual will? It also requires a sufficiently strong physical body and soul to bear it in order to exert its power, and the spiritual will cannot directly resist that dark erosive force.
"Now."
Lin Yuan pondered.
He now had two choices.
First, directly abandon and have this descending portion of consciousness return to the main universe.
However, doing so would be equivalent to wasting this transmigration opportunity. Although Lin Yuan could transmigrate to the Source World without expending Boundary-breaking Source Power, there was a 'cooling period.'
One could only descend once every 333 years.
By abandoning this opportunity, Lin Yuan would have to wait 333 years for the next descent.
The second choice was to use Boundary-breaking Source Power to resist that dark force.
Lin Yuan didn't need to completely eliminate the dark force; he only needed to hold out until he could return to the Yu Family, at which point the Yu Family's strong members would come to rescue him.
"To temporarily fend off this dark force, a hundred strands of Boundary-breaking Source Power are needed."
In a flash, Lin Yuan's thoughts raced, beginning to make a choice.
"Enough, the identity for this transmigration is good; at least, I don't need to worry about cultivation resources in the early stages," Lin Yuan pondered for just a breath's duration and made a decision.
He was the Yu Family's most outstanding disciple, and his parents were high-ranking and influential in the Yu Family. Such a starting point of identity was quite rare.
It could allow Lin Yuan to avoid many detours in the early stages.
A second-class family in the Qingfen Domain, though not core upper echelon, still dominated a region, giving Lin Yuan the qualification to invest himself there.
"That's only a hundred strands of Boundary-breaking Source Power."
Lin Yuan's thoughts stirred slightly, and an invisible force began to emerge within his body. This force rapidly suppressed and slowed the dark erosive force, making its erosion speed even slower, thus extending Lin Yuan's survival time.
Most importantly, this force would not leave any trace within his body, nor would there be any possibility of it being detected by others.
Hoo hoo hoo.
Space and time were distorting.
An old servant with white hair brought Lin Yuan swiftly to a grand mansion.
"What's happening?"
A tall man appeared, looking towards the white-haired old servant, while also noticing Lin Yuan, whose aura was as thin as threads.
"'Ah Yan." (Original host's nickname)
The tall man's expression changed, and with a gesture, the heavens and earth shifted. The white-haired old servant and Lin Yuan had already arrived at the deepest part of the mansion.
Here, seated cross-legged, were several old men with profound and mysterious auras. At this moment, they simultaneously opened their eyes and looked towards the tall man.
"'Elder Ancestors, my son needs your rescue.'"
The tall man didn't waste any time; he didn't even ask why Lin Yuan was injured at this moment.
"'This is the Dongyang Family's doing.'"
"'How dare they! The Dongyang Family actually dared to strike at my Yu Family's disciple.'"
The several old men with profound auras looked displeased. They immediately took action to stop the dark erosive force spreading within Lin Yuan.
"'Lucky you came back in time. If you had been even a few breaths later, it would have been real trouble.'"
The leading old man spoke, looking at the tall man and frowning.
"What's going on here?"
"'Clan leader, elders," the white-haired old servant, seeing that Lin Yuan was unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief and immediately recounted how Dongyang Meng had plotted against his family's young master.
"'In order to join under the Qingfen Marquis, the Dongyang Family has already resorted to any means necessary," the tall man promptly added from the side.
"'Becoming a disciple of the Qingfen Marquis is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Who would hold back?"
The leading Elder Ancestor of the Yu Family looked somewhat dissatisfied.
He was angry not at the Dongyang Family, but at Yu Yan.
"Knowing that the two families were at their most intense competition, he still went out to secretly meet Dongyang Meng? Isn't that stupid?"
"'The Elder Ancestor is right," the tall man promptly responded from the side.
He also knew his son had issues. The Dongyang Family attacking his son? If Yu Yan had pushed himself, using this opportunity of secretly meeting Dongyang Meng to bring many strong members of the Yu Family and turn the tables to kill Dongyang Meng, how could things have ended up like this?
At that time, with Dongyang Meng dead, Yu Yan's chances of becoming the Qingfen Marquis would greatly increase, and the Yu Family would soar to become a first-class family in the Qingfen Domain.
"'Elder Ancestor, my son is now..." the tall man cautiously asked.
"'Although his life was saved, it would take decades to fully recover. After a year, it will be time to go to Qingfen City," the Elder Ancestor of the Yu Family said, indicating that without full recovery, there was little chance to counter Dongyang Meng, effectively giving up the opportunity to join under the Qingfen Marquis.
"'That's good," the tall man sighed lightly, then immediately thought of something and said, "I'll go back now and properly instruct Ah Yan.'
After saying that, he quickly left with Lin Yuan and the old servant.
"'Finally made it through,"
Lin Yuan steadied himself. The Boundary-breaking Source Power was indeed miraculous—intangible and formless. Apart from Lin Yuan, outsiders couldn't detect it at all.
"'Do those Elder Ancestors of the Yu Family all have twelfth rank strength?'"
Lin Yuan felt inwardly, though it was only the twelfth rank Path-Clearing realm, it was still the twelfth rank.
The Yu Family was only a second-class family in the Qingfen Domain, yet had several Path-Clearing Elder Ancestors stationed there. So what about first-class families? And the Qingfen Marquis who oversees the entire Qingfen Domain?
"'This is the Source World," Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Speaking of world levels, the Source World was not weaker than the Chaos Void.
"'The current priority is to heal the injuries to my physical body and soul."
Lin Yuan gathered his thoughts and began to examine himself.
Although the dark erosive force within his body had been completely eliminated, the injuries remained, and these injuries were extremely difficult to heal. External forces had little effect, and he could only rely on his own origin to slowly repair them.
This was why the Elder Ancestor of the Yu Family concluded that Lin Yuan would need decades to recover.
"'Decades?"
Lin Yuan shook his head slightly. That was how long Yu Yan would need to recover; he himself didn't.
Within the universe.
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged.
"'Over there in the Source World, it's finally stabilized."
A smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face. This was his first descent into the Source World; he didn't want to return defeated.
"'Now, all I need to do is wait for the body there to develop normally."
Lin Yuan thought to himself, from the intelligence he had gathered, the magnitude of that Source World was simply terrifying, especially the Liyang Ancient Kingdom, which was unfathomably deep.
Outside the Guming Chaos Continent.
Lin Yuan's avatar manifested.
"'This time, the speed is much faster," Lin Yuan nodded slightly.
When he first arrived at the Guming Chaos Continent, Lin Yuan was only at the eleventh rank and took four to five months to approach it.
But now?
From leaving the main universe to now, it was only a matter of days.
"'If I can ascend into the eighth level of the space-time realm, I could reach it in just a few breaths" Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Normally, the eighth level of the space-time realm belongs to the Chaos Venerable's space-time comprehension. As for the ninth level? That's the realm of the Chaos Great Saint.
His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign had achieved the pinnacle of the ninth level of the space-time realm, traversing the Chaos Void with no rival.
"'The Thousand Treasures Festival is about to begin."
Lin Yuan immediately headed towards the Guming Chaos Continent.
He had not forgotten the purpose of his coming this time: to bring numerous weapons, armaments, treasures, and rare items to sell, and then to buy that golden box at the Thousand Treasures Festival.
The golden box bore the mark of the Mysterious Emperor Lineage. Only Lin Yuan knew that it likely contained treasures of the Mysterious Emperor Lineage from before.
The golden box itself was almost indestructible, which is why it has been passed down to the present. The treasures existing within such a box were certainly not simple; their true value was definitely far more than thirty thousand Chaos Stones.
However.
As Lin Yuan kept approaching the Guming Chaos Continent, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
Compared to when he first arrived outside the Guming Chaos Continent, the atmosphere here was noticeably tenser, and the number of inspectors had greatly increased.
At the center of the continent, that black mountain peak with its spiky protrusions reaching the sky – it had disappeared without a trace at some point.
"Has some catastrophe occurred?" Lin Yuan speculated. The Guming Chaos Venerable had a significant reputation in the nearby regions. If such a large change had happened to the Guming Chaos Continent, it must be a major catastrophe.
"The Chaos Void is fraught with crises. Even the Chaos Continent, which is under the protection of the Chaos Venerable, cannot claim absolute safety. The Void outside the Chaos Continent is even more dangerous."
Lin Yuan was quite moved.
"However, the Guming Chaos Continent had existed for hundreds of cosmic eras, enduring many tribulations, all of which were withstood under the protection of the Guming Chaos Venerable."
"'No matter what catastrophe occurs, it has nothing to do with me. As long as I can buy that golden box, I can leave immediately."
Lin Yuan thought as he arrived at the entrance of the Guming Chaos Continent and smoothly entered it.
Very soon.
The two major avatars converged and headed to the trading area of Mingchuan City, planning to sell numerous weapons, armaments, treasures, and rare items to exchange for enough Chaos Stones.
..."All weapons, armaments, and rare treasures combined were sold for a total of forty-two thousand Chaos Stones."
Lin Yuan returned to the inn, feeling slightly relaxed.
Forty-two thousand Chaos Stones, purchasing that golden box should not be a problem.
The base price of the golden box is thirty thousand Chaos Stones, and without knowing its origin, even a Chaos Venerable would not spend thirty thousand Chaos Stones to buy it.
Although the Chaos Venerable can condense Chaos Stones from the endless Chaos Void, it still requires effort.
Thirty thousand Chaos Stones is nothing for a Chaos Venerable, but buying a golden box of unknown quality, which might be worthless? The Chaos Venerable is wealthy but not foolish.
If it weren't for the golden box having fluctuations of Chaos realm energy inside, it probably wouldn't have made it onto the Thousand Treasures Festival list.
"Perhaps by purchasing that golden box, I could still have some Chaos Stones left to buy other treasures," Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Apart from the golden box, many of the treasures listed in the Thousand Treasures Record were quite appealing to Lin Yuan.
Of course, it was just an interest; the golden box was the main focus.
Very soon.
The Mingchuan City Thousand Treasures Festival was successfully held.
"So many rank twelve powerful beings." Lin Yuan arrived at the Thousand Treasures Tower, the venue for the Thousand Treasures Festival.
Lin Yuan had arrived a bit early and still found a large number of rank twelve powerful beings, though the vast majority were Path-Clearing realm, with very few Dominance realm, and none in the Chaos realm.
"Indeed, what kind of existence is a Chaos Venerable?"
On the Guming Chaos continent, Chaos Venerables occasionally pass by, but only occasionally; most of the time, they are absent.
When a Chaos Venerable passes by, the Guming Venerable must appear to receive them.
At this moment, Lin Yuan casually walked into the Thousand Treasures Tower, subtly exuding the aura of a Path-Clearing realm peak.
A Path-Clearing realm peak is already considered a strong individual among the many rank twelve beings present, second only to those in the Dominance realm.
"Stay a bit away, that person should be a Path-Clearing realm peak."
"Many Path-Clearing realm peaks are just one step away from breaking into the Dominance realm; we must not provoke them."
"Better not get too close."
The rank twelve beings whispered, as in the Chaos Void, strength is paramount. Outside places like the Guming Chaos continent, which have order constraints, it's every weak for itself.
Therefore, any rank twelve being that has survived is very cautious, avoiding not only provoking strong beings but even approaching them, eliminating any possibility of offending or colliding.
Lin Yuan casually found a hall to sit in. The interior of the Thousand Treasures Tower was extremely spacious, allowing each participant to have their own independent hall.
"With my strength as a Path-Clearing realm peak, securing a treasure worth thirty thousand Chaos Stones should be no problem," Lin Yuan thought to himself.
On the Guming Chaos continent, anyone can purchase treasures here, protected by the Guming Venerable, and no one dares to act recklessly.
But outside the Guming Chaos continent, that's not necessarily the case.
This was why Lin Yuan exuded the aura of a Path-Clearing realm peak.
If a Path-Clearing realm beginner purchased that golden box, it might attract the attention of malicious individuals, leading to unwanted thoughts.
But a Path-Clearing realm peak?
They would have to consider if it's worth it.
To kill and steal from a Path-Clearing realm peak would require deploying Dominance realm experts, which is no small price.
Just for an unknown golden box? Dominance realm experts have better targets for plunder.
Time passed.
The Thousand Treasures Festival was about to begin.
Lin Yuan sat in the hall, observing the surrounding auras.
"Over forty Dominance realm experts," Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Among these forty Dominance realm experts, three had auras subtly reaching the peak of the Dominance realm, approaching the level of Senior 'Cang Weiyang.'
"Ladies and gentlemen."
In the center of the Thousand Treasures Tower, a silver-haired woman appeared. Subtle dragon scales emerged on her face, clearly indicating an extraordinary bloodline. Many experts in the Chaos Void have bloodlines of various chaotic beasts flowing through them.
"Dominance realm."
Lin Yuan's expression became slightly solemn. The silver-haired woman's aura was strong, clearly that of a Dominance realm expert.
"This Thousand Treasures Festival is hosted by me."
The silver-haired woman spoke briefly, directly taking out a bracelet-shaped secret treasure.
"A defensive secret treasure for Path-Clearing realm peaks. When worn, it will automatically activate in dangerous situations, capable of blocking attacks from a Path-Clearing realm peak for ten breaths."
The silver-haired woman quickly explained while beginning to reveal the aura of the bracelet secret treasure.
After a moment.
The silver-haired woman continued, "Starting bid one hundred Chaos Stones, with each bid increasing by no less than ten Chaos Stones."
Normally, the price of Path-Clearing realm secret treasures ranges from tens to hundreds of Chaos Stones. This bracelet secret treasure could start at one hundred Chaos Stones for two reasons: first, it is indeed a top-grade item; second, it is guaranteed by the Thousand Treasures Tower.
The Thousand Treasures Tower is an official force on the Guming Chaos continent, and all treasures sold here come with relevant endorsements, eliminating the possibility of fraud.
Therefore, treasures at the Thousand Treasures Festival are priced slightly higher than usual, but as long as they are genuine and of guaranteed quality, many experts are willing to purchase them.
"One hundred and twenty Chaos Stones."
"One hundred and fifty Chaos Stones."
"One hundred and eighty Chaos Stones."
Before long, the bracelet secret treasure reached a price of two hundred Chaos Stones.
Two hundred Chaos Stones already falls into the category of top-grade Path-Clearing realm secret treasures. The bracelet secret treasure is indeed good but not as excellent as top-grade Path-Clearing realm secret treasures, so fewer experts bid at this point.
Soon.
This bracelet secret treasure was sold for two hundred and ten Chaos Stones.
One by one, treasures were presented, sparking repeated contests among the many rank twelve beings present.
Lin Yuan did not make a move. Before the golden box appeared, he had to save all his Chaos Stones.
The Thousand Treasures Festival proceeded rapidly.
It quickly concluded the competition for Dominance realm treasures.
Next came the Chaos realm tier treasures.
Suddenly, dozens of Dominance realm experts in the arena perked up.
They had come for this moment.
"Golden box, contains fluctuations of Chaos realm energy inside, suspected to be a Chaos realm treasure, starting bid thirty thousand Chaos Stones."
The silver-haired woman took out a mottled golden box, her voice echoing throughout the venue.
For a moment, the surroundings fell silent.
Those ordinary Path-Clearing realm experts, though curious about the golden box, couldn't afford so many Chaos Stones.
As for Dominance realm experts, their targets were the Chaos realm treasures behind, and they had no interest in this golden box either.
Seeing that many experts had no reaction, the silver-haired woman continued, "This golden box is made of extremely mysterious material; ordinary Chaos realm attacks cannot destroy it."
After explaining for a while.
The silver-haired woman sighed inwardly, "Still no one wants it?"
The golden box had appeared in more than one Thousand Treasures Festival, starting with a base price of one hundred thousand Chaos Stones and now reduced to thirty thousand Chaos Stones.
Just as the silver-haired woman was about to put away the golden box and introduce the next treasure, a hesitant voice came from the front hall.
"Thirty thousand Chaos Stones."
The silver-haired woman looked towards the source of the voice coming from a nearby hall. A smile immediately appeared on her face, "Thirty thousand Chaos Stones, is there anyone else interested?"
"A Path-Clearing realm peak expert has bought this box of unknown origin?"
"Thirty thousand Chaos Stones, indeed worthy of a Path-Clearing realm peak."
"He should just be curious about the box; otherwise, he wouldn't have placed such a high bid at the end."
Inside the Thousand Treasures Tower, the rank twelve experts whispered among themselves. It wasn't unusual for a Path-Clearing realm peak to spend thirty thousand Chaos Stones.
"Since that's the case, this golden box belongs to you."
The silver-haired woman immediately put away the golden box and began introducing the next treasure.
All treasures purchased at the Thousand Treasures Festival would be delivered to their respective owners after the assembly concluded.
"Received."
A smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face.
Originally, he was worried that some Path-Clearing realm peak or even Dominance realm experts might compete with him.
But now, everything seemed to be going smoothly.
Indeed.
Thirty thousand Chaos Stones is not a small amount. A Chaos Venerable can easily afford it, but Dominance realm experts would be reluctant.
The Thousand Treasures Festival continued.
Lin Yuan also proceeded to purchase several treasures worth hundreds to thousands of Chaos Stones.
Finally, the Thousand Treasures Festival concluded successfully.
After the assembly ended, the silver-haired woman standing on the high platform did not leave but quietly watched the numerous experts.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my master has asked me to announce something."
The silver-haired woman spoke. Her master is the Guming Venerable, the ruler of the Guming Chaos continent.
"Announce something?"
"What kind of announcement?"
"An announcement from the Guming Venerable?"
Many experts' expressions changed slightly, with some feeling uneasy, thinking of the recent tense situation on the Guming Chaos continent.
"Next, my master will initiate the relocation of the Chaos continent, leaving this area," the silver-haired woman announced.
"Relocation?"
"Why relocate?"
The experts were puzzled.
How large is the Guming Chaos continent? Initiating the relocation of such a continent would consume a significant amount of Chaos Stones.
"Soon, this area will become the battlefield of Shadowfiend Great Saint and Nine Phoenix Great Saint. The aftermath of their battle will spread to the surrounding areas, and everything will be destroyed."
The silver-haired woman explained.
"The battlefield of two Chaos Great Sages?" Lin Yuan's expression slightly changed.
Chaos Great Sages?
Battlefield?
"May I ask how large the coverage area of the aftermath from the battle of the two Chaos Great Sages is?"
A Dominance realm expert spoke up. His cave was nearby, and if what the silver-haired woman said was true, they would have to stay away to survive.
"Approximately this range."
The silver-haired woman raised her hand. A map of the Chaos Void appeared, with certain areas marked in red.
"This is troublesome."
Lin Yuan stared at the red-marked areas on the Chaos Void map. If the map's orientation was correct, his hometown universe was within the battlefield range of the two Chaos Great Sages.
"Remember, within this range, including the universes nurtured by the Chaos Void, everything will be destroyed. Enter the Great Destruction in advance. If you want to survive, you can apply to reside permanently in Mingchuan City."
The silver-haired woman continued.
She mentioned the universe to remind the many experts present not to have any illusions. Even the universe cannot withstand the aftermath of the two Great Sages' battles, let alone anything else.
"Universes will all be destroyed, enter the Great Destruction in advance?"
Lin Yuan's expression became solemn, realizing the severity of the situation.
...