In a hazy moment.
Lin Yuan opened his eyes.
"I'm back."
Sensing the vast and unfathomable rule fluctuations of the main universe, Lin Yuan's face lit up with a smile.
In the last twenty-plus years of the boundless void, Lin Yuan's progress in comprehending the rules had been slow.
One of the main reasons was that the "ocean" of rules in the boundless void was too shallow.
You could see to the bottom at a glance.
But in the main universe?
Lin Yuan saw hope for a significant leap in his comprehension of the rules.
"In the boundless void, the sixth stage of time-space was already the limit. Reaching the seventh stage of time-space would theoretically be impossible."
Lin Yuan thought to himself.
In fact, reaching the sixth stage of time-space was already incredibly difficult.
The secret realm creator and the Void Child were able to reach the tenth rank largely due to their natural talent and abilities.
However, now.
Lin Yuan could sense the even more vast and profound fluctuations of time-space beyond the sixth stage.
Of course, sensing it was one thing.
Whether or not he could comprehend it was another.
It's like how an ordinary person can see a towering mountain in the distance, but seeing and actually climbing it are two different things.
After comprehending the sixth stage of time-space, Lin Yuan had not delved deeper.
Besides the limitations of the boundless void, it was also due to the fact that his current level was too low.
Comprehending the sixth stage of time-space at the tenth rank?
In the main universe, whether anyone would surpass him in the future was unknown, but he was certainly the first.
As for reaching the seventh stage of time-space? Lin Yuan had no such plans for now.
"The time-space of the cosmic starry sky is so vast."
At this moment, Lin Yuan's understanding of the cosmic starry sky had changed significantly compared to before his transmigration.
Before his tenth transmigration, Lin Yuan's comprehension of time-space was at the second stage, but now, having reached the sixth stage, every aspect of time-space lay clearly before him.
"So vast, so magnificent."
Lin Yuan carefully observed, marveling in his heart.
If the boundless void could be compared to a narrow space of just a few square meters, Lin Yuan could take just one or a few steps to reach any location.
But the entire cosmic starry sky was like a football field.
Even with his comprehension of the sixth stage of time-space, he couldn't achieve the same "arrive with a thought" ability as in the boundless void.
This was the difference in the breadth of time-space between the main universe and the boundless void.
In the cosmic starry sky, it wasn't just that Lin Yuan's time-space comprehension was at the sixth stage—no, even a twelfth-rank Strongest one wouldn't be able to achieve "arrive with a thought."
Within the vast territory of the main universe, there were occasionally time-space danger zones.
In those places, layers of time-space mazes existed.
Even with a comprehension of the sixth stage of time-space, it was impossible to traverse them directly.
"However, with my current control over time-space and the use of Nine Steps of Time-Space..."
"Unless I'm being personally pursued by a Strongest one, I'm practically invincible."
Lin Yuan's confidence grew.
Even if he couldn't be "everywhere" like in the boundless void, his ability to traverse space had far exceeded what it was before his last transmigration.
And with the Nine Steps of Time-Space...
Forget those below the Strongest ones—Lin Yuan had the feeling that even a twelfth-rank Strongest one would have trouble catching up with him.
The escape technique Nine Steps of Time-Space of the Mysterious Emperor lineage was unparalleled in speed.
This was a protective method specially created by His Majesty, the Mysterious Emperor, for the heirs of the Mysterious Emperor lineage, who had traveled through the chaotic void.
While Lin Yuan was confident that no Strongest one could catch up to him within nine steps, he wasn't foolish enough to provoke them.
A Strongest one didn't need to personally chase down a being below the twelfth rank to kill them—just a soul attack would be enough.
"My strength now..."
Lin Yuan began to assess himself.
Before his tenth transmigration, Lin Yuan had gauged his strength to be at the third or fourth tier of the eleventh rank.
But now, even against beings like the Divine King—those perfected legendary eleventh-rank beings—if they didn't wield a Strongest one's weapon, Lin Yuan could suppress them with ease.
The gap between the sixth and fifth stages of time-space was massive.
If the combat strength of a eleventh-rank being was ten, then a tenth-stage evil god in the boundless void had a combat strength between fifteen and twenty.
Lin Yuan's combat strength, on the other hand, was around one hundred.
And a twelfth-rank Strongest one's combat strength, using this scale, would be in the millions.
Although Lin Yuan was still far from matching a twelfth-rank Strongest one, he had already surpassed a normal perfected eleventh-rank legendary being.
In the two-dimensional world, Lin Yuan had relied on the environmental restrictions of the two-dimensional realm to crush those perfected legendary eleventh-rank beings.
But in truth, that had been a bit of a trick.
Now, however.
Lin Yuan's real combat strength had completely surpassed that of perfected legendary eleventh-rank beings.
Compared to the tenth-stage evil gods of the boundless void, perfected legendary eleventh-rank beings of the main universe had one huge advantage:
Weapons.
The Divine King could fuse with a Strongest one's weapon, causing his combat strength to soar.
Other perfected legendary eleventh-rank beings also had the chance to obtain a Strongest one's weapon.
Most of the perfected legendary eleventh-rank beings in the main universe were backed by peak races or Strongest ones.
To increase their chances of breaking through to the ultimate level, these peak races or Strongest ones would grant them a Strongest weapon to allow them to experience the power of the twelfth rank.
These Strongest weapons were temporarily lent to them. If they successfully broke through to the twelfth rank, they would keep the weapon. If they failed, the weapon would be returned to the race.
The reason the Divine King was so famous among the many perfected legendary eleventh-rank beings of the main universe was because the Strongest one's weapon he wielded was highly compatible with him.
A weapon that was perfectly suited to the user not only allowed them to comprehend more twelfth-rank powers but also to fully exploit the weapon's potential.
Unfortunately.
The Divine Kings' Strongest weapon had been completely lost in the two-dimensional world, along with his foundational soul will.
This had caused the Divine Kings to fall from the top echelon of perfected legendary eleventh-rank beings.
The increase in combat strength brought by a Strongest weapon cannot be understated.
Even if a perfected legendary eleventh-rank being were given a Strongest weapon that didn't suit them, they could still unleash several hundred times their combat strength with full effort. And this power surge didn't even involve any hidden tricks left behind by the Strongest one in the weapon.
With a base combat strength of ten, unleashing hundreds of times that power shows the might of a Strongest weapon.
From ten to hundreds? That's not just a tenfold increase—a perfected legendary eleventh-rank being with a Strongest weapon could completely crush a group of other legendary beings without such weapons.
Of course, while a perfected legendary eleventh-rank being with a Strongest weapon could unleash power far beyond their limits, the energy consumption was also terrifyingly large. They wouldn't be able to sustain the use of the weapon for long.
"A Strongest weapon... I have plenty of those."
With a thought, Lin Yuan sent his Yang Primordial Spirit into the Mysterious Emperor's realm.
In terms of the number of Strongest weapons, Lin Yuan was second to none below the twelfth rank in the main universe.
After his journey through the two-dimensional world, Lin Yuan had acquired nearly a hundred unique items.
Even though most of these items were materials rated at twelve stars, the number of Strongest weapons exceeded thirty.
Thirty Strongest weapons? Even though that might not match the treasure troves of peak races, it was still enough to leave any perfected legendary eleventh-rank being in awe.
In fact, awe wouldn't even begin to describe it.
Nearly all perfected legendary eleventh-rank beings only had their Strongest weapon temporarily "borrowed" from their race.
Whoosh.
Lin Yuan's figure appeared in the deepest part of the Mysterious Emperor's realm.
This was where he stored the many unique items he had acquired.
"Strongest weapons."
With a thought, thirty-two Strongest weapons appeared before him.
The thirty-two Strongest weapons were neatly arranged—swords, spears, cauldrons, towers—the variety was vast.
"Now, I can finally choose a few Strongest weapons."
Lin Yuan stroked his chin.
Previously, Lin Yuan hadn't selected a Strongest weapon because he wanted to refine them.
Even the initial refinement of a Strongest weapon required a comprehension level of the fifth stage of time-space.
Without reaching the fifth stage of time-space, one couldn't even activate the vast time-space within the weapon, let alone refine it.
In other words, to refine a Strongest weapon, one had to be at least at the fifth tier of the eleventh rank. In practice, most owners of Strongest weapons were in the sixth tier.
That is, perfected legendary eleventh-rank beings.
Before his tenth transmigration, Lin Yuan's comprehension of time-space was only at the second stage, so he hadn't considered refining any Strongest weapons.
But now? With his comprehension of time-space at the sixth stage, not only could Lin Yuan refine a Strongest weapon, but he could do it much faster than any perfected legendary eleventh-rank being.
Moreover, higher comprehension of time-space helped to unlock the full potential of a Strongest weapon.
In the hands of a Strongest one, a Strongest weapon could unleash millions of units of combat strength.
But in the hands of a perfected legendary eleventh-rank being, it could only release a few hundred units? Their understanding of the weapon barely scratched the surface.
"Let me see."
Lin Yuan began to carefully select from the thirty-two Strongest weapons.
Even though Lin Yuan's ideal weapon was the original bell, it was still far from evolving into a Strongest weapon.
In the meantime, Lin Yuan didn't mind using a few other Strongest weapons as a stopgap.
Even if these Strongest weapons weren't perfectly suited to him, their high intrinsic power would still greatly enhance his strength.
"This iron staff..."
Lin Yuan glanced at a black iron staff.
This iron staff was the first offensive weapon Lin Yuan had obtained in the two-dimensional world.
Even within the two-dimensional world, where it was suppressed, the aura of the staff was incredibly powerful, carrying the weight of a mountain.
After leaving the two-dimensional world and returning to the main universe, the staff's power had begun to recover. Lin Yuan estimated that wielding it would require enough strength to lift tens of thousands of stars.
"Let's see how it feels."
With a thought, Lin Yuan appeared in the sky of the Mysterious Emperor's realm.
In the two-dimensional world, Lin Yuan had used this black iron staff many times, but in that world, the staff and this one were completely different weapons.
At the twelfth-rank level, just holding the staff made Lin Yuan feel like he could crush a galaxy.
Whoosh!
Lin Yuan casually swung the black iron staff forward.
A terrifying black shadow from the staff ripped open the void of the Mysterious Emperor's realm, creating a black spatial rift tens of thousands of miles long.
Even without fully refining the Strongest weapon, if one's comprehension of the time-space fusion rule was high enough, they could still unlock some of its power.
But compared to refining it, the unleashed power would be much less, and the energy cost would be higher.
Of course, for Lin Yuan, that was no issue. He hadn't even used the full power of the Strongest weapon—he was just testing its feel.
Whoosh!
One black spatial rift after another appeared. Wherever these rifts touched, everything was obliterated.
In the distance.
The six-armed figure curiously watched, not knowing what Lin Yuan was doing.
As the spirit of the Mysterious Emperor's realm, the six-armed figure could sense something off about Lin Yuan's current actions, but couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Until—
Lin Yuan casually swung the black iron staff, creating a black spatial rift tens of thousands of miles long.
That single black rift made the six-armed figure's heart tremble with fear.
Compared to the main universe, the space in the Mysterious Emperor's realm was far more stable.
Ripping space within the Mysterious Emperor's realm would require the strength of a ninth-rank peak being.
But even at the ninth-rank peak, they could only rip through tens of thousands of spatial layers in an instant.
Even those special ninth-rank beings who could tear through millions of spatial layers couldn't surpass that number.
The same went for tenth-rank and eleventh-rank beings. If they were in the Mysterious Emperor's realm, they couldn't rip through more than a million spatial layers in an instant.
But Lin Yuan's staff swing had created a black rift.
Normally, spatial rifts were gray, while black rifts indicated that nearly all spatial layers had been torn through.
In other words, if Lin Yuan had added just a little more power, he could've completely broken through the Mysterious Emperor's realm.
How could the six-armed figure not tremble with fear? The Mysterious Emperor's realm had been created by His Majesty, the Mysterious Emperor. Even though its defenses were weaker inside, breaking through the realm wasn't an easy task.
At least no perfected legendary eleventh-rank being could do it—not even if they wielded a Strongest weapon.
But Lin Yuan?
The six-armed figure watched Lin Yuan tear through one black rift after another, each tens or hundreds of thousands of miles long, and couldn't stop trembling.
"How... how could the master unleash so much power with a Strongest weapon?"
The six-armed figure was in disbelief. He could see that Lin Yuan was tearing open the black rifts using the black iron staff, a Strongest weapon.
But using a Strongest weapon required a deep understanding of time-space, especially since Lin Yuan hadn't even refined the weapon. Even if he could activate it, the unleashed power should've been limited.
But Lin Yuan?
How was he doing this?
The six-armed figure had a guess—Lin Yuan's comprehension of time-space was likely at the twelfth-rank level. But how could this young master of the Mysterious Emperor's realm, still at the tenth rank, have reached such a level?
High in the Mysterious Emperor's realm.
Lin Yuan casually swung the black iron staff, feeling its power.
"With my current strength, if I fully refine this Strongest weapon, I could create a permanent spatial rift within the Mysterious Emperor's realm."
Lin Yuan thought to himself.
To create a permanent spatial rift, one had to tear through all the spatial layers.
Currently, with the Strongest weapon in hand, even without fully refining it, Lin Yuan could unleash power close to a thousand units. Since the spatial layers in the Mysterious Emperor's realm were far less numerous than those of the main universe, they could potentially be torn apart.
Of course, Lin Yuan could only achieve this within the Mysterious Emperor's realm. In the main universe, to create a permanent spatial rift would require at least a million units of power.
That was the threshold of the twelfth rank.
Only then could someone tear through all the spatial layers of the main universe.
"This iron staff isn't really for me."
After a while, Lin Yuan gave up on refining the iron staff.
Though the iron staff was powerful, it didn't match Lin Yuan's fighting style.
Moreover, Lin Yuan had used this Strongest weapon multiple times in front of the powerful beings of myriad races in the two-dimensional world.
If he were to refine this black iron staff and use it in the outside world, the powerful beings of the starry sky would quickly recognize it.
And they would deduce—
The human evolver named "Blood Rain" in the two-dimensional world was Lin Yuan.
Strongest weapons weren't unique, but there were only so many of them, and there weren't many staff-shaped Strongest weapons to choose from.
Next.
Lin Yuan continued testing the other thirty-one Strongest weapons.
In the end, for his offensive Strongest weapon, he chose a silver-white battle blade.
This silver-white battle blade contained the complete Space Dao—not just the rules of space. With a single slash, its sharpness reached the extreme.
For physical defense, Lin Yuan chose a golden armor, one of the best physical defense weapons among the thirty-two Strongest weapons.
As for soul defense, Lin Yuan had few options, as there was only one soul defense Strongest weapon among the thirty-two: a deep azure-colored bead.
Three Strongest weapons—one for offense, two for defense.
He was armed to the teeth. While other perfected legendary eleventh-rank beings struggled to obtain a single Strongest weapon from their race, Lin Yuan was equipped with three at once.
"Unfortunately, even with my comprehension of time-space, the energy required to wield Strongest weapons means I can only handle a maximum of three."
Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.
If he could, he would've loved to refine all the Strongest weapons.
But that wasn't realistic. Unless one became a Strongest one, wielding a Strongest weapon came with a huge burden. Even when Lin Yuan reached the eleventh rank, he wouldn't be able to wield too many at once.
"These three will do."
"Time to start refining."
Lin Yuan appeared once again in the deepest part of the Mysterious Emperor's realm. He picked up the silver-white battle blade, and his soul will began to infiltrate it, starting the refining process.
Refining a Strongest weapon wasn't simple. For a normal perfected legendary eleventh-rank being, it could take thousands to tens of thousands of years to complete even an initial refinement.
Lin Yuan, however, would be much faster—he could fully refine one in just a few years.
...
20 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
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