The Black Star Lord radiated an air of confidence.
As a Rank Ten, who wouldn’t yearn to comprehend the dual-stage of pillar-level fusion laws?
Advancing to Rank Eleven meant standing atop the cosmic firmament, beneath the Strongest One yet above countless lives.
Though Rank Eleven itself had tiers—there was an enormous gap between the first and sixth tiers of Rank Eleven—they at least shared the same realm.
The Glass Star Lord, seated nearby, displayed a look of envy.
Hundreds of years ago, Vice Tower Master Nalan took a step forward. At that time, she had discussed with the Black Star Lord when she might reach that stage.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, the Black Star Lord achieved it first, leaving the Glass Star Lord with mixed feelings.
For a Rank Ten to comprehend the dual-stage of pillar-level fusion laws required the right time, place, and circumstances. Vice Tower Master Nalan and the Black Star Lord were undoubtedly fortunate.
As for her, the Glass Star Lord wondered if she could be just as lucky.
"Rank Eleven, huh?"
Lin Yuan nodded slightly. If everything went as expected, he would step into Rank Eleven soon.
For any being, reaching Rank Eleven was a major transformation, second only to the ultimate breakthrough.
This was especially true for Lin Yuan. He could withstand the infusion of the Chaos Origin, and compared to the leap from Rank Nine to Rank Ten, his physical body, soul, and inner world were now exponentially stronger.
Naturally, his capacity to endure the Chaos Void energy was far greater.
Whether it was the infusion of the Universe Origin or the Chaos Void energy, both represented unprecedented opportunities.
The group continued their conversation, with the Black Star Lord advising Lin Yuan not to rush and to proceed steadily.
Unlike other Rank Ten beings, Lin Yuan was still young and had ample time to experiment. Most Rank Ten beings faced the limits of their lifespan, which caused anxiety.
And the more anxious one became, the less likely they were to succeed in breaking through.
"Rumor has it that our Human Civilization plans to open a new alien battlefield."
Shifting the topic away from Rank Eleven, the Glass Star Lord seemed to recall something and spoke up.
"I’ve heard as well. It’s said that this new battlefield will surpass any of the previous ones, including the more than one hundred large-scale alien battlefields," the Black Star Lord added immediately, having received related insider information.
The matter of opening a battlefield involved too many levels to remain secret.
Moreover, this time, the Human Civilization intended to collaborate with other peak racial forces to establish the battlefield.
It was impossible for there to be no leaks.
"A new battlefield?"
Lin Yuan, listening from the side, appeared slightly solemn.
He was aware of this, even more so than the Black Star Lord and Glass Star Lord, as it was casually mentioned by the Strongest One, Xia Qin, during a conversation.
This new battlefield, created by the Human Civilization in collaboration with other peak racial forces, was designed as a super-large alien battlefield.
In terms of sheer size and spatial suppression stability, it far exceeded any previous large-scale alien battlefield.
The motivation for establishing such a battlefield stemmed from a long-standing intention among the peak racial forces.
Over time, the more than one hundred existing large-scale battlefields had become increasingly inadequate for hosting the battles of top-tier powerhouses.
After all, in the main universe, most strong beings among the myriad starry races had mastered the technique of avatars.
This made it difficult to achieve true death or annihilation, especially for Rank Eleven powerhouses who could slow their own time flow, making even natural death a rare occurrence.
As high-tier powerhouses rarely fell, lower-tier ones continued to grow into higher tiers.
Thus, the super-large battlefield became necessary.
Historically, as understood through the exploration of past cosmic epochs, even without avatar techniques, the number of powerhouses in the universe tended to increase over time.
Only at the end of a cosmic epoch did the universe reach its most prosperous state.
But following prosperity came destruction.
At the conclusion of a cosmic epoch, the universe would collapse. Even among Rank Twelve Strongest Ones, half—or even the majority—would perish to escape.
Below Rank Twelve, survival depended on transferring one’s life imprint from the river of universal time into the time river of a Strongest One’s internal universe.
However, the capacity of a Strongest One’s internal universe time river was limited.
This meant that 99% of beings below Rank Twelve would perish along with the universe.
Another reason for initiating this battlefield was the recent collapse of two large-scale battlefields.
One was destroyed by an extreme ray of light from beyond the universe, while the other was reduced to a lower dimension by "White Paper."
The successive loss of two large battlefields pushed the Human Civilization and other peak racial forces to formally implement plans for a super-large battlefield.
Even without these events, the super-large battlefield would have been inevitable, albeit delayed by millions or tens of millions of years.
"This new battlefield will have a high upper limit, sufficient to allow even peak Rank Eleven powerhouses wielding Strongest Weapons to fight freely," the Black Star Lord said gravely.
Unlike previous large-scale alien battlefields, where Rank Eleven powerhouses rarely acted, this battlefield would see them engage frequently.
War intensity would rise to unprecedented levels.
After finishing his chat with the Black Star Lord and other Rank Ten powerhouses, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged in the Star Lord Hall.
"The super-large alien battlefield…"
Lin Yuan’s gaze deepened. The establishment of such a battlefield would have profound implications. It would likely lead to clashes among the Strongest Ones themselves.
"Looks like it’s about time to advance to Rank Eleven," Lin Yuan thought silently.
At that moment, he sensed something and looked toward Human Civilization's No. 13 Stronghold.
"Unexpectedly, I’ve become a Devil Jade Tower Sequence Member before breaking through to Rank Eleven?"
This turn of events surprised Lin Yuan slightly. The qualification required comprehending all evolutionary paths of the lineage while remaining below Rank Twelve.
Originally, Lin Yuan planned to ascend to Rank Eleven first before striving for the Sequence Member position.
Now, he had achieved this milestone ahead of schedule.
His soul memories surged as numerous demonic evolutionary paths converged into the Devil Jade Tower’s core mark.
The mark began transforming.
"So, the total number of demonic evolutionary paths is 33,333,333?"
For the first time, Lin Yuan grasped the precise number of evolutionary paths within his body.
Once vague and immeasurable, they now had a clear limit.
At last, the Devil Jade Mark transformation completed. A hoarse voice resonated in Lin Yuan's mind:
"By comprehending all evolutionary paths, you automatically become a Devil Jade Tower Sequence Member."
Lin Yuan smiled. This was precisely what he had prepared for.
This marked a pivotal moment in his journey.
"That Devil Jade Mark…"
Lin Yuan immediately sensed its transformation.
It had grown deeper, more profound, and more mysterious.
"I can vaguely perceive the specific spatial coordinates of the Devil Jade Space through this mark?" Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Previously, as a regular or core member of the Devil Jade Tower, Lin Yuan could only use the Devil Jade Mark to descend into the Devil Jade Space.
Beyond that, its nature remained unclear.
But now?
He could sense the exact location of the Devil Jade Space.
It was known that the Devil Jade Space, created by the master of the Devil Jade Tower, was accessible only to its disciples and members.
Outsiders had no knowledge of its whereabouts, and even members within the Tower were unaware of its precise location.
"This must be one of the privileges of being a Sequence Member."
Lin Yuan understood clearly.
If core members represented the elite, Sequence Members were the foundation, the essence of the Devil Jade Tower.
Above Sequence Members were the master's personal disciples, groomed to become future Tower Lords and even Strongest Ones.
Sequence Members were granted significant privileges, including partial control over the Devil Jade Space.
"It’s… so far away."
Lin Yuan followed the connection to the Devil Jade Mark and gazed toward a distant point.
Even though he had long known from the humanoid stone statue, Shen Ji, that the Devil Jade Space was not located within any known universe, the realization of its true location still left him shaken.
It was akin to a villager who had never left their hometown suddenly estimating the distance to a star in the heavens above.
On the Milky Way’s main star, Lin Yuan studied the Devil Jade Mark within his soul for a moment before pausing.
The mark of a Sequence Member was vastly more complex than that of a core member, but its intricacies remained beyond Lin Yuan’s current comprehension.
"Let’s head to the Devil Jade Space again."
After pondering briefly, Lin Yuan divided a sliver of his consciousness, channeling it through the Devil Jade Mark to traverse an immeasurable distance, arriving in the mysterious Devil Jade Space.
Devil Jade Space
As Lin Yuan's consciousness descended, the entire space seemed to stir slightly. The surrounding gray fog dissipated as though gloomy weather suddenly cleared.
"Hmm?"
Lin Yuan scanned his surroundings and walked toward the location of the Nine-Story Black Tower.
Outside the tower, the humanoid stone statue, Shen Ji, who had been in a deep slumber, was abruptly awakened by the tremor.
"This…?"
Shen Ji’s expression reflected disbelief before tears welled up in its eyes.
"Our Devil Jade Tower has finally birthed another Sequence Member!"
...
20 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
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