Outside the super-large battlefield.
The Rank Twelve ultimate existences were also closely observing every detail unfolding within the battlefield.
"Hahaha, the first powerhouse to reach the core battlefield is from my Tianyu Clan!"
"Being the first to arrive doesn’t guarantee any advantage."
"The core battlefield is vast. Whether you’re the first or the last to arrive doesn’t make much of a difference."
The Rank Twelve ultimate beings engaged in lively discussions.
The core battlefield was the true stage of this super-large battlefield. Only Rank Eleven powerhouses who entered the core battlefield could be considered as formally participating in the struggle among the universe’s pinnacle factions.
"Hmm? That Milky Way Star Lord from human civilization?"
"He hasn’t entered the space-time passage and is just sitting there?"
"No, something’s not right. How is the Milky Way Star Lord so powerful?"
As Lin Yuan began slaughtering numerous aliens Rank Eleven powerhouses, the expressions of the Rank Twelve ultimate beings gradually shifted.
It wasn’t that the aliens Rank Eleven powerhouses Lin Yuan killed were particularly important but rather that the Milky Way Star Lord, a newly advanced Rank Eleven, could possess such strength.
"Your human civilization has paid quite a price to cultivate this Milky Way Star Lord."
"I’d wager you expended a significant amount of the ‘Virtual World’’s core essence for this. Otherwise, how could the Milky Way Star Lord achieve such advanced space-time comprehension in such a short time?"
"Hmph, the space-time origin fluctuations replicated by the Virtual World are fundamentally different from those naturally formed in the universe. Aren’t you worried that such rushed progress will leave the Milky Way Star Lord with an unstable foundation?"
The Rank Twelve ultimate beings sneered. Strictly speaking, the super-large battlefield was itself a massive Rank Twelve weapon designed to block the perception of Strongest Ones.
Given the immense life levels of Strongest Ones, even a mere hint of hostility or killing intent could severely impact Rank Eleven powerhouses.
To ensure relative fairness, Strongest Ones could not directly perceive the battlefield. However, even without extending their senses, the Rank Twelve ultimate beings could roughly discern that the Milky Way Star Lord’s space-time comprehension was far from low.
Detailed information about the Milky Way Star Lord had been meticulously gathered by the various pinnacle factions.
He had advanced to Rank Eleven in an astonishingly short time. Under such circumstances, possessing such formidable space-time comprehension could only mean one thing:
Human civilization must have created a special ‘isolated realm’ for the Milky Way Star Lord. They likely used the Virtual World to replicate the cosmic starry sky’s principles, slowed down the flow of time, and allowed the Milky Way Star Lord to spend an extended period within that isolated realm.
"Is that so?"
The Strongest One Gu Li snorted coldly and privately transmitted a message to the Strongest One Yu Die:
"Yu Die, did you actually do this?"
"Comprehending space-time fluctuations is best done within the universe. Using the Virtual World for replication is a disservice to a genius like the Milky Way Star Lord."
Gu Li also found the approach questionable. Given Lin Yuan’s demonstrated talent, such urgency was unnecessary.
"I haven’t used the Virtual World for the Milky Way Star Lord," Yu Die immediately denied.
"The Virtual World is an ancestral weapon. Though I’ve refined and guarded it, you’d all know if I activated it."
"You didn’t use it?"
Gu Li and the other Strongest Ones exchanged glances.
If the Virtual World hadn’t been used to replicate space-time comprehension, how had the Milky Way Star Lord achieved such a level?
Virtual World: Personal Space
Lin Yuan lounged in a recliner, savoring a glass of fine wine.
In his downtime, Lin Yuan often relaxed in the virtual world. With his vast mental strength, he could multitask effortlessly, allowing a portion of his mind to enjoy leisure here.
"Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable."
Sitting opposite him, Deputy Tower Master Nalan couldn’t hide his amazement.
Information from the super-large battlefield flowed freely among the Rank Eleven powerhouses. The news of Lin Yuan’s defeat of Ming Che from the Prison Clan and the massive rock-like being had spread widely.
Both Ming Che and the rock-like being’s true forms were still alive, so they hadn’t concealed their experiences. In fact, Ming Che, seeking to justify losing a Strongest Weapon, had exaggerated Lin Yuan’s power to make the loss seem more reasonable.
"Have you entered the core battlefield yet?" Lin Yuan asked casually.
"I was lucky. In the edge region I landed in, there were over thirty Rank Eleven powerhouses from the Human Civilization Alliance," Nalan replied.
With over thirty allied Rank Eleven powerhouses, they could easily dominate a portion of the space-time path’s slots, ensuring their safe entry into the core battlefield.
This demonstrated the advantages of unity.
In Lin Yuan’s region, the aliens Rank Eleven powerhouses, including the massive rock-like being and others, had intended to use their numbers similarly, even temporarily pushing back Ming Che, who wielded a Strongest Weapon.
But unfortunately for them, they encountered Lin Yuan.
Numerical advantages could indeed be significant in some scenarios, as evidenced by the Insect Race’s ‘swarm tactics.’ However, when the strength disparity was too great, sheer numbers became less relevant.
"That’s good," Lin Yuan nodded slightly.
"By the way," Nalan said quietly, as though recalling something.
"I’ve heard that the strongest Rank Eleven powerhouses from the Insect Race and Tianyu Clan plan to join forces to hunt you down."
Lin Yuan’s displayed strength had clearly unsettled the Rank Eleven powerhouses from these factions, leading them to consider an alliance against him.
"Hunting me down?" Lin Yuan’s interest was piqued.
That was precisely what he wanted.
When he had subdued the massive rock-like being and Ming Che, Lin Yuan had deliberately restrained his power. If he had utterly crushed them, leaving Ming Che with no chance to resist, these strongest Rank Eleven powerhouses wouldn’t have dared to challenge him.
They would have fled instead.
"Yes. Please be cautious," Nalan said earnestly.
Despite Lin Yuan’s impressive achievements, Nalan was still concerned. The strongest Rank Eleven powerhouses from the pinnacle factions were unlikely to rely solely on their own abilities. They were likely carrying contingencies prepared by the ultimate beings backing them. For instance, Celestial Feather Meng from the Tianyu Clan had even brought an ancestral weapon into the battlefield.
Ancestral weapons were far superior to Strongest Weapons. A pinnacle faction might have dozens or even hundreds of Strongest Weapons, but ancestral weapons were incredibly rare. Even with extraordinary opportunities, human civilization had no more than ten such weapons.
Other pinnacle factions likely had even fewer.
"Understood," Lin Yuan replied.
Though confident, he wasn’t reckless and was well aware of the dangers posed by ancestral weapons.
Core Battlefield
Lin Yuan arrived through the space-time passage.
"The space-time suppression has increased significantly," he observed, taking in the boundless expanse around him.
"With my current space-time comprehension, my maximum teleportation distance is a few light-years, but the energy cost is enormous."
Teleporting a few light-years was incredibly slow by cosmic standards. In this super-large battlefield, meticulously designed by the Strongest Ones, space-time suppression rendered most Rank Eleven powerhouses reliant on flight.
While Lin Yuan could still teleport, the energy expenditure was prohibitively high.
With Sixth Realm space-time comprehension, Lin Yuan could manipulate the battlefield’s space-time rules, but he lacked the foundational energy reserves of a Strongest One to sustain it.
"I’ll stick to flying for now," Lin Yuan decided, conserving his strength for potential encounters.
Flying toward his destination, Lin Yuan focused on his ultimate goal: the war base chosen by the Human Civilization Alliance. As the highest-ranking leader of human civilization on this battlefield, he had access to highly classified information, including the base’s location.
These war bases served as the strongholds for pinnacle factions, not just for the current conflict but as foundations for future wars.
"First, to the war base," Lin Yuan thought, adjusting his course.
Several Days Later
Lin Yuan flew rapidly, his vast perception extending millions of miles in all directions.
The heavy space-time suppression limited not only teleportation but also perception range. In the universe’s starry skies, Lin Yuan could perceive hundreds of light-years in an instant, but here, he had to extend his awareness incrementally.
"Hmm? Combat fluctuations millions of miles away?"
Lin Yuan turned his gaze toward the disturbance.
The core battlefield, though vast, occasionally saw encounters between opposing faction powerhouses. When such encounters occurred between enemy factions, battles were inevitable.
"Let’s take a look."
Curious, Lin Yuan headed toward the source of the disturbance.
Soon, he identified the combatants.
"Nine Rank Eleven powerhouses. Five against four?"
Lin Yuan’s eyebrows rose slightly.
"And one of them is a familiar face."
...
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