As the greatest genius in the history of human civilization, Lin Yuan had encountered countless powerhouses.
Many aliens powerhouses eagerly sought to establish connections with the Milky Way Star Lord.
It wasn’t merely due to human civilization; it was Lin Yuan’s immense potential.
Given Lin Yuan’s displayed cultivation speed, he was undoubtedly one of the beings most likely to ascend to the ultimate Rank Twelve in this era.
Who wouldn’t want to foster a relationship with a future Rank Twelve ultimate being?
Why was the ancient god Si Zhong revered across the cosmic skies, with even pinnacle factions hesitant to provoke him?
It was precisely because this ancient deity had once "sponsored" ultimate beings before their ascension to Rank Twelve.
Yet, knowing many didn’t mean having close ties with all. Especially among aliens powerhouses, those who could be called "acquaintances" were rare.
Lin Yuan’s gaze focused on the powerhouses clashing millions of miles away.
One side belonged to the Insect Race, the other to the Prison Clan.
Both were pinnacle factions. Though the Insect Race only had four participants, three were insect mothers, who had summoned a vast number of Rank Eleven insect warriors. These warriors relentlessly harassed the five Prison Clan powerhouses.
From the momentum, though the Insect Race had fewer participants, they had the upper hand.
"Tuoba Ancient God."
Lin Yuan recognized one figure among the Insect Race’s forces. Blending among the insect warriors to apply pressure on the besieged five Prison Clan powerhouses, this figure was none other than Tuoba, the Ancient God.
Lin Yuan had a distinct impression of this entity.
Previously, Tuoba had seized a sliver of mental will from Lin Yuan’s friend, Fang Qing, attempting to "blackmail" Lin Yuan into providing resources for his ultimate breakthrough.
Later, in the two-dimensional world, Lin Yuan had conveniently killed one of Tuoba’s avatars. However, that was merely an incarnation.
Now, not long after entering the core battlefield, he had encountered this god again.
"What a coincidence. Let’s kill him once more."
A smile appeared on Lin Yuan’s face.
Though Tuoba’s attempt at blackmail had failed, the feeling of being threatened had left a bad taste in Lin Yuan’s mouth. Seeing Tuoba again, Lin Yuan had no intention of letting him escape.
Not to mention that Tuoba belonged to the Insect Race Alliance, a faction inherently opposed to human civilization.
Even if Tuoba weren’t involved, Lin Yuan would still crush him effortlessly.
Above a Desolate Mountain Range
Space-time fluctuations rippled, and the five Prison Clan Rank Eleven powerhouses frowned deeply. While killing wave after wave of insect warriors, they also had to fend off soul attacks from the three insect mothers.
And, of course, Tuoba’s ambushes.
"These bugs are so annoying."
"Big Brother, use the Strongest Weapon already."
One horned Prison Clan powerhouse sent a voice transmission.
"Use the Strongest Weapon?"
The leading Prison Clan powerhouse hesitated briefly.
The Strongest Weapon was a trump card, a last resort.
It couldn’t be used lightly, and its activation consumed an immense amount of energy.
But the current stalemate was meaningless. To break free from the encirclement of the insect warriors, the Strongest Weapon had to be used.
"Tuoba, they’re about to use a Strongest Weapon."
On the Insect Race’s side, one of the insect mothers seemed to sense something and immediately transmitted a message to Tuoba.
"I know."
Tuoba’s expression was grave, ready to activate his own Strongest Weapon at any moment.
As he awaited the right opportunity, Tuoba couldn’t help but think, "How is the Milky Way Star Lord so strong? He managed to kill Ming Che?"
Regret surged within Tuoba.
He had thought his strength, combined with the Insect Race’s bestowed Strongest Weapon, would ensure his survival on the battlefield.
But he hadn’t anticipated that the pinnacle factions would bring all their trump cards for this super-large battlefield. The Insect Race Alliance’s leader on the battlefield was undoubtedly capable of suppressing ordinary Rank Eleven powerhouses wielding Strongest Weapons.
This information hadn’t been shared with Tuoba before he entered the battlefield.
As a special lifeform unrelated to the Insect Race, Tuoba was considered an outsider, excluded from many confidential details.
For Tuoba, the concealment of some battlefield secrets wasn’t a big deal.
Even if the intensity of the super-large battlefield’s war exceeded expectations.
Tuoba’s own strength, coupled with a Strongest Weapon, still gave him a significant chance of survival.
While Tuoba was only Fifth Tier Rank Eleven, his true body had descended, far stronger than an incarnation. Especially with certain trump cards, his power could rival a Rank Eleven peak being.
But the Milky Way Star Lord’s strength was too terrifying.
Tuoba had no doubt that if the Milky Way Star Lord encountered him on the battlefield, he would not hesitate to strike.
"This is my true body. I can’t take any risks. Once I reach the Insect Race Alliance’s war base, I’ll stay hidden inside."
Tuoba had made up his mind. Even if it meant losing a lot of merit, preserving his life was paramount.
After learning of the Milky Way Star Lord’s strength, Tuoba had considered leaving the super-large battlefield.
But once on the battlefield, there was no turning back. Withdrawal was impossible until specific stages of the war were reached.
Buzz!
A terrifying wave emerged from the Prison Clan’s side as the leading powerhouse produced a "pagoda" weapon. Golden energy began to spread in all directions.
"Activate."
Tuoba also activated his gray "bell," a defensive Strongest Weapon with suppressive capabilities.
Just as the energy from both Strongest Weapons was about to collide…
Space-time fluctuations abruptly vanished.
A young man’s figure appeared high above the clashing forces.
The young man’s sleeves fluttered as a yellowish-brown energy field descended, instantly suppressing the Strongest Weapons of both the Prison Clan and Tuoba.
"That…"
The five Prison Clan powerhouses immediately looked up at the young man.
"It’s the Milky Way Star Lord."
"This is trouble."
The five Prison Clan powerhouses grew tense.
They were well aware of the Milky Way Star Lord’s record: killing Ming Che, who wielded a Strongest Weapon, placing him at the pinnacle of the battlefield’s tens of thousands of Rank Eleven powerhouses.
"The Milky Way Star Lord?"
The expressions of the insect mothers darkened. Human civilization and the Insect Race were enemies. The Milky Way Star Lord’s sudden arrival clearly meant trouble.
"Retreat."
Without hesitation, three insect mothers abandoned their insect warriors and fled as streams of light.
To the Insect Race Alliance’s Rank Eleven powerhouses, encountering the Milky Way Star Lord alone meant certain defeat.
"The Milky Way Star Lord?"
As Tuoba activated his bell-shaped Strongest Weapon, his thoughts were in turmoil.
The core battlefield was vast. Even knowing the Milky Way Star Lord’s strength, Tuoba had believed that hiding in the war base would keep him safe.
But now? He hadn’t even reached the base and had already been found.
"Can I escape?"
Lin Yuan glanced at the three fleeing insect mothers. With a thought, his yellowish-brown energy field descended, obliterating two instantly. The remaining insect mother’s body shimmered with crystalline light.
"A Strongest Weapon?"
Lin Yuan took another look.
With his current strength, even the passive energy field of the "Mysterious Emperor Body" was nearly impossible for Rank Eleven beings to withstand.
Boom!
The ocean-like energy field enveloped Tuoba, who also attempted to flee.
The bell-shaped Strongest Weapon’s aura spread, temporarily resisting the energy field. But Tuoba felt a deep chill.
Based on the Insect Race’s analysis of the Milky Way Star Lord’s abilities, once caught within his energy field, escape was nearly impossible.
"Milky Way Star Lord, the feud between you and the Insect Race has nothing to do with us. If you want to deal with the Insect Race, go ahead. We’ll leave now."
The five Prison Clan powerhouses seized the opportunity to retreat.
"You’re not leaving either."
Lin Yuan cast a glance at them, showing no intention of letting them go.
After all, they carried a Strongest Weapon. How could he let them escape?
Rustle.
The yellowish-brown energy field solidified, pinning down three Strongest Weapons.
"Milky Way Star Lord, do you really think you can outlast all three of us?"
The five Prison Clan powerhouses were both furious and alarmed. Within the energy field, they felt as if they were sinking into quicksand, unable to move.
Strongest Weapons were indestructible. To kill a Rank Eleven powerhouse wielding one, there was only one method:
Exhaust them.
Wear them down until they could no longer activate their Strongest Weapon.
"You’re welcome to try," Lin Yuan said calmly.
If Lin Yuan unleashed his full strength, the Insect Race and Prison Clan powerhouses wouldn’t last long.
But there was no need for that.
Trapped within his grasp, their lives were his to decide. There was no rush to reveal his full capabilities.
Time passed.
More than an hour later, Tuoba was struggling to hold on.
"Milky Way Star Lord, name your terms, and I’ll agree to anything if you let me go," Tuoba transmitted.
He still dreamed of attempting the ultimate breakthrough. Even with slim odds, the possibility of ascending to Rank Twelve was worth pursuing. Achieving such a rank meant becoming a cosmic sovereign and potentially leading a pinnacle faction.
But now, those dreams felt incredibly distant.
"That won’t be necessary."
Lin Yuan shook his head. With his current strength, Tuoba was useless to him—not even worth keeping as a servant.
Half an hour later.
Determination filled Tuoba’s face as he burned everything he had, desperately trying to unleash his Strongest Weapon and break free from the energy field.
But it was all futile. Eventually, the bell-shaped Strongest Weapon’s aura waned, and Tuoba disintegrated within the pervasive energy field.
The immense energy of his blood, soul, and life force was refined into its purest form by Lin Yuan’s power and absorbed into his internal world.
"Dead?"
Lin Yuan collected the bell-shaped Strongest Weapon, giving it a cursory inspection before storing it in his internal world.
"Hmm?"
Lin Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly.
The moment Tuoba perished within the energy field, Lin Yuan sensed their causal connection vanish.
Two possibilities existed for such an occurrence.
First, Tuoba’s comprehension of the causality principle far exceeded Lin Yuan’s, allowing him to conceal his causal lines effortlessly.
But this was nearly impossible. Comprehending the principles of causality wasn’t something achieved overnight. How could Tuoba suddenly surpass Lin Yuan within moments?
The second possibility was that Tuoba had truly perished.
When a being dies, their causal connections naturally vanish. It was perfectly logical for Lin Yuan to lose any sense of Tuoba’s causal link.
"Tuoba entered the battlefield with his true body?"
Lin Yuan was slightly surprised.
Only the death of a true body could result in the simultaneous demise of all incarnations and the disappearance of causal lines.
"Makes sense. The two-dimensional world concluded recently, leaving Tuoba with no time to create a new incarnation. With a Strongest Weapon for protection, it was entirely plausible for him to enter the battlefield with his true body."
Lin Yuan quickly pieced it together.
While sending a true body onto the battlefield carried significant risk, it also brought greater opportunities. A true body was stronger than an incarnation, with far greater reserves of energy and trump cards.
With a Strongest Weapon in hand, Tuoba’s survival odds were indeed high.
"It was his true body, given the wealth of treasures he carried."
Lin Yuan glanced through Tuoba’s spatial ring, finding a trove of resources and artifacts.
Having decided to enter the battlefield with his true body, Tuoba had brought all his accumulated treasures with him. After all, if his true body perished, those treasures would be meaningless.
As a solitary special lifeform, Tuoba had no ties to a clan or descendants to inherit his legacy.
"This was quite the haul."
Lin Yuan smiled. Beyond the gains from killing Tuoba, completely eliminating a Fifth Tier Rank Eleven powerhouse meant earning substantial merit points in human civilization’s evaluation system.
After Tuoba’s death, the remaining Insect Race mother and the five Prison Clan powerhouses also succumbed to the energy field. Everything was refined into pure energy to fuel Lin Yuan’s cultivation of the "Mysterious Emperor Body."
He collected two additional Strongest Weapons and assessed his other spoils, feeling a surge of satisfaction.
"Back then, I could only rely on human civilization’s deterrent to suppress Tuoba. In reality, he didn’t take me seriously at all; otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to blackmail me."
"Tuoba, as a Rank Eleven ancient god, wouldn’t have even glanced at me when I was only Ninth rank—if not for human civilization. But now, even wielding a Strongest Weapon, he died by my hand. Killing him was as easy as crushing an ant."
Lin Yuan thought quietly, "Power… this is the absolute necessity of power."
A fierce desire to grow stronger surged within him. While he could kill Tuoba now, the Rank Twelve Strongest Ones could undoubtedly kill him.
Against a Strongest One, Lin Yuan couldn’t resist at all. He could only barely protect himself within the "Mysterious Emperor Realm."
"I must become a Strongest One," Lin Yuan resolved. Only by achieving that rank could he truly dominate the universe and no longer be seen as an ant by the ultimate existences.
...
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