After repeated negotiations, the peak clans finally decided to gather one hundred perfected eleventh-rank beings each, contributing one-tenth of their life essence as the balancing point to exchange for the corresponding life essence of the Milky Way Star Lord.
As the Balance Scale was provided by the Universe Clan, they naturally did not need to contribute the life essence of their perfected eleventh-rank beings. Similarly, the Calamity Clan did not contribute much either.
The Calamity Clan had a sparse population, and each perfected eleventh-rank being was far more significant than their counterparts in other clans. While they contributed little in terms of life essence, the strongest eleventh-rank of the Calamity Clan promised to unleash additional trump cards during the encirclement of the Milky Way Star Lord to compensate for the losses of the other peak clans.
Although the Tianyu Clan and the Insect Race expressed dissatisfaction, they could do little, as the Calamity Clan’s strength was undeniable, and the reality of the situation left no room for dispute. Demanding the Calamity Clan to share more was unrealistic.
Time passed.
Ten years went by in the blink of an eye.
Under a certain starry sky, Fan Gao Mo stood before a floating golden scale. In the distance, one hundred perfected eleventh-rank beings from the peak clans gathered, their expressions slightly weakened, and an aura of void emanated faintly from them. This void aura concentrated on the left side of the golden scale, causing it to tilt.
“Enter the super-large battlefield immediately,” Fan Gao Mo said as he retrieved the Balance Scale.
The void aura condensed from the life essence contributed by the one hundred perfected eleventh-rank beings would not last long on the left side of the scale. They needed to reach the super-large battlefield quickly, lock onto the Milky Way Star Lord’s aura, and proceed with the forced exchange.
With a swoosh, Fan Gao Mo vanished.
Under the guidance of the Universe Clan’s strongest experts, he arrived near the super-large battlefield, descending to its edge.
“This distance should suffice,” Fan Gao Mo muttered, choosing not to venture into the core area of the battlefield, which was far too dangerous. Even from the edge, the Balance Scale’s power could lock onto the Milky Way Star Lord’s aura.
“They should all be ready,” he said, glancing towards the battlefield’s core.
For ten years, the peak clans had secretly deployed experts into the super-large battlefield. Most lingered in the periphery, cautious not to venture too deep lest they attract the Milky Way Star Lord’s attention and provoke another pursuit.
With the strongest eleventh-rank beings of the peak clans awaiting Fan Gao Mo’s success in weakening the Milky Way Star Lord’s life essence, they prepared for a counteroffensive against the human civilization alliance to avenge a decade of humiliation.
“Begin.”
Fan Gao Mo activated the Balance Scale, his perception expanding infinitely. Using the life essence condensed on the left side of the scale, he could sense the life essence of all beings within thousands of light-years. However, the Balance Scale only allowed him to sense the existence of life essence, not its quality or quantity. The scale’s ability focused solely on exchanging equivalent items, irrespective of their availability or quantity.
In a trance-like state, Fan Gao Mo detected a familiar yet terrifying life essence aura in the battlefield’s core.
“That must be the Milky Way Star Lord,” he confirmed. Although he had only encountered the Milky Way Star Lord once, the impression left by that encounter was indelible. Tens of thousands of eleventh-rank experts were annihilated, and hundreds of strongest weapons were lost, leaving a psychological scar on Fan Gao Mo.
Without the Balance Scale, Fan Gao Mo doubted he would have the courage to confront the Milky Way Star Lord again.
“Lock on,” he whispered, his heart racing as he used the Balance Scale to lock onto the Milky Way Star Lord’s aura.
“Establish the connection,” he instructed.
“The exchange can be completed within two hours.”
The Balance Scale’s ability, though extraordinary, required time to build the connection between its two sides. While two hours might seem short, Fan Gao Mo was willing to wait.
At the Victory Altar’s center, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged in meditation. Over ten years of arduous cultivation, he had advanced twelve foundational fusion principles to the seventh level. Such an achievement was typically attainable only by twelfth-rank ultimates.
In just ten years, Lin Yuan had reached this stage with ten foundational fusion principles, surpassing the centuries it once took him to elevate his time-space fusion principle to the sixth level.
The seventh level of foundational fusion principles was easier to attain than the sixth level of time-space fusion principles. Moreover, Lin Yuan’s earlier mastery of the time-space domain greatly facilitated his progress.
“Time-space,” Lin Yuan murmured, his gaze deep and profound as ripples of a “time-space river” emerged. Much of the past decade had been dedicated to the time-space fusion principle. Despite constant progress, he had yet to reach the peak of the sixth level.
“Ten years is too short,” he sighed.
“Perhaps in a century or a millennium, I could reach the peak of the sixth level.”
As he prepared to continue meditating on the time-space fusion principle, an inexplicable sense of surveillance and locking descended upon him. Though formless and intangible, it began to establish a connection with Lin Yuan.
“Hmm?” Lin Yuan’s heart tightened.
“Could this be the prelude to the peak clans’ counterattack?”
The source of the surveillance and locking eluded him, as his strong mental will allowed him to sense it but not pinpoint its origin.
“As expected, the eleven peak clans are not to be underestimated,” Lin Yuan thought gravely, his attempts to analyze the encroaching aura yielding no results. However, he remained composed, knowing that all strongest weapons and treasures had been relocated to the Mysterious Emperor’s secret realm. Even if his yang primordial spirit was destroyed, the losses would be minimal.
To prepare for extreme scenarios, Lin Yuan had instructed the strongest one, Xia Qin, to move his yin primordial spirit to the battlefield’s vicinity. If his yang primordial spirit fell, his yin primordial spirit would immediately descend onto the battlefield.
“Alternating between the yang and yin primordial spirits, I refuse to lose control of the altar,” Lin Yuan resolved. He had steeled himself for the possibility of losing both primordial spirits multiple times.
Two hours later, on the battlefield’s edge, Fan Gao Mo sat motionless, waiting for the Balance Scale to establish a stable connection with the Milky Way Star Lord. At last, the connection stabilized.
“Exchange,” Fan Gao Mo commanded, activating the Balance Scale to force an exchange of life essence equivalent to the void aura on the left side.
The golden scale before him, initially imbalanced with the left side heavier, began to shift as the exchange proceeded. Void aura materialized on the right side, growing steadily until the two sides reached equilibrium.
“It is done,” Fan Gao Mo announced, a smile spreading across his face. The void aura on the right side represented the Milky Way Star Lord’s life essence, its quantity matching the void aura on the left minus some losses.
“The counteroffensive begins now,” Fan Gao Mo declared confidently, imagining the Milky Way Star Lord’s terror upon realizing a significant drop in his life essence.
He immediately contacted the strongest eleventh-rank beings of the ten peak clans. For ten years, they had awaited this moment to exploit the Milky Way Star Lord’s vulnerability and reclaim what was lost a decade ago.
Deep within the altar, Lin Yuan continued probing the source of the surveillance and locking, his formidable mental will exceeding the twelfth rank. However, his lack of equivalent cultivation left him unable to locate the source.
“What technique is this?” Lin Yuan wondered, his vigilance heightened. He knew the peak clans’ counterattack had begun, and his side was at a disadvantage, unaware of their methods.
During his wait, Lin Yuan noticed his life essence diminishing.
“My life essence is decreasing?” he muttered, his expression grim. Life essence, the foundation of existence, is critical for any being. Although the reduction was slow and nearly imperceptible compared to his vast reserves, any loss was alarming. This could very well be just the beginning.
However, within moments, the decrease ceased.
“Is that all?” Lin Yuan was puzzled. He had anticipated the reduction to accelerate but found it ended abruptly. Examining himself, he discovered his life essence had decreased by about one-tenmillionth compared to moments earlier.
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