Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, thoroughly inspecting himself inside and out. He confirmed that the only thing diminished was his life essence, with no other aspects affected.
Moreover, the reduction in life essence was only one in ten million.
The impact of this on Lin Yuan's overall strength was negligible.
In fact, Lin Yuan faintly sensed that this reduction in life essence was temporary and would recover soon.
“What’s going on?”
Lin Yuan pondered. It could be deduced that his life essence had inexplicably diminished due to the actions of certain peak faction powers. The technique used was of an extremely high level, likely at the twelfth rank ultimate level. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been entirely unaware, let alone incapable of resistance.
However—
The peak faction powers had misjudged the magnitude of Lin Yuan’s life essence. As a result, the diminished portion of life essence was akin to a drop in the ocean when compared to the entirety of his life essence.
Life essence depends on multiple factors, such as the internal world, the physical body, the soul, and mental willpower.
External forces have little influence on life essence. Lin Yuan’s life essence primarily originated from his internal world, which had a diameter of over seven hundred billion miles. This was tens of thousands of times greater than the internal world of a normal eleventh-rank perfection, which usually spans millions of miles, rarely reaching even a billion.
His physical body also contributed significantly. Through the martial evolution path, his body underwent extreme refinement, incorporating insights from the minute structures of countless powerful beings’ physiques. Additions like the mysterious gourd’s enhancement, two infusions of primordial void essence, and more, elevated Lin Yuan’s physical body far beyond an ordinary eleventh-rank perfection.
The soul followed a similar trajectory. The powerful internal world and physical body nurtured a soul that vastly exceeded that of a normal eleventh-rank perfection from the start. Mental willpower was even more remarkable.
While Lin Yuan’s internal world, physical body, and soul had not yet reached the twelfth rank, his mental willpower had firmly stepped into the twelfth rank and was considered powerful even within that rank.
With over thirty-three million mental willpower points, Lin Yuan suspected that many twelfth-rank ultimates couldn’t match him.
The combination of his internal world, physical body, soul, and mental willpower resulted in life essence that far surpassed an eleventh-rank perfection by tens of millions of times.
Even in the River of Time, this superiority was evident. Ordinary eleventh-rank perfections were merely “big fish” in the river. But Lin Yuan? He submerged to the riverbed, his massive form occupying the entire river bottom. A slight movement would stir countless undercurrents, instilling fear among nearby eleventh-rank beings and even altering the local water flow.
Meanwhile, near the battlefield’s central altar—
Rip!
Over a dozen terrifying spatial rifts tore open. One by one, the strongest eleventh-rank beings of various peak factions appeared, wielding ancestral weapons and numerous treasures, charging toward the Victory Altar.
“Attack with full force.”
The strongest of the Calamity Race exuded boundless energy, as if enveloped by countless calamities yet untouched.
The other strongest eleventh-rank beings followed suit, exuding power far exceeding the limits of the eleventh rank. At this moment, the Universe Race used their treasure, the Balance Scale, to suppress the life essence of the Milky Way Star Lord. They sought to seize this opportunity to kill the Milky Way Star Lord and reclaim their strongest weapons. This would mitigate the peak factions’ losses.
As for dealing with the Milky Way Star Lord afterward, even if they killed this incarnation, it was merely a clone. The true body of the Milky Way Star Lord was still far away and could create another clone to reenter the war.
The twelfth-rank ultimates among the peak factions speculated that the ultimate foundation wielded by the Milky Way Star Lord had a range limitation. Otherwise, the Milky Way Star Lord wouldn’t have waited until a large-scale battle, with tens of thousands of eleventh-rank beings gathered within a range of billions of miles, to make a move.
Knowing this made it easier to counter—keeping distance from the Milky Way Star Lord would suffice.
“Kill!”
The strongest eleventh-rank being of the Insect Race, with an icy gaze, unleashed terrifying soul attacks using the ancestral weapon Nightmare Realm without holding back.
Inside the Victory Altar, numerous eleventh-rank defenders looked horrified. As they gazed around, they saw over a dozen figures charging toward the altar. These figures distorted and shattered the battlefield’s space. All eleventh-rank beings of the Human Civilization Alliance were trembling with fear.
Even Xuanyuan Dou felt his scalp tingle. These strongest eleventh-rank beings were clearly using every means at their disposal to destroy the Human Civilization Alliance.
“The Milky Way Star Lord?”
Xuanyuan Dou’s heart sank. The blatant advance of these strongest eleventh-rank beings suggested they had found a way to counter the Milky Way Star Lord. Given the Star Lord’s astonishing power demonstrated a decade ago, the eleven peak faction powers wouldn’t risk sending their strongest eleventh-rank beings to their deaths without confidence.
If they had acted, they were confident and prepared.
“Hmm?”
Seated at the altar’s deepest point, Lin Yuan also sensed the advancing strongest eleventh-rank beings.
“First, weaken my life essence, then launch a full-force attack. It’s a decent plan.”
Lin Yuan’s gaze remained calm. Admittedly, the peak faction powers’ plan was flawless, undoubtedly involving the scheming of twelfth-rank ultimates.
However, they misjudged Lin Yuan’s life essence’s magnitude.
In truth, it wasn’t entirely their fault. Even the twelfth-rank ultimates couldn’t have anticipated that an eleventh-rank being could possess such overwhelming life essence.
The strongest ones of Human Civilization knew this because they had witnessed Lin Yuan’s movements when he advanced to the tenth and eleventh ranks. However, even they likely didn’t grasp the full extent of his life essence.
Lin Yuan’s life essence was so immense that it almost created a new realm between the eleventh and twelfth ranks.
“Almost everyone has arrived.”
Lin Yuan’s thoughts shifted, and he silently activated the divine ability “World.”
“Kill.”
“Milky Way Star Lord, we are here to kill you.”
The strongest eleventh-rank beings approached in an instant, preparing to unleash their ancestral weapons on the altar. At that moment—
From all directions, above and below, the world changed. A new world seemed to descend.
“Hmm?”
“What is this?”
“The Milky Way Star Lord has activated that ultimate foundation again.”
The strongest eleventh-rank beings turned pale, disbelief in their eyes. Even the strongest of the Calamity Race hesitated.
Didn’t Fan Gao Mo claim that the Balance Scale, a treasure of the Universe Race, had greatly suppressed the life essence of the Milky Way Star Lord, making it impossible to activate the ultimate foundation?
What was happening now?
In a flash, the strongest eleventh-rank beings retreated without hesitation. A decade ago, they had witnessed the Milky Way Star Lord’s power firsthand. Back then, tens of thousands of eleventh-rank beings had inadvertently shared the burden of the divine ability “World.”
But now?
Only a dozen of them were present. They didn’t dare stay.
On the battlefield’s edge, Fan Gao Mo watched closely. Before him was the golden scale, its two sides balanced by the void energy representing the life essence of the Milky Way Star Lord.
“Without the ultimate foundation, the Milky Way Star Lord would not surpass the strongest eleventh-rank beings by much. But now…”
Fan Gao Mo’s thoughts churned, interrupted by questions from the strongest eleventh-rank beings of the Insect Race and other factions.
“Fan Gao Mo, the Milky Way Star Lord’s life essence hasn’t diminished.”
“Fan Gao Mo, the Milky Way Star Lord is still using the ultimate foundation. We’re all suppressed now.”
“Fan Gao Mo, are you deceiving us? Have you allied with the Human Civilization Alliance?”
Their accusations left Fan Gao Mo dumbfounded. The golden scale before him clearly showed the Milky Way Star Lord’s life essence on the right side, balanced with the life essence of a hundred eleventh-rank perfections on the left.
Could he have made a mistake?
“Impossible.”
Fan Gao Mo looked again, sensing the overwhelming presence from the battlefield’s center—a presence he would never forget. It was the same overwhelming power the Milky Way Star Lord had unleashed a decade ago to annihilate tens of thousands of eleventh-rank beings. Compared to then, this power showed no signs of weakening.
How could this be?
Had he weakened someone else instead?
No. The golden scale confirmed it was the Milky Way Star Lord.
“What is going on?”
“Could the Balance Scale have malfunctioned?”
Fan Gao Mo quickly contacted the “Sovereign” of the Universe Race.
In the Universe Race’s territory, inside a palace, Fan Gao Mo stood waiting cautiously for the Sovereign's response.
Clearly, the Balance Scale had weakened the Milky Way Star Lord’s life essence. Even the corresponding void energy was visible on the scale. Yet, the Milky Way Star Lord seemed unaffected.
“The Balance Scale has indeed weakened the Milky Way Star Lord’s life essence,” the Sovereign said after a moment. The Sovereign had been monitoring the scale and had safeguards in place.
“Indeed weakened?”
Fan Gao Mo was more confused than ever. The Milky Way Star Lord’s behavior did not match someone whose life essence had been diminished.
“It must be that the weakened portion of life essence is too insignificant to affect the Milky Way Star Lord,” the Sovereign explained after another moment of thought.
“Too insignificant?”
Fan Gao Mo was stunned. The life essence of a hundred eleventh-rank perfections, equivalent to the entirety of ten such beings, was considered negligible?
On the colossal battlefield, Lin Yuan watched as the strongest eleventh-rank beings wielded their ancestral weapons, struggling within the confines of the divine ability “World.”
Compared to ten years ago, Lin Yuan’s strength had increased significantly. The integration of over ten twelfth-rank laws had further evolved his internal world. A stronger internal world naturally bolstered the external world created by “World.”
Ten years ago, the strongest eleventh-rank beings with ancestral weapons could tear through the external world and escape. But now, they couldn’t.
Even as their ancestral weapons erupted with terrifying power, it was futile. The external world was as solid as reality. No one but Lin Yuan could break it.
“Although I can trap these strongest eleventh-rank beings, even if I were to detonate the external world, it would be difficult to kill any of them,” Lin Yuan thought as he overlooked the struggling strongest eleventh-rank beings.
The primary difference between ancestral weapons and strongest weapons was not power but the wielder. Strongest weapons were wielded by eleventh-rank beings, consuming their energy heavily. In the past, Lin Yuan had killed such wielders by exhausting them.
Ancestral weapons, however, were directly controlled by twelfth-rank beings. Each ancestral weapon contained dormant mechanisms left by a twelfth-rank beings, ready to activate in critical moments and take over the weapon.
If Lin Yuan attempted to kill these strongest eleventh-rank beings, the dormant mechanisms within the ancestral weapons would undoubtedly activate. The peak factions had clearly prepared extensively, ensuring their ancestral weapons wouldn’t be easily lost.
“Let’s focus all power on one target and see if I can eliminate one.”
Lin Yuan’s gaze shifted to the strongest eleventh-rank being of the Insect Race.
Boom!
An invisible force enveloped the strongest Insect Race being, causing the Nightmare Realm to tremble uncontrollably.
“No!”
The Insect Race’s strongest eleventh-rank being felt her scalp tingle as she realized the Milky Way Star Lord had silently appeared before her, his right hand pressing down toward her.
...
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