After activating the divine ability “World,” Lin Yuan could only maintain it for six seconds. Within these six seconds, Lin Yuan decided to attempt to kill the strongest eleventh-rank being of the Insect Race.
This decision was primarily due to the deep animosity between human civilization and the Insect Race. In the past, before Lin Yuan had grown stronger, most of the assassination attempts against him were orchestrated by the Insect Race. Under such circumstances, the Insect Race naturally became the priority target.
“Milky Way Star Lord!”
The strongest eleventh-rank being of the Insect Race shrieked, sending out waves of invisible soul energy in all directions. However, all the soul waves were absorbed like sinking into a quagmire upon touching Lin Yuan.
In the eyes of the strongest eleventh-rank being of the Insect Race, Lin Yuan’s descending right hand grew larger and larger. The terrifying pressure gave her the illusion of facing a strongest one.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
At that moment, the Nightmare Realm above the strongest eleventh-rank being of the Insect Race suddenly emitted a hazy light. This hazy light was completely different from when she activated it—it carried an illusion that everything was false and a mere dream.
Even Lin Yuan’s mind was briefly immersed for an instant. However, he broke free the next moment with his formidable mental willpower.
“Hmm?”
“Such powerful mental willpower?”
A slightly surprised voice rang out. Lin Yuan looked up and saw an illusory figure slowly emerge from the Nightmare Realm. Although the figure was extremely ethereal, it gave Lin Yuan a sense of unparalleled reality, similar to the strongest one, Yu Die.
“A twelfth-rank being?”
Lin Yuan’s figure disappeared and reappeared above the altar. While he had anticipated that killing the strongest eleventh-rank being would trigger the mechanisms left behind by a twelfth-rank being in the ancestral weapon, he didn’t expect it to manifest as a direct projection of the strongest one.
Even though the projection was merely an incarnation of the strongest one, it wasn’t something Lin Yuan could contend with in his current state. Furthermore, the ancestral weapon was still in the hands of the Insect Race’s strongest one, and with the projection’s control, its destructive power would be close to a million points, if not exceeding it.
“Hahaha! Metamorphic Empress, you, a dignified strongest one, bullying a young one? Isn’t that a bit unbecoming?” From within the altar, the ring on Xuanyuan Dou’s right hand also emitted light, forming a male figure who gazed at the strongest one from the Nightmare Realm.
“It’s the strongest one, Xuanyuan.” Lin Yuan looked at the male figure, thoughts racing. Among the nine strongest ones of human civilization, Lin Yuan had interacted most with Xia Qin, given his affiliation with the Xiayou Evolution Tower.
However, Xuanyuan was someone Lin Yuan had little contact with, though he was aware that Xuanyuan was the first strongest one born from human civilization. Xuanyuan had borne the greatest pressure and paid the heaviest price among the nine strongest ones.
It was well known that human civilization had once obtained the final opportunity from the cosmos, where countless legacy treasures rained down. Before the rise of human civilization, the other twelfth-rank beings in the cosmic void paid no attention to it.
But when human civilization produced its first strongest one, the twelfth-rank beings’ gaze fell upon it, exposing the matter of the final opportunity.
Human civilization and the newly ascended Xuanyuan became the focus of the cosmos. One strongest being after another lay in wait, ready to besiege human civilization and seize the final opportunity. Xuanyuan had paid an enormous price to lead human civilization through that era. Only after the second, third, and fourth strongest ones emerged did the situation improve.
“Metamorphic Empress.”
Lin Yuan’s gaze fell upon the figure emerging from the Nightmare Realm. Among the queens of the Insect Race, the Metamorphic Empress was both the oldest and the most powerful. She had personally crafted the ancestral weapon, the Nightmare Realm.
“Empress.”
The strongest eleventh-rank being of the Insect Race bowed toward the Metamorphic Empress. Normally, the mechanisms within the Nightmare Realm would only activate if her life was in true danger. The appearance of the Metamorphic Empress now indicated that she had indeed been close to death at Lin Yuan’s hands.
“Could the Milky Way Star Lord really kill me despite the ancestral weapon?” The strongest eleventh-rank being of the Insect Race was incredulous. Yet, the Metamorphic Empress’s appearance left no other explanation.
“Xuanyuan, aren’t you intervening as well?” The Metamorphic Empress smiled faintly, her soul’s invisible energy rippling and influencing all beings. Within the altar, every eleventh-rank being of the Human Civilization Alliance began to lose themselves.
“Hmph.”
Xuanyuan snorted coldly, his voice resonating within the minds of all eleventh-rank beings, pulling them back from their daze.
“Besides, you claim I’m bullying the Milky Way Star Lord. That’s fine, but calling him a young one? That’s underestimating him.”
The Metamorphic Empress glanced at the Milky Way Star Lord with intrigue.
“The Milky Way Star Lord’s mental willpower has likely already reached the twelfth rank, hasn’t it?”
“And you call that a young one?”
Lin Yuan’s expression remained unchanged. He had relied on his immense mental willpower to quickly break free from the Metamorphic Empress’s soul influence. The Empress had clearly noticed this.
“What? The Milky Way Star Lord’s mental willpower is at the twelfth rank?” The strongest eleventh-rank being of the Insect Race stared at Lin Yuan in shock. Mental willpower was the hardest to improve compared to physical body or soul, especially beyond the million points. Each increment required immense resources and effort.
But the Milky Way Star Lord? Twelfth-rank mental willpower?
The surrounding strongest eleventh-rank beings were equally astonished.
After the Metamorphic Empress’s appearance, the duration of the divine ability “World” had nearly ended. At this point, they could leave at any time. Yet, with the Metamorphic Empress present, they chose to stay, intrigued by the confrontation between her and the strongest ones of human civilization. The revelation of the Milky Way Star Lord’s twelfth-rank mental willpower added another layer of astonishment.
“No wonder facing him felt like facing a strongest one,” thought the strongest eleventh-rank being of the Calamity Race. Despite their race’s countless tribulations, even they had never elevated mental willpower to the twelfth rank while at the eleventh rank.
“Hahaha! So what if my human civilization’s unparalleled genius has twelfth-rank mental willpower?” Xuanyuan’s tone was carefree. Twelfth-rank mental willpower meant that even the strongest ones’ mental attacks were entirely ineffective against Lin Yuan.
This signaled that Lin Yuan had fully matured. The most other twelfth-rank beings could achieve was to destroy one of his avatars. His true body would remain untouched.
“If I’m not mistaken, the Milky Way Star Lord hasn’t even relied on any ultimate foundation, has he?” The Metamorphic Empress continued, “The Universe Race’s Balance Scale aimed to weaken his life essence, yet it had no effect. The Milky Way Star Lord’s life essence far surpasses the eleventh-rank limit.”
The Empress paused briefly before adding, “With such life essence, if he truly activated an ultimate foundation, its power would overwhelm even the strongest eleventh-rank beings wielding ancestral weapons.”
The surrounding strongest eleventh-rank beings were stunned. Had the Milky Way Star Lord truly not relied on an ultimate foundation? Ten years ago, when he wiped out tens of thousands of eleventh-rank beings, it had been his own strength? And earlier, when over a dozen strongest eleventh-rank beings could only barely survive with ancestral weapons, it was also due to his own abilities?
“Could he really kill me despite my ancestral weapon?” The strongest eleventh-rank being of the Insect Race was terrified. Instinctively, she wanted to refute this claim, but it came from the Metamorphic Empress, the supreme ruler of the Insect Race. She dared not question it.
Lin Yuan hovered above the altar, silently listening to the Metamorphic Empress’s words.
“Although twelfth-rank beings cannot directly probe my physical body, soul, or internal world, they can still infer many of my secrets through observation.”
This was unavoidable. Unless Lin Yuan refrained from taking action, it was inevitable that the twelfth-rank beings of various peak factions would discern some of his capabilities. Yet, this no longer mattered. Lin Yuan had fully matured. Even if some of his secrets were exposed, what could the strongest ones of the peak factions do to him?
“So what if my human civilization’s unparalleled genius has such potential?” Xuanyuan remained unfazed, though inwardly impressed. He had learned of the Universe Race’s attempt to weaken Lin Yuan’s life essence only after the fact. Observing that Lin Yuan’s strength remained unaffected, he deduced that the Milky Way Star Lord had relied solely on himself.
Xuanyuan’s words left the Metamorphic Empress silent, while the other strongest eleventh-rank beings were filled with complicated emotions. Was this simply a matter of talent? The Milky Way Star Lord’s existence made them seem like insignificant ants.
“Enough.”
“Metamorphic Empress, there’s no need for further discussion. What’s your next move? Will we proceed to the final battle, or continue to let the young ones fight?”
Xuanyuan spoke directly. The so-called final battle referred to the formal entry of twelfth-rank treasures or methods into the fray. This didn’t involve direct combat between twelfth-rank beings but rather an escalation of the war with greater stakes. Previous large-scale battlefields’ permanent spatial rifts were caused by strikes from the strongest ones, signifying the final battle.
However, such battles usually occurred at the war’s later stages. At this point in the conflict, it was rare for a final battle to erupt. Normally, the first ten to twenty years of a large-scale war weren’t overly intense. But the presence of the Milky Way Star Lord had skewed the war’s trajectory.
The factions had prematurely united, and the Milky Way Star Lord’s ability to kill the Insect Race’s strongest eleventh-rank being had triggered the Metamorphic Empress’s mechanisms within the Nightmare Realm.
“A final battle?”
The Metamorphic Empress smiled faintly.
“There’s no need for that. The Insect Race has decided to withdraw from this war.”
Further fighting would inevitably see twelfth-rank beings intercepted by human civilization’s strongest ones. As for those below the twelfth rank? With the Milky Way Star Lord’s current strength, even the strongest eleventh-rank beings wielding ancestral weapons were clearly outmatched.
If the fighting continued and the Milky Way Star Lord activated an ultimate foundation, the strongest eleventh-rank beings of the various peak factions would undoubtedly be crushed.
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