Gazing at the “meteor” speeding toward him, Lin Yuan’s eyes lit up.
Though the chaotic void was full of countless opportunities, it was indeed rare to encounter such a stroke of luck so soon after setting out to explore.
Over the course of Humanity’s domain, many treasures and inheritances had once fallen inside through permanent spatial fissures in the void.
This was because, in the chaotic void, the universe itself existed as a colossal celestial body that, invisibly, influenced a vast surrounding region of space and time. Anything drifting by would eventually be pulled in and fall through one of those permanent fissures into the universe.
But Lin Yuan’s situation was different. Compared to the main universe, he was simply too tiny. The odds of randomly finding a treasure were extremely slim.
“Judging by this ‘meteor’s’ trajectory, it will pass near the main universe,” he mused.
“If it isn’t intercepted, maybe it’ll be pulled in by the main universe and, millions of years from now, fall through some permanent spatial fissure, becoming a fortune from ‘beyond’ for someone inside.”
Lin Yuan realized he was effectively cutting off a future opportunity that might have dropped into the main universe and been taken by certain Rank Twelve Ultimates.
“I’ll see if I can stop it here in advance.”
Examining the meteor, he noted, “There’s an aura of formation energy. This ‘meteor’ must be someone’s estate.”
While it was true the chaotic void could naturally spawn massive formations, such naturally occurring arrays possessed terrifying power on an immense scale. The formation aura of this meteor was far weaker than that, so Lin Yuan figured it was a dwelling someone had arranged.
“I suspect its owner is gone. If they were still here, I wouldn’t be able to sense this ‘meteor’ at all. Anyone’s estate typically stays hidden in deep layers of Space-Time. Even mobile dwellings keep a low profile. The chaotic void may offer unlimited possibilities, but it’s also fraught with danger. My own avatar has been moving carefully. This meteor’s aura is so exposed, it must be untended.”
“Space-Time vortex.”
With that thought, Lin Yuan used his Seventh Stage Space-Time comprehension to interfere with the meteor’s path. He was, after all, merely an avatar; if he tried to stand in front of it, he’d be obliterated in a blink by its speed. His only option was to slow it down indirectly by manipulating its flight path with repeated Space-Time interference.
Fortunately, the effect was clear. He had worried his interference might prove too weak, but the meteor’s velocity was indeed decreasing. That was thanks to the enormous power Lin Yuan could command through his Seventh Stage Space-Time insights.
If a typical Rank Twelve Ultimate from the main universe, who only possessed Sixth Stage Space-Time comprehension, tried this, the effect would have been much smaller.
“At this rate, in about half a day, I can stop the meteor completely.”
With that plan in mind, Lin Yuan continued applying Space-Time energy. Half a day later, the once-speeding meteor had slowed to a standstill before him.
Up close, Lin Yuan finally saw its true form: it was a gigantic island over ten thousand miles wide, with a palace at its center, surrounded by rolling mountains and a multitude of lakes.
“Eighteen twelve-star wonder trees?” Lin Yuan immediately spotted eighteen trees of that tier swaying near the central palace. Their branches bore fruit that emitted vast energy.
“Jackpot.” Lin Yuan grinned.
Compared to Rank Twelve weapon materials, these fruit-bearing twelve-star wonder trees were like money trees. Every so often, they would produce fruits of high value. Additionally, the island itself was rare, despite only being at the entry level of the twelve-star tier. It was huge, extending over ten thousand miles, so there was a lot of it.
“The estate’s control core should be inside the palace.”
He ignored the eighteen wonder trees for now. Each was surrounded by Space-Time power, likely left by the island’s owner. The simplest way to bypass these barriers was to refine the estate’s core. That way, he’d automatically gain control over the entire island.
“Let’s go.”
Because Lin Yuan was just an avatar formed of chaotic energy, he split off another wisp of consciousness and created a second avatar. Not knowing whether the palace hid any threats, he naturally took precautions.
Whoosh!
His newly formed avatar descended onto the island, heading for the central palace.
“There’s no apparent defense.” Lin Yuan scanned it carefully before stepping inside.
The palace was massive. He took a quick circuit, eventually arriving at an inner hall. There, a dodecagonal crystal hovered, seemingly the nexus of energy for the entire island.
“This should be the control core,” he thought, then began attempting to touch and refine the crystal.
Suddenly—rumble…
The palace started to quake. The once-quiet crystal began glowing, and intangible energy gathered to form a round, chubby figure with stunted limbs, like a big ball of flesh. It had large, round eyes. Appearing, it stretched, then turned its gaze upon Lin Yuan.
“The owner?” Lin Yuan tensed and prepared to let his avatar disperse at any moment.
“Don’t worry,” said the round figure, “My true self is long gone. I’m only a lingering imprint.”
It spoke in the common tongue of the chaotic void, which anyone could understand and use automatically.
“Greetings, Senior,” Lin Yuan said at once.
An imprint was not even a true wisp of consciousness, merely a leftover message or mark.
“Ugh, had I known, I never would’ve gone to that Tai Yuan Ruins. Sure enough, my true self didn’t make it out alive.” The round figure sighed under its breath.
“Tai Yuan Ruins?” Lin Yuan’s heart stirred. Though he’d never left the main universe before, he had heard the name. The Tai Yuan Ruins were a famous perilous region in the chaotic void, also one of the greatest lands of opportunity. The outer aurora that once fell into the main universe and the “white paper” likewise originated there. Many opportunities and legacies mention the Tai Yuan Ruins.
“But I couldn’t resist the temptation,” the round figure muttered, “I heard rumors that something close to a perfect Time-Life Form might be in there. I’ve been stuck at the peak of Dominance for dozens of cosmic eras. If I found some luck, maybe I’d finally step into Chaos Realm.”
Peak of Dominance? Lin Yuan was amazed.
Rank Twelve had three levels: Path-Clearing, Dominance, and Chaos. A peak Dominance being was strong even in the chaotic void. Back at its peak, the Mysterious Emperor Lineage or Devil Jade Tower might have only had a handful of such formidable individuals.
But that very being had died in the Tai Yuan Ruins? Lin Yuan couldn’t believe a powerhouse of that caliber had no fallback plan. Usually, they’d retain a backdoor even if their main body fell. Yet from the imprint’s words, it seemed to have truly perished.
“Latecomer, which chaotic epoch is it now?” the imprint asked Lin Yuan.
“Which chaotic epoch?” Lin Yuan hesitated, then said, “Senior, I don’t know.”
He’d just left his home universe; naturally, he knew nothing about the chaotic void’s current era.
“You don’t know?” The imprint frowned slightly. Practically any being who’d matured in the chaotic void would be aware of the epoch. How could Lin Yuan be clueless?
“I’m not a native of the chaotic void. I come from a universe,” Lin Yuan explained.
“A universe?” The imprint looked puzzled.
“So your universe already underwent a Great Collapse?”
“It hasn’t collapsed yet,” Lin Yuan said.
“How did you leave, then?” The imprint stared at him, clearly more and more astonished.
“Your Space-Time comprehension is Seventh Stage, I see. Tsk, tsk. No wonder you can send out an avatar to roam the chaotic void. With that level of Space-Time insight, you—wait, your avatar is formed of chaotic energy. You’ve comprehended the chaos rule?”
It stared, dumbfounded.
As a peak Dominance expert, it understood how cosmic life worked. Even for a Rank Twelve being, the maximum they could live was one cosmic epoch. When that epoch ended, a Rank Twelve would face the Great Collapse alongside the universe. Normally, at least half of them would perish just enduring that cataclysm, leaving only those who truly made it past that point to enter the chaotic void.
Yet Lin Yuan hadn’t even gone through the Great Collapse, yet he already grasped Seventh Stage Space-Time and even the chaos rule?
The first might be somewhat plausible. But the second? The chaos rule was among the hardest barriers between Dominance and Chaos. This imprint itself had entered the Tai Yuan Ruins hoping to stumble upon some opportunity that would help it grasp the chaos rule.
“I just got lucky,” Lin Yuan said after a pause.
He wasn’t surprised the imprint had deduced his Seventh Stage Space-Time—he’d used it outside to halt the island’s flight, and now that the imprint was in control of the island once more, it was obvious.
In the records of the Mysterious Emperor Lineage and the Devil Jade Tower, the Seventh Stage of Space-Time was incredibly rare inside a universe. In the chaotic void, however, it wasn’t quite so special. A peak Path-Clearing expert might reach it, and for those in Dominance, their Space-Time comprehension started at Seventh Stage.
But the chaos rule was an entirely different story. Many peak Dominance beings never grasped it at all.
“In a single cosmic epoch, you’ve reached Path-Clearing and even comprehended the chaos rule,” the figure remarked.
“Astonishing—truly astonishing.”
If it knew that Lin Yuan was only Rank Eleven, not even Path-Clearing, it would be even more shocked. There had been rumors in the chaotic void about those who reached Chaos after mastering the chaos rule during Path-Clearing—usually thanks to the painstaking efforts of mighty Chaos Realm “Grand Saints.”
Yet an Eleven-Level being comprehending the chaos rule was so far beyond its imagination that even the likes of Mysterious Emperor or the Devil Jade Tower Master were just names it had heard of in legends.
“Never would I have thought that after my death—who knows how long ago—I’d see such a genius,” said the imprint, introducing itself as Cang Weiyang.
He knew about those who had mastered the chaos rule at the Path-Clearing level, typically heirs of the chaotic Grand Saints. But Lin Yuan came from within a universe, where knowledge was limited, and still he’d managed to do it.
Lin Yuan just stayed silent, listening.
Though only Rank Eleven, he possessed forty million points of mental will and was enveloped by chaotic energy, so it was difficult for others to gauge his true level.
“A single epoch spent at Path-Clearing with the chaos rule in hand. You have a high chance of stepping into Chaos Realm in the future,” Cang Weiyang observed.
Even the disciples nurtured by Grand Saints wouldn’t dare say they’d absolutely succeed in entering Chaos Realm. Comprehending the chaos rule was just one of the biggest thresholds, not the only requirement.
Yet Lin Yuan was different. By Cang Weiyang’s estimation, Lin Yuan’s potential far exceeded any normal “disciple,” so he might genuinely have a good chance.
“A good chance” was already his greatest praise.
“The Chaos Realm is too distant for me,” Lin Yuan said quietly.
He was still just Rank Eleven. First, he needed to become Path-Clearing.
“Too distant?” Cang Weiyang gave him a look.
“All right, on to business.” The imprint composed itself.
“This estate is one of three I used frequently for cultivation. It holds eighteen wonder trees of Dominance level, plus three Dominance-level treasures and one Chaos-level treasure.”
“Additionally, there are many secret arts I cultivated.”
“Three Dominance-level treasures? And one Chaos-level treasure?” Lin Yuan was surprised.
Rank Twelve weapons and artifacts were likewise categorized from low to high as Path-Clearing, Dominance, and Chaos. In the main universe, the ‘Strongest Weapons’ of the top champions and other twelve-rank weapons typically belonged to the Path-Clearing tier. Even the ancestral weapons of various apex races were usually at best peak Path-Clearing or special Path-Clearing items.
“Logically, with all these inheritances and artifacts left in my estate, I should be selecting a successor, making them pass various tests and swear all kinds of oaths, then finally bestowing it all…”
Cang Weiyang paused, an odd look in his eyes.
“But I’m not worthy of taking you as my disciple.”
“So everything here in this estate is yours.”
...
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