The void was dim and chaotic as a single figure appeared, descending through the haze.
“Here we are.” Lin Yuan gazed at the vast continent floating in the distance. Its size was dozens of times larger than his home universe, and it radiated an immense aura extending throughout the surrounding chaotic void.
“This must be the Guming Chaotic Continent?” A smile appeared on his face.
This continent was the closest chaotic continent to his home universe. A hundred years had passed inside the universe, yet here in the chaotic void, only four months had gone by.
Three months earlier, while Lin Yuan was wandering aimlessly through the chaotic void, he sensed the aura emanating from Guming Chaotic Continent. It took him three months of nonstop travel to finally arrive.
The closer he got to Guming Chaotic Continent, the more often he encountered other powerhouses. Through interacting with them, he gathered plenty of information about this place. The deceased peak Dominance expert Cang Weiyang, in his notes, had also mentioned Guming Chaotic Continent.
“I’d say I got lucky.” Lin Yuan felt pleased. This continent was located at the edges of the area covered in Senior Cang Weiyang’s map. Much farther, and he’d be beyond the map’s recorded limits.
The chaotic void was endless; even a Chaos Grand Saint couldn’t reach its boundaries, let alone a Dominance-level being.
Lin Yuan turned and glanced toward the spot where his home universe lay far behind him.
With his current Space-Time insight, he could cover the equivalent of his home universe’s entire diameter with every breath. Even so, it had taken him over three months to get here without pause, which showed just how far this continent was from his universe.
Of course, “far” was relative; to him it was a long journey, but a Dominance-level being might have done it in a few hours, and a Chaos-level expert could cross it in a single thought.
Rank Twelve was divided into three realms—Path-Clearing, Dominance, and Chaos—each realm presenting a monumental barrier. It was rumored that surpassing Chaos drew one close to a “nearly perfect time-based life,” possessing some of its traits.
“My connection to my true soul is almost at its limit,” Lin Yuan thought to himself.
When a regular Rank Twelve with Sixth Stage Space-Time comprehension in the universe gathered an avatar, that avatar could only stay near the universe for a short while before collapsing from the corrosive influence of chaos energy. Lin Yuan’s Seventh Stage Space-Time insight extended that range far beyond what any Sixth Stage being could manage, but there was still a limit.
It was pure luck that he discovered Guming Chaotic Continent before reaching that limit—or rather, that the continent happened to lie just within the contact range for his mind and soul.
He recalled the information about the one who controlled Guming Chaotic Continent. Any land worthy to be called a “chaotic continent” was invariably backed by a Chaos-level powerhouse. In this case, the continent was named after the Chaos-level being who ruled it—Guming.
Guming was known for valuing fairness. The continent he established was renowned for its prosperous trading scene, attracting experts from every nearby region of the chaotic void and even from other chaotic continents.
“When Senior Cang Weiyang was still alive, Guming was already a famous Chaos being. Now, a few cosmic epochs later, Guming is still around…” Lin Yuan sighed inwardly.
It was extremely difficult for a Chaos-level being to perish. Even the unexplained disappearances of the Devil Jade Tower Master or His Majesty didn’t necessarily confirm their deaths. And if they did die, it might not have been from being killed at all.
“Time to go in.”
Lin Yuan continued approaching the vast continent ahead. Guming Chaotic Continent was shielded by a grand formation, and around it lay thirty-three designated gates to enter or leave. Lin Yuan aimed for the nearest gate.
“Entering Guming Chaotic Continent requires ten Chaos Stones.” A mental transmission came to Lin Yuan’s ear at the entry.
“I understand,” he answered.
On Guming Chaotic Continent, killing was forbidden, guaranteeing tremendous safety. That security came at a price. Compared to the chaotic void where danger was everywhere, the continent was orderly and stable, so an entrance fee made sense.
Whoosh.
Lin Yuan brought out ten Chaos Stones. He had acquired quite a few from Cang Weiyang’s residence, though most were sent back to his home universe. He kept some on hand specifically for situations like this. Thanks to the intelligence Senior Cang Weiyang left behind, Lin Yuan was well versed in many rules of the chaotic void.
“Hmm?”
At that moment, Lin Yuan looked up to see several figures arriving. They seemed to be from the same race. After a brief pause at the entrance, they handed over a few Rank Twelve weapons to cover the fee, finally scraping together the required cost to enter.
Entry needed ten Chaos Stones. Without them, one could pay with comparable treasures, but that usually meant a steep markup. The Guming Continent officials would price one’s goods at the bare minimum.
Lin Yuan guessed these individuals were newly arrived Path-Clearing beings who had just left their home universe. Countless universes were born and destroyed within the chaotic void. With each cosmic collapse, Rank Twelve Path-Clearing elites who survived that catastrophe would enter the chaotic void.
Those lucky enough might find a nearby chaotic continent to settle. The unlucky could drift aimlessly, running into all sorts of dangers and facing death.
Within their home universes, Rank Twelve beings were basically unkillable thanks to the universe’s protection. On the outside, though, their advantage dissipated. The chaotic void teemed with opportunists who specialized in watching for universes about to collapse, ambushing any newly emerged Path-Clearing elites.
Those new arrivals might have been the strongest in their universe, usually possessing the bulk of that universe’s wealth, yet they would not be as skilled or experienced as veterans of the chaotic void. And so, they were “fat sheep” just waiting to be robbed.
“Cosmic collapse…” Lin Yuan’s expression grew serious.
When a universe is destroyed, its entire timeline crumbles, and all life within it perishes. Only Rank Twelve beings who transcend time’s river have a chance of survival. But it’s only a chance—those final eruptions of cosmic law can be deadly even to them, and often merely a fraction of the Rank Twelve survive to enter the chaotic void.
As for those below Rank Twelve?
They have just one possible way out: transferring their fundamental life imprint from the universal river of time into the inner world of a Rank Twelve being. When the universe’s timeline collapses, any creatures still in that timeline die because their essential imprint is bound there. By relocating it into a Rank Twelve’s personal timeline, they can survive if that Rank Twelve endures the cosmic collapse.
Of course, even if a Rank Twelve can do that, they won’t bring too many. The more life from the universe they carry, the more they’ll come under scrutiny from the universe’s will, increasing the destructive burden they face.
“When the universe eventually collapses, ninety-nine percent of my Human Civilization will die,” Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Truthfully, ninety-nine percent was already optimistic. At most, a millionth or ten-millionth of one percent might enter the personal realm of some Rank Twelve. And among those Rank Twelve, most would still perish during the collapse, reducing those survivors even further.
“No point worrying about that now,” he decided. His home universe was still young; unless something happened, it was a long way from total collapse.
Before long, Lin Yuan set foot on Guming Chaotic Continent.
Guming Continent had nine major cities where most foreigners gathered. Beyond those cities lay numerous other formations, where Guming himself cultivated. Outsiders were strictly forbidden from venturing there without permission.
“That thing?” Lin Yuan’s gaze fell upon a massive black mountain in the continent’s center. A terrifying aura extended outward, a darkness akin to primordial chaos that would unsettle even a typical Dominance-level being.
“That must be a horn from the chaotic dragon-beast Guming once tamed,” he recalled.
Early in his life, Guming, a Chaos-level being, roamed the void until subduing a “chaotic dragon-beast” nearly equal to Chaos-level in power. The black mountain in the continent’s center was a horn from that beast. The actual creature slumbered somewhere deep beneath the continent.
“Chaos-level strength in a dragon-beast…” Lin Yuan withdrew his gaze. The presence of that horn was one of the reasons Guming Continent remained so prosperous. Whoever saw it, even a peak Dominance expert, would think twice before making trouble.
A chaotic continent’s prosperity didn’t necessarily depend on how fearsome its Chaos master was. If the local order was poor and conflict rampant, travelers would simply avoid it. They couldn’t beat a Chaos-level powerhouse, but they could certainly go elsewhere.
Guming believed in fairness, maintaining a reputation free of injustice across countless cosmic epochs. As a result, many Path-Clearing or Dominance-level beings came to Guming Continent to trade and cultivate.
Lin Yuan arrived at Mingchuan City, one of the continent’s nine cities. The city was enormous, subdivided into various zones—trade districts, residential areas, and so on.
“Many shops here are owned by Dominance experts whose influence extends only across Guming Continent or even just Mingchuan City,” he observed.
His gaze turned to a more distant area lined with majestic structures, each belonging to a different power from other chaotic continents ruled by Chaos-level beings. Unlike the private shops of Dominance-level owners, these big shops carried stronger reputations and, naturally, higher prices.
“That building is called Wandao Tower?”
He eyed an elaborate, fog-shrouded tower among them, seemingly unfathomable in depth.
Wandao Tower didn’t trade in treasures or materials, but in evolutionary paths. If you wanted to break into Rank Twelve, you had to follow a road that led to the top—and that path must not yet have a Rank Twelve occupant. The chaotic void was infinite, and only a very few made it purely by perfecting a brand-new path from scratch. Most Rank Twelve ended up taking an established path.
For a path to lead to Rank Twelve, its complete method had to be discovered by someone at or below Rank Eleven. From the vantage point of Chaos-level beings who observed the core truths of the Dao over eons, they might easily explore hundreds or thousands of possible Rank Twelve roads in a single closed-door session.
The Dao was infinite, and each time they examined its essence, numerous evolutionary paths would emerge. Some were more promising, potentially reaching Dominance or even Chaos, while others were ordinary. But some of those Chaos experts documented and refined these paths, then offered them for sale.
Lin Yuan had no interest in buying an evolutionary path from Wandao Tower. Any path had to suit the practitioner, and since he personally created Martial Arts, it was the perfect match for him. Wandao Tower’s backing was unimaginable.
Senior Cang Weiyang’s notes listed it as one of the forces never to provoke. It had already existed back in the days of His Majesty and the Devil Jade Tower Master, and even those two Chaos Grand Saints had regarded it with caution.
“Wandao Tower is probably an arrangement made by an entity close to a perfect time-based life,” Lin Yuan recalled His Majesty’s assessment of it. One of the few times His Majesty had shown genuine solemnity.
At the moment, Lin Yuan had no plans to get involved with Wandao Tower.
He settled into Mingchuan City for the time being. The chaotic void was still too hazardous for an Eleven-level being. In the last four months alone, he’d nearly been killed once. Without his Seventh Stage Space-Time insights, his journey would have ended.
Here in Mingchuan City, by contrast, he could enjoy safety and also the bustling trade to acquire whatever resources or treasures he needed. Going out to find random “fortunes” in the chaotic void was still too risky at his current stage. His lucky break in discovering Cang Weiyang’s estate was just that—luck—and it certainly wouldn’t hold forever.
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