“Everything? A little of everything?”
Hearing these words in such a calm tone from the Martial Arts Founder, Zhang Tianzhi fell silent.
Even the Strongest evolutionary paths had their focal points, and the Strongest Ones themselves likewise; yet the Founder claimed to be “a little” proficient in all areas?
Although he said “a little,” Zhang Tianzhi certainly did not take it at face value—this implied that, in some respects, the Martial Arts Founder might surpass Humanity’s nine Strongest Ones.
If it were any other evolver, no matter how ancient the records, Zhang Tianzhi would dismiss it as a joke.
Stronger than a Strongest One? Humanity’s nine Strongest Ones didn’t just stand at the pinnacle of their civilization, but rather at the pinnacle of all starry races.
Stronger than a Strongest One—that would sound like nonsense. But for the Martial Arts Founder?
Zhang Tianzhi vaguely felt that the Founder hadn’t lied.
After all, the Martial Arts Evolutionary Path hadn’t even reached Rank Twelve as a Strongest evolutionary path, yet it already ranked fifth in Human Civilization’s listings. That alone spoke volumes.
…
Lin Yuan casually answered a few of Zhang Tianzhi’s questions and ended the conversation. He had only reached out because Zhang Tianzhi was the first to achieve Rank Eight in the Martial Arts Path. He did so purely out of goodwill toward those who would come after him.
…
On the barren planet, Zhang Tianzhi exited the virtual world connection with a sense of loss.
His brief conversation with the Martial Arts Founder had dramatically reshaped his understanding of both Martial Arts and many other evolutionary paths—like suddenly viewing evolution from the highest vantage point. His grasp of essential cultivation principles had soared.
“So that’s the Founder of Martial Arts...” Zhang Tianzhi composed himself, harboring another unspoken thought:
So even the Strongest Ones…might not be that special.
“I’ve heard rumors that the Founder of Martial Arts is actually the Milky Way Star Lord,” Zhang Tianzhi recalled the rumors now spreading within Human Civilization.
The notion that the Milky Way Star Lord was the Path Creator of Martial Arts had been circulating widely. Humanity’s leadership had made no move to deny it, nor had the Founder stepped out to refute it, so it was gaining more credibility. Given the Founder’s lofty status, if the rumor were untrue, the civilization’s officials would likely have intervened. But they hadn’t.
Though they hadn’t confirmed it either, silence was its own sort of acknowledgment.
“Milky Way Star Lord...” Zhang Tianzhi swallowed hard. The Star Lord’s life history could be traced in detail from birth to now; it was hard to imagine that such a not-even-thousand-year-old genius was also the founder of the Martial Arts Path. Yet the two were indeed the same person.
“Martial Arts Rank Eight…”
Zhang Tianzhi replayed in his mind every hint and clue the Founder had just given. All at once, the road from Rank Eight to Rank Nine seemed crystal clear—thanks partly to the Founder’s lofty guidance, and partly to Zhang Tianzhi’s own thousands of years of accumulation, all sparked by the Founder’s remarks.
“I’m going into seclusion right here and now.”
He closed his eyes, intending to remain on this planet for hundreds or even thousands of years to fully digest the Founder’s insights.
…
Before a naturally formed spacetime black hole within the universe, Lin Yuan’s Yang Primordial Soul sat cross-legged.
A black hole was a special celestial object; a “spacetime black hole” emerged when countless black holes collided, collapsing time and space into a colossal cosmic phenomenon.
Even a Rank Eleven Perfection being appeared minuscule before such a thing. One careless move, and they would be dragged in. Through these natural spacetime black holes, many ancient Rank Eleven beings created a variety of black hole-based secret arts. The mightiest of those techniques possessed but a tiny fraction—perhaps one in a million—of a genuine spacetime black hole’s destructive power.
“Spacetime black holes…” Lin Yuan studied the one before him. Time and space were fundamentally one, but they could also repel each other. A spacetime black hole exemplified this extreme collision, the explosion of space and time producing shockwaves near Rank Twelve levels of power.
“If I thoroughly comprehend this spacetime black hole, my spacetime fusion insight will be close to the late Seventh Stage—if not at the peak.”
Such a phenomenon was purely unconscious, unrestrained interplay of time and space. Yet it could unleash near–Rank Twelve devastation. Once harnessed by a conscious mind, the results would be unimaginable.
“It’s time to go.”
After a long while, Lin Yuan stopped observing. His true body was at its peak, on the brink of the Ultimate rank. Once he advanced to Rank Twelve, he could return to study the spacetime black hole further.
…
Inside the dim great hall, another nine days passed in a flash, and more than ten Rank Twelve Ultimates gathered again.
Compared to their calm posture earlier, their expressions now were urgent.
“Nine days are up.”
“Fan Hou, have you locked on to the Milky Way Star Lord’s position?”
“Yes, is it locked in? Time is short. The Star Lord could challenge the Ultimate rank at any moment.”
They were anxious, for if the Milky Way Star Lord chose to break through, there would be no chance to interfere. When a Rank Eleven Perfection attempted the Ultimate rank, Humanity’s nine Strongest Ones would erect countless spacetime barriers.
The alien Rank Twelves wouldn’t be able to locate the Star Lord’s precise place in time to stop him. Once the process finished—once the Star Lord performed the Ultimate leap—they would be forced to watch it happen.
During that moment, as a Rank Eleven Perfect being soared free of time’s river, they would face the backlash of both the river and the universe—but that backlash alone guaranteed no external force could interfere. Sure, the Rank Twelve Strongest Ones had transcended the river, but that didn’t mean they could fight it head-on.
“Almost there,” said Fan Hou, the Zhou Race Strongest One, frowning. Far away in the Zhou domain, his true body had spent nine full days bowing before the Milky Way Star Lord’s phantom. Each time he prostrated, the causal link between them deepened. After nine days, it exceeded even family bonds in strength.
Of course, that link persisted only briefly, and over these nine days, the price Fan Hou paid was crushing. It would take tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions of years to recover. Compared to fighting other Rank Twelves, that was arguably an even greater cost.
“For me, a Rank Twelve, to sacrifice so much just to locate you… you’d better be proud,” Fan Hou mused.
He wouldn’t have done this if the Prison Race and other apex forces hadn’t promised that during his long recovery, they wouldn’t strike at the Zhou Race. Also, the Star Lord’s threat demanded it.
In the hall, Fan Hou faced the others.
“It worked.”
“Excellent!”
“Ha! So what if the Star Lord has some treasure protecting him from cause and effect?”
The Strongest Ones wore triumphant grins.
“Fan Hou, how many incarnations or avatars does he have out there?” asked the Prison Race Strongest One.
“At the moment, he has one hundred forty-three incarnations traversing the universe,” Fan Hou murmured, eyes shut in concentration. His present causal link with Lin Yuan was at its maximum. Even with that treasure, he could still sense them.
“One hundred forty-three incarnations…”
They all looked at each other, amazed that the Milky Way Star Lord had so many avatars out in the open; they’d spent a century trying to find just one—and failed. It took Fan Hou’s tremendous “Bowing to Nine Suns” ritual to finally sniff them out.
“Hmm?” Fan Hou suddenly frowned.
“I sense that one avatar lies outside the universe.”
“Outside the universe?” repeated the Prison Race Strongest One.
“Where?”
“I can’t tell.” Fan Hou shook his head.
“The universe itself blocks a great deal of cause-and-effect. The chaotic void beyond is far vaster in rules and energy. Trying to trace from inside the universe to a point outside is next to impossible.”
He could sense only vague hints.
“Metamorphic Empress once mentioned that the Milky Way Star Lord’s mental will had reached Rank Twelve. Probably he condensed an avatar close to the universe’s exterior,” the Prison Race Strongest One guessed.
Indeed, a Rank Twelve Strongest Ones could forge an avatar in the void outside. But the link’s range was short, and the chaotic energy out there constantly corroded it, so most Rank Twelves rarely bothered after a few tries.
“Pick whichever incarnation has the strongest causal link, lock down its coordinates, and we’ll go there in person,” the Prison Race Strongest One ordered.
“Here it is,” Fan Hou said.
“He’s in front of the Fifty-Two Spacetime Black Hole.”
“Then I’ll take us,” said the Tianyu Race Founder. With a sweep of intangible spacetime currents, all the Strongest Ones vanished.
…
Lin Yuan still stood before the spacetime black hole, ready to depart and reunite with his true self to break through.
Just then...
Shhh…
The flow of spacetime wavered, an invisible current like water, and one towering figure after another materialized in an instant. More than ten awe-inspiring beings surrounded Lin Yuan, sealing off the surrounding region so thoroughly that it became an “isolated island” in spacetime.
“Milky Way Star Lord, enjoy this taste of chaotic corruption,” said the Tianyu Race Strongest One, attacking first. Twenty-four wings spread across the cosmos, his pale right hand reaching out to suppress Lin Yuan. A terrifying aura pervaded the region, unleashing a boundless force that shook spacetime itself.
“Hmm?” Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
...
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