“I knew then that the Milky Way Star Lord was hiding his power,” said the Calamity Race Strongest One outside the cabin.
Hence he withdrew from the campaign against the Milky Way Star Lord, secretly dispatching a clan member to warn him.
“Indeed, across these many epochs, your instincts have always been on point,” responded the Strongest One inside the cabin.
Since confronting him in battle was futile, any Rank Twelve who joined might face retribution once the Milky Way Star Lord ascended to Rank Twelve. Even though the Calamity Race could fend off an ordinary peak Path-Clearing genius, it would still be a nuisance. They’d have to keep their heads down for a very long time.
All across the universe, many Rank Eleven beings also sensed the commotion.
“That… That’s a Rank Twelve-level battle?”
“Which Rank Twelves are fighting?”
“Wow… When was the last time Rank Twelves truly fought each other?”
These Eleven-level beings were amazed. They couldn’t see the details, but the ripples of time and space from the confrontation told them both sides were Rank Twelve. Most of them were shocked, but if their own race boasted a Rank Twelve, they weren’t particularly frightened.
However, those from the somewhat weaker major powers were uneasy and trembling. A Rank Twelve clash, even a minor shockwave, could destroy vast star domains or hidden domains. If their clan happened to be in the wrong place, it might mean extinction.
Since the universe’s birth, how many races had perished due to Rank Twelve warfare?
In that massive conflict after countless treasures fell from beyond the cosmos, the Rank Twelves had fought so fiercely that life across the universe was almost wiped out. That event gave Humanity the chance to rise.
Now, a sudden Rank Twelve fight caused many Eleven-level beings to panic.
…
Back at the spacetime black hole, the Tianyu Patriarch wore an ugly expression.
Having been punched back by the Milky Way Star Lord shocked the other Rank Twelves, forcing them to reevaluate the Milky Way Star Lord’s strength, but it was humiliating for him personally.
Yes, the Milky Way Star Lord did possess an offensive capacity on the Rank Twelve threshold, but he was still an Eleven-level lifeform. Meanwhile, he—the patriarch—was an exalted Rank Twelve Strongest One. Being knocked back by such a being? Unheard of.
After this day, whenever people brought up the Milky Way Star Lord, they’d remember how he forced the Tianyu Patriarch back. He’d be a permanent footnote.
“Excellent!”
“Milky Way Star Lord, you’ve truly enraged me now,” the patriarch said, letting his aura surge while retracting his mind-will. Lin Yuan’s mental attacks, while tricky, would be far less threatening if he were guarded. At least he wouldn’t be completely immobilized.
From that quick exchange, the patriarch was convinced of one thing: while the Milky Way Star Lord’s offense reached “Rank Twelve threshold,” it stayed at that lower boundary. He himself had been Rank Twelve for over a trillion years, stabilizing that realm. If he went all-out, the Milky Way Star Lord likely wouldn’t hold up.
Certainly, the entire group’s plan—killing or otherwise crippling the Milky Way Star Lord—had totally failed. But the patriarch felt he had to restore some face. Even if he couldn’t kill the real Milky Way Star Lord, at least he could destroy this avatar. That would soften the shame.
He didn’t care if that forever incited the Milky Way Star Lord’s vengeance. By attacking him in the first place, they were already sworn enemies. So he might as well go big.
“The Tianyu Patriarch’s about to blow his top.”
“Yes. If I were forced back like that, I’d react similarly.”
The other alien Rank Twelves watched calmly, unsurprised at his fury. Anyone in his position would be mad.
“This fiasco has become unbelievably embarrassing.”
“No matter what, we at least have to eliminate the Milky Way Star Lord’s avatar.”
“Let the Tianyu patriarch do it. Meanwhile, we’ll stall Humanity’s nine Strongest.”
The alien Rank Twelves exchanged a few words. Their goal had shifted from a total kill on the Milky Way Star Lord or sabotaging his ascension to simply destroying this avatar.
Rumble…
In the next instant, Humanity’s nine Strongest Ones arrived.
“Xuanyuan, you people sure got lucky with that monstrous Milky Way Star Lord,”
“But we’re killing that avatar of his regardless, so step aside.”
“Yeah, just an avatar after all.”
Multiple alien Rank Twelves blocked Humanity’s nine Strongest Ones. Both sides stalled each other.
“Hmph.”
Xuanyuan Strongest One disdained more talk, attacking at once.
In a flash, dozens of Rank Twelve Strongest Ones fell into a massive brawl around the spacetime black hole, fracturing an area spanning tens or hundreds of thousands of light-years.
“Milky Way Star Lord, die!”
The Tianyu Patriarch’s aura boiled. This time, he took Lin Yuan fully seriously, unleashing the advantage of his colossal life level and absolute power.
Lin Yuan easily dodged, throwing another punch. The patriarch didn’t budge this time, and not even the Abyssal Eyes could fully trap his mind. He only partially slowed.
Hence, while that secret art hindered the patriarch’s full strength, with Lin Yuan still being Eleven-level, he couldn’t land a decisive blow.
“It’s just a Primordial Soul. Still too weak,” Lin Yuan thought with a sigh.
In terms of rule comprehension and mental will, he surpassed the patriarch. But the gap in life essence remained insurmountable.
Sure, he couldn’t genuinely injure the patriarch. On the other hand, the patriarch couldn’t touch him either. Seventh Stage spacetime gave Lin Yuan an inherent advantage of elusiveness, even though this was just an avatar—his Primordial Soul.
This was why, though he knew the aliens were plotting against him, Lin Yuan still sent numerous incarnations traveling the universe. He simply wouldn’t get pinned down.
“…I can’t even land a hit on him.”
After multiple attempts, the Tianyu Patriarch realized a grim truth: all his attacks missed. Meanwhile, the Milky Way Star Lord’s attacks couldn’t penetrate his defense, leaving them at a stalemate. But continuing would prove useless.
He was a dignified Rank Twelve, tangling with an Eleven-level avatar. If he couldn’t seal the deal quickly, it was humiliating.
“Enough,” the patriarch muttered, taking a deep breath. Fighting longer would only make him look worse.
“Let’s leave.”
He turned, preparing to vanish.
He didn’t care about the other Rank Twelves locked in battle with Humanity. His only goal now was to save face. It was pointless to remain.
“You want to leave?”
Sensing the patriarch’s intent, Lin Yuan made his move.
Suddenly, from another direction, another figure arrived—Lin Yuan’s Yin Primordial Soul.
One step, and the Yin Primordial Soul merged with the Yang Primordial Soul.
Yin and Yang were originally Lin Yuan’s Tai Chi Primordial Soul, split due to the peculiarities of his Martial Arts path.
Separating them lowered his power slightly but let him handle multiple tasks at once. Now they reunited into the Tai Chi Primordial Soul.
Lin Yuan’s aura silently soared, his inner world expanding to a five-light-year diameter.
In theory, the Tai Chi Primordial Soul’s combat strength equals that of Lin Yuan’s true body. But his real body had enjoyed far more resources, especially two infusions of primordial chaos outside the universe, so it reached a staggering eleven-light-year scale.
“Slash.”
Not only did the newly arrived Yin Primordial Soul fuse with the Yang to become the Tai Chi Primordial Soul, but it also carried multiple Rank Twelve weapons. In combination, the Tai Chi Primordial Soul’s might reached unprecedented heights.
Buzz— A silver-white war blade tore through time and space, slashing the Tianyu Patriarch.
“What…?” The patriarch’s face changed abruptly. Even through his defensive battle armor, that slash opened hairline cracks in his flesh, soul, and inner universe. The hairline fractures healed almost instantly, yet the second slash followed an instant later.
In the space of a breath, hundreds of slashes rained down on the patriarch. Those hairline cracks tore open, then resealed, over and over.
“This is bad…”
He felt his situation deteriorate. Hundreds of cuts were bearable, but thousands? Tens of thousands? If he were facing another Rank Twelve, he wouldn’t fear trading blows. But with Lin Yuan, he hadn’t even landed a single hit. He was effectively a punching bag.
After all, you can’t “trade injuries” if you can’t hit your opponent.
He exhaled roughly, glancing darkly at Lin Yuan one more time, and let his form blur until vanishing.
…
In the vast river of time, on the shore, the Tianyu Patriarch reappeared.
A key hallmark of a Rank Twelve lifeform was escaping time’s current, able to stand on the bank. Thus, to block the Milky Way Star Lord’s assault, the simplest method was stepping outside the battlefield, so to speak. The Milky Way Star Lord’s strikes, however strong, wouldn’t affect the bank itself—like a figure inside a painting unable to harm someone outside the painting.
“Milky Way Star Lord!”
He spat each word. For an Eleven-level being to force him—an Strongest One—to retreat into the time-river’s boundary was unprecedented humiliation.
“A total war. I must start a total war. There’s no way I’ll let that Milky Way Star Lord ascend smoothly.”
He stared at the calm flow of time, making his decision. He couldn’t prevent the Milky Way Star Lord’s breakthrough, but by launching a comprehensive war on Humanity, he might unsettle the Milky Way Star Lord’s mental state during that final step. Anyway, the enmity was set. Why not go all-in?
Thus resolved, the Tianyu Patriarch prepared to exit via the time-river boundary, heading to his clan’s territory to consult with other Strongest Ones—and possibly rally other apex races.
Suddenly, the once placid river’s surface rippled gently.
Then, a slender, powerful right hand emerged from within the current without warning, clutched the patriarch’s ankle, and in his moment of shock, pulled him down.
...
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