"Metamorphic Empress, did the Calamity Clan refuse?" The Prison Clan strongest one felt a pang of foreboding. Had the Calamity Clan’s two strongest ones agreed to oppose the Milky Way Star Lord, Metamorphic Empress would not have appeared so dispirited.
"Yes. Both of them turned me down outright," said Metamorphic Empress in frustration. She had barely said a word before she was shown the door. The two strongest ones of the Calamity Clan had given her no chance to speak, showing they had no intention whatsoever of confronting the Milky Way Star Lord.
"How can that be?" The Prison Clan strongest one was incredulous. By all logic, the Calamity Clan’s comfort depends on power remaining balanced. If these peak-level clan forces fell, wouldn’t the Calamity Clan be next? Did they not understand what it meant to stand alone?
"I’m not sure either," Metamorphic Empress replied, shaking her head. She truly could not make sense of it. Even if the Calamity Clan intended to seize the opportunity to bargain, they would have allowed her to speak. But that never happened.
Neither Metamorphic Empress nor the other rank twelve strongest ones realized that the Calamity Clan’s two strongest ones had already shown goodwill to the Milky Way Star Lord. Not only did the Calamity Clan refrain from taking part in any plot against him, but they also secretly warned him in advance.
Under these circumstances, once he reached rank twelve, their clan would not face too much difficulty. Most crucially, they had guessed that the Milky Way Star Lord might be the reincarnation of a peerless Great Saint. None of them would dare oppose such a figure—someone who once reigned invincible throughout the chaotic void.
After a long silence, one of the rank twelve strongest ones finally spoke.
"So what do we do now?"
In that moment, everyone looked at one another, speechless. What could they do? Without the two Calamity Clan strongest ones of the peak Path-Clearing realm, they had lost their best way to contend with the Milky Way Star Lord.
As for initiating a full-scale war against human civilization now, it was technically an option, but it would take far too long. Launching a large-scale conflict required huge preparations over centuries—or even millennia—among these peak-level clans. By then, the Milky Way Star Lord would likely have finished his breakthrough to the ultimate realm, making it meaningless.
Nor was it truly practical for the dozens of Strongest ones here to charge en masse into human civilization’s territory. The nine Strongest ones of humankind would not need to confront them directly; they could simply hide within their ancestral weapons.
And in reality, none of these rank twelve strongest ones wished to go that far. Cornering the nine Strongest ones might drive them into desperate counterattacks, and there was no guarantee that the attackers would remain unscathed. At most, it might disrupt the Milky Way Star Lord’s ascent to the strongest one, but to what extent?
"Actually...there’s one more possibility," said one of the Universe Clan strongest ones.
All eyes were suddenly on him.
"It’s true the Milky Way Star Lord is very strong, but if he fails his attempt to reach the strongest one realm, he can still die," said the Universe Clan strongest one, speaking slowly.
"We merely need to wait for him to fail in his breakthrough."
If he fell during his breakthrough, the original balance among the twelve top-tier powers would be restored.
"Wait for him to fail?" Metamorphic Empress was once again silent. That was leaving everything to destiny.
After a while, she asked, "But what if he succeeds?"
"If he succeeds?" The Universe Clan strongest one shook his head.
"Then there’s nothing we can do."
Though he called it a solution, it was not one at all. In a sense, it was their only hope: when any lifeform attempts to break through to the strongest one realm, they face retribution from the River of Time—indeed, from the entire universe. No matter how powerful their life essence, there is always a risk of total annihilation. And that is the only remaining way for the Milky Way Star Lord to perish.
Inside the Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm, Lin Yuan was sitting cross-legged. By now, he had perfected everything; he could attempt the breakthrough to the ultimate realm at any moment.
"The Gate of Myriad Realms..."
Lin Yuan focused inward, gazing at the towering, majestic portal in his mind. The coordinates of the first source world faintly took shape, exuding the aura of an endlessly vast plane rivaling the chaotic void.
"Once I step into rank twelve and everything is stable, I’ll proceed with my twelfth transmigration," Lin Yuan mused.
Why wait until everything was settled before continuing? The time flow rate in that source world mirrored the chaotic void, where one year there equaled roughly three hundred years in the universe. If Lin Yuan stayed in that source world for a few years, hundreds or thousands of years could pass in the universe.
That was why he needed to ensure no hidden dangers remained on his side first. Otherwise, if an emergency arose mid-transmigration, he would have to abandon it halfway.
During the first eleven transmigrations, the universe’s time flow was slower than in those other worlds, so no matter how long he spent there, little time passed in the universe.
"I can sense that after I advance to rank twelve, the Gate of Myriad Realms will undergo some transformation."
Lin Yuan felt a quiet expectation. Once he had reached seven-layer space-time comprehension, he discovered the coordinates for thirty-three source worlds deep within the Gate of Myriad Realms. After the complete elevation of his life level to rank twelve, many more mysteries of that Gate, and possibly new abilities, would open to him. Although a rank twelve body would still not be able to fully contain the Gate of Myriad Realms, it could handle far more of its power and information.
"I’ll start the breakthrough now."
He set his thoughts in order and immediately contacted the nine Strongest ones of human civilization. For any lifeform, attempting the ultimate realm was a vital process best undertaken without interruption.
In the virtual world, Lin Yuan met with those nine Strongest ones.
"Milky Way Star Lord, you—"
Xuanyuan, among the Strongest ones, had already guessed something. After his battle with the Tianyu Patriarch, the Milky Way Star Lord had secluded himself with no disturbance from these nine, who wanted him to have ample time to prepare. Now that Lin Yuan had reached out:
"I plan to attempt my breakthrough to the ultimate realm."
Lin Yuan nodded. Having gained insight into seven-layer space-time and harnessed the power of Chaos rule, he considered himself fully prepared.
"A breakthrough to the ultimate realm..."
All nine Strongest ones of human civilization fixed their eyes on Lin Yuan. Though they had seen it coming, tension still flooded them—surpassing any anxiety they felt when making their own breakthroughs. Each of them understood the implications for human civilization if Lin Yuan succeeded.
In the worst-case scenario, it would propel human civilization to the top of the universe, forcing the other eleven pinnacle clans to unite just to resist. In a better-case scenario, human civilization would thoroughly dominate the entire cosmos with absolute authority. Even producing five or ten more Strongest ones would not compare to a single rank twelve being.
Even if human civilization had ten or twenty more Strongest ones, all it would do is make the other peak-level clans band together in opposition. But with Lin Yuan at rank twelve—pinnacle Path-Clearing power—he would become the undisputed apex of the universe.
Look how the Calamity Clan, with just two partial Path-Clearing peak powerhouses who could not fight at full strength, could occupy the richest domains with the fewest clan members. Now imagine if human civilization gained a brand-new, fully robust Path-Clearing peak lifeform. The nine Strongest ones could scarcely imagine the repercussions.
"Milky Way Star Lord, maybe wait a bit longer? There’s still plenty of time before the cosmic destruction," Xuanyuan suggested. He worried about the possibility of Lin Yuan failing, for a lifeform that failed to breach the ultimate realm could not be resurrected even by a rank twelve.
Truth be told, Xuanyuan suspected that if Lin Yuan perished prematurely, none of them could resurrect him, even if they wanted to. Rank twelve beings bring back the life imprints of the deceased from deep in the River of Time by expending an enormous portion of their essence, but Lin Yuan was an outlier.
Xuanyuan had seen glimpses of Lin Yuan’s vast size in the River of Time—just one hand had dragged the Tianyu Patriarch beneath the surface. If Lin Yuan died, the rank twelve beings would likely be unable to retrieve his imprint, even if it remained in the River of Time.
"No need to wait." Lin Yuan shook his head. His state was already at its peak; waiting another thousand or ten thousand years would not change that. Without reaching rank twelve, even if he embarked on his twelfth transmigration in that source world, he would still need to break through at some point. He might as well do it now, in his home universe.
"All right," Xuanyuan said, nodding.
"The nine of us will guard you with everything we have."
"Thank you," Lin Yuan replied.
In one area of human civilization’s territory, Lin Yuan appeared. The next moment, the auras of nine Strongest ones flickered into the surrounding space. Naturally, Lin Yuan had told them exactly where he would attempt the breakthrough.
"Let’s begin."
Lin Yuan slipped into a deeper layer of space and sat cross-legged.
"Let’s make use of the Heart of Space-Time first," he murmured.
He retrieved the Heart of Space-Time from the Devil Jade dimension. It was a supreme treasure meant to help a personal disciple of the Devil Jade Tower’s master breach rank twelve. Though Lin Yuan felt confident in his near-certain success, he had no objection to an extra safeguard.
Buzz.
After swallowing the Heart of Space-Time, Lin Yuan felt his heartbeat shift rhythm, blending seamlessly with the surrounding space and time. At that moment, Lin Yuan was space and time, and space and time were Lin Yuan.
"So that’s how it works."
He gave a slight nod. He had guessed how the Heart of Space-Time boosted a rank-twelve breakthrough. One, it extended how long the user could remain above the River of Time; two, by merging space and time with the user, it eased the force of the backlash from the River of Time and the universe itself.
With these thoughts, Lin Yuan closed his eyes.
He removed all restraints on his life essence, allowing it to ascend.
"Huh?"
Nearby, the nine Strongest ones of human civilization felt the cosmic void shift. It was as though everything was returning to the beginning.
Swish.
In the next moment, the very space of the cosmos within their field of vision was ripped open.
...
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