“This is…”
Lin Yuan felt slightly surprised.
The moment the universe began total annihilation, with vast starfields collapsing at the periphery, Lin Yuan immediately noticed that his rate of accumulating Boundary-Breaking Source Power was skyrocketing.
Up to now, through multiple tests, the maximum speed at which Lin Yuan could accumulate Boundary-Breaking Source Power had always been locked at one wisp every ninety days.
As for increasing that speed?
Even if Lin Yuan actively tore through the void of the universe, creating unprecedented permanent spatial rifts, he still could not boost his rate of accumulating Boundary-Breaking Source Power.
Yet now, Lin Yuan clearly sensed that his Boundary-Breaking Source Power accumulation was rising crazily.
Not just rising, but soaring frantically.
From the initial one wisp in ninety days, to one wisp in fifty days, to one wisp in twenty days, to one wisp a day, ten wisps a day, a thousand wisps a day.
As total annihilation advanced, engulfing more and more starfields, his accumulation of Boundary-Breaking Source Power seemed to climb without end.
In just a few dozen breaths, Lin Yuan had already collected hundreds of wisps of Boundary-Breaking Source Power.
“So universal annihilation helps me accumulate Boundary-Breaking Source Power in such a way?”
Lin Yuan was both surprised and delighted. He had never fully understood what kind of energy Boundary-Breaking Source Power was.
Were it not for the Gate of the Myriad Realms storing it up, he would not even have been aware of its existence.
And ever since Lin Yuan reached Rank Twelve, he had discovered many more uses for the Gate of the Myriad Realms, the most versatile being Boundary-Breaking Source Power.
In theory, as long as he had enough Boundary-Breaking Source Power, even a Chaos Great Saint or Peerless Great Saint could be suppressed to the point of having no power to resist.
And destruction or suppression was just the most trivial use of Boundary-Breaking Source Power. Its most crucial function was creation, a universal tool.
“It’s already over one thousand wisps of Boundary-Breaking Source Power.”
While pondering, Lin Yuan suddenly realized that he had quietly accumulated more than a thousand wisps.
At normal times, that amount would require two or three centuries at least.
But how long had it been now? Less than ten minutes!
“This round of universal annihilation…”
Lin Yuan was in a wonderful mood. It seemed that universal annihilation was not entirely bad.
Judging from his current rate of accumulation, by the time this universe’s total annihilation began and ended, he would likely gain at least a million wisps of Boundary-Breaking Source Power.
“It must be because the universe is completely collapsing.”
Lin Yuan made a guess. Initially, he had assumed universal annihilation was related to permanent spatial rifts.
Because when he was near a permanent spatial rift, his Boundary-Breaking Source Power accumulation would get a modest boost, until it settled at one wisp every ninety days.
Yet once he reached Rank Twelve, he realized that was not the whole story.
Getting close to a permanent spatial rift increased the speed simply because that meant being closer to the Chaos Void.
Once the permanent rift was large enough that its chaotic aura spread into the universe at its maximum extent—essentially the same as standing in the Chaos Void—his Boundary-Breaking Source Power accumulation rate would be fixed at one wisp every ninety days.
For instance, one of his avatars remained in the Chaos Void. Even if no other avatar stood near the permanent rift, the rate stayed at one wisp every ninety days.
That was the normal accumulation speed in the Chaos Void.
“Forget it.”
Lin Yuan thought for a moment without finding an answer. The collapse and rebirth of a universe was part of the Chaos Void’s underlying rules, something even a Peerless Great Saint could not fully decipher, so there was no point in overthinking it now.
Rustle…
Massive swaths of starry sky collapsed into nothing.
One Rank Twelve Ultimate after another began transferring the life imprints of the beings in their internal universes.
Now that total annihilation was happening at great speed and the source consciousness of the universe was at an unprecedented weakness, this was the time to move their people’s life imprints to the River of Time in their own internal universes, while suffering the least amount of backlash.
The River of Time began to dry up.
Many Rank Twelve Ultimates each acted to transfer all life imprints into the Rivers of Time within their own internal universes.
In that instant, varying degrees of backlash descended.
All those Rank Twelve Ultimates took on heavy expressions, silently enduring the universe’s backlash.
The backlash they faced was like ripples on a water’s surface from an underwater current.
Each Rank Twelve Ultimate understood the limits. They had not carried more life forms in their internal universes than they could handle, so the backlash was within their calculations.
“My turn now.”
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged in the starry sky, noticing the many Rank Twelve Ultimates around him enduring the universe’s source backlash. He began transferring the life imprints of all citizens in his internal universe.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
If the other Rank Twelve Ultimates transferring the life imprints of the beings in their personal worlds caused only a few small ripples on calm water, then when Lin Yuan began transferring the life imprints of countless citizens in his internal universe, it was more like a rolling boil, as though the pot had exploded.
The universe’s source consciousness, already sinking into weakness and about to enter a dormant state, shuddered and snapped awake, astounded to sense that an unimaginable number of life imprints were vanishing.
Rumble…
A backlash of unmatched power gathered and descended upon Lin Yuan. The other Rank Twelve Ultimates could sense it and shivered.
If they were the ones facing such a backlash, they would be blasted to ashes before they could last even a few breaths.
“It’s Milky Way Strongest one.”
“Milky Way Strongest one transferred all citizens of human civilization into his internal universe, and moving so many lives at once has provoked an unprecedented backlash from the universe.”
“I can sense the universe’s source consciousness… outraged!”
Numerous Rank Twelve Ultimates felt their scalps tingle. The source consciousness of the universe typically had no emotion, but now it was displaying a rare fury.
Obviously, Lin Yuan’s action had utterly trampled its bottom line.
In a normal scenario, after a universe’s total annihilation, countless lives would vanish along with it and become nourishment for the next cosmic cycle.
But because Lin Yuan was taking away the vast majority of those lives, the universe would have far fewer souls to draw from. After the breakdown, it would need a much longer time to rebirth and develop again—a huge loss.
“Milky Way…”
The nine Strongest ones of human civilization looked toward Lin Yuan, faint concern on their faces.
Even though they had great faith in him, truly sensing the universe’s fury left them uneasy.
“Angry, are you?”
Lin Yuan, too, sensed that glimmer of “emotion” from the universe’s source consciousness. But he did not stop. He continued transferring the life imprints of his countless internal citizens.
The next instant, the backlash descended.
A terrifying pressure swept over him, but it was as if it sank into a mire, not even lifting the hem of Lin Yuan’s robe.
Far away, a host of Rank Twelve aliens were watching Lin Yuan, eager to see how the Milky Way Strongest one would handle such a blow.
“What’s going on?”
“Did the backlash from the universe truly fall upon him?”
“I feel like he hasn’t even moved.”
One after another, they inhaled sharply, forming a deeper impression of how powerful Milky Way Strongest one must be.
“He’s far too strong!”
The two Ultimates of the Calamity Race spoke with admiration. Though they were also at the peak of Path-Clearing and had the ancestral dwelling’s protection, they knew what sort of backlash Lin Yuan was facing now.
Even a Dominance rank would be left near death from that backlash, but Lin Yuan behaved as though nothing happened.
Outside the universe, countless universes had been forced into early annihilation, drawing many powerhouses. Around each universe entering destruction, crowds of fighters gathered, waiting.
They wanted to ambush any Rank Twelve Ultimates fleeing that universe, looting them on the way out.
“By following the Shadowfiend Great Saint and the Nine Phoenix Great Saint, I’ve already plundered eleven universes. The treasure haul is worth nearly a hundred thousand Chaos Stones.”
“A hundred thousand Chaos Stones… If I had to earn that the usual way, who knows how long it would take—one cosmic era? Two cosmic eras? Now I just have to hang around outside these universes and collect it effortlessly. Too easy.”
“Exactly. Those Rank Twelve life forms inside each universe have so little combat experience. And we lie in wait, ready to ambush. They can’t put up a fight at all.”
The marauders gathered outside the universe chatted casually.
They controlled various surrounding zones so that once any Rank Twelve survivors managed to escape, those survivors would immediately be ensnared.
“Too bad those two Great Saints move so fast. Plus, we have to wait for each universe’s breakdown. By now, others closer to the front might be seizing more universes.”
“What’s the point of worrying? At least we have these few universes near us.”
Many marauders were still full of greed. If they could follow these two Great Saints constantly, their fortunes would be incalculable. But that was unrealistic.
No one at Dominance rank could keep up with the speed of Chaos Great Saints locked in battle.
Moreover, keeping just the right distance was tricky. Get too close, and you would end up like those universes, caught in the lethal waves of the Saints’ conflict.
But if you were too far, by the time you got there, the universe’s breakdown would be over and the Rank Twelve survivors either gone or already taken by those who arrived first.
Hence, striking the right distance was crucial.
Of course, that mainly applied to Dominance rank or Path-Clearing marauders.
As for Chaos Venerables, they did not dare come near the Great Saints’ battlefield.
From a Great Saint’s perspective, a mere Dominance rank was too insignificant to be noticed. But a Chaos Venerable would definitely attract their attention.
Then if the Great Saint displayed even the slightest hostility, no one could predict the Venerable’s fate.
Besides, Chaos Venerables typically ruled their own Chaos Continents, enjoying stable and abundant sources of Chaos Stones. They had no need to “scavenge” behind the Great Saints.
The profits from one universe would be meager for them, yet the risk was huge. They were not fools and would weigh those factors carefully.
Outside Lin Yuan’s home universe, a massive black warship came sailing at high speed. It stretched over a million li in length and exuded an unfathomable aura like an abyss. Within millions of light years around it, an icy field radiated out from the ship’s center.
Even a peak Path-Clearing powerhouse would find it impossible to move under that field’s suppression.
“This universe has also entered annihilation. Let’s stay here.”
At the bow stood a figure, over ten meters tall, eyes cold, quietly watching the distant universe.
His name was Xue You, a well-known peak Dominance rank. He, too, had joined the marauders targeting universes entering total annihilation.
He had no choice. Those Rank Twelve life forms from within a universe were too easy to handle, basically no risk, yet the loot in resources and treasures was substantial, a temptation even for a peak Dominance.
Right then, on the other side of the universe, a floating island the size of a million li also appeared through torn space.
“Hahahaha, so it’s Master Xue You!” A figure on the island, snake-headed and human-bodied, radiating fearsome energy, was peering at the black warship from afar.
“Snake Demon?” Xue You frowned slightly. The Snake Demon Master was not quite a peak Dominance, but very close, known for his insidious methods. Xue You preferred not to offend him.
The two Dominance ranks stared at each other for a moment. Their intentions were clear—they were both here for the universe in early destruction.
“Xue You, let’s split it evenly. That region is yours, this region is mine. What do you say?” the Snake Demon Master proposed.
Dominance rank powerhouses generally avoided fighting one another unless absolutely necessary, especially when a single universe was not worth risking their lives.
So they would simply negotiate in advance: half for each.
“Fine by me.”
Xue You nodded.
So half for each meant that any Rank Twelve life form fleeing the universe in a given zone would be the responsibility of whichever Dominance had claimed that zone.
In principle, those survivors could emerge anywhere.
So it made sense to split the territory beforehand and avoid further disputes once the Rank Twelves started escaping.
Back on the black warship, Xue You looked over at the collapsing universe in the distance.
“Master.”
At that moment, dozens of figures appeared behind him, bowing in respect.
“You all occupy these areas,” Xue You said, taking a moment to assign tasks to his subordinates.
The universe was enormous, and even half its perimeter was still a huge area to seal off.
Not even a peak Dominance like Xue You could watch every spot all at once, so his followers had to be stationed there to block any escapees.
“Yes.”
Those dozens of figures nodded and vanished. They were all at the peak of Path-Clearing, under Xue You’s command.
Every now and then, Xue You would teach them or grant them secret techniques as part of their service.
“Let’s hope the annihilation ends quickly.”
Xue You mused. He wanted to get to the next universe facing destruction as soon as possible.
He had never worried about any of the Rank Twelves inside the universe.
They were just a bunch of greenhouses flowers at Path-Clearing. Compared to him—or even compared to his seasoned subordinates—they were laughably weak.
In Xue You’s mind, those Rank Twelve beings inside were merely living sacks of Chaos Stones, the most they could do was become his supply on the road of cultivation.
In his eyes, it was their honor to serve as his resources.
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