One by one, the Seeds began pulling on each other, forming the embryonic structure of a cycle.
Repeating endlessly.
Infinite and boundless.
At this moment, Lin Yuan's physical body began transforming into the Blazing Sun Divine Body at an accelerated rate.
Strands of searing heat continuously poured in from between heaven and earth.
"I can feel it. The time required for my body to fully evolve into the True Blazing Sun Divine Body has been drastically shortened. It used to take three to five thousand years."
Now?
Three to five years would do.
"Only thirty thousand Seeds, and it's already causing such a phenomenon?"
Lin Yuan was well aware that he had exactly thirty thousand Seeds within him.
It hadn’t yet reached the full thirty-three thousand three hundred and thirty-three.
So the cycle formed by the Seeds was still just an embryo.
Even so, Lin Yuan could feel the transformation of both body and soul, as if he were soaking in a hot spring.
It was immensely comfortable, and his grasp of the cosmic laws also improved significantly.
No longer at the previous snail’s pace.
"These Seeds… seem to be forming some sort of incomplete mark?"
Lin Yuan’s heart stirred as he sent a trace of consciousness into them.
Boom!
His awareness began to soar infinitely, arriving at a place filled with boundless blazing suns.
Everything there was scarlet, as if it were the only color in existence.
"That is…?"
Lin Yuan looked up and saw, high above, a solitary figure standing silently.
This figure radiated infinite light and heat. It had no fixed form—seen through the eyes of billions, it appeared in billions of different ways.
Buzz… buzz… buzz…
The moment Lin Yuan laid eyes on that figure, his consciousness began to fall.
"Whoo!"
On the thirteenth floor of the Burning Heaven Courtyard, Lin Yuan let out a deep breath.
At this point, he realized that just thirty thousand Seeds, even without completing a full cycle, had already allowed him to glimpse certain absolute secrets.
"That figure… was that the Liyang Ancestor? That eternal blazing sun above the heavens?"
Lin Yuan speculated that he had entered that scarlet realm through the Seeds, and those Seeds were clearly related to the Liyang Ancestor.
Naturally, he made the connection.
"Terrifying."
Lin Yuan was awestruck—this was the first time he had directly seen a thirteenth-rank time lifeform.
The creator of Infinite Void was also a thirteenth-rank time lifeform.
But back then, what Lin Yuan saw was merely a remnant imprint left behind—without even a hint of thought or will.
That figure standing above the endless blazing sun, even if not the true body of the Liyang Ancestor, was at least an incarnation—and the pressure it exuded was immense.
"Will I ever be able to reach that level in this life?"
Lin Yuan's thoughts drifted. Whether it was the master of the Devil Jade Tower, or His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign, or even the creator of Infinite Void, none had left behind a path or description of how to step into the thirteenth rank.
For a twelfth-rank lifeform to advance into the thirteenth rank—it wasn't like the risky leap from eleventh to twelfth rank, where it was either success or death.
There was simply no fixed method or approach.
"Forget it."
"I'll focus on reaching Chaos first."
Lin Yuan withdrew his thoughts—thinking about the thirteenth rank now was too far off.
Right now, he wasn't even at Dominance, let alone Chaos. He was still just in the Path-Clearing stage.
"Now that Infinite Void has been mastered, and my martial path is back at the peak of Path-Clearing, my current strength—even if not on par with my true body in the Chaos Void—isn't far off. Chaos might be out of reach, but Dominance can be crushed with ease."
Lin Yuan evaluated himself and made a clear judgment of his strength.
"If my Blazing Sun Divine Body completes its transformation, I might not be any weaker than my original true body."
He thought to himself.
The Blazing Sun Divine Body was the most powerful physique of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom—without equal.
Especially within the Ancient Kingdom itself, it was said that when pushed to its limit, the Blazing Sun Divine Body could borrow a faint trace of power from the eternal sun in the heavens above.
In such a case, even if the Chaos Void’s true body fully grasped the essence of the Blazing Sun Divine Body and perfectly replicated it—
In terms of power output, it would still pale in comparison to Lin Yuan.
Outside Qingfen City.
Several figures stood suspended in the air.
They were led by a purple-haired woman.
"Senior Sister, is Master really going to take action against the Qingfen Domain?"
Behind the purple-haired woman stood a man.
He glanced at the towering city in the distance and asked.
"This is a direct order from the capital. Master has no choice but to obey."
The purple-haired woman replied.
Even someone as powerful as a Great Sovereign had to follow the Ancient Kingdom's commands—this was an iron rule.
Of course, some carefree Great Sovereigns and Heavenly Sovereigns refused the Ancient Kingdom's appointments. They forfeited many benefits—
But they also avoided any obligations.
Still, any ambitious Great Sovereign or Heavenly Sovereign had all aligned themselves with one of the great Ancient Kingdoms.
They had no choice—the Ancient Kingdoms offered the deepest inheritances, the most accurate guidance, and the strongest protection.
Without allegiance to an Ancient Kingdom, Great Sovereigns and Heavenly Sovereigns would be lost, unable to see a clear path forward.
"An order from the capital?"
The man didn’t say more.
If it had only been their master's intention, there might still be room to change it. But from the capital?
"What do we need to do?"
An old, hunched woman asked directly.
"Very simple."
"Master will personally act and lure away Qingfen Marquis."
"As for us, we'll infiltrate Qingfen City ahead of time. With the method Master left behind, as long as we don’t act, even Qingfen Marquis won't notice a thing."
The purple-haired woman continued, "Once Qingfen Marquis is lured away, we strike with full force, cause chaos in the city, and use the Myriad Array Crystal to replicate Qingfen City's formation. Once we're back, we’ll analyze it for weaknesses."
"Creating chaos in Qingfen City is just a means."
"The true goal is to replicate its formation using the Myriad Array Crystal."
Only by deciphering Qingfen City's formation in advance could they launch a swift and decisive war across multiple domains like Zimeng Domain.
Otherwise, if Qingfen City's formation operated at full strength—plus the city lord personally commanding it—
It could easily hold off seven, eight, even more than ten peak-level Great Sovereigns of the same rank.
The heart of this plan was the Myriad Array Crystal.
This treasure was a gift from the capital, theoretically capable of replicating all formations in existence. Incredibly precious—Zimeng Marquis would have to return it after use.
Once Qingfen City's formation was replicated, Zimeng Marquis would immediately request a master from the Ancient Kingdom to break it. Then, the war would begin in concert with other domains.
Even if Qingfen Marquis sensed something was wrong—it would be too late to act. Replacing the grand formation? Not something that could be done in a short time.
But this plan could only be executed once.
After Qingfen City fell, the Liyang Ancient Kingdom’s experts would surely investigate, and the flaw would be exposed.
Then they’d implement countermeasures accordingly.
"No problem."
The figures behind the purple-haired woman nodded.
This mission wasn’t especially dangerous—once Qingfen Marquis was drawn away by Zimeng Marquis, the greatest threat was removed.
As for Qingfen Marquis's disciples? While powerful, he hadn’t invested much in them, so their strength wasn’t noteworthy.
Not even his top disciple Feng Wanxing could match the purple-haired woman.
Her strength was already half a step into the Great Sovereign realm. Among the many Dominance-stage experts in Zimeng Domain, at least ten were on par with Feng Wanxing.
"I heard Qingfen Marquis recently accepted a new disciple—and personally left Qingfen City to do so."
The hunched woman said.
This wasn't a secret. After Lin Yuan was accepted, Qingfen Marquis introduced him to the other disciples, and the story spread throughout Qingfen Domain—an example of meteoric rise.
The Yu Family, once a second-tier household, instantly became one of the most influential families in the domain.
"I heard too. Based on Qingfen Marquis's personality, he wouldn’t leave the city lightly just for a disciple."
The man nearby said, curious.
The Liyang Ancient Kingdom’s appointed nobles were meant to guard their domains.
And the core of each domain was its domain city—Qingfen City's, naturally, was Qingfen Marquis.
For him to leave so suddenly carried risks.
If enemy domains struck during his absence, the city could fall without his peak Great Sovereign pressure.
But it wasn’t likely.
He hadn't informed anyone in advance, so enemy domains assumed he was still inside. They likely wouldn’t act.
And if he dared leave, he must have had confidence he could return instantly.
Very little risk.
This plan depended on Zimeng Marquis delaying Qingfen Marquis—that was the key.
Only if Qingfen Marquis was held back could they buy enough time to use the Myriad Array Crystal to copy the formation.
"Qingfen Marquis is cold-hearted. Though forced to accept disciples under the Liyang Ancient Kingdom’s orders, none dare call him Master."
"But for this new little disciple—not only did he leave Qingfen City, he’s even pouring resources into him."
The purple-haired woman shook her head.
"This disciple named ‘Yu Yan’ must have terrifying talent. At least far above Feng Wanxing."
"Indeed."
The others nodded in agreement.
A regular disciple wouldn’t be worth all that.
"In the future, he may become a major threat to Zimeng Domain."
The purple-haired woman assessed, then added, "But there is no future."
Everyone laughed.
Exactly.
There would be no future.
If this plan succeeded, Qingfen Domain would be overrun. Even if Qingfen Marquis survived, he’d be forced to flee—licking his wounds in hiding.
And the disciple he nurtured with all his effort?
No need to worry.
No matter how gifted—
Without time to grow, even a royal from the great Ancient Kingdoms posed no threat.
Even if this ‘Yu Yan’ eventually rose up—it’d be countless years later.
For now, he wouldn’t affect Zimeng Domain's plans at all.
"If the replication succeeds, the capital will reward us with a great treasure."
The purple-haired woman added to boost morale.
Treasures deemed ‘great’ by the Ancient Kingdom—even Great Sovereigns desired them.
As Dominance-stage experts? If they got one, even if they couldn’t use it, they could trade it to a Great Sovereign—
For whatever resources they wanted.
And no one dared rob treasures granted by the Ancient Kingdom.
They had nothing to worry about.
"A great treasure?"
The hunched woman and others exchanged glances, eyes glowing with heat.
So far, the mission didn’t sound difficult.
The only possible risk—was whether Qingfen Marquis might return early?
But with a great treasure at stake, they were uneasy only because there seemed to be no real danger.
Qingfen City.
Qingfen Marquis gazed into the distance.
Lately, he had clearly noticed unusual movements in Zimeng Domain.
But since the two were rival domains, it was normal for the other side to stir.
"What exactly is Zimeng planning?"
Qingfen Marquis felt something was off, though he couldn’t pinpoint it.
"Better to prepare."
He thought for a moment, then summoned all his disciples.
"Greetings, Lord Marquis."
Feng Wanxing and other Dominance-stage disciples bowed.
Though Qingfen Marquis didn’t let them call him Master, he treated them fairly well.
"If I’m not in the city and Zimeng Domain or others attack, don’t worry about anything else. Just focus on guarding these few places."
He listed several core nodes of the city’s grand formation.
In his view, the worst-case scenario was being delayed elsewhere.
Then Zimeng Domain might take advantage of the chance to sabotage the formation inside the city.
But if he was still there? They’d have no chance at all.
And a full-scale assault on Qingfen City?
Even without his presence, the city's formation would activate automatically and hold out for a long time.
So he suspected Zimeng Domain’s elites might sneak in ahead of time.
But their numbers couldn’t be too high. The city had specialized arrays that measured “life density”—the quantity and quality of incoming powers.
If a Great Sovereign entered, Qingfen Marquis would know immediately.
Or if a large number of Dominance-stage powers entered, he'd also sense it.
They could use secret techniques to conceal their aura or origin—
But not their life density. If it crossed the threshold, Qingfen Marquis would detect it.
"Understood."
Feng Wanxing and the others responded immediately.
"Lord Marquis, do you suspect Zimeng Domain will act soon?" Feng Wanxing asked tentatively.
This level of preparation clearly targeted Zimeng Domain.
"I’m just taking precautions. Whether they act or not—we’ll see."
Qingfen Marquis replied calmly.
Deep down, he even hoped they’d make a move.
Zimeng Marquis was roughly on his level, but if it came to a real fight, Qingfen Marquis held the advantage.
And he had recently made a breakthrough in secret techniques.
If Zimeng Marquis dared come, he was confident in seriously injuring him.
And once Zimeng Marquis was wounded, Qingfen Domain would be safe for several million—perhaps tens of millions of years.
"That’s all. You may go."
Qingfen Marquis waved his hand.
Once everyone had left—
He fell into thought.
"My disciple’s recent demand for resources is… a bit much."
He rubbed his chin.
Lin Yuan was the one he valued most. Though he didn’t show it openly, he was always watching from the shadows.
"But if you can handle it—then take all the resources you need."
Qingfen Marquis smiled faintly, even a little expectant.
In the Burning Heaven Courtyard, Lin Yuan was observing the changes in his body.
After forming thirty thousand Seeds, his Blazing Sun Divine Body’s transformation sped up dramatically—he could feel his physical changes every moment.
"Every drop of my blood, every microscopic particle that makes it up, has turned scarlet—and begun evolving into intricate, subtle patterns..."
Lin Yuan’s expression grew thoughtful. These patterns fused together, drastically boosting his physical strength—and even resonating with the fundamental laws of the universe.
Whether in this Source World or the Chaos Void, the essence of cultivation was mastering those laws.
That was typically a proactive pursuit.
But now, even though the Blazing Sun Divine Body hadn’t completed its transformation, Lin Yuan felt as if it was naturally resonating with the fundamental cosmic laws.
He didn’t need to seek the Dao—the Dao came to him.
"Incredible."
The more he observed, the more astonished he became.
Lin Yuan had deep roots in body-cultivation techniques, having mastered Mysterious Emperor's Body, a protective art created by a legendary Saint—
And even parts of the Devil Jade Indestructible Body.
But those techniques? They tempered the flesh to make it indestructible.
The Blazing Sun Divine Body?
It was evolving his flesh—reconstructing it at the very foundation. Lin Yuan wasn’t even sure if he could still be called human.
Of course, race wasn’t defined by body, but by soul and true spirit. He had learned that back in human civilization within the universe.
In the main universe era, many evolvers had seized special lifeforms to start stronger. As long as their true spirit remained human, they were considered human.
"The Blazing Sun Divine Body also has distinctions."
"The most basic form is created with thirty-three hundred thirty-three Seeds."
"And the more Seeds formed, the more powerful the Divine Body becomes."
Lin Yuan thought to himself.
These details he had figured out by observing his own transformation.
The evolution path when forming twenty thousand Seeds was entirely different from the path with thirty thousand Seeds.
And it wasn’t just the speed—the microscopic structure was vastly different.
"Once the Blazing Sun Divine Body is complete, everything will be clear."
He thought.
Right now, the body hadn’t fully transformed, so there was still much he couldn’t sense.
Time slowly passed.
In the blink of an eye, five years went by.
Rumble…
Lin Yuan’s physical body completed its final transformation.
He sat cross-legged, carefully feeling the changes in his body.
Now, at the most microscopic level, his body was entirely composed of flame particles—engraved with unfathomable, intricate patterns that interwove and tangled together.
"This…"
Lin Yuan let out a slow breath. As the transformation finished, a flood of instinctual information surged into his mind.
...
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