Lin Yuan cast his gaze across the scene.
The border had already become a battlefield—colossal war machines from both sides stood locked in a tense standoff.
Each of these war machines was inscribed with corresponding military formations and housed a vast number of Path-Clearing stage, and even Dominance stage powerhouses.
Lin Yuan focused on one particular war machine—it was manned by 1,888 Dominance-level experts.
Nearly two thousand Dominance-level cultivators channeled their power into the war machine in perfect harmony. Amplified through the formation, the resulting strike could threaten even a Great Sovereign.
Of course, a war machine capable of holding that many Dominance-level warriors was incredibly rare.
Every Dominance-level expert had their own distinct power. To seamlessly merge such forces and then amplify them through formation... was an almost unimaginable feat.
“So this is the true power of an ancient empire…”
Lin Yuan couldn’t help but feel awed. In the chaotic void, power reigned supreme—no matter how many Dominance-level cultivators you had, they were no match for a Chaos-level powerhouse.
Against a Chaos-level being, even an army of Dominance-stage cultivators would be crushed. Numbers didn’t matter.
But in this source world, war machines allowed the weak to contribute. Quantity could indeed become quality.
“They say the empires possess even greater war machines… ones that can accommodate multiple Great Sovereigns.”
Lin Yuan pondered.
Each Great Sovereign had evolved a unique path from chaos. Merging such wildly different forces was nearly impossible.
Thus, war machines capable of housing multiple Great Sovereigns were essentially the trump cards of the empires—ultimate weapons meant to counter Heavenly Sovereigns.
Given the current scale of conflict between Zimeng Domain and Qingfen Domain, such machines were unlikely to appear.
Even those that could house Dominance-level experts numbered no more than ten.
Neither of the emperors of the two ancient nations would casually escalate the war to such a degree.
After all, a full-blown war between two major empires would surely draw the attention of the Progenitors. And if they lost, they’d have no explanation for such a failure.
“If I get the chance, I’d love to study one of these war machines.”
Lin Yuan eyed the formations on both sides thoughtfully.
At their core, the machines were merely vessels—the true power lay in the inscribed military formations.
But those formations were tightly guarded secrets. In fact, during battle, if one of their war machines was captured, it would immediately self-destruct.
So the odds of obtaining a war machine from the enemy empire were slim to none.
But the Liyang Ancient Kingdom’s war machines? That was a different story.
If Lin Yuan could fully comprehend the military formation engraved on one of them, he might be able to replicate the system back in the chaotic void.
That would give humanity a terrifying new foundation.
“Hmm?”
Sensing something, Lin Yuan looked into the distance.
On the Zimeng side, silhouettes began to appear—Great Sovereign-level beings.
“Zimeng. Lingwei Wang initiated this war. Isn’t he worried about the consequences if he fails?” Qingfen Marquis opened a channel of communication with the enemy.
This war, centered around Qingfen and Zimeng Domains, had implications for dozens of surrounding domains—and it had all been set into motion by Lingwei Wang himself.
“That’s none of your concern. Focus on whether your Qingfen Domain can survive,” Zimeng Marquis replied with equal sharpness.
The assembled Great Sovereigns from both sides simply observed each other—measuring their future opponents.
The ones present now were only those known on the surface. True trump cards remained hidden, to be revealed only at critical moments.
Still, preliminary contact had its benefits.
And each empire had experts skilled in investigation. There was always a chance to glean a critical piece of intel.
“Five peak Great Sovereigns…”
Lin Yuan silently evaluated the enemy forces. Among the nearly twenty Great Sovereigns on the Zimeng side, five radiated power that rivaled Qingfen Marquis.
About half an hour later—
Qingfen Marquis and the other Great Sovereigns returned to the City Lord’s Mansion.
Zimeng’s forces did the same. It was as if both sides had reached a silent agreement—not even exchanging blows, merely posturing before retreating.
Inside the City Lord’s Mansion
Eighteen Great Sovereigns took their seats.
“What are your thoughts?” Qingfen Marquis asked.
“If war breaks out, do you think we can handle it?”
After the brief confrontation, everyone had likely formed their own opinions.
“If those are all the forces Zimeng will field, then we have a decent chance of winning the first battle.”
Great Sovereign Redleaf spoke up.
The others generally agreed.
In terms of numbers, both sides were fairly even. If they truly clashed, it would likely lead to a stalemate.
And a stalemate was a win for Qingfen.
“But if Lingwei Wang dares start a war, he must be confident in victory. What we’ve seen likely isn’t the full extent of their strength.”
One of the Great Sovereigns voiced a more cautious view.
Qingfen Marquis nodded—he thought the same.
“What I’m most concerned about… is Lingwei Wang’s younger brother.”
He finally shared his biggest worry.
“Lingwei Wang’s brother?”
The room stirred slightly. Even Redleaf frowned.
Lingwei Wang was from the imperial bloodline. His younger brother, naturally, was too.
And unlike Lingwei Wang, that brother had reached the core bloodline tier long ago.
But he had no desire for the throne—he focused solely on cultivation.
Not every imperial-born wanted to rule.
“If Lingwei Wang brings him into this… we’re in trouble.”
Redleaf’s brow furrowed deeply.
Core-bloodline royals were known for overwhelming power—able to crush peers at the same level.
And Lingwei Wang’s brother was at the Great Sovereign level.
Unless the Liyang Ancient Kingdom responded with a core royal of their own—or sent in a Heavenly Sovereign—there would be no stopping him.
“Still… as a core royal, he shouldn’t act lightly.”
Another Great Sovereign chimed in. While not yet Heavenly Sovereigns, such figures were close. Deploying them might escalate the war too far.
“Regardless, we must prepare for the worst.”
Qingfen Marquis remained vigilant. He planned to seek assistance from “Chisong King.”
Chisong King was the royal overseeing this entire war effort for the Liyang Ancient Kingdom.
Among all the Great Sovereigns, Qingfen Marquis had the most to lose. If Qingfen Domain fell, his years of investment would vanish.
Even if the Empire gave him a new fiefdom, he’d have to start from scratch—a steep price.
Chaotic Void – Fragment World
In a tranquil manor—
Lin Yuan appeared before Lin Shou Cheng and Lin Qiong.
“Little Yuan? What brings you here?” Lin Qiong turned and smiled in surprise.
“You’re a living legend now! Even our nine Strongest Ones can’t compare to you.”
After the migration to their new home, Lin Yuan’s reputation in human civilization had reached near-mythical levels.
He could now constantly feel vast waves of faith converging upon him.
Countless citizens across human civilization had begun to worship him—creating immense power of belief.
With it, Lin Yuan could easily walk the path of faith cultivation.
In the chaotic void, there were those who reached Path-Clearing or even Dominance stages this way.
Relying on the power of the masses, one could cultivate with terrifying speed—almost without bottlenecks.
But what is gained from the people can also be lost to them. To this day, no Chaos-level cultivator had emerged from that path.
Lin Yuan’s martial path already held infinite potential. He would never abandon it for faith—a road that severed one’s future.
Sure, with his Unrivaled Insight, even the faith path might not be a dead end. But there was simply no need.
Cultivation and evolution were deeply personal. Absorbing others’ belief would only pollute his path—making it more difficult the farther he went.
He spread the martial path not to harvest others—but to anchor himself, to avoid losing his way.
The difference in principle was vast.
“Have you two started cultivating the path I gave you?”
After chatting with his parents for a bit, Lin Yuan asked.
He had created personalized evolution paths for his parents—tailored perfectly to their conditions.
Their natural talent was lacking. Even with serums and life-extending agents, they could live on indefinitely.
But their mental will would still wither or warp over time.
In the universe era, certain special lives born with the cosmos had limitless lifespans. But they all slowed their time flow to near-halts.
A million or hundred million years outside? Just a moment for them.
Because living too long twisted the mind. Without great inner strength, an eternal body and soul meant little.
Lin Yuan feared his parents might face such a fate. Sure, he could revive them countless times—but a warped mind couldn’t be cured with resurrection.
“Little Yuan, your father and I have been practicing regularly.”
Lin Qiong’s eyes brightened.
“Strangely, the path you gave us… feels so easy and smooth!”
Even Lin Shou Cheng managed a rare smile.
It was true.
In the past, they had tried many paths, all of which felt hopelessly difficult.
“That’s good.”
Lin Yuan nodded.
Of course it felt easy.
These paths had been crafted with more care than even those he made for the nine Strongest Ones.
“No matter what—always remember to keep training.”
“Evolution is the only path to true immortality.”
He reminded them.
He wouldn’t let them fall into mental decay.
“Absolutely, son!”
“I’ve never been more motivated to cultivate!” Lin Shou Cheng laughed.
Before, every step of cultivation had been a struggle. How could he enjoy it?
Now? He felt like a genius.
Naturally, he was motivated.
Lin Yuan chuckled in response.
“Hmm?”
“Xuanyuan and the others are looking for me?”
A part of Lin Yuan’s mind shifted. While chatting with his parents, another avatar materialized before Xuanyuan and the other Strongest Ones.
“Milky Way.”
Seeing him, Xuanyuan, Xia Qin, and the others greeted him warmly.
“Here—try some of this wine I brewed.” Xuanyuan pushed a cup toward him.
“Tastes great.”
Lin Yuan sipped and nodded.
In terms of enhancing body and soul, it was average—far from the miraculous brews of the chaotic void.
But the flavor was unique and pleasant.
“Haha, too bad Gu Li and Void God can’t taste this.”
Xia Qin laughed as he drank.
Gu Li and Void God had both “dispersed their paths” a thousand years ago—choosing to rebuild their martial paths from scratch.
Until they regained twelfth-rank strength, they’d be too focused on training to bother with wine.
It wasn’t fear—it was pride. Having once been twelfth-rank, their current weakness made them reluctant to show themselves.
“They’ll probably emerge soon.”
Lin Yuan, as the master of Star Tear Fragment World, knew everything about their progress.
In a thousand years, they had reached the tenth rank again. Being experienced cultivators, they could skip “the leap” and jump straight to twelfth once they hit the peak of eleven.
Their rapid progress came from two things—being veteran cultivators retracing old steps, and having martial paths personally refined by Lin Yuan.
Not as intricate as his parents’ paths—but more than enough for two Strongest Ones.
“They’re coming back?”
Xuanyuan and Xia Qin grew excited.
With Gu Li and Void God back, two more would walk the martial path.
Lin Yuan smiled.
Most likely, they would be the first twelfth-rank martial path cultivators.
A major milestone.
Over the past thousand years, the martial path had spread across many star domains via the Myriad Dao Pavilion.
But none had reached twelfth-rank yet.
Those outside didn’t have the resources or tailored paths the Strongest Ones did.
“Hmm?”
Lin Yuan’s expression shifted again.
“The avatar in the source world has stepped into Dominance. No problems during the process…”
He smiled.
“Then I’ll ascend as well.”
With a thought, his true body vanished—reappearing deep within the chaotic void.
Swirling chaos.
Lin Yuan appeared, sitting cross-legged.
“Breaking through in the chaotic void… is a different experience.”
The biggest difference lay in the inner universe.
Though both bodies had achieved Infinite Void, the one here was vastly more powerful.
Here, he had the Chaos Tree—and had endured three infusions of chaotic origin.
This body’s universe would undergo a far greater transformation.
“Let’s begin.”
He released all suppression.
Rumble!
His internal universe—previously 33.33 million light-years across—had nearly stopped expanding.
But now, it surged forward again.
“My inner universe has undergone three origin infusions… is supported by the Chaos Tree… and has Infinite Void…”
“To grow again, it will need massive energy.”
He glanced around. Chaos energy filled the air.
Though not pure, his universe didn’t care—it would absorb everything.
As his universe began to expand violently—
He immediately drew attention.
Within his universe were many strong beings—dozens of twelfth-rank alien races from the universe era.
They had submitted to Lin Yuan and resided here ever since.
“His universe is expanding again?!”
“How many times is this now?”
“Even Chaos-level beings can’t exert this much pressure…”
“Milky Way’s power is terrifying…”
They trembled.
Many of them had once plotted to kill him.
Billions of light-years away
A silver ship sped through the void.
Several figures stood at its bow.
“Junior brothers and sisters—this ship is a Dominance-level treasure. With me here, we’ll reach our destination safely.”
The leader, a black-bearded man, wore a proud smile.
Yes, the chaotic void was dangerous—but only for weaklings. For a Dominance-level cultivator with this kind of ship? He had nothing to fear.
“Senior brother, you're amazing!”
The others beamed.
But one spoke up—
“Senior brother… doesn’t it feel like the chaos energy around us is thinning?”
The man paused.
He looked around—and his face changed.
The chaos energy was all flowing in one direction.
As he tracked the current—
His expression turned grim.
From his vast perception, he realized it wasn’t just this region.
Millions of light-years—tens of millions—all the chaos energy was being drawn toward a single place.
As if…
A colossal beast was devouring it all.
“No good!”
He paled and activated the ship—fleeing in the opposite direction.
“Prepare yourselves…”
He said in a low, grave voice.
There was a trace of despair.
Behind him, the juniors looked confused.
“Senior…?”
They didn’t understand.
But something terrible was coming.
...
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