Inside a Lower Beta-Class War Machine
Lin Yuan was fully immersed in comprehending the chaotic runes. With every passing moment, his understanding of the Chaos Rule deepened.
"Too perfect."
He sighed inwardly. The chaotic runes inside a lower Beta-class war machine already delved into the more profound parts of the second-level Chaos Realm.
"If I can keep up this pace of insight, no—at most within a thousand years, I’ll reach peak second-level Chaos comprehension."
Lin Yuan thought to himself.
As for the third level of the Chaos Realm?
Currently, the chaotic runes in the Beta-class war machines didn’t contain the essential structure of the third-level Chaos Rule.
Even Alpha-class war machines likely wouldn't touch upon third-level Chaos.
The third level of Chaos—this was the final frontier of Chaos Rule comprehension, and even many Supreme Saints in the Chaos Void had yet to reach it.
"One step at a time. Peak of the second level first."
For now, Lin Yuan had no thoughts about the third level of Chaos.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, something stirred within him. Lin Yuan stopped his comprehension and looked in a certain direction.
"Is the war beginning?"
He stepped out of the war machine.
Across the battlefield, enemy war machines were assembling. The aura of a Great Sovereign was faintly hidden among them.
"Sure enough, it’s Sovereign Leige."
Lin Yuan immediately confirmed that the Great Sovereign leading the enemy side was indeed Sovereign Leige.
"Sovereign Leige… doesn’t seem like an ordinary newly advanced Sovereign." Lin Yuan vaguely sensed that his aura was deeper than usual for someone newly ascended.
"Hiding his strength?"
He mused without much concern.
If Leige was hiding his strength, did that mean he wasn’t?
Lin Yuan’s hidden strength far exceeded Leige’s. Even without using Sunborn Genesis, he was close to peak Great Sovereign level.
Whoosh.
As Lin Yuan watched the battlefield, one by one, Dominance-level warriors entered the war machines. The massive machines slowly powered up.
"Pity… I can’t keep one for myself to study."
He felt a slight twinge of regret as he looked at the war machines poised for battle.
The number of war machines per defense sector was fixed.
Before the war broke out, hiding inside one to study wasn’t an issue.
But once battle began, keeping one to himself would be far too blatant.
Chisong King might have his attention focused on the core battlefront, but that didn’t mean he ignored the other sectors.
"Still, a full war usually lasts thousands—if not tens of thousands—of years. The time spent in actual combat is limited. The bulk of it is rest periods."
Lin Yuan thought calmly.
Rest periods came when both sides paused after intense clashes.
During those times, Lin Yuan would have ample opportunity to continue studying each war machine.
"Let that Milky Way Sovereign make the first move."
Sovereign Leige was also observing the battlefield. As he watched the war machines activate, he didn’t underestimate them at all.
Even though intel said the Milky Way Sovereign was newly advanced—a mere thousand years into Sovereignhood, a rookie among rookies—
Leige hadn’t made it this far by being arrogant. Even if confident in his strength, he planned to wait for the Milky Way Sovereign to act first before revealing himself.
Seeing the other party act first meant seizing the initiative.
Very soon—
The war machines on both sides clashed in full force.
Boom—
One war machine, its form blazing with chaos and flame, transformed into a massive fireball, unleashing endless fire in every direction.
"That’s the mid-tier Beta-class war machine?"
Lin Yuan looked toward it. It was the highest-grade machine in this defense sector. When fully activated, it could form a blazing sun domain that suppressed all enemies within.
Whoosh—
On Zimeng Domain’s side, their machines also powered up, unleashing force no less than Qingfen Domain’s.
"Lock!"
A colossal war machine, entirely violet in color, suddenly surged forward. In the void, countless violet chains appeared, sweeping toward Qingfen Domain’s side.
Their target: the sole mid-tier Beta-class war machine on Qingfen’s side.
"Not good!"
The one-horned Luo Peng’s face changed. He was one of the few peak Dominance-level cultivators capable of piloting that war machine.
Though the machine held over 3,000 Dominance-level warriors, only a few were truly capable of controlling it.
"Pull back."
At that moment, a voice echoed in Luo Peng’s ear.
"It’s the Great Sovereign."
He instantly recognized it as Milky Way Sovereign’s voice.
The instructions guided him on how to counter the incoming violet chains.
Though Lin Yuan hadn’t yet studied that mid-tier machine in depth, the machines he had studied already gave him a deep understanding.
An understanding at the most fundamental level—far beyond that of temporary operators like Luo Peng.
So the moment he saw the violet chains erupt from Zimeng Domain’s machine, Lin Yuan knew exactly how to counter them.
Boom!!!
The giant fireball clashed violently with the violet chains. Flames exploded everywhere as the chains shattered one after another. In the end, the violet war machine was forced to retreat.
In that brief exchange, it had lost the upper hand.
"Thank you, Great Sovereign."
Inside the war machine, Luo Peng quickly expressed his gratitude to Lin Yuan.
If not for him, those chains would’ve at least stalled the machine, even if they didn’t trap it completely.
And without the blazing sun domain, the other machines on the battlefield would’ve lost their biggest advantage—possibly leading to a full collapse.
"Hm?"
"They actually held out?"
Sovereign Leige also noticed. His brows furrowed as he watched the violet machine retreat.
Its move had been at his command. Leige thought he had chosen the perfect moment—just as the blazing sun domain formed.
That would have maximized their chances of victory.
"It’s a stalemate now."
Watching the ongoing battle, Leige began to feel impatient.
He had hoped to make a dazzling display on the battlefield—to earn a good impression from Lingwei.
But at this rate, if he didn’t act, there was no way to break through the opposing defenses.
"Forget it."
Leige sighed inwardly. He had wanted Milky Way Sovereign to act first.
Now it seemed he’d have to move.
Still, as long as the intel was correct—that Milky Way Sovereign was newly ascended—there was no way he could lose.
Rumble—
Leige’s body vanished.
In his place, endless thunder filled the sky.
The path he walked was the Chaos Thunder—master of destruction.
"Sovereign Leige?"
Lin Yuan quietly appeared in front of him, blocking his path. "Your opponent is me."
"So this is Qingfen Marquis’s disciple. Let’s see what you’ve got."
Leige didn’t waste words. The sooner he broke this defense—even just a peripheral one—the better Lingwei’s evaluation of him would be.
Next moment—
Lin Yuan and Sovereign Leige clashed violently.
"Focus on defense."
Lin Yuan only revealed strength equal to Leige’s. After all, that was Chisong King’s strategy.
Both the core and peripheral lines were to focus on defense. As long as they could withstand Zimeng Domain’s offensive, that was enough.
"Huh?"
After exchanging a few blows, Sovereign Leige was shocked.
He had already unleashed near-full strength—but still couldn’t push Lin Yuan back.
"Milky Way Sovereign… you’re hiding your strength too?"
His face turned grim. That was the only explanation.
Lin Yuan didn’t respond. Part of his attention was on the core battlefront, where peak Sovereigns were already engaged in intense combat.
"This is bad."
Leige’s expression darkened.
He had intended to crush Lin Yuan with overwhelming force and then break through the defense—earning points with Lingwei.
Lingwei, a royal with kingly rank—even if he didn’t become emperor, his status would be immensely high. Supreme-level beings might not care, but Sovereigns like Leige yearned to establish ties.
But now… his plan was rapidly unraveling.
"There’s still a chance to break through."
Leige quickly sorted through his available trump cards.
"Milky Way Sovereign may be hiding power, but it’s comparable to mine. If I can just—"
His eyes turned to the battlefield below, where Zimeng’s and Qingfen’s war machines clashed in chaos.
"If I can destroy that mid-tier Beta-class machine and gain the upper hand below, then stall Milky Way Sovereign… I can still break the line."
He revised his plan.
Originally, he had planned to defeat Milky Way Sovereign, then support the machines below.
Now that wasn’t realistic.
Instead, he’d help the machines first—then use their victory to assist him.
"That’s the plan."
Thunder began to shimmer between his brows.
Then—
That thunder tore through space, streaking toward the battlefield below.
It grew rapidly—towering to the heavens. Its terrifying aura pierced through layer upon layer of space-time, heading straight for the mid-tier Beta-class war machine.
"This is the Origin Thunder I’ve cultivated for a million years."
Leige’s aura dimmed slightly.
This Origin Thunder was his strongest offensive weapon. Against Milky Way Sovereign, it could only stall him for a while—no way it could crush him.
But if aimed at that war machine, it was guaranteed to tear it apart.
Once it was destroyed, Zimeng Domain would dominate the battlefield.
Then all he’d have to do was stall Lin Yuan—and the battle would be his.
Buzz…
The terrifying Origin Thunder descended instantly, aiming directly at the Beta-class machine.
Though it could threaten Great Sovereigns, against their ultimate attacks—especially one timed this precisely—it had no way to evade.
"Hmm?"
Lin Yuan, who had been casually tying up Leige, suddenly changed expression as he sensed the thunder descending.
"My chaos runes!"
He stretched out his hand. In an instant, it grew incomparably massive, tearing through layers of space-time. The Origin Thunder, cultivated for a million years and regarded as Leige’s strongest attack, was like paper before Lin Yuan’s hand—shredded effortlessly.
The Beta-class war machine, now towering to over ten billion li, was like a kitten in Lin Yuan’s palm—shielded and untouched.
"What—?"
Sovereign Leige, whose face had just begun to form a victorious smile, froze in place.
...
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