High above the battlefield.
Great Sovereign Leige watched as the Origin Thunder he had painstakingly charged up was effortlessly torn apart by Lin Yuan’s sky-covering hand.
His eyes briefly froze.
To be honest, Great Sovereign Leige was quite confident in his Origin Thunder—this was a killing move he had nurtured for a million years.
If it weren’t for wanting to impress Lingwei and break through the defenses as quickly as possible, he wouldn’t have used it at all.
Why not use it directly against Lin Yuan?
Lin Yuan was also a Great Sovereign—and had clearly concealed his strength.
Compared to Lin Yuan, that Beta Intermediate War Machine was much easier to deal with.
A Beta Intermediate War Machine could house thousands of Dominance-stage experts, and its attacks could indeed threaten Great Sovereign-level powerhouses.
But at the end of the day, a war machine was still just a war machine—nowhere near as agile as a Great Sovereign.
To a Great Sovereign, war machines were clunky and rigid. If left uninfluenced by external forces, a one-on-one between a Great Sovereign and a war machine of the same level would always end in the Great Sovereign’s favor.
The real strength of war machines lay in cooperation—working in tandem with other war machines and Great Sovereign-level powerhouses on the same side.
Therefore—
After careful consideration, Great Sovereign Leige had chosen to strike the Beta Intermediate War Machine.
It was the safest choice.
What he hadn’t expected was that his full-power Origin Thunder would be shredded like paper before Lin Yuan.
“How is this possible?”
Leige’s first instinct was disbelief.
For someone to destroy his Origin Thunder so easily—if not a peak Great Sovereign, then at least very close.
Milky Way Great Sovereign?
Wasn’t the Milky Way Great Sovereign a newly ascended sovereign from just over a thousand years ago?
But then—
Great Sovereign Leige realized that the intel he’d received had to be wrong.
The claim that Milky Way Great Sovereign had only recently ascended came solely from Qingfen Marquis—there was no actual evidence to support it.
“Damn it.”
“That Leige really has no shame.”
Inside the Beta Intermediate War Machine, the one-horned man, Luo Peng, also felt the overwhelming pressure of the descending thunder.
Though it hadn't reached him yet, the instinctive fear brought by that thunder seeped through space and time.
If not for the war machine’s protection, he might not have even been able to withstand the thunder’s aura.
“It’s going to be hard to stop.”
In a flash of thought, Luo Peng came to a grim conclusion: the war machine itself might survive the thunderstorm, but the thousands of Dominance-stage powerhouses inside definitely wouldn’t. Even the slightest thread of that thunder could wipe out swaths of them.
Losing that many Dominance-stage powerhouses would render the war machine practically useless.
And once the thunder penetrated, the war machine might even begin to self-destruct.
“We’ll block what we can.”
Luo Peng was filled with despair, but he didn’t give up. At the very least, he could buy some time—divert some of Leige’s focus to give Milky Way Great Sovereign a moment to react.
However—
Just then—
Luo Peng witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
Amid the boundless, terrifying thunder, a massive sky-covering hand reached down. The storm of thunder, so mighty and overwhelming, was utterly powerless before that hand—unable even to slow it down.
Whoosh!
The hand reached in and scooped up the entire massive Beta Intermediate War Machine, holding it protectively in its palm.
“Milky Way Great Sovereign made a move?”
Luo Peng was stunned. From the aura of the giant hand, he could confirm it was Milky Way Great Sovereign.
But was Milky Way Great Sovereign really this strong?
Though Luo Peng was only at the peak of Dominance, the fact that he could serve as an operator of a Beta Intermediate War Machine meant his status wasn’t ordinary. He understood very well that even among Great Sovereigns, there were major power differences.
And the power of Milky Way Great Sovereign—it was overwhelming.
“The war machine is safe.”
From afar, Lin Yuan looked toward the Beta Intermediate War Machine. The Chaos rune patterns contained within it were still only partially understood by him.
If it had been destroyed by Great Sovereign Leige, he couldn’t guarantee another would be sent.
These war machines were his greatest hope for reaching the peak of Chaos Second Stage—and perhaps even the Third Stage—in the shortest time.
“I originally planned to just muddle through—hold this line, avoid any big waves, and focus on what happens at the core frontline.”
Lin Yuan felt somewhat helpless.
His current strength was close to a peak Great Sovereign.
He didn’t yet have the power to influence or change the war’s outcome, so when faced with Leige’s assault, he had only intended to hold the line.
As for pushing back the enemy?
Even if he could, what then? Chisong King’s overall strategy was still defense-oriented—pushing the enemy back wouldn’t mean launching a counteroffensive into Zimeng Domain.
And this was a border zone—strategically insignificant, even if overrun.
But Great Sovereign Leige had gone all out, acting like he was ready to die for Zimeng Domain, even aiming to destroy the war machine on Qingfen Domain’s side.
Realizing this, Lin Yuan had no choice but to reveal his true strength.
In that situation, if he hadn’t done so, the war machine would’ve been lost.
Even if Lin Yuan could bear watching it be destroyed, losing a Beta Intermediate War Machine would certainly put Qingfen Domain at a disadvantage.
So, if he wanted to hold this line, he had to show his true power.
Abandoning this frontline? That would betray Qingfen Marquis.
“But merely showing strength close to a peak Great Sovereign isn’t that conspicuous.”
Lin Yuan thought to himself, “As long as I don’t activate the divine power ‘Sunborn Genesis,’ it’s not that big a deal.”
Veteran Great Sovereigns were indeed rare, but across a major domain—or even several, or dozens—their numbers added up.
In this war alone, just the peak Great Sovereigns on both sides numbered over ten—and that was just the known ones, not including any hidden trump cards.
But the divine power ‘Sunborn Genesis’? Anything related to the Liyang Ancestor held immense significance—even more so than a Heavenly Sovereign.
If Lin Yuan dared to activate ‘Sunborn Genesis,’ only two outcomes were possible:
One, he’d be taken away for protection.
Two, he’d be taken away for control.
And maybe even targeted for assassination by ancient kingdom forces.
There was no third possibility.
Maintaining his current peaceful life would become basically impossible.
He might even draw the attention of the Liyang Ancestor.
Too risky. Too unpredictable. One misstep, and Lin Yuan would be forcibly recalled.
“Now that I’ve revealed my true strength…”
Lin Yuan looked at Great Sovereign Leige, who was bracing for battle, his gaze turning slightly cold.
“Milky Way Great Sovereign, what exactly is your strength?”
At that moment, Great Sovereign Leige had also recovered. As a Great Sovereign-level expert, no matter how shocking the scene, he maintained his composure.
“My strength?”
Lin Yuan raised his right hand and pressed down lightly. “Try it yourself and see.”
Boom!!!
A terrifying crimson glow flooded the world. Centered on Lin Yuan, a blazing sun-filled world took shape.
“Blazing Sun Divine Body?”
Leige’s expression turned grim, thunder trickling from his body.
As the undisputed top physique of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom, the power of the Blazing Sun Divine Body was beyond question.
Crackle!
Scarlet flames burned wildly, turning even space-time into fuel. Leige’s face darkened—he could feel his own Chaos Thunder being rapidly consumed.
“This Milky Way Great Sovereign really does have power close to a peak Great Sovereign.”
After clashing directly, Leige no longer had any doubts.
Earlier he’d wondered whether Lin Yuan had used a powerful trump card that couldn’t be used again to tear through his Origin Thunder.
If that had been the case, the worst that would happen is some difficulty pushing forward. Even if he couldn’t break into Qingfen Domain, he could at least maintain a stalemate.
But now—
Milky Way Great Sovereign’s strength was simply beyond what he could handle.
“Retreat!”
Leige didn’t hesitate. He immediately began retreating at full speed.
Given his level, against a veteran Great Sovereign nearing peak power, forget holding the line—he couldn’t even stall.
If he stayed any longer, once the sunborn world fully materialized, he might be trapped entirely.
Although Leige had life-saving measures elsewhere to avoid total death, if his true body died here, the cost would be devastating.
And he’d be mocked by other Great Sovereigns.
“I was hoping to perform well in front of Lingwei…”
Leige sighed inwardly.
Though Milky Way Great Sovereign’s strength had far exceeded expectations, making his loss justifiable, he knew Lingwei wouldn’t be impressed.
Below—
The war machines from Zimeng Domain were still fiercely clashing with those from Qingfen Domain.
Just then—
All the war machine commanders from Zimeng Domain received the same command.
“Full retreat.”
The order baffled many commanders. They were fighting well, showing no signs of losing.
Why retreat?
But on the battlefield, obedience was instinctual. No matter the confusion, the war machines from Zimeng Domain all began to retreat swiftly after receiving the order.
“They’re retreating?”
Lin Yuan glanced at the retreating figure of Leige disappearing into the void.
Even with the Blazing Sun Divine Body fully unleashed and the oppressive world it created, he couldn’t completely stop Leige’s void traversal.
“The war machines are retreating too?”
Lin Yuan looked toward the battlefield below. The war machines from Zimeng Domain were also pulling back.
Crackle—
With a thought, the sunborn world spread forth, toppling every war machine from Zimeng Domain and pinning them in place.
“These war machines…”
Lin Yuan’s gaze burned slightly. The Chaos rune patterns in the Zimeng Domain war machines were completely different from those on his side.
If he could capture these war machines alive and continue his research, the benefits to him would be enormous.
Even if he couldn’t capture them, destroying them would still earn him massive merit.
This time, Chisong King had opened up his personal treasure vault to encourage Great Sovereigns to fight. Every treasure inside could be exchanged with war-earned merit.
“What’s going on?”
“Why such intense space-time fluctuations on the border front?”
At the core frontline battlefield, the peak Great Sovereigns continued their clash.
Simultaneously, their gazes shifted toward the border frontline. The space-time fluctuations from the earlier battle had exceeded what a normal Great Sovereign could produce.
“Hm?”
“How is Milky Way Great Sovereign this powerful?”
“Leige actually turned and fled?”
“This Milky Way Great Sovereign has the strength of a veteran—combat power close to a peak Great Sovereign.”
“Why assign such strength to a border defense?”
On the Zimeng Domain side, the expressions of several peak Great Sovereigns shifted.
A veteran Great Sovereign with near-peak combat power couldn’t change the tide of war, but it would definitely increase the pressure on them.
“Hahahahaha!”
“Qingfen, you’ve hidden your disciple’s strength well.”
In contrast to Zimeng’s silence, the Qingfen Domain side was much more relaxed.
Lin Yuan’s unexpected strength gave them a greater chance at victory.
Most importantly, Leige’s panicked retreat had dealt a heavy blow to Zimeng’s morale.
“Hahahahaha!”
A smile spread across Qingfen Marquis’s face. He had originally been concerned that Lin Yuan’s strength might not be enough and had deliberately assigned him to the border front.
The border front had low strategic value, and the Great Sovereigns attacking it wouldn’t be too powerful.
But now it seemed—he had greatly underestimated this disciple.
“Hm?”
Lingwei was also observing the battlefield and had noticed the clash between Milky Way Great Sovereign and Leige.
“Hmph!” Lingwei narrowed his eyes.
“This Milky Way fellow is stronger than I expected.”
He had a clear impression of Lin Yuan. If not for Lin Yuan, Qingfen Domain might have already fallen.
Lingwei’s eyes darkened as he took one last look at Lin Yuan, then turned away.
Though Leige’s retreat left him slightly displeased, he understood the true key to victory lay at the core frontline battlefield.
As for Milky Way Great Sovereign? He couldn't change the outcome.
Even a peak Great Sovereign wouldn’t be able to shift the war’s direction, let alone someone just close to that level.
Don’t be fooled by how unstoppable Milky Way Great Sovereign seemed on his assigned frontline—it was, after all, just the border.
If he were at the core frontline, facing Great Sovereigns equal to or stronger than him, it’d be lucky if he could even hold the line.
“Chisong, I want to see how you plan to stop me.”
Lingwei focused his attention back on the core battlefield, his expression unreadable.
The war had only just begun. Both sides were still testing each other—neither had yet deployed their true trump cards.
Ding-Seven Warfront Sector.
Lin Yuan successfully suppressed all the war machines from Zimeng Domain. His expression shifted slightly as he looked down.
...
20 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
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