The vastness of heaven and earth stretched endlessly.
At the rear of the Zimeng Domain battlefield, two figures stood suspended in the void, overlooking the distant conflict.
The one slightly behind was King Lingwei—one of the royal kings of the Grand Ling Ancient Kingdom. He was the mastermind behind this war that now engulfed dozens of nearby domains.
Since the war began, Zimeng Domain had held the advantage on most fronts. Qingfen Domain, by contrast, had been forced into defensive maneuvers.
“I’ve pretty much figured out all of that Chisong King’s tactics,”
Lingwei said, glancing at the figure ahead to his left.
“You’ll have to step in now, little brother, and bring this war to an end.”
That figure was his younger brother—Ling Shen King, a core royal of the Grand Ling Ancient Kingdom.
Among all the ancient kingdoms of the Source World, individuals whose Ancestral Bloodline had reached the threshold of a core royal lineage were exceedingly rare—even rarer than Heavenly Sovereigns.
Any core royal who stepped into the Great Sovereign realm and adjusted for a time could easily sweep through their peers.
Such was the might of the Ancestral Bloodline—every core royal was a force of nature.
And if one could truly draw out their bloodline’s full potential, they could even challenge a Heavenly Sovereign while still at the Great Sovereign level.
Of course, even for core royals, fully unlocking their bloodline potential wasn’t easy.
But it was still far easier than breaking through from Great Sovereign to Heavenly Sovereign.
“All things in the world—cultivation is the true path,”
Ling Shen King said, glancing at his brother. “Is the throne really that important to you?”
“It is,” Lingwei answered frankly.
Becoming emperor of an ancient kingdom came with many benefits—including the ability to further purify one’s royal bloodline.
For core royals, their bloodline was already at its peak and couldn’t be further enhanced. But for ordinary royals, the chance to purify their bloodline was a powerful incentive.
Still, that wasn’t Lingwei’s only reason. What he truly valued was the emperor’s authority.
“I don’t have your talent,” he sighed. “Becoming emperor is my only hope.”
He felt a trace of helplessness.
Though they were brothers, there was little warmth between them. To get Ling Shen King involved, he had already paid a steep price in effort and favors.
“I understand.”
After a moment of silence, Ling Shen King finally spoke.
“This time, I’ll clear every obstacle in this war for you.”
“Brother, that Chijue King isn’t someone easy to deal with,”
Lingwei warned urgently.
Chijue King—Chisong King’s sixth brother—was also a core royal.
In terms of cultivation years, Chijue King far surpassed Ling Shen King. Lingwei’s original hope was that Ling Shen King could simply hold Chijue King at bay.
“Chijue King?”
Ling Shen King’s tone was calm. “A core royal who hasn’t fully matured is no match for me.”
While core royals had the potential to challenge Heavenly Sovereigns, it came with conditions. They had to fully develop their bloodline.
The gap between Great Sovereign and Heavenly Sovereign wasn’t something easily crossed—even with dense thirteenth-rank bloodline.
“Your bloodline…”
Lingwei’s pupils constricted in shock as he looked at his younger brother.
“Mhm.”
Ling Shen King nodded.
“Good. Good!”
Joy surged through Lingwei.
A core royal who had unlocked their full bloodline potential was the strongest possible force below Heavenly Sovereign.
Chijue King had yet to show signs of such growth.
Which meant that once the battle began, Ling Shen King would inevitably win.
'Maybe… cultivation really is the foundation after all?'
That thought surfaced in his mind—but was quickly pushed aside by elation.
'Who cares. First, break through Qingfen Domain.'
—
In Qingfen Domain—
Chisong King and Chijue King also stood at the frontline.
“The final battle should be starting soon,”
Chisong King said, staring toward the battlefield.
The war had raged for five hundred years, and the two sides had clashed numerous times.
Full-power duels between peak Great Sovereigns had become increasingly common.
He had a strong sense that Lingwei could no longer hold back.
“Sixth Brother, I’ll be counting on you soon.”
“No problem,”
Chijue King replied with a smile.
“Leave Ling Shen King to me. I’ve heard plenty about him—today I’ll see for myself.”
“He’s certainly made a name for himself,”
Chisong King nodded.
Ling Shen King was said to be the youngest core royal of the Grand Ling Kingdom. During his bloodline evaluation, he had directly triggered an ancestral phenomenon.
“Should I call in a few more royal kings?” Chisong King asked.
“Can you even get them to come?”
Chijue King shot him a glance and chuckled. “Besides, if you escalate, Lingwei will too. That’ll only raise the war’s intensity.”
Wars between ancient kingdoms broke out often—but both sides generally kept the intensity in check.
Typically—
Even in regional wars spanning dozens of domains, one royal king on each side was the limit. Bringing in more? The cost would skyrocket, and the conflict would spiral.
At that point, it could easily snowball into a full-scale war—drawing in Heavenly Sovereigns.
That was when things truly got out of control.
Even someone as ambitious as Lingwei didn’t want that. Once the war became too intense, it would no longer be in his hands.
Even if he won, the merit wouldn’t increase much.
But if he lost?
He’d be branded a criminal of the kingdom.
A punishment of a billion years of imprisonment would be considered lenient.
“You’re right.”
Chisong King nodded.
Raising the war’s intensity cost more than just losing a conventional war.
“How are things going?”
Chijue King asked casually.
“Manageable. Their side has a slight edge among the Great Sovereigns. But as long as you can hold Ling Shen King, Lingwei can’t do anything to us.”
Chisong King was confident.
He prided himself on his battlefield arrangements. Unless the enemy crushed them with overwhelming force, there was no way through.
“I heard you let a Great Sovereign study the war machines?”
Chijue King asked as he scanned the battlefield.
“Yes—Milky Way Great Sovereign. A new Great Sovereign, disciple of Qingfen, with good potential.”
Chisong King nodded.
Letting outsiders study war machines went against ancient kingdom regulations. If anyone else asked, he would have denied it.
But Chijue King?
His own brother—he answered truthfully.
“You’ve got high hopes for him?”
Chijue King smiled, but didn’t pry further.
For him, not to mention new Great Sovereigns—even peak ones weren’t worth his attention.
A core royal—even one not at their peak—could crush their peers with ease.
—
At the frontline
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, his aura deep and restrained.
Five hundred years had passed. He had now completely fused the Sunborn Core into every version of his internal universe—
His true body and both Primordial Spirits, in both the Chaos Void and Source World.
“Incredible…”
He gazed down at his inner cosmos. A great Sunborn star sat at its center, casting radiant light across the entire universe.
“My current strength… should surpass that of a peak Great Sovereign.”
With the Sunborn Core fused, his universe now sustained a constant state akin to Sunborn Genesis. His foundation was so powerful that he could suppress peak Great Sovereigns by sheer force alone.
“As for Heavenly Sovereigns…”
He pondered.
In this Source World, a Heavenly Sovereign equated to a Great Saint in the Chaos Void. He hadn’t fought one yet—so he wasn’t sure how they compared.
“But now… I finally have the power to protect myself here.”
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
He didn’t know if he could rival a Heavenly Sovereign—but at least, they wouldn’t be able to easily kill him. He could survive.
Heavenly Sovereigns were considered the top combat power. Beyond them were only the ancient kingdom emperors—and the Ancestors.
The emperors held power above the Sovereigns thanks to Ancestor-forged weapons—but those weren’t easy to wield.
And they came with restrictions.
As long as he was cautious, even emperors weren’t an immediate threat.
“I’ve only got one more Alpha war machine left to study…”
He’d comprehended nearly every machine on the battlefield in the past five hundred years.
Only one Alpha remained—he was already near mastery. At his current pace, he might finish it in a moment… or a few months.
'Chaos Laws…'
He closed his eyes in thought.
With almost all the machines’ rune patterns deciphered, his understanding of Chaos Laws was only a step away from the peak of the second stage.
'Just one more Seed…'
His brows furrowed slightly.
Despite all his progress, the final Seed—number 33,333—remained elusive.
He was on the verge of forming it, but couldn’t cross that last step.
'Some unknown restriction?'
He mused. Once he finished that final war machine, he planned to investigate.
'Hm?'
Just then, Lin Yuan sensed something—his gaze turned toward the battlefield.
Great Sovereign Changfeng was leading numerous war machines in a full assault.
“Again?”
Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow.
It had only been half a year since the last attack. Normally, they were spaced out by ten or twenty years.
War machines needed maintenance, and even Sovereigns needed rest.
Above the frontline—
Lin Yuan and Changfeng Great Sovereign stared at each other from afar.
“Milky Way, be careful.”
Changfeng secretly sent him a voice transmission.
After five hundred years of fighting, the two had built a silent rapport. They never fought to the death, and had become fairly close.
Among Great Sovereigns, personal bonds weren’t bound by kingdom lines. It wasn’t unusual for sovereigns from opposing nations to be friends.
Many even rotated between ancient kingdoms, lending their strength as needed.
“Be careful?”
Lin Yuan’s expression shifted slightly.
That warning couldn’t have been about Changfeng himself.
Even with his strength concealed, what he’d revealed over the years was enough that Changfeng couldn’t threaten him.
“Is Lingwei launching a final battle?”
Lin Yuan asked via voice.
“Yes,”
Changfeng hesitated, then nodded.
It wasn’t a secret anyway—Lin Yuan would know soon. All the Great Sovereigns on Lingwei’s side had already gathered at the core front.
“The final battle…”
Lin Yuan looked toward the core battlefield.
There—
Time and space thickened under the weight of countless peak Sovereigns. Alpha war machines faced off across the void.
Qingfen Marquis, Redleaf Sovereign, and the others wore solemn expressions.
Both sides had prepared for this.
After five hundred years of probing, it was time for the endgame.
The final battle wouldn’t be short—but both sides would go all out. Every trump card, every secret weapon would be brought forth.
“The bloodiest battle will be at the core. Milky Way’s front probably won’t be affected.”
Qingfen Marquis glanced toward the distant front.
Rumble—
At that moment—
All the peak Great Sovereigns clashed.
Unlike before, where only a few fought at full strength, this time, they all unleashed everything—no holding back.
Qingfen Marquis’s surrounding space burst into blue flame, the formless fire of incineration spreading in all directions.
Other peak Sovereigns followed suit, unleashing devastating powers. Massive portions of the battlefield collapsed, even affecting the war machines below.
“Return of Ten Thousand Daos.”
From the Zimeng side, a burly peak Sovereign stepped forth—space around him crumbled, and even Qingfen Marquis’s power began to weaken.
“This…”
Qingfen Marquis’s expression shifted slightly.
Others felt it too—their Chaos-derived powers were being suppressed.
Behind the battlefield—
Chisong and Chijue Kings looked on grimly.
“I have to act,”
Chijue King said. That burly peak Sovereign was clearly a hidden ace, strong enough to tip the balance.
If he didn’t intervene, Qingfen’s side might crumble.
“Mhm.”
Chisong King nodded.
Buzz—
The battlefield ripped open. Crimson flame surged, forcing the burly Sovereign to retreat several steps.
“Chijue King.”
He looked grim.
Above the gathered peak Sovereigns—
A new figure had appeared.
Eyes crimson, blazing like a sun.
But before the others could react—
“Chijue.”
A strange divine presence descended.
A figure appeared before Chijue King, smiling faintly.
“Show me the strength… of a royal of the Liyang Kingdom.”
...
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