The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws gazed down at Lin Yuan.
The Myriad Dao Pavilion spanned countless void domains, and each one could serve as an "anchor point."
As long as the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws was willing, it could instantly transport Lin Yuan from the Myriad Dao Pavilion on Guming Chaos Continent to the Myriad Dao Pavilion in the Yiyun Void Domain.
And that Mysterious Emperor Universe was located right beside the Yiyun Void Domain.
"Many thanks."
Lin Yuan felt a sense of certainty.
As long as the Eye didn’t refuse, everything else was negotiable.
"What do I need to give in return?"
Lin Yuan asked.
He knew very well that the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws wouldn’t help for free.
As an ancient being who had witnessed countless cosmic eras, it upheld the principle of fair exchange.
The Myriad Dao Pavilion followed the same rule.
To receive, one must first give.
"Hmm… what should I ask for… let me think."
The Eye looked at Lin Yuan. If it had been any other Chaos Great Saint, it would have charged them heavily.
After all, at the moment, the only way to reach the Mysterious Emperor Universe quickly was through the Myriad Dao Pavilion.
Even if it set a sky-high price, Lin Yuan would have no choice but to accept.
But Lin Yuan wasn’t just any Chaos Great Saint. In the Eye’s estimation, his potential to reach the Thirteenth Rank was even greater than that of many Supreme Saints.
Even if that hope remained slim.
So, this transaction with Lin Yuan needed careful balance.
Too high a price might leave Lin Yuan feeling wronged, which would be counterproductive.
Too low, and it would violate the Eye’s principle of fair exchange.
Previously, when the Eye had helped Lin Yuan spread various martial branches, it hadn’t done so for free—
It had requested a promise.
A single promise, in exchange for the Myriad Dao Pavilion doing everything in its power to spread martial paths?
And that promise had no binding cause-and-effect.
On the surface, it seemed like a massive loss—even a Supreme Saint’s promise wouldn’t be worth that much.
But in truth, what the Eye wanted was a promise after Lin Yuan reached the Thirteenth Rank.
A promise from a Thirteenth Rank time-life? Simply put, if Lin Yuan really achieved that level, the Eye’s investment would return a hundred-thousandfold.
So, in helping spread martial paths, the Eye hadn’t lost anything—in fact, it had profited.
After all, in its many eras, it had never encountered a being with potential as terrifying as Lin Yuan’s.
"Fifty thousand Chaos Stones will do."
The Eye thought for a moment and said.
"Fifty thousand Chaos Stones?"
Lin Yuan looked at the Eye.
If it were just about travel, charging fifty thousand Chaos Stones to go from Guming Chaos Continent to the Mysterious Emperor Universe was astronomical.
Even though it would take Lin Yuan centuries to cross that distance—and regular Chaos Venerables tens or hundreds of thousands of years—
Comparing tens of thousands of years of travel to fifty thousand Chaos Stones? No Chaos Venerable would ever agree.
Fifty thousand Chaos Stones was a hefty amount for a Venerable, while tens of thousands of years meant little to them.
They could even cultivate or do other things while traveling—it wasn’t wasted time.
But now that the Mysterious Emperor Universe had emerged, and more and more Venerables and Great Saints were rushing toward it, charging fifty thousand Chaos Stones at this moment actually seemed… quite reasonable.
"No problem."
Lin Yuan nodded.
He had stored up a good amount of Chaos Stones.
"I’ll go prepare."
With that, Lin Yuan’s avatar dissipated.
Star Tear "Fragment World."
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, reflecting on the upcoming trip to the Mysterious Emperor Universe.
It was created by His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign. According to current intel, many Chaos Venerables had gathered there, even Chaos Great Saints.
If he wanted to compete for what lay inside—even with the advantage of being the Mysterious Emperor heir and possessing the beast hide map—his strength couldn’t be too weak.
At the very least, he couldn’t send only an avatar.
An avatar too severely limited his power. At best, one could fight at the threshold of a Chaos Venerable.
"My real body should go. I’ll leave behind a wisp of soul."
Lin Yuan thought to himself. No doubt, his true body was the strongest.
Leaving behind a soul clone in the Fragment World would still help ensure the safety of human civilization.
And with that wisp of soul, even if something happened to his real body in the Mysterious Emperor Universe, he could recover quickly.
As for using life-saving resurrection methods? Those took too long. Lin Yuan’s real body, soul, and internal universe were in a trinity. As long as one existed, the other two could be quickly reformed.
Resurrection techniques couldn’t match that speed.
"As for weapons—just bring three Chaos-level artifacts."
Lin Yuan planned it out.
His strength lay mostly in his physical body and internal universe.
He crushed opponents with overwhelming foundation and depth.
Once preparations were complete,
Lin Yuan summoned Xuanyuan and the other top experts.
"Milky Way, what is it?"
Xuanyuan and Xia Qin looked at Lin Yuan.
"I need to leave for a while with my real body. Please keep an eye on things during this time."
Lin Yuan said.
Although a soul clone would remain, its strength couldn’t compare to the real body. If an enemy at the Great Saint level appeared, the clone might not be enough.
Of course, how could mere mortals provoke a Great Saint?
Even if human civilization wanted to offend one, they weren’t worthy of attention.
Still, it was wise to prepare for the worst.
With Lin Yuan’s real body gone, humanity would indeed be in a relatively weaker state.
"Understood."
Xuanyuan and Xia Qin didn’t know why Lin Yuan was leaving with his true body, but they didn’t pry.
After selecting the Chaos-level weapons to bring, Lin Yuan’s real body quietly vanished from the Star Tear "Fragment World."
Outside the Myriad Dao Pavilion.
Lin Yuan’s figure appeared.
This was his first time approaching the Myriad Dao Pavilion with his real body.
Previously, he had always contacted them using avatars.
Buzz!
He stepped into the pavilion—
Instantly arriving in its innermost chamber.
The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws seemed to have never left—it was still waiting.
"Hmm?"
The Eye looked at Lin Yuan, a hint of surprise flickering in its gaze.
"No wonder you dare compete for the Mysterious Emperor Universe," it said in astonishment.
Even with a casual glance, it could sense the immense depth of Lin Yuan’s foundation—greater than even ordinary Chaos Great Saints.
And this was only the Dominance Stage.
"If you’re already like this at Dominance Stage… once you reach perfected Chaos Stage, won’t you be an invincible Great Saint?" the Eye thought.
Originally, its investment in Lin Yuan was risky. If Lin Yuan failed to reach the Thirteenth Rank—
Even being a Supreme Saint wouldn’t justify the cost.
But if he became an invincible Great Saint? That alone could dominate all others of his era.
Even His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign hadn’t been considered truly invincible.
Normally, a single invincible Great Saint only appeared once per era in the Chaos Void.
Most eras had none—Supreme Saints were usually all evenly matched, unable to dominate each other.
But birthing an invincible Great Saint? That was nearly impossible.
Yet now, to the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws, Lin Yuan’s future was either Thirteenth Rank time-life—or, at the very least, an invincible Great Saint.
A promise from such a being was more than enough compensation.
"Seems my judgment wasn’t wrong after all," the Eye thought with satisfaction.
"When does the transport begin?" Lin Yuan asked.
"No rush. Let’s start now," the Eye said with a smile.
"Oh right—"
As if remembering something, it added, "That Mysterious Emperor Universe has drawn in a lot of Great Saints. Quite a few have come to me as well, hoping I’d send them nearby."
Its abilities weren’t exactly a secret among Great Saints. Many who were too far from the Mysterious Emperor Universe had sought its help.
"I understand."
Lin Yuan nodded.
Since he was heading there with his real body, he had already braced for the worst. This wasn’t unexpected.
"Don’t resist now."
The Eye looked down at him as the surrounding space-time began to stir violently.
In the Myriad Dao Pavilion atop a Chaos Continent—
A tall figure entered, radiating wild, primal energy, and made his way directly to the innermost chamber.
"Greetings, Savage Great Saint."
The pavilion master had been waiting and respectfully bowed to the towering figure.
"I’m here to see the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws."
Savage Great Saint said.
"Right away."
The pavilion master began contacting the Eye.
Soon after—
Space-time slowly rotated, and a massive eye formed, staring down at Savage.
"Savage, what brings you here?"
The Eye’s voice was calm and steady.
"I want to go to these coordinates."
Savage went straight to the point.
"You want to reach the Mysterious Emperor Universe too?" the Eye asked.
"Yes. I once saw records in a ruined site referencing this Supreme Saint. The universe he created is of great value."
Savage said.
He had intended to keep that information secret, but since the Eye had already spoken the name of the universe, there was no point hiding it.
"No problem."
The Eye nodded. "But as you know, I favor fair trades."
"Go ahead," Savage said.
"One billion Chaos Stones, or ten Supreme Saint–level weapons."
The Eye named the price.
"One billion Chaos Stones?!"
Savage flinched.
Even though he had expected to get gouged, the number still shocked him.
One billion Chaos Stones was a huge amount—even for a Great Saint. And ten Supreme-level weapons? That was astronomical.
The Qinglan Void Domain wasn’t even that far from the Mysterious Emperor Universe—maybe decades of travel.
If he weren’t worried about being late, he would’ve gone on his own.
Now, a single teleport would cost that much?
"If you’re unwilling, then forget it."
The Eye replied immediately.
"I’m willing, I’m willing."
Savage took a deep breath. "But… can’t you lower the price a bit? I don’t have that many Chaos Stones on hand."
"How much do you have?"
The Eye asked.
"Three hundred million Chaos Stones, and two Supreme weapons."
Savage added, "But I can’t give you those weapons. If I lose them, my combat strength drops—I won’t be able to get anything in the Mysterious Emperor Universe."
"Three hundred million isn’t enough."
The Eye said flatly.
It wouldn’t overcharge Lin Yuan—but it had no problem squeezing the other Great Saints.
In the end, Savage struck a deal: three hundred million Chaos Stones, plus thirty percent of any gains from the Mysterious Emperor Universe, in exchange for the teleport.
"You get thirty percent of my rewards without doing anything?" Savage muttered helplessly.
"You’re welcome to just pay one billion," the Eye replied.
"Forget it."
Savage shook his head. He believed the Mysterious Emperor Universe was valuable—but he couldn’t be sure that thirty percent of his haul would be worth over seven hundred million.
His main goal was the Mysterious Sovereign’s insights into the Thirteenth Rank.
Elsewhere in the Chaos Void.
Before an ancient, weathered altar, a horned Chaos Great Saint appeared.
"Mighty altar spirit, I want to reach this coordinate in the shortest time possible," the horned Saint said.
Buzz—
The altar trembled, and a voice whispered in his ear.
"I want sixty percent of your gains."
"Sixty percent?" The Saint fell silent. Giving sixty percent of his hard-fought loot from battles with other Great Saints to the altar?
He knew how powerful the altar was. Once it stated a price, there was no changing it.
Even trying to hide the loot wouldn’t work.
"Then tell me—who created that artificial universe?"
He didn’t want to go through all that trouble only to enrich the altar for nothing. He wanted to be sure it was worth it.
If it was just an average Supreme Saint’s universe, he wouldn’t pay such a steep price.
Fighting other Great Saints would cost him, and if his forty percent didn’t even cover the losses…
"That universe is called the Mysterious Emperor Universe. It was created by the Mysterious Sovereign Great Saint."
"The Mysterious Sovereign was one of the closest to becoming an invincible Supreme Saint in his era."
The altar’s voice whispered.
"One of the closest to becoming invincible?" the Saint’s expression changed.
Invincible Supreme Saints were legendary beings.
To be one, you had to dominate all other Supreme Saints of your time—and gain their unanimous acknowledgment.
And that required terrifying strength. Even defeating one Supreme Saint didn’t guarantee recognition.
"Fine—sixty percent."
The Saint agreed.
A universe created by a Supreme Saint nearly invincible in his era was worth the cost.
...
20 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
49