“This is the supreme treasure?”
Lin Yuan studied it closely.
Within the hazy glow, he could faintly see a small cauldron, no larger than a palm.
From the tomb spirit, he had learned that the Mysterious Sovereign had found a supreme treasure within a dimensional rift, which led him to attempt the thirteenth rank ahead of time.
At the time, Lin Yuan had assumed that the treasure’s value might merely approach the thirteenth rank.
But from what the Mysterious Sovereign had just said—his concern that delaying too long might allow word of the treasure to spread and attract the gaze of time-beings at the thirteenth rank—
Clearly, a treasure that merely approached that level wouldn’t be enough to catch their attention.
To attract a time-being’s notice, it could only be…
“That’s right. This treasure is a thirteenth-rank weapon,” the towering man said.
“A thirteenth-rank weapon?”
Lin Yuan took a deep breath. The small cauldron within the hazy light now seemed infinitely unfathomable.
“That dimensional rift… it was likely the battlefield of two thirteenth-rank beings. This treasure must’ve been left behind by one of them. I can sense that its true owner still lives—just forgot to retrieve it.”
The Mysterious Sovereign spoke in a heavy tone.
It was as if he had left behind a Great Saint-level item during a battle with someone of his level, and simply hadn’t remembered to reclaim it.
Thirteenth-rank beings are also called time-beings. Their perception of time is vastly different from those of the twelfth rank.
For instance, what to a twelfth-rank being might be billions of cosmic eras—might only be a few breaths to a time-being.
Of course, the owner of this treasure may indeed have forgotten it. But if it were to call out to them on its own and stir their memory, it was highly likely they would come to reclaim it.
That was why the Mysterious Sovereign had rushed to attempt the thirteenth rank and used the power of the time loop to suppress the treasure.
Only that way could he stop it from summoning its owner.
And if the owner ever did find out? If the Mysterious Sovereign had succeeded in reaching the thirteenth rank, it wouldn’t matter. But if he failed, and the treasure remained trapped within the loop, even a time-being would have to break the loop to retrieve it—helping the Mysterious Sovereign escape in the process.
Even for time-beings, breaking the time loop came at a steep cost.
So the Mysterious Sovereign’s act of suppressing a thirteenth-rank weapon carried virtually no risk.
“Bringing this treasure into the loop allowed me to slightly break through its limitations—raise my starting point just a little,” the Mysterious Sovereign explained.
“To slightly break through the loop’s limitations…” Lin Yuan was awed. No wonder he had risked everything to attempt the thirteenth rank early.
Also, the reason he could so easily forcefully escape the loop was likely due to the power of this treasure.
“Take it.”
The Mysterious Sovereign looked at Lin Yuan and gently tossed the hazy glow toward him.
Lin Yuan caught it instinctively. The small cauldron shrouded in light landed in his palm.
“So light…”
It felt weightless, like holding air itself.
“This treasure has been reinforced and sealed by the power of the time loop for over thirty million cosmic eras. Even after leaving that world, the temporal sealing will last for at least a hundred cosmic eras.”
The Mysterious Sovereign looked at Lin Yuan. “Which means, for the next hundred cosmic eras, this treasure won’t call out to its owner. But after that… no guarantees.”
“If by then you’ve reached perfected Chaos, do your best to attempt the thirteenth rank. And if you haven’t—”
He paused, thinking for a moment. “But with your talent, reaching perfected Chaos in a hundred cosmic eras should be possible.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Lin Yuan nodded solemnly.
“Also, if you’re ever in danger of total annihilation—or if this treasure is about to be stolen—you can choose to activate it directly,” the Mysterious Sovereign added.
“This treasure is a thirteenth-rank weapon. With your strength, even using it at full force will only unleash a sliver of its power. But even a sliver is enough to erase any perfected Chaos-stage being.”
“But doing so will almost certainly draw the attention of its true owner. The treasure will most likely be reclaimed.”
“Understood.”
Lin Yuan nodded.
So unless there was absolutely no choice, the Mysterious Sovereign didn’t recommend using it.
Of course, if things reached a truly desperate point, and he was about to lose the treasure anyway, Lin Yuan would naturally activate it without hesitation.
“Other than that, you can study the treasure. It’ll be far more beneficial than trying to comprehend the time bloodlines of those wondrous lifeforms.”
The Mysterious Sovereign smiled.
Lin Yuan nodded.
A thirteenth-rank weapon, personally forged by a time-being, contained unfathomable mysteries of time—far beyond the diluted time bloodlines of half-baked wondrous lifeforms.
“All right.”
“Do you have any more questions now?”
The Mysterious Sovereign smiled as he looked at Lin Yuan.
“No.”
Lin Yuan shook his head.
The Mysterious Sovereign had explained everything clearly.
Through his story, Lin Yuan gained a deeper understanding of the time loop.
Time loops weren’t just about unfamiliar trials—they forced one to face their deepest weaknesses and obsessions.
“This Mysterious Emperor Universe… I created it. If I truly perish, it will vanish with me. I can’t leave it to you.”
The Mysterious Sovereign raised his right hand. Countless glimmers of light flashed across the universe—treasures and precious items of all kinds gathered in his hand.
“But these, I’ve collected for you.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Lin Yuan spoke earnestly.
Because of the sudden arrival of Hun Xiao and Yu Lin, the many avatars Lin Yuan had sent across the universe had to stop searching and return prematurely.
Now, with the Mysterious Sovereign’s help, it saved him a great deal of effort.
“No need to thank me. You’re my successor, after all. Better to give them to you than to leave them for outsiders.”
The Mysterious Sovereign smiled faintly, then stood up. “Since you have no more questions, I suppose I should head out for a while.”
“Head out?”
Lin Yuan was briefly stunned.
“To visit some old friends… and prepare a few more things for you.”
The Mysterious Sovereign stepped forward and vanished before Lin Yuan’s eyes.
“Old friends?”
Lin Yuan’s expression turned serious. To be called an old friend by the Mysterious Sovereign, they had to be ancient Supreme Saints—at least over thirty million cosmic eras old.
Outside the Mysterious Emperor Universe—
The towering man reappeared.
Rumble—
The chaotic void shook violently. Dao laws retreated, space-time began to reverse. With another step, the man disappeared once more.
The Sea of Life.
A mysterious region of the chaotic void. Unless at the right time, even Supreme Saints struggled to enter. It stood alongside the Nine Heavens Thunder Pool and the Myriad Tribulations Source Mountain as one of the great mysteries.
Swoosh—
Waves stirred across the Sea of Life. Vital energy surged in abundance. Occasionally, Life Godstones tumbled down.
At that moment—
The space-time of this hidden realm tore open, and the towering man walked in.
In an instant—
The entire Sea of Life erupted into a violent storm. An unseen, terrifying pressure crashed toward him.
But the moment the pressure touched him—it vanished without a trace.
“Mysterious Sovereign, what are you here for?”
A cold voice echoed from the depths of the Sea of Life.
“Before I vanish, I’d like to ask for another Life Origin Stone,” the towering man said with a smile.
“Life Origin Stone? You already stole one last time, and now you want another?” the voice replied angrily.
Over thirty million cosmic eras ago, the Mysterious Sovereign had stolen one such stone to recreate the Sea of Life and forge the Life Origin Star within the Mysterious Emperor Universe.
Because of that theft, no Life Godstones had fallen from the Sea of Life for millions of eras afterward.
The Life Origin Stone was far more precious than the divine stones—it was the foundation of the Sea of Life, condensed over countless eras.
“Yes, I want another.”
The man nodded.
“Will you give it to me?”
At those words—
Silence fell over the Sea of Life.
“You know I don’t have long left,” the towering man said softly.
“Get lost.”
The sea roared. A fist-sized crystal shot out from the depths.
“Hahaha.”
The man laughed heartily and turned to leave.
Before an ancient crystal mine—
The towering man appeared.
“I’m dying. Mind sparing me some crystal ore?” His voice echoed through the mountain.
“Mysterious Sovereign, you’re going too far. Crystal ore is beyond precious,” came another cold voice from within.
“In that case, maybe before I die, I’ll see if I can flatten your mine. I’ve wanted to do it for a long time.”
Moments later—
A beam of crystal light flew out from the mountain.
The man caught it, then turned and left.
That day—
The Mysterious Sovereign, from over thirty million cosmic eras ago, visited countless mysterious places across the chaotic void—infuriating their ancient inhabitants.
Supreme Saints from afar watched in silence. These mysterious places had existed far too long, on par with beings like the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws. Even in history, Invincible Supreme Saints hadn’t dared provoke them.
Eventually, the Mysterious Sovereign’s presence vanished from the chaotic void. No one knew where this peerless being had gone. His aura disappeared completely, and even causality left no trace.
In a remote, desolate corner of the chaotic void—
Where the chaotic qi was thin and the space barren—
Before a natural-born universe—
A towering figure silently appeared. It was the Mysterious Sovereign.
He gazed quietly at the universe. His sight pierced through its layers and locked onto a secret realm partially fused with the universe’s origin.
This secret realm resembled the Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm—but was fused even more deeply, making entry all but impossible.
Inside, it was empty.
No rare treasures seen once in a thousand eras.
No wondrous items worth Saints battling to the death.
No legendary Supreme Saint-level weapons.
Only a solitary grave stood at the heart of the secret realm, surrounded by soft pink peach blossoms.
“Senior Sister…”
Across the universe, the Mysterious Sovereign looked at the grave. A rare gentleness surfaced on his face as he murmured:
“At last, I can rest with you.”
In the end, his figure turned hazy and transparent. As the chaotic qi drifted past, his form dissolved into light and rain—
And vanished into the distant universe.
...
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