"I'm definitely interested," Lin Yuan said.
Exploring and developing a newly formed treasure trove, especially a first-rank one, is a rare opportunity even for a Heavenly Sovereign. Currently, the six great ancient kingdoms possess only a few hundred first-rank treasure troves combined.
These hundreds of first-rank treasure troves are the result of accumulation over long ages. An ordinary Heavenly Sovereign, from birth to reaching the thirteenth rank, might never experience the emergence of a first-rank treasure trove.
"Hahaha," a smile appeared on the Emperor of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom's face. As Emperor, he needed to weigh various factions. However, when it came to real benefits, he would certainly prioritize his own people. That's why he met Lin Yuan first, holding back the Heavenly Sovereigns waiting outside.
"However, while I have the right to decide who represents the ancient kingdom in the competition, you'll still need to demonstrate some strength later," the Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Emperor looked at Lin Yuan, "Otherwise, the other Heavenly Sovereigns might not be convinced."
"Naturally," Lin Yuan nodded.
Indeed, exploring a newly formed treasure trove would bring rewards to any participating Heavenly Sovereign. However, the greatest rewards would go to whoever secured the treasure trove.
If a forced nomination led to failing to secure the treasure trove and losing to another ancient kingdom, even the Emperor might not be able to suppress the dissent. Factional disputes must come after the ancient kingdom's interests; this was a rule of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom.
"Hmm?" The Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Emperor looked at Lin Yuan, a hint of surprise in his expression. He could feel Lin Yuan's confidence.
"Normally, Heavenly Sovereigns participating in the treasure trove competition must at least reach the threshold of a Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign. Do you have confidence?" The Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Emperor's tone became slightly more serious.
Lin Yuan had unearthered his Ancestral Bloodline to an unprecedented Heavenly Sovereign level. According to the potential of the Ancestral Bloodline, if it fully matured, he would be even stronger than a Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign. But that was assuming it matured to its limit.
For example, a core member of the imperial family at the Great Sovereign level, if not fully matured, could not be called an invincible Great Sovereign.
"I will do my best," Lin Yuan said.
The Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns of the six great ancient kingdoms were equivalent to the Supreme Saints of the Chaos Void. Lin Yuan, even before his comprehension of spatial-temporal laws broke through to the ninth level, could somewhat contend with a Supreme Saint.
After his spatial-temporal comprehension reached the ninth level, along with his continued study of the thirteenth-rank Heavenly Void Cauldron and his insights into Liyang and Xuanyin in this source world, Lin Yuan's true strength was significantly greater than when he fought against Chaos Great Saint Hunxiao.
"Doing your best is enough," the Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Emperor nodded.
"Later, I'll have those Heavenly Sovereigns come in and publicly announce your inclusion in the treasure trove competition."
"If other Heavenly Sovereigns have strong objections, we'll select a Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign to spar with you."
"You just need to hold on for a while, prove you have the threshold strength of a Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign, and there won't be any problems." The Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Emperor looked at Lin Yuan.
"Understood," Lin Yuan comprehended. In the Liyang Ancient Kingdom, while the imperial family could receive resource prioritization, the premise was that they couldn't be too weak, otherwise, it would be a waste of resources.
"Then I'll let them in," the Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Emperor glanced outside the main hall.
Before long, powerful auras entered. They were all Heavenly Sovereigns of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom. Many Heavenly Sovereigns had been in seclusion for many years and had emerged due to the newly formed first-rank treasure trove.
"Emperor," the Heavenly Sovereigns bowed slightly in respect, their gazes subtly falling upon Lin Yuan.
"Milky Way?"
"Is he the imperial family member who unearthed his bloodline to the Heavenly Sovereign level?"
"The Emperor met him first, so it's likely one of the twelve spots has already been decided."
Many Heavenly Sovereigns stared at Lin Yuan, their thoughts churning. There were only twelve spots for the treasure trove competition, and if Lin Yuan took one, it meant one less for them.
"Allow me to introduce," the Liyang Genesis Emperor said with a smile, "This is Milky Way, the first core member of our Liyang Ancient Kingdom's imperial family to reach the Heavenly Sovereign level."
After introducing Lin Yuan, the Liyang Genesis Emperor began introducing the other Heavenly Sovereigns. In truth, no introduction was truly needed; with their reputations, Lin Yuan could simply sense their auras to know who they were.
There were over thirty Heavenly Sovereigns currently standing in the hall, twenty of whom possessed the strength of a Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign, while the remaining dozen or so had strength approaching that of a Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign. Of course, this didn't mean that the Liyang Ancient Kingdom had more Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns than ordinary Heavenly Sovereigns. Rather, those present were only a select, elite portion.
Lin Yuan nodded to each Heavenly Sovereign in turn. Among the Heavenly Sovereigns, the three most recognized as the strongest were Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame, Heavenly Sovereign Eternal Sun, and Heavenly Sovereign Vast Might. All three were Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns, and their evolved paths of chaotic power were incredibly formidable, renowned throughout the six great ancient kingdoms.
"Alright, I won't waste any more words," the Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Emperor looked at the many Heavenly Sovereigns.
"This time, with the appearance of the first-rank treasure trove, our Liyang Ancient Kingdom will have twelve spots for participation. I won't concern myself with the other eleven, but Milky Way must occupy one."
"Do any of you have objections?" the Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Emperor stated directly.
At his words, the hall fell silent. The Heavenly Sovereigns exchanged glances, then looked towards Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame, Heavenly Sovereign Eternal Sun, and Heavenly Sovereign Vast Might. The Emperor's request was not excessive; he only asked for one of the twelve spots.
They had originally expected him to arrange for more imperial family members. There were indeed strong Heavenly Sovereign-level individuals within the imperial family, but here, "Heavenly Sovereign" referred to those who had comprehended the path of chaotic evolution.
"Not appropriate," Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame suddenly spoke.
"While Heavenly Sovereign Milky Way's potential is indeed worth nurturing," Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame glanced at Lin Yuan, "the competition for a first-rank treasure trove relies on strength. Every participating Heavenly Sovereign must not be a burden."
"I can promise that if we secure this first-rank treasure trove, we can give Heavenly Sovereign Milky Way a larger share of the treasure trove and its rare productions, but the matter of competing for the treasure trove still requires sufficient strength to prove oneself." Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame finally looked at the Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Emperor, "I hope the Emperor will prioritize the ancient kingdom's interests."
"Hmm," the Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Emperor nodded, then looked at Lin Yuan, "Milky Way, what are your thoughts?" If Lin Yuan hadn't been confident in his strength just now, the Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Emperor would have surely used various excuses to refuse Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame.
"Then let's proceed according to Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame's suggestion," Lin Yuan said.
Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Sovereigns in the hall were surprised. He agreed so readily? Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame also gave Lin Yuan another look. He had originally thought the Emperor would just find an excuse to deal with him.
He hadn't expected this Heavenly Sovereign Milky Way to be so confident. Although Heavenly Sovereign Milky Way had previously achieved the feat of detaining Heavenly Sovereign Extreme Cold and Heavenly Sovereign North Yin, that was in the Black Jade Nest, with the spatial-temporal teleportation array connected to the capital nearby.
Heavenly Sovereign Milky Way's ability to detain those two Heavenly Sovereigns relied not just on his strength, but also on the deterrent power of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Heavenly Sovereigns. If the two Heavenly Sovereigns had no qualms and fought with their lives on the line, even if they couldn't necessarily defeat Lin Yuan, they could at least retreat safely.
"My request isn't too high. As long as Heavenly Sovereign Milky Way can withstand a hundred breaths against Hong Lian," Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame said. Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian was an experienced Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign. To withstand a hundred breaths against Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian would require at least the strength of a Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign.
"Good," Lin Yuan nodded. He also wanted to experience the strength of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns. Unlike the Supreme Saints of the Chaos Void, the Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns' chaotic power evolution paths had all reached the third level.
"Then the sparring match between Milky Way and Hong Lian will be set in the capital's Heavenly Sovereign-level spatial-temporal domain," the Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Emperor said.
The so-called capital's Heavenly Sovereign-level spatial-temporal domain was a stable spatial-temporal domain opened by the power of the Liyang Genesis capital, capable of withstanding battles at the Heavenly Sovereign level.
If Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns were to fight without restraint, it could devastate an entire Great Domain. Therefore, to minimize the impact, sparring matches were definitely conducted in appropriate spatial-temporal domains.
In a spatial-temporal domain with extremely stable rules, figures suddenly appeared. They were the Liyang Ancient Kingdom's Emperor and various ancient Heavenly Sovereigns. Lin Yuan and Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian stood at the very center of the spatial-temporal domain, confronting each other from afar.
"Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian's evolved chaotic power path is 'Red Lotus Karma Fire.' This type of flame is extremely terrifying, capable of almost ignoring most defenses and directly incinerating the soul and physical body."
Information about Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian flashed through Lin Yuan's mind. In a certain ancient kingdom battlefield, Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian, by herself, incinerated six Heavenly Sovereigns from an enemy ancient kingdom into nothingness, thereby establishing her reputation as a Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign.
"Heavenly Sovereign Milky Way," Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian looked at Lin Yuan from afar, "This involves the competition for a first-rank treasure trove, so I will not hold back."
If it were just an ordinary sparring match, Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian would certainly consider the imperial family's dignity, but this sparring match was related to the Heavenly Sovereign spots for the first-rank treasure trove competition. Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian did not want to be a burden to Lin Yuan in the future when competing for the first-rank treasure trove.
"I won't hold back either," Lin Yuan's expression was equally solemn.
"Good," Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian nodded, her mind stirring slightly, "Burn."
Whoosh!
Red flames, like lotuses, began to burn on Lin Yuan's physical body. These flames were formless and insubstantial, impossible to block. Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian watched Lin Yuan silently. With the power of Red Lotus Karma Fire, ordinary Heavenly Sovereigns couldn't withstand it for long.
"As long as Heavenly Sovereign Milky Way concedes, I will immediately retract the Red Lotus Karma Fire," Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian thought to himself. Lin Yuan was not an enemy, so he naturally didn't intend to seriously injure him.
"Is this the Red Lotus Karma Fire?" Lin Yuan felt his physical body, soul, and even his internal universe burning under the red lotus flames. Lin Yuan hadn't even noticed when these flames appeared; the space-time around him hadn't shown any signs of burning, it simply started burning directly on his physical body, soul, and internal universe.
However…
"It's just like an itch," Lin Yuan thought to himself. Although the Red Lotus Karma Fire was mysterious, it would probably take millions of years of continuous burning to incinerate Lin Yuan's physical body, soul, and internal universe to a level that threatened his origin.
Lin Yuan's foundation was too profound; his internal universe was calculated in trillions of light-years. Even if he allowed the Red Lotus Karma Fire to burn freely, it wouldn't pose any threat to him. In fact, the burnt origin wouldn't even recover as quickly.
"Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian's methods are indeed extraordinary," Lin Yuan said with a hint of praise. Although the power wasn't great, this inexplicable ability that appeared out of nowhere surprised Lin Yuan. If it weren't the Red Lotus Karma Fire but a method that could genuinely threaten him, it would be truly troublesome.
"What?" Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian was somewhat astonished to see Lin Yuan showing no discomfort under the burning of the Red Lotus Karma Fire, instead calmly conversing with him. Other Heavenly Sovereigns, facing the silently appearing Red Lotus Karma Fire, would either try their best to dispel it or begin to retreat, but Lin Yuan just let the Red Lotus Karma Fire burn?
"Heavenly Sovereign Milky Way, doesn't he care about the burning of Red Lotus Karma Fire?" The expressions of the Heavenly Sovereigns watching from afar changed slightly.
Even the strongest among them, Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame, Heavenly Sovereign Eternal Sun, and Heavenly Sovereign Vast Might, found such a mysterious technique as Red Lotus Karma Fire quite troublesome and would require considerable effort to dispel it. But Lin Yuan? He simply didn't care about the Red Lotus Karma Fire burning.
"How profound must this Heavenly Sovereign Milky Way's foundation be to be able to ignore Red Lotus Karma Fire?" Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame thought to himself. He had originally looked down on Lin Yuan; what if he was a core member of the imperial family at the Heavenly Sovereign level? Before reaching his peak, he would still be suppressed by Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns like them.
"Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian, it's my turn," Lin Yuan smiled faintly, raising his right hand. Using space-time as a blade and the power of his internal universe as a source, he slashed out towards Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian.
Lin Yuan's spatial-temporal comprehension had already reached the ninth level. This level of comprehension was not particularly outstanding among Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns, but the power of his internal universe... indeed increased the power of this move by an immeasurable amount. It was like two identical knives, made of the same material and equally sharp.
One was driven by a hundred pounds of force, while the other was driven by a hundred tons. The power of the two would naturally be vastly different. Lin Yuan was like this; his profound foundation allowed any of his moves to achieve the effect of breaking skill with sheer force.
"This?" Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian's pupils constricted. Lin Yuan's slash cut through layers of space-time, heading towards him.
Swoosh!
Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian was unable to dodge in time, and his right hand was struck by this spatial-temporal blade.
Whoosh!
Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian's entire body transformed into red lotus karma flames, eventually re-forming his shape. He looked down at his right hand, where a faint blade mark appeared. The immense spatial-temporal power contained within it was obliterating his physical body and soul.
"This move is not a chaotic power evolution path, but why is its power so immense?" Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian couldn't believe it. It was merely a conventional application of space-time fusion laws, yet its ultimate power was unfathomable.
"Is it the Heavenly Sovereign-level Ancestral Bloodline?" Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian looked at Lin Yuan with a solemn expression. The power Lin Yuan unleashed with an attack of the same rule comprehension far exceeded the former's; it could only be by leveraging the power of a Heavenly Sovereign-level Ancestral Bloodline.
"He blocked it?" Lin Yuan looked at Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian. "He's indeed not that easy to deal with."
"Liyang..." In the depths of Lin Yuan's eyes, two faint suns appeared. His physical body also transformed into a sun. The surrounding space-time twisted under the sun's illumination, forming a Liyang World.
"Slash! Slash! Slash!" Lin Yuan activated his divine ability 'World', instantly unleashing three hundred and thirty-three slashes.
Whoosh!
Three hundred and thirty-three spatial-temporal blades, composed entirely of spatial-temporal power yet containing immense might, slashed towards Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian, who was suppressing the residual spatial-temporal power in his right hand.
"This?" Heavenly Sovereign Hong Lian was completely bewildered.
...
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