Mysterious World of Flame.
Lin Yuan looked up at the towering figure standing with hands behind his back at the highest point of the world.
Ever since the Seeds within him had formed a Grand Cycle, the position from which Lin Yuan entered this world of flame had been elevated considerably.
He could now observe the towering figure in much finer detail.
“Incredible... absolutely incredible.”
The more he looked, the more insignificant Lin Yuan felt.
That figure simply stood there in silence, doing nothing at all.
And yet, the aura it naturally emitted stirred Lin Yuan deeply.
“No wonder so many Supreme Saints in the Chaos Void spent their entire lives chasing the traces of time-based beings.”
Lin Yuan mused silently.
It wasn’t just that a casual pointer from a time-based being could benefit a Supreme Saint immensely—
The mere existence of such a being allowed one to glimpse a higher realm.
“Unfortunately, I can’t stay here long.”
After watching for a while, Lin Yuan sensed his own will and mind gradually twisting, as if he were about to merge with the surrounding flames. He quickly withdrew.
Within the mysterious world of flame, one could glimpse fragments of thirteenth-rank profundity, but it was not a place one could remain in. Otherwise, one would be assimilated.
Once assimilated, Lin Yuan would completely merge into the world of flame and never return to his physical body.
“If I could get closer to the Ancestor, I would be able to witness even more of the thirteenth-rank mysteries.” Lin Yuan thought quietly.
This was far more powerful than the drop of time-blood left behind by the Lord of Devil Jade Tower.
That drop came from a marvel being, and marvel beings, though birthed from the Chaos Void, were not thirteenth-rank lifeforms.
Their bloodlines might barely contain some talent for time power, but they could never compare to a true time-based lifeform.
“In these ten years, I’ve condensed over a hundred more Seeds, but my position in this world of flame hasn’t changed. Do I need to wait for another larger cycle to form?”
Lin Yuan pondered. After he had condensed thirty-three thousand three hundred and thirty-three Seeds, the difficulty of forming new ones had decreased significantly—he had formed over a hundred in just ten years.
That was roughly one every month or two.
Beyond that number, Lin Yuan had no precedent to draw from. In the history of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom, only eighteen royals had ever condensed that many Seeds.
And those eighteen had already spent countless ages just reaching that number, with no time or energy left to go further.
“I’m in no rush anyway—I can take my time.”
Lin Yuan thought to himself. Even if he entered the Chaos realm in the future, he had no intention of stopping his Seed cultivation.
“Xuanyin!”
In a hidden corner of the Xuanyin Ancient Kingdom, a projection of Lin Yuan sat cross-legged.
Before him floated drops of Great Sovereign blood, each containing fragments of the fundamental Dao of Xuanyin.
As he comprehended, Lin Yuan compared it against the Dao of Liyang, attempting to fuse them through the inheritance Liyang, Xuanyin, Chaos.
“As I suspected—comprehending the Xuanyin Dao, and thus complementing Yin, helps in nurturing the Chaos Yin-Yang Tai Chi.”
Lin Yuan stared at the floating blooddrops, thinking.
He constantly observed the universe within him—specifically the great egg formed by the second-level Chaos comprehension of rules, in which the Tao of Tai Chi was being nurtured.
Ten years ago, when he had just begun studying the Xuanyin Dao, he estimated it would take ten thousand years for the Tao of Tai Chi to evolve.
Now, with continued study and the integration with Liyang, he could clearly sense that it would take no more than five thousand years to complete.
Ten years of Xuanyin comprehension had saved him four thousand nine hundred and ninety years—Lin Yuan considered it a worthy trade.
Moreover, comprehending the Xuanyin Dao didn’t just accelerate the Tao of Tai Chi—it also deepened his overall rule comprehension.
Both the Xuanyin and Liyang Daos had once produced thirteenth-rank time-based lifeforms, making them well worth Lin Yuan’s effort and time.
“These years, I’ve collected the blood of over two hundred Great Sovereigns, yet nothing major has occurred.”
Lin Yuan glanced around, feeling satisfied.
This was thanks in part to his restraint—though he took their blood, he left behind treasures of equivalent value.
That had been enough to silence most of the Great Sovereigns.
And in part, it was due to Lin Yuan’s skill. Perhaps the Heavenly Sovereigns of the Xuanyin capital already knew, but they hadn’t located him. Since he had taken only blood and done nothing excessive, they remained in observation mode.
“If Xuanyin and Liyang can be perfectly fused, they will form a brand-new thirteenth-rank Dao. The fusion of Yin and Yang into Tai Chi is the same.”
Lin Yuan studied each drop of Great Sovereign blood, comparing it to the Liyang Dao while also integrating Yin and Yang.
Liyang Ancient Kingdom capital.
Lin Yuan’s true body was also in deep study.
Then, at a certain moment—
Lin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.
“The emperor is calling for me?” He looked toward the imperial palace, then realized, “Looks like it’s time to depart for the new treasure.”
The newly emerged top-tier treasure was not located in any of the six ancient kingdoms’ territories. So to gain control of it, the kingdoms would have to compete.
Since it was a contest governed by rules, there was no rush.
Each kingdom needed to gather its Heavenly Sovereigns, many of whom were in closed-door cultivation. It might take time for them to emerge—hence the ten-year delay.
No matter who won, the treasure would fall into the hands of one of the six kingdoms.
Before long—
Lin Yuan arrived at the palace.
The emperor of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom sat on his throne. Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns like Red Flame had long been waiting.
“Milky Way, you’ve arrived?”
The emperor looked at Lin Yuan with a smile.
Red Flame and Eternal Sun nodded to him as well.
Soon—
All twelve Heavenly Sovereigns assigned to the contest were present.
The emperor spoke: “I assume you all know how the competition works.”
Lin Yuan stood quietly below, listening.
Each treasure site formed its own space, within which a set number of “Cores” existed.
The more Cores one refined, the greater one’s control over the site.
Of course, this control was relative—even if all the Cores were refined, other powerful beings could still invade.
Lin Yuan had personally seen this when defending the Black Jade Nest—didn’t Heavenly Sovereigns Extreme Frost and Nothern Yin still manage to sneak in?
But the six ancient kingdoms kept their treasure disputes within limits, so refining the Cores was the determining factor.
In two thousand years, whoever had refined the most Cores would win the site for their kingdom.
So victory wasn’t about brute strength.
It was about who could locate the Cores fastest and refine them quickest.
And refining them wasn’t enough—they had to be defended, too.
Refined Cores weren’t invulnerable. They could still be re-refined by rival Heavenly Sovereigns.
“I’ll send you over.”
The emperor looked at the twelve Heavenly Sovereigns. The capital had established a time-space transfer node near the treasure ten years ago, which could be accessed via the kingdom’s teleportation array.
“This competition—if you win, great. If not, don’t stress over it,” the emperor said reassuringly as he led the twelve to the teleportation area.
Hum—
In the next instant—
Heavenly Sovereigns Red Flame, Lin Yuan, and the others stepped into the array.
Time and space rapidly shifted.
Lin Yuan felt vast distances stretch open, and after about twenty breaths, the fluctuations finally stopped.
“We’re here.”
Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame glanced around and stepped out of the teleportation zone.
“The environment’s worse than the Qingfen Domain,” Lin Yuan observed.
Before descending into this Source World, he had already studied its entirety through the Gate of Myriad Realms.
Overall, the Source World was an endless continent, with the six ancient kingdoms occupying its most central, prosperous, and fertile regions.
Those areas birthed rare treasures and were home to most treasure sites.
Beyond the kingdoms lay desolate wilderness. That’s why the kingdoms vied with each other but didn’t expand outward.
There was little point.
Still, every now and then, some rare wonders would appear even in the wastelands.
But a top-tier treasure? Before this one emerged, no Heavenly Sovereign of the six kingdoms believed such a treasure could appear in a barren zone.
“According to intel, outside the new treasure lies a region of reversed time. Only those with ninth-level time-space comprehension can pass through it.”
Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame spoke in a low voice.
The treasure’s appearance had drawn nearby Great Sovereigns—but almost all had been sent back by the time-reversed area.
Time-space fusion at level nine? Even in this Source World, where rule comprehension was easier, that level was extremely rare—only Heavenly Sovereigns could typically achieve it.
And Heavenly Sovereigns didn’t usually venture into the wastelands. They aligned with kingdoms and enjoyed all kinds of benefits. There was no reason to waste time wandering outside.
“Once inside, you’re to spread out immediately and search for the Cores. Once found, inform me and I’ll handle the refining.”
Red Flame said.
His realm was the highest, so he refined Cores fastest. And even if rival Sovereigns discovered them, he had the best chance of defending them.
“No problem.”
Lin Yuan nodded.
The others did as well.
Seeing this, Red Flame’s heart relaxed a bit.
In this kind of contest, cooperation was key. It wasn’t about fighting or proving strength—it was about refining more Cores.
“With how much the emperor values Milky Way, he probably doesn’t want him to suffer any hard-to-heal injuries. I’d better watch out for him.”
Red Flame glanced at Lin Yuan and thought silently.
...
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