"This giant core pillar... it's right next to me?"
Lin Yuan looked closely at the massive pillar, towering ten times higher than any other, rapidly taking form from the void. His heart was far from calm.
This space-time treasure land was vast beyond measure—the giant core pillar could have appeared anywhere. And yet, it emerged right beside him? That probability was like stumbling upon a thirteenth-rank legacy while walking down the road.
"What do I do?"
Lin Yuan stared at the giant core pillar for only a moment before making his decision.
Refine it.
Buzz!
Lin Yuan activated his external universe and immediately began the refining process.
Liyang Kingdom capital, independent space—
Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign stared in disbelief. "You're saying... the giant core pillar is right next to you?"
"Yes."
Lin Yuan nodded.
The other Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns were stunned as well. Moments ago, they were still speculating on where the giant core pillar might appear—only to learn it was practically within arm’s reach of Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign.
"I've already started refining."
Lin Yuan added immediately.
"Good."
"Start refining now."
"I'm already rushing there at full speed."
Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign’s tone was serious.
He had initially given up on the first giant core pillar, believing it unwise to fight Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign head-on.
That was based on the assumption that Fuxu would be the first to reach and begin refining the pillar.
Trying to wrest it from Fuxu would cost too much, and there was no guarantee of success.
So Red Flame had made the rational choice to let it go.
But now?
The giant core pillar had appeared right beside Lin Yuan.
That meant Lin Yuan was the first to make contact. In that case, Red Flame didn't hesitate at all—he chose to go for it.
There was no helping it.
This was practically being handed to them.
If Red Flame still backed off now, it would be overly cautious.
"Three breaths. If I use a special method, I can reach you within three breaths. You only need to hold out for two."
Red Flame said solemnly.
He had brought a powerful secret weapon from the Liyang Kingdom. Once activated, it could completely protect the giant core pillar.
At that point, even Fuxu would need to pay a price to forcibly refine it. Given his rationality, Fuxu might just choose to pursue the next one instead.
"I'll do my best."
Lin Yuan nodded.
Fuxu could arrive within one breath. Red Flame could make it in three.
That meant Lin Yuan had to stall Fuxu for two breaths.
Actually, he didn’t even need to resist him—just delay his refining process for two breaths.
Before the giant core pillar—
Lin Yuan completed the refining in just one-tenth of a breath.
Instantly, he felt the suppressive force of this treasure land’s space-time drop significantly.
And with the giant core pillar, many of his avatars could now instantly descend to its location.
"Hmm?"
Lin Yuan’s expression shifted. He saw space-time ripple not far away, and a man in a dark robe emerged.
"Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign?"
Lin Yuan’s face grew solemn. This was indeed Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign—a being on par with the Lord of the Devil Jade Tower.
"So fast?"
Lin Yuan felt a surge of pressure. Only a tenth of a breath had passed—yet Fuxu was already here?
That left two possibilities: First, Fuxu had been hiding his true strength—what he had shown in the past thousand years was only part of it.
Second, Fuxu had just happened to be nearby, allowing him to arrive faster than expected.
"Your luck's not bad."
Fuxu gave Lin Yuan a glance and smiled.
At his speed, to arrive and find Lin Yuan not only already here but having completed the refinement could mean only one thing:
The giant core pillar had appeared right beside him.
"But unfortunately, you’ve run into me."
Before he even finished speaking, the surrounding space-time dimmed and darkened.
An aura of "all things are illusion" descended.
From his arrival to his second sentence, not even a ten-thousandth of a breath had passed. Fuxu made his move instantly—no delay at all.
"What...?"
Lin Yuan’s brows tightened. Under this dim and illusory power, his divine art World began to unravel and disintegrate.
"Out of my way."
Fuxu slapped with his right hand. Lin Yuan’s expression changed drastically as his external universe collapsed by more than half, and he himself was flung away.
Whoosh.
Fuxu stepped forward and stood beside the giant core pillar. He immediately began refining it, and in a blink, removed Lin Yuan’s mark and successfully refined the core pillar.
"Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign?"
Lin Yuan’s face darkened. From Fuxu’s arrival to now, only half a breath had passed.
"So this is the power of someone on par with an Invincible Supreme Saint?"
Lin Yuan took a deep breath. Though he wasn’t injured, he had no means of resistance against Fuxu’s attack—only getting flung away.
"Fuxu must have cultivated a thirteenth-rank legacy related to time."
From their brief exchange, Lin Yuan inferred much. Against Fuxu’s strike, the very concept of time had become disordered—he had no thought of counterattacking at all.
He had relied entirely on his external universe for passive defense.
"To withstand my strike without injury—you’ve done well."
After refining the giant core pillar, Fuxu gave Lin Yuan a glance and spoke with slight appreciation.
He knew exactly what technique he had used. In an instant, it could obscure the enemy’s perception of time, forcing them to take multiple strikes unprepared.
Under such conditions, the fact that Lin Yuan was merely flung away without serious injury meant his defenses were extraordinary—rare even among top Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns.
Whoosh.
Suddenly—
Ripples of space-time surged nearby.
A towering figure appeared, his face dark as he looked toward the giant core pillar.
"Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign, you’re fast."
The towering figure spoke coldly. He had rushed here with all his might—not even a breath had passed—and still, Fuxu had beaten him.
"Your Barbaric Wild Kingdom really put in the effort this time."
Fuxu smiled faintly.
"Hmph."
The towering figure snorted and vanished.
Had he arrived before the refinement was complete, he wouldn’t have hesitated to fight.
But now?
With the core already refined, there was no point.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Next—
More figures appeared.
They looked toward the giant core pillar from a distance.
"Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign refined it."
"As expected. Who could beat Fuxu to the first giant core pillar?"
"Sigh… let’s wait for the next one."
The Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns who had rushed over conversed among themselves and gradually dispersed.
"What a pity."
Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign shook his head slightly, then looked at Lin Yuan with a serious expression. "But we’ve still gained something—at least we now know that Fuxu has more than one thirteenth-rank legacy, including one related to time."
Lin Yuan had described the earlier clash in full.
As Lin Yuan suspected, Red Flame also concluded that Fuxu had used a time-related thirteenth-rank technique.
Otherwise, Lin Yuan wouldn't have been unable to even think of resisting.
After all—
Top Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns weren’t Fuxu’s match, but the gap wasn’t that enormous.
Especially Lin Yuan, whose foundations ran deep. If needed, he could even detonate his external universe. At worst, he could stall for several breaths until Red Flame arrived.
But Fuxu hadn’t even given him the chance to go all out.
"Don’t worry about it—we weren’t aiming to get the first giant core treasure anyway."
Red Flame gave Lin Yuan a few words of comfort.
Lin Yuan nodded and didn’t say much more.
Chaotic Void—
Deep within the Milky Way Chaos Continent—
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, reviewing the disparity between himself and a powerhouse like Fuxu.
"Compared to those who’ve perfected their realm and mastered more than one thirteenth-rank technique, my advantages are almost nullified." Lin Yuan reflected on himself.
In terms of thirteenth-rank techniques, Lin Yuan had the Infinite Void legacy, and his divine art Sunborn Genesis counted as a half—together equaling about two such techniques.
But Fuxu had the same—and more.
Fuxu also had advantages Lin Yuan lacked:
Like a chaos power evolution path—
And realm superiority—
And Fuxu wasn’t alone. The Grand Ancient Void Kingdom had more like him.
Even the other five kingdoms—Liyang, Xuanyin—had such beings.
But those experts had no desires left. They were all preparing for the final step. Even if a new top-tier treasure land appeared, they wouldn’t be stirred.
Fuxu only showed up this time because he happened to be idle.
"Step by step… I still have plenty of room to grow."
Lin Yuan withdrew his thoughts, feeling no frustration.
Next—
Lin Yuan resumed his cultivation.
Infinite Void. He focused on the third layer of this thirteenth-rank legacy. He could feel he was very close to mastering it, which would trigger a transformation of his internal universe.
Just then—
Dong! Dong! Dong, dong, dong!
A deep, powerful sound rang out.
Sensing something, Lin Yuan immediately set aside Infinite Void and sent his consciousness to the highest point of his internal universe.
There, chaotic energy floated, numerous essences of chaos rules winding through the space. A giant egg formed entirely of chaos energy hovered silently.
Dong, dong, dong!
The low rumble echoed from within the egg, as if something was evolving inside.
"My Chaos Tai Chi Dao... is about to emerge?"
Lin Yuan carefully observed the egg.
As time passed—
Cracks began to form on its surface, accompanied by crisp snapping sounds. From those cracks emerged two interwoven streams of power—one black, one white.
The black and white forces melded constantly, carrying the ultimate essence of Yin and Yang. A terrifying aura radiated from the two forces, instantly shattering layers of space-time, even causing large portions of chaotic energy to collapse.
"What is this power?"
The red-clothed young girl who had been sleeping on the jade gourd suddenly jolted awake. Vaguely, she sensed a pressure surpassing that of any previous Infinite Void inheritor.
...
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