Very soon, the group of Heavenly Sovereigns saw Lin Yuan sitting cross-legged beneath the giant core pillar.
“Milky Way.”
Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign immediately called out.
“Greetings, Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign.”
Heavenly Sovereigns like Hong Lian, who were only ordinary Ultimate Sovereigns, couldn’t help but speak with a respectful tone.
There were gaps even among Heavenly Sovereigns—especially the strongest ones, who represented the very peak of the Heavenly Sovereign level, unreachable by the vast majority.
To become one of the strongest Heavenly Sovereigns, one had to first be a top-tier Ultimate Sovereign—that alone eliminated 99% of Heavenly Sovereigns.
Then one had to fully master a rank-thirteen inheritance—not just begin training it.
But was mastering a rank-thirteen inheritance easy? These involved powers at the thirteenth rank, came with numerous thresholds and risks, and often had dangerous side effects.
Touching rank-thirteen power early could be both a blessing and a curse.
“Mm.”
Lin Yuan opened his eyes, looked at Red Flame and the others, and smiled. “This giant core pillar… I suppose you could say it’s been reclaimed.”
Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign looked up at the towering giant core pillar, a smile on his face. With this, the Liyang Ancient Kingdom now possessed and refined a total of fifty-two core pillars.
Adding this giant core pillar, that made sixty-two.
Although still behind the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom’s seventy-two, they had surpassed the Barbaric Ancient Kingdom, ranking second among the six Kingdoms.
“With Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, our chances of winning this treasured land have greatly increased.” Red Flame spoke with emotion.
If Lin Yuan hadn’t appeared, the Liyang Ancient Kingdom would’ve been forced to ally with other Kingdoms against Grand Ancient Void. Win or lose, it would have meant one brutal battle after another.
But now?
Thanks to Lin Yuan’s strength, the Liyang Ancient Kingdom had risen to the same level as the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom, able to look down at the remaining four Kingdoms locked in struggle.
“Whether we ultimately take the treasured land—I still can’t say for sure,” Lin Yuan said. At least for now, his strength wasn’t overwhelming enough to crush every Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign inside.
If Grand Ancient Void joined forces with the other five Kingdoms, top-tier Sovereigns like Fuxu and the others could still threaten him.
“Honestly, with Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign on our side, winning or losing may not matter anymore,” Red Flame said.
The fact that the Liyang Ancient Kingdom had given birth to a strongest Heavenly Sovereign? The implications ran deep. At least until this Sovereign attempted to break through to the thirteenth rank, Liyang would face the other four Kingdoms with far more confidence—even if Grand Ancient Void remained a concern.
“Still better if we win,” Lin Yuan said.
Taking the treasured land wouldn’t just yield vast quantities of rare treasures—it would also come with massive merit rewards from the ancient Kingdom.
Lin Yuan was deeply interested in the many inheritance techniques and treasures stored within Liyang’s treasury. Unlike other Heavenly Sovereigns who had accumulated countless merit over long ages,
Lin Yuan was still far too young. No matter how strong he was, he didn’t have much merit to speak of.
So this time, Lin Yuan planned to seize the treasured land if possible. The rewards were immense—and the time investment much less than a full-scale war.
“Right, better if we win for sure.”
Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign grinned. Who didn’t want to win? Even if they still hadn’t figured out what the golden mist really did, it was undoubtedly valuable.
Elsewhere in the treasured land, twelve Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns of the Xuanyin Ancient Kingdom had gathered.
“For this treasured land contest, our Xuanyin Kingdom has only refined thirty-eight core pillars—dead last, sixth place.”
Suyin Heavenly Sovereign looked at the others and shook his head. “And now even someone like Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign has emerged.”
The other eleven Sovereigns remained silent.
As things stood, Xuanyin’s chances of claiming the treasured land were next to zero—practically nonexistent.
The top three or four Kingdoms still had a shot, but sixth place? Unless Xuanyin was secretly hiding a monster like Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, there was no hope.
“Sigh.”
Deyin Heavenly Sovereign sighed deeply.
This land contained over three hundred core pillars—it was one of the absolute top-tier first-class treasured lands in existence.
Unfortunately, the Xuanyin Ancient Kingdom hadn’t taken it seriously enough. The Sovereigns they sent in were generally weaker. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have managed to refine only thirty-eight core pillars.
“That’s why I plan to trade away those thirty-eight core pillars.”
Suyin Heavenly Sovereign voiced his decision.
Since they clearly had no chance of winning, it made sense to cut losses and seek gain.
Xuanyin’s thirty-eight refined pillars may have placed them sixth, but if any of the top five Kingdoms obtained them, their standings would soar—possibly enough to take first place.
“Who do you plan to trade with?” Deyin asked. He wasn’t surprised by the decision.
The best use of core pillars in the treasured land was to trade them. Otherwise, when the contest ended, they’d lose them anyway and get nothing.
“Grand Ancient Void and Liyang.”
Suyin thought for a moment before answering.
Right now, Grand Ancient Void and Liyang were the most likely to take the treasured land—they both had the strongest-level Heavenly Sovereigns on their side.
They were also the ones who most wanted the core pillars Xuanyin held. Even if they couldn’t gain them, they wouldn’t want the other side to.
“Mm.”
Deyin nodded.
“Be sure to make them bleed.”
Deyin said.
“Of course.”
A smile appeared on Suyin’s face.
At one of the core pillars, Suyin Heavenly Sovereign’s figure silently appeared, and he spoke to the Grand Ancient Void Heavenly Sovereigns guarding the area: “I want to see Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign.”
“You want to see Fuxu?” Vuyu Heavenly Sovereign looked at him and began contacting Fuxu.
Not long after, Suyin met with Fuxu.
“Suyin?”
Fuxu glanced at him casually. “What do you want?”
“I want to trade with you the thirty-eight core pillars refined by my Xuanyin Ancient Kingdom,” Suyin said with a smile.
“A trade?”
Fuxu looked at him. “Giving up so soon?”
“With you here, there’s no hope for us to win this treasured land,” Suyin replied.
“What do you want?” Fuxu got straight to the point.
Though Grand Ancient Void still held the advantage, if they gained those thirty-eight pillars, their victory would be all but certain.
“Fifty percent.”
Suyin looked at Fuxu. “If Grand Ancient Void wins this land, we want fifty percent of the rare treasures it produces over the next trillion years.”
“Fifty percent of the treasures produced over a trillion years?”
Fuxu sneered. “Big talk for someone with just thirty-eight core pillars.”
“It’s only fifty percent over a trillion years—not that much.”
Suyin said.
At their level, ordinary treasures meant little. Only those from this newly formed treasured land were worth their attention.
Xuanyin couldn’t win, so this was their plan.
“Fifty is too much. You’ll get ten percent—of the treasures produced over the next million years.”
Fuxu countered.
“That’s too little.” Suyin immediately shook his head.
“Or name other conditions,” Fuxu said. “We control many treasured lands. If you pick another, we can consider giving you fifty percent over a trillion years.”
“This one.”
Suyin frowned. “The trillion-year limit can’t change. The share of treasures can go down a bit. Twenty percent. That’s my bottom line.”
“Twenty percent?”
Fuxu looked at Suyin, falling into thought.
At the same time, a second incarnation of Suyin appeared in front of the giant core pillar.
“Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign.”
Suyin smiled as he greeted Lin Yuan.
“Suyin Heavenly Sovereign,” Lin Yuan looked at him.
“I came today to propose a trade with your Liyang Kingdom,”
Suyin said. “We’ve refined thirty-eight core pillars. How much do you think they’re worth?”
Though his other incarnation was negotiating with Fuxu, in a deal like this, the highest bidder wins.
“What are your terms?”
Lin Yuan asked directly.
“Eighty percent.”
Suyin looked at him. “If Liyang wins the treasured land, eighty percent of the rare treasures produced over the next ten trillion years will belong to Xuanyin.”
“In addition, your Liyang Kingdom must give us two first-class treasured lands.”
Given that Liyang lagged behind Grand Ancient Void in pillar count, Suyin had more room to negotiate.
Compared to Grand Ancient Void, Liyang was more eager to obtain the thirty-eight core pillars.
“That’s too much.”
Lin Yuan frowned at Suyin.
Two first-class treasured lands aside, eighty percent of all treasures from this land for ten trillion years?
Wouldn’t that mean Lin Yuan himself would get almost nothing from the land?
Maybe the Liyang Ancient Kingdom could accept such a deal—ten trillion years wasn’t too long, after all—but for Lin Yuan?
From the moment he began his path as an evolver, it hadn’t been long at all. Ten trillion years? In that span, he’d either have stepped into the thirteenth rank or be stuck in time cycles. By then, no amount of treasures would matter to him.
“That’s not much.”
Suyin smiled as he looked at Lin Yuan. “Grand Ancient Void has already agreed to my terms.”
“Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, you should understand—if those thirty-eight core pillars fall into Grand Ancient Void’s hands, your chances of winning this treasured land drop significantly.”
“And with Thunder Ancient Kingdom’s relationship with Grand Ancient Void, their core pillars will likely end up in Grand Ancient Void’s hands too.”
“You’d better think carefully.”
Suyin looked at Lin Yuan with a face that said, I’m doing this for your own good.
“Are you threatening me?” Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“No threat. It’s all voluntary,” Suyin replied with a smile.
...
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