"Voluntary self-destruction?"
Lin Yuan looked down at the gradually dissipating Chaos Flame, his thoughts rippling.
To make a Chaos Great Saint willingly choose annihilation—it was almost impossible. Reaching full mastery of the Chaos Stage? What kind of unshakable Dao heart did that require? Such a powerhouse could be killed, could be suppressed, but to have them voluntarily choose complete extinction—utterly unlikely.
His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign had perished due to the backlash of forcibly breaking free from the time loop. But the Nine Phoenix Chaos Saint?
She had chosen self-destruction right before Lin Yuan’s eyes.
This was certainly due in part to Lin Yuan’s power, but even if one was not a match, no Chaos Great Saint would willingly choose such an end.
Take Lin Yuan himself—even when facing one of the lofty Time Beings, if truly left with no retreat, he wouldn’t just submit. He would definitely resist and struggle.
In the timeline revealed by the Heavenly Void Cauldron, after Lin Yuan destroyed that special realm, he voluntarily extinguished his body and soul—because he had a fallback: the Source World.
It wasn’t true death.
But the Nine Phoenix Chaos Saint...
Lin Yuan could clearly feel that she had burned completely—there was nothing left behind that was linked to her karmic threads for survival.
As for “reincarnation”?
Lin Yuan sensed no fluctuations of spiritual will merging into the laws of the chaotic void for reincarnation.
In other words, the Nine Phoenix Chaos Saint had chosen complete and utter death.
"Karma has been resolved."
Looking at the swiftly vanishing Chaos Flame and sensing no traces of karma left by the two Chaos Great Saints, Lin Yuan thought to himself.
From the early cataclysm of his home universe to the difficult integration of human civilization into the chaotic void—it had all originated with those two Chaos Great Saints.
Now that they had fallen completely, the entanglements between them had finally come to an end.
Whoosh— The Chaos Flame dissipated.
A crystalline, fiery red gem appeared.
Lin Yuan glanced at it and stretched out his right hand, taking the crystal into his palm.
Inside, threads of Chaos Flame shimmered. There weren’t many, but they were extremely pure.
"This is the lifelong Dao Fruit condensed by the Nine Phoenix Chaos Saint?"
Lin Yuan examined the crystal. No matter the being—whether below Rank Twelve, in the Path-Clearing, Dominance, or Chaos Stages—as long as they fused with this crystal, they could quickly walk the path of chaotic power that the Nine Phoenix Chaos Saint had cultivated.
Simply put, this crystal could instantly create a Chaos Great Saint.
Such a treasure—even Lin Yuan had only heard of it, never seen one before.
Even Invincible Supreme Saints like His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign or the master of the Devil Jade Tower had never seen one.
Because it was just too rare.
It required a Chaos Stage being at peak perfection to willingly give up everything—give up ascending to Rank Thirteen, give up reincarnation—only then was it even possible to condense such a fruit.
And even then, success was not guaranteed.
"If one’s Dao can be passed on, it’s not complete extinction."
Lin Yuan looked at the fiery red crystal in his hand, then stored it within his internal universe. Turning around, he headed back to the Milky Way Chaos Continent.
The Source World.
Within the treasured land.
Since his true form in the chaotic void had stepped into the Chaos Stage, the true body in the Source World naturally entered the Chaos Stage as well.
"This spacetime?"
Seated cross-legged, Lin Yuan felt the surging power within him.
After stepping into the Chaos Stage, the essence of life had undergone a qualitative leap.
He could now sense the spacetime suppression of the treasured land had become almost imperceptible.
"The source of the Source World..."
Lin Yuan’s gaze deepened as he looked through the spacetime of the treasured land toward an even deeper dimension.
The nature of a treasured land is that it falls from the Source World. If the Source World were likened to a towering tree, then the treasured lands would be its fruits.
Fruits that had fallen and were severed from the tree—like the Black Jade Nest and others.
But this current treasured land had only just emerged and was still in a state of partial connection with the Source World.
With Lin Yuan’s current cultivation, he could perceive the essence of the Source World—that towering tree—through this semi-severed link.
Buzz— At that moment—
A projection of Heavenly Sovereign Suyin of the Xuanyin Ancient Kingdom descended.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, have you made up your mind?"
Suyin Heavenly Sovereign seemed impatient.
Six hundred years ago, he had proposed a trade—offering the core pillars occupied by his ancient kingdom in exchange for massive benefits.
But this Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign had been “considering” ever since, saying such a matter couldn’t be decided lightly.
At first, Suyin Heavenly Sovereign understood. After all, his request was indeed excessive—an outright attempt to take advantage during a crisis.
He knew it, and so did the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign and the Liyang Ancient Kingdom.
But given the current situation in the treasured land, if they wanted access, they had to accept this kind of extortion.
Yet—
Six hundred years had passed.
And the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign was still “considering”?
A simple transaction, dragged on for six centuries?
Suyin’s patience was utterly worn out.
If it weren’t for the fact that the terms he’d offered to Liyang Ancient Kingdom were far more favorable than those offered to the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom, he would’ve gone through with the trade long ago.
"Consider what?"
Lin Yuan glanced at Suyin Heavenly Sovereign.
"Consider what?"
Suyin Heavenly Sovereign was stunned.
Six hundred years had passed, and the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign was asking "consider what"? Had the last six centuries been for nothing?
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, my patience is limited."
Suyin Heavenly Sovereign forcibly suppressed his anger. Though the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign was the strongest of the Heavenly Sovereigns, Suyin represented the Xuanyin Ancient Kingdom, not just himself.
Being treated so flippantly enraged him—it felt like a betrayal.
"You dare speak to me like that?"
Lin Yuan stared at Suyin Heavenly Sovereign.
Boom! With a wave of Lin Yuan’s hand, a ripple of spacetime smashed into Suyin’s projection.
It instantly collapsed.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, you—?"
Soon, Suyin reformed another projection. For someone of his power, recreating a projection was nothing.
But this time, his eyes were filled with shock and fury as he stared at Lin Yuan, unable to believe it.
If this had happened outside the treasured land, disrespecting a top-tier Heavenly Sovereign would have consequences.
But this was within the treasured land—and the Liyang Ancient Kingdom needed the Xuanyin Ancient Kingdom.
Why would the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign strike so recklessly at his projection?
Had he truly given up on the treasured land?
That shouldn’t be.
Suyin knew that while his demands were excessive, in the long term, the deal was still in Liyang’s favor. Better that than letting the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom claim the treasure.
"What I want, I don’t need to bargain for." Lin Yuan shot a glance at Suyin and said impatiently, "Now get lost!"
Boom! Suyin’s projection exploded again.
This time, he didn’t reform.
"Fine, fine, fine." On the Xuanyin Ancient Kingdom’s side, Suyin’s expression darkened. The Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign’s actions made it clear: their deal was finished.
Though he didn’t know why, the priority now was to strike a deal with the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom.
If they delayed, and that kingdom realized Liyang might abandon the treasured land, they’d cut down their own terms heavily.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, Liyang Ancient Kingdom..."
Suyin took a deep breath and immediately sent part of his consciousness toward the massive core pillar held by the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom.
Not long after Suyin’s expulsion—
Heavenly Sovereign Lingyu of the Grand Ling Ancient Kingdom descended as well.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, have you made your decision?" Lingyu was also here to push for a deal. With the treasure’s competition nearing its end, he clearly wanted to seal the trade quickly.
"No need to consider."
Lin Yuan looked at Lingyu and said directly, "If you want to trade with the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom, go ahead."
"You—?"
Lingyu was dumbfounded. He didn’t understand why Lin Yuan was saying this.
Anyone could see that if the Grand Ling and Grand Ancient Void Kingdoms completed their deal, the latter would control an overwhelming number of core pillars.
Liyang would stand no chance.
In this situation, any rational being would make every effort to trade with the Grand Ling Ancient Kingdom, wouldn’t they?
"Get lost."
Lin Yuan waved his hand, and Lingyu’s projection immediately disintegrated.
"Milky Way, what are you—?"
Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame appeared. He had just been wondering why Lin Yuan had dispersed Suyin’s projection, and now Lingyu’s projection had been destroyed as well.
He couldn’t make sense of it.
"No need to trade with them anymore."
Lin Yuan looked at Red Flame and shook his head. "These ancient kingdom Heavenly Sovereigns only know how to make demands."
And not just any demands—like demanding 80% to 100% of the treasure’s yield over the next 10 trillion years before Liyang even gained control. That was unacceptable to Lin Yuan.
"Their demands are indeed excessive."
Red Flame was silent for a while.
It was obvious that the Xuanyin and Grand Ling Kingdoms were pushing things too far. Everyone in the Liyang Ancient Kingdom could see it, but if they wanted to win the treasure, they had no choice but to accept.
"Hmm?"
Red Flame was about to say something when his expression changed. "The Grand Ancient Void Kingdom has already completed its deals with the Xuanyin and Grand Ling Kingdoms."
"It’s over now."
Red Flame sighed.
The deals between the three great kingdoms weren’t a secret—Heavenly Sovereign Fu Xu even spread the news deliberately.
"These three kingdoms now control nearly 180 core pillars—more than half of all the total. Plus, with the Thunder Ancient Kingdom’s Pillars..."
Red Flame’s face darkened with concern, even despair. "How is our Liyang Ancient Kingdom supposed to fight the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom for this treasured land?"
At this point, Red Flame saw no hope. Even if the Barbarian Wild Ancient Kingdom allied with them, their combined Pillars were still far fewer than the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom’s.
"It’s simple."
Lin Yuan glanced at Red Flame and said calmly:
"Crush them all."
...
20 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
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