Liyang Ancestor cast a glance at the burly Barbarian Wild Ancestor with thick eyebrows and large eyes.
Equal standing? He was standing right here, yet Barbarian Wild Ancestor dared to place himself on the same level as Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign—where did that leave him?
Xuanyin Ancestor’s expression shifted slightly.
This old Barbarian... already trying to cozy up? A dignified time-being acting so shamelessly!
“I think Barbarian’s suggestion is quite good,” Grand Ling Ancestor nodded. “I also had an instant connection with Brother Milky Way—it felt like we’ve known each other forever. Come to think of it, the Qingfen Domain where Brother Milky Way first appeared borders my Grand Ling lineage. I’d say it’s fate.”
Xuanyin Ancestor looked at Grand Ling Ancestor as if seeing him anew.
“I’m still far from being on par with you ancestors,” Lin Yuan quickly said.
In terms of strength, he was nowhere near the thirteenth-rank ancestors.
If an ancestor harbored killing intent toward him, he wouldn’t be able to resist at all. He’d have no choice but to abandon everything in this source world and wait until he stepped into the thirteenth rank before making plans again.
And in terms of the years he’d lived, he was just as far behind.
Even the youngest Barbarian Wild Ancestor was incredibly ancient—by the time scale of the Chaos Void, that was trillions upon trillions of universe eras ago.
So Lin Yuan held a deep reverence for these ancestors.
It was a respect for those who had walked the path of evolution before him.
“Let’s go in and talk,”
Liyang Ancestor spoke. It wasn’t appropriate for six ancestors and Lin Yuan, the future ancestor, to just stand outside—they needed to go inside and have a proper conversation.
Moments later.
Liyang Ancestor led the five other ancestors along with Lin Yuan into a grand hall within the imperial palace.
This grand hall was the highest-regulated hall in the capital. Normally even the emperor couldn’t enter—only ancestors had access. With five ancestors visiting, it was naturally the place to hold such discussions.
Before they entered, Liyang Ancestor had already prepared everything, instructing his subordinates in advance to bring rare delicacies and fine wine.
The six ancestors walked into the hall, with Lin Yuan following behind. They each sat in one of the seven seats.
These seven seats were arranged in a circle with no hierarchy—an intentional setup by Liyang Ancestor. The other five ancestors didn’t raise any objections.
In their eyes, it was only a matter of time before Lin Yuan stood among them as an ancestor. What Barbarian Wild Ancestor said about “equal standing” might have seemed like flattery, but it was actually the truth.
No ancestor would dare act superior before Lin Yuan—not even the most powerful, Grand Void Ancestor.
“Hahaha, I’ve been wanting to try this pot of Fiery God Wine for a long time, but Liyang, you’re usually too stingy,” Grand Ling Ancestor said with a smile.
Lin Yuan sat down as well and glanced at the so-called "Fiery God Wine."
He had never heard of it before, but judging from Grand Ling Ancestor’s expression, it was clearly a fine wine that time-beings greatly desired.
More and more attendants came in, serving food and drink. These attendants, allowed to enter and exit the hall, were all of Heavenly Sovereign level—just getting close to the ancestors like this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, even for peak-level Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns.
“I’ve never seen five ancestors visit together before.”
The attendants moving in and out of the hall couldn’t help but hold their breath, moving with extreme caution.
Over the long ages, a single ancestor occasionally visited Liyang Ancestor, but five arriving together? That had never happened.
Especially Grand Void Ancestor, the oldest of them all—it was almost impossible to get him to pay a visit. Usually, it was Liyang Ancestor who went to see him.
“And that’s Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign over there? How is he sitting alongside the six ancestors?”
Some attendants recognized Lin Yuan. In fact, given his fame, any Great Sovereign with some standing in the Liyang Ancient Kingdom would know him.
But what puzzled the attendants was—what did Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign do to deserve sitting with the ancestors?
Invincible Heavenly Sovereign strength?
No matter how strong a Heavenly Sovereign was, if they hadn’t reached the rank of ancestor, they were nothing but ants.
Though the attendants were puzzled, since Lin Yuan was already seated and the ancestors had accepted it, they dared not voice any objection—though they couldn’t help but feel curious.
Inside the hall.
Barbarian Wild Ancestor took a sip of the Fiery God Wine and smiled at Lin Yuan. “Brother Milky Way hasn’t stepped into the thirteenth rank yet, but already has such combat power. I’d say, even that ‘Yuanlong’ from the dawn of creation wasn’t any stronger.”
“That Yuanlong gained its strength from the fortune of the universe’s birth, but Brother Milky Way reached this level on his own. If you succeed in breaking through one day, don’t forget to lend us a hand.”
The attendants moving in and out of the hall heard this and their minds went blank.
Lend a hand... to who? To someone like Barbarian Wild Ancestor—thirteenth rank? Even assuming Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign could step into the thirteenth rank, wouldn’t they be equals at best? Wasn’t “lending a hand” a bit much?
The attendants were shocked to see that none of the ancestors refuted Barbarian Wild Ancestor—they all just sat there smiling at Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign.
“I wouldn’t dare claim to lend a hand,” Lin Yuan replied.
At this moment, he understood: the five ancestors must have seen glimpses of his future and were visiting in advance to build goodwill.
Naturally, Lin Yuan wouldn’t reject this. The goodwill of time-beings was certainly a good thing—especially since he had yet to step into the thirteenth rank.
Even if he could survive should a time-being target him, at worst he’d have to abandon everything in this source world.
But if he could grow in peace, there was no need to make things harder for himself.
“By the way, Brother Milky Way, since this is our first visit, I brought you a small gift.”
Barbarian Wild Ancestor took out a palm-sized jade axe, emanating a razor-sharp aura that could cut through anything.
This jade axe felt even more powerful than the crimson spear housed in the Liyang Ancient Kingdom’s treasury.
“What’s this?” Lin Yuan looked at the jade axe in front of Barbarian Wild Ancestor, slightly surprised.
A thirteenth-rank weapon.
Barbarian Wild Ancestor was just giving this to him?
Lin Yuan recalled the Heavenly Void Cauldron in the Chaos Void. His Majesty Mysterious Sovereign had once paid a huge price and made great sacrifices to reach thirteenth rank early, just to temporarily safeguard that weapon. Even then, it was only a provisional custodianship.
If the rightful thirteenth-rank owner of the weapon wished to reclaim it, it would only take a thought.
But now, he was being given a thirteenth-rank weapon so easily—and without any strings attached?
“This axe is called the Ancient Source Axe,” Barbarian Wild Ancestor said with a smile.
“I discovered a special material called Ancient Source Essence in a gap between dimensions, and spent three hundred billion years refining it. It’s top-tier for offense.”
“Brother Milky Way, you can’t wield its full power yet, but in time, I’m sure it will be useful.”
“This is far too valuable,” Lin Yuan said, staring at the Ancient Source Axe.
Though Barbarian Wild Ancestor spoke lightly of it, Lin Yuan could tell the axe was even more precious than an ordinary thirteenth-rank weapon.
“It’s nothing,” Barbarian Wild Ancestor shook his head. “I’ve already found a weapon more suited to me. Keeping this one around serves no purpose—I’d rather it find a better owner.”
“If it’s so useless to you, how about giving it to me instead?” Xuanyin Ancestor couldn’t help chiming in.
“Give it to you?” Barbarian Wild Ancestor glared at him. “It doesn’t suit you.”
“Brother Milky Way, please don’t turn it down,” Barbarian Wild Ancestor said, turning to Lin Yuan.
“Hahaha, Milky Way, just accept it. It’s a real treasure,” Liyang Ancestor added with a smile.
“Yes, take it,” Barbarian Wild Ancestor nodded, then pushed the palm-sized jade axe in front of Lin Yuan.
“Thank you,” Lin Yuan said, nodding without decline.
“Brother Milky Way.”
At that moment, Grand Void Ancestor looked at Lin Yuan with a smile. “You requested a hundred pounds of Dragon Abyss Blood before—so you must be quite curious about the Yuanlong.”
He continued, “So I prepared something for you.”
As he spoke, a heart appeared in front of him—still beating.
With each beat, invisible power seeped into countless layers of spacetime. The heart itself resembled a miniature source world, each pulse radiating terrifying energy.
“What is this?”
“Yuanlong’s heart?”
Having refined quite a bit of Dragon Abyss Blood, Lin Yuan immediately recognized it.
“That’s right.”
Grand Void Ancestor nodded. “That Yuanlong was the very first lifeform born at the beginning of this universe, containing endless fortune and opportunity. I personally slew it back then. Its lingering soul and blood formed the treasured land known as Dragon Abyss Valley—but the essence of the dragon, I refined into this heart.”
“By studying this heart, you’ll uncover many of the dragon’s secrets—especially those tied to the creation of this universe.”
Grand Void Ancestor said simply.
“This…”
Lin Yuan looked at the heart in front of Grand Void Ancestor, recognizing its incredible value.
Though the Yuanlong wasn’t a thirteenth-rank time-being, it was the very first lifeform nurtured by this source world. It had an extraordinary connection to it. By studying and refining its heart, one could inherit part of the dragon’s essence.
Especially since Lin Yuan could sense the aura of a miniature source world from the heart.
Loved by heaven and earth, every particle of the Yuanlong contained a vast world. Its heart bore within it a complete miniature source world.
Its value even surpassed that of a thirteenth-rank weapon.
“Brother Milky Way, don’t turn it down. To me, this heart no longer holds any use,” Grand Void Ancestor said as he pushed the Yuanlong’s heart toward Lin Yuan.
And so it continued.
The remaining ancestors also presented their gifts in turn—either thirteenth-rank weapons or rare treasures found only in dimensional gaps. Lin Yuan had never even heard of most of them before.
The attendants moving in and out of the hall were completely numb, watching as the ancestors gifted one invaluable treasure after another to Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, their attitudes warm and kind.
They almost thought they were hallucinating.
Weren’t ancestors supposed to be lofty, cold, and indifferent—treating all life as ants?
Even Grand Void Ancestor, known for favoring his descendants, never paid much attention to any single one of them.
He cared about the lineage as a whole, not individual descendants.
But now?
Every attendant felt the same: before Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, the ancestors were warm, kind, like amiable elders.
Far from the cold, ruthless beings the legends described.
...
20 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
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