Supreme Saint Fengzhu and the other Supreme Saints looked dazed.
Before Lin Yuan made his move, they had envisioned countless possibilities.
One: the Milky Way Great Saint would charge straight onto that small continent, sweep aside the native dimensional creatures, pluck the Law Source Fruit, and then lead them all out safely.
Two: the Milky Way Great Saint would leverage his grasp of time and space to appear beside the Law Source Fruit tree in an instant and leave with the fruit before the natives could react.
Three: the Milky Way Great Saint would use some special method to suppress all the native dimensional creatures for a short time, then easily take the fruit.
And so on, and so forth.
They had considered all sorts of possibilities.
But every single one assumed the Milky Way Great Saint would act with his true body.
After all, compared to the true body, an incarnation was far weaker.
No matter how profound one’s methods and insight into rules, if the flesh and spirit were too weak, one couldn’t bring them to bear.
Yet the scene before them—Lin Yuan reaching out and seizing the entire Law Source Fruit tree in one grasp—had been accomplished by an incarnation.
It left all the Supreme Saints silently stunned.
It was too inconceivable.
An incarnation could be this strong? Or rather, just how powerful must the true body be for a casually condensed incarnation to reach such heights?
“Where is this?”
Uprooted, the Law Source Fruit tree jolted awake.
As a rare treasure born of the dimensional gap, the Law Source Fruit tree possessed a certain intelligence.
It had even been subtly directing the native dimensional creatures on the small continent.
Otherwise, given how precious it was, those natives would have devoured it long ago—how could it have lasted until the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws discovered it? Yet now, despite its decent ability to protect itself, the Law Source Fruit tree was trembling.
Its branches and leaves shivered uncontrollably.
The dimensional gap was boundlessly mysterious. Thirteenth-rank time beings were colossal existences who could roam within it.
There were also some beings below the thirteenth rank, but those were born of the dimensional gap itself—lifeforms forged in that harsh environment, far stronger than those born in a cradle like the Chaos Void.
The Law Source Fruit tree belonged to this category, and in its eyes, the actions of Supreme Saint Fengzhu and the other Supreme Saints were child’s play.
Never mind that the fissure to the Chaos Void would close in three days—even if it didn’t, Supreme Saint Fengzhu and the others would never have been able to pick the fruit.
The Law Source Fruit tree had planned to wait until they ventured deeper, then devour them.
It hadn’t expected Lin Yuan to arrive instead.
“Too strong.”
“Is this a lifeform born within dimensional space?”
The Law Source Fruit tree quivered in fear.
It had drifted through the dimensional gap for ages and had seen many terrifying beings.
But compared to Lin Yuan, they were worlds apart.
Lin Yuan had overturned its understanding of life below the thirteenth rank.
Chaos Void.
The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws was also closely observing the small continent and naturally saw Lin Yuan’s heaven-covering grasp.
“This power?”
The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws could hardly believe it.
It had originally thought Lin Yuan was being a touch overconfident by sending only an incarnation.
But to think a single incarnation could be this terrifying? “An incarnation that surpasses every Invincible Supreme Saint in history?”
Its thoughts scattered. While Lin Yuan retrieving the Law Source Fruit delighted it, such monstrous power left the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws shaken for a long time.
If it weren’t certain that Lin Yuan hadn’t yet attempted the thirteenth rank, it might have suspected a time being had acted.
“What kind of monster is he, truly…”
The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws watched from afar, filled with emotion.
Previously it had thought it couldn’t see through Lin Yuan’s incarnation because some secret method was blocking its sight.
But now, it seemed the incarnation’s power itself simply exceeded the limit of its perception.
“What realm does the true body of the Milky Way Great Saint stand at?”
Curiosity stirred, though it knew it would likely never know.
If a single incarnation had such power, who in the Chaos Void could force his true body to go all out?
The spirits of those special places?
Leaving aside that such spirits could not act—
Even if they could, they likely wouldn’t be a match for this incarnation, much less the true body.
In the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws’ view, only the lofty thirteenth rank could compel the Milky Way Great Saint’s true body to fight in earnest.
But thirteenth-rank time beings were the least likely to act.
They didn’t even pay attention to what happened in the Chaos Void.
Their gaze and will were fixed on the distant future. As for the past and present? Unless something threatened the very foundation of the Chaos Void.
Like the complete destruction of a special place.
Otherwise, it was hard to draw the attention of a thirteenth-rank time being.
“I wonder if that one knows that the inheritance he left behind has nurtured an existence like the Milky Way Great Saint…”
The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws mused.
“That one” was the founder of Infinite Void, and one of this Chaos Void’s time beings.
Across long cosmic eras, Infinite Void had been practiced by one inheritor after another, and the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws had witnessed them all.
But Lin Yuan? Add up every inheritor of Infinite Void across history, and they still wouldn’t be enough for the Milky Way Great Saint to swat with one palm.
To be precise, they wouldn’t be enough for his incarnation to swat with one palm.
“Very smooth.”
Lin Yuan retrieved the entire Law Source Fruit tree without encountering any fierce resistance.
At the instant his incarnation struck, his true body had already turned its attention here. If anything unexpected occurred, he could descend at any time.
“The dimensional gap…”
Lin Yuan gazed into the vast interstice.
He had always held a reverent attitude toward it.
Within dimensional spaces, laws of the Dao operate; such an environment suits cultivation and acts as a cradle for life.
Some dimensional spaces even bestow great boons upon living beings.
For example, in the Chaos Void, the infusion of origin is a “benefit” every life born in that dimensional space enjoys.
But the dimensional gap? There are no Dao laws, and one must endure the oppression radiated by immense dimensional spaces all around.
Any life that can survive there is strong—because the weak simply can’t live.
In truth, the dimensional gap is also the battlefield of thirteenth-rank time beings.
They rarely clash within dimensional spaces; doing so would cause tremendous damage to the spaces themselves.
Thus their battleground is the gap. Only that vast expanse can withstand their full-force struggles.
“This Law Source Fruit tree?”
Lin Yuan looked at the tree in his hand, surprise flickering in his eyes. “It’s even birthed a ‘spirit’?”
Upon closer inspection, he keenly sensed the fluctuations of spirit within the Law Source Fruit tree itself.
His earlier grasp had been a casual test—nothing more.
“My lord.”
The Law Source Fruit tree sent out a timid ripple of consciousness.
“Quite timid.”
A smile touched Lin Yuan’s lips.
He didn’t know that the tree had planned to devour Supreme Saint Fengzhu and the other Supreme Saints.
Even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared.
Under absolute suppression, the tree couldn’t stir up any waves.
“I’ll take one Law Source Fruit, if you don’t mind.”
Lin Yuan looked down at the tree and spoke.
“Not at all, not at all.”
The tree replied at once: “I can produce many of those.”
With that, its branches swayed.
One Law Source Fruit after another rapidly condensed, hanging among the leaves.
A so-called Law Source Fruit was merely a coagulation of the tree’s own aura, a “bait” to lure other lifeforms.
“Good.”
Lin Yuan nodded.
He had promised the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws to bring back one Law Source Fruit.
“Those dimensional creatures…”
His gaze shifted back toward the small continent in the distance.
When he had seized the tree, he had also erased quite a few natives there.
It hadn’t, however, yielded any improvement to his mental will like in the Infinite Void.
In the Infinite Void’s secret realms, slaying void creatures originating from the dimensional gap directly strengthened one’s mental will.
“A pity.”
Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.
He had two hypotheses.
First, his mental will was now too high.
Killing such dimensional beings no longer had any effect on him.
Second, the reason killing void creatures in the Infinite Void’s secret realms improved mental will was due to the special nature of that dimensional space.
Every dimensional space has its special characteristics—like the Chaos Void’s infusion of origin.
He judged the second reason more likely.
Because if killing dimensional beings truly enhanced mental will, then even if it no longer worked on him, other Great Saints would have noticed long ago.
Even if its effect on Great Saints was minimal, many would still try to capture dimensional beings alive to use for their descendants.
And Lin Yuan had never heard of such a thing.
“I’ll head back first.”
Lin Yuan put away the Law Source Fruit tree and looked toward Supreme Saint Fengzhu and the other Supreme Saints.
“Alright.”
Supreme Saint Fengzhu snapped out of it and quickly responded.
Having witnessed the power of Lin Yuan’s incarnation, the Supreme Saints present felt tremendous pressure.
Chaos Void.
The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws stared at the fist-sized Law Source Fruit before it, eyes slightly alight.
“My deepest thanks to the Milky Way Great Saint.” It looked at Lin Yuan—this acquisition had been almost absurdly smooth.
It had prepared for complications. Even with the strongest Invincible Supreme Saint in history involved, anything could happen in the dimensional gap. What if an accident occurred?
But Lin Yuan’s strength was terrifying. With just an incarnation, he had uprooted the entire tree.
“A trifle,” Lin Yuan said with a smile. “I’ll be keeping the Law Source Fruit tree.”
“Of course.”
The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws replied at once. It had never asked him to retrieve the entire tree.
Because taking the fruit and taking the tree were vastly different in difficulty.
The natives on that small continent were ferocious, guarding the tree.
If only a single fruit went missing, perhaps it wouldn’t enrage them.
But taking the entire tree? The natives would likely go berserk.
In its initial projections, even Lin Yuan might not withstand such a situation.
Taking one fruit left room for a safe retreat.
Taking the whole tree made retreat far less certain.
The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws was only interested in the fruit and had no wish to shoulder such risk.
“In that case, I’ll take my leave.”
Lin Yuan rose to go.
“Very well.”
The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws said to him, “The branch of your evolutionary path is spreading quite smoothly. Even if you one day fall into a time loop, with me here it will continue to propagate.”
“Much obliged.”
Lin Yuan smiled.
If the branch of his evolutionary path continued to spread even while he was trapped in a time loop, it would certainly help to fix the ‘anchor.’
The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws was clearly currying favor.
“It’s nothing.”
It said, “With the Milky Way Great Saint’s foundation, even without spreading your path’s branch, stepping into the thirteenth rank wouldn’t be difficult.”
And that was its honest assessment.
In the vast Chaos Void, many thirteenth-rank time beings had arisen.
But Lin Yuan? Since the opening of the Chaos Void, there had only ever been one like him.
There had been none before.
And there likely wouldn’t be another after.
Lin Yuan’s existence was rarer than a thirteenth-rank time being.
“Still, it needs to be spread.”
Lin Yuan chuckled, then vanished.
The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws stared at the spot where he disappeared, falling into thought.
A faint regret stirred within it.
Had it asked its favor too early?
Desolate Void.
Lin Yuan’s true body sat cross-legged.
At that moment, the incarnation returned.
“This time I gained not only insight into causality, but a harvest as well?”
A smile touched Lin Yuan’s face. He extended his right hand, and the Law Source Fruit tree appeared in his palm.
In truth, the so-called Law Source Fruits were merely “bait” casually condensed from the tree’s own aura.
The truly precious thing was the tree itself.
“My lord.”
The Law Source Fruit tree was nearly suffocated. From the incarnation to the true body, it had gone from heaven to hell once more.
Compared to the incarnation, the pressure from Lin Yuan’s true body was countless times greater.
“Place it in the inner universe.”
With a thought, Lin Yuan shifted the tree into his inner universe.
Such a rare treasure born of the dimensional gap could, to some extent, nourish his inner universe in return.
At the very least, it was far superior to the Chaos Tree.
Hum—
Before the Law Source Fruit tree could react, it found itself within a boundless universe.
“This must be my lord’s inner universe…” it thought.
It had dealt with Supreme Saint Fengzhu and others before and knew of inner universes.
“No.”
“My lord’s inner universe?”
The tree had just relaxed—being placed into the inner universe meant there was no killing intent.
But then it realized something was wrong.
“This inner universe? This inner universe?”
In disbelief, it murmured, “Perfect—too perfect. More perfect than this dimensional space itself?”
It had drifted through the dimensional gap and contacted many dimensional spaces. The largest was the Chaos Void.
Yet in its perception at this moment, vast as the Chaos Void was, it still couldn’t compare to Lin Yuan’s inner universe?
...
20 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
32