Chapter 566

"Senior... What do you mean by that?"

Cang Yulong’s heart trembled.

Hide?

He'd been here the whole time.

He hadn't been hiding at all.

So who was Lin Yuan referring to?

In a flash, Cang Yulong realized—his greatest secret had likely been discovered by Lin Yuan.

When the Ninefold Venerable discovered that mysterious space, Cang Yulong had used another method to teleport inside ahead of time.

The moment he entered that mysterious space, a consciousness appeared in his mind—a young, immature voice that had always communicated with him at the soul level.

That young voice claimed to be the guardian of the inheritance within the space and had chosen Cang Yulong as its successor.

At first, Cang Yulong had his doubts, but the many insights the voice provided benefited him immensely, eventually earning his trust.

Unfortunately, before he could take that mysterious space away, the Ninefold Venerable had made brief eye contact with him, forming a karmic link.

Ultimately, under the relentless pursuit of a Venerable, Cang Yulong was still captured.

Even so, it was the young voice in his mind that bore the brunt of the torment he endured in the Sin Abyss.

Otherwise, he never could have held on this long.

The voice was exceedingly well-hidden, to the point that even the Ninefold Venerable hadn't noticed anything strange.

Cang Yulong originally believed Lin Yuan wouldn't be able to discover it either.

But unexpectedly, Lin Yuan had still seen through it.

Lin Yuan was able to sense the second consciousness within Cang Yulong only because of his internal universe.

When he forcibly pulled Cang Yulong out of the Ninefold Secret Realm, he casually brought him into his inner universe as well.

Lin Yuan’s inner universe had been reshaped by the thirteenth-rank inheritance,

Infinite Void

. Not only did its scale rival the internal universe of a Chaos-level Venerable—but in terms of detecting minute fluctuations of power, it even slightly surpassed ordinary Chaos Venerables.

After all,

Infinite Void

originated from a thirteenth-rank time lifeform and was a foundational inheritance.

Lin Yuan’s true self and both of his primordial spirits had all cultivated the first layer of

Infinite Void

.

Of course, when it came to mastery of this inheritance, his true self was slightly stronger.

It was precisely because of this, that if Lin Yuan’s true body hadn't shown up, he would have only vaguely sensed the presence of another consciousness in Cang Yulong.

But once his true body arrived, there was no doubt.

The reason Lin Yuan’s true body appeared next to Cang Yulong, aside from delivering the

Tear the Sky

, was to use his internal universe to confirm the presence of that second consciousness.

"Senior, I—"

Cang Yulong was just about to speak.

But the young voice in his mind spoke up again: “No need to explain. Since I’ve already been found out, there’s no point in hiding anymore.”

The voice knew very well—with Lin Yuan’s level of power, once he said something like that, he must be fully confident.

Besides, even if he wasn't certain, so what? As long as Lin Yuan had doubts, the voice would have no choice but to reveal itself.

Cang Yulong suddenly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were deep and tranquil, as though containing entire universes.

Lin Yuan observed Cang Yulong and, seeing this transformation, his expression turned serious.

“Are you a Venerable… or a Great Saint?”

This "Cang Yulong" now gave Lin Yuan a particularly unique feeling, akin to the imprint left behind by the Devil Jade Tower master on the ninth level of the Black Tower—an aura vast and all-encompassing, spanning the chaotic void.

Of course, purely in terms of aura strength, this "Cang Yulong" was definitely not as powerful as the Devil Jade Tower master, but they were roughly of the same tier.

Which was why Lin Yuan asked if he was a Great Saint.

“Great Saint?”

"Cang Yulong" smiled faintly.

“I was once. But no longer.”

“Once was?”

Lin Yuan examined him carefully, a look of confusion on his face.

With methods of that level, even a lingering soul fragment could recover quickly—why maintain this half-alive, half-dead state of will?

“To put it simply, I’m no longer myself. I am merely a soul fragment created by my true self.”

"Cang Yulong" didn’t beat around the bush and explained directly.

“Soul fragment?”

A ripple passed through Lin Yuan’s heart.

A soul fragment was completely different from a clone.

A clone and the original shared one consciousness. Technically speaking, they were the same being. If the clone suffered memory interference or contamination, it would affect the original too.

But a soul fragment was its own being, having developed its own consciousness. However, since it came from the original, it inherited the original’s thoughts, personality, habits, and memories.

Still, no matter how you looked at it, a soul fragment and the original were not the same lifeform.

Typically, no powerful being would willingly forge a soul fragment, as there was always the risk of "devouring the master."

“Correct.”

"Cang Yulong" nodded.

A soul fragment inherited everything from the original—but cultivation level and comprehension of laws? Those could not be passed on, which was why the fragment couldn’t regain Great Saint-level power.

In fact, if soul fragments could inherit their original’s comprehension of laws, there would absolutely be some Great Saints who would recklessly forge batches of soul fragments.

Still, while they couldn't inherit strength or law comprehension, a soul fragment retained the insight of a Great Saint. With its immense cultivation experience, it could often pinpoint the bottlenecks and confusion a cultivator was facing at a glance.

Which was why, when a Great Saint did forge a soul fragment, it was usually for the purpose of nurturing a successor.

In addition, a soul fragment had one other crucial use—it would survive even if the true body and all clones perished.

Because, strictly speaking, a soul fragment was already a new lifeform, albeit one extremely similar to the original.

“Then your original self?”

Lin Yuan asked.

“My true self...”

"Cang Yulong" was silent for a moment.

“Is likely trapped in some kind of time loop.”

“I see.”

Lin Yuan understood.

Being trapped in a time loop meant attempting a breakthrough to the thirteenth rank.

A perfected Chaos-level being trying to break through would fall into a time loop.

Only by breaking through that cycle could one step into the thirteenth rank.

Fail to break through, and you'd be trapped there forever.

Normally, whether a Chaos Great Saint or a Supreme Saint, either could attempt a breakthrough to the thirteenth rank.

“What’s a time loop really like?”

Lin Yuan asked curiously.

The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws had once spoken to him about this.

It said that unless one had perfected the Chaos stage, there was no need to know too much.

“I don’t know either. My original self didn’t leave behind those memories.”

“Perhaps he didn’t want that knowledge to spread.”

"Cang Yulong" shook his head.

“Your original self may still break out of that loop one day,” Lin Yuan said, sensing "Cang Yulong's" despondency and offering some comfort.

In theory, any perfected Chaos-level being trapped in a time loop had a chance of escaping.

But theory was just theory. If they couldn’t break free within ten cosmic eras, the chances of doing so later would drop to near zero.

“Not much hope, I suppose.”

"Cang Yulong" looked at Lin Yuan, his expression returning to normal. “I’d like to make a deal with you.”

“A deal?”

Lin Yuan looked at him. “What kind of deal?”

“With your strength, using the method I provide, you should be able to forge a Karmic Robe.”

"Cang Yulong" said, “The Karmic Robe can block karma. The successor I chose is still too weak and lacks sufficient understanding of karmic laws, which is why Ninefold caught him.”

He spoke with some helplessness.

Though Cang Yulong was now safe, the moment he left Lin Yuan’s protection, he would once again be traced by the Ninefold Venerable through karma.

Even though he had already handed over the mysterious space to Lin Yuan and had no other real value—what if Ninefold just wanted to vent?

“Karmic Robe?”

Lin Yuan’s expression didn’t change. “Since it’s a trade, what do I get?”

“That inheritance space truly belonged to my original self. It contains some Great Saint-level inheritances.”

"Cang Yulong" paused. “But none of them are complete. The key portions are not inside.”

Which was standard practice—to prevent the inheritance from falling into enemy hands if the space was breached.

Without the crucial components, the inheritances were significantly less useful.

The inheritance he had received from the Mysterious Emperor lineage and the Devil Jade Space were similar—there were guardians who held the keys.

If one didn’t receive the inheritance properly, they wouldn’t obtain the key portions either.

“Additionally, I’m willing to share part of my original self’s cultivation memories.”

"Cang Yulong" looked at Lin Yuan and said.

That was the greatest price he could pay. As a soul fragment, his most precious possession was memory.

“Oh?”

Lin Yuan’s expression shifted slightly.

He wasn’t especially interested in the key inheritance parts, with his Unrivaled Insight, as long as some of the inheritance remained, he could reconstruct the whole.

But cultivation memories of a Great Saint?

That intrigued him.

The other two Great Saints he’d met—His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign and the Devil Jade Tower master—hadn’t left anything like that behind.

And even if they had left behind visual recordings, they would pale in comparison to actual memories—those included the Great Saint’s feelings and perspectives, making them infinitely more valuable.

“Deal.”

Lin Yuan nodded.

A soul fragment wasn’t the true body of a Great Saint. He couldn’t forcibly soul-search it, so the only option was for the other party to provide the memories willingly.

“Good.”

A smile appeared on "Cang Yulong's" face.

“Here is the forging method for the Karmic Robe. I already gathered all the materials.”

Before being hunted by the Ninefold Venerable, the young voice had planned to ask a Venerable to forge the Karmic Robe—but never got the chance.

“These...”

Lin Yuan glanced at the materials and nodded slightly.

The method wasn’t difficult. The key was having some understanding of karmic laws, and then using internal cosmic power to imprint those karmic laws into the robe.

It only took Lin Yuan half a day to complete it.

"Cang Yulong" examined the robe carefully, then showed a satisfied expression.

According to the original plan, he would’ve had to request a Venerable’s help—something that came with great risk.

“These are the key nodes of the inheritance, and part of my original self’s cultivation memory.”

"Cang Yulong" didn’t hesitate and took out a crystal-clear stone.

Lin Yuan picked it up and skimmed it. Once he confirmed there was no problem, he stored it away.

He then handed over the miniature world containing all the Stonefolk to "Cang Yulong."

Before that, Lin Yuan had already chosen one Stonefolk from the trillion-strong population and moved him into his own internal universe.

He intended to take him as a disciple to fulfill his promise to Cang Weiyang.

The trade was complete.

Lin Yuan looked at "Cang Yulong" and asked casually, “So, what are your plans now?”

“When my original self was still around, he secretly founded a force, guarded by a Venerable. I plan to have him join that organization.”

"Cang Yulong" answered truthfully.

“Sounds good.”

Lin Yuan nodded and didn’t press for details.

In the vast chaotic void—

Cang Yulong’s eyes changed subtly, a certain aura slowly withdrawing.

“Where am I?”

Cang Yulong suddenly woke, glancing around with confusion.

“Don’t bother looking.”

The young voice spoke in his mind, “That senior has already left. As for your people, they’re all in his inner universe.”

“He’s gone?”

“He didn’t give you any trouble, did he?”

Cang Yulong asked cautiously.

“No, he didn’t.”

The young voice sighed. “That Venerable who has ties to your Stonefolk clan has a good temperament. Otherwise, we’d be done for.”

The fact that Lin Yuan remained unmoved even after discovering he was a Great Saint’s soul fragment was truly rare.

A soul fragment may lack strength, but it carried much of a Great Saint’s memory—something no Venerable could easily resist.

What the young voice didn’t realize was that Lin Yuan couldn’t be bothered to drag things out.

Even if he tried to keep it forcibly, the voice would never yield. And since he couldn’t soul-search it, it wasn’t worth the effort.

Other Venerables were willing to drag things out because their progress was slow, but Lin Yuan’s cultivation from Path-Clearing to Chaos had seen virtually no bottlenecks.

“Stop spacing out. Let’s get moving—to the void domain I told you about.”

The young voice urged, but Cang Yulong couldn’t help asking, “Will I ever get to see that senior again?”

“See him again?”

The voice fell into thought. “You meet guys like that too often, and you’ll end up completely exposed. You still want to meet him?”

It added, “If you really want to see him again. At least become a Venerable before you go.”

“With Chaos-level power, plus the inheritance I gave you, you’ll at least be able to protect yourself. Only then can I rest easy.”

“Chaos level...”

Cang Yulong twitched. Who knew when he’d be able to reach that?

Guming Chaos Continent.

In the

Fragment World.

After settling the Stonefolk into human civilization, Lin Yuan began studying the crystal-clear stone.

It contained the cultivation memories of a Great Saint—something Lin Yuan valued deeply.

He studied it briefly before extending a strand of consciousness into the stone.

In an instant—

Lin Yuan’s awareness entered a vast world.

It seemed to be the chaotic void as well, filled with infinite drifting chaos energy.

At the center of his vision sat a massive figure in meditation.

That enormous figure radiated an incredibly heavy aura—so dense, even a single wisp of it could collapse an entire universe.

Not metaphorically—a single casual breath from it could force a universe birthed from chaotic void into early destruction.

“So this is the power of a Great Saint?”

Lin Yuan was shaken. It was his first time directly experiencing a Great Saint’s full might.

Whether it was His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign or the Devil Jade Tower master, he had only seen remnants or imprints—not their true power.

As for the Shadowfiend and Nine Phoenix Great Saints? He’d only sensed the aftermath of their battle from afar. Nothing more.

Next—

In the vision, that massive figure began cultivating.

If it were merely a recording, it would be dull and repetitive. But what Lin Yuan saw was real memory.

He experienced everything that figure felt during cultivation.

“So this is how a Great Saint sees the chaotic void?”

Lin Yuan was completely absorbed, his mind bursting with insight.

[Your Unrivaled Insight allows you to comprehend unknown lifeforms’ cultivation process—your own cultivation insights increase.]

Lin Yuan fully immersed himself in the Great Saint’s cultivation.

Who knew how long passed—

Finally, Lin Yuan slowly came out of it.

“These cultivation memories... they’ve helped me so much.”

A smile spread across Lin Yuan’s face. Not every Great Saint would willingly share their cultivation memories.

Because if such memories fell into enemy hands, they could expose weaknesses.

Only those on the verge of a thirteenth-rank breakthrough would dare do so.

After all, if they failed, it didn’t matter who knew their weaknesses.

If they succeeded—they’d become a thirteenth-rank time lifeform. No matter how widespread their flaws, it wouldn't matter.

“Hm?”

“The inheritance space is refined?”

Lin Yuan’s expression shifted slightly.

While immersed in the Great Saint’s memories, he had also been refining the inheritance space.

With the cooperation of the Great Saint’s soul fragment in Cang Yulong, refining it was almost effortless—he quickly took control.

Realizing this, Lin Yuan split his mind and entered the inheritance space.

“The Chaos Tree.”

He looked at the tree deep within the space—the most valuable treasure inside. A twelve-star supreme-grade rarity.

Even Lin Yuan desired it greatly.

“I’ll plant it in my inner universe right now.”

He began the transplant process immediately.

Whoosh—

The Chaos Tree blotted out the sky, but Lin Yuan’s internal universe was even vaster, even more stable.

Soon—

The Chaos Tree took root in Lin Yuan’s universe.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

The moment it fully rooted, a massive transformation began to unfold inside Lin Yuan’s universe.

...

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