With his inner universe having fused with and absorbed the Source of Sunborn Genesisâuniting two Rank Thirteen techniques into oneâLin Yuan now faced no limitations when using his divine body technique: World. (Za warudooo!)
There was no longer a time limit.
As long as his origin remained sufficient, he could sustain it indefinitely.
In a way, Lin Yuan's divine technique World was no longer a standalone divine powerâit had evolved into an entirely new method by integrating Infinite Void, Sunborn Genesis, and more.
âThere was actually another Great Saint in hiding? And one not weaker than us?â
Heiyao, Dual-Source, and Savage all stopped fighting, turning their attention to Lin Yuan.
Though they had been clashing, all three had remained vigilant of their surroundingsâat their level, no one wanted to be the fisherman benefiting from two clashing tigers.
Boom.
Dual-Source struck first. Blue-gray power spread outward, forcefully invading the area covered by Lin Yuanâs outer universe and disrupting time-space.
âHmm?â
Lin Yuan had already torn open a passage into the Mysterious Emperor Universe, one foot stepping throughâbut now, he retracted it.
Heiyao hadnât dared risk teleportation earlier, and Lin Yuan now wasnât willing either.
With the Mysterious Emperor Universeâs internal map in hand, if he could be among the first to enter, his gains would surely far exceed the others'.
âYou took advantage of our clash to make your moveâquite the clever play,â Heiyao said coldly, as his domain surged again. Earlier, 99% of Heiyao Domainâs strength had been focused on Dual-Source and Savage, allowing Lin Yuanâs outer universe to expel it easily.
Now, as Heiyao came to his senses, the domain surged back, colliding fiercely with Lin Yuanâs outer universe and reducing nearby time-space to dust.
âYou three are all powerful,â Lin Yuan turned toward the three Great Saints and said with a smile, âI admit Iâm not your match. Thatâs why I took this approachâplease forgive me.â
âNot our match?â Savageâs eyes gleamed with killing intent. Never mind anything elseâjust the fact that Lin Yuan had passed through the contested region and reached the front line showed he was at least on par with them.
If not for Dual-Sourceâs timely reaction, Lin Yuan might truly have slipped in first.
Even now, Lin Yuan was holding off both Dual-Sourceâs and Heiyaoâs powers. How could that not mean he was their equal?
âHow is it Iâve never heard of you?â Dual-Source narrowed his eyes.
From the moment Lin Yuan acted, theyâd exchanged hundreds of thousands of clashes.
Yet what surprised Dual-Source was just how unfamiliar Lin Yuan felt.
At the Chaos Great Saint level, reputations were widespreadâwhen one appeared, word quickly spread across the Chaos Void. Every Void Domainâs Venerables would know.
Even the newly risen Nine Phoenix and Shadowfiend Great Saints were familiar names to him.
But Lin Yuan? Not a trace.
âA tenth Great Saint?â
âThere was actually another one in hiding?â
âWho is this? He dared to jump into a clash with Dual-Source and the othersâand heâs holding his own?â
From afar, countless Chaos Venerables were trembling. Even a stray ripple from these four could seriously wound or obliterate entire groups of Venerables.
âDual-Source and Heiyao are both famed across the Chaos Voidâwhy has no one ever heard of this newcomer?â
âCould he be a Great Saint from unimaginably ancient times?â
They speculated wildly. Though a Great Saintâs fame knew no spatial bounds, enough time could still erode memory. Even Supreme Saints who disappeared for ten million cosmic eras would be forgotten, leaving only faint traces.
Like the Mysterious Sovereignâpeerless in his time, feared by all Supreme Saintsâyet now remembered only by entities like the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws and the Altar Spirit.
âTo draw out a hidden ancient like this⊠this universe must hold unimaginable value.â
The Chaos Venerables stared intently at the revealed portion of the postnatal universe. Chaos Great Saints, with endless lifespans and near-immortality, had little reason to appear unless they sought to reach Rank Thirteen.
âDual-Sourceâs evolved power disrupts time-space at its core⊠and that new Great Saint is holding him off? Thatâs terrifying.â
âNot just Dual-SourceâHeiyaoâs domain is pressing on him too. Yet he still shows no sign of falteringâŠâ
Even Tianlu and the other Great Saints were watching closely.
They had long given up on being the first into the Mysterious Emperor Universeâno way were they going to compete with the likes of Dual-Source. But now Lin Yuan had muscled into their clash, his strength shocked even them.
âWhy do I sense a faint karmic link with this man?â Shadowfiend and Nine Phoenix both felt unease.
At the Chaos level, even passivity created karmic ties. As newer Great Saints, they had far more threads of karma than ancient ones who rarely acted.
Still, to share karma with someone of Lin Yuanâs power⊠it left them deeply uncertain.
âHeâs a Great Saint? One that can match even Dual-Source?â Compared to the other Venerables who merely gawked, Shenfeng and his group were truly afraid.
Others might fear Lin Yuanâs might, but they had spoken to himâShenfeng had even hinted at threats when Lin Yuan declined his offer.
âWhat do we do now?â two Venerables behind Shenfeng asked urgently.
Venerables had survival methods, yesâbut theyâd never willingly offend a Great Saint. Especially not one capable of going toe-to-toe with Dual-Source.
Even if such a Great Saint didnât act personally, a mere word could exile a Venerable forever to the shadows, never daring to emerge again.
âDonât panic. We fall back slowly.â
Shenfeng was panicking inside, but forced himself to stay calm.
As the Venerables whispered, the clash between Lin Yuan and the three Saints at the Mysterious Emperor Universeâs doorstep burned hotter.
Because Lin Yuan was closest to the entrance, he naturally drew their focus.
Boom!
The power exchange reduced countless layers of time-space to oblivion.
âHm?â
Lin Yuan felt a strange infiltrating force. It passed through his outer universe, struck his Chaos-grade defensive artifact, then seeped into his fleshâonly to be diluted by the vastness of his inner universe.
At this point, Lin Yuanâs inner universe surpassed normal Great Saints in scale.
This immense foundation allowed him to resist almost any force. Even devastating power, once diffused inside him, was barely noticeable.
âWhat kind of power is this?â
Dual-Source and Heiyao both grimaced. Their attacks had indeed reached Lin Yuanâbut his outer universe and the blazing force of Sunborn Genesis pushed back on them too.
The omnipresent suppressive force of his universe, combined with the blazing sunlight, distorted and eroded even their unique evolved powers.
âYou three are tricky bastards,â Savage muttered in frustration.
Lin Yuan, Heiyao, and Dual-Source were all manipulating time-spaceâeither controlling, twisting, or destroying it.
Savage, however, was more direct. Against these three, he couldnât find any opening to go all out.
âAt this rate, Iâll be the first one inside.â
Though locked in combat, Lin Yuan kept drifting closer to the entrance.
Despite the combined pressure of the three Saints, as long as he held them off, he would reach the gateway first.
âHeiyao, this guy must be an old monster from ages past. Thatâs why we havenât heard of him.â
Dual-Source's gaze was dark as he sent a mental message. âWeâre here to claim treasures from this universe. You and I are from the same eraâdonât let this fossil steal the best of it.â
âWhat are you saying?â
Heiyao raised an eyebrow.
âLetâs join forces. We mustnât let him enter first.â
Though they were already targeting Lin Yuan, Dual-Source now suggested a full allianceâdropping their internal contest and focusing entirely on Lin Yuan.
âGo on.â
âI have a trump card. I can delay himâbut I must not be interrupted.â
âSo you want me to handle him solo while you prepare?â
Heiyao glanced at him, then nodded. âFine.â
Given the situation, Lin Yuan was guaranteed to enter first if nothing changed.
The second to enter would likely be between Dual-Source and Heiyao.
But if Dual-Source could delay Lin Yuan, then he or Heiyao could seize the leadâHeiyao would at least be second.
That was better than settling for third.
âThen Iâll start preparing.â
Dual-Source closed his eyes. The surrounding time-space filled with swirling blue and gray.
Whoosh.
Heiyao Domain suddenly expanded again, pressing toward Lin Yuanâonly to be repelled once more by the outer universe.
ââŠDual-SourceâŠâ
Lin Yuan sensed a shift and glanced back.
Though Dual-Source had stopped attacking him, the chaos around him obscured whatever he was doing.
Moments laterâ
Just as Lin Yuan reached the very threshold of the Mysterious Emperor Universeâ
Buzz!
A strange energy approached rapidly.
Lin Yuanâs expression changed as he looked behind him.
The space around Dual-Source suddenly became clear again.
âHm?â
Lin Yuan stared at the blue-gray horns atop Dual-Sourceâs headâhis mental will trembled and began to falter.
âNot good.â
Immediately he channeled his inner universe through his entire being, expelling the influence at once.
âHahaha, thank you for yielding.â
Dual-Source turned into a stream of blue-gray light and, using an inconceivable speed, flashed past Lin Yuan and became the first to charge into the Mysterious Emperor Universe.
âYouâŠâ
Lin Yuan turned to Heiyao, instantly realizing they had fully cooperated. Otherwise, Heiyao wouldâve interrupted while Dual-Source prepared.
âDidnât he say heâd just delay him?â
Heiyaoâs expression soured. Dual-Source had indeed delayed Lin Yuanâbut barely. And now he had stolen the lead, while Heiyao was left behind.
Boom!
Lin Yuan looked at Heiyao. His outer universe surged with cosmic suppression and blazing solar power, all crashing down upon Heiyao.
âThisâŠâ
Heiyao gritted his teeth, fully mobilizing his domain to resist.
But it wasnât enough.
The crushing force of Lin Yuanâs universe and the radiant blaze overwhelmed his defenses. Heiyao felt the pressure mounting rapidly.
âHe wasnât using full power before?â he muttered, alarmed. Now that Lin Yuan targeted him directly, the strain was immense.
Boom!
Lin Yuan raised his right hand and slammed it down.
Like the collapse of heaven and earth, the blow sent Heiyao and his entire domain flying backward.
Far behind, Savageâs eyes lit up.
With a single slap, Lin Yuan had knocked Heiyao to the rear.
Whooshâ
Without even glancing back, Lin Yuan stepped into the Mysterious Emperor Universe.
...
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