Chapter 729

The power of time flowed like water, stirring countless ripples.

It dragged Lin Yuan's physical body down into the depths of the Chaos Void.

Under the pull of the time power initiating the cycle, Lin Yuan’s will quickly began to blur.

He completely lost control over the outside world.

Just as Lin Yuan's body fell into the deepest part of the Chaos Void, the region of time cycles that every peak Chaos evolver entered when attempting Rank Thirteen.

Boom!

A brand new time cycle zone began forming—unprecedented and far surpassing the total of all existing time cycles.

This new cycle zone was boundless.

If the time cycles others fell into during their breakthroughs were like pebbles.

Then this newly formed cycle was a blazing sun—immense and radiant.

The gathering of time power and the upheaval in the depths of the Chaos Void did not escape the notice of the Time Beings.

Lord Mo Xu-jun and the other Rank Thirteen beings had long been paying close attention to Lin Yuan. The moment they sensed the anomaly in time power, they realized he had begun his breakthrough.

“Milky Way is finally breaking through.”

“Our Chaos Void is about to witness the birth of the ninth Time Being.”

The Time Beings were filled with joy. First there was the surprise of Rahu’s breakthrough, and now Lin Yuan—whom they held in the highest regard—was starting his.

And based on what they'd seen in future timelines, Lin Yuan becoming a Time Being was practically guaranteed.

Soon—

The Time Beings also noticed the changes in the deepest time cycle zone of the Chaos Void.

Especially the appearance of a new cycle zone that seemed to encompass all others—this left the Time Beings wide-eyed.

“The time cycle Lin Yuan has fallen into... the zone it formed is just too massive.”

One of them couldn’t help but exclaim. The size of a cycle zone during a Rank Thirteen breakthrough varied based on the evolver’s strength.

For example, when a Supreme Saint attempted Rank Thirteen, the cycle zone was far larger than that of a normal Chaos Great Saint.

An Invincible Supreme Saint would create a zone even larger than that of a Supreme Saint.

But Lin Yuan?

The time cycle he entered had formed a zone so vast it made all previous zones combined look insignificant—not even a fraction of a fraction.

It was terrifying.

Even though the Time Beings had anticipated something incredible—having glimpsed Lin Yuan's strength in future timelines—they hadn’t expected the time cycle zone to be this unimaginably vast.

The size of a time cycle zone was the most direct representation of a lifeform’s power.

It was the supreme law of the infinite dimensional Dao giving its final judgment on a being.

“Milky Way…”

Rahu was equally stunned. Having only recently broken through himself, he knew how large his own time cycle zone was.

Compared to Lin Yuan’s, calling it a firefly beside the moon was being generous.

It meant that Lin Yuan’s strength far exceeded his understanding.

Perhaps even beyond what veterans like Lord Mo Xu-jun could comprehend.

“Don’t tell me... Milky Way’s strength is already about to surpass mine the moment he enters Rank Thirteen?”

Lord Mo Xu-jun watched the infinite, colossal time cycle zone, and couldn’t stop this thought from surfacing.

He was the first Time Being born in the Chaos Void and had a deep foundation at the first level of Rank Thirteen.

Ordinary new Rank Thirteens weren’t his match.

Based on the future where Lin Yuan nearly certainly became a Time Sovereign, Lord Mo Xu-jun had no doubt Lin Yuan would surpass him.

But he had assumed it would take hundreds of thousands, millions, or tens of millions of years.

And for a Time Being, that span was already extremely short.

Most couldn't even fully adjust to their new strength right after becoming a Time Being.

Yet now, faced with this time cycle zone, Lord Mo Xu-jun was no longer sure.

Lin Yuan's awareness was extremely fuzzy. All he could sense was his will falling—falling—falling.

“Young master, just hold on a little longer. I’ll shake them off soon.”

“Young master, sleep here for now. I’ll draw them away.”

“Young master, I’m back. It’s safe now.”

“Young master, wake up! If you die, how will I explain this to the sect master…”

Faint voices echoed in Lin Yuan’s ears. He instinctively understood them, but his will was too weak to wake. He could only continue drifting in sleep.

Time passed, and his consciousness slowly began to recover. Though still far from his peak, he could now begin to sense more of the world around him.

Finally, one day...

Lin Yuan opened his eyes with great effort.

The light was a little harsh, but he didn’t care. Memories surged through his mind.

“The Grand Feng Dynasty rules the world. My identity is the young master of the Red Lotus Sect?”

“The Red Lotus Sect’s ultimate goal is rebellion—to overthrow the Grand Feng Dynasty’s rule? That’s why the dynasty is hunting us down?”

“My father—the sect master of Red Lotus—was killed in a recent purge, and a loyal old servant barely managed to save me?”

Lin Yuan quickly understood his situation.

The Grand Feng Dynasty ruled over ninety-nine provinces and was at the height of its power. The six previous emperors had ruled diligently, supported by countless brilliant ministers and generals.

But every dynasty had its rebels, and the Red Lotus Sect was one of them—founded by remnants of the previous regime, it was born in opposition to Grand Feng.

Now, facing a peak dynasty, the Red Lotus Sect couldn’t even survive, let alone incite rebellion. The current sect master had just died at the dynasty’s hands.

At this rate, even if the sect wasn’t wiped out, it would become a rat in the gutter—struggling to survive.

“This world…”

Lin Yuan began carefully sensing his surroundings.

Though his will was incredibly weak, his cultivation realm remained intact.

“There are no fluctuations of Dao laws, and the physical body has an unbreakable limit.”

Lin Yuan’s heart sank. The absence of Dao law fluctuations meant the world’s power ceiling was low.

And with the physical body limited, his greatest strength was restrained.

In such a setting, forging an internal world or even stepping into Rank One of evolution would be nearly impossible.

“Still, it doesn’t completely block supernatural power. This world has ‘Dao Seekers.’”

Lin Yuan mused. This was a secret he knew thanks to his Red Lotus identity.

Dao Seekers explored the power of the mind, using it as a medium to draw on the power of the world.

Dao Seekers were divided into three levels:

Dao Seeker, Dao Mage, and Dao Master.

But—

“Mind power originates from the body. If the body is restricted, then powerful mental strength is impossible. Without strong mind power, the world’s power borrowed is limited.”

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.

Based on what he knew, even the strongest Dao Masters couldn’t last long if surrounded by a thousand soldiers.

Once their mind power was exhausted, they’d be hacked to pieces.

Dao Seekers might seem miraculous to commoners and easily defeat low-level martial artists.

But against the imperial army? Certain death if they didn’t flee.

The imperial army’s weapons and armor were specially designed to counter mind power.

Ten soldiers working together could kill a Dao Seeker.

And most dangerous of all were Dao Seekers who joined the army.

With state backing, their strength increased several-fold—sometimes even tenfold.

Before the Grand Feng Dynasty, ordinary Dao Seekers were pitifully weak.

That said, as long as they didn’t oppose the empire, Dao Seekers lived comfortably.

The dynasty didn’t target them. On the contrary, it actively recruited them.

Especially Dao Masters. Even when surrounded by a thousand elite soldiers, they could survive so long as their mind power held—proof of their power.

Lin Yuan’s father, the sect master of Red Lotus, was just an ordinary Dao Seeker.

In the martial world, Dao Seekers were already top-tier. Dao Mages and Masters? Rarely seen.

“So, this time cycle… the trial is…”

“To assassinate the Grand Feng Emperor!”

Lin Yuan frowned. An emperor—without a doubt the most protected and powerful individual.

Given the dynasty’s current might, even a hundred Dao Masters storming the palace would be doomed.

Not to mention the imperial guards protecting it, the dynasty had also trained many Dao Seekers—including surely Dao Masters.

With their resources, it wouldn’t be hard to gather Dao cultivation methods and train talented individuals.

Over time, the dynasty's strength would only grow.

In this situation, killing the emperor was next to impossible.

However—

That impossibility—

Only applied to the people of this world.

For Lin Yuan, it wasn’t truly difficult.

Or rather, not too difficult—compared to the trials other Time Beings had faced in their own time cycles, this was quite manageable.

Take Rahu, for example.

His trial was to establish a unified new dynasty from scratch.

Killing an emperor was one thing.

Overthrowing an empire and founding a new one—far harder.

Assassination had many methods.

Poison.

A stealth attack.

A setup.

And so on.

Lin Yuan’s trial didn’t specify how the emperor had to die.

As long as the emperor died by his hand—whether directly or indirectly—it would count.

But building a new unified dynasty?

That required absolute power and control over subordinates.

Power alone wasn’t enough.

Worse, Rahu had faced numerous setbacks during his trial. The most critical battle? He lost.

He only turned things around because he refused to give up.

In fact, as an outsider, Lin Yuan believed Rahu had no chance of winning that battle.

Losing it—and being captured—was part of the trial.

Surviving a decade of torture and seizing a fleeting opportunity?

That too was part of the challenge.

Compared to that, Lin Yuan’s current test seemed far too easy.

Just assassinate the emperor?

“There’s definitely something wrong here.”

His expression grew serious.

So far, this time cycle’s trial seemed too simple.

Which likely meant he hadn’t yet uncovered the true difficulty.

“Could the emperor be a Dao Master?”

Lin Yuan speculated. In this world, the strongest individual power came from Dao Masters.

Armies only overwhelmed them through numbers and weapons.

But Dao Masters were powerful. If they didn’t charge into armies, they could escape unharmed.

One hiding in the mountains?

Even an army of tens of thousands would be helpless.

Meanwhile—

Grand Feng Dynasty. Imperial capital. The palace.

Upon the throne sat a young man—the seventh emperor of Grand Feng.

At this moment, a strange light flickered in his eyes.

“My will has descended into this world. This is the final trial of the 1.08 billion tribulations. Once I pass it, I’ll take that step.”

The young emperor pondered.

“Out of 1.08 billion tribulations, the first is the easiest. Each one after is harder. The last one I barely scraped through.”

“This final trial… should logically be far harder than the last.”

His expression turned strange.

“Yet the task seems to be… live for 150 years?”

“Just live 150 years? And I’m the emperor—the most powerful person in the world? Even the first trial shouldn’t be this easy.”

He rose from his throne, examining his surroundings.

The eunuchs and maids were reverent. In the shadows, Dao Mages stood guard.

As emperor, everyone around him was absolutely loyal.

“This world’s bodies are frail, with no potential for advancement. But living 150 years? That shouldn’t be a problem.”

He carefully examined his own body—he could clearly sense his lifespan’s limit—

Exactly 153 years from now.

In this world, even becoming a Dao Seeker didn’t boost lifespan by much. Not even a Dao Master could exceed that limit.

“The final tribulation of the 1.08 billion... can't possibly be this easy.”

The young emperor remained deep in thought, not daring to take anything lightly.

...

20 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord