Chapter 766

In the midst of chaos—

Lin Yuan’s dormant consciousness slowly awakened.

“I’ve already descended into the fourth Source World?”

Lin Yuan split his consciousness to scan his surroundings.

At this moment, he didn’t even have the concept of “eyes.”

Everything was perceived through his senses alone.

“This time, my vessel is a divine stone—an Innate Divine Stone.”

Lin Yuan thought to himself.

As a Time Lifeform, descending through the Gate of Myriad Realms allowed him to actively choose his vessel.

This time, he had chosen an Innate Divine Stone.

There wasn’t much choice. This Source World was in its newborn phase, everything still in a chaotic state—very few things could serve as viable vessels.

This Innate Divine Stone was the first divine stone born of the Source World itself. With excellent innate potential, it was one of Lin Yuan’s best options.

“The Dao is manifest, origin flows... tsk tsk.”

Even with a brief probe, Lin Yuan could sense the vibrant vitality of the surrounding world.

In the newborn phase of a Source World, its dimensional structure was not yet fully formed.

At this time, the most precious Origin Daos for living beings were completely exposed, with no concealment whatsoever.

In such an environment, even a pig could smoothly cultivate to the peak of the twelfth stage.

Moreover, the River of Time had not yet formed.

Which meant that all life born in this era was inherently free from the shackles of the River of Time.

There was no need for the ultimate leap from rank eleven to twelve.

As long as one didn’t die prematurely, they were guaranteed to qualify to become a Time Lifeform.

Especially since lifeforms born during this period were extremely gifted and powerful.

It was foreseeable that for countless ages to come, this world would be ruled by the first generation of life.

“According to the natural progression of the timeline, this Innate Divine Stone I’m in would, after many long years, give birth to a powerful innate lifeform.”

Lin Yuan mused inwardly.

This was something he’d observed from future timelines.

“But now that I’ve descended, those long years are unnecessary.”

With a shift of thought, infinite innate chaotic energy surged toward him from all directions.

Passive cultivation and active cultivation were worlds apart—and Lin Yuan, as a Time Lifeform, cultivated with unimaginable efficiency.

After just one month—

The Innate Divine Stone Lin Yuan inhabited successfully took form.

Unlike birthing a lifeform from within the stone, directly taking form allowed him to fully utilize the stone’s inherent potential.

“Finally, I can act freely.”

A smile spread across Lin Yuan’s face.

Before this, he had still been essentially just a divine stone—barely able to move.

That was a restriction imposed by the Dao of this Source World.

But now that he had taken form, those limitations no longer applied.

“The Source World’s consciousness hasn’t paid much attention to me?”

At the moment he took form, Lin Yuan faintly sensed an invisible force descending—then quickly retreating.

It should have been the Source World’s consciousness.

Lin Yuan’s premature transformation was certainly an anomaly—a disruption of the norm.

Normally, the first being to walk this world wouldn’t have been Lin Yuan.

But now that he had done so, it clearly exceeded the Source World’s expectations.

In fact, even powerful Time Lords like the Lord of Heavenly Radiance had to pay a steep price to merge with a newborn Source World.

But none dared to act like Lin Yuan—they would be immediately detected and erased by the Source World’s consciousness.

Time Lords, once merged with a dimension, had greatly reduced strength and almost no ability to protect themselves.

If they were targeted for erasure by the Source World’s consciousness, the outcome was obvious.

Thus, even if they could observe future timelines and foresee many opportunities, Time Lords did not dare act recklessly within a newborn Source World.

All those opportunities and blessings had essentially been “claimed.” Outsiders wouldn't dare touch them.

But Lin Yuan was different. He descended through the Gate of Myriad Realms—merging perfectly.

Even if the Source World’s consciousness examined him thoroughly, it would only regard him as a native lifeform.

Even if he acted outside the norm, the Source World’s consciousness wouldn’t intervene.

In its view, Lin Yuan was no different from the other lives it had birthed—he was one of its children.

As for true outsiders—Time Lifeforms who had slipped in—they were intruders who would be eliminated the moment they were discovered.

“Time to go for a stroll.”

Lin Yuan began walking across the land of this newborn Source World.

The Dao’s origin and operation were fully exposed, and the most precious truths of the Dao—typically unreachable to Time Lifeforms—could now be understood almost effortlessly.

“So this world’s fundamental Dao laws… are this unique.”

Lin Yuan’s eyes lit up. Every dimensional space had its own unique Dao structure. This was why Time Lifeforms explored one dimension after another.

Source Worlds even more so.

Compared to other dimensions, Source Worlds had higher status and essence—and were far more beneficial to Lin Yuan.

“Besides comprehending the naturally revealed essence of this Source World’s Dao, I should also study the first batch of innate lifeforms it’s producing.”

Lin Yuan thought to himself.

What’s the most precious thing a Source World can produce?

Treasure?

Rare artifacts?

Weapons?

No.

The answer is life.

Only life holds infinite potential—only life can break shackles and transcend.

Especially the first lifeforms born during a Source World’s rebirth—they contained countless secrets of the universe itself.

In the first Source World Lin Yuan explored, the first lifeform birthed was the Abyssal Dragon—an exceptionally powerful and unique being.

Had the Grand Ancestor of Grand Void not become a Time Lifeform first, that Abyssal Dragon likely would have.

“In this Source World, the first batch of innate lifeforms numbers three thousand. In the endless ages to come, they will be known as the Three Thousand Chaos Gods.”

Lin Yuan examined future timelines. These three thousand innate beings would be born with twelfth-stage power. The strongest among them would be nearly equal to a Time Lifeform.

Of course, that’s after their full emergence.

As for now? They were still gestating.

At best, they had developed a faint sense of self.

“Pan! Pan! Pan!!” From within a massive, chaotic-colored egg, a consciousness was slowly forming, repeating the word “Pan” again and again.

At that moment, a young man appeared beside the giant egg.

The consciousness inside was instantly startled and dazed. In its understanding, it had never imagined this scene—how could another lifeform appear so close to it?

“Who… who are you?” the egg’s consciousness asked instinctively, also filled with curiosity.

Curious as to how Lin Yuan could appear here, right before it.

“Who am I?” Lin Yuan sized up the egg from top to bottom.

In the natural progression of this world, this egg was the first innate lifeform born from the Source World—also the strongest.

In the distant future, guided by the Source World’s consciousness, it would slaughter the other 2,999 Chaos Gods, open the heavens and earth, and allow the Source World to survive its newborn phase.

“Right, who are you?”

The egg’s consciousness asked again.

“You don’t need to know who I am,” Lin Yuan shook his head. “Now, don’t resist. Let my power enter.”

The egg, as the first Chaos God of the Source World and nearly equal to a Time Lifeform in potential, had immense power. But precisely because of that, its fate was sealed—it could never become a true Time Lifeform.

The Source World created the egg to help itself survive its early development. The same went for the other 2,999 Chaos Gods.

That’s why Lin Yuan was so curious about the egg’s essence—what kind of power gave it strength so close to a Time Lifeform?

“No! I will resist!”

The egg’s consciousness instinctively rejected Lin Yuan’s intrusion.

“Resist, and I’ll kill you,” Lin Yuan said flatly.

Of course, this was a bluff. The Source World consciousness paid very close attention to this egg. If Lin Yuan acted violently, he would be stopped immediately.

The Source World might allow him to push boundaries—but it would never permit disruption of its evolution.

The egg and the other 2,999 Chaos Gods were crucial. They could not die prematurely.

“Kill me?” The egg’s consciousness felt fear. “Then… I won’t resist.”

“Good.” Lin Yuan nodded, satisfied.

These Chaos Gods hadn’t fully formed consciousness. Their minds were immature—very easy to deceive.

Soon—

Lin Yuan had fully analyzed the egg’s inner and outer essence.

All the while, the Source World’s consciousness observed him closely—to ensure he didn’t kill the egg.

But it didn’t mind Lin Yuan studying the egg’s nature. As long as the egg survived, it didn’t interfere.

“All done.”

Several years later, Lin Yuan had grasped the egg’s full essence and turned to leave.

“You… you’re leaving?” the egg’s consciousness watched Lin Yuan go and suddenly felt a bit reluctant.

Although Lin Yuan had been forceful and domineering, forcing it to open up, their occasional exchanges over the years had been quite enjoyable.

“Hm?”

After Lin Yuan left, the egg’s consciousness suddenly noticed a secret art imprinted deep within its mind.

“What’s this?”

Curious, it guessed that the technique must have been left behind by Lin Yuan.

“If you master that technique, it might change your fate.”

As Lin Yuan walked across the newborn Source World, he had left the secret art behind on purpose.

The technique’s purpose: to preserve a sliver of soul power at the moment of death and allow reincarnation.

The egg was born as a tool of the Source World’s evolution. Why must it die? Because once the evolution was complete, the egg would no longer be needed.

But not being needed didn’t mean death was inevitable. This was Lin Yuan testing and bargaining with the Source World’s consciousness.

Next—

Lin Yuan continued his journey across the land, analyzing the essence of the other 2,999 Chaos Gods.

These three thousand beings were the "products" of the Source World’s birth—created through tremendous effort by the Source World’s consciousness. Life born after this phase would no longer enjoy such treatment.

Thus, Lin Yuan’s study of their essence was also a way to enrich himself.

To birth life—especially gifted, powerful, and high-potential life—was no simple feat.

Just like that—

A hundred years passed in a flash.

In the chaotic void—

Lin Yuan sat cross-legged.

Countless flashes of insight surged through his mind, and his inner universe trembled constantly.

Comprehending the fundamental essence of the fourth Source World’s Dao had made Lin Yuan’s inner universe increasingly perfect.

“A hundred years of cultivation and transformation—and yet, though my universe keeps evolving, true perfection still feels far away.”

Lin Yuan sighed inwardly.

The leap from imperfection to perfection was too vast. Though the difference between a Time Lifeform and a Perfect Time Lifeform was technically only one tier—it felt like a chasm between worlds.

From Time Lifeform to Perfect Time Lifeform—the gap was even greater than from stage one to becoming a Time Lifeform.

“No wonder so many Time Lords choose the path of Perfect Time Lifeform. All other transcendence paths are endless—but this one? You either succeed or fail. The outcome is immediate.”

Lin Yuan pondered silently. He didn’t yet feel that kind of despair.

He was still young, and improving steadily. But other Time Lords didn’t have his talent.

“My current strength…”

A smile formed on Lin Yuan’s face.

These hundred years in the fourth Source World had also been a period of explosive growth.

First was the evolution of his inner universe—his foundation. Every transformation of it boosted his power across the board.

And the fundamental Dao structure of the fourth Source World had caused multiple such evolutions, drastically enhancing his strength.

Second was his study of the three thousand Chaos Gods’ life essence—which had brought him great insights. In the end, all his gains fused together to create a new technique.

Named Innate Five-Tai.

It was a technique formed from the convergence of all his Dao comprehensions. For now, only the first form—Tai Chu (Primordial Beginning)—was complete.

This form was inspired by the newborn phase of the Source World, when all things were in their initial state—everything stemming from the beginning, from the “Tai Chu.”

Tai Chu was an incredibly versatile technique. It could be used offensively, defensively, or for survival—and was terrifying in all aspects.

“Even though I’ve only created the first form, the power of Innate Five-Tai should already match the second tier of a Time Lord,” Lin Yuan estimated.

Time Lords on the Endless Tribulation transcendence path were divided into three tiers.

Each tier differed by hundreds of millions, even billions of tribulations.

Tier Two Time Lords were already immensely powerful.

Right now, Lin Yuan—with just Tier-Two strength—had developed a technique rivaling a second-tier Time Lord.

In all the infinite dimensions, there were probably countless Time Lifeforms who had never even heard of such a thing.

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