While Lin Yuanâs true body was refining the Sevenfold Divine Tree, his Tai Chi soul was still delving deep into the vastness of the Wanwei Spacetime.
The deeper regions of Wanwei Spacetime were boundless. Any Time Lord who dared to enter here had to at least be second-tier, having weathered two to three hundred million tribulations.
And above that? There were even peak second-tier Time Lordsâthose beginning the final set of eight thousand tribulations.
Whoosh!
A Time Lord cautiously scouted a particular area.
His name was Lord Huangfeng, and he had just passed the one-billion-and-one-thousand-two tribulation of the total one-billion-eight-thousand tribulations, marking him as a Time Lord who had touched the threshold of legend.
âThat last tribulation almost cost me everything,â Lord Huangfeng muttered, surveying his surroundings.
âIf I can harvest something great in Wanwei Spacetime this time, Iâll have a shot at the next tribulation.â
The path of âEndless Tribulationsâ was the most promising among the three transcendence paths. It was also the most chosen by Time Lords.
Compared to âInfinite Origin,â the âEndless Tribulationsâ path gave immediate feedbackâeach tribulation passed meant an increase in strength.
Therefore, unless one had some unique edge on the other two paths, most Time Lords chose âEndless Tribulationsâ as their route to transcendence.
âThey say the final dozens of tribulations in the one-billion-eight-thousand are the hardest. None of the methods from reality work during themâŠâ
Lord Huangfeng thought silently.
So far, the tribulations heâd undergone were relatively standardâhe could still rely on his own strength and techniques.
Thus, anything gained within Wanwei Spacetime could help him with future tribulations.
âThey say the final three-hundred-thirty-million tribulations are beyond comprehensionâno one even knows how to overcome them.â
Lord Huangfeng sighed. Despite how hopeless the path seemed, it remained the most likely to lead to transcendence.
âHm?â
âWhatâs that?â
Suddenly, Lord Huangfengâs expression shifted as he spotted a distant mountain peak.
At first glance, it looked ordinaryâbut a faint, mysterious aura lingered around it.
âA rare treasure. That has to be a rare treasure deep in Wanwei Spacetime.â
He made the call instantly, joy surging in his heart.
He immediately began approaching the mountain carefully.
To be cautious, he first projected an avatar into the mountain.
In Wanwei Spacetime, the timelines were hazy and indistinctâdirect observation was impossible, so avatars were used to scout.
Some Time Lords would even hire time-based lifeforms specifically for this task.
But Lord Huangfeng hadnât done that.
âSo many rare treasuresâŠâ
Through the eyes of his avatar, Lord Huangfeng âsawâ the mountainâs interior packed with treasures.
Each rare item was worth at least hundreds of thousands of pounds of Time Sand.
âThese rare treasures are protected by restrictions. My avatar is too weak to break them.â
Lord Huangfeng frowned. After surveying his surroundings again, especially the mountain before him, he pondered briefly before deciding to go in personally.
If he hesitated and another Lord discovered this place, those treasures might no longer be his.
Just as Lord Huangfeng entered the mountainâ
Whooshâdarkness swept over him, engulfing him entirely.
âA trap?!â
His heart skipped a beat. When he had first spotted the mountain, he had considered it might be a trap, but in the end, his greed got the better of him.
Darkness spread, and he felt himself suppressed on all fronts.
âFor now, I wonât destroy this battle body.â
Lord Huangfeng looked around. The stronger a being was, the higher the cost to forge a battle body.
After all, a battle bodyâs strength wasnât far from oneâs true bodyâit required an immense investment of rare resources.
So unless all hope was lost, no Time Lord would abandon their battle body.
Lin Yuan had the same rule: if he encountered a legendary Time Lord, heâd destroy the Tai Chi soul directly.
Which meant, unless the enemy was a legendary Time Lord, there was no need to give up so quickly.
Lord Huangfeng was of the same mindâeven though he knew he had fallen into an ambush, he still wanted to assess the situation first.
The darkness converged, forming three vague figures who stared at Lord Huangfeng.
âLord Huangfeng.â
The leading shadowy figure spoke. âDonât bother struggling. With your strength, you wonât escape.â
âHmph.â
âSo Iâve been had this time,â Lord Huangfeng snorted coldly, glancing around. âYouâre bold, bringing such a weapon into Wanwei Spacetime. Arenât you afraid itâll all be for nothing?â
With his strength, he had naturally detected that the suppressing dark domain was from a Lord-level weaponâa particularly powerful one at that.
Otherwise, he wouldnât have been subdued so easily.
Wanwei Spacetime was full of danger. Lords didnât bring too many precious weapons for fear of losing them.
âThatâs none of your concern.â
The lead shadowy figure shook his head.
âJust tell meâwhat do you want?â
Lord Huangfeng didnât waste words.
He could tell these three shadowy figures were all stronger than himâprobably very close to the legendary level.
Such experts, and three of them, wielding a powerful dark domainâhe knew escape was impossible.
âFive hundred thousand pounds of Time Sand.â
âAs long as you hand over five hundred thousand, weâll let you go.â
The lead figure stated.
âFive hundred thousand?â
Lord Huangfengâs face darkened. His entire harvest from this trip was barely worth two hundred thousand pounds.
Yet they wanted him to fork over five hundred?
âWeâre not asking much.â
The lead shadowy figure looked at him. âJust forging your battle body mustâve cost you eight hundred thousand pounds of Time Sand, not to mention the time and effort it took.â
âFine. Five hundred thousand it is.â
Lord Huangfeng fell silent briefly, then nodded.
âOne more thing,â the lead shadowy figure suddenly added.
âSpeak.â
Lord Huangfeng frowned but didnât argue.
âYou must swear on the name of your transcendence path not to reveal any information about us.â
The lead figure said.
âNo problem.â
Lord Huangfeng agreed.
It wasnât hardâhe wouldnât have spread the word anyway.
If other Lords didnât fall into the same trap, it did him no favors.
Soon, the transaction was complete.
Of course, it was completed outside of Wanwei Spacetime.
Inside, Lord Huangfeng hadnât carried many treasuresâanything valuable had already been given up.
That was why the three shadowy figures didnât attack outright and instead chose to negotiate.
Lord Huangfengâs most valuable asset was his battle body, which he could destroy at a thought.
If they tried to take it by force, theyâd gain little.
Once Lord Huangfeng left, the mountain that had trapped him vanished without a trace.
âWho were those three Lords? There arenât many with that kind of powerâŠâ Lord Huangfeng quickly left, his mind racing.
In a hidden space, three shadowy figures emerged.
As the darkness faded, three Time Lords were revealed.
The leader had vivid red hair, his aura murky and corrosive, eroding the spacetime around him.
The other two were differentâone covered in scales, the other phantom-like, seemingly intangible.
âHa ha ha! Another five hundred thousand pounds of Time Sand in the bag!â
The scaly Time Lord grinned, clearly in high spirits.
That amount wasnât a small sum for any Lord below the legendary level.
âThat Lord Huangfeng wasnât that strongâfive hundred thousand was probably the max. Ask for more and he mightâve gone down with us.â
The illusory Time Lord on the right spoke.
âI know,â
The scaly one nodded, then sighed. âOnly in Wanwei Spacetime can we pull this off.â
In the outside world, Time Lords could view future timelines. Theyâd never fall for a trap like this so easily.
But here, time was limited, and with other peer-level Lords competingâthese factors made their ambushes fruitful.
âWith our strength and the weapons we carry, unless a legendary Lord shows up, who could stop us?â
The scaly Time Lord said confidently.
Bringing powerful weapons did increase risk.
But the benefits were clear.
For a Lord, wielding a strong weapon meant a massive boost in combat power.
âBesides, even if we do meet a legendary Lord, with big brother here, weâre not afraid,â he added, glancing at the red-haired leader.
Time Lords could view the past and futureâand even travel to them.
However, most preferred the past. The future was too unpredictable and offered little help for transcendence. Few specialized in future-based techniques.
But the red-haired Lord was a master of future-based strikes.
He had already glimpsed a future where, after three hundred sixty-two Great Extinction Cycles, he would become a legendary Lord.
That was why they dared to carry weapons into Wanwei Spacetime.
Below the legendary tier, no one could challenge them. And even if a legendary Lord appearedâthey could fight back.
âYeah, if worst comes to worst, big brother could just summon his future legendary self. Who could stop that?â said the illusory Time Lord.
Current Time Lords could visit the past and change it.
Likewise, future Lords could come to the presentâwhich, to them, was the past.
Lords could all see their future selves, but it rarely mattered.
Even Time Lords could only see so farâa few Great Extinction Cycles ahead, ten, maybe a hundred.
Beyond that, the future was out of reach.
And future selves within that range? They werenât much stronger.
Moreover, any future self acting in the present would be suppressed, making them not much stronger than current selves.
Only those whose future selves had crossed major realm thresholds could resist that suppression and make a difference.
But how far ahead did one need to go for such a future self?
Most Time Lords couldnât see that farâlet alone summon them.
âAll right. Time to move.â
The red-haired Lord finally spoke.
After each successful ambush, they would change locations and the appearance of their trap.
This time it was a mountain. Next time it might be a lakeâor a barren hillâŠ
In Wanwei Spacetimeâs depths, treasure wasnât determined by appearance, but by aura. As long as mysterious energy was present, there might be a hidden treasure.
In the blink of an eye, another hundred years passed.
Lin Yuanâs Tai Chi soul continued to explore Wanwei Spacetimeâs depths.
âThereâŠâ
Lin Yuan suddenly looked in a directionâan intense aura surged there, as if multiple Time Lords were clashing.
Whoosh!
He immediately flew toward it.
However, by the time he arrived, the battle was mostly over.
âAnyone who comes closer will be my enemy,â said a towering Time Lord with a pair of gray, curved horns, his terrifying aura spreading in all directions. Over a dozen Time Lords had retreated, unable to match him.
Behind the horned Time Lord was a sapphire-blue lake. A mysterious aura flowed from itâjust a glance confirmed the presence of a rare treasure.
âSo itâs himâŠâ
Lin Yuan looked at the horned Time Lord and instantly gave up the idea of fighting.
This Lord was known as Lord Tianshi. Over a dozen Great Extinction Cycles ago, he had already passed the final tenth tribulation of the one-billion-eight-thousand. He was likely now attempting the final three tribulations.
Lin Yuan swept a glance around. Over a dozen Time Lords on the cusp of legend stood motionless.
Clearly, Lord Tianshi had fought them all before Lin Yuan arrivedâand won. He had earned the right to claim the treasure in the sapphire lake behind him.
âToo lateâŠâ
Lin Yuan sighed inwardly. He had no intention of contesting the lake.
Attacking now would mean facing Lord Tianshi aloneâLin Yuan had no confidence in doing that.
Lord Tianshi had suppressed over a dozen near-legendary Lords on his ownâa clear display of his power.
Lin Yuan had no plans to challenge him.
âHmph!â
Seeing no one daring to approach, Lord Tianshi let out a cold snort and turned toward the sapphire lake behind him.
âThis auraâŠâ
His gaze showed deep longing as he drew closer.
The next momentâ
As soon as Lord Tianshi touched the sapphire lake, he vanished.
âLord Tianshi went in?â
âWonder what treasure is insideâŠâ
The defeated Time Lords chatted from afar.
Yet none dared approach, fearing Lord Tianshiâs power.
âHm?â
Lin Yuanâs eyes narrowed in surprise. In that moment when Lord Tianshi vanished, he vaguely sensed a trace of darkness ripple through the sapphire lake.
...
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