Chapter 780

"A dignified Legendary Lord, and yet he's gone mad like this?"

Lin Yuan had long learned from the owner of the Time-Space Shop that Lord Longshi's condition was unusual, affected by an ancient timeline from the past.

Still, it caught him off guard.

Lord Longshi wasn’t just mad—he’d completely believed himself to be the 'Lord of Return to Ruin'?

He couldn't even maintain his own identity.

It was easy to imagine that, if the Lord of Return to Ruin hadn't truly perished...

Just a single thought would’ve been enough for him to descend through Lord Longshi as a vessel.

"Lord of Return to Ruin?"

Some fragmented information about this Legendary Lord surfaced in Lin Yuan's mind.

Very little was known about the Lord of Return to Ruin—only that he was unimaginably powerful, and on the path of 'Endless Tribulations,' he had already reached the post-third-hundred-million tribulation stage.

Keep in mind, the final phase of tribulations only contained three hundred and thirty million in total, and he'd passed the three hundred million mark? And Longshi even mentioned the three hundred and ten millionth tribulation? That was indeed near the end of the path to transcendence.

Even the Lord of Wanwei, who created the Wanwei Time-Space, had only passed two hundred million tribulations in the final phase.

"Such a powerful Legendary Lord... and even he died? Died in the tribulations that followed?"

Lin Yuan silently pondered.

Though the exact strength of the Lord of Return to Ruin was unknown, the mere trace of his lingering will, spread across endless time and space, had driven Lord Longshi to madness—proving just how terrifying he was.

Watching Lord Longshi return to the Golden Moon Dimension, the Time-Space Shop owner looked at Lin Yuan helplessly. “Looks like we’ll have to wait a while longer—wait until Lord Longshi regains a bit of clarity before we can trade.”

Lord Longshi, affected by the lingering will of the 'Lord of Return to Ruin,' occasionally regained lucidity. When he did, he could be considered a normal Lord—unlike now, when he was completely irrational.

"I warned Longshi back then—told him to be careful when exploring the ancient timelines."

The shop owner shook his head. He and Lord Longshi had known each other, having conducted many trades over the ages.

In fact, the Time-Space Shop owner had a wide network of connections and was quite well-known among the second-tier Lords.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to tell Lin Yuan that invoking his name in Wanwei Time-Space could save his life.

"Ancient timelines truly are dangerous."

Lin Yuan nodded.

Not to mention the distant past—even the past, present, and future of the Chaos Void were under his gaze. If any other Lord dared to explore the Chaos Void’s past, Lin Yuan could summon the full power of the Chaos Void in a single thought to suppress them.

"When will Lord Longshi regain clarity?"

Lin Yuan asked.

There was no time limit for the arrival of the first tribulation of 'Endless Tribulations,' but he still wanted to know how long it might take.

"A short wait would be around a hundred billion years. A longer one? Maybe several Great Extinction Cycles," the shop owner estimated.

To Lords, several Great Extinction Cycles weren’t especially long.

"A hundred billion years? Several cycles?"

Lin Yuan frowned.

Forget several cycles—even a hundred billion years was unacceptable to him.

"Why? Is there something urgent?"

The shop owner noticed the change in Lin Yuan's expression.

"It’s just too long."

Lin Yuan nodded, then after some thought, asked, “If I can wake Lord Longshi earlier, can we proceed with the trade?”

As soon as he said that...

The shop owner almost thought he’d misheard.

Wake Lord Longshi early?

If that premise held, the trade could indeed proceed normally.

But how could anyone rid Lord Longshi of the influence of the 'Lord of Return to Ruin' and help him regain clarity ahead of time?

The shop owner looked at Lin Yuan. If they hadn’t known each other for tens of thousands of years, and if he didn’t trust that Lin Yuan wouldn’t speak without confidence, he would’ve thought Lin Yuan was spouting nonsense.

"How do you plan to wake Longshi early?"

The shop owner collected himself and decided to listen to Lin Yuan’s plan.

"If you need my help, or that of other Lords, just say the word."

The shop owner added.

“No need for all that.”

Lin Yuan shook his head, his gaze locked on the distant Golden Moon Dimension.

From Lord Longshi’s earlier state, and his connection to the Golden Moon Dimension...

Lin Yuan had already determined that Longshi’s control over the dimension was far from complete refinement.

There was no way he could annihilate the dimension in a single thought.

In fact, if it weren’t for the lingering will of the 'Lord of Return to Ruin' corrupting Longshi and clouding Lin Yuan’s view of future timelines...

There’d have been no need to meet with him directly to confirm things.

“No need for all that?”

The shop owner looked puzzled.

But in the next moment—

The shop owner's eyes widened.

Lin Yuan stared at the Golden Moon Dimension.

Suddenly, he stretched out his hand.

Whoosh—

His palm fell like the sky itself, covering the cosmos, and reached directly into the Golden Moon Dimension.

Though the Golden Moon Dimension, being a top-tier spatial realm, didn’t repel external time-beings, it was still heavily warded by Lord Longshi’s restrictions.

Yet under this palm, the outer protections rapidly crumbled. The palm caused no damage to the dimension itself, but it reached straight into its depths.

Then, a gentle grip.

Buzz buzz buzz~ There was a faint struggle—but it quickly fell silent.

Next—

Lin Yuan withdrew his hand from the Golden Moon Dimension.

Unlike before, when his palm was empty—this time, he held a faint shadow.

If magnified billions of times, it would reveal a colossal black dragon—one comparable in scale to the top-tier Golden Moon Dimension itself.

Yet now, in Lin Yuan’s hand, the black dragon resembled a loach.

“Lord Longshi?”

The shop owner stared blankly at the 'loach' in Lin Yuan’s hand.

From the moment Lin Yuan reached out to when he pulled back, only a brief instant had passed.

Lord Longshi, a triple-realm Lord based on 'Infinite Origin,' was nearly at the second-tier peak of Lords.

Without such strength, he couldn't have possibly explored such ancient timelines.

With power near the peak of second-tier Lords, coupled with madness from the lingering will of the 'Lord of Return to Ruin'...

Even true second-tier peak Lords wouldn't want to provoke him.

Who knew what latent tricks that lingering will might hold? When dealing with a being like the Lord of Return to Ruin—someone near the end of a transcendent path—which second-tier Lord dared to be careless?

But now?

A powerhouse like Lord Longshi, dragged from his own base like this by Lin Yuan?

"Legendary... at least Legendary Lord-level strength?"

The shop owner looked at Lin Yuan, his mind racing.

In a flash, countless bits of intelligence raced through his thoughts.

Someone exploring Wanwei Time-Space...

With the methods of a Legendary Lord...

Yet not any Legendary Lord he’d ever heard of?

In a moment of clarity, all the pieces came together into a single name—

Milky Way.

That mysterious Lord who briefly appeared in Wanwei Time-Space, only to be received personally by Legendary Lords from the deepest regions?

Lin Yuan looked down at the Lord Longshi struggling in his palm. To help him regain clarity, the simplest method was direct suppression—then using his power to temporarily restore sanity.

A terrifying being like the 'Lord of Return to Ruin'—even just a remnant will—was enough to scare away second-tier Lords, but Lin Yuan was different. His strength and methods were already at the level of Legendary Lords who had passed a hundred million tribulations in the final stage.

Moreover, he had the Gate of the Myriad Realms suppressing the depths of his mind. Even if the Lord of Return to Ruin were resurrected, he couldn’t affect Lin Yuan’s will—let alone just a remnant will.

“Lord Longshi will wake up shortly.”

Lin Yuan glanced at the shop owner and spoke.

“Alright.”

The shop owner jolted to his senses, then cautiously asked, “Are you Lord Milky Way?”

Though he suspected Lin Yuan was the mysterious 'Milky Way' Lord from Wanwei Time-Space...

Suspicions were still just suspicions.

“Yes.”

Lin Yuan nodded.

So it really was that mysterious Milky Way. The shop owner's heart trembled. As a well-connected Lord, there was no way the events in Wanwei Time-Space escaped his notice.

This time around, the biggest incident in Wanwei Time-Space’s opening had been that mysterious 'Milky Way' Lord.

Not only had he revealed a future self that had stepped into the Legendary realm, but even the Legendary Lords from the deepest region had personally greeted him.

All the clues combined—many Lords had already guessed that the future of the Milky Way Lord might be that of an unimaginably powerful figure.

Otherwise, how could someone who wasn’t yet a Legendary Lord be welcomed by several Legendary Lords?

"I never would've thought... that I’ve known the Milky Way Lord—whom countless Lords revere and wonder about—for so long already?"

The shop owner was full of emotion.

Lately, many Lords had come to him asking for intel about the Milky Way Lord, but even he, though extremely curious, had no idea.

"Lord Nightmist..." The shop owner suddenly thought of the Lord of Nightmist.

And couldn't help but feel pity.

If Nightmist had accepted Lin Yuan back then, wouldn’t that have established a connection to the mysterious Milky Way Lord?

That was a rare fortune even peak second-tier Lords could only dream of.

Yet not only did Nightmist miss that opportunity...

He even left a bad impression on Lin Yuan.

Soon—

After just a few dozen breaths—

The struggling Lord Longshi in Lin Yuan’s palm gradually calmed down.

“I am Longshi…”

His gaze cleared—then was instantly filled with even greater shock.

“Where... is this?”

Looking up, he saw five colossal pillars stretching from heaven to earth, with overwhelming pressure surrounding him—so heavy he could barely move.

The next moment—

The world shifted.

Lord Longshi appeared outside.

He saw a young man and a twelve-eyed beast.

“You are?”

Lord Longshi recognized the twelve-eyed beast but was completely unfamiliar with the young man.

Yet the pressure came entirely from that young man.

“Longshi, this is Lord Milky Way. You're only awake now thanks to his intervention.”

The shop owner quickly reminded him.

“Lord Milky Way?”

Longshi hadn’t heard of that title, but the pressure blanketing heaven and earth couldn’t be faked. He immediately bowed toward Lin Yuan. “Longshi greets Lord Milky Way.”

“Mhm.”

Lin Yuan nodded, then said to Longshi, “I’m here to make a deal with you. I’d like to borrow the Golden Moon Dimension for a while.”

“If there’s anything you want in exchange, just say it.”

Lin Yuan smiled.

“Borrow the Golden Moon Dimension?”

Longshi glanced back at the dimension, then looked to the shop owner, and said immediately, “Longshi is willing to offer the Golden Moon Dimension to Lord Milky Way.”

“And my entire fortune—seven billion two hundred million catties of Sand of Time.”

Longshi spoke with utmost respect.

“You’re offering me the Golden Moon Dimension?” Lin Yuan looked at him with interest.

Offering the Golden Moon Dimension meant completely handing over this top-tier dimension to Lin Yuan.

That was a far higher price than just borrowing it.

And Longshi was also offering his entire fortune—over seven billion catties of Sand of Time.

“What do you want in return?”

Lin Yuan asked.

“I only ask that Lord Milky Way remove the lingering will of the ‘Lord of Return to Ruin’ from me,” Longshi said in a low voice.

“Remove the lingering will of the Lord of Return to Ruin?” Lin Yuan thought for a moment and said, “I can’t guarantee it, but even if I can’t fully eliminate it, I can suppress part of it. That will greatly extend your lucid periods.”

From his earlier contact with the will, Lin Yuan had confidence that it could be removed—after all, it was just a lingering trace, spread across unknown time and space.

“No matter the outcome, I accept it.”

Longshi immediately turned to the shop owner. “Time-Space, transfer all the Sand of Time I left in your shop to Lord Milky Way.”

“No problem.”

The shop owner nodded.

The Time-Space Shop didn’t just handle trades—it also acted as a kind of bank. Many time-beings stored their Sand of Time there.

Because of the owner’s impeccable reputation, time-beings trusted him deeply.

“Then I’ll begin.”

Lin Yuan didn’t say much. His gaze fell on Lord Longshi.

Buzz— Lord Longshi immediately felt his consciousness falling. He didn’t resist—instead letting himself drift into sleep.

“Lord of Return to Ruin…”

At the same time, Lin Yuan activated the intertwined powers of Tai Yi, Tai Chu, and Tai Shi—three of the Innate Five-Tai of the Innate Dao—to begin expelling the corruption deep in Longshi’s body, soul, and spirit.

“As expected of a Lord near the end of the path to transcendence.”

Lin Yuan was impressed. Though he wasn’t going all-out, he wasn’t far off. Yet in attempting to expel the remnants of the 'Lord of Return to Ruin,' he hadn’t achieved total dominance.

Still, it was only a matter of time.

A few days later—

Under the combined force of Tai Yi, Tai Chu, and Tai Shi, the lingering will in Lord Longshi’s flesh, soul, and spirit was driven into one spot.

The corrupted remnants converged into a vague figure.

Before, each remnant had been filled with madness—but after merging into this silhouette, it suddenly calmed.

“I am Return to Ruin. I don’t know if you’re from the past or the future.”

The blurry figure spoke. “But if, during your journey through the 'Endless Tribulations,' you reach the three hundred millionth tribulation, and the final trials of supreme law and Dao will descend—and one of them sends you to a specific timeline to stop someone from reaching the pinnacle of a new path to transcendence—”

At that point, the figure’s tone turned bitter and full of regret:

“Don’t go! Whatever you do, don’t go!!!”

...

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