"Voluntary self-destruction?"
Lin Yuan looked down at the gradually dissipating Chaos Flame, his thoughts rippling.
To make a Chaos Great Saint willingly choose annihilation—it was almost impossible. Reaching full mastery of the Chaos Stage? What kind of unshakable Dao heart did that require?
Such a powerhouse could be killed, could be suppressed, but to have them voluntarily choose complete extinction—utterly unlikely.
His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign had perished due to the backlash of forcibly breaking free from the time loop. But the Nine Phoenix Chaos Saint?
She had chosen self-destruction right before Lin Yuan's eyes.
This was certainly due in part to Lin Yuan's power, but even if one was not a match, no Chaos Great Saint would willingly choose such an end.
Take Lin Yuan himself—even when facing one of the lofty Time Beings, if truly left with no retreat, he wouldn't just submit. He would definitely resist and struggle.
In the timeline revealed by the Heavenly Void Cauldron, after Lin Yuan destroyed that special realm, he voluntarily extinguished his body and soul—because he had a fallback: the Source World.
It wasn't true death.
But the Nine Phoenix Chaos Saint...
Lin Yuan could clearly feel that she had burned completely—there was nothing left behind that was linked to her karmic threads for survival.
As for "reincarnation"?
Lin Yuan sensed no fluctuations of spiritual will merging into the laws of the chaotic void for reincarnation.
In other words, the Nine Phoenix Chaos Saint had chosen complete and utter death.
"Karma has been resolved."
Looking at the swiftly vanishing Chaos Flame and sensing no traces of karma left by the two Chaos Great Saints, Lin Yuan thought to himself.
From the early cataclysm of his home universe to the difficult integration of human civilization into the chaotic void—it had all originated with those two Chaos Great Saints.
Now that they had fallen completely, the entanglements between them had finally come to an end.
Whoosh—
The Chaos Flame dissipated.
A crystalline, fiery red gem appeared.
Lin Yuan glanced at it and stretched out his right hand, taking the crystal into his palm.
Inside, threads of Chaos Flame shimmered. There weren't many, but they were extremely pure.
"This is the lifelong Dao Fruit condensed by the Nine Phoenix Chaos Saint?"
Lin Yuan examined the crystal. No matter the being—whether below Rank Twelve, in the Path-Clearing, Dominance, or Chaos Stages—as long as they fused with this crystal, they could quickly walk the path of chaotic power that the Nine Phoenix Chaos Saint had cultivated.
Simply put, this crystal could instantly create a Chaos Great Saint.
Such a treasure—even Lin Yuan had only heard of it, never seen one before.
Even Invincible Supreme Saints like His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign or the master of the Devil Jade Tower had never seen one.
Because it was just too rare.
It required a Chaos Stage being at peak perfection to willingly give up everything—give up ascending to Rank Thirteen, give up reincarnation—only then was it even possible to condense such a fruit.
And even then, success was not guaranteed.
"If one's Dao can be passed on, it's not complete extinction."
Lin Yuan looked at the fiery red crystal in his hand, then stored it within his internal universe. Turning around, he headed back to the Milky Way Chaos Continent.
The Source World.
Within the treasured land.
Since his true form in the chaotic void had stepped into the Chaos Stage, the true body in the Source World naturally entered the Chaos Stage as well.
"This spacetime?"
Seated cross-legged, Lin Yuan felt the surging power within him.
After stepping into the Chaos Stage, the essence of life had undergone a qualitative leap.
He could now sense the spacetime suppression of the treasured land had become almost imperceptible.
"The source of the Source World..."
Lin Yuan's gaze deepened as he looked through the spacetime of the treasured land toward an even deeper dimension.
The nature of a treasured land is that it falls from the Source World. If the Source World were likened to a towering tree, then the treasured lands would be its fruits.
Fruits that had fallen and were severed from the tree—like the Black Jade Nest and others.
But this current treasured land had only just emerged and was still in a state of partial connection with the Source World.
With Lin Yuan's current cultivation, he could perceive the essence of the Source World—that towering tree—through this semi-severed link.
Buzz—
At that moment—
A projection of Heavenly Sovereign Suyin of the Xuanyin Ancient Kingdom descended.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, have you made up your mind?"
Suyin Heavenly Sovereign seemed impatient.
Six hundred years ago, he had proposed a trade—offering the core pillars occupied by his ancient kingdom in exchange for massive benefits.
But this Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign had been "considering" ever since, saying such a matter couldn't be decided lightly.
At first, Suyin Heavenly Sovereign understood. After all, his request was indeed excessive—an outright attempt to take advantage during a crisis.
He knew it, and so did the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign and the Liyang Ancient Kingdom.
But given the current situation in the treasured land, if they wanted access, they had to accept this kind of extortion.
Yet—
Six hundred years had passed.
And the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign was still "considering"?
A simple transaction, dragged on for six centuries?
Suyin's patience was utterly worn out.
If it weren't for the fact that the terms he'd offered to Liyang Ancient Kingdom were far more favorable than those offered to the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom, he would've gone through with the trade long ago.
"Consider what?"
Lin Yuan glanced at Suyin Heavenly Sovereign.
"Consider what?"
Suyin Heavenly Sovereign was stunned.
Six hundred years had passed, and the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign was asking "consider what"?
Had the last six centuries been for nothing?
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, my patience is limited."
Suyin Heavenly Sovereign forcibly suppressed his anger. Though the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign was the strongest of the Heavenly Sovereigns, Suyin represented the Xuanyin Ancient Kingdom, not just himself.
Being treated so flippantly enraged him—it felt like a betrayal.
"You dare speak to me like that?"
Lin Yuan stared at Suyin Heavenly Sovereign.
Boom!
With a wave of Lin Yuan's hand, a ripple of spacetime smashed into Suyin's projection.
It instantly collapsed.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, you—?"
Soon, Suyin reformed another projection. For someone of his power, recreating a projection was nothing.
But this time, his eyes were filled with shock and fury as he stared at Lin Yuan, unable to believe it.
If this had happened outside the treasured land, disrespecting a top-tier Heavenly Sovereign would have consequences.
But this was within the treasured land—and the Liyang Ancient Kingdom needed the Xuanyin Ancient Kingdom.
Why would the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign strike so recklessly at his projection?
Had he truly given up on the treasured land?
That shouldn't be.
Suyin knew that while his demands were excessive, in the long term, the deal was still in Liyang's favor. Better that than letting the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom claim the treasure.
"What I want, I don't need to bargain for." Lin Yuan shot a glance at Suyin and said impatiently, "Now get lost!"
Boom!
Suyin's projection exploded again.
This time, he didn't reform.
"Fine, fine, fine." On the Xuanyin Ancient Kingdom's side, Suyin's expression darkened. The Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign's actions made it clear: their deal was finished.
Though he didn't know why, the priority now was to strike a deal with the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom.
If they delayed, and that kingdom realized Liyang might abandon the treasured land, they'd cut down their own terms heavily.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, Liyang Ancient Kingdom..."
Suyin took a deep breath and immediately sent part of his consciousness toward the massive core pillar held by the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom.
Not long after Suyin's expulsion—
Heavenly Sovereign Lingyu of the Grand Ling Ancient Kingdom descended as well.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, have you made your decision?" Lingyu was also here to push for a deal. With the treasure's competition nearing its end, he clearly wanted to seal the trade quickly.
"No need to consider."
Lin Yuan looked at Lingyu and said directly, "If you want to trade with the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom, go ahead."
"You—?"
Lingyu was dumbfounded. He didn't understand why Lin Yuan was saying this.
Anyone could see that if the Grand Ling and Grand Ancient Void Kingdoms completed their deal, the latter would control an overwhelming number of core pillars.
Liyang would stand no chance.
In this situation, any rational being would make every effort to trade with the Grand Ling Ancient Kingdom, wouldn't they?
"Get lost."
Lin Yuan waved his hand, and Lingyu's projection immediately disintegrated.
"Milky Way, what are you—?"
Heavenly Sovereign Red Flame appeared. He had just been wondering why Lin Yuan had dispersed Suyin's projection, and now Lingyu's projection had been destroyed as well.
He couldn't make sense of it.
"No need to trade with them anymore."
Lin Yuan looked at Red Flame and shook his head. "These ancient kingdom Heavenly Sovereigns only know how to make demands."
And not just any demands—like demanding 80% to 100% of the treasure's yield over the next 10 trillion years before Liyang even gained control. That was unacceptable to Lin Yuan.
"Their demands are indeed excessive."
Red Flame was silent for a while.
It was obvious that the Xuanyin and Grand Ling Kingdoms were pushing things too far. Everyone in the Liyang Ancient Kingdom could see it, but if they wanted to win the treasure, they had no choice but to accept.
"Hmm?"
Red Flame was about to say something when his expression changed. "The Grand Ancient Void Kingdom has already completed its deals with the Xuanyin and Grand Ling Kingdoms."
"It's over now."
Red Flame sighed.
The deals between the three great kingdoms weren't a secret—Heavenly Sovereign Fu Xu even spread the news deliberately.
"These three kingdoms now control nearly 180 core pillars—more than half of all the total. Plus, with the Thunder Ancient Kingdom's Pillars..."
Red Flame's face darkened with concern, even despair. "How is our Liyang Ancient Kingdom supposed to fight the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom for this treasured land?"
At this point, Red Flame saw no hope. Even if the Barbarian Wild Ancient Kingdom allied with them, their combined Pillars were still far fewer than the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom's.
"It's simple."
Lin Yuan glanced at Red Flame and said calmly:
"Crush them all."
...Lin Yuan's gaze was profound, his tone calm—but what he said made Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign's heart jolt.
"Just crush them head-on?"
What did that mean?
Crush?
Crush who?
Someone like Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign, one of the strongest Heavenly Sovereigns?
Lin Yuan's power was indeed astonishing—on the level of the strongest Heavenly Sovereigns among the six great ancient kingdoms.
But Fuxu was also a strongest Heavenly Sovereign. Even if there was a gap between them, it wasn't a large one. How could he possibly "crush" him?
Not to mention the other peak Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns from the Xuanyin, Grand Spirit, and Thunder Ancient Kingdoms—all wielded ancestral weapons passed down by their kingdoms. In a burst, their strength could rival that of the strongest Heavenly Sovereigns.
So many obstacles—how was the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign going to crush them?
Red Flame couldn't understand it.
In his view, the strongest Heavenly Sovereigns were already the peak beneath the Ancestors. To crush such beings… only the Ancestor could manage that.
But Lin Yuan clearly hadn't stepped into that realm.
Red Flame looked at Lin Yuan, a flicker of shock and doubt in his expression.
If anyone else had said this, he wouldn't have even considered it—he'd have dismissed it as a joke.
Lin Yuan didn't explain further. With a wave of his hand, a "map" of the treasured land appeared in front of them.
This newly emerged treasure land was vast and deep in spacetime.
But after one to two thousand years of exploration by countless Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns from the six ancient kingdoms, a fairly accurate "map" had been drawn.
On the map, over three hundred light dots were scattered throughout.
Three of them were noticeably larger than the rest.
The smaller dots represented core pillars.
The larger ones were the colossal core pillars.
Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign also saw the map Lin Yuan projected.
While each core pillar's precise spacetime coordinates were marked—
Due to the nature of the pillars—any Heavenly Sovereign refining one could instantly descend upon its location—
Ambushes were meaningless. Any unusual activity would immediately summon the powerful Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign occupying it.
And these Sovereigns typically held ancestral killing artifacts from their kingdoms, capable of unleashing strength near that of a strongest Heavenly Sovereign.
When Mankun Heavenly Sovereign of the Barbarian Ancient Kingdom refined the second colossal core pillar, even though Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign was enraged, he chose to withdraw.
Partly because of Lin Yuan's deterrence, and partly because Fuxu wasn't confident he could break through Mankun's defenses in a short time.
The ancestral killing artifacts of each kingdom were terrifying, forged by the Ancestors themselves. When fully activated, they could significantly enhance an Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign's strength, even making the strongest wary.
"We'll start here."
Lin Yuan looked at the treasure land map for a while and finally selected a core pillar in a corner of the land.
Starting there would allow him to radiate influence across the entire treasure land in the shortest time.
"You'll come with me."
Lin Yuan glanced at Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign.
"Yes."
Though doubtful, Red Flame sensed what Lin Yuan intended to do. He found it hard to believe, but still nodded.
Whoosh.
Spacetime twisted.
In the blink of an eye—
Lin Yuan brought Red Flame to the core pillar in that corner.
"This kind of teleportation speed…"
Red Flame was shocked. From the colossal pillar to here wasn't an outrageous distance, but still covered about a tenth of the entire treasure land.
Even a strongest Heavenly Sovereign like Fuxu would need at least a fraction of a breath to cover that span.
But Lin Yuan had done it instantly—and even brought him along?
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign?"
A figure appeared in front of the core pillar, clearly on high alert upon seeing Lin Yuan.
This pillar had been refined and occupied by the Thunder Ancient Kingdom. The one who appeared was their top Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign—Lei Sa.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, our Thunder Ancient Kingdom has already completed a deal with Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign. You're too late."
Lei Sa stared at Lin Yuan and immediately spoke.
He assumed Lin Yuan was here to negotiate for the pillar.
"No matter."
Lin Yuan looked at Lei Sa and casually stepped forward.
Boom—
A wave of overwhelming spacetime power surged forth.
Second colossal core pillar.
Twelve Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns of the Barbarian Ancient Kingdom were gathered here.
"Grand Ancient Void Kingdom has made a deal with the Xuanyin and Grand Spirit Kingdoms?"
Top Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign Mankun felt the situation becoming thorny.
These three kingdoms, combined with the Thunder Ancient Kingdom—which always followed the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom's lead—now meant that the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom controlled more than two-thirds of the treasure land's core pillars.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign didn't reach an agreement with the Grand Spirit or Xuanyin Kingdoms?"
Another Barbarian Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign asked.
Thunder Ancient Kingdom aside, the Grand Spirit and Xuanyin Kingdoms were potential allies. With enough concessions, perhaps they could have been won over.
That would've qualified them to contest the treasure with Grand Ancient Void.
"Maybe those two kingdoms asked for too much?"
A third Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign chimed in. Even without knowing the details, it was easy to imagine those two kingdoms had tried to extort him.
"A pity. They didn't even try to negotiate with us," the second Sovereign said helplessly.
Neither the Grand Spirit nor Xuanyin Ancient Kingdom ever considered the Barbarian Kingdom.
Why?
Because trading with the Barbarian Kingdom was too risky. Even if all their pillars were handed over, the Barbarians might still fail to seize the treasure.
If, in the end, Grand Void or Liyang took it, their investment would be wasted.
"That's enough talk."
At that moment, Mankun spoke, sweeping his gaze over the gathered Sovereigns. "As things stand, our only choice is to support Liyang. Even if we can't seize the treasure ourselves, we must help Liyang win it."
With Grand Ancient Void Kingdom now joined by three others—Xuanyin, Grand Spirit, and Thunder—their strength was overwhelming. If the Barbarians switched sides now, they'd only be icing on the cake.
And Grand Ancient Void wouldn't offer much in return.
Therefore—
They had only one path: stand with Liyang.
Though Grand Void held the upper hand—
The final battle hadn't begun. There was still a chance.
The eleven other Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns nodded solemnly.
Indeed.
The Barbarian Kingdom had only one choice now.
At the third colossal core pillar—
Avatars of numerous top Sovereigns from the Grand Ancient Void, Xuanyin, Grand Spirit, and Thunder Kingdoms had gathered.
"Hahaha, everyone, although we currently control far more pillars than Liyang, we still mustn't be careless." Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign smiled down at them.
In general, treasure land battles erupted in the final hundred years.
That "final battle" was when all sides unleashed their full strength, holding nothing back.
Of course, even in such a battle, Fuxu was confident. He had a head start—and now, more than just one.
All he had to do was hold off the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, and Liyang wouldn't make a ripple.
"Well then, early congratulations, Fuxu—" Su Yin Heavenly Sovereign of the Xuanyin Kingdom began to speak.
Suddenly—
Among the Thunder Kingdom's group, Lei Sa's expression shifted.
"Fuxu."
Lei Sa quickly said, "That Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign just appeared near one of the pillars I refined…"
"Oh?"
Fuxu's expression turned slightly grim. "Ask what he's planning."
Milky Way's behavior immediately made Fuxu think of the final battle.
However, battles for new treasure lands typically focused on colossal pillars—or at least central ones.
Only then could one advance or retreat effectively.
But Lei Sa was saying Milky Way had appeared near the edge?
"All right."
Lei Sa nodded—then froze.
"What is it?"
Fuxu immediately asked, sensing something wrong from Lei Sa's face.
"Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign… my main battle body guarding that pillar… has perished."
Lei Sa steadied himself and said.
"Perished?"
Fuxu was stunned. That fast?
Lei Sa was one of the Thunder Kingdom's top Sovereigns, a being born from endless lightning.
Such a being was notoriously hard to kill. Even Fuxu would have to grind him down slowly.
"Where was your ancestral weapon?"
Fuxu immediately asked.
"I didn't have time to activate it."
Lei Sa swallowed, then added, "That Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign…"
There was fear in his voice.
"You didn't have time?"
Fuxu fell silent.
At their level, a single thought was enough to activate an ancestral weapon.
To not even activate it—meant he never reacted at all.
How was that possible?
A top Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign—killed before even realizing it?
Fuxu's heart trembled. Even the strongest needed time to breach an ancestral weapon's defenses.
But now?
"Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign,"
At that moment, Linggan Heavenly Sovereign of the Grand Spirit Kingdom spoke. "That Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign is now beside my pillar."
"Be careful."
Fuxu warned instantly, already unsettled by Lei Sa's death.
The time between Pillars was too short to process—no time to dwell on it.
"I…"
Linggan nodded—but the next instant, his face turned pale.
"What happened?"
Fuxu sensed something was wrong.
"Dead… my main body has fallen," Linggan replied, voice trembling. Even with full caution and his weapon ready to fire—
He died the moment Milky Way looked at him. No time to react at all.
"Lei Sa, the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign—"
"Don't look at me, I died suddenly too," Lei Sa shook his head, still dazed.
"Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign, the Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign just reached my location."
Deyin Heavenly Sovereign of the Xuanyin Kingdom quickly said.
"Don't hesitate—activate your ancestral weapon immediately!"
Fuxu warned, rattled by the deaths.
Buzz—
A faint ripple came—but was instantly crushed, like a spark snuffed out before it caught flame.
"You—?"
Fuxu stared at Deyin.
"Dead," Deyin shook his head. "I activated the ancestral weapon—but he was too strong. It shattered instantly."
"The weapon shattered?"
Fuxu went silent again.
These ancestral weapons weren't on the level of Ancestor tools—but they were still forged by them. Even the strongest Sovereigns had to work to breach them.
"Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign, I—"
"Fuxu, Milky Way has—"
"Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign—"
As Fuxu's mind swirled, voices from all sides rose in panic—one Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign after another, all killed by Milky Way.
None even had time to react.
Despite earlier warnings, nothing changed.
In just three to four breaths—
Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign seized and refined 103 core pillars.
103 pillars—spanning a large portion of the treasure land—were lost in mere seconds.
"These 103 Pillars…"
Fuxu was shaken. A realization dawned. The map of the treasure land appeared before him.
Over 300 dots lit the map. Now, starting from one corner, a large swath turned red—taken by Milky Way.
"He's steamrolling… starting from the edge, he's steamrolling across the entire treasure land."
Fuxu murmured in disbelief.
And then—
His heart clenched. He looked up, feeling a sense of doom.
There, high above—no one knew when it happened—a young man stood, hands behind his back, smiling down at Fuxu and the gathered Sovereigns.
He narrowed his eyes and said:
"Your turn."
...