"Thank you, Ancestors."
Lin Yuan looked at the six Ancestors, including Liyang Ancestor. Every one of them had given him a gift.
And the value of these gifts was rare even among thirteenth-rank beings—it was clear each Ancestor had put real effort into this.
"But I'd like to know… why are you all doing this? Is it because of my future?" Lin Yuan voiced his doubts.
He had initially thought their visit was a simple one. But Barbarian Wild Ancestor had openly spoken of being equals—equals? That was nearly the same as recognizing him as a thirteenth-rank.
The other Ancestors, even Grand Void Ancestor, had presented precious gifts. This kind of treatment left Lin Yuan puzzled.
Even if his future potential was immense, was it really worth this level of favor? After all, the future held countless uncertainties and infinite possibilities.
The futures seen by the Ancestors weren't guaranteed to come true.
So Lin Yuan spoke up directly, wanting to understand the reason behind all of this.
"Hahaha, Brother Milky Way, direct as always," Barbarian Wild Ancestor said with a grin, glancing at the many attendants still moving about.
Liyang Ancestor waved his hand, and all the attendants were moved outside the hall. What they were about to discuss belonged to the level of thirteenth-rank time-beings.
"It's simple," Xuanyin Ancestor looked at Lin Yuan and said, "It's because your future is almost guaranteed—you will become a thirteenth-rank."
"Guaranteed to reach thirteenth-rank?" Lin Yuan's expression shifted slightly.
"At least in the future timelines we've seen, you always cross into the thirteenth-rank. It's only a matter of time—maybe tens of thousands of years, or hundreds of thousands to millions. But you always make it."
"That's right," Grand Void Ancestor nodded. "Brother Milky Way, don't take it the wrong way—I specifically looked at timelines where someone tried to stop or kill you, but it was pointless. At most, it could only delay your breakthrough."
"Yes, I tried too. But in the end, you came back stronger and directly crushed me," Grand Ling Ancestor nodded as well.
Thirteenth-rank time-beings could observe many future timelines, and if they were crushed in every one, it meant that in none of those futures did they survive. No chance of escape.
If even one timeline offered a way out, time-beings would try to choose that one.
"Came back stronger?" Lin Yuan's thoughts churned.
He had no doubts about that. With the Gate of Myriad Realms, he had life-preserving methods from across different dimensional spaces—realms even time-beings found hard to reach.
Even if all six Ancestors tried, they might erase his presence from this source world, but they couldn't truly kill him.
And knowing his own temperament, if an Ancestor ever attacked him, he would certainly return after breaking through to the thirteenth-rank to settle the score.
The spatial-temporal coordinates of this source world had already been recorded by the Gate of Myriad Realms. He could return anytime.
The future timelines seen by the Ancestors could only tell them that Lin Yuan couldn't be killed. As for the reason, they didn't know—and that was normal, as it involved the Gate.
But the idea that he was all but destined to become a thirteenth-rank?
"We don't know the exact reason. Even Time Lords wandering between dimensional gaps have only ever narrowed down timelines—they've never spoken of a fixed future."
Thunder Ancestor looked at Lin Yuan and continued, "But whatever the reason, Brother Milky Way, you're destined to cross into thirteenth-rank, and far in the future, you'll reach incredible heights. If we don't befriend you now, it'll be too late later."
The other Ancestors nodded slightly. They weren't hiding anything, and they bore no malice. This was purely a gesture of goodwill.
And among all the timelines they observed, this was the best approach—if they tried to use hidden motives or exploit Lin Yuan's ignorance, then once he became thirteenth-rank and understood everything, he wouldn't view them favorably.
Having confirmed that they absolutely couldn't be enemies with Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, the Ancestors naturally chose to extend full goodwill to Lin Yuan.
"We expect nothing in return, Brother Milky Way. Don't feel any pressure—just consider us friends," Grand Ling Ancestor said.
"I see."
Lin Yuan nodded. He didn't have any negative thoughts about the Ancestors' gesture.
They had proactively come bearing gifts, clearing the way for his cultivation, and explained everything frankly—no matter their motive, Lin Yuan would remember this favor.
"Even a destined future isn't absolutely certain."
Lin Yuan thought for a moment and said.
The future timelines the six Ancestors had seen were only a portion—not the whole.
All it really meant was that his odds of reaching thirteenth-rank were higher than most beings.
"That's true."
The Ancestors exchanged glances and nodded.
That's why they said "almost guaranteed."
If they were perfect fourteenth-rank time-beings, able to observe all timelines, then maybe they could be certain. But they weren't, and in timelines beyond their reach, Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign's fate remained unknown.
"Regardless, thank you all,"
Lin Yuan said, looking at the Ancestors. "If I really do reach the thirteenth-rank one day, I won't forget your kindness."
"Hahaha." The Ancestors looked at each other and smiled.
Wasn't this exactly why they'd all come together? To build goodwill with Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign—so that when he rose in power, he'd remember their kindness and not turn against them.
"Almost guaranteed to reach thirteenth-rank."
Lin Yuan's thoughts raced. At the very least, it confirmed that his current path was not wrong. More than that, it validated his efforts in spreading the martial path evolution branch.
"Brother Milky Way, if there's anything else you need, just say the word," Barbarian Wild Ancestor offered.
Lin Yuan hadn't stepped into thirteenth-rank yet, so anything he asked, they could likely provide.
And if Lin Yuan made a request and they fulfilled it, that would deepen the bond and karmic ties between them.
This was practically free goodwill. But once Lin Yuan reached thirteenth-rank, any requests he made might be beyond their power—not out of unwillingness, but true inability.
"Yes, just say it," Xuanyin Ancestor added.
"I'd like to study more supreme inheritances and guidance," Lin Yuan said to the five Ancestors.
"More supreme inheritances and guidance?" Grand Void Ancestor and the others immediately understood.
Each ancient kingdom's treasury held many of these, but acquiring them required great merit—and once studied, they were forbidden from being shared. Swearing an oath in an Ancestor's name was required.
Violating that oath would invite an Ancestor's wrath.
So if Lin Yuan wanted to study the supreme inheritances of the five other kingdoms, he needed their direct permission.
"This? Nothing at all." Barbarian Wild Ancestor waved his hand, and a jade slip appeared, containing all of the Barbarian Wild Ancient Kingdom's supreme inheritances and guidance.
These inheritances were extremely important. Since they couldn't be passed on, and were monopolized by the ancient kingdoms, they were highly sought after.
Yet in truth, they were easy to reproduce. Beyond the original creation, reproducing them carried almost no cost.
The other four Ancestors also took out their own supreme inheritances, some even annotated with their personal insights.
"Thank you."
A smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face—he had been interested in these ancient inheritances for a long time.
Ever since entering the Black Jade Nest and detaining two Heavenly Sovereigns from the Xuanyin Kingdom, he'd noticed traces of their practice of the supreme inheritance and had wanted to see it for himself.
"There's one more thing," Lin Yuan said as he stored away the many supreme inheritances, looking toward the Ancestors.
"Go ahead, Brother Milky Way," Barbarian Wild Ancestor responded quickly.
The more Lin Yuan asked, the happier he was.
"I want to spread the martial cultivation path across the six ancient kingdoms," Lin Yuan said.
Spreading the martial evolution branch was something Lin Yuan had long worked toward—even now, having heard from the Ancestors that his breakthrough was almost certain, he wouldn't stop.
After all, who knew if this "almost certain" outcome didn't depend on the martial evolution branch?
And since the Ancestors could only see a portion of all timelines, even "almost certain" outcomes still contained variables. So Lin Yuan would do everything in his power to eliminate uncertainty.
"Spreading the martial path? No problem."
"I'll give the order immediately."
The five Ancestors all nodded. Having seen the future timelines, they knew how powerful this martial cultivation path was—no weaker than their own.
In almost every future they saw, Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign was always spreading the martial path.
After chatting with Lin Yuan for a while longer and confirming he had no more requests, the five Ancestors rose and took their leave.
Once they returned to their respective kingdoms, orders related to Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign began rolling out.
The most important?
Do not provoke Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign—especially for any Heavenly Sovereigns within the kingdoms.
Next came the full-scale promotion and propagation of the martial path he had created.
This left countless powerhouses across the six ancient kingdoms stunned.
"Don't provoke Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign? A direct order from the Ancestors?"
"Why would high-and-mighty Ancestors care so much about Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign?"
"And this martial cultivation path? It's one thing if the Liyang Kingdom promotes it—he's from there. But the other five?"
"I can feel it. The Ancestors are doing this because Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign is simply too extraordinary."
"All five Ancestors treating him like this—just how terrifying is he?"
The experts of the six ancient kingdoms were full of disbelief. The Ancestors' strange attitudes baffled many. Sure, Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign was powerful—he was the first Invincible Heavenly Sovereign.
But no matter how powerful—was he stronger than an Ancestor?
Still, confused or not, if even the Ancestors refused to offend Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, the Great Sovereigns and Heavenly Sovereigns had no courage to do otherwise.
In truth, even without the Ancestors' orders, no one dared to provoke Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign. His title as Invincible Heavenly Sovereign wasn't for nothing. Even the strongest Heavenly Sovereign of the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom would feel despair before him, forced to rely on forbidden inheritances to resist.
Milky Way Palace.
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged. In front of him beat a heart like a bottomless abyss.
It was the Yuanlong's heart.
As the first lifeform born of this source world, even though the Yuanlong hadn't reached the thirteenth-rank, its uniqueness made it nearly equal to a time-being.
The moment Grand Void Ancestor became thirteenth-rank, the first thing he did was suppress and slay the Yuanlong—not just due to personal enmity, but because the Yuanlong was too unique.
If not for his desire to befriend Lin Yuan, Grand Void Ancestor would never have given up the Yuanlong's heart.
"So perfect…"
Lin Yuan gazed at the miniature source world within the heart, his expression dazed with awe.
By observing the source world within the heart, Lin Yuan vaguely understood why this world was called a source world—why, despite the Chaos Void being no less vast, it wasn't one of the thirty-three source worlds.
"The core of a source world lies in 'perfection.'"
Lin Yuan's expression was thoughtful.
The boundless Chaos Void held many flaws and risks.
Thirteenth-rank time-beings had created unique realms to shield and compensate for those risks.
But this source world didn't need that—or at least, based on the micro source world in the Yuanlong's heart, Lin Yuan hadn't yet seen any flaws.
The source world gave him an overwhelming sense of perfection.
Even if it would still face an eventual Great Destruction, its lifespan far exceeded that of the Chaos Void.
Chaos Void.
Outside the Milky Way Chaos Continent.
Two figures appeared out of thin air. The one on the left was a bald man, the right a lean figure.
The aura they emitted was terrifying—the laws of the Chaos Void's Dao retreated before them. They were clearly Supreme Saints.
"These past days, we've reviewed every known enemy of Shadowfiend and Nine Phoenix with even the slightest karmic link. Nothing unusual. The only one left is this Milky Way Saint."
The lean figure spoke in a low voice. They had come on Supreme Saint Rahu's orders, to investigate why Shadowfiend and Nine Phoenix had been utterly erased from karma.
Milky Way Saint's origins were mysterious, and he had only killed Shadowfiend and Nine Phoenix within the Mysterious Emperor Universe. That alone led them to believe there must be an unknown enmity between them.
"Let's confirm it quickly, then report back."
The bald figure spoke. He didn't believe Milky Way Saint had anything to do with the complete erasure of Shadowfiend and Nine Phoenix. No matter how strong he was, he hadn't displayed the power of a Supreme Saint.
To utterly erase both Saints without a trace? Impossible.
They had only come to go through the motions, to show Supreme Saint Rahu they had done their due diligence.
"Alright."
The lean figure nodded and stepped forward, overlooking the Milky Way Chaos Continent.
"Milky Way Saint, show yourself immediately!"
A terrifying soundwave pierced through countless layers of spacetime, spreading across every corner of the Milky Way Chaos Continent in an instant.
...
"Milky Way Saint, are you not going to come out and meet us?"
The terrifying voice rippled through spacetime, and in that moment, every living being on the Milky Way Chaos Continent heard it in their ears.
In fact, not just the Milky Way Chaos Continent—vast stretches of surrounding void were enveloped by the voice. As a Supreme Saint, the emaciated figure's shout had spread incredibly far.
The bald man beside him remained calm and said nothing.
Although Milky Way Saint wasn't yet a Supreme Saint, based on his performance in the Mysterious Emperor Universe, he was likely close.
While the two Supreme Saints didn't fear him, they also wouldn't carelessly enter the Milky Way Chaos Continent.
The continent was Milky Way Saint's domain, established by him. Within it, he could exert even greater power, while outsiders would be suppressed.
With such a clear advantage for Lin Yuan, the bald man naturally wouldn't step in lightly.
In their eyes, Milky Way Saint was still just a Chaos Great Saint. They were Supreme Saints, and more importantly, followers of Supreme Saint Rahu.
Rahu Saint was on the verge of sweeping through the Chaos Void and proving himself invincible. As his subordinates, their status far surpassed that of ordinary Saints. There was no need to be overly courteous with Milky Way Saint.
Invincible Supreme Saints were exceedingly rare across eras of the Chaos Void—but once one appeared, they reigned absolutely supreme.
Neither His Majesty Mysterious Sovereign nor the Lord of Devil Jade Tower cared much about other Saints after becoming Invincible Supreme Saints.
"Who's demanding that Milky Way Saint come out?"
"A Supreme Saint—this kind of temporal suppression could only come from one."
"A Supreme Saint wants to see Milky Way Saint?"
On the Milky Way Chaos Continent, countless powerful beings looked toward the source of the voice. Many peak Chaos-level powerhouses clearly sensed the spatial-temporal suppression and deduced that a Supreme Saint had arrived.
Even without feeling the pressure, many had guessed as much.
After all, who else but a Supreme Saint would dare speak to Milky Way Saint like that?
Everyone knew Milky Way Saint had the power to suppress other Chaos Saints—Dual-Source Saint and Heiyao Saint were prime examples.
"Those two youngsters?"
Far in the distance, several special entities projected their consciousness, observing the two Supreme Saints—the emaciated one and the bald one—from afar.
In the minds of many such entities, Lin Yuan was likely among the top five, if not top three, Invincible Supreme Saints in the history of the Chaos Void—so naturally, they paid close attention to him.
Especially after he recently evolved the Chaos Power Path and engraved it into the Chaos Void itself. That feat alone implied he had reached, or even become, an Invincible Supreme Saint.
"Those two likely have some connection to Rahu."
"Rahu, huh? If nothing unexpected happened, he's probably mastered that inheritance and gained the power of an Invincible Supreme Saint. Too bad... this era has Milky Way Saint."
One of the special entities' consciousnesses gently shook its head.
Normally, in the Chaos Void, a Supreme Saint who mastered a certain thirteenth-rank inheritance would be considered to have Invincible Supreme Saint strength.
But having Invincible Supreme Saint strength and truly becoming one were different things. Only one Invincible Supreme Saint could exist per era. Even if ten Saints with that strength emerged at once, only one might be recognized—and most likely, none.
To become Invincible, all other Supreme Saints must yield in heart and mind. But ten Saints of equal standing and power? None would submit.
Thus, even if one had the power, without achieving unquestioned supremacy, they couldn't become an Invincible Supreme Saint.
"Then again, Rahu has profound foundations. Milky Way Saint has terrifying potential, but in an era where Rahu exists, his path to becoming Invincible Supreme Saint may not be smooth."
Another special consciousness commented. While they acknowledged Milky Way Saint's potential, they also recognized Rahu Saint's strength.
Both Saints clearly possessed Invincible-level strength—but whether Milky Way could surpass Rahu remained to be seen.
"Let's just watch."
"Those two kids probably don't know how strong Milky Way Saint really is. Could be interesting—maybe Milky Way and Rahu will cross paths sooner than expected."
The special consciousnesses were quite entertained. Across the endless eras of the universe, Saints with Invincible-level strength were extraordinarily rare. And now, two had appeared in one era.
Naturally, they were intrigued.
For them, amusement over the ages was rare. Watching two such beings clash was definitely one of their few pleasures.
Deep within the Milky Way Chaos Continent.
Lin Yuan was in seclusion, cultivating. The supreme inheritances given to him by the Ancestors of the source world required immense time and effort to comprehend.
"Hm?"
He heard the voice from the outside world and frowned slightly.
"Those two?"
He glanced toward the distant void, where the two Supreme Saints stood. With a flash, he appeared in the skies above the Milky Way Chaos Continent.
"Milky Way Saint?"
The emaciated figure was stunned. Something felt off—the aura from Milky Way Saint was far too calm. So calm, in fact, that he couldn't sense anything at all.
"This Milky Way Saint… is not simple."
The bald man also sensed something. He stepped forward, standing beside the emaciated figure, expression growing grave.
He didn't know why, but the distant Milky Way Saint gave him a similar feeling to Rahu.
"In the Mysterious Emperor Universe, even while being suppressed by Saint Yu Lin, Milky Way Saint was still hiding his true power?"
The bald man was stunned. He and the emaciated man had done thorough research before coming here.
"We were too reckless."
He was beginning to regret it. Had they known how deeply Milky Way Saint was hiding his power, they would never have approached him in this manner—even to investigate the Shadowfiend and Nine Phoenix case.
"What do you want from me?"
Lin Yuan looked at the two Supreme Saints. Being interrupted during cultivation had naturally put him in a foul mood.
"Nothing much, really."
The bald man glanced at his companion and spoke first. "Not long ago, we noticed that the karmic traces of Shadowfiend and Nine Phoenix had completely vanished, so we came to investigate and wanted to ask you about it."
He smiled at Lin Yuan. "Seems it was all a misunderstanding."
"It's not a misunderstanding," Lin Yuan shook his head. "I killed them."
Even though Nine Phoenix had self-destructed, the root cause was still Lin Yuan.
"What?"
The emaciated man was dazed. They had only come to report back to Rahu Saint—not actually expecting to find the one who had truly erased Shadowfiend and Nine Phoenix.
Beside him, the bald man's face turned grim. Although they had fulfilled Rahu's request, he felt no relief.
Because Lin Yuan had admitted it outright—he had killed them. Completely. Even their karma was gone?
Such a feat was beyond even most Invincible Supreme Saints, yet Milky Way Saint had done it?
"Hahaha, well, if you were the one who did it, then that clears things up. We won't disturb you further."
The bald man spoke quickly, preparing to retreat.
The emaciated man followed suit, now aware of the gravity of the situation.
To utterly annihilate two Saints? Even newly ascended ones? It was still astounding.
"You've asked your questions—now it's my turn."
Lin Yuan looked at them as the surrounding spacetime grew heavy and oppressive. "You disturbed my cultivation. Take one strike. Survive, and you may leave."
"Milky Way Saint…" the bald man's face darkened. He could feel the pressure in spacetime and knew escape was impossible.
"Milky Way Saint, we serve under Rahu—"
The emaciated figure tried to speak. Among ancient existences, many knew how terrifying Rahu was.
Even if they didn't know Rahu had mastered a thirteenth-rank inheritance, he was still close to Invincible Supreme Saint level.
But before they could finish—
Lin Yuan vanished. In his place, an eternal blazing sun appeared, looming over endless spacetime.
"No—!" the emaciated one felt his soul tremble in despair.
The bald man felt the same. Without hesitation, they crushed a token inscribed with the characters "Rahu"—a gift from Rahu Saint himself.
This was their final card. If they encountered danger while acting for Rahu, the token would summon a projection of his will.
Though it wouldn't match Rahu's true self in power, it was still vastly stronger than ordinary Supreme Saints, infused with Rahu's mind and will.
Whoosh—
Sunlight poured in from all directions.
As the token shattered, a stream of energy gathered, forming a massive figure.
The figure was made entirely of gray mist, its aura penetrating deep into spacetime.
"What's going on?"
As soon as the form took shape, Rahu Saint's will descended. But before he could even comprehend the situation, he was already facing that blazing, eternal sun high above spacetime.
"What is—?"
His pupils constricted.
But before he could react, the blazing sun's light engulfed the projection, causing it to collapse instantly—erasing both the projection and the two Supreme Saints behind it.
Not a trace remained.
Whoosh.
Lin Yuan's figure returned. He stretched out a hand and gathered the spoils left by the two Supreme Saints. He recalled something the emaciated one had said earlier.
"Rahu Saint? Never heard of him."
Lin Yuan didn't care in the slightest. By destroying the main bodies of the two Saints, he'd made a statement—a warning to prevent future interruptions from others.
With that done, he vanished once again, returning to the depths of the Milky Way Chaos Continent to continue his cultivation.
...