The power of the Light Crystal was completely restrained.
Yet so long as one was a time being, one could sense the dreadful aura contained within.
Compared to the Dark Crystal condensed by the Black Demon Body, the Light Crystal was far more terrifying.
"Teacher."
The thirteen Eternal Lords had complex thoughts.
Their mixed feelings came from two sides.
First, the Lord of Heavenly Radiance had once shown them favor.
Second, even one as strong as the Lord of Heavenly Radiance, at the lordly level, for the sake of final transcendence, to metamorphose into a perfect time being, ended with mind and will erased.
As for time beings like them at the First realm, could they still see hope?
"The demon calamity is over."
Lin Yuan put away the Light Crystal and looked at the Eternal Lords.
In truth, so long as one could fully master the Lord of Heavenly Radiance's Lord's Status, one could easily recall both the Black Demon Body and the Light Body.
This was the final failsafe the Lord of Heavenly Radiance left for his two true bodies.
"Yes, the demon calamity is over."
The Lord of Immeasurable spoke softly, his gaze turning toward the distant Source World.
Ever since the great upheaval of heaven and earth in the ages long past, the thirteen Eternal Lords had been forced to leave their homeland Source World, until now.
"Congratulations, Milky Way, on becoming a new Eternal Lord."
The Lord of Wu Shan offered his congratulations.
At those words, the other twelve Eternal Lords came back to themselves, and promptly offered their congratulations in turn.
Though this Source World had lost the Lord of Heavenly Radiance, a time lord, it had gained Lin Yuan, a time being with even more unfathomable potential.
Lin Yuan smiled and returned each greeting.
"Milky Way, how strong are you now?"
The Lord of Immeasurable looked at Lin Yuan, inevitably curious.
Lin Yuan stepped into the thirteenth rank and in short order dealt with the Lord of Heavenly Radiance's Black Demon Body and Light Body.
He hadn't shown much of his strength—he mainly relied on the Lord's last failsafe, using the Lord's Status to forcibly suppress.
So the Eternal Lords were curious about Lin Yuan's strength. They had guesses in their hearts, but didn't dare believe them.
As for observing the future timeline?
Before Lin Yuan stepped into the thirteenth rank, with the Lord's Status's blessing, his own timeline had already become blurry and twisted to time beings of the First realm.
Not much useful information could be seen.
And now that he had become a time being and fully mastered the Lord's Status, observing Lin Yuan's future timeline was no easier than observing a true time lord.
What Lin Yuan had displayed before condensing the Lord's Status also differed greatly from what they had just seen.
In the first futures they saw, Lin Yuan did indeed end the demon calamity, but not nearly as effortlessly as now.
Obviously Lin Yuan's future had diverged greatly from what the Eternal Lords had once seen.
"My strength?"
Lin Yuan smiled slightly. "Who wants to try?"
"I will." The Lord of Black Void stepped out, looking at Lin Yuan with anticipation.
Among the thirteen Eternal Lords, the Lord of Immeasurable was the strongest, and the Lord of Black Void was second only to him.
In life-preserving defense, he was in no way inferior to the Lord of Immeasurable.
Lin Yuan nodded. "I'll use a suppressive method—focus on how it feels."
The Lord of Black Void grew solemn.
In the next instant, black-and-white Yin–Yang qi interwove, shrouding this spacetime. The Lord of Black Void's expression changed—he could feel the Yin–Yang qi suppressing and restricting him.
Hum!
The Lord of Black Void's figure gradually vanished, turning into a spacetime black hole, resisting the attrition from the Yin–Yang qi.
But the Yin–Yang qi kept condensing, vaguely forming a vast, chaotic Taiji Diagram. No matter how the Lord of Black Void resisted, the Yin–Yang qi began seeping into the spacetime black hole, sweeping toward the Lord of Black Void's true body.
"Can't block it—simply can't."
The Lord of Black Void's mind trembled slightly. His path excelled at defense, yet he couldn't block Lin Yuan's suppression.
"If you sense anything wrong, say it at once. I'll stop." Lin Yuan smiled, also observing the path the Lord of Black Void had taken.
Every Eternal Lord's path had its unique points. To become a time lord meant the path was strong, but for time beings who hadn't become time lords, their paths weren't necessarily inferior.
"Milky Way, stop!"
The Lord of Black Void called out immediately.
Though there was still some distance before harm reached his true body,
it had begun with such crushing penetration through his layered defenses that there was no need to keep resisting.
"Just with a suppressive method, it's already this frightening. Milky Way, your strength likely can match the Second realm, right?" The Lord of Immeasurable confirmed his inner guess, looking at Lin Yuan in awe.
To become an Eternal Lord and already have battle power comparable to the Second realm, once he steadied his realm a bit, wouldn't he push straight to Second realm peak, nearing a time lord?
Keep in mind, a newly ascended Eternal Lord's strength isn't considered too high, with vast room to grow.
"Second realm?"
The Eternal Lords glanced at one another.
They were each still far from the First realm's peak, let alone the Second realm.
"Black Void, Milky Way held back—he only used suppression. If he used an offensive method, you wouldn't even have the chance to call for a stop."
The Lord of Wu Shan said with a smile.
He had already received a trove of information from the trial space, and knew that before becoming an Eternal Lord, Lin Yuan could condense a Chaotic Taiji Sword out of black-and-white Yin–Yang. Its pure offensive power far surpassed the Chaotic Taiji Diagram.
The Chaotic Taiji Diagram specialized in suppression and restraint.
"I wouldn't even have time to speak?" The Lord of Black Void muttered.
That was true—the first future timelines they observed did include Lin Yuan using other means to erase demonic miasma.
Among them, that Taiji Sword wreathed in endless Yin–Yang qi had shocked all the Eternal Lords.
"Even with my strongest offense, it would be hard to erase Black Void's true body in a short time."
Lin Yuan said.
"Erase my true body—in a short time?"
The Lord of Black Void blinked.
Granted, for an Eternal Lord, the fall of a true body was far from real death.
But if even one's strongest-body avatar couldn't be kept alive, that meant the gap was simply too great.
"What are your plans next, Milky Way? Will you establish an Eternal sect or power?"
The Lord of Immeasurable asked Lin Yuan.
"We'll see then."
Lin Yuan replied.
Having just stepped into the thirteenth rank, he had too much to do.
Establish a power? No rush for now.
"Mm."
The Lord of Immeasurable nodded, then continued, "I'll head back first."
Across the long ages, he had never truly returned to his homeland Source World—at most he descended as an avatar, but such an avatar would be detected by the Demon Gods and couldn't remain long.
"Alright."
Lin Yuan looked at the other Eternal Lords. "I'll be off as well."
With that, Lin Yuan's figure faded and vanished.
In a certain spacetime, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged.
Two crystals floated before him.
One was filled with murky demonic miasma.
One was filled with infinite light.
They were precisely what the Lord of Heavenly Radiance's Black Demon Body and Light Body had become.
Lin Yuan examined them closely—after watching the Dark Crystal for a while, he looked at the Light Crystal.
These two crystals had already become the purest, most fundamental energy and could be absorbed by Lin Yuan with ease.
There was no need to grind them with the Taiji Millstone; the purity of either crystal's power was no less than the chaotic void's origin.
This was the legacy of a time lord's foundation. Having grasped the Lord's Status and inherited all of the Lord of Heavenly Radiance, absorbing the two crystals was naturally effortless.
"I can feel how vast the energy in these two crystals is—no less than another infusion of the chaotic void's origin."
A smile rose on Lin Yuan's face.
In truth, if not for the ages-long attrition of the Black Demon Body and Light Body, with a good portion of their internal energy consumed, what Lin Yuan would gain from refining them would absolutely surpass an infusion of the chaotic void's origin.
After all, this was the entirety of a time lord's legacy, and the chaotic void's size was only equivalent to a single time lord.
"Let's begin refining."
Without much hesitation, Lin Yuan began refining both crystals at once.
At once, two utterly different forces poured into Lin Yuan's body, merging into every particle-world.
"The Lord of Heavenly Radiance walked the Path of Light—wherever it reached, there was infinite light." Lin Yuan now felt the Lord of Heavenly Radiance's path more deeply.
"But only light is too extreme—easy to reach the peak, hard, hard, hard to reach perfection."
He thought silently.
"The Lord of Heavenly Radiance realized this, thus the Black Demon Body. But the Black Demon Body ultimately existed to make up for his Path of Light, so it wasn't as strong as the Light Body."
Lin Yuan's thoughts spread.
If there is only light, it is not light.
Only with the existence of darkness can there be light.
"My path was set at the start of cultivation, rooted in Yin and Yang—no extremes, no hidden dangers." Lin Yuan thought.
This was also why he didn't want to refine the Lord of Heavenly Radiance's Lord's Status.
In his heart, the path he walked was superior to that of the Lord of Heavenly Radiance.
"I wonder—when I strike for the fourteenth rank, will I perish like the Lord of Heavenly Radiance?"
Lin Yuan mused.
Though his path had no flaws or hidden dangers and seemed more perfect than the Lord of Heavenly Radiance's, whether he could ultimately step into the fourteenth rank and achieve the perfect time being—Lin Yuan had no certainty.
At best, his own future timeline reached the level of a time lord.
Beyond that—striking for the perfect time being?—it became very blurry. The fourteenth rank transcends all timelines; not even the strongest time being can observe it.
"We'll see then."
Lin Yuan quickly refined the two crystals, and his strength rose rapidly.
The crystals were not only pure gathered power; the Lord of Heavenly Radiance's path was also within.
As Lin Yuan refined and absorbed, he also drew from that path the parts he needed.
He could not follow the Lord of Heavenly Radiance's path, but he could reference it; only thus could his own path grow ever more refined, approaching perfection.
In the chaotic void, one indistinct phantom after another gathered.
"Eye of Ten Thousand Laws, Milky Way has become a great time being—you've really hit the jackpot."
The special spirits looked at the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws, their tones tinged with envy.
The relationship between the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws and the time being "Milky Way" had been guessed by many special spirits ever since the latter had actively retrieved that "Law-Source Fruit" for the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws.
Before breaking into the thirteenth rank, the time being "Milky Way" strongly resisted contact with special spirits.
He hadn't met any of them.
Yet he helped the Eye of Ten Thousand Laws obtain the "Law-Source Fruit."
If there weren't something between them, the special spirits wouldn't believe it.
"Truly lucky."
The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws nodded outwardly, but inwardly he was bitter.
If only… if only he hadn't made that request of Lin Yuan and kept the favor between them.
The favor of a time being was immensely valuable—especially for special spirits like them.
But because of his shortsightedness—thinking Lin Yuan might not break the time loop and that the favor, if unused, might be wasted—he hurried to ask for it.
Now he regretted it to his core.
The special spirits had lived through countless cosmic epochs, even witnessing the birth of time beings one after another.
They knew the commotion caused when Lin Yuan stepped into the thirteenth rank far surpassed that of others.
That meant Lin Yuan's strength and potential both exceeded other time beings.
And he had used such a being's favor like that? The Eye of Ten Thousand Laws felt utterly helpless.
With Lin Yuan's current strength, it was nearly impossible to get closer to him now.
In the dim depths of spacetime sat a figure cross-legged.
It was Lin Yuan.
After stepping into the thirteenth rank and bearing the chaotic void's origin infusion, the strength of this true-body avatar of Lin Yuan's was unquestionably the greatest.
As for the other Source World, the true body that received the Lord of Heavenly Radiance's legacy—reaching the level of the chaotic void true-body would have to wait until the two crystals were fully refined.
"My inner cosmos now is roughly one percent the size of the chaotic void."
Lin Yuan observed his inner cosmos—this was him just entering the thirteenth rank, not yet grown to the limit.
He estimated that once he grew to the extreme, his inner cosmos would reach one-tenth the size of the chaotic void.
One-tenth of the chaotic void? Know that the chaotic void is the pinnacle of dimensional spaces—forget one-tenth, even one in ten thousand or one in a million is boundless to those below the thirteenth rank, a lifetime insufficient to explore it all.
"If I step into the thirteenth rank's Second realm, my inner cosmos will likely directly match the chaotic void."
Lin Yuan thought. He was now a newly ascended time being, just into the First realm; upon stepping into the Second realm, there would be another massive leap.
At that time, his inner cosmos would fully match the chaotic void.
This was the theoretical tier described by Lord Mo Xu-jun's "Infinite Void."
The pursuit of Lord Mo Xu-jun through the ages.
Unlike Lin Yuan, "Infinite Void" reached its limit at that tier, nearing a time lord.
But Lin Yuan's inner cosmos—even upon matching the chaotic void in size—would still be far from its limit, and could continue to grow.
By fusing the root operations of two Source Worlds, Lin Yuan's inner cosmos faintly carried a touch of perfection; its potential was great enough that it might approach a truly perfect world.
"I've more or less familiarized myself with the means of a thirteenth-rank time being."
Lin Yuan stood, gaze profound.
A thirteenth-rank time being's means went far beyond observing future timelines.
At this level of essence, one could basically resurrect lives that had once existed within a dimensional space.
"Let's resurrect them."
Without hesitation, Lin Yuan began resurrecting beings who had causal ties with him but had died in the past—or had effectively died.
In an instant, where his gaze fell, a new secret realm opened.
Within it, a world vaguely took shape, and the beings within swiftly transformed from illusory to real.
Lin Yuan's first resurrection target was the time loop world he had experienced.
The time loop world had been created temporarily by supreme rule and Dao, but in essence it was no different from real life; every person within had their own mind.
Since they had truly existed, Lin Yuan could resurrect them.
Very soon, as the beings within fully became real, time, which had halted after Lin Yuan passed the trial, began to flow once more.
Unlike the time loop world Lin Yuan experienced, the resurrected time loop world's beings were no longer bound by rule constraints; the beings within could take to more transcendent paths.
"In essence, you were created by supreme rule and Dao—may you walk your own road."
Lin Yuan looked down at that time loop world now integrated into the chaotic void, thinking silently.
He resurrected the beings of the time loop world because he didn't want them to vanish into smoke simply because he had passed the trial.
Even if those beings had been created because Lin Yuan faced the trial, born because of Lin Yuan, gone because of Lin Yuan, it sounded perfectly reasonable.
But as a time being, he would act by his heart.
If Lin Yuan felt it wasn't reasonable, then it wasn't.
After the beings of the time loop world were fully resurrected, none of the Dao Masters noticed anything amiss—everyone went on with what they should be doing.
Compared to Lin Yuan's current level of life, the beings of the time loop world were simply too weak.
"Cang Weiyang?"
Following a causal thread, Lin Yuan looked toward the first Dominance-peak expert he met upon leaving the chaotic void.
Back then, Cang Weiyang perished exploring the Taiyuan Ruins. The cave abode he left behind was discovered by Lin Yuan by luck, and the imprint Cang Weiyang had left actively gifted everything to Lin Yuan.
The sole condition was that Lin Yuan look after the Stonefolk.
Lin Yuan later fulfilled that promise.
Now that he had become a time being, he resurrected this twelfth-rank life in passing as well.
"I…"
Within a void domain, the chubby "Cang Weiyang" looked around blankly.
"Wasn't I dead?"
Cang Weiyang was puzzled, then related information surged into his mind.
"The great time being 'Milky Way' resurrected me? Because he obtained my cave abode back then?"
Cang Weiyang's eyes widened—he never imagined that the cave abode he left would play such a role, becoming the key to his resurrection.
"Many thanks to the great time being."
Cang Weiyang bowed respectfully toward a certain direction.
He didn't dare raise his head to look upon Lin Yuan's true body. With his strength, to directly gaze upon a time being's true body—his mind and will could be twisted and tainted.
"I'll send you to the Stonefolk."
At a thought, Lin Yuan sent Cang Weiyang to where the Stonefolk now dwelt.
In the Stonefolk secret realm, Cang Weiyang appeared out of thin air.
"Who is it?"
"Cang Yulong," also at Dominance peak, sensed the anomaly and appeared in a flash not far away.
"Uncle-ancestor Weiyang?"
Cang Yulong stared at Cang Weiyang in disbelief.
As the Stonefolk's sole Dominance peak before, Cang Weiyang held high status in the clan.
Cang Yulong was his junior.
Except—
Cang Yulong had long felt Cang Weiyang's causality dissipate—he had fallen.
Why had he appeared again?
And why had a dissipated causality been forcibly re-established?
Cang Yulong couldn't believe it.
A child of great fortune, he had obtained the legacy left by the Great Saint Tuolong when weak, and survived the pursuit of the Nine-Sword Venerable.
Cang Yulong's horizons were broad, yet this scene still shook him.
"Yulong, a great time being resurrected me."
Cang Weiyang said at once.
"A great time being…"
Cang Yulong drew a deep breath.
A great time being.
Right.
Only a great time being could resurrect a twelfth rank.
"My cave abode back then was obtained by the great time being. On that favor, I was resurrected."
Cang Weiyang smiled.
"Was it the Great Saint Milky Way?"
Cang Yulong murmured.
If it were an ancient time being, he'd have resurrected Cang Weiyang long ago, no need to wait until now.
So the time being who resurrected Cang Weiyang could only be newly ascended.
Recently, there had been two such beings:
Rahu, and Milky Way.
Rahu was an unimaginably ancient Great Saint.
With Rahu's strength, he wouldn't even look at Cang Weiyang's cave abode.
"The Great Saint Milky Way?"
Cang Weiyang nodded. In the instant of resurrection, he learned Lin Yuan's name.
"Then when my Stonefolk were imprisoned by the Nine-Sword Venerable, it should also have been the Great Saint Milky Way who acted."
Cang Yulong murmured. Back then he even set the Great Saint Milky Way as his target—carrying the legacy of the Great Saint Tuolong, he had been full of drive.
Now, he wasn't even at Chaos, and the Great Saint Milky Way had stepped into the thirteenth rank.
Even without that, who in the chaotic void didn't know the name of the Great Saint Milky Way?
Outside a remote born-universe, a woman in a pale green skirt appeared.
In the distance, a burly, majestic man also appeared.
"Axuan."
Seeing the burly man, the woman in the pale green skirt couldn't help calling out.
"Senior sister."
The burly man was moved.
"What is this…?"
He looked around, thoughtful.
"Axuan, how am I alive?"
The woman in the pale green skirt was puzzled.
When she fell, she was far too weak—not even at Dominance.
"You were resurrected."
"I was resurrected too—by a great time being."
The burly man, the Mysterious Sovereign, said softly. He looked into the distance and saw a towering true body looking down upon him. (That's right, he is the Mysterious Sovereign!)
As an Invincible Supreme Saint, the Mysterious Sovereign had the qualification to look up at a time being.
And having forced his way out of the time loop using a thirteenth-rank weapon, he should have certainly died.
Only a thirteenth-rank time being could resurrect him.
But he had no causality with any time being, nor any value for resurrection. Forcing his way out of the time loop meant he had no chance to ever step into the thirteenth rank.
"Live well with your senior sister."
Lin Yuan's voice sounded at the Mysterious Sovereign's ear.
His greatest obsession was his senior sister.
For her, he was willing to give up becoming a thirteenth-rank time being.
"Many thanks, great time being."
The Mysterious Sovereign bowed, understanding that Lin Yuan had resurrected his senior sister entirely for his sake.
Otherwise, with no causality to Lin Yuan, even if there was resurrection to be had, it wouldn't have been her turn.
"The master of the Devil Jade Tower."
Lin Yuan looked toward the depths of the chaotic void, at the time loop region belonging to the tower's master.
"No possibility of breaking the loop at all."
Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.
The first cycle of a time-loop trial offered the highest chance of success.
With every additional cycle, that chance dropped a notch.
Now nearly ten million cosmic epochs had passed since the Devil Jade Tower's master fell into the loop.
Who knew how many cycles he had undergone in the loop—he likely couldn't even maintain selfhood, much less break the loop.
"Break."
Lin Yuan's expression grew slightly solemn as he forcibly broke open the time loop the tower master had fallen into.
Buzzing—horrific backlash surged and was easily blocked by Lin Yuan.
A figure in a black robe was fished out by him.
"I…"
Freed from the loop's constraints, the master of the Devil Jade Tower swiftly recovered, memories flooding back.
"Many thanks, great time being."
He bowed to Lin Yuan at once.
To be trapped in an endless loop, losing self, for any Great Saint, that was torment.
Lin Yuan had forcibly broken the loop, borne the timeline's backlash, and saved him—no different from a grace of rebirth.
"Who would have thought that the Devil Jade space I casually opened would nurture a great time being?"
The tower master felt emotional. Once free of the loop, he knew everything.
For the better part of half an hour, all those with causal ties to Lin Yuan who had fallen in the past were resurrected.
For these resurrected ones, Lin Yuan would generally say a few words, briefly explaining why he had resurrected them.
Otherwise, being resurrected by a great time being out of nowhere would make most lives profoundly uneasy.
"That's about it."
Lin Yuan withdrew his hand. Seeing one being after another newly resurrected and delighted, his mood naturally lifted.
When one rises to the Dao, all around rise as well.
Having stepped into the thirteenth rank, everyone connected to him ought to get a second chance.
With Lin Yuan's current strength and foundation, doing so cost him little.
Even the backlash from the timeline could be borne easily, with no effect on him.
"Mm?"
Just then, Lin Yuan's expression changed slightly.
He split off a wisp of mind and sank it into the depths of his sea of consciousness.
Because now, that towering, magnificent Gate of Myriad Realms began to emit a certain subtle aura.
...
When Lin Yuan passed the trial and broke free of the time loop, after his very essence of life transformed to the thirteenth rank, the projection of the Gate of Myriad Realms deep in his mind began to change, its aura vast and empty.
As if it were connected to some supreme spacetime.
Until now.
The projection of the Gate of Myriad Realms finally stabilized.
Wave after wave of obscure information surged out.
Lin Yuan's expression grew solemn. His consciousness sank into the depths of his mind as he looked at the still-towering, magnificent Gate of Myriad Realms.
"It's still only a projection, not the real thing?"
Lin Yuan examined it carefully.
Even though he had now become a thirteenth-rank Time Being.
The true body of the Gate of Myriad Realms still had not descended.
What appeared in the depths of Lin Yuan's mind was still just a projection.
Only, compared to when he was at the twelfth rank, the projection felt far more real.
It was growing more and more similar to that strange dream he'd had when he was about to break through to the thirteenth rank, when he slept for two thousand years and saw that same towering gate of light.
"Even a thirteenth-rank Time Being can't bear the true Gate of Myriad Realms?"
Lin Yuan marveled inwardly, now almost completely certain the Gate of Myriad Realms belonged to the fourteenth-rank level.
One had to know, Lin Yuan wasn't some ordinary thirteenth-rank Time Being; in terms of the strength of his life essence, he surpassed most second-realm beings.
Yet even so, he still couldn't bear the true body of the Gate of Myriad Realms.
The terror of the latter was beyond doubt.
"A fourteenth-rank perfect-grade weapon or wondrous treasure?"
A hint of astonishment flashed across Lin Yuan's face.
To this day, Lin Yuan had never heard of a clearly confirmed perfect Time Being, nor of a fourteenth-rank treasure or wondrous item.
All information related to the fourteenth rank came from the conjectures of thirteenth-rank Time Beings.
Especially those third-realm Time Lords, who longed to break their own grand destiny. One method was to transform into perfect Time Beings.
But do perfect Time Beings actually exist?
There had never been any proof.
This was different from when Lin Yuan had first stepped into the twelfth rank and heard information related to thirteenth-rank Time Beings.
In the Chaotic Void, thirteenth-rank Time Beings rarely showed themselves, but they did truly exist. In many special regions, there were lineages and inheritances of the thirteenth rank.
All of them were the handiwork of thirteenth-rank Time Beings.
But fourteenth-rank perfect Time Beings?
Among all the dimensional spaces, the only things that might be related to perfect Time Beings were probably the Source Worlds; but whether the perfect aura within the Source Worlds actually came from perfect Time Beings was still unknown.
"At least through the Gate of Myriad Realms, I can be sure perfect Time Beings really exist."
Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Aside from perfect Time Beings, Lin Yuan really couldn't imagine who else could forge something as terrifying as the Gate of Myriad Realms.
Although he had not seen the true body of the Gate of Myriad Realms.
Stepping into the thirteenth rank, the elevation of his life essence had still 'unlocked' more abilities of the Gate of Myriad Realms.
As Lin Yuan absorbed the many obscure auras surging out from within the Gate of Myriad Realms, his expression shifted slightly.
First of all, the current Gate of Myriad Realms could not only take him to various Source Worlds, but also to the past and future.
Transmigration to Source Worlds pertained to space, while the past and future involved time.
"The past and the future?"
Lin Yuan was secretly shocked.
Time Beings could observe timelines, but to truly travel to the past? Only Time Lords could do that.
Yet now? With the aid of the Gate of Myriad Realms, Lin Yuan could also travel to the past? And according to the obscure information flooding his mind, Lin Yuan could even forcibly alter the past.
Thus affecting the future.
And the backlash produced by changing the past and affecting the future could be greatly weakened through the Gate of Myriad Realms.
He could even completely offset it by expending boundary-breaking source energy.
Of course, when it came to forcibly altering the past and affecting the future, the issue wasn't merely whether there would be backlash.
As long as the changes they made to the past didn't have too great an impact, Time Lords could endure the backlash.
But such actions were extremely likely to attract the gaze of the true perfect Time Beings.
If perfect Time Beings could easily reverse the past and future, then everything experienced in the current timelines would be exactly what the perfect Time Beings wanted.
All of it would be within the perfect Time Beings' plan.
To forcibly change that would be equivalent to disrupting the layout of a perfect Time Being.
No Lord could afford the consequences of that.
However, perhaps the alteration of some segment of the past was itself part of the perfect Time Being's design for the past and future.
In short, no Time Lord dared to casually change the past.
"Travel to the past, change the past? With methods like that, I can kill any Time Being below Lord level."
A smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face.
Even a peak second-realm Time Being couldn't have been born strong; there had to have been a time when they were weak.
Lin Yuan could completely travel to a point when that peak second-realm Time Being was still weak, and simply strike and kill them.
Thus affecting the future through the past—if that peak second-realm Time Being died in the past, then they would naturally not exist in the future.
"I can feel that killing a peak second-realm Time Being this way will cost me much less than directly paying in boundary-breaking source energy."
Lin Yuan thought silently.
As for third-realm Time Lords?
Once a Time Lord began to pull in and consolidate their own timelines, any attempt to strike at their past body would be immediately sensed by their future self, who would then return to the past to protect their past self.
This was the true terror of Time Lords.
They essentially had no flaws or weaknesses.
If you wanted to kill a Time Lord, you could only do it with overwhelming absolute strength.
But who could kill a Lord head-on with brute force?
Thus—
Almost all the deaths and falls of Time Lords stemmed from themselves.
"The future…"
With the help of the Gate of Myriad Realms, Lin Yuan looked at one future timeline after another.
At this moment, he could sense that he could not only observe these timelines, but also travel into them via the Gate of Myriad Realms.
However, the future was uncertain and filled with infinite variables.
Any future timeline might suddenly collapse at some point, wiping out all living beings along it.
Only past timelines were the most stable, the present timeline was second, and some future timelines could fall into collapse at any moment.
"Also, now if I transmigrate into the next Source World, I can actively choose which vessel I descend into, instead of landing randomly."
Lin Yuan thought.
This use was a huge help to him; at the very least, he could decide his own 'opening hand' when he descended.
He wouldn't have to face some kind of apocalyptic starting point and the like.
He could even use his ability to view timelines to specifically select vessels with special physiques or bloodlines to descend into.
Giving himself a higher starting point.
Of course.
Whether it was the previous random descents or his current active descents, all chosen vessels had to be completely dead.
If the vessel was still alive and Lin Yuan forcibly took over and descended, it would trigger the target's instinctive resistance.
Which in turn would draw the attention of the Source World's will, and so on.
Every Source World, or rather, every dimensional space, was extremely repulsed by foreign Time Beings.
The Lord of Heavenly Radiance had paid an unknown price just to integrate into the second Source World.
"Not bad, not bad."
Lin Yuan nodded.
His heart was in high spirits.
These two newly unlocked 'functions' of the Gate of Myriad Realms were both extremely practical.
They could significantly aid Lin Yuan in his current state.
"Let's take a look, then."
Following the Source World coordinates deep within the Gate of Myriad Realms, Lin Yuan looked toward the third Source World.
This time, the Gate of Myriad Realms did not issue any warning, clearly indicating that this Source World could no longer pose a true threat to Lin Yuan, who had stepped into the thirteenth rank.
Hum~ Splitting off a strand of his mind, Lin Yuan followed the Source World coordinates deep within the Gate of Myriad Realms and arrived outside a vast world.
On the surface, this vast world outstripped the previous two Source Worlds; most of its regions were shrouded in mist. Lin Yuan faintly sensed that three timelines within this world were sealed.
In other words, within this Source World, there were likely three Lord-level Time Beings.
Only third-realm Lords could seal their own timelines and block all prying eyes.
"Three Time Lords?"
Lin Yuan's pupils shrank slightly.
He immediately knew this Source World was not ordinary.
Normally, within a full great annihilation cycle of a dimensional space, a third-realm Lord would almost never appear.
Because compared to the accumulation a Lord needed, a single great annihilation cycle of a dimensional space was simply too short.
But nothing was absolute.
For example, in a place like the Celestial River Dimension, which did not reject foreign Time Beings entering its special-grade dimensional space—if it held enough value, it could attract third-realm Time Lords to settle there.
Furthermore, based on the differences Lin Yuan had seen between the Source Worlds he'd come into contact with and normal top-tier dimensional spaces—
Because of the presence of perfect aura, a Source World's great annihilation cycle took much longer than that of a top-tier dimensional space.
If a Source World's great annihilation cycle was long enough—equivalent to dozens or even hundreds of great annihilation cycles of a normal top-tier dimensional space...
Then there was still hope for it to birth a third-realm Lord.
Right now, this third Source World Lin Yuan was observing gave him the clear impression that it surpassed the previous two Source Worlds.
This feeling came from the Source World itself, not from the three Lord-level Time Beings within it.
"Source World…"
Lin Yuan's expression grew grave.
After becoming a Time Being, Lin Yuan's perspective was naturally different from before.
He understood how special these kinds of dimensions were. There were many top-tier dimensional spaces, like the Chaotic Void, the Taixu Dimension, and so on.
But Source Worlds?
Lin Yuan had never heard of such worlds from the seven Time Beings in the Chaotic Void.
Source Worlds were far too special.
The Lord of Heavenly Radiance had noticed how special the second Source World was, and had been willing to tough it out outside, waiting for that Source World to undergo its great annihilation and then be reborn, just so he could pay a huge price to integrate into it.
The fundamental operation of each Source World was vastly different from that of other top-tier dimensional spaces, and extremely helpful even to third-realm Time Lords.
In truth, third-realm Time Lords weren't very interested in top-tier dimensional spaces.
Ordinary thirteenth-rank Time Beings of the first and second realms longed to explore more dimensional spaces to enrich themselves.
But Time Lords? Their pursuits were not the same as those of ordinary Time Beings.
Lin Yuan valued the fundamental operations of Source Worlds greatly; they were tied to the metamorphosis of his inner universe.
Only by integrating the core operations of more Source Worlds could his inner universe approach perfection.
"Three Time Lords—no wonder that before I crossed into the thirteenth rank, the Gate of Myriad Realms would issue warnings whenever I wanted to explore."
Lin Yuan looked thoughtful. If he was still at the twelfth rank, then no matter how strong he was, even if he could rival a thirteenth-rank Time Being...
In the face of a Time Lord, there would always be the risk that several of his true bodies would be affected.
The methods of Time Lords couldn't be judged by common sense; some Time Lords who walked particularly special paths were terrifyingly powerful.
However, these threats, when it came to Lin Yuan who had already become a Time Being, no longer counted as true threats.
At most, he would lose the true body that descended into the third Source World; as for his other true bodies in other Source Worlds, they would barely be affected.
Even for a Time Lord, completely killing a Time Being was extremely difficult.
The simplest way was to kill that Time Being's weak past self.
Thus affecting the present.
But altering the past and changing a Time Being's future fate—
Required bearing an immense backlash.
Unless there was truly some undying, irreconcilable hatred.
Otherwise, a Time Lord wouldn't pay such a price just to specifically kill one Time Being.
"The vessel I descend into this time…"
Lin Yuan gazed from afar at the vast world in the distance.
After becoming a Time Being, the Gate of Myriad Realms had unlocked the functions of returning to the past, traveling to the future, and actively choosing a vessel to descend into.
On top of that, many pre-existing abilities had also been strengthened.
For example, viewing a Source World in advance via coordinates like this used to only last a short time.
But now?
As long as Lin Yuan didn't actively erase this wisp of mind, it could be maintained indefinitely.
Ripples flickered in Lin Yuan's eyes, and in that instant the timelines of all living beings within the distant Source World appeared in his field of view.
All the beings Lin Yuan selected were those on the verge of complete death, ones who met the conditions for him to descend.
[At one thousand six hundred and eighty-two years old, you die]
[Then you live again]
[At two thousand three hundred and seventy-two years old, you awaken a special constitution…]
[At seventy-seven years old, you die]
[Then you live again]
[At three thousand two hundred years old, you step into the thirteenth rank and become a Time Being]
[At two hundred and forty-six years old, you die]
[Then you live again]
[From death to life, the power deep in your bloodline is awakened…]
Many future timelines fell into Lin Yuan's eyes.
All of these future timelines involved dying first, then being reborn.
And this rebirth was the result of Lin Yuan taking over and descending.
If Lin Yuan didn't choose to descend, then death would be true death; there would be no "then you live again" in the future.
It was precisely by watching future timelines this way that Lin Yuan judged the potential of each candidate vessel that met the conditions, then chose one among them to descend into.
"Which one should I pick?"
In just a few dozen breaths, Lin Yuan had viewed over ten thousand timelines and selected several dozen vessels more suitable for himself.
These few dozen vessels either had special bloodlines or physiques that could benefit Lin Yuan's ninth physical divine ability—
Or possessed noble identities, so that Lin Yuan wouldn't have to worry about cultivation resources in the early stages.
"Let's wait a bit longer."
Lin Yuan did not choose immediately. The third Source World was vast and boundless, with countless beings dying every moment; among these dead, there were bound to be vessels that fit his conditions even better.
Among the few dozen vessels he had selected so far, none made him particularly satisfied.
A mighty celestial river swept across spacetime, washing over the universe and all things, surging endlessly as if it would never stop.
At various points along the celestial river, the auras of thirteenth-rank Time Beings were hidden. This river itself was a dimensional space.
The Celestial River Dimension.
The nine Time Beings of the Taixu Dimension stood at a certain point within the Celestial River Dimension, facing off from afar against the seven Time Beings of the Chaotic Void.
"That Mo Xu-jun is a huge problem—he has no real weakness in any aspect. Within the first realm, he can be considered extremely powerful, and he's found the path to becoming a Time Lord."
The Lord of the Taixu Dimension frowned slightly.
He was the first Time Being born from the Taixu Dimension, and also its strongest Time Being, yet when dealing with Mo Xu-jun, he still felt a headache.
Although since the two dimensional spaces had come to a standoff, he and Mo Xu-jun had never actually fought.
No fighting didn't mean no understanding; the Taixu Lord had already observed many future timelines in which he crossed blows with "Mo Xu-jun", and in none of them did he have the confidence to firmly suppress the other.
In over sixty percent of future timelines, he himself was on the back foot, unable to match that "Mo Xu-jun".
If not for the fact that the Taixu Dimension had two more Time Beings than the Chaotic Void—
This competition over the soon-to-be-born Heart of the Celestial River would probably have ended in the Taixu Dimension's defeat.
"What do we do now?"
The other Time Beings of the Taixu Dimension looked to the Taixu Lord.
Continuing this stalemate wasn't a solution either; in the end, for both the Taixu Dimension and the Chaotic Void, it would likely be a lose-lose outcome.
Time Beings weighed gains and losses extremely carefully; if in the end no one could gain any benefit, then it was better to minimize their losses as much as possible.
"Contact that one."
The Taixu Lord spoke in a low voice.
The official reason given for the Taixu Dimension and the Chaotic Void vying over that Heart of the Celestial River was that one of their own Time Beings had hidden cultivation risks and needed a complete Heart of the Celestial River to temper their body and erase those risks.
But that reason was just something the Taixu Dimension deliberately put on display.
In truth, the Taixu Dimension itself was not particularly interested in that Heart of the Celestial River.
The real reason they wanted it was entirely due to a transaction with a second-realm Time Being.
Not long ago, a second-realm Time Being had approached the Time Beings of the Taixu Dimension, willing to pay a certain price in exchange for the Taixu Dimension fighting for the Heart of the Celestial River.
The price was something the Taixu Lord couldn't refuse, so he agreed.
A short while later.
Outside the Taixu Dimension.
The Taixu Lord and the other eight Time Beings met that second-realm Time Being.
This second-realm Time Being wore gray robes and seemed almost illusory as he quietly regarded the nine Time Beings of the Taixu Dimension.
His name was Hui Zu, and he wasn't a Time Being from this stretch of interdimensional void, but from some distant region.
After leaving their home dimensional space, Time Beings would choose to roam the vast interdimensional gaps, attempting to explore one dimensional space after another.
Hui Zu was one such Time Being. After endless ages of exploration, he finally comprehended his own fundamental Dao and became a second-realm Time Being.
It was only when passing near the Celestial River Dimension that Hui Zu casually looked its way, and discovered that the Heart of the Celestial River the dimension was currently condensing was anything but ordinary—far in the future, it would transform into one of the raw materials for a Lord-level weapon.
Every so many ages, the Celestial River Dimension would condense a Heart of the Celestial River. The earlier Hearts were quite ordinary; only this newly condensing Heart of the Celestial River had the potential to become raw material for a Lord-level weapon.
Of course, to notice this, one had to delve deep into future timelines. As a second-realm Time Being, Hui Zu's observation of timelines far surpassed that of first-realm Time Beings.
Thus he was able to discover in advance how special this newly condensing Heart of the Celestial River was.
"What is it?"
Hui Zu asked calmly.
The reason he didn't personally act to seize that Heart of the Celestial River, and instead used the Time Beings of the Celestial River Dimension as proxies—
Was because this was the future timeline he'd seen with the highest chance of successfully obtaining that Heart of the Celestial River.
If Hui Zu directly made a move, a second-realm Time Being descending to snatch the Heart of the Celestial River, it would very likely arouse the enmity of all Time Beings residing in the Celestial River Dimension.
Which would lead to them joining forces to resist this second-realm Time Being.
Moreover, a treasure like the Heart of the Celestial River shouldn't, by rights, be enough to attract a second-realm Time Being.
If Hui Zu forcefully intervened, it would make the many Time Beings within the Celestial River Dimension re-evaluate the Heart of the Celestial River's value.
Hui Zu's ability to discover how special this Heart of the Celestial River was ahead of time came from two factors: first, his ability to observe further along the timelines; and second, that other first-realm Time Beings hadn't invested much effort into probing the newly born Heart of the Celestial River.
After all, the Celestial River Dimension had already condensed quite a few Hearts of the Celestial River before, and none of them had shown any particular peculiarity.
But if Hui Zu acted, things would be different. Time Beings were exceedingly perceptive; they would immediately infer many possibilities and then conduct deeper timeline investigations.
Once the true value of the recently condensing Heart of the Celestial River was revealed, the second-realm Time Beings attracted would not be just him, Hui Zu.
It was precisely because of the reasons above—
That even though Hui Zu coveted that Heart of the Celestial River, he absolutely could not personally take action. He couldn't even allow any trace of his presence to leak out.
When a second-realm Time Being fully concealed themselves, a first-realm Time Being would find it very hard to detect anything in the future timelines.
They would only feel that future timelines had become blurry and distorted, with many outcomes uncertain.
But that was normal; whenever future timelines involved Time Beings, things were always like that.
"We can't do anything to those seven Time Beings of the Chaotic Void."
The Taixu Lord looked at Hui Zu and spoke directly.
"Can't do anything to them?"
Hui Zu frowned, though he didn't say much.
He, too, had observed the future timelines many times, and understood how troublesome that Mo Xu-jun of the Chaotic Void was.
But to say the Taixu Lord really "couldn't do anything" to him—that was simply being overly modest.
It was just that he didn't want to pay too high a price.
If the nine Time Beings of the Taixu Dimension truly threw everything aside and went all out against the seven Time Beings of the Chaotic Void—
The latter would very likely choose to withdraw of their own accord. There was no need to perish together with the Taixu Dimension over a single Heart of the Celestial River.
"This is a treasure I acquired through a trade in the territory of a certain Lord."
Hui Zu raised his hand, and a palm-sized axe floated before him.
The axe looked tiny, but the faint aura it exuded was enough to startle an ordinary first-realm Time Being.
"This treasure?"
The Taixu Lord's gaze grew weighty.
He could feel how terrifying this axe was. Even though it could only be activated a few times, it clearly had the potential to heavily wound a first-realm Time Being.
"I've already shrouded it with the power of time. Ordinary thirteenth-rank first-realm beings won't be able to see it in the future timelines. Just activate it at the critical moment."
Hui Zu's words were brief.
He had already paid a great price for the sake of acquiring that Heart of the Celestial River, which had the potential to reach Lord level.
"Of course."
A smile appeared on the Taixu Lord's face.
This was the frightening part of Time Beings who'd lived through endless ages.
It wasn't just that their power increased; they roamed so many places that the number of trump cards and hidden moves they accumulated multiplied as well.
"I hope you don't disappoint me."
Hui Zu cast one last glance at the Taixu Lord, then his figure vanished.
Gazing at the palm-sized axe before him.
The Taixu Lord sunk into thought.
Clearly, Hui Zu desired that Heart of the Celestial River so much—
It definitely had some special quality, different from the Hearts of the Celestial River condensed in the past.
But the Taixu Lord didn't care about that; he only cared about the conditions Hui Zu had offered him.
"Mo Xu-jun…"
The Taixu Lord let out a cold laugh.
With this little axe in hand, if he fought Mo Xu-jun, he had every hope of catching him off guard and inflicting a grievous wound.
And as long as Mo Xu-jun was heavily injured, the other Time Beings wouldn't be much of a threat.
When the transaction with Hui Zu was complete, he would also obtain the treasure he wanted.
Chaotic Void.
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, diverting part of his mind to selecting a suitable vessel in the third Source World to descend into.
The rest of his mind continued to observe his own future timelines.
"Hm?"
As Lin Yuan simultaneously delved into hundreds of future timelines, he immediately saw the scene of the seven Time Beings of the Chaotic Void confronting the Taixu Dimension within the Celestial River Dimension.
"The Celestial River Dimension? The Heart of the Celestial River?"
Lin Yuan observed carefully. Compared to the future timelines a first-realm Time Being like Mo Xu-jun could see—
The future timelines Lin Yuan was watching were much clearer. With a Lord's authority bolstering him, many hidden details couldn't escape his notice.
"What's this?"
Lin Yuan saw, in one future timeline, the Taixu Lord battling Mo Xu-jun. At the end, the Taixu Lord raised his right hand, and a palm-sized axe appeared, chopping down toward Mo Xu-jun.
That single chop left Mo Xu-jun gravely injured. The other Time Beings had no choice but to flee in defeat.
The Time Beings on the Chaotic Void's side suffered disastrous losses, were surrounded and hunted by the Time Beings of the Taixu Dimension, and in the end, one Time Being's main battle body was completely left behind.
"This axe?"
Lin Yuan focused on that palm-sized axe the Taixu Lord used at the last moment.
The timeline unfolded, and Lin Yuan quickly saw Hui Zu's existence, as well as his motives, and the true value of the recently condensing Heart of the Celestial River.
"A Heart of the Celestial River with the potential to become Lord-level material?"
Lin Yuan pondered, then immediately summoned Mo Xu-jun and the other six Time Beings.
"Milky Way."
"Milky Way."
A short while later, Mo Xu-jun and the other Time Beings each descended with an avatar, appearing before Lin Yuan.
"The situation in the Celestial River Dimension…"
Lin Yuan looked at the Time Beings and didn't beat around the bush. "You won't be able to handle it."
With a second-realm Time Being like Hui Zu plotting behind the scenes, the Time Beings on the Chaotic Void's side would suffer disastrous losses if they slipped even a little.
"Can't handle it?"
Mo Xu-jun was inwardly startled.
He, too, had been paying very close attention to the Celestial River Dimension, constantly watching the future timelines.
But he had never seen a situation where he couldn't cope.
"Right."
Lin Yuan nodded. "There's a second-realm Time Being pulling the strings from behind. It's normal that you haven't noticed."
...