Lin Muyu knew very well that if the other party came again to his Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, he would only come after making thorough preparations, and it definitely would not be just a clone again. This battle had already proven that relying on a clone alone could not deal with him. The fact that he could set foot in the Life-Forbidden Zone had already overturned the other party's expectations and ruined his plans. This powerful existence who had survived to the present from some unknown era should have calculated everything without omission, yet he produced this one variable and miscalculated only him.
If he came to the door again, it would certainly be a thunderous strike. But he likely would not come easily. Most likely he would lure me over. The Chaotic Ancient Wilds is a very good bait. He will probably stir up trouble in the Chaotic Ancient Wilds. The Chaotic Ancient Wilds is now Big Sis's Heaven-and-Earth, and I do not know whether Big Sis can handle it. If I am not mistaken, this Chaotic Ancient Wilds is also a Heaven-and-Earth he created, like the child-mother heaven-and-earth, but different in some ways. Big Sis has only just begun to take control of her Heaven-and-Earth, and she probably has not fully mastered the primal-beginning arts yet. Looks like I should make a move, help her first, and buy some time.
Several drops of essence blood flew from Lin Muyu's fingertips. The essence blood gathered and evolved into a clone. Now that Lin Muyu's soul and flesh were unified, his clone was likewise a complete individual. From a certain perspective, it was no different from the main body. A single drop of essence blood could condense into a clone. The clone condensed from several drops of essence blood was even stronger. Aside from a few special abilities it could not use, it had at least seventy to eighty percent of the main body's combat power. This clone was enough to accomplish many things.
The clone left the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth and returned to the Chaotic Ancient Wilds. Even after becoming a true supreme powerhouse within the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, Lin Muyu still originated from the Chaotic Ancient Wilds, and his connection to the Chaotic Ancient Wilds had not been severed. He did not need to rely on a spatial passage. He could travel freely back and forth instantly along his own independent route.
The Hongmeng Gemstone asked, "Master, what do you plan to do next?"
Lin Muyu said, "There are many things to do. The Yushen Heaven-and-Earth still needs to be further refined. Now that the first Great Calamity of the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth has passed, its Heaven-and-Earth core will form, and the primal-beginning arts within the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth will also appear. The primal-beginning arts will merge into the Nine Heavens Fate Arts, allowing me to completely control the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, obtain the Heaven-and-Earth guidance, and then…"
"I will continue entering the Chess of All Living Beings to temper my formation Dao. And the rules within the Chess of All Living Beings are also about time to comprehend. Before, I had no time. I could only choose to fully temper the formation Dao and raise the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth. Now that the Great Calamity has passed, time will be much more ample."
"As for that fellow, we will meet him as he comes. And I am confident I can stall for a while."
He split off another clone again and arrived at the center of the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth. Two masses of ten-thousand-colored rosy radiance were gestating here. One took the shape of a pagoda with nine levels. It was precisely the Heaven-and-Earth core of the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth. The other was a fist-sized piece of jade-green stone. This was the primal-beginning arts of the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth. Once they finished gestating, Lin Muyu could refine them directly. This would be the final step of refining the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth. As for the primal-beginning arts, for Lin Muyu it was even easier.
So his main body did not need to come. One clone could complete these tasks. The main body entered the Chess of All Living Beings to continue tempering the formation Dao. At the same time, he split off a sliver of attention and began comprehending the powerful rules contained within the Chess of All Living Beings. He had a feeling that this game board was not ordinary, and its strength far exceeded what it seemed on the surface.
Little Tree changed the time flow rate of the Chess of All Living Beings. After Lin Muyu became Dao, Little Tree also benefited greatly. Now it could raise the time flow rate inside the Chess of All Living Beings to five times. Five years passed inside the game board, while only one year passed outside. This also bought Lin Muyu more time.
Within the Chaotic Ancient Wilds, Lin Muyu's arrival caused Heaven-and-Earth tremors. After all, he was a true supreme powerhouse. Even if it was only a clone, it did not change that fact. Fortunately, he originated from the Chaotic Ancient Wilds, otherwise he could not enter at all. Forcing entry would have caused the Chaotic Ancient Wilds to collapse on the spot. Now there were simultaneously two true supreme powerhouses within the Chaotic Ancient Wilds, almost exceeding the limit the Heaven-and-Earth could bear. The Chaotic Ancient Wilds, a four-wheel Heaven-and-Earth, struggled to withstand the pressure, and the entire Heaven-and-Earth became unstable.
Lin Muyu quickly restrained his aura to reduce the pressure on the Chaotic Ancient Wilds.
A hazy figure appeared in the void. Lin Mohan's consciousness arrived. Her consciousness condensed into form and quickly became clear.
Lin Mohan's eyes were bright. "Congratulations, Xiaoyu. You finally became Dao."
She had already seen that Lin Muyu had become Dao. With her temperament, she would not say much extra.
Lin Muyu also understood. Upon seeing Lin Mohan, he wanted only one thing: do not urge me to have children.
At once, Lin Muyu cut off Lin Mohan's words. "Sis, I'm going to handle something first."
He took a step and vanished. He headed toward the deepest part of the Ancient Wilds.
There was a trace of doubt in Lin Mohan's gaze, but she did not ask. She followed Lin Muyu. Though she was not a true supreme powerhouse born of the Chaotic Ancient Wilds, under the Nine Heavens Fate Arts, the rules of the Chaotic Ancient Wilds still had to yield to Lin Muyu. The rules parted one after another, and two steps later Lin Muyu arrived outside the deepest part of the Ancient Wilds.
The deepest part of the Ancient Wilds was the source of the entire Heaven-and-Earth. Every Heaven-and-Earth had such a place. The Yushen Heaven-and-Earth also had one, but the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth's source was special. It was not a location, but Lin Muyu himself.
Was there a problem with this deepest part of the Ancient Wilds?
Lin Mohan did not see anything obvious and was puzzled.
Lin Muyu asked, "Sis, have you refined this place?"
Lin Mohan shook her head. "Not yet. I planned to refine it last. I feel there is something unusual inside."
Lin Mohan had already sensed that there might be an issue in the deepest part of the Ancient Wilds. But every Heaven-and-Earth had a source like this, so she had not taken it too seriously. She intended to return only after finishing the other matters.
Lin Muyu smiled. "Sis, your instincts are right. This place is indeed not quite right. There's a troublesome fellow inside."
Lin Mohan's beautiful eyes narrowed sharply, battle intent surging. Now she was a true supreme powerhouse and the master of the Chaotic Ancient Wilds. Yet within her own territory, there was someone else. She wanted to see just how troublesome he was. She feared neither Heaven nor Earth and never feared trouble. Whoever it was, she would dare draw her sword.
Lin Muyu smiled. "Let me tell you a story."
He roughly told Lin Mohan about the Great Annihilation and the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth.
The battle intent in Lin Mohan's eyes was replaced by surprise. Not many things could surprise her, but what Lin Muyu said was simply too bizarre.
Lin Mohan said, "Xiaoyu, you mean the Chaotic Ancient Wilds was created by that person?"
Lin Muyu nodded. "Naturally it cannot be all of it, but it definitely cannot be separated from him. But now is not the time to face him. First, you have not finished refining the Chaotic Ancient Wilds. Second, the Chaotic Ancient Wilds is not suitable as a battlefield. Its essence is not strong enough. If it becomes the battlefield, after the fight, this Heaven-and-Earth will likely be finished. The battlefield can only be placed in the Life-Forbidden Zone."
"And before that, we need to buy enough time for you to refine the Chaotic Ancient Wilds, and also move the Chaotic Ancient Wilds far away. But the other party will not easily give up on the Chaotic Ancient Wilds. We can only take it one step at a time."
The aura of the deepest part of the Ancient Wilds was completely different from the Chaotic Ancient Wilds. In the past Lin Muyu did not understand and thought it was naturally so because it was the origin of the Heaven-and-Earth. The Hongmeng Gemstone looked at the outside but not the inside, so it was not very clear about the specific situation within the Heaven-and-Earth. But now it was different. Lin Muyu could see the profundities clearly.
Lin Mohan, as the master of the Chaotic Ancient Wilds, also saw the problem. "Here… it seems there is the aura of another Heaven-and-Earth."
Lin Muyu said, "Sis, your eyes are sharp. You are right."
Lin Mohan raised her jade-like hand and grabbed several strands of intangible qi from the void. Under surging rules, the intangible qi became tangible. Most of it belonged to the Chaotic Ancient Wilds, but one thread of aura was out of place, not the aura of the Chaotic Ancient Wilds.
Lin Mohan said softly, "This thread of aura is faint, but its essence is exceptionally strong, stronger than the Chaotic Ancient Wilds. Such a faint thread can still suppress the Chaotic Ancient Wilds' power. As you said, this Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth really is extraordinarily powerful."
Lin Muyu said, "Yes. The Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth is indeed powerful. The Chaotic Ancient Wilds is only a four-wheel Heaven-and-Earth. Compared to the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, it is like mud compared to clouds. But it is fine. Perhaps in the future, this Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth will be yours, Sis."
Lin Mohan froze for a moment, then reacted. "Xiaoyu, you already have a plan."
Lin Muyu shook his head. "Only a rough outline. Whether it succeeds or not is still hard to say. We can only proceed step by step. Sis, you also know: between us and him, only one can live. His scheme is not small, and neither is ours."
Lin Mohan said, "Then what should I do now?"
Lin Muyu said, "Do nothing else. Sis, go back and fully refine the Chaotic Ancient Wilds, comprehend the primal-beginning arts, and grasp the Chaotic Ancient Wilds firmly in your hand first. I will handle the rest."
Lin Mohan gave a soft "Mm," turned, and left the deepest part of the Ancient Wilds to do what she needed to do. She trusted Lin Muyu completely. Since Lin Muyu already had arrangements, she would follow them. Just like the matter of scheming with Calamity Supreme and the others to let her become Dao, she had not done much either. In this regard, she was far inferior to Lin Muyu.
Lin Muyu saw through the rules and walked along the rules, quickly approaching the center. The closer he got, the more concentrated the aura from the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth became. Compared to the Chaotic Ancient Wilds it was still sparse, but it was much richer than before. These auras became the best guideposts, directing Lin Muyu to his destination.
The center of the deepest part of the Ancient Wilds was a place no one in the Chaotic Ancient Wilds' entire history had ever reached. The first two Great Calamities were related to it. One could even say the entire birth of the Chaotic Ancient Wilds came from it.
Here, there was a hole. Around the hole were some fissures. The strange aura from the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth flowed out from these fissures.
Lin Muyu did not go over. He restrained all his aura. With a thought, he contacted Little Tree.
"Little Tree, help me take a look at this hole. Be careful, do not alarm it."
Through the Undead Eye, Lin Muyu saw a mass of soul flame flickering inside the hole. There was a living being within. This soul flame was very strong, not weaker than any Supreme, and even stronger than some. From this, it could be judged that there was another space beyond the hole, and matters of space should be handled by Little Tree.
Little Tree quickly used Lin Muyu as a coordinate and silently established a spatial passage. A thin branch slowly extended out, then probed into the hole. Little Tree's branch concealed itself within space, becoming unseen and unheard, with no aura leaking out. Following Lin Muyu's instructions, Little Tree was extremely careful, and the entire process made no disturbance.
Immediately, images Little Tree saw appeared within Lin Muyu's soul. Beyond this hole, there truly was a special space, and there were also several spatial passages. In that space lay a giant beast.
Lin Muyu was slightly startled when he saw it. "Diting Beast."
The next second, he reacted. It was not a Diting Beast, only extremely similar to one. Its power far surpassed the Diting Beast.
After a few more looks, Lin Muyu saw the clue. This creature emitted the aura of the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth and was extraordinarily powerful. Its aura had likewise come to the Chaotic Ancient Wilds, and then by a coincidence of fate it evolved and gave birth to the Diting Beast. That was why the Diting Beast looked just like it. One could say it was the Diting Beast's ancestor. But in truth, the two did not have much relation. They only looked alike.
It seemed that the Diting Beast's ability to eavesdrop on Heaven-and-Earth also came because of it. Since it was here, it likely was responsible for monitoring the Chaotic Ancient Wilds. But such monitoring was not foolproof, and there would be many omissions. Thus, the master of that Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth was not clear about some matters. From this, one could also infer that the master likely could not conveniently appear in person, and there must be another reason. Could he still be sleeping? It was not impossible. Resisting the Great Annihilation was not easy. Even a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth could not come through unscathed. These fissures were evidence. If the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth truly had no damage at all, these fissures should not exist.
Moreover, the passages in that space were extremely unstable, as if they could collapse at any moment. That was also abnormal.
Lin Muyu told Little Tree to continue investigating the spatial passages beyond the independent space, while he began rapid deductions. In his view, if he were the master of a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, he would never do something this crude. For matters of Heaven-and-Earth, a single missed detail could lead to differences of ten percent or more. He pursued perfection in action. Other true supreme powerhouses were the same. It was impossible to do something so rough. These fissures were like a leaking ball, only harming the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. Under normal circumstances, how could they be allowed to exist?
And when the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth was about to form, the other party had only sent a clone. Though that clone was already strong enough, if not for Lin Muyu being able to step into the Life-Forbidden Zone and fight him, the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth would have had only passive suffering. By that logic, for anyone else, that clone alone would have been enough to handle it.
All these things allowed a conclusion: there was a problem here.
Soon, Little Tree's exploration yielded a sliver of result.
"Master, these spatial passages are all quite unstable and can collapse at any time. Once a passage collapses, a new one will be established. This giant beast is the corresponding coordinate. This ancestor of the Diting Beast, besides monitoring the Chaotic Ancient Wilds, also serves as a coordinate. It wastes nothing."
"The other end of the spatial passages, needless to say, must be that Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. It seems that if we want more information, we still have to go there and take a look."
Lin Muyu said to Little Tree, "I want to go over and have a look. Can you stabilize the passages temporarily and keep them from noticing?"
Little Tree said, "Stabilizing the spatial passages is no problem. But that is their territory. If Master goes over, you will definitely be discovered."
Lin Muyu said, "It will not be easy to discover me. Besides, I also want to see whether I will be discovered. If he can discover me at the first moment, it means his state is intact and he completely controls his Heaven-and-Earth. If he cannot discover me, it means he may still be sleeping, or because of some other reason he cannot fully control his Heaven-and-Earth. Even if I am discovered, it is fine. I am only sending a wisp of soul. It does me no harm."
Little Tree followed the instruction and began stabilizing the spatial passages. A moment later, from Lin Muyu's soul clone flew a soul particle that was invisible to the naked eye, and it drilled in. The soul particle was invisible. Before finding the soul's emptiness, even Lin Muyu himself could not see them. They were so tiny that even with the Undead Eye, they were at an unseeable level. After flying into the hole, it did not attract the giant beast's attention.
As the ancestor of the Diting Beast, it shared one trait with the Diting Beast: it liked to sleep. Even while sleeping, they could monitor Heaven-and-Earth, only with more omissions. In short, they were lazy and unreliable, yet their abilities were uniquely gifted and irreplaceable.
The soul particle silently entered the independent space, then drilled into the spatial passage stabilized by Little Tree. The soul particle traveled through the spatial passage. In the deepest part of the Ancient Wilds, Lin Muyu still used the Nine Heavens Fate Arts, altering Heaven-and-Earth rules. No one knew he was in the deepest part of the Ancient Wilds. As long as he himself did not cause a disturbance, no one would discover him. Even if this ancestor of the Diting Beast were awake, it would not discover him.
Lin Muyu counted the time. The soul particle flew within the spatial passage for a full ten days before it neared the exit. The soul particle's speed was not slow. From this, one could infer that the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth was not close to the Chaotic Ancient Wilds.
Seeking far rather than near, that did not make sense. It seemed the origin of the Chaotic Ancient Wilds was related to the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, but it was not entirely born because of the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. Their child-mother relationship was not that tight.
That was good. The things I will do next will be much more convenient.
Distance is a good thing. Whether it is Lin Muyu's arrangements or the final great battle, it will not affect the Chaotic Ancient Wilds.
As the soul particle flew out of the spatial passage, a wave of aura swept in, striking the soul particle head-on. Vast, heavy, powerful, stern, no words could really describe the feeling. This Heaven-and-Earth was much stronger than the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
Lin Muyu had been to nine-wheel Heaven-and-Earth realms and had first-hand experience of them. Comparing the two, the gap was indeed not small. All these sensations transmitted back through the soul particle.
Lin Muyu's thoughts stirred.
Worthy of being a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. It truly is much stronger than a nine-wheel Heaven-and-Earth. Perhaps such a Heaven-and-Earth really could withstand the Great Annihilation. Looking at individual Heaven-and-Earth rules, it seems not much weaker than the Chess of All Living Beings, but if compared carefully, the Chess of All Living Beings still seems to be superior. This means my earlier guess was correct. The rules in the Chess of All Living Beings really are not inferior to those of the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth.
Just a preliminary sensation already gave Lin Muyu many answers. Next, he needed to see this Heaven-and-Earth clearly.
A Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, if I can see it clearly enough and grasp its root, it can bring enormous benefits to the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
The soul particle was no different from a clone and could likewise use the Nine Heavens Fate Arts. But Lin Muyu was extremely careful and did not dare to use it at full power, only a tiny bit. He did not alter Heaven-and-Earth rules. It was only to see the Heaven-and-Earth rules clearly, like an observer examining the Heaven-and-Earth.
The secrets of the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth peeled back layer by layer in Lin Muyu's eyes. Without realizing it, ten days passed. Those ten days brought Lin Muyu immense gains. He saw much clearly and gradually understood the direction the Yushen Heaven-and-Earth should take next. Even if he were discovered now, this trip would still be worth it.
Ten days and still no one has discovered me. It seems that true supreme powerhouse of the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth really does have a problem.
Within this Heaven-and-Earth, the rules were thick and heavy, yet within them there was also a hint of disorder. The Heaven-and-Earth power seemed to be slowly collapsing. This collapse was very slow and could last a long time. It did not seem like the end of the Heaven-and-Earth's lifespan. It was more like the Heaven-and-Earth had been struck and injured, and had never recovered. Could it have been caused by the Great Annihilation? If so, that would make sense. For a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth to endure the Great Annihilation, it would also have to pay a price.
From this, one could infer that he came to take my Yushen Heaven-and-Earth not only to advance further, but also to restore his own Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. But why do I feel this Heaven-and-Earth is already hard to restore? And why did he create the Chaotic Ancient Wilds? What is the point?
I still need to look more.
Lin Muyu continued deducing based on what he had recently gained, trying to find more answers. At the same time, the soul particle that had lingered for ten days began flying deeper into the Heaven-and-Earth. It did not alter rules, only traveled along the rules.
The soul particle was very fast. Even if the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth was large enough, it would not take long to fly around once.
The Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth was enormous. The number of living beings within was astonishing, and the strong were like a forest. Along the way, Lin Muyu had already seen several Supreme-level living beings. From this, one could infer that the number of Supremes in the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth was far more than nine. Near-Supremes would be even more. In just a few days he saw dozens of them. The limit of Supremes is nine, but that was for nine-wheel and below. Perhaps it did not apply in a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth.
Lin Muyu thought of his Undying Spirit Soldiers. Their battle power was not weaker than a Supreme, yet their number reached the tens of trillions. Of course, Undying Spirit Soldiers were only strong in battle power and could not be compared directly, but it still suggested some things. The number of Supremes should be determined by the strength of the Heaven-and-Earth. In nine-wheel and below, the Supreme limit was nine. Then in Heaven-and-Earth realms above nine-wheel, the number of Supremes would be more than that. Exactly how many was hard to compute. Lin Muyu had a guess: perhaps in a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth there was no longer a limit on the number of Supremes. As long as the Heaven-and-Earth was strong enough, the number of Supremes could be unlimited.
The Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth differed greatly from a nine-wheel Heaven-and-Earth. Besides thicker rules, many places had changed.
There should be only one true supreme powerhouse. A Heaven-and-Earth cannot accommodate two, otherwise it would surely fall into chaos. There can be only one master. But above Supreme and below true supreme powerhouse, there might be quite a few, and the core of such thick rules should also be different, likely having undergone a qualitative change.
Having refined so many Heaven-and-Earth cores, Lin Muyu understood Heaven-and-Earth cores extremely well. Between six-wheel and seven-wheel, the Heaven-and-Earth underwent a qualitative change, yet the Heaven-and-Earth core still took the form of a pagoda and did not undergo a qualitative change. Now from nine-wheel Heaven-and-Earth to Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, the Heaven-and-Earth core should undergo a qualitative change. After all, to support such a strong Heaven-and-Earth, the core also had to be strong enough. It could not simply add another layer and become a ten-level pagoda. That would be too unreasonable.
The soul particle continued forward and finally saw existences beyond Supreme. And there was more than one. It saw three at once. The three beyond-Supreme existences gathered together, seemingly guarding something. A beam of rosy radiance ran through the Heaven-and-Earth between the three of them, like a pillar that propped up the sky, supporting the entire Heaven-and-Earth.
What was this for?
Lin Muyu watched from afar. He did not get too close. After all, those were three beyond-Supreme existences. Who knew what special abilities they might have to detect him.
He tried to see what lay between the three through the rosy radiance. The distance was too great and the rosy radiance too intense, making it hard to see clearly. Lin Muyu carefully observed through the rules and finally saw it, and his heart jolted.
This is…
He saw a section of root. The root of the Hongmeng Spirit Tree, the same kind as the section of Hongmeng Spirit Tree root that appeared during the Chaotic Ancient Wilds Great Calamity, only dozens of times larger.
Three beyond-Supreme existences were actually guarding a broken section of Hongmeng Spirit Tree root, and using the Hongmeng Spirit Tree root as the base, they gathered their combined power and formed it into the sky-propping pillar.
Why do this?
No, something is off. The positions of these three are wrong.
A formation.