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Chapter 128: Homecoming (End of Chapter)
Chapter 128: Homecoming (End of Chapter)
North Sea Island.
The group of Tenth Realm cultivators chatted leisurely, glancing occasionally at the 'Eye of the North Sea' in the distance, which had now shrunk to a size of only a hundred meters.
For over a hundred years, they had lived comfortably and experienced awe-inspiring events.
The comfort came from no longer having to guard the Eye of the North Sea or face its abyss-like depths.
Watching the Eye shrink day by day was also a source of spiritual pleasure.
As for the awe, it all stemmed from a single person.
That mysterious figure who, with his own power, had surpassed their group's collective achievements of tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years.
For over a century, that enigmatic figure had remained seated above the Eye of the North Sea. His two primordial spirits, each measuring a million zhang tall, stood at either end of the Eye.
"Let me tell you, I almost personally received our esteemed guest. If it weren't for the Island Master and the Deputy Island Masters stealing the show, I would have been the first to speak to him," boasted a chubby man, conveniently forgetting that his initial intention had been to remind Lin Yuan to keep a low profile upon his arrival at North Sea Island.
"I wonder about his origins and how such a powerful being came to be," mused a thin Tenth Realm cultivator.
It was common knowledge among cultivators that shallow waters could not produce a true dragon. Yet, compared to them, the mysterious figure who had completely subdued the Eye of the North Sea was far beyond a mere 'dragon'.
Even setting aside his true body, the two million-zhang-tall primordial spirits he had sent out were enough to make their hearts tremble.
"Enough," a stern-faced Tenth Realm cultivator interrupted. "The Island Master and Deputy Island Masters have made it clear that we are not to discuss the esteemed guest in private. Violators will be punished."
"I'm just talking; I'm not saying anything bad about him," the thin Tenth Realm cultivator quickly clarified, shaking his head.
"Besides, if they don't want us to talk about him, do you think the Island Master and Deputy Island Masters don't discuss that mysterious figure in private?" he added, unable to contain his curiosity.
"Since they have forbidden us from talking about him, they will undoubtedly abide by their own rules," the stern-faced cultivator replied solemnly.
"Just how powerful is he, do you think? Fourteenth Realm, or perhaps Fifteenth?"
Within the Northern Region's Cave Abode A, Narang Island Master and his deputy island masters gazed into the distance, their eyes fixed on the direction of the Eye of the North Sea.
One of the deputy island masters voiced the question on their minds.
The higher one's cultivation realm, the more profound their understanding of Lin Yuan's terrifying power—a force that far surpassed the limits of this world, leaving them without even a thought of resistance.
"Unclear," came the response.
"But I believe he has transcended the boundaries of cultivation realms," another deputy island master whispered. "The heights he has attained are beyond our comprehension and explanation."
"No wonder the 'Heavenly Dao' prompted us to obey his every word," the third deputy island master murmured, deep in thought.
Narang Island Master remained calm as he stared at the distant Eye of the North Sea.
For over a hundred years, most of his days had been spent this way, watching as the Eye gradually vanished, and with it, his worries faded.
"From our generation onwards, our descendants for countless generations to come will no longer have to face the threat of the Eye of the North Sea," he said, his reverence for Lin Yuan growing with each passing moment, to the point of wanting to bow down in worship.
"However..."
There was something that nagged at the back of Narang Island Master's mind.
Even though the Eye of the North Sea had been completely sealed, why was the heavenly and earthly energy still flowing endlessly towards the North Sea?
Above the Eye of the North Sea.
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged in the air.
Ever since the Eye had shrunk to a size of ten thousand li, he had recalled his Yin and Yang spirits back into his body, as this scale of the Eye was now well within his sole control.
"Truly refreshing," Lin Yuan remarked, his expression filled with satisfaction.
His suppression of the Eye was not absolute; he had intentionally left a slight gap, allowing the Eye to continue absorbing the heavenly and earthly energy of this world.
As the infinite energy converged, it was naturally intercepted by Lin Yuan and used for his cultivation.
In other words, for over a hundred years, the Eye of the North Sea had been working for Lin Yuan, gaining absolutely nothing in return while shrinking in size.
"Eighteenth Realm," Lin Yuan exhaled softly, having reached this cultivation level.
"What a pity."
"Advancing to the Sixth Tier is not something that can be achieved merely with energy."
Lin Yuan's thoughts turned to the main world, where the leap from the Fifth Tier to the Sixth was far more challenging than the cumulative difficulty of progressing from the First to the Fifth Tier.
The Fifth Tier was known as the Land-Sinking Grade, while the Sixth Tier was the Star-Falling Grade, representing a qualitative change. Bridging this gap was no easy feat.
There was a Third Tier, the City-Destroying Grade, to act as a buffer between the First and the Fifth Tiers.
However, there was no such buffer between the Fifth and Sixth Tiers; cultivators had to rely on their own means to break through.
Even with a complete evolutionary path to follow, ordinary cultivators would find it incredibly difficult, let alone Lin Yuan, the founder of the martial arts evolutionary path?
Although Lin Yuan had access to numerous evolutionary paths as reference, including some that surpassed the sixth tier and even the extremely enigmatic Primordial Evolution Path, emulation was one thing, but creating the sixth tier of the Martial Arts Evolution Path was another.
"That should be enough."
Lin Yuan glanced at the North Sea Eye below him.
In fact, as early as three to four decades ago, Lin Yuan had the ability to completely seal the North Sea Eye.
However, in order to continue enjoying the vast heavenly and earthly energy that the North Sea Eye absorbed, Lin Yuan had dragged it out until now.
The World Consciousness of this world seemed to be somewhat aware of his actions.
But there was nothing it could do about it.
The World Consciousness still needed Lin Yuan to resolve the North Sea Eye, so it couldn't afford to turn against him at this point.
But now...
Lin Yuan had reached the twelfth level of the fifth tier, and his cultivation from this point on would have little to do with external energy.
Moreover, with only a decade or so left before he reached his limit of stay, there was no need to linger any longer.
"Suppress!"
With that thought, Lin Yuan looked down at the hundred-meter-wide North Sea Eye.
Rumble! The terrifying suppression once again poured down.
The hundred-meter-wide North Sea Eye immediately began to shrink.
Ninety meters.
Eighty meters.
Seventy meters.
Just as the North Sea Eye shrank to a size of ten meters...
A terrifying consciousness penetrated the North Sea Eye and reached Lin Yuan's ears.
"Stop!"
This terrifying consciousness emitted spiritual fluctuations that instinctively made Lin Yuan understand its meaning.
"Stop?"
Lin Yuan smiled slightly, not too concerned.
Over the years, he had speculated that there was a powerful being backing the North Sea Eye.
Because whenever he carefully observed the North Sea Eye, he would occasionally gain insights into some 'Devourer' secret arts through his heaven-defying comprehension talent.
Of course, these devourer secret arts were not as powerful as the 'Devouring Heaven' evolution path, but they were clearly the unique skills of a powerful being.
Lin Yuan had originally thought that the being behind the North Sea Eye would remain silent until it was completely sealed.
But he never expected that his opponent would eventually lose patience.
"As long as you stop, we can negotiate."
"Everything is negotiable."
That terrifying consciousness sounded a bit anxious.
"We can make a deal."
The terrifying consciousness continued to send out spiritual fluctuations.
"I'm not interested in making deals."
Lin Yuan didn't stop, continuing to suppress the North Sea Eye, which kept shrinking.
To be precise, Lin Yuan wasn't interested in deals where the power gap between the two sides was too great.
The being behind the North Sea Eye was at least a powerhouse beyond the sixth tier, and making a deal with such a being was akin to asking for trouble.
There was no telling when he might fall into their schemes.
Lin Yuan only considered making a deal with the World Consciousness of this world because it wasn't a living being. It had no emotions or personal feelings.
Additionally, Lin Yuan also had a way to counter the World Consciousness if needed—he could simply destroy this world, ensuring that neither side benefited.
But the being behind the North Sea Eye? Lin Yuan didn't think he had a way to restrain them.
Rather than worry about that, he might as well avoid contact altogether.
Rumble! The North Sea Eye continued to shrink.
Five meters.
Three meters.
One meter.
Finally...
A terrifying consciousness emanating from the depths of the North Sea Eye began to curse.
Buzz! An intangible soul attack quickly penetrated Lin Yuan's soul.
Unfortunately...
Lin Yuan's yin and yang spirits had merged into one, forming the Tai Chi spirit, which was incredibly stable. Coupled with the soul defense secret art 'Spirit Pagoda', he was fearless against the soul attack that had lost most of its power by the time it reached him.
Finally...
After a few days...
The North Sea Eye shrank to a size smaller than a hair strand.
With a slight movement of Lin Yuan's thoughts, the tiny dot landed on his palm.
At this size, the North Sea Eye posed no threat at all, not even capable of absorbing heavenly and earthly energy.
Swoosh! Lin Yuan's figure disappeared.
He reappeared in the sky above North Sea Island.
At this moment, Narang Island Master, the five deputy island masters, and numerous Tenth Realm cultivators were already waiting there.
When the North Sea Eye had shrunk to a size of ten meters, Narang Island Master and the others realized that the greatest threat looming over countless powerful beings in this world might finally be coming to an end.
So they had gathered here early to await this moment.
After all, once the North Sea Eye was completely resolved, that mysterious figure would naturally appear.
"You have lived here for thousands and millions of years."
Lin Yuan looked at Narang Island Master and the other powerful beings.
Here, thousands and millions of years referred not to a single generation but to countless generations.
Ever since the North Sea Eye appeared hundreds of thousands of years ago, powerful beings had come here one after another under the suggestion of the World Consciousness.
After hundreds of thousands of years of reproduction, even Narang Island Master was a descendant of the earlier generations of powerful beings.
"However, everyone will still need to stay here for another five hundred years before they can go to the Five Domains."
Lin Yuan looked around and said indifferently.
In the present-day Five Domains, the demonic forces left behind by Lin Yuan were sufficient to suppress all opposition.
However, if the powerful beings from North Sea Island were to swarm into the Five Domains, the outcome would be uncertain.
Dozens of Tenth Realm cultivators and six Eleventh Realm cultivators were more than capable of throwing the Five Domains into complete chaos.
Thus, Lin Yuan gave everyone a buffer period of five hundred years.
With this time to adjust, the loss of the North Sea Eye's absorption of energy would be mitigated, and with the gradual increase in the world's spiritual energy over the next five centuries, it was still possible for some Tenth Realm cultivators, or even Eleventh Realm cultivators, to emerge.
"Yes," Narang Island Master and the other powerful beings readily agreed.
Having waited for thousands and millions of years, a mere five hundred years was nothing.
"Since that's the case..."
Lin Yuan waved his hand, and ten glowing orbs flew out, landing on the foreheads of each of the powerful beings.
These orbs were created by Lin Yuan using the essence of North Sea Island and his own power.
Should anyone leave the region of North Sea Island, the orbs would self-destruct.
"Remember, you can only go to the Five Domains after five hundred years," Lin Yuan added, and then his figure disappeared from view.
Five Domains.
The Great Xia Empire.
Over the course of 112 years, Nuan Shu and the Demon Lords had diligently governed the Five Domains according to Lin Yuan's instructions, establishing a vast empire named after Xiahou Yuan's surname – the Great Xia Empire.
Palace.
Nuan Shu rubbed her temples, her expression weary.
The Great Xia Empire had no emperor, only twelve assistant ministers, led by Nuan Shu, who were once the subordinates of the Demon Sovereign Xiahou Yuan.
"Is the concentration of the world's energy increasing?" Nuan Shu murmured as she walked to the window.
Having reached the Ninth Realm, her senses were sharp, and she naturally detected the slow but steady increase in the concentration of the world's energy across the Five Domains.
"From now on, the world's energy will continue to increase until it reaches the levels from tens of thousands of years ago in fifty years," a deep voice suddenly said.
Nuan Shu jumped in surprise, and when she turned around, her eyes immediately reddened as she saw the owner of the voice.
"Your Honor," she said, immediately kneeling down, her voice filled with emotion.
"Get up," Lin Yuan said, shaking his head.
"These ten tokens contain the power I left behind," he continued, and as he finished speaking, ten wooden tokens floated in front of Nuan Shu.
"In the future, if you encounter an insurmountable challenge, you can crush one of these tokens, and the power within will temporarily grant you the strength of a Thirteenth Realm cultivator," Lin Yuan explained calmly.
This was Lin Yuan's backup plan for the Great Xia Empire.
Even after tens or hundreds of thousands of years, the power of a Thirteenth Realm cultivator could sweep away all opposition.
"Yes," Nuan Shu replied, hesitating slightly before asking, "Your Honor, are you leaving us?"
Lin Yuan's words made Nuan Shu suspect that he was planning to depart; otherwise, with his strength, there would be no need to leave such a trump card behind.
"There are partings in life," Lin Yuan acknowledged with a shake of his head.
"Where are you going?" Nuan Shu asked, mustering her courage.
"Where am I going?" Lin Yuan mused for a moment.
"I'll return to where I came from."
And with that, Lin Yuan's figure vanished, leaving Nuan Shu still kneeling on the ground, her face filled with bewilderment.
South Domain.
In a dense forest.
Lin Yuan's figure appeared.
"Hmm?"
Lin Yuan's gaze shifted slightly.
In the distance, on a mountain stronghold, Xiao Huo, Shen Lang, and Yang Bixin were disguised as ordinary people, playing with children.
"Heirs of destiny," Lin Yuan sighed.
If it weren't for him, Xiao Huo, Shen Lang, and Yang Bixin would have been the most dazzling talents in the Five Domains.
After all, these three were favored by the World Consciousness, intended to be the ultimate solution to the North Sea Eye.
And now, it was clear that Lin Yuan had dampened their spirits considerably, causing them to hide in this remote mountain forest, away from the world.
West Domain.
In a desert.
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged on the sand.
"It's time to leave," he said, his thoughts drifting.
At this moment, he had less than half an incense stick's worth of time left before his stay limit was reached.
"Martial arts..."
Lin Yuan's senses expanded, perceiving the vital energy emitted by martial arts cultivators across the Five Domains.
"If one day..."
"The martial arts cultivation system disappears from this world..."
Lin Yuan muttered to himself.
"...then a second North Sea Eye will appear."
Lin Yuan's thoughts stirred, and the North Sea Eye, now reduced to the size of a hair strand, appeared before him.
He swallowed it and began to sink into the desert.
Endlessly descending.
At the same time.
On the other side of the desert.
The world's energy converged, forming a figure.
This figure had eyes of pure gold, standing aloof and detached, cold and merciless.
It glanced at the spot where Lin Yuan had sunk into the desert and then transformed back into the world's energy, vanishing from its original location.
(End of Chapter)
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