Chapter 383: New Rankings

Chapter 383: New Rankings (Subscription Requested)

The silver mirror appeared ordinary, yet even as a twelve-star wonder artifact, it was suppressed within the two-dimensional world, able to exhibit only a minuscule amount of sentience.

The Bronze Compass that Lin Yuan possessed, the ancient inner armor of Emperor Tuoba, and the black iron rod of God Pei were all subject to this suppression, their true powers diminished in this realm.

However, upon careful examination, Lin Yuan discovered that the silver mirror contained vast spatial fluctuations, an astonishing find within the confines of a two-dimensional world.

"Spatial fluctuations?" Lin Yuan's expression turned solemn. If an artifact could contain such spatial fluctuations here, what might it be capable of in the main universe?

"This mirror is extraordinary." Lin Yuan thought to himself. "But what is its purpose?"

He spent a considerable amount of time experimenting with various methods, even trying blood sacrifices, but still, he could not discern its function.

"Emperor Tuoba must have obtained this mirror not long ago," Lin Yuan speculated. During the prolonged chase, Emperor Tuoba had fled desperately without ever resorting to using the mirror, implying that he was unaware of its capabilities. Otherwise, in a life-or-death situation, one would employ any means necessary to survive.

"I'll figure it out eventually," Lin Yuan assured himself. "Even if I can't decipher its use here, I'll surely uncover its secrets once I bring it out of this world."

The silver mirror, like all the other wondrous items, was suppressed by the two-dimensional world, unable to display its full potential. Lin Yuan was confident that all his questions would be answered once he could take it out of this realm. And if he still couldn't comprehend its use, he could always consult the spirit of the Primeval Secret Realm or the stone statue, Shen Ji, in the Demon Jade Space.

With that in mind, Lin Yuan carefully put away the silver mirror and turned his attention to the ancient inner armor of Emperor Tuoba.

The inner armor was remarkably lightweight, and as Lin Yuan donned it, he felt as if his limbs and torso were enveloped in a protective force. Any attacks that landed on him were blocked by the armor, and even the residual force that seeped through was dispersed and diluted.

"No wonder Emperor Tuoba was so difficult to kill," Lin Yuan remarked with a smile. The inner armor bolstered his defensive capabilities significantly.

"I wonder what kind of power it would grant me if I took it out into the outside world," he mused, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. Among all types of weapons and artifacts, defensive ones were far rarer and more valuable than offensive ones, as preservation of life always took precedence.

"The only drawback is that my head isn't protected," Lin Yuan noted with a slight shake of his head. The inner armor covered only his limbs and torso, leaving his head vulnerable unless he had a corresponding helmet, which he currently lacked.

And in this two-dimensional world, there was no concept of regenerating a severed head. Once one's head was destroyed, death was certain, no matter how powerful one might be.

Of course, as a vital weak point, every strong member of the Myriad Races would protect their head diligently. Emperor Tuoba, during his desperate flight from Lin Yuan, had guarded his head meticulously.

Furthermore, while the head was a critical target, the skull was also the hardest bone in the body. Members of the Myriad Races who tempered their physical bodies paid special attention to strengthening their skeletal structure. Thus, it would be incredibly challenging to shatter the skull of an opponent of the same caliber directly.

"And there's no avoiding the penetrating power of attacks," Lin Yuan thought to himself. The reason he had been able to kill Emperor Tuoba was due to his strike penetrating the ancient god's body, followed by a final explosive release of power.

"This silver mirror could serve as a protective heart mirror," Lin Yuan decided as he took out the mirror and placed it over his chest.

Although he hadn't figured out the mirror's true purpose yet, the mirror itself was indestructible, a trait shared by all the 'wondrous' items in this two-dimensional world.

With the silver mirror serving as a secondary defense, Lin Yuan's heart was now better protected than any other part of his body.

Moreover, with his understanding of the 'Evergreen' cultivation technique, as long as it wasn't a critical organ like the heart or head, Lin Yuan could recover from injuries to other parts of his body.

"The iron rod," Lin Yuan said as he finished equipping the inner armor and the heart mirror. His gaze now fell upon the black iron rod.

The ability of the black iron rod was straightforward—it amplified strength. The same attack, when delivered with the rod, would have its power increased by two to three times.

This amplification might seem insignificant, but within the two-dimensional world, enhancing one's strength was exceedingly difficult. A two to threefold increase in power could elevate a member of the Myriad Races by several levels in terms of strength.

"It's just too big and conspicuous," Lin Yuan said as he stroked the black iron rod.

Compared to the inner armor and the 'compact' silver mirror, the rod was impossible to conceal. Nearly two meters in length, it stood out no matter where it was placed.

This was another consequence of the unique nature of the wondrous items within the two-dimensional world—they couldn't be refined or altered, which meant their size couldn't be changed to facilitate easier concealment.

"Its size doesn't matter that much," Lin Yuan decided after some thought. The iron rod offered the most direct enhancement to his strength, and that was what mattered most.

As for the inner armor? Unless he found himself in a dire situation, Lin Yuan didn't foresee a need to use it. The armor improved his chances of survival, but there were very few entities in this realm that could push him to the point of needing it.

Furthermore, as time passed, Lin Yuan's rate of growth accelerated, and the number of beings capable of posing a threat to him was dwindling rapidly.

"This expedition has been incredibly profitable," Lin Yuan concluded as he assessed his gains.

First and foremost, he had avenged himself, causing Emperor Tuoba, an eleventh-tier special life form, to suffer a partial loss of his heart and soul.

As it was, Emperor Tuoba had only a minuscule chance of reaching the ultimate stage, and now, with the loss of a portion of his heart and soul, that chance had all but vanished.

Unless something unexpected happened, it was safe to say that Emperor Tuoba's opportunity to attain the ultimate stage had been permanently foreclosed.

It wasn't that he couldn't attempt it, but doing so would be akin to courting death, leaving him with virtually no hope of achieving that pinnacle.

If Lin Yuan had the ability, he would not let the other party off the hook.

Secondly, the three wondrous items he obtained enhanced Lin Yuan's strength in all aspects.

With improvements to his defense and offense, along with the 'premonition' ability from the Bronze Compass, Lin Yuan had become a well-rounded warrior with no apparent weaknesses.

If he could unlock the power of the silver mirror and utilize spatial techniques, Lin Yuan would be able to dominate in this two-dimensional world.

Moreover, his gains were not limited to the two-dimensional world. As long as Lin Yuan could safely return to the main universe, his harvest would increase exponentially.

The three wondrous items were equivalent to three twelve-star rare treasures or weapons. Just thinking about it made Lin Yuan's heart race with excitement.

"Continue cultivating."

"I can feel that the nineteenth level of the Witch Ancestor is near."

Lin Yuan thought to himself. He had been lingering at the eighteenth level of the Witch Ancestor for quite some time and had gained many insights into the subsequent nineteenth level.

Virtual World.

Nalan, the deputy tower master, contacted Lin Yuan in a timely manner to inform him of the major events that had transpired in the two-dimensional world.

This was something Lin Yuan had requested, as he had been hiding in the Luochuan gathering place for an extended period, staying away from the core circle of the two-dimensional world and thus lacking knowledge about many intelligence reports.

That was why he had entrusted this task to Nalan.

Although Lin Yuan was confident that his heaven-defying comprehension talent would allow him to surpass those legendary eleven-stage perfect beings, he was not arrogant enough to ignore everything.

"Major events, huh?"

Nalan's expression turned solemn as he quickly spoke upon seeing Lin Yuan, "A mysterious powerful being has emerged from the Ancient Country of Blood Rain, and their strength is no weaker than that of the nine powerful beings!"

The Ancient Country of Blood Rain was rather inconspicuous among the twelve ancient countries, and although it had its fair share of powerful beings from the Myriad Races, it had never produced any exceptionally remarkable powerful beings.

This was why Emperor Tuoba and the other special life forms had set their sights on the Ancient Country of Blood Rain.

They wanted to pick on an easy target.

And among the twelve ancient countries, the Ancient Country of Blood Rain was undoubtedly the softest target.

However, no one expected that Emperor Tuoba and the other special life forms would suffer a crushing defeat this time.

"That mysterious powerful being from the Ancient Country of Blood Rain is terrifyingly strong. With his bare hands, he killed Emperor Tuoba and God Pei, and they were powerful beings with wondrous items!" Nalan exclaimed in awe.

Even though they were both at the eleventh stage, there was a significant gap between Nalan and Emperor Tuoba and God Pei. If he encountered them in the two-dimensional world, he wasn't sure if he could even escape.

Lin Yuan listened quietly. He was the mysterious powerful being that Nalan was talking about, but he didn't plan on revealing this information for the time being.

There was no benefit in doing so, and it would only attract unnecessary attention.

"There are also many powerful beings who fell into the two-dimensional world and are hiding in the shadows to cultivate. The Four Divine Kings and the other eight powerful beings are just a part of them." Nalan sighed.

Over the past hundred years, he had witnessed the might of the Four Divine Kings and the other powerful beings, as well as the recent battle involving the Ancient Country of Blood Rain.

Nalan had almost given up on the idea of his clone leaving the two-dimensional world.

What a joke!

To leave the two-dimensional world, one would have to compete with the Four Divine Kings and the mysterious powerful being from the Ancient Country of Blood Rain.

But what did he, Nalan, have to compete with those freaks?

"Indeed, there are many powerful beings hiding in the shadows," Lin Yuan nodded slightly.

There were surely many powerful beings who shared similar thoughts among those who had fallen into the two-dimensional world.

This type of powerful being would focus solely on cultivating during the initial stages and only make their move when the Heavenly Gate opened.

"However, even with some powerful beings hiding in the shadows, the Four Divine Kings, the mysterious powerful being, and the like are undoubtedly the strongest in this two-dimensional world." Nalan said.

Revealing one's identity early on did not necessarily make one weaker than those hiding; it was just a difference in behavior.

"Where does that mysterious powerful being rank among the openly known powerful beings in the two-dimensional world?" Lin Yuan suddenly became curious about his own strength in comparison.

"I knew you would ask that." A smile appeared on Nalan's face.

He was not surprised by Lin Yuan's question. In fact, most of the powerful beings from the Myriad Races in the two-dimensional world were curious about the mysterious powerful being from the Ancient Country of Blood Rain.

Who wouldn't be curious about a powerful being who remained anonymous before striking and then overwhelmed everyone afterward?

"According to the latest rankings, that mysterious powerful being is currently ranked sixth." Nalan brought up a virtual screen and pushed it toward Lin Yuan.

"Sixth?" Lin Yuan lowered his head to look.

"Yes." Nalan nodded, "In my opinion, that mysterious powerful being should be able to rank even higher, as they have made very few appearances."

"Furthermore, they have never fought against any of the powerful beings from the nine tiers. The overwhelming defeat of Emperor Tuoba and the other special life forms does not fully showcase their true strength." Nalan added.

The rankings of powerful beings in the two-dimensional world were based on various factors.

Many powerful beings had gone through countless battles, and their strengths could be accurately assessed, leading to more precise rankings.

However, the mysterious powerful being from the Ancient Country of Blood Rain had only revealed themselves during the pursuit of Emperor Tuoba and the other special life forms, so their ranking was inevitably lower due to the limited display of strength.

Nevertheless, even with that, the mysterious powerful being was ranked sixth, which showed the impact of that particular battle.

"The Four Divine Kings?" Lin Yuan scanned the rankings briefly and noticed that the first-ranked powerful being from the Myriad Races was still the Four Divine Kings.

The rankings of powerful beings from the Myriad Races had been released for over a hundred years, and the initial nine most powerful beings were vastly different from the current nine. It was almost an entirely new list.

"Different?" Lin Yuan's curiosity was piqued.

He knew very little about the Four Divine Kings, one of the eleven-stage perfect beings and a contemporary universe's most promising candidate to attain the ultimate eleventh stage.

"I just heard about this myself." Nalan pondered, "When strong beings like us, whether human evolvers or other exotic tribe powerhouses, fall into the two-dimensional world, our bodies are compressed and reduced to the mainstream human form of that world."

"Indeed." Lin Yuan nodded in agreement.

Some special beings, with bodies spanning tens of thousands of miles, are compressed to a height between one and three meters upon entering the two-dimensional world.

The same applies to their physique.

There are no bizarre or unusual forms.

"Then, do you know why the Four Divine Kings have four arms?" Nalan asked.

"Four arms?" Lin Yuan turned to face him.

"All powerful beings of the Myriad Races, when they fall into the two-dimensional world, will conform to the mainstream humans of that world. One head, two legs, two arms, two eyes, one nose, and one mouth."

"But the Four Divine Kings possess four arms." Nalan stated.

"Could it be...?" Lin Yuan wondered, a guess forming in his mind.

"The extra pair of arms that the Four Divine Kings possess are, in fact, powerful weapons that are integrated into their bodies," Nalan explained. "The spiritual nature of these weapons is so strong that even the two-dimensional world cannot completely suppress them, allowing the Four Divine Kings to retain their four arms."

"I see." Lin Yuan's expression cleared as he understood.

When he first encountered the Four Divine Kings and noticed their four arms, he had been curious but didn't think much of it, assuming that the extra pair of arms might have been a result of some unusual circumstance.

"So, the Four Divine Kings are different from us, and their strength comes not only from their own prowess but also from the enhancement of their ultimate weapons." Nalan added.

The biggest difference between the Four Divine Kings' ultimate weapons and the pitch-black iron rod obtained by Lin Yuan was that the former was perfectly suited to the Four Divine Kings.

After all, their ultimate weapons were acquired from the outside world, not by chance within the two-dimensional world.

A perfectly matched ultimate weapon can unleash power far beyond the imagination of other powerhouses.

This was also the reason why, in the hundred years since the Four Divine Kings had defeated the Heavenly Feather Clan, they had not fought again and yet remained at the top of the rankings.

"No wonder." Lin Yuan felt a sense of pressure at that moment.

With two hundred years left until the Heavenly Gate opened, he wondered if he could truly surpass the Four Divine Kings, who possessed ultimate weapons that were perfectly attuned to them.

"More than a hundred years ago, the Heavenly Feather Clan must have realized this as well, and they tried desperately to eliminate the Four Divine Kings during their weaker early stages." Nalan continued, "In that epic battle, not only the Heavenly Feather Clan but also other peak clans secretly conspired against the Four Divine Kings."

"Even the strongest beings of the human civilization secretly hoped that we would seize the opportunity to eradicate the Four Divine Kings if possible." Nalan added. "But the Heavenly Feather Clan's crushing defeat left them disheartened, and they never attempted it again."

"In these new rankings, the mysterious powerhouse from the Blood Rain Ancient Country has risen to sixth place, pushing 'Hou Zhu' of the Prison Clan down to tenth." Nalan glanced at the updated rankings and shook his head slightly.

Hou Zhu of the Prison Clan was just an ordinary eleventh-stage being, but with his blood-colored longsword, he had forcefully maintained his position among the top nine powerhouses for over a hundred years.

In the two-dimensional world, within a desolate desert...

A man holding a blood-colored longsword sat alone.

"My ranking has fallen to the tenth position. It seems that in terms of publicly displayed strength, I no longer belong in the first echelon." This man was none other than Hou Zhu of the Prison Clan.

"The outside world believes that I only became one of the top nine powerhouses because of luck and the power of this strange artifact." Hou Zhu thought to himself.

While the Four Divine Kings also relied on their ultimate weapons, other powerhouses respected their strength.

Even without their ultimate weapons, the Four Divine Kings were still eleven-stage perfect beings.

Moreover, their ultimate weapons were not obtained from the two-dimensional world but brought with them from the Star Alliance.

However, Hou Zhu knew that he was different.

Without this blood-colored longsword, he was nothing.

Among the top nine powerhouses, Hou Zhu had always been the subject of the most rumors and speculations.

Now that he had fallen out of the top nine, he expected to be the target of even more ridicule.

"Hmph, over the years, I have given up everything and devoted my entire being to comprehending this blood-colored longsword. I have already grasped nine deadly techniques within the sword." Hou Zhu coldly smiled, and the profound mysteries of the sword were even more terrifying than he had anticipated, filled with a murderous aura that made even him tremble.

"Just you wait."

"When the Heavenly Gate opens in two hundred years, I will show all of you my true power."

Hou Zhu took a deep breath. As an eleventh-stage being, he understood the importance of biding his time. Every powerful being who had fallen into this two-dimensional world had the same goal—to be ready when the Heavenly Gate opened.

And Hou Zhu was also waiting for that day.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end