Chapter 544: Catastrophe
Chapter 544: Catastrophe
"Every time the universe undergoes a great calamity, it attracts countless marauders," remarked another Ultimate from the Jie tribe.
No matter where one finds themselves, plundering is one of the quickest ways to acquire resources and wealth.
In the chaotic void, where the law of the jungle prevails, most regions lack order, making it a haven for marauders.
And to almost all marauders, the universes nurtured by the chaotic void are akin to delicious prey. They have no interest in the universes themselves but are enticed by the 12th-tier powerhouses who survive the universal great calamity.
These 12th-tier powerhouses, having remained in the cradle of the universe, may not possess the same battle prowess and lethality as those of the same level in the chaotic void, who have endured countless battles.
After a universal great calamity, the 12th-tier powerhouses who survive and enter the chaotic void will undoubtedly carry a large number of resources and treasures from within the universe.
With their relatively weaker combat strength and abundance of treasures, they naturally become the prime targets for all marauders.
"Indeed," nodded the first Ultimate from the Jie tribe.
The marauders in the chaotic void are incredibly powerful, and there is no shortage of Dominator realm experts among them.
After all, after a universe undergoes a great calamity, as long as a 12th-tier Ultimate survives the destruction, the treasures and weapons they carry are worth at least 100,000 chaos stones.
With the strength of a Dominator realm expert, subduing a Path-Opening realm powerhouse from within the universe is a simple task.
The prospect of easily obtaining tens of thousands of chaos stones is certainly tempting, even for a Dominator realm expert.
"Normally, the timing of a universal great calamity is unpredictable, and it's impossible to determine from the outside. So, even if marauders intend to plunder, they can't pinpoint the exact moment of destruction. They can't just loiter around waiting, can they?"
The second Jie tribe Ultimate continued, "But according to the intelligence gathered by the Galaxy's strongest, our universe will prematurely enter a great calamity due to the aftermath of the battle between the two Chaos Saints."
"With the strength of the Chaos Saints, the impact of their clash should affect far more than just our universe."
"So, we speculate that there will be a horde of marauders following in the footsteps of those two Saints, specifically targeting universes that are prematurely thrust into a great calamity."
The two Jie tribe Ultimates were very thorough in their considerations.
In fact, the early onset of a universal great calamity wouldn't affect them much, as they didn't plan on leaving their ancestral home anyway. The number of Jie tribe members was already scarce, and their ancestral home was more than sufficient to accommodate them all.
But what about the Galaxy's strongest?
The Galaxy's strongest, who had taken away all the citizens of the human civilization, would undoubtedly face a terrifying universal great calamity.
In such a situation, they might sustain injuries, and upon entering the chaotic void, they could become targets of ambushes by these marauders, which would likely cause them no small amount of trouble.
The two Jie tribe Ultimates didn't believe that the Galaxy's strongest would perish because of this. They were, after all, the reincarnation of a Saint—no matter how severe their injuries, a group of Dominator realm experts wouldn't be able to take them down.
Their intention was simply to offer a word of caution to Lin Yuan, prompting him to be more vigilant.
"Thank you for the reminder," Lin Yuan replied calmly.
The warning from the two Jie tribe Ultimates was well-founded. Even a true Chaos realm Venerable might not be able to guarantee their safety when facing the universe's final desperate struggle.
But what about Lin Yuan?
These two Jie tribe Ultimates were still unaware of Lin Yuan's full capabilities—his physical body's divine ability, 'Rebirth from a Drop of Blood,' coupled with the "Primordial Yellow Body" and the "Elemental Body."
Even with severe injuries, Lin Yuan could recover in the blink of an eye.
Unless they could instantly and completely erase Lin Yuan's existence, killing him would be next to impossible.
Ancient Chaos Continent.
Lin Yuan successfully entered the star tear's 'fragmentary world.'
"Not bad, not bad at all," Lin Yuan said with satisfaction.
Although this fragmentary world was only one-thousandth the size of the main universe, it could easily accommodate all the citizens of the human civilization.
It is important to understand that most regions in the main universe's starry sky are inhospitable, and citizens reside on life-bearing planets.
However, in this star tear's 'fragmentary world,' there are no inhospitable regions. Every inch of it is suitable for life, and its capacity for habitation is nearly 100%. Not only could it accommodate all the citizens of the human civilization, but even if all life forms from all races within the main universe were migrated here, there would still be ample room.
If one were to compare habitable areas, this fragmentary world was not much smaller than the main universe.
"Star Tear's aura."
As Lin Yuan gazed upon the star tear's 'fragmentary world,' he sensed a gentle and nurturing force permeating every corner, creating an environment highly conducive to the proliferation and growth of life.
The reason why the Million Songs Dominator dared to price this 'fragmentary world' at 1.2 million chaos stones was largely due to the inherent properties of the star tear ore.
"For life to truly reach its maximum potential and possess infinite possibilities, it is best to be nurtured within the chaotic void and the universe itself."
"Lin Yuan thought to himself.
When it comes to nurturing life, no internal universe can compare to the Chaotic Nothingness and the myriad universes it contains.
In terms of levels, Lin Yuan's internal universe, or even a Chaos Venerable's internal universe, is not inferior to the universes nurtured by the Chaotic Void.
However, in terms of life-bearing capabilities, they fall far short.
Even the internal universe of a Chaos Great Sage gives birth to life that is almost locked at the eleventh tier, with extremely rare instances of advancement to the twelfth tier, let alone the emergence of a Dominator realm being.
'According to the 'Infinite Void' inheritance, the Chaotic Void contains a certain vitality that bestows immense potential upon the life it nurtures. This vitality is lacking in internal universes,' Lin Yuan thought.
To evolve this vitality within one's internal universe, one would need to cultivate at least the fourth layer of the 'Infinite Void.'
"The fourth layer of 'Infinite Void'?"
Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.
The first layer of 'Infinite Void' rivals the internal universe of a Chaos Venerable, the second layer approaches that of a Chaos Great Sage, and the third layer surpasses ordinary Great Sages in vastness. As for the fourth layer?
When his internal universe reaches that level, Lin Yuan will be virtually invincible at the twelfth tier. It's worth noting that 'Infinite Void' is a thirteenth-tier inheritance with only seven layers, and the seventh layer is merely theoretical.
Strictly speaking, this inheritance only has six layers.
"Now, I'll just wait for the Great Universe Calamity to arrive."
A sudden thought occurred to Lin Yuan, "It's also a good opportunity to choose the eighth-layer reward."
Before advancing to the twelfth tier, Lin Yuan had conquered the eighth layer of the Black Tower in the Demon Jade Space.
However, the list of rewards offered by the humanoid stone statue, Shen Ji, was something Lin Yuan couldn't decide on at the time, so he had left it until now, intending to make a choice after reaching the twelfth tier based on his needs.
Buzz!
Lin Yuan separated a strand of his spiritual will and descended upon the Demon Jade Space.
Before the nine-layered Black Tower.
Lin Yuan's figure appeared.
"You're here," Shen Ji, the humanoid stone statue, stepped out, his eyes holding a complex gaze as he looked at Lin Yuan.
From the pressure brought by this strand of Lin Yuan's spiritual will incarnation, Shen Ji could deduce that Lin Yuan's strength had improved since his last visit.
"Is there truly no bottleneck in cultivation?" Shen Ji looked at Lin Yuan, and a thought involuntarily arose in his mind.
Before meeting Lin Yuan, he had witnessed countless Demon Jade Tower disciples, stuck at certain bottlenecks, unable to progress further for countless years, millennia, or even entire universe eras.
That sense of despair and hardship.
But Lin Yuan?
Every time Shen Ji saw him, his strength had undoubtedly increased, and by a significant margin.
"I'm here to choose the eighth-layer reward," Lin Yuan said directly.
"No problem," Shen Ji replied, feeling inexplicably relieved. At least Lin Yuan wasn't here to challenge the ninth layer.
"Please have a look."
Shen Ji waved his hand, and a hazy light curtain appeared before Lin Yuan.
There were only six or seven types of rewards listed on the light curtain, a scarce number.
After all, the eighth layer of the Black Tower represented the peak of the Dominator realm, and treasures of this level were already extremely rare. Coupled with the fact that Lin Yuan had conquered the eighth layer as an eleventh-tier being, the rewards on the list had to be raised by several notches, making them even more scarce.
"Take your time and feel free to ask me if you have any questions."
Shen Ji said from the side.
"Alright," Lin Yuan nodded.
In truth, Lin Yuan had already contemplated the eighth-layer reward list numerous times, and he had more or less decided on his choice.
"I choose this," Lin Yuan said, looking at Shen Ji.
On the reward list, there were weapons and artifacts of the Great Sage level, as well as secret treasures and wonders from their domains, but Lin Yuan chose none of those. Instead, he selected a crystal that encased a drop of blood.
To be precise, it was a drop of blood encased within a crystal.
"This one?"
Shen Ji's expression turned slightly solemn. "In terms of rarity, this 'Drop of Time's Blood' is the most precious item on the entire list."
"Are you sure you want to choose this?" Shen Ji asked, looking at Lin Yuan.
"I am," Lin Yuan nodded.
The other Great Sage weapons and artifacts on the list were indeed precious, but Lin Yuan felt that this 'Drop of Time's Blood' suited him best.
The so-called 'Drop of Time's Blood' was, in a literal sense, the blood of a thirteenth-tier temporal life. Of course, this drop of blood did not originate from a thirteenth-tier being but rather an exotic life form with an incredibly rich temporal bloodline.
"The wonders of life nurtured by the Chaotic Nothingness contain strands of temporal bloodline within them to varying degrees."
"My master and several other Great Sages waited for dozens of Universal Eras, paying a hefty price to hunt down that wonder-life. In the end, my master obtained a portion of its body, refining and tempering it to eventually produce this drop of 'Time's Blood'," the stone statue, Shen Ji, explained.
In fact, this drop of Time's Blood should not have been on the eighth-layer reward list, nor even the ninth-layer one.
But Lin Yuan was a monster; an eleventh-tier cultivator who had conquered the eighth layer of the Black Tower?
Shen Ji had no idea what reward to offer Lin Yuan, so he decided to include this 'Time's Blood' in the options.
"Was that wonder-life so difficult to kill?" Lin Yuan was amazed.
The Master of the Demon Jade Tower was an unparalleled Great Sage. Even he had to join forces with several other Great Sages of the same level, waiting for dozens of Universal Eras, to barely defeat that wonder-life?
"Wonder-lives contain strands of temporal bloodline, and the one my master slew had an extremely rich temporal bloodline. It possessed many time-related talents, including the ability to foresee future scenes, which is why it was so hard to kill," Shen Ji explained.
"Foresee future scenes?" Lin Yuan looked at the drop of Time's Blood on the reward list.
If this was true, then it would indeed be difficult to kill. After all, foreseeing future scenes was akin to seeing impending dangers.
And the reason dangers were called dangers was because they were unknown; if one could predict them, they could be avoided or dealt with accordingly.
"Even with the ability to predict the future, it still died?" Lin Yuan wondered, also speculating that the so-called ability to foresee future scenes was not absolute. Even a thirteenth-tier temporal life form could only see a portion of future timelines, not everything.
"This drop of 'Time's Blood' is yours now. Remember to keep it safe and don't let others know about it," Shen Ji cautioned.
Even the Demon Jade Great Sage, an unparalleled Great Sage, had paid a huge price to refine this drop of 'Time's Blood'. If other Chaotic Great Sages found out, they would surely try to seize it.
For Great Sage-level beings, a drop of such rich Time's Blood would be a great help in their pursuit of the thirteenth tier.
Main Universe.
Profound Mystery Realm.
Lin Yuan's spiritual will returned to his body.
At the same time, the drop of Time's Blood, sealed within the crystal, appeared before him.
"This drop of Time's Blood?" Lin Yuan was slightly mesmerized. Even through the crystal's seal, as he gazed upon the blood, he could vaguely see blurry future scenes related to himself.
"Slowly contemplate it," Lin Yuan thought, resuming his seclusion.
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, over three hundred years went by.
For Lin Yuan, three hundred years felt like a mere moment. It was as if he had just been in the past three hundred years, and now he found himself in the future, three centuries later.
"Chaotic Laws." Lin Yuan pondered. In the past three hundred years, he had comprehended hundreds of pillar-level Grand Laws, and with the nurturing of these Grand Laws, his Chaotic Laws had reached the peak of the First Level.
Unlike other laws, there were only three levels to the Chaotic Laws, and a typical Chaotic Venerable would be at the First or Second Level.
"To reach the Second Level of Chaotic Laws, I might need to cultivate the Space-Time Fusion Laws to the Eighth Level?" Lin Yuan wondered. The Second Level of Chaotic Laws would allow him to evolve the Chaotic Yin-Yang Taiji, which was the path of rules of the source world, far surpassing the Chaotic Nothingness.
Compared to that source world, the advantage of the Chaotic Nothingness was its deep foundation and the support of an internal universe.
"Slow and steady," Lin Yuan told himself. He took out the crystal once more, within which the 'Time's Blood' was sealed.
After contemplating it for over three hundred years, Lin Yuan's progress in understanding this 'Time's Blood' was still exceptionally slow.
"It's probably because my life level is too low," Lin Yuan thought. His life level was still at the Path-Opening realm, and even with the Chaotic Nothingness nurturing the wonder-life, it was difficult to gain much insight from the Time's Blood.
"Hmm?" Just as Lin Yuan was about to continue observing the Time's Blood within the crystal, his expression changed suddenly.
The next moment, Lin Yuan left the Profound Mystery Realm and appeared in the universe, gazing into the distance beyond the stars, towards the outside of the universe.
"It's here," Lin Yuan said gravely. With his perception at this moment, he faintly sensed an extremely terrifying wave, like a tidal wave, sweeping over from that direction.
(End of Chapter)
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