Chapter 563: Which Venerable One?

Chapter 563: Which Venerable One?

Outside the Nine Mysteries Secret Realm, Lin Yuan appeared and gazed into the distance at the mysterious realm.

Compared to the extremely secretive Stone People Clan's secret realm, the Nine Mysteries Realm could be considered 'flamboyant'. Chaotic energy formed grand killing formations that enveloped the entire realm.

The secrecy of the Stone People Clan's secret realm was for their safety.

But what about the Nine Mysteries Realm? With a Venerable One presiding over it, safety was already guaranteed in the Chaotic Void unless they were affected by the powers of a Great Sage. Otherwise, who could shake them?

And how many Great Sages were there in the entire Chaotic Void?

"I can sense that within this secret realm, there is a causal connection to a member of the Stone People Clan?" Lin Yuan mused as he eyed the Nine Mysteries Realm.

He had obtained the legacy of a peak Dominator from the Stone People Clan, 'Cang Weiyang', so it was natural that a causal connection had formed with the clan.

Of course, Lin Yuan's strongest causal connection was with 'Cang Weiyang', as it was a direct link. As for the Stone People Clan, they were merely 'Cang Weiyang's' clan, and their connection to Lin Yuan was already very tenuous.

But even if it was faint, it still existed. With Lin Yuan's insight into the Dao of Causality, he could still detect and directly lock onto it.

"There's only one causal connection to the Stone People Clan?" Lin Yuan frowned, "The others must be imprisoned within the Nine Mysteries Venerable One's internal universe, which is why I can't sense them."

Causal connections could be severed, such as the Xuanhuang Secret Realm in his home universe, which could isolate the causal space-time.

The internal universe of a Chaotic Venerable One was almost on par with a true universe and could likewise greatly isolate causality.

Add to that the already tenuous connection Lin Yuan had with the Stone People Clan, and it was only natural that he couldn't sense them with the obstruction of the internal universe.

"Where are they?" Lin Yuan looked towards a specific location in the Nine Mysteries Realm, the only place where he could sense the causal connection.

"I still need to go in and figure out what's going on." Lin Yuan pondered for a moment before making a decision.

He didn't know what grudge the Stone People Clan had with the Nine Mysteries Venerable One, so he needed to find out first.

After all, a Venerable One was involved, so it was best to resolve things peacefully if possible. As for taking direct action, those who had cultivated to the Chaotic Realm wouldn't do so lightly unless it was a matter of life and death.

"And these grand killing formations?" Lin Yuan looked at the formations outside the Nine Mysteries Realm and shook his head.

If it had been a while ago, he might have found them troublesome. These grand killing formations were carefully arranged by the Nine Mysteries Venerable One and were enough to block someone of the same level.

But now?

In the Source World, Lin Yuan had obtained the Myriad Formations Crystal, and although he had eventually traded it to Venerable Hongye, he had already comprehended most of its secrets beforehand.

The Myriad Formations Crystal was the culmination of a peak Grand Venerable One's lifelong dedication to the Dao of Formations, and the essence of the formations within was incredibly profound.

Now that Lin Yuan had comprehended the Myriad Formations Crystal, the grand killing formations outside the Nine Mysteries Realm were much simpler to deal with.

As long as he was careful and avoided a few key nodes, sneaking in silently wouldn't be a problem.

Besides, even if something went wrong, Lin Yuan wouldn't suffer any loss. This was merely an incarnation of him, and he could dissipate it at any time, leaving no trace.

Swish!

Lin Yuan's incarnation split into two.

Preparing for the worst, Lin Yuan was ready to have his incarnation dissipate if he was discovered infiltrating.

As long as the outer incarnation remained, he wouldn't need to waste time traveling back here.

Nine Mysteries Realm, Sin Pool.

The Sin Pool was unique to the Nine Mysteries Realm. Every natural secret realm nurtured by the Chaotic Void had its own 'specialties', and the Sin Pool was one such specialty.

The pool's waters were pitch-black and fathomless, containing endless sins. Any life form that approached would be assaulted by the infinite sins within.

Just approaching was enough to trigger this effect.

If one were to make direct contact, even lives at the Path Opening or Dominator realms would suffer unbearable torment.

And at that moment.

A figure was immersed in the deep, pitch-black waters, their limbs bound by black chains.

Agony etched itself upon their face, but the mental torment they endured far outweighed the physical pain.

"Big brother, Father, Mother, Elders, I've failed you all. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been captured by the Nine Mysteries Venerable, let alone suffer this torture," Cang Yulong's soul quivered, "But I can't give in. If I do, not only will I die, but you all will too. None of our clan will survive."

"Once the Nine Mysteries Venerable finds out about that space's origin, none of us will have a chance to live."

"As long as I'm alive and holding on, the Nine Mysteries Venerable will need me alive to find out about that space. But if I speak, we're all doomed."

Cang Yulong's heart was filled with anguish, but his thoughts remained clear.

Although the Nine Mysteries Venerable had promised to spare him if he confessed the truth, how could Cang Yulong believe that? Just as Cang Yulong was enduring the endless sins.

A voice suddenly resonated in his mind.

"I'm curious why the Nine Mysteries Venerable would single you out and torture you like this?"

Lin Yuan appeared silently not far from Cang Yulong, his gaze filled with curiosity.

He had immediately recognized the effects of the Sin Pool, and it piqued his interest in the depth of hatred that would drive the Nine Mysteries Venerable to go to such lengths.

"Who are you?" Cang Yulong's heart skipped a beat, and even the pain he endured lessened slightly.

"I have a connection with your Stone People Clan, so I came to take a look." Lin Yuan didn't mention Cang Weiyang and instead spoke of a connection.

"Connection?" Cang Yulong looked at Lin Yuan and immediately lowered his head, "Please, Senior, save my Stone People Clan.

"This place is the Nine Mysteries Secret Realm, the lair of the Nine Mysteries Venerable One. The fact that I was able to sneak in here undetected means that even if I'm not a Venerable One myself, I'm not far off."

As for whether or not Lin Yuan was the Nine Mysteries Venerable One... Cang Yulong had his ways of judging, and he was certain that Lin Yuan had no relation to the Nine Mysteries Venerable One.

"Save your Stone People Clan?" Lin Yuan sized up Cang Yulong. "Why should I risk becoming the mortal enemy of the Nine Mysteries Venerable One to save your clan?"

After witnessing Cang Yulong's plight, Lin Yuan surmised that the Stone People Clan and the Nine Mysteries Venerable One had become bitter enemies, with no chance of reconciliation. Otherwise, why would a Venerable One go to such extreme lengths to torture a mere Path Opening realm being?

Indeed, it made sense.

The legacy left behind by Cang Weiyang had helped Lin Yuan transition smoothly into the Chaotic Void, but Cang Weiyang's request at the time had been for Lin Yuan to take on an apprentice from the Stone People Clan.

Any member of the Stone People Clan would do.

Lin Yuan could tell that the Stone People Clan had ended up in their current predicament because of the person standing before him. If the Nine Mysteries Venerable One had wanted to take on an apprentice from the Stone People Clan, he could have easily negotiated with them and taken one from the countless members of the clan.

Upon hearing this, Cang Yulong fell silent.

Yes, no matter how deep the connection, what was it compared to making an enemy of a Venerable One?

"Senior, I'm willing. I'm willing to offer compensation, please save my Stone People Clan," Cang Yulong said after collecting himself.

"Compensation?" Lin Yuan looked at Cang Yulong, waiting to hear what he had to offer.

Cang Yulong took a deep breath and said solemnly, "The Chaos Tree. I'm willing to give the Chaos Tree to Senior, I only ask that you save my Stone People Clan."

"The Chaos Tree?" Lin Yuan was slightly surprised.

The Chaos Tree was an extremely rare and precious twelfth-grade treasure.

Lin Yuan had obtained a World Tree in the Magic Jade Space, and after advancing to the twelfth grade, his internal world had transformed into an internal universe, and the World Tree had also begun to metamorphose.

Theoretically, the World Tree had the potential to transform into a Chaos Tree, but it was just a theory.

It was similar to how any life form born in the Chaotic Void had the potential to become a Chaos Sage.

As time passed and Lin Yuan continued to nurture the World Tree, he realized more and more just how difficult it was for a World Tree to metamorphose into a Chaos Tree.

Just the superficial difficulty was akin to an eleventh-grade life form growing into a Chaos Sage.

The actual difficulty far surpassed that.

"You have a Chaos Tree?" Lin Yuan looked at Cang Yulong, understanding flashing in his eyes.

He had been wondering why the Nine Mysteries Venerable One, a Chaotic realm expert, would go to such lengths against a mere Path Opening realm being.

So it was because of the Chaos Tree.

Any Chaotic Venerable One would covet a Chaos Tree, as it could stabilize their internal universe, allowing them to rapidly cultivate to the peak of the Chaotic realm.

"Why didn't you give the Chaos Tree to the Nine Mysteries Venerable One?" Lin Yuan asked.

"That Chaos Tree was something I stole from right under the Nine Mysteries Venerable One's nose. If I give it to him, I probably won't survive for long," Cang Yulong replied.

"Aside from the Chaos Tree, there's also a heritage space. If Senior is willing to help, I'll hand that over as well," Cang Yulong added in a low voice.

At this moment, he understood the saying 'possession of a priceless treasure brings disaster'.

If it weren't for the fact that handing over these treasures to the Nine Mysteries Venerable One would likely result in his death, he would have done so long ago.

"The Chaos Tree?" Lin Yuan's expression turned pensive. The Chaos Tree would be of great use to him as well, and when combined with the thirteenth-grade heritage, 'Infinite Void', it would greatly enhance his internal universe.

The second layer of the 'Infinite Void' would be easier to cultivate if he had a Chaos Tree to stabilize his internal universe.

"To make an enemy of a Venerable One for the sake of a Chaos Tree?" Lin Yuan weighed the pros and cons. There was no doubt that if he decided to save the Stone People Clan, he would offend the Nine Mysteries Venerable One.

"I can do it," Lin Yuan said after some thought.

In terms of strength, he wasn't much weaker than an ordinary Chaotic Venerable One, and the Nine Mysteries Venerable One was a newly advanced Venerable One, on par with himself.

Furthermore, he wasn't a powerhouse of the Myriad Universe World; after saving the Stone People Clan, he could sever the causal connection and leave. It would be very difficult for the Nine Mysteries Venerable One to locate him again.

Even if they managed to find him, it would be tens or hundreds of thousands of years later.

By then, Lin Yuan would have already advanced to the Sovereign realm. With his current foundation, once he reached the Sovereign realm, he wouldn't need to put a newly advanced Venerable One like the Nine Mysteries Venerable One in his eyes.

Most importantly, Lin Yuan's public identity was that of a mere Path Opening realm peak expert living in the Ancient Chaos Continent.

Even if the Nine Mysteries Venerable One investigated thoroughly, they would only search for Chaotic realm experts, and they wouldn't be able to trace it back to Lin Yuan.

"Senior..." Cang Yulong looked at Lin Yuan cautiously from within the Sin Pool.

Even with the Chaos Tree and the mysterious heritage space as compensation, Cang Yulong wasn't sure if Lin Yuan would be willing to help him.

After all, their enemy was a Venerable One.

"I agree," Lin Yuan said, looking directly at Cang Yulong.

"You agree?" Cang Yulong was a little stunned.

That sentence carried too much information.

It meant that he might finally be able to stop suffering the endless corrosion of the Sin Pool.

It meant that countless members of the Stone People Clan wouldn't have to live in fear, dreading the day they would incur the wrath of the Nine Mysteries Venerable One.

It also meant that the young man before him, who had a connection to the Stone People Clan, was most likely a Venerable One himself.

If he wasn't a Venerable One, then even if the compensation was a hundred or a thousand times more valuable than the Chaos Tree, it would be useless if he didn't have the ability to obtain it.

"But I can't guarantee that I'll be able to save all of the Stone People Clan. However, I can save you," Lin Yuan said.

"You can't guarantee to save all of the Stone People Clan?" For some reason, Cang Yulong felt relieved upon hearing those words.

"If Lin Yuan guarantees everything, Cang Yulong wouldn't be at ease."

Currently, all the Stone People were within the Nine Mysteries Venerable One's internal universe, and only he, Cang Yulong, remained outside to endure the torment of the Sin Pool.

It was unrealistic for Lin Yuan to guarantee the rescue of all the Stone People.

"As long as Senior is willing to help, I will hand over everything to you."

Cang Yulong said in a low voice.

At this moment, he had no other choice.

"Mhm."

"Wait here for a moment." Lin Yuan said before disappearing from view.

"Senior has left." Cang Yulong looked around but could no longer see Lin Yuan's figure.

After a long while, a youthful voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

"You little rascal, you nearly scared me to death. I thought we were about to be discovered." The youthful voice carried a hint of fear.

"Can that Senior from earlier really be trusted?" Cang Yulong asked in his mind.

It was this youthful voice that had reminded him that Lin Yuan had no connection with the Nine Mysteries Venerable One, which ultimately led Cang Yulong to reveal everything.

"Rest assured, that person has absolutely no connection with the Nine Mysteries Venerable One. He probably doesn't even know the Nine Mysteries Venerable One, and his infiltration here is most likely due to a genuine connection with your Stone People Clan." The youthful voice sounded slightly surprised. "I never expected that your Stone People Clan, such a weak race, would actually be able to befriend a Venerable One?"

"Is that Senior truly a Venerable One?" Cang Yulong's heart skipped a beat.

"I don't know if he is a Venerable One, but his comprehension of space-time should have reached the Eighth Layer." The youthful voice replied.

"Space-time Eighth Layer." Cang Yulong swallowed, as he knew that not all Chaotic Venerable Ones had an Eighth Layer comprehension of space-time.

Outside the Nine Mysteries Secret Realm.

Lin Yuan reappeared.

"That Stone Person..."

Lin Yuan's mind conjured up Cang Yulong's appearance, and in that instant, he faintly sensed that within Cang Yulong's body lurked another hidden consciousness.

This feeling was vague and indistinct, and even a peak Chaotic Venerable One might not necessarily be able to perceive it.

"It seems that little guy has a secret of his own, but the Chaos Tree should be real." Lin Yuan thought to himself.

"To deploy two incarnations for the sake of a Chaos Tree, it's quite an effort." Lin Yuan muttered to himself.

The Chaos Tree was priceless and one of the few treasures that could directly enhance a Venerable One's foundation.

It would also be of great help to Lin Yuan.

It could even provide a certain degree of assistance in cultivating the third layer of 'Infinite Void'.

"Incarnations." Lin Yuan looked up towards a direction.

Outside the Ancient Chaos Continent, in the boundless chaotic void, Lin Yuan's solar and lunar incarnations sat cross-legged.

"Using an incarnation as a coordinate to perform an ultra-long-distance teleportation." Both of Lin Yuan's incarnations thought.

This was also one of the abilities of the Eighth Layer of space-time, as long as one possessed a 'coordinate' that could support the teleportation, one could perform an ultra-long-distance teleportation.

To deal with the Nine Mysteries Venerable One, a Chaotic Realm expert, one incarnation was clearly not enough, so it was more prudent to deploy both incarnations.

When Lin Yuan's two incarnations merged into the Tai Chi incarnation, their combat power was only a notch below his true self.

They also possessed the strength to reach the Chaotic Realm threshold.

"Begin."

Intense spatial fluctuations surged around the solar and lunar incarnations, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished.

Inside the Nine Mysteries Secret Realm, in the Sin Pool.

Cang Yulong was still immersed in the pool.

"Did Senior change his mind?" Cang Yulong's heart was filled with torment.

If he had remained in despair, Cang Yulong might have been able to endure, but after seeing a glimmer of hope, he felt his heart sink into an abyss.

"You little rascal, just sit tight and you'll be fine. Do you want to..." The youthful figure was about to scold Cang Yulong, but suddenly stopped.

The next moment, a figure reappeared beside the Sin Pool.

It was Lin Yuan.

"Senior." Cang Yulong's spirits lifted.

"These chains..." Lin Yuan examined the chains binding Cang Yulong's limbs.

These chains not only restrained Cang Yulong's physical body but also his soul and spirit.

To rescue Cang Yulong, he would have to sever these chains.

"I will cut these chains as quickly as possible, but it might be painful." Lin Yuan warned.

"Senior, go ahead. In all these years, the only thing I've become good at is enduring pain. It's nothing." Cang Yulong said immediately.

"Mhm." Lin Yuan nodded.

He could have slowly eroded these chains, but that would take too much time, and the Nine Mysteries Venerable One would sense it immediately.

In the grand hall at the highest point of the Nine Mysteries Secret Realm.

The Nine Mysteries Venerable One sat on his throne.

"That mysterious space should contain some kind of legacy, and by suppressing that legacy space with the Chaos Tree, it's most likely a Great Sage-level legacy."

The Nine Mysteries Venerable One began to fantasize. Had he just advanced to the Chaotic Realm and obtained a Great Sage-level legacy? The Nine Mysteries Venerable One felt that his luck was excellent.

The only regret was that he had let the Stone Person, Cang Yulong, get there first.

But now, both Cang Yulong and the entire Stone People Clan were in his hands.

The Nine Mysteries Venerable One believed that obtaining everything from that legacy space was only a matter of time.

Suddenly, the Nine Mysteries Venerable One's expression changed as he sensed that the aura from the Sin Pool had completely vanished, and his connection with Cang Yulong was lost as well.

"Not good!"

The Nine Mysteries Venerable One flew into a rage.

Just at that moment, the grand hall was enveloped by a suffocatingly scorching aura, ancient and vast, as if it could incinerate the heavens and boil the earth.

A young man with his hands behind his back appeared, blocking the Nine Mysteries Venerable One's path.

"You?" The Nine Mysteries Venerable One stared at the young man before him, his expression shifting.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end