"Milky Way, your strength?"
Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign looked at Lin Yuan, waves stirring in his heart.
Before speaking, he had already guessed that Lin Yuan had been the one fighting Lingyu Heavenly Sovereign.
After all, that blazing sun-like aura couldn't be faked. It was definitely someone from the Liyang Kingdom, and at that time, in that area, only Lin Yuan was from the Liyang Kingdom.
Even though it was hard to believe—Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign was a top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign?—it was still the only possibility.
"I had a breakthrough not long ago," Lin Yuan said.
It was the truth. If he hadn't formed the crucial Seed, creating a great Liyang cycle within his body, his strength wouldn't have evolved so drastically.
At most, he would only be on the same level as Hong Lian Heavenly Sovereign.
After all, Lin Yuan's actual life level was still at the Dominance stage.
Without surpassing major realms, it was nearly impossible to jump directly from an Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign to a top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign.
"Hahaha, excellent!"
Eternal Sun Heavenly Sovereign burst out laughing, looking at Lin Yuan with admiration. "With you, Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign, our Liyang Kingdom now has four top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns. We'll have even more ways to seize and refine the core Sky Pillars."
Each great ancient Kingdom had more than just four top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns, but most of them—especially the strongest ones—were in seclusion, attempting to break through to Rank Thirteen. As for fighting over newly emerged treasure lands? That rarely interested such figures.
Currently, the Liyang Kingdom only had three top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns available for immediate deployment: Red Flame, Eternal Sun, and Vast Might.
The other ancient Kingdoms were similar, with Grand Ancient Void Kingdom being slightly better in that regard.
With one more top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign in the Liyang Kingdom's lineup, their foundation would undoubtedly grow stronger. It might not be obvious in the early stages, but once it came to clashing head-on with other ancient Kingdoms later, it would make a huge difference.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign was able to shatter Lingyu Heavenly Sovereign's Spirit Prison. In terms of killing power, that places him among the top even within the top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns."
Vast Might Heavenly Sovereign looked at Lin Yuan thoughtfully.
He had fought with Lingyu before and knew his capabilities. Even if Lingyu had underestimated Lin Yuan and drawn him into the Spirit Prison, breaking it was still extremely difficult.
Unless the killing power exceeded the tolerance limit of Lingyu's technique in an instant, any delay would allow Lingyu to react and forcibly expel Lin Yuan.
"Just got lucky," Lin Yuan said.
"Hahaha, the stronger you are, the more advantage we have in seizing treasures," Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign said with a smile.
He hadn't expected that Lin Yuan, whom the Emperor had inserted into the team, would turn out to be such a surprise.
The other Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns looked at Lin Yuan with complicated expressions. He had only just been on their level, yet in the blink of an eye, he had become a top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign?
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign… Wasn't I evenly matched with him just recently?"
Hong Lian Heavenly Sovereign looked at Lin Yuan, his thoughts churning.
Not long ago, they had sparred, and even then, he had been shocked by Lin Yuan's strength.
But now? Forget sparring—being able to hold his own against Lin Yuan would already be impressive.
"That core Sky Pillar in the treasure land just needs a little more to be fully refined."
Lin Yuan looked toward Red Flame, Vast Might, and Eternal Sun—the three top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns—and spoke.
According to the initial plan, any discovered core Sky Pillars were best refined by the three of them.
The other Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns were primarily responsible for guarding the core Sky Pillars.
"Since you're also a top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign, you can refine any core Sky Pillar you find yourself," Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign said with a nod.
"Alright."
Lin Yuan moved his thoughts.
His true body, positioned before that core Sky Pillar, immediately refined the last remaining part.
Buzz.
At the moment of refinement—
Lin Yuan vaguely established a connection with this core Sky Pillar.
"Now, as long as I'm within the range of this treasure land, I can instantly appear next to this core Sky Pillar?" Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Red Flame and the others had planned for top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns to refine the core Sky Pillars precisely because of this ability.
Top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns were the strongest. Having them refine the pillars allowed them to instantly appear beside any of them, offering the best protection.
Of course, this kind of instant arrival only worked when space-time was stable. If one was engaged in a fierce battle and the surrounding space-time was collapsing, they couldn't rely on the pillars for escape or relocation.
Earlier, Lingyu Heavenly Sovereign had brought numerous Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns' main bodies to search for core Sky Pillars, having them refine the outer regions, while leaving the final inner part for himself.
That was the most efficient approach.
"At the same time, I can feel the suppression of this treasure land on me has lessened a bit." Lin Yuan looked around.
Fully refining the core Sky Pillar had brought many changes. Previously, his divine ability "World" could only thoroughly scan a radius of ten billion miles.
Now, that scan range had increased by roughly ten percent.
And this scanning wasn't just any detection—it was the kind that could locate core Sky Pillars.
It could be inferred: the more core Sky Pillars one refines, the larger the scanning range becomes.
Capital of the Grand Ling Kingdom.
A projection of Lingyu Heavenly Sovereign sat there.
The other eleven figures looked at him in disbelief.
"Lingyu, you're saying the one who fought you was the Liyang Kingdom's Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign? Not Red Flame, Eternal Sun, or Vast Might?"
Linggan Heavenly Sovereign furrowed his brow. He had assumed it had to be one of those three.
But Milky Way? Linggan had never paid much attention to him. Although he had the bloodline of the First Ancestor, his cultivation time had been far too short.
"Yes."
"That Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign is a top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign."
Lingyu Heavenly Sovereign said definitively, "My Spirit Prison was destroyed by him. My strength is no longer at its peak."
"Then what now?"
A third top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign asked.
Lingyu was crucial to their plan. Using his technique to trap many Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns weakened the other ancient Kingdoms' ability to search for core Sky Pillars—indirectly increasing the Grand Ling Kingdom's chances of finding more.
"I plan to use that rare treasure to restore my Spirit Prison as quickly as possible."
Lingyu thought for a moment, then spoke softly.
"That treasure?"
Linggan's expression shifted slightly.
Before entering the treasure land, the twelve Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns of the Grand Ling Kingdom had been given certain ancient treasures by their Kingdom.
These were extremely precious and weren't to be used unless absolutely necessary.
But now?
With Lingyu's right eye damaged, their search efficiency would plummet.
"Very well."
"As long as you can recover quickly, using the treasure is worth it."
Linggan said solemnly.
If the competition for the treasure land weren't so time-sensitive—only two thousand years—Lingyu wouldn't have the chance to use that treasure. If the Spirit Prison was destroyed, he could've just taken time to recover.
As time passed—
News of Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign being a top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign spread quickly among the many Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns inside the treasure land.
There was no way to hide it. With only a couple dozen top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns in total, it was easy to narrow down the possibilities. Plus, the Grand Ling Kingdom wasn't trying to conceal it either.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign? The first royal to evolve their bloodline to the Heavenly Sovereign level?"
In the Grand Ancient Void Kingdom, Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign, clad in dark robes, fell into deep thought.
He wasn't particularly interested in Lin Yuan's strength. What intrigued him was the First Ancestor bloodline reaching the Heavenly Sovereign level.
"With your strength, Fuxu, even if Milky Way reaches his limit, he may not be your match."
Another top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign beside him spoke.
Fuxu had cultivated one of the First Ancestor's supreme inheritances to an incredibly advanced level. His strength, while perhaps not the greatest in all six ancient Kingdoms' history, was certainly among the top.
Above that level was power related to Rank Thirteen.
"Hard to say. It is a First Ancestor bloodline, after all. Who knows what kind of transformation it might undergo in the future?"
Fuxu smiled faintly and spoke casually.
"Transformation?"
The other Grand Void top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign raised an eyebrow. He didn't quite agree, but didn't argue.
Anything involving a First Ancestor was off-limits—even if Milky Way's ancestral bloodline didn't come from the Grand Void First Ancestor, but from the Liyang First Ancestor.
But still, Ancestors were not to be discussed—that was law.
"Alright, let's continue the search for core Sky Pillars."
Fuxu Heavenly Sovereign said calmly.
"Yes."
The Grand Void top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign nodded.
"Milky Way's strength?"
Capital of the Liyang Kingdom, royal palace.
The Emperor had also received the news—and was shocked by Lin Yuan's strength.
He knew better than anyone—just a few decades or centuries ago, Lin Yuan hadn't even reached the Heavenly Sovereign level.
And now, he had stepped directly into the realm of top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns?
"Thank goodness..."
The Emperor muttered to himself. Thank goodness he had treated Lin Yuan well and brought him under his wing back then.
Inside the treasure land—
After refining the core Sky Pillar, Lin Yuan left behind a few avatars to guard it while his true body continued exploring.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Lin Yuan stopped and looked toward a certain direction—there was a valley with faint golden mist swirling inside.
Whoosh!
Lin Yuan stepped forward, appearing at the valley's edge, gazing at the flowing golden mist within.
"This mist in the valley… could it be the rare treasure born from this treasure land?"
Lin Yuan thought to himself. The aura of the golden mist was faintly linked to the entire treasure land, like a fruit growing from a tree, filled with a mysterious energy.
"Let me take a look..."
He extended his right hand and drew in a wisp of the golden mist, studying it closely.
Each top-tier treasure land gave birth to different rare treasures. For example, the Black Jade from the Black Jade Nest enhanced mental willpower.
"This mist..."
Lin Yuan examined it carefully, and his expression gradually began to change.
...
Lin Yuan studied the golden mist for a while and quickly discovered its extraordinary nature.
Though the golden mist appeared like drifting clouds and could be gathered and confined, Lin Yuan couldn't actually touch it.
"Can't be touched?"
Lin Yuan's gaze turned curious. His divine ability "World" was constantly active, and all the surrounding space-time was under his control—yet he still couldn't physically interact with the golden mist.
"Interesting."
He stretched out his right hand, preparing to collect all the golden mist from the valley.
To ensure the golden mist wasn't damaged, he even transported the entire valley into his internal universe.
"It must be related to time."
Looking at the golden mist, Lin Yuan thought to himself.
He could sense faint temporal fluctuations from it. Combined with the time-reversal zone outside the treasure land, it was almost certain that this newly born top-tier treasure land was oriented toward the time attribute.
In fact, all the great ancient Kingdoms had speculated that the rare treasures within this treasure land would likely relate to time.
"Should I try probing it with my soul and mind?"
Lin Yuan considered it.
Many rare treasures born from treasure lands could only be absorbed or refined through special means.
For instance, the black jade from the Black Jade Nest could only be refined using mental willpower—anything else had no effect whatsoever.
"Forget it. Too risky."
After a brief moment of thought, Lin Yuan abandoned the idea.
The soul and mind were too important. If this golden treasure had some side effect or caused harm, it wouldn't be worth the risk.
He had dared to refine the black jade with his mind only because the Black Jade Nest had existed for countless billions of years, and the refining method had long been verified by numerous Heavenly Sovereigns—there were no hidden dangers.
But this golden mist? Who knew what it might do?
Lin Yuan had no reason to be overly hasty.
If he could obtain the golden mist from this valley, then other Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns from the ancient Kingdoms could certainly do so as well.
Compared to the seasoned and experienced Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns of the Six Great Ancient Kingdoms, Lin Yuan felt it wiser to wait a bit longer—until someone discovered the correct method of using the golden mist—before trying it himself.
"Keep searching for core Sky Pillars."
Lin Yuan didn't linger at the valley. After storing away all the golden mist, he continued his exploration.
Liyang Empire's capital, isolated space.
Hong Lian Heavenly Sovereign opened his eyes again. "I've found another core Sky Pillar."
With these words—
The surrounding Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns all turned toward him.
Finding core Sky Pillars in the treasure land mostly came down to luck.
Among the twelve Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns, Hong Lian's detection methods weren't especially strong, yet the number of core Sky Pillars he had found ranked in the top five—possibly even top three.
"Where is it?"
"You refine the outer portion first," Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign said.
Though core Sky Pillars were usually left for top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns to refine, if one hadn't arrived yet, the one who discovered it would refine the outer layer first.
"Here."
Hong Lian quickly provided the coordinates, but his expression changed abruptly. "Another ancient Kingdom's Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign is approaching—one from the Grand Ancient Void Empire."
"Grand Ancient Void?"
Red Flame frowned and asked, "Which Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign?"
If it was a top-tier one, Red Flame would recommend that Hong Lian give up the pillar.
Not out of fear of Grand Ancient Void, but because someone at Hong Lian's level wouldn't last long against one of their top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns.
Unless Hong Lian was hiding strength like Lin Yuan—though that seemed unlikely.
"It's Fu Dang Heavenly Sovereign," Hong Lian quickly replied.
He was very familiar with the twelve Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns sent by Grand Ancient Void. Even if he hadn't fought them, he had reviewed their profiles in detail.
"Fu Dang?"
Red Flame felt reassured.
Among Grand Ancient Void's twelve Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns, Fu Dang's strength was mid-tier—close to top-tier, stronger than Hong Lian, but not overwhelmingly so.
"Hold the Sky Pillar."
Red Flame instructed.
Grand Ancient Void might be powerful, but that didn't mean the Liyang Empire had to back down. As long as it wasn't Fuxu or the other top-tier figures, there was no reason to yield.
This top-tier treasure land might come down to just one core Sky Pillar—that was worth fighting for.
"Alright."
Hong Lian nodded.
Although Fu Dang was stronger, it wasn't a match to determine a winner—just a matter of delaying him, and that, Hong Lian was confident in.
"This location…"
Red Flame looked toward Lin Yuan. "Milky Way, among the four of us, you're closest to this location. I'll leave it to you."
"Understood."
Lin Yuan nodded.
As one of the Liyang Empire's four top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns, it was his responsibility to refine core Sky Pillars.
If another Liyang Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign found a pillar close to him, Lin Yuan had to handle it.
"Is that Hong Lian?"
Inside the treasure land, Lin Yuan suddenly halted and looked in another direction.
Whoosh!
The next moment—
His figure vanished, and only then did ripples stir in the space-time he had left.
Normally, searching for core Sky Pillars required slow, methodical flight.
But to quickly reach a specific coordinate, one would traverse the void directly.
The towering Sky Pillar seemed both real and illusory.
Hong Lian stood before it, his expression tense, red lotus flames burning in space-time around him.
"Hong Lian, yield the Sky Pillar."
A cold voice echoed through the void.
Not far away stood a towering figure, his skin covered in purple scales—Fu Dang Heavenly Sovereign from the Grand Ancient Void Empire.
Among the twelve Grand Ancient Void Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns, the strongest was Fuxu—one of the most powerful in the history of the Six Ancient Kingdoms, having mastered a supreme inheritance.
Below Fuxu were four top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns. Fu Dang belonged to the third tier—below them.
"Hahaha! Fu Dang, who do you think you are? A top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign? Or Fuxu himself?" Hong Lian sneered.
He was buying time.
"Someone like me is enough to deal with you."
Fu Dang's gaze turned cold. He raised his right hand and slashed toward Hong Lian from afar.
Hong Lian reacted as if facing a great enemy, not underestimating him in the slightest. He immediately activated a defensive killing technique, causing red lotus flames to boil around him.
Chi chi chi—
In the next instant—
His protective red lotuses began to collapse. Under Fu Dang's strike, they quickly dissipated.
"He's this strong?"
Hong Lian felt the pressure. After just one exchange, half his defensive lotuses had already been destroyed. He doubted whether he could hold out until Lin Yuan arrived.
"No matter what—it must be defended."
Hong Lian clenched his teeth. The Sky Pillar behind him could determine the ownership of the treasure land. What if this was the final pillar needed for the Liyang Empire to claim it?
"Break!"
Fu Dang kept attacking. Each strike shattered more of Hong Lian's protective lotuses, though new ones kept forming just as quickly.
"This red lotus is really going all out."
Fu Dang understood that regenerating these lotuses wasn't free—it came at a cost.
"So what if you go all out?"
His eyes glowed purple, and each strike grew in power.
At first, one strike broke half a lotus shield. Now, it shattered most or all of them.
"Can't last much longer…"
Hong Lian sighed internally. In terms of strength, he was no match for Fu Dang.
And now, standing like a target to guard the Sky Pillar, he was taking hit after hit.
Under these circumstances, the fact that he'd held on this long was already impressive.
"If Fu Dang lands a blow that destroys all my lotus defenses, this battle body of mine will perish."
He knew—
In a normal fight, he could escape from Fu Dang.
But this wasn't a normal fight. He was taking hits head-on and refusing to retreat.
"Die!"
Fu Dang's aura surged. Purple light swirled around him as he prepared to unleash a devastating strike.
Just then—
The distant space-time twisted slightly, and a figure silently stepped out.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign has arrived?"
Hong Lian rejoiced inwardly.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign?"
Fu Dang's heart sank.
He had heard the rumors—how this man had crippled Lingyu's spiritual domain. That was definitely top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign strength.
"Even if you're here, Milky Way, he still has to die!"
Fu Dang roared in fury. If Hong Lian hadn't refused to retreat, he would've taken the Sky Pillar already.
"Hm?"
Lin Yuan had just arrived and saw Fu Dang suppressing Hong Lian.
Hong Lian looked like a swaying boat in a storm—ready to be capsized by the next blow.
Whoosh—
The divine ability "World" activated. His external universe expanded instantly, transforming the surrounding trillion-mile radius into his domain.
Fu Dang was immediately suppressed, his swirling purple domain rapidly shrinking.
"What—"
His pupils contracted. He had completely lost control of the surrounding space-time.
"Milky Way's domain suppression is this powerful?" Fu Dang panicked.
The Grand Ling Kingdom had released intel on Lin Yuan, describing him as having strong domain suppression.
But Fu Dang had never expected it to be this overwhelming—he was completely suppressed upon arrival.
"Since you're here, Milky Way, our Grand Ancient Void Empire will yield this Sky Pillar."
Fu Dang called out loudly.
The pressure Lin Yuan exuded was immense. Among Grand Ancient Void's four top-tier Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns, only two could pressure him this much.
After all, Grand Ancient Void controlled the most top-tier treasure lands and had access to the best resources. At the same level, their power exceeded that of the other five Kingdoms.
Realizing the situation, Fu Dang had only one thought—
Retreat immediately.
Whoosh—
Before finishing his words, Fu Dang activated his purple domain and fled.
But under Lin Yuan's domain suppression, he couldn't teleport through space.
"Trying to run?"
Lin Yuan looked toward him and instantly saw through Fu Dang's plan.
"Lingyu got away because he was too troublesome to kill. But you…"
He gazed at the purple domain.
"You'll be the first to taste my new killing move."
In an instant—
At the top of Lin Yuan's external universe, blazing suns began to form.
They floated gently… until one began to fall—heading straight for Fu Dang's retreating domain.
With the first sun's descent came the second, third, and fourth…
This killing move was called Falling Suns—the strongest technique Lin Yuan had created aside from detonating his external universe.
While detonating the universe had terrifying power, it left him temporarily weakened. Falling Suns had no such downside. Though less powerful, it could strike continuously.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom boom boom!!!
At first, Fu Dang withstood the blows.
But by the 200th, 300th, 400th falling sun, his purple domain began to collapse.
"Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign!"
He turned, staring at Lin Yuan—then, under the bombardment of the 2,000th and 3,000th suns, his body and soul were completely annihilated.
"Only lasted to the 3,000th?"
Lin Yuan shook his head. In theory, this technique could produce 33,463 falling suns.
"Too late?"
After collecting Fu Dang's belongings, Lin Yuan flew over to Hong Lian and spoke.
"Not at all."
Hong Lian was a little dazed.
He had struggled bitterly under Fu Dang's assault. Yet Fu Dang hadn't lasted even as long as him against Milky Way.
Then again, Fu Dang hadn't even tried to fight—he'd tried to flee and failed.
"Please refine the Sky Pillar, Heavenly Sovereign."
Hong Lian stepped aside to reveal the Sky Pillar behind him.
"Alright."
Lin Yuan didn't hesitate—this was the real objective.
Isolated space.
Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign looked at Lin Yuan in surprise. "Milky Way, you killed Fu Dang?"
Fu Dang, being close to top-tier, could normally survive against even top-tier opponents—unless they fought to the death.
"I created a technique that countered him."
Lin Yuan explained.
Simply put, Falling Suns suppressed any Heavenly Sovereign below the top-tier level.
Unless they could withstand thousands of solar strikes, no Ultimate Heavenly Sovereign could endure it.
Even top-tier ones had to devote some effort to defending against it.
"Countered…"
Red Flame gave Lin Yuan a deep look. At their level, most means were flawless—it was rare to be truly countered.
Afterward—
Lin Yuan continued to contest core Sky Pillars across the treasure land. With repeated clashes against other Kingdoms' powerhouses, Milky Way Heavenly Sovereign's name spread completely.
Then one day—
In the Liyang Empire's capital, isolated space—
Red Flame Heavenly Sovereign suddenly looked toward the other eleven Ultimate Heavenly Sovereigns, a smile on his face.
"Everyone,"
He said with a smile, "We've discovered how to absorb and use the golden mist born from the treasure land."
...
20 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord