While Lin Yuan's true body was refining the Sevenfold Divine Tree, his Tai Chi soul was still delving deep into the vastness of the Wanwei Spacetime.
The deeper regions of Wanwei Spacetime were boundless. Any Time Lord who dared to enter here had to at least be second-tier, having weathered two to three hundred million tribulations.
And above that? There were even peak second-tier Time Lords—those beginning the final set of eight thousand tribulations.
Whoosh!
A Time Lord cautiously scouted a particular area.
His name was Lord Huangfeng, and he had just passed the one-billion-and-one-thousand-two tribulation of the total one-billion-eight-thousand tribulations, marking him as a Time Lord who had touched the threshold of legend.
"That last tribulation almost cost me everything," Lord Huangfeng muttered, surveying his surroundings.
"If I can harvest something great in Wanwei Spacetime this time, I'll have a shot at the next tribulation."
The path of "Endless Tribulations" was the most promising among the three transcendence paths. It was also the most chosen by Time Lords.
Compared to "Infinite Origin," the "Endless Tribulations" path gave immediate feedback—each tribulation passed meant an increase in strength.
Therefore, unless one had some unique edge on the other two paths, most Time Lords chose "Endless Tribulations" as their route to transcendence.
"They say the final dozens of tribulations in the one-billion-eight-thousand are the hardest. None of the methods from reality work during them…"
Lord Huangfeng thought silently.
So far, the tribulations he'd undergone were relatively standard—he could still rely on his own strength and techniques.
Thus, anything gained within Wanwei Spacetime could help him with future tribulations.
"They say the final three-hundred-thirty-million tribulations are beyond comprehension—no one even knows how to overcome them."
Lord Huangfeng sighed. Despite how hopeless the path seemed, it remained the most likely to lead to transcendence.
"Hm?"
"What's that?"
Suddenly, Lord Huangfeng's expression shifted as he spotted a distant mountain peak.
At first glance, it looked ordinary—but a faint, mysterious aura lingered around it.
"A rare treasure. That has to be a rare treasure deep in Wanwei Spacetime."
He made the call instantly, joy surging in his heart.
He immediately began approaching the mountain carefully.
To be cautious, he first projected an avatar into the mountain.
In Wanwei Spacetime, the timelines were hazy and indistinct—direct observation was impossible, so avatars were used to scout.
Some Time Lords would even hire time-based lifeforms specifically for this task.
But Lord Huangfeng hadn't done that.
"So many rare treasures…"
Through the eyes of his avatar, Lord Huangfeng "saw" the mountain's interior packed with treasures.
Each rare item was worth at least hundreds of thousands of pounds of Time Sand.
"These rare treasures are protected by restrictions. My avatar is too weak to break them."
Lord Huangfeng frowned. After surveying his surroundings again, especially the mountain before him, he pondered briefly before deciding to go in personally.
If he hesitated and another Lord discovered this place, those treasures might no longer be his.
Just as Lord Huangfeng entered the mountain—
Whoosh—darkness swept over him, engulfing him entirely.
"A trap?!"
His heart skipped a beat. When he had first spotted the mountain, he had considered it might be a trap, but in the end, his greed got the better of him.
Darkness spread, and he felt himself suppressed on all fronts.
"For now, I won't destroy this battle body."
Lord Huangfeng looked around. The stronger a being was, the higher the cost to forge a battle body.
After all, a battle body's strength wasn't far from one's true body—it required an immense investment of rare resources.
So unless all hope was lost, no Time Lord would abandon their battle body.
Lin Yuan had the same rule: if he encountered a legendary Time Lord, he'd destroy the Tai Chi soul directly.
Which meant, unless the enemy was a legendary Time Lord, there was no need to give up so quickly.
Lord Huangfeng was of the same mind—even though he knew he had fallen into an ambush, he still wanted to assess the situation first.
The darkness converged, forming three vague figures who stared at Lord Huangfeng.
"Lord Huangfeng."
The leading shadowy figure spoke. "Don't bother struggling. With your strength, you won't escape."
"Hmph."
"So I've been had this time," Lord Huangfeng snorted coldly, glancing around. "You're bold, bringing such a weapon into Wanwei Spacetime. Aren't you afraid it'll all be for nothing?"
With his strength, he had naturally detected that the suppressing dark domain was from a Lord-level weapon—a particularly powerful one at that.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been subdued so easily.
Wanwei Spacetime was full of danger. Lords didn't bring too many precious weapons for fear of losing them.
"That's none of your concern."
The lead shadowy figure shook his head.
"Just tell me—what do you want?"
Lord Huangfeng didn't waste words.
He could tell these three shadowy figures were all stronger than him—probably very close to the legendary level.
Such experts, and three of them, wielding a powerful dark domain—he knew escape was impossible.
"Five hundred thousand pounds of Time Sand."
"As long as you hand over five hundred thousand, we'll let you go."
The lead figure stated.
"Five hundred thousand?"
Lord Huangfeng's face darkened. His entire harvest from this trip was barely worth two hundred thousand pounds.
Yet they wanted him to fork over five hundred?
"We're not asking much."
The lead shadowy figure looked at him. "Just forging your battle body must've cost you eight hundred thousand pounds of Time Sand, not to mention the time and effort it took."
"Fine. Five hundred thousand it is."
Lord Huangfeng fell silent briefly, then nodded.
"One more thing," the lead shadowy figure suddenly added.
"Speak."
Lord Huangfeng frowned but didn't argue.
"You must swear on the name of your transcendence path not to reveal any information about us."
The lead figure said.
"No problem."
Lord Huangfeng agreed.
It wasn't hard—he wouldn't have spread the word anyway.
If other Lords didn't fall into the same trap, it did him no favors.
Soon, the transaction was complete.
Of course, it was completed outside of Wanwei Spacetime.
Inside, Lord Huangfeng hadn't carried many treasures—anything valuable had already been given up.
That was why the three shadowy figures didn't attack outright and instead chose to negotiate.
Lord Huangfeng's most valuable asset was his battle body, which he could destroy at a thought.
If they tried to take it by force, they'd gain little.
Once Lord Huangfeng left, the mountain that had trapped him vanished without a trace.
"Who were those three Lords? There aren't many with that kind of power…" Lord Huangfeng quickly left, his mind racing.
In a hidden space, three shadowy figures emerged.
As the darkness faded, three Time Lords were revealed.
The leader had vivid red hair, his aura murky and corrosive, eroding the spacetime around him.
The other two were different—one covered in scales, the other phantom-like, seemingly intangible.
"Ha ha ha! Another five hundred thousand pounds of Time Sand in the bag!"
The scaly Time Lord grinned, clearly in high spirits.
That amount wasn't a small sum for any Lord below the legendary level.
"That Lord Huangfeng wasn't that strong—five hundred thousand was probably the max. Ask for more and he might've gone down with us."
The illusory Time Lord on the right spoke.
"I know,"
The scaly one nodded, then sighed. "Only in Wanwei Spacetime can we pull this off."
In the outside world, Time Lords could view future timelines. They'd never fall for a trap like this so easily.
But here, time was limited, and with other peer-level Lords competing—these factors made their ambushes fruitful.
"With our strength and the weapons we carry, unless a legendary Lord shows up, who could stop us?"
The scaly Time Lord said confidently.
Bringing powerful weapons did increase risk.
But the benefits were clear.
For a Lord, wielding a strong weapon meant a massive boost in combat power.
"Besides, even if we do meet a legendary Lord, with big brother here, we're not afraid," he added, glancing at the red-haired leader.
Time Lords could view the past and future—and even travel to them.
However, most preferred the past. The future was too unpredictable and offered little help for transcendence. Few specialized in future-based techniques.
But the red-haired Lord was a master of future-based strikes.
He had already glimpsed a future where, after three hundred sixty-two Great Extinction Cycles, he would become a legendary Lord.
That was why they dared to carry weapons into Wanwei Spacetime.
Below the legendary tier, no one could challenge them. And even if a legendary Lord appeared—they could fight back.
"Yeah, if worst comes to worst, big brother could just summon his future legendary self. Who could stop that?" said the illusory Time Lord.
Current Time Lords could visit the past and change it.
Likewise, future Lords could come to the present—which, to them, was the past.
Lords could all see their future selves, but it rarely mattered.
Even Time Lords could only see so far—a few Great Extinction Cycles ahead, ten, maybe a hundred.
Beyond that, the future was out of reach.
And future selves within that range? They weren't much stronger.
Moreover, any future self acting in the present would be suppressed, making them not much stronger than current selves.
Only those whose future selves had crossed major realm thresholds could resist that suppression and make a difference.
But how far ahead did one need to go for such a future self?
Most Time Lords couldn't see that far—let alone summon them.
"All right. Time to move."
The red-haired Lord finally spoke.
After each successful ambush, they would change locations and the appearance of their trap.
This time it was a mountain. Next time it might be a lake—or a barren hill…
In Wanwei Spacetime's depths, treasure wasn't determined by appearance, but by aura. As long as mysterious energy was present, there might be a hidden treasure.
In the blink of an eye, another hundred years passed.
Lin Yuan's Tai Chi soul continued to explore Wanwei Spacetime's depths.
"There…"
Lin Yuan suddenly looked in a direction—an intense aura surged there, as if multiple Time Lords were clashing.
Whoosh!
He immediately flew toward it.
However, by the time he arrived, the battle was mostly over.
"Anyone who comes closer will be my enemy," said a towering Time Lord with a pair of gray, curved horns, his terrifying aura spreading in all directions. Over a dozen Time Lords had retreated, unable to match him.
Behind the horned Time Lord was a sapphire-blue lake. A mysterious aura flowed from it—just a glance confirmed the presence of a rare treasure.
"So it's him…"
Lin Yuan looked at the horned Time Lord and instantly gave up the idea of fighting.
This Lord was known as Lord Tianshi. Over a dozen Great Extinction Cycles ago, he had already passed the final tenth tribulation of the one-billion-eight-thousand. He was likely now attempting the final three tribulations.
Lin Yuan swept a glance around. Over a dozen Time Lords on the cusp of legend stood motionless.
Clearly, Lord Tianshi had fought them all before Lin Yuan arrived—and won. He had earned the right to claim the treasure in the sapphire lake behind him.
"Too late…"
Lin Yuan sighed inwardly. He had no intention of contesting the lake.
Attacking now would mean facing Lord Tianshi alone—Lin Yuan had no confidence in doing that.
Lord Tianshi had suppressed over a dozen near-legendary Lords on his own—a clear display of his power.
Lin Yuan had no plans to challenge him.
"Hmph!"
Seeing no one daring to approach, Lord Tianshi let out a cold snort and turned toward the sapphire lake behind him.
"This aura…"
His gaze showed deep longing as he drew closer.
The next moment—
As soon as Lord Tianshi touched the sapphire lake, he vanished.
"Lord Tianshi went in?"
"Wonder what treasure is inside…"
The defeated Time Lords chatted from afar.
Yet none dared approach, fearing Lord Tianshi's power.
"Hm?"
Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed in surprise. In that moment when Lord Tianshi vanished, he vaguely sensed a trace of darkness ripple through the sapphire lake.
...
"There's something wrong," Lin Yuan immediately grew alert.
The owner of the Spacetime Shop had reminded him multiple times: within Wanwei Spacetime, the greatest danger wasn't the environment itself.
The Lord of Wanwei bore little ill will toward future Lords. Even the trials left behind generally didn't threaten one's life.
The real danger in Wanwei Spacetime came from other Lords!
Strictly speaking, every Lord who entered was a competitor.
Killing a Lord—even if it was just their battle body—yielded far greater rewards than exploring the space itself.
"Could that lake be a trap?"
Lin Yuan eyed the sapphire lake from afar. Aside from that fleeting trace of dark aura when Lord Tianshi vanished...
The entire lake was perfectly integrated with Wanwei Spacetime, which explained why Lord Tianshi had approached without hesitation.
Places of opportunity in Wanwei Spacetime all carried similar auras—very difficult for other Lords to imitate.
Even Lin Yuan hadn't doubted the lake at first.
If it weren't for that abnormality when Lord Tianshi vanished, he never would have made the connection.
"Hm?"
Not only Lin Yuan, but other Lords also began to notice.
That final wisp of darkness from the lake didn't belong—it clashed with the lake's essence.
"Let's see if Lord Tianshi comes out."
Lin Yuan focused intently on the sapphire lake.
Whether or not this was a trap would depend on whether Lord Tianshi emerged—and what state he was in when he did.
Soon, over ten breaths had passed.
Then—
The once calm and deep sapphire lake suddenly began to boil.
Waves exploded, and boundless darkness surged forth.
"You dare threaten me?"
A towering figure radiated terrifying might, space and time around him disintegrating. That towering figure, bearing a pair of gray curved horns, was none other than Lord Tianshi.
Lord Tianshi had forcefully broken free from the lake, triggering deeper layers of its dark power—layers upon layers of dark domains stacked endlessly, sweeping forth in all directions.
"You cowards, come out!"
Lord Tianshi roared. Just now, he'd been carelessly sucked into the lake, where three shadowy figures hiding in the darkness had appeared and tried to demand twenty million pounds of Time Sand from him.
In the past, Lord Tianshi might have agreed—his battle body alone had cost more than twenty million.
But before the opening of Wanwei Spacetime, he had made a breakthrough, passing the second-to-last tribulation of the one-billion-eight-thousand set. He was just one tribulation away from entering the realm of legendary Lords.
And to ensure he gained enough during this Wanwei Spacetime cycle to prepare for the final trial, Lord Tianshi had secretly brought a primary battle weapon with him.
With his peak second-tier strength and that weapon, he considered himself the strongest beneath the legendary level.
The dark weapon used by those three shadowy figures might easily suppress ordinary Lords who had touched the threshold of legend—but against him? Not enough.
That's why Lord Tianshi resisted without hesitation.
If he had no chance of winning, he would have acted rationally—
And handed over the twenty million pounds of Time Sand.
But since he had confidence, there was no way he'd swallow this insult.
"What? That lake was a trap?!"
"I knew something was off when Lord Tianshi went in."
One by one, Time Lords realized what had happened, and their shock at Lord Tianshi's strength deepened.
"He wasn't going all-out when fighting us earlier."
"Right, that dark aura from the lake—it could have suppressed us easily. Yet Lord Tianshi broke free. He was holding back!"
The gathered Time Lords looked grim. They were all peak second-tier Lords, close to the legendary threshold, and their perception was sharp. They immediately recognized Lord Tianshi's terrifying power—
It was true peak second-tier strength.
"So strong."
Even Lin Yuan's expression turned serious. Compared to Lord Tianshi in this moment, even his true body was slightly weaker.
"Unless I develop the second form of the 'Innate Five-Tai' or actually become a Time Lord, I won't be able to match him."
Lin Yuan thought to himself. Only those two breakthroughs would count as a true leap in power.
"I wonder how many tribulations Lord Tianshi has crossed?"
From afar, Lin Yuan gazed at Lord Tianshi standing amidst the endless darkness.
One thing was certain: Lord Tianshi hadn't yet begun the final phase of the three-hundred-thirty-million tribulations.
The "Endless Tribulations" path was divided into three levels—or rather, three phases—
3.602 billions tribulations.
One-billion-eight-thousand tribulations.
And the final three-hundred-thirty-million tribulations.
That last phase marked the domain of legendary Lords.
Compared to the earlier two phases, legendary Lords wielded means that were unfathomable.
Even the vast, boundless Wanwei Spacetime—which had offered countless years of exploration to Time Lords—was merely something the Lord of Wanwei had created at the moment of failing to break through the 14th-rank perfect time lifeform.
Of course, even among legendary Lords, the Lord of Wanwei was monstrously powerful.
But even the weakest legendary Lord was stronger than a peak second-tier Lord.
If Lord Tianshi truly was legendary, he wouldn't have bothered fighting those dozen other Lords earlier.
RUMBLE—
The boundless darkness surged, coalescing into three figures.
These three were cloaked in shadow, their identities hidden.
"Tianshi, so you've reached this point." The lead shadowy figure stared at Lord Tianshi for a while, then shook his head. "In that case, you may leave now."
With the strength Lord Tianshi had just displayed, the three of them weren't confident they could take him down. Not without burning through their trump cards—cards meant for actual legendary Lords.
Naturally, they didn't want to use them here.
"Leave?"
Lord Tianshi sneered. "You three hide in the shadows, waste my time—and you think you can walk away? Each of you will hand over ten million pounds of Time Sand, then I'll consider leaving."
"Tianshi, you're pushing it."
The lead shadowy figure's tone turned cold.
The other two behind him looked equally grim.
Since entering Wanwei Spacetime, they'd always been the ones robbing others—when had anyone dared to rob them?
Ten million pounds of Time Sand each?
"Won't pay? Then I'll just find out who you are."
Lord Tianshi stepped forward, terrifying aura surging. The twisted energy from his gray horns seeped into and disrupted the surrounding darkness.
BOOM!
Two opposing forces collided—
The surroundings were obliterated, forcing the other observing Lords to retreat rapidly.
"A battle between peak second-tier Lords—what a rare sight."
"Indeed. Even in Wanwei Spacetime, this level of battle doesn't happen every cycle."
The Time Lords grew excited, calling more of their peers over. More Lords were rushing toward the scene.
Every opening of Wanwei Spacetime attracted truly powerful Time Lords, but they didn't always clash.
It was only because the three shadowy figures had provoked Lord Tianshi that things escalated—he had concealed his power, even holding back in his earlier fight with the dozen other Lords, just to save it for a crucial moment.
But the three had revealed themselves too early.
Buzzing with fury, the three finally unleashed their full strength—no longer concealing it.
The lead figure released a crimson aura. As his form became clearer, red hair was revealed, and his presence was thick and oppressive, like sludge.
The other two: one covered in scales, the other a flickering, phantom-like figure.
All three possessed terrifying strength. Earlier, when they held back, Lord Tianshi could fight the three to a standstill—sometimes even gaining the upper hand.
But now that they went all out, he fell into a defensive position.
"So it's them."
With their true strength revealed, their identities couldn't be hidden.
All Lords had lived through countless ages, explored countless ruins—it was impossible to hide every detail.
Even if their true origins weren't known, their techniques and methods would be.
"It's the Blood Sea Lord, Void Spirit Lord, and Armor Lord!"
Expressions turned serious among the gathered Lords.
Among the three, the Blood Sea Lord was the strongest—recognized as peak second-tier. The other two were slightly weaker, but both were in the final stages of the one-billion-eight-thousand tribulations.
The Blood Sea Lord… legend said he was born from an infinite blood sea, left behind after a high-dimensional space was destroyed by external forces, killing all life within.
At birth, he already had 12th-rank perfect strength. He easily passed the tests of time cycles and steadily rose to become a Time Lord—eventually reaching peak second-tier.
The other two—Void Spirit Lord and Armor Lord—were both beings from dimensional gaps. The three had been allied since their weaker days.
"So it really was these three demon Lords."
Many Time Lords were shocked. Over the ages, the Blood Sea Lord and the others had ambushed and even massacred other Lords and time-based lifeforms. They were infamous among Lords.
"I already guessed it was you."
Lord Tianshi didn't look surprised. There weren't that many Time Lords to begin with. Three working together, laying traps to rob and kill? There were only so many candidates.
"So what if you did?"
The Blood Sea Lord didn't care. Their reputations were already horrible—why else would they go to such lengths to hide their identities?
They even hid their faces from Lords caught in their traps, mainly because they had too many enemies and too bad a name.
If people knew who they were, some Lords would rather destroy their own battle bodies than surrender Time Sand.
Whoosh—
The blood sea surged. Revealing his true power, the Blood Sea Lord, with help from the other two, started overpowering Lord Tianshi.
"Useless."
"The three of you together, plus that dark weapon—you can suppress me, sure. But defeat me? Not anytime soon."
Lord Tianshi switched from offense to defense. His gray horns distorted and twisted, forming an invisible barrier that resisted the trio's assault.
"Stalling for time?"
The Blood Sea Lord immediately saw through him.
"Exactly."
Lord Tianshi nodded. "I've already summoned some of my allies. The three of you—this time, you might not be leaving Wanwei Spacetime."
Many Time Lords had grudges against the trio—personal and indirect.
"This is troublesome."
The Blood Sea Lord frowned.
They had tried to leave, but Lord Tianshi clung to them relentlessly.
"Big brother…"
The phantom-like Void Spirit Lord looked at the Blood Sea Lord.
Now that word of their presence had spread—and they hadn't escaped in time—more and more Lords would converge.
Many of those with grudges would likely attack.
Facing a crowd of Lords? The trio wasn't confident.
And as more time passed, a legendary Lord might take notice.
If a legendary Lord had a problem with them and acted, they'd be in deep trouble.
Most Time Lords leaned toward peace. For example, the Lord of Wanwei had created Wanwei Spacetime to help future Lords before failing his breakthrough.
"I know."
The Blood Sea Lord nodded.
They'd brought powerful weapons into Wanwei Spacetime. If they were truly trapped here, the loss would be massive.
"Tianshi, this move… I'd originally prepared it for legendary Lords."
The Blood Sea Lord gazed down at Lord Tianshi, his tone calm.
Before entering Wanwei Spacetime, he had prepared for the worst.
Even against a legendary Lord, he had hopes of resisting and escaping.
He just hadn't expected to use that trump card here.
"For legendary Lords?"
Lord Tianshi blinked, then sneered. "And you think you're worthy?"
Second-tier Lords had little chance of resisting true legends.
"The future."
The Blood Sea Lord didn't argue. His focus shifted, reaching deep into a distant time period.
In three hundred sixty-two Great Extinction Cycles, he would become a legendary Lord—this was already certain.
He began sensing that future timeline, summoning his future legendary self to aid him now. That was his greatest trump card.
Whoo—
An invisible aura spread. The timeline began to ripple. Behind the Blood Sea Lord, a vast, boundless blood sea emerged faintly.
"What is this?"
Lord Tianshi's brow twitched. He stared at the Blood Sea Lord. "You're summoning your future self?"
Summoning a future self was something most Time Lords could do—but it usually didn't mean much.
In most future timelines they could sense, their strength hadn't changed drastically.
"Summoning a future self?" Lin Yuan, watching from afar, also focused—sensing the fluctuations of the current timeline.
He wasn't yet a true Time Lord—this was the first time he had seen such a technique.
...