The thoughts of the Red Kun Star Lord were complicated.
His own senior disciple advancing to the Eighth Rank was originally something that should have pleased him.
After all, this was his first Eighth Rank disciple.
But he couldn't help but feel a sense of comparison.
His senior disciple had reached the Eighth Rank, with a world within his body spanning two hundred and thirty square miles.
Compared to Lin Yuan's world spanning over a hundred thousand square miles while still at the Seventh Rank, and considering that Lin Yuan would experience a significant surge in his world upon reaching the Eighth Rank, the disparity between them became even greater.
Watching his senior disciple's joyful expression, the Red Kun Star Lord couldn't help but sigh.
Indeed.
Sometimes ignorance was a kind of bliss.
"Alright."
"Don't get too complacent. The path beyond the Eighth Rank is not easy. You need to gather various cosmic treasures, comprehend more rules, and perfect your inner world."
The Red Kun Star Lord spoke up.
As an experienced individual who had reached the invincible level of the Eighth Rank, the Red Kun Star Lord was fully qualified to say such things.
Even among Eighth Ranks, the differences were significant. For example, the Red Kun Star Lord could dispatch ordinary Eighth Rank powerhouses with about as much effort as cutting vegetables.
In many medium-sized battles against alien races, the Red Kun Star Lord would reveal his true form, covering the sky and devouring countless alien powerhouses with a gentle inhalation.
Take for instance the Black Abyss Clan's peerless Eighth Rank invincible from a million years ago, Black Abyss Qingyu. With just one soul attack, he pierced through the defenses of many Eighth Rank evolvers, including a soul defense treasure almost to the point of shattering it. Even so, they couldn't escape the fate of death.
"Understood."
The senior disciple was taken aback, immediately gathering his thoughts.
Indeed, for the entire human civilization and the myriad of stars in the universe, reaching the Eighth Rank only granted qualification to stand on the stage.
"That's good."
The Red Kun Star Lord nodded slightly.
Though the senior disciple was far from being comparable to Lin Yuan, he still hoped that this disciple of his would go further on the path of evolution.
"Which star domain do you plan to preside over?"
The Red Kun Star Lord looked towards the senior disciple and asked.
"Which star domain to preside over."
Below, Lin Yuan and many other disciples looked towards the eldest senior brother.
Under the Human Civilization Alliance, evolvers below the Eighth Rank were essentially protected and sheltered. There were hardly any mandatory tasks or commands. Even when participating in battles against alien races, it was usually evolvers who volunteered to go.
Evolver below the Eighth Rank could live comfortably as long as they didn't actively provoke trouble or violate the laws and regulations of human civilization.
This might seem ordinary, but in reality, in the other alien races of the universe, the weak were enslaved and driven, where was the freedom? Comfortable?
But all of this only applied to those below the Eighth Rank.
Once an evolver reached the Eighth Rank, they needed to fulfill obligations to human civilization.
Specifically, they needed to choose a star domain, take on the role of a star lord, and preside over it for five hundred years.
After five hundred years, Eighth Rank evolvers could choose to continue presiding or step down.
In simple terms, evolvers below the Eighth Rank were protected, but once they reached the Eighth Rank, they were the ones protecting other citizens.
"Teacher, I haven't decided yet."
The senior disciple said.
Before attempting to reach the Eighth Rank, the senior disciple didn't know if he could successfully advance. If he died in the ordeal of confronting his inner demons, it wouldn't matter how much he thought about it.
"It's alright, take your time to consider."
The Red Kun Star Lord casually asked, presiding over a star domain and serving as a star lord, although it was an obligation of an Eighth Rank evolver, it wasn't something that needed to be done immediately, there was still time to buffer.
After reminding a few more words, the Red Kun Star Lord watched as Lin Yuan and others left.
At the First Peak, thirteen peak masters of the Red Kun Lineage gathered.
"By the way, Eldest Senior Brother, while you were in seclusion attempting to break through to the Eighth Rank, the strongest of humanity have retrieved the body of that extraterrestrial being from the large-scale battlefield."
The third senior brother spoke of recent events, emphasizing the part about the body of the extraterrestrial powerhouse.
"I am aware of this."
The Eldest Senior Brother nodded. As long as his consciousness connected to the virtual world, he could understand everything.
The matter of comprehending the body of the extraterrestrial powerhouse was not a secret within human civilization. Basically, evolvers of the Sixth and Seventh Ranks knew about it.
The powerhouses didn't intend to conceal this matter because ultimately, this body would be open to most human evolvers.
The other major peak tribes that obtained parts of the body would do the same. The major peak tribes were all competing, competing for the only evolutionary path to the powerhouse level.
"Teacher told me that the evolutionary path contained within the body of that extraterrestrial being is very peculiar. Over the years, those who have comprehended the evolutionary path have encountered difficulties in their cultivation."
"So, I have decided not to comprehend that body."
The Eldest Senior Brother shook his head.
Whether to comprehend that body is entirely up to the evolver's decision, but opportunities at the level of powerhouses are rarely refused.
The Eldest Senior Brother knew his own affairs. He had just broken through to the Eighth Rank and needed a lot of time to stabilize his realm. At this time, it was completely unnecessary to comprehend a body of unknown origin.
For the Eldest Senior Brother, stabilizing his own realm was the most important. By the time his own realm was stable, many talented evolvers would have already immersed themselves in it, and competing with these geniuses who had taken the lead would be almost hopeless.
Therefore, the Eldest Senior Brother chose to give up directly.
"Well said."
Lin Yuan nodded inwardly at the words.
With his Unrivaled Insight, continuously comprehending the many evolutionary paths contained within that body, he increasingly realized that almost all of the comprehended evolutionary paths had more or less problems.
The Eldest Senior Brother's cautiousness meant that he wouldn't be affected by the remains of that body.
In the virtual world, Lin Yuan still sat atop the peak.
At this moment, many peaks in this virtual world were still occupied by evolvers.
But in reality, almost ninety-nine percent of the evolvers had been replaced once, and most of them had only recently arrived.
Lin Yuan observed the body under the sky, his consciousness constantly suppressed, while also comprehending the evolutionary paths contained within the body.
"Now, I have comprehended two thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven evolutionary paths, and have analyzed and comprehended all of these evolutionary paths, integrating them into myself."
"But compared to the myriad evolutionary paths contained within this body, it's just a drop in the ocean."
Lin Yuan's expression was amazed. As a high-level evolver, he indeed practiced many evolutionary paths, but the owner of this body had practiced far too many.
"And, these evolutionary paths are all quite sinister."
Lin Yuan thought to himself, especially the oppressive mental will that forced evolvers to choose and practice a certain evolutionary path as soon as possible.
"Anyway, I won't practice, just comprehend, and won't be affected by anything."
Lin Yuan's thoughts converged.
It was like a prescription; no one knew what effect the decoction made from this prescription would have. To figure it out, one had to drink the decoction, but Lin Yuan didn't plan to drink the decoction at all, just comprehend the prescription, so naturally there would be no problem.
"The two thousand eight hundred and thirty-seventh evolutionary path..."
Lin Yuan's expression moved, and he comprehended another evolutionary path from the body.
"Kill, kill, kill, kill everything, all beings can be killed by nature."
The moment he comprehended this evolutionary path, Lin Yuan felt a boundless killing intent.
At the same time, a desire arose in his heart, wanting to immediately immerse himself in practicing this evolutionary path.
"Hmm?"
Lin Yuan stopped comprehending, the suppression of the mental will disappeared, and the lingering sound of killing gradually faded away.
"If other evolvers comprehend this evolutionary path, they will probably start practicing it immediately, and be influenced by the immense killing intent within, to the point that their true selves will become nothing more than crazed killers?"
Lin Yuan silently thought to himself. This wasn't the first time he had encountered this. Several times before, some comprehended evolutionary paths had begun to affect him before he could even practice them.
As a result, Lin Yuan set a constraint for himself: once his virtual body began practicing, he would forcibly sever the connection and return his consciousness to his true body.
This way, at least he could cut off the influence.
"Continue, continue."
After resting for a while, Lin Yuan began to analyze this path of killing evolutionary path.
Not far from Lin Yuan.
Gao Wufeng was also meditating.
Practicing the evolutionary paths contained within the body, as long as he simultaneously observed and comprehended the body under the sky, the speed of his cultivation could be terrifyingly increased.
As Gao Wufeng continued his cultivation.
"Hmm?"
Gao Wufeng's mental consciousness silently began to sink...
"Where is this?"
Gao Wufeng opened his eyes, looking around with great vigilance.
But there was no response.
In all directions, it was a vast expanse of whiteness.
At first, Gao Wufeng, out of caution, refrained from acting on his own.
But as time passed.
One hundred years, two hundred years, one thousand years, ten thousand years.
Gao Wufeng's expression gradually became frantic. Within this vast expanse of whiteness, there were no fluctuations of rules present, so he couldn't cultivate at all.
Gao Wufeng could only watch time pass slowly.
Twenty thousand years later.
Gao Wufeng completely lost control, going insane and striking out in all directions.
Although many evolvers, when in seclusion, experienced the passage of decades or even hundreds of years, it was because they were immersed in cultivation.
They comprehended the fluctuations of rules, experienced the avenues of heaven and earth, and were engrossed in it, so time passed quickly.
But in the white expanse where Gao Wufeng currently found himself, there were no fluctuations of rules, and he couldn't even enter a state of slumber, only able to watch time slip away.
Being able to endure for twenty thousand years was already the result of Gao Wufeng's incredibly strong mental willpower.
For other evolvers, they probably would have gone mad in less than ten thousand years.
Fifty thousand years passed.
"What is this?"
"Who am I? My name is Gao Wufeng? I come from human civilization, but what about the other humans besides me? I remember I had a teacher."
"Yes, a test. I remember I was comprehending that body, but how did I end up here?"
Gao Wufeng's mind was restless.
One hundred thousand years later.
Gao Wufeng looked up at the sky, still a vast expanse of whiteness.
Crack.
Gao Wufeng's eyes dimmed in an instant.
His mental consciousness began to fade away, a voluntary act, meaning Gao Wufeng did it himself, losing the motivation to live.
In the outside world.
For Gao Wufeng, in the hundreds of thousands of years he experienced in the white expanse, only a few breaths had passed in the outside world.
Gao Wufeng's body began to collapse, and his mental willpower began to fade away as well.
"Brother Gao?"
Lin Yuan immediately noticed the change and stopped observing, looking towards Gao Wufeng.
He and Gao Wufeng were not far apart, so he noticed the anomaly right away.
"Did cultivation fail? Didn't make it through this time?"
Lin Yuan sighed. Last time, Gao Wufeng had faced the trial of the heart demon and barely made it through, resulting in rapid progress in cultivation afterwards.
But now, it seemed he had encountered a similar ordeal, and unfortunately couldn't withstand it this time.
In recent years, Lin Yuan had seen many such cases; some evolvers would suddenly collapse and lose consciousness while cultivating.
"I wonder if it has affected his true body in the outside world?"
Lin Yuan thought to himself. If it was only the collapse of the virtual world's body, it wouldn't be a big problem as long as his real body and soul were fine.
An hour later.
Zuoqiu Guang walked over.
"Brother Gao almost went on a killing spree in the Nine Sword Star Domain. If it wasn't for the timely intervention of the Nine Sword Star Lord, it's feared..."
Zuoqiu Guang said directly. She got along well with Gao Wufeng and usually kept in touch. After Gao Wufeng had an accident, she immediately went to check the situation in the Nine Sword Star Domain.
"Brother Gao's mental consciousness should have gone wrong. Fortunately, after the Nine Sword Star Lord's timely suppression, supplemented by some cosmic treasures for healing the mind, there shouldn't be much problem with subsequent issues."
Zuoqiu Guang's tone of speech faintly revealed a sense of fear.
Yesterday, Gao Wufeng was still exchanging experiences with her, seemingly perfectly normal. But today, he went crazy as if he had gone insane. If it hadn't been for the timely intervention of the Nine Sword Star Lord, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
"This body..."
Zuoqiu Guang looked up at the body under the sky.
At first, she thought this was a great opportunity and her hope of becoming a powerhouse.
But as time passed, Zuoqiu Guang witnessed, with her own eyes, one genius after another walking the path to ruin and death. Many of these evolver geniuses were not much inferior to her, but they still couldn't make it through.
"There's a big problem with this body, it's definitely not as simple as comprehending evolutionary paths."
Zuoqiu Guang murmured to herself, "I might not be able to hold on either. Thirteenth Peak Master, sometimes I envy you, not comprehending evolutionary paths on your own. I can't help but want to cultivate even without wanting to."
Once the evolutionary paths contained within the body were chosen for cultivation, there was no turning back. Unless one didn't enter this virtual world, as long as they continued to observe that body, the evolutionary paths within would automatically cultivate themselves.
"Can't hold on?" Lin Yuan looked towards Zuoqiu Guang.
"Now, although I haven't gone crazy, occasionally I get trapped in some illusions. Sometimes I don't even know it myself."
Zuoqiu Guang said.
Originally, she didn't consider these issues problems until she saw Gao Wufeng, who had almost gone crazy.
Zuoqiu Guang was very worried that she would end up like Gao Wufeng one day.
"Then it really should be stopped."
Lin Yuan nodded. According to Zuoqiu Guang's description, continuing cultivation would likely lead to major problems, not much different from Gao Wufeng.
"It's quite ironic."
"Originally, among the three of us, Brother Gao and I were full of ambition and confidence, thinking that the path to becoming a powerhouse was certain. But now, both of us have left, and it's you, Thirteenth Peak Master, who has persisted until now." (Because he is the MC!! :D)
Zuoqiu Guang sighed and disappeared, leaving the virtual world.
...
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