"Your Majesty, the Mysterious Sovereign?"
Lin Yuan's expression was one of shock. All along, whether it was the 'Mysterious Emperor' evolution path obtained from his teacher, the Red Kun Star Lord, or the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm itself, everything pointed to 'Mysterious Emperor.'
"Yes," the humanoid statue, Shen Ji, nodded. "You guessed correctly. Since we're talking about 'Your Majesty,' and the Mysterious Emperor, I am indeed referring to the 'Mysterious Sovereign.'"
"What is the origin of the 'Mysterious Sovereign'?" Lin Yuan immediately asked.
Whether it was the Mysterious Emperor or the Mysterious Sovereign, both were ultimate-level Strongest Ones. The Mysterious Emperor's secret realm has yet to have its exact coordinates located by any of the strongest beings.
"The 'Mysterious Sovereign' was a title that my master occasionally heard in some cosmic ruins. It is said that the lineage founded by the Mysterious Sovereign was once extremely famous, and the Sovereign himself had ventured far into the ultimate domain."
Shen Ji seemed to be lost in memory.
"A long time ago?" Lin Yuan contemplated.
"Indeed. In my master's era, almost no one knew about the 'Mysterious Sovereign.' My master only learned snippets about him from some ruins."
"In the end, the 'Mysterious Sovereign' suddenly disappeared for unknown reasons, and his lineage fell into decline. By the time my master rose to power, it had almost vanished without a trace."
Shen Ji said.
He was not truly alive, but rather a spirit-like entity, imbued with a vast amount of knowledge by the Devil Jade Tower's master. This made him quite knowledgeable.
"The 'Mysterious Sovereign' vanished mysteriously too?" Lin Yuan was slightly stunned. The master of the Devil Jade Tower also vanished suddenly, leading to the tower's decline. And now, it seemed that the Mysterious Sovereign met a similar fate.
"Do you know why the master of the Devil Jade Tower disappeared?" Lin Yuan pondered for a moment before asking directly.
"Why the master disappeared..." Shen Ji fell silent for a while. "Now that you're a core member of the Devil Jade Tower, there are some things you have the right to know."
"Before the master disappeared, he mentioned to me that he wanted to go to a certain place." Shen Ji shook his head as he spoke.
"After that, the master was never seen again." Shen Ji's tone was complex.
"A certain place..." Lin Yuan's heart was stirred.
The master of the Devil Jade Tower was most proficient in space, a boundless and profound path. A rank-nine evolver can comprehend the complete rules of space, but that is only one aspect of the true spatial rules.
To fully transform the spatial rules into one's own spatial Dao is the domain of the Strongest Ones. And even within the spatial Dao, no two paths are identical, not even similar.
However, there was no doubt that the master of the Devil Jade Tower had terrifying accomplishments in the domain of space. Just the mere fact that he could silently send the World Tree and the Chaos Crystal to Lin Yuan's side in the main universe was already astonishing.
This was inconceivable.
It should be noted that when the Strongest One, Xia Qin, wanted to send the Divine Sealing Bead to Lin Yuan, he had to specifically order Deputy Tower Master Nalan to run an errand.
And that was just within the same universe.
From this alone, it was clear that Xia Qin was not as proficient in space as the master of the Devil Jade Tower.
"Did the 'Mysterious Sovereign' also go to that place?" Lin Yuan asked.
"I don't know," Shen Ji shook his head. "The master didn't leave any memories related to that."
Hearing this, Lin Yuan didn't press further. The reason behind the Devil Jade Tower master's disappearance was far too distant from his current concerns.
Even if he knew, what could he do about it? It was meaningless.
He had better use his time to figure out the source of the summoning sensation in the core region of the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm.
Main Star of the Milky Way.
A faint and subtle spatial fluctuation, guided by the Devil Jade Mark, descended in front of Lin Yuan.
"A micro-universe."
Lin Yuan looked at the grayish sphere floating in front of him, his eyes gleaming slightly.
This was a fully independent micro-universe, existing outside the main universe, with its own time rules.
Most importantly, this micro-universe could be refined by Lin Yuan, allowing him to observe the operation of its time rules from the most fundamental perspective.
Although the main universe also had time rules, Lin Yuan could only observe and study them from the outside. But with this micro-universe, Lin Yuan could enter and observe from within.
The difference between the two was immense.
"Refine it now." Lin Yuan immediately began the process of refining it.
Several days later.
Lin Yuan had completely refined the micro-universe.
This treasure was specifically provided by the master of the Devil Jade Tower for its members, so there were no hidden traps. Lin Yuan found the refinement process very easy.
Buzz.
As soon as he refined the micro-universe, Lin Yuan's consciousness plunged into it.
Vast time rules, spatial rules, life rules, and other fundamental rules were all reflected in his mind.
All the rules formed a stable balance, supporting the operation of this micro-universe.
"Is this a complete universe?" Lin Yuan was somewhat awed. Although he had once become a presence akin to the Heavenly Dao in the Azure World, the Azure World was just a small world in the boundless void. How could it compare to a micro-universe?
Moreover, when Lin Yuan became the Heavenly Dao in the Azure World, he was still weak. Even if the essence of the Great Dao was placed before him, he wouldn't have been able to comprehend much.
But now, after refining this micro-universe, all the rules were reflected in his mind.
This micro-universe, though it appeared to be a small sphere half a meter in size, contained space spanning hundreds of light-years. Although it was far smaller than the main universe, its core essence was similar.
"Time..." Lin Yuan was nearly entranced, carefully sensing the operation of the time rules within the micro-universe.
[Your unrivaled insight grants you rapid comprehension of the time rules as you observe the essence of time.]
After several hours, Lin Yuan reluctantly pulled himself out of his state of enlightenment.
"This micro-universe is more valuable to me than any secret treasure or weapon," Lin Yuan muttered to himself.
The micro-universe had almost no offensive or defensive capabilities, but it allowed various rules to form a certain balance.
This would be extremely helpful in the future when transforming his inner world into an inner universe, fully independent of the main universe.
Transforming one's inner world into an inner universe was one of the thresholds to becoming a Strongest One.
The reason the Strongest Ones could exist eternally was because of their inner universe.
An inner universe exists independently, with its own river of time, enabling a Strongest One to transcend the river of time in the main universe, achieving the eternity of body, soul, mind, and will.
"The master of the Devil Jade Tower..." Lin Yuan's admiration for the master of the Devil Jade Tower grew.
Although this micro-universe was far inferior to the inner universe of a Strongest One, it was a perfect replica of an inner universe.
It allowed beings below the level of Strongest Ones to glimpse some aspects of the ultimate domain.
"Continue studying."
After a short rest, Lin Yuan took out the micro-universe again and began observing it carefully.
Time passed.
Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm.
The Yang Primordial Spirit finally reached the core area.
Rumble.
Layers of space shook, and eventually, a figure appeared.
It was Lin Yuan.
"Finally arrived." A smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face. From entering the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm to reaching the core area, it had taken nearly thirty years.
This didn't include the time after Lin Yuan completed his ninth transmigration, when his strength greatly increased, and his traveling speed soared.
It took over twenty years just to reach the core area from the outer region of the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm. Then, it would take another twenty years to return to the outer region and wait to be expelled from the secret realm.
All in all, the round trip would take fifty years.
"The rewards from this journey..."
Lin Yuan glanced at his inner world, where a pile of 'Mysterious Emperor Crystals' and numerous treasures and weapons were stored.
Although Lin Yuan didn't deliberately seek out hostile rank-nine alien races along the way, he occasionally encountered some. And once he did, they rarely escaped, not even the special rank-nines.
In addition to some indigenous beings who weren't afraid of death, Lin Yuan's gains exceeded eight million universe crystals.
"Only in the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm could such an opportunity arise," Lin Yuan thought to himself.
First, only rank-nine beings were allowed into the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm.
If this were in the outside world, on the battlefield against alien races, beings like Lin Yuan would definitely be targeted by rank-ten beings or rank-nine beings wielding rank-eleven secret treasures. There was no way they would allow Lin Yuan to kill freely.
Second, most of the powerful alien beings on the battlefield wouldn't carry valuable treasures. Although the rank-nine alien beings in the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm also didn't carry anything too valuable, they had many resources like Mysterious Emperor Crystals.
Although most of the Mysterious Emperor Crystals Lin Yuan obtained came from the indigenous beings, he also got quite a few from the powerful beings who had been summoned.
The efforts previously made by the Ninth-Rank alien beings who died at Lin Yuan's hands were all for Lin Yuan.
"The sense of calling is getting stronger."
Lin Yuan carefully sensed it. After entering the core area, the sense of calling increased significantly.
However, apart from some indistinct tones of "Mysterious Emperor," Lin Yuan couldn't make out the rest.
"That direction."
Lin Yuan pinpointed the location based on the sense of calling and immediately headed towards the source.
In the core area of the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm.
In front of an ancient and mysterious palace.
Several figures with concealed auras were standing there.
These figures were all Ninth-Rank experts who had arrived early. Being able to enter the core area directly after the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm opened meant they were special Ninth-Rank experts who had opened millions of layers of spatial realms.
"This palace appeared suddenly; it was never here before," said a Ninth-Rank alien with dark golden scales, his gaze fiery.
In the core area of the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm, every chance place contains the most precious treasures, generally surpassing those in the inner and outer regions. This palace had never appeared before.
The sudden appearance of a palace that had never been seen before made the special Ninth-Rank experts on the scene realize that it contained great opportunities.
"Our clan's records indeed have no mention of this palace," another special Ninth-Rank expert observed and spoke.
He came from a peak clan with detailed information about the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm. Many chance places were recorded, but this palace was seen for the first time.
"But how do we get inside?" asked the third special Ninth-Rank expert.
It was obvious to anyone with a discerning eye that this palace contained great opportunities, but no matter how great the opportunity, one must enter to obtain it. Being blocked outside and watching was worse than never having seen it.
"This palace seems to completely block our attacks; breaking in directly doesn't seem hopeful." The special Ninth-Rank expert with golden scales frowned.
From the moment he discovered the palace, he had attempted to forcefully break in, but it was futile. His full-power strike had no effect on the palace.
"Could it be that there are specific conditions to enter this palace?" Another special Ninth-Rank expert spoke. In the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm, some chance places indeed had specific conditions.
However, these conditions were generally common and often indicated outside the palace.
As the special Ninth-Rank experts continued to observe the palace, a fluctuation came from deep within the spatial layers.
"Mm?"
The expressions of the special Ninth-Rank experts changed.
"Who is it?"
The special Ninth-Rank expert with golden scales looked grave.
"Milky Way Star Lord."
"The Milky Way Star Lord is coming."
Some special Ninth-Rank experts' faces darkened.
The intelligence about the Milky Way Star Lord had become almost universally known among Ninth-Rank experts in the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm during this period.
These special Ninth-Rank experts had naturally heard of it.
The Milky Way Star Lord was a monster with the ability to kill special Ninth-Rank experts.
This was extremely rare in any era.
"What should we do?"
"The Milky Way Star Lord is obviously coming for this palace."
The special Ninth-Rank experts exchanged glances, their expressions hesitant.
"Leave."
"We can't stay."
After a brief psychological struggle, the special Ninth-Rank experts quickly departed.
They were very eager for the opportunities within the mysterious ancient palace, but they were even more fearful of the Milky Way Star Lord.
Even without this mysterious palace, they could still gain a lot within the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm. But if they were to die at the hands of the Milky Way Star Lord because of this palace, everything would be in vain.
Especially for those special Ninth-Rank experts with poor relations with human civilization, they left without hesitation.
The fate of other special Ninth-Rank experts encountering the Milky Way Star Lord depended on luck; if the Milky Way Star Lord was in a good mood, they might survive.
But as soon as they dared to approach the Milky Way Star Lord, they were essentially doomed.
Soon.
Outside the mysterious ancient palace.
There was no one left.
Whoosh.
The next moment.
Lin Yuan's figure appeared silently.
"They've all run away?"
Lin Yuan glanced at the direction the special Ninth-Rank experts had fled.
If it were before, he might have pursued them, as each special Ninth-Rank expert was like a mobile opportunity in Lin Yuan's eyes.
But now, "Is the sense of calling coming from this palace?" Lin Yuan carefully observed the palace before him.
The palace had a mysterious and ancient aura, spanning multiple spatial layers. Its main body should be in a certain spatial layer, and the palace before him was likely just the entrance to the real palace.
"How to get in?" Lin Yuan didn't act immediately but continued to observe.
Based on the behavior of the special Ninth-Rank experts outside the palace, Lin Yuan could deduce that they couldn't forcibly enter.
As Lin Yuan stood outside the palace.
Deep within the palace, a certain consciousness began to awaken. It gazed from afar at Lin Yuan standing outside the palace, with an excited expression.
"I have waited for several cosmic epochs, and finally, a little fellow capable of inheriting His Majesty's legacy has arrived."
...
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