The Three Great Guardian Secret Arts of the Mysterious Sovereign Lineage encompassing attack, defense, and escape, they seem flawless.
But the prerequisite is being able to master them.
Master them? Is it that easy?
Everything in the world maintains a subtle balance. Special lifeforms have terrifying innate abilities but low reproductive capacity.
Those unique and unparalleled special lifeforms have no reproductive capacity at all.
The countless citizens of human civilization have average aptitude, ranking among the lowest of the peak races.
Yet their reproductive ability can be described as unparalleled.
This is a kind of balance.
Or rather, a 'restriction.'
The secret arts are the same. The three great Guardian Secret Arts of the Mysterious Sovereign Lineage are each considered incredible.
However, to master them, or even to get started, is far more difficult than imagined.
If Lin Yuan were an eleventh-rank lifeform who had comprehended the complete rules of space and time, it would barely make sense for him to enter the secret arts so quickly.
After all, standing at a high vantage point, with a high level of understanding, learning anything is faster.
But Lin Yuan is only a ninth-rank lifeform. How could he master the first stage of the "Mysterious Emperor's Strike" within a few years?
"This little guy has not experienced more than four thousand years of real time, and after opening so many layers of space, now?"
The six-armed figure fell silent.
At Lin Yuan's current cultivation speed, it would take no more than five thousand years to cultivate "Mysterious Emperor's Strike" to the third stage.
By then, with just a casual strike, Lin Yuan would unleash four times his own maximum power, and maintain this state 'permanently.'
"When His Majesty was still around, the fastest time to cultivate the 'Mysterious Emperor's Strike' to the third stage within our Mysterious Sovereign Lineage was seven thousand three hundred and ninety-four years, and that was by an eleventh-rank lifeform."
The six-armed figure thought to himself, a ninth-rank lifeform cultivating a secret art faster than an eleventh-rank lifeform? This was beyond his imagination.
Ninth-rank and eleventh-rank lifeforms are almost not even considered the same species.
The gap between them is like a chasm. What an eleventh-rank lifeform can see through at a glance, a ninth-rank lifeform might not understand even in ten thousand years.
"But maybe not."
"Just because the first stage was mastered so smoothly doesn't guarantee that the second or third stages will be just as easy."
The six-armed figure let out a sigh of relief and suddenly laughed, "What am I worried about? The successor of His Majesty should naturally have an extraordinary talent. Without such, how could they keep up with His Majesty's footsteps?"
The six-armed figure shook his head slightly. At this point, he was too lazy to understand why Lin Yuan was cultivating the secret art so quickly because it was meaningless.
At this moment.
Countless layers of space outside the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm suddenly began to ripple.
"Hmm?"
"Are those twelfth-rank lifeforms trying to locate the secret realm again?"
The six-armed figure glanced over and sneered, "Even though His Majesty has been gone for several cosmic eras, you twelfth-rank lifeforms who have never experienced the complete extinction of a universe think you can break through His Majesty's methods? It's nothing but a fool's dream."
Deep within the vast layers of space.
Several enormous figures of powerful beings stood there.
Just by standing there, they made the many layers of space retreat, forming an area entirely belonging to themselves. In this domain, space and time were playthings, to be manipulated at will.
"Where exactly is this Mysterious Emperor's secret realm? I'm becoming increasingly curious about its former owner, 'His Majesty'."
An existence with twenty-four pairs of wings on its back spoke with a grand voice, laced with curiosity.
"What now? We still haven't locked onto the secret realm's location," said another colossal figure, its voice traveling through space and time, disturbing the time-space continuum in this area.
"What can we do? We go back the way we came!" A third towering figure turned and took a step, disappearing into the distance.
"Hmph!" The second towering figure remained calm. Every time the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm opened, some Strongest Ones would try to lock its coordinates.
But without exception, they all failed.
At the level of the Strongest Ones, most treasures, weapons, and secret arts in the world were of little use to them. But the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm was different.
Not to mention anything else, the mere method of hiding it left many of the Strongest Ones in awe.
Moreover, all the Strongest Ones shared a common belief: the secret realm must contain a great secret or a great treasure.
Otherwise, what was the point of going to such lengths to hide it?
Before long.
The few Strongest Ones standing here disappeared, and this area of space-time returned to stability.
Within the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm.
Lin Yuan operated the "Mysterious Emperor's Strike" and found that the speed of refining the core of the secret realm had greatly increased, filling him with joy.
Among the three great Guardian Secret Arts of the Mysterious Sovereign Lineage, "Mysterious Emperor's Strike" is classified as an offensive secret art, but that's not entirely accurate. It's more like a 'passive' secret art that can be applied in any situation.
For example, right now, Lin Yuan was using the "Mysterious Emperor's Strike" to speed up the refinement of the core of the secret realm, which had nothing to do with attack.
"Is this the feeling of control?"
As Lin Yuan refined more of the secret realm's core, his control over the secret realm also increased.
Now Lin Yuan could clearly sense every detail in the outer area of the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm, including the hidden ninth-rank aliens and their interactions.
None of it escaped Lin Yuan's perception.
Of course, the 'outer area' here refers to the outer area of the continent where these outsiders landed.
As for the other two continents, they will come under Lin Yuan's complete control as he continues to refine the core of the secret realm.
"These ninth-rank aliens... I could kill them anytime I want." Lin Yuan's heart was stirred.
In the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm, all outsiders are suppressed. The inability to teleport is just one aspect; their perception is also significantly reduced.
So normally, a ninth-rank alien who stays hidden in a corner would not be in much danger.
"Forget it, better to act ordinary," Lin Yuan gave up on this tempting idea.
His control over the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm and his position as its new master must leave no trace.
Precisely tracking the location of every ninth-rank alien and hunting them down? That would not simply be a matter of power.
The six-armed figure had long warned Lin Yuan that every time the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm opens, it attracts the attention of the Strongest Ones.
In such a situation, it would be wise to keep a low profile. If Lin Yuan can become a Strongest One in the future, then he could openly declare himself as the master of the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm.
"At the current pace of refinement, it will take about five more years to complete the process."
Lin Yuan continued to gaze at the core of the secret realm in front of him. Without the help of "Mysterious Emperor's Strike," refining the core would take at least twenty years.
With the help of "Mysterious Emperor's Strike," the time required was greatly reduced.
However, the time taken to refine the core was not particularly significant to Lin Yuan.
As the successor to 'His Majesty,' Lin Yuan had already gained the 'privilege' of entering the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm at any time.
There was no need to wait for the secret realm to open to enter.
As soon as Lin Yuan willed it, he could use the Mysterious Emperor Mark to enter the secret realm.
"Although I can't take action against those ninth-rank aliens directly, the human civilization's ninth-rank evolvers will soon begin clearing out and driving away all enemy ninth-rank aliens in the secret realm. When that happens, it won't be a problem for me to take action."
Lin Yuan thought silently.
Using human civilization as a cover, as long as Lin Yuan was careful, he should not be exposed.
As for showing some power that exceeds common sense? Compared to the entire Mysterious Emperor's secret realm, what's that worth?
In fact, even with Lin Yuan's current talent and potential as the number one genius evolver in the history of human civilization, he still wasn't taken too seriously by the Strongest Ones of the alien races.
For these Strongest Ones, as long as Lin Yuan doesn't reach the twelfth rank, he's just a 'pathetic worm' in the river of time, destined to face the end of his lifespan and the brink of death.
Milky Way's Main Star.
Lin Yuan was fully immersed in understanding the "Mysterious Emperor's Strike."
The three great Guardian Secret Arts of the Mysterious Sovereign Lineage, "Mysterious Emperor's Body" requires a large number of universe crystals and cannot be practiced for now.
"Steps of Time and Space" is a secret escape art, but Lin Yuan currently has no pressure to escape. His true body is stationed on the Milky Way's main star, within the territory of human civilization, under the gaze of the Strongest Ones. It can be said that he is absolutely safe.
The Yin Primal Spirit is in Battlefield B0001, absorbing the boundary-breaking source force spilling from the permanent space rift, and no one knows the true identity of Lin Yuan's Yin Primal Spirit.
And with the power of the Yin Primal Spirit, hiding in a medium-sized alien battlefield is as stable as can be.
As for the Yang Primal Spirit, it has now become the half-master of the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm, which to some extent, even the Strongest Ones cannot interfere with.
So there is no urgent need for "Steps of Time and Space."
"No wonder it's one of the three great Guardian Secret Arts of the Mysterious Sovereign Lineage. At my current pace of understanding, it will take decades to perfect."
Lin Yuan was amazed. He had no idea that even for an eleventh-rank lifeform, it took over seven thousand years to master this secret art to its third stage.
As for fully mastering the fourth stage? It would take tens of thousands of years to achieve.
"However, if I can reach the tenth rank within ten years, it might not take much longer to perfect it," Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Lin Yuan's Unrivaled Insight completely depends on the height he has reached. The Unrivaled Insight at the ninth rank is entirely different from that at the tenth rank.
When Lin Yuan is at the ninth rank, it may take decades or centuries to perfect the "Mysterious Emperor's Strike," but once he reaches the tenth rank, it may only take years or even months.
And if he reaches the eleventh rank, it might take only days to master the "Mysterious Emperor's Strike."
"Take it slow."
"I still have plenty of time."
Lin Yuan's mind was filled with the details of the "Mysterious Emperor's Strike," and he continued to immerse himself in cultivation.
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, four years had gone by.
On another continent within the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm, Lin Yuan appeared out of thin air, unnoticed by the countless native lifeforms below.
"There's only about a year left until the core of the secret realm is completely refined." A smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face.
Although he had no time restrictions in the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm, there was no need for him, unlike the other ninth-rank aliens, to leave after a certain time. If they didn't leave, the secret realm itself would 'erase' them.
But the sooner he refined the core of the secret realm, the better.
"In these four years, I've almost mastered the second stage of the 'Mysterious Emperor's Strike,'" Lin Yuan shook his head slightly, somewhat dissatisfied.
In reality, this cultivation speed was already extremely impressive, even terrifying.
It's estimated that in the history of the Mysterious Sovereign Lineage, no successor has ever taken less than ten years to master the second stage of this secret art.
Did they really think that achieving three times their maximum power with a casual strike was as easy as picking cabbage by the roadside?
But for Lin Yuan, it still felt a bit slow—it's just a secret art, after all.
"Hmm?"
"The ninth-rank evolvers of human civilization have already begun to seal off the outer area?" Lin Yuan glanced up, his gaze penetrating through layers of void, landing on another continent.
As soon as Lin Yuan displayed his absolute power by killing the strongest ninth-rank of the Tianyu Clan, Huny, the ninth-rank evolvers of human civilization, led by Doko, began planning to clear out the other enemy ninth-rank aliens.
After all, such an opportunity was rare. In the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm, higher-level combat power couldn't intervene, and humanity had Lin Yuan, a freakishly powerful individual.
They naturally had to seize the opportunity.
"Those ninth-rank aliens aren't going to just surrender," Lin Yuan speculated.
The human civilization's ninth-rank evolvers' plan is to eliminate these enemy alien races, or at the very least, drive them into the inner area, where they will be obliterated when the secret realm's opening time ends.
Any lifeform not in the outer area when the time is up will be 'erased' by the secret realm itself.
Those in the outer area will be expelled by the secret realm.
So—
For these enemy ninth-rank aliens, even if they don't want to face Lin Yuan, they are sure to resist desperately. After all, the final outcome is death.
"I'm just not sure if they'll bring in more reinforcements..." Lin Yuan pondered.
The alien ninth-rank lifeforms in the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm must have sensed the human civilization's plan.
And if they sensed it, they would certainly respond.
Ninth-rank strong beings who enter the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm can only leave after a hundred years when the realm closes.
But during this time, outsiders can still enter, and by communicating with the ninth-rank beings inside, they can send in special treasures.
Or simply invite powerful special ninth-rank beings to assist.
Whenever the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm opens, it attracts a large number of ninth-rank lifeforms, but not every ninth-rank being participates.
Virtual World.
Personal Space.
Dozens of human ninth-rank evolvers at the myriad-layer realm gathered here.
"The Milky Way Star Lord is here."
"Milky Way Star Lord." The dozens of ninth-rank myriad-layer evolvers stood up, looking toward a young man who appeared out of thin air.
Milky Way Star Lord.
The numerous ninth-rank strong beings present were all dominant figures. Even on large alien battlefields, they weren't weak. Some special ninth-rank beings even had a good chance of advancing to the tenth rank.
But now, even if all of them were combined, or even if all the ninth-rank evolvers of human civilization in this era were added together, they would still be overshadowed by the Milky Way Star Lord.
"Milky Way Star Lord." Doko greeted Lin Yuan.
Before Lin Yuan, he was the strongest ninth-rank in human civilization of this era, having opened nearly forty million layers of space.
But now, the title of the strongest ninth-rank in human civilization naturally belonged to the Milky Way Star Lord. If it were anyone else, Doko might have felt some resentment.
But the Milky Way Star Lord?
After watching the 'video footage' of the Milky Way Star Lord killing Huny, how could Doko dare to feel any dissatisfaction?
"Everyone, sit down." Lin Yuan smiled and casually took the main seat.
"Milky Way Star Lord, the blockade of the outer area of the secret realm is almost complete. We may soon face a counterattack from those ninth-rank aliens."
Doko immediately said, "At that time, we'll need the Milky Way Star Lord to take action. Otherwise, we won't be able to hold off those ninth-rank aliens."
The human civilization's ninth-rank evolvers had laid down a blockade in the outer area of the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm, and those ninth-rank aliens didn't dare to resist.
Why?
Because they were afraid of the Milky Way Star Lord, who could appear at any moment.
So those ninth-rank aliens could only keep fleeing, keep hiding.
But the outer area is the smallest part of the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm. No matter how much those ninth-rank aliens run, they will eventually be cornered.
At that moment, they will all resist fiercely.
Among these ninth-rank aliens are the ninth-rank beings of the Insect Race Grand Alliance, the ninth-rank beings of the Tianyu Clan Grand Alliance, and so on. If they weren't wary of the Milky Way Star Lord, they would have torn apart the blockade set up by human civilization long ago.
"No problem."
Lin Yuan nodded.
"Then we'll trouble the Milky Way Star Lord at that time." Doko smiled.
"May I ask where the Milky Way Star Lord is currently located?" Doko hesitated, then asked.
"I'm in the outer area, ready to take action at any time," Lin Yuan replied casually.
In fact, he was still in the deepest part of the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm, but with his current level of control over the secret realm, he could appear anywhere in the realm with just a thought.
So saying he could 'take action at any time' was no exaggeration.
"That's good."
"With the Milky Way Star Lord here, those aliens are as good as dead."
"Hahaha, I've never felt so exhilarated before. Thanks to the Milky Way Star Lord."
One by one, the ninth-rank evolvers expressed their joy.
In the past, when the secret realm opened, the ninth-rank evolvers of human civilization would do their best to avoid those ninth-rank aliens. After all, fighting inside the secret realm had no meaning. The important thing was to bring the gains out.
But now, the ninth-rank evolvers of human civilization were proactively hunting down those ninth-rank aliens.
Although these ninth-rank aliens couldn't represent their entire race, and some were just avatars, the morale was soaring.
On the other side.
In a dark space.
Hundreds of wills descended. Human civilization had a virtual world, where all evolvers could communicate in real-time.
Although the other alien races couldn't build a virtual world like human civilization, they had created some spaces for temporary information exchange.
At this moment, the hundreds of wills descending into this space were the ninth-rank aliens in the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm.
These aliens came from various major races, mainly the strong ones who were enemies of human civilization.
As for the ninth-rank aliens from races with no significant conflict with human civilization, as well as some special lifeform ninth-ranks who acted alone, they weren't included in the human civilization's current extermination plan.
Compared to the cheerful atmosphere on the human side, the atmosphere here was rather gloomy.
All the ninth-rank aliens were filled with fear. They had all seen the 'video' of the Milky Way Star Lord killing Huny. Faced with the Milky Way Star Lord, they didn't believe they stood a chance of victory.
"What are you all worried about?"
"No matter how strong that Milky Way Star Lord is, do you really think he can kill us all?"
After a long silence, the leader of the group frowned and looked around, speaking sternly.
...
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