As soon as these words were spoken, many of the ninth-rank strong ones present felt slightly relieved.
Even though there were only a few hundred ninth-rank strong ones gathered here at this moment, in reality, the number of ninth-rank strong ones in the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm being hunted by human civilization easily numbered in the thousands.
The total number even approached ten thousand.
The majority were from the grand alliances of the peak races, The rest were lone individuals who bore grudges against human civilization.
With thousands or nearly ten thousand ninth-rank strong ones, even if pursued by tenth-rank beings, a few would survive by scattering and fleeing. Let alone when faced with the Milky Way Star Lord?
Moreover, the environment in the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm is unique, suppressing many spatial techniques, making teleportation and instant movement impossible.
Previously, that human civilization member Xilan, who had only opened several hundred thousand layers of space, managed to hold out for three years against Huny, a special ninth-rank being who had opened over thirty million layers of space.
This is quite telling.
Indeed, Xilan's evolutionary path was special, particularly suited for escaping.
But did the many ninth-rank strong ones here lack such means? Strongest evolutionary paths? Which peak race doesn't have such paths?
"Everyone, the Milky Way Star Lord is indeed unbeatable, but that doesn't mean we have to let the humans slaughter us."
A ninth-rank Insect Race member stood up and said, "Our race has paid the price to invite the Son of the Tree World into the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm to counter the Milky Way Star Lord."
"My race has also paid the price to invite the Dragon Scale King into the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm to counter the Milky Way Star Lord."
"My race has also..."
One after another, ninth-rank strong ones from the peak races spoke up.
The announcements greatly boosted the morale of the gathered ninth-rank strong ones.
The Son of the Tree World, hailing from the mysterious cosmic secret realm 'Tree World,' the Tree World is ruled by a being known as the Mother of the Tree World.
The Mother of the Tree World is a rare special lifeform, an eleventh-rank peak existence, and the entire Tree World is, in strict terms, her body.
The Mother of the Tree World has a child named the Son of the Tree World. In the vast cosmos, the Mother and Son of the Tree World are the only ones of their kind.
Thus, both the Mother and Son of the Tree World are extremely powerful, with terrifying innate abilities.
The Mother of the Tree World guards the Tree World, and even the Strongest Ones are reluctant to attack, as it would be pointless.
With her strength, although the Mother of the Tree World isn't a match for the Strongest Ones, she has some means of resistance, at least enough to threaten the collapse of the Tree World before the Strongest Ones.
Thus, even if the Strongest Ones were to strike, they would gain nothing.
Moreover, the Mother of the Tree World voluntarily submitted to the Insect Race, offering a pound of Tree World Liquid every ten thousand years, which is why she has survived until now.
The Son of the Tree World is currently a ninth-rank being, and given the Mother of the Tree World's terrifyingly long lifespan, the Son has remained at the ninth rank for tens of millions of years.
So normally, the major cosmic races wouldn't even consider the Son of the Tree World as a ninth-rank being because they simply don't belong in the normal ninth-rank category.
As for the Dragon Scale King, it is a similar existence to the Son of the Tree World.
"The Mother of the Tree World?"
"And the Dragon Scale King?"
"These are legendary ninth-rank beings, not within the realm of normal ninth-rank life."
The ninth-rank strong ones began whispering to each other, their confidence growing.
Whether it was the Mother of the Tree World, the Dragon Scale King, or others, their lifespans were terrifyingly long. The entire lifetime of a normal ninth-rank being might not compare to just a few of their periods of closed-door cultivation.
So if they were considered in the same category as normal ninth-rank lifeforms, it would be unfair to the others.
"With these reinforcements, what threat does the Milky Way Star Lord pose?" The ninth-rank Insect Race member looked at the many strong ones, sending out a heavy mental wave.
He exchanged glances with the other strong ones from the peak races.
The reason their races paid such a high price this time was partly to ensure they gained something from this venture into the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm and partly to preserve their avatars.
While avatar techniques are semi-public secret arts among the major races, the cost of recreating an avatar after its death is not insignificant.
If so many ninth-rank strong ones were to perish in the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm, even if only their avatars, it would still have a considerable impact on the major races.
Finally, the peak races wanted to test the true strength of the Milky Way Star Lord.
When the Milky Way Star Lord killed Huny earlier, it was a complete instant kill, and apart from knowing that the Milky Way Star Lord was very strong and had opened at least a 100M layers of space, they knew nothing.
Inviting these legendary ninth-rank beings to take action this time was to determine the Milky Way Star Lord's limits.
While the Strongest Ones might not care much about the Milky Way Star Lord, the tenth and eleventh-rank strong ones were very interested.
Because in the distant future, they might face the Milky Way Star Lord in battle on a large alien battlefield.
Since they were destined to fight the Milky Way Star Lord one day, they naturally wanted more information about him.
Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm.
Outer Area.
Within a wide canyon, thousands of ninth-rank aliens had already been forced into this place.
As for outside, hundreds of human civilization evolvers were maintaining the blockade.
To have hundreds of ninth-rank strong ones blockading thousands or tens of thousands of ninth-rank strong ones? It seemed like a fantasy. The individual strength of the two sides wasn't much different, and in terms of numbers, the blockading side was outnumbered by ten times.
But this was the reality.
Because of the deterrence of the Milky Way Star Lord, no ninth-rank alien dared to resist or hesitate.
What if resisting led to the Milky Way Star Lord's arrival? Wouldn't that be a death sentence? Indeed, in the minds of all the ninth-rank aliens, the Milky Way Star Lord couldn't possibly kill all of their thousands or tens of thousands of members.
But if the Milky Way Star Lord was determined to kill, he might not be able to kill them all, but he could definitely kill a few hundred.
No ninth-rank alien wanted to be among those few hundred.
So, faced with the human evolvers' siege, even if the other side was weaker, the ninth-rank aliens would flee if they could, not daring to fight back.
Outside the canyon.
Doko and several other special ninth-rank members of human civilization were also observing the distant canyon.
"We can only suppress them to this point. If we press further, it will force these aliens to resist," said a special ninth-rank member of human civilization.
These ninth-rank aliens had been hunted to this point without daring to fight back.
This wasn't just because they feared the Milky Way Star Lord but also because they had a way out.
But now?
All the aliens had been cornered in the canyon, and the many layers of space were also sealed.
These ninth-rank aliens had no way out. If they were pressed further, it would only incite them to resist.
"Milky Way Star Lord."
"Where is the Milky Way Star Lord?"
The tone of several special ninth-rank members of human civilization was tinged with concern.
They had already forced all the ninth-rank aliens into this spot. If the Milky Way Star Lord didn't show up, it would be the human civilization's evolvers' turn to run for their lives.
"The Milky Way Star Lord said he would come, so he will definitely come," Doko said calmly.
The other special ninth-rank members felt slightly reassured.
At this moment, above the canyon, a figure suddenly appeared.
The figure resembled a young man, dressed in a long robe, standing there as if connected to countless layers of space.
"Milky Way Star Lord."
"The Milky Way Star Lord has arrived."
On the human civilization's side, spirits were lifted when they saw Lin Yuan appear.
In contrast, the many ninth-rank aliens in the canyon looked grim, some even showing fear.
"The Milky Way Star Lord?"
"It's said that the Milky Way Star Lord has opened at least a 100M layers of space."
"A 100M layers of space? I wonder if the Son of the Tree World and the Dragon Scale King can match the Milky Way Star Lord."
The ninth-rank aliens wore solemn expressions, feeling immense pressure.
Even though they had their own trump cards and backup plans, when facing the Milky Way Star Lord, they still couldn't maintain their composure.
The Son of the Tree World and the Dragon Scale King were indeed powerful, but they hadn't killed any special ninth-rank beings. But the Milky Way Star Lord had, and he had killed Huny, a ninth-rank being who had opened over thirty million layers of space.
Who wouldn't be afraid?
In the canyon below, many ninth-rank aliens were observing Lin Yuan.
At that moment, as all the ninth-rank aliens watched in shock, the Milky Way Star Lord, standing in the void, raised his right hand and pressed down on them.
Boom!
The force of 200M layers of space crashed down, aiming to obliterate everything before him.
"Not good!"
The ninth-rank Insect Race being's expression changed drastically as he roared, "Everyone, aren't you going to take action?"
Crash!
Four powerful presences suddenly converged from all directions. One was a tree-like lifeform whose swaying branches caused the vast power of space to tremble.
Another presence belonged to an elder with golden dragon scales in a humanoid form. With every move, a terrifying aura of blood and qi spread out.
These four powerful beings joined forces to confront the Milky Way Star Lord, each of them far surpassing Huny, having developed 80 to 90 million layers of space, nearing 100M layers.
At a distant location, numerous ninth-rank beings were watching the scene.
These ninth-rank beings generally had no grievances with human civilization and were not on the list of those surrounding the Milky Way Star Lord, so they could leisurely stay there and watch.
"Tsk tsk, the Milky Way Star Lord has finally appeared."
"So that's the Milky Way Star Lord? The cosmic will truly favors humanity. When compared to that Milky Way Star Lord, we, as special lifeforms with extraordinary talents, are..."
"Being able to witness the Milky Way Star Lord in action makes this trip to the Secret Realm worthwhile."
The ninth-rank beings conversed casually, feeling utterly relaxed.
Relaxed? Of course, they were relaxed—after all, they weren't the ones facing the danger.
"Hmm?"
"Who are those four powerful beings that suddenly appeared?"
"The Son of the Tree Realm? And the Dragon Scale King? The peak races really went all out, even inviting these individuals."
The ninth-rank beings who were watching the fight were all wide-eyed in surprise.
They had originally thought it would be a one-sided massacre, with the Milky Way Star Lord overwhelming the ninth-rank aliens. After all, those ninth-rank aliens came from different races and couldn't truly unite. Facing the unmatched Milky Way Star Lord, their first thought would likely be to run faster than the others rather than stay and fight.
Who would stick around and risk their lives to hold off the Milky Way Star Lord?
But the appearance of the Son of the Tree Realm and the Dragon Scale King, along with the other two special ninth-rank beings, showed them another scenario.
As long as these four special ninth-rank beings could hold back the Milky Way Star Lord, the remaining human civilization evolvers would have a hard time dealing with the counterattack from the thousands of ninth-rank aliens.
Lin Yuan glanced at a few inconspicuous spots where he sensed several subtle presences far stronger than the ordinary ninth-rank aliens present.
"The Son of the Tree World?"
"The Dragon Scale King?"
Lin Yuan whispered these names to himself.
He had heard of these beings, whose names were known across the vast universe.
"The Milky Way Star Lord," a calm voice echoed from within the canyon. "I have always heard of your name and have always wanted to meet you."
"Milky Way Star Lord, I didn't expect that in this era, a peerless genius like you would appear." The Son of the Tree Realm, maintaining his ancient tree form, emitted a mental wave filled with fighting intent as he looked at Lin Yuan.
The other three were the same.
The reason they agreed to support the ninth-rank aliens in the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm was not only because of the hefty price paid by the peak races.
They also wanted to test themselves against an opponent like the Milky Way Star Lord.
"You've come to die too?" Lin Yuan continued to exert the power of the space layers. He knew the aliens' intentions, he naturally wouldn't reveal more of his strength.
Along with this calm voice, a slender figure appeared in the sky. This figure's body was wrapped in a layer of green light, as if radiating endless vitality, and its back carried something resembling a small tree.
It was the Son of the Tree World, the child of the Mother of the Tree World.
At the same time, another colossal figure, nearly ten thousand meters long, emerged, exuding an aura of supreme strength.
This was the Dragon Scale King.
The presence of the two instantly overshadowed the countless ninth-rank aliens in the canyon.
At this moment, Doko and the other human civilization's ninth-rank evolvers felt immense pressure.
But then...
Lin Yuan smiled, "I've heard of you two."
"You two are somewhat interesting."
"As I expected, this trip to the Mysterious Emperor's secret realm has become even more interesting."
Lin Yuan took a step forward, his figure stretching across layers of space as if spanning the entire canyon.
The expressions of the Son of the Tree World and the Dragon Scale King changed slightly.
"Even after seeing you in person, I'm still disappointed," Lin Yuan said casually, "Because even with you two here, the end result won't change."
"All of you, prepare to die."
Lin Yuan's tone was calm, but his words carried an air of certainty, like an ironclad law.
"None of you will be able to escape"
He kept the number of space layers around 200M.
The number of space layers couldn't increase, but that didn't mean Lin Yuan couldn't use other means.
For example, the Mysterious Emperor Strike.
Having mastered the first stage of the Mysterious Emperor Strike, Lin Yuan could double the power of each strike.
This power didn't come from the space layers but was specially augmented, and only doubled—not too exaggerated.
The truly abnormal aspect of the Mysterious Emperor Strike wasn't the magnitude of the increase. Even in its most perfected state, the increase was only fivefold.
It was the ability to maintain a "constant" state.
Any strike could maintain the corresponding multiplier, which was the most precious aspect of the Mysterious Emperor Strike.
But to confirm this, one would have to battle Lin Yuan for several years, even decades, otherwise, it would be impossible to notice.
If it were just one or two strikes, the most one could deduce was that he used some kind of explosive power secret technique.
Boom!
With the Mysterious Emperor Strike augmenting his attacks, Lin Yuan's strikes underwent a qualitative change. The Son of the Tree Realm and the other three special ninth-rank beings were immediately overwhelmed and began to retreat.
"The Milky Way Star Lord wasn't even going all out when he killed Huny?"
"This is terrifying. The Son of the Tree Realm and the others are being forced back by the Milky Way Star Lord!"
"It's over. We probably won't make it out alive."
In the canyon, the numerous ninth-rank aliens suddenly realized the dire situation.
"200M layers of space, and he's mastered a secret technique that doubles his power?" The leading ninth-rank Insect Race being observed carefully.
Finally, he came to a conclusion.
"This must be the true strength of the Milky Way Star Lord. As long as we can determine his strength, no matter the cost, it will be worth it."
The ninth-rank Insect Race being thought silently.
Only by determining the opponent's specific strength could they make targeted preparations in the future.
Otherwise, they might repeat the scene on the alien battlefield, where the Tianyu Race kept sending their undefeated eighth-rank beings, one after another, to deliver ninth-rank treasures to the Milky Way Star Lord.
Far away from the canyon.
The numerous ninth-rank beings watching were stunned.
"The Milky Way Star Lord… The Milky Way Star Lord is incredibly strong."
"He's pushing back the Son of the Tree Realm and the Dragon Scale King so severely"
"It's unimaginable."
One by one, the ninth-rank beings trembled. Even from a great distance, they occasionally felt the terrifying aftermath of the battle that made their scalps tingle.
One could imagine the immense pressure on those near the battlefield or facing the Milky Way Star Lord.
Boom!
The layered power of space, further enhanced by the Mysterious Emperor Strike, turned into one terrifying blow after another, forcing the Son of the Tree Realm and the other three beings into a miserable retreat.
Bang!
At that moment, one of the beings' bodies exploded and perished on the spot.
Of course, the one who perished was just an avatar entering the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm. Whether it was the Son of the Tree Realm or the Dragon Scale King, they had only sent their avatars.
"We can't escape."
The Son of the Tree Realm sighed inwardly. Even with their combined strength, they were barely holding on against the Milky Way Star Lord. Now that one of them had died, there was no hope left.
In the canyon below, the ninth-rank Insect Race being saw that the situation had no chance of turning around.
So he turned to the numerous ninth-rank aliens behind him and said, "Everyone, the Milky Way Star Lord is ruthless. If we stay here, we'll eventually die at his hands."
After seeing the expressions on the faces of the numerous ninth-rank aliens, the ninth-rank Insect Race being continued:
"In that case, why don't we directly enter the inner and core areas? Those areas are much larger than the outer region, and it's basically impossible for the human evolvers to set up a blockade in the inner and core areas."
Upon hearing this, the numerous ninth-rank aliens present immediately understood.
Rather than die at the hands of the Milky Way Star Lord or the human evolvers...
It was better to hide in the inner and core areas. Those areas were far larger than the outer area, and it would be impossible for human civilization's evolvers to establish another blockade.
Even if the Secret Realm eventually closed and they were killed by the Secret Realm's power, it would still be better than having their treasures fall into the hands of human evolvers.
Since they were going to die anyway.
Why "aid the enemy"?
"Go, go, go."
"Let's head to the inner area now."
"Yes, even if we die, we can't let human civilization gain anything."
The numerous ninth-rank aliens in the canyon immediately flew towards the inner and core areas.
In the sky above, Lin Yuan crushed the last of the Son of the Tree Realm into pieces, then saw the large number of ninth-rank aliens fleeing towards the inner and core areas.
"The Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm will kill all outsiders in the inner and core areas once it closes. They would rather leave their treasures behind in the Secret Realm than let human evolvers have them?"
Lin Yuan immediately understood the intentions of those ninth-rank aliens.
...
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