"Has the master left?"
Cha Ran Gu looked up and noticed that the figure sitting nearby had already disappeared.
"It seems the master doesn't take this matter too seriously," Cha Ran Gu thought to himself, feeling a tinge of worry in his heart.
The Blood Rain Tavern had relayed the information to him as soon as possible, likely sensing something unusual. But Lin Yuan hadn't even bothered to ask for more details, which made Cha Ran Gu wonder if this was a bit overconfident.
What Cha Ran Gu didn't know was that Lin Yuan had already thoroughly investigated the situation through the information-sharing channels established by human civilization and was well aware of the entire situation, even knowing who was behind it.
Northwest Region of the Blood Rain Ancient Kingdom
This area was vast, filled with desolate and barren wastelands.
On a sand dune, Lin Yuan stood quietly, his gaze fixed on a specific spot a hundred miles away.
Compared to the native Witch Ancestors, the strong beings from the myriad races had several advantages beyond their greater combat strength and near-perfect mastery of power.
One of those advantages was their heightened perception.
When the strong beings from the myriad races fell into this two-dimensional world, although all their methods were suppressed and they had to start over following the rules of this world, the spiritual and mental power from their true bodies still granted them formidable perception.
Back when Lin Yuan was at the peak of the Witch Emperor level, he had accepted the bounty for the Eighteen Bandits.
Relying on his 'perception,' he had located them within a vast primordial forest in less than half a day—a feat that was utterly inconceivable to native strong beings. Even a powerful Witch Ancestor would find it difficult to locate the Eighteen Bandits in such a short time.
Of course, the perception of strong beings from the myriad races depended on their strength within this world. Lin Yuan, now at the eighteenth stage of the Witch Ancestor level, could cover a hundred-mile radius with his perception.
And at the edge of that range, Lin Yuan detected several powerful presences, at least at the tenth stage of the Witch Ancestors level, a domain that native strong beings could never reach in their lifetime.
"One, two, three, four, five, six... A total of six. According to the intel, Tuoba Ancient God and five other eleventh-rank special beings formed a group to hunt and search for 'unique items,'" Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Before making a move, he had naturally gathered all the intelligence on Tuoba Ancient God and his group.
Among this small group, Tuoba Ancient God and another special being named 'Pei Shen' were the strongest, both at around the twelfth stage of the Witch Ancestors level, while the other four were between the tenth and eleventh stages.
Moreover, Tuoba Ancient God possessed a defensive-type 'unique item,' while Pei Shen had an offensive-type 'unique item'—a pitch-black iron rod. While its sheer destructive power wasn't as strong as the blood-colored long knife of Hou Zhu from the Yuzu Clan, it was still formidable.
"To be safe, it's best to take a look first," Lin Yuan thought, taking out the bronze compass.
Though the intel suggested that Tuoba Ancient God's group would be no match for him—how could a twelfth-stage Witch Ancestors fight against an eighteenth-stage one? Even with a 'unique item,' its effectiveness would depend on the user's strength.
However, Lin Yuan still intended to use the bronze compass for reassurance. There was no harm in being cautious.
The bronze compass could predict impending danger and point the user toward a path of survival. While this seemed like a 'passive' ability, Lin Yuan had discovered through research that it could also be used proactively.
For instance, right now, Lin Yuan used the bronze compass. As long as the result indicated that the surroundings were safe, it would mean that Tuoba Ancient God's group posed no threat to him.
The copper needle suspended in the center of the compass quickly came to a stop.
At the same time, a message appeared in Lin Yuan's mind.
"No danger detected."
After glancing at the needle, Lin Yuan put the compass away.
In a desolate wasteland...
Six figures, either standing or sitting, appeared relaxed.
As eleventh-rank special beings and powerful ancient gods from the depths of the cosmic starry sky, even after falling into this two-dimensional world, they had quickly risen to power after a few years of dormancy, dominating one region.
When they first arrived, ninth and tenth-rank strong beings from the myriad races could still use sheer numbers to besiege and kill eleventh-rank beings. But now?
After over a hundred years of adaptation, the gap between the eleventh-rank beings and the ninth and tenth-rank ones had grown enormous.
Over a century, while those ninth and tenth-rank beings might have just reached the Witch Ancestors level, the eleventh-rank beings had at least cultivated to the seventh or eighth stage of the Witch Ancestors level.
"During this search of the Blood Rain Ancient Kingdom, over the past six months, we've cleared out more than a dozen strong beings from the myriad races and obtained a 'unique item,'" one of the special beings spoke with a tone of satisfaction.
In the main universe, a 'unique item' would be valuable enough to attract the attention of the strongest beings, like that extreme light from beyond the universe. But here, in this two-dimensional world, even they, as eleventh-rank beings, had a chance to obtain it.
"I just don't know what use this unique item will have," Pei Shen, who wielded the pitch-black iron rod, shook his head slightly.
"That Ice Race being chose to self-destruct rather than reveal its secrets."
The Ice Race belonged to a powerful group, under the pinnacle clan, the Cosmic Alliance. This Ice Race being only had tenth-rank strength in the outside world, but had been fortunate enough to acquire a 'unique item.'
Originally, this Ice Race being planned to hide in the Blood Rain Ancient Kingdom and slowly study the capabilities of the 'unique item.' However, it had been discovered by Tuoba Ancient God and his group of special beings, and after being killed, they found the 'unique item' on its body.
With Tuoba Ancient God's twelfth-stage Witch Ancestors-level strength, his perception covered a fifty-mile radius. The Ice Race being didn't realize it had been targeted until Tuoba Ancient God was within ten miles, but by then, it was too late.
Even at the moment of death, the Ice Race being did not bow down. It knew that its only hope of leaving this two-dimensional world lay in the 'unique item' it possessed.
Now that the item had been taken by Tuoba Ancient God, there was no way it could leave safely, even if Tuoba promised to spare it. So it chose to self-destruct instead.
"These weaklings, thinking they can rely on luck to find a 'unique item,' don't realize that only in our hands can these items unleash their true power," Tuoba Ancient God spoke coldly.
"Next, we'll thoroughly search the Blood Rain Ancient Kingdom. If we find more 'unique items,' you'll all get a share."
"Agreed," the other special beings exchanged glances and nodded.
The 'unique items' were well hidden. Even if they were within their perception range, it would be difficult to detect any anomalies. Therefore...
Directly searching for unique items was a difficult task because they had no idea what the items looked like. But over the past century, as information about 'unique items' spread among the strong beings of the myriad races, many began searching for them.
Strong beings from the myriad races were scattered across the two-dimensional world. Searching for unique items over such a vast area was like looking for a needle in a haystack. But searching for other strong beings wasn't difficult.
Most of the strong beings from the myriad races didn't even catch the attention of Tuoba Ancient God and his group, but it was undeniable that even the weakest of them, having come from the main universe, had sharp eyes.
If they were lucky, even an eighth-rank being had a chance to obtain a unique item. This was the reason Tuoba Ancient God and the special beings hunted other strong beings: to clear the field and to find 'unique items.'
As for the possibility of running into someone stronger?
The odds were extremely low.
Among the special beings, only the top nine ranked ones could pose a threat. But these nine were constantly monitored by many other strong beings.
As long as they avoided those regions, they could be considered safe.
"At most, it will take two years to search through most of the Blood Rain Ancient Kingdom," Pei Shen, who was carrying the pitch-black iron rod, was about to continue speaking when—
His expression suddenly changed.
He looked sharply in one direction.
Ten miles away, a terrifying aura suddenly erupted.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
The owner of this aura seemed to tear through the air, charging toward them at nearly ten times the speed of sound, creating a thunderous roar as they approached.
"Has someone discovered us in advance?" Pei Shen's face grew serious. The owner of that aura was heading straight for them, meaning they must have known they were here.
To discover them in advance meant the person's perception range was broader than theirs.
Perception range generally corresponded with one's strength and level.
However, Pei Shen wasn't too worried. There were six of them, and both he and Tuoba had 'unique items.'
Even if they did encounter a stronger being from the myriad races, as long as it wasn't one of the top nine, they had nothing to fear.
The ten-mile distance was short, especially at such a high speed.
In just a breath's time, the figure had already arrived in front of Tuoba Ancient God and his group.
The six special beings didn't scatter to flee. Doing so would only give the strong being from the myriad races a chance to pick them off one by one.
Hum.
Lin Yuan stopped and looked at the six special beings, who were warily observing him.
When the strong beings from the myriad races fell into this two-dimensional world, not only were all their powers and methods reduced, but even their forms were compressed, making them appear as the predominant human form of this world.
Boom.
Without saying a word, Lin Yuan attacked, slapping his palm down.
The air seemed to thicken. Lin Yuan didn't target the strongest, Tuoba Ancient God and Pei Shen, but instead aimed at the four slightly weaker special beings.
It wasn't that he was wary of Tuoba Ancient God and Pei Shen, but rather that he intended to eliminate all six of them.
By dealing with the weaker ones first, he could prevent them from scattering and escaping later.
"Not good."
The four special beings felt a chill run down their spines. Although Lin Yuan's slap didn't show any extraordinary phenomena or trigger the rules of the world, it felt to them as if the heavens were collapsing.
Though these four special beings were at the tenth and eleventh stages of the Witch Ancestors level, they were still eleventh-rank beings in the outside world and had some basic survival instincts.
In the moment Lin Yuan attacked, they realized that trying to block it head-on would mean certain death.
"Retreat."
Without hesitation, the four special beings retreated in different directions, but the speed of Lin Yuan's slap far surpassed their retreat.
Swoosh.
The special being on the far left was struck directly by the slap.
"Boom!" This special being felt as if his internal organs were shattered. Despite having a body refined over a century or two, it was as fragile as paper under that slap and was easily torn apart.
After piercing through one special being, Lin Yuan didn't stop. His speed remained unchanged as he struck the second and third special beings.
"Attack."
Pei Shen quickly charged forward, wielding the pitch-black iron rod and swinging it toward Lin Yuan.
The rod emitted a faint black glow. In this two-dimensional world, the only things that could slightly resist the world's suppression and compression were these 'unique items,' which were essentially twelve-star rare treasures.
Boom!
In the next moment, the rod trembled violently, nearly flying out of Pei Shen's hands.
"You?"
Pei Shen was shocked as he looked at Lin Yuan. Even after he had put all his strength into the attack, Lin Yuan didn't even retreat, only slightly halting his offensive. But Pei Shen himself had sustained minor injuries, and he almost lost control of the rod, his 'unique item.'
"Fine then."
"I'll kill you first."
Lin Yuan's murderous gaze locked onto Pei Shen, and his figure silently vanished.
"Not good."
Pei Shen's heart raced. Before he could react, a figure appeared beside him.
"Die."
Lin Yuan raised his right hand and reached out toward Pei Shen.
"Get away!!"
Pei Shen, both angry and frightened, swung the pitch-black rod with all his might in an attempt to fend off the attack.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Lin Yuan grabbed the rod and, with a slight pause, gently smacked it, sending the rod hurtling back toward Pei Shen's chest.
"No!"
Pei Shen's eyes widened in horror. He knew all too well the power of this rod, but in the next moment, it smashed into his chest.
In that instant, Pei Shen felt as if his heart had shattered, his internal organs turned to dust, and even his consciousness began to fade rapidly.
In the main universe, Pei Shen was a mighty ancient god of the eleventh rank, fifth level, capable of easily recovering from a shattered body. But here in the two-dimensional world, everything was reduced to its simplest form. Even a broken heart would mean certain death.
The only thing keeping him alive now was his strong will.
"I have an attack-type 'unique item'." Pei Shen couldn't understand it. The attack power of the 'unique item' was unmatched, yet Lin Yuan had easily blocked every strike.
What kind of monster was this strong being from the myriad races?
Pei Shen could no longer think clearly. The light in his eyes quickly dimmed, and with a final thud, he fell to the ground.
"An 'unique item' isn't invincible," Lin Yuan shook his head slightly and casually picked up the pitch-black rod.
A hundred years ago, 'unique items' had a decisive impact on the strong beings of the myriad races. For instance, Hou Zhu, who was ranked second among the top nine strong beings, relied on a blood-colored long knife.
But now, a hundred years later, while Hou Zhu remained among the top nine, he had dropped to the ninth position.
The stronger one became, the higher the level, and the less effective 'unique items' became.
Of course, in battles between those of the same level, the one with a 'unique item' still held a significant advantage.
"You?"
Not far away, Tuoba Ancient God couldn't help but take a few steps back, looking at Lin Yuan with fear.
Pei Shen's strength was on par with his own, and with the pitch-black rod, Pei Shen's offensive power was even more terrifying.
But in Lin Yuan's hands, Pei Shen couldn't even last two breaths.
The scene made Tuoba Ancient God, who had been preparing to help, tremble with fear.
He hadn't even made a move yet, and Pei Shen was already dead?
"Run."
Without hesitation, Tuoba Ancient God turned and fled.
The remaining three special beings quickly followed suit.
But they were swiftly struck down by Lin Yuan with a single slap each.
"You can't escape," Lin Yuan pursued Tuoba Ancient God.
In terms of perception range, his was twice as large as Tuoba Ancient God's. In terms of speed, he was far faster.
Before long, Lin Yuan caught up to Tuoba Ancient God and delivered a powerful slap.
This slap, if directed at Pei Shen earlier, would have left him helpless, even if it didn't kill him.
But when it landed on Tuoba Ancient God's back, his body only trembled slightly before he used the force of the blow to flee even faster.
"That defensive-type 'unique item'?" Lin Yuan wasn't surprised. He had deliberately saved Tuoba Ancient God for last because of this defensive item.
Tuoba Ancient God, with his defensive 'unique item,' was undoubtedly the hardest to kill among the six special beings.
"Sir, there shouldn't be any deep hatred between us. If you let me go, I'm willing to pay any price," Tuoba Ancient God pleaded as he fled.
By 'any price,' he meant the price his true body in the main universe would be willing to pay.
"Any price?" Lin Yuan was unmoved. What price could be greater than the defensive 'unique item' on Tuoba Ancient God?
This item, once taken back to the main universe, would likely make even the strongest beings envious.
"If you're not satisfied, name your terms," Tuoba Ancient God said, his heart filled with anxiety.
In his mind, Lin Yuan must be a strong being on the level of the 'Mother of the Tree World' or the 'Four Divine Kings' in the cosmic starry sky.
Tuoba Ancient God continued to flee, occasionally taking a hit from Lin Yuan that sent him flying like a ball.
Their chase soon drew the attention of other strong beings from the myriad races. The strong beings who had been hiding in the Blood Rain Ancient Kingdom upon hearing about Tuoba Ancient God's search had naturally avoided him, but the commotion from the chase was too loud.
The aura, far surpassing that of a Witch Ancestors, spread like ripples in all directions.
Moreover, the deaths of the four special beings, along with Pei Shen, were quickly made public by their true bodies in the main universe, sparking a flurry of discussion among the myriad races.
"Tuoba Ancient God is an eleventh-rank, fifth-level special being, and Pei Shen is at the same level.
The two of them teamed up with four other eleventh-rank special beings, yet they're being hunted down by a mysterious strong being from the myriad races?"
"It's not just a hunt. Of the six special beings, Pei Shen and the other four are already dead, leaving only Tuoba Ancient God."
"Right, Tuoba Ancient God's survival is probably due to that defensive 'unique item.' Otherwise, he would've ended up like Pei Shen, dead at the hands of that mysterious strong being."
Many of the strong beings from the myriad races exchanged opinions, some even feeling a bit of schadenfreude. Most of them were at the eighth, ninth, or tenth ranks, and had been terrified by Tuoba Ancient God and his group of special beings hunting them down.
But now, seeing Tuoba Ancient God's group being crushed and hunted by this mysterious strong being, they couldn't help but feel a bit better.
...
20 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
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