In the past two hundred years, Lin Yuan had also visited Tianshan.
But each time he gazed upon it, he was still somewhat shocked.
Tianshan was about eighty or ninety thousand meters high, and compared to the vast stars in the cosmic sky, it seemed insignificant.
However, Lin Yuan could vaguely feel that the entire Tianshan was flowing with a mysterious, inexplicable aura.
This aura reminded Lin Yuan of the similar sensation he felt when he was on the ancestral star of human civilization.
No, to be precise, the aura flowing from Tianshan was grander and deeper than the aura on the ancestral star of human civilization.
"If Tianshan is already like this, I wonder what the scene will be like when Heavenly Gate appears."
Lin Yuan thought silently in his heart.
Although he had seen descriptions of Heavenly Gate in many ancient texts.
The indigenous beings of the two-dimensional world could hardly convey even a tenth of the magnificence of Heavenly Gate.
For instance, to these indigenous beings, the majestic Tianshan was merely considered slightly taller, famous only because of Heavenly Gate.
But to Lin Yuan, it was incomparably mysterious.
Sometimes, the higher the level one is at, the deeper the perception, and the more one sees and knows.
"This core area of the two-dimensional world should be Tianshan," Lin Yuan speculated.
The core area here does not refer to the physical core, but rather the place closest to the depths of the two-dimensional world.
As Lin Yuan stopped and observed the distant Tianshan carefully.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Several powerful figures rushed over.
These powerful beings were exuding their strong auras without restraint, but their expressions subtly changed when they saw Lin Yuan.
"Is it the mysterious strong one from the Blood Rain Ancient Nation?"
"It should be him; the aura matches, and he's carrying that black iron rod."
"I heard two hundred years ago, this mysterious strong one killed Ancient God Pei in just two breaths, and Tuoba Ancient God, relying on that special defensive artifact, only lasted half a day."
Six or seven strong ones from the myriad races bowed toward Lin Yuan from a distance as a sign of respect.
Lin Yuan had not concealed his appearance this time, mainly because he had revealed his aura when dealing with the special beings of Tuoba Ancient God's group in the past.
In the two-dimensional world, the aura of every life form cannot be altered, so Lin Yuan saw no need to hide his appearance.
Because he would be recognized anyway.
As for the black iron rod on his back, since his identity couldn't be hidden, placing this artifact into the independent space contained within the silver mirror would not be of much use.
Because enemies would be wary of such a move, possibly exposing the secret of the silver mirror.
Within the space of the silver mirror, Lin Yuan had stored other tricks, such as the jade axe, which was extremely sharp and completely different in style from the black iron rod.
If used at the right moment, it could completely change the course of a battle.
In the distance, the six or seven strong ones from the myriad races continued to steal glances at Lin Yuan.
"This mysterious strong one from the Blood Rain Ancient Nation hasn't taken action for two hundred years but is still ranked among the Nine Strongest, though only at ninth place, his strength is immeasurable."
"Two hundred years without action, and still ranked ninth, that's terrifying."
"Who knows what his current strength is."
These strong ones whispered among themselves. They had only come to witness the opening of Heavenly Gate, with no intention of entering it.
Because the possibility was almost zero.
"I should go find the human evolvers to meet up with them," Lin Yuan glanced at the distant strong ones from the myriad races and paid them little attention.
Before his last closed-door training, the strongest one, Xia Qin, had instructed him to meet up with the human evolvers after arriving at Tianshan.
The purpose was for all the human evolvers to assist Lin Yuan fully, striving to gain entry to Heavenly Gate.
Although there had yet to be a human evolver among the Nine Strongest, numerous eleventh-rank evolvers, fighting with all their might, could still have some effect.
The key was that with these human evolvers by his side, Lin Yuan would feel less pressure.
Human civilization, as a peak race, not only had the Nine Strongest but was also known for its unity.
Fight alone? Even those unique special beings were forced to form the Starry Sky Alliance to oppose the alliances of peak races like human civilization and the Insect Race.
Additionally, if Lin Yuan could enter Heavenly Gate, he would need to retrieve special artifacts from human civilization to take with him.
At that time, he would also interact with the human evolvers.
"I have the silver mirror, and using its independent space, I can easily take even some of the more unusual artifacts."
Lin Yuan thought.
Other strong ones didn't have a silver mirror; even the Divine King could only take normal artifacts with them at most.
As for abnormal artifacts, such as those several meters in size, they would be quite inconvenient.
Without knowing whether one must immediately enter Heavenly Gate after its opening, it would be unwise to carry a several-meter-large artifact.
Doing so would also be a burden and a limitation in battle.
Near Tianshan.
Yan Fu, newly ascended to the Witch Ancestor realm, originally came with grand ambitions, intending to showcase his strength at Tianshan and intimidate the Twelve Ancient Nations.
But before even reaching Tianshan, his heart began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Weren't they saying that Witch Ancestor-level strong ones could confidently enter Heavenly Gate? And weren't they saying that during past Heavenly Gate openings, the competitors were only at the Witch Emperor level?"
Yan Fu couldn't understand. Along the way, he had cautiously sensed dozens of auras, and without exception, they were all at the Witch Ancestor level.
And in Yan Fu's perception, they far surpassed him, a newly ascended Witch Ancestor.
This realization caused Yan Fu to feel somewhat crushed. He had thought that upon reaching the Witch Ancestor realm, he could dominate the world, but after all this time, he realized he was the weakest.
"How can there be so many Witch Ancestors?" Yan Fu was puzzled. He knew all too well the difficulty of becoming a Witch Ancestor, having advanced through the ranks of Witch, Witch King, Witch Emperor, and now Witch Ancestor.
"Should I still go to Tianshan?"
Yan Fu gazed at the distant silhouette of Tianshan, now hesitating for the first time.
The presence of so many powerful Witch Ancestor auras had instilled a sense of fear toward Tianshan.
He hadn't even reached the mountain yet, and already so many strong ones were present. If he approached, he might very well be in danger.
"I must go."
"I've trained for six hundred years to witness Heavenly Gate. No matter how many strong ones there are, nothing can stop me from reaching Tianshan."
Yan Fu, an exceptionally rare existence among the indigenous life forms, quickly adjusted his mindset and continued toward Tianshan.
However, compared to earlier, Yan Fu was now much more discreet, not daring to release even a trace of his aura. Every few steps, he would pause, observe his surroundings carefully, and then continue.
At the foot of Tianshan.
Within an estate.
This was a base of human civilization. Since Heavenly Gate was known to appear at Tianshan, human evolvers had arrived here two or three hundred years ago to establish a foothold.
This is the advantage of having a powerful backing—there's no need to worry about trivial matters, as others handle them for you.
At the moment, deep within the estate.
Over twenty figures were gathered.
These figures were all eleventh-rank evolvers from human civilization, sitting together as if waiting for something.
"The strongest one instructed us to wait here. He said an important figure from human civilization would arrive soon."
"Who exactly is this important figure that the strongest one specifically mentioned?"
The eleventh-rank evolvers were puzzled. Having reached this level, they were already among the elites of human civilization and knew most of the other strong ones. Yet, they had no idea who this 'important figure' might be.
"According to the strongest one's instructions, we are to assist this important figure to the best of our abilities, even if it means sacrificing this avatar."
A tall female evolver spoke, her voice tinged with doubt. Who could this important figure be, so vital that they would be instructed to sacrifice their avatars if necessary?
"Could this important figure be vying for a spot to enter Heavenly Gate?"
An eleventh-rank evolver speculated.
"That seems likely."
"Otherwise, why would the strongest one be so serious?"
"Who could have guessed that our human civilization, falling into this two-dimensional world, would still have such a remarkable individual?"
The eleventh-rank evolvers chatted among themselves, all extremely curious about the strongest one's mysterious important figure.
Among them, a certain Nalan, the vice tower master sitting quietly in a corner, merely listened.
Though also an eleventh-rank evolver, Nalan had only just reached this stage and had a lower status compared to the more seasoned evolvers in the room.
"I wonder where the Milky Way Star Lord is right now?" Nalan mused to himself.
In his view, the Milky Way Star Lord had unparalleled talent, but there was still a considerable gap between him and the legendary perfected eleventh-rank life forms. This time, with Heavenly Gate opening, the Milky Way Star Lord was probably just here to observe.
Suddenly.
At that moment.
A figure appeared outside the estate.
The many eleventh-rank evolvers immediately noticed.
"Someone is outside?"
"Could it be the 'important figure' the strongest one mentioned?"
Over twenty eleventh-rank evolvers quickly stood up and headed outside to greet the newcomer in person.
When they saw the figure's face and sensed the person's aura, they were all taken aback.
"The mysterious strong one from the Blood Rain Ancient Nation?"
"Two hundred years ago, this mysterious strong one killed both Tuoba Ancient God and God Pei, two special eleventh-rank beings at the fifth tier."
"Oh my, this mysterious strong one from the Blood Rain Ancient Nation actually comes from human civilization?"
The tall female evolver stepped forward to communicate with Lin Yuan. After confirming his identity, the other evolvers were filled with excitement.
"What may we call you?" the tall female evolver asked respectfully. Her name was Xuan Yuan Duo, and she had been ranked among the Nine Strongest during the early days of their descent into the two-dimensional world.
However, she had soon been pushed off the list.
"Just call me Blood Rain," Lin Yuan said casually.
In the two-dimensional world, every strong one was suppressed, their auras becoming entirely different from the outside world. Combined with changes in appearance and fighting style, unless one admitted it themselves, it was difficult for outsiders to deduce their true identity.
"Lord Blood Rain."
Xuan Yuan Duo invited Lin Yuan into the estate, then opened a large chest, revealing numerous special artifacts inside.
"These artifacts are entrusted to you, Lord Blood Rain."
Xuan Yuan Duo said solemnly. The dozens of artifacts inside the chest were the results of human civilization's evolvers' efforts over the past three hundred years.
According to the strongest one's instructions, all of these artifacts were to be entrusted to Lin Yuan for safekeeping.
"These artifacts..." Lin Yuan's gaze swept over them, and his expression suddenly revealed a hint of surprise.
...
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