The "special artifacts" in the box came in various shapes, including hammers, swords, armors, and more. Despite the suppressive nature of this two-dimensional world, the gathered artifacts still exuded a rich, extraordinary aura.
Among them, one particular "tower-shaped" artifact caught Lin Yuan's attention. The aura it emitted bore some resemblance to that of the silver mirror.
"This 'tower-shaped' artifact should also contain an independent space within, though its size is likely smaller than that of my mirror," Lin Yuan thought to himself. The aura from the tower-shaped artifact was slightly inferior to that of the silver mirror.
"But they haven't realized the use of this artifact?" Lin Yuan glanced at Xuan Yuan Duo in front of him.
If they had fully utilized the tower-shaped artifact, they wouldn't have needed to use this box to store the dozen artifacts. They could have placed them all in the tower's independent space, which would have been both safer and more discreet.
Lin Yuan quickly understood why this was the case.
When he first developed the ability of the silver mirror, it took him nearly half a day of focusing his mental energy on it.
It almost affected his overall strength.
At that time, Lin Yuan was already at the 19th rank of the Witch Ancestor.
Lin Yuan's 19th rank was achieved by perfecting each of the earlier stages before finally stepping into the 19th. It was likely equivalent to around the 25th rank of a typical strong one from the myriad races.
In other words, the minimum requirement for unlocking the power of the tower-shaped artifact was at least the 25th rank of the Witch Ancestor.
Currently, the strongest evolver from human civilization, Xuan Yuan Duo, was barely at the 20th rank of the Witch Ancestor.
Unless she risked exhausting all her mental energy, she had no chance of activating the independent space within the tower-shaped artifact.
But Xuan Yuan Duo would never attempt such a thing, as the risk was too great.
If she were ambushed by other powerful ones during this process, human civilization could suffer the same fate as the Tianyu Tribe, getting eliminated early.
Most human evolvers were not like Lin Yuan, hiding in some inconspicuous corner.
They had established bases in the capitals of ancient nations and needed powerful warriors on standby at all times to prevent accidents.
"As long as I can take these artifacts out, I can keep half," Lin Yuan thought quickly as he looked at the artifacts.
This was the promise made by the strongest one, Xia Qin: whatever artifacts Lin Yuan could take out, he could keep fifty percent of them.
Of course, Lin Yuan could also opt not to take the artifacts and instead exchange them for merit points, which could be used to acquire other valuable resources from human civilization's collection.
Currently, handing over twelve-star rare treasures and weapons was one of the few ways to earn a large number of merit points within human civilization.
Each twelve-star rare treasure or weapon had the potential to greatly benefit all of human civilization, so their value was measured in merit points.
"There's also an armor artifact?" Lin Yuan glanced at the greenish-gray armor in the box.
Compared to the inner armor he was currently wearing, this armor was significantly larger and would undoubtedly offer better defense than simple inner armor.
"Forget it."
"The inner armor I have is already sufficient."
Lin Yuan decided against wearing the armor, as it was too large and would hinder his mobility.
Of course, this drawback only existed in this two-dimensional world.
Outside of this realm, the size of these artifacts could be freely adjusted according to one's preferences, as long as they were fully refined.
"Then I'll take them."
Lin Yuan activated the silver mirror, transferring the box into the mirror's space.
He had already mentioned the abilities of the silver mirror to Xia Qin, the strongest one, which was why the strongest one had decided to entrust all the artifacts to Lin Yuan for safekeeping.
First, due to Lin Yuan's strength.
Second, for convenience.
"Spatial fluctuations?"
Xuan Yuan Duo was startled by this scene.
In the two-dimensional world, even the strongest eleventh-rank legendary life forms couldn't stir up spatial fluctuations.
"It seems this Lord Blood Rain possesses an artifact with a complete spatial domain?" Xuan Yuan Duo thought, her expression becoming more respectful.
She also wondered which legendary evolver from human civilization this Lord Blood Rain could be.
It was clear that the name 'Blood Rain' was merely a codename used by Lin Yuan to conceal his true identity.
Xuan Yuan Duo came from the Xuan Yuan family, one of the most powerful evolving families within human civilization, founded by the offspring of a strongest one.
Xuan Yuan Duo knew nearly all the eleventh-rank evolvers in human civilization, yet she couldn't recall any legendary evolver resembling Lin Yuan.
"Could he be from that place?" Xuan Yuan Duo's expression changed slightly.
When Lin Yuan reunited with the human evolvers, there was still a month and a half left until the opening of Heavenly Gate.
But to be cautious, that same afternoon, Lin Yuan led the human evolvers toward the summit of Tianshan.
In the past, Heavenly Gate had always appeared above the summit of Tianshan, the place closest to the gate.
"The strong ones from human civilization have arrived."
"This time, none of the strong ones from human civilization seem particularly outstanding."
"Who's leading them? I've never seen him before."
"Is that the mysterious strong one from the Blood Rain Ancient Nation?"
"Why is this mysterious strong one gathering with the human civilization?"
"Could this mysterious strong one be from human civilization?"
As they traveled toward the summit of Tianshan, the strong ones from the myriad races also noticed the human evolvers. Being a peak race, they always attracted attention wherever they went.
And when these myriad race strong ones saw that Lin Yuan was leading the human evolvers, they were utterly astonished.
The mysterious strong one from the Blood Rain Ancient Nation had only acted once, two hundred years ago, but that one act had shaken the world, and he still ranked among the Nine Strongest.
Many strong ones had speculated about the identity of this mysterious figure.
The most likely assumption was that he was a unique special lifeform, similar to the 'Mother of the Tree Realm' or the 'Divine Kings.'
But now, seeing him among the human civilization?
"No wonder it's human civilization!"
"Astonishing, human civilization has such a powerful figure, and there wasn't even a hint of it before today?"
"Actually, it's not certain that he's a strong one from human civilization. Maybe he's just cooperating with them."
The strong ones from the myriad races discussed among themselves, most of them aware that they had no hope of leaving the two-dimensional world. Their purpose at Tianshan was simply to witness the strongest beings below the level of the strongest ones in the cosmic sky.
"Is Lord Blood Rain not a strong one from human civilization?"
Xuan Yuan Duo glanced at the strong ones from the myriad races around her and shook her head slightly.
From the way the strongest one had instructed her, Xuan Yuan Duo was almost certain that Lin Yuan was indeed from human civilization.
If he were an outsider, the strongest one would never have trusted him enough to hand over all the artifacts.
Beyond the scene.
One of the strongest ones from the Starry Sky Alliance glanced at Xia Qin, the strongest one, and quickly sent a telepathic message: "So, this is your trump card from human civilization?"
When the myriad race strong ones saw Lin Yuan leading the human evolvers to the summit of Tianshan, word quickly spread, and the strongest ones from the Starry Sky Alliance immediately knew.
Xia Qin, the strongest one, looked at the strongest one from the Starry Sky Alliance but said nothing.
At this point, there was no need to hide anything. With the opening of Heavenly Gate approaching, all available forces needed to be gathered.
This was why Xia Qin had arranged for Lin Yuan to join the human evolvers.
It wasn't that he believed Xuan Yuan Duo and the other human evolvers would offer significant help to Lin Yuan, but at least when confronted by other powerful factions, the human evolvers could intervene and hold them off.
"I've watched your human civilization's evolvers' battle footage. As a perfected eleventh-rank evolver, your combat power is indeed rare. But for this opening of Heavenly Gate, competing with us special lifeforms might still be a bit lacking," the strongest one from the Starry Sky Alliance transmitted again.
He was simply speaking the truth. In this two-dimensional world, the advantages of powerful special lifeforms were overwhelming.
"We'll see when Heavenly Gate opens," Xia Qin replied with a shake of his head. The strongest one from the Starry Sky Alliance assumed Lin Yuan was a perfected eleventh-rank evolver from human civilization.
But in reality, Lin Yuan was still only a tenth-rank evolver, and had only recently reached that level.
In just over a hundred years, Lin Yuan had crushed special eleventh-rank lifeforms like Tuoba Ancient God while still at the tenth rank. Xia Qin had never encountered such unparalleled talent before.
Even the Divine King, legendary perfected eleventh-rank lifeform, would struggle to compare with Lin Yuan without his strongest weapons.
Soon enough, Lin Yuan and the human evolvers reached the summit of Tianshan.
The summit was vast and spacious, with at least one hundred thousand strong ones from the myriad races gathered there.
"Divine King?" Lin Yuan immediately noticed the four-armed man seated cross-legged in the center of the summit.
None of the myriad race strong ones dared to approach the man, which made Lin Yuan notice him instantly.
"Is this the Divine King that Xia Qin warned me to be cautious of, advising me to give up the Heavenly Gate slot if I'm not confident and prepare for the next opening?"
Lin Yuan carefully observed the Divine King. In Xia Qin's view, the Divine King himself was not too frightening, but the strongest weapon he wielded was.
A fully refined strongest weapon might unleash power far beyond the limits of the two-dimensional world.
"His arms..." Lin Yuan's gaze lingered on the four arms of the Divine King, where the strongest weapon was likely integrated.
"They don't seem that powerful. It could be that he's concealing his aura and hasn't gone all out," Lin Yuan mused.
Just as Lin Yuan was currently doing—if he didn't deliberately release his aura, the myriad race strong ones would be unable to sense much.
Their fear of Lin Yuan stemmed entirely from his dominant battle against Tuoba Ancient God two hundred years ago.
"Let's wait and see."
Lin Yuan shifted his attention away from the Divine King and began observing the other strong ones from the myriad races.
Among them were several strong figures who caught Lin Yuan's eye, including a small, flame-like old man and a three-meter-tall burly man.
According to the information he had, these were all perfected eleventh-rank legendary lifeforms. Although they didn't pose as much of a threat as the Divine King with his strongest weapon, they couldn't be underestimated.
In the outside world, these perfected eleventh-rank legendary lifeforms would have been far beyond Lin Yuan's capabilities. But in this two-dimensional world, things were uncertain.
On an equal playing field, even competing with the strongest ones, Lin Yuan believed he had a chance of winning if given enough time.
In the center of the summit, the Divine King opened his eyes and scanned the surroundings, his brow slightly furrowed. "Too many people."
The summit of Tianshan was vast, but over one hundred thousand strong ones were gathered there, and the number continued to grow, which made the Divine King irritable.
"Divine King, why don't we join forces to clear out the crowd?" the small, flame-like old man called out, and several other perfected eleventh-rank legendary lifeforms also looked over.
"Then let's begin," the Divine King nodded.
The next moment.
A terrifying aura spread outward from the Divine King, sweeping across the summit. At the same time, the other four or five perfected eleventh-rank legendary lifeforms also began releasing their own auras.
In an instant, an oppressive force filled the summit, enveloping all the myriad race strong ones.
"What's going on?"
"What are the Divine King and the others doing?"
"They're clearing the area. The Divine King and the others are clearing the area."
Some of the myriad race strong ones immediately realized what was happening and their faces turned grim.
"From now on, only those who can withstand our pressure for the time it takes for one incense stick to burn will be allowed to remain on the summit," the Divine King's cold voice rang out.
With his strength, if he teamed up with the other perfected eleventh-rank legendary lifeforms, they could easily slaughter all the myriad race strong ones present.
But doing so would offend the factions behind those strong ones.
After three hundred years of hunting, the surviving myriad race strong ones had grown smarter and no longer carried their special artifacts with them.
If the Divine King were after the artifacts, he wouldn't mind a massacre. But right now, slaughtering the myriad race strong ones wouldn't bring any benefits.
So the Divine King and the others opted to clear the area instead.
"Withstand for one incense stick?"
"I feel like I can't even last ten breaths."
Some of the myriad race strong ones trembled and quickly left the summit.
"After three hundred years of training, I've finally reached the 10th rank of the Witch Ancestor. I never expected I wouldn't even have the qualifications to stand at the summit and witness the opening of Heavenly Gate."
One of the myriad race strong ones looked despondent. He was a tenth-rank strong one in the outside world, and had thought that falling into the two-dimensional world would be his opportunity.
After all, even the eleventh-rank lifeforms were now starting from the same point as him. But the gap was still unfathomably wide.
"This pressure is terrifying. How many ranks has the Divine King reached?"
An eleventh-rank strong one looked solemn. He was confident he could withstand the pressure for the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, but this was just the Divine King releasing his aura.
If he had to face the Divine King's full killing intent, what chance did he have of competing for a slot in Heavenly Gate?
"The Divine King must be at least at the 30th rank of the Witch Ancestor..." A cold-faced strong one from the myriad races stood firm. He was an eleventh-rank strong one at the fifth level and could easily withstand the pressure of the Divine King.
But from the combined pressure of the Divine King and the other perfected eleventh-rank legendary lifeforms, he could roughly estimate the Divine King's true strength.
On the side of human civilization.
Lin Yuan stood quietly, his expression calm and unaffected.
The Divine King and the other perfected eleventh-rank legendary lifeforms clearing the area hadn't crossed Lin Yuan's bottom line.
In fact, he was happy to see this happen, as it gave him a chance to observe the true strength of the Divine King and the others.
"Although they're releasing their auras, they haven't activated that strongest weapon."
Lin Yuan watched the Divine King from a distance and thought to himself.
"Let's wait a bit longer."
Lin Yuan wasn't in a hurry. He wanted to see the Divine King use that strongest weapon before deciding whether or not to compete for the Heavenly Gate slot this time.
"What about you?" Lin Yuan glanced at the human evolvers around him. Aside from Xuan Yuan Duo and a few others, the rest were clearly struggling.
They likely wouldn't be able to last for the time it takes for one incense stick to burn.
Under the combined pressure of the Divine King and the other perfected eleventh-rank legendary lifeforms, most of the myriad race strong ones below the 18th rank of the Witch Ancestor couldn't endure.
Especially Nalan, the vice tower master, whose face had turned bright red. As a newly ascended eleventh-rank evolver, he probably wouldn't last even half the time.
"Don't lose focus."
With a thought, Lin Yuan began helping them share the burden.
Instantly.
Xuan Yuan Duo and the other evolvers looked much more relaxed.
"Thank you, Lord Blood Rain." Xuan Yuan Duo and the others immediately expressed their gratitude.
"Hm?"
In the center of the summit, the Divine King was slightly surprised and looked toward the human civilization.
"Interesting."
The Divine King vaguely sensed that his pressure was being subtly dispersed when it reached the human evolvers.
This feat was much harder to accomplish than simply resisting the pressure.
"The strength of this human evolver must not be underestimated." The Divine King glanced at Lin Yuan with renewed respect, but quickly lost interest.
To him, Lin Yuan was at most on par with the small, flame-like old man—an eleventh-rank perfected legendary lifeform, and thus not a threat to him.
Soon.
The time for one incense stick to burn was nearly up.
By this point, the number of myriad race strong ones on the summit had dropped from over a hundred thousand to less than three hundred.
Most of the myriad race strong ones had been forced down to the mountainside, where they could only watch the summit from a distance.
"The Divine King is too domineering."
"We weren't even planning to approach Heavenly Gate, and now we're being cleared out?"
"If you think the Divine King is being domineering, go ahead and challenge him."
The myriad race strong ones who had been forced down the mountainside were clearly unhappy, but none dared to take any drastic action.
If they had banded together when they first arrived in the two-dimensional world, they might have had a chance of threatening someone like the Divine King.
But after three hundred years had passed, someone like the Divine King had already grown far beyond what they could challenge with sheer numbers.
So the myriad race strong ones at the mountainside were merely resentful, but didn't dare to take a single step back up the mountain.
Soon.
The time for one incense stick to burn had passed.
There were just over one hundred strong ones left on the summit.
They were all elites of the eleventh rank.
"Much quieter now."
The Divine King glanced around, satisfied, and resumed his meditative posture.
The four or five other perfected eleventh-rank legendary lifeforms also nodded slightly in agreement.
Even though they had plans to team up against the Divine King, they still shared his view that "the weak do not have the right to stand on the summit of Tianshan and wait for the opening of Heavenly Gate."
Lin Yuan and Xuan Yuan Duo, along with the other human evolvers, remained in place, waiting.
Time slowly passed.
Before they knew it, a month and a half had gone by.
Then one day.
Under the gaze of all the myriad race strong ones on the summit, a vast spatial fluctuation began to gather in the sky above.
...
20 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
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