In front of the massive painting, the half-meter tall old man was a bit dumbfounded.
He could freely manipulate everything within the two-dimensional world of the painting, as if the entire world was his own body, every detail clear and precise.
As for the many powerful beings of the myriad races who had fallen into this two-dimensional world? To the old man, there were no secrets; he could see through them all with a glance.
However, it was precisely because of this that the old man became increasingly astonished as he continuously sized up Lin Yuan, who stood before the Heavenly Gate, from across the entire two-dimensional world.
"Initially, I just wanted to observe him for another ten thousand years to see how this little fellow would perform" the old man thought to himself.
Lin Yuan had descended for only a little over three hundred years and had already broken through the limit of thirty layers of the world, leaving the old man uncertain.
In the old man's estimation, if Lin Yuan could continue breaking through the thirty layers in the next ten thousand years, that would be enough.
The higher the world layers, the harder it became to break through. The first thirty layers and the latter thirty layers were completely different concepts.
Thus, the old man had deliberately set aside ten thousand years to observe.
"I thought I had overestimated him enough. This little guy has far exceeded my expectations, breaking through ninety-nine layers in just ten thousand years?"
The old man steadied himself. That meant Lin Yuan had broken through a total of 129 world layers in a span of 10,300 years.
"Even for a Rank Twelve lifeform, transcending the flow of time and falling into this low-dimensional space, it should be impossible to break through so many world layers in just over ten thousand years, right?"
The old man still found it hard to believe. Even Rank Twelve lifeforms, despite being in a lower-dimensional space, could still use some extraordinary means to accelerate their cultivation speed.
Yet even so, achieving Lin Yuan's current level would likely take hundreds of thousands, if not millions of years.
"Is he really just a lifeform bound by the River of Time?" the old man repeatedly confirmed. Lifeforms below Rank Twelve were also known as beings of the River of Time, meaning they were bound by the flow of time.
Even in the chaotic void, beings bound by the River of Time and those beyond it were entirely different. The latter was vastly superior in every aspect.
This distinction was determined by the nature of life itself. Beings within the River of Time had their perceptions and experiences severely restricted by time, making them extremely limited.
On the other hand, Rank Twelve lifeforms outside the River of Time could perceive and experience a vast and boundless reality.
"This is terrifying," the old man marveled at Lin Yuan's current cultivation speed. He was the strongest being bound by the River of Time ever to exist in this two-dimensional world since its creation.
Moreover, the gap between him and the second place was like a sheer cliff.
Even among the formidable beings outside the River of Time, Lin Yuan's cultivation speed was unbelievably fast.
"No need to keep observing."
"Let him in directly."
The old man glanced at the rapidly materializing Heavenly Gate.
If he continued to observe, the old man even worried that Lin Yuan would continue breaking through world layers, eventually shattering the suppression of the two-dimensional world and escaping.
Though this was nearly impossible and absolutely unachievable, the old man had never thought Lin Yuan would be able to break through so many world layers in just ten thousand years.
At the peak of the Mountain.
Lin Yuan stood before the Heavenly Gate, gazing at it as it rapidly manifested, his heart stirred with excitement.
Everything he had done during his ten thousand years in the two-dimensional world had been for this moment, to open the Heavenly Gate before him.
Only by pushing open the Heavenly Gate would there be hope of leaving this two-dimensional world.
Only by leaving this world could he avoid fundamental losses and preserve his Yang Primordial Spirit.
Only by leaving this world could the many treasures he had obtained truly reveal their value.
As the Heavenly Gate gradually materialized, it also drew the attention of the other powerful beings of the myriad races.
Although these beings were in competition with Lin Yuan—especially the Divine King, who was a Rank Eleven perfect lifeforms and had lived in Lin Yuan's shadow for ten thousand years—they all sincerely hoped Lin Yuan could push open the Heavenly Gate.
Only if Lin Yuan opened the gate would it prove that it could indeed be opened, giving them a chance to open it as well.
Moreover, once Lin Yuan opened the gate and left the two-dimensional world, the Divine King and other Rank Eleven lifeforms would have their opportunity.
If Lin Yuan stayed, no other powerful being in this world could compete with him.
The Divine King had originally been quite confident about challenging Lin Yuan this time, but one glance from Lin Yuan shattered that illusion.
"Lord Blood Rain."
Among the human civilization, Xuanyuan Duo and the other Rank Eleven evolvers of human civilization gazed at Lin Yuan standing before the gate with full anticipation.
They hadn't seen him face-to-face in the past ten thousand years, but that hadn't stopped them from placing all their hopes on Lin Yuan.
In the vastness of space.
A group of the strongest beings closely watched the "painting" suspended in the starry sky.
"The Heavenly Gate is about to open."
"Let's hope it can be pushed open this time."
The strongest beings exchanged thoughts swiftly. Though not many powerful beings of the myriad races were still alive in the two-dimensional world, those who remained were the true elites, or even the foundational strength, of their respective races and forces.
Boom!
At that moment.
Nine of the strongest human beings suddenly erupted with terrifying energy, stirring space-time fluctuations across hundreds of thousands of light-years.
"Huh?"
"Human civilization? Have they activated their race's suppressing weapon?"
"Activating such a weapon comes at a great cost. What are they trying to do?"
"What are they doing? Naturally, they're protecting that 'Blood Rain.'"
The strongest beings quickly figured out the reason behind the humans' actions.
If Lin Yuan pushed open the Heavenly Gate and escaped the two-dimensional world, returning to the main universe, he would inevitably be exposed to the eyes of the many strongest beings present.
And given Lin Yuan's extraordinary performance in the two-dimensional world, some of the strongest beings would surely be unable to resist trying to kill him, such as the queens and ancestors of the Insect Race or the Tianyu Race.
Or perhaps other ultimate existences—if given the chance, they would certainly take the opportunity to strike.
"Hmph, going to such lengths for a mere lifeform bound by the River of Time. The strongest beings of human civilization...tsk."
"Going to such lengths? If you had an offspring as talented as 'Blood Rain,' you'd probably do even more than what human civilization is doing now."
The strongest beings communicated, but none showed opposition to or rejection of the actions of human civilization's nine strongest beings. Some even voluntarily moved back a bit, expressing their goodwill.
There were two reasons for this. First, once Lin Yuan escaped the two-dimensional world and returned to the main universe, even if his avatar died, there would be no fundamental loss, making it less meaningful to kill him.
Second, many of them had clansmen still inside the two-dimensional world. Once Lin Yuan left, other powerful beings from the myriad races would also eventually push open the Heavenly Gate and leave.
If they attacked Lin Yuan now, the nine strongest humans would hardly let it slide when their own clansmen tried to leave later.
Rather than harming both sides, it was better for everyone to take a step back.
Of course, this was the thinking of the majority of the ultimate existences. However, the few ancestors of the Tianyu Race did not think this way.
Because their powerful beings trapped in the two-dimensional world had already been eliminated early on, with no chance of escaping.
But the few ancestors of the Tianyu Race alone couldn't shake the power of the nine strongest human beings wielding the race's suppressing weapon.
"We didn't arouse suspicion."
The strongest one, Xia Qin, exchanged a glance with the other eight strongest ones, breathing a slight sigh of relief.
At this moment, the energy of the race's suppressing weapon still permeated a large portion of the "painting." Even the strongest beings couldn't perceive through it to sense the aura of the human "Blood Rain" who was escaping the two-dimensional world.
Xia Qin and the other strongest humans had done this not only to protect Lin Yuan but also to hide his true identity.
If the many ultimate beings present realized that the human "Bloo Rrain" escaping the two-dimensional world was merely a Rank Ten lifeform, every single one of them would likely want to take action.
What a joke! A Rank Ten lifeform who could crush and overwhelm the likes of the Divine Kings, the Rank Eleven perfect lifeforms?
Even the nine strongest humans were somewhat frightened. They knew that if such a monstrous genius had appeared in any other force, they would absolutely kill him.
Fortunately, none of the ultimate beings had considered this possibility. They simply assumed the nine strongest humans were protecting "Blood Rain."
This assumption wasn't entirely wrong. If Lin Yuan hadn't revealed it himself, even the nine strongest humans would have mistaken him for a Rank Eleven perfect lifeform.
In the two-dimensional world.
At the peak of the Mountain.
Lin Yuan stood silently before the now fully materialized Heavenly Gate.
Soon.
The Heavenly Gate fully manifested.
Waves of spatial energy radiated outward like ripples.
Lin Yuan stood before the gate but did not immediately push it open. His mind flashed back to the moments of the past ten thousand years.
The ten thousand years here had been the longest time Lin Yuan had ever experienced as an evolver.
Although only a hundred years had passed in the main universe, the ten thousand years in the two-dimensional world were real and undeniable.
As he recalled, everything from the past ten thousand years surfaced vividly in his mind.
"Even if I can't push it open this time, I'll wait for the next ten thousand years, or the ten thousand years after that."
Before he even attempted to push the gate, Lin Yuan had already prepared for the worst outcome.
After all, last time, he had given everything he had to push the gate, yet it hadn't budged.
Even though his strength had greatly increased now, Lin Yuan was still uncertain whether he could push open the gate.
"Let's begin."
Lin Yuan focused his thoughts and gently placed his hands on the gate.
In the next moment.
The tightly shut Heavenly Gate slowly opened.
"Huh?"
Lin Yuan was momentarily stunned. He had only just placed his hands on the gate without exerting any strength, yet it was opening?
He even felt as though if it wasn't him standing here but a regular person, they too could easily push open the gate.
"What's going on?"
Lin Yuan's mind raced. Ten thousand years ago, even after using his body's divine power "Enhancement," he couldn't move the gate an inch.
Now, merely placing his hands on it caused it to open so easily?
The stark contrast made Lin Yuan suspect something.
The ability to open the gate had nothing to do with one's strength, but rather whether the "gate" itself wanted to be opened?
The term "gate" here was general; it might not refer to this specific Heavenly Gate but to something or someone else?
Swish.
The Heavenly Gate slowly opened.
After a brief silence, the myriad powerful beings around erupted in excitement.
"The Heavenly Gate, it's been opened!"
"I knew it! The gate could be opened after all! Last time was just an accident."
The powerful beings of the myriad races were thrilled, exchanging excited words. Even though most of them still had no chance of passing through the gate, at least they could send out the treasures they had gained through those who could enter the gate.
Even if those entering the gate would take most of what they carried, it was still far better than leaving everything trapped in the two-dimensional world.
"The Heavenly Gate!"
The Divine King' eyes once again gleamed with hope.
With Lin Yuan here, they had no chance of entering the gate this time, but next time, after Lin Yuan left, who in this entire two-dimensional world could compete with them for the next opportunity to enter?
Before the Heavenly Gate.
Lin Yuan did not immediately step through.
The difference in difficulty between opening the gate this time and the last time led Lin Yuan to wonder what might be inside the gate.
"Since it's open now."
Lin Yuan pondered for a moment, then glanced back at the human evolvers, who were filled with excitement, before lifting his right foot and stepping through the gate.
If this two-dimensional world was truly under the control of some will that could easily alter the difficulty of opening the gate, then whether or not he stepped through at this moment made no difference.
Moreover, the gate was Lin Yuan's only hope of escape. No matter how cautious he was, he had to go in.
Whoosh.
Lin Yuan stepped through the gate.
Immediately, the now fully manifested gate began to close and fade away into a blur.
The turbulent spatial energy atop Heavenly Mountain swiftly subsided, as if it had never existed.
In the starry universe.
At the very moment Lin Yuan pushed open the Heavenly Gate.
Xia Qin, the strongest of the nine human beings, and the other eight strongest humans were fully alert, activating the race's suppressing weapon. The moment Lin Yuan appeared, he would be covered by the suppressing weapon's power.
None of the other ultimate beings could sense Lin Yuan's specific aura through the suppressing weapon.
Thus, the greatest secret of "Blood Rain" was kept hidden.
As the aura of the nine strongest humans spread, the other ultimate beings cooperated, retracting their perception and only focusing on the "white paper" itself.
Time passed.
Xia Qin and the other nine strongest humans began to sense that something was off.
Even as the Heavenly Gate closed and faded, they had detected no spatial fluctuations outside the painting, let alone any sign of Lin Yuan.
"What's going on?"
"Where is 'Blood Rain'?"
"Didn't he enter the gate? Why hasn't he appeared?"
Not only were the nine strongest humans puzzled, but the other ultimate beings also noticed something was wrong.
"The Heavenly Gate manifested within the two-dimensional world, creating spatial fluctuations. Could it be that it doesn't lead to the outside world?"
"If it doesn't lead outside, where does it lead?"
The strongest beings furrowed their brows. Whether or not Lin Yuan successfully left the two-dimensional world wasn't just a concern for human civilization; it affected all the powerful beings of the myriad races still trapped inside.
If Lin Yuan entered the gate but did not return to the main universe, did that mean that when the gate opened again, the other powerful beings of the myriad races who pushed it open still wouldn't be able to return?
"Xia Qin, where did 'Blood Rain' go after entering the gate?"
"Yes, Xia Qin, if he hasn't escaped the two-dimensional world, where does that gate lead?"
Some ultimate beings looked toward Xia Qin, immediately asking for answers.
Since "Blood Rain" belonged to human civilization, Xia Qin could likely contact his true body to determine his current status after entering the gate.
And this was something all the ultimate beings present were eager to know.
"Stop rushing me."
Xia Qin frowned, glancing at the other ultimate beings without immediately trying to contact Lin Yuan.
Although he wasn't sure where the gate led, he speculated that it was a crucial place.
Lin Yuan needed to focus his efforts on dealing with it.
Reaching out to Lin Yuan now and distracting him would be unwise.
Xia Qin believed that once Lin Yuan had settled down, he would contact him of his own accord.
After Lin Yuan stepped through the Heavenly Gate, he immediately felt his mind and spirit elevate, regaining the support of spatial dimensions and ascending from two dimensions to three.
At the same time, Lin Yuan could more clearly feel that he was being released from a certain world—an endless, vast painting containing a boundless and immense world. He was currently rapidly breaking free from that painting.
"That's the two-dimensional world I fell into?" Lin Yuan instantly realized that the enormous painting was the two-dimensional world that had trapped him for over ten thousand years.
"The feeling of ascending and descending dimensions..."
Lin Yuan felt a strange sensation. When he had been sucked into the painting, he hadn't had time to feel what dimensional descent was like.
But now, as he broke free from the painting and returned to his normal state as a living being, he could fully grasp the experience.
"Hmm?"
Lin Yuan focused and his expression changed slightly.
He had indeed escaped the two-dimensional world, but he had not returned to the main universe.
"Where am I?"
Lin Yuan glanced around. It was a vast space, with endless gray mist in the distance, and the enormous painting was the most conspicuous object.
At that moment, Lin Yuan also noticed the old man sitting in front of the huge painting. Compared to the painting, the old man was incredibly small, only half a meter tall, which was why Lin Yuan had initially overlooked him.
As Lin Yuan observed the old man, the half-meter-tall old man was also eyeing Lin Yuan with a peculiar gaze, repeatedly sizing him up.
...
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