Space and time twisted as the aura of the Wisdom Lord fluctuated and plummeted, yet he continued his mad escape, fleeing further and further from the Azure World.
As a peak Evil God True Lord specializing in intelligence, the Wisdom Lord was not particularly outstanding in direct combat. However, when it came to escaping, he had honed his skills extensively.
At this moment, he recklessly triggered the power of time and space, crossing "millions and billions of light-years" in an instant.
"Too terrifying..."
"Is that the Martial Ancestor?"
"The Martial Ancestor is this powerful?"
The Wisdom Lord was filled with shock and disbelief.
Originally, the strength of the Lord of the Yin Realm had already been astonishing. There were only a few peak Evil God True Lords in the boundless void. The sudden appearance of one who was stronger than the typical peak Evil God True Lords was already baffling.
But now, the Wisdom Lord realized:
The Lord of the Yin Realm, who had left the other peak Evil God True Lords helpless, was merely a pawn being pushed into the spotlight.
The real master controlling everything behind the scenes, the one threatening the very foundations of the boundless void and its Evil Gods, was the Martial Ancestor!
Just a distant glimpse had caused the Wisdom Lord to suffer severe backlash.
He had no doubt that if he had entered with his true body, he might have been completely wiped out.
And to accomplish that, it couldn't possibly be the work of an ordinary Ninth Stage peak Evil God True Lord.
"A Tenth Stage Evil God from legend? No... If it were the Tenth Stage, there'd be no need to hide in the shadows. It must be someone infinitely close to the Tenth Stage..."
The Wisdom Lord's mind raced as he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
As long as it wasn't a Tenth Stage being, there was still a chance to turn things around.
Up to this point, the only confirmed Tenth Stage existence in the boundless void was the creator of the Void Secret Realm—the one who, singlehandedly, had imprisoned countless void creatures from the gaps between dimensions, turning them into nourishment for the Evil Gods.
Unfortunately, after creating the boundless void, this being had vanished completely.
For countless ages, Evil God True Lords had been following in this creator's footsteps.
"To kill martial arts, the Lord of the Yin Realm is secondary; the primary target must be the Martial Ancestor."
The Wisdom Lord's heart grew heavy.
"I'll have to unite all the peak Evil God True Lords, and perhaps even awaken that one."
To deal with the Lord of the Yin Realm, the Wisdom Lord believed that ten or twenty peak Evil God True Lords would suffice.
But the Martial Ancestor?
The Wisdom Lord thought they would need every single peak Evil God True Lord, and even then, it might not be enough.
If it became absolutely necessary, he would have to awaken that one.
And "that one" was none other than the strongest True Lord in the boundless void, who had taken over the Void Secret Realm after its creator disappeared.
This True Lord controlled the entire Void Secret Realm and could wield power almost at the level of a Tenth Stage being. In the boundless void, unless the creator returned, this Lord was invincible.
"Hm?"
After several breaths, the Wisdom Lord's expression shifted.
He had been fleeing for a long time, and by now, he should have reached another familiar void domain.
However, the void around him hadn't changed at all.
It seemed as though he hadn't moved at all within the boundless void.
"What?"
The Wisdom Lord's face darkened.
In the next instant, time and space shifted.
The Wisdom Lord found himself back at the "Azure-colored" world, once again standing before the terrifying figure in the depths of the Martial Hall that filled him with immense dread.
But this time, the Wisdom Lord wasn't there with just his incarnation—it was his true body.
"No!"
Before the Wisdom Lord could react, his consciousness plunged into darkness.
In the depths of the Martial Hall...
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, observing the unconscious form of the Wisdom Lord not far away.
In truth, Lin Yuan had noticed the Wisdom Lord the moment his incarnation had entered the Azure World.
But he hadn't immediately taken action—he waited until he could lock onto the true body of the Wisdom Lord.
Only when the Wisdom Lord's incarnation approached the Martial Hall and started probing did Lin Yuan finally make his move. Using his mastery of the Time-Space Fusion Rule, he activated his divine power World and quietly transported the Wisdom Lord into his internal world.
The Wisdom Lord had desperately tried to flee, believing he had escaped billions of light-years in mere breaths. In reality, he had only been moving within Lin Yuan's internal world.
Lin Yuan's internal world was just over 200M miles in diameter, but with layers upon layers of space forming a time-space labyrinth, the Wisdom Lord wouldn't have been able to escape even if he had tried for thousands of years.
"He actually found this place?"
Lin Yuan's expression was slightly surprised. The Yin Primordial Spirit had been traveling through the boundless void, occupying one world after another and spreading martial arts, but he had never revealed the origin of martial arts or mentioned Lin Yuan, the Martial Ancestor.
As for the rise of martial arts in the Azure World over the last several hundred thousand years?
In the grand scheme of the boundless void, it was too insignificant to notice.
With the Primeval Demon Tree's protection and concealment, martial arts had remained confined within the Azure World, barely attracting the attention of the peak Evil God True Lords.
"I still haven't been able to leave no trace behind."
Lin Yuan thought to himself, though he wasn't too surprised.
As martial arts spread, it was only a matter of time before those peak Evil God True Lords tracked down its source.
Lin Yuan had never intended to hide completely—he was only trying to buy more time for his cultivation.
"With my current level of mental will and illusion techniques, I can easily make this peak Evil God True Lord fall into a deep sleep."
Lin Yuan mused.
Through the law of causality, Lin Yuan could sense that the Wisdom Lord had left behind a clone or similar life-saving measure in a remote part of the Void Secret Realm.
Even if Lin Yuan killed the Wisdom Lord's true body, the clone would survive.
However, if Lin Yuan put the true body of the Wisdom Lord into a deep sleep—since the clone shared its memories with the true body—the clone would also fall into a deep sleep.
Although Lin Yuan had long anticipated that his existence and the Azure World would be discovered, it was always better to delay such events for as long as possible.
In the main world's human civilization, one of the nine strongest beings, Yu Die, specialized in illusions, having reached the pinnacle of such techniques.
Lin Yuan had thoroughly studied Yu Die's evolution path and was well-versed in numerous illusion techniques. It would not be difficult for him to put the Wisdom Lord into a deep sleep.
"Let me take a look at your memories..."
Using his vast mental will, Lin Yuan wove a realistic "illusion" around the Wisdom Lord, causing him to become lost within it. By doing so, Lin Yuan could naturally browse through the Wisdom Lord's memories.
A moment later, Lin Yuan's expression turned thoughtful.
"The boundless void... the vanished creator of the Void Secret Realm... and the Void Lord, or rather, the Void Master?"
Through the Wisdom Lord's memories, Lin Yuan gained an immense understanding of the boundless void. The Wisdom Lord knew many secrets, all of which now belonged to Lin Yuan.
"The Void Master?"
Lin Yuan's expression grew serious.
The so-called Void Master was the current ruler of the Void Secret Realm.
The creator of the Void Secret Realm was the only known Tenth Stage Evil God in the boundless void, having created the realm and provided for the future generations of Evil Gods.
The Void Master, also known as the Void Child, was the one who had taken over the Void Secret Realm after its creator vanished.
The Void Master wasn't a Tenth Stage Evil God, but with the Void Secret Realm, he could wield power close to that level, making him the most powerful Evil God in the boundless void.
"Controlling the Void Secret Realm does make things tricky."
Lin Yuan's expression grew more serious as he thought it over.
If the Void Master could use the countless layers of space in the Void Secret Realm, combined with his home-field advantage, even if Lin Yuan unleashed all his trump cards, he wouldn't be able to kill him.
Even using the divine power World wouldn't work if the Void Master stayed within the Void Secret Realm.
The entire Void Secret Realm could be considered a massive world in itself.
Furthermore, the Void Secret Realm's influence was vast—it could even affect the entire boundless void.
"According to the Wisdom Lord's memories, the Void Master spends most of his time in deep sleep, attempting to comprehend the essence of the Void Secret Realm in order to reach the Tenth Stage."
Lin Yuan thought to himself.
For the Void Master, everything in the boundless void was within his grasp. His only pursuit was becoming the second creator of the Void Secret Realm—the second Tenth Stage Evil God.
"Quite a few treasures here."
Lin Yuan casually collected the Wisdom Lord's numerous treasures.
After a quick inventory, he placed them all in a corner of his internal world, intending to refine them with primal energy when his transmigration was over, so that they could be indirectly taken back to the main universe.
"I need to continue studying the Tianhe secret technique. I can feel that I'm not far from comprehending the Sixth Stage of the Time-Space Fusion Rule."
Lin Yuan closed his eyes, and once again, a vast "heavenly river" composed entirely of time and space began to ripple around him. (Tianhe means Heavenly River)
Elsewhere in the boundless void...
The East Wing Lord and over a dozen other peak Evil God True Lords had gathered.
"Why hasn't the Wisdom Lord responded after all this time?" The East Wing Lord frowned.
Following the Wisdom Lord's instructions, he had gathered other peak Evil God True Lords to deal with the newly emerged Lord of the Yin Realm.
Everything was in place, yet the Wisdom Lord remained unreachable, leaving the East Wing Lord feeling uneasy.
According to the plan, the Wisdom Lord was supposed to lead the attack on the Lord of the Yin Realm. Only with his tactical brilliance could they suppress the Lord of the Yin Realm with minimal risk.
Otherwise, if more than a dozen peak Evil God True Lords charged in all at once, the Lord of the Yin Realm would sense their intentions and flee. Given the vastness of the boundless void, the Lord of the Yin Realm could easily escape, turning the situation into a drawn-out chase.
That was not in line with the Wisdom Lord's plan to quickly suppress the Lord of the Yin Realm and eliminate martial arts.
After all, if the situation turned into a prolonged struggle, all sorts of unexpected events could arise.
"Maybe the Wisdom Lord is caught up in something," suggested one of the peak Evil God True Lords nearby.
This was the God-Eye Lord, who had eighteen eyes, although only one was usually open.
If all eighteen eyes opened, it would signify the God-Eye Lord was in his most powerful state, prepared for a desperate fight.
In the boundless void's long history, the God-Eye Lord had never opened all eighteen eyes at once, as peak Evil God True Lords rarely engaged in all-out battles.
"Something caught him up?"
The East Wing Lord frowned. From what he knew of the Wisdom Lord, this seemed unlikely.
Besides, what could be so important that the Wisdom Lord couldn't send a response? Even if he were busy, he could have said something.
"We'll wait a bit longer."
Although the East Wing Lord didn't believe the Wisdom Lord was simply caught up in something, he had no other explanation. For now, waiting was the only option.
"The Wisdom Lord's last message said he had found traces of the source of martial arts."
"Maybe he's busy searching for the source."
The East Wing Lord speculated. He had never considered the possibility that the Wisdom Lord might have met with some misfortune.
The Wisdom Lord was a peak Evil God True Lord with formidable life-saving techniques. Who could have killed him without anyone noticing?
And even if something had happened to the Wisdom Lord, his clone in the deepest part of the Void Secret Realm would have contacted them.
"Let's wait a little longer."
The God-Eye Lord exchanged glances with the other peak Evil God True Lords.
Without the Wisdom Lord to lead them, they didn't have full confidence in their ability to suppress the Lord of the Yin Realm.
If they failed, the consequences would be severe, as they would face the Lord of the Yin Realm's full wrath.
"Wait it is."
The East Wing Lord nodded.
At this point, there wasn't much else they could do but wait.
Time passed.
Fifty years went by in the blink of an eye.
In the same void, the East Wing Lord and over a dozen peak Evil God True Lords remained gathered.
"What's going on?"
"It's been fifty years, and the Wisdom Lord still hasn't contacted me."
The East Wing Lord grew increasingly uneasy. For an Evil God, fifty years was but a fleeting moment, but at this critical juncture of dealing with the Lord of the Yin Realm, the Wisdom Lord's prolonged silence was troubling.
Even if the Wisdom Lord were busy, surely he could have found a moment to send a message during these fifty years.
"What do we do?"
The God-Eye Lord asked, his expression serious as he looked to the East Wing Lord.
"I'll go meet the Wisdom Lord's life-saving clone."
The East Wing Lord decided.
With the Wisdom Lord missing for so long, the East Wing Lord couldn't find his true body, but he knew where the Wisdom Lord's clone was located.
That was in the deepest part of the Void Secret Realm, a place considered the core of the realm and theoretically the safest area.
It was for this reason that the Wisdom Lord's clone there could be called a life-saving clone.
"Meet his life-saving clone?"
The God-Eye Lord was surprised.
"But we can't enter the deepest part of the Void Secret Realm."
If any peak Evil God True Lord could easily access that area, it wouldn't be much of a life-saving zone.
"I know."
"That's why I plan to awaken the great Void Child."
The East Wing Lord was silent for a moment before revealing his plan.
"The Void Child?"
The God-Eye Lord and the others were taken aback.
The Void Child was the ruler of the Void Secret Realm. While the peak Evil God True Lords couldn't enter its deepest area, the Void Child could.
The reason most peak Evil God True Lords could place their clones in the deepest part of the Void Secret Realm was due to the Void Child's permission.
Apart from the clones contacting the outside world of their own accord, the only one who could force communication with them was the Void Child.
"Are you sure?"
The God-Eye Lord asked seriously.
Awakening the Void Child was no trivial matter. Doing so without reason would result in punishment from the Void Child.
"I'm sure."
The East Wing Lord nodded. The Wisdom Lord had been missing for too long—something was clearly wrong. Even if it meant facing punishment from the Void Child, he had to get to the bottom of this.
"In that case, let's head to the Void Secret Realm."
The God-Eye Lord immediately agreed.
Deep within the Void Secret Realm...
This area was already the limit of what normal Evil Gods could explore. Beyond this point, it was off-limits even to peak Evil God True Lords—a place where the strongest Evil God slumbered.
"The great Void Child..."
The East Wing Lord began to call upon the Void Child.
As a peak Evil God True Lord, the East Wing Lord naturally had the means to summon the Void Child. Most other peak Evil God True Lords had also mastered this technique.
However, none of them would dare use it lightly—after all, this was the Void Child they were summoning.
Buzz, buzz, buzz...
Invisible forces began to converge.
In an instant, a vast will descended from the deepest part of the Void Secret Realm.
"Who dares awaken me?"
The entire Void Secret Realm trembled slightly. All the peak Evil God True Lords were startled and turned their attention to the disturbance. They immediately realized that the Void Child had awakened.
Rustle, rustle...
The immense power of the Void Secret Realm gathered, forming a towering figure that looked down at the East Wing Lord and the other peak Lords.
"Greetings, Void Child."
The East Wing Lord immediately offered his respectful greetings.
Although the Void Child was also a peak Evil God True Lord, by controlling the Void Secret Realm, he was far more powerful than the other Lords.
To the East Wing Lord and the others, the Void Child was no different from a Tenth Stage Evil God.
"Speak."
The towering figure, formed from the Void Child's will, gazed down at them with a calm expression.
"Yes."
The East Wing Lord quickly recounted everything that had happened in the past several hundred years, particularly the disappearance of the Wisdom Lord and the indication that something had gone terribly wrong.
"The Lord of the Yin Realm?"
"A martial arts cultivation system?"
The Void Child was briefly stunned, then let out a chuckle. "How interesting. I've never heard of this Lord of the Yin Realm."
"The great Void Child hasn't heard of him either?"
The East Wing Lord was taken aback. He had originally thought that the Lord of the Yin Realm might have accidentally entered the deepest part of the Void Secret Realm and cultivated to the Ninth Stage peak, which was why there were no traces of him in the boundless void.
But if even the Void Child didn't know of the Lord of the Yin Realm, that theory didn't hold up.
"You want to ask the Wisdom Lord's life-saving clone? I'll contact it now."
The Void Child sent a wisp of his will deep into the Void Secret Realm, to the place where the Wisdom Lord's life-saving clone was located.
"Hmm?"
The Void Child raised an eyebrow in surprise.
...
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