The astonishment on the face of the Void Child didn't go unnoticed by the East Wing Lord and the other Evil God True Lords.
"Great Void Child, what happened to the Wisdom Lord?" The East Wing Lord cautiously inquired.
"The Wisdom Lord has fallen into slumber, and even his life-saving clone has also fallen asleep," the Void Child replied, gesturing slightly. The Wisdom Lord's life-saving clone, which had been deep within the Void Secret Realm, was now moved in front of the gathered Evil God True Lords.
"Asleep?"
The East Wing Lord was utterly baffled. The Wisdom Lord had meticulously planned the entire operation to ambush the Lord of the Yin Realm, but just when it was time to act, he had fallen asleep? If anyone other than the Void Child had said this, the East Wing Lord wouldn't have believed it for a second.
It was absurd.
"It wasn't voluntary slumber; he was forced into it," the Void Child observed as he carefully examined the Wisdom Lord's life-saving clone.
"Forced into slumber?"
The East Wing Lord, the God-Eye Lord, and the other Evil God True Lords exchanged uneasy glances. How could someone, even in the vast, boundless void, force the Wisdom Lord—a peak Evil God True Lord—into slumber without giving him a chance to resist or even send a message?
"How interesting," murmured the Void Child to himself. Even though the Wisdom Lord wasn't particularly adept in direct combat, to put him into an unconscious state so quietly was a feat even the Void Child would need to use the Void Secret Realm's power to accomplish.
"Let me wake him up and find out what happened."
The Void Child directed his consciousness toward the Wisdom Lord's life-saving clone.
The Wisdom Lord had been forced into slumber and could not wake up on his own, but with the intervention of the Void Child, the ruler of the Void Secret Realm, he could be stirred.
In the Azure World, deep within the Martial Hall, Lin Yuan had been diligently cultivating and comprehending the sixth level of the Time-Space Fusion Rule for fifty years. The "Tianhe" of time and space rippled around him like a miniature river of time and space.
[Your insight is unparalleled. Comprehending the Tianhe technique deepens your understanding of the Time-Space Fusion Rule.]
[Your insight is unparalleled. Comprehending the Tianhe technique deepens your understanding of the Time-Space Fusion Rule.]
[Your insight is unparalleled. Comprehending the Tianhe technique deepens your understanding of the Time-Space Fusion Rule.]
In a moment of epiphany, Lin Yuan felt as though the world before him had transformed.
The boundless, infinite void suddenly appeared incredibly simple, reduced to just two elements: time and space.
"So that's how it is," Lin Yuan thought, as a flood of insights overwhelmed him, pushing him to the brink of breaking through to the sixth level of the Time-Space Fusion Rule.
But at that very moment...
In his internal world, the Wisdom Lord, who had been trapped in a grand illusion crafted by Lin Yuan, suddenly opened his eyes.
"I'm awake?"
"Did I break free from the illusion?"
Before the Wisdom Lord could take stock of his surroundings, his body and soul began to disintegrate rapidly.
"Annoying," Lin Yuan muttered, casting a brief glance at the Wisdom Lord's location within his internal world before continuing his focus on comprehending the Time-Space Fusion Rule. He was on the verge of a breakthrough and would not allow any instability within his internal world.
Since the Wisdom Lord had awoken, no matter what external force was responsible, Lin Yuan would simply eliminate him.
"Time and space... How beautiful," Lin Yuan thought as he fully immersed himself in the essence of time and space.
In the depths of the Void Secret Realm...
Under the watchful eyes of the towering Void Child and the gathered Evil God True Lords, the Wisdom Lord's life-saving clone suddenly opened its eyes. But before he could react, his expression drastically changed.
He had sensed the death of his true body.
"Void Child..."
Seeing the towering figure of the Void Child, the Wisdom Lord immediately offered a respectful greeting.
"Speak. What exactly happened?" The Void Child directly asked, his curiosity piqued by the Wisdom Lord's plight.
For countless ages, the Void Child had ruled the Void Secret Realm without encountering any surprises—everything had been under his control.
But now, something in the Wisdom Lord's experience had stirred a long-forgotten feeling in the Void Child: curiosity.
"Yes," the Wisdom Lord responded, not daring to defy the Void Child. He had no intention of hiding anything and immediately recounted everything he knew.
"The Lord of the Yin Realm is not the true mastermind; it's the Martial Ancestor who is spreading martial arts, and the Lord of the Yin Realm is merely a figure pushed into the spotlight by him?"
The Void Child hadn't even responded yet when the other Evil God True Lords, including the East Wing Lord, were already dumbfounded.
To them, the Lord of the Yin Realm was already overwhelmingly powerful. But now it turned out that behind him stood an even stronger Martial Ancestor, whose power far surpassed the Lord of the Yin Realm—so much so that even the Wisdom Lord was powerless before him.
"That's right," confirmed the Wisdom Lord. "I sent an incarnation into the Azure World and discovered that the entire world worships the Martial Ancestor. All beings, spirits, and gods in that world revere martial arts."
The Wisdom Lord nodded, still in disbelief over what he had witnessed.
"Great Void Child, the Martial Ancestor is incredibly powerful—likely on the verge of reaching the Tenth Stage. Besides you, there is no one else in the boundless void who could contend with him."
The Wisdom Lord spoke respectfully to the towering figure of the Void Child. His true body had been unable to escape from the Martial Ancestor and had been suppressed and forced into slumber. The encounter had left the Wisdom Lord with a deep, lingering fear of the Martial Ancestor.
"On the verge of the Tenth Stage?"
The Void Child's expression remained calm. To him, as long as the Martial Ancestor wasn't a Tenth Stage Evil God, there was nothing to fear. With the power of the Void Secret Realm, he could crush anything.
"In that case, I'll go see this Martial Ancestor for myself," the Void Child declared.
"Yes," the Wisdom Lord sighed in relief.
With the great Void Child taking action, no matter how powerful the Martial Ancestor was, his fate was sealed.
In the boundless void, near a large world, the Void Child and the other peak Evil God True Lords appeared.
"Void Child, this world is one of the many occupied by the Lord of the Yin Realm. The Azure World, where the Martial Ancestor resides, is in that direction," the Wisdom Lord said, pointing the way.
He remembered the Azure World vividly—there was no mistaking it.
"I see," the Void Child responded, his vast aura like an ocean. "In that case, let's start with this world."
Though the Void Child was confident that no matter how strong the Martial Ancestor was, he wouldn't be his match, the Wisdom Lord's description had given him pause.
The Void Child had only recently awakened, and most of his power remained in slumber. He planned to destroy each of the worlds that practiced martial arts one by one as he traveled to the Azure World, fully awakening his power along the way. By the time he reached the Martial Ancestor, he would be at his peak and could kill him without issue.
"You, go draw out the Lord of the Yin Realm," the Void Child commanded. He was curious to see this Lord of the Yin Realm for himself. Since the Martial Ancestor had propped him up as a powerful figure, he must possess some of the Martial Ancestor's techniques.
"Understood," the God-Eye Lord nodded and revealed his form outside the world, calling out loudly.
"Lord of the Yin Realm, come out here—come out here—come out here!"
The God-Eye Lord's voice echoed through time and space, reaching every living being within the world.
"Lord of the Yin Realm, come out here—come out here—come out here!"
The terrifying sound waves, mixed with temporal fluctuations, sent shivers through the souls of every living creature in the world.
At the same time, the Void Child quietly observed the beings within the world, especially those practicing martial arts.
"Impressive."
The Void Child nodded, somewhat in admiration.
Though he had already been told by the Wisdom Lord about the threat and potential of the martial arts cultivation system, seeing it with his own eyes was still surprising.
Evil Gods reached their destructive heights because of their inherent foundations and strength.
But the creatures in this world? To the Evil Gods, they were mere ants, barely even considered food.
Yet this martial arts cultivation system allowed these ants the potential to grow and become a threat to the Evil Gods.
This method of cultivation, so different from the way Evil Gods grew stronger, intrigued the Void Child.
"Such a pity..."
"Their fate is already sealed."
The Void Child shook his head slightly. As long as he remained the ruler of the Void Secret Realm, these martial arts practitioners could never rise to pose a serious threat.
"Great Void Child, the Lord of the Yin Realm has not shown himself," the God-Eye Lord reported, bowing respectfully upon his return.
"Then destroy this world," the Void Child ordered. After observing for this brief period, most of his power had returned. He was now able to harness the full might of the Void Secret Realm, and there was no need to waste more time here.
"Understood."
The God-Eye Lord approached the martial arts-practicing world once more, opening his massive mouth. Time and space twisted as he prepared to swallow the entire world.
For a Seventh or Eighth Stage Evil God, devouring a world would take time, but for a peak Evil God True Lord like the God-Eye Lord, it would only take one bite.
Just as the world began to tremble...
The God-Eye Lord suddenly froze, stopping the motion of his mouth and letting the world slowly return to its original position.
"What's that?"
The God-Eye Lord's expression grew serious as he looked in the direction the Wisdom Lord had indicated—the direction of the Azure World, where the Martial Ancestor resided.
At that moment, subtle fluctuations of time and space began to emanate from that direction, rapidly spreading and soon enveloping half of the boundless void.
Not only the God-Eye Lord, but every peak Evil God True Lord present also felt the changes, their expressions growing solemn. Most of them had never experienced such a vast shift in the void before.
"Void Child?"
The Wisdom Lord, sensing the disturbance as well, turned to the Void Child.
But the Void Child was no longer where he had stood.
The Wisdom Lord scanned the area and finally spotted the Void Child. Somehow, he had already moved to the front of all the Evil God True Lords, gazing intently in the direction of the Azure World, as if staring down some powerful existence.
For the first time, the Void Child's gaze was filled with a rare seriousness, as if he were preparing to face a true adversary.
A world where even gods and spirits revere martial arts.
What a Martial Ancestor indeed!
...
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