The Boundless Void was vast and immense, but to Lin Yuan, with a single thought, he could appear anywhere.
This was an ability that came with mastering time and space to a certain level.
Having reached the sixth realm of the Space-Time Fusion Rule, Lin Yuan's understanding of time and space had stepped into the threshold of the Strongest Ones.
The Void Secret Realm was located deep within multiple layers of space in the Boundless Void, surrounded by time-space mazes.
Even a ninth-stage Peak Evil God True Lord would need special maps and tokens to enter.
But those time-space mazes were no obstacle to Lin Yuan.
At the fifth realm of the Space-Time Fusion Rule, Lin Yuan could already force his way into the Void Secret Realm.
Now, having reached the sixth realm of the Space-Time Fusion Rule, the entire Void Secret Realm, inside and out...
Every area within it held no secrets from Lin Yuan.
It was like his own backyard.
In fact, if Lin Yuan wished, he could create an entirely new "Void Secret Realm"—one more perfect and grand than the existing one.
The tenth-stage Evil God of the Boundless Void, in some sense, had barely achieved the sixth realm of understanding time and space.
However, their mastery of the sixth realm was based on their innate talent.
In contrast, Lin Yuan had developed his understanding of the sixth realm of the Space-Time Fusion Rule entirely through his own insight.
In some aspects, the difference between the two was quite large.
"He's entering on his own?"
The Void Child was utterly shocked.
The Void Secret Realm had been created through the immense efforts of its founder.
Even though Lin Yuan had reached the tenth stage, the Void Child didn't doubt his ability to force his way into the Void Secret Realm.
But the idea that Lin Yuan could enter the deepest core areas of the Void Secret Realm without his permission...
Did he think the secret realm created by its founder's painstaking effort was as fragile as paper?
Yet, in the next moment...
The Void Child, as the master of the realm, faintly sensed that the Martial Ancestor's presence had already arrived in the deepest core area of the Void Secret Realm, completely without warning.
During this time, the numerous time-space barriers and traps of the Void Secret Realm hadn't even had the chance to activate. It was as though the Martial Ancestor, like the Void Child himself, was the true master of the realm.
"What...?"
The Void Child's face turned slightly pale.
In truth, even after learning that the Martial Ancestor had stepped into the tenth stage, the Void Child still had a bit of confidence left.
If the Martial Ancestor made unreasonable demands...
Such as enslaving him completely or intending to kill him and take control of the Void Secret Realm...
The Void Child would certainly refuse.
At worst, he could retreat into the deepest core of the Void Secret Realm.
Even a tenth-stage being couldn't force their way into that area.
This was one of the few pieces of information the Void Child had inherited from the creator of the realm.
The Void Secret Realm was built upon the foundation of the Boundless Void.
Unless someone's understanding of time and space far exceeded that of the realm's creator, even another tenth-stage being wouldn't be able to completely take control of the Void Secret Realm.
But now?
The Void Child realized how laughable his final trump card and confidence were in front of the Martial Ancestor.
If not for his lingering control over the Void Secret Realm, the Void Child would have thought the secret realm had already changed owners.
"Luckily, I didn't say too much just now..."
The Void Child was immensely relieved. If he had not immediately agreed to the Martial Ancestor's demands and instead tried to use the Void Secret Realm as his last bargaining chip, things might not have ended well for him.
The Void Child had no doubt that the Martial Ancestor would have killed him. After all, such powerful beings were all sovereign in their own right. The previous master of the Void Secret Realm had been no different.
"Did the Martial Ancestor not notice me?" The Wisdom Lord, standing nearby, let out a sigh of relief. Among the many Evil Gods present, he had the most ties to the Martial Ancestor.
Not only had his incarnation infiltrated the Azure World and been suppressed by the Martial Ancestor, but he had also schemed with the other Evil God True Lords to try and kill the Lord of the Yin Realm.
Given the close relationship between the Lord of the Yin Realm and the Martial Ancestor, it would have been perfectly reasonable for the Martial Ancestor to kill the Wisdom Lord.
"Maybe, in the eyes of the Martial Ancestor, I was never worthy of his attention..." The Wisdom Lord wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or disappointed. He had always prided himself on his intelligence, but in the face of absolute power, even the greatest wisdom was pale and insignificant.
In the deepest part of the Void Secret Realm...
Lin Yuan casually observed his surroundings.
Before reaching the sixth realm of space-time fusion, his Yang Primordial Spirit had roamed the secret realm for years, unable to break through the barriers at its core.
But now, with just a step, Lin Yuan had entered.
"Tenth-stage Evil Gods have similar power over time and space as those at the sixth realm of space-time fusion, but in terms of precision, they fall short."
After observing the Void Secret Realm for a while, Lin Yuan came to this conclusion.
This was the difference between raw talent and self-cultivated understanding.
In the early stages, the Evil Gods could crush martial arts practitioners.
But as their strength and realms increased, the gap between them would quickly narrow, and eventually, the martial arts practitioners would surpass them.
"But where did the creator of this secret realm go?" Lin Yuan wondered. Tenth-stage Evil Gods were beings somewhere between the eleventh and twelfth ranks of the main universe.
Such a powerful life form could live through the birth and destruction of a universe, surviving for an entire cosmic era.
And this Boundless Void had clearly not yet experienced such destruction, as the legend of the secret realm's creator still lingered, and the Void Secret Realm still existed. Therefore, in theory, the creator should still be alive.
Lin Yuan had initially thought the creator of the secret realm was hiding somewhere in deep slumber. But after stepping into the sixth realm of space-time fusion and scanning the entire Boundless Void, he hadn't found a trace of the creator.
"Here?"
Lin Yuan looked around. This was the deepest core of the Void Secret Realm, a vast desert-like environment.
Lin Yuan stood in the center of the desert, facing several towering stone pillars.
His gaze swept over the stone pillars, noticing that they contained some information left behind by the secret realm's creator. The inscriptions were instructions for future masters of the realm, detailing how to refine and control the Void Secret Realm and encouraging them to continue using it to help Evil Gods enhance their mind-will.
"This creator was rather merciful."
Lin Yuan shook his head slightly. The creation of the Void Secret Realm didn't seem to benefit its creator in the least. All the benefits went to the eighth and ninth-stage Evil Gods.
After all, killing the creatures within the secret realm provided a very real and effective way to strengthen one's mind-will.
And with Evil Gods being prone to madness, a stronger mind-will helped them maintain their sanity.
"Hmm?"
Soon, Lin Yuan finished reading the inscriptions and turned his gaze back to the first stone pillar.
This pillar didn't contain any specific information, only a complex pattern that Lin Yuan had initially overlooked.
"Is there a hidden space behind this pattern?"
Upon closer examination, Lin Yuan manipulated the power of time and space, activating the energy within the pattern.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
A faint suction force enveloped Lin Yuan.
With his power, Lin Yuan could easily break free with a single thought, but he didn't resist.
Whoosh!
Lin Yuan appeared on a mountaintop, where a figure sat on a distant boulder.
The figure wore a gray robe and stood only about four or five meters tall. At first glance, it resembled a lifeless tree stump. It had no ears or nose, only five eyes and a mouth.
"To have discovered this hidden space, you must have also stepped into the tenth stage," the figure in the gray robe said slowly.
"So, this is the creator of the secret realm?" Lin Yuan looked at the figure and realized it was just a projection, similar to a "program" from human civilization in the main universe. It would be triggered by the presence of any life form.
"I don't know what era it is now, but it is good, fortunate even, that my Boundless Void has birthed a second tenth-stage being," the gray-robed figure continued.
The words of the gray-robed figure weren't spoken in any specific language but were transmitted as mental waves, understandable to any form of life.
"The second tenth-stage being?" Lin Yuan's expression remained unchanged.
"After stepping into the tenth stage, I could feel the suppression of the Boundless Void, as well as a fear from a distant future. I will die—if not now, then later."
The gray-robed figure continued speaking.
Lin Yuan listened quietly.
Even in the main universe, without achieving the ultimate leap and breaking free from the constraints of the river of time, no matter how powerful a life form was, it would eventually die.
It wasn't a matter of lifespan but of the inevitable collapse and destruction of the universe. When the river of time itself collapsed, all life forms trapped within it would be destroyed.
The fear of death that the creator of the secret realm had felt likely came from the distant future, from the vision of the Boundless Void's destruction and the collapse of its river of time.
"My intuition tells me that to survive, I must take that step."
There was a hint of both anticipation and fear in the gray-robed figure's voice as it spoke.
"Take that step?" Lin Yuan pondered. The figure was likely referring to the ultimate challenge. However, in this Boundless Void, there were no predecessors to guide the way, so the creator had no idea what exactly he was striving for.
Hence, they referred to it simply as "that step."
"Taking that step feels incredibly dangerous, but not taking it guarantees my death. So, I have no choice," the gray-robed figure continued.
"Seems like he failed," Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Now he finally understood why, after searching the entire Boundless Void, he hadn't found a trace of the secret realm's creator.
Attempting the ultimate challenge would require a being to transcend everything, including the imprint of their existence within the Void. If they failed, they would vanish completely, leaving no trace behind.
Had the creator of the secret realm succeeded and become an ultimate being, he would have surely returned to the Boundless Void.
But after all this time, there had been no sign of him, meaning he had likely failed.
"Thus, before I attempt the challenge, I decided to leave something behind for this Boundless Void. I created the Void Secret Realm, sealing away the void creatures outside the void."
"And—"
The gray-robed figure looked at Lin Yuan.
"I've also prepared a gift for you. Consider it a congratulatory present."
The gray-robed figure slowly faded away.
Lin Yuan stood there, lost in thought.
Attempting the ultimate challenge meant that failure would result in complete annihilation, with no trace left behind.
The creator of the Void Secret Realm had been a tenth-stage Evil God, with resources and a foundation even beyond the eleventh-rank legends of the main universe, yet they had still failed in their attempt to become an ultimate being.
Everything about them had disappeared, leaving only the Void Secret Realm behind.
"Will I end up like this one day too?"
Lin Yuan quietly wondered to himself.
But after a moment, he shook his head slightly.
He was different from the creator of the Void Secret Realm. The creator had no predecessors and had to forge their path alone. Failure was the most likely outcome.
Lin Yuan, however, had the backing of human civilization, with the experience of countless Strongest Ones to guide him and access to treasures that could increase his chances of succeeding in the ultimate challenge. His odds of success would be far greater than the secret realm's creator.
Most importantly, Lin Yuan was still only at the tenth rank. When he reached the eleventh rank and underwent a complete transformation, his chances of success in the ultimate challenge would increase even further.
And with his Unrivaled Insight...
Lin Yuan couldn't guarantee that he would succeed in the ultimate challenge, but he was confident that he could raise his chances to the highest possible level.
"Did the creator of the Void Secret Realm leave a gift? A congratulatory present?"
Lin Yuan turned his gaze toward the boulder where the gray-robed figure had sat. Inside, there was a vast space.
As Lin Yuan sent a thread of his consciousness into the space, his expression changed slightly.
"These...?"
...
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