Since the Yin-Yang Life-Bloom was useful to Lin Yuan, he naturally took it together with the iceberg and volcano that had nurtured it.
For Lin Yuan, it was an effortless task.
This region of the dimensional gap was rich in Yin and Yang forces—so even after the iceberg and volcano were removed, given enough time, new ones would eventually form again.
And when they did, another Yin-Yang Life-Bloom would bloom between them.
"Time to go back."
Placing the iceberg and volcano into his inner cosmos, Lin Yuan turned and began his journey back toward the Chaos Void.
The dimensional gap was filled with countless variables and unpredictable factors.
Though Lin Yuan was nearly indistinguishable from a thirteenth-rank being, he hadn't truly stepped into that level yet.
It was best not to linger too long.
If not for the Yin-Yang Life-Bloom's immense value in advancing his Chaos Tai Chi Dao, Lin Yuan wouldn't have sent his Tai Chi Primordial Spirit here at all.
As for the other gains—the Nightmare Fruit and other treasures, they were welcome, but not essential.
Compared to the decades spent traveling from the Chaos Void to the land of the iceberg and volcano, the return trip would be far shorter.
"The Yin-Yang Life-Bloom."
Lin Yuan carefully examined the strange bloom, now in full blossom at the junction between the mountain of ice and the mountain of fire.
Wisps of interwoven Yin and Yang energy flowed out from it.
"God… the great God…"
Countless Yin and Yang beings on the mountains prostrated before Lin Yuan in awe.
In their eyes, he was an unfathomable divinity. With a single stretch of his hand, he had taken away the home they had lived in for countless ages—and brought them along as well.
A being like that—just one breath from him could annihilate them all.
They couldn't help but worship.
"Continue your lives."
Lin Yuan didn't trouble these Yin and Yang beings.
He even planned to create a special realm within his inner cosmos just for them to flourish.
He was rather curious to see what kind of life would be born if Yin beings and Yang beings intermingled.
[Your Unrivaled Insight activates. Observing the mysterious flower greatly enhances your comprehension of the Chaos Tai Chi Dao.]
Merely by observing the Yin-Yang Life-Bloom for a short while, Lin Yuan felt countless flashes of inspiration erupt within his Chaos Tai Chi Dao.
The powers of Yin and Yang coiled before him—sometimes forming the world-suppressing Tai Chi Diagram, sometimes the all-severing Tai Chi Sword, sometimes—
"Yin and Yang… Tai Chi…"
Lin Yuan's eyes shone brightly. He absorbed the flood of insights pouring into his mind while continuing to study the flower.
Even the iceberg and volcano themselves were part of his contemplation.
"Under normal circumstances, it would take me tens of thousands—perhaps even a hundred thousand years—to push my Chaos Tai Chi Dao to the third stage before reaching the thirteenth rank."
He calculated swiftly.
"But now? A few thousand years will do."
The Yin-Yang Life-Bloom was an unparalleled guide—it was a Dao fruit of pure Yin-Yang harmony, born from the mysterious dimensional gap.
Combined with Lin Yuan's Unrivaled Insight, the effect was more than exponential.
It was a qualitative leap.
"The third stage of the Chaos Tai Chi Dao—that's the true limit of my path before the thirteenth rank. The limit of my Dao, not of my techniques."
He reflected silently.
For example, opening infinite particle worlds within his inner cosmos was a secret technique—something that required time to develop.
But the Chaos Tai Chi Dao was his true path.
It was what defined Lin Yuan himself, something he could use at will—even across consciousness transmigrations—without restriction.
The Milky Way Chaos Continent.
Although Lin Yuan had created thirty-three acquired universes and relocated much of humanity's elite there.
The Milky Way Chaos Continent remained the indisputable heart of human civilization. The thirty-three acquired universes were its foundation, ensuring an unbroken lineage.
On this day.
Dozens of twelfth-rank evolvers of human civilization gathered to discuss important matters.
Whoosh—A figure descended. It was Lin Yuan.
Every twelfth-rank evolver's heart trembled, and they immediately bowed in reverence.
Aside from the nine Strongest Ones who had once journeyed from the home universe with him, few had ever seen Lin Yuan in person.
To them, the Invincible Supreme Saint who ruled the Chaos Void was an awe-inspiring legend.
"Milky Way," Xuanyuan, one of the Strongest Ones, greeted him.
"I'm here to replenish the treasure vault—with some new items for exchange," Lin Yuan said with a faint smile.
After the Tai Chi Primordial Spirit's return, he had gathered all the lesser materials he didn't need, planning to donate them to humanity's vault.
As the pillar of the human race, he had no qualms about giving back.
Even back in the home universe, the vault's twelfth-rank treasures had come from the nine Strongest Ones giving freely to their descendants.
It was never about repayment.
"Replenish the vault?"
The Strongest Ones Xia Qin and Xu Shen exchanged a look and said quietly, "Milky Way, you've already done more than enough for our people. Don't let this delay your own cultivation."
He had built the Milky Way Chaos Continent to shelter humanity.
Then, he had created thirty-three acquired universes, forging an eternal foundation.
Such contributions were beyond measure—how could they ever repay him?
And now he was adding more treasures?
"It's fine. These things don't mean much to me."
Lin Yuan glanced at the respectful twelfth-rank evolvers.
"You're free to look through them. If something helps your cultivation, exchange for it with merit."
As soon as he finished speaking—
Lin Yuan waved his hand.
Countless items fell from the air.
Among them were not only rare treasures—but also corpses.
Corpses of beings from the dimensional gaps.
During his wanderings, the Tai Chi Primordial Spirit had occasionally struck down some of the gap's creatures.
To Lin Yuan, they were insignificant. But to human evolvers, they were unimaginably powerful.
Back in the home universe, when humanity had once obtained a single fragment of a twelfth-rank corpse that drifted in from the cosmic rift, it had triggered battles among Strongest Ones.
That fragment alone had fueled the rise of many geniuses—Lin Yuan himself had learned much from it.
The corpses of powerful beings contained the essence of their paths.
Compared to directly perceiving the laws of the Dao, studying such bodies was far easier.
"These corpses…"
The Strongest Ones—Xia Qin, Xuanyuan, and the others—as well as the gathered twelfth-rank evolvers, all felt immense pressure.
The thousands of corpses Lin Yuan casually dropped—each radiated an overwhelming aura.
"These are all corpses of dimensional beings," Lin Yuan said casually.
"Each one carries fragments of unique paths. I kept them so our evolvers could study them."
Lifeforms that survived the dimensional gaps often pursued extreme, singular paths of power.
Extremes had their own virtues—it was up to each evolver to find what resonated.
"This one… what strength did it have when alive?" Yu Die, another Strongest One, pointed to the corpse of an octopus-like being whose aura was so dense it seemed to form a miniature world.
"Roughly stronger than an Invincible Supreme Saint," Lin Yuan replied.
"One of the weaker ones, actually."
"Stronger than an Invincible Supreme Saint?" Xuanyuan was stunned.
The others turned toward the remaining thousands of corpses.
If that octopus was among the weaker ones, then every single corpse here had once surpassed the Invincible Supreme Saint level?
Thousands of such beings—killed and brought back by Lin Yuan?
Even knowing his terrifying growth, the nine Strongest Ones couldn't help but breathe deeply.
Still, they'd learned to accept the impossible when it came to Lin Yuan.
The newly ascended twelfth-rank evolvers, however, were utterly speechless.
Beings stronger than Invincible Supreme Saints—by the thousands?
Since when were such beings so common?
And wasn't the Milky Way Saint himself an Invincible Supreme Saint?
"All right, study them freely," Lin Yuan said. "I've already removed the chaotic killing will from their bodies."
After giving a few more words of guidance, his figure faded away.
Leaving the human Strongest Ones and evolvers staring blankly at the mountains of treasures and corpses.
Soon after—
News spread swiftly throughout human civilization: the vault had been enriched with a vast trove of treasures and dimensional corpses.
"So many dimensional relics? Some of these corpses were stronger than Invincible Supreme Saints? That level… so many of them?" Countless evolvers stared at the vault's new exchange listings in disbelief.
"Wasn't the dimensional gap supposed to be full of deadly threats? Even Supreme Saints don't dare explore it deeply—where did all these come from?"
"Don't speculate. They're gifts from the great Milky Way Saint. He explored the dimensional gap, gathered these effortlessly, and chose to share them with us to nurture the next generations."
Those in the know explained quietly.
By now, Lin Yuan was the unshakable spiritual pillar of human civilization—the one who had lifted humanity to the very summit of the Chaos Void's powers.
"What level is the Milky Way Saint at now? Has he stepped into the thirteenth rank? Why is the perilous dimensional gap nothing to him—like his own back garden?"
"How blessed our civilization is, to have given birth to someone like the Milky Way Saint." Many of the older evolvers who had once struggled back in the home universe wept openly.
They remembered how immense the pressure from other races used to be.
But ever since the rise of the Milky Way Saint, that pressure was gone.
Now, the only thing that weighed on them—was the fear that they could no longer keep up with him.
...
The entire human civilization was in an uproar over the "update" to the treasure vault.
But the one responsible for it all—Lin Yuan—paid it little attention.
After bestowing countless dimensional treasures upon humanity, he left the rest to others.
The valuation of each item, the merit points required for exchange—all of it was handled by the three Goddesses.
Since humanity had left their home universe, Lin Yuan had personally acted several times to "upgrade" the three Goddesses.
Now, their divine power was so immense that even a Supreme Saint couldn't compare.
Their allegiance, however, had never changed—they stood firmly with the human civilization.
"Father, Mother…"
Lin Yuan's gaze pierced through the endless Chaos Void.
Lin Shou Cheng and Lin Qiong—his parents—had long been placed within one of the thirty-three Acquired Universes.
These thirty-three universes were humanity's ultimate bastion, created by Lin Yuan himself. One could leave them—but never enter.
Within their universe, his parents were protected by the Universe Spirit itself. "Absolutely safe" wasn't an exaggeration.
As for the lifespan limit below the twelfth rank, if one relied purely on resources, the ultimate ceiling was the perfection of the eleventh rank.
In theory, physical strength, soul, willpower, and even understanding of the laws could all be augmented by external means.
But from the eleventh to the twelfth rank required an act of pure will—a single, ultimate leap.
Success meant transcendence; failure meant death, devoured by the backlash of the Chaos Void's river of time.
Lin Yuan had foreseen through future timelines that his parents' chances of making that leap were slim.
But extending their lifespan did not necessarily require entering the twelfth rank.
The root cause of the lifespan limit below that level lay in the essence of existence itself, the soul's fundamental imprint being bound to the river of time of one's own universe.
If that universe perished in a great collapse and its river of time withered away, every such imprint would crumble alongside it.
Even when Lin Yuan himself was at the eleventh rank—his body and soul perfected, his lifespan infinite—he would still perish if his universe met its end.
But what if the universe never perished?
So—
Lin Yuan had long since transferred his parents' fundamental life imprints into the river of time of their Acquired Universe.
The thirty-three Acquired Universes were masterpieces of his creation, eternal and immune to cycles of destruction and rebirth, coexisting with the Chaos Void itself.
Thus, his parents' life imprints were anchored to an undying time flow—making the concept of a lifespan limit meaningless.
This was something Lin Yuan had done personally for them.
That Acquired Universe was vast beyond measure, and after modification by human civilization, it contained every form of joy and leisure imaginable—more than enough for Lin Shou Cheng and Lin Qiong to live in endless happiness.
He split a fragment of his consciousness to accompany them there.
The rest of his mind, however, focused once again on the Chaos Void.
As Lin Yuan's gaze deepened, the true essence of the Chaos Void revealed itself before him—bit by bit.
"That is…"
He saw the deepest region of the Chaos Void—the end of all space and time—where threads of temporal energy wove together to form countless zones of pure time loops.
"The time loops of all those who once attempted the thirteenth rank?"
Lin Yuan mused silently. These time-formed regions even he couldn't peer through. They radiated the aura of the highest laws of the infinite dimensions.
No matter the realm or dimension, any being attempting to reach the thirteenth rank would inevitably be drawn into a time loop—a law set by the supreme rules themselves.
Every loop was protected and obscured by that supreme law.
"There are too many…"
Lin Yuan's eyes swept across them. Each loop was utterly silent—most had long gone dead, their inhabitants unable to ever escape.
"The master of the Devil Jade Tower…"
His gaze landed on one particular loop near the depths. Through faint threads of causality, he confirmed it belonged to the former Lord of the Devil Jade Tower.
A once-invincible Supreme Saint who had ruled an entire era of the Chaos Void.
His loop was larger than most nearby.
For even among perfected Chaos-realm beings, there were degrees: Great Saints, Supreme Saints, Invincible Supreme Saints, and so on.
This distinction was visible not just in strength, but in the size of the time loop one occupied during the thirteenth-rank trial.
The greater the strength, the vaster the loop.
"No hope of breaking through anymore," Lin Yuan murmured.
Once a Chaos-realm perfected being entered the loop, the faster the breakthrough, the better.
Within a cosmic era was best—ideally within hundreds or thousands of years.
The longer one lingered, the lower the chance of success.
And the Lord of the Devil Jade Tower had been trapped for countless eras.
"No normal chance of success left."
"Once I step into the thirteenth rank, I can try to break his time loop," Lin Yuan thought.
A thirteenth-rank time being couldn't see inside a loop—but could shatter it by force.
It would come at a cost, though—a price few were willing to pay.
Yet Lin Yuan owed the Lord of the Devil Jade Tower karmically—he had benefited from many of his legacies.
If the price wasn't too steep, Lin Yuan would attempt it.
Of course, once a loop was forcibly broken, the being within, though freed, would forever lose the chance to become a time being.
"Mysterious Emperor…" Lin Yuan recalled softly.
A thirteenth-rank being could resurrect any twelfth-rank life—as long as it had once existed.
Lin Yuan continued to survey the depths of the Chaos Void's time loops.
The innermost ones were utterly dead, no longer worth observing.
His gaze lingered on the outer regions—those where Chaos-realm beings from the more recent eras were still struggling.
"Hm?"
"This one…"
He focused on a particular loop—larger even than the Devil Jade Tower Lord's. Its surface rippled faintly with waves of temporal energy—the being inside was still struggling fiercely.
"There's hope here," Lin Yuan nodded slightly. His lordly perception made his judgment far more precise than that of ordinary time beings.
"The one trapped here is…"
As soon as his perception brushed the loop, a karmic thread formed between him and its occupant.
"Saint Rahu?" (One of the Supreme Saints who ordered the capture of Lin Yuan)
He murmured the name softly.
The moment he spoke it, the karmic link deepened, and Lin Yuan traced Rahu's past, present, and future timelines.
Past timelines.
Present timelines.
Future timelines.
"I didn't expect my karma with him to run this deep."
He saw it clearly—Rahu had once sent two Supreme Saints to investigate the deaths of Chaos Saints Nine Phoenix and Shadowfiend. Their search had led them to the Milky Way Chaos Continent.
Where Lin Yuan had erased them to establish his reputation.
From then on, the name of the Invincible Supreme Saint spread throughout the Chaos Void.
In the timelines Lin Yuan observed, Rahu, upon realizing Lin Yuan's strength, fell into despair.
He abandoned his pursuit of the title "Invincible Supreme Saint" and instead challenged the thirteenth rank.
"Rahu desired that title deeply. The thirteenth-rank legacy he cultivated required enduring boundless torment, yet he succeeded—driven by that obsession."
Lin Yuan understood his fixation.
Rahu had hidden away for era after era, waiting until the previous Invincible Supreme Saint had perished before completing his own cultivation.
He never truly expected to reach the thirteenth rank—he only wanted that one title.
"But by giving up his obsession with being Invincible, he opened the door to transcendence."
Lin Yuan sighed inwardly.
Perhaps even Rahu himself didn't realize it.
He had given up simply because he believed himself unworthy—unable to surpass Lin Yuan.
He could crush all other Supreme Saints, yet still not claim the title he sought.
That shift in his heart—letting go of desire—had unknowingly paved his way toward the thirteenth rank.
"Obsession…"
Lin Yuan thought quietly. "Obsession plays a huge role in the time loop trial. Mysterious Emperor failed because he couldn't let go of his longing to resurrect his Dao partner."
Rahu, by contrast, succeeded because he had released his own.
Two paths—neither right nor wrong—but leading to completely different outcomes.
Of course, obsession alone wasn't everything.
Rahu's accumulation was immense—that much was clear from the size of his time loop, even greater than the Devil Jade Tower Lord's.
By strength alone, Rahu surpassed him.
With such a foundation, the management of one's obsession became crucial.
In another part of the Chaos Void.
Seven thirteenth-rank time beings, including 'Mo Xu Jun,' had gathered.
"The Milky Way is becoming harder and harder to see through," said one clad in black armor, his tone filled with awe.
"Not just in the timelines—even his very presence grows more unfathomable with each passing moment."
"Not being able to see through him is only natural," said a time being with a human head and serpent body.
"He's destined to become a Time Lord. Sometimes I wonder—could he be the layout of a Time Lord himself? Or even a reincarnation?"
Otherwise, why would the future timelines unanimously show that he must become a Time Lord?
"A Time Lord?"
The others grew solemn, then puzzled.
"But why would a Time Lord reincarnate into our dimension?
The Chaos Void is indeed a top-tier dimensional space—but not one worth such a sacrifice."
The price would be unimaginable.
"Whatever the truth, the Milky Way is still our Chaos Void's time being," said Mo Xu Jun with a smile, sweeping his gaze across the six others.
"True."
"Indeed."
They all nodded.
Whatever his origins, as long as he hailed from their dimension, he was one of them.
Across infinite dimensions, many time beings had been born.
And those from the same origin always shared a closer bond.
"By the way," Mo Xu Jun asked, "how's the progress with the 'Tianhe' dimension?"
The Tianhe Dimension was vast and chaotic—a realm that didn't reject foreign time beings.
The seven of them had entered it long ago, forming an alliance to compete against other time factions, securing a major share of its territory.
"Don't worry," said the serpent-bodied one.
"The Heart of Tianhe this cycle will be ours. The other powers have had their turns before—they won't interfere."
The Heart of Tianhe was a treasure born only after countless eons within that dimension. Refining it granted direct insight into its core laws.
Time beings explored dimensions to perceive such unique rule structures.
They could slowly comprehend them over time—but refining a Heart was far faster.
"Good," said Mo Xu Jun, nodding.
With the Heart of Tianhe, they could all deepen their understanding of that dimension's essence—furthering their own accumulation.
Time beings had eternal lifespans; given enough accumulation, they would eventually approach the threshold of Time Lord.
"In that case, when the Milky Way ascends to the thirteenth rank, we'll have a fitting gift prepared."
Mo Xu Jun's gaze swept the others.
The Heart of Tianhe was an incomparable treasure—even greater in value than the colossal Nightmare Fruit.
After countless struggles against rival time beings, they had finally secured the chance to claim it.
Lin Yuan, after a final glance toward the time loops deep in the Chaos Void, withdrew that fragment of his consciousness.
He was ready to continue studying the Yin-Yang Life-Bloom.
"The third Source World…"
A thought flickered. Deep within the Gate of Myriad Realms, thirty-three Source World coordinates glimmered faintly.
So far, Lin Yuan had only explored the first two. Thirty-one remained.
He hadn't ventured further because the remaining Source Worlds still carried threats—even to his life.
But now, strong enough, he could at least observe them—to prepare for exploration after reaching the thirteenth rank.
With that thought—
Lin Yuan's consciousness sank into his mind, gazing upon the vast, majestic Gate of Myriad Realms.
...
The Gate of Myriad Realms still stood tall and grand, seemingly eternal and unchanging.
Lin Yuan studied it carefully. Every time he gazed at the Gate of Myriad Realms, he experienced something different.
Buzz—Lin Yuan split a trace of his consciousness, following the third source world coordinate deep within the Gate of Myriad Realms, attempting to observe the third source world from the gate's perspective.
This was something Lin Yuan did every time before transmigrating.
But the next moment—
Lin Yuan received a warning from the Gate of Myriad Realms.
"Danger?"
"The third source world is capable of threatening me?"
Lin Yuan immediately withdrew his consciousness and fell into contemplation.
So-called danger, as determined by the Gate of Myriad Realms, referred to a possibility that could cause irreversible harm to his primary bodies and numerous divine soul avatars.
Each of Lin Yuan's primary bodies existed independently, with causality completely isolated.
But to affect all of them simultaneously didn't necessarily require causal interference.
Memory could suffice.
After all, all of his primary bodies shared the same memories.
If there were contamination on the level of memory or spirit, it would undoubtedly affect every body and avatar.
During his initial exploration of the first source world, and when he used his consciousness to peer into the second source world, he had also received a similar warning.
In hindsight, the Gate of Myriad Realms' warning had been entirely justified.
The demonic energy pollution of the second source world targeted the spiritual mind.
Given Lin Yuan's mental strength at the time, even the slightest contamination would have caused irreparable damage and injury.
And it would've even affected his primary bodies across other dimensional spaces.
The demonic energy of the second source world was, in essence, the residual power of a Time Lord.
Its level was beyond comprehension.
It was far beyond what Lin Yuan at the time could withstand.
And now—
As he attempted to explore the third source world, Lin Yuan received a similar warning.
"What kind of world is the third source world that it can actually pose a real threat to me now?"
Lin Yuan was alarmed.
In his eyes, losing a single primary body or avatar didn't even count as a real threat.
At worst, he could just descend again and reforge it.
A true threat was one that could implicate his other-dimensional primary bodies or cause them harm.
Given Lin Yuan's current strength, combined with causal isolation, there were very few things left that could produce such consequences.
"Perhaps the third source world contains a living Time Lord?"
Lin Yuan speculated inwardly.
The methods of a Time Lord were often beyond comprehension.
A powerful Time Lord possessed the strength to subtly alter the past.
Of course, unless that Time Lord went all-in, they wouldn't dare tamper with the past—even slightly.
Any such change could draw the attention of a perfect fourteenth-rank time being.
The higher the level of existence, the more terrifying the perfect fourteenth-rank time being became.
After all, even thirteenth-rank time beings stood at the pinnacle of all lifeforms, but in truth, so-called time beings might merely be "toys" unintentionally created by perfect time beings.
Because perfect time beings allowed it, time beings could exist at all.
This realization left many time beings deeply unsettled.
"Forget it."
Lin Yuan shook his head, deciding it was better to heed the warning.
He hadn't originally intended to explore the third source world before reaching the thirteenth rank anyway.
Currently, all aspects of Lin Yuan's power had reached a bottleneck. The only remaining avenue of advancement was The Tao of Chaos Tai Chi.
And The Tao of Chaos Tai Chi didn't require source world exploration for improvement. Ever since he had begun comprehending the Yin-Yang Twin Bloom, Lin Yuan's understanding of The Tao of Chaos Tai Chi had been advancing by leaps and bounds.
Therefore, even if exploring the third source world now yielded some gains, it wouldn't provide any fundamental benefit to Lin Yuan.
It was better to wait until he reached the thirteenth rank before gradually exploring it.
Far, far away from the Chaos Void.
A vast, boundless celestial river swept across countless timelines and cosmic planes. Mighty and endless, it surged without pause. The sheer presence of this celestial river alone struck fear into many time beings.
This was the Celestial River Dimension, an exceptionally unique and non-exclusive dimensional space. (Tianhe Dimension, I renamed it)
Precisely because it wasn't exclusive, the Celestial River Dimension housed nearly a hundred time beings—not only natives, but also many who had come from various other dimensions.
"The Heart of the Celestial River."
At the center of the surging celestial river, seven time beings of the Chaos Void stood in their combat bodies, gazing toward the river's depths, where a heart formed entirely from the river's source power was gradually taking shape.
"In at most four thousand years, the Heart of the Celestial River will be fully formed."
Lord Mo Xu-jun was in high spirits. With the Heart of the Celestial River, not only could one closely feel the operation of the river's fundamental laws, but it could also serve as a gift for Lin Yuan—a gift to help him break through to the thirteenth rank.
"Hmm?"
"Something's wrong."
While observing the birth of the Celestial River Heart, Lord Mo Xu-jun also peered into future timelines.
At that moment, one future timeline—previously of minimal likelihood—suddenly expanded rapidly, occupying nearly a third of all future timelines he could perceive.
"What is this?"
Lord Mo Xu-jun's expression turned grim. "Time beings from the Taixu Dimension are coming to seize the Celestial River Heart too?"
The Taixu Dimension was a formidable space, no weaker than the Chaos Void. During this Great Collapse Era, the Taixu Dimension had given rise to nine time beings—exerting overwhelming influence across nearby dimensional rifts.
"What could have happened to make the time beings of Taixu Dimension determined to claim the Celestial River Heart?"
Lord Mo Xu-jun was puzzled. In the multitude of timelines he had previously seen, the odds of Taixu interfering were minuscule—almost nonexistent.
But just moments ago, those odds surged drastically, now accounting for nearly one-third.
It must have been influenced by some other factor, causing the time beings of Taixu to suddenly covet the Celestial River Heart.
The future held infinite possibilities and countless variables. Even a future that once seemed secure could be completely overturned by a minor change.
Even beings as powerful as thirteenth-rank time beings could only attempt to steer the future toward their desired outcome—whether they succeeded was still uncertain.
"Lord Mo Xu-jun, that Taixu Dimension…"
The other six time beings also made their moves, having noticed the timeline changes. Their expressions all turned serious.
"Regardless of the reason, based on the development of future timelines, the time beings of Taixu will almost certainly contend with us for the Celestial River Heart."
Lord Mo Xu-jun spoke.
What had already happened in the past didn't matter.
It was the impending confrontation with the Taixu time beings that they had to deal with.
"What do we do now?"
A time being clad in black armor frowned.
The Taixu Dimension had nine thirteenth-rank time beings—numerically surpassing the Chaos Void.
"What do we do?"
"Obviously, we fight."
A snake-bodied, human-headed time being said, "Since the Taixu Dimension wants the Celestial River Heart, then let them prove their strength."
The Celestial River Heart was a treasure the seven Chaos Void time beings had planned for over countless eons. They had made many compromises and concessions to other powers in the Celestial River Dimension to obtain it.
How could they just give it up?
Thirteenth-rank time beings were experts at weighing pros and cons. But just the time beings of Taixu alone weren't enough to force the seven of Chaos Void into submission.
"Exactly."
"Then let's fight."
Lord Mo Xu-jun nodded.
While Taixu held a numerical advantage in thirteenth-rank time beings,
At this level, unless there was overwhelming disparity in strength, numbers alone didn't mean much.
The most critical factor was that if they gave up the Celestial River Heart without even putting up a fight, the standing of the Chaos Void's seven time beings in the Celestial River Dimension would plummet.
"The strongest among Taixu's thirteenth-ranks isn't stronger than me. If it really comes to a battle, we have a chance to win."
Lord Mo Xu-jun said.
Battles between thirteenth-rank time beings were mostly about who could perceive more timelines—and find the one where their side was most likely to win.
As for raw combat?
It only mattered at key temporal nodes.
Prolonged clashes were rare.
Endless brawls without conclusion were meaningless.
Unless such battles were, in fact, part of a greater time being's scheme.
Chaos Void—
A strange flower containing the extreme forces of Yin and Yang slowly bloomed in front of Lin Yuan.
Within the flower, Yin and Yang fused, remained distinct, and continually transformed—very similar to the essence of The Tao of Tai Chi.
Because of this similarity—and because the flower was born from the supreme laws of dimensional gaps—it was able to guide Lin Yuan toward the third level of The Tao of Chaos Tai Chi.
"Yin and Yang, Tai Chi…"
Lin Yuan immersed himself, diving deep into study and enlightenment, countless flashes of insight flooding his mind.
[Your Unrivaled Insight allows you to comprehend the mysterious flower, greatly enhancing your understanding of The Tao of Chaos Tai Chi.]
Almost every moment, Lin Yuan's grasp of The Tao of Chaos Tai Chi surged forward. Countless insights accumulated, endlessly building up the foundation for a future breakthrough.
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, three thousand years went by.
Over these three thousand years, Lin Yuan poured nearly all his focus into understanding the Yin-Yang Twin Bloom. The accumulation of three millennia finally erupted in a single moment.
[Your Unrivaled Insight allows you to comprehend the mysterious flower. The Tao of Chaos Tai Chi has reached the third level.]
In that hazy moment, Lin Yuan felt as if he were standing at an entirely new height.
In the Chaos Void, Lin Yuan—who had been sitting cross-legged with eyes closed—suddenly opened them.
"So that's how it is?"
His eyes—one black, one white—resembled the Chaos Tai Chi itself, and instantly expanded outward in all directions, black above and white below, vast and unstoppable, sweeping across everything.
"So that's how it is!"
Lin Yuan murmured softly. At that moment, nearly one-fifth of the Chaos Void was engulfed in the black-and-white of Yin and Yang, continuously weaving, clashing, and evolving—endlessly.
"So that's how it is."
Lin Yuan closed his eyes once more. The black-and-white Yin-Yang that had filled one-fifth of the Chaos Void rapidly faded, and the Chaos Tai Chi Mark at his brow also disappeared.
Everything returned to calm.
Everything returned to normal.
...