The third origin world.
Within a palace of astonishing phenomena.
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, slowly opening his eyes.
"This origin world…"
Lin Yuan's face was contemplative, as numerous pieces of information flashed through his mind.
This world is boundless, known as the Great Wilderness Origin World, containing countless terrifying races.
And the vessel Lin Yuan descended into belongs to the Human Race.
Moreover, he is the only limit-transcending figure of the Human Race in this era—
Emperor Tianyuan.
"Great Emperor" is a title, not a specific realm.
Anyone who can stand at the pinnacle of the Great Wilderness Origin World can be called a Great Emperor.
Or Celestial Emperor, Supreme.
The fact that Lin Yuan could become the universally recognized Great Emperor in this era clearly indicates his undeniable strength.
Even if his power wasn't the strongest.
It surely ranked among the strongest.
But it is regrettable that…
Lin Yuan is not appearing as a Great Emperor at the peak of his era.
Instead, he is an aged Great Emperor.
An aged Great Emperor whose vitality has dwindled, with a lifespan limited.
…
In fact, Emperor Tianyuan had already exhausted his lifespan and sat down for eternity.
If not, he wouldn't have been taken as Lin Yuan's vessel upon his descent.
The traversal descent via the Myriad Realms Gate can only choose life forms that are about to die or already dead.
Lin Yuan's ability to descend signifies that the original Emperor Tianyuan was already dead.
…
"The rules of this origin world are indeed peculiar, to think there exists the shackle of lifespan limit."
Lin Yuan exhaled gently, carefully adjusting the qi and blood within his body.
If the strength of the Great Emperor is converted into the Chaos Void's realm, it's equivalent to the Twelve Layers Perfect.
In terms of combat power, the Great Emperor surpasses the Invincible Great Saints far, nearly reaching the level of that Abyss Dragon in the first origin world.
However, such a mighty being isn't with unlimited lifespan, at most, they can live for over a million years.
If one can consume an immortal elixir, they can live through a second life, totaling two to three million years.
By further breaking one's own shackle, one could live through the fourth life, fifth life…
Of course.
The original self of Lin Yuan, namely Emperor Tianyuan, was quite mediocre among the emperors of different eras.
With the immortal elixir acquired in the past, he lived through the second life.
But he never managed to break his own shackles to live through the third life.
"The vitality of the flesh and blood is finally stabilized."
Lin Yuan gathered his thoughts; when he first descended, he could barely sense the fluctuation of vitality within the flesh.
Emperor Tianyuan, in an effort to live longer, nearly exhausted the foundation of his vitality; once he sat down, it would be a complete demise, leaving nothing behind.
Only Lin Yuan managed to forcibly suspend a breath and smoothly recondensed the fundamental vitality.
Thus, he survived.
"Having overcome the first step, the rest will be easier."
A smile emerged on Lin Yuan's face.
Before the descent to the third origin world, Lin Yuan had the option of choosing numerous vessels.
In the end, he chose Emperor Tianyuan because this provided the highest starting point, allowing him to recover to his peak strength at the fastest pace.
Moreover, Emperor Tianyuan's physique was special, and Lin Yuan, by observing the future timeline, found some faint clues.
Even Emperor Tianyuan himself didn't know his true physique.
The only downside was the issue of the exhausted lifespan.
But for Lin Yuan, the problem wasn't significant.
"This origin world is too peculiar."
Lin Yuan looked around at the surroundings, the rules of the Great Dao manifested visibly in his vision.
In the Chaos Void, for the previous two origin worlds, it's absolutely an inconceivable event.
"No wonder, within just a hundred thousand years, one could step into the realm of Great Emperor."
Lin Yuan nodded slightly.
In this era, the Great Emperor, aside from the combat power, the realm alone is equivalent to Twelve Layers Perfect.
Whereas in the Chaos Void, achieving Twelve Layers Perfect would take at least cosmic eras.
But in this world?
For a normal Great Emperor to become a limit-transcending figure, it takes at most a hundred thousand years.
Certain extraordinarily gifted Great Emperors stepped into the realm within merely tens of thousands of years.
Tens of thousands of years to reach Twelve Layers Perfect? This is nearly catching up to Lin Yuan.
The manifestation of the world's rules of the Great Dao in the cultivation environment is the only way to give birth to numerous Great Emperors.
"Furthermore, the operation of the Origin Dao…"
Lin Yuan sensed every subtle fluctuation within the world's heavens and earth, his eyes glowed.
The operation of the Origin Dao in this origin world is distinct from the previous two and even from that dimension gap area in the Chaos Void, like a chasm.
The impact on Lin Yuan is unprecedented.
"Perfect essence, the perfect essence in this origin world surpasses the second origin world greatly."
Lord of Heaven Light paid a huge price to merge into the second origin world due to its so-called 'perfect essence.'
And presently, the perfect essence contained within the third origin world is much higher than the second.
The perfect essence is related to the Fourteen Layers, naturally, the more the better.
…
Choosing Emperor Tianyuan as the vessel for descent.
The advantage is a high starting point, directly as the Great Emperor of the era, able to access resources and treasures far beyond other choices of vessel.
As for the disadvantages?
The primary issue is the lifespan limit.
In truth, this is inevitable. Without the lifespan limit, Emperor Tianyuan wouldn't have died, and Lin Yuan wouldn't have the opportunity to descend and take control.
Moreover, Lin Yuan has already overcome this disadvantage.
With Lin Yuan's methods, once he surpasses the initial stage of descent.
He would essentially be free from the shackles of the lifespan limit.
The so-called lifespan limit is targeted at life forms below the Thirteen Layers.
Under the rules of this world, life souls below the Thirteen Layers will decay.
But Lin Yuan, in essence, is a Thirteen Layers time-life, with his mind and will residing in Emperor Tianyuan; even though his strength hasn't recovered to Thirteen Layers, there is no so-called lifespan limit.
Because Lin Yuan's mental will would never decay.
Secondly, a series of hidden dangers brought by Lin Yuan's identity as a Great Emperor of the current age.
Being able to become an Emperor of the Human Race, even if ordinary, one has emerged through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
In the past, Emperor Tianyuan had killed countless foreign geniuses, including direct descendants of those Heavenly Emperor Supremes.
At Emperor Tianyuan's peak, these alien races naturally could only endure, even if there were many foundations within the clans, including former Heavenly Emperor Supremes who have self-inflicted a slash.
They were unwilling to engage in a bloody fight with a peak Great Emperor.
Besides the alien races, there were also many Forbidden Zone Masters eyeing Emperor Tianyuan covetously.
The Origin Source of a contemporary Great Emperor is enough to nourish the gradually twisted mental will of these Forbidden Zone Masters.
…
"In this world, the power of the Human Race is weak, extremely insignificant among the Myriad Clans. Before the rise of Emperor Tianyuan, the Human Race had never birthed a strongman at the Emperor level."
Thought Lin Yuan.
So after Emperor Tianyuan became the Ultimate, the Human Race experienced rapid expansion.
Facing the Human Race, with Emperor Tianyuan holding ground, other alien races could only retreat.
Unfortunately, Emperor Tianyuan did not cultivate the next Great Emperor for the Human Race.
It is foreseeable that once Emperor Tianyuan falls, the Human Race will face purging backlash from other alien races.
Lin Yuan, taking over Emperor Tianyuan, possesses all the memories of this contemporary Great Emperor.
Clearly, Emperor Tianyuan also made many preparations for after his fall.
For example, as early as a hundred thousand years ago, he began to make the Human Race shrink its power.
Now the power occupied by the Human Race is less than one-thousandth of the peak period a million years ago.
Moreover, Emperor Tianyuan also tried to self-inflict a slash, like those Heavenly Emperor Supremes who barely clung on.
But to self-inflict a slash requires going to the 'Yellow Springs' Forbidden Zone, soaking in the Yellow Springs for ten thousand years.
Only in this way can the life span be extended, with the cost being the transformation into a Yellow Springs body, and from then on forever unable to advance further.
However, when Emperor Tianyuan was young, he had killed several offspring of the 'Yellow Springs' Forbidden Zone Master, thus forming a deadly feud between the two.
Alone, heading to the Yellow Springs Forbidden Zone, Emperor Tianyuan was unwilling and eventually gave up this method.
In fact, through the ages, not many Great Emperor Heavenly Emperor Supremes are willing to self-inflict a slash.
The cost of soaking in the Yellow Springs is far more than just being unable to advance further.
…
Emperor Tianyuan made many preparations for the Human Race, wanting it to continue as much as possible after his death.
However, Lin Yuan observed the future timeline and knew that after Emperor Tianyuan's death, the Human Race would be wiped out by those powerful alien races.
Strong alien races do not want to see another Great Emperor emerge for the Human Race in the future, so to ensure foolproof, they directly joined forces and annihilated the Human Race.
And Emperor Tianyuan himself?
The emperor's body was divided among those Forbidden Zone Masters.
This was Emperor Tianyuan's final outcome.
Of course, this was the conclusion before Lin Yuan arrived.
After Lin Yuan's arrival, all outcomes naturally got rewritten.
…
"The current urgent matter is to quickly restore full strength."
Lin Yuan thought to himself.
In this Fang Yuan World, the Great Emperor is the pinnacle of strength.
Above the Great Emperor, there is the Red Dust Immortal.
Only the Red Dust Immortal can break the limit of lifespan and live freely.
And the Red Dust Immortal corresponds to the thirteenth-rank time life.
The Red Dust Immortal, though named Red Dust, is not within the Red Dust.
But resides at a higher level of the Great Wilderness Origin World.
…
The Red Dust Immortal is also the ultimate pursuit of all past Great Emperors, Heavenly Emperors, and Supremes.
However, to become a Red Dust Immortal, one must not only break through the time cycle but also gather enough immortal material.
Using immortal material to nurture the physical body, soul, and mental spirit, gradually transforming to the level of Red Dust Immortal.
Past Great Emperors have all tried condensing immortal material.
However, even with the power of a Great Emperor, it takes tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of years to gather enough immortal material.
That means at least a Great Emperor who has lived through seven or eight generations can gather enough immortal material to face the test of time cycles.
Lin Yuan's mental will is already at the level of time life, with no need to go through another time cycle, thus only needs to condense a sufficient amount of immortal material to return to peak strength.
"Immortal material?"
Lin Yuan carefully felt, immediately discovering some thin auras permeating between heaven and earth.
Containing the aura of immortality and eternity.
These are the so-called immortal material.
"Ordinary Great Emperors need tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of years to condense enough immortal material, but I don't need that long."
Lin Yuan thought to himself, he is not a Great Emperor, his true realm is at the level of a time life equivalent to Red Dust Immortal. The speed of condensing immortal material is unknown how many times that of those Great Emperors.
…
You Clan.
The Great Wilderness Origin World's nine most powerful clans.
The You Clan is one of them and ranks at least in the top three of the terrifying clans.
In the history of the You Clan, ten Heavenly Emperors were born, and from time to time they would overlook the Great Wilderness Origin World.
At this time, in the deepest part of the You Clan's ancestral land, a pair of eyes resembling those who had been asleep for countless eons opened, with a cold gaze, looking towards the Tianyuan Emperor Palace.
Subsequently, another pair of eyes opened, also looking towards the Tianyuan Emperor Palace.
The Tianyuan Emperor Palace is the residence of the current Great Emperor, Emperor Tianyuan, and the core place of the newly elevated one of the nine major clans, the Human Race.
"Tianyuan should also die of old age, right."
"With Tianyuan's core accumulation, he certainly cannot break his own shackles and live out a third life."
Several You Clan Heavenly Emperors, who had self-inflicted a slash, discussed among themselves, speculating the current state of Emperor Tianyuan.
"Wait a little longer, and then we will revive, break into the Tianyuan Emperor Palace, and divide the Emperor's body."
One of the You Clan Heavenly Emperors whispered, having once been Great Emperors Heavenly Emperors overlooking the Great Wilderness Origin World, but now, due to long slumber and the impact of the Yellow Springs body on themselves, they crave to devour the Emperor's physical body.
"Right, Tianyuan is just there, he can't go anywhere."
Other You Clan Heavenly Emperors nodded, they are not willing to face Emperor Tianyuan who still has a breath left, due to their strength not matching a true Great Emperor after self-inflicting a slash.
…
Forbidden Zone 'Yellow Springs'.
Simultaneously, pairs of eyes opened, carefully observing the Tianyuan Emperor Palace.
"Tianyuan has not come until now, presumably because he does not trust us, does not trust Yellow Springs."
"Fine, although this makes it a bit troublesome, the Origin Source of the contemporary Great Emperor is more than enough to greatly nourish our nearly depleted spirit, enough for us to personally take action once."
Existences within the 'Yellow Springs' Forbidden Zone were quick to exchange, if Emperor Tianyuan had done as they said, obediently coming to the Forbidden Zone, then being suppressed, and having his Origin Source absorbed and devoured.
It would be the best result.
But obviously, Emperor Tianyuan had doubts.
He would rather die of old age than come.
Which the existences in the 'Yellow Springs' Forbidden Zone found troublesome.
But it was only troublesome.
At worst, further revival, with the nourishment of a contemporary Great Emperor's Origin Source, was enough to cover their revival costs.
…
Those focusing on Emperor Tianyuan are far more than just the You Clan and the 'Yellow Springs' Forbidden Zone.
Many special and taboo existences are observing the state of Emperor Tianyuan.
To be able to divide the contemporary Great Emperor Tianyuan at the first moment possible.
It should be known that even if a contemporary Great Emperor is at the limit of lifespan, the physical body is still at its peak, it is the mental will that is exhausted.
Compared to those who have self-inflicted a slash and endured long eras, contemporary Great Emperors in the eyes of those taboo existences are an incomparable 'delicacy'.
…
Within the Tianyuan Emperor Palace.
Lin Yuan is attempting to condense immortal material.
Strands of aura were stripped from heaven and earth, almost materializing as they converged before Lin Yuan.
If there were any other Heavenly Emperor Supremes present, they would definitely be shocked and dumbfounded, as even they, to condense immortal material, can only rely on the accumulation over long eras.
As for the scene where immortal material gathers as if solidified?
Every breath's worth of gathered immortal material perhaps equates to several hundred years to a thousand years of an ordinary Great Emperor's achievement.
"It's done."
Lin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.
Looking at the immortal material already thoroughly formed in front of him, a peculiar expression appeared on his face.