Chapter 264

Which one to choose?

Lin Qing couldn't help asking: "Can I only pick one?"

He naturally craved the crafting method for the Chaotic Divine Artifact set.

If he had the crafting method, once his Divine Core transformed into Chaotic color, he could begin forging his Life-Linked Divine Artifact as long as he gathered sufficient materials.

The Chaotic Divine Artifact held infinite possibilities and could grow endlessly.

The secret technique for honing willpower used by the Flykite City Lord was, needless to say, also extremely important to him now.

Not to mention the "Flykite" technique—it was a terrifying method for assimilating cosmic primordial essence, useful even to beings who had transcended the cosmic level, and he was deeply tempted by it.

It would be best if he could choose all of them.

"Only one?"

The Flykite City Lord smiled and said: "Guardian of the Tomb, if you can find me a first-class successor, I'll let you pick three. If you find a super-class successor, I'll give you everything except the relics used to cultivate my successor."

"First-class? Super-class?" Lin Qing was stunned.

In all these years in the Void Sea, he had encountered only one successor—Yuan Xueqiu.

And even she was barely second-class.

As for first-class? Super-class?

Even the Three 2.9-Level Civilizations probably didn't possess such geniuses.

"If I can only pick one…"

Lin Qing paused, then respectfully asked: "May I ask, Elder, which of these three is unique to you?"

"You're clever," the Flykite City Lord said, a faint smile on his lips. "The crafting methods for Chaotic Artifact sets of each element aren't rare in the Primordial Realm—most who are buried here have them. What's truly rare is my willpower-honing technique; even similar techniques are scarce in the Primordial Realm. As for the Flykite technique, it's utterly unique, and techniques of equal rank are exceedingly rare."

Lin Qing pondered for a long while, then said: "Then I'll choose the willpower technique."

The Flykite City Lord nodded slightly, then tapped his fingertip—a streak of luminous light shot out and plunged straight into Lin Qing's third eye, flooding his mind with vast information, forming a divine secret technique lineage.

Lin Qing recalled the technique, and couldn't help but be shaken.

"This willpower technique is merely a high-grade cosmic technique; though far inferior to Supreme Techniques, when combined with Liao Xinjie's Source, its effect on honing willpower ranks among the absolute peak in the Primordial Realm—in theory it can refine willpower to the cosmic rule's upper limit, but likewise… it carries the risk of losing oneself."

As he spoke, the Flykite City Lord tossed out a faintly translucent bubble, no larger than a fist, within which flickered bizarre, dreamlike scenes—each instant seemed to birth and vanish infinite worlds.

Merely gazing at this bubble was enough to mesmerize and drown the spirit, as if one's consciousness would be pulled inside.

"You have ten thousand years. You may use Liao Xinjie's Source only within the Void Tomb. How far your willpower advances depends entirely on you."

The Flykite City Lord looked at Lin Qing and said: "Remember—after every mental disorientation, you must rest long enough for your heart to stabilize before resuming training. Otherwise… it won't be merely disorientation anymore."

Lin Qing nodded slightly.

Though mental willpower plays little direct role in battle—mainly resisting illusions—it remains indispensable. As strength grows, the demands on willpower become astonishing.

Though he could slowly hone his willpower, the civilization war would begin in thirty-seven thousand years—he needed time most of all now.

The Flykite technique was tempting, but required external aid; his Void Spirit Clan bloodline could barely support its practice, and its actual effectiveness was uncertain.

What he needed most right now wasn't a technique to boost power, but to become a Void Sovereign as soon as possible.

Once he became a Void Sovereign, his power would surge naturally.

As for the crafting method of the Life-System Chaotic Artifact set, it was even less necessary.

His Divine Core was only two-colored—he couldn't forge it even if he chose it now, let alone gather the rare materials required for Chaotic Artifacts.

So right now, what he needed most was to enhance his willpower—it would save him vast amounts of time.

…

"You really chose the willpower-honing technique."

Su Dianxia smiled at Lin Qing. "Though the Flykite City Lord's willpower technique is effective, its risks are extreme. The true best willpower-honing techniques belong to the Dream Lord, the Drifter, and others."

Lin Qing sighed: "I've only found one successor—what choice did I have?"

He added, puzzled: "But the titles of these Primordial Realm elders vary greatly in style."

"Third-level civilizations are all self-contained universes beyond the cosmos—each has its own cultural style."

Su Dianxia casually explained, then turned to the girl beside him, Yuan Xueqiu: "As a nominal disciple of the Flykite City Lord, from now on you shall serve the Void Tomb—obey the Guardian of the Tomb."

Yuan Xueqiu immediately bowed respectfully: "Yes."

"Return to Shanhai Realm first. I need to train." Lin Qing said.

…

Void Sea, Eastern Pole Waters.

Within the Strange Mist Sea, a Void Boat sped across the surface at astonishing velocity.

"My luck has indeed improved."

A faint smile spread across Lin Qing's lips. "Looks like… I don't need to leave the Strange Mist Sea for now."

He immediately activated the Void Boat, transformed from the technique, and altered course toward the Main Star.

The technique, "Three Thousand Hells," was not inherently obscure. With Liao Xinjie's Source aiding cultivation, one could enter its foundation the moment mental pressure reached its extreme.

The mental pressure exerted by supreme experts counts as pressure.

The ever-present cosmic will pressure on the Main Star also counts as pressure!

In short, the environment of the Main Star is the ideal setting for cultivating this technique—at least enough to help him enter its foundation.

"Theoretically, it can refine willpower to the cosmic upper limit?"

Lin Qing's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "I'd like to see what the upper limit of a Void Being's mental willpower truly is."

…

The only Main Star in the Strange Mist Sea is a Life-System Main Star, located precisely at the center of the Strange Mist Sea.

Yet, compared to the millions of Void Stars in the Void Sea—and their ever-growing number—it's said each faction's Main Star has always been exactly 380, and remains so to this day.

Every Void Sovereign in the entire Void Sea must plant a soul imprint on one of these 380 Life-System Main Stars.

Add to that the powerful Void Beings from nearby, who also come to the Main Star, attempting to ascend despite the oppression of the Cosmic Will; this is not only a method to test whether one's Mental Will is sufficient to wield the Spatial Laws, but also a way to temper the will.

Forcing the Mental Will to endure oppression for a long time is, in itself, a method of tempering.

Thus, the Life-System Main Star of this Mysterious Mist Sea is quite lively; powerful beings from various factions rush here. Even though only Life-System experts can plant a Soul Imprint, there are no faction requirements merely for ascending to the Main Star.

"So this is the Main Star?"

Lin Qing, gazing from the Void Boat transformed by his Divine Artifact at that star deep within the distant high heavens, could not help but silently marvel.

This Life-System Main Star is actually much smaller than those Void Stars.

Void Stars have diameters of hundreds of millions of kilometers, yet this Life-System Main Star is merely tens of millions of kilometers in diameter, floating in the high sky of ten billion li. Below it lies a great vortex, connected and bound by ninety-nine chains extending from the sea floor.

To reach the Main Star, one must also ascend along these ninety-nine star chains, each tens of thousands of kilometers thick.

However, unlike the star chains of the Void Stars, the star chains connecting to the Main Star are also subjected to the oppression of the Cosmic Will.

The closer one gets to the Main Star, the more terrifying the oppression of the Cosmic Will becomes.

If one can truly ascend to the Main Star along the star chains, with feet planted on the Main Star's ground, it means the Mental Will is already sufficient to bear the complete Spatial Laws.

"Quite a few people."

Lin Qing already saw numerous figures on these chains, moving slowly upward along the star chains at varying speeds, while many others stopped at certain points on the chains.

Obviously, they had reached the limit of what their Mental Will could endure and were currently tempering and improving.

"Let's try."

Lin Qing immediately piloted the Divine Artifact boat, flying up along the nearest star chain.

The star chains are tens of thousands of kilometers thick and hundreds of billions of kilometers long; even if Earth were placed upon them, they would not seem crowded. Thus, although many Void Beings come here, they are all quite far apart.

"Hmm?"

The instant Lin Qing entered the star chain, he felt an invisible will-based pressure envelop him.

This invisible will-based pressure seemed to come from infinite heights, yet also seemed boundless and omnipresent, as if the entire world was gazing at him, making one unable to conceive of resistance.

At this moment, even the mysterious energy within his body, which was like a root, seemed to show a slight stagnation.

"So this is the Cosmic Will?"

Lin Qing marveled somewhat. Sensing his own condition, although the mysterious energy within his body was only slightly affected, it still caused his performance to drop a little.

And his overall strength had decreased by perhaps a few thousandths?

"This is still the position with the least oppression from the Cosmic Will..."

Lin Qing marveled silently, "However, it seems my Mental Will is not bad? Many Void Beings, just upon entering the star chains, even facing the minimal oppression of the Cosmic Will, see their strength drop by ten to twenty percent..."

It seemed he had hope of forcibly ascending to the Main Star despite the oppression of the Cosmic Will.

Immediately, Lin Qing continued upward along the star chain, striving to approach the Main Star as quickly as possible.

The star chains are hundreds of billions of li long; if these were the chains of a Void Star, even if one deliberately concealed the Divine Artifact's speed and maintained only one hundred thousand kilometers per second, it would take only a few days.

Provided one could truly withstand that oppression of the Cosmic Will and forcibly ascend to the Main Star.

If the Mental Will cannot fully endure the oppression of the Cosmic Will, one's body will freeze completely, unable to exert any strength at all, and will then be repelled by the power of the star chains.

Days passed.

The invisible oppression of the Cosmic Will became increasingly astonishing.

Especially after passing the halfway point of the journey, that terrifying oppression of the Cosmic Will reduced his strength by nearly half.

However, he had not been utilizing the full speed of the Divine Artifact boat from the start; even with his strength limited by the oppression, the boat maintained a speed of one hundred thousand kilometers per second.

In the blink of an eye, five days had passed.

"Only one billion li of journey remains."

Lin Qing sat inside the Divine Artifact boat, gazing from afar at the end of the star chain, while stubbornly enduring the omnipresent oppression of the Cosmic Will and gritting his teeth to urge the Divine Artifact upward.

The oppression of the Cosmic Will at this moment was approaching his limit; the strength he could exert was reduced to only about half a percent.

Yet the maximum speed of the Divine Artifact boat was inherently extremely high; even with only half a percent of his strength, he could still maintain the boat's speed at one hundred thousand kilometers per second.

"Hoo!"

The streak of light formed by the Divine Artifact boat flew at high speed along the star chain, instantly passing a male and female pair of Void Being-level beings, separated by only a few hundred kilometers.

"So fast!"

The man among them could not help but exclaim, "Even with a Divine Artifact boat, to maintain such speed on the Main Star's chains, he must be at least an established Void Sovereign?"

"The aura I sensed was that of a Void Being?" the woman said, somewhat puzzled.

"No way..." the man was stunned, "A Void Being?"

Among Void Beings, those possessing Divine Artifact Palaces are already rare; those with such astonishing will are even rarer.

Although their wills were powerful, and they were only one billion li away from ascending to the Main Star, it also meant they were still lacking that little bit needed to bear the complete Spatial Laws.

It is quite normal to be stuck at this point for several million years.

Several more hours passed.

The oppressive force of the Cosmic Will continued to rise, yet it still had not reached Lin Qing's limit.

The Divine Artifact boat piloted by Lin Qing maintained its speed unchanged, flew over the final one billion li of the star chain, and finally successfully landed on the Main Star's ground.

This was a vibrant planet, with oceans, rivers, forests, grasslands, and so on.

However, apart from outsiders, no native beings existed.

"Succeeded."

Lin Qing surveyed this flourishing grassland, gritting his teeth tightly, concentrating his spirit to endure that terrifying oppression of the Cosmic Will, "However, it is still not my limit; I still have about two percent of my strength remaining..."

He immediately piloted the Divine Artifact boat toward a canyon not far away.

To cultivate the introductory level of the Flying Kite City Lord's "Three Thousand Purgatories" secret technique, one must first make the Mental Will endure extreme oppression.

The oppression of the Cosmic Will permeating most areas of the entire Main Star is roughly the same, so he must rush to a place where the oppression of the Cosmic Will is greater.

From the information he obtained—

On this Life-System Prime Star numbered No. 317, the pressure of the Cosmic Will in fifty-two regions is far greater than in most other areas of the Prime Star.

This is because at the very center of these fifty-two regions lie fifty-two Innate Divine Artifacts.

These Innate Divine Artifacts were nurtured into existence by the Primordial Origin of the Universe; naturally, the Cosmic Will guards them, resulting in terrifying pressure from the Cosmic Will radiating outward in all directions from these fifty-two Innate Divine Artifacts.

The closer one gets to these fifty-two Innate Divine Artifacts, the more terrifying the pressure of the Cosmic Will becomes!

It is said that dozens of Innate Divine Artifacts have been nurtured on every single Prime Star.

Yet, since this era following the Great Silence, those who can truly come into contact with them are exceedingly few.

Once one becomes a Void Divine Servant, one can no longer ascend to a Prime Star.

And among those below the Void Divine Servants, the number of people whose Mental Will is strong enough to touch these Innate Divine Artifacts is, at most, merely a few dozen.

After all...

In this era, if any one Innate Divine Artifact on a Prime Star were to vanish, it would be discovered very quickly.

However, over the past eight billion six hundred million years, only a few dozen Innate Divine Artifacts have been missing from the various Prime Stars.

Once someone removes an Innate Divine Artifact from a Prime Star, they will face the resistance of the Cosmic Will and will never be able to take away a second Innate Divine Artifact, even if they go to another Prime Star.

But...

Even the Mental Will of many Void Divine Servants is hopeless when it comes to touching an Innate Divine Artifact.

The requirements for Mental Will are so absurd they are beyond comprehension.

"On this Life-System Prime Star, it is said there are fifty-two Life-System Innate Divine Artifacts..."

Lin Qing recalled the data on this Prime Star; his heart beat rapidly, filled with both excitement and anticipation. "It is said that most of these fifty-two artifacts are Chaos Divine Artifacts! Even those that are not Chaos Divine Artifacts are seven-colored Set Divine Artifacts!"

Innate Divine Artifacts nurtured by the Primordial Origin of the Universe could naturally never be ordinary goods.

They are either single Chaos Divine Artifacts or seven-colored Set Divine Artifacts!

"If my Will can advance enough to touch an Innate Divine Artifact and take it away..."

The moment Lin Qing thought of this possibility, his heart could not help but pound.

Yet he also knew in his heart that even with the Will Secret Technique of the Feiyuan City Lord advanced, success was not guaranteed.

After all, over the past eight billion six hundred million years, there were many legendary figures in the entire Void Sea who received the legacy of a Third-Civilization, yet those who truly obtained an Innate Divine Artifact numbered only a few dozen.

He dared not claim he would definitely succeed.

But if he could succeed, then he would make a massive profit!

Whether a Chaos Divine Artifact or a seven-colored Set Divine Artifact, both are peerless treasures rarely seen throughout the entire Void Sea.

Although countless powerful beings know that dozens of such supreme treasures exist on the 380 Prime Stars of every faction, those who can truly obtain them number only a handful of dozens.

The treasure is there, but if one cannot obtain it, what can be done?

"On this Life-System Prime Star, among the fifty-two artifacts, there are eighteen Life-System seven-colored Set Divine Artifacts."

Brief data on these eighteen Set Divine Artifacts flashed through Lin Qing's mind; he roughly understood which ones suited him better. Although many could not touch them, observation and recording from a distance were still possible.

From the appearance, aura, and structure of a Divine Artifact, one could roughly determine its properties and whether it was suitable.

"The compatibility rate of Set Divine Artifacts is generally very high; on this Prime Star, there is one that suits me very well!"

Filled with immense anticipation, Lin Qing simultaneously guided the Divine Artifact vessel according to the map in the data, flying toward the region where the Set Divine Artifact he desired most was located.

Although the pressure of the Cosmic Will across the entire Prime Star was strong, he could still endure it; merely propelling the Divine Artifact to maintain a speed of one hundred thousand kilometers per second was not difficult, and this Prime Star was not large.

Traveling through regions where the pressure of the Cosmic Will was relatively normal, before long, Lin Qing arrived at a canyon area.

Although he encountered some Void Rulers along the way, those Void Rulers were mostly tempering their Will in the Innate Divine Artifact regions; with their minds fully focused, they paid little attention to him. Without careful investigation, they could not detect through their Divine Artifacts that his aura was merely that of a Void Lifeform.

Moreover, his ability to fly at such speeds on a Prime Star indirectly demonstrated his strength, so they naturally would not rashly provoke him.

"Hoo!"

After the Divine Artifact vessel entered the canyon, Lin Qing immediately felt the pressure of the Cosmic Will upon him begin to intensify; without the slightest hesitation, he continued deeper.

As the pressure of the Cosmic Will became increasingly terrifying, the strength Lin Qing could exert began to decline further.

In a short while—

"At the limit."

Lin Qing abruptly halted the Divine Artifact vessel, remaining in place, gritting his teeth tightly and enduring silently. "If I go any further, I will be completely unable to bear it."

At the same time, the Secret Technique "Three Thousand Purgatories," which he had already comprehended and deduced many times, flashed through his mind.

Meanwhile, in the cultivation chamber far away in the Vacuum Great Tomb, the Blood Cauldron King's clone submerged his consciousness into the supreme treasure "Source of Liao Xinjie" and began to enter this Secret Technique.

Immediately—

"Order."

A thought stirred in Lin Qing's heart. "Advance! Secret Technique: Three Thousand Purgatories!"

(End of this chapter)