Nine Bends Riverbank.

Among the bustling Nine Bends City.

The Nanhua King was terrified, staring at the much younger figure in front of him.

"You... are the Saintly Protection King?" he asked, his voice trembling.

When the Saint Protection Duchy was established, he wasn’t present, so he didn’t know Lin You.

Beside him, Old Zhou had a bitter smile.

He never expected his wise old friend to make such a muddle-headed move.

Fortunately, it was discovered in time.

If the other party had taken action, it wouldn’t be as simple as offering apologies.

"You are the Nanhua King?" Lin You’s gaze was calm as he silently assessed the man before him, "Are you the one who occupied my territory?"

"No, no, I just..." Nanhua stammered, appearing flustered by Lin You’s sudden questioning.

"He acted impulsively and didn’t think it through. Please forgive his mistake," Old Zhou quickly intervened to help.

"Oh? It’s not as simple as an impulsive act, is it?" Lin You glanced at Old Zhou, raising an eyebrow.

Feeling his gaze, Old Zhou’s heart skipped a beat, nearly jumping out of his throat.

This man before him is known for defeating numerous great gods, crushing top-tier beings from various realms; even the faint aura he exudes makes Old Zhou’s heart tremble.

If we don’t give a satisfactory explanation today, the consequences might be unimaginable.

He promptly elbowed the dazed Nanhua next to him.

"Ah, yes, yes, what he said is correct." Nanhua immediately regained his senses and quickly said, "This time, it is indeed my fault. As compensation, I will transfer Celestial Lake City across the river to your country. What do you think?"

"Celestial Lake City?" Lin You was slightly surprised.

It’s a Tier Eight city, just like Nine Bends City.

This Nanhua King is quite generous, directly transferring it to him.

Seeing such sincerity from the other party, Lin You also showed a smile: "Since the Nanhua King is so generous, I won’t be too polite, but I hope this won’t happen again."

Nanhua Duchy is a subordinate of a neighboring Kingdom.

Though the higher-ups won’t intervene in disputes between duchies, given his imminent upgrade to Tier Eleven, it’s better not to easily offend a Kingdom.

"Naturally, I guarantee there won’t be a second time!" Nanhua King secretly wiped the sweat on his forehead.

Just a few words, and he could sense the terrifying aura emanating from Lin You.

This oppressive feeling, even when encountering top kings with nine Divine Formats on the battlefield, he has never felt.

He couldn’t help but feel lucky that Old Zhou arrived in time to advise him. Although losing a city hurts a little, as long as the issue can be settled, it’s a blessing in disguise.

Just like that.

After a brief chat to get acquainted and mix faces, Nanhua and Old Zhou hurriedly left.

They also took their men occupying the city with them, returning the city intact to the Saint Protection Duchy.

Once everyone was gone, the rulers of various small and large forces in Nine Bends City swarmed in to meet Lin You.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"Paying respects to Your Majesty!"

These reverent calls echoed in the hall of the City Lord’s Mansion.

All these rulers, trembling yet immensely excited, respectfully saluted Lin You.

For minor figures like them, the chance to meet a king is rare.

Now, with the king personally visiting Nine Bends City, they dared not be neglectful, rushing from their homes as soon as they received the news.

"At ease."

Lin You glanced at the people below, then sat in the first seat.

"Soon, I will appoint a lord to govern here; you must diligently assist."

"Yes!"

"We respectfully follow Your Majesty’s orders!"

Voices of agreement arose, none daring to defy.

"Alright, go back now; I should be leaving too."

With that, Lin You didn’t linger, sent messages to Yin Tiange and others explaining the situation for them to make arrangements, and then vanished, heading back to Yellow Sand City.

On the way, he finally had the chance to relax his mind and enter the Origin Universe.

After receiving the energy infusion from the World Tree, various things happened, leaving him no opportunity to examine the changes in the Origin Universe.

Now, with free time, it’s naturally necessary to check.

"Hmm?"

Unexpectedly.

When he focused his mind on the Origin Universe, the scene before him stunned him.

He saw on the World Tree at the center of the universe, the number of Faith Fruits had soared directly from the original 300 to 500, hanging on the tree branches and rapidly maturing.

Meanwhile, in certain star systems, intelligent lifeforms have begun to establish kingdoms, gradually advancing from the primitive era to the old civilization era.

But that’s not the point.

What surprised Lin You the most was sensing the presence of time in the Origin Universe, more precisely, the presence of Time Law.

As long as he focused his mind, he could freely alter the time flow speed within the Origin Universe, far better than the Ten Thousand Realms Continent where he could only change it by one-fold.

However, considering his limited understanding of the Origin Universe, he ultimately refrained from making arbitrary changes, merely glancing at the Origin Interface.

[Name: World Tree (Origin)]

[Category: Plant Type]

[Level: Tier Ten (8/10)]

[Range: 800 kilometers]

[Talent Effect: Constitution +16%, Recovery Speed +16%]

[Ability: Soul Domain, Racial Talent, Summoning Space, Storage, Time Law]

[Introduction: Formed by the convergence of souls, when grown to a certain extent, it can evolve into a realm.]

[Note: Click here to expand various Talent options]

Just two more Divine Fragments, and he can ascend to Tier Eleven.

With his current power, as long as the battle between the two camps reignites, there’s still a great chance to collect them.

Of course.

One cannot rule out the possibility of the old king on the other side stepping in to block, preventing him from slaying the other kings.

Although he is confident in easily defeating a lord with nine Divine Formats, if several appear at once, it would still seem daunting.

Not much is needed; just stalling him briefly would be enough for a Tier Ten lord to teleport away.

"Who knows when the next great war will occur."

Lin You murmured to himself, casually closing the interface and exiting the Origin Universe.

However.

Just as he was about to travel through space once more.

A sudden "boom" sounded in the distant sky, and a magnificent, dazzling beam of light shot skyward, piercing straight into the clouds, causing the entire sky to tremble violently.

This is...

An upgrade phenomenon for a lord!?

Lin You was unsure and full of doubt.

This phenomenon is several times more dramatic than when he upgraded to Tier Ten; even from afar, it evokes a heart-pounding aura.

Could someone on the Primordial Continent have ascended to Tier Eleven?

Swish!

While pondering, the space beside him suddenly twisted.

Ji Xinghe traveled through space, appearing next to him.

"That direction seems to be within the Sky Dome Empire’s borders," Ji Xinghe said in a solemn voice.

"Sky Dome Empire?" Lin You’s expression slightly changed.

The Sky Dome Empire is adjacent to the Primordial Evil Realm, and is also where the main city of the former border battlefield was located.

Now that the continents of various realms are gradually merging, with the spatial barriers between them broken, many from other realms might soon learn of the news of an emerging Tier Eleven lord here.

Once the news spreads, that newly ascended king will surely be targeted.

"It must be some old king whose lifespan is about to end." Ji Xinghe sighed.

He is well aware of the perils of Tier Eleven.

Ascending at such a time when war is imminent is not wise, but facing the threat of an ending lifespan, one has no choice but to gamble.

After all, when confronted with death, people are at their most vulnerable.

No matter how indifferent you are to life and death, when truly facing death, the kind of fear that seeps into the depths of your soul is terrifyingly potent, greatly escalating your survival instincts.

While the two were contemplating the phenomenon,

an unexpected voice rang out in the Empire channel from the Saint Radiance Emperor.

"Everyone, gather at the Realm Battlefield by early tomorrow morning, prepare for a full-scale assault!"

Early tomorrow morning?

This soon?

Lin You and Ji Xinghe were both astonished.

They had just returned from the Life Realm, and now, a rapid full-scale assault -- could something have happened?

Or is there an unmissable reason to attack?

Regardless of the reason, Lin You was filled with excitement.

In the past, his only means to obtain Divine Fragments was once every three months at the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Realms or by chance in the Demon Plane.

But now it’s different.

The onset of war between the two camps provided all lords a swift opportunity to accumulate resources, a chance he is eager not to miss.

Exchanging a gaze with Ji Xinghe, and bidding farewell after, he swiftly returned to Yellow Sand City and commenced his preparations within the territory, while appointing Xue Changgui and the others to manage affairs within the Duchy.

...

Before long, it was dawn the next day.

Not long after the first light, Lin You directly set out towards the Realm Battlefield.

When he teleported to the War Camp, the entire camp inside and out was already crowded with lords from various realms.

Even those ascending the Celestial Ladder had hurried over, excitedly discussing amongst themselves.

Because they received the news that the emperors intended to thoroughly charge into the heart of the Realm Alliance, pressing towards the cores of the Eternal Realm and the Demon Origin Realm, these two of the Ten Great Realms.

This was an exceptional opportunity to slay opposing lords and gather a wealth of resources.

"Lin You, over here."

Upon seeing Lin You’s arrival, Ji Xinghe from the Primordial Realm team promptly waved at him.

Ji Xinghe’s voice wasn’t obscured, immediately drawing the eyes of other kings around glancing at Lin You with astonishment.

"Is he the Lin You who defeated the Mountain Guardian King?"

"It should be. The news mentioned it was from the Primordial Realm, didn’t it?"

"Another thing from the Primordial Realm; they had someone ascend to Tier Eleven yesterday, didn’t they?"

"I heard that too, supposedly it was an old king with a nearing end of life."

"Lifespan ending? That makes sense then."

The Tier Ten lords muttered among themselves, with Lin You and the news of a Tier Eleven emerging making the Primordial Realm a focus of attention, everyone glancing their way.

Lin You quickly joined Ji Xinghe and the others, beginning to understand the details of this assault.

Half an hour later, the emperors finally manifested one after another, appearing above the troops.

"Everyone, prepare for transportation."

With a command, under the astonished eyes of the lords from various realms, space power was directly wielded to construct a teleportation array enveloping the entire War Camp.

Then, a soaring beam of light flashed, and everyone vanished from their original spot in an instant.

When they reappeared, it was on a vast plain thousands of kilometers away, with the Realm Alliance’s ranks conspicuous on the opposite side of the plain.

Behind them was the passage leading into the heart of the Realm Alliance.

The armies of both sides stood off against each other across the plain, each standing face to face from afar.