Chapter 491 – A Little Shock from Tianyuan

Gray mist drifted, the vast expanse of the surroundings was empty and hazy, without end.

Mysterious symbols, like a canopy covering the sky, lay at the center of this realm.

It was infinitely vast.

It was endlessly profound.

Humans in this place were as insignificant as grains of rice.

“The outer cultivation grounds of the Apocalypse Secret Realm are already this profound.”

Mu Yuan murmured.

The countless intertwined threads of the world’s patterns on the colossal symbol were so clear.

If his previous observations of the world’s patterns were akin to severe nearsightedness, now, at the very least, his vision had been restored to 20/20.

The core and ultimate truths of the world lay open before him.

Mu Yuan immersed himself in it.

Around him, an indescribably profound aura shimmered, and faint threads of the Concept power he commanded quietly emerged.

They swirled and revolved.

New threads of Concept were born.

At the same time.

In the outside world, Mu Yuan remained with his eyes closed, his breathing nearly imperceptible, like an ancient monk in deep meditation.

The bearded man and Goatee continued to stare blankly at Revelation Peak.

Among the dozens of cultivators nearby, some scratched their heads in frustration like the two, some wore expressions of intense focus, and others seemed to have attained sudden enlightenment.

One cultivator suddenly exclaimed, “I’ve grasped it! I’ve grasped it!”

He abruptly stood up, his Concept power surpassing the Peak Realm, influencing the surrounding world and stirring the winds and clouds.

This was a Celestial Phenomenon-level Concept.

The intangible Concept affected the surroundings, giving rise to a Celestial Phenomenon of Concept.

If a Legendary Realm cultivator possessed a Celestial Phenomenon-level Concept, their mastery over the world’s power would naturally rise accordingly.

“He made a breakthrough.”

“A newly attained Celestial Phenomenon-level Concept isn’t all that impressive, but…”

Watching someone else break through felt even more unbearable than regressing in one’s own Realm.

And this guy was shouting loudly.

Damn!

Some cultivators, disrupted in their rhythm, glared angrily at the enlightened youth.

However, conflict was forbidden Inside the Secret Realm.

The shouting youth hadn’t violated the Secret Realm’s rules.

After all…

Around Revelation Peak, the truly immersed powerful cultivators had long shut out external distractions, sitting as still as statues.

Suddenly,

the world seemed to grow scorching hot, with blazing flames spreading across the land, orange-red firelight dancing, and surging waves of heat washing over them.

“Who’s using large-scale spells in a place like this? Are they insane?”

“No, wait, this isn’t a spell.”

The flames raged, unbearably hot.

Yet the ground around them showed no signs of scorching, and the scattered plants did not burn in the fire.

The heat surged, but the flames seemed illusory.

“It’s a Concept—vast and profound enough to influence several kilometers of the surroundings.”

Amid the roaring flames, a solitary figure sat.

With golden hair and a hooked nose.

It was the youth from the Divine Radiance Empire, known as the Fire God.

“Is this the strength of a major empire’s powerhouse?”

A cultivator from a minor force murmured.

“The Fire God of the Divine Radiance Empire? Hmph, he does have some skill.”

A powerhouse from the Eternal Star Empire snorted coldly, his gaze turning toward Revelation Peak.

At some point, the colossal symbol representing the meaning of ‘All Phenomena’ had begun to glow faintly.

One corner of the enormous symbol grew increasingly brilliant, a streak of orange-red spreading across the All Phenomena symbol like flowing flame, leaving a dazzling mark on the towering Revelation Peak.

This was…

“Resonance!”The bearded man spoke with a solemn expression, “This Divine Radiance expert is experiencing an epiphany. His enlightenment has even resonated with the Revelation Peak of Myriad Phenomena—this is a form of acknowledgment from heaven and earth!”

Goatee remarked, “The Divine Radiance Empire’s resource monopoly is far more severe than in our Taixuan, but their super lord project has invested enormous funds. Naturally, exceptionally talented individuals seize the opportunity to rise with the tide, and Blazing Fire, the Fire God, is one of them.”

This project of the Divine Radiance Empire is truly formidable.

Just as now, Blazing Fire, the Fire God, has used this display to greatly boost the prestige of the Divine Radiance Empire.

When Blazing Fire arrived, he even adopted a posture of challenging Tianyuan.

Tianyuan…

Goatee glanced at the young man who was only a few years older than his own daughter.

His face was youthful, yet bore no trace of immaturity. His uncut hair had grown almost to his shoulders, making him look like a battle-hardened warrior.

No, not just look.

This young man was indeed a battle-hardened warrior.

He sat there as still as an old monk in meditation. Even as waves of fire surged from the distance, brushing against his sleeves, he remained with closed eyes, not a single furrow on his brow.

However…

Goatee and the bearded man exchanged a glance and nodded slightly. They prepared to step forward to block the waves of fire.

It might not be effective.

Tianyuan might not even be in a state of epiphany.

But how could they allow the whelps of the Divine Radiance Empire to flaunt their power?

The two men stepped forward, but as they walked, they suddenly let out a surprised “Huh?”

They were still in the same spot.

No, it was that as they approached Tianyuan, when the distance shortened to a certain limit, the horizon… seemed as far as the ends of the earth.

Around Tianyuan Lord, an enigmatic force was swirling, gradually intensifying.

The flames receded.

Space had been partitioned.

Tianyuan sat not far away, yet it was as if he were seated high atop a mountain peak, distant and unattainable.

The raging waves of fire seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, suspended mid-air.

And around Tianyuan Lord, only ‘nothingness’ remained.

A brilliant silver light appeared on the Revelation Peak of Myriad Phenomena, spreading to the other side and leaving a vivid mark.

“Tianyuan has resonated too!”

…

Ding!

Prompt: You have observed the Revelation Peak of ‘Myriad Phenomena’ and gained some insight, awakening the quasi-Epic Skill ‘Horizon Within Reach.’

——

Horizon Within Reach

Description: Within your field of vision, space can be shortened to a limited extent. You can traverse ten thousand meters in a single step, or make the horizon seem as distant as the ends of the earth.

This was a skill related to space.

Spatial abilities are exceedingly rare. Even among legendary experts and epic beings, the vast majority struggle to possess spatial skills. But spatial skills were not unfamiliar to Mu Yuan.

Dolai’s Dimensional Pocket, Space Devour, and Space-Tearing Seal.

Isloria’s Star Gate.

Seventeen’s Myriad Arrows Artifact.

Epic skills like Undead Territory, River of Stars, and Netherworld Market also involved space.

Mu Yuan’s own primary ability, the Mental Network, and the combat techniques derived from it—’Synchronization’ and ‘Shared Skills’—also touched upon space.

When he observed the symbols of myriad phenomena, he initially didn’t know what to comprehend. Naturally, he ended up grasping a fairly decent skill.

He had gained some insight.

But Mu Someone, who had gained some insight, now paid no heed to the prompt from heaven and earth echoing in his ears.

He sank deeper into his cultivation.

And gradually, he came to understand in which direction his combat techniques and his system should be perfected.Within this realm of consciousness, a vast mental network spread out.

The web was nearly tangible, composed of interlacing threads of mental energy extending in all directions.

At one node, mental energy transformed into flames.

At another node, mental energy crystallized into frost.

After his evolution, Mu Yuan’s mental energy could now interfere with reality, performing tangible acts through intangible force. However, such crude manipulation and alteration of reality remained highly inefficient in utilizing mental energy.

His improved method involved sharing and synchronization.

By using controlled units as anchors, he could synchronize his spells with them.

A blurred figure materialized around Mu Yuan.

It was a mage.

As he extended his palm, the blurred figure mirrored the motion, raising its hand in perfect sync.

Before his palm, a fireball coalesced.

Simultaneously, an identical fireball formed before the blurred figure’s palm.

He could amplify this ‘synchronization’ tenfold, even a hundredfold.

Using this power as a stepping stone, Mu Yuan grasped the concept of ‘resonance’. Through conceptual force, his ‘synchronization’ range rapidly expanded.

As demonstrated now, creating something from nothing without relying on controlled units was one such application.

Yet this synchronization still had limitations: lengthy casting time, required prior setup, and an insufficient synchronization ceiling.

Just as he couldn’t use a single skeleton soldier to bear the synchronized ‘Blazing Sun’.

Too restrictive.

He found it unacceptable.

Meanwhile, from the colossal symbol of universal phenomena, Mu Yuan had glimpsed certain insights.

His inspiration surged, his mental network continuously transformed, and the conceptual forces swirling around him intertwined and entangled.

He sensed an extraordinary, profound power about to awaken within him.

Through his peerless talent and relentless effort, he would comprehend a skill more advanced and mysterious than ‘Horizon Within Reach’.

An Epic Skill!

However, the awakening and acquisition of an Epic Skill couldn’t rely on comprehension alone.

To obtain epic abilities, one must either awaken them simultaneously during bloodline evolution, or encounter great opportunities by absorbing vast energies from treasure lands.

Only through the combination of ‘comprehension’ and ‘power’ could it be achieved.

While the Apocalypse Secret Realm was indeed a top-tier treasure land, it only possessed ‘revelation’ capabilities.

Before this Universal Revelation Peak, breaking through realms or awakening quasi-epic skills represented the limit of human capability.

Was that truly the case?

Yes, but also no.

Mu Yuan only felt a bottleneck barring his path, sensing a profound skill struggling to awaken yet remaining stuck.

But he could shatter it.

“With my Willpower Light, with my peerless talent, break through!”

The Willpower Light hummed.

From the depths of his soul and bloodline, a golden spiritual light emerged.

The supreme power originating from high-tier bloodline.

This spiritual light surged through his crown, immediately supplying the final, most crucial factor to the ‘awakening’ skill that had been forcibly stalled.

「Ding!」

「Prompt: You have gained considerable insights from observing the ‘Universal’ Revelation Peak, and by consuming a wisp of bloodline spirituality, have awakened the Epic Skill ‘Mind Chessboard’.」

——

「Mind Chessboard (Epic)」”Description: You can construct a chess formation within your consciousness that exists between illusion and reality. This formation is considered a ‘skill creation,’ permanently existing and can gradually expand and enhance its power through management methods such as investing materials and infusing mental energy.”

“Ability ①: The Mind Chessboard functions like a territory-type skill (Undead Territory, Netherworld Market), capable of projecting into reality and possessing sealing capabilities.”

“Ability ②: You can construct vessels within the Mind Chessboard that perfectly bear your ‘synchronized’ power. Currently available vessels: ‘3’. Maximum vessel capacity: ’30’. Expanding the Mind Chessboard’s scale can increase the maximum vessel capacity.”

“Ability ③: The Mind Chessboard possesses spatial abilities.”

“Ability ④: The Mind Chessboard can amplify the ‘pawns’ positioned within it.”

“Bloodline spirituality?”

Mu Yuan remained immersed in his epiphany, yet vaguely understood what had occurred.

Theoretically, his life rank was equivalent to Legendary.

When he evolved Isloria, his own life rank underwent transformation as well. This might be because he had evolved countless Epic-tier beings, accumulating ‘quantity’ to its extreme, while three Legendary-tier beings delivered the final push.

However, his Legendary status seemed somewhat diluted.

He possessed no Legendary abilities, not even Epic abilities—unless one counted the special talent ‘Mental Skyweb’ that had no tier classification.

Yet to say he wasn’t Legendary would be inaccurate—he exhibited characteristics unique to Legendary lifeforms. Despite being only at the Heaven-Earth Realm, he could glimpse the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, the patterns of cosmic laws.

His Domain continued expanding with each breath, seemingly without limits.

Mu Yuan referred to himself as a Pseudo-Legendary.

Now it appeared his Legendary identity wasn’t so diluted after all—his body contained some supremely elevated power. These forces would be activated at appropriate moments to create miracles.

Awakening an Epic Skill—wasn’t that itself a miracle?

As Mu Yuan pondered this, his consciousness sank deeper into the experience.

…

Blazing Fire Heller gradually emerged from his immersive cultivation.

“Has it been two days already?”

“This time I awakened a Quasi-Epic Skill and achieved a breakthrough in Concept comprehension—the gains have been substantial indeed.”

Previously, he only possessed one Epic and one Quasi-Epic Skill.

Now awakening another, his tactical system could be significantly enriched, with notable improvements to both his overall combat strength and personal potential.

How could these gains not be substantial?

And all achieved in merely two days.

Heller understood clearly that these major gains resulted from converting his accumulated insights from this period. It would be difficult to achieve similar results every time.

He gazed toward Revelation Peak.

On the cloud-piercing mountain, the orange-red pattern he had resonated with remained imprinted—brilliant, conspicuous, a symbol evoking pride.

However, on the opposite side of the universal symbols, a silver-white pattern also extended outward, equally radiant and dazzling.

Another powerful individual had also triggered resonance with the Myriad Revelation Peak.

Who could it be?

He already had his answer.

Looking toward a specific direction, he saw a young man seated on the grassland, enveloped by profoundly mysterious energy. Space distorted around him, forming a massive barrier.

This power shared the same origin as the silver-white pattern spreading beside the universal revelation symbols.

‘As expected—it’s Tianyuan.'”A man’s reputation, a tree’s shadow—to possess a ruling-level power during the Dragon Court’s struggle, to rise like a comet, he is no mere Mortal.”

“Yet… I am not lacking either.”

Beside the Revelation Talisman, tangerine-red and silver-white each displayed their distinct hues and sharpness.

But after all, he was several years older than Taixuan Tianyuan.

He ought to be stronger.

He should not be complacent but should engage in self-reflection.

Heller suppressed the faint pride and self-satisfaction budding in his heart, his eyes once again brimming with Battle Intent.

The next moment, his eyes widened in astonishment.

Upon the towering and majestic Revelation Peak, a brilliant radiance erupted, with dazzling silver patterns continuously spreading across it. Its brilliance was so intense that it somewhat overshadowed the massive Revelation symbol.

Equally dazzling was Taixuan Tianyuan, seated motionless in the distance.

Surrounding him was a shimmering chess formation, as if countless soldiers were positioned within it, roaring at the sky.

(End of Chapter)