The Peaceful Domain of the Forest Sage can nullify all attacks below Tier Twelve.

In other words.

Only attacks that reach Tier Twelve can break through its domain.

Just a simple leakage of aura almost severely injured Lin You within the Peaceful Domain, nearly costing his life.

How terrifying is this heart?

And who exactly is that young man?

To be able to merge with the heart!

Spirit struck heavily, Lin You felt his mind go blank, and he knelt on one knee on the ground.

Meanwhile.

The massive heart in the sky had shrunk to the size of an ordinary person, slowly merging into the young man’s chest.

Black lines spread out from the heart, covering the young man’s entire body in an instant.

"Boom, boom... Boom, boom..."

The muffled sound of heartbeats echoed in his ears.

The young man slowly opened his tightly shut eyes, gazing indifferently at Lin You kneeling on the ground below.

"We will meet again."

The cold voice fell, and with a thunderous sound, the entire space finally shattered completely, turning into countless fragments and dissipating in the air.

Emperors from various realms filed in, instantly stunned by the scene before them.

"This is..."

"Not good! That heart broke free from the seal!"

"Quickly stop it!"

The emperors shouted loudly, their boundless might suddenly erupted, attacking the young man.

In an instant, the space collapsed, turning into a destructive void.

With blurred vision, Lin You could only vaguely see the young man suffering heavy blows, then getting swallowed by a massive black hole, disappearing without a trace.

Then.

His vision went black, completely losing consciousness.

This battle had exhausted him too much; it was already a blessing to hold on till now.

...

...

Unknown how much time passed.

When Lin You awoke from the darkness.

He found himself lying in a luxurious palace.

Beside him stood two Humanoid Species clad in golden armor, looking vaguely familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

"You’re awake."

Before Lin You could think further, a familiar voice came from outside.

Saint Radiance Emperor, followed by several attendants holding potions, walked into the palace.

"Emperor?"

Lin You was startled, struggling to climb out of bed.

"You’re injured, don’t move around."

With a casual wave, Saint Radiance Emperor enveloped Lin You in an invisible force, allowing him to lean on the bed’s edge.

He then instructed the attendants before sitting on a nearby chair, crossing his legs and eating fruits from the table.

Still maintaining his rough and bold nature.

"How do you feel? Are you alright?"

He casually asked.

"Yes, much better now, thanks to the Emperor for saving my life."

In such a situation, Lin You understood it was Saint Radiance Emperor who saved him, and promptly expressed his gratitude.

"You kid, never ceasing to worry, it’s not enough that you went to the Primordial Evil Realm base last time, but now you dare to go to such a monster’s territory, do you think your life is too long?"

Saint Radiance Emperor took a bite out of an apple, glancing at him.

Lin You chuckled wryly.

He really didn’t want this.

Originally intended to slay a few more Lord Demons, who knew he’d be so unlucky to stumble upon such a terrifying being.

If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t dare approach even if given a hundred guts.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but ask, "Emperor, may I ask what happened to that heart in the end?"

"It escaped."

Saint Radiance Emperor raised the remaining half of the apple in his hand, speaking indistinctly.

As if discussing something trivial.

Yet in Lin You’s ears, it was like a bolt from the blue.

Escaped?

Such a terrifying thing really managed to escape?

And in the midst of so many emperors trying to intercept!

Shocked, he forgot to take the medicine bowl handed over by an attendant, staring wide-eyed at Saint Radiance Emperor.

"Why look at me? It’s not like I let it escape."

Saint Radiance Emperor glared at him, exuding an overwhelmingly frightful presence.

But he didn’t act high and mighty like other emperors.

Instead, he patiently explained to Lin You, "Originally, that heart was suppressed by a seal, but this time mechanical upheaval damaged part of the seal’s foundation, allowing it the chance to escape."

"What about the Seventy-Two Celestial Demons? Didn’t they show up?" Lin You asked.

"Them? Seems like they got held up by something, couldn’t come, unreliable lot."

Saint Radiance Emperor cursed under his breath, finishing the apple in one bite.

"But speaking of which, you kid really have a big life, to survive an encounter with such a thing, was that energy you released notifying us?"

"Yes." Lin You replied awkwardly, "If I hadn’t done that, I’d probably be dead."

"Haha, you clever kid, always had a bit of my style." Saint Radiance Emperor laughed heartily, seemingly in a good mood.

Then suddenly, he squinted his eyes, staring intently at Lin You, sizing him up.

"I didn’t expect it, such a short time, you’ve grown this much, really a bit beyond my expectations, so how about considering becoming my son? I happen to need an heir."

"Ah?"

Lin You was taken aback.

Stunned by Saint Radiance Emperor’s abrupt suggestion, his mind couldn’t comprehend it.

Is choosing an emperor’s heir really this casual?

"What? Unwilling?" Saint Radiance Emperor raised an eyebrow, "Don’t look at me like that, I’m already over a hundred years old, old enough to be your grandfather."

"No, what I mean is, isn’t the successor of the Great Emperor usually selected through multiple screenings?"

"Screenings? I don’t need that stuff."

"..."

Lin You remained silent.

To be honest, he was quite tempted.

Because he knew that becoming the successor of the Great Emperor was almost like getting a fast track to reaching Tier Eleven.

He might even have the opportunity to become an emperor in the future!

This was the situation that countless lords dreamed of obtaining.

If it were any other Tier Nine or even Tier Ten lord, they would probably immediately nod and agree without hesitation.

But he was different.

He was more concerned about the drawbacks of being a successor.

Because the Divine Format is inherited from the Great Emperor, his own level could never surpass that of the Great Emperor.

It’s somewhat like establishing a subordinate relationship.

Although it wouldn’t limit personal freedom, the upper limit was completely locked.

In other words.

The Great Emperor’s limit was the limit for the successor.

For most lords, this might not mean much.

After all, many of them might never even reach Tier Ten in their lifetime, let alone become emperors.

But Lin You was different.

He already had his own Divine Format, including a complete Tier Eleven Divine Format, so his considerations were naturally more long-term.

Becoming the successor of the Saint Radiance Emperor was certainly advantageous in the short term.

But in the long run, it wasn’t suitable for him.

After weighing his options, he finally made his decision and said seriously, "I still want to try it myself."

Silence.

The entire palace fell silent instantly.

The attendants serving medicine trembled, almost dropping it, all looking at Lin You with shock.

Becoming the successor of the Great Emperor.

An opportunity countless people in the world dream of.

Someone actually refused?

And so decisively!?

Not to mention them.

Even Saint Radiance Emperor himself was taken aback, a strong sense of surprise in his eyes.

However, he didn’t erupt with anger as one might imagine; instead, he suddenly laughed heartily: "Hahaha, you’ve got guts! As expected of someone I have my eye on!"

"Great Emperor..."

Lin You opened his mouth to explain, but Saint Radiance Emperor waved a hand to stop him.

"No need to say more, I know what you’re thinking; I may have underestimated your ambition, kid."

After saying that, he gave Lin You a deep look.

"Thank you for your understanding, Great Emperor."

Lin You silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Just now, he was really a bit afraid that the Saint Radiance Emperor would get angry and utterly destroy him.

After all, he had a deep understanding of the Emperor’s temperament, and it wasn’t impossible for him to do such a thing.

Fortunately, nothing happened.

He finally felt at ease.

However, unbeknownst to him, if other Duke Kings knew about this matter.

Without the Saint Radiance King lifting a finger, the kings would likely have obliterated him.

"Alright, since there’s no major issue, rest and heal first; I’ll send you back to your territory later."

It seemed that Saint Radiance Emperor was just here to check on Lin You’s condition.

Seeing that he was fine, he slowly got up and walked out.

Lin You’s expression changed, and he quickly spoke up, wanting to ask more about the heart and the black-eyed youth.

However, he only received a simple response.

"Some things aren’t meant for your level of understanding. Focus on improving your power."

Apparently, Saint Radiance Emperor didn’t want to mention anything about the heart.

After tossing out those words, he left without looking back.

Leaving only a few attendants to serve Lin You medicine, making Lin You sigh involuntarily.

This battle.

He could almost be said to have exhausted all his means, and nearly lost his life.

Though part of it was due to that heart.

The powerful strength of the black-eyed youth was also undeniable.

He was definitely the strongest Tier Eight Lord Lin You had ever seen.

Even the likes of Michael or Cyan Phoenix couldn’t match up to him.

Moreover, the opposing species was extremely peculiar, with level suffixes similar to demons and could even merge with that terrifying heart, something no ordinary person could accomplish.

Most importantly.

That heart, having broken free of its seal and reemerged, was likely to cause great turmoil, giving him a sense of an impending storm.

After today.

This Ten Thousand Realms could very well be anything but peaceful.

...

That night.

In the midst of the endless darkness that engulfed the Ten Thousand Realms.

In a certain cemetery filled with tombstones within the Origin Realm, the space suddenly distorted, and a black-eyed figure slowly appeared, arriving before the central tombstone.

The figure stood silently before the coffin for a long time, finally murmuring:

"I succeeded."

"It won’t be long before I obtain that power and start a new cycle."

"Wait for me."

With that, the youth disappeared again, as if he had never been there.