At this moment.
Beneath the sea.
Lin Yu walked up to the stone tablet.
"You look quite disheveled now," Lin Yu said with a smile.
The stone tablet was broken into two halves, and even its single remaining terrifying eye was covered in cracks.
This eye was incredibly fearsome, and even Lin Yu could not directly confront it. If not for the heavens trapping it, he might have died again.
Although he could revive, he did not wish to die a second time.
This was because his foundation was now incredibly solid, and he no longer needed to cultivate to establish a firm base.
Therefore, he would do his best to avoid death now.
The stone tablet gave a wry smile, "In the Black Sky Realm, I was also a significant figure. I never expected to be defeated by you in the end. Ultimately, I was outnumbered!"
He sighed, convinced that Lin Yu's victory was not due to his own prowess but because of being ganged up on.
Lin Fan snorted and kicked him, "Watch your words. Remember, you are a captive now. Be careful, or I'll kill you."
Lin Fan's fierce demeanor silenced the stone tablet.
The stone tablet dared not say another word and fell silent.
Lin Yu smiled and said, "Let's go. Take him away from here!"
"Yes!"
They returned to the surface of the sea.
The sun had already climbed to its zenith.
The surroundings were deathly quiet, as if it were a dead sea.
Lin Yu knew this was because he had killed all the ferocious beasts in the vicinity.
Lin Yu, with the stone tablet in tow, landed on an island. He glanced at his depleted upgrade points with some heartache.
He was close to upgrading his talent clone, but he had been forced to upgrade his soul talent, Sky Vault, in the end.
He would have to wait a while longer to upgrade his talent clone.
"Lin Fan, take half of the combined clones and go hunting!"
"Understood, Big Brother!"
Lin Fan departed, leaving only Lin Yu, the stone tablet, and over a hundred combined clones on the island.
Lin Yu looked at the combined clones and silently thought, "Disperse!"
In the next moment, golden light appeared and quickly vanished. The combined clones dispersed, transforming into over a hundred million individual clones.
The number was immense, densely spread across the sky, the ocean, and even the gaps in space.
Lin Yu silently thought again, "Combine!"
Boom!
A loud noise echoed.
Shortly after, over twenty level five-million combined clones appeared before him.
"You all guard me!" Lin Yu commanded.
"Yes, Main Body!"
The combined clones dispersed around him, forming layers of protection, three deep.
The level five-million combined clones possessed higher intelligence, already far exceeding that of ordinary humans.
No one would doubt it if they were told they were normal beings.
After ensuring his safety, Lin Yu finally turned his attention to the stone tablet.
At this moment, the stone tablet's face was filled with shock. He said, "You... you... alas, so from beginning to end, they were all your clones. My defeat was not unjust."
He had initially thought his defeat was due to being ganged up on. Now, he realized they were all his clones.
The one who defeated him was always Lin Yu alone.
Lin Yu smiled, "I am pleased that you have realized this."
He waved his hand, conjuring a table and chairs, and sat down. He then ordered a clone to pour tea.
Splash!
The tea was quickly brewed and poured into a cup. He took a satisfying sip.
He chuckled, "Excellent tea. It's a pity you cannot drink it."
The stone tablet scoffed, "Tea? It is merely a beverage for you flesh-and-blood beings. What we drink is the most delicious."
"Lava?" Lin Yu teased.
The stone tablet paused, "How do you know?"
Lin Yu feigned surprise and jested, "I have the ability of divination. A simple calculation reveals all."
The stone tablet actually believed him, and a hint of respect entered his gaze as he looked at Lin Yu.
Lin Yu smiled, "Do you know why I didn't kill you?"
He had initially considered killing the stone tablet for attacking him, but he felt it would be a waste.
The stone tablet was silent for a moment before replying, "I understand. You want to know the secrets of the Black Sky Realm, don't you?"
Lin Yu took another sip of tea, its lingering taste in his mouth invigorating his spirit.
"Are you willing to tell me about the situation in the Black Sky Realm?"
Lin Yu recalled what Fu Yunzi had said. He had also mentioned the Black Sky Realm.
From this, it could be inferred that the Black Sky Realm was not a particularly important secret among the myriad realms.
It was simply that he was too young, had too little experience, and the Blue Star's foundation was too shallow, which was why he was unaware of the Black Sky Realm's information.
In the end, it was all due to his humble origins.
The stone tablet calmly asked, "What information about the Black Sky Realm do you wish to know?"
Lin Yu was about to speak.
The stone tablet interrupted, "The existence of the Black Sky Realm is not a secret. I can only tell you public information. I cannot reveal its deeper secrets."
Lin Yu nodded, but did not verbally agree.
He speculated that the deeper secrets were something the stone tablet could not disclose, possibly due to some unknown power that would be noticed if revealed.
He did not want to take that risk. What if a powerful being could cross world barriers and directly descend upon the Main God Realm?
He would also be in danger.
Therefore, being cautious was not excessive.
As for the deeper secrets of the Black Sky Realm, he would have opportunities to learn them eventually.
No need to rush.
"Speak. I am all ears!"
The stone tablet, hearing this, did not force Lin Yu to swear an oath or anything of the sort. He directly began to speak:
"The myriad heavens and realms are vast and boundless. Even I do not know how many worlds there are."
"Naturally, countless worlds have been born, and any kind of world can emerge."
"Most worlds are composed of flesh and blood. Their inhabitants sense the changes in heaven and earth, absorb its power into their bodies, temper themselves, and step into the extraordinary. This type of world constitutes the majority."
"Conversely, there are worlds that are not composed of flesh and blood."
"The inhabitants of these worlds are various artifacts that have gained sentience. For example, I am a stone tablet."
"This type of world is relatively rare, and upon its appearance, its form has led to ideological conflicts with flesh-and-blood worlds."
"The reason for the conflict is simple: the worlds of flesh-and-blood beings wish to refine us into magical treasures for their use."
"Thus, we began to resist."
"After countless years, we succeeded. Under the leadership of a great being, we merged a large number of artifact worlds, forming a vast, mobile world."
"This world is named the Black Sky Realm."
"Upon its emergence, the Black Sky Realm was subjected to pursuit and interdiction by flesh-and-blood worlds."
"We were outmatched and fled in all directions."
"It was not until three million years ago that our Lord, having broken through a minor realm, dared to appear before the myriad realms."
"However, unbeknownst to us, that very being had also broken through, and thus a great war ensued."
"I do not know the final outcome of the battle."
Lin Yu fell into thought.
If what he said was true, the Black Sky Realm was essentially a world composed of sentient artifacts.
The gods in the Black Sky Realm were all artifacts that had ascended to godhood.
He looked at the stone tablet, feeling a surge of greed to possess it and refine it into a magical treasure, believing it would be a top-tier artifact.
If it were anyone else, they would likely have similar thoughts.
Lin Yu somewhat believed his story, but he was less convinced by the latter part.
That mysterious being created a world, using its gods as bait to lure the Black Sky Realm.
And the Black Sky Realm then passed down the God Slaughtering technique, provoking the gods' war.
It was evident that the Black Sky Realm was not inherently good.
And that mysterious being also did not seem like a good person.
"Well, you are quite good. Come back to Blue Star with me!"
The stone tablet looked confused, "Is Blue Star the world you are from?"
Lin Yu replied with a half-smile:
"Yes. That world is incredibly magical. Beings that are killed have a chance to drop crystal stones."