The Third Universe was strange. Its position among the top three was extremely peculiar.
The Third Universe's overall strength lagged far behind the Second Universe, yet it was also far stronger than the several universes ranked below it.
As one of the top three universes, it was stuck in the middle, which was truly jarring.
It was simply not as good as those above it, yet better than those below. The God Kings of the Third Universe understood this very well, but there was nothing they could do to change it.
After all, a gap in strength could not be made up overnight. Without years of accumulation, there was simply no way to bridge the distance between them.
The only way to make up the gap was to nurture a new generation of geniuses.
They had to keep nurturing them and keep accumulating strength until they were strong enough.
But there was no helping it. While they were making progress, the other universes were advancing as well.
Under such circumstances, the gap remained balanced at a fixed point and never budged.
In terms of its foundation of geniuses, the Third Universe was not much inferior to those ahead of it.
The gap could even be called negligible.
Yet when it came to overall strength, the distance simply could not be narrowed, leaving only a chasm between them.
Only later did they discover that the gap in core strength was far too great.
Very few of the new generation managed to grow. They either died on the road to supremacy or fell at the hands of their enemies.
That was how the Third Universe was.
After years of war, the various races within the universe were constantly fighting, whether for some treasure or over some matter.
Sometimes, a battle would even erupt because someone crossed a boundary and entered another's territory.
Nearly every star system and planet in the Third Universe operated as an independent domain.
There were no absolute alliances or cooperation, only profit and slaughter. They united briefly only during the Universe Competition.
What they loved most was the Ranking Battle. At that time, they could vent themselves to their heart's content for their lineage, their factions, other purposes, or even their hatred.
The Ranking Battle did not allow killing, but one could still utterly trample one's opponent within it.
That continued until the other side surrendered or lost the ability to move.
At first, there were occasional "accidents," with someone unintentionally killing an opponent.
Later, the rules became strict, and no one dared violate them anymore. Instead, they vented their fury on their opponents even more fiercely.
This was a mode unique to the Third Universe.
The other universes were completely different.
The Spirit Lords did not interfere either, simply allowing it to develop.
Battles often erupted between planets, while great wars between star systems were the Third Universe's unique local flavor.
All races followed one rule: Those who are not of my race will surely harbor alien hearts! Among the countless races, no one trusted any human or beast outside their own kind.
Schemes were simply part of their daily lives.
To them, slaughter was merely an everyday activity.
Their hatred of other races was carved into their genes and bloodlines.
No one could change it. Once a battle broke out and races became involved, nearly everyone would take up arms. Young or old, it made no difference.
Their daily lives consisted either of fighting or traveling toward a fight.
Yet these years of war had not affected the Third Universe's ecosystem in the slightest. This was the truly baffling part.
That was until a rumor began to spread.
The Third Universe possessed a wondrous ability to restore itself.
Moreover, this ability affected every star system, planet, and race within the universe.
Unlike the Second Universe's innate Divine Speed, this restorative ability did not belong to everyone in the Third Universe.
Or rather, it was an ability unique to the universe itself.
Yet its restorative power reached every corner of the universe, operating without pause.
If a planet were destroyed today, a new one would appear tomorrow to replace it. No one could touch or comprehend this wondrous and formidable restorative ability.
This was also one of the Third Universe's great characteristics: its number of habitable planets and stars far exceeded that of the other seven universes! Within its vast, boundless cosmos were countless habitable planets.
Many of them were unclaimed and uninhabited.
This made every race scramble to seize them.
Nearly every race had an extremely strong reproductive capacity. Whenever a new planet appeared, they would inevitably fight over it.
As populations grew, what they needed most was territory.
Only with enough territory could a race continue to multiply and thrive.
Perhaps this was also why the Third Universe's strength was so lopsided. Its foundation could not compare with that of the First and Second Universes, yet its overall strength could firmly suppress the universes ranked below it.
It was an exceedingly bizarre universe.
Only the races of the Third Universe could turn everything within the universe into a weapon.
Yakelis had once traveled through this place as well.
She discovered that the people here were simple and honest, warm and hospitable!
In less than three days, she had already fought nearly a hundred battles.
At the time, she had merely been following Master's orders to investigate something there.
Unexpectedly, the moment she was recognized, they attacked her outright.
They did not even bother with a greeting!
Yakelis was helpless and could only fight back.
After several battles, many people were beaten back, yet more fearless fighters continued rushing forward.
And so she remained where she was, fighting a hundred battles.
Those people came wave after wave, appearing endlessly. If it continued, Yakelis feared she would be worn to death right there.
Remembering that she had yet to complete what Master had instructed, Yakelis had no choice but to break through the encirclement.
Only after dodging and hiding everywhere did she finally shake them off.
Helles, however, was not so lucky.
When he arrived in the Third Universe, the sword on his back attracted an unknown number of enemies.
He himself was a battle-crazed sword fanatic, so he did not flee. Instead, he stayed and shouted that they should all attack him together!
One had to understand that so many people had blocked his path, including True God-level experts who were no weaker than him.
Yet his blood was already boiling, and he directly challenged everyone present. In that battle, Helles fought to his heart's content, swinging both hands until they were nearly numb.
Even then, he still refused to let go.
When he saw those people roaring again and again, he became even more excited. In an instant, his entire body filled with strength once more.
He plunged into a chaotic melee with them.
Gradually, many people realized that his strength was formidable. Anyone below the True God level could not defeat him at all.
After that, large numbers of people stepped aside.
Helles thought the battle was over and that they were retreating.
He loudly taunted them.
As a result, a huge number of True Gods surged out at once to replace their positions. The entire scene was filled with True God-level experts, and not one of them was weaker than him! In that battle, Helles, one of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods, was nearly beaten to death by the mob.
At the critical moment, a streak of golden light rescued him.
The True Gods did not choose to pursue him, however. Once they saw Helles being rescued, they dispersed.
After all, even without one Helles, countless others like Helles and their races were still looking for fights behind him! Helles was merely their appetizer.
The true battle still belonged to those old opponents!