Yuan’s Ascension

Clearly, Sovereign Lan Yan was very familiar with Sovereign Mo Lang's personality.

"Sovereign, then what should we do?" the purple-robed figure asked respectfully.

"Spread the news of this battle," ordered Sovereign Lan Yan, gazing down at the purple-robed figure. "Not just throughout the Dao Realm, but to the Spacetime Island and across the vast river of space and time, so that countless factions may know of it.”

"Spread it?" The purple-robed figure was taken aback.

"When astounding deeds are made known to countless beings and powerhouses, they leave an imprint in the collective consciousness, and their radiance grows ever brighter," Sovereign Lan Yan explained slowly.

"As one's reputation flourishes, the workings of heaven and earth subtly shift, strengthening one's providence.

Among mortals, wealth is the profit of fame! But for cultivators like us, providence is the profit of fame," Sovereign Lan Yan declared.

The purple-robed figure nodded, but couldn't help asking, "Sovereign, why must we aid Ming Jian?"

"By helping others, who's to say we aren't helping ourselves?" An enigmatic smile played on Sovereign Lan Yan's face. "Ming Jian's future is unpredictable... Now go!"

Within the temple, Sovereign Lan Yan sat alone, her eyes gleaming with an otherworldly light. A High Immortal cultivating for over two thousand years, obtaining the strength of an Astral Monarch?

Truly a monstrous prodigy.

After a moment's contemplation, Sovereign Lan Yan sent a mental summons to two of her strongest subordinates, "Gui Yi, Huang Du, come to me at once."

…

In less than a day's time, using divine crystals in conjunction with various spirit pills, Wu Yuan swiftly restored the mana of both his qi refiner self and mana body to their peak conditions.

Whoosh! Wu Yuan stood up, his gaze sweeping across the surrounding space. From now on, unless I'm completing a spacetime mission, I probably won't be returning to the Snowlight Mist Realm very often.

For Wu Yuan, given his current strength, venturing into the Snowlight Mist Realm posed no challenge or difficulty whatsoever. It offered almost no opportunity for growth.

Moreover, in Wu Yuan's plans, the long years ahead on Spacetime Island would be firstly spent methodically completing spacetime missions one by one. And secondly, continuing to visit various Dao Master battle relic sites to comprehend and cultivate in seclusion.

Let's go. My true self will return to the Spacetime Island first. I can send my mana body to roam the Dao Realm later. Wu Yuan decided. Though confident, he knew Sovereign Mo Lang was secretly watching him, so he naturally didn't dare let his true self wander about freely.

Whoosh! Wu Yuan's mana body flew into his qi refiner self, and then he took a step, merging into the Turbulent Spatial Layer.

Within the Turbulent Spatial Layer were countless beautiful threads as far as his perception reached. But in reality, they were incredibly dangerous.

Wu Yuan traveled through the Turbulent Spatial Layer at light speed, which was equivalent to moving at hundreds of millions of times the speed of light in the Material Spatial Layer.

Before long, Wu Yuan sensed that he had left the range of the Snowlight Mist Realm. He was about to fly even further away when an urgent voice exploded in his mind, "Master, there’s danger! Stop!" It was Astral Monarch Second Devil’s voice.

Boom! Wu Yuan halted instantly, immediately surveying his surroundings warily. All around was silence, save for the ceaseless turbulence of spatial currents.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! In a single thought, countless flying swords surrounded Wu Yuan, suppressing ten thousand li of space in every direction.

At the same time, all eight devil marshalls were ready to act.

Hum~ Suddenly, tens of thousands of li away, space rippled as a figure covered entirely in black scales with eight limbs emerged. Its body was towering, its aura vast, as it looked down upon Wu Yuan.

Astral Monarch Wu Yao? Wu Yuan's pupils constricted as he instantly recognized the individual.

This was an extremely powerful Astral Monarch from the Myriad Waves Palace, with ninth-stage Astral Monarch strength. As an Astral Monarch of Space, he was quite famous in the Dao Realm. Wu Yuan naturally knew of him.

Moreover, the fact that Wu Yuan hadn’t detected him in advance indicated that he had descended from the Vacuum Spatial Layer. Combined with such a formidable vital aura, it essentially eliminated the possibility of an impersonator.

"Fellow Daoist Ming Jian, you truly have good eyesight," Astral Monarch Wu Yao's voice boomed as he laughed, "I was ordered to guard this area. Coincidentally, you’re here too."

Astral Monarch Wu Yao was also surprised. He was currently commanding numerous Astral Monarchs around the outskirts of the Snowlight Mist Realm. He never expected to encounter Wu Yuan directly.

Addressing Wu Yuan as 'Fellow Daoist' clearly showed that he acknowledged Wu Yuan's strength, considering him to be of the same level of strength as himself.

"I think Daoist Ming Jian understands my meaning," Astral Monarch Wu Yao said with great confidence. "The conditions remain the same as those previously offered by the Sovereign.

If Daoist Ming Jian agrees, I'll let you depart. If you don't agree, then don't blame me for being merciless. I'll give you half a breath to consider," said Astral Monarch Wu Yao.

Half a breath – just three seconds!

For beings of Wu Yuan and Astral Monarch Wu Yao's level, this was enough time to process hundreds of thousands of thoughts.

Hum! One of Astral Monarch Wu Yao's limbs lashed out, and an invisible wave instantly enveloped an area of a hundred thousand li. It encompassed both himself and Wu Yuan.

Hmm? Wu Yuan's pupils contracted.

He felt that he and the surrounding spatial fluctuations had been completely isolated. He could no longer sense the higher spatial dimensions or lower spatial dimensions. It was as if he had been utterly confined within this space before him.

True Domain Continuum? Wu Yuan stared intently at the distant Astral Monarch Wu Yao, waves of shock surging in his heart.

The Law of Space was composed of three Intermediate Laws: the Law of Spatial Rift, the Law of True Domain, and the Law of Qiankun.

If one could fully comprehend these three Intermediate Laws, one would possess incredibly formidable abilities.

For instance, with the Law of Qiankun, if one comprehended it fully and reached the Astral Monarch phase, one could step into the Vacuum Spatial Layer.

With the Law of Spatial Rift, once fully comprehended, one's attacks would become overwhelmingly powerful.

As for the Law of True Domain, once fully grasped, one could form an extremely powerful binding domain called the True Domain Continuum.

What did ‘continuum' mean? It represented having no gaps or flaws whatsoever. Truly forming one's own domain, one's own world.

The intelligence reports on Astral Monarch Wu Yao only mentioned he had fully comprehended the Law of Qiankun. Who would have thought he had also mastered the Law of True Domain, and even comprehended the complete Law of Space to the ninth-level Dao Field stage? Wu Yuan thought to himself.

He understood that this was a late-stage Astral Monarch whose strength was incredibly close to that of a Sovereign of Space.

"Second Devil, Ninth Devil, prepare to act," Wu Yuan transmitted mentally.

Wu Yuan couldn't possibly escape by himself.

As for using the Nine Firmaments In A Thought bestowed by Sovereign Bei You? Back then, Sovereign Bei You had told Wu Yuan that the Nine Firmaments In A Thought could still allow him escape even from a quasi-Sovereign adept at slaughter. But the True Domain Continuum and Time Stop were the two techniques most effective at countering the Nine Firmaments In A Thought.

Various measures and abilities naturally countered and complemented each other.

Once Second Devil and Ninth Devil join forces to destroy this True Domain Continuum, I'll immediately use the Nine Firmaments In A Thought to flee. Wu Yuan decided.

Astral Monarch Wu Yao’s presence meant that the Myriad Waves Palace had certainly dispatched more than just one Astral Monarch. If he delayed any longer, the Astral Monarchs guarding other areas would likely arrive. By then, even if all eight devil marshalls acted simultaneously, they might not be able to escape.

"Half a breath has passed, Ming Jian. Have you decided?" Astral Monarch Wu Yao looked down at Wu Yuan.

He was quite confident. As a late-stage Astral Monarch, he wasn't the least bit worried about a High Immortal pulling any tricks, even if this High Immortal had just displayed the power of a first-stage Astral Monarch.

"Hmph!" Wu Yuan snorted coldly, about to order Second Devil and the others to act.

Just then, a cold voice resounded through heaven and earth, "Wu Yao, stand down. Break!”

A streak of spear light shot through the containment field, shattering it with a heaven shaking boom. Space trembled violently.

Two figures appeared amidst the streams of spatial currents. One wore golden battle armor and had a long tail, with black fur covering his body, resembling an ape. He shouldered a great spear, exuding an overbearing aura. The other wore yellow robes and possessed an extraordinary bearing.

They stood in the void, facing Astral Monarch Wu Yao in the distance, their auras holding an absolute advantage in power.

"Astral Monarch Gui Yi, Astral Monarch Huang Du!" Astral Monarch Wu Yao roared in anger, "You two dare obstruct me? You dare defy Sovereign Mo Lang's orders?"

He invoked the Sovereign's name as a scare tactic.

Wu Yuan, standing at the other end, was inwardly shocked as he gazed at the two imposing figures in the distance.

"Master, that ape-like figure is terrifying. I estimate his strength to be no less than mine, perhaps even stronger," the voice of Astral Monarch Second Devil resonated in Wu Yuan's mind.

"Mm." Wu Yuan nodded.

Astral Monarch Gui Yi was a renowned Astral Monarch in the Dao Realm, having made a name for himself hundreds of millions of years ago. In terms of talent, he barely missed the Supreme Genius benchmark. He even surpassed Senior Brother Jiang Huan and Nie Zhen.

According to the intelligence Wu Yuan had obtained, Astral Monarch Gui Yi was likely at the quasi-Sovereign level of power now, and was undoubtedly one of the top ten Astral Monarchs in the entire Dao Realm.

As for Astral Monarch Huang Du? His strength was somewhat weaker, estimated to be at the ninth-stage Astral Monarch level, but he was an Astral Monarch of Space.

"Wu Yao! Don't try to scare me with the Sovereign’s name," the ape-like Astral Monarch Gui Yi sneered. "I've come here under the orders of Sovereign Lan Yan. If Sovereign Mo Lang is displeased, he can take it up with Sovereign Lan Yan himself."

"Sovereign Lan Yan?" Astral Monarch Wu Yao was instantly alarmed.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Several more figures exuding powerful auras suddenly appeared. All were Astral Monarchs, taking Astral Monarch Wu Yao’s side.

They all looked at Astral Monarch Gui Yi and Astral Monarch Huang Du with confusion.

"Hmph! Quite a crowd, and it seems more are on their way," Astral Monarch Gui Yi scoffed. "A bunch of mongrels and chickens, what use is there in having so many?

None of you will be laying a hand on Ming Jian today.

Wu Yao, if you know what's good for you, you'd better scram," Astral Monarch Gui Yi said coldly, his icy gaze sweeping over each of the Astral Monarchs.

The group of Astral Monarchs from the Myriad Waves Palace all felt a hint of dread.

They were well aware of Astral Monarch Gui Yi's reputation as a battle-crazed lunatic, also widely acknowledged as one of the Astral Monarchs most likely to advance to Sovereign in the Dao Realm.

"Gui Yi, you..." Astral Monarch Wu Yao began to speak.

"I said, none of you will be laying a hand on Ming Jian!!" A hint of killing intent flashed in Astral Monarch Gui Yi's eyes as he suddenly whipped out the great spear.

Whoosh! A terrifying spear light pierced through the void, directly traversing hundreds of thousands of li, stabbing towards a seemingly calm area of the void.

Splurch! Space trembled as a white-robed figure was dragged out by the great spear. The spear light then erupted, giving the white-robed figure no time to react before their body instantly exploded!

An Astral Monarch qi refiner had fallen!

Whoosh! The long spear retracted, returning to Astral Monarch Gui Yi's hand, droplets of fresh blood dripping from its tip.

The entire Turbulent Spatial Layer fell silent.

"Now, does anyone else have any objections?" Astral Monarch Gui Yi's gaze swept across the numerous Myriad Waves Palace Astral Monarchs.

Not a single one dared to answer.