NOVGO.NET Chapter 1106: River Ring (1)
Chapter 1106: River Ring (1)
This shadowy, barren domain was a realm crafted by Dao Zenithel Nanga himself. Within its confines, the Dao Zenithel commanded was nearly invincible.
“Powerless?” True Saint Ji Guang’s voice cracked with disbelief. “How could this be? You are a Dao Zenithel! Who could render you powerless?
“And what terrible offense could Saint Hong Yun have committed to provoke a being capable of erasing all past, present, and future possibilities?”
That which persists in memory continues to echo through existence. To be remembered is to exist anew—a trait of eternal powerhouses, particularly those who had pioneered their own Daos.
For eternal lifeforms at the Perennial stage, death in battle meant true, irrevocable death. But one who pioneered their own Dao had created a Dao that belonged uniquely to them.
When they achieved eternity, traces of their Dao became permanently etched into the Primordial essence—leaving behind an imprint unique to them.
Once seared into existence, their shadow persisted throughout all of spacetime—past, present, future, and every possible future. Thus, even if their true self fell, revival remained possible.
Two paths to revival existed. First, through an immensely powerful being with profound understanding of the Primordial essence—one who could bend its rules and gather the fallen eternal’s scattered imprints across infinite spacetime, reawakening them.
This method, however, only applied to Dao Pioneer Eternals whose self-created Daos lacked sufficient strength.
For True Saint Eternals, whose Daos possessed tremendous power, even Dao Zenithel Eternals couldn’t assist in their revival once they fell and their Dao dispersed. They could only rely on themselves to return.
The second method was to gather one’s own aura imprints via the contingencies one had prepared in advance.
Most crucial among these were the Great Dao imprints. Every True Saint Eternal produced nine such imprints, originating from the Primordium and containing extraordinary power. As long as these imprints remained intact, revival remained possible even after death.
This explained why many True Saints desperately sought worthy successors to pass on their Great Dao imprints, hoping to ensure their perpetuity. This was the meaning behind the Creation Emissary’s words to Wu Yuan: “remembering is the greatest form of repayment.”
Next in importance were the Faith imprints. Many True Saints spread their Faith across the rivers of space and time. Though individually weak, they made up for it in sheer quantity. At crucial moments, when countless imprints converged, revival became possible.
True Saint Eternals thus proved exceedingly difficult to permanently destroy. Even after death, their imprints lingered.
Of course, every method, no matter how powerful, had its counter. Some Dao Zenithel Eternals could easily erase a Dao Pioneer Eternal’s spacetime imprints.
But erasing a True Saint Eternal’s numerous, scattered imprints required tremendous effort.
As for Dao Zenithel Eternals? Each was a titan in the vast cosmic sea, hailed as supreme. They strode above myriad realms, their gaze encompassing past, present, and future of the rivers of space and time.
They were nearly impossible to kill, and even when slain, most could revive repeatedly. The birth, rise, and fall of each Dao Zenithel was a momentous event that affected the entire landscape of the cosmic sea.
For these reasons, Dao Zenithel Nanga’s words filled True Saint Ji Guang with true terror, his mind racing with countless possibilities.
Who could possess such power? What mysterious entity stood behind Devil Emperor Xia, undetected until now?
No—True Saint Ji Guang suddenly realized—without guidance from such a supreme being, how could Devil Emperor Xia have grown so formidable? How could he have achieved such mythical feats?
“You would be better off not knowing that one’s name.” The vast, detached voice resonated through the void. “Rest assured, that one will not move against you. Moreover, with me present, that one cannot kill you. I simply cannot revive Saint Hong Yun.”
“Thank you for your protection, Dao Zenithel.” True Saint Ji Guang knelt respectfully, though his heart bled silently.
No one acted without reason. Even his allegiance to Dao Zenithel Nanga was no exception. The Dao Zenithel would not help him for free.
The leaders of the Abyss Alliance were not as kindhearted as those of the Eldritch Court or Immortal Court.
For this attempt to revive Saint Hong Yun, he had prepared three high-grade Xiantian artifacts as an offering to the Dao Zenithel.
He had no choice. He had ordered Saint Hong Yun into battle. Now that she had perished, failing to revive her would make it difficult to mobilize his subordinate Saints in future conflicts.
But the attempt had failed.
Dao Zenithel Nanga’s message was clear—even if he couldn’t revive Saint Hong Yun, he had protected True Saint Ji Guang from that mysterious supreme being’s reach. The three high-grade Xiantian artifacts would not be returned. An equal exchange.
“I will not interfere in your conflict with Devil Emperor Xia,” Dao Zenithel Nanga’s voice filled the dark spacetime. “Should you manage to kill him, you need not fear the consequences.”
“Understood,” True Saint Ji Guang replied respectfully. That statement alone sufficed.
A soundless ripple passed through the void, and True Saint Ji Guang vanished instantly from this space.
“Hou Tu? Or Wan Yu? Or perhaps Spacetime?” A contemplative murmur echoed in the darkness. “Only you three possess the power to hinder me.”
The realm lapsed into perfect stillness.
As a Dao Zenithel, he felt nothing for the death of a Dao Pioneer Eternal under his command. Such was the nature of Abyssal powerhouses.
…
A Dao Zenithel backing Devil Emperor Xia? True Saint Ji Guang returned to his Saint Realm, his heart ice-cold.
What should I do next? He pondered silently.
Anger and fear warred within him, but as he analyzed the situation, a perfect calm descended.
…
In Sector 11 of the Abyss, Wu Yuan continued his swift journey through the Sector River. Despite his speed, it would take him decades before he could leave its boundaries.
Slaying an Eternal truly paid off handsomely. This Saint Hong Yun carried so many treasures. As Wu Yuan traveled, he divided his attention to examine his battle spoils.
This represented the majority of the wealth she had accumulated over many samsara cycles of heaven and earth. Though she had anticipated some danger during this mission, she never imagined she would fall within the Abyss.
Wu Yuan’s birth and rise was already a miracle. Cultivating for just over 200,000 years before slaying an Eternal? If this news spread, the shock it caused would be ten or even a hundred times greater than the current commotion.
This complete set of mid-grade Xiantian artifact flying swords is truly extraordinary. Very impressive. Though they can’t compare to the Mo Yuan Sabers, they can be considered the cream of the crop among mid-grade Xiantian artifacts. Wu Yuan thought, his face brightening.
The greatest prize was the set of flying swords wielded by Saint Hong Yun. There were nine in total, all mid-grade Xiantian artifacts. When combined, their power approached that of a high-grade Xiantian artifact.
He’d also acquired battle armor and soul artifacts at the mid-grade Xiantian level, plus over thirty low-grade Xiantian artifacts.
He had truly struck it rich.
Adding the various rare treasures, the total value must approach 20,000 Xuanhuang merits. Wu Yuan calculated, excitement building. Then he sighed and shook his head. A pity there are no high-grade Xiantian artifacts.
Thinking of this, Wu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh at himself. Greed truly knew no bounds.
High-grade Xiantian artifacts were genuinely rare. Saint Hong Yun, while not among the most powerful Dao Pioneer Eternals, could easily obtain mid-grade artifacts. But acquiring high-grade Xiantian artifacts would not have been easy for her.
The gains are substantial enough. Wu Yuan concluded with satisfaction. At minimum, when I return to the Eldritch Court, I can equip my qi refiner self, mana body, and ether body with mid-grade Xiantian artifacts.
His body refiner self already possessed top-tier artifacts, but his qi refiner self lacked comparable protection.
I should reach the Abyssal Void of Sector 11 in roughly 300 years. Wu Yuan calculated.
He had no intention of returning to Sector 13—delaying only increased his risks. According to his plan, he would return directly to the universe via the Abyssal Void in Sector 11, then traverse the River of Universes back to the Ling Jiang Universe.
Once I reach the universe, the Abyssal True Saints will find it far more difficult to hunt me. Wu Yuan thought with quiet confidence. By now, news of this battle must have spread throughout countless megaverses and factions.
His prediction proved correct. News had indeed spread like wildfire. Such an event hardly occurred in all the samsara cycles of heaven and earth.
…
“Devil Emperor Xia of the Abyss slew an Eternal?”
“It was Saint Hong Yun! She and Saint Da Yang joined forces against Devil Emperor Xia but were defeated. She self-destructed.”
“A mythical feat!”
“Unbelievable. I’ve never heard of this Devil Emperor Xia before.”
“That’s normal. Abyssal powerhouses rarely venture into the cosmic sea.”
“Devil Emperor Xia pioneered his own Dao while still a sempiternal lifeform. Truly terrifying. He’s destined to become a True Saint!” The news raced through endless megaverses.
From the various Saintdoms of the thirty-six universes to the top factions of the cosmic sea, all buzzed with discussion.
The name ‘Devil Emperor Xia’ instantly surpassed Overlord Yue Shan, Overlord Qing Mo, Overlord Wu Yuan, and other powerhouses on the Samsara Rankings, as well as famous young naturally-born eternal lifeforms. He became the undisputed strongest being below the Eternals.
It was truly undisputed. Any objections? Can you slay an Eternal as a sempiternal lifeform?
…
“Has it been recorded in the Eternal Register?”
“It’s fitting.”
“Such a mythical feat naturally deserves a place in the Eternal Register.” Throughout the boundless cosmic sea, True Saints and Dao Zenithels sensed that inexplicable ripple across infinite spacetime.
Devil Emperor Xia’s achievement of slaying Saint Hong Yun was recorded in the Eternal Register.
This accomplishment rivaled the legendary feats of the Heavenly Imperator and Great Emperor Yan Tuo in their youth.
The True Saints of various cosmic sea factions and alliances found this unsurprising. Rather, they considered it only natural.
Some True Saints who had paid little attention before now took notice after sensing changes in the Eternal Register.
“Devil Emperor Xia?”
“A sempiternal lifeform pioneering his own Dao? Such power suggests he may reach the Dao Zenithel stage.” Throughout the boundless cosmic sea, over eighty percent of True Saint Eternals learned of Devil Emperor Xia.
Compared to Wu Yuan’s previous inclusion in the Eternal Register, Devil Emperor Xia’s battle in the Abyss created even greater shock waves.
Wu Yuan’s inclusion stemmed mainly from his youth and theoretical potential, while Devil Emperor Xia demonstrated his current power and could achieve eternity at will. Theory remained theory—true strength was what commanded respect.
“Where is Devil Emperor Xia?”
“No one knows!”
“There’s been no trace of him since the Sector River battle. No one can locate him.”
“He must be preparing for Dao Enlightenment to eternity.” Many Abyssal True Saints attempted to locate Devil Emperor Xia, all without success.
“Devil Emperor Xia possesses an unripe Flower of Sin.” This news spread rapidly.
Clearly, True Saint Ji Guang had disseminated this information, hoping other True Saints would move against Devil Emperor Xia.
“A Flower of Sin?”
“I see why True Saint Ji Guang sought to hunt him down. He wanted the Flower of Sin.” Through the Abyss Alliance’s intelligence channels, many True Saint Eternals learned of this news.
But unlike before, no True Saints contemplated seizing it. Instead, they considered it natural for such an ultimate treasure to reside with Devil Emperor Xia.
“It’s just one Flower of Sin. For us, it would yield a single Xiantian Instrument at most.”
“The Flower of Sin is an ultimate treasure for sempiternal lifeforms.”
“For a Devil Emperor who has pioneered his own Dao, obtaining such a treasure seems fitting.”
“When the Flower matures and he refines it to comprehend the Abyss’s nature, Devil Emperor Xia will grow even more formidable. Best not to provoke him.”
Such was the way of the world. When ordinary powerhouses possessed ultimate treasures, they guarded them zealously, fearing covetous eyes. But even ten or a hundred ultimate treasures in a super powerhouse’s possession remained beyond others’ reach.
Strength remained the foundation of all.