Yuan’s Ascension

Chapter 1204: The Nine Realms (1)

Wu Yuan’s ether body soared upward. The vast, endless celestial body beneath his feet was in fact an irregularly shaped mass forged entirely of an azure-hued metal.

Upon careful inspection, the irregular celestial body beneath his feet contained not a single trace of impurity.

With a thunderous boom, Wu Yuan suddenly extended his hand, his palm swelling to an enormous size before slamming down onto the surface of the celestial body. A tremendous collision reverberated, causing the entire mass to tremble imperceptibly. Yet not even the faintest mark was left behind.

It seems the legends were true. Wu Yuan mused in silent awe. The countless irregular celestial bodies orbiting the Azure Saint Tomb are actually minute fragments of the tower, scattered when that fissure was created.

The celestial body beneath his feet spanned at least several tens of millions of li in diameter. And there were millions upon millions of similar ones scattered throughout this expanse of the void, mere flecks that had fallen from the Azure Saint Tomb’s surface? The very thought was staggering.

According to the intelligence from Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, even True Saints cannot leave the slightest imprint on these irregular celestial bodies. It takes tens of thousands of all-out attacks from Dao Zenithels to cause even the slightest deformation. Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.

Even high-grade Xiantian artifacts would shatter under such a ferocious barrage from Dao Zenithels. Without a doubt, as far as the eye could see, all of these irregular celestial bodies—all of this azure-hued metal—was invaluable treasure beyond compare.

A pity no one can take them. Wu Yuan mused inwardly. Not even Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and the others can remove it.

Under the influence of invisible laws, they were immovable. No one, no matter how powerful, could change that fact.

Could the creator of this Azure Saint Tomb truly be one of the legendary fifth-step Eternals? The thought surfaced unbidden in Wu Yuan’s mind.

Hearsay was unreliable; seeing was believing. Even before entering the Azure Saint Tomb, based solely on what he had witnessed externally, Wu Yuan found himself entertaining the notion that there must exist a level beyond that of the Dao Zenithels. How else could one explain the myriad mysteries of this vast cosmic sea?

With a deep breath, Wu Yuan steadied his racing thoughts and continued his flight towards the Azure Saint Tomb.

In the River of Universes dimension, Wu Yuan could traverse billions of light years in an instant through the Spacetime Intersection Layer.

But in the cosmic sea, where spacetime dimensions were unified, one could only trudge along at a glacial pace—limited to a hundred times light speed at most—unless one utilized a Saint Realm passage or possessed overwhelming strength.

The journey proved far longer than anticipated.

How vast was the entirety of the Azure Saint Tomb? In the end, Wu Yuan flew for a full hundred and thirty years before finally nearing the ninth entrance of the Azure Saint Tomb.

There were fifty-five entrances at the base of the Azure Saint Tomb, each separated by an immense distance. Different entrances led to unpredictable destinations, following no discernible pattern.

Wu Yuan chose the ninth entrance for one simple reason—proximity.

As he gradually drew near, Wu Yuan’s gaze sharpened. His perception detected an exceptionally powerful vital aura approaching him.

A Qi Huang race powerhouse? No, two of them? Wu Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

Though his ether body had not yet cultivated an Eternal Matter Body, it could perfectly apply the profundities of his self-created Dao. Its perceptive abilities were frighteningly keen—in terms of perception alone, his ether body was only a hair inferior to his mana body, precisely because of how terrifyingly profound his self-created Dao had become.

The Qi Huang race was a renowned group in the cosmic sea, naturally-born eternal lifeforms who had produced quite a few True Saints over the long ages. However, they lacked unity, with their numerous True Saints scattered among various factions. Even the Eldritch Court counted some Qi Huang powerhouses among its ranks. In terms of solidarity, the Qi Huang race fell far short of the Que Luo race.

An ambush? Or just passing by? The thought flashed through Wu Yuan’s mind as he willed his ether body and mana body to swap places.

Now it was his mana body on the outside, clad in white robes. With deliberate intent, Wu Yuan released his aura, immediately alerting the two Qi Huang race powerhouses still rushing through the distant void.

“Hmm? Someone’s there?” The larger of the two Qi Huang race powerhouses instantly grew wary, sensing Wu Yuan’s aura.

“Who is that?” The other Qi Huang Overlord was slower on the uptake, momentarily puzzled.

“White robes, eternal Dao resonance, an overwhelming sense of danger…” The larger Qi Huang powerhouse’s expression changed. “It’s Ming Jian! Overlord Ming Jian of the Blood Dream Alliance.” He transmitted in a low voice, “Overlord Ming Jian, we didn’t mean to trespass. Our deepest apologies.

“Let’s go!”

Whoosh! He grabbed his companion and vanished in a streak of light, fleeing into the distance as if terrified Wu Yuan might give chase.

In moments, the two Qi Huang race powerhouses had disappeared beyond the range of Wu Yuan’s perception.

Were they really just passing by? Yet he recognized me? Fair enough, I didn’t alter my appearance. Wu Yuan smiled faintly. But to think my mana body alone frightened them into fleeing outright?

Wu Yuan continued his flight towards the entrance. Since it was clearly a chance encounter, he naturally saw no reason to strike them down.

…

In the void, the two Qi Huang powerhouses fled in panic for a long while before finally coming to a halt.

“He didn’t pursue us.” The larger Qi Huang powerhouse finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Saint, was it really necessary for us to flee? I’ve heard of this Overlord Ming Jian as well. No matter how extraordinary, he’s still just a sempiternal lifeform.” The smaller Qi Huang powerhouse couldn’t help but ask. “Besides, Saint, have you actually met Overlord Ming Jian before? How did you recognize him?”

Evidently, though both Qi Huang powerhouses appeared to be mere Overlords, they were in fact the mana body and ether body of a Saint and an Overlord respectively.

This was commonplace. Eternal powerhouses often sent their mana or ether bodies on risky ventures. Only when truly momentous opportunities or gains presented themselves would their true selves rush to compete for them. After all, one only had a single life.

Once an eternal powerhouse fell, resurrection and return were not easy.

“I’ve never met him,” the Qi Huang Saint shook his head.

“Then?” The Qi Huang Overlord was baffled. To fear someone so intensely without even confirming their identity—it was embarrassing.

“His appearance matched, as did the aura he emitted and the intelligence we have. Moreover, he gave me an overwhelming sense of danger,” the Qi Huang Saint said in a low voice. “There’s over a fifty percent chance…”

He glanced at the Qi Huang Overlord. “Mo Chi, remember this: we retreated, and that’s that. Face doesn’t matter. When navigating the cosmic sea, survival takes precedence above all else.”

“Understood.” The Qi Huang Overlord nodded, though inwardly he remained skeptical.

“Don’t disregard this,” the Qi Huang Saint seemed to peer into his thoughts. “In truth, if it were truly just Overlord Ming Jian alone, I wouldn’t be overly concerned. Legend has it he’s a Psyche Dream class powerhouse—as long as one can withstand his soul attacks, that would suffice… But you must know, according to our intelligence, whenever Ming Jian ventures into the cosmic sea, Overlord Wu Yuan always accompanies him. The two of them act in concert.”

“Overlord Wu Yuan?” Overlord Mo Chi’s pupils constricted. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “The number one prodigy since the Primordial Era? The sempiternal lifeform who slew a True Saint?”

“Indeed.” The Qi Huang Saint nodded, his eyes filled with wariness. “It’s said his actions are extremely domineering, forcing many True Saints to lower their heads. He even dares to disregard the dignity of Dao Zenithels… If he had truly been there just now and taken offense, he could have casually cut us down with a single saber strike. We’d have nowhere to seek justice.”

Overlord Mo Chi couldn’t help but shrink back.

“Let’s go. Overlord Ming Jian seemed to be heading for the ninth entrance, so we’ll take a detour. I’ll escort you to the tenth entrance instead.” The Qi Huang Saint said.

“Very well.” Overlord Mo Chi nodded repeatedly.

The two powerhouses gave the area a wide berth. Though it meant additional time, they deemed it worthwhile.

One’s reputation preceded them like the shadow of a tree.

Following a series of bloody battles and repeated displays of might, Wu Yuan’s two true selves had gained considerable renown throughout the vast cosmic sea. Many Perennials and Saints now retreated at the mere sight of them.

…

The Azure Saint Tomb loomed ever larger. The closer Wu Yuan drew, the more palpable the vast, primordial aura emanating from the towering spire became. It now obscured over half of Wu Yuan’s field of view.

At last, Wu Yuan reached the base of the tower. Countless streams of Xuanhuang qi encircled the tower’s structure, suspended endlessly in the void overhead.

The ninth entrance. Wu Yuan had finally arrived.