Yuan’s Ascension

Chapter 1209: The Six Holy Emperors (2)

A cold light flashed through the silver-robed man’s eyes. “You’re courting death!”

He enjoyed dealing death to others, yet paradoxically despised being labeled a villain or devil himself.

With explosive force, the silver-robed man attacked without further preamble. His palm strike carried surging spiritual qi, manifesting like a massive mountain range that blotted out heaven and earth as it crashed toward Wu Yuan with overwhelming might. Under this palm technique, ten cities the size of the previous one would be instantly pulverized into dust.

“That palm technique?”

“Heavens above!”

“Is this truly the power a Sageling—a peak Overlord—commands?” Over a hundred Sovereigns held their breath while watching the spectacle unfold, their hearts chilling with fear.

Though they counted themselves among the Seventh Realm’s elite powerhouses, they now recognized the vast gulf separating them from those at the top.

A fourth-stage Overlord indeed. The Vermilion Devil Master muttered inwardly, eyes flashing with wariness as he observed Wu Yuan at the edge of the void. That fellow better not be killed before we’re able to extract more information.

Though described in length, the palm descended with extreme speed, instantly enveloping its target.

“Not a bad palm technique,” Wu Yuan smiled faintly, extending a single finger with casual elegance.

With a rumbling surge of power, the finger rapidly transformed before their eyes, its tip emitting brilliant light as it elongated into what resembled a massively enlarged spear-point, piercing fiercely toward the descending giant palm.

Like a slab of flesh striking a razor-sharp nail, Wu Yuan’s finger pierced through the massive palm. The giant hand formed of spiritual qi then shattered completely, dissolving into scattered motes of light.

The gap in power was simply too vast.

Though the silver-robed man possessed formidable strength, he hadn’t fundamentally reached the Threshold Perennial level. How could he possibly match Wu Yuan’s power?

“What?”

“What technique is this?” The group of Sovereigns watching from the distant void stood dumbfounded, their expressions frozen in disbelief.

The Sageling they had considered invincible, wielding what they believed was an eternal ultimate technique, was defeated with such casual ease? Both the silver-robed man and Vermilion Devil Master’s expressions transformed dramatically from confidence to shock.

This— Naked fear flashed through the silver-robed man’s eyes. Peak Perennial level? Could he be a legendary Supreme Overlord from ancient texts?

He recalled passages from manuscripts preserved through the ages.

Legend spoke of a realm of Overlords beyond the fourth-stage. Those who reached this realm were termed Supreme Overlords or Mythic Overlords—beings of almost incomprehensible might.

Unfortunately, those remained mere legends in most circles.

At least, the silver-robed man had never heard of a Mythic Overlord appearing in his holy sect’s recorded history.

Flee! Before the many Sovereigns could react, the silver-robed man turned to escape. The Vermilion Devil Master, also terrified, leapt away to flee.

“If I let you escape, I’d be nothing but a laughingstock.” Wu Yuan’s ether body revealed a cold smile as he extended his palm. It began to expand unnaturally, swelling into what appeared to be a vast, all-consuming world.

The expanding palm engulfed the silver-robed man, the Vermilion Devil Master, and over a hundred Sovereigns in a single motion.

Whoosh~ His palm emanated a voracious power that acted on every Overlord and Sovereign caught within its reach.

Rumble! Spacetime warped around the silver-robed man and Vermilion Devil Master as they fled desperately, their bodies streaking into the distance. They could feel themselves getting further from the mysterious, terrifying Overlord.

Then, looking up, a wave of horror washed over them. The giant palm had somehow transformed into an endless realm, completely surrounding them from all sides. There was no escape.

Had any supreme being observed this confrontation from afar, they would have witnessed an astonishing sight: the silver-robed man, Vermilion Devil Master and their followers, despite their frantic escape attempts, gradually shrank smaller and smaller until they resembled mere specks of dust, ultimately disappearing completely into Wu Yuan’s palm.

With a casual gesture, Wu Yuan withdrew his hand, and tranquility returned to this corner of heaven and earth—as though no clash had ever disturbed its peace.

Only Sovereign Xue Lou remained, standing frozen in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at Wu Yuan.

Something about Wu Yuan felt oddly familiar to him, like a half-forgotten memory hovering just beyond reach.

“Go,” Wu Yuan commanded, waving his hand dismissively. The gesture sent Sovereign Xue Lou hurtling far into the distance.

Any memories of this encounter would be shrouded in illusion within Xue Lou’s mind, leaving him forever grasping at shadows.

Wu Yuan stood alone in the silence.

Palm World—quite an effective technique for dealing with weaker opponents. A slight smile crossed his face.

This was an eternal ultimate technique he had recently created—Palm World. The sealing technique had only been developed to the Saint level by Wu Yuan, not yet reaching the True Saint level.

A palm transforming into a boundless world, encompassing everything within its grasp and subduing countless lives effortlessly.

In Wu Yuan’s vision, when this technique reached its pinnacle, his palm could truly manifest as a resplendent universe, making escape difficult even for True Saints and Dao Zenithels.

Of course, cultivating to such a level was destined to be extremely difficult.

Wu Yuan suddenly recalled the Monkey King from ancient mythology, who had battled the Buddha and fallen to a similar technique. [1]

I’m becoming more and more like a figure from mythologies. Wu Yuan mused to himself. Perhaps, after countless eons pass, many worlds within the Nine Megaverses Spacetime will tell endless tales about me.

With a swift step, Wu Yuan departed the area. Next, he examined the two Overlords and numerous Sovereigns trapped within his Palm World.

All of them stared at him with vacant eyes, their consciousness submerged in illusions.

Infiltrate. Wu Yuan’s mana body entered the Palm World, probing into their spirit worlds to extract their memories.

Words might deceive, but memories reveal the truth.

Swiftly, Wu Yuan sifted through each Sovereign’s memories. Most possessed greater strength than Sovereign Xue Lou and knew far more secrets—particularly valuable given their numbers.

Through this process, Wu Yuan gained a clearer understanding of the Nine Realms’ structure.

Nothing particularly exceptional here. The entire Seventh Realm boasts over six thousand Overlords… Wu Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly as his attention shifted to the Vermilion Devil Master.

Instantly, the Vermilion Devil Master began to resist. As an Overlord, his spirit and will clearly surpassed a Sovereign’s by orders of magnitude.

Consciousness submersion, psyche weapon attack, spirit world examination, soul-control, memory extraction… Each step presented greater challenges than the last.

The ability to view memories often signified that absolute soul-control had been achieved—naturally an extraordinarily difficult feat.

Even Overlords present this much difficulty, and this is one who lacks a soul defense Xiantian artifact. For Perennial powerhouses, there’s likely no possibility at all. Wu Yuan’s frown deepened as he repeatedly deployed his eternal ultimate technique.

After considerable struggle and time, he barely succeeded. The Vermilion Devil Master’s eyes glazed over as torrents of memories cascaded into Wu Yuan’s mind.

The upper three realms represent the true authority over the Nine Realms. They reign supreme, occupying the most expansive and abundant territories, collectively known as the Saint Realm.

The lower six realms remain barren by comparison, merely called the Immortal Realm.

Beyond the Nine Realms exist countless worldlets of negligible strength. A single Archimmortal could potentially obliterate an entire world. These worldlets are designated as the Mortal Realm, places where sempiternal beings find it nearly impossible to descend…

The power in the upper three realms was held by six holy sects.

Each holy sect is led by a Holy Emperor? Each commands numerous eternal powerhouses, including many Saints… Sagelings, being fourth-stage Overlords, must create eternal ultimate techniques… Sageling Qi Duo? Wu Yuan glanced at the silver-robed man with newfound understanding.

So he was a Sageling from the Tian Luo Holy Sect.

No wonder his power had been so formidable, and he even possessed two low-grade Xiantian artifacts.

As Wu Yuan continued his investigation, he found out that the entire Nine Realms had been governed by the six holy sects since time immemorial.

Many Overlords in the lower six realms were merely ordinary disciples dispatched from the six holy sects.

As for eternal powerhouses? Whenever the lower six realms produced such a being, they would immediately draw the attention of the six holy sects—either join or face elimination… This arrangement had allowed the six holy sects to grow increasingly powerful, their foundations strengthening with each passing age.

All other powers existed merely as subjects under their authority.

How disappointing. Wu Yuan sighed.

This Vermilion Devil Master was merely an ordinary disciple of the Tian Luo Holy Sect, with limited knowledge. He only knows that the Saintdom has numerous Saints in its ranks. Wu Yuan contemplated deeply. But what of the Holy Emperors themselves?

In the Nine Realms, the six Holy Emperors stood as the mightiest beings.

They were known as the Six Founding Holy Emperors. Legend maintained that they had existed since the birth of the Nine Realms, eternally standing at its pinnacle, with no challenger ever managing to approach their level.

Because of these six Holy Emperors, the rule of the six holy sects had never wavered.

But the true extent of a Holy Emperor’s power? The Vermilion Devil Master had no way of knowing such secrets.

Could they all be True Saints? Wu Yuan murmured, wariness flickering in his eyes.

If all were True Saints, the pressure would be insurmountable. Wu Yuan would have no hope of victory. The gap in fundamental power was simply too vast.

Even his body refiner self, having forged an Eternal Matter Body with an extraordinarily high Dao cultivation level, could barely unleash power at the Threshold True Saint level.

Never mind the six Holy Emperors. Wu Yuan frowned deeply. If the Saints from the six Saintdoms collectively united against me, I would struggle to withstand their assault.

In essence, the military might of the entire Nine Realms subtly exceeded Wu Yuan’s capabilities. Probing this world’s secrets by dominating its inhabitants through sheer force was temporarily unfeasible.

I must seek alternative methods. Wu Yuan’s gaze settled upon the silver-robed man, Sageling Qi Duo.

This Sageling might possess some valuable intelligence.

Silently, Wu Yuan’s mana body began to infiltrate the other’s spirit world. After considerable effort, he finally discovered a slight opening.

But just as Wu Yuan began to explore the other’s memories, he sensed that he had touched something forbidden.

“Ahhh!” Sageling Qi Duo’s body convulsed violently, his face contorting with unbearable agony. His eyes briefly flashed with clarity, only to immediately fill with boundless despair.

Without a sound, Sageling Qi Duo’s eyes dimmed to emptiness, his vital aura swiftly dissipating into nothingness.

Dead? Wu Yuan stood stunned, a gleam of realization crossing his eyes. Soul annihilation?

No! Not soul annihilation—rather, the backlash from some form of oath! Wu Yuan quickly deduced the cause, his heart pounding with shock.

The backlash from an oath could cause his death? How could it wield such tyrannical power? How was this even possible?

It was common knowledge that oaths like the Universe’s Essence Oath or the Primordial Oath in the Nine Megaverses Spacetime, even when violated, would at most trigger heart demons, causing serious injury, preventing advancement or even forcing regression in cultivation.

But they would never cause immediate death.

Simply put, the power of destiny remained ultimately illusory. Destiny could influence future events but struggled to directly interfere with present reality.

This is disastrous. Wu Yuan’s expression darkened abruptly. According to the Vermilion Devil Master’s memories, when a Sageling perishes, their holy sect will be instantly alerted.

Every Sageling represented a crucial asset to their holy sect, which possessed specialized methods to monitor their vitality. As long as they remained within the Nine Realms, they couldn’t hide their existence—or their demise.

Time to depart! There’s no benefit in antagonizing the Tianluo Holy Sect. This thought crystallized in Wu Yuan’s mind.

His gaze swept across the scene one final time.

Thud! Thud! One Sovereign after another collapsed lifelessly to the ground. Even the Vermilion Devil Master fell, his existence extinguished.

I must reach the Second Realm’s receiving envoy stationed in the Seventh Realm as soon as possible. Wu Yuan transformed into a streak of blinding light, soaring toward the heavens.

By now, Wu Yuan had gathered sufficient understanding of the Nine Realms’ structure, familiar with the vast territories of the Seventh Realm.

The receiving envoy represented the sole pathway into the upper three realms.

…

In the First Realm of the Nine Realms, the Tian Luo Holy Sect headquarters sprawled across trillions of li—an incomparably prosperous domain presenting the magnificent spectacle of a celestial paradise.

Within a majestic temple, a shrill cry suddenly pierced the air: “Sageling Qi Duo has fallen!”

Moments later, two black-robed figures radiating eternal Dao resonance rushed into the temple. At a glance, they saw that among approximately one hundred divine lamps arranged in neat rows, one lamp in the second row had been extinguished.

Its darkness announced death.

“Who? Who dares slay a Sageling of our Tian Luo Holy Sect? They court destruction!” One of the black-robed Perennials roared with unbridled fury: “Qi Duo possessed tremendous potential to ascend to the Perennial stage.”

“Control yourself!

“For Qi Duo to perish so silently, unable to transmit even a blood contract message before death, the enemy must be incomparably formidable.” The second black-robed Perennial maintained greater composure, commanding: “Investigate immediately! Determine where Sageling Qi Duo last appeared publicly.”

“Understood.” A group of white-robed Sovereigns knelt trembling upon the ground, responding with reverent fear as they hastened to begin their investigation.

1. This is from Journey to the West (《西游记》), one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels. The Monkey King, Sun Wukong (孙悟空), is a rebellious and immensely powerful immortal who wreaks havoc in Heaven, defying the gods.

After defeating countless celestial warriors, the Jade Emperor and the gods appeal to the Buddha (如来佛, Rulai Fo) to subdue the Monkey King. Buddha makes a wager with Sun Wukong:

Buddha claims that if Sun Wukong can leap out of his palm, he will be granted rule over Heaven. If not, he will be punished.

Confident in his cloud-somersault (筋斗云, a single leap covering 108,000 miles), Sun Wukong agrees. He leaps to the farthest edge of the universe, where he sees five towering pillars—thinking they mark the end of creation, he leaves his mark (urinating on one) and leaps back.

Buddha then shows that the “five pillars” were actually his five fingers—Sun Wukong had never escaped his palm. Before the Monkey King can react, Buddha flips his hand and seals him under Five Elements Mountain (五行山), where he remains trapped for 500 years. ☜