Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 757: Five Hundred Years Later (1)

Whoosh~ Inside the Spacetime Treasure Hall, in a massive ring-shaped cavern not far from Wu Yuan, the numerous treasures he had previously placed within began to vanish rapidly one by one. Clearly, they had all been transported away.

Selling treasures in the Spacetime Treasure Hall was a simple process. One merely needed to place the items they wished to sell into the Treasure Chamber, proceed with the appraisal, and the Spacetime Treasure Hall would naturally offer a corresponding value. If one agreed to sell the treasures for the stated amount, they simply had to accept.

"Imprint bearer Ming Jian, 53,260,000 divine crystals have been credited to your account. Your remaining balance is 89,270,000 divine crystals," a message from the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm was transmitted to Wu Yuan.

This was the bulk of wealth possessed by Wu Yuan's qi refiner self at present. Besides these divine crystals, his qi refiner self owned some weapons, artifacts, and treasures like the Void Rift Ruler.

Nearly 90 million divine crystals? Wu Yuan's lips curved into a smile, his heart filled with satisfaction.

This wealth was not bestowed upon him by some senior. Rather, it was the fruit of his own efforts and hard work over these years.

"I require the list of treasures needed for the optimal evolution pathway of my lifebound flying swords," Wu Yuan announced in a clear voice.

Swiftly, Wu Yuan began filtering through the list, selecting the items he needed. In the end, he had chosen treasures worth approximately 60 million divine crystals.

"Do you confirm the purchase?" The voice within the Treasure Hall sounded once more.

"Confirmed," Wu Yuan replied.

"Imprint bearer Ming Jian, 61,200,000 divine crystals have been deducted from your account. The relevant treasures will be delivered to your residential hall within ten days."

...

Spending over 60 million divine crystals in one go left Wu Yuan feeling a twinge of pain, yet also a sense of exhilaration.

This mana body of his turned and left the Spacetime Treasure Hall.

Flying high above the Spacetime Island, he gazed down at the countless halls scattered like stars below.

With this many treasures purchased, it should be enough to upgrade all six remaining lifebound flying swords into low-grade celestial artifacts. Wu Yuan mused silently.

Over these years, his qi refiner self made numerous preparations for his trip to the Black Devil Blood Hollow, including upgrading all of his lifebound flying swords.

Before his true self brought his mana body to the Black Devil Blood Hollow to explore the treasure trove left behind by Sovereign Black Devil, he aimed to fulfill three major goals.

First, upgrade all nine lifebound flying swords to low-grade celestial artifacts.

Second, break through to become a High Immortal himself.

Third, cultivate part two of ‘Genesis Law Sacrifice’.

The first goal should be achievable after a few more decades of effort. Wu Yuan thought to himself. As for the second and third goals, they complement each other.

In the decades since crystallizing Spacetime True Intent, Wu Yuan was fully focused on comprehending part two of ‘Genesis Law Sacrifice’. He had broken through various bottlenecks, and success was merely a matter of time.

It would take at least a few decades, or at most two to three hundred years, but he would definitely break through. However, to employ part two of ‘Genesis Law Sacrifice’, it would be best if he was a High Immortal first.

Part two of ‘Genesis Law Sacrifice’ can enhance mana power to the level of a first-stage Archimmortal. Wu Yuan pondered. But the function of Genesis Power is only to enhance and compress mana, the mana unleashed still comes from myself.

If I were to employ it with the mana of an Earth Immortal, I fear my mana would be depleted after just a few breaths of battle.

The duration of sustained combat would be too brief. Moreover, such powerful mana would place an immense burden on the body. Using it excessively would instead damage one's immortal root.

Only by breaking through to High Immortal and then employing part two of ‘Genesis Law Sacrifice’ can I fight for a relatively longer time. Wu Yuan contemplated.

Of course, this relatively longer time was only in comparison to an Earth Immortal employing it, far from comparable to a true Archimmortal.

Such a heaven-defying burst secret art inevitably had some drawbacks, making it difficult for Wu Yuan to match a true Archimmortal in sustained combat.

But it's enough. Wu Yuan felt a sense of anticipation

Right now, even if he unleashed his full power, he only had the combat strength of a sixth-stage Archimmortal. He could only flee for his life if he encountered any random Astral Lord. Thus, those Astral Lords of Space could bully him at will.

Astral Lord Gu Shou. A cold glint flashed in Wu Yuan's eyes.

He hadn't forgotten the time he was hunted down mercilessly by the other party, resulting in the swift death of his mana body.

When Wu Yuan slaughtered his way through the Snowlight Mist Realm previously, it wasn't that he couldn't sense the karmic threads of those Astral Lords who had once hunted him. It was just that he was sure to be defeated if he confronted them, simply humiliating himself.

Once I break through to High Immortal and employ part two of ‘Genesis Law Sacrifice’, my mana power will reach the Archimmortal level. With the Nine Swords of Spacetime, I should have the combat strength of an eighth-stage Archimmortal. Wu Yuan's eyes gleamed.

Add to that my nine lifebound flying swords, it will be enough to contend with those late-stage Astral Lord powerhouses.

Once the nine lifebound flying swords completed their upgrades along the optimal evolution pathway, they might appear to be merely low-grade celestial artifacts, but their power would far surpass ordinary mid-grade celestial flying swords. Then, they would truly shine.

It won’t be too late to venture into the Black Devil Blood Hollow after obtaining the strength of a late-stage Astral Lord.

Of course, all of this had to be accomplished before Wu Yuan turned 1,400 years old, which was the time limit for his spacetime mission.

If Wu Yuan still hadn't broken through by then, he would have no choice but to venture forth anyway.

...

In a hall within a tavern in the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm, two figures sat leisurely in chairs, chatting with each other.

One wore purple battle armor, exuding a domineering and savage aura. The other was a woman clad in snow-white robes, with an elegant and dignified demeanor.

"Ruan Shu, did Ming Jian mention why he summoned you this time?" The man in purple battle armor asked in a deep, resonant voice.

"What about you?" The woman in snow-white robes threw the question back lazily, stretching her arms above her head, accentuating her graceful figure.

This left the man in purple battle armor feeling somewhat helpless.

Thump~ Thump~ The sound of footsteps suddenly rang out, causing both of them to turn towards the entrance of the hall. Soon, a figure in white robes appeared in their line of sight.

He was white-robed, with short hair and a commanding presence. His eyes were especially sharp.

The eyes were the windows to the soul.

Through this pair of eyes, the two of them could sense Wu Yuan's powerful will, enveloping them in a stifling pressure. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

It should be noted that both of them had been High Immortals for tens of thousands of years, and each possessed the power of a fourth-stage Archimmortal. Yet they were still greatly affected.

The two sigh couldn’t help but sigh inwardly in admiration – truly, there was substance behind the famous name. The name Ming Jian was indeed worthy of shaking the Spacetime Island.

"Daoist Ruan Shu, Daoist Zi Jue, I apologize for keeping you waiting," Wu Yuan smiled.

The two before him were both Sovereign Imprint bearers of the Taiyuan lineage.

"We just arrived as well," High Immortal Zi Jue smiled.

"Don’t worry about it," High Immortal Ruan Shu's gaze was dreamy, exuding a hint of seduction as she sat down beside Wu Yuan. "It's our honor to meet you, Daoist Ming Jian."

Even those like Nie Zhen, Tu Qing, and Ye Tong, who possessed the strength of Astral Lords and were top existences on the Spacetime Island, had to yield the path to Wu Yuan, let alone the two of them.

"I've long heard of Fellow Daoists’ abilities. I've invited you here because there are two matters I'd like to request your help with," Wu Yuan smiled.

"If we can be of help to Daoist Ming Jian, we will naturally do our utmost," High Immortal Zi Jue smiled.

"First, I need the coordinates for all the Dao Master battle relic sites across the entire Dao Realm," Wu Yuan added, "The current coordinates."

"Second, I need the passage access tokens of the nine major factions of the Dao Realm, allowing me to freely enter and exit these battle relic sites," Wu Yuan said. "You two are the most skilled at gathering intelligence in our Taiyuan lineage."

Dao Master battle relic sites?

High Immortal Zi Jue and High Immortal Ruan Shu immediately understood what Wu Yuan’s intentions were upon hearing this.

The two pondered briefly.

"Merely obtaining the spacetime coordinates is a small matter, but all the Dao Master battle relic sites are occupied by the nine major factions of the Dao Realm. These passage access tokens are not easily acquired," High Immortal Zi Jue said in a low voice. "Daoist Ming Jian, for 4 million divine crystals, I can arrange everything for you."

"What about you, Daoist Ruan Shu?" Wu Yuan looked towards the woman in snow-white robes.

She hesitated for a long while before finally gritting her teeth and saying, "3.6 million divine crystals, and I'll get all nine tokens for you."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

3.6 million divine crystals? That was considerably lower than he had anticipated.

Wu Yuan glanced at High Immortal Zi Jue.

"Daoist Ming Jian, I can't go any lower," High Immortal Zi Jue smiled bitterly. "4 million divine crystals is already my lowest price. Any lower, and I'd be operating at a loss."

Wu Yuan nodded in understanding.

These passage access tokens were essentially purchased from high-ranking members within the nine major factions of the Dao Realm. Naturally, there would be some costs involved.

"Alright, High Immortal Ruan Shu, I've transferred the divine crystals to you. How long will it take?" Wu Yuan asked directly.

"I'll get you the coordinates within ten days, and secure all nine tokens within three months," High Immortal Ruan Shu replied quickly.

"Good, then I'll entrust this matter to you, High Immortal Ruan Shu," Wu Yuan said.

He wasn’t worried that she might deceive him. They could not bear the weight of this fury.

With that, Wu Yuan rose and departed, leaving behind High Immortal Zi Jue and High Immortal Ruan Shu.

"Ruan Shu, I have to give it to you," High Immortal Zi Jue shook his head. "No matter how I calculate it, the lowest I can go is 3.9 million divine crystals. Did you find a new channel to acquire cheaper tokens?"

"No," High Immortal Ruan Shu smiled lazily.

"Then?" High Immortal Zi Jue glanced at her.

"You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb," High Immortal Ruan Shu chuckled. "What's wrong with taking a loss to build a relationship?"

"I really have to give it to you," High Immortal Zi Jue gave a thumbs up.

He couldn't bring himself to make a loss just to curry favor with Ming Jian.

...

Time flowed on.

Two months later, in Wu Yuan's hall on the Spacetime Island.

Dao Master battle relic sites. Wu Yuan's qi refiner self sat on a jade platform, studying the detailed intelligence about the Dao Master battle relic sites on the light screen before him.

Whoosh~ Countless points of light converged, forming a vast map projection of the Dao Realm. The map projection was dotted with numerous flickering markings.

116 Dao Master battle relic sites? Wu Yuan mused silently, his gaze sweeping over the nine access tokens before him. They had just been delivered by High Immortal Ruan Shu.

"Master, are you going to observe the Dao Master battle relics?" Star Moon, taking the form of a young girl, asked with a hint of surprise.

"Yes," Wu Yuan nodded. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"The Dao Master battle relic sites, though called battle relic sites, are actually just places the Dao Master left behind when he spread the Dao at the beginning of the Dao Realm's creation. Some are very rudimentary, while others are quite complex," Star Moon explained.

"These relic sites are considered precious as they were left by the Dao Master and are said to hold unrivaled opportunities.

Therefore, all the relic sites have been occupied by the nine major factions of the Dao Realm.

But in reality, over countless years, despite countless imprint bearers from the Spacetime Island and powerful cultivators from various factions studying them, no one has reportedly truly comprehended anything from them," Star Moon added.

Wu Yuan nodded in agreement.

Star Moon was correct. These Dao Master battle relic sites were, in essence, not much different from many of the relic sites in the Greenridge Macrocosm.

But Wu Yuan had no choice.

I hope they'll be of some use. Wu Yuan thought to himself. Otherwise, my qi refiner self’s progress will only fall further and further behind my body refiner self.

When his body refiner self had first returned, this wasn't apparent. But after several decades of both selves cultivating at full capacity, Wu Yuan had noticed the difference.

Guided by the 'Will of Life and Death' and possessing a Life Dao Body, the progress of his body refiner self was astonishingly rapid, far surpassing the qi refiner self's comprehension of the Spacetime Dao.

It had only been a few decades, thus the difference in strength between the two true selves was not yet obvious. But as time passed, over thousands or tens of thousands of years, the gap would naturally widen.

My qi refiner self’s advantage lies in its twelve Yuan Souls, but without the support of a Great Dao imprint, the gap between my current body and a Greater Dao Body is too large. Wu Yuan mused. I can only hope to gain something from the Spacetime Dao Master’s relic sites.