Yuan’s Ascension

Astral Monarch Wan Lei was slain by a Sovereign of the Immortal Court. Back in the Thunder Marsh World, Wu Yuan had vowed to avenge him after becoming a Sovereign himself in exchange for obtaining the Hundred Stars Saber.

Yet in those early days, Wu Yuan had been but a fledgling, too weak to risk drawing the karmic attention of such a formidable foe. Thus, Astral Monarch Wan Lei’s subordinate spirit had withheld the enemy Sovereign's identity.

The Sovereign's information lies hidden in the deepest recesses of the Hundred Stars Saber. Wu Yuan mused, his consciousness probing the weapon nestled within his storage artifact. When I fully master its power, all shall be revealed.

But, is it really Sovereign Sha Fan? Wu Yuan's brow furrowed as the Hundred Stars Saber quivered ever so slightly within his perception.

As the karmic thread connecting him to Sovereign Sha Fan sharpened into focus, a new karmic thread sprang into existence, stretching into the unfathomable depths of the Destiny Voidscape.

Wu Yuan could barely perceive its presence, sensing only that it stemmed from a deep-seated enmity.

The adversary at the other end radiated a power no less formidable than Sovereign Sha Fan himself.

Another Sovereign nemesis? Wu Yuan pondered, his mind racing. The mere knowledge of Sovereign Sha Fan's name has birthed a connection to yet another foe?

After a moment's contemplation, Wu Yuan deduced a likely scenario. It seems Astral Monarch Wan Lei must have offended this other Sovereign of the Immortal Court. That Sovereign then enlisted Sovereign Sha Fan, renowned for his mastery over karmic and soul attacks, to jointly eliminate Astral Monarch Wan Lei.

I must kill the enemy of Astral Monarch Wan Lei. Wu Yuan vowed silently, a trace of killing intent in his heart. And Sovereign Sha Fan... his death is absolutely necessary.

Such was Wu Yuan's nature. Since embarking on the path of cultivation, he had sworn to repay every grudge in full, should his enemies fail to make amends before he attained sufficient power.

This vendetta burned no less fiercely than his longstanding feud with Astral Lord Bai Hai, leader of the White Sea Immortal Continent in the Greenridge Immortal World. Though Wu Yuan now possessed the strength to exact his revenge, he had thus far refrained from seeking it, wary of the far-reaching consequences such an incursion might trigger.

Today, the same held true for Sovereign Sha Fan.

Wu Yuan had etched the name into his memory. Of course, he was still far from possessing the might required to slay a Sovereign.

To rely solely on his own power for vengeance? That day lay in a distant, hazy future.

"After Sovereign Sha Fan's assassination attempt, your Master, Sovereign Zi Yang, and I immediately gave chase," Sovereign Cang Feng continued. "We finally cornered him several million light-years from the Cang Feng Continent."

"Oh?" Wu Yuan's eyes widened in astonishment.

It seemed that a battle between Sovereigns had erupted mere moments ago, millions of light years distant.

Three Sovereigns of the eldritch world, surrounding one enemy.

"Your Master was particularly enraged," Sovereign Cang Feng said with a smile. "He committed both his true self and ether body to the fight—a display of his full might. Sovereign Zi Yang and I each deployed only our ether and mana bodies."

"I am grateful to Master," Wu Yuan said, genuine emotion coloring his voice.

He understood all too well the reluctance of super powerhouses to risk their true selves in battle.

The reason was simple. Ordinary Archimmortals and Archdeities lived for a hundred million years at most. Even Astral Lords, with their vast lifespans, rarely lived past ten billion years. Though these numbers seemed incomprehensibly large, they paled in comparison to true immortality. Thus, countless Archimmortals and Archdeities felt an unspoken pressure, an insatiable hunger to break through their limitations.

The allure of eternal life was the greatest temptation. Those who had abandoned hope of immortality might console themselves with platitudes about the tedium of endless existence. But when presented with a genuine opportunity for eternal life, how many could truly resist such enticement? This desperation often drove them to reckless extremes.

Astral Monarchs and Sovereigns, however, could live comfortably until the end of a samsara cycle of heaven and earth.

To Wu Yuan's knowledge, the current samsara cycle of heaven and earth still had an unfathomably long time before its conclusion. The fact that Sovereign Kua Chi committed himself so fully spoke volumes about the depth of his fury.

"It is simply what a teacher should do," Sovereign Kua Chi said with a gentle smile. "If you wish to express gratitude, direct it towards Sovereign Cang Feng and Sovereign Zi Yang.

Though I must admit, my all-out effort did yield results. We succeeded in destroying Sovereign Sha Fan's mana body," Sovereign Kua Chi declared.

"Destroyed?" Wu Yuan held his breath.

He was eliminated so swiftly? Though it was only a mana body, the news would send shockwaves through the realms if it spread. Wu Yuan realized anew the formidable might of the eldritch world's Sovereigns.

"Sovereign Immortal Life Pills are incredibly complex to refine," Sovereign Cang Feng explained. "Even among Overlords, not all possess the skill to refine them. The process requires numerous rare materials, making them extraordinarily valuable. Ten Sovereign Immortal Life Pills are worth a high-grade Dao Instrument."

Sovereign Immortal Life Pills are truly priceless. Wu Yuan marveled silently. They're in an entirely different league from Astral Monarch Immortal Life Pills.

Sovereigns commanded vast wealth, but the resources required for their cultivation were equally staggering. The entire fortunes of many Sovereigns amounted to less than ten high-grade Dao Instruments.

Take Astral Monarch Wan Lei, for instance. Though he stood at the pinnacle of Astral Monarchs, the bulk of his wealth was made up of the Hundred Stars Saber alone.

Of course, Wu Yuan surmised that the exorbitant cost of Sovereign Immortal Life Pills likely stemmed from the involvement of Overlords in their creation.

Astral Monarch Immortal Life Pills, by contrast, were refined by Sovereigns.

"Having lost a mana body, Sovereign Sha Fan will certainly use an Immortal Life Pill," Sovereign Cang Feng continued. "Otherwise, he'd be deprived of that mana body's power for millions of years—a loss they cannot afford.

Moreover, should another Sovereign-level conflict erupt, Sovereign Sha Fan's true self wouldn't dare show itself. The Voltari Temple would effectively be one Sovereign's worth of combat strength down.

For the next million years at least, our eldritch world need not fear the Voltari Temple," Sovereign Cang Feng concluded.

Wu Yuan listened intently.

By all rights, these high-level secrets should not have been shared with a mere High Eldritch like himself. Yet clearly, Sovereign Cang Feng had deemed Wu Yuan a future high-ranking member of the eldritch world, perhaps even its leader.

Furthermore, Wu Yuan discerned that the eldritch world seemed to be at a slight disadvantage in the war against the Voltari Temple.

“How many Sovereigns does the Voltari Temple have in their ranks?” Wu Yuan asked curiously.

Sovereign Kua Chi and Sovereign Cang Feng exchanged a glance.

"Over the long ages, the Voltari Temple has produced seven Sovereigns," Sovereign Cang Feng replied. "However, only five of them maintain a constant presence in the Greenridge Macrocosm.”

“Our eldritch world has given rise to six Sovereigns," Sovereign Kua Chi added. "But in the end, only four chose to remain long-term in Greenridge."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

He was already aware that the eldritch world's powerhouses faced a choice when forging their immortal bodies or deity bodies.

Some chose to merge their animus with their home macrocosm. Others opted to fuse their animus with other locations. For instance—the headquarters of the Eldritch Court.

Of course, unless one was a peerless genius who could journey to the Eldritch Court headquarters early on, ordinary Archimmortals and Archdeities who had lived their entire lives in the macrocosm had no such option.

Four Sovereigns against five. Wu Yuan mused silently. And that Sovereign Voltari is said to be exceptionally skilled in combat.

Moreover, the Greenridge Immortal World seems to be tacitly aligned with the Voltari Temple.

No wonder our eldritch world is at a slight disadvantage.

Wu Yuan pondered this briefly before dismissing it from his mind. Influencing the balance of power in a macrocosm required at least Sovereign-level strength.

Almost all Astral Monarchs, unless armed with artifacts like the Devil Subduing Tome, would simply be slaughtered when confronting a Sovereign.

Whether Archimmortals, Archdeities, or Astral Monarchs, they were all essentially ‘potential Sovereigns’ from the perspective of the eldritch world.

Only by ascending to Sovereignty could one truly shape the destiny of an entire macrocosm.

"Wu Yuan, after slaying Sovereign Sha Fan's mana body, Sovereign Zi Yang proposed that a small portion of the credit be attributed to you," Sovereign Kua Chi said. "It has been recorded in the eldritch world's treasury, with a value equivalent to a set of mid-grade Dao Instrument battle armor. You may decide what you wish to exchange it for."

Credit? A set of mid-grade Dao Instrument battle armor? Wu Yuan's eyes lit up.

Not bad at all. In truth, whether a high-grade celestial artifact or a mid-grade Dao Instrument, the difference to Wu Yuan was negligible at his current level.

"Very well, Sovereign Cang Feng and I shall take our leave," Sovereign Kua Chi said. "Focus on your cultivation for now. We'll contact you if anything arises."

"Farewell, Master, Sovereign Cang Feng," Wu Yuan said respectfully.

With that, the two Sovereigns' forms dissipated into nothingness.

Who would have thought that a Sovereign's mana body would perish because of me? The Voltari Temple has suffered a great loss this time. Wu Yuan mused, a smile playing across his lips.

Unbeknownst to Wu Yuan, compared to Sovereign Sha Fan's mana body, the Voltari Temple's greatest expenditure in this affair had been the Overlord-level karmic treasure.

Its value rivaled that of a high-grade Dao Instrument.

…

"Sha Fan's assassination attempt... it failed!"

"How could it fail? Wasn't there supposed to be a high chance of success?"

"Sha Fan's mana body... has perished!" This news spread rapidly among the Voltari Temple's Sovereigns, shocking them to their core.

The loss of a Sovereign-level combatant would have a profound impact on the Voltari Temple.

"We must report this immediately."

"We no longer have the power to assassinate Wu Yuan. We can only wait and see if the Immortal Court has any arrangements planned."

The Voltari Temple swiftly decided to report the matter upwards.

Soon after, they received word from the Immortal Court headquarters, summoning them to the Immortal Court Voidrealm.

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