Yuan’s Ascension

Ming Jian? Sovereign Mo Lang sat on his high throne, looking down at the vast, empty hall below.

When Astral Monarch Gui Yi and Astral Monarch Huang Du had intervened with his plans, he had angrily asked Sovereign Lan Yan for an explanation.

Sovereign Lan Yan had only replied with two sentences: "If you wish to enter the cycle of reincarnation, then continue to hunt down Ming Jian.

Remember, I am saving you."

Lan Yan is one of the three Sovereign Custodians of the Dao Realm, currently responsible for overseeing the Spacetime Island. Sovereign Mo Lang thought to himself.

Although she's a member of the Hundred Mysteries Palace, she rarely intervenes in such matters. There must be a reason for her involvement.

Saving me? It isn’t from Ming Jian’s revenge. Sovereign Mo Lang shook his head. Although Ming Jian is a monstrous prodigy, he'll only become an Overlord at most in the future.

He didn't fear foreign Overlords; even the most powerful Overlord wouldn't dare to recklessly invade the Spacetime Dao Realm.

And as for supreme beings? Throughout countless ages, through cycle after cycle of samsara, innumerable Sovereigns had been born, but how many supreme beings existed?

Therefore, Sovereign Mo Lang simply didn't believe Ming Jian could become a supreme being. Or rather, no one could confidently guarantee that Ming Jian would become a supreme being in the future.

No matter how monstrous his talent was, it wasn't enough. That required breaking the constraints of heaven and earth, shattering the shackles of samsara, truly attaining eternal life.

So, it can only be the Dao Master. Does Lan Yan mean that the Dao Master is secretly observing Wu Yuan, intending to take Wu Yuan as his successor? Sovereign Mo Lang frowned.

But the Dao Master has more than one successor, and foreign successors have all been banished, and not allowed to return to the Dao Realm.

Factions from other realms were completely unaware of this, but as a Sovereign from the Dao Realm, he knew a thing or two about these circumstances. Therefore, even if Wu Yuan truly became the Dao Master's successor, Sovereign Mo Lang still wouldn't fear him.

There's only one possibility. Is it that Ming Jian is too talented, and targeting Ming Jian's true self this time made the Dao Master unhappy? Sovereign Mo Lang muttered to himself.

Fine! Big Devil is destined to live now... So I can only try to resolve this karmic debt. Sovereign Mo Lang shook his head.

He didn't fear Ming Jian, but Ming Jian's identity was special. In a situation where there was no hope of killing Ming Jian, naturally, the best choice now was to try and resolve the karma if possible.

…

Wu Yuan traveled through space with Astral Monarch Huang Du.

Meanwhile, under Sovereign Lan Yan's directive, details of the battle in the Snowlight Mist Realm spread through numerous channels to the nine major factions of the Dao Realm.

"Ming Jian has obtained Sovereign Black Devil’s inheritance! He is the successor of the Black Devil lineage!"

"The Myriad Waves Palace gathered over a thousand late-stage Astral Lords to attack Ming Jian, but Ming Jian killed more than seven hundred Astral Lords."

"Are you sure this is true? Isn't he just a High Immortal? How can he be so powerful?"

"It's true! Astral Lords from the Myriad Waves Palace have already confirmed it."

"Unbelievable."

"Ming Jian, a High Immortal who has cultivated for just over two thousand years, unleashed the combat power of an Astral Monarch."

"More than a thousand years ago, I once saw Ming Jian in the Snowlight Mist Realm. At that time, he was only an Earth Immortal, barely able to match an Archimmortal in combat power."

"Invincible!"

"In the history of our Dao Realm, only two individuals have ever been able to unleash the combat power of an Astral Monarch at the High Immortal or High Deity phase."

"Ming Jian's cultivation progress is too fast."

"It’s heaven-defying." The news of this battle shook the entire Dao Realm like a thunderclap on a clear day.

In just one day, all Sovereigns of the nine major factions in the Dao Realm, most of the Astral Monarchs, and countless Archimmortals and Archdeities learned of this battle.

Too many Astral Lords had fallen; the Myriad Waves Palace couldn't deny it.

Such a legendary, miraculous battle naturally amazed countless powerhouses. If an Astral Monarch had slaughtered a large number of Astral Lords, it wouldn't have caused much of a stir, and might even have invited ridicule. But for a High Immortal to achieve this, it was a legendary feat.

Moreover, what amazed people the most wasn't this battle, but Wu Yuan's cultivation period.

"The Myriad Waves Palace has lost a lot of face."

"Tsk tsk!"

In this storm, the Myriad Waves Palace was undoubtedly the biggest loser, its reputation plunging.

In contrast, the news that Astral Monarch Gui Yi had intimidated dozens of Astral Monarchs, even killing an Astral Monarch with a single move, only spread within a small range.

…

In the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm, within a special plane, Sovereigns of the nine major factions gathered.

"Haha, Mo Lang, you've really embarrassed yourself this time."

"Poor Mo Lang."

"Years ago, he deeply offended Black Devil and nearly perished. Now he's offended Black Devil's successor... In terms of talent, Ming Jian is even more terrifying than Black Devil was back then."

"Too monstrous."

"Ming Jian... to think that the Spacetime Island could produce such a monstrous prodigy." The many Dao Realm Sovereigns sighed in amazement.

They were extremely knowledgeable and had witnessed countless geniuses. Even so-called Supreme Geniuses mostly only earned a word of praise from them. After all, most Supreme Geniuses ultimately only became Sovereigns, on par with them.

But Wu Yuan's performance was already more than a notch above the Supreme Genius benchmark for his age.

"Lan Yan is indeed far-sighted."

"Impressive."

"Befriending such a monstrous prodigy… In the future, when this Ming Jian becomes an Overlord and explores the megaverse, he could be a powerful ally." Many Sovereigns commented.

"Become an Overlord? That's still far off!" Sovereign Lan Yan shook her head, but the pride on her face was undisguisable.

…

Among the more than eight million imprint bearers of Spacetime Island, many were in the midst of exploring various parts of the Dao Realm, and others had connections with various major factions of the Dao Realm. Naturally, they gradually obtained this news and even battle footage through various channels.

The news spread like a storm, with hundreds of thousands of imprint bearers learning of it, including powerful individuals like Nangong Meng, Zhuo Haiyue, Nie Zhen, Mi Yun, and others.

"Heavens!"

"The combat power of an Astral Monarch? How long has Ming Jian been cultivating?"

"He vanished for over a thousand years and somehow managed to obtain Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance—a Sovereign's legacy!"

"Monstrous prodigy, I hail from the Immortal Court, yet even in its long history, there have been few monstrous prodigies like him."

"Too powerful."

"Far stronger than Zhuo Haiyue." Countless imprint bearers on the Spacetime Island were in an uproar, utterly shocked.

His growth was far too rapid. Over a thousand years ago, when Wu Yuan had unleashed late-stage Astral Lord strength, it had left countless powerhouses on the Spacetime Island in awe, making him the unofficial strongest member. But at that time, Zhuo Haiyue had been able to contend with him.

But now? Though Zhuo Haiyue had shown many prodigious feats in these thousand-plus years, they paled in comparison to Wu Yuan's latest battle.

Without a doubt, through this battle, Wu Yuan had surpassed the level of ordinary Spacetime Island imprint bearers, reaching another circle—the circle of super powerhouses.

Astral Lords lived for ten billion years, far surpassing ordinary Archimmortals and Archdeities.

As for Astral Monarchs, they lived as long as heaven and earth itself, their lifespan nearly endless. Time held incredible power, and a near-infinite lifespan represented limitless possibilities.

Thus, among the many great factions, Astral Lord was the minimum threshold to be a formal member.

While Astral Monarchs formed the backbone of these factions, marking the entry point for super powerhouses, Sovereigns belonged to the upper echelons of the Immortal Court, Eldritch Court, Desolation Divine Court and other super factions.

…

On the Spacetime Island, within a grand hall.

Zhuo Haiyue, clad in silver armor, sat in lotus position atop a jade platform.

"Astral Monarch-level combat power? How can Ming Jian cultivate so quickly? His speed is not slower than you at all, no, it might even be slightly faster." A somewhat childish exclamation rang out: "Could it be that he also obtained a True Saint’s imprint?"

"He... must truly be extraordinarily gifted," Zhuo Haiyue said calmly.

"It shouldn't be possible! I've followed the Thunder Saint for countless years, yet I've rarely seen anyone with such an outrageous cultivation speed. Even the Thunder Saint wasn't his equal in his youth." The childish voice was filled with disbelief.

"In his early years, the Thunder Saint wasn't particularly eye-catching among the many Supreme Geniuses in the history of the river of space and time," Zhuo Haiyue shook her head slightly. "As for Ming Jian's rate of progress, from what we've seen so far... he should rank in the top ten throughout the entire history of the river of space and time."

"Incredible! The convergence of the Megaverse Crossroads, the intertwining of providence… this is truly a great era, giving rise to incredible prodigies." The childish voice sighed in admiration. "He might even have a chance to compete for a Saintcrest in the Megaverse Crossroads!"

A peculiar light flickered in Zhuo Haiyue’s eyes.

Saintcrest! In the endless river of space and time, the word 'Saint' held an extremely special significance, carrying great karmic weight. The more powerful one was, the more reluctant they were to be associated with this word.

Being bestowed a Saintcrest was the highest honor in the Megaverse Crossroads. It represented the blessing of an intangible yet immense providence. And such supreme glory was rarely achieved by many during each opening of the Megaverse Crossroads.

Zhuo Haiyue was privy to many secrets, and she too harbored a desire to obtain it. But she was equally aware that even if her strength was sufficient, her special status meant that the possibility of claiming a Saintcrest was extremely, extremely low.

Ming Jian. Zhuo Haiyue murmured to herself.

…

The news spread like wildfire across the Spacetime Island, gradually transmitted through various channels to the various super factions.

At this time, Wu Yuan had already been escorted to the outskirts of the Spacetime Island by Astral Monarch Huang Du.

"Fellow Daoist Ming Jian, beyond this point lies the domain of the Spacetime Island, which we Dao Realm powerhouses are not permitted to enter," Astral Monarch Huang Du said with a smile. "You'll have to make the rest of the journey on your own."

"Haha, Ming Jian," Astral Monarch Gui Yi grinned. "Let’s chat again sometime in the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm."

Throughout their journey, Astral Monarch Gui Yi, Astral Monarch Huang Du, and Wu Yuan had conversed at length, and found each other quite agreeable. They all addressed each other as ‘Fellow Daoists’.

Though Wu Yuan's strength was still quite far from the level of Astral Monarch Gui Yi and Astral Monarch Huang Du, the two strongly believed that Wu Yuan would swiftly catch up to them, and even surpass them in the future.

After all, Wu Yuan’s strength had already reached the Astral Monarch level.

"I'm much obliged to you both, Fellow Daoists," Wu Yuan said, cupping his hands.

Then, they parted ways, with Astral Monarch Huang Du and Astral Monarch Gui Yi returning to the Hundred Mysteries Palace, while Wu Yuan headed towards the Spacetime Island.

News certainly travels fast. And with it comes many troubles. Wu Yuan mused to himself. Indeed, wealth draws distant relatives…So many people are contacting me.

During his day-long journey back, Wu Yuan entered the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm once.

Besides dozens of close friends like Nangong Meng, Xiang Dao, and Dong Fan, there were also numerous messages from those he barely knew or didn't know at all. Some offered their congratulations, while others requested to visit.

The vast majority of the over six thousand messages were from the Taiyuan Divine Court faction, but more than ten percent came from other factions. Even former 'enemies' like Mi Yun had sent messages to show their goodwill.

The impact of this battle was clear.

It makes sense. Under normal circumstances, even if High Immortals and High Deities had late-stage Astral Monarch-level comprehension, they couldn't unleash Astral Monarch-level combat power. Wu Yuan thought to himself. No wonder it's caused such a commotion.

If Wu Yuan had revealed such strength after tens of thousands of years of cultivation, the shock and impact wouldn't have been nearly as great.

But he had only cultivated for just over two thousand years, which made all the difference.

Time to head back. Through the Turbulent Spatial Layer, Wu Yuan swiftly returned to the Spacetime Island, entering his own hall.