Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 732: The Saber Named Hundred Stars (2)

"Of course, I know Master isn't able to be your master, especially since he has already fallen," Thunder Spirit shook her head. "So, the choice lies with you. If you're willing to accept this karmic burden, then you can obtain the most important treasure Master left behind.

However, you must swear an oath that when you become a Sovereign, you'll exhaust all efforts to hunt down the Sovereign who killed him.

If you're unwilling, then I'll send you on your way," Thunder Spirit said solemnly.

"Shadow Blade, the choice is yours."

A choice? Wu Yuan fell into deep contemplation.

As a quasi-Sovereign, Astral Monarch Wan Lei's most important treasure had to be incredibly valuable, perhaps even coveted by Sovereigns themselves.

But, to swear an oath to hunt down a Sovereign? If the target were a Sovereign from the Greenridge Immortal World lineage, Wu Yuan would likely refuse immediately and leave. Without prior grudges or enmity, why provoke such a formidable enemy? When karma was formed, the other party would likewise sense the karmic connection.

But since it was a Sovereign of the Voltari Temple, it was a different matter entirely. Even if Wu Yuan didn't provoke them, they would still be mortal enemies in the future. This was predestined.

"Can you tell me what the treasure is?" Wu Yuan looked toward Thunder Spirit.

"When Master was fleeing for his life, he didn't carry many ordinary treasures, and over the long years, most of those common artifacts have been lost," Thunder Spirit said. "But there is one artifact that I’ve always held onto.

A Dao Instrument!" Thunder Spirit said, "Moreover, it's a high-grade Dao Instrument, containing the complete profundities of the Law of Life."

"What?" A glimmer of light flashed in Wu Yuan's eyes.

He was truly tempted.

Celestial artifacts were classified into low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade.

A mid-grade celestial artifact typically started at a value of a million divine crystals, with the most expensive reaching a dozen million divine crystals. They were often wielded by Astral Lords and Astral Monarchs.

High-grade celestial artifacts were worth at least a billion divine crystals, with the most precious being priceless. Apart from a handful of Astral Lords, they were mostly used by Astral Monarchs.

In fact, many Astral Monarchs of ordinary strength might not even be willing to equip their mana bodies with high-grade celestial artifacts when sending them out into battle.

High-grade celestial artifacts were mostly forged by Sovereigns. Some high-grade celestial artifacts could even withstand the impact of battles at the Sovereign level.

Beyond celestial artifacts, there were two more ratings of treasures: Dao Treasures and Dao Instruments!

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self possessed a Dao Treasure which was bestowed by Master Dong Yang, though it was incomplete and would not fetch too high a price.

Dao Treasures contained a thread of Dao essence, their power not particularly extraordinary.

Dao Instruments, however, were truly formidable artifacts, containing at least one complete Dao Law. They were further divided into low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade Dao Instruments.

Low-grade Dao Instruments contained at least one complete Lesser Law. When fully unleashed, their power was comparable to high-grade celestial artifacts.

Mid-grade Dao Instruments contained a complete Intermediate Law, far surpassing high-grade celestial artifacts. Many Sovereigns equipped their mana bodies with mid-grade Dao Instruments when embarking on large-scale wars.

High-grade Dao Instruments? They were considered ultimate treasures. Many ordinary Sovereigns might only possess two or three high-grade Dao Instruments.

If it were a low-grade Dao Instrument, one might hope to purchase it with divine crystals. But a high-grade Dao Instrument? Wu Yuan was tempted.

Divine crystals had a wide range of uses, and were important for Archimmortals, Archdeities, and Astral Lords alike. But many precious treasures Astral Monarchs required were difficult to obtain even with divine crystals.

As for Sovereigns? The ultimate treasures they truly desired couldn’t be exchanged for any amount of divine crystals, as divine crystals were useless to them.

A high-grade Dao Instrument was precisely one such ultimate treasure.

"I suppose you understand the value of a high-grade Dao Instrument. This Dao Instrument was acquired by Master after exhausting all his efforts back then, and it served as his true self's main combat weapon," Thunder Spirit continued. "Moreover, it will greatly support your comprehension of the Law of Life."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

Low-grade Dao Instruments, though comparable in power to high-grade celestial artifacts, were actually much more expensive in trade.

Why? Dao Instruments, containing the complete profundities of a Dao, could assist one in Dao comprehension. Celestial artifacts, on the other hand, mostly lack this auxiliary effect.

After pondering for a long while, Wu Yuan spoke, “I accept this karmic burden.”

"Good!" A glimmer of light flashed in Thunder Spirit's eyes. "First, swear a Great Dao oath, then the treasure will be yours. You may have a look at it first."

Thunder Spirit pointed upwards, and an azure, slightly transparent saber appeared, hovering in the air.

Hmm? It's a saber? Wu Yuan's heart leaped with joy as he examined it closely.

The entire saber was three meters long. The back of the blade was thick and broad, giving it a rather rugged appearance.

Countless mysterious Dao patterns were engraved on the surface of the blade, interweaving to create an exquisitely beautiful design. It emitted a rich vital aura, involuntarily drawing one closer!

This was undoubtedly the most formidable saber Wu Yuan had ever laid eyes upon. He fell in love with it at first glance.

It was indeed a high-grade Dao Instrument; Thunder Spirit hadn't deceived him.

"Back then, this saber accompanied Master as he conquered the macrocosm and traversed the endless river of space and time," a complex expression flashed across Thunder Spirit's eyes. "Shadow Blade, swear the oath, and it will be yours."

"Alright." Wu Yuan nodded, then hesitated slightly before asking, "I still don't know the name of that Sovereign."

"You don't need to know. Just swear to avenge Master. Sovereigns are all extremely adept at manipulating karma.

If you were to know his name now, he might sense it as soon as the karmic connection is formed," Thunder Spirit said. "His name is hidden within the core of the saber's Dao essence. When you fully master the saber, you will naturally learn his name.

If you have yet to fully wield the saber, it means you'd fail to kill him anyway, so knowing it in advance would be pointless," Thunder Spirit added.

Wu Yuan nodded, impressed by how thoroughly the other party had considered everything.

"By the Great Dao, I hereby swear that if I receive the high-grade Dao Instrument saber left by Astral Monarch Wan Lei, I shall, upon becoming a Sovereign, exhaust all efforts to avenge him. If I violate this oath..." Wu Yuan quickly made the Great Dao oath.

Hum~ As soon as the oath was made, an invisible wave enveloped Wu Yuan completely, and he felt a binding sensation in the depths of his being.

An oath, in essence, was an invisible constraint under the workings of karma and the workings of heaven and earth.

With certain treasures, one could escape the consequences of breaking ordinary oaths. Even the so-called Heavenly Dao oaths could be broken by Sovereigns, for they had reached the pinnacle of strength under heaven and earth. Heaven and earth can hardly restrain them.

Only a Great Dao oath was inescapable! To make such an oath, one had to comprehend a Great Dao. If an Astral Monarch who didn’t comprehend a Great Dao were to make such an oath, they wouldn't be bound or affected by it. However, once a Great Dao oath was truly made and bound by the Great Dao, it could not be easily violated.

In Thunder Spirit's view, a monstrous prodigy like Wu Yuan would not easily violate a Great Dao oath for the sake of his own future.

"Mm." Seeing that the oath was made, a smile appeared on Thunder Spirit's childlike face, and her attitude towards Wu Yuan improved.

With a wave of her hand, the azure saber in the distance flew towards Wu Yuan. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Wu Yuan reached out and caught it. As per usual, he attempted to brand his vital imprint onto it.

Boom! He felt a surging force and pressure crash into him, as if a wild horse was trying to break free from control.

"Normally, a high-grade Dao Instrument can only be claimed by an owner who’s an Astral Monarch. Master has sealed most of its power, but I'm afraid you'll need to reach the level of a Sixth Tribulation High Deity before you can hope to..." Thunder Spirit began to console him.

Boom! Wu Yuan's vital aura surged violently, and a hazy aura of Great Dao’s True Intent enveloped both him and the saber.

Hum~ In the blink of an eye, Wu Yuan had left his vital imprint on the saber. Strands of azure threads rapidly grew, quickly fusing with Wu Yuan's arm, as if becoming part of his body.

Such a powerful Dao essence. Wu Yuan sensed the terrifying power contained within its Dao essence, where countless Dao patterns interweaved.

With a single thought, Wu Yuan could unleash its power. At the same time, Wu Yuan could sense that the majority of this war saber's Dao essence power seemed to remain sealed. He would have to break those seals himself.

The saber's name is Hundred Stars? A vast amount of information left behind by Astral Monarch Wan Lei poured into Wu Yuan’s mind, explaining the war saber's history.

The war saber, Hundred Stars!

This war saber will likely accompany me for a long time to come. Wu Yuan mused silently.

Sovereigns typically refrained from giving high-grade Dao Instruments to their mana bodies, only wielding them at crucial moments – a testament to their preciousness.

He was very satisfied with this war saber. Although the price was having to give his all to slay a Sovereign in the future, that was a matter for another time.

Right now, he was only at the Dharma Body phase. Without making such a vow, even Master Kua Chi might not be willing to bestow such an ultimate treasure upon him.

One must give to receive.

"I didn’t expect that you’d be able to claim ownership. But that’s not a bad thing. Here are some ordinary treasures Master left behind. Take them all." Standing at a distance, Thunder Spirit waved her hand, sending a storage artifact flying over.

Wu Yuan reached out and caught it, taking a brief look inside.

"So many treasures?" Wu Yuan was inwardly astonished.

He hadn't had very high expectations originally, but upon inspection, this storage artifact contained dozens of mid-grade celestial artifacts and two Dao Treasures. Divine crystals were piled like mountains, likely over 100 million of them.

The total value was estimated at 200-300 million divine crystals, rivaling the entire net worth of many Astral Lords.

However, there were no low-grade celestial artifacts or high-grade celestial artifacts.

Besides these celestial artifacts, there were also large numbers of immortal slips containing numerous teachings, both cultivation methods and combat techniques.

"Low-grade celestial artifacts were useless to Master, so naturally there are none. As for the few high-grade celestial artifacts he previously collected, they've all been given away," Thunder Spirit shook her head and said. "Compared to the Hundred Stars Saber, these things can only be called scrap metal, but they may be of some help to you.

Besides the treasures, there are also secret arts and such left by Master. Hopefully they will provide you with some inspiration.

If even you cannot help Master take revenge, there would be no point in keeping these things, so I'm giving them all to you," said Thunder Spirit.

Wu Yuan nodded solemnly and said, "This junior will exert every effort."

Thunder Spirit shook her head, unwilling to say more. "Go then. You may leave directly through the thunder sea above the Thunder Marsh World."

She waved her hand.

Whoom! An invisible wave enveloped Wu Yuan, and he vanished from the spot. The temple was once again empty.

"Master." Thunder Spirit gazed at the corpse on the distant jade platform, murmuring to herself. "Perhaps it truly is providence. You comprehended the Great Dao of Creation back then, and Shadow Blade also comprehends the Great Dao of Creation.

He... may be able to succeed."