Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 752: Forging A Fearsome Reputation

The Snowlight Mist Realm teemed with Archimmortals and Archdeities, yet the deaths of so many in such a short time still caused an uproar.

Ninety-nine percent of those slain by Wu Yuan were merely mana bodies or ether bodies. Only a few unfortunate Archimmortals and Archdeities lost their true bodies.

While a fair number of these Archimmortals and Archdeities chose not to further offend Wu Yuan, hoping to resolve the karmic debt with the loss of a mana body or ether body, even more seethed with rage. How could they not be furious at their losses? They chose to spread the news.

"What?"

"You were killed by Ming Jian? That Earth Immortal brat who obtained the Black Devil Star? How is that possible!"

"You're a third-stage Archimmortal."

"I was killed, simple as that. Do you think I'd lie about this?"

These Archimmortals and Archdeities whose mana or ether bodies were killed came from different major factions. So when the news first began circulating within the various Dao Realm factions, most paid little heed, only expressing slight surprise. Many assumed Wu Yuan relied on a couple of special treasures to accomplish this.

But as time passed, more and more Archimmortals and Archdeities fell, including fourth-stage Archimmortal powerhouses.

"So many have been slain by Ming Jian?"

"How is this possible?"

"It seems to have all happened in the past day or two."

"How did Ming Jian manage this? Many exploration sites in the Snowlight Mist Realm suppress spatial fluctuations. Even if Astral Lords could do it, such a rate of slaughter should be beyond them."

"He's still just an Earth Immortal." This news began spreading through various channels of the nine major powers of the Dao Realm, finally causing some commotion.

For the nine major Dao Realm factions, the loss of some Archimmortal and Archdeity mana bodies and ether bodies was trivial. Even the fall of many Archimmortal true selves would be a minor matter.

But the key was that this was accomplished by an Earth Immortal. Naturally, it drew immense attention!

The news swiftly reached the Astral Monarchs of the major factions, and even many intelligence agencies began actively gathering information.

Meanwhile, one mana/ether body after another continued to fall! Wu Yuan's bloody slaughter showed no signs of stopping.

"He can swiftly traverse the Snowlight Mist Realm, ignore all kinds of defenses, and his flying sword attacks at close range... Ming Jian’s Dao comprehension seems to rival an Astral Lord of Space. He’s able to enter the Turbulent Spatial Layer." Many Dao Realm Astral Monarchs made conjectures and judgments based on various reports.

This was the most likely possibility.

"An Earth Immortal able to enter the Turbulent Spatial Layer? His mana capacity is clearly limited."

"It only goes to show how deep his Dao comprehension is."

"Decades ago, when he was chased and forced to flee from those trying to snatch the Black Devil Star, he clearly didn't have this level of power."

"In just a few short decades, his strength has transformed to this degree?"

"Could he be another Zhuo Haiyue?"

"Zhuo Haiyue's throwing knives and lightning can at least be seen, even if they are hard to block. Ming Jian's attacks are even more bizarre than Zhuo Haiyue's. He often kills his target with just one sword strike, seemingly ignoring all defenses. Mastering both Space and Time, he's reached an inconceivable level."

"Truly extraordinary."

"His cultivation time is even shorter than Zhuo Haiyue's. He's only an Earth Immortal, while Zhuo Haiyue is already a High Immortal." Waves of discussion arose among the nine major Dao Realm factions.

Apart from the Sovereigns at the pinnacle, most Astral Monarchs were unaware of Zhuo Haiyue's special nature.

In the eyes of the many Dao Realm Astral Monarchs, the terrifying potential Ming Jian displayed was no less than Zhuo Haiyue's, perhaps even more special. Because what Wu Yuan had comprehended was—Spacetime.

"The Archimmortals and Archdeities he goes after are the same ones who once hunted him. Is Ming Jian here for revenge?" Some Astral Monarchs quickly noticed this point.

Revenge? An Earth Immortal, seeking revenge against a group of Archimmortals and Archdeities?

When this news spread, it naturally caused another wave of shock and commotion.

"He must have cultivated a karmic secret art, able to sense karmic threads. Those below the sixth-stage Archimmortal level likely can't withstand him."

"Leave quickly."

"All those below the sixth-stage Archimmortal level who once hunted Ming Jian, leave the Snowlight Mist Realm."

"Group up near the closest sixth-stage Archimmortal or Astral Lord."

"Though Ming Jian's sword strikes are terrifying, his mana is limited. He can't kill those that are too powerful." Some Astral Monarchs began issuing orders.

These Astral Monarchs knew how terrifying an Astral Lord of Space could be when acting without restraint. Slaughtering a large group of Archimmortals and Archdeities was all too normal.

“They’re asking us to leave?"

"Damn it all."

"He's just an Earth Immortal, yet he dares to challenge our nine great Dao Realm factions?"

"Why don’t the Astral Monarchs punish him?" Many Archimmortals and Archdeities exploring the Snowlight Mist Realm felt frustrated and upset, but faced with the threat of death, they had no choice but to start grouping up.

And they had to hurry. If they were slow, they might be Wu Yuan’s next victim.

...

As the news spread among the nine major Dao Realm factions, it also began to gradually reach some imprint bearers of the Spacetime Island through certain channels, naturally shocking them immensely.

But as little time had gone by and there was a lack of battle footage, it had not yet fully spread among the millions of imprint bearers on the Spacetime Island.

...

In the Snowlight Mist Realm, within an exploration site where spatial fluctuations were suppressed.

In the Fragmentary Spatial Layer, massive spatial fragments hung as if frozen, no longer flowing or colliding.

On one enormous spatial fragment, Wu Yuan sat in lotus position.

Over these past few days, I've killed so many Archimmortals and Archdeities. Wu Yuan muttered to himself. The remaining Archimmortals and Archdeities, as long as they're not fools, have probably received the news and started fleeing for their lives.

Moreover, from what I sense through the karmic threads, many seem to have grouped up.

At close range, Wu Yuan could clearly judge the approximate positions of his enemies through the karmic threads.

Killing so many Archimmortals and Archdeities has yielded quite a harvest. Slaughter is indeed the best way to accumulate treasures. Wu Yuan examined the treasures he had gained, sighing inwardly.

Killing over two hundred Archimmortals and Archdeities had netted him tens of millions of divine crystals.

It was enough to upgrade two more lifebound flying swords into low-grade celestial artifacts, but Wu Yuan still had six lifebound flying swords that were high-grade spirion artifacts. It still wasn’t enough!

I must continue. Wu Yuan's heart remained calm.

In the future, when it was time to upgrade his lifebound flying swords from low-grade celestial artifacts to mid-grade celestial artifacts, the amount of treasures required would only increase. Naturally, he had to accumulate as many as possible.

In reality, only a special individual like Wu Yuan could accomplish this.

Why were those Astral Lords of Space so absurdly wealthy? By possessing power that allowed them to access higher dimensions, their ability to accumulate wealth was far superior that of their peers.

However, most Astral Lords of Space usually didn't dare to go on a rampage like Wu Yuan, as they feared making too many enemies.

Among powerhouses, unless there was great enmity, they generally wouldn't specifically hunt down or engage in the frenzied slaughter of weaker individuals.

For Astral Lords of Space, occasionally slaughtering a few dozen ordinary Archimmortals was fine. But if they deliberately slaughtered hundreds or thousands? It would rouse Astral Monarchs into action!

There was another consideration as well: it was difficult to kill the true bodies of Archimmortals and Archdeities. After all, most of those Wu Yuan killed were just mana bodies or ether bodies. After killing them, the karmic connection might not dissipate, instead growing even stronger.

But Wu Yuan didn't care.

When they came to hunt me back then, they should have been prepared to be killed by me. Wu Yuan had his own principles. If I kill their mana body or ether body once, then naturally I won't seek revenge again.

In Wu Yuan's mind, this karmic debt was settled.

As for those he had killed? If they dared to seek revenge in the future, Wu Yuan wouldn't mind killing them again.

The strength of karmic threads was greatly related to the importance one placed on them.

For example, Wu Yuan's body refiner self had spared High Immortal Nie Qing in the Thunder Marsh World because he sensed that their karmic thread had grown very faint, and the other party had given up on revenge.

If two super powerhouses both deemed each other mortal enemies, engaging in substantial combat, then the karmic thread would grow increasingly obvious.

When the soldiers come, block them with generals. Wu Yuan had his own cultivation plan and followed it step by step.

I’ve digested my insights from the battles over these past few days, it's time to seek new opponents. Wu Yuan said as he slowly stood up.

The strongest opponents I've found so far were only fourth-stage Archimmortals, which could only be considered target practice for my combat techniques.

This time, I need to seek out those who can genuinely challenge and push me to my limits.

Wu Yuan’s body flickered, entering the Turbulent Spatial Layer. He began searching the Snowlight Mist Realm for targets, scanning for powerful existences along the karmic threads.

Not long after, Wu Yuan found a suitable target, quickly approaching and observing from a higher spatial dimension.

Archimmortal Li Shu? Sixth-stage Archimmortal. Very suitable. Wu Yuan's eyes flickered. I hope you don't disappoint me.

Silently, sword arrays formed under Wu Yuan's control, assembling into two Spacetime divine swords. They were ready to be unleashed at any moment.

Hmm? It seems my luck is quite good. A treasure is emerging? Wu Yuan's eyes lit up, looking rather surprised.

...

The Emerald Ice River was a famous exploration site in the Inner Region of the Snowlight Mist Realm, located in close proximity to the Core Region.

The entire river stretched over six light-years in length, with a width reaching hundreds of billions of li and a depth of over a trillion li.

Though called a river, it was actually an oceanic world formed by the convergence of various special liquids.

Here, endless emerald waters stretched as far as the eye could see, with massive glaciers occasionally drifting by. The temperature was also extremely low.

Rumble! At this moment, a fierce battle was erupting within the Emerald Ice River, churning up waves tens of thousands of li high, a battle of epic proportions.

Over a dozen Archimmortals and Archdeities, divided into several teams, watched a few silhouettes fighting in the river from a great distance.

On one side was a female immortal, dressed in snow-white robes. She had an ethereal bearing, standing atop a lotus platform. Snow-white lotus flowers bloomed beneath her feet, each containing unfathomable power.

At the same time, numerous powerful celestial swords formed two sword arrays, tracing dazzling arcs of sword light through the void, slashing towards her opponents. Her aura was imposing and overwhelming!

This was none other than Archimmortal Li Shu, whose strength was incredibly close to that of an Astral Lord.

Fighting her were two powerful Archdeities, both wielding ether arts and holding shields. They defended against Archimmortal Li Shu's continuous stream of attacks.

The commotion was tremendous.

At the center of the clash between the three powerhouses was a massive vortex, where something seemed to be causing a huge disturbance. It looked like some treasure was about to emerge.

"Archdeity Wan Bo and Archdeity Wan Xiao were taught by the same master, and both possess the combat strength of fifth-stage Archimmortals, with extremely strong self-preservation abilities." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"One-on-one, neither is a match for Archimmortal Li Shu, and even while working together, they're at a disadvantage."

"But they can hold out." The many observing Archimmortals communicated telepathically.

They had all sensed the disturbance caused by the emerging treasure and rushed over, only to find they stood no chance.

Unless an Astral Lord arrived, no one dared claim they could snatch the treasure from the hands of these three powerhouses.

...

"Wan Bo, Wan Xiao, withdraw quickly and I'll spare your lives," Archimmortal Li Shu's figure was graceful, exuding a holy aura like a snow lotus fairy, but her voice was utterly cold. "Otherwise, don't blame me for being merciless. If I truly decide to kill you, it will hardly take any effort."

"Shut your mouth, old woman."

"We brothers aren't afraid of you." Archdeity Wan Bo and Archdeity Wan Xiao showed no fear of Archimmortal Li Shu. Wielding numerous shields, combined with grand ether arts and battle armor, they easily withstood the attacks of the lotus flowers.

This was the formidable aspect of Archdeities. When their strength was close to their opponent’s, it was extremely difficult to defeat them if they were determined to defend till the end.

The two Archdeities joined forces in an explosive display of might, firmly occupying half the area of the massive vortex, stubbornly refusing to retreat.

"You two bastards. If I hadn't left my fire lotus behind, how could you be so arrogant?" Archimmortal Li Shu's eyes flashed with a hint of hatred.

In truth, neither side had gone all out yet, as the treasure had not truly emerged.

Just then, under the shocked gazes of the many observing Archimmortals, as well as Archdeity Wan Bo, Archdeity Wan Xiao, and Archimmortal Li Shu, a layer of hazy light enveloped the area above the ice vortex. Then, a white-robed figure stepped out from the distorted space, two nearly transparent celestial swords floating beside him.

At the same time, more celestial swords hovered some distance from his body, with numerous celestial artifacts faintly forming a powerful sword domain, encompassing an area of over a hundred thousand li.

It was as if he had forcibly occupied a corner of the area Archdeity Wan Bo, Archdeity Wan Xiao, and Archimmortal Li Shu were fighting over.

This scene naturally left everyone stunned. Before this moment, no one had sensed the white-robed figure's presence. How did he arrive?

"An Earth Immortal?"

"That's... Ming Jian!"

"It's Ming Jian from the Spacetime Island, the Spacetime Sword Immortal." Among the group of Archimmortals, someone recognized Wu Yuan.

Instantly, a synchronized change overcame their features, shock giving way to fear. Many Archimmortals even began to flee, retreating into the distance.

Over the past few days, Wu Yuan forged his reputation with the blood of numerous Archimmortals and Archdeities.

At the very least, the countless Archimmortals and Archdeities roaming the Snowlight Mist Realm had reached a consensus—unless one had the strength of a sixth-stage Archimmortal, it was best not to provoke Ming Jian.

"Ming Jian!"

"It's him, how did he come here?"

"We didn't hunt him down back then." Archdeity Wan Bo and Archdeity Wan Xiao's faces flashed with a hint of trepidation.

They weren't afraid of Archimmortal Li Shu because her attacks were visible and tangible, but Wu Yuan's swords were different, and impossible to block.

In recent days, more than one powerful Archdeity had fallen by Wu Yuan's hand, including some as strong as themselves.

Wu Yuan stood within his sword domain, sword qi billowing around him, giving the appearance of a peerless sword immortal.

"Wan Bo! Today, I'm not here for you two. Leave now, and I won't kill you." Wu Yuan's gaze swept over the two Archdeities, his eyes piercing.

The two Archdeities exchanged a glance, both feeling a flicker of anger in their hearts. Yet they dared not express it, only pondering for an instant.

"Second Brother, let's go."

"Let's go." The two Archdeities chose to withdraw, quickly departing. If Wu Yuan truly set his sights on them, their chances of leaving the Snowlight Mist Realm alive were slim.

After all, they couldn't maintain their full power indefinitely, but Wu Yuan, upon entering the higher spatial dimension, could attack them at any time without warning.

Above the massive ice vortex, only Wu Yuan and Archimmortal Li Shu, who stood on her lotus platform surrounded by countless snow lotuses, remained.

"Ming Jian, you want to snatch the treasure from me?" Archimmortal Li Shu's eyes remained cold. "Do you really think you can kill me?"