Yuan’s Ascension

Buzz~ The soul attack struck with astonishing speed. Wu Yuan had no chance to dodge and could only endure it head-on. His true self and ether body's eyes simultaneously glazed over, their flight speed sharply decreasing.

I got him? Hmm, it makes sense. Despite having the vital aura of a High Deity, he was able to swiftly kill Wu Hai and the others. His strength may have reached the threshold of seventh-stage Archimmortal, but in the end, he's just an immortal cultivator. How could he resist my illusion art attack?

Astral Lord Bai Hai walked through the Fragmentary Spatial Layer, rapidly approaching Wu Yuan. His gaze was rather cold, carrying a hint of killing intent.

He had already determined that Wu Yuan had killed all the Archimmortals in the area. Archimmortal Wu Hai’s true self had even perished in the battle.

This made his heart bleed. Over long ages, he was the strongest in the immortal continent, but nurturing an Archimmortal was no easy feat, let alone a fifth-stage Archimmortal powerhouse.

From what he understood, Archimmortal Wu Hai had the potential to become a seventh-stage Archimmortal in the future.

An Astral Lord-level powerhouse he personally raised was naturally of great importance to him. Whether in battle or on expeditions, their mutual trust would be exceptionally strong.

This youth's talent is extraordinary, his Dao comprehension is at least on par with mine, perhaps even reaching the Astral Monarch level. He must have a powerful background.

But to stealthily infiltrate the Thunder Marsh World without revealing his lineage, and then strike so ruthlessly, the probability that he's from an enemy faction of my White Sea Immortal Continent exceeds ninety percent! Astral Lord Bai Hai's thoughts were very clear.

The Greenridge Immortal World was a native power, with complex political relationships between its internal factions. Competition and slaughter were the norm.

The Thunder Marsh World was controlled by the six major immortal sects of the White Sea Immortal Continent. If any major faction wished to send their disciples on trials there, they simply needed to say the word. The six major immortal sects wouldn't make things difficult for them, especially if these factions were on friendly or even neutral terms.

From Astral Lord Bai Hai's perspective, Wu Yuan's behavior clearly marked him as an enemy of their faction. Entering their territory without prior notice and striking ruthlessly at the slightest provocation – only a hostile figure would take such actions.

Should one bow and scrape to curry favor simply because the enemy showed exceptional talent and potential? It would be like surrendering to an invader of your homeland solely because they were stronger.

If so, why go through the hardships of cultivating to become an immortal? Might as well die early.

Moreover, with Archimmortal Wu Hai's true self dead, Astral Lord Bai Hai couldn't possibly let Wu Yuan leave just like that. He had to capture him at the very least.

If he truly was from an opposing power, Astral Lord Bai Hai wouldn't mind killing Wu Yuan.

So what if there's an Astral Monarch behind him? So what if he could become an Astral Monarch in the future? I've made an enemy of more than one Astral Monarch, who all want me dead. Astral Lord Bai Hai’s mind was clear.

My true self is in the Sovereign Field. Who can kill me?

Just as Astral Monarch Wan Lei dared to fight and compete with Sovereigns over treasures, many formidable Astral Lords similarly dared to contend with Astral Monarchs from other factions due to treasures or grudges. Even if they couldn't win, they still had ways to make life difficult for their opponent.

Go! Astral Lord Bai Hai waved.

Whoosh! A black chain flew out, transforming into a black jiaolong amidst the turbulent spatial fragments. The jiaolong roared, crossing over a thousand li to arrive before Wu Yuan in an instant. Its massive tail lashed out, coiling around Wu Yuan.

Evidently, Astral Lord Bai Hai still had some reservations and didn't immediately use a killing move, but rather attempted to capture Wu Yuan.

Just as the black jiaolong was about to touch Wu Yuan, Wu Yuan’s eyes regained their clarity.

Whoosh! He split into two, his true self and ether body simultaneously erupting with frenzied power.

Eighteen dazzling blade rays swept across space, causing the surrounding spatial fragments to grow even more chaotic as a result. An overwhelming barrage of blade rays crashed thunderously against the black jiaolong's tail.

Boom! A terrifying collision resounded.

The black jiaolong’s tail shattered layer by layer, revealing the chain within.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuan's true self and ether body were also blasted back hundreds of li. They soon found their footing on the turbulent waves of fragments, sending ripples through space.

In this head-on clash, even with Wu Yuan's true self and ether body working together, he was still at an absolute disadvantage. Exerting all his strength, he barely managed to withstand it.

Hmm, he actually blocked it? And it's his true self. His true self's soul must be very powerful. Astral Lord Bai Hai was initially surprised, but upon seeing Wu Yuan's true self emerge, some of his doubts were resolved.

An ether body's combat power was often not far behind a true self's. The biggest differences lay in the soul and lifebound artifacts.

"Haha, Astral Lord Bai Hai, as expected of a ninth-stage Archimmortal powerhouse. I'll be taking my leave first." Wu Yuan's voice rang out clearly, reverberating through the spatial fragments. His form moved, fleeing into the distance.

That soul attack just now was an illusion art with terrifying power. Wu Yuan’s true self, possessing a sturdy soul and having begun to fuse with the Creation Great Dao's essence, was protected by the Great Dao's essence. Otherwise, he absolutely wouldn't have been able to withstand that attack!

If his ether body had been acting alone, he would definitely have been trapped and captured in an instant.

The Creation Great Dao not only strengthens my vitality and enhances my vital ether recovery, but also fortifies my soul's defense. Wu Yuan thought to himself. However, after I return, I must obtain another strong soul defense artifact.

Breaking through to Astral Monarch-level Dao comprehension enhanced one's strength holistically. Moreover, the Creation Great Dao was most adept at vitality and recovery, and equally adept at defense. But Wu Yuan had no intention of fighting head-on. The other party was a late-stage Astral Lord powerhouse after all.

As of now, Wu Yuan had only cultivated part one of the Saint Prohibition Art to a great degree. Even if he had cultivated it to completion and his body refiner self could burst forth with the base power of a first-stage Archimmortal, he might only be able to suppress the other party. In a prolonged battle, he might still not be able to win, let alone now.

"Trying to escape?" Astral Lord Bai Hai took a step forward, chasing after him.

At the same time, he launched another soul attack, enveloping them in an illusory soul world. This was another soul attack technique, similar to the previous one.

Rumble! Wu Yuan was hit again, then quickly regained clarity, once again clashing with Astral Lord Bai Hai's artifact.

The collision's aftermath spread far and wide, and Wu Yuan was blasted away again.

If I only continue to fight with my present abilities, I can't guarantee that I’ll be able to block his attacks time after time. This Astral Lord Bai Hai clearly has an extremely deep understanding of the soul. Wu Yuan understood he could no longer hold back.

Whoosh! Wu Yuan's form moved. He no longer concealed anything, applying the profundities of Space True Intent. Combined with Creation True Intent, his speed soared to a terrifying level as he fled through the spatial fragments.

Ten thousand li per second! Thirty thousand li per second!

Continuing to accelerate, he quickly pulled away from Astral Lord Bai Hai.

Such speed? Could it be that he's mastered Space True Intent? Astral Lord Bai Hai was greatly shocked.

For ordinary Archimmortals, even if they could enter the Fragmentary Spatial Layer, they could usually only advance a thousand li per second due to the obstructing spatial fragments. Astral Lords could often advance tens of thousands of li per second.

Of course, when Astral Lord Bai Hai rushed over via teleportation array earlier, he was transported at light speed through the Turbulent Spatial Layer. It was equivalent to traveling several light years through the Material Spatial Layer in one breath, which was why he could arrive so quickly.

But the teleportation array's route was fixed, achieved through array cryptic patterns. It was extremely difficult to reach light speed in higher spatial dimensions relying solely on oneself. The mana and Dao comprehension requirements to achieve this were both extremely high.

If one could reach light speed in the Fragmentary Spatial Layer, it also meant they weren't far from breaking into the Turbulent Spatial Layer by force.

Astral Lord Bai Hai quickly understood that if he continued to hold back, he would surely fail to stop the other party from leaving.

Kill! A trace of cold killing intent flashed through Astral Lord Bai Hai's eyes.

With a wave of his hand, nine celestial swords flew out from his sleeve, their auras sharp and vast. All of them were mid-grade celestial artifacts.

Whoosh~ The nine celestial swords instantly assembled to form a slightly hazy sword array. Within the sword array, sword qi intertwined, like a vast world of swords, advancing through the surging waves of spatial fragments with unstoppable momentum.

It aimed right at Wu Yuan.

Danger! Extreme danger! Wu Yuan instantly sensed that it was a lethal threat. Though he couldn't discern the exact power of this sword array, he could still make a rough judgment.

This, he feared, was Astral Lord Bai Hai's ultimate killing move, far surpassing the celestial chain attack previously.

Earlier, Astral Lord Bai Hai intended to capture him, so he had held back some of his trump cards. But now, Astral Lord Bai Hai finally decided to execute his killing move, the sort of attack he would employ when confronting other Astral Lords.