Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 760: Slaying An Astral Lord (2)

After traveling through the void for a while more, Wu Yuan entered the Core Region of the Snowlight Mist Realm.

The Core Region was fraught with dangers, but Wu Yuan was in the Turbulent Spatial Layer and could easily avoid numerous perils, which set his mind at ease.

Hmm? Karmic threads? Wu Yuan abruptly halted, a flash of killing intent passing through his eyes.

He had just sensed three karmic threads, extending to the other end of the unfathomable Destiny Voidscape.

In his karmic perception, the vital auras of these three were extremely powerful. All were Astral Lords!

They still dare to linger in the Snowlight Mist Realm? Wu Yuan murmured to himself. That's right, they have Astral Lord-level strength, and only a few hundred years have passed. Why would they fear me?

Unwilling to leave? Then I'll send you on your way. Wu Yuan immediately followed one of the karmic threads.

In reality, Wu Yuan couldn't be certain of the other party's specific identity or strength from the karmic thread alone.

But he already decided—in the Snowlight Mist Realm, no one could make him retreat. Even if it was a late-stage Astral Lord, they would have to battle it out first.

...

The Snowlight Mist Realm's Ice Vortex Valley was a notorious exploration site in the Core Region. Precious treasures often spawned here, attracting many Archimmortals and Archdeities, and even numerous Astral Lords were present.

In one of its icy canyons, fierce winds howled, like countless razor-sharp blades slicing through the sky. Even Earth Immortals and Earth Deities would perish instantly before these raging gales. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

On one side of the mountain wall, atop a massive protruding stone face, three towering figures sat in the lotus position.

The leading figure had skin that was brilliant crimson, smooth and hairless. He lacked even the most common human features like hair or eyebrows, yet his appearance was far from grotesque. Instead, he exuded a sense of warmth.

He was an Astral Lord powerhouse of the Hanging Moon Palace—Astral Lord Huo Xiang.

Within the Ice Vortex Valley, he held considerable renown. The two crimson-skinned figures beside him hailed from the same galaxy, and were considered his clan's younger generation.

One was a sixth-stage Archimmortal, the other a sixth-stage Archdeity. Such a combination was considered extremely formidable within the Ice Vortex Valley, and ordinary groups dared not provoke them. Thus, Astral Lord Huo Xiang felt relatively at ease.

Hmm? Astral Lord Huo Xiang's eyes snapped open, his gaze sharp as an arrow. In an instant, it pierced through the endless gales, spotting a figure a million li away.

White robes, High Immortal... this aura! Astral Lord Huo Xiang leaped to his feet, gazing into the distance at the white-robed figure. He recognized him at once: Is that Ming Jian? That imprint bearer of the Spacetime Island?

Hundreds of years have passed, and true to the rumors, he's become a High Immortal. He's come to the Snowlight Mist Realm again?

Years ago, Astral Lord Huo Xiang encountered Wu Yuan once and chased him, so he remembered Wu Yuan's soul aura.

Whoosh! Whoosh! The two clansmen beside him, Archimmortal Huo Feng and Archdeity Huo Lie, also stood up, staring in shock at the figure in the distance.

A High Immortal daring to venture into the Core Region of the Snowlight Mist Realm? Was he mad?

"It's Ming Jian," Astral Lord Huo Xiang said coldly.

"Ming Jian?"

"That monstrous prodigy from the Spacetime Island?" Archdeity Huo Lie and Archimmortal Huo Feng were quite astonished.

They had naturally heard of Wu Yuan's name. Over the past millennium, two monstrous prodigies had gained widespread fame in the Dao Realm: one was Zhuo Haiyue, and the other was Ming Jian.

"With his talent, it’s indeed unsurprising that he’s become a High Immortal this quickly," Archdeity Huo Lie said in a low voice. "He's appeared in other exploration sites before, already a High Immortal, but his strength hasn't increased noticeably compared to the past.

The burst secret art he employed when fighting Archimmortals and Archdeities in the past wouldn't significantly boost his power upon him breaking through to High Immortal," Archimmortal Huo Feng added.

Various major factions in the Dao Realm had speculated about Ming Jian's true strength. One relatively accurate point was this: Ming Jian's sword art was indeed extraordinarily profound, reaching the level of an Astral Monarch. However, his ability to unleash such powerful strength was also due to his use of an extremely powerful secret art that greatly enhanced his mana.

According to intelligence reports, his strength has been steadily improving, but he should still be quite far from the Astral Lord level. Astral Lord Huo Xiang frowned slightly. Yet he dares to show himself here and seek revenge against me?

Astral Lord Huo Xiang was on guard, but not afraid. Nor would he flee.

Firstly, he wasn't an Astral Lord of Space, so escape was impossible; secondly, he had his own pride.

The three powerhouses communicated swiftly. In the instant Wu Yuan appeared, they had already reached an agreement.

"Ming Jian," Astral Lord Huo Xiang's voice was deep, resonating through the endless gales with his powerful mana. "Why have you come here? What do you want?"

The fierce winds howled, whipping at their robes.

"What do I want?" Wu Yuan stood in the void, looking down at the three figures below. His gaze was sharp, like a predator eyeing its prey. He revealed a cold smile and sneered, "Huo Xiang, don't tell me you've forgotten what happened years ago?"

"You’re here for revenge?" Astral Lord Huo Xiang's eyes flickered.

"Correct! I'll give you one chance. Hand over five million divine crystals worth of treasures, and I’ll take it that the karma from years past is resolved," Wu Yuan said coldly. "Otherwise, prepare to die."

Silence fell!

Astral Lord Huo Xiang, Archdeity Huo Lie, and Archimmortal Huo Feng all stared at Wu Yuan, hardly believing their ears.

Wu Yuan dared to threaten them without any backup?

Something's not right. This Ming Jian is such a monstrous prodigy, there’s no way he’d be so foolish. Could he really have the upper hand? A sense of unease flashed through Astral Lord Huo Xiang's mind.

But as an Astral Lord-level powerhouse, how could he be cowed so easily? At the very least, he wouldn't hand over treasures worth millions of divine crystals just because of a High Immortal's words.

"Ming Jian, I don't wish to fight you. Leave immediately." Astral Lord Huo Xiang's voice was resonant.

His instinct was to avoid fighting Wu Yuan. Even if he could win, the chances of killing Wu Yuan were too low.

"You refuse to hand them over? Then die." Wu Yuan's vital aura suddenly surged as he employed part two of 'Genesis Law Sacrifice'.

His mana's might exploded to the level of a first-stage Archimmortal. Simultaneously, numerous celestial swords appeared around him.

Boom! Wu Yuan moved, plummeting hundreds of thousands of li, rapidly closing the distance.

A full eighty-one low-grade celestial flying swords encircled him, whistling as they flew out. In the blink of an eye, they assembled into a vast and mighty sword domain. The sword domain spanned a million li, engulfing Astral Lord Huo Xiang, Archdeity Huo Lie, and Archimmortal Huo Feng.

"This?"

"Such a powerful sword domain." Archdeity Huo Lie and Archimmortal Huo Feng trembled inwardly. They felt an alarming pressure from the vast sword domain, as if the entire heaven and earth were pressing down upon them.

The strength Wu Yuan displayed far exceeded what the intelligence reports had suggested.

"A sword domain? Mere child's play. I'll break it!" Astral Lord Huo Xiang also erupted with power in an instant. Flames appeared in the air around him, and several chains flew out, intertwining with the flames to form a vast fiery realm.

Whoosh~ Boom! The fiery realm exploded, colliding with the immense sword domain and producing shockwaves of unimaginable power. The impact spread in all directions.

...

"Such powerful energy fluctuations."

"Where is it coming from? Has a treasure emerged?"

"That seems to be Astral Lord Huo Xiang's territory."

"No matter, hurry." The battle's aftershocks were tremendous, instantly spreading across more than ten billion li of icy terrain.

Numerous Archimmortals, Archdeities, and even Astral Lord-level powerhouses sensed it. Swiftly, a multitude of powerhouses began rushing over from all directions.

...

In this clash of domains, I'm actually at a disadvantage? Astral Lord Huo Xiang was shocked.

Two mid-grade celestial artifacts, combined with his domain arcane arts, was his strongest domain technique, yet he still had the lower hand.

I refuse to believe this. As a mighty Astral Lord, how can I fail to suppress a mere High Immortal? Astral Lord Huo Xiang gritted his teeth, his mind racing.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Streams of fiery light shot out, rapidly coalescing in the void. Fluctuations of the Law of Fire rippled and connected, forming an immense divine elephant. The divine elephant was lifelike, its aura vast and boundless.

“Roar~” The divine elephant, spreading its twin wings, stomped onto the air. With a low growl, it charged towards Wu Yuan, intent on slaying him.

"The Divine Elephant Array."

"It’s both earth-shaking and heaven-startling, the Astral Lord's strongest move." Archimmortal Huo Feng and Archdeity Huo Lie held their breath as they watched this scene unfold.

This move was the very technique that had earned Astral Lord Huo Xiang his fame. [1] When this move was unleashed, even an ordinary sixth-stage Archdeity would have their deity body shattered if struck head-on.

Divine Elephant Array? This must be Astral Lord Huo Xiang's ultimate technique. Wu Yuan's gaze remained cold. Relying solely on my mana body won't be enough to swiftly defeat Astral Lord Huo Xiang.

The sword domain, controlled by his mana body, could only suppress Astral Lord Huo Xiang, but not defeat him quickly.

However, Wu Yuan had already sensed numerous powerful presences flying towards them. There were quite a few Astral Lords among them.

I must end this quickly! Wu Yuan's qi refiner self instantly sprang into action. He raised his hand, and nine dazzling divine swords with ethereal auras appeared in his palm.

"Kill!" Wu Yuan uttered a single word.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The nine lifebound flying swords, having been upgraded to celestial equipment, were finally unleashed for the first time.

Heart-shaking Spacetime cryptic patterns appeared on their blades. The countless cryptic patterns combined, instantly merging into one. The nine swords united, forming a new, slightly transparent Spacetime divine sword.

Swish! The divine sword moved.

My Divine Elephant Array can contend even with an eighth-stage Archimmortal. Astral Lord Huo Xiang was full of confidence.

But upon seeing that streak of light cutting across heaven and earth, his expression instantly shifted, his heart involuntarily quivering. No, this is?

As the sword thrust forth, ripples of spacetime interwove, as if the vast heaven and earth had been cleaved, turning hazy.

The nearly transparent divine sword sliced into the colossal divine elephant.

Like a block of tofu, Astral Lord Huo Xiang's ultimate array was instantly sliced through. The array collapsed in an instant, its myriad artifacts scattering in all directions.

Whoosh! Even after having shattered the Divine Elephant Array, the Spacetime divine sword's power barely diminished. It traversed over a hundred thousand li in an instant, slashing directly towards Astral Lord Huo Xiang's body.

This—! Astral Lord Huo Xiang's pupils constricted, instinctively attempting to evade the attack while desperately activating artifacts to defend.

Swish! There was a flash of sword light, and Astral Lord Huo Xiang's body was instantly annihilated. Only his battle armor and numerous celestial artifacts, now ownerless, were left.

Astral Lord Huo Xiang? Merely a seventh-stage Archimmortal. Wu Yuan murmured, his gaze falling upon the distant Archimmortal Huo Feng and Archdeity Huo Lie.

An icy chill gripped their hearts.

1. Huo Xiang means Fire Elephant ☜