Chapter 1023: News Of The Xuanhuang Cosmiris (1)

"How do I see this? With my eyes, of course!" A rather shrill voice rang out.

"Ha! How amusing," the deep voice continued with a chuckle. "I missed Junior Brother Ming Jian's Overlord advancement celebration this time because my true self wasn't in the Ling Jiang Universe. But I did send a Sovereign under my command to deliver gifts. Senior Brother Bei Zhen attended in person. Yet you, his senior, didn't even go to offer congratulations."

"Hmph. Qing You, do you think I'm like you, ruling over a macrocosm without a care in the world? I'm an Overlord of the Immortal Court. How could I congratulate him openly?" the shrill voice retorted.

The two bantered back and forth, clearly quite familiar with each other.

The Spacetime Dao Master placed almost no restrictions on his successors. In fact, he hadn't formally taken them as disciples at all. He didn't even care if these successors killed each other. So terms like ‘Senior Brother’ and ‘Junior Brother’ were merely how the successors addressed one another of their own will.

Whoosh!

A figure in white robes appeared out of thin air atop a jade platform. His robes fluttered, his aura transcendent and otherworldly. A warm smile graced his face, instinctively drawing goodwill from others.

"Ming Jian?"

"Haha, welcome, welcome, Junior Brother Ming Jian!" The two who had been conversing immediately spoke up, especially the one with the deep voice, who was exceptionally enthusiastic.

Two of them?

At a glance, Wu Yuan immediately grasped the identities of the two individuals before him.

"You must be Senior Brother Qing You," Wu Yuan said, looking at the enthusiastic man in cerulean robes.

Clad in cerulean, he exuded a boundless aura, as unfathomable as the Abyss itself. This was the supreme leader of the Qing You Macrocosm, an independent Overlord of tremendous power and renown. In terms of raw combat ability, he could rival Overlord Jiang Meng, and moreover, he was an Overlord of Spacetime. He had nearly a hundred Sovereign followers.

Overlord Qing You hadn't attended Wu Yuan’s Overlord advancement celebration personally, but he had sent a Sovereign under his command as an emissary.

Who could have imagined that Overlord Qing You, seemingly a lone wolf, was actually a successor of the Spacetime Dao Master?

"Haha, the whole ‘Senior Brother' thing is just for fun. Feel free to call me Qing You," Overlord Qing You said with a laugh. "I've long heard of your reputation, Ming Jian. I heard you made that Overlord Gu Nian so angry he coughed blood. Now that I've met you, I see your fame is well-deserved."

"It was just luck," Wu Yuan said modestly.

"Strength is strength. Junior Brother Ming Jian, achieving such power in less than a hundred thousand years is truly admirable," the shrill voice chimed in. Hearing it made one instinctively uncomfortable. "However, your methods were unnecessarily brutal. There was no need to slaughter all those Immortal Court Sovereigns. It makes things difficult for me as your senior."

"You must be... Daoist Peng Shi, I presume," Wu Yuan said coolly, his smile fading as his gaze fell upon another figure in golden attire atop a jade platform.

Dressed in opulent golden robes, with an otherworldly, beautiful face, his most striking feature was his piercing eyes that seemed to see through one's very spirit.

However, Wu Yuan's gaze remained calm, a faint smile on his face as he met Overlord Peng Shi's stare without fear.

Wu Yuan's use of ‘Daoist Peng Shi’ sent a flicker of annoyance through Overlord Peng Shi's eyes. Just moments ago, Wu Yuan had addressed Overlord Qing You as ‘Senior Brother’, yet called him ‘Daoist’. Clearly, he refused to acknowledge Peng Shi as a senior.

"Junior Brother Ming Jian, have you forgotten all sense of propriety?" Overlord Peng Shi's voice remained grating and cold.

"The Dao Master never took disciples. I'll naturally address those worthy of respect as ‘Senior Brother’," Wu Yuan said calmly. "But some... don't deserve it.

“Besides, I, Ming Jian, have always clearly differentiated between grudges and favors. I don't like making enemies, but if anyone thinks they can bully me, I don't care which faction they're from – I'll kill them all. What do you think, Daoist Peng Shi?"

"Hmph!" Overlord Peng Shi coldly snorted.

He already disliked Wu Yuan to begin with. It was worth noting that of the five annihilated legions, two were from territories under his command.

Although Overlord Gu Nian would compensate for the losses, with eternal beings already bestowing many top-grade Dao Instruments and battle armor, it would still take at least a million years for the armies to recover fully.

Today, they finally met, yet Wu Yuan showed him no respect at all, naturally infuriating Overlord Peng Shi even more.

"Haha, Ming Jian, your personality is truly to my liking," Overlord Qing You laughed heartily, seeming to revel in the chaos.

"I'm sorry that you have to witness this farce, Senior Brother Qing You," Wu Yuan said with a genuine smile, as if he and Overlord Qing You were old friends.

Overlord Peng Shi? Indeed, he possessed third-stage Overlord strength, ranking top three among the nearly twenty Overlords in the Immortal Court's Ling Jiang Saintdom.

But so what?

If Overlord Peng Shi had been polite, Wu Yuan wouldn't have given him an attitude. At least, he wouldn't have turned hostile so quickly.

Although his qi refiner self had made the Immortal Court his enemy, the conflict was essentially with Overlord Gu Nian, not the entire Immortal Court. Things hadn't reached the point of irreconcilable enmity. Wu Yuan didn't want to provoke unnecessary trouble.

His all-out attack previously was aimed at seizing the celestial ore mountain and striking a blow against the Immortal Court. The initial goal was merely to kill Sovereign Shi Qing to settle their karma.

However, since Overlord Peng Shi wanted to pull rank upon meeting, Wu Yuan couldn't be bothered to give him face.

Third-stage Overlord? Was that supposed to be impressive?

Once his Dao comprehension broke through to the ninth-level Dao Field stage, Wu Yuan couldn't say for sure that his qi refiner self would immediately surpass Overlord Bei Zhen. But defeating Overlord Peng Shi? That would be effortless. Wu Yuan naturally had no fear.

Just as Overlord Peng Shi was about to continue speaking, two figures appeared almost simultaneously. One was an entirely purple, cat-like beast carrying a small tower. The other was a burly man in black armor, exuding a domineering and vast aura. It was Zi Kong and Overlord Bei Zhen.

"Senior Zi Kong."

"Senior Zi Kong." Wu Yuan, Overlord Peng Shi, and Overlord Qing You all greeted, turning to the cat-like beast.

In their minds, Zi Kong, being the Dao Master's spokesperson, held the highest status. As for Overlord Bei Zhen? Though his strength was terrifying, his status wasn't fundamentally different from their own.

Then, the three turned to Overlord Bei Zhen and greeted him.

"Bei Zhen."

"Senior Brother Bei Zhen, it's been a while. We last met in the cosmic sea."

"Senior Brother Bei Zhen." Wu Yuan and Overlord Qing You both addressed him as Senior Brother.

Only Overlord Peng Shi simply called him ‘Bei Zhen’.

"Mm." Overlord Bei Zhen nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across them all before lingering on Wu Yuan. With a smile, he said, "Junior Brother Ming Jian, we meet again."

Known for his domineering strength, his aura was surprisingly gentle at the moment.

"When we last met, I didn't know Senior Brother's identity. I hope you'll forgive me," Wu Yuan said with a smile.

"It's of no concern," Overlord Bei Zhen said, smiling. "Qing You is sincere and unencumbered by politics, often venturing into the cosmic sea. In the future, Junior Brother, you should keep in touch with him. With his rich experience, it’ll be safer if you go on expeditions together."

"Understood," Wu Yuan nodded.

With that, Overlord Bei Zhen said no more, not even mentioning Overlord Peng Shi.

This made Overlord Peng Shi even more displeased. He vaguely felt that Wu Yuan, Overlord Bei Zhen, and Overlord Qing You were isolating him, and couldn't help but snort coldly.

But he had forgotten. Previously, he had been isolated by the alliance of Overlord Bei Zhen and Overlord Qing You. Now there was just one more - Wu Yuan.

"Mm." The cat-like Zi Kong walked on air, coming to the foremost jade platform.

Half-crouching as it sat, its eyes seemed filled with wisdom as they swept over the four Dao Master successors. "It's been a long time since I've gathered you all."

The four Overlords fell silent, looking toward Zi Kong.

"Ming Jian, it's been less than a hundred thousand years since we last parted. You've become an Overlord faster than any of the Dao Master's previous successors. Even Bei Zhen took tens of million years to become an Overlord," Zi Kong said, turning to Wu Yuan.

"The Dao Master's inheritance was a great help," Wu Yuan said modestly.

"External opportunities are secondary. What matters most is the individual," Zi Kong shook its head slightly. "Being born in an era when the Megaverse Crossroads opened may have been your providence, but seizing a Saintcrest was a measure of your own strength. There's no need for false modesty.

“Five successors have already been selected in this samsara cycle of heaven and earth, with four already becoming Overlords.

“Bei Zhen's chances of achieving eternity ranked first among the successors previously, but now you have taken his place," Zi Kong said.

"Senior Brother Bei Zhen's strength is unmatched in the universe. I still have to work hard," Wu Yuan quickly said.

"Junior Brother, there's no need for modesty. Senior Zi Kong's judgment is never wrong. If he says your potential is greater, then it certainly is," Overlord Bei Zhen said with a smile. "However, I won't concede defeat just yet. It's still uncertain which of us will achieve eternity first."

Wu Yuan couldn't help but smile.

"Senior Brother Bei Zhen, Junior Brother Ming Jian, don't argue," Overlord Qing You said with a grin. "It doesn't matter who's first. As long as you pull me up when you reach the shore, I'm happy."

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Qing You!" Zi Kong frowned slightly. "As a successor of the Dao Master, do you really intend to take the path of a Stowaway? Without a heart that pursues eternity, you will never achieve it."

"Yes Senior," Overlord Qing You lowered his head, but inwardly he grumbled.

Achieve eternity? Years ago, when he first became a successor of the Dao Master, Overlord Qing You had desperately yearned to achieve eternity.

But as eons passed and he remained stuck at a bottleneck, he realized how incredibly difficult it was to achieve eternity through one's own power. It nearly drove him to despair.

Time held an astonishing power, capable of changing many things.

Some who were weak in youth might, through the crucible of time, blossom into greatness late in life, becoming paragons of valor.

Others, once brilliant and mighty, might be eroded by the passage of years, their decline so stark as to leave onlookers dumbfounded.

"Senior, I vow to strive tirelessly in pursuit of eternity," Overlord Peng Shi declared fervently.

"Peng Shi. Don't just pay lip service, you need to actually work hard," Zi Kong cast a sidelong glance at him. "With the Immortal Court at your back, you've had more treasures and fortuitous encounters than Qing You, yet your strength still lags behind his."

Overlord Peng Shi opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Very well. I've gathered you here for several reasons," Zi Kong turned his gaze to Wu Yuan. "First, to welcome Ming Jian into our circle as the fourth successor of the Dao Master to reach the Overlord level in this samsara cycle of heaven and earth. He's also the one who broke through the fastest and shows the greatest potential."

The assembled group listened in silence.

"Ming Jian, though the Dao Master cares little whether you fight amongst yourselves, should you all achieve eternity one day, you will still pay your respects to the Dao Master. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, refrain from engaging in battles to the death," Zi Kong said.

"Understood," Wu Yuan nodded, realizing these words were meant for both him and Overlord Peng Shi.

A pity he would merely listen. Refrain from battling to the death unless necessary? That meant it wasn't prohibited outright. The fact that it wasn’t prohibited meant combat was permissible. But not yet, the time hadn't come.