Chapter 1040: Wu Yuan Appears, Saber Unsheathed (1)

The Creation Dao Realm had always been one of the most perilous exploration sites in the Long Shan Universe, attracting countless Sovereigns and Astral Monarchs over the eons.

Throughout history, more than one Xiantian artifact had emerged from the Creation Dao Realm.

For this reason, when the immense fluctuations erupted from the Windstorm Labyrinth in the Core Region of the Dao Realm, spreading throughout the entire realm, neither the Immortal Court powerhouses nor the Eldritch Court powerhouses harbored any doubts or considered that it might be a trap.

Firstly, there were historical precedents. Secondly, the Creation Dao Realm was established by the Dao Master himself. What need was there to set traps targeting these Sovereigns?

As for the notion of a powerhouse orchestrating this? That was even more ridiculous. What kind of powerhouse was able to send waves of fluctuations across the entire Dao Realm?

"It's absolute madness."

"Such immense fluctuations, coinciding with the inter-Saintdom war—I fear at least ten thousand Sovereigns will converge in total from the two Saintdoms."

"Ten thousand Sovereigns, vying for a single Xiantian artifact?"

"Insanity!"

"I'm not going. You all can go ahead, but the chances of obtaining the treasure are far too slim." Many of the less powerful early-stage and mid-stage Sovereign powerhouses hesitated. In their view, given their own strength, the probability of seizing the Xiantian artifact was far too low.

"Fools!"

"Are we rushing over there just to compete for the Xiantian artifact?"

"No! We're going to participate in the final battle of the inter-Saintdom war, the ultimate showdown of this conflict."

"Exactly."

"There's only one Xiantian artifact, and our chances of obtaining it are slim. But such a grand battle will likely draw in thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of Sovereigns."

"In the end, a massive decisive battle is bound to erupt."

"As long as we survive and manage to slay one or two Sovereigns in the chaos, seizing their treasures, we'll have hit the jackpot."

"Will we make it in time?"

"We're quite far away, but historically, when Xiantian artifacts emerge in the Dao Realm, it takes anywhere from several decades to several centuries for them to fully manifest. We'll have plenty of time to get there."

"Even if it takes us two hundred years to arrive, the Xiantian artifact might not have emerged yet."

"Let's go and take our chances."

After communicating with each other, the multitude of Sovereigns from both factions quickly came to a tacit understanding—seizing the Xiantian artifact? No! The real opportunity lay in slaughtering Sovereigns from the enemy faction en masse and plundering their wealth.

The Immortal Court Sovereigns, in particular, were brimming with fighting spirit. Given the current dynamics of the war, the Immortal Court side held the advantage.

"We have the upper hand."

"Before, those Eldritch Court mongrels were scattered all over the place, making it difficult for us to hunt them down. Now, this is the perfect opportunity."

"Right, let's kill them!"

"Let's use this grand decisive battle to completely annihilate those Eldritch Court scum." The Immortal Court's numerous powerhouses swiftly reached a consensus—not only would they vie for the Xiantian artifact, but they would also utterly crush the Eldritch Court’s powerhouses and win the inter-Saintdom war.

Therefore, the many late-stage Sovereign powerhouses of the Immortal Court began rushing at full speed towards the Windstorm Labyrinth from various locations within the Creation Dao Realm.

...

In the highest hall of the Long Shan plane within the Immortal Court Voidrealm, several Immortal Court Overlords had gathered.

"Wan Du, you've already headed to the Windstorm Labyrinth?" Overlord Long He, seated upon the highest throne and clad in star-patterned robes, inquired.

"Yes." Overlord Wan Du nodded: "I should arrive in about half a month."

The Overlords in the hall exchanged glances.

"Mo Xuan, are you still unable to divine Wu Yuan's whereabouts?" Overlord Long He looked towards a young man in white robes at the far end, who exuded an immortal air.

"I can’t get any results." Overlord Mo Xuan shook his head slightly: "Right now, he's like an Overlord of Spacetime, his aura completely concealed. I can no longer locate him."

Divination had its limitations. The more powerful a being, the harder it was to divine their fate. If Overlord Mo Xuan forcibly attempted to divine the destiny of eternal lifeforms, he would even suffer backlash.

These Immortal Court Overlords were naturally unaware that Wu Yuan was now an Ancestral Pagoda Archon. Though merely a sempiternal lifeform, the difficulty of divining his fate was no less than that of an eternal lifeform.

Overlord Long He furrowed his brow: "Could it be that the Eldritch Court has detected Wan Du's presence and is secretly concealing things?"

"That shouldn't be the case." Mo Xuan shook his head. "I'm confident about this at least—up to this point, Wan Du hasn't made a move."

Overlord Long He nodded in agreement.

"Long He, Mo Xuan." The woman in fiery red robes frowned and said: "Since we can no longer locate Wu Yuan's true self, and even divination fails to reveal his whereabouts, there's no point concerning ourselves with him further. It's meaningless. Instead, we should seize this opportunity to win a decisive victory in this inter-Saintdom war."

"Indeed, I share the same view," said the silver-armored man who had been silent until now.

"Very well!" Overlord Long He nodded: "Then I shall issue the order for all Saintdom Sovereigns participating in the war to converge on the Windstorm Labyrinth.

"Additionally, Wan Du." Overlord Long He looked at Overlord Wan Du: "Once you reach the Windstorm Labyrinth, simply wait for the right moment to seize the treasure. As for the inter-Saintdom war? Unless the Eldritch Court Sovereigns actively obstruct or surround you, try not to intervene."

"I understand the rules," Overlord Wan Du said calmly.

Though the Eldritch Court and Immortal Court were sworn enemies, engaging in battle after battle, they still maintained some unspoken agreements.

For example—in inter-Saintdom wars, they could deploy late-stage Sovereign legions, but Overlords were not to be casually dispatched.

Overlords transcended ordinary Sovereigns. Overlords who actively engaged in the mass slaughter of numerous Sovereigns would only invite contempt from countless powerhouses. Standing at the pinnacle of sempiternal lifeforms, many Overlords cared about their reputation.

Of course, if a group of Sovereigns had a death wish and insisted on competing with an Overlord for treasure, or actively surrounded one, then they could only blame themselves for being slaughtered.

...

Simultaneously, the highest-ranking Overlords had also gathered in the Eldritch Court's Long Shan Saintdom.

"Huan Jin, it’s time for you to make the journey," Overlord Ming Zhun said slowly. "You should be able to reach the Windstorm Labyrinth in about ninety years."

"Understood." Overlord Huan Jin nodded.

"Huan Jin, shall I accompany you?" Overlord Zi Wu looked at Overlord Huan Jin.

"No need." Overlord Huan Jin, a beautiful woman in purple robes, smiled faintly: "Obtaining the Xiantian artifact is secondary. My main purpose there is to prevent our Eldritch Court forces from suffering a major defeat in the decisive battle and incurring excessive casualties."

Indeed, the Immortal Court was both openly and covertly choosing the Windstorm Labyrinth as the site for the decisive battle of the inter-Saintdom war. The Eldritch Court, though at a disadvantage, was not willing to appear weak and actively met the challenge. Large numbers of Eldritch Court powerhouses were rushing towards the Windstorm Labyrinth.

Overlord Huan Jin was the Eldritch Court's Long Shan Saintdom's insurance, ensuring that the mana and ether bodies of the tens of thousands of Eldritch Court Sovereigns wouldn’t all be destroyed. When the critical moment arrived, Overlord Huan Jin would save as many of the Eldritch Court’s powerhouses as she could.

Of course, Overlord Huan Jin had her own plans. In her view, the Immortal Court didn't have an Overlord of Spacetime, so no enemy Overlord would be able to arrive in the short term. Making a personal trip there was a foolproof way to acquire the artifact.

As for Overlord Zi Wu? If she brought him along, once they obtained the Xiantian artifact, wouldn't she have to split it with him? Overlord Huan Jin was unwilling to do so.

Soon after, Overlord Huan Jin's mana body set out, heading towards the Creation Dao Realm.

...

With the war in the Creation Dao Realm between the Eldritch Court and Immortal Court spanning over twenty thousand years, powerhouses from other Saintdoms in the Long Shan Universe had mostly withdrawn from the Dao Realm.

But this disturbance was simply too massive to conceal, so the Overlords of various Saintdoms throughout the Long Shan Universe successively received the news.

Most Overlords gave up after brief consideration, as the journey was too far. Unless one was an Overlord of Spacetime, it would take at least several hundred years to arrive. After such a long time, the contest for the treasure would likely be over.

However, some Overlords were quite excited.

Haha! A bunch of fools! They were all too wary of the Eldritch Court before, not daring to pursue Wu Yuan. Now it's my turn.

Xiantian artifact!

In the center of a sprawling mountain range suspended in an endless void, a towering figure sat upon a throne. Clad in black robes, his aura was vast and magnificent, as though he were the mightiest being in outer space.

At this moment, Overlord Yan Chi was incredibly excited.

That brat Wu Yuan is truly slippery. After searching for over twenty thousand years without any trace of him, I was about to leave the Dao Realm.

Unexpectedly, I've received news of a Xiantian artifact's emergence. The heavens truly favor me.

Twenty thousand years ago, when Wu Yuan's true self appeared in the Creation Dao Realm, reportedly carrying several Xiantian artifacts, Overlord Yan Chi's interest was piqued upon receiving the news. He didn't possess a single Xiantian artifact and desired one greatly.

Offending the Eldritch Court? As an independent Overlord occupying a macrocosm, he feared neither the Eldritch Court nor the Immortal Court.

Unfortunately, twenty thousand years of searching yielded no results.

That was, until today.

The heavens always favor those with determination.

Overlord Yan Chi chuckled with unbridled glee.

This Xiantian artifact from the Creation Dao Realm is destined to be mine.

I will undoubtedly be the first Overlord to arrive.

At this moment, Overlord Yan Chi's ether body had already set off from elsewhere in the Creation Dao Realm, heading towards the Windstorm Labyrinth.

It would only take him a decade.

...

There weren't many Overlords of Spacetime in the Long Shan Universe, and some of their mana or ether bodies weren't even within the universe. Therefore, aside from Overlord Huan Jin, only one other Overlord of Spacetime had dispatched a mana body into the Creation Dao Realm.

However, there were still several Overlords who had secretly infiltrated the Creation Dao Realm, gambling on that sliver of hope.

For most Overlords, a Xiantian artifact held immense allure.

...

Wu Yuan remained oblivious to the fact that various Saintdoms were mobilizing and multiple Overlords were venturing into the Creation Dao Realm. Nevertheless, he was summoned by Overlord Hou Jue without delay.