Chapter 1049: Wu Yuan! Late-stage Overlord! (1)

In Wu Yuan's initial plan, he would bait and kill thousands of Sovereigns, revealing just his second-stage Overlord strength. There was no need to expose the nine Mo Yuan swords.

When Overlord Wan Du appeared, Wu Yuan felt a flicker of killing intent. Yet, he restrained himself. After all, there was little significance in killing a single Overlord.

However, the repeated threats from Overlord Wan Du only fueled Wu Yuan's anger, and he grew less willing to suppress his emotions.

After all, Wu Yuan's Dao Heart pursued fearlessness and great freedom!

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Overlord Yan Chi's arrival was the final straw that solidified Wu Yuan's resolve.

If he could slay two Overlords in a single burst, that was worth it. Moreover, Overlord Wan Du appeared to be carrying a Xiantian artifact, prompting Wu Yuan to make the call.

Having made his decision, Wu Yuan acted on it right away.

The sudden eruption of his full power shook heaven and earth. With his Azure Origin Armor, Mo Yuan sabers, his formidable deity body, and his vital ether—all empowered by his Yuan Soul—the attack nearly reached the fourth-stage Overlord level.

That ultimate strike composed of nine blade rays cut through Overlord Wan Du's nine long shuttles with overwhelming force.

The two were now on completely different levels. Wan Du, possessing only a single Xiantian artifact, was merely at the second-stage Overlord level. The gap between a second-stage and a peak second-stage Overlord was small. Thus, even though Overlord Wan Du had been losing ground, he could still easily fend off Wu Yuan's attacks repeatedly, battling him to a stalemate.

But compared to an attack nearly at the fourth-stage Overlord-level? The difference was colossal. They were in entirely different leagues!

This? No!

Terror flickered in Overlord Wan Du's eyes as he felt an unstoppable power smashing his shuttles apart.

Screech!

The terrifying blade ray cleaved down onto Overlord Wan Du's armor, the immense impact and piercing force clouding his mind.

This saber strike was among the most horrifying attacks he'd ever faced in his countless years.

Instantly, it made Wan Du think of the Perennial Eternals and fourth-stage Overlords he'd encountered before... This strike gave him a similar feeling.

Boom!

Wan Du was sent flying backward. His deity body was heavily wounded, while his vital ether frantically strove to recover the damage taken by his deity body.

One strike...and it wiped out nearly half my vitality?

Wan Du was incredulous.

This! Even a late-stage Overlord couldn't achieve that.

Overlord Wan Du was dazed.

Wu Yuan, is he a late-stage Overlord? No, his attack seems to have reached a level beyond late-stage Overlords.

What one called a late-stage Overlord referred to a third-stage Overlord, the typical peak of strength most Overlords could achieve.

Such powerhouses usually possessed a full suite of Xiantian artifacts, like a complete set of Xiantian artifact armor or a full nine-piece set of offensive Xiantian artifacts, capable of raising their defense or attack to the third-stage Overlord level.

Overlords of Five Elements who could cultivate five ether bodies and deploy them in perfect combination could similarly unleash third-stage Overlord strength, like Overlord Jiang Meng.

Overlords who lacked powerful Xiantian artifacts might still create eternal ultimate techniques, reaching a level comparable to Perennial Eternals and surpassing ordinary Overlords. Through sheer strength, they were also considered third-stage Overlords.

Fourth-stage Overlords were those who possessed exceptional artifacts and created eternal ultimate techniques, employing both in harmony. In a way, they had reached the limit of the Overlord level.

Fifth-stage Overlords? That was a myth!

His saber! It seems his weapon has changed.

Wan Du instantly grasped this.

He must possess a powerful set of offensive-type Xiantian artifacts.

His attacks are truly terrifying. One saber strike and I’m already like this; just a few dozen more and he could slay me.

In his panic, Wan Du swiftly leveraged the momentum, fleeing even further.

...

One saber strike was enough to weaken his vital aura this much?

Wu Yuan nodded slightly, unsurprised.

The physical defense of a body refiner Sovereign relied on the trifecta of physical power, defensive ultimate techniques, and armor defense. Some were more sturdy than others.

But for body refiner Overlords, already at the pinnacle of sempiternal lifeforms, there was little variation in physical strength and defensive ultimate techniques. The true determining factor lay in one’s armor.

When donning ordinary Xiantian armor, the defenses of body refiner Overlords reached the second-stage Overlord-level.

As for Wan Du? His attack power matched a second-stage Overlord's. But with merely top-grade Dao Instrument armor, his physical defense was equivalent to a first-stage Overlord. When Wu Yuan shattered his weapon with one saber strike, his deity body was naturally unable to withstand it.

Fortunately, he didn't wear the Xiantian artifact armor noted in the intel. Had he worn Xiantian artifact armor, I might have needed a thousand saber strikes to kill him.

Wu Yuan pondered.

Had he donned armor akin to the Azure Origin Armor? Killing him today would pose a challenge.

Take Wu Yuan – as a Matter Sovereign and body refiner Overlord, his physical body was already immensely tough, and with the Azure Origin Armor, his physical defense was on par with many fourth-stage Overlords.

To kill, one needs powerful attacks! To survive, one needs robust defense!

Wu Yuan possessed two sets of Xiantian artifacts, one for attack, one for defense. The two formed a perfect synergy, making him invulnerable!

...

"What?"

“Overlord Wan Du was sent flying with one strike?" The fleeing Sovereigns of the Immortal Court were astounded upon witnessing this.

Immediately, they panicked! Just moments ago, Wu Yuan held a slight upper hand against Overlord Wan Du, but the gap was not obvious. Yet in the blink of an eye, Wu Yuan completely overpowered Overlord Wan Du?

This strike!

Overlord Yan Chi, who had been observing from afar, instantly tensed, his pupils contracting.

Third-stage Overlord strength?

This Wu Yuan has attained late-stage Overlord strength?

Overlord Yan Chi felt that such a notion was absurd. Yet, the scene before him was undeniably real!

Instantaneously, Overlord Yan Chi felt an involuntary compulsion to retreat. If Wu Yuan were a second-stage powerhouse, he could still barely contend with him.

A third-stage Overlord? The gap was simply too vast.

...

Flee!

Overlord Wan Du, realizing the danger, fled frantically into the distance.

"Wan Du, you won’t be going anywhere today. Your only destination is hell!" Wu Yuan tread the void, pursuing his opponent. His speed far surpassed Overlord Wan Du's.

With mastery in both the Law of Space and the Law of Time, Wu Yuan's body refiner self's movement technique was exquisite. Moreover, in Beast Fusion state, Little Black’s wings further enhanced his flight speed and spatial control.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

In an instant, Wu Yuan caught up to Overlord Wan Du.

Swish! Swish!

Wu Yuan once more brandished his nine sabers in concert. The blade rays were resplendent, dazzling beyond measure. It was as though heaven and earth was being split open.

Bam!

Once again, this torrent of slashes shattered Overlord Wan Du's defense formed by the shuttles; the blade rays crashed heavily upon Overlord Wan Du's form, sending him flying back once more. He simply couldn't withstand Wu Yuan's assaults.

Nonetheless, Overlord Wan Du persisted, fleeing once more, while Wu Yuan relentlessly pursued, unleashing lightning-fast assaults again and again.

In mere breaths, they clashed dozens of times, and Overlord Wan Du's vital aura grew perilously weak.

His speed surpasses mine, on par with Overlords of Infinity. Perhaps only Overlords of Spacetime are faster.

Overlord Wan Du's mind was in turmoil.

He remains unfazed throughout our clashes, indicating his deity body’s defense is extraordinarily stable. This makes sense, as he's comprehended the Great Dao of Creation.

His attacks are the scariest part, nearing the fourth-stage Overlord level.

Strong as Overlords might be, they possessed different Xiantian artifacts and comprehended different Daos. Thus, they excelled in some aspects but also had weaknesses.

But Overlord Wan Du's assessment of Wu Yuan's body refiner self was summed up in one word—perfect! He couldn't find any glaring weaknesses.

Soon, Wu Yuan drew near again, his saber rays erupting with destructive power.

"Haha. Wu Yuan, you're indeed a monstrous prodigy, worthy of the title of top genius throughout the River of Universes." Overlord Wan Du transmitted with a chuckle: "It appears you'll soon stand among the Overlords at the highest peak. My ether body perishing at your hands is no disgrace."

Whoosh!

As the blade ray swept through, heaven and earth rumbled, and Overlord Wan Du's form completely disintegrated.

His ether body was dead.

Wu Yuan waved his large hand, swiftly collecting all the artifacts dropped, especially the shuttle-shaped Xiantian artifact.

This marked Wu Yuan's first-ever Xiantian artifact obtained from a typical battle. It filled Wu Yuan with a small sense of accomplishment.

Promptly, Wu Yuan's gaze shifted to the edge of the void, where Overlord Yan Chi was rapidly fleeing into the distance.

Though it seemed slow in the telling, the truth was that killing Overlord Wan Du took less than three breaths from the moment Wu Yuan unleashed his full power.

Yan Chi? Compared to Wan Du, you deserve to die even more.

Wu Yuan's eyes turned cold. His wings fluttered slightly as he took a step forward, transforming into a stream of light.

Five hundred times the speed of light! A thousand times! Thirteen hundred times! Wu Yuan pushed himself to his limits, hurtling through the void at a terrifying velocity, rapidly closing the gap to Overlord Yan Chi.

In outer space or the cosmic sea, there was a limit when traversing through higher spatial dimensions, set by the Primordial Rules — light speed. This was a boundary even eternal lifeforms found challenging to breach. Hence, pursuing and hunting other super powerhouses over long distances became an arduous task.

But within the Dao Realm, things were different. Here, within the confines of the universe, the rules were set by the Dao Master. One could break the limits. And Wu Yuan's speed far surpassed that of Overlord Yan Chi.

Swiftly, Wu Yuan closed in, mere tens of billions of li now separating them.

"Wu Yuan, stop chasing me. We have no grudges or quarrels, why pursue me?" Overlord Yan Chi's voice was tinged with desperation, transmitted incessantly as he fled, "Spare me, just let me go like a fart!"

He was properly afraid now. Overlord Wan Du, whose power exceeded his by a margin, could only hold out briefly before falling. Lacking even a single Xiantian artifact, he stood no chance in direct confrontation, and escape was elusive at best.

"No grudges or quarrels?" Wu Yuan's gaze was icy, "You were originally at odds with my Eldritch Court. Moreover, why did you enter the Dao Realm so early? Do you dare claim it wasn't to target me?"

Overlord Yan Chi faltered, speechless.

Indeed, this ether body of his had entered the Dao Realm twenty thousand years ago with Wu Yuan as its target. Having never crossed paths with Wu Yuan all that time, he believed his intentions were well-concealed, never expecting to be so quickly exposed.

Boom!

Overlord Yan Chi gritted his teeth. Abruptly changing course, he flew towards the Windstorm Sea. From his perspective, plunging into the treacherous environment there offered a slim chance of survival.

Wu Yuan followed suit without hesitation.