Chapter 1065: Not Willing to Give Them Up? I'll Beat You Until You Do (2)

If not for the crimson tower, Wu Yuan would have had no interest in Overlord Ye Mi's grotto. It was merely an Overlord’s inheritance, and Wu Yuan didn't wish to cause too much of a commotion; if his identity were revealed, the losses would outweigh the gains.

But now? Wu Yuan was very interested. At the very least, he wanted to uncover the relationship between Overlord Ye Mi and the Azure Saint Tomb. This might aid Wu Yuan with some of his upcoming cultivation plans.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan landed on the pitch-black road, his feet treading the obsidian slabs as he advanced. All of this was done following the guidance of the crimson tower.

Follow the path, enter the altar, and only then could one access the grotto.

Hum~

A rather powerful pressure suddenly pressed in from all sides of the pathway, attempting to hinder Wu Yuan.

A test? One must possess the strength of an Astral Monarch to pass through.

Wu Yuan sensed the pressure, but with his power, he naturally withstood it with ease.

Swiftly, Wu Yuan traversed a million li, arriving at the base of the altar. The entire structure was azure, emanating peculiar fluctuations. Countless strange characters were inscribed upon its surface.

An azure altar? These seem to be the fluctuations of the Law of Life.

Wu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly; the fluctuations emanating from the altar were too vague, and even he couldn't sense them clearly.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan waved his hand, producing the crimson tower. As if reacting to something, the crimson tower immediately took flight, landing atop the highest sacrificial platform of the altar. The two resonated in some ineffable way.

Boom!

A terrifying aura erupted from the altar, followed by the faint appearance of a spatial rift in the void behind it, revealing a glimpse of the vast world beyond.

Hum~

An intangible wave surged from that minute spatial rift, sweeping past Wu Yuan who stood at the altar's base. An invisible force attempted to penetrate Wu Yuan's body.

“You are not a mid-stage sempiternal lifeform, and cannot receive the inheritance. Leave at once!" A powerful fluctuation conveyed this warning directly to Wu Yuan's soul.

Rumble~

The spatial rift behind the altar, which had opened a crack to reveal the world beyond, began to close.

"Leave? Spirit of the grotto, I know you can sense my presence." Wu Yuan grinned, then took a single step forward, resisting the powerful pressure as he flew to the top of the altar. His feet trod upon the void.

"Suppress." Wu Yuan suddenly raised his hand, palm facing downward, and gently pressed down.

Boom!

An immense pressure immediately enveloped this region of space, countless layers of space instantly sealed by this heaven-defying might.

The black road, the altar... all were suppressed by this vast and mighty force, powerless to resist.

Moreover, this terrifying might penetrated that spatial rift, which encountered immense resistance and could not close any further.

"Intruder. You dare affront the Overlord's dignity?" A cold, imposing voice was transmitted through invisible waves.

Rumble~

Surges of power rushed forth from deep within the spatial rift, attempting to expel the power Wu Yuan had unleashed.

Wu Yuan stood in the void, his expression calm. The majestic force coalesced before him like a pair of giant hands, firmly stabilizing the spatial rift. The opposing power couldn't make him budge at all.

"The Overlord's dignity?" Wu Yuan's voice was hoarse yet filled with dominance as he transmitted back: "I am an Overlord. Are you suggesting that you're affronting my dignity?"

The voice on the other side fell silent for a moment.

"Intruder, your strength is indeed formidable, at the level of a ninth-stage Sovereign," that cold voice echoed again. "You are not a native of the Qiu Yan Macrocosm. I suspect your true self is a mighty Overlord.

"Since you come bearing the token, you should know what this place is. What do you seek?" The cold voice inquired, seeming unwilling to get into a conflict with Wu Yuan.

The reason was simple. Although Overlord Ye Mi's inheritance grotto was protected by various defensive measures, most of them were one-time-use only. Moreover, for arrays and the like, without a powerful array controller, there was an upper limit to the power they could unleash.

To start a battle against a ninth-stage Sovereign? Even if victorious, the cost would be too great.

"My demands are simple, just two things," Wu Yuan said nonchalantly. "First, I want all of Overlord Ye Mi's inheritance insights. All of them.

"Second, I want the original item referenced in crafting the grotto's token—that is, the Azure Saint Watchtower," Wu Yuan stated directly, as if certain the other party possessed this treasure.

He made no attempt to conceal his intentions.

In truth, Wu Yuan wasn't sure if the Azure Saint Watchtower existed within Overlord Ye Mi's grotto, so he was just bluffing.

"Dream on!" Suddenly, a different voice filled with boundless fury rang out, transmitted from the world behind the spatial rift: "The Overlord's inheritance insights are meant for his successor, how could we casually give them away?

"As for the Azure Saint Watchtower? That's an ultimate treasure, why should we give it to you?" This shrill voice let out a series of roars, seemingly another spirit of the grotto world.

Wu Yuan's eyes flickered. There really was an Azure Saint Watchtower within Overlord Ye Mi's grotto?

"Are you certain you won't give them up?" Wu Yuan spoke again, his voice hoarse and icy.

"Esteemed Overlord, please leave immediately," the cold and imposing voice spoke up once more. "Even if you are a late-stage Overlord, this is the Qiu Yan Macrocosm. If we truly fight, you cannot win.

"If you’re not careful, you might perish here," this cold voice threatened.

"Perish here? I truly don't wish to resort to force," Wu Yuan shook his head slightly, his body shrouded in black mist. "But if you're unwilling to give them up, then I'll have to beat you until you do."

He hadn't wanted to use force initially because the benefits weren't great enough. But now? An Azure Saint Watchtower was worth Wu Yuan taking action.

Whoosh!

A top-grade Dao Instrument divine sword materialized in Wu Yuan's palm. For Wu Yuan's body refiner self, top-grade Dao Instruments now barely augmented his power. He was only using a sword to disguise his identity. Even without any artifacts, Wu Yuan could unleash first-stage Overlord power.

Wu Yuan gazed at the spatial rift in the void while channeling the surging vital ether within his body into the Dao Instrument divine sword. Then, he swung it.

As the divine sword struck, a dazzling, endless sword light sliced through the void and into that unclosed spatial rift, cutting into the grotto world.

Rip~

The tiny spatial rift was torn wide open. The sword light burst forth in its full glory, slashing through the various regions of the grotto world.

...

In the core of the Overlord's grotto, three figures emanating powerful auras were conversing with each other. They were the three spirits subordinate to Overlord Ye Mi, responsible for overseeing the affairs of the grotto world.

At this moment, the three spirits discussed their situation anxiously.

"We absolutely cannot yield. He's just a foreign Overlord, at most capable of unleashing ninth-stage Sovereign power. He can't threaten the grotto," the first, golden-haired figure spoke shrilly.

The second, black-armored figure remained silent.

"Hmm?" The last, golden-armored figure suddenly paled, abruptly turning: "Not good! His attack has reached the Overlord level."

"What?"

"Overlord level? How could a foreign Overlord possibly achieve this?" The black-armored figure and the golden-haired figure were both shocked, their expressions drastically changing.

A moment later, they sensed a terrifyingly powerful sword light tearing through the entrance passage, striking towards the interior of the grotto world.

The sword light was vast and mighty, shattering countless restrictions along its path, reducing innumerable halls to nothingness, and even causing many worldlets to collapse. It was a scene of apocalyptic destruction.

One sword strike swept across trillions of li, inflicting devastating damage upon the entire grotto world.

"Overlord level strength."

"First-stage Overlord power."

"How can a foreign Overlord unleash such power?" All three spirits were completely dumbfounded. This was something they had never imagined.

According to their intelligence, most fourth-stage Overlords who entered a foreign macrocosm could unleash power at the peak of the ninth-stage Sovereign level at best, slightly inferior to the true Overlord level.

To unleash Overlord-level power? Theoretically, it was almost impossible, usually requiring very special circumstances.

"It's over. The spacetime defense array has been destroyed. We can't stop him," the black-armored spirit said in a low voice, his expression anxious.

"Damn it! Damn it all, we shouldn't have opened the passage," the golden-haired spirit gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with fury.

If they hadn't opened the spatial rift initially, it would have been extremely difficult for Wu Yuan to force his way in, even if he unleashed first-stage Overlord power. The outermost defense arrays were usually the hardest to breach.

But as it so happened, Wu Yuan concealed his aura in the beginning, disguising himself as a successor. A passage to the grotto world automatically opened, and it was this single misstep that had led to the grotto world's current predicament.

"Will you hand them over or not? I'd rather not destroy this grotto world," Wu Yuan's voice remained cold. "But if you truly force my hand, I don't mind ensuring Overlord Ye Mi's inheritance is completely eradicated."

This was a naked threat.

"Force your hand?"

"Who's forcing whom?!" Within the grotto world, the three grotto spirits felt like coughing blood upon hearing this. What a bully!

Whoosh!

Before they could respond, another sword light slashed forth.

The dazzling sword light seemed poised to cleave the entire grotto world in two, colliding with layer upon layer of defensive arrays and unleashing horrifying shockwaves that caused the numerous worldlets to further disintegrate.

If allowed to continue, the attacks would surely wreak catastrophic havoc upon the entire grotto world.

"Still refuse to hand it over?" Wu Yuan shook his head slightly, a cold glint flickering in his eyes.

When it came to his own cultivation path, he showed no mercy.

"We'll hand it over! We'll hand it over! Please, stop attacking." A deep voice suddenly echoed through the air.

Immediately after, two streaks of light cut through the void, flying directly to Wu Yuan's side.

One streak of light contained thirty-six divine talismans, while the other was an azure tower emanating a vast and mighty aura.

The Azure Saint Watchtower?

Wu Yuan's eyes lit up. He had acquired yet another treasure.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan waved his hand, swiftly collecting all the precious items.

"This could have been so simple, yet you insisted on taking a beating. What’s the point?" Wu Yuan left these parting words.

He then tore through spacetime and vanished.

Within the grotto world, three spirits exchanged bewildered glances.

"Just what manner of being is this Overlord?" The black-armored figure asked in a low voice.

No one could answer him.

...

Wu Yuan soared at high speed through the Spacetime Intersection Layer, leaving the Qiu Yan Macrocosm behind.

Meanwhile, within his grotto-heaven world, Astral Monarch Dong Yang and Astral Monarch Ji Shuang were meditating in a tranquil valley filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.

Buzz~

Wu Yuan conjured a projection incarnation, materializing before the two without warning.

"Hmm?" A flicker of surprise passed through Astral Monarch Dong Yang's eyes.

"Senior." Astral Monarch Ji Shuang bowed in greeting.

"Take these." Wu Yuan said in a hoarse voice as thirty-six divine talismans, each radiating immense power, appeared out of thin air before Astral Monarch Ji Shuang.

"These divine talismans?" Astral Monarch Ji Shuang was dumbfounded.

"They contain Overlord Ye Mi's complete inheritance. I've just finished reviewing them all; nothing's missing." Wu Yuan said nonchalantly. "Take them and study them well."

"Overlord Ye Mi's complete inheritance?" Astral Monarch Ji Shuang was awestruck. Astral Monarch Dong Yang was equally flabbergasted.

They had entered this grotto-heaven world mere moments ago. How had Wu Yuan obtained Overlord Ye Mi's inheritance?

"Was it that token?" Astral Monarch Ji Shuang realized suddenly. "Senior, did you just visit the inheritance grotto?"

"Indeed." Wu Yuan nodded. "I paid a visit to the spirits of the grotto and engaged in a friendly yet thorough discussion. In the end, they were so impressed that they willingly offered me this inheritance.

"Very well, continue your meditation. I'll contact you when we reach the Ling Jiang Universe."

Buzz!

Wu Yuan's incarnation dissipated, leaving behind a bewildered Astral Monarch Ji Shuang and Astral Monarch Dong Yang.