Chapter 1110: Entering The Cosmic Sea (1)

"A gift?" Sovereign Lan Yan was momentarily stunned. Her straightforward nature, combined with her good relationship with Wu Yuan, led her to accept without much hesitation, assuming it was a common congratulatory present.

She reached out to take it, her fingers brushing against its surface as she began to examine it. As her senses probed deeper, her eyes widened in shock, a hint of awe flickering in their depths. "A Xiantian artifact?

"Young Master, this is..." Sovereign Lan Yan's breath caught as she gazed at Wu Yuan.

In terms of strength, Sovereign Lan Yan far surpassed Sovereign Kua Chi, Sovereign Dong Yang, and Sovereign Bei You. She had already reached the ninth-stage Sovereign level, with Dao comprehension rivaling that of Overlords.

It could be said that Sovereign Lan Yan only needed to upgrade her root one degree more to become a true Overlord.

Even so, the value of a gift had always been determined by the closeness of the relationship. To give a Xiantian artifact as a gift? Sovereign Lan Yan felt that her relationship with Wu Yuan hadn't quite reached that level.

"Young Master, is there perhaps something you need my help with?" Sovereign Lan Yan couldn't help but ask.

Even late-stage Overlords wouldn't casually give away Xiantian artifacts without reason.

"Nothing at all!" Wu Yuan's lips curved into a faint smile. "You helped me greatly in the past. Without your Space Essence Stone, my lifebound flying swords wouldn't have been upgraded so rapidly."

He continued, his voice carrying a hint of warmth, "Now that you've just broken through, giving you a Spacetime Xiantian artifact seems fitting.

"Besides, you needn't overthink it. Such treasures are insignificant to me now."

A mere low-grade Xiantian artifact was truly nothing special to the current Wu Yuan. And Sovereign Lan Yan was one of his closest friends aside from his master and grandmaster. [1] The karma between them ran deep.

"When Sovereign Hong Yi, and the other Sovereign Custodians break through in the future, I won't be able to gift them treasures of this caliber," Wu Yuan added with a chuckle.

Sovereign Lan Yan couldn't help but smile in return, easily discerning the hidden meaning in Wu Yuan's words.

When Wu Yuan had left the Spacetime Dao Realm, the three Sovereign Custodians had all made gestures of goodwill. But the only one who truly led Wu Yuan to incur a great karmic debt was Sovereign Lan Yan.

As for Sovereign Hong Yi and the others? They had merely added flowers to a brocade. If anything were to happen, Wu Yuan would lend a hand, but he wouldn't prepare such lavish gifts.

Time flowed on.

Wu Yuan and Sovereign Lan Yan continued their conversation for quite some time. To call it a conversation would be an understatement; in truth, Wu Yuan was offering Sovereign Lan Yan guidance and insights.

Although Wu Yuan's attainment in the Great Dao of Spacetime wasn't significantly higher than Sovereign Lan Yan's, both of his true selves had comparable comprehension of the Primordial Rules. The inherited memories and insights from over a thousand eternal powerhouses were largely shared between them after all.

While far from matching a True Saint, it was more than enough for Wu Yuan to offer Sovereign Lan Yan some valuable pointers.

Afterward, Wu Yuan departed, his form fading into the distance.

Young Master didn’t seem to have had any ulterior motives for his visit.

Sovereign Lan Yan mused, her gaze following Wu Yuan as he vanished beyond the range of her perception. Her eyes fell on the storage artifact in her palm.

Could Young Master have come solely to deliver this treasure to me?

She found it hard to believe.

Has Young Master truly amassed such a wealth of treasures that he can casually give out Xiantian artifacts?

Sovereign Lan Yan struggled to comprehend it, the concept lying beyond her understanding.

Though she was a Sovereign Custodian of the Dao Realm, the truth was that the Spacetime Dao Realm wasn't treated with much importance by the Spacetime Dao Master. It was mostly managed by Zi Kong.

The Dao Master's focus had always been on the Spacetime Island. As such, Sovereign Lan Yan's perspective was somewhat limited compared to many Overlords.

Rumors say the young master already possesses late-stage Overlord strength. Judging by this, it seems those rumors might be a vast underestimation.

Sovereign Lan Yan thought to herself, recalling the many insights Wu Yuan had shared.

He was truly unfathomable.

Could the young master have already reached fourth-stage Overlord power?

Sovereign Lan Yan pondered, then dismissed the thought. How long had he been cultivating for?

Enough. The young master's strength is beyond my ability to pry. However, I received a Xiantian artifact from Senior Zi Kong upon my breakthrough, and now the young master has gifted me another.

Sovereign Lan Yan's eyes gleamed with determination.

It was customary in the Spacetime Dao Realm for Zi Kong to bestow a Xiantian artifact for such an achievement, as with most top-tier major factions across the vast cosmic sea.

With two Xiantian artifacts, I should be able to wield power equivalent to a peak first-stage Overlord.

Sovereign Lan Yan seemed to have reached a decision.

Once I've fully deciphered them both, it will be time for me to visit Ancient Dream Mountain once more.

At the mere thought of Ancient Dream Mountain, a flicker of instinctive fear passed through Sovereign Lan Yan's heart.

It was a place of great opportunity, allowing her to break through from the seventh-level Dao Field stage to the eighth.

It was also, arguably, her nightmare—a place that few could leave alive.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

To upgrade my root and become an Overlord, I must take some risks.

Sovereign Lan Yan reminded herself silently.

Of all the exploration sites I'm familiar with, only Ancient Dream Mountain remains. Moreover, it's time I unravel the secrets of the token I acquired there.

Many super powerhouses, after cultivating for countless eons, had no choice but to take risks once they reached a bottleneck. Such was the case for Sovereign Lan Yan now.

She had cultivated for eons. Now, having made a breakthrough and receiving two low-grade Xiantian artifacts in quick succession, she saw an opportunity.

If she could find a chance to upgrade her first-degree immortal root to an Apotheosis root, she could become a true Overlord.

The allure of becoming an Overlord was something no Sovereign could easily resist.

...

Wu Yuan's mana body traversed half the universe in silence, returning to the Ming Jian Realm within the Greenridge Macrocosm.

No one else is qualified to receive a Xiantian artifact from me

. Wu Yuan murmured to himself.

There was no one left who could divert his attention.

For individuals like Fang Xia, his sister, his mother, and others, Wu Yuan had long since prepared top-tier cultivation environments. However, their strength was still too weak—they were merely High Immortals now, naturally unable to utilize Xiantian artifacts. They couldn't even use mid-grade Dao Instruments.

If, in the future, I acquire some rarities from the cosmic sea that can improve one's aptitude, I might consider passing them to them.

Wu Yuan thought to himself, before pushing such thoughts aside.

His qi refiner self settled into focused cultivation.

...

Within the Eldritch Court's Ling Jiang Saintdom headquarters, in the Eldritch Progenitor Hall situated in a higher spacetime dimension.

Wu Yuan's body refiner self arrived at a vast and majestic hall.

"Welcome to the Eldritch Progenitor Hall, Overlord Wu Yuan," a familiar, melodious voice greeted him. "Your access level has been raised, granting you the right to redeem high-grade Xiantian artifacts from the Eldritch Progenitor Hall."

Wu Yuan was momentarily taken aback, but after a brief moment of contemplation, he realized it must have been Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu who had increased his access level.

Only she knew of his battle with Saint Hong Yun, and surely anticipated that he would have a large number of treasures to contribute.

"I wish to offer treasures," Wu Yuan stated.

Then, with a wave of his hand, a multitude of precious items materialized in the space before him. Several were mid-grade Xiantian artifacts, and there were over thirty low-grade Xiantian artifacts.

Among them was the complete set of flying swords that Saint Hong Yun had wielded as her main weapon. Although this set of swords was powerful, its Dao essence attributes didn't perfectly align with Wu Yuan's, so he decided to offer it up as well.

Beyond the Xiantian artifacts, there was also an abundance of rare treasures.

"I offer all these treasures and rarities to the Eldritch Progenitor Hall," Wu Yuan announced clearly. "How many Xuanhuang eldritch merits can I exchange them for?"

Hum~

A hazy light swept over all the treasures. The vast majority were enveloped in a green glow, while a few were bathed in red light.

"Overlord Wu Yuan, the items enveloped in red light..." the melodious voice spoke again.

"I understand," Wu Yuan quickly interjected. "They are trash that you won't accept. I'll take them back."

With a swift gesture, Wu Yuan stored all the indicated items.

These were treasures whose values he couldn't accurately assess, so he had to rely on the Eldritch Progenitor Hall's judgment.

“The remaining treasures enveloped in green light can be exchanged for a total of 18,700 Xuanhuang merits. Do you wish to proceed with the contribution?" the melodious voice inquired once more.

Wu Yuan nodded in approval.

He had previously estimated that the treasures dropped by Saint Hong Yun would be worth approximately 20,000 Xuanhuang merits. But in the end, he decided to keep the mid-grade Xiantian artifact battle armor and the soul defense mid-grade Xiantian artifact for his ether body.

The fact that the remaining treasures were still worth over 18,000 Xuanhuang merits exceeded Wu Yuan's expectations.

"Proceed," Wu Yuan said decisively.

Of these 18,000-plus Xuanhuang merits, that set of divine swords alone accounted for over 10,000.

Instantly, the total Xuanhuang merits under Wu Yuan's name skyrocketed, while the treasures that had filled the hall moments ago vanished, having been transferred away.

Now, it's time to redeem some treasures.

Wu Yuan immediately began browsing through the items catalog.

There was no point in hoarding Xuanhuang merits. For powerhouses, wealth only became useful when converted into powerful and compatible artifacts.

My body refiner self has the Mo Yuan Sabers for physical attack, the Azure Origin Armor for physical defense, and the Ancestral Pagoda’s projection for soul defense—it's almost perfectly equipped.

Wu Yuan mused silently.

My ether body has the Skybreaker Sabers, battle armor, and a soul defense artifact, all at the mid-grade Xiantian artifact level. This is sufficient.

Even though Wu Yuan's body refiner self had reached such a formidable level of power, the difference in effectiveness between high-grade and mid-grade Xiantian artifacts wasn't overly significant.

This time, the focus will be on acquiring some artifacts for my qi refiner self.

Wu Yuan decided.

After all, it would be his qi refiner self making public appearances and venturing on expeditions more often. Although his ether body would follow closely for protection, it was best if it remained concealed.

After much deliberation, Wu Yuan first redeemed two mid-grade Xiantian artifacts for soul defense, capable of safeguarding his qi refiner self and the Yuan Soul of his mana body.

Following that, he acquired a set of low-grade Xiantian flying swords for his mana body.

The Origin Realm Pearl will remain in my mana body’s possession. Combined with this set of flying swords and the Samsara Sword’s Dao resonance, it should be able to wield fourth-stage Overlord combat power.

Wu Yuan thought to himself.

He scrutinized the options repeatedly for a long while.

This is the one.

He decided at last.

The Heavenrending Sword Array, a spacetime-type sword array.

Wu Yuan finally selected.

Nine mid-grade Xiantian flying swords of the same source, worth twelve thousand Xuanhuang merits.

An ordinary low-grade Xiantian artifact was typically worth one hundred Xuanhuang merits.

An ordinary mid-grade Xiantian artifact was typically worth one thousand Xuanhuang merits.

An ordinary high-grade Xiantian artifact was typically worth twenty thousand Xuanhuang merits.

The Eldritch Progenitor Hall was willing to buy artifacts like the Azure Origin Armor and Mo Yuan Sabers back for nearly thirty thousand Xuanhuang merits each, showing their immense value.

This Heavenrending Sword Array was worth over ten thousand Xuanhuang merits. While not quite reaching the level of a high-grade Xiantian artifact, it came very close.

With this, plus my lifebound flying swords, Origin Saint Pearl, and the Samsara Sword’s Dao resonance, once I’m able to wield them perfectly, my qi refiner self's strength will reach a terrifying level.

Wu Yuan thought with great anticipation.

It wasn't that the treasures weren't powerful enough. Rather, his qi refiner self didn’t have sufficient power to unleash the full might of all the treasures.

There isn’t much left, time to go.

Wu Yuan glanced at his remaining balance. Only a few dozen Xuanhuang merits remained.

He had gone from filthy rich to penniless in a matter of moments, but Wu Yuan felt quite pleased. All his wealth had been converted into strength.

Let's go.

Wu Yuan turned to leave.

Soon after, Wu Yuan's body refiner self returned to the Greenridge Macrocosm and delivered all the treasures he had acquired to his qi refiner self. This was all done in utmost secrecy.

However, despite Wu Yuan's meticulous efforts, there was still one oversight.

1. WHEN did this happen? ☜