Chapter 1116: Powerhouses Of The Saint Realm (2)

Suddenly, a towering figure wreathed in countless wisps of black mist left his seat and strode over.

"Overlord Wu Huang."

"He's coming over." The other Overlords all looked towards the figure surrounded by black mist.

Wu Yuan also vaguely sensed that the newcomer seemed quite extraordinary.

"Overlord Ming Jian." Overlord Wu Huang arrived at Wu Yuan's table and sat down, smiling as he said, "You’re planning to head to Ancient Dream Mountain? When will you depart?"

"I'll probably go once I've settled into my hall," Wu Yuan replied impassively.

Only the profiles of the Saints and a few powerful Perennial Eternals were mentioned in the intelligence provided by Saint Zuo Zai.

As for Overlords? There were far too many Overlord powerhouses in the Saint Realm for individual introductions. So Wu Yuan knew nothing about Overlord Wu Huang for now.

"Planning to go alone?" asked Overlord Wu Huang.

"Most likely," Wu Yuan nodded lightly.

"Overlord Ming Jian, you must have become an Overlord recently. Though the Great Dao of Spacetime excels at life-preservation, Ancient Dream Mountain is fraught with dangers, and death traps lurk at every step. Many of the dangers target one's spirit and will. With your strength, you may face a risk of death if you venture alone," Overlord Wu Huang's voice resounded.

“I was just planning to explore Ancient Dream Mountain. Why not team up with me? I'll also invite a few of my good friends. With our combined strength, we'd have a good chance of escaping even if we encounter an Eternal powerhouse." Overlord Wu Huang spoke earnestly, looking at Wu Yuan with great sincerity.

Wu Yuan smiled faintly.

So he had also come to invite him to team up. Unfortunately, Wu Yuan had many secrets, making it inconvenient to partner with others.

"Many thanks for your kind intentions, Overlord Wu Huang," Wu Yuan smiled and said, "However, I'm accustomed to acting alone. My apologies."

Hearing this, Overlord Wu Huang's expression stiffened slightly, his voice turning cold: "Won't you reconsider?"

"I will not," Wu Yuan flatly refused.

Overlord Wu Huang frowned and shook his head, saying, "Fine then."

With that, Overlord Wu Huang couldn't be bothered to linger. He stood up to leave, dissatisfaction written plainly on his face.

Of course, this small matter was not enough to cause an outright falling out.

"Brother Ming Jian, it seems you've offended Overlord Wu Huang," Overlord Jue An laughed. "But that's to be expected. Wu Huang is accustomed to being overbearing. Not many Overlords in the Saint Realm dare to refuse his invitations.”

"Brother Ming Jian, you're new here, yet didn't give him face. He's probably quite unhappy," another Overlord also gloated. "If it were us, we wouldn't dare refuse him so easily."

"Oh? Is he special?" Wu Yuan pondered thoughtfully.

"His personal strength is extremely formidable, at the peak fourth-stage Overlord level. He could break through to the Perennial stage at any time," Overlord Jue An said solemnly.

A flash of surprise passed through Wu Yuan's eyes.

Peak fourth-stage Overlord? Within the universe, Overlords who possessed such combat power were rare.

However, the cosmic sea was vast, with numerous young naturally-born eternal lifeforms. Quite a few were able to reach this level.

Universe-born lifeforms had the advantage of inexhaustible potential, rising from humble beginnings to the pinnacle. That immense potential was something naturally-born eternal lifeforms could not match.

"His strength is only secondary. There are quite a few in the Saint Realm with such power," another Overlord smiled. "However, he also has an elder brother who is a Peak Perennial powerhouse and has been accepted as a disciple by a Saint. His status is extremely distinguished."

Wu Yuan suddenly understood.

So that was it. With such a powerful backer, his status was indeed higher than many Overlords.

"That's why we try not to offend him if possible," Overlord Jue An chuckled softly. "Of course, it's not a big deal if we actually do offend him. Killing is forbidden within the Saint Realm."

"I see," Wu Yuan nodded lightly.

Offend? He had merely refused an invitation. If this alone caused resentment, then this Overlord Wu Huang was far too petty.

Moreover, his elder brother was a Peak Perennial Eternal? He was not afraid.

...

Not far away, several Overlords gathered.

"Wu Huang, did that Ming Jian refuse?" Another Overlord who seemed forged from steel asked in a low voice.

"Yes, he refused," Overlord Wu Huang plopped down in a seat, snorting coldly. "He actually dared to refuse me. If it weren't for Jiu Zhen's mana body dying the last time we ventured out together, putting him temporarily out of commission, why would I need to invite him?

"I offer him kindness, yet he refuses to appreciate it." Overlord Wu Huang was quite displeased.

"No need to rush," the steel-like Overlord shook his head. "There are quite a few Overlords of Spacetime in the Saint Realm. We can invite them one by one. We're bound to find someone eventually."

"Mm. We can't delay. After this banquet, we'll spend a few more years preparing, then we must depart."

"By my calculations, that treasure in Ancient Dream Mountain is about to emerge," Overlord Wu Huang transmitted. "We'd best arrive early and locate its core."

The steel-like Overlord nodded.

They were all making plans.

...

At the highest level of the temple, several Saints chatted.

Saint Zuo Zai suddenly smiled and shook his head, waving his hand as he said, "Chong Hun, I joined your banquet today not only to reminisce about the good old days, but also to take this opportunity to announce something."

"Oh? Announce something?" Saint Chong Hun was startled at first, then smiled and said, "No problem, I have nothing pressing at the moment. Feel free."

"Everyone," Saint Zuo Zai suddenly spoke up.

His voice carried the Dao Intent of his self-created Dao, instantly echoing throughout the great hall while suppressing all other sounds.

Immediately, all powerhouses in the hall set down their wine cups and looked towards Saint Zuo Zai at the temple's pinnacle. No one knew what Saint Zuo Zai intended to do.

"Today, I'd like to introduce the Overlord who accompanied me here," Saint Zuo Zai looked down at all the powerhouses in the hall, gesturing toward Wu Yuan.

Introduce an Overlord? At this moment, Saint Chong Hun and the others, as well as the many powerhouses in the hall, finally noticed Wu Yuan already seated among that group of Overlords.

The numerous Eternal powerhouses exchanged glances.

"Who is that?"

"I've never seen him before. I thought he was just a naturally-born eternal lifeform that Saint Zuo Zai had discovered by chance." The many Eternal powerhouses conversed amongst themselves, all assuming Wu Yuan was merely an attendant. This sort of thing was too common.

"I think he's called Ming Jian."

"Is this his first time in the Saint Realm?"

"Is he really worth such a solemn introduction from a Saint?" This was the shared question in most minds.

"He is Overlord Ming Jian!" Saint Zuo Zai said gravely.

The many Overlord powerhouses in the hall still wore puzzled expressions. They were all young eternal lifeforms and had not heard of Wu Yuan's exploits.

However, when the Saints beside Saint Zuo Zai heard this, a flash of astonishment passed through their eyes. The way they looked at Wu Yuan instantly changed.

"Overlord Ming Jian hails from the universe. He has cultivated for just over two hundred thousand years, yet is already a third-stage Overlord," Saint Zuo Zai continued.

Boom!

The atmosphere in the hall finally changed completely. The gazes of those hundreds of Overlords and numerous Perennial Eternals transformed.

Cultivated for a few hundred thousand years? Third-stage Overlord? Was this true? Many powerhouses in the hall were filled with doubt and surprise.

"Haha, so it's Overlord Ming Jian. I've long heard of you," Saint Chong Hun stood up, his voice rumbling. "You've accomplished many legendary feats in the River of Universes and the True Saint regards you highly. The True Saint once said you would surely achieve eternity through your own efforts.

"Now that I see you in person, you are truly extraordinary. Please, Overlord Ming Jian, come take a seat of honor," Saint Chong Hun laughed.

"Overlord Ming Jian."

"Haha, so it's Overlord Ming Jian. I've long heard your name. Please, come over," the other Saints all spoke up one after another.

Resounding voices echoed through the great hall, revealing the Saints' extraordinary enthusiasm.

This scene left all the Overlords in the hall dumbfounded, and even those Perennial powerhouses stared at Wu Yuan in shock.

A mere Overlord was treated with such courtesy by the Saints? It was almost as though they were equals.

"Overlord Ming Jian, come over," Saint Zuo Zai said with a smile.

"Yes," Wu Yuan rose reluctantly, turning to the nearby Overlords he had just met: "Jue An... I'll go meet with the Saints first."

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan soared skyward, flying to the highest level of the temple where the five True Saints had gathered.

"Haha, Overlord Ming Jian, come," Saint Chong Hun laughed, waving his hand and adding a jade platform.

This sight left the hundreds of powerhouses below even more astonished. It signified that in Saint Chong Hun's eyes, Wu Yuan was fully qualified to sit with the Saints as an equal.

But Saint Zuo Zai and the others found it perfectly normal. As Saints, they were extremely knowledgeable and knew of events in the River of Universes, aware of how highly the True Saint regarded Overlord Ming Jian.

To their knowledge, True Saint Taiyuan had even passed a Great Dao imprint to him. In a sense, this made him a True Saint's successor.

Combined with the astonishing talent Overlord Ming Jian had displayed, he naturally drew immense attention.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Thank you, Saint," Wu Yuan said, taking his seat.

...

"Brother Ming Jian isn't a naturally-born eternal lifeform?"

"He's only cultivated for a little over two hundred thousand years?"

"Can universe-born lifeforms really cultivate so quickly? We've cultivated for hundreds of millions of years and are still just Overlords." In the hall, the group of Overlords whispered among themselves, all utterly shocked.

Most of them were born in this samsara cycle of heaven and earth. [1] They had never seen an Overlord hold such status in the Saint Realm. In their eyes, there was a fundamental difference between sempiternal lifeforms and eternal lifeforms.

"It seems Brother Ming Jian is very likely to become a Saint in the future."

"Universe-born lifeforms have limitless potential."

"Legend says half the True Saints in the cosmic sea are universe-born lifeforms."

These Overlords rarely encountered universe-born lifeforms.

In the Taiyuan Divine Court, only ten Overlords emerged from the universe, but how many Overlord powerhouses were in the Saint Realm? Over a thousand times more!

However, in the eyes of True Saints, the thousands upon thousands of Overlords in the Saint Realm were less important than the ten Overlords from the universe.

"Haha, that Wu Huang dared to give Overlord Ming Jian the cold shoulder earlier."

"This time, he's kicked an iron plate."

"He's always been so overbearing. how could he have imagined Overlord Ming Jian had such powerful backing?" The many Overlords chatted, with a hint of schadenfreude.

Many Overlords disliked Overlord Wu Huang, but didn't dare offend him openly.

"This Ming Jian is actually..."

"We're in trouble." Overlord Wu Huang exchanged glances with his few close friends.

“I should have been more polite when my invitation was refused earlier." Overlord Wu Huang frowned slightly.

Though overbearing and domineering, he knew who he couldn't afford to offend. Clearly, Overlord Ming Jian, who even True Saints treated courteously, was someone he absolutely could not antagonize. However, regret was useless now.

I'll ask Big Brother what exactly this Overlord Ming Jian has accomplished first.

Overlord Wu Huang thought to himself, immediately sending out a message.

The powerhouses of the Taiyuan Saint Realm could use the Blood Dream Voidrealm that spanned the entire cosmic sea. However, one could only enter this voidrealm from the cosmic sea, and not the River of Universes.

...

This banquet lasted for several days.

Saint Chong Hun and the others conversed very pleasantly with Wu Yuan. Speaking with several Saints also gave Wu Yuan a clearer understanding of the Saint Realm and cosmic sea.

During these few days, news about Overlord Ming Jian quickly spread throughout the entire Taiyuan Saint Realm via the many eternal powerhouses and Overlord powerhouses at the banquet.

"Overlord Ming Jian?"

"An Overlord who's cultivated for only a few hundred thousand years! A monstrous prodigy from the River of Universes, with the potential to become a Dao-enlightened Eternal in the future."

"Legend says that most Dao-enlightened Eternals eventually become True Saints."

"A true monstrous prodigy." The many powerhouses in the Saint Realm paid attention, discussing fervently. Tales of Overlord Ming Jian's exploits swiftly propagated throughout the Taiyuan Saint Realm.

Several days later, Saint Zuo Zai finally led Wu Yuan away from Saint Chong Hun's hall, and the two entered the mainland.

The Saint Realm's mainland, one light-year in diameter, was home to a vast number of powerhouses.

"Overlord Ming Jian, this is your hall in the Saint Realm." Saint Zuo Zai pointed to the massive hall complex that stood in the distance. It spanned a million li.

"So big," Wu Yuan was stunned.

"As per the True Saint's instructions, your residence is built to the standards of a Saint," Saint Zuo Zai said with a smile.

1. TL note: This should be a logical error but I’m not sure what the author was trying to imply here. ☜