Chapter 1118: Within Ancient Dream Mountain (2)

Saint Realm passage.

Wu Yuan followed the hazy spacetime fluctuations, his surroundings a blur.

He felt as if he were being swept along, swiftly leaving the bounds of the Saint Realm and advancing towards the unknown depths of the cosmic sea.

It’s identical to the spacetime passage I took when I came to the Saint Realm.

Wu Yuan thought to himself.

Through the Saint Realm's spacetime passage, it should take about ten years to reach Ancient Dream Mountain.

The cosmic sea was vast and boundless. Roaming the cosmic sea without external aid was far too difficult. For instance, flying from the universe to the Taiyuan Saint Realm would take Wu Yuan at least a million years, and he would encounter countless dangers along the way.

But with the Saint Realm's essence as a guide, and following the Saint Realm passage, it would only take a hundred years. Similarly, traveling from the Saint Realm to Ancient Dream Mountain would only take ten years. If he relied on his power alone? It would take Wu Yuan tens of thousands of years to get there at least, and he might well die en route.

The cosmic sea is endless. The vast majority of regions are utterly barren.

Wu Yuan mused.

Only certain exploration sites and treasure grounds, nurtured under the operation of the Primordial Rules, can give rise to large quantities of rare treasures.

The vast majority of powerhouses in the cosmic sea were concentrated in various exploration sites and treasure grounds, adventuring and taking risks. This was also why most cosmic sea powerhouses eagerly vied to join a Saint Realm or Eternal Realm. With a Saint Realm as backing, the Saint Realm passage alone could save one immense trouble.

The more ancient a Saint Realm, the more exploration sites and treasure grounds it has established connections with.

Wu Yuan reflected.

In Eternal Realms, it is common to see spacetime passages connected to a million exploration sites simultaneously.

The Saint Realms opened by Dao Zenithels were known as Eternal Realms.

Ten years will pass quickly. I hope Sovereign Lan Yan can hold on.

Wu Yuan thought.

At least Sovereign Lan Yan is still alive.

Wu Yuan felt quite helpless. The cosmic sea was too vast; hoping for a timely rescue was simply a dream. Not just Wu Yuan, even Dao Zenithels couldn't manage it.

However, it seemed that Sovereign Lan Yan had merely been trapped in some region, rather than facing a powerhouse.

...

Wu Yuan's mana body and ether body headed to Ancient Dream Mountain via the Saint Realm passage.

Meanwhile, within Wu Yuan's hall in the Saint Realm...

"Apologize?" Wu Yuan's qi refiner self looked at Overlord Wu Huang with slight bewilderment.

"Yes. Overlord Ming Jian, I was discourteous at the last banquet," Overlord Wu Huang said with an extremely humble demeanor. "I hope you won't take offense. This is a small gift, I hope you'll accept it."

He respectfully presented a storage artifact.

Wu Yuan shook his head with a smile. He had almost forgotten about the incident at the last banquet. He always repaid grudges, but that hardly qualified as a grudge, not even a minor grievance.

"Hmm. Overlord Wu Huang, I truly didn't take it to heart. How about this: I'll consider it a congratulatory gift from you," Wu Yuan said with a smile, accepting the other's gift.

Wu Yuan understood that accepting the gift was the best way to truly put the other at ease. The value or preciousness of the gift wasn't important; accepting it was what mattered.

"Alright." Overlord Wu Huang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then smiled again and waved his hand. "Here is another gift."

Swish!

A pitiful-looking, beautiful purple-robed young woman instantly appeared beside Overlord Wu Huang. Faint traces of tears streaked her face, and her naturally alluring figure exuded a delicate charm that instinctively stirred a protective instinct in any man.

The young woman looked towards Overlord Wu Huang and Wu Yuan with a hint of fear.

"Quickly pay respects to your master. It's your fortune to serve Overlord Ming Jian," Overlord Wu Huang said in a low voice.

"Yes." The purple-robed young woman knelt respectfully on the ground: "Mei Ye pays respects to Master."

"This?" Wu Yuan was slightly startled.

"Overlord Ming Jian, this Mei Ye is a Meizi Fairy lifeform, captured by my elder brother with great difficulty," Overlord Wu Huang said rather proudly. "She will surely bring you endless pleasure."

Meizi Fairy? Wu Yuan's mind stirred slightly. Naturally-born eternal lifeforms were classified into countless races, and some races possessed extremely special talents.

For example—the Meizi Fairies. This race was extremely rare. They were born with very slow power growth and generally weak talent, most unable to live long enough to become Perennials. But this race was born with a body of charm, and joining with them could bring infinite pleasure to cultivators.

It was worth noting that the stronger a cultivator became, the harder it was for worldly matters to affect their mind. Even getting drunk was difficult, and ordinary pleasures could hardly move their hearts. But Meizi Fairies could unconsciously enthrall even many Saints, which spoke to how powerful their allure was.

Because of this, many eternal powerhouses who were unable to break through after long ages would even deliberately pursue and capture members of the Meizi Fairy lineage for their own entertainment.

"Overlord Ming Jian. This Mei Ye has never joined with anyone before, and she herself is also a seventh-stage Sovereign, able to withstand your..." Overlord Wu Huang continued.

"That’s enough," Wu Yuan interrupted him. "I'll accept this Mei Ye. Please convey my thanks to Perennial Wu Zhen."

Overlord Wu Huang's elder brother was Perennial Wu Zhen.

"Certainly!" Overlord Wu Huang was immediately delighted.

Soon after, Overlord Wu Huang took his leave, and only Wu Yuan and the purple-robed young woman remained in the hall.

She looked at Wu Yuan cautiously. Though a seventh-stage Sovereign powerhouse, she was a bottom-tier existence in the Saint Realm.

"Mas... Master, shall I serve you?" Mei Ye asked timidly.

"No need." Wu Yuan shook his head and said, "From today onwards, you will be my first follower in the Saint Realm. Go, choose any hall to live in and cultivate as you wish."

The purple-robed woman called Mei Ye was stunned, hardly believing her ears. After all, in her understanding, the fact that Wu Yuan accepted her surely meant he coveted her for his pleasure and enjoyment.

"Now," Wu Yuan said with furrowed brows.

"Yes." Mei Ye dared not disobey. Bowing respectfully, she withdrew from the main hall.

As soon as she had chosen a side hall, she received a notification from the hall spirit that she was officially a follower of Overlord Ming Jian. At the same time, she also officially became a member of the Saint Realm.

A member of the Saint Realm?

A flash of utter shock passed through Mei Ye's eyes. This was something she had only dreamed of.

Becoming a member of the Saint Realm meant no longer having to worry about an uncertain future, and being able to avoid the covetous gazes of many eternal powerhouses.

My master, though only an Overlord, has a hall so much larger than even Perennial Wu Zhen's?

Mei Ye's gaze increasingly astonished.

He must be part of the highest echelons in the Saint Realm. No wonder even Perennial Wu Zhen would send me to curry favor with him.

Mei Ye had a vague feeling that following Overlord Ming Jian might be a great opportunity for her.

In the main hall.

Meizi Fairy?

Wu Yuan murmured to himself, a hint of reminiscence flashing in his eyes. Mei Ye had stirred up some unpleasant memories in his mind.

He wasn't worried that Mei Ye might be a secret agent for Perennial Wu Zhen; it wouldn't be of much significance.

Continue cultivating. I must strive to create an eternal ultimate technique as soon as possible.

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self returned to the meditation chamber and began to cultivate silently.

...

Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, ten years had passed.

In an expanse of spacetime within the Heartland of the cosmic sea.

Whoosh!

The spacetime forces surrounding Wu Yuan suddenly dissipated, the blurred scenery rapidly coming into focus as his speed abruptly decreased.

Ancient Dream Mountain, have I arrived?

Wu Yuan stood in the void, sensing a faint, elusive spacetime force enveloping this vast expanse of nothingness through his Saint Realm token.

If I wish to return to the Saint Realm, I just need to come to this spacetime region and activate the token to trigger the Saint Realm passage?

Wu Yuan mused thoughtfully.

This place served as a fixed teleportation zone. A teleportation array could be destroyed by external forces, but this teleportation zone was the location of designated coordinates as detected by the essence of the Saint Realm - the spacetime coordinates themselves could only be temporarily disrupted, not destroyed.

Ancient Dream Mountain.

Wu Yuan's gaze fell upon an immense black mountain looming in the distant void, warped by layers of distorted spacetime.

At first glance, it appeared to be a solitary black mountain. Yet in the next moment, Wu Yuan's perception shifted, and the great mountain seemed to splinter into countless smaller peaks.

Soon after, his senses readjusted, and the many small mountains merged back into one. Wu Yuan's perception continued to fluctuate in a peculiar manner.

Ancient Dream Mountain looks both real and illusory. No wonder it's named after dreams.

Wu Yuan thought to himself.

According to intelligence reports, the overall range of the mountain is incredibly vast, with uncountable layers of overlapping spacetime.

The size of exploration sites in the cosmic sea defied description in light-years, for spacetime here was far too bizarre. One moment you might be in one place. The next instant, warped by spacetime distortions, you could find yourself hundreds of light-years away without warning.

Some exploration sites appeared to span only a few light-years, yet their interiors might stretch hundreds of millions of light-years due to overlapping spacetime, easily trapping a True Saint Eternal for hundreds of millions of years.

According to Sovereign Lan Yan's message, she was trapped somewhere in the outer region, likely towards the left

. Wu Yuan recalled, swiftly flying to one side of Ancient Dream Mountain.

...

As Wu Yuan drew closer, his perception underwent another strange transformation. Rather than becoming clearer, the mountain grew increasingly hazy, and a thick shroud of mist began to materialize.

Almost at the outer region.

Wu Yuan thought, his vigilance growing.

Ancient Dream Mountain was divided into inner and outer regions. The inner region referred to the many danger zones within the mountain itself, while the outer region consisted of the fog surrounding the mountain, along with occasional floating rocky celestial bodies.

Ancient Dream Mountain was one of the most dangerous exploration sites in the Heartland region, with even its outer region being extremely perilous.

The mist.

Wu Yuan warily observed the drifting fog. Hazy and ethereal, it possessed an otherworldly beauty.

But Wu Yuan knew well the terrors that lurked within – Mist Dreams! Mist Spirits!

Within this mist lurked invisible soul attacks. When struck, cultivators would unknowingly fall into trance-like states and some would even lose themselves permanently in the dreams. These were the Mist Dreams.

Mist Spirits were a special lifeform born of Ancient Dream Mountain. When dormant, they appeared as mere mist. Ordinary powerhouses could not distinguish them from normal fog. But once awakened by a nearby powerhouse, they would attack the intruder with great aggression.

The most crucial rule when exploring Ancient Dream Mountain: stay far away from the mist.

As he pressed onward, Wu Yuan did his utmost to avoid the drifting mists, but as he neared the mountain and ventured deeper into the outer region, the surrounding spacetime grew increasingly thick with fog, making evasion nearly impossible.

I have no choice but to make contact.

Wu Yuan lamented inwardly.

Let's hope I don't encounter any truly horrific Mist Dreams.

With that thought, he plunged into the all-encompassing fog. His silhouette vanished completely.

Fortunately, the endless mist did not entirely block Yuan Soul or spacetime perception, allowing Wu Yuan to roughly judge his bearings as he made his way towards the general area where Sovereign Lan Yan had lost contact.

Wu Yuan advanced slowly, maintaining only light speed. In such a dangerous realm, rushing about recklessly would only lead to death.

One hour passed.

Hmm?

Wu Yuan's eyes narrowed as he sensed an intangible fluctuation from the mist invading his soul. Yet it failed to harm him in the slightest.

The soul defense artifact of my mana body is indeed a mid-grade Xiantian artifact. Its protection against soul attacks is truly formidable.

Wu Yuan thought to himself, inwardly sighing with relief.

When venturing into Ancient Dream Mountain, a powerful soul defense artifact was absolutely essential.

This way.

Wu Yuan altered course repeatedly, following his perception.

...

Expeditions in the cosmic sea consumed huge lengths of time. In the blink of an eye, over sixty years had passed.

Wu Yuan's immense strength allowed him to withstand many dangers easily. He effortlessly repelled the vast majority of Mist Dreams.

As for Mist Spirits? Most possessed only the strength of first or second-stage Overlords. His mana body could directly neutralize most threats, while for the rare few it struggled against, his ether body would emerge to scatter them with overwhelming force before both swiftly retreated. Mist Spirits could disperse like fog and were nearly impossible to truly slay - at least, they were beyond Wu Yuan's current capabilities.

Over these sixty-plus years, he had faced over a dozen close calls, both major and minor. Each time, he had emerged unscathed, if somewhat shaken.

This should be the area where Sovereign Lan Yan last made contact.

Wu Yuan's perception swept across the vast expanse before him. Endless, boundless mist.

He had reached the depths of Ancient Dream Mountain's outer region.

Occasionally, Wu Yuan's gaze would fall upon black mountain fragments tens of millions of li in diameter as they drifted past. Yet he dared not rashly set foot upon them. These mountain fragments were mere 'pebbles' that had broken off from Ancient Dream Mountain proper.

After exploring for so long, I haven't found a single treasure.

Wu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.

And I don’t sense the faintest karmic thread. Where in the world could Sovereign Lan Yan be?

In the cosmic sea, karmic perception and destiny secret arts were greatly suppressed and weakened. But no matter how weak, there should be at least a faint trace when two beings with a connection drew near.

I'll search for a while longer. If I still can't find her, I'll have no choice but to risk entering those mountain fragments.

Wu Yuan continued to scout, moving at an excruciatingly slow pace.

The Mist Dreams and Mist Spirits in this region posed a grave threat, especially the Mist Spirits. If he carelessly provoked a group of them, he would have no choice but to flee in panic.

Back then, Sovereign Lan Yan must have fled here in desperation. Otherwise, given her strength, she surely wouldn't have dared venture this deep.

Wu Yuan pondered.

Hmm?

Wu Yuan's eyes suddenly flashed with a hint of cold light.

An array? A spacetime domain? There are other powerhouses here.