Chapter 1121: Nwa Stone Fragments (1)

Wu Yuan possessed the Origin Saint Pearl, a high-grade Xiantian artifact, and the Heavenrending Sword Array, which rivaled a high-grade Xiantian artifact in overall power. When Wu Yuan's mana body wielded these two mighty artifacts, its combat power was nearly equal to that of his qi refiner self. After all, his qi refiner self's greatest advantage in battle lay in the lifebound flying swords.

For now, I have yet to create an eternal ultimate technique. My lifebound flying swords are still top-grade Dao Instruments, unleashing power slightly inferior to the Heavenrending Sword Array.

Wu Yuan's gaze turned cold.

Without the Samsara Sword's Dao resonance, relying on these two artifacts alone, my strength only reaches the fourth-stage Overlord level. At most, the River Ring is somewhat special due to its spacetime sealing ability.

The River Ring also consumed vast amounts of mana. In a normal battle against two Perennial powerhouses, Wu Yuan would be forced to retreat before long.

But once empowered by the Samsara Sword's Dao resonance, the combat power of Wu Yuan's qi refiner self or mana body would increase dramatically, approaching that of a fifth-stage Overlord. Killing two Perennial ether bodies? There was definite hope.

Perennial powerhouses were on par with most fourth-stage Overlord powerhouses who had created eternal ultimate techniques. However, they were far inferior to the likes of the Heavenly Imperator and Great Emperor Yan Tuo back in the day.

The Heavenly Imperator and Great Emperor Yan Tuo had all pioneered their own Daos at the sempiternal stage, becoming Saints the moment upon achieving eternity. It was precisely because of this that they could become Legends of the River.

If a Perennial powerhouse could pioneer their own Dao, they would have long since become a Saint. Why would they remain at the Perennial stage?

Wu Yuan's gaze was cold.

The mana and ether bodies of these Perennial powerhouses are merely sempiternal. In essence, they are just Overlords who have created eternal ultimate techniques.

If it were a Perennial powerhouse's true self, possessing an Eternal Psyche and an Eternal Body, they would be far stronger. With eternal ultimate techniques, they could easily unleash power close to that of a fifth-stage Overlord, even rivaling true fifth-stage Overlord powerhouses. Meanwhile, their mana bodies and ether bodies were naturally much weaker.

The peak fourth-stage Overlord level corresponded to the Threshold Perennial stage.

The threshold fifth-stage Overlord level was equivalent to the Peak Perennial stage.

The peak fifth-stage Overlord level reached the Threshold Dao Pioneer stage.

Origin Saint Pearl, Samsara Sword.

Wu Yuan unleashed his full power. The nine Heavenrending Swords circling through the river of space and time suddenly converged into one, transforming into a dreamlike divine sword.

Heavenrend!

Wu Yuan pointed from afar, employing another of his self-created limitbreak Overlord ultimate techniques - Heavenrend! Here, “Heaven" referred to the samsara cycle of heaven and earth.

This move stemmed from Wu Yuan's insights into the Heavenrending Sword Array, and also from his most fundamental desire - to break free from the samsara cycle of heaven and earth.

Empowered by the Samsara Sword, this sword strike truly possessed the might to rend the heavens asunder.

Whoosh!

Sword qi crisscrossed across billions of li. The terrifying sword lights made the two Perennial powerhouses shudder inwardly.

"Not good."

"His sword technique?"

"He's created more than one eternal ultimate technique? This is definitely an offensive eternal ultimate technique!"

Perennial Yong Hun and Perennial Ge Long were thoroughly panicked! They did not know that the Origin Saint Pearl was a high-grade Xiantian artifact, and thus thought that the River Ring must be an eternal ultimate technique.

This was logical - fourth-stage Overlord powerhouses had usually created eternal ultimate techniques. And typically, it was already decent if an Overlord could create a single set of eternal ultimate techniques. Multiple sets? Nearly impossible!

But they never imagined Wu Yuan could unleash such a terrifying attack, one that seemed even more horrifying than his Spacetime domain-type technique.

"Kill!" Perennial Yong Hun roared, swinging his long spear. The vast and mighty spear silhouette surged forth, stabbing towards this sword strike to block it.

"Entwine." Perennial Ge Long's body grew endlessly vast. Countless lightning bolts converged to form two lightning whips of immense power, ferociously lashing out at the incoming sword strike.

The two Perennials were exerting their full strength to resist.

But, their struggle was doomed to be in vain. As the Heavenrending Sword shot forth, spacetime itself seemed to tremble in its wake. Its speed was fast enough to shock countless Overlords and Perennials as it charged forth unstoppably, clashing directly with that long spear.

"No! This... how is this possible?!" Perennial Yong Hun felt a surging, limitless force transmitted from that divine sword. The power was so terrifying he could barely hold onto his spear. This sword strike seemed to truly crush everything in its path.

Boom~

Perennial Yong Hun's arms shook violently, the spear shaft shaking wildly. His entire body was sent flying backwards, his vital aura visibly diminishing.

Whoosh~ Whoosh~

The sword’s blade thrummed, suddenly twisting like a great roc spreading its wings, easily scattering those two lightning whips.

Whips were inherently poor weapons for unleashing raw power. Perennial Ge Long was no match for Wu Yuan at all.

"I don't believe this!" Perennial Yong Hun roared in fury. He steadied himself, his body like lightning and starlight as he traversed the void. Radiance illuminated the entire River Ring as he thrust out his spear once more.

The spear tip gleamed, a vast eternal aura spreading out as if to pierce through an entire universe.

"Behave yourself." Wu Yuan's cold voice seemed to echo from the heavens, reverberating throughout the River Ring.

The Heavenrending Sword slashed down viciously once more. This strike seemed to tear spacetime itself asunder. Of course, this was merely an illusion created by its extreme power. The cosmic sea dimension's spacetime was incredibly stable – even a battle between Saints could hardly rip it apart.

Boom~

In that lightning-fast clash, the Heavenrending Sword once again sent Perennial Yong Hun flying backwards, completely overpowered. The difference in strength was simply too great.

"Five Elements Sealing Hand." Wu Yuan employed another binding technique. Waves of spacetime pressure surged towards Perennial Ge Long.

A giant hand formed in the void, smashing down viciously.

"Argh! Get lost!" Perennial Ge Long struggled with all his might. Countless lightning bolts exploded with wild ferocity, blocking the giant palm's strike.

Though he had blocked Wu Yuan's sealing technique, he was now unable to aid Perennial Yong Hun. In an instant, both Perennial powerhouses were completely suppressed.

"What?"

"Perennial Yong Hun was sent flying by a single sword strike?"

"The two Perennials are working together, yet they’re still suppressed." The four Overlords observing from afar in the void felt a chill down their spines, unable to believe the scene before their eyes.

Even for a peak fourth-stage Overlord powerhouse, suppressing the mana and ether bodies of two Perennials would likely be extremely difficult. Throughout the entire cosmic sea, such strength was rare even among sempiternal lifeforms.

The four Que Luo Overlords exchanged glances, feeling a hint of hesitation. Should they flee?

If they fled now, there was still hope of escape. If they waited any longer, they might lose all hope.

...

Wu Yuan's mana body managed to completely suppress the two Perennial powerhouses after exerting his full power, but it also felt troubled.

I can only control a single divine sword.

Wu Yuan's mana body frowned slightly.

With my mana body's power, I cannot maintain two sword arrays simultaneously.

Even the mightiest weapon could only unleash its full power in the hands of the strong. Powerful artifacts demanded strong mana and willpower to control.

For Wu Yuan's mana body, wielding both the Origin Saint Pearl and Heavenrending Sword Array simultaneously was already extremely taxing, and their power could not be maintained for long.

These two Perennials are both ether bodies, both very difficult to kill.

Wu Yuan faced the same dilemma as when he battled Devil Emperor Jin Qu years ago.

He could suppress his opponents, but struggled to completely breach their defenses, making it very difficult to kill them.

I fear they will still be alive even after my mana is exhausted.

Wu Yuan pondered inwardly.

Must I truly deploy my ether body?

His ether body possessed a full set of mid-grade Xiantian artifacts, among which the Skybreaker Sabers' power approached that of a high-grade Xiantian artifact. Once unleashed, it would have fifth-stage Overlord strength and could easily slay the two Perennials.

However, fifth-stage Overlord power was known as sempiternal lifeform strength within the River of Universes and the boundless cosmic sea.

While few sempiternal lifeforms could unleash peak fourth-stage Overlord power, there were still a number of them scattered across the vast cosmic sea.

But fifth-stage Overlord power? Since the beginning of this samsara cycle of heaven and earth, throughout this entire cosmic sea, including the River of Universes, there had only been one example – Abyss Devil Emperor Xia. Thus, Wu Yuan was reluctant to employ this trump card.

Rumble!

As the two sides fought fiercely within the River Ring and Wu Yuan pondered his options, Perennial Yong Hun's deep voice suddenly rang out, "Fellow Daoist, maintaining such an offensive must be extremely taxing for you as well. It would be difficult to truly kill us. Why not reach a compromise?"

Compromise? Wu Yuan looked down at Perennial Yong Hun and Perennial Ge Long through layers of spacetime fluctuations. They could only vaguely sense his aura, but were unable to approach. This was the advantage of controlling spacetime.

"Very well. Hand over my friend, as well as all of your treasures," Wu Yuan's cold voice echoed throughout the River Ring. "Then I shall naturally allow you to leave."

Hearing this, the expressions of the two Perennial powerhouses turned extremely ugly.

Hand over all their treasures? Impossible. Other treasures were one thing, but how could they be willing to hand over those five fragments, or the Xiantian artifacts in their possession?

However, as the two Perennials received Wu Yuan's response, their hearts settled slightly. The fact that he was willing to negotiate showed he truly lacked the confidence to kill them.

"Don't push your luck too far. I can tell you the whereabouts of your friend," Perennial Ge Long snarled through gritted teeth. "But our treasures? Unless you kill us, there's no way we'll ever hand them over."

Perennial Yong Hun remained silent in response, clearly sharing the same stance.

"Very well." Wu Yuan uttered.

Both Perennial Ge Long and Perennial Yong Hun felt a flicker of hope in their hearts, thinking they might escape with their lives. They truly didn't want to fight this terrifying Overlord of Spacetime anymore. It was frustratingly one-sided, and they couldn’t even touch his shadow. This was a fight they were destined to lose.

"Then, you may die now," Wu Yuan's voice rang out again, startling the two Perennials.

Boom!

Within the River Ring, spacetime abruptly shifted. The flow of time turned chaotic, and countless scenes blurred into an indistinct haze. The four Overlords outside were now utterly unable to peer inside.

"Quick, let's go."

"Something's wrong. Retreat!" The four Overlords sensed the situation had turned dire and immediately began to flee.

Wu Yuan paid no attention to those Overlords whatsoever.

Inside the River Ring, Perennial Ge Long and Perennial Yong Hun felt the spacetime around them grow increasingly turbulent. It was as if the mud and dirt from a still pond had been thoroughly stirred up, obscuring their perception. Yet strangely, the Heavenrending Swords no longer pressed their attack.

"Something isn't right."

"Be careful."

"This Overlord of Spacetime must have a reason for acting so boldly."

"I fear this may be the Overlord of Spacetime's trump card. If we can withstand it, we might still escape alive." The two Perennial powerhouses remained vigilant, also growing increasingly anxious.

They had been separated by Wu Yuan during the chaos of the battle. Now they could only communicate within the Nine Saints Voidrealm through their avatars.

At the edge of the void.

This is the true strongest ability of the River Ring—the Chaos of Spacetime.

Wu Yuan's mana body exerted all its power to employ it.

This was also the second move of the Origin Saint Pearl.

It was only after creating his limitbreak Overlord ultimate technique and reaching an even higher level that he had barely managed to comprehend it. This move not only enhanced the power of the River Ring, but its greatest function was to thoroughly disrupt spacetime, further reducing the enemy's perceptive abilities.

Whoosh!

A figure cloaked in black suddenly appeared beside Wu Yuan's mana body—his ether body.

After much deliberation, Wu Yuan had finally decided to employ his ether body.

Target, that spear-wielding Perennial.

Wu Yuan's ether body moved, growing to a towering height of nine million li. Nine Skybreaker Sabers materialized in his hands—this was the first time the Skybreaker Sabers would unleash their might.

He charged straight for Perennial Yong Hun.