Chapter 1217: The Ultimate Pinnacle Of The Nine Realms, The Great Battle Begins (2)

In the void above Dao Comprehension City.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan waved his hand, collecting the treasures of the many fallen Perennials. Perennial Gan Hou and two other Perennials transformed into streaks of light and flew toward him. Their attitudes had clearly changed, even showing traces of reverence.

None of them were fools. The strength displayed by Overlord Wu Ji had bordered on the level of Saints. Once he achieved Dao Enlightenment, what heights wouldn't he reach? He would likely swiftly stand at the pinnacle of the Nine Realms. By then, perhaps only the legendary six Holy Emperors could suppress him.

"...Fellow Daoist Wu Ji." Perennial Gan Hou hesitated over the form of address, uncertain what would be appropriate.

Should he call him Senior? That didn't seem right.

"Fellow Daoist Gan Hou." Wu Yuan smiled faintly, waving his hand to present a storage artifact: "Here are roughly half the treasures gained from this battle. Take it and distribute it among the three of you as you see fit."

"No! That would be inappropriate." Perennial Gan Hou shook his head repeatedly: "If not for you, Daoist Wu Ji, we would likely have perished today, and all of Dao Comprehension City would have been destroyed..."

He couldn't tell if Wu Yuan was being sincere or merely polite, so he naturally dared not accept it easily.

"To be honest, it was my presence that brought this calamity. If not for me, the Perennials of Tian Luo Holy Sect would never have attacked." Wu Yuan shook his head gently: "Moreover, without your help restraining them with arrays, I would have found it difficult to slay them.

"Take this half," Wu Yuan said. "If you refuse, I'll be displeased."

Put that way, Perennial Gan Hou and the others finally accepted. Immediately, all three began lavishing Wu Yuan with praise.

Phrases like 'future pinnacle of the Nine Realms,' 'existence comparable to the Holy Emperor,' and 'the seventh Holy Emperor' poured forth from their lips.

In truth, their words weren't necessarily mere flattery. The talent Wu Yuan had displayed today was indeed unprecedented since the formation of the Nine Realms.

As for the six Holy Emperors? They were too ancient; few records remained of their journeys before attaining their current status.

Whoosh!

Overlord Shang Cai also flew over, her face alight with excitement and joy. "Wu Ji."

"Shang Cai, I told you there was nothing to worry about." Wu Yuan smiled.

Overlord Shang Cai suppressed her excitement and nodded, then turned to Perennial Gan Hou and the others: "Senior Gan Hou, this battle is far from over. The Tian Luo Holy Sect's audacity suggests they intend to provoke a holy sect war. Overlord Wu Ji and I must return to headquarters immediately.

"You may spread word that we have departed, which might spare your Dao Comprehension City from the next wave of attacks," Overlord Shang Cai added.

"Thank you for the warning, Overlord Shang Cai," Perennial Gan Hou nodded repeatedly.

Soon after, Wu Yuan and Overlord Shang Cai transformed into streaks of light, rapidly disappearing beyond the perception of Perennial Gan Hou and the others.

"Gan Hou, what should we do now?" one Perennial asked.

"First report the matter, then distribute the treasures," Perennial Gan Hou said slowly. "Then request permission to return to the sect for closed-door cultivation."

"Closed-door cultivation?" The two Perennials were momentarily stunned.

"This failure doesn't mean the Tian Luo Holy Sect will give up," Perennial Gan Hou said in a low voice. "Overlord Wu Ji's power is overwhelming... it will be difficult for them to exact revenge on him, but a war between holy sects could indeed erupt. When that happens, the friends of those Perennials who died today may not be able to retaliate against Overlord Wu Ji. Naturally, they’ll come after us instead."

The other two Perennials instantly understood.

By returning to the holy sect headquarters, they could seek shelter there.

"This battle..." Perennial Gan Hou's gaze swept across the void, his mind still echoing with the terrifying blade rays from earlier: "Can an Overlord truly be so fearsome? The Nine Realms may well be on the verge of a great change."

The only thing giving Perennial Gan Hou some comfort was that he had established a decent relationship with Overlord Wu Ji.

In the future, that might prove useful.

...

"Wu Ji, I've sent a message to my father. He and Saint Jiu Xing are coming from the Second Realm to meet us," Overlord Shang Cai said solemnly. "We must leave quickly, avoiding all cities belonging to the Zi Ming Holy Sect along our route."

"Understood," Wu Yuan replied calmly.

"Aren't you curious?" Overlord Shang Cai couldn't help asking.

"What's there to be curious about? Saint Shang Yue and the others are probably worried that the Zi Ming Holy Sect might secretly try to eliminate me," Wu Yuan smiled faintly.

The six holy sects might be enemies or allies with one another, but that didn't mean the Zi Ming Holy Sect would welcome the emergence of another Holy Emperor-level powerhouse in the Qian Yang Holy Sect. So-called allies were not necessarily above betrayal.

"Let's go." The two departed at light speed.

...

The Nine Realms was vast. Powerhouses traveling between realms could only do so by flight, so it would take considerable time for Wu Yuan and Overlord Shang Cai to return to the Qian Yang Holy Sect headquarters.

But news of the battle at Dao Comprehension City spread rapidly through various transmission arrays and communication artifacts. How could such a shocking battle not stir hearts?

In a short time, it spread throughout the upper three realms and the six holy sects, known to countless eternal powerhouses and Overlords.

"What? Overlord Wu Ji single-handedly killed eleven Perennials?"

"An Overlord defeating Peak Perennials?”

"Invincible!"

"Pioneering a Dao at the sempiternal stage? He must be a Supreme Overlord mentioned in the ancient texts. Heavens above." The Nine Realms trembled with shock, innumerable powerhouses sighing with emotion.

"Overlord Wu Ji, the strongest Overlord in history! Indisputably the strongest!"

"In the future, he will certainly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Holy Emperors." In no time, this view gained universal recognition among countless powerhouses of the six holy sects.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

For the first time since the beginning of the Nine Realms’ recorded history, an Overlord was acknowledged to possess the potential to follow in the footsteps of the six Holy Emperors.

...

More than a year passed.

The Third Realm, an unremarkable expanse of void.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Spacetime tore open, and four figures radiating powerful auras stepped out from the distorted space.

The gold-robed man at the front bore a seventy percent resemblance to Overlord Shang Cai, but exuded a more domineering pressure.

"Father!" Overlord Shang Cai hurried forward to greet him, then bowed respectfully to the other three figures.

"I pay my respects to the Saints." Wu Yuan bowed slightly. The arrivals were none other than the Saints of the Qian Yang Holy Sect.

"Wu Ji, you've stirred up quite a commotion with this battle," said the Saint wearing star-patterned robes, his voice cold as ice. "Slaughtering more than ten Perennials in one battle—how impressively bold."

"I've caused Saint Jiu Xing concern," Wu Yuan offered with a bitter smile.

"Hmph, why would I be concerned? You didn't heed a single word of my advice. Why not continue your wandering? Why return to the sect at all?" Saint Jiu Xing snorted coldly.

"Enough, Jiu Xing, stop showing off," Saint Shang Yue cast him a sidelong glance. "You were smiling all the way here as you boasted about him to us."

"That's right, Jiu Xing. On the way here, you couldn't stop talking about how incredible Overlord Wu Ji is," the other two Saints chimed in with smiles.

Saint Jiu Xing could only glare in response.

Wu Yuan smiled slightly. The Saint Jiu Xing before him was harsh in speech but soft at heart. Shortly after Wu Yuan had joined the sect, he had received special attention from this Saint, who had "guided" him many times.

Among all the Saints of the Qian Yang Holy Sect, Saint Jiu Xing was the one he was closest to.

"Well then. Wu Ji, have you pioneered your self-created Dao?" Saint Shang Yue looked at Wu Yuan.

Wu Yuan nodded: "Yes, I gained insights at Dao Comprehension City and pioneered my Dao in one stroke."

Even though the four Saints had anticipated this, they still sighed with emotion. How much had each of them sacrificed before they could pioneer their own Dao?

“Pioneering a Dao at the sempiternal stage... truly inconceivable,” Saint Shang Yue remarked with awe. Then, his tone grew serious as he continued, “Overlord Wu Ji, the Holy Emperor has issued a command.”

In an instant, silence fell over everyone as a solemn mood took hold. Even Wu Yuan grew serious, his expression calm and unreadable, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts.

"The Holy Emperor will soon receive you, and Saint Jiu Xing will guide you there," Saint Shang Yue said gravely. "However, before you meet the Holy Emperor, you must not undergo Dao Enlightenment.

"The Holy Emperor has prepared a great opportunity for you, one that only a sempiternal lifeform can receive," Saint Shang Yue instructed.

"I understand," Wu Yuan replied respectfully.

Within his heart, conflicting emotions waged. Anticipation coursed through him at the thought that this might be the great opportunity of the Azure Saint Tomb he had been seeking for so long.

Yet he also felt wary of the Holy Emperor's supposed benevolence. After all, every disciple of the holy sects, every eternal powerhouse throughout the Nine Realms, was compelled to join one of the six holy sects and swear a binding blood contract oath. Such coercion hardly spoke of benevolence.

More troubling still was the question of whether the abnormalities of the blood contract droplet nestled within his body could be hidden from the Holy Emperor's detection. While his carefully constructed facade might fool ordinary Saints and Perennial powerhouses, could it truly deceive the gaze of the Holy Emperor himself?