Chapter 1248: Surviving Great Peril Heralds Great Fortune (1)

Deep within the ruined mountain, five figures clustered together, shielded by an invisibility array that masked their presence completely. Not a single hint of their auras escaped.

Each figure radiated the power of an Overlord. Most individuals exploring the Nine Chaos Voids were mana bodies or ether bodies. While they had Overlord-level power, their true selves were Saints at least. Indeed, the vast majority exploring the Nine Chaos Voids were Saints.

True Saints? They were rare exceptions.

However, the power of the vital auras projected by their mana or ether bodies were nearly identical, making it virtually impossible to distinguish Saints from True Saints through external observation alone.

"Can you determine its grade?" Asked one of the figures.

The black-armored leader, with four muscular arms sprouting from his torso and the lower body of a tiger, responded in a low voice. "Most likely a mid-grade Xiantian artifact, though possibly high-grade."

He cut an imposing silhouette, his form a fusion of man and tiger. The other four displayed varied appearances, but shared one common trait: each bore features that blended human and animal characteristics.

"A high-grade Xiantian artifact?" one of the powerhouses asked. "Could we be facing a True Saint? Perhaps someone from our Nine Desolations Megaverse?"

"No," the leader replied firmly.

"I didn’t detect a familiar token aura," he continued, shaking his head decisively. "This is definitely a powerhouse from another megaverse. Judging by its flight velocity, the likelihood of it being a high-grade Xiantian battleship seems quite low."

Throughout the nine megaverses, only the Central Megaverse was fractured into dozens of competing factions. The other eight stood completely unified, forming powerful, cohesive alliances. While the powerhouses within the eight megaverse alliances weren't necessarily friendly toward one another, they maintained unspoken truces when traversing the dangerous cosmic sea.

"It's unfortunate the battleship conceals the auras of those inside so thoroughly," the black-armored leader said with evident frustration. "That makes it impossible to identify its occupants."

The other four exchanged knowing glances. Their captain's intent was clear: they would probe the occupant’s strength. If found to be weak, they would strike, kill, and plunder without mercy.

"Boss, if we're going to act, we should do it now," urged one of the powerhouses, a centaur-like being. "The spacetime distortions in the Ninth Chaos Void are intensifying. Our detection arrays fail intermittently and we don’t have many of them. If we continue waiting, they'll leave our detection range."

In other Chaos Voids, arrays crafted by eternal powerhouses could endure for tens of billions of years without degradation. But this was not the case in the Ninth Chaos Void.

Here, spacetime itself rebelled against order. Massive spacetime rifts erupted without warning, while unpredictable spacetime tides swept through without pattern or mercy. Not only would arrays laid by Saints crumble, but even those constructed by mighty Dao Zenithels would eventually collapse.

This fundamental instability had prevented any major power from establishing permanent footholds in the Ninth Chaos Void for countless ages.

"I understand," the black-armored half-man, half-tiger said, his brow furrowing deeply as he turned to a companion. "Ling Shu, deploy your puppet to test the target's capabilities. At the first sign of significant resistance, sever the connection immediately."

"As you command," the Saint named Ling Shu nodded.

...

In the dim void, the jet-black Umbral Cosmic Ark continued its leisurely progress.

Within the battleship's interior, Wu Yuan's ether body sat motionless in lotus position.

Suddenly, his consciousness flickered with awareness.

Hmm? An Overlord?

His perception sharpened.

No, it’s a puppet.

Wu Yuan maintained a constant awareness of his surroundings. While his perception was limited here compared to other regions, he could still perceive everything in a radius of nearly ten billion li. His consciousness easily pierced through most illusions—an impressive feat within the Nine Chaos Voids.

Yet Wu Yuan remained perfectly still, making no move to respond.

Moments later, the silence shattered.

“Roar!” Twin earth-shaking bellows erupted from the quiet void as two massive serpents materialized, each stretching over ten thousand li in length. Their blood-red maws gaped wide, lunging viciously toward the Umbral Cosmic Ark.

With a thunderous rumble, the serpents' slick, enormous bodies attempted to coil around the battleship, seeking to constrict and crush it.

...

"Not even the slightest reaction."

"I deliberately created quite a commotion. It seems this battleship's master is remarkably weak. Probably just the mana body or ether body of some insignificant Saint."

"Let's capture the battleship. We should obtain at least several Xiantian artifacts."

The five Saints exchanged relieved glances as they watched their Overlord-level puppets approach the battleship without obstruction. Satisfied smiles spread across their faces.

But in the next moment, those smiles froze into masks of shock, their eyes widening with sudden terror.

Billions of li away, just as one of the great serpents was about to swallow the black battleship whole, the battleship's underside abruptly split open, revealing an enormous black hole that resembled the jaws of a miniature Abyss. Instantly, an irresistible suction force erupted from the opening.

"Roar~" The serpents' desperate cries echoed through the void as the terrifying pull seized their massive bodies. Their forms rapidly contracted as they were drawn toward the yawning aperture. Despite frantic struggles, their fate was sealed.

In a single breath, both puppet serpents disappeared into the hole.

"Ling Shu, sever your connection with the puppets immediately!" the black-armored leader shouted, his voice sharp with urgency. "Such a battleship must be a high-grade Xiantian artifact at least. It’s definitely a True Saint, or perhaps a Saint's true self!"

"I've already severed the connection," True Saint Ling Shu responded, his face ashen. The forcible disconnection from his puppets had clearly inflicted significant damage to his soul.

Before the black-armored leader could react further, another cry rang out.

"Not good!" One of the Saints exclaimed in horrified alarm. "Leader, the battleship is charging toward us! It's coming directly this way!"

Through their network of detection arrays, they clearly sensed the black battleship accelerating dramatically. From a steady speed of ten times light speed, it surged to a hundred times light speed!

Two hundred times light speed! Three hundred times light speed!

"This is impossible!" The Saints recoiled in terror. In the cosmic sea, one hundred times light speed represented the theoretical maximum velocity.

Exceeding that threshold? Even ordinary True Saints couldn't accomplish such a feat.

"It's a Xiantian Instrument!"

"Definitely a True Saint's true self. Run!"

"Flee!" Panic consumed the five Saints. They instantly transformed into streaks of light, scattering in frantic flight.

...

A quarter hour later, a violent explosion marked the destruction of the final Saint's ether body.

With that, all five Saints' mana and ether bodies had perished completely.

So weak.

Wu Yuan remarked as he steered the battleship.

The vessel's underside opened once more, methodically collecting the various treasures dropped by his enemies.

Wu Yuan hadn't needed to engage personally to eliminate these five Saints' mana and ether bodies. Simply pursuing them with the Umbral Cosmic Ark had proven sufficient to overwhelm them. This outcome was hardly surprising; the Ark was, after all, a Xiantian Instrument. Even when merely crashing into enemies, it wielded True Saint power.

How could a handful of Saint mana and ether bodies possibly withstand such might?

Pity I couldn't capture one alive.

Wu Yuan thought, shaking his head slightly.

These powerhouses traversing the cosmic sea all choose to self-destruct at the first sign of defeat. Their true selves must be Saints.

If they had been True Saints, their mana and ether bodies would have wielded Peak Saint power, enough to offer meaningful resistance. They wouldn't have crumbled at the first confrontation.

Time flowed onward as Wu Yuan swiftly examined the treasures dropped by the five Saints. Among them, he discovered several special items.

Based on the style of these grotto-heaven artifacts and the markings on these divine slips, they were powerhouses from the Nine Desolations Megaverse.

The Nine Desolations Megaverse stood as an incredibly formidable alliance. Its leader, Dao Zenithel Jiu Huang, ranked among the super powerhouses at the pinnacle of the cosmic sea, with combat capabilities approaching those of Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang in direct confrontation. [1]

What’s done is done.

Wu Yuan thought dismissively.

They attacked me first, after all.

With a soft whoosh, the battleship continued its journey into the depths of the dim void.

...

The Nine Desolations Megaverse occupied the extreme depths of the cosmic sea, incalculably distant from the Central Megaverse.

Its River of Universes contained only nine universes, far fewer than the sprawling Central Megaverse. Yet the entire megaverse existed in perfect unity, consolidating its tremendous power. It had successfully established the Nine Desolations Voidrealm, a voidrealm spanning the Nine Megaverses Spacetime.

At this moment, the five Saints whose mana and ether bodies Wu Yuan had destroyed were reporting the encounter to their True Saint superior through the Nine Desolations Voidrealm.

"You claim a suspected True Saint's true self has entered the Ninth Chaos Void and operates near our temporary encampment?" The purple-robed figure seated upon an ornate throne gazed down at his subordinates.

"Yes, exactly so!"

"Which True Saint might this be? Did you recognize them?" the purple-robed figure inquired softly.

The five Saints exchanged uncertain glances before collectively shaking their heads.

"Reporting to the True Saint," the black-armored half-man, half-tiger began respectfully, "from beginning to end, the other party merely pursued us with their battleship and never revealed themselves. However, that vessel effortlessly exceeded the hundred times light speed limit. A single shockwave from its movements was sufficient to obliterate my ether body."

The black-armored Saint projected his memories for his superior's examination.

After reviewing the evidence in silence, the purple-robed figure nodded slightly. "Very well, I understand the situation. I shall notify the other True Saints within our alliance. You may withdraw and cultivate new mana bodies and ether bodies."

"As you command," the five Saints responded respectfully before departing.

Their mana and ether bodies had been mere Overlord-level incarnations, so creating replacements would proceed relatively quickly, requiring at most a million years. As long as they invested sufficient resources, the process might be completed in as little as a hundred thousand years.

...

Soon, all True Saints of the Nine Desolations Megaverse operating within the Nine Chaos Voids received this intelligence.

"A True Saint's true self has entered our territory?"

"Who is it?"

"Unknown. We know only that they pilot a black battleship, suspected to be a Xiantian Instrument."

"We must exercise extreme caution." The True Saints communicated rapidly among themselves, alert to this new development.

Many True Saints prowled the Nine Chaos Voids, but most operated through mana or ether bodies. Those who dared send their true selves forth? Exceedingly rare.

Typically, only when sensing the emergence of legendary treasures or massive treasure troves would True Saints risk dispatching their true selves.

For this reason, each additional True Saint's true self operating in the Nine Chaos Voids drew immediate attention from various powerful factions. Such formidable combat power could decisively alter the balance of power at critical moments.

...

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The years stretched on as Wu Yuan rampaged through the Ninth Chaos Void, his horizons expanding as he witnessed countless new sights. The intricate workings of spacetime and the interweaving of Great Daos’ rules left particularly deep impressions.

The path of cultivation! They say to read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand li.

Wu Yuan mused thoughtfully.

In terms of insights and accumulation? Over the past one hundred million years, I've received Primordium's baptism, amassing deep reserves. I’ve simply yet to fully digest it all.

I've created many ultimate techniques and secret arts, always falling just short of perfection.

I’m still lacking in experience and perspective.

Wu Yuan grew increasingly self-aware.

As a Dao Master, Wu Yuan made constant progress, often without realizing it.

Thousands of years vanished in the blink of an eye.

Throughout his journey, Wu Yuan unearthed numerous treasures. Once, deep within an ancient mountain, he discovered a massive chunk of Chaos Orichalcum. Yet for every treasure, danger lurked in equal measure.

His most harrowing encounter came when a spacetime rift spontaneously tore open the fabric of the void. The yawning hole nearly devoured the Umbral Cosmic Ark.

Thankfully, Wu Yuan's swift action saved him—his ether body shot from the battleship, seizing the vessel and wrenching it to safety mere instants before destruction.

The second most frightening was his battle with a True Saint-level Void Spirit. The creature's body was illusory, its vitality seemingly boundless. Even Wu Yuan's strongest attacks, which reduced the entity to little more than scattered motes of consciousness, failed to extinguish it completely. Such was the terrifying resilience of Void Spirits, their near-immortality ultimately forcing Wu Yuan to withdraw.

These encounters represented merely the natural hazards of the Ninth Chaos Void. Occasionally, Wu Yuan crossed paths with eternal powerhouses from rival factions, though most such meetings ended with both sides keeping a large distance.

Among eternal powerhouses, peace generally prevailed when interests didn't conflict directly. Yet some existed solely to pillage and destroy. These Wu Yuan dispatched without hesitation or mercy.

Gradually, rumors spread through the factions of the Ninth Chaos Void. Tales of a True Saint's true self navigating the realm aboard a battleship circulated. Yet none connected this mysterious figure to Wu Yuan, for he had not yet encountered other true selves of True Saint, nor had any adversary pushed him far enough to reveal his ether body.

The Xiantian Instrument battleship alone had proven sufficient to crush all opposition thus far.

1. Jiu Huang = Nine Desolations ☜