Chapter 1302: The Seventh Move—Eternal Moment

Two parts of his strength? The second challenger?

Wu Yuan's heart quickened at these words. The “previous challenger” that the black-robed man referred to was likely True Saint Luan Hai.

It seemed Luan Hai was defeated by this mysterious man, unable to make it to the third realm.

As for the other four True Saints? They had evidently been stopped at the first realm.

This didn't particularly surprise Wu Yuan. Though he had shattered the mountain wall of the first realm with apparent ease, that was only possible due to his strength. In truth, a Full True Saint would likely struggle to leave so much as a hairline fracture on that mountain wall.

"This junior humbly requests your guidance," Wu Yuan said, cupping his hands.

Inwardly, he remained extremely cautious. Though Wu Yuan believed himself stronger than True Saint Luan Hai, perhaps even worthy of the title ‘strongest True Saint since the Primordium’, he maintained profound reverence for this mysterious Frostheaven Peak. The limits of this black-robed figure's power remained a mystery.

"Very well. Your courage is admirable. Come then," the black-robed man rose to his feet. His features were sharply defined, and he naturally emanated an aura of dominance interwoven with nobility.

With a casual wave of his hand, the surrounding spacetime rippled and transformed. Suddenly, he and Wu Yuan stood within a vast, boundless expanse.

I’m no longer suppressed?

Wu Yuan immediately sensed the change in the surrounding spacetime. The restrictive pressure had largely vanished, and the environment now resembled the familiar spacetime of the Tenth Chaos Void.

"I'll only employ three parts of my power. Show me what you can do," the black-robed man said with a faint smile. "You needn't defeat me completely. Survive a thousand exchanges without falling, and victory is yours."

Three parts of his power? A thousand exchanges?

Wu Yuan nodded slightly. With a single gesture, his form expanded to a height of one million li, towering and majestic. Nine sabers materialized in his grasp, each radiating a terrifying aura.

"Impressive divine body," the black-robed man acknowledged appreciatively.

Boom!

The black-robed man stepped forward. Vast swathes of obsidian light bloomed around him, unleashing endless waves of destructive energy that instantly spread in all directions, engulfing Wu Yuan in their wake.

In this moment, the black-robed figure truly embodied the essence of an emperor reigning supreme over all under heaven.

Destruction? Domain?

Wu Yuan's pupils contracted at the ferocious, ruthless aura permeating the space around them.

This was pure, unadulterated destruction.

There was something hauntingly familiar about this power—destruction taken to its absolute extreme. It instantly reminded Wu Yuan of his encounter with the young Heavenly Imperator. Their techniques shared unmistakable similarities.

Chiaroscuro Domain.

Wu Yuan thought, immediately deploying his technique. In a flash, endless streams of black and white qi intertwined around him, destruction and creation fusing into an incredibly resilient force that surged toward the black-robed man.

Rumble~

The two domains clashed violently. Though Wu Yuan's domain found itself at a disadvantage, it did not collapse entirely, preventing his opponent from seizing complete control of the battlefield.

"Your domain is truly formidable to withstand mine," the black-robed man remarked with a smile. "I see a shadow of my junior brother in your domain. You possess rare talent indeed. Perhaps one day, you may approach his level."

"Your junior brother?" Wu Yuan's surprise was evident.

This revelation suggested the black-robed man was no mere spirit guardian but a genuine living being.

Who could this junior brother be?

"Domains are merely supporting techniques. For us, close combat determines everything," the black-robed man smiled. "Are you ready?"

Whoosh!

At that moment, the black-robed man's form blurred, descending upon Wu Yuan together with his vast black domain. His hand fell to the saber strapped across his back.

Clang!

The saber left its sheath with a crystalline ring, a dazzling blade ray erupting like lightning. Though indistinct, the ray's sharpness felt capable of cleaving an entire universe asunder as it slashed toward Wu Yuan.

This saber technique?

Wu Yuan's pupils constricted.

It was unavoidable!

In that case, he would face it directly!

Wu Yuan roared as his nine arms swung in perfect unison, simultaneously unleashing the sixth move of his ultimate technique, Worldforge. Nine dazzling blade rays, as if converging from nine separate universes and spacetimes, coalesced before Wu Yuan's chest before erupting forth to meet the descending strike.

Saber against saber!

A direct collision!

Rumble!

An incomparably devastating impact shook the void. The black-robed man stood unwavering amidst endless black light, his form unmoved as fearsome shockwaves rippled outward in all directions.

In stark contrast, Wu Yuan's nine sabers were knocked back by the black-robed man's attack.

My nine sabers were overwhelmed by a single strike?

Wu Yuan couldn't hide his shock.

The opponent's power was truly formidable.

True Saint Luan Hai, facing the same attack from Wu Yuan, was capable of gaining the upper hand. But he could never overwhelm Wu Yuan with such apparent ease.

No wonder True Saint Luan Hai had been defeated.

"You withstood a single strike. Not bad," the black-robed man remarked calmly, advancing with unhurried steps as if merely strolling through a garden. Each stride spanned millions of li, rapidly closing the distance between them.

"Next, I shall truly employ three parts of my power. Should you find yourself unable to endure, you may concede at any time."

Whoosh!

The black-robed man suddenly turned his palm over, revealing a second black saber gripped in his left hand.

Two sabers!

This sight further shocked Wu Yuan. A single saber was frightening enough; what terrors would two unleash?

Whoosh!

The black-robed man closed the gap like lightning, both sabers striking simultaneously. Each attack remained vast and mighty, brimming with ultimate destruction. Though each individual saber strike carried less power than the single attack before, two simultaneous blows dramatically increased the overall power.

Clang! Clang!

Wu Yuan hastily raised his weapons to meet the onslaught, not daring to show the slightest negligence as he defended with every ounce of his strength.

In mere moments, Wu Yuan found himself at an absolute disadvantage.

His Dao is too domineering. Direct confrontation is suicide.

Wu Yuan realized, immediately shifting tactics.

One had to understand that Wu Yuan's body refiner’s self-created Dao encompassed all things. In battle, he could manifest ultimate resilience and strength, but also demonstrate unparalleled softness and unpredictability.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

In an instant, Wu Yuan's saber techniques began transforming rapidly, becoming agile and ever-changing. Sometimes ethereal and elusive, sometimes bizarre, sometimes wild as raging fire, sometimes swift as forked lightning... as fierce as an ancient war deity, as subtle as phantoms.

This was the adaptive capability of Wu Yuan's saber technique.

For a time, though the black-robed man maintained his advantage over Wu Yuan, he found himself unable to secure a decisive victory, let alone deliver a killing blow.

"Your saber techniques show impressive versatility," the black-robed man suddenly commented with a smile. "But remember this: so-called 'using softness to overcome hardness' requires that the hardness not reach its ultimate expression... When facing supreme hardness and strength, all softness and evasion will disperse like mist before a gale."

Boom!

The black-robed man's saber techniques suddenly transformed once more. The ‘three parts strength limit’ seemed to vanish entirely, leaving only pure ferocity and extreme destruction.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Each blade ray slashed forth with terrifying sharpness capable of erasing all existence and shattering myriad Daos, battering Wu Yuan into desperate retreat.

This was not the desperate frenzy of one pushed to extremes, but rather the confident dominance of one who ruled over all creation.

This was the saber of one who dominated! The epitome of hardness and strength.

Boom!

Even after uniting his nine sabers, Wu Yuan could not withstand such overwhelming force. After enduring nearly a hundred exchanges, a momentary weakness was finally exposed. A blade ray struck his chest like a bolt of lightning, sending his entire body hurtling backward through the void.

Yet the black-robed man did not pursue to finish him, instead halting his advance.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan stabilized his footing before drawing a deep breath. "Many thanks for Senior's mercy."

Had his opponent pressed the attack with the intent to kill, Wu Yuan would have suffered grievous injury.

"Your overall strength surpasses the previous challenger by no small margin. However, to pass through the second realm, you still require further tempering," the black-robed man stated calmly. "You've lost this confrontation. Do not disturb me again for at least a thousand years."

"Senior." Wu Yuan spoke with sudden solemnity, "This junior was merely testing the waters earlier and has not yet unleashed his strongest technique... If I cannot overcome Senior with this final attack, I shall not seek Senior out again for ten thousand years."

"Oh? Your strongest technique?" The black-robed man's expression showed genuine surprise. "You've been holding something in reserve?"

He was indeed taken aback.

He could clearly perceive that Wu Yuan's strength was already remarkably formidable. A True Saint who could withstand his attacks for so long was exceedingly rare.

Yet apparently, one final killing move remained unused.

"Very well. If you possess another ultimate move, then unleash it," the black-robed man smiled faintly. "But should you be deliberately deceiving me, you will deeply regret rousing my anger."

The black-robed man stood firmly in the void, saber in hand, awaiting Wu Yuan's move.

His confidence was absolute. After all, the strength he had employed against Wu Yuan so far was merely a fraction of his true capabilities.

"Then, please observe my technique, Senior." Wu Yuan's tone grew solemn as his eyes sharpened.

His gaze seemed capable of penetrating spacetime itself.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The black and white qi streams that had surrounded Wu Yuan's body surged like a tide into the nine sabers in his hands. The Creation Heavenly Saber, mightiest among them, gleamed with particular brilliance.

Hum~

Spacetime itself trembled.

Wu Yuan moved like an ancient god as the nine sabers swung in perfect unison. Nine blade rays shot outward in all directions, causing spacetime to ripple without end.

As the sabers swung, endless profundities swirled and coalesced, gathering the power of infinite spacetime.

The nine blade rays converged upon a single point, as if some vast array was about to be fully activated.

"Oh? The might of this saber technique is indeed more impressive," the black-robed man's eyes flickered with growing interest.

Yet he remained motionless, silently observing the unfolding spectacle.

Whoosh!

Though it appeared to unfold gradually, in truth, the nine blade rays coalesced in a mere instant, influencing spacetime in the eight directions before fully erupting. The power at that singular point streaked forward like a meteor, its velocity suddenly increasing tenfold, then a hundredfold.

It pierced through trillions of li of spacetime in a moment, even penetrating that vast domain of black light, appearing before the black-robed man with impossible speed.

In this moment, that streak of light seemed to exist eternally.

“Hmm? Transcending spacetime! Transcending karma?” Genuine surprise finally registered in the black-robed man's eyes.

Too fast! Were he to exert his full power, he could easily counter it, but with merely three parts of his strength?

The black-robed man swung his saber, unleashing a blade ray of incomparable sharpness and ferocity, sweeping horizontally to cleave the approaching streak of light.

The two forces collided with a thunderous impact, unleashing their terrifying power in full.

Boom!

As the shockwave dissipated, the black light domain that had encompassed endless spacetime was violently torn asunder, collapsing layer by layer. The black-robed man himself was sent flying backward by the overwhelming force of that singular streak of light.

Wu Yuan stood unmoved in the void, wielding his nine battle sabers, his aura soaring majestically toward the heavens.

The outcome was undeniable.

In this final clash, Wu Yuan had gained the upper hand after employing his most powerful ultimate technique.

Whoosh!

The black-robed man who had been sent flying returned in an instant. His vital energy remained undiminished, but an irrepressible smile spread across his face. "Haha, impressive! Truly impressive! Even hastily employing four parts of my power, I couldn't fully withstand that attack.

"This saber strike actually transcends spacetime itself! Ignoring the limits of spacetime.

"It even transcends karma. The blade ray arrives first, followed by the karmic ripples. Inconceivable! Utterly inconceivable!" The black-robed man marveled, "To create such a formidable saber technique while still at the True Saint stage, how extraordinary indeed."

His praise flowed without reservation.

"Your name is Wu Yuan?" The black-robed man studied him intently. "What do you call this remarkable technique of yours?"

"Senior, this is a saber technique I created not long ago, named Eternal Moment," Wu Yuan replied candidly.

The seventh move of his ultimate technique—Eternal Moment! A move that transcended both spacetime and karma, a true Dao Zenithel ultimate technique. Wu Yuan's ether body had created this technique after accumulating sufficient insights while using the Chaos Jade Crystal.

It was this very technique that gave Wu Yuan the confidence to believe he could overcome True Saint Luan Hai, emboldening him to contend for the title of number one True Saint since the Primordium.

This was also why his mana body's inability to participate in the competition for the Xuanhuang Dao Treasure caused him no concern.

Simply put, he had sufficient strength.

Even if all other True Saints were to besiege him, the outcome would remain uncertain.

"Eternal Moment?" The black-robed man nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed. If your base mana were stronger, I fear many Dao Zenithels would find themselves unable to evade this technique, suffering grievous injuries as a result.

"Congratulations, Wu Yuan. You have successfully passed the trial of the second realm.

"I am also the guardian of the third realm," the black-robed man continued with a faint smile. "However, when next we meet, I won't be employing three parts of my power, but one-tenth instead.

"I trust that after entering the third realm, you won't disappoint my expectations."

Whoosh!

The black-robed figure dissolved into the void, along with the surrounding spacetime. Wu Yuan found himself standing upon the mountain path once again.

However, the barrier at the end had disappeared, revealing a clear passage that extended deeper into the distance.

Three parts? One-tenth?

Wu Yuan remained momentarily dazed by the encounter.

The three parts was measured on a scale of one hundred?