Chapter 731: The Saber Named Hundred Stars (1)

Is he Astral Monarch Wan Lei?

Wu Yuan felt a flicker of doubt.

This was the core of the Thunder Marsh World. Logically, it should be Astral Monarch Wan Lei. But in all the intelligence reports, there had never been any mention of an Astral Monarch's corpse here.

"Master, the vital aura of this Astral Monarch's corpse is perfectly preserved. He must have been a body refiner like you," Little Black's voice echoed in Wu Yuan's mind. "But once an Astral Monarch-level body refiner perishes, their body should theoretically disintegrate completely."

Wu Yuan nodded in agreement.

Body refiners possessed an undying body from the Elysian Field stage onward, their vitality growing increasingly powerful as they progressed.

After surviving nine Immortal Tribulations, they could even be considered truly undying and indestructible. Even with just a tiny shred of flesh or a fragment of animus remaining, a body refiner could regenerate and revive.

Could it be that he was killed by a soul attack? But how terrifying must a soul attack be to instantly kill an Astral Monarch?

Wu Yuan mused silently.

According to the intelligence he possessed, ordinary Archimmortals had lifespans of a hundred million years; Astral Lords theoretically had unlimited lifespans, but due to factors like Dao Heart and willpower, there were limits to it, though they could still live for at least ten billion years or even longer.

As for Astral Monarchs, they were already powerful enough to fuse with the essence of Intermediate Daos, truly existing as long as heaven and earth. As long as heaven and earth wasn’t destroyed and the current samsara cycle hadn’t reached its end, they would not perish.

Therefore, the Astral Monarch before him couldn't have died of natural causes.

This vast heaven and earth... is fraught with unfathomable dangers.

Wu Yuan felt a newfound reverence for the immense world around him.

There should have been arrays active within the hall to sweep away the dust, but now even those arrays no longer functioned. It was evident that this had occurred an immensely long time ago.

Wu Yuan observed the Astral Monarch's corpse without acting rashly. The aura emanating from the corpse was terrifying; even ordinary High Immortals and High Deities might not be able to remain in its presence for long.

Thunder techniques! And... traces of the Great Dao of Creation.

As time went by, Wu Yuan studied the corpse in greater depth, growing increasingly shocked. He was now almost certain that the dead Astral Monarch before him was indeed Astral Monarch Wan Lei.

Throughout the history of the Greenridge Macrocosm, there shouldn't have been many who could step onto the path of the Great Dao of Creation while still at the Astral Monarch stage, especially considering that this was the Thunder Marsh World.

But they said this place was a treasure trove. Where's the treasure? Surely it can't just be the corpse.

Wu Yuan thought to himself.

The interior of this azure planet is vast. I must’ve been guided here by some invisible power, but for what purpose?

Hmm?

Wu Yuan's eyes narrowed as he whirled around abruptly.

The passageway leading into this temple had somehow been completely sealed off.

Hum~

The moment the entrance to the passageway closed, the entire temple seemed to subtly transform into a single entity. Even spatial fluctuations were thoroughly suppressed.

This? Even if my qi refiner self were here, it probably couldn't enter the Turbulent Spatial Layer.

Wu Yuan's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise.

It was an exceptionally powerful sealing technique, yet he stayed calm. A seal of this level was enough to block ordinary Astral Monarchs from probing in. While many Astral Monarchs could deploy similar measures, doing so came at a high cost and typically only covered a limited area.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, countless beams of light shot out from the divine pillars surrounding the hall, converging to form a spectral figure. She wore a red belly-warmer and stood barefoot, looking like a three or four-year-old girl at first glance.

She stood directly in front of Wu Yuan, her black eyes fixed upon him. Those eyes held a hint of sorrow that seemed incongruous with her apparent age.

This?

Wu Yuan's heart skipped a beat in surprise.

Outwardly, Wu Yuan maintained his composure and bowed slightly in respect, "How may I address you, Senior?"

"You can call me Thunder Spirit," the child in the red belly-warmer spoke in a voice that belied a maturity beyond her appearance. "I am the controller of the Thunder Marsh World, as well as the master of this divine hall."

"Senior Thunder Spirit." Wu Yuan bowed slightly.

"I'm no senior, just a spirit," Thunder Spirit shook her head.

Her form was ethereal as she walked across the cold floor of the divine hall with bare feet. She stood to one side, pointing at the corpse on the distant jade platform. "You should know who my master is, right?"

"Senior Wan Lei?" Wu Yuan asked.

"Yes, he is Astral Monarch Wan Lei, who once struck fear into many immortal nations. Throughout the entire macrocosm, my master was considered one of the most formidable powerhouses among those below the Sovereign phase. In terms of strength, he had already surpassed the ninth-stage Astral Monarch level, worthy of being called a quasi-Sovereign," Thunder Spirit seemed to be speaking to herself.

"A quasi-Sovereign?" Wu Yuan was slightly shocked.

"You and my master both comprehended the Great Dao of Creation, and even crystallized the True Intent of Creation. Your perspective must be quite broad," Thunder Spirit glanced at Wu Yuan.

"Although my master was trapped at the ninth-level True Intent stage for countless eons, he managed to comprehend a Sovereign-level technique. Combined with his first-rate Astral Monarch mana, he naturally deserved the title of quasi-Sovereign."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

Astral Monarch Wan Lei's actual strength was not far from his guess, with the exception of him comprehending a Sovereign-level technique.

One’s Dao comprehension level and the power of one's techniques were not necessarily entirely correlated. Some powerful beings excelled at combat, able to exert strength beyond their level of comprehension; others were less adept at fighting.

"It makes sense. Ordinary immortal cultivators would be shocked to hear this, but you crystallized the True Intent of Creation at the Dharma Body phase, and in less than a thousand years of cultivation. With such unparalleled talent, how could you be surprised by my master's achievements?" Thunder Spirit shook her head.

"The deeds of Senior Wan Lei, though occurring countless ages ago, are still known to us," Wu Yuan said solemnly.

This was the truth. Even to this day, Astral Monarch Wan Lei still had some renown, though mostly as a cautionary tale.

"Enough! Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. Since he's dead, everything from the past no longer matters," Thunder Spirit looked at Wu Yuan. "This time, the reason for the treasure trove’s emergence is you."

"Me?" Wu Yuan was startled.

The treasure trove had emerged because of him?

"Back then, my master roamed freely across the macrocosm. Relying on the terrifying vitality granted by the Great Dao of Creation, he feared not even Sovereigns, and even ventured into many dangerous exploration sites beyond the macrocosm," Thunder Spirit slowly explained. "Until, in a dispute over treasure, he provoked a Sovereign from the Voltari Temple."

"A Sovereign from the Voltari Temple?" Wu Yuan's heart stirred.

A Sovereign from the Immortal Court?

"During that battle, my master joined forces with another Astral Monarch of Space to snatch a precious treasure from the opponent's hands," Thunder Spirit's voice grew somber. "My master's ether body perished in battle, but the other Astral Monarch of Space took advantage of the chaos to escape with the treasure."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly. Given that his ether body perished, the battle must have been incredibly fierce.

The escape techniques of an Astral Monarch of Space were in many ways not inferior to those of a Sovereign.

"That Sovereign wanted revenge, but my master was part of the Greenridge Immortal World lineage, and his own strength was formidable. Why would he worry?" Thunder Spirit snorted coldly. "As long as they couldn't find my master's true body, even a Sovereign could do nothing. The arrays in my master's stronghold could block karmic perception."

Wu Yuan listened intently.

"After that battle, several hundred million years passed. My master thought this storm had long since blown over, so he didn't pay it much mind," Thunder Spirit shook her head. "But unexpectedly, that Sovereign from the Voltari Temple still held a grudge. Somehow, he managed to divine the location of my master's true body.

That day, the enemy launched a sudden, lethal assault," Thunder Spirit's eyes flashed with a hint of hatred. "By then, my master had grown even stronger, having touched the threshold of the Creation Dao Field.

That battle shook heaven and earth, tearing through the spacetime of several immortal continents. Countless galactic clusters were reduced to scorched earth.

In the end, my master's ether body was captured, while his true body escaped with his life."

Wu Yuan listened in awe.

An Astral Monarch, able to escape from a Sovereign's grasp? Astral Monarch Wan Lei was truly formidable. The further one progressed in cultivation, the more difficult it became to fight across phases. An Astral Monarch who could exchange even one or two blows with a Sovereign was already extraordinary.

"The Thunder Marsh World was just one of several secret bases my master had quietly established," Thunder Spirit shook her head. "My master came here intending to recuperate, but shortly after arriving... he fell victim to a karmic attack through his ether body.

One strike, and my master perished," A faint tear trailed down Thunder Spirit's childlike face. "My master didn't manage to explain what what happened before his death, but I can deduce that the enemy must have used his ether body as a flesh and blood karmic medium to launch the karmic attack.

Moreover, they must have enlisted a Sovereign who had fully comprehended the Law of Karma, or possibly even an Overlord intervened. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to kill my master outright," Thunder Spirit's eyes burned with hatred.

Wu Yuan sighed inwardly. In the past, he’d never known how those at the level of Astral Monarchs and Sovereigns battled. In his understanding, even a Sovereign would find it difficult to kill an Astral Monarch's true body. But today, he learned the process of a powerful Astral Monarch’s demise.

Karmic attack! As powerful as Astral Monarch Wan Lei was, having comprehended the Great Dao of Creation and gained formidable self-preservation abilities, even he couldn't withstand a terrifying karmic attack.

Karmic attacks generally took two forms: one targeted the soul to destroy it, while the other attacked the spirit to collapse it.

"Your name is Shadow Blade?" Thunder Spirit looked at Wu Yuan.

"That's right," Wu Yuan nodded. The other party controlled the Thunder Marsh World and had seen through his comprehension of the Great Dao of Creation at a glance.

It seemed she was well aware of his experiences in the Thunder Marsh World. She might even know about his journey to the Immutable Land.

"I've been watching you since you first entered the Thunder Marsh World, but I hadn't made up my mind yet at that time," Thunder Spirit said. "But in these past six hundred years, you underwent a transformation, likely as a result of visiting a special place. Your talent is beyond anything I've ever heard of.

That's when I became certain about you," Thunder Spirit looked at Wu Yuan.

"Certain about me?" Wu Yuan was puzzled.

"I hope to avenge my master," Thunder Spirit's childish voice was filled with endless hatred. "But I am just a spirit, incapable of exacting revenge. So, I created the Thunder Marsh World and placed the Dao pattern diagrams my master left before his death within it, hoping to attract some geniuses and select a suitable person."

Understanding dawned on Wu Yuan. So this was the reason behind the sudden appearance of the Thunder Marsh World countless ages ago.

"Since you’ve benefitted from Master's grace, you must seek vengeance for Master," Thunder Spirit shook her head and said. "Over these endless years, I've chosen a few individuals, but in the end, I never heard back from them. I reckon they all perished."

Wu Yuan sighed inwardly.

Revenge? To seek vengeance against a Sovereign, how infinitesimally small was that hope? Even if the macrocosm's strongest, Immortal Sovereign Qing Ling, were to act, he might not be assured of success. [1]

"I know the possibility is incredibly slim, but as long as one doesn’t give up, there will always be a glimmer of hope," Thunder Spirit gazed at Wu Yuan. "See? After waiting all these years, you finally arrived.

With your talent, the likelihood of you becoming a Sovereign is extremely high."

Wu Yuan was speechless.

Me?

1. Qing Ling = Greenridge ☜