Chapter 786: A Bountiful Inheritance (2)

"Thank you for the reminder, Master," Wu Yuan's heart tightened.

Indeed! He was no longer that youngster who had just become his master's disciple. Now he was increasingly dazzling, virtually invincible among those below the Astral Monarch level in strength. Even ordinary Astral Monarchs would find it difficult to kill him.

But his enemies would also become increasingly terrifying.

If his talent was exposed, the Voltari Temple would stop at nothing to assassinate him. And in this vast world, there were far too many mysterious and strange abilities.

"Master, now that this crisis has passed, I should return the Nine Star Lotus Platforms to you," Wu Yuan said.

"That won't be necessary. You can keep them," Sovereign Kua Chi smiled. "How could I take back something I've already given you? Don't worry, I don't place much importance on a single mid-grade Dao Instrument."

"Yes," Wu Yuan replied, but inwardly was once again impressed by the wealth of Sovereigns.

"Oh, by the way, Sovereign Cang Feng has already issued orders to allocate you an eldritch nation's worth of Faith power," Sovereign Kua Chi informed him.

"Oh?" Wu Yuan's eyes lit up, "Thank you, Master."

"Work hard, both Sovereign Cang Feng and I have high hopes for you. Becoming a Sovereign will be a difficult hurdle with you comprehending a Great Dao, but the Megaverse Crossroads will be an opportunity. The stronger you are, the greater your chances of obtaining great fortune in the Megaverse Crossroads," Sovereign Kua Chi said with a smile.

"You may go now. If you encounter any problems you can't solve, come see me again."

"Yes." Wu Yuan's body refiner self departed.

...

In the depths of the Black Devil Blood Hollow, within that special space, nine black-robed figures stood.

Before them was a massive light screen projection, showing many Archimmortals and Archdeities still struggling to comprehend the Dao pattern diagrams in the third trial.

However, none of the nine black-robed figures paid any attention to those candidates. They were all waiting anxiously.

"Big Devil? Any news?" The shortest figure, Ninth Devil, asked impatiently.

"Ninth Devil, you're too anxious. How long has it been since Ming Jian began the eighth trial? How could there be results so quickly?" another burly figure said in a deep voice. "It's been less than a day."

"How can I not be anxious?" Ninth Devil shook his head.

"Hmm?" Big Devil, who had been silent with his eyes closed and head slightly bowed as if deep in thought, abruptly raised his head. His eyes flashed with a piercing light, and the corners of his mouth curled into an irrepressible smile. "Haha, excellent! Excellent!"

Instantly, the other eight figures trembled, their eyes widening as they turned to look at Big Devil.

"He's here!" Big Devil announced solemnly.

Whoosh!

In the distant void, space rippled slightly, and a black-robed figure appeared. It was Wu Yuan.

At this moment, Wu Yuan wore a black helmet and battle armor that was a mix of jet black and golden yellow. The armor covered his chest, arms, and legs, with ornate Dao patterns etched even on his boots.

Like a war god of extraordinary bearing, he stood there treading on air, an invisible aura of pressure spreading throughout his surroundings.

After becoming the Blood Hollow’s master, Wu Yuan could equip this armor with a mere thought within the realm.

"It's the Sovereign!"

"Sovereign." The moment he appeared wearing this armor, the eyes of the black-robed figures below all reddened instantly. It was too similar. In that moment, all nine black-robed figures were reminded of that great Sovereign who had once led them to conquer the Dao Realm.

After such an immeasurably long wait, this day had finally arrived.

"Big Devil pays respects to Master," Big Devil was the first to react, bowing respectfully.

"Second Devil pays respects to Master."

"Third Devil..." The other black-robed figures all bowed in turn, each showing utmost reverence.

A moment of silence fell.

The nine devil marshalls.

Wu Yuan sighed inwardly.

Truly worthy of being Sovereign Black Devil's most loyal generals of the devil army, faithful unto death.

Through the Black Devil Blood Hollow, he could sense the auras of the nine black-robed figures, each one distinct.

Except for Big Devil, who was somewhat special, the other eight black-robed figures were all Astral Monarch powerhouses, all living beings.

"Everyone, please rise," Wu Yuan said with a smile.

The nine devils all stood up.

Wu Yuan approached the group. Though he was only a High Immortal, he was now the master of the Black Devil Blood Hollow and could mobilize terrifying power within it. If he wanted, he could easily slay Astral Monarchs.

"Congratulations on successfully receiving the inheritance, Master," Big Devil said excitedly. "We all knew that with Master's heaven-defying talent, you would surely succeed."

"Indeed!"

"Master's talent is unrivaled in the Dao Realm."

"If even Master couldn't succeed, who else in the entire Dao Realm could?" The devil marshalls all chimed in.

Wu Yuan shook his head with a wry smile, recalling how different Big Devil’s attitude had been during their previous two meetings.

However, Wu Yuan also understood why this was the case. Big Devil was the core spirit of the Black Devil Blood Hollow. The moment Wu Yuan became its master, Big Devil naturally became utterly loyal.

As for the other eight devil marshalls? Not only were they already loyal, but a strand of their animus was also bound within the Devil Subduing Tome, making it impossible for them to be disloyal even if they wanted to.

"Everyone, I have received Senior Black Devil's approval and inherited everything in the Blood Hollow," Wu Yuan said. "However, Senior Black Devil has chosen to disperse his spirit and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation."

"We know." Big Devil nodded and said, "This has been the Sovereign's deepest desire for countless ages... Now that it can be realized, it's also a fulfillment of his wish."

The other devil marshalls all nodded, clearly aware of this matter.

Wu Yuan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He had originally been worried that Sovereign Black Devil hadn't made arrangements in advance, potentially causing him to face some issues when taking over the Black Devil Blood Hollow. It seemed things were going smoothly so far.

"Big Devil, I've just deciphered the essence of the Blood Hollow, but I still don’t fully understand everything about the Devil Hollow. I need a guide." Wu Yuan said.

"Yes, Master." Big Devil nodded and said, "Let me first introduce these eight devil marshalls. They are all Astral Monarch powerhouses. Their titles are simple, just Astral Monarch Second Devil to Astral Monarch Ninth Devil.

They were also the eight most powerful devil marshalls under the Sovereign back then. Before his death, the Sovereign kept eight devil marshalls in the Black Devil Blood Hollow. In the end, they all survived."

Wu Yuan marveled inwardly.

The eight most powerful devil marshalls? Each one was an Astral Monarch!

In theory, Astral Lords had extremely long lifespans, but their spirits ultimately had weaknesses, so most found it difficult to live beyond ten billion years. The endless passage of time caused their spirits to decay.

But upon reaching the Astral Monarch phase, they could live until the very end of the samsara cycle of heaven and earth. Astral Monarchs truly lived as long as the heavens.

"This is Second Devil, the earliest to follow the Sovereign. Her strength is formidable, and she cultivates the qi refining path, possessing the battle prowess of a ninth-stage Astral Monarch," Big Devil pointed to the demoness with a bewitching aura and said, "In terms of strength, apart from Ninth Devil, Second Devil is the most powerful among the eight devil marshalls."

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Master," the alluring woman smiled.

"Master, I am Ninth Devil," the short devil marshall who resembled a dwarf said with a grin. "I cultivate the body refining path. In terms of raw power, I can overpower Second Devil, but when it comes to Dao comprehension, I fall short of her.

Second Devil is probably just a hair's breadth away from the Sovereign phase," Ninth Devil said. "She has the potential to reach the Sovereign phase in the future."

"Oh?" Wu Yuan was slightly surprised.

The leap from Astral Monarch to Sovereign represented a major bottleneck. Such words couldn't be spoken carelessly.

"Master, Ninth Devil speaks the truth," Big Devil smiled. "Second Devil's Dao comprehension is indeed exceptionally deep and she has extraordinary natural talent.

When the Sovereign fell, she was only at the seventh-stage Astral Monarch level in strength. Trapped in the Black Devil Blood Hollow for endless years, she cultivated and progressed continuously, even mastering a Sovereign-level technique.

However, she only possesses a second-degree immortal root. Thus, it's difficult for her to break through," Big Devil shook his head.

"If the Sovereign were still alive, perhaps he could help her. But although our Black Devil Blood Hollow seems vast, it cannot nurture an ultimate treasure that could upgrade an Astral Monarch's immortal root to the first-degree."

"So formidable? Mastering a Sovereign-level technique?" Wu Yuan looked at the alluring demoness in surprise.

Being able to master even a single Sovereign-level technique could grant one terrifying power. With their explanation, Wu Yuan truly realized Second Devil's astonishing potential.

All Astral Monarch powerhouses possessed second-degree immortal roots at least, with the majority being second-degree, and only an extremely small number having first-degree immortal roots.

For Astral Monarch powerhouses, mana capacity was unrelated to Dao comprehension, only to the immortal root.

Those with second-degree immortal roots possessed base-level Astral Monarch mana.

Those with first-degree immortal roots possessed first-level Astral Monarch mana.

First-level Astral Monarch mana was ten times that of base-level Astral Monarch mana.

Base-level Astral Monarch mana, coupled with techniques comprehended to the early-stage Astral Monarch level, allowed one to unleash first-stage to third-stage Astral Monarch strength.

Even with techniques comprehended to the late-stage Astral Monarch level, someone with base-level Astral Monarch mana could only unleash eighth-stage Astral Monarch strength at most.

But someone with first-level Astral Monarch mana could easily unleash fourth-stage Astral Monarch strength, even with techniques comprehended to the early-stage Astral Monarch level.

Second Devil can unleash ninth-stage Astral Monarch strength with merely base-level Astral Monarch mana. Her Dao comprehension level is truly remarkable.

Wu Yuan mused inwardly.

If she had a first-degree immortal root, she could definitely unleash quasi-Sovereign power.

With a weaker immortal root, one needed more powerful techniques and stronger artifacts to make up the difference.

As for Ninth Devil, even without mastering Sovereign-level ultimate techniques, he could unleash ninth-stage Astral Monarch strength relatively easily just by relying on the mana nurtured by his first-degree immortal root.

If Ninth Devil could master Sovereign-level techniques, that would be quasi-Sovereign level strength Unfortunately, crossing this threshold was incredibly difficult.

Big Devil introduced the eight devil marshalls to Wu Yuan one by one. Six were qi refiners and two were body refiners.

Among the eight devil marshalls, half possessed first-degree immortal roots, but only Second Devil and Ninth Devil could unleash ninth-stage Astral Monarch strength.

However, the other six possessed seventh-stage Astral Monarch strength at minimum, and were all considered late-stage Astral Monarchs.

"From today onwards, the eight devil marshalls will follow Master into battle, obeying Master's commands," Big Devil said solemnly.

"We shall obey Master's commands," Second Devil, Ninth Devil, and the other six devil marshalls bowed respectfully.

Wu Yuan inwardly marveled.

Sovereign Black Devil indeed hadn't lied about leaving behind a great treasure trove for him. Even without mentioning the other treasures, just these eight late-stage Astral Monarch-level followers alone were priceless. Moreover, among them was one with Sovereign potential.

"You are all my Seniors in a sense," Wu Yuan smiled. "In the future, I'll need much guidance from you on various matters."

"Master, there's no need for such courtesy," Ninth Devil laughed. "If it were someone else inheriting the Sovereign's inheritance, we might have been unwilling to submit. But if it’s you, Master, we are all convinced. Master has comprehended the Great Dao of Spacetime, reaching the mid-stage Astral Monarch level in just a few thousand years of cultivation, which is deeply admirable to us.

Moreover, we believe that Master likely possesses an Apotheosis root.

Currently, Master is only a First Tribulation High Immortal, so it's normal that your strength doesn't match ours," Ninth Devil sighed. "But with Master's talent, even if it's difficult for you to become a Sovereign in one step due to the limitations of the Great Dao, you'll definitely be a Supreme Astral Monarch at least.”