"Quick, surround him."

"Give the order for the Astral Lords of Space to act. Activate the grand array to seal off the Turbulent Spatial Layer. Ming Jian must not escape," the Astral Lord who detected Wu Yuan's appearance immediately sent messages to other powerful Astral Lords.

"This Ming Jian began undertaking the eighth trial of Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance trial long ago. He has emerged alive, while the mana bodies and ether bodies of other powerhouses in the palace have all perished.

He must have obtained Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance," the leading quasi-Astral Monarchs immediately deduced.

Over a thousand years had passed. All manner of news regarding Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance had long since spread, along with numerous rumors.

Wu Yuan was most likely the chosen successor.

"Activate the array!" A vast and mighty array spread through the Material Spatial Layer into the Turbulent Spatial Layer, covering the expansive void and enveloping Wu Yuan, who had just appeared.

…

Within the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm was a plane belonging to the Myriad Waves Palace. Nearly a hundred figures had gathered in a majestic temple here.

Seated upon the highest throne was the towering figure of Sovereign Mo Lang, clad in purple robes. Standing beside him was Astral Monarch Jiu Xue, responsible for intelligence in the Myriad Waves Palace.

At this moment, besides Astral Monarch Jiu Xue, many figures emanating powerful auras were also present.

So many Astral Monarchs?

Astral Monarch Jiu Xue was stunned.

"Greetings, Sovereign," nearly a hundred Astral Monarchs bowed respectfully in unison.

"Is everything prepared?" Sovereign Mo Lang looked down at the many Astral Monarchs.

"Reporting to the Sovereign," one of the Astral Monarchs responded in a deep voice. He was covered entirely in black scales and had nine limbs that resembled tentacles. "I have ordered the Astral Monarchs to wait outside the Snowlight Mist Realm. As soon as Ming Jian's movements are detected, we can take action immediately."

"Astral Monarch Wu Yao?" Astral Monarch Jiu Xue looked at this beast Astral Monarch in shock.

Astral Monarch Wu Yao was undoubtedly one of the top ten super powerhouses among the many Astral Monarchs of the Myriad Waves Palace.

Not only had his combat power reached the ninth-stage Astral Monarch level, but he was also an Astral Monarch of Space, holding an extremely high position. In terms of both status and strength, Astral Monarch Wu Yao slightly surpassed Astral Monarch Jiu Xue.

"Jiu Xue, don't be surprised." Sovereign Mo Lang sat upon his lofty throne, looking at the many Astral Monarchs under his command. His voice was deep and resonant: "My order for you to deploy numerous Astral Lords was merely the first measure.

I fear that Ming Jian might obtain some means of escape from Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance. So, I secretly deployed some Astral Monarchs, led by Wu Yao, as a second measure.

We must employ multiple strategies to ensure we capture that Ming Jian," Sovereign Mo Lang said calmly. His tone highlighted his confidence.

"The Sovereign is wise," Astral Monarch Jiu Xue was inwardly shocked, realizing just how seriously Sovereign Mo Lang was taking this. He had secretly mobilized nearly a hundred Astral Monarchs.

One had to understand that these Astral Monarchs were all formidable powerhouses. Even the weakest possessed the strength of a fourth-stage Astral Monarch.

"It's beginning."

"Sovereign, Ming Jian has emerged," Astral Monarch Jiu Xue's eyes suddenly lit up. "Sovereign, please look."

He pointed towards the space in the distance.

Whoosh!

Instantly, a massive virtual projection appeared within the temple. Sovereign Mo Lang and the many Astral Monarchs in the hall all turned to look at the scene in the projection.

"Ming Jian. Since he emerged alive, he must have obtained the inheritance," Sovereign Mo Lang said coldly. "All the other Archimmortals and Archdeities of my Myriad Waves Palace who took part in the trial, whether their mana bodies, ether bodies, or even true selves, have all perished.

“With so many Astral Lords joining forces, they should be able to capture him," Astral Monarch Wu Yao said. "He's merely a High Immortal."

Sovereign Mo Lang and his many subordinate Astral Monarchs all focused their attention on this battle.

…

In the Core Region of the Snowlight Mist Realm.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan appeared out of thin air in the void. His perception extended in all directions, immediately sensing a powerful array enveloping him and stabilizing space.

An isolation array? It has even sealed off the Turbulent Spatial Layer?

Wu Yuan was slightly surprised.

The enemy had truly come prepared.

"Master, the Snowlight Mist Realm has its restrictions. Astral Monarchs cannot enter, and we eight devil marshalls cannot act," Astral Monarch Second Devil’s alluring voice resonated in Wu Yuan's mind.

"Mm, there's no need for you to act," Wu Yuan responded.

He was not in a hurry.

Even if he truly couldn't match them, he could always retreat into the Black Devil Blood Hollow as a last resort, which would only take a single thought. Even a Sovereign would find it difficult to break the Black Devil Blood Hollow open, let alone a group of Astral Lords.

However, I’m not going to back down without a fight. You'll need to have the strength to force me back in.

Wu Yuan stood tall in the void, his gaze sweeping over the Archimmortals and Archdeities appearing before him.

The void was densely packed with them, their numbers quickly exceeding six hundred. Each emanated a powerful aura, all comparable to Astral Lord Xue Yao and Astral Lord Red Devil. They were at least late-stage Astral Lord powerhouses.

Several hundred late-stage Astral Lord powerhouses were spread across billions of li, rapidly converging on Wu Yuan to surround and trap him.

Wu Yuan didn't move.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Finally, about a thousand powerful Astral Lords, split into small groups, subtly formed battle formations, ready to unleash combined attacks at any moment.

These Astral Lords were dispersed in all directions, completely surrounding Wu Yuan, positioned millions to tens of millions of li apart.

But none of the many powerful Astral Lords dared to attack Wu Yuan rashly, watching him vigilantly.

"Do you truly intend to block my path?" Wu Yuan's voice was icy as he finally spoke.

"Ming Jian, we are merely following the Sovereign's orders," among the thousand late-stage Astral Lord powerhouses, a figure in white robes appeared. He looked at Wu Yuan from afar, his voice echoing through the endless void.

Hum~

Countless points of light gathered, instantly forming a towering figure in the void. Clad in purple robes, his aura was vast and unfathomable, his form illusory. He looked down, gazing upon Wu Yuan.

"Greetings, Sovereign," the thousand Astral Lords bowed respectfully in unison, most of their eyes revealing reverence.

"Sovereign Mo Lang," Wu Yuan also bowed slightly, showing respect.

If unnecessary, Wu Yuan didn't want to offend a Sovereign outright.

"Ming Jian, congratulations on obtaining Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance," Sovereign Mo Lang's deep voice resonated in Wu Yuan's mind.

Wu Yuan listened quietly.

"I bear no grudge against you. You obtained Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance with your own abilities, and I am happy for you," Sovereign Mo Lang said. "However, I have a great grudge and deep karmic connection with Sovereign Black Devil... you should be aware of this, right?"

"I know a little," Wu Yuan replied.

"My request is simple. Swear an oath to kill Big Devil, and promise never to seek revenge against my Myriad Waves Palace, nor against me," Sovereign Mo Lang looked down at Wu Yuan. "If you can do this, I will let you leave."

Kill Big Devil? Promise not to seek revenge?

Wu Yuan frowned slightly.

Two conditions. The latter condition was fine; he would eventually leave the Spacetime Dao Realm anyway, and there was no need to truly form enmity with a Sovereign.

Sovereign Black Devil hadn't required him to take on the burden of this karmic connection either.

But the first request? Although his initial encounter with Big Devil hadn't been pleasant, after obtaining the inheritance, Big Devil's actions had been satisfactory. Wu Yuan was quite pleased.

"Sovereign Mo Lang, I can promise that as long as the Myriad Waves Palace does not become my enemy, I will not become an enemy of the Myriad Waves Palace, and I will put aside the past karma and grudges between you, Sovereign, and Sovereign Black Devil," Wu Yuan said. "But killing Big Devil? I'm afraid I must refuse."

"You dare defy me?" A cold light flashed through the eyes of Sovereign Mo Lang’s projected incarnation. "Bound by the Dao Master's decree, I cannot take direct action against you... but I can sense that this is your true self.

Are you truly unafraid of perishing?" Sovereign Mo Lang stared at Wu Yuan. "Big Devil must die!"

Wu Yuan's heart tightened. Indeed, one could not underestimate a Sovereign. Even separated by endless spacetime, he could tell.

"Sovereign has a grudge against Big Devil?" Wu Yuan frowned. "Big Devil is merely a spirit."

"Merely a spirit?" Sovereign Mo Lang's voice was frosty. "As long as he lives, I will not rest.

I’ll ask you one last time, will you agree to my request, or not?”

"I will not," Wu Yuan's answer was swift and decisive. His personality was inherently stubborn; the more he was unwilling to do something, the less likely he was to lower his head.

"I hope your strength is as unyielding as your mouth," Sovereign Mo Lang's voice was cold.

Boom!

His projected incarnation suddenly dissipated.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As if they just received orders, three figures in the surrounding space instantly transformed into streaks of light, charging towards Wu Yuan.

In an instant, they expanded into colossal figures, towering tens of thousands of zhangs high. Their auras surged, vast and uncontainable, and their speed grew incredibly swift.

"Three quasi-Astral Monarchs."

"They're all body refiners.”

"We’ll surely capture Ming Jian." A thousand Astral Lords surrounded the space, their gazes fixed on the unfolding scene below.

Outside, numerous Astral Lords of Space maintained a vast isolation array, their powers intertwining to create an impenetrable barrier.

Three late-stage Astral Lords? No, that's not it. That one there must be Astral Lord Wei Jian. I recognize his trademark bald head.

Wu Yuan observed, identifying one of the three powerful figures advancing towards him.

Before emerging, Wu Yuan had enslaved dozens of Archimmortals and Archdeities with the potential to become Astral Monarchs. Two of them hailed from the Myriad Waves Palace.

Naturally, he had gleaned a wealth of intelligence about the Myriad Waves Palace's powerhouses, including information about Astral Lord Wei Jian.

A quasi-Astral Monarch! The two others fighting alongside Wei Jian were undoubtedly of similar strength.

Three quasi-Astral Monarchs, is it? To come at me with such a lineup right from the start, they must certainly think highly of me. Too bad, though…

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self remained motionless. But his mana body, which was subtly connected to his true self, stirred.

He immediately employed part three of ‘Genesis Law Sacrifice’. In an instant, the vital aura of his mana body surged dramatically, rocketing from third-stage Archimmortal level to sixth-stage, and finally settling at seventh-stage Archimmortal level.

Simultaneously, nine flying swords materialized around Wu Yuan's mana body. Each sword radiated a terrifyingly powerful sword intent, its surface etched with countless Dao patterns. They were all mid-grade celestial artifacts.

With Wu Yuan's profound Dao comprehension, wielding them with seventh-stage Archimmortal mana was no great challenge.

An array? Let's see if you can withstand my sword domain.

Wu Yuan murmured, a flicker of killing intent passing through his eyes.

The nine mid-grade celestial flying swords orbiting him suddenly erupted with power.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The nine mid-grade celestial artifacts streaked across the sky like nine celestial rivers, leaving behind sword trails in the stable space.

The sword trails interwove with each other, forming a great net spanning millions of li, sword qi crisscrossing through the air.

The net also enveloped the three incoming quasi-Astral Monarch powerhouses, including Astral Lord Wei Jian.

"Kill!" Wu Yuan commanded.

Standing in the void, Wu Yuan pointed from afar. Three of the nine celestial swords broke formation, each one hurtling towards one quasi-Astral Monarch powerhouse.

When the nine celestial swords formed a sword array, only three swords could move freely under normal circumstances. The other six celestial swords served as array bases, maintaining the sword domain's wide-range suppression and binding capabilities.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The three celestial swords danced through the air, their sword lights carving through space, causing ripples to appear in the otherwise rock-solid void.

It was dazzling and beautiful. But this sight caused the expressions of every Astral Lord to shift.

These Astral Lords were only a step away from becoming Astral Monarchs, so they could naturally sense the terrifying nature of these sword lights.

Within the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm, even Sovereign Mo Lang, who had been calmly seated on his throne, showed a change in expression.

As a Sovereign, he could perceive the battle in the Snowlight Mist Realm across endless spacetime. He naturally understood how formidable Wu Yuan's swords were.

Sword of Spacetime... It's the 'Nine Swords of Spacetime' created by the Dao Master. This is the fourth step.

Sovereign Mo Lang quickly deduced.

Furthermore, he has fully mastered it.

For each step of the Nine Swords of Spacetime, one could practice it to varying degrees of mastery.

Given that Wu Yuan’s technique was flawless, he must have fully mastered it.

…

"This is bad!"

"Something's not right."

"Ming Jian's vital aura, his sword technique." Astral Lord Wei Jian and the other two powerhouses were ninth-stage Archdeities with incredibly potent vitality. They each had special abilities to unleash quasi-Astral Monarch level strength. That was why they dared to lead the attack on Wu Yuan.

But when the vast and mighty sword domain enveloped them, the expressions of these three powerhouses changed.

Under the sword domain's suppression, their speed sharply decreased. Then, they saw three sword lights ignite within the vast sword domain. Ripples spread through the void, yet these three sword lights seemed to leave no trace.

The moment the sword lights flashed, the hearts of the three powerhouses couldn't help but tremble. In the next instant, the three sword lights had arrived right before their eyes.

The attack was blindingly fast.

"No!"

"Block it!"

"Kill!" Astral Lord Wei Jian and the other two powerhouses were no ordinary beings. In their shock and anger, they instinctively unleashed their strongest techniques to meet the attack.

Bang! Bang!

The three quasi-Astral Monarch powerhouses were flung away like three cannonballs fired simultaneously, weapons nearly flying from their hands or bodies violently shaking as if about to explode.

This... how is this possible?! I can barely withstand a single sword strike, and it's not even part of the sword array? Has this Ming Jian reached Astral Monarch level strength?

Astral Lord Wei Jian's mind was in turmoil. He could hardly believe it.

The terrifying sword light struck him with an astonishing force that severely injured his deity body. His ether depleted rapidly as it struggled to repair the damage.

Archdeities possessed immense vitality, but if their ether was exhausted, they would still perish.

…

In a single exchange, each of the three quasi-Astral Monarch powerhouses was blasted away by a mere stream of sword light.

The entire void seemed to fall silent for a moment.

The thousand Astral Lords showed expressions of stunned belief. A High Immortal instantly defeating three quasi-Astral Monarch powerhouses – what kind of monster was this?!

Archdeities are indeed difficult to kill.

While the Myriad Waves Palace's powerhouses found it inconceivable, Wu Yuan considered it a matter of course.

Without the slightest hesitation, he pointed again from afar, infusing mana into his attack.

Go!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three sword lights once again sliced through space, once more assailing Astral Lord Wei Jian and his companions, intent on finishing them off for good.