“Wu Yuan defeated Mu Long on the high-level Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield?" Sovereign Bei You received the news from Sovereign Bloodforge immediately.

He too was shocked.

He knew Wu Yuan's body refiner self had to be incredibly powerful, after all, the qi refiner self originated from the body refiner self. Logically, if his qi refiner self was such a monstrous prodigy, his body refiner self would only be more extraordinary.

However, the fact that Wu Yuan's body refiner self could defeat High Deity Mu Long left even Sovereign Bei You stunned.

Throughout the entire river of space and time, Mu Long placed second among countless High Immortals and High Deities.

Sovereign Bei You thought to himself.

Wu Yuan actually defeated him?

He immediately relayed the news to Overlord Xin Ya through the Taiyuan Immortal Voidrealm.

"Ming Jian's body refiner self defeated Mu Long?" Overlord Xin Ya was rendered speechless.

As one of the eight Overlords of the Taiyuan Divine Court and its de facto ruler, he had an extremely high status, and he naturally knew of Mu Long.

There was a long pause.

"Very well! Perhaps we have underestimated Ming Jian. I will inform the True Saint," Overlord Xin Ya transmitted to Sovereign Bei You. "Additionally, I suspect Sovereign Lan Yan and Sovereign Hong Yi are lying."

"What do you mean?" Sovereign Bei You asked, confused.

"The Spacetime Dao Realm informed us that Ming Jian failed to receive the Dao Master's inheritance... I was somewhat inclined to believe it, given how mighty the Spacetime Dao Master is, and how incredibly high his standards for a successor must be," Overlord Xin Ya said. "But since the beginning of heaven and earth, I've rarely seen any genius like Ming Jian.

“With such talent, how could he possibly fail to meet the Dao Master's standards? Heh! Sovereign Lan Yan and the others are most likely lying."

Sovereign Bei You was taken aback.

"No need to worry about it for now," Overlord Xin Ya said. "When the time comes, head immediately to the divine court headquarters. You will accompany me to the Spacetime Dao Realm."

"Understood," Sovereign Bei You replied.

…

If Wu Yuan had merely dominated the high-level Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield, the news would have spread, but not nearly as rapidly as it did.

One crucial reason was because Mu Long had established a solid reputation throughout the various Saintdoms of the river of space and time, one that spanned over a hundred thousand years. Yet Wu Yuan, having cultivated for just over ten thousand years, defeated him fair and square in combat, naturally shocking all factions.

In just one day, detailed intelligence about Wu Yuan reached every Saintdom throughout the river of space and time. Soon, countless Sovereigns across various Saintdoms learned of him.

Moreover, as time passed, the news spread to other rivers of space and time, drawing attention and scrutiny from Saintdoms in those universes.

"Wu Yuan has only cultivated for ten thousand years?"

"His threat level far exceeds that of Mu Long, Ming Jian, and the others."

"We must keep a close eye on him. Such cultivation talent is terrifying, and he's extremely likely to become an Overlord in the future."

The Megaverse Crossroads was approaching. Thus, geniuses like Wu Yuan and Mu Long who had mastered Sovereign-level techniques would all be closely monitored. One never knew when they might break through and become a Supreme Genius, making them strong contenders for the final Saintcrests. Ŗ𝒶𐌽ồ𝖇Еs̈

It could be said that after this battle, Wu Yuan's name truly spread throughout the entire river of space and time, and even gained some fame across the megaverse.

…

While the various Saintdoms across many rivers of space and time paid close attention to intelligence about Wu Yuan, most had no intention of assassinating him preemptively.

Firstly, Wu Yuan's power was only recently established, and assassination attempts were costly. Secondly, Wu Yuan had the Eldritch Court's backing, and with such terrifying talent, he surely had their full support. If he were assassinated, the Eldritch Court's higher echelons would surely be enraged.

Most Saintdoms were unwilling to provoke the Eldritch Court.

But the Immortal Court was an exception - the more powerful Wu Yuan proved to be, the more they despised him to their very core.

Within the Immortal Court Voidrealm, in the Voltari Plane, several figures emanating mighty auras gathered in the central hall.

The most eye-catching one was the blurred figure in white robes standing at the highest point.

His aura was ineffable and mysterious, like an eternal painting, noticeably nobler than the other Sovereigns present.

"Immortal Emperor," Sovereign Voltari, Sovereign Sha Fan, and the other Sovereigns of the Voltari Temple bowed respectfully.

"I have reviewed all the intelligence and also discussed this matter with several other Immortal Emperors. Wu Yuan is indeed a major threat, his talent is terrifying," the white-robed figure looked down at the assembled Sovereigns. "He should indeed be eliminated preemptively."

"The Immortal Emperor is wise," Sovereign Voltari quickly agreed.

"However," the white-robed figure's tone shifted, "we had already given our full effort in the last assassination attempt, and our losses were great. Now there are only two ways to successfully assassinate him.

“First, we could mobilize Sovereigns from various realms to join forces, invade the Cang Feng Eldritch World, and kill Wu Yuan's true self. However, doing so would ignite a full-scale war, as the Eldritch Court would surely dispatch many Sovereigns to the Greenridge Macrocosm in support, and our Saintdom isn't ready for such conflict.

“Second, we could request an Immortal Reverend take action directly. With an Immortal Reverend's power, he would certainly perish." The white-robed figure said.

The assembled Sovereigns listened silently. They understood what the white-robed Immortal Emperor meant.

"But the supreme beings have long come to an agreement – though they wage unending wars among themselves, they rarely intervene in conflicts at the Sovereign phase or below," the white-robed figure continued slowly. "Breaking this precedent could trigger a true great war between immortals and eldritches, making everything unpredictable.

“Wu Yuan isn't worth the Immortal Reverends violating the agreement," the white-robed figure stated.

His unspoken meaning was clear – leave Wu Yuan be for now.

"Immortal Emperor." Sovereign Voltari couldn't help but speak up: "Wu Yuan is still weak now, but we can still eliminate him at some cost. If we delay further, it will be much more difficult once he becomes a Sovereign or even an Overlord."

"Become a Sovereign? An Overlord?" The white-robed figure shook his head. "Even if he becomes an Overlord, it won't affect the greater balance of power between immortals and eldritches, and our Immortal Court has its own plans.

The Immortal Court headquarters has made arrangements – when the Megaverse Crossroads open, there will be opportunities for our Supreme Geniuses to assassinate him," the white-robed figure said. "For now, we need not concern ourselves with him further."

"But..." Sovereign Voltari tried to continue.

"No more buts." The white-robed figure frowned slightly. "This isn't my decision, but the unanimous decision of all Immortal Emperors. Rather than worry about this Wu Yuan, you should consider why, in all these long years, your Voltari Temple has never produced an equivalent genius.

Our Saintdom has given your Voltari Temple more than enough support, but what results have you shown? The Cang Feng Eldritch World hasn't declined at all, but rather grows increasingly powerful."

Sovereign Voltari fell silent.

Without another word, the blurred white-robed figure dissipated, leaving the Voltari Temple’s Sovereigns looking at each other.

"Is the Immortal Emperor abandoning our Voltari Temple?" Sovereign Sha Fan asked through gritted teeth.

Sovereign Voltari shook his head gently. "The price of killing Wu Yuan is simply too high, far exceeding the value of our Voltari Temple.

“But if we don't eliminate him now, once Wu Yuan becomes an Overlord, will our Voltari Temple be the only one threatened?" Sovereign Voltari sighed.

He felt helpless as well. Their first assassination attempt had failed. If they hoped to assassinate him again? The chances of success were vanishingly small.

…

The storm stirred up by Wu Yuan's battle continued to rage, with countless eldritch world powerhouses seeking to meet him. But he remained low-key, hardly seeing anyone.

Meanwhile, he quietly warned his sister, Fang Xia and others to regulate the Summerpeak lineage and establish strict rules for the world, ensuring they wouldn't grow lawless and arrogant just because they had him as backing

Far away in the Spacetime Dao Realm, his qi refiner self remained unaffected by the commotion.

As time flowed by, Wu Yuan's body refiner self remained in secluded cultivation. Meanwhile, his qi refiner self wandered and explored the Spacetime Dao Realm, causing no further disturbances.

In the blink of an eye, several decades passed.

Deep within the Spacetime Dao Realm, an impossibly far distance from the Greenridge Macrocosm, lay the Spacetime Island.

Above the island, a teleportation array shimmered.

Whoosh!

A white-robed figure emerged. Space rippled as he vanished into the void, materializing inside a majestic temple.

"Young Master Ming Jian, you've returned?" Within the temple, Sovereign Lan Yan spotted Wu Yuan from afar.

"Yes, I received your message and came back," Wu Yuan smiled.

Though she addressed him as ‘Young Master’, Wu Yuan knew well that it was merely out of respect for the Spacetime Dao Master. He couldn’t truly force her to obey his commands. After all, how many Sovereigns would willingly become servants?

"Do you have any unfulfilled wishes in the Dao Realm?" Sovereign Lan Yan inquired, "Once you leave, it will be difficult to return."

"Wishes? None," Wu Yuan shook his head. His ten thousand years of cultivation in the Spacetime Dao Realm had been fulfilling enough.

"Then let us depart. Overlord Xin Ya and Sovereign Bei You have been waiting for some time," Sovereign Lan Yan said.

Sovereign Lan Yan waved her hand and an invisible force enveloped Wu Yuan, whisking him into a higher spatial dimension and leading him to the Dao Realm's entrance.

The Spacetime Island was already situated at the edge of the Dao Realm. Thus, the two of them arrived swiftly.

"We're here."

Space rippled slightly as they descended through the spatial dimensions, revealing the Material Spatial Layer, where an endless expanse of outer space stretched before them.

Not far away floated an enormous black battleship, before which stood two black-robed figures.

One figure had a square-shaped face that exuded steadiness, whom Wu Yuan immediately recognized as his grandmaster, Sovereign Bei You.

But his attention was drawn to the other figure. This individual was shrouded by a mysterious dark mist that swirled around him, making it difficult to discern his features.

The aura emanating from him was ethereal and boundless, as if he were an incarnation of heaven and earth's essence.

This... What a terrifying existence!

Wu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly. He had encountered more than one supreme being before, but had only felt that their might was beyond comprehension.

Perhaps supreme beings were too powerful for him to gauge, making it impossible to truly understand their strength. But facing this figure cloaked in black mist before him, Wu Yuan felt like he was gazing up at the heavens themselves.

An Overlord?

Wu Yuan marveled internally while maintaining his composure, allowing Sovereign Lan Yan to continue carrying him with her power.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

The two parties quickly drew near.

Sovereign Lan Yan came to a stop, and Wu Yuan felt the power enveloping him dissipate.

"Overlord Xin Ya," Sovereign Lan Yan bowed slightly, then added, "Bei You, this should be our first meeting."

"Sovereign Lan Yan," the mist-cloaked figure's voice seemed to resonate from everywhere at once.

"I've brought him," Sovereign Lan Yan said, "Though Ming Jian didn't receive the Dao Master’s inheritance, he is still one of the top-tier geniuses nurtured by our Spacetime Island. In fact, he has spent far more years cultivating on our Spacetime Island than with the Taiyuan Divine Court lineage.

“You must nurture him well after he returns," Sovereign Lan Yan added.

"Rest assured, Sovereign Lan Yan," Overlord Xin Ya's voice was gentle, "Before our trip here, I already made a report to the True Saint. The divine court headquarters will spare no effort in training Ming Jian."

Sovereign Lan Yan nodded.

"Overlord Xin Ya, Grandmaster Bei You," Wu Yuan, standing to the side, offered his respects accordingly.

Sovereign Bei You smiled while watching Wu Yuan.

"Ming Jian, let's go," Sovereign Bei You said gently, "The Overlord has personally come to receive you, showing how highly you're regarded. We'll head directly to the divine court headquarters."

Wu Yuan nodded. Having already learned of this from Master Kua Chi, it came as no surprise to him.

Whoosh!

Overlord Xin Ya, together with Sovereign Bei You, led Wu Yuan swiftly into the black battleship.

Hum~

The battleship flickered and vanished into the higher spatial dimensions, disappearing into the vast darkness.

He's gone. Who knows when I'll meet Ming Jian next.

Sovereign Lan Yan sighed inwardly.

I hope I haven't bet on the wrong horse.