Chapter 937: Creation Dao Realm (3)

The Long Shan Universe was broadly similar to the Ling Jiang Universe. However, there were subtle differences in the profundities of various Greater Laws, Intermediate Laws, and so on. Powerhouses from foreign universes would be impacted by the differences in the profundities of Laws.

Fortunately, as a powerhouse who contemplated a Great Dao, Wu Yuan was not affected much after entering the Long Shan Universe via battleship.

Inside the battleship, Sovereign Xue Fu smiled. "You can feel it, right? Every universe suppresses foreign powerhouses, and the stronger one is, the stronger the suppression becomes.

“For instance, I have the combat power of a ninth-stage Sovereign in the Ling Jiang Universe, but in the Long Shan Universe, I can only exert the combat power of a seventh-stage Sovereign," Sovereign Xue Fu explained.

"Right now, we are in the cosmic void. If we enter a macrocosm of the Long Shan Universe, under the dual suppressive effects of the universe's essence and the macrocosm's essence, the reduction in strength would be even greater. I might only have the combat power of a third-stage Sovereign then," Sovereign Xue Fu sighed.

"Therefore, most Sovereigns are actually unwilling to enter foreign universes, or even other macrocosms outside their home universe."

"Mmm," Wu Yuan nodded lightly.

In reality, Wu Yuan was also affected to some extent. However, as he was merely an Astral Monarch, and his contemplation of the Great Dao and path of matter were unaffected, the impact was negligible.

As the battleship continued to roam through the higher spatial dimension, the external scenery remained unchanged. Wu Yuan could only vaguely observe some scenes in the Material Spatial Layer.

A short time passed.

"Wu Yuan, we've arrived at the Creation Dao Realm," Sovereign Xue Fu said as the silver battleship trembled slightly and came to a stop.

The spatial dimensions shifted rapidly, and soon, a vast and boundless expanse of outer space appeared in Wu Yuan's field of vision. He stood at the forefront of the battleship's control room, overlooking the scene directly ahead.

The Creation Astral River?

Wu Yuan gazed into the distant void, where an ultra-large, river-like star belt flowed through space.

In reality, it was a gathering of countless stars. A sprawling fog enveloped the myriad of stars.

"This is the Creation Astral River," Sovereign Xue Fu had somehow appeared beside Wu Yuan, also gazing into the distance with a hint of fascination in his eyes. "It's truly beautiful."

"And very dangerous," Wu Yuan said softly.

"Indeed, very dangerous," Sovereign Xue Fu nodded and said, "The Creation Dao Master was a supreme being of inconceivable power... but he perished.

“How such a supreme being perished is beyond our imagination, and what he left behind is this Creation Dao Realm," Sovereign Xue Fu said, gesturing at the expanse outside.

"With each samsara cycle of heaven and earth, the entire Long Shan Universe is destroyed and reborn again and again, yet only the Creation Dao Realm remains seemingly indestructible, completely unscathed," Sovereign Xue Fu sighed.

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

The Creation Dao Realm was also known as an immutable relic site, implying a relic site that would not degenerate, or be destroyed with the samsara cycle of heaven and earth.

The entire Creation Dao Realm had a diameter of about ten billion light-years, comparable to the range of a macrocosm. Due to its vastness, it could be easily entered from any point. Therefore, no single Saintdom faction in the entire Long Shan Universe could monopolize it.

At the same time, the internal stability of the Creation Dao Realm far surpassed that of a macrocosm, and with layer upon layer of spacetime suppression, it was much more difficult to break into higher spatial dimensions compared to normal spacetime.

"Wu Yuan, you might be an Astral Monarch, but this place is indeed worth exploring," Sovereign Xue Fu looked at Wu Yuan. "However, you must be extremely cautious. There are not only super powerhouses from other factions, but also astral beasts."

The Dao Realm had an essence. It operated according to rules, and was fraught with dangers. Thus, weaker beings like Archimmortals and Archdeities were extremely likely to perish within.

But the higher one was in the order of life, the more ferocious the attacks one faced from astral beasts, with Overlords facing the most terrifying attacks. Therefore, over the long years, the powerhouses venturing into the Creation Dao Realm had stabilized, mainly consisting of Astral Monarchs and a few Sovereigns.

Overlords? They were rarely seen!

"Go on then. Come back alive," Sovereign Xue Fu smiled. "When you wish to return, you needn't go through an Overlord again. You can directly contact me through the Eldritch Court Voidrealm."

The hatch opened with a rumble.

"Alright, thank you, Xue Fu," Wu Yuan clasped his hands and smiled. They had become friends over the month-long journey.

Whoosh!

As Wu Yuan flew out of the battleship, his form shifted slightly before swiftly entering a higher spatial dimension—the Vacuum Spatial Layer.

Though Wu Yuan's body refiner self couldn't employ the profundities of the Great Dao of Spacetime, he could employ the Law of Space. With comprehension of the ninth-level Dao Field stage of Space, Wu Yuan's body refiner self could travel through higher spatial dimensions just as well as an Astral Monarch of Space, rivaling ordinary Sovereigns.

As he advanced, Wu Yuan's soul perception remained on high alert. One could never be too careful one's true self was on an expedition.

…

Gazing at the distant Creation Astral River, it seemed near, but as the saying goes, looks could be deceiving. [1]

Even traversing the Vacuum Spatial Layer, it took Wu Yuan nearly half a day to truly reach the boundary of the Creation Dao Realm.

Just as the intelligence reports said, the spatial suppression here is truly terrifying.

Wu Yuan marveled inwardly.

Even my soul perception has been greatly stifled.

The suppression was astonishing. Wu Yuan had no choice but to descend into the Turbulent Spatial Layer. However, each star in the astral river held immense power that permeated into the higher spatial dimensions, affecting the Turbulent Spatial Layer. Because of this, Wu Yuan dared not charge recklessly forward, fearing he might encounter some hidden danger.

I’ll take it slow.

Wu Yuan decided.

The Dao Realm is fraught with peril. I'll first enter the inner region, then gradually approach the core region based on the intelligence I've gathered.

The Well of Life lay in the core region. There was no need to rush. The more haste, the quicker one would meet their demise.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Wu Yuan advanced slowly through the Dao Realm's astral river, which was shrouded in endless mist.

Hmm?

Suddenly, Wu Yuan's eyes flickered. He sensed tremendous bursts of energy erupting from the nearby void merely tens of thousands of li away. That was, tens of thousands of li in the Turbulent Spatial Layer.

Boom! Boom!

From the chaotic spatial fluctuations, two creatures with powerful vital auras suddenly appeared.

Each had eight limbs, with razor-sharp claws, and a pair of dark red eyes brimming with bloodlust. They immediately charged along the spatial threads toward Wu Yuan.

Astral beasts?

Wu Yuan's pupils constricted.

They sensed me and decided to launch an ambush?

There were three primary dangers in the Dao Realm.

First were other powerhouses, whom one had to compete with for treasures and opportunities.

Second were the inherently dangerous areas within the realm, which one should avoid entering.

Third were the astral beasts, creatures nurtured by the Creation Astral River that surrounded the Dao Realm. The Creation Astral River enveloped the realm's exterior like a spherical membrane.

As the rules operated, the Creation Astral River spawned astral beasts endlessly for countless eons.

The weakest astral beasts possessed the strength of Archimmortals or Archdeities. The slightly stronger ones had the power of Astral Monarchs, while the formidable ones even matched Sovereigns in might.

The astral beasts could at most reach the level of Sovereigns, but legend spoke of some that had broken free from the shackles of life, ultimately reaching the Overlord level. Of course, those were merely legends.

Two astral beasts, possessing the strength of Astral Monarchs.

Wu Yuan's eyes flickered.

He stretched out both hands, his palms expanding like two vast universes. They extended outward like a massive cloud over the two astral beasts.

This was an application of the path of matter - his physical body becoming a boundless world.

"Roar~" "Roar~” The two astral beasts howled in rage. Each had a pair of wings growing from its back, their limbs slashing through space with terrifying might.

Rumble~

The collision, which appeared evenly matched at first glance, was in fact completely one-sided. Wu Yuan instantly seized the two astral beasts in his enormous hands.

Their massive bodies, nearly a hundred li long, were effortlessly restrained in Wu Yuan's grip, struggling futilely. They were simply not in the same league.

"A Sovereign?"

"Sovereign-level combat power! Roar!" The two astral beasts instantly realized they had kicked an iron plate.

Judging by Wu Yuan's vital aura alone, he had appeared to be an Astral Monarch, which was why they had dared to attack him. But they hadn't expected Wu Yuan to be one of those monstrous prodigies capable of rivaling Sovereigns.

The intelligence of astral beasts wasn't particularly high, but with such formidable strength, basic communication wasn't an issue.

“Tell me all the intelligence you possess, including information on dangerous areas throughout the realm, as well as news about other powerhouses. If you do so, I may let you go," Wu Yuan transmitted.

Although the Eldritch Court also had a wealth of intelligence, it was severely outdated. How could it compare to the internal intelligence network of the astral beasts?

"Hmph! Stupid outsider, don't you know that we astral beasts do not fear death?"

"The great Dao Master has granted us eternal life. Even if we die, we will be summoned back to the Dao Realm."

"You'd better release us. Otherwise, once we die, our astral beast race won't let you off." The two astral beasts struggled and roared angrily at Wu Yuan.

They clearly did not fear death. Even after being captured, they still continued to rave madly.

"Not afraid of death, and you dare threaten me?" Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.

Indeed, these naturally spawned creatures are just like the lifeforms I've created - seemingly powerful, but riddled with flaws... Having never truly risen from weakness to strength step by step, their spirits are far too fragile.

These astral beasts, in Wu Yuan's eyes, seemed less like living beings and more like weapons.

"Well, if you refuse to cooperate, then die." A cold glint flashed in Wu Yuan's eyes as he clenched his palms.

His physical strength and vital ether ignited waves of Dao fluctuations. This was a move with Sovereign-level combat power.

The two astral beasts, with strength rivaling Astral Monarchs, showed a fleeting glimmer of terror before being utterly obliterated.

Let's go.

Wu Yuan collected the few treasures dropped by the two astral beasts.

Then, he continued along the Vacuum Spatial Layer, heading deeper into the realm.

…

The deeper I go, the more severe the suppression.

Wu Yuan grew increasingly alarmed.

Now, even traversing the Turbulent Spatial Layer has become arduous.

The spatial suppression had intensified.

If one traveled along the Vacuum Spatial Layer uninterrupted, it would take only a few days to cross the entire Dao Realm.

But in reality, after traveling hundreds of millions of light-years into the realm, now far from the Creation Astral River, Wu Yuan finally couldn't withstand the spatial pressure and was forced down into the Material Spatial Layer. He could no longer remain in the higher spatial dimension.

This is truly the inner region.

Wu Yuan understood.

From here on, whether Astral Monarchs or Sovereigns, all can only navigate through the Material Spatial Layer under the invisible rules of the realm.

The only difference was that beings like Astral Monarchs could only reach tens of times the speed of light in combat. Meanwhile, Sovereigns could absolutely reach hundreds of times light speed. A casual strike could affect hundreds of millions of li.

The realm is vast. At a hundred times light speed, how long would it take to traverse billions of light-years?

Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.

It would take far too long.

He had to find spatial passages within the realm that could shorten the distance between locations.

As he journeyed onward, Wu Yuan remained extremely cautious, firstly because the Dao Realm was indeed full of dangers and unknowns. Secondly, his true self was here.

In the blink of an eye, several decades passed.

During this time, Wu Yuan traversed many dangerous areas of the Dao Realm, such as the Phantom Valley and the Chaotic Wind Ravine. During this time, he had engaged in battles with several powerhouses and numerous astral beasts.

Heavenly Wolf Mountain. Once I pass through this place, I won't be far from the core region.

Wu Yuan gazed down at the towering mountain in the distant expanse of outer space.

The mountain, resembling a heavenly wolf, stood majestic and boundless, rising over ten thousand light-years in height.

On either side of the mountain stretched boundless dark voids, exuding an overwhelming sense of danger.

1. 望山跑死马, can be literally translated to: the mountain looks close but the horses die of exhaustion trying to reach it. ☜