Chapter 939: Battle at Heavenly Wolf Mountain (2)

"It's a body refiner."

"An Astral Monarch!" The ten Astral Monarchs from both groups simultaneously detected Wu Yuan plummeting towards them.

"What incredible speed."

"A hundred times the speed of light."

"His vital aura seems extremely powerful too." In a flash, these Astral Monarchs instantly analyzed many details.

They immediately deduced that the newcomer was either a late-stage Astral Monarch or someone who excelled in speed. But they leaned more towards the former.

"Friend, I am Qu Ye of the Mystic Lotus Divine Court. We discovered this treasure first, please withdraw immediately," Astral Monarch Qu Ye promptly transmitted.

"I am Shi Zhu of the Demon Moon Temple. Fellow Daoist, please withdraw," Astral Monarch Shi Zhu likewise transmitted.

Though they had been battling fiercely moments ago, they instantly reached a tacit agreement to drive Wu Yuan away first. They couldn't allow a third party to interfere.

Demon Moon Temple? Mystic Lotus Divine Court?

Wu Yuan remained unbothered.

These were both highly renowned Saintdoms within the Long Shan Universe. The Demon Moon Temple, in particular, was subtly considered the number one faction in the Long Shan Universe. Many of their supreme geniuses had participated in the Megaverse Crossroads.

But Wu Yuan didn't fear them at all. Comparing backgrounds? He came from the Eldritch Court.

Boom!

At a hundred times light speed, Wu Yuan's velocity was astonishing as he charged straight for the divine sword.

Rumble~

The residual shockwaves from some domain arcane arts cast by the Astral Monarchs on both sides crashed against Wu Yuan's towering ten-thousand-zhang body, yet failed to affect him in the slightest.

"Kill him."

"He refuses to drink to our toast, so he'll have to drink to our punishment."

"Shi Zhu, let's join forces!" Astral Monarch Qu Ye's face darkened as he roared.

Astral Monarch Shi Zhu said nothing, but the sword array under his control had already changed directions.

Boom!

Immediately, nine qi refiner Astral Monarchs – two with late-stage Astral Monarch power and seven with mid-stage Astral Monarch power – simultaneously attacked Wu Yuan.

Dozens of artifacts blanketed the sky as they bombarded him, their might earth-shattering.

Whoosh!

Astral Monarch Qu Ye likewise brandished his spear, meeting Wu Yuan head-on.

"A mere late-stage Astral Monarch dares to be so arrogant?"

"He can't withstand this." The ten Astral Monarchs from both groups were quite confident.

Each of them possessed formidable strength. United in an all-out assault, even a ninth-stage Astral Monarch would be forced to retreat.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of artifacts moving at several hundred times the speed of light – flying swords, throwing knives, long shuttles, chains and more, along with various arcane arts – bombarded Wu Yuan from all directions.

"Get lost!" Wu Yuan's eyes turned cold as he swung his nine sabers simultaneously. He didn't need to use his physical strength yet. It wasn't necessary.

Third step of the Will of Life and Death – Summer's Brilliance! Facing this group of Astral Monarchs, Wu Yuan did not need to unleash his full power.

Whoosh!

Ferocious and violent blade rays erupted, shattering the arcane arts like dry twigs. As for the mass of seemingly powerful artifacts? They were simply sent flying with a single strike.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan's speed remained entirely unaffected as he continued forward at a hundred times light speed.

"What?"

"How can he be so strong?" The expressions of all ten Astral Monarchs changed simultaneously.

"He repelled the combined full-force attack of us nine qi refiner Astral Monarchs?" It meant they weren't even on the same level.

"A quasi-Sovereign."

"We've actually encountered a quasi-Sovereign powerhouse?"

"We're in big trouble." This group of Astral Monarchs all realized the gravity of the situation.

Their judgment wasn't wrong. Astral Monarchs like Shi Zhu and Gui Yi had mastered Sovereign-level techniques, allowing them to unleash quasi-Sovereign combat power.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuan possessed Apotheosis-level Astral Monarch ether. Combined with his peak Astral Monarch-level sword technique, it equated to quasi-Sovereign combat power. This was the advantage of having a powerful immortal root.

"Shi Zhu, put away the treasure. Afterwards, you'll need to give me twenty mid-grade Dao Instruments," Astral Monarch Qu Ye instantly transmitted. "I'll hold him off. You escape immediately."

"Agreed." Astral Monarch Shi Zhu consented.

"Attack."

"Kill." The other eight Astral Monarchs had also received their orders.

They reached a consensus in an instant. Facing a quasi-Sovereign powerhouse, continuing to resist was meaningless. Their only hope was to seize the treasure, then have one of their strongest members flee with it.

"Kill."

"Hold him back." The other Astral Monarchs continued their attacks, trying to block Wu Yuan, especially Astral Monarch Qu Ye.

"Kill!" Astral Monarch Qu Ye roared, his spears filling the sky with spear silhouettes in an attempt to obstruct Wu Yuan. More artifacts and arcane arts bombarded Wu Yuan once again.

Without interference from other Astral Monarchs, Astral Monarch Shi Zhu instantly kept the divine sword, then took off into the distance.

His speed was astonishing, rocketing to nearly a hundred times the speed of light in the blink of an eye. Clearly, he was extremely proficient in the Law of Space, likely an Astral Monarch of Space.

Fleeing? Willing to gamble with your life?

Wu Yuan instantly grasped their intentions.

The deaths of their mana and ether bodies wasn't a small price to pay. But a high-grade Dao Instrument was worth risking their lives for. Even Astral Monarch Wan Lei and his companions had once dared to challenge a Sovereign for the sake of a high-grade Dao Instrument.

Moreover, Wu Yuan had only revealed quasi-Sovereign strength.

"Do you wish to die? Then I shall grant your wish." A glimmer of killing intent flashed in Wu Yuan's eyes.

He was generally reluctant to kill, having avoided bloodshed in his previous encounters. This time was no different; he had initially intended to reveal only a portion of his strength to drive these Astral Monarchs away. But they seemed determined to court death.

Boom!

Wu Yuan's flight speed suddenly leaped from a hundred times the speed of light to one hundred and thirty times. He charged straight towards them.

In the next moment, Wu Yuan swung his saber again. It was the same saber as before, and his vital ether remained Apotheosis-level Astral Monarch ether. But this time, he employed the fourth step of the saber technique. It was just the shallowest level of its profundities.

Whoosh!

The blade rays erupted with terrifying ferocity, instantly annihilating the attacks of the Astral Monarchs in rapid succession.

A single blade ray pierced through Astral Monarch Qu Ye's spear strike, then sliced across his body. With power nearing that of the Sovereign level, the attack caused Astral Monarch Qu Ye's body to explode into oblivion.

He was dead.

Blade rays flashed, each one cutting across hundreds of millions of li, sweeping across Astral Monarch after Astral Monarch.

"No!"

"This... he's even stronger?"

"Was he concealing his true strength just now?" The eight qi refiner Astral Monarchs tried to flee in terror, but were struck down by the blade rays, disintegrating into ash.

The gap was simply too vast. With Wu Yuan's base ether, wielding a Sovereign-level saber technique brought him to the threshold of Sovereign power. It would likely only take him two or three strikes to slay powerhouses like Astral Monarch Gui Yi or Astral Monarch Xuan Yun. How could this group of Astral Monarchs possibly withstand his strikes?

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan waved his hand, collecting the treasures left behind by the nine Astral Monarchs. He gazed into the distance where Astral Monarch Shi Zhu was frantically fleeing for his life.

You are the last one.

Swish!

Wu Yuan took a step forward, his speed not slowing in the slightest as he swiftly closed in on Astral Monarch Shi Zhu.

How can he be so powerful? An Astral Monarch possessing such strength? How did he achieve this?

Astral Monarch Shi Zhu's mind reeled in shock.

Killing Astral Monarch Qu Ye in one strike? Surely only a Sovereign could accomplish such a feat.

The vitality of body refiner Astral Monarchs was incredibly strong - even a quasi-Sovereign couldn't achieve a one-hit kill. Only upon reaching the Sovereign level was it possible.

Does he possess extremely deep Dao comprehension? Or perhaps the legendary Apotheosis root? Or does he wield a high-grade Dao Instrument?

Astral Monarch Shi Zhu's thoughts were in chaos.

Normally, a first-degree immortal root combined with mastery of Sovereign-level techniques represented the pinnacle of Astral Monarch strength - quasi-Sovereign combat power.

An Apotheosis root? Exceedingly rare! As for extremely deep Dao comprehension, that was even rarer. After all, if one fully comprehended a Greater Law, they would logically make a swift advancement to the Sovereign phase, without lingering long at the Astral Monarch phase.

Whichever the case, all scenarios were exceptionally uncommon. At the very least, in Astral Monarch Shi Zhu's many years of life, he had never encountered an Astral Monarch of such overwhelming might.

"Senior! Our Demon Moon Temple's Sovereign Niu Can is in the spatial passage just ahead," Astral Monarch Shi Zhu transmitted urgently. "If you spare me, I can forget the matter of you slaying our Demon Moon Temple's powerhouses.

“Otherwise, I'll transmit a message to Sovereign Niu Can through the voidrealm. You won't be able to escape then." He attempted to threaten Wu Yuan.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Astral Monarch Shi Zhu clung to a sliver of hope that Wu Yuan might withdraw. Otherwise, even if a Sovereign from the Demon Moon Temple truly arrived to rescue him, he wouldn't be able to keep his high-grade Dao Instrument.

Compared to securing a high-grade Dao Instrument, Astral Monarch Shi Zhu cared little for the fate of this mana body.

"Sovereign Niu Can? He just happens to be in this area?" Wu Yuan's voice was icy: "Do you think I'd believe that?"

Boom!

The speed Wu Yuan revealed surpassed Astral Monarch Shi Zhu's by a significant margin. One pursued while the other fled, darting between the vast, endless mountain ranges. The distance between them steadily shrank.

Damn it. I have no choice but to risk it all.

Astral Monarch Shi Zhu's white hair billowed as a glint of madness flashed in his eyes.

Whoosh!

He suddenly leapt up, leaving the mountain's surface and plunging into the dark emptiness of outer space.

Trying to force me to retreat?

Wu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.

If he unleashed his full power, he could catch up in an instant. However, the strength he'd revealed so far was frightening enough - displaying even more would only draw more attention. Yet, Wu Yuan was certainly unwilling to let a Spacetime-type high-grade Dao Instrument flying sword slip away.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan pursued without hesitation, and both rapidly left the mountain's surface behind.

They swiftly arrived in outer space, billions of li above the mountain's surface.

Hiss~ Rumble~

Bolts of lightning crackled through the void as flames spontaneously ignited. The power was terrifying.

“Daoist, why must you pursue me so relentlessly?" Astral Monarch Shi Zhu shouted, his heart pounding with extreme panic.

It was far too dangerous. In some inexplicable way, he sensed that any random bolt of lightning or flicker of flame could annihilate him. It was like a mortal walking a tightrope between cliffs.

"Hand over the Dao Instrument, and I'll spare your life," Wu Yuan transmitted coldly.

"Impossible," Astral Monarch Shi Zhu growled. He continued his desperate flight, carving a dazzling trail of light through the void.