Chapter 944: The Immortal Court's Pursuit (2)

"Yes, I've reviewed the intelligence in detail. I believe there's a ninety percent chance it's him," said the woman in fiery red robes, coiled atop the clouds.

"Not necessarily." The silver-armored Overlord shook his head slightly: "To have cultivated for such a brief time yet managed to seize a Saintcrest... With his talent, he should logically continue to cultivate in seclusion, fully comprehending a Greater Law before venturing out on expeditions.

“An Astral Monarch? Even with Supreme Astral Monarch strength, he'd still be too inexperienced to face the myriad dangers," the silver-armored Overlord said. "I don't think it's Wu Yuan."

Evidently, the three Overlords had different assessments of this matter, reaching varied conclusions.

"Hmm, your points are all valid. Regardless, this mysterious Astral Monarch indeed has a high likelihood of being Wu Yuan, so we can't let this opportunity slip. At the very least, we must verify his identity," the star-robed Overlord said slowly. "Are any of your mana bodies or ether bodies available?"

"No."

"My ether body isn't within the universe." The other two Overlords shook their heads in succession.

Barring major events, Overlords wouldn't dispatch their true selves lightly. It was often their mana bodies or ether bodies that engaged in battle.

"Then let's dispatch some Sovereigns," the star-robed Overlord said. "However, even if it is Wu Yuan, there's a 99% chance it's just his ether body entering the Creation Dao Realm. His true self is likely in the Eldritch Court's Long Shan Saintdom."

The silver-armored Overlord and the red-robed woman both nodded, as this seemed to be common sense. It was precisely because of this assumption that they lacked sufficient motivation. Even if it were Wu Yuan, they couldn't truly kill him.

"First, we verify if it's Wu Yuan, confirming if he's broken through to Astral Monarch. Second, once his identity is confirmed, we eliminate his ether body," the star-robed Overlord said. "Though we can't truly kill him, we must exert all efforts to delay his cultivation progress."

As the highest-ranking individual among them, he made the final decision.

"Inform the Sovereigns traversing the Creation Dao Realm."

"Yes, we should split them into teams to conduct searches."

"Indeed, we should organize additional teams consisting of Sovereigns and youngsters who encountered Wu Yuan at the Megaverse Crossroads, immediately dispatching them into the Creation Dao Realm. That would aid in identification," the silver-armored Overlord and red-robed woman added.

To accurately verify Wu Yuan's identity, Sovereigns alone were far from sufficient. No matter how strong their combat power, they could only kill or capture this mysterious Astral Monarch. To verify his identity, they needed someone who could recognize Wu Yuan at a glance.

Naturally, this task would fall to the prodigies from the Immortal Court's Longshan Saintdom who had encountered and fought Wu Yuan at the Megaverse Crossroads. They might not have broken through to sempiternal lifeforms yet, or even if they had, they might only be Astral Monarchs. But they would recognize Wu Yuan's soul aura and could identify him. That was enough.

...

It wasn't that the Immortal Court's Overlords were unwilling to dispatch more Sovereign powerhouses, but rather that they lacked sufficient motivation.

Firstly, they hadn't confirmed this was indeed Wu Yuan.

Secondly, it was likely just an ether body.

Thirdly, the Sovereign powerhouses each had their own pursuits. Even Overlords couldn't easily issue them commands without major cause.

The relationship between Overlords and Sovereigns wasn't purely that of superiors and subordinates. Should they mobilize over a thousand Sovereigns simply to capture a suspected ether body of Wu Yuan? If they succeeded in capturing him, all would be well. If they failed to capture him, it would be a loss of face for the entire Immortal Court.

Moreover, no matter how heaven-defying Wu Yuan's talent or how immense the threat he posed was, it was limited to the Ling Jiang Universe and didn’t affect the Immortal Court's Long Shan Saintdom.

For these various reasons combined, in the eyes of the three Immortal Court Overlords, mobilizing over a hundred Sovereign combatants at once was already giving this mysterious Astral Monarch considerable regard.

Of course, if Wu Yuan revealed that his true self was here, or the fact that he carried a Xiantian artifact was exposed, the situation would be entirely different. The entire Immortal Court's Long Shan Saintdom would undoubtedly exert its full effort.

They might even notify other available Overlords to enter the Creation Dao Realm and hunt down Wu Yuan.

...

The Immortal Court's Long Shan Saintdom comprised tens of thousands of Sovereigns, but not many were traversing the Creation Dao Realm, only about a hundred or so. Many hadn't reported their whereabouts to the Saintdom.

Today, those Sovereigns in the Creation Dao Realm who had reported their locations received a message.

"Suspected to be Wu Yuan’s ether body?"

"Carrying at least six high-grade Dao Instrument sabers? Is this for real?"

"Absolutely true. Our Immortal Court Sovereigns have already engaged him in battle."

"Hunt him down. He should still be at Heavenly Wolf Mountain." These hundred-odd Sovereigns immediately began communicating through the Immortal Court Voidrealm.

"Chong You, are you going to search for him?"

"Of course! How could I not?"

"According to the intelligence, he should only have third-stage Sovereign-level combat power, yet he carries so many high-grade Dao Instruments."

"If we kill him, all those Dao Instruments will be ours. If we can verify he's Wu Yuan, we get additional immortal merits too."

Many Immortal Court Sovereigns were instantly tempted. They came to the Creation Dao Realm seeking treasures. Under normal circumstances, they might spend more than a hundred million years without obtaining even one high-grade Dao Instrument. Now, they had the chance to seize multiple high-grade Dao Instruments from an Astral Monarch. Who wouldn't be enticed?

"He's quite formidable, and skilled in movement techniques. It'll be difficult to hunt him down."

"If he really is Wu Yuan, would the Eldritch Court be foolish enough to let him roam so brazenly?"

"There might be some plot afoot."

"The Dao Realm is vast beyond measure. Who knows where he's fled by now? Are you sure you want to pursue him?" Many Immortal Court Sovereigns felt the chances were slim and the risk of encountering danger was high, so they couldn't be bothered to get involved.

...

On another front.

"Let's go!"

"We three Sovereigns will bring you along. You just need to confirm whether it's Wu Yuan or not from afar," rumbled the burly Sovereign.

"Understood." This High Deity responded respectfully.

He had fought Wu Yuan at the Megaverse Crossroads, where Wu Yuan had killed his ether body with two saber strikes. His impression of Wu Yuan was strong.

Soon, a full nine teams swiftly set out for the Creation Dao Realm from different macrocosms of the Long Shan Universe. These newly formed teams, departing from the outermost regions of the Dao Realm, would take decades just to reach Heavenly Wolf Mountain.

...

The Immortal Court's Long Shan Saintdom's covert mobilization and arrangements were a tightly-guarded secret, completely unknown to other factions.

Wu Yuan was equally unaware.

After one more day, he finally arrived at a spatial passage. Following this passage, he traversed more than a hundred million light years in just a single day, entering a deeper region of the Creation Dao Realm. He continued pressing onward towards the Well of Life.

Time flowed on—one year, ten years, a hundred years...

The Creation Dao Realm was boundlessly vast. As a place left behind by the Dao Master, it contained countless treasures. Coupled with the effects of spatial suppression, it had become a paradise for powerhouses.

As Wu Yuan pressed deeper, he would encounter Astral Monarchs and even Sovereigns from time to time.

In most cases, the powerhouses he encountered would withdraw. But occasionally, if one side felt the other was an easy target, or if they were competing for treasures, battles would erupt. Thus, the number of fights Wu Yuan engaged in steadily increased.

Astral Monarchs? Any who dared to attack were slain without exception!

Sovereigns? Wu Yuan didn’t fear them either. Usually, he would engage in fierce combat before retreating with ease, relying on his movement skills.

Gradually, several hundred years after Wu Yuan entered the Creation Dao Realm, many Saintdoms of the Long Shan Universe began to learn of a new Supreme Astral Monarch who was traversing the Creation Dao Realm.

He comprehended the Great Dao of Creation and his strength was roughly at the third-stage Sovereign level, but he possessed numerous treasures and excelled in movement techniques, making him quite troublesome to deal with.

...

In the blink of an eye, about eight hundred years had passed since Wu Yuan entered the Creation Dao Realm.

Deep within the Core Region of the Dao Realm.

Eight hundred years have passed, and the natural environment here has grown increasingly harsh.

Wu Yuan mused.

Beneath his feet flowed a vast ethereal river. It stretched boundlessly, spanning hundreds of light-years. Occasionally, waves would surge up, carrying terrifying power that forced Wu Yuan to evade.

In the void above the river, flames would sporadically ignite, warping space wherever they touched.

This Aquaflame Chasm truly is dangerous, and barren too.

Wu Yuan muttered to himself.

I've been traversing it for decades and haven't gained a single thing.

Within the Dao Realm, the probability of finding treasures was typically higher in dangerous areas. But this Aquaflame Chasm was an exception.

However, he couldn’t truly complain. After all, the Aquaflame Chasm was a shortcut. After crossing it, he could swiftly reach another convergence point of spatial passages.

Once I cross the Aquaflame Chasm, I'll truly be close to the Well of Life. After one more spatial passage transit, I'll be able to reach it in just decades.

Wu Yuan mused inwardly.

This journey had indeed been arduous.

But I’ve reaped quite a substantial harvest.

Wu Yuan couldn't help but reveal a faint smile.

In a mere eight hundred years, Wu Yuan had acquired two high-grade Dao Instruments, along with varying numbers of low-grade and mid-grade Dao Instruments, as well as many rare treasures, a testament to his strong providence.

Treasures were just one aspect. The other aspect of his gains was battle insights.

Whether in the early years in the Greenridge Macrocosm, or later in the Spacetime Dao Realm and Megaverse Crossroads, Wu Yuan had to consider many factors.

But the Creation Dao Realm was different. It was a truly mysterious and perilous exploration site of the universe, where even super powerhouses came to venture at the risk of death.

There were no rules. There were no restrictions. Only life or death!

Sparring with numerous Astral Monarchs, forcing them to fight for their lives, often stirred something within Wu Yuan.

Of course, battling against Sovereigns was still the key to his growth. They unleashed a variety of combat techniques, along with powerful and novel combat secret arts, all of which left Wu Yuan in awe.

These Sovereigns, who had cultivated for trillions of years, differed from the Supreme Geniuses of the Megaverse Crossroads primarily in one aspect: age. They had cultivated over endless ages.

Finding it difficult to break through, such Sovereigns often created combat secret arts perfectly tailored to themselves, thereby maximizing the profound power of Laws.

All of this stimulated Wu Yuan, allowing him to progress at an astonishing rate. Although he had not yet broken through in the Great Dao of Creation, he had unknowingly advanced to the eighth-level Dao Field stage of the Law of Life.

His comprehension rate of the Primordial Doctrine, while not as fast as during the Heavenly Domain stage, far surpassed his centuries of secluded cultivation in the Myriad River Realm.

Sending my true self into battle forces me to give my all in every fight. Life-or-death struggles are indeed the driving force behind life's evolution.

Wu Yuan mused inwardly.

It's just a pity. I'm still far from fully comprehending the two thousand Primal Force Diagrams.

Wu Yuan thought to himself.

Once I do, I'll be able to reconstruct my physical body to the level of a peak-stage Astral Monarch.

Currently, Wu Yuan's pure physical strength could only match the combat power of an eighth-stage Astral Monarch. Once his physical constitution evolved further, his physical strength alone would rival that of a quasi-Sovereign. And when combined with ether and Laws? In terms of fundamental strength, Wu Yuan would truly be on par with a Sovereign.

A month later.

Wu Yuan cautiously made his way along the river, constantly on guard and avoiding the flames that occasionally appeared overhead.

Hmm?

Wu Yuan abruptly halted, his gaze instantly sharpening as he stared intently at a spot in the river.

Beneath the river’s surface, two enormous astral beasts lay motionless, their bodies submerged. Their scaly hides looked incredibly tough, with claws protruding from their midsections and wings sprouting from their backs, resembling flying dragons.

The two astral beasts, emanating violent and mighty auras, raised their massive heads. Their draconic eyes locked onto Wu Yuan like miniature stars.

Their gazes were piercing!

Aquaflame astral beasts? Given their enormous size, they must be mid-stage Sovereigns at least, possibly even late-stage Sovereigns.

And there are two of them? Run!

Wu Yuan's form instantly retreated hundreds of millions of li, his wings beating furiously as he fled desperately along the river.