Chapter 977: I Shall Rival The Heavenly Imperator (3)

As the years passed, the number of Sovereign powerhouses dispatched by both the Immortal Court's Long Shan Saintdom and the Eldritch Court's Long Shan Saintdom surpassed twenty thousand.

As centuries went by and masses of Sovereigns penetrated deep into the Dao Realm, fierce battles finally erupted.

There were clashes between individual Sovereigns, dozens of Sovereigns engaging in fierce combat, even scenes of hundreds of Sovereigns in chaotic melees... War had broken out. Powerful Sovereigns fell one after another. The carnage was unimaginable.

Overall, the Immortal Court side held a slight advantage due to their numerical superiority, but the edge wasn't substantial. Yet despite centuries of searching the Dao Realm, the Immortal Court Sovereigns couldn't locate any trace of Wu Yuan.

"No sign of Wu Yuan."

"The Well of Life isn't that large. Hundreds of Sovereigns have already entered, but found nothing."

With Sovereigns of Space leading the search parties, a few centuries were more than enough time to reach the Well of Life. Not to mention that more than one Overlord from the Immortal Court had entered the Creation Dao Realm in secret. Yet, it was all to no avail.

"There's a small chance Wu Yuan's true self is still hiding in the Creation Dao Realm."

"Super powerhouses like Overlord Huan Jin from the Eldritch Court might have already escorted Wu Yuan back to their Saintdom headquarters."

"He must have fled back there."

"That cowardly Wu Yuan!"

"Damn it."

"My Xiantian artifacts!" The tens of thousands of Sovereigns from the Immortal Court's Long Shan Saintdom discussed among themselves, all convinced that Wu Yuan's true self had retreated to the Saintdom's headquarters.

Wu Yuan's disappearance did not impede the ongoing war between the two great Saintdoms. Having escalated to this point, whoever ordered a retreat first would be admitting defeat.

Neither Saintdom was willing to concede, naturally resulting in brutal slaughter that permeated every corner of the Creation Dao Realm.

But soon after, a message was relayed from the highest echelons of the Immortal Court's Long Shan Saintdom: "Wu Yuan remains in the Creation Dao Realm, or at least his ether body is still there. Find him and kill him."

This intel came from Overlord Mo Xuan, an Overlord of Destiny.

Instantly, a wave of excitement swept through countless Sovereigns of the Immortal Court's Long Shan Saintdom. The divination of an Overlord of Destiny should be infallible in theory, rekindling these Sovereigns' hopes of claiming the Xiantian artifacts.

Yet as years passed, no one could find any trace of Wu Yuan.

...

In the Immortal Court Voidrealm, within a majestic temple on the Long Shan plane.

"Mo Xuan, are you certain your divination results are accurate?" a figure shrouded in darkness inquired in a deep voice.

The other Overlords turned to look as well.

"Naturally, there's no mistake." A young man in white robes sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, the splitting image of an immortal sage. His voice was ethereal as he continued, "Moreover, after spending centuries, I have divined that he likely hasn't left the Well of Life yet."

"What?"

"He still hasn't left the Well of Life?"

"How is that possible?!" Several Overlords furrowed their brows. They had long since dispatched numerous Sovereigns to comb through the Well of Life.

Apart from engaging in multiple battles with Eldritch Court Sovereigns, they hadn't found a single clue.

"Perhaps... He’s in the Abyss Region within the Well of Life? We haven't searched the Abyss Region," one Overlord suggested.

"The Abyss Region?"

"Would an Astral Monarch’s true self dare venture into the Abyss Region?"

"Surely not." Three Overlords immediately voiced their objections.

It wasn't that they refused to believe it, but rather that it seemed too inconceivable. Even Overlords were reluctant to enter the Abyss Region recklessly, let alone an Astral Monarch.

"If he truly possesses three Xiantian artifacts, venturing into the Abyss Region might be possible," the figure in golden armor seated on the highest throne slowly said. "Don't forget, that place is the Well of Life, the most mysterious location in the Creation Dao Realm, and Wu Yuan is a monstrous prodigy who comprehends the Great Dao of Creation.

“It's possible that Wu Yuan obtained some clue to a great opportunity, compelling him to delve deep into the Abyss Region."

These words caused the previously dismissive Overlords to reconsider.

Indeed! The Creation Dao Realm was shrouded in mystery. As the legacy of a Dao Master, it held numerous great secrets unknown even to the eternal beings of the Eldritch and Immortal Courts. These Overlords naturally had no way of knowing such things.

"Wan Du, you're the most skilled in detection and perception. If Wu Yuan is truly hiding in the Abyss Region, he'll certainly be unable to evade your detection once he emerges," the golden-armored figure's gaze fell upon the black-robed silhouette. "You should go to the Well of Life and keep watch at its entrance.

“Sending too many Overlords would disturb the river of space and time, likely alerting the Eldritch Court to our plans. Mo Xuan will conceal your fate, giving us a chance to avoid the Eldritch Court's detection.

“Once you locate Wu Yuan, eliminate him immediately," the golden-armored figure said slowly. "What do you think?"

The other Overlords turned to look at the figure shrouded in black robes.

"Very well." The black-robed figure spoke slowly: "If Wu Yuan is truly in the Well of Life, I won't let him leave alive."

...

The Eldritch Court's Long Shan Saintdom remained unaware of the plans hatched by the Immortal Court’s Long Shan Saintdom.

Overlord-level powerhouses were rare, each with their own specialties. For instance, Overlord Huan Jin had cultivated the Great Dao of Spacetime. Her mastery over Spacetime surpassed all the Overlords in the Immortal Court's Long Shan Saintdom. Had Wu Yuan been willing to leave earlier, he would have escaped safely, with the Immortal Court having no chance of catching him.

But similarly, Overlord Mo Xuan had nearly fully comprehended the Great Dao of Destiny. In terms of destiny divination and concealing fate, he was unparalleled in the universe. Even the twenty-odd Overlords of the Eldritch Court's Long Shan Saintdom were no match for him.

...

Time flowed on, and over a thousand years passed since the outbreak of the inter-Saintdom war.

Within the Yuan Realm of the Cang Feng Eldritch Voidrealm.

Tens of thousands of years had passed. Through the efforts of Astral Monarch Hou Qu, Astral Monarch Long Bei, and others, coupled with the abundant resources bestowed by Wu Yuan, the newly-created Yuan Realm had grown incredibly prosperous. It had truly become a major faction within the Cang Feng Eldritch World.

Even the Yuan Realm within the voidrealm had flourished, with numerous powerful immortal cultivators affiliated with the Yuan Realm gathering here. At minimum, one had to be an Earth Immortal or Earth Eldritch to qualify for entry.

At the pinnacle of the entire Yuan Realm stood the Creation Divine Hall, surrounded by numerous floating halls – residences of the many Astral Monarchs, Archimmortals, and Archdeities of the Yuan Realm.

Whoosh!

A young woman clad in white robes walked through the clouds amidst the sprawling hall complex. Her vital aura wasn't particularly strong, seemingly only at the High Immortal level.

"Your Highness."

"Your Highness." As she flew past the halls, Archimmortals and Archdeities along the way bowed respectfully, while several Astral Monarchs smiled warmly, displaying utmost courtesy.

The white-robed woman returned the smile, her expression warm and genuine.

In moments, she arrived before the Creation Divine Hall, where a group of divine generals stood guard. They bowed respectfully, "Your Highness."

"Brother," the white-robed woman called out as she glided into the hall, her voice echoing off the ornate walls.

Her greeting confirmed her identity—Wu Yijun!

"You're here," Wu Yuan's voice resonated from within. He descended from the jade platform, his gaze filled with affection as he looked at his sister.

The siblings seated themselves in an open-air plaza to one side of the hall. From this vantage point, they could survey nearly half of the Yuan Realm spread out before them.

"Brother, it's such a hassle to come see you. I had to spend a good half a day flying over," Wu Yijun said, shaking her head in mock exasperation.

Wu Yuan chuckled, "Alright, next time I'll come straight home to see you and Mother." His smile softened as he added, "Come to think of it, it's been a few days since I last visited Mother."

"A few days? Try over a hundred years," Wu Yijun replied, her tone tinged with exasperation.

Wu Yuan couldn't help but laugh.

After becoming a late-stage sempiternal lifeform, one's sensitivity to the passage of time truly faded. A century could pass in the blink of an eye.

"Little Yi, you must be a Third Tribulation High Immortal by now, aren't you?" Wu Yuan asked, turning his gaze to his sister.

In the tens of thousands of years since the establishment of the Yuan Realm, the Wu Clan and the Summerpeak lineage had flourished beyond measure, producing a multitude of prodigies.

With abundant resources and considerable talent, their cultivation speeds were far from slow.

For Wu Yijun, Fang Xia, and others close to him, Wu Yuan had granted them vast quantities of precious resources. He'd even assigned Astral Monarchs under his command to guide them personally. As a result, they had undergone earth-shattering transformations.

Wu Yijun, Fang Xia, and the others now stood a good chance of becoming Archimmortals. Even the two Hierarchs from their old sect, Bu Yu and Huan Jian, had ascended to become High Immortals with Wu Yuan's assistance, though they remained far from the Archimmortal phase.

This was hardly surprising. For an eternal existence willing to expend the resources, raising an individual to the Sovereign phase was no great challenge.

To the current Wu Yuan, even the tiniest fraction of resources that slipped through his fingers would be enough to drive countless Astral Monarchs into a frenzy.

Helping a few close friends and family members become Archimmortals or Archdeities? That hardly took any effort. Of course, this was assuming they were willing to cultivate diligently. If they lacked the drive to cultivate, there was little Wu Yuan could do, no matter how much he tried to help.

"Mm, I've just reached Third Tribulation High Immortal," Wu Yijun nodded, "I'm in no rush to undergo the fourth Tribulation. I'll wait another hundred thousand years. I'd like to spend a few hundred thousand years cultivating at the High Immortal phase."

"Very well," Wu Yuan nodded approvingly.

Though the Dao Master had warned against lingering too long at the mortal stage, that advice was meant for prodigies like Wu Yuan.

For ordinary immortal cultivators? Spending more time at the High Immortal or High Deity phase would only be beneficial.

The siblings conversed for hours before Wu Yijun finally took her leave.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Wu Yuan returned to the jade platform within the hall.

At last, I'm nearing the destination indicated by the black pagoda.

Wu Yuan mused, an otherworldly light flickering in his eyes.

After a thousand years of traversing the Abyss Region, he was finally about to arrive.