Chapter 989: Sword Reflects The Long River (1)

"Two breaths' time? Very well!" Sovereign Zhen Guang's face broke into a smile. "I can't hold off Sovereign Qing Ling for long, but I can certainly manage for just two breaths."

He had envisioned this scenario countless times and determined that he would most likely be the first Sovereign to arrive. This certainty was the very reason he had decided to act on his own.

As long as he reached the site first, it mattered little if he failed to claim the ore mountain or if Sovereigns from other factions came to seize it. All he needed to do was lay down arrays and defend it for a short period. As Sovereigns of Space, reinforcements could arrive swiftly.

Damn you, Qing Ling. I may not be able to stop you, but Ming Jian can.

Zhen Guang thought to himself.

He had witnessed Ming Jian effortlessly defeat Heng Yang in battle without wielding a Xiantian artifact.

Moreover, in Zhen Guang's estimation, Ming Jian had only been cultivating for 30,000 years at that time. Now, after nearly 100,000 years of cultivation, with his unparalleled talent, his power must be even more formidable.

This gave Zhen Guang the confidence to take such a risk. Even in the worst-case scenario, he knew someone would have his back.

...

Though it might seem to unfold slowly in the telling, in reality, the Sovereigns communicated at lightning speed.

The moment Sovereign Qing Ling appeared, Zhen Guang had called for aid. Within two breaths, the five Sovereigns of the Eternal Sun Immortal World had assembled. Another breath later, they completed their brief exchange, and Wu Yuan and Bei You decided to head out.

...

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several Sovereigns shot out from their respective halls like bolts of lightning, converging in the void above the Bei You Realm.

At one glance, they spotted two figures in the distant void, their auras identical.

"Ming Jian, you're sending both your true self and mana body?" Sovereign Heng Yang asked, clearly shocked.

"Indeed." Wu Yuan nodded slightly. "If I were to send only my mana body without bringing a Xiantian artifact, I wouldn't be confident in my chances of defeating Sovereign Qing Ling."

His mana body and true self possessed similar base power, but only his true self could wield the Samsara Sword’s Dao resonance.

If his mana body carried the nine lifebound flying swords and Xiantian artifacts, its strength would be formidable. But Wu Yuan wasn't absolutely certain it could completely suppress Sovereign Qing Ling.

Moreover, if he didn't go all out, and Sovereign Qing Ling's power turned out to greater than expected, resulting in the mana body's demise during the battle and the loss of precious treasures, that would be a catastrophic setback.

"Your true self is going? Ming Jian, please reconsider. It's far too dangerous," Sovereign Zhu Yue couldn't help but interject.

Both he and Heng Yang were only planning to send their mana or ether bodies.

"When it's time to take risks, we must take them," Wu Yuan smiled. "Fortune favors the bold."

Wu Yuan didn't want to explain too much. His decision to send both his true self and mana body was part of a larger strategy.

"Ming Jian, you're sending your true self?" Sovereign Bei You, who had just arrived, immediately admonished him. "Ming Jian, we get that your strength is impressive. When you first became a Sovereign, you easily defeated Heng Yang. But do you know who Sovereign Qing Ling is? He's possessed eighth-stage Sovereign combat power for ages, and this time he's bringing his most powerful artifact. Who knows what strength he may be concealing?

“To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if he unleashed ninth-stage Sovereign combat power," Sovereign Bei You said gravely.

"Your mana body alone should suffice. With your lifebound flying swords and Xiantian artifacts, its power won't be inferior to your true self. Moreover, it will be far safer," Sovereign Bei You stared intently at Wu Yuan.

He was genuinely upset. He knew that Wu Yuan's body refiner self had been uncontactable for a long time. While worried, he was hesitant to inquire further. And now, Wu Yuan wanted to risk his qi refiner self as well? It was madness. This time, their opponent was no ordinary foe.

"Grandmaster, there's no need for concern," Wu Yuan smiled. "I'll keep my true self at a safe distance, only engaging when I'm certain of success. Sovereign Qing Ling may be powerful, but he can't catch me."

Sovereign Bei You was momentarily taken aback. He had a point.

Wu Yuan was a Sovereign of Space, with extraordinary personal strength. If he was determined to flee, even Sovereign Qing Ling would be powerless to stop him.

"Time is of the essence. Let's go," Wu Yuan said. "Heng Yang, Zhu Yue, don't resist."

"Understood," the two immediately complied.

Wu Yuan waved his hand, drawing the two Sovereigns into a grotto-heaven artifact. Then Sovereign Bei You and him vanished in a blur, swiftly plunging into the Spacetime Intersection Layer and speeding towards the coordinates of the Sacred Flame Ravine.

Within the Spacetime Intersection Layer, spacetime was in utter chaos. Terrifying waves of spacetime fluctuations surged in all directions. Here, even a late-stage Astral Monarch would be torn apart.

Sovereign Bei You was enveloped in rippling Spacetime Dao Field fluctuations, allowing him to move at a staggering speed of 100,000 li per second.

However, he was currently staring in shock at Wu Yuan. "Ming Jian, you...?"

Hum~

Wu Yuan flew through the Spacetime Intersection Layer at a speed nearly twice as fast as his own.

To achieve such terrifying speed in the Spacetime Intersection Layer? Perhaps even most Overlords couldn't manage that.

"Grandmaster, let me bring you along. We must reach our destination as quickly as possible," Wu Yuan waved his hand, wrapping Sovereign Bei You in an invisible force.

Sovereign Bei You didn't resist. With that, his speed increased even further.

"Ming Jian, to what level have you comprehended the Great Dao of Spacetime?" Sovereign Bei You asked via mental transmission.

"Sixth-level Dao Field stage," Wu Yuan replied.

It had been over 5,000 years since the Samsara Sword and Ancestral Pagoda imprints had each been fully taken over by a true self. There was still no news of his body refiner self, though Wu Yuan's qi refiner self could confirm it was still alive.

During these 5,000 years of secluded cultivation, he had advanced his comprehension of the Great Dao of Spacetime to the sixth-level Dao Field stage. In terms of Dao comprehension, Wu Yuan's qi refiner self had nearly reached the level of most late-stage Sovereign powerhouses.

"Sixth-level Dao Field stage?" Sovereign Bei You was stunned. "This..." He gazed at his grand-disciple, at a loss for words.

After cultivating for eons, he had only reached the fifth-level Dao Field stage of Spacetime himself.

It's too fast. This cultivation speed...

Sovereign Bei You marveled inwardly. He knew Saintcrest Prodigies cultivated rapidly. But surely not this fast?

Not even 100,000 years had passed. Moreover, by conventional wisdom, Wu Yuan's qi refiner self should have experienced some dampening in cultivation speed after becoming a Sovereign. Yet against all expectations, not only had Wu Yuan's qi refiner self’s progress not slowed, it seemed to be accelerating.

Sixth-level Dao Field stage, coupled with Apotheosis-level Sovereign mana. No wonder he can move so quickly through the Spacetime Intersection Layer.

Sovereign Bei You mused in amazement. His concerns began to fade.

Years ago, Wu Yuan's qi refiner self had defeated Sovereign Heng Yang without using a Xiantian artifact. Now, with an even higher level of Dao comprehension, the power of his lifebound flying swords was sure to have grown. And if he were to unleash a Xiantian artifact on top of that?

Even if his direct combat strength still falls short of Sovereign Qing Ling's, it should be enough to ensure his safety.

Sovereign Bei You thought to himself.

It wasn't that he lacked faith in Wu Yuan. It was simply that the gap in combat power between the seventh, eighth, and ninth stages of the Sovereign phase grew increasingly vast.

Sovereign Qing Ling had been renowned for far too long, dominating the other Sovereigns of the Greenridge Macrocosm.

"Grandmaster, we're approaching the Sacred Flame Ravine," Wu Yuan suddenly transmitted. "Prepare to exit the Spacetime Intersection Layer."

"Mm."

...

At the Sacred Flame Ravine, the nine divine volcanic belts had been utterly pulverized. Only countless shattered celestial bodies remained, drifting aimlessly.

Rumble~

Terrifying streams of auroral light surged across several light-years of space, crashing like endless waves against a series of powerful arrays in the distance.

Each array occupied at least ten billion li of space, with the largest encompassing over a trillion li, all interconnected. They struggled to hold firm.

As time passed, one mighty array after another fell to the onslaught of auroral lights. Each was a Sovereign-level array, easily capable of enveloping the mainland of an immortal continent. But before the Greenridge Macrocosm's mightiest powerhouse, Sovereign Qing Ling, these arrays could only offer momentary resistance.

This Sovereign Zhen Guang... The area protected by his arrays has shrunk again.

Sovereign Shi Qing observed from afar. He dared not get any closer.

In the void, Sovereign Qing Ling stood atop a divine bridge, clad in cerulean robes. His aura was overwhelming, completely suppressing Sovereign Zhen Guang.

In truth, during the few breaths since their clash began, Sovereign Zhen Guang had attempted to counterattack by leveraging the power of his arrays. But after just two exchanges, he abandoned the effort. The disparity in their strength was simply too great.

Indeed, if Sovereign Zhen Guang hadn't prepared in advance, expending the accumulation of eons to lay down numerous arrays, he would have been slain by Sovereign Qing Ling in a single exchange.

Sovereign Qing Ling is quite methodical, not rashly charging in through a higher spatial dimension.

Sovereign Shi Qing observed silently.

At this rate, he should be able to dismantle the arrays in one hour.

In the vast universe, apart from certain special universe exploration sites like the Creation Dao Realm, spatial regions under a Sovereign's direct control, or a handful of special arrays, it was generally difficult to prevent a Sovereign from entering a higher spatial dimension. Breaching the arrays and dismantling them from within would often be faster.

However, the risks were also enormous. Once trapped within the array, there was a chance of death. Sovereign Qing Ling's steady approach to dismantling the arrays was the norm.

Under normal circumstances, one hour would be more than enough.

Sovereign Shi Qing mused inwardly.

But now?

With a thought, he invoked a Greater Law's essence, instantly projecting his internal space onto the void tens of millions of li around himself, sealing off all space.

Within the Material Spatial Layer, this area under spatial lockdown spanned nearly a hundred million li. Even an Overlord would find it difficult to strike directly from a higher spatial dimension.

This power was a special ability of those who fully controlled a Greater Law. Every Sovereign could do this.

It was evident that Sovereign Shi Qing was on high alert against the Sovereigns of Space, taking every precaution to deny them any chance of a surprise attack. This vigilance was instinctive.

Hmm?

Suddenly, Sovereign Shi Qing's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a mysterious smile.

One, two... four new auras have appeared? The Eternal Sun Immortal World has come out in full force, and that Ming Jian should have arrived too. The arrays haven’t been completely dismantled yet; hopefully, they can hold out a bit longer.