Chapter 990: Sword Reflects The Long River (2)

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Four overwhelming auras spread out unabashedly within the series of arrays spanning several light-years. Four Sovereigns had arrived simultaneously.

"You’re finally here" Within the array core, Sovereign Zhen Guang's tense expression eased into a smile.

They had arrived two and a half breaths after his message—half a breath later than Wu Yuan had promised, but such a minor delay hardly mattered.

The surrounding void was shrouded in a hazy gray mist, with immense streams of qi surging like celestial rivers. This was an astonishingly powerful array.

Sovereign Heng Yang swept his gaze around and couldn't help but marvel. "Zhen Guang, this is quite the splurge. These nine arrays alone must be worth nearly a high-grade Dao Instrument."

Wu Yuan, Sovereign Bei You, and the others quickly scanned their surroundings, sensing the sheer might of the arrays.

Wu Yuan, who had studied arrays during Sovereign Black Devil’s inheritance trial years ago, immediately recognized their intricacy. "These are all extremely high-level arrays," he remarked.

The only reason they could enter so effortlessly was because Sovereign Zhen Guang had guided them in. Had it been a hostile Sovereign? Even a late-stage Sovereign would likely be trapped if the isolation array was fully activated.

"The outer arrays were just casually crafted at my own leisure over years, so they were quickly destroyed," Sovereign Zhen Guang said, his tone carrying a hint of pride. "But these nine are artifacts I personally redeemed from the divine court headquarters' treasury. They're meant for critical situations."

The gathered Sovereigns nodded in understanding.

Many Sovereigns, finding it difficult to progress after eons of cultivation, sought alternative paths—exploring arrays, talismans, or medicinal pills.

Sovereign Zhen Guang was one such example. His mastery over arrays had reached an exceptionally high level, making him worthy of the title Array Grandmaster. Unlike those who relied solely on array disks and flags, his arrays were far more intricate and flexible.

"Everyone, look—there it is."

Sovereign Zhen Guang raised a hand and pointed toward an empty stretch of void.

Rumble!

Space trembled as swirling qi currents surged outward, revealing a massive, earthen-yellow ore mountain.

Towering ten thousand li high, it exuded an overwhelming presence.

The other Sovereigns' eyes widened.

"This...!"

"Incredible!"

"An essence stone ore mountain?"

Even though Sovereign Bei You, Sovereign Heng Yang, and the others had already been informed, seeing its sheer magnitude firsthand still made their hearts race.

A treasure of this scale... born right here in the Greenridge Macrocosm?

Wu Yuan remained composed. Though impressed by the mountain’s size, he was not shaken. After all, he already possessed four Xiantian artifacts—one more wouldn’t significantly elevate his strength.

Sovereign Zhen Guang sighed. "But this mountain possesses its own essence. Even an Overlord might struggle to move it. We have no choice but to mine it slowly. Only late-stage Astral Monarchs and above will be able to extract anything."

Wu Yuan, Sovereign Bei You, and the others exchanged glances and nodded.

It was no surprise—something this powerful would undoubtedly have an extremely strong essence.

"Grandmaster, Brother Zhu Yue, you two will assist Zhen Guang in reinforcing the array," Wu Yuan commanded. "Strengthen it as much as possible using the existing foundation."

"Understood." Sovereign Zhu Yue nodded.

"I'll have Bei You control the array," Sovereign Zhen Guang added.

Sovereign Bei You, a Sovereign of Space with mid-stage Sovereign strength, could rival many late-stage Sovereigns in array control.

Wu Yuan continued. "Brother Heng Yang, remain inside the array. Use its power to repel external assaults and prevent any breaches."

"Got it," Sovereign Heng Yang affirmed.

Sovereign Bei You glanced at Wu Yuan. "And you, Ming Jian? With you controlling the array, we should be able to hold off Sovereign Qing Ling."

Wu Yuan’s gaze pierced through the churning void, observing the scene several light-years away. "I'll go meet Sovereign Qing Ling first."

"You're fighting him?"

"Without the array’s protection?"

Sovereign Zhen Guang and Sovereign Heng Yang were visibly stunned. That seemed rather reckless.

Wu Yuan's voice remained calm. "He won’t back down unless he’s decisively defeated. And beyond that—Sovereign Shi Qing is lurking nearby, and has likely already contacted the Voltari Temple. If the Immortal Court mobilizes, an entire army could descend. A single Xiantian artifact is enough for the Immortal Court’s Ling Jiang Saintdom to justify a small-scale war."

A chilling realization settled over the group.

A Xiantian artifact could easily be exchanged for numerous high-grade Dao Instruments from any Saintdom. But to exchange high-grade Dao Instruments for a Xiantian artifact? Even thousands might not be enough. And the value of this ore mountain might be equivalent to a Xiantian artifact.

Sovereign Zhen Guang hesitated. "Should we request reinforcements from the Divine Court headquarters?"

Wu Yuan shook his head. "The more people involved, the smaller our share of the spoils."

The other Sovereigns fell silent.

Sovereign Bei You exhaled slowly. "Ming Jian, if you're determined to fight, be careful. If the situation turns against you, fall back into the array."

Wu Yuan nodded. "I will."

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Without another word, his figure blurred and vanished, having already left the array.

Sovereign Zhu Yue watched his departure and muttered, "Can he win?"

Sovereign Heng Yang frowned. "Ming Jian has undoubtedly grown stronger since we last witnessed it years ago, and if he wields a Xiantian artifact, his combat power may rival Sovereign Qing Ling’s. But Qing Ling possesses the Divine Aurora Chart, a top-grade Dao Instrument. He may have even more hidden cards. He won’t be easy to defeat."

Sovereign Bei You remained silent, his gaze unreadable. He understood Wu Yuan's strength better than most, yet even he couldn’t predict the outcome.

Sovereign Qing Ling’s power was legendary.

...

In the vast, dim expanse of outer space, strands of divine auroral light bloomed across ten light-years, their power surging without limit.

Hum~

Suddenly, less than a billion li from Sovereign Qing Ling, a fearsome aura erupted into existence. A white-robed figure materialized in the void.

"Qing Ling! The size of a domain means nothing!" Wu Yuan's calm yet icy voice resonated across tens of light-years, carried by the fluctuations of Spacetime essence.

As his words echoed, nine near-transparent flying swords materialized beside him. Each sword radiated an overwhelming aura—stronger than most top-grade Dao Instruments.

Whoosh~

The moment these nine lifebound swords appeared, their sword qi and sword intent wove together, forming a terrifyingly powerful sword domain that expanded outward like an unstoppable tide.

The encroaching sword lights sliced through the divine auroral strands, distorting and unraveling them in an instant.

Whoosh!

Sensing the threat, the auroral lights from further out surged forward, attempting to reinforce the domain. But they too were shattered and annihilated by the relentless waves of sword lights.

Wu Yuan’s sword domain was boundless, slicing forward with merciless precision. In mere moments, he had taken full control of spacetime within several hundred million li.

As a Sovereign sword cultivator, Wu Yuan’s combat style revolved around three fundamental abilities:

Sword domain—for control, restraint, and group attacks.

Single flying sword strikes—for precise, lethal blows against powerful enemies.

Sword arrays—for unleashing devastating burst attacks.

Mastery and execution mattered far more than the sheer number of techniques one could employ. When true apex powerhouses fought, victory often hinged on just one or two decisive killing moves.

Hum~

Standing atop his divine bridge, Sovereign Qing Ling gazed across the void at the distant white-robed figure, his expression subtly shifting.

A domain?

He murmured internally, issuing a mental command.

Rumble!

The divine auroral light domain, which had previously stretched across multiple light-years, began to retract at alarming speed, shrinking down to just one billion li—the maximum range a Sovereign could maintain while ensuring peak domain strength.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

With the domain compressed, the concentrated strands of auroral light shot forth like countless divine spears, colliding against Wu Yuan’s advancing sword domain.

It was as if two entire worlds were clashing, each striving to annihilate the other.

A single stretch of spacetime could only be ruled by one domain. Yet in this frenzied collision, neither force yielded.

Wu Yuan’s sword domain, vast and unstoppable, refused to retreat even an inch.

Their battle was an absolute deadlock—two forces locked in perfect equilibrium.

What? Such a powerful domain?

Sovereign Shi Qing’s eyes widened in shock.

Is this really Ming Jian? He’s clashing head-on with Sovereign Qing Ling’s Divine Aurora Chart?!

“He blocked it.”

“Ming Jian is unbelievably strong.”

“It looks like he’s only using his lifebound flying swords... He hasn’t even deployed his Xiantian artifact?”

The apprehension that had clouded Sovereign Zhen Guang, Sovereign Heng Yang, and the others gave way to visible enthusiasm.

He could already match Sovereign Qing Ling without using a Xiantian artifact. Once he did?

"You actually withstood the power of my Divine Aurora Chart." Sovereign Qing Ling’s voice rang out, calm and indifferent. “You must be Ming Jian from the Eternal Sun Immortal World.”

“That’s me,” Wu Yuan replied, just as indifferent.

“To have reached such heights in so little time... Truly worthy of the title ‘Saintcrest Prodigy.’” Sovereign Qing Ling gave a faint smile, the coldness in his expression easing. His words carried the tone of a senior acknowledging a junior’s potential.

"I am pleased that the Greenridge Macrocosm has produced a genius like you. Given time, I would be no match for you."

Wu Yuan’s gaze remained icy.

“Qing Ling, no need to act as though you’re my senior.” His voice was calm but absolute. “You’re already no match for me now.”

Sovereign Qing Ling’s smile froze.

“Ming Jian, do you truly believe that a mere clash of domains reflects the full extent of my power?” Sovereign Qing Ling's expression darkened slightly.

“Whether it does or not, it won’t change the outcome.” Wu Yuan’s voice carried an edge of finality. "This is the territory of my Eternal Sun Immortal World. This treasure belongs to us. Leave. Now.”

"And if I don't?" Sovereign Qing Ling's voice turned far colder than before.

He stood atop his divine bridge, bathed in divine auroral light, his aura vast and boundless—like an ancient immortal ruling over the cosmos.

Wu Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

Then, in the next instant—

His eyes widened.

“Then die.”

Boom!

Wu Yuan’s Spacetime sword domain, already overwhelming, suddenly surged with newfound power, as though receiving an enhancement in strength. Sovereign Qing Ling’s divine aurora domain shuddered on the brink of collapse.

This was the effect of Wu Yuan activating just a small fraction of the Samsara Sword’s Dao resonance.

"Kill." Wu Yuan’s voice turned as frigid as the void.

An invisible Yuan Soul force, like a colossal hand, settled on one of his nine flying swords.

Unfathomable power was infused into the sword.

It shot forward, cleaving through the void, piercing through time and space itself.

The moment the sword struck—

Time fractured.

Space twisted.

Countless dark fissures spread like cracks in reality. Within the shadows, an illusory river emerged—vast, majestic, stretching across light-years. Mysterious. Eternal.

And within this endless river of swords, a lone figure sat in the lotus position, towering, motionless. It was the image of Ming Jian.

The Ninth Form of the Nine Swords of Spacetime — My Reflection in the Long River!

Years ago, when Wu Yuan fought Sovereign Heng Yang, he had barely managed to execute this technique by drawing on the Samsara Sword’s Dao resonance.

Back then, he had only scratched the surface of its power.

Now, he could wield it freely—with just his own mana and Dao comprehension.

And once he truly unleashed the power of the Samsara Sword’s Dao resonance? Its might would be limitless.

Whoosh!

The sword light erupted. The sword intent of this sword strike spanned ten light-years.

In an instant, it tore through the billion-li Divine Aurora Domain, enveloping and locking onto Sovereign Qing Ling.