Yuan’s Ascension

The pressure exerted by higher dimensional spatial layers was immense. It was extremely difficult to withstand torrents of spatial fragments, let alone wield artifacts in combat.

Spirit equipment couldn't be deployed at all within the Fragmentary Spatial Layer. The moment they were unleashed, they'd be shattered by the relentless onslaught of spatial fragments. Even low-grade spirion artifacts would eventually break if exposed for too long.

In the even more treacherous Turbulent Spatial Layer, any artifact below the level of celestial equipment would be obliterated instantly without proper protection.

In the Material Spatial Layer, with my mana body, soul, and Dao comprehension, I could form a Thousand Swords Array with a celestial sword as the core. But here, in the Fragmentary Spatial Layer, I can only maintain a Hundred Swords Array. Wu Yuan's gaze was as cold as ice.

However, this Sixth Tribulation High Immortal's attack is equally restricted, its power limited by the dimensional constraints.

If one attacked someone in a lower dimension from a higher one, it would be an overwhelming assault, as one stood in an unassailable position. But in a battle within the same dimension, the difference was negligible.

In truth, if Wu Yuan wished to avoid conflict and flee, it would be child's play. A single thought could propel him tens of thousands of li away, equivalent to billions of li in the Material Spatial Layer. High Immortal Zhuo Hao, unable to assimilate into higher dimensions, couldn't hope to keep up.

…

High Immortal Zhuo Hao's eyes gleamed with a hint of madness. You have two choices: One, withstand my assault – but as a mere Earth Immortal, facing the onslaught of my five celestial artifacts, your demise is certain.

From the moment he deployed the Black Devil Divine Pillar, High Immortal Zhuo Hao had meticulously calculated every possibility, committing himself fully to the battle.

In his view, Wu Yuan had only two options: retreat or perish!

Black Devil Blood Sacrifice! Infinite Celestial Bodies. High Immortal Zhuo Hao manipulated the five fiery stars, sending them hurtling with overwhelming force through the Fragmentary Spatial Layer.

But then, he witnessed a vast, formidable sword domain materializing around Wu Yuan. Its power was unmatched, its might earth-shattering.

In terms of mana, the gap between us is immense, equivalent to more than a full cultivation phase. As for artifacts, my Hundred Swords Array, centered around my celestial sword, is nearly on par with his.

The crucial factor is that combat in higher spatial dimensions doesn't affect the Material Spatial Layer. Metal Devil and Purple Secret can't see us, allowing me to unleash my full power.

While Life True Intent and Space True Intent do not overlap perfectly, they complement each other. Their combined might, though not quite matching the Astral Lord-level, certainly places me at the pinnacle of Eighth Tribulation Archimmortals.

In terms of Dao comprehension, Wu Yuan far surpassed his opponent. Moreover, with Wu Yuan physically residing in a higher spatial dimension, he could manipulate artifacts more effectively and replenish his mana faster.

Boom! With a celestial sword at the core, the Hundred Swords Array instantly coalesced into a terrifying divine sword, sword light piercing through the void. It met the five fiery stars head-on.

Whoosh~ First, a soul attack swept over Wu Yuan. It didn’t affect him in the slightest, and he ignored it completely.

Rumble~ The spatial currents trembled as the sword light collided with the fiery stars, causing the surrounding spatial fragments to veer off to the side.

The five fiery stars visibly slowed. Meanwhile, the sword light from Wu Yuan's sword array dissipated. Wave after wave of flying swords gathered, relentlessly obstructing the stars' advance.

In the end, it actually managed to withstand the onslaught of the five fiery stars, forcing them to withdraw once their power was exhausted. Meanwhile, Wu Yuan stood amidst the torrent of spatial fragments, unmovable.

"Your technique is impressive, Sir. Please, try again," Wu Yuan's voice echoed through the higher spatial dimension, reverberating across millions of li in the Material Spatial Layer.

What? This imprint bearer blocked a head-on collision? He can unleash power rivaling an Archimmortal? High Immortal Zhuo Hao was incredulous.

He couldn't believe that despite going all out, and even summoning the Black Devil Divine Pillar, he still couldn't harm his opponent.

Again! High Immortal Zhuo Hao, unwilling to concede, channeled his mana to replenish the power of his celestial artifacts. The five fiery stars, their power restored, once again plunged into the Fragmentary Spatial Layer.

Rumble~ Swiftly, another collision occurred, and once again, the five fiery stars failed to breach Wu Yuan's sword array.

Something's not right! High Immortal Zhuo Hao finally realized. He hasn't just grasped Space True Intent, there's another power at work. It seems to be... Life True Intent? And his mastery of it appears to far exceed even that of the Space Dao.

High Immortal Zhuo Hao's heart trembled. It was already frightening enough for an Earth Immortal to master Space True Intent, but to also wield Life True Intent? What kind of monstrous prodigy was this?

Even among High Immortals, simultaneously mastering two Greater Laws would mark one as a peerless genius.

No, wait! With such incredible power, he’s able to match me in direct confrontation and has no reason to fear me. Yet he’s satisfied with merely keeping me contained?

A monstrous prodigy like this must have numerous trump cards up his sleeve. A sense of foreboding crept into High Immortal Zhuo Hao's heart. His mind raced, thoughts whirling at lightning speed.

Finally, he reached a conclusion - this imprint bearer was unwilling to reveal his full strength, but now, he had forced it out of him. What would the consequences be?

Flee! I cannot afford to provoke such a monstrous prodigy. High Immortal Zhuo Hao’s head had completely cooled.

He didn't fear ordinary imprint bearers. He would even kill the relatively stronger ones if they dared to oppose him.

But a monstrous prodigy like Wu Yuan? He only acted rashly because he was unaware of Wu Yuan's true capabilities. Had he known, he would never have dared to provoke him.

Such a figure would undoubtedly be valued by Astral Monarchs and even Sovereigns. How could he, a mere ordinary Sixth Tribulation High Immortal, hope to challenge someone like that?

Boom! Without further hesitation, he immediately recalled the Black Devil Divine Pillar and fiery stars. Eight fiery stars encircled him, forming his strongest defensive stance.

Whoosh! High Immortal Zhuo Hao slowed, then he swiftly fled in the opposite direction of Earth Immortal Yin Yan's planet.

Under the influence of spatial distortion, his escape was excruciatingly slow, but he tried to put as much distance between himself and Wu Yuan as possible.

"Fellow Daoist, I was in the wrong. I'm willing to offer one hundred divine crystals as compensation," High Immortal Zhuo Hao transmitted via Soul Will to Wu Yuan.

He had already made up his mind - to resolve this matter as peacefully as possible.

"Earlier you called me 'boy', and now it's 'Fellow Daoist'?" A voice echoed from the higher spatial dimension: "I told you that we'd leave after three days and asked you to remain outside the planet. You refused, and now you beg for mercy?"

High Immortal Zhuo Hao's expression changed subtly. He sensed Wu Yuan's displeasure. However, Wu Yuan only continued to maintain the spatial distortion effect, not launching any further attacks.

"Fellow Daoist jests. I was indeed in the wrong earlier." High Immortal Zhuo Hao continued to apologize, "I hope you can show mercy. After all, you haven't suffered any losses."

"How about I hand Yin Yan over to you?" High Immortal Zhuo Hao decisively betrayed Earth Immortal Yin Yan. Earth Immortal Yin Yan was important, but far less so than his own life.

Boom! As High Immortal Zhuo Hao continued to flee, he waited for Wu Yuan's response, the two locked in a strange standoff.

…

"What?"

"That High Immortal Zhuo Hao seems to be retreating, and he's even put away that divine pillar?" Upon noticing this development, both Metal Devil and Purple Secret were shocked by this turn of events.

Just moments ago, High Immortal Zhuo Hao had been bursting with overwhelming power, brandishing that special artifact, seemingly ready to tear Wu Yuan to shreds.

Yet in the blink of an eye, he had withdrawn his treasure and was attempting to leave?

Metal Devil and Purple Secret weren't fools. They instantly deduced that High Immortal Zhuo Hao had suffered a major setback. Or rather, Wu Yuan had employed some technique that made High Immortal Zhuo Hao extremely wary to the point of abandoning Earth Immortal Yin Yan.

"What did Ming Jian do?"

"Earlier, that Sixth Tribulation High Immortal sent his weapons into a higher spatial dimension, so he must have engaged Ming Jian there."

"Did he fail to defeat Ming Jian?" Metal Devil and Purple Secret communicated, increasingly astounded.

Ming Jian seemed far stronger than what he had revealed. In their minds, he grew increasingly unfathomable.

"No matter. The stronger Ming Jian is, the better it is for us. Let's focus on capturing Earth Immortal Yin Yan," Metal Devil transmitted.

"Kill!" Purple Secret's eyes flashed like lightning.

The two charged forward with overwhelming momentum, destroying Earth Immortal Yin Yan's beast and puppet arrays one after another, rapidly approaching the star's core.

"High Immortal! High Immortal Zhuo Hao." In a panic, Earth Immortal Yin Yan called for help repeatedly, but received no response.

Has High Immortal Zhuo Hao abandoned me? Earth Immortal Yin Yan's heart sank into despair.

…

Let him go? Wu Yuan pondered, still residing in the Fragmentary Spatial Layer.

If not for that mysterious black divine pillar, sparing the opponent would be inconsequential. After all, killing a Sixth Tribulation High Immortal in full defense mode was extremely difficult. Moreover, there was no prior enmity between them.

However, Wu Yuan was determined to obtain that black divine pillar.

"I'll let you go, but hand over all eight of your star artifacts," Wu Yuan's voice was icy cold. "Otherwise, you can forget about leaving."

"You want me to surrender all my star artifacts?" High Immortal Zhuo Hao's expression changed instantly, his heart sinking. He understood that the worst-case scenario was unfolding.

"Fellow Daoist, you must be joking. These are eight celestial artifacts.” High Immortal Zhuo Hao shook his head and transmitted, "How about this? Out of respect, I can give you one low-grade celestial artifact, but no more than that.

If you still refuse, then let's battle." High Immortal Zhuo Hao had given his bottom line—one low-grade celestial artifact.

Moreover, this celestial artifact certainly wouldn't be one of his star artifacts; they were his lifeline. If he handed them over and Wu Yuan went back on his word, he'd have no bargaining chip left.

A full breath of time passed.

Rumble~ In outer space, that planet over a million li in diameter suddenly exploded, shockwaves rippling outward in all directions. The enormous fire dragons were extinguished, and undulating streams of water blanketed everything, restoring calm to the battlefield.

Clearly, Earth Immortal Yin Yan's resistance had failed, and Metal Devil and Purple Secret had succeeded.

"Fine," Wu Yuan's voice rang out. "Hand over one low-grade celestial artifact, and I'll let you go."

High Immortal Zhuo Hao acted decisively, immediately waving his hand to leave behind a suit of celestial armor emanating a powerful aura.

Silently, the spatial fluctuations that had enveloped the million-li space around High Immortal Zhuo Hao rapidly dissipated. The surrounding space returned to normal.

"Farewell, Fellow Daoist." High Immortal Zhuo Hao's form moved. In everyone's perception, his speed had increased tenfold.

In reality, it wasn't that High Immortal Zhuo Hao's flight speed had increased tenfold, but that Wu Yuan was no longer restricting his speed.

Whoosh! A white-robed figure appeared beside the celestial armor, collecting it with a wave of his hand. Then, he vanished once more.

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