Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 683: Secrets Of Black Devil (2)

Chapter 683: Secrets Of Black Devil (2)

I must figure out the limit to Sovereign Black Devil’s abilities and see what this Black Devil Blood Hollow really is about. Wu Yuan had made up his mind.

At the same time, I need to clarify the relationship between the Black Devil Divine Pillar and the black pagoda.

Before this was settled, Wu Yuan would not attempt to cultivate the ‘Black Devil Blood Sacrifice’, let alone try to refine this strange Devil Divine Pill.

He set those thoughts aside for now.

It's rather odd. A treasure like this should be an ultimate treasure to High Immortal Zhuo Hao. Why would he entrust it to a mana body? A flicker of doubt crossed Wu Yuan's mind.

Logically, it shouldn't have been in the possession of his mana body.

If I can't figure it out, there's no point in dwelling on it. Besides, killing High Immortal Zhuo Hao will be difficult now. Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.

At present, Wu Yuan only knew the general location of High Immortal Zhuo Hao's lair. Furthermore, it was a great distance away. By the time he got there, High Immortal Zhuo Hao would have long escaped.

Moreover, even if he didn't flee, determined to hide in his lair, he was still a Sixth Tribulation High Immortal. Wu Yuan was reluctant to attempt it at his current level, and even a true Seventh Tribulation Archimmortal would generally be unwilling to court such misfortune.

For now, I still can't kill him. Wu Yuan pondered silently.

The only potential issue is that I unleashed my full power when fighting him in the higher spatial dimension. He might have sensed the fluctuations of Life True Intent, though I don't know if he recognized it. Wu Yuan thought to himself.

Whether one could recognize it or not was related to one's knowledge and experience. It also depended on the strength of the Dao fluctuations Wu Yuan had displayed.

If it was just a very faint trace of the Law of Life's profundities, even an Archimmortal might not recognize which Dao it was. But once the Life True Intent fluctuations erupted in full, it would be obvious.

Additionally, High Immortals with extensive knowledge and experience might recognize it, while some Archimmortals with little experience might fail to recognize it.

He's a Sixth Tribulation High Immortal, far stronger than the abbot of the Dragon Star Immortal Sect, High Immortal Hei Yuan, and others from back then.

He was able to obtain this mysterious Black Devil Divine Pillar and knows how the Spacetime Island operates. His background is likely not simple, and he must have had many experiences. Wu Yuan's eyes turned cold.

It's possible that he could recognize it. At the very least, he should be able to confirm that this is a power distinctly different from Space True Intent.

But even if he recognized it, so what? From beginning to end, High Immortal Zhuo Hao never knew Wu Yuan's identity. Countless imprint bearers came and went from the Spacetime Island. No matter how great his background, how much could a High Immortal know?

On the Spacetime Island, most only know me as Ming Jian from the Greenridge Macrocosm. Wu Yuan thought to himself. As for my specific identity? They don't know. The possibility of someone connecting all the clues and realizing his true identity was very low.

Besides, my body refiner self is still in the Immutable Land and hasn't emerged yet. Even if it's revealed that Ming Jian has mastered two Greater Law True Intents, it has nothing to do with my body refiner self for now. Wu Yuan wasn't too worried.

Even if exposed, it would be a matter for the distant future.

It involves the black pagoda. Exposure was unavoidable. Wu Yuan didn't regret his choice to take the risk.

He stepped forward, his body integrating into a higher dimension. Then, he vanished from this patch of outer space.

...

In a distant region of the Chong Gu Galaxy, far from Wu Yuan’s location, lay a massive planet.

In a core region of this planet.

An Earth Immortal imprint bearer possessing such immense power? An elderly man in white robes sat in lotus position atop a jade platform, utterly terrified.

It was none other than High Immortal Zhuo Hao. The memory of that sword piercing through space still echoed in his mind. His mana body had been killed in one sword strike.

His mana body was no weaker than his true self in any aspect aside from the soul. Yet it had perished without a sound!

Such a monstrous prodigy had already promised not to kill me, yet came to ambush me afterward? Why? High Immortal Zhuo Hao's heart trembled with fear.

Was it for a few pieces of low-grade celestial equipment? High Immortal Zhuo Hao didn't think so.

A monstrous prodigy like that wouldn't lack a few hundred or thousand divine crystals. If he truly wanted to deal with him, he could have done so from the start.

It most likely has to do with the Black Devil Divine Pillar. Once he learns the secret of the Black Devil Divine Pillar, he's very likely to come after my true self; either to eliminate evidence, or to see if I have any other treasures. High Immortal Zhuo Hao quickly deduced.

He might not be able to break into my lair, but he's fully capable of requesting help from other powerhouses.

Wu Yuan's guess was correct. High Immortal Zhuo Hao had indeed recognized the Life True Intent fluctuations. But his attention wasn't focused on that at all.

An Earth Immortal controlling two Greater Law True Intents was indeed terrifying, but what did that have to do with High Immortal Zhuo Hao? He was only concerned about his own survival.

Whoosh! High Immortal Zhuo Hao waved his hand, and instantly, a black orb of light appeared in his palm, emanating an extremely sinister and violent aura. It was ten times more ferocious than the Black Devil Divine Pillar.

The Black Devil Star, containing twelve Black Devil Divine Pillars... this is my true trump card. High Immortal Zhuo Hao muttered to himself.

Why had he let his mana body carry a Black Devil Divine Pillar? Because, to him, a single Black Devil Divine Pillar was nothing special.

Let's go! I must leave quickly. Even in his lair, High Immortal Zhuo Hao didn’t feel secure.

He swiftly gathered all the treasures he could take with him. Without notifying anyone, he left this region of outer space.

...

Wu Yuan traversed through the Fragmentary Spatial Layer, spreading out his Soul Will and scouting a vast area with Space True Intent. With this method, he was hundreds of times more efficient than ordinary High Immortals.

Soon, Wu Yuan located Metal Devil and Purple Secret, who were leading Earth Immortal Yin Yan through outer space.

However, Wu Yuan didn't reveal himself, merely observing them silently. If he appeared, he would have to explain the matter with High Immortal Zhuo Hao. Why go through all that trouble?

Several hours later, Metal Devil and Purple Secret made their move once they reached an unremarkable rogue planet, unhesitatingly striking down Earth Immortal Yin Yan.

Until the moment of his death, Earth Immortal Yin Yan was still begging for mercy.

Once Earth Immortal Yin Yan died, a cold voice resonated in Wu Yuan's mind. "Imprint bearer Ming Jian, first Sovereign-level Mission completed. Reward: one hundred spacetime points. Do you wish to return?"

Wu Yuan was startled.

I'm in the Fragmentary Spatial Layer, yet Spacetime Island can instantly locate and notify me? Wu Yuan was inwardly shocked. Doesn't this mean that my every action is under the surveillance of the Spacetime Island?

Wu Yuan considered this question, then he nodded, realizing it made sense. After all, the entire Spacetime Dao Realm was created by the Spacetime Dao Master. What secrets could possibly be hidden from him?

"I wish to return!" Wu Yuan responded.

Hum~ A mysterious spacetime fluctuation swept over Wu Yuan in mighty waves, and he vanished from his original location.

Soon after, Metal Devil and Purple Secret, who were in the Material Spatial Layer, also disappeared.

They had all chosen to return.

...

The Spacetime Island sprawled over hundreds of millions of li, with countless residences of imprint bearers scattered across the continent like stars in the sky.

Wu Yuan's mana body stepped out from a teleportation array floating in the void, then turned to a hazy light screen in the distance: "Record the arrival spacetime coordinates of my last mission."

"Understood. Coordinates recorded," a cold voice replied. "For a fee of one thousand divine crystals, you may teleport to the same location again."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

This was a feature of the Spacetime Island. By paying a fee, one could return to any spacetime coordinates where a spacetime mission had been completed.

Of course, one could visit other non-mission areas in the Spacetime Dao Realm by paying divine crystals.

If you find it expensive? Then use the regular teleportation arrays and travel the slow way.

The spacetime teleportation arrays above the island were the fastest way to travel. Even for spacetime missions billions of light-years away, one could be transported to and fro almost instantaneously.

Whoosh! Wu Yuan's mana body left the spacetime teleportation array, oriented himself, and quickly returned to his own private hall.

"Congratulations on your successful return, Master! You completed a Sovereign-level Mission on your very first attempt." Star Moon was already standing at the entrance of the hall, her face alight with excitement.

"My true self has been in the hall all along, yet I didn't see you making any special gestures," Wu Yuan's mana body said with a smile.

"It's different," Star Moon insisted, her expression righteous and stern. "The one who went out to battle was Master's mana body, so naturally we must congratulate Master's mana body."

Wu Yuan smiled, too lazy to argue with her any further.

With a soft hum, his mana body streaked forward, merging seamlessly with his true self, and retreating into his amethyst cradle to rest.

For those of the qi refiner lineage, the amethyst cradle was able to accommodate items other than one's lifebound artifacts and mana body, however, the space was quite limited. It was far from the vast, majestic internal shambhala of body refiners.

Sovereign Black Devil. Wu Yuan's qi refiner self waved his hand, and a light screen materialized before him, projecting numerous intelligence reports. All of them consisted of information related to Sovereign Black Devil, and were sourced from the Spacetime Island's database.

Different imprint tiers granted different privileges, and the intelligence one could access varied accordingly. As a Dao Master imprint bearer, the intelligence Wu Yuan was permitted to view could be considered extremely detailed.

"Master wants to learn about Sovereign Black Devil?" Star Moon asked curiously, standing to the side.

"Mm," Wu Yuan nodded, not bothering to conceal his intentions. There was no need.

Star Moon, though appearing to be a mere spirit, actually represented the will behind the Spacetime Island. Every move he made was known to her.

"The public intelligence on Sovereign Black Devil is just as the light screen shows," Star Moon said with a smile. "He was a brilliantly talented Sovereign born in the history of the Dao Realm with overwhelmingly powerful strength. He was once the top Sovereign of the Dao Realm, and more than one Sovereign fell by his hand."

He actually killed other Sovereigns? Wu Yuan was shocked.

Defeating and killing were two entirely different concepts. Destroying a mana body or an ether body could only be considered defeat, not a true death.

Sovereigns had all comprehended at least one Greater Law, and their self-preservation abilities were nothing short of miraculous.

"Sovereign Black Devil was powerful! Arrogant! Bloodthirsty!

Trillions of years have passed since the era of his dominance. The Black Devil Blood Hollow he established was once one of the top factions in the Dao Realm, second only to the Spacetime Island," Star Moon continued. "His strength was publicly acknowledged as second only to the Dao Master in the entire Dao Realm, surpassing numerous other Sovereigns."

Wu Yuan listened silently.

This Sovereign Black Devil was clearly a legendary figure, likely no less prominent than Immortal Sovereign Qing Ling of the Greenridge Macrocosm, and perhaps even stronger.

“But later on, for reasons unknown, he committed wanton slaughter and waged war against many other Sovereign factions... That battle destroyed nearly half the Dao Realm, almost causing the entire Dao Realm to collapse," Star Moon shook her head. "The reason remains a mystery to this day. I cannot find it in the Spacetime Island's database.

All that's known is that in the end, the supreme Spacetime Dao Master descended and personally slew Sovereign Black Devil, annihilating all cultivators of his lineage. The many deeds of the Black Devil Blood Hollow faction were also lost to the river of time.

Among the various factions in the Dao Realm, Sovereign Black Devil and the Black Devil Blood Hollow are taboo! Affiliated cultivators are forbidden from coming into contact with their teachings and artifacts," Star Moon said solemnly.

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

So that was the case. Sovereign Black Devil’s lineage was taboo throughout the entire Dao Realm.

"Master, could it be that you've obtained a relic from Sovereign Black Devil?" Star Moon asked curiously.