Yuan's Ascension-Chapter 945: Overlords Grave (1)

The Creation Dao Realm teemed with astral beasts, the vast majority dwelling in the Creation Astral River at the periphery of the realm. While numerous, they were generally weak, many barely reaching Archimmortal or Archdeity strength.

In the core region of the Dao Realm, far fewer astral beasts spawned, but they were typically far more powerful, concentrated in a handful of dangerous areas.

It was exceptionally rare for astral beasts to be found in areas like the Aquaflame Chasm. Wu Yuan had journeyed through this region for over a year, covering hundreds of light-years, without encountering any of the Aquaflame astral beasts native to this area.

Yet those that could thrive freely in such harsh environments were undoubtedly formidable. The weakest were at least quasi-Sovereign level.

There were many records of these Aquaflame astral beasts in the Eldritch Court's intelligence archives; their power correlated directly with their size. Judging by their massive forms, the two before him were at least mid-stage Sovereigns.

"Outsider!"

"Intruder, die."

"Just a weak Astral Monarch lifeform. Kill him." The moment Wu Yuan fled, the eyes of the two Aquaflame astral beasts blazed red, a savage aura erupting as they sprang into motion.

Born from the vast Aquaflame Chasm, they emerged into the world as quasi-Sovereigns, growing to full Sovereign strength over eons. To them, the Aquaflame Chasm was home; all others were invaders.

These Aquaflame astral beasts spawned extremely slowly, and their minuscule numbers fostered intense unity. Some were occasionally killed by passing Sovereigns, breeding a deep hatred for outsiders.

"Die!"

"Roar~" The two dragon-like astral beasts churned massive waves as they lunged at Wu Yuan with terrifying speed.

These astral beasts must have lived for an incomprehensibly long time, at least several billion years, otherwise their strength couldn't possibly be this overwhelming. Wu Yuan's form flickered like a ghost as he tread through the void. They attacked without hesitation?

The strength of most astral beasts grew slowly with age until they reached their peak, after which they were stuck permanently at that level.

Breaking through? For normal Sovereign cultivators, perhaps one in several thousand might become an Overlord. But for astral beasts, even if billions of Sovereign-level creatures were born, likely none would ever break through to Overlord.

As for becoming an eternal existence? That had never occurred.

Aquaflame astral beasts. This is their territory; I'm absolutely no match for them. Wu Yuan understood this clearly.

Whoosh~ The flow of time around him began to fluctuate. In that moment, Wu Yuan held nothing back, fully unleashing the profundities of the Law of Space and Law of Time. Before this, he hadn't dared to move so swiftly while traversing the Aquaflame Chasm.

However, though Wu Yuan's speed skyrocketed, the two Aquaflame astral beasts moved even faster through the vast river. Wings spread, they moved through the water with ease, as though born to roam this realm.

In an instant, the two Aquaflame astral beasts flanked Wu Yuan, closing in for the kill.

"I'm just passing through," Wu Yuan transmitted.

Sovereigns didn’t transmit sound, but rather Dao fluctuations, the only thing that could travel at millions of times light speed or faster. Though languages and writing differed, Dao fluctuations were universal. Thus, Wu Yuan knew the two astral beasts would certainly understand him.

"Did you show mercy when our brothers died?"

"Outsider, perish." The two Aquaflame astral beasts' eyes were cold, their transmissions brimming with endless fury and murderous intent.

Brothers? Wu Yuan sighed inwardly, realizing a peaceful resolution was impossible.

The two Aquaflame astral beasts finally closed in.

Rumble~ The flow of time around Wu Yuan began fluctuating drastically as his time domain showed signs of collapse.

The time domain became harder to manipulate the more powerful the creatures within its range. If his qi refiner self had cast this time domain after breaking through to Astral Monarch, it might have held. His body refiner self? Firstly, ether couldn't leave the body, and secondly, the Law of Time alone was far too weak.

Finally, Wu Yuan's time domain completely shattered, and his vague outline resolved into a distinct form.

"Die!" The two Aquaflame astral beasts pounced. One swung its claws, sending claw rays howling through the air as if to cleave heaven and earth, striking at Wu Yuan from above. The other lashed out with its tail in a vicious sweep. A perfect combination attack.

Hmm? Wu Yuan's expression changed slightly as he gritted his teeth.

Swish! Another figure appeared simultaneously. True self and ether body both erupted into action.

Eighteen blade rays ignited from twelve high-grade Dao Instrument sabers and six mid-grade Dao Instrument sabers. A sea of blade rays interwove to meet the two astral beasts' attacks.

Rumble~ The impact of their strikes left Wu Yuan's true self and ether body shuddering violently, their ten-thousand-zhang forms hurtling backwards.

His ether body’s footing grew unsteady, and he stamped the air above the river with one foot, stirring up a tempest of floodwaters. The waves carried fearsome power, hurling him even further upon impact with his body.

Fortunately, both Wu Yuan's true self and ether body possessed extremely robust physical forms and wore high-grade Dao Instrument battle armor, allowing them to withstand the onslaught.

However, this clash was enough to reveal the terrifying might of the two Aquaflame astral beasts before him.

Both have fourth-stage Sovereign combat power, and they're naturally adept at Water and Fire techniques. Wu Yuan understood.

These astral beasts all possessed incredibly formidable physical strength. Though they might not have Apotheosis-level Sovereign mana, their mana surpassed first-level Sovereign mana after growing to maturity.

However, their battle techniques were lacking. Even the mightiest astral beasts only comprehended Greater Laws. Every lunge and swipe of the Aquaflame astral beasts before him seemed to fuse Water and Fire, exhibiting explosiveness and flexibility.

These astral beasts are perfect weapons that conform to the operating rules of the universe. Wu Yuan realized inwardly.

Greater Laws were the most profound Daos under the operational rules of the universe. As for the Great Daos? That transcended the scope of heaven and earth. It was nearly impossible for these lifeforms to reach that level.

They're essentially living weapons, unable to break through their limitations. Wu Yuan mused. But they're also far too strong, surpassing me by a large margin, and their speed is incredible.

At full power, Wu Yuan's true self barely reached third-stage Sovereign-level combat power. His ether body, lacking the enhancement of Beast Fusion and equipped with inferior artifacts, was roughly second-stage Sovereign-level in strength. Two-on-two, they were at a disadvantage in every aspect.

The Aquaflame astral beasts were also terrifyingly fast, surpassing Wu Yuan in the water.

It was worth noting that when Wu Yuan previously traversed the Dao Realm and occasionally encountered Sovereigns, he could usually escape using his movement techniques even if outmatched in their clashes.

"Die!"

"There are two of him. His true self is here; we can truly kill him." The Aquaflame astral beasts were not particularly knowledgeable, but they understood that cultivators had true selves. Realizing this, their attacks grew even more frenzied.

Slash! Wu Yuan's true self and ether body swung their sabers in succession, unleashing waves of heart-shaking blade rays that swept across heaven and earth.

Retreat. With each clash and collision, Wu Yuan was forced further back, using the momentum to flee for his life. He was at an absolute disadvantage.

Their moves are rigid, lacking adaptability. Wu Yuan noticed this after over a hundred clashes where he was repeatedly sent flying.

Of course, they aren't true lifeforms. Their creator bestowed them with great power through the universe's operating rules, stemming from so-called bloodlines.

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Though both involved comprehending the Great Dao of Creation to create life, Wu Yuan clearly understood the pros and cons of bloodlines.

The advantage of bloodlines was that one could raise their strength rapidly, bypassing countless obstacles in cultivation.

The disadvantage was missing out on the process of comprehension, lacking that deeper insight into the profundities of heaven and earth.

All gains come with a price. Supreme beings can likely create Sovereign-level lifeforms with ease, yet they still painstakingly spend endless ages selecting successors and disciples from countless mortal lifeforms. Wu Yuan's mind flashed with this realization.

The weaker and more humble the lifeform, the greater its potential to achieve eternity once it grows strong.

Gradually comprehending step by step was the most crucial harvest for cultivators on their endless journey to the pinnacle. One's speed of comprehension could be extremely fast, but it couldn't occur from nothing.

Clang! Wu Yuan's saber techniques changed, each strike flowing into the next and no longer meeting force with force. The blade rays from his true self and ether body formed two massive vortexes, redirecting the Aquaflame astral beasts' attacks elsewhere. This allowed him to handle the situation with greater ease.

"Roar~"

"Damned outsider." The two Aquaflame astral beasts roared in fury, but were powerless to change the situation.

They were born with immense strength, but their comprehension aptitude paled in comparison to these cultivators.

A Sovereign might spend hundreds of millions of years creating numerous sets of combat secret arts to handle different situations. Yet since their inception, these creatures had relied solely on instinct for combat, capable of devising only the most rudimentary of techniques. The difference was stark.

Nevertheless, with their innate might and the power granted through their bloodlines, they still managed to overwhelm Wu Yuan.

Over a thousand exchanges, and still we're locked in this river. Wu Yuan mused, his gaze cold as ice. It was truly massive.

Having traversed this Aquaflame Chasm for over a year and armed with extensive intelligence, he was intimately familiar with the environment.

Whoosh! Suddenly, a saber materialized in the palm of Wu Yuan's true self. Its blade was pitch-black. The moment it touched his hand, a surge of overwhelming, eternal energy exploded outward.

Wu Yuan's aura skyrocketed to terrifying heights, his presence intimidating.

Heavy, vast, eternal. The Xiantian artifact—Black Rock Saber.

"Die!" Wu Yuan unleashed his full might.

His body refiner self's other eight sabers could no longer be wielded at full capacity. The vast majority of his focus was now on the Black Rock Saber, his current strength barely sufficient to wield it. Had he perfect control, the aura of the saber's Dao essence would not have leaked out at all.

There were a myriad variations of saber techniques, but when a child wielded a great saber, seeking maximum power, there was only one move—cleave!

Whoosh! Wu Yuan's true self raised the Black Rock Saber high, channeling his physical strength, ether, and the artifact's Dao essence to the absolute limits. He invoked the subtle fluctuations of the Great Dao, locking onto the Aquaflame astral beasts before him.