Yuan’s Ascension

On the Spacetime Island, inside Wu Yuan's private hall.

The silver-armored woman sat across Wu Yuan, who was clad in white robes.

"Here you go," Zhuo Haiyue said as she waved her hand.

Whoosh! The storage artifact that Wu Yuan's mana body had previously entrusted her with flew out, coming to rest before Wu Yuan's qi refiner self.

"Check it to see if anything's missing," Zhuo Haiyue said with a smile.

"There’s no need. I trust you," Wu Yuan shook his head, then added, "Haiyue, are you sure there's nothing you want? Whether it's divine crystals, or even the Black Devil Star, it can all be discussed."

Wu Yuan was well aware that he now owed her a great debt of gratitude.

Moreover, news of this battle had spread throughout the Spacetime Island. With Wu Yuan's intelligence, he could easily deduce the massive storm it might trigger.

"It's not necessary," Zhuo Haiyue shook her head. "I told you, the Black Devil Star is useless to me. As for divine crystals, my current troubles can't be solved with those.

"Haiyue!" Wu Yuan called out abruptly.

Zhuo Haiyue halted mid-step, turning back to Wu Yuan. The smile on her face seemed somewhat cold.

"We're friends," Wu Yuan said with a smile. "Perhaps I can't help you now, but in the future, if you think there's anything I can assist with, don't hesitate to ask."

Zhuo Haiyue fell silent for a moment.

Then, she smiled. "Li Xia, remember this promise you've made to me. Remember how you address me, remember that my name is 'Haiyue'... That will be the greatest help you can offer me.

Farewell."

This time, she addressed him as Li Xia, the name they had known each other by when they first met.

Whoosh! Zhuo Haiyue took a step and vanished from Wu Yuan's residence.

Promise, address, name... Haiyue? Wu Yuan stood dazed in place for a long while.

Zhuo Haiyue's words were likely not spoken without reason.

What secrets could she possibly be entangled in? Wu Yuan pondered silently as he returned to the jade platform.

At this moment, a faint sense of powerlessness crept into Wu Yuan's heart.

Yes, he was considered a peerless genius, highly valued by Immortal Sovereigns in both the Eternal Sun Immortal World and the Cang Feng Eldritch World.

Even among the multitude of prodigies in the Spacetime Dao Realm, he was regarded as among the top of this era.

But talent was, after all, just talent.

Forget beings as exalted as the Spacetime Dao Master, even in the eyes of the numerous lofty Sovereigns, their so-called regard for me is probably just superficial. Wu Yuan mused.

After all, throughout history, even those hailed as monstrous prodigies and Supreme Geniuses only managed to become Sovereigns.

Wu Yuan's knowledge of the level beyond Sovereigns was limited. But over the years, he had interacted with many Sovereign Imprint bearers from different macrocosms affiliated with the Taiyuan Divine Court.

The countless macrocosms had produced numerous Sovereigns and even several Supreme Geniuses throughout their histories.

But none of these powerful imprint bearers had ever heard of beings surpassing Sovereigns emerging from their own macrocosms. Not a single one!

Supreme beings? They're too far beyond my reach. Wu Yuan shook his head slightly. My current strength pales in comparison even to Astral Lords.

I must strive hard! When I become a High Immortal, I'll first work to reach Senior Brother Jiang Huan's level of power. I’ll compete with High Deity Mi Yun, Nie Zhen, and the others on the Spacetime Island, aiming to become the second strongest imprint bearer after Zhuo Haiyue.

Then, I'll strive to become a true Supreme Genius. Wu Yuan harbored no delusions of matching Zhuo Haiyue's strength in the short term. It wasn't realistic.

Gradually realizing his potential and seizing opportunities, progressing step by step according to his cultivation plan, and exerting his full effort – this was Wu Yuan's true nature.

For now, let's have a look at the Black Devil Star. Wu Yuan thought, giving a mental command.

Hum! The Black Devil Star, resembling a miniature celestial body and already imprinted with traces of Wu Yuan's aura imprint, was immediately transferred into the amethyst cradle of his qi refiner self.

Boom! Inside the amethyst cradle, a thunderous explosion resounded, as vast waves of essentia and mana surged in all directions.

The black pagoda in the upper dantian lobe sensed the disturbance, trembling slightly. Then, vast waves of Genesis Power, or blood mist, began pouring into the amethyst cradle.

Hum~ Massive quantities of blood mist swiftly enveloped the Black Devil Star, beginning to dissolve and erase its aura of violence and malevolence.

As expected. A glimmer of anticipation flashed through Wu Yuan's mind.

The Black Devil Star shared the same source as the Black Devil Divine Pillar, and was likewise linked to the black pagoda. However, the exact nature of their relationship was still unclear to Wu Yuan at present.

There should be sufficient Genesis Power. Wu Yuan's mana body had accumulated a considerable amount of blood mist over the years, slaying enemies while exploring the Snowlight Mist Realm, long approaching the saturation limit.

Acquiring the Black Devil Star now was perfect timing, as he could purify it immediately, though the malevolent power within the Black Devil Star, originating from Sovereign Black Devil, was clearly far stronger than that of the Black Devil Divine Pillar. Therefore, it would take time.

I estimate it will take about half a year to complete the purification process. Wu Yuan calculated silently.

With a thought, he sent a strand of consciousness into the Black Devil Star.

Within this miniature star was a majestic divine temple, with rows of pillars standing on either side. There were thirty-five pillars in total, arranged symmetrically.

Originally, there should have been thirty-six pillars. Twenty-four of them are integral to the Black Devil Star and cannot be moved. Wu Yuan's Soul Will sensed.

The other twelve Black Devil Divine Pillars are detachable, and removing them wouldn't significantly impact the Black Devil Star.

The missing pillar is likely the one I obtained after slaying High Immortal Zhuo Hao's mana body. Wu Yuan mused silently.

His qi refiner self thoroughly examined the Black Devil Star. Then, he divided a sliver of his focus to purify it, while continuing to comprehend the Law of Time from the ‘Spacetime Secret Codex’.

As for his mana body, it was still struggling to escape from the Snowlight Mist Realm.

…

In the blink of an eye, over two months passed.

In a private room of a tavern within the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm.

"Ming Jian."

"Ming Jian has arrived." The group of imprint bearers in the room, displaying imprint tiers like 'Sovereign' and even 'Dao Master', all turned to look at Wu Yuan.

Mi Yun, Nangong Meng, Nie Zhen, and others were all present. There were nearly twenty people in total.

Only Wu Yuan stood at the entrance of the private room.

"Everyone, please be seated." Wu Yuan smiled and said, "I've called you all here for a purpose, which I believe you all understand.

You all have connections with various Astral Monarchs in the Dao Realm." Wu Yuan continued with a smile, "Not long ago, my mana body was destroyed. I imagine you've all received the news.”

The numerous imprint bearers nodded in agreement.

Indeed, over these past two months, Wu Yuan's mana body had struggled desperately. But being barely equipped and faced with an overwhelming pursuit by Archimmortals and Archdeities, Wu Yuan's mana body couldn't escape from the Outer Region of the Snowlight Mist Realm in the end.

Surrounded by enemies, it perished!

Moreover, in the scramble for Wu Yuan's two remaining storage artifacts, a group of Archimmortals and Archdeities fought fiercely, resulting in several deaths.

The outcome – they gained absolutely nothing.

Naturally, numerous Astral Monarchs from the Dao Realm immediately began contacting Wu Yuan through Spacetime Island imprint bearers, seeking to purchase the Black Devil Star.

Ever since Zhuo Haiyue rescued Wu Yuan, Wu Yuan's mana body had been acting alone. Thus, all of them understood that the Black Devil Star had most likely been brought back to the Spacetime Island by Zhuo Haiyue.

The chances of forcibly obtaining the Black Devil Star from Wu Yuan's hands had become extremely slim.

"You can go back and tell the Astral Monarchs that if they want to obtain the Black Devil Star, they can! I'm selling it," Wu Yuan declared. "The price is ten billion divine crystals or treasures of equivalent value."

Silence fell!

The numerous imprint bearers all wore expressions of shock. Ten billion divine crystals?

"Ming Jian, have you gone mad?" High Deity Mi Yun frowned slightly. "No Astral Monarch will agree to this price."

"Ming Jian, it's too high."

"You'd better lower it." The other imprint bearers all spoke up, feeling that this price was far too outrageous.

"This price is non-negotiable," Wu Yuan said with a smile. "If these Astral Monarchs are unwilling, then I'll have to decline their offers."

He naturally understood that these Astral Monarchs wouldn't pay this price.

A normal Astral Lord's wealth was only around a hundred million divine crystals. Even those Astral Lords skilled in the Space Dao would struggle to amass wealth exceeding ten billion divine crystals.

Or rather, even if there were Astral Monarchs capable of paying this price, they could completely try to obtain a Black Devil Star through other channels. This Black Devil Star wasn't the only one of its kind.

"Alright, that's all for now. I'll take my leave," Wu Yuan said, vanishing from the private room.

The group of bewildered imprint bearers were left behind.

"Let's go."

“Our job is just to report the price to those Astral Monarchs. Whether they're willing or not is their business."

"Let's go." The imprint bearers began to leave.

…

"He's gone mad!"

"Insatiably greedy!"

"He's just an Earth Immortal, demanding so many divine crystals? Isn’t he afraid that his stomach can’t handle such an appetite?"

"Impossible! With so many divine crystals, I could easily trade with other Astral Monarchs instead." As expected, numerous Astral Monarchs from the Dao Realm rejected the offer one after another.

They did desire the Black Devil Star. However, possessing the Black Devil Star only granted the qualification to enter the Black Devil Cave. The actual treasures one could obtain still depended on luck and strength.

…

They all rejected the offer? But privately, these Astral Monarchs have been contacting me one by one, with the highest offer being four billion divine crystals? Wu Yuan received private offers from numerous Astral Monarchs.

He promptly rejected them all, firmly sticking to his price of ten billion divine crystals.

In reality, this was merely an excuse Wu Yuan had come up with. With the Black Devil Star restored to its original state by Genesis Power, Wu Yuan could no longer possibly give it away.

Black Devil Star? No, it should be called the Genesis Star. It actually contains part three of the 'Genesis Law Sacrifice' within? Wu Yuan pondered silently.

If I want to learn part three after stepping into the High Immortal phase in the future, I can only do so with the Genesis Star.

Ten billion divine crystals was indeed a considerable sum, but it couldn't bring about an earth-shattering change in Wu Yuan's strength. Even some powerful artifacts required sufficient strength to unleash their potential. But the Genesis Star could!

Other High Immortals, even if they obtained the 'Genesis Law Sacrifice' and cultivated it, wouldn't be able to execute it, let alone unleash part three. Wu Yuan smiled slightly, filled with anticipation. But I have hope.

Time True Intent. I’m almost there.

Whysee's Thoughts

Author’s note:

Let me explain the wealth value system separately. With each major phase difference, one’s wealth differs by about 1000 to 10 million times.

For example, the wealth of an ordinary High Immortal is about 1,000 divine crystals. An ordinary Archimmortal would have 1 million divine crystals, and an ordinary late-stage Astral Lord would have 1 billion divine crystals.

The wealthiest Archimmortal (a late-stage Astral Lord skilled in the Space Dao) would have close to 10 billion divine crystals in wealth, making them comparable to Astral Monarchs in some aspects.

How did I design this wealth value system?

On our planet, under the same conditions of lifespan and physical strength, the wealthiest individuals already have over a million times the wealth of ordinary people (100 billion USD versus 100,000 USD, and many might not even have 100,000 USD).