Yuan’s Ascension

The plaza froze with tension as dozens of immortal cultivators looked on in disbelief.

What? Wu Yuan, seated in lotus position on the grass, stared in amazement at the fist-sized orb of milky white light that hovered before him, crackling with lightning.

When the Thunder Marsh Spirit first emerged, Wu Yuan had indeed entertained thoughts of claiming it for himself.

A Thunder Marsh Spirit was worth ten divine crystals, equivalent to ten trillion catties of ethercrystal, rivaling the wealth of most Earth Immortals.

For Wu Yuan, however, its value wasn't the primary concern. What intrigued him most was the mysterious core of the Thunder Beast Stone, and how this legendary Thunder Marsh Spirit might relate to it. Perhaps, like the Thunder Beast Stone, it too could be processed into an incomplete fragment of a Dao pattern diagram?

Never in his wildest dreams did Wu Yuan imagine the Thunder Marsh Spirit would manifest right before him as though it were a gift from the heavens.

Could it be that I truly possess some kind of providence halo? Wu Yuan mused silently. Or perhaps...

His gaze drifted to the distant Thunder Beast Diagram.

Are there some invisible rules governing the entire Thunder Marsh World? Do those who reach a certain level of insight into the Thunder Beast Diagram receive additional blessings?

Though Wu Yuan had not yet fully grasped the artistic conception of any Thunder Beast Diagram, he had diligently attempted to deduce and comprehend them, and had made some progress. Could it be that his efforts had caught the attention of the Thunder Marsh World's unseen rules?

Wu Yuan couldn't be certain.

Still, when heaven bestows a treasure, how could one refuse?

Wu Yuan reached out to grasp the orb of milky white light.

"Stop!"

"Put it down!"

"Brat, how dare you?" In an instant, several angry shouts rang out, and streaks of light shot towards Wu Yuan.

But even the closest of these Void Refiner/Elysian Field cultivators were hundreds of li away. No matter how fast they moved, how could they possibly match the speed of Wu Yuan stretching out his hand?

In the blink of an eye, Wu Yuan had already absorbed the milky white orb into his internal shambhala.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Eight powerful Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses converged on Wu Yuan’s position, their eyes fixed on him, brimming with fury and murderous intent.

These powerhouses hailed from various sects. Some were even trial participants from other immortal continents.

"Boy, I told you to stop," growled a black-haired elderly man, a ninth-stage Void Refiner cultivator who stood leaning on a cane. He struck the ground with his cane in anger.

Among those present, he was the strongest.

The others glared just as fiercely.

As Void Refiner/Elysian Field cultivators, most of their fortunes amounted to only a few hundred million or billions of catties of ethercrystal. A single Thunder Marsh Spirit, worth ten to a hundred times their wealth, was enough to drive them mad with greed.

Whoosh! Wu Yuan rose to his feet, his gaze sweeping across the crowd.

Across the vast plaza, the majority of Void Refiner/Elysian Field cultivators stared at him intently, eyes gleaming with greed.

The only ones maintaining any semblance of restraint were Chi Chang, Protectorate Fang, and the others from the Longstar Immortal Sect. After all, Wu Yuan had taken part in the trial as a Longstar Immortal Sect participant. They couldn't openly make a move against him.

"Childe Shadow Blade, why don't you hand the Thunder Marsh Spirit over to Elder Chi? Once we leave, our Longstar Immortal Sect will compensate you with two hundred billion catties of ethercrystal. How does that sound?" A gentle voice suddenly whispered in Wu Yuan's ear. It was Mu Xin.

She winked and continued her telepathic message: "This way, Childe Shadow Blade, you won't have to face the onslaught of the crowd."

Beside her, Chi Chang and Protectorate Fang watched Wu Yuan expectantly.

Clearly, in the eyes of the Longstar Immortal Sect, there was no way a mere Shambhala cultivator like Wu Yuan could hope to keep the Thunder Marsh Spirit while surrounded by so many powerful cultivators.

On the other hand, with a ninth-stage Void Refiner cultivator, an eighth-stage Elysian Field cultivator, and two recently arrived seventh-stage Void Refiner cultivators, they stood a good chance of securing the Thunder Marsh Spirit.

"What's the matter?" Wu Yuan, seemingly oblivious to Mu Xin's message, swept his gaze across the Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses from various factions.

His eyes lingered on the black-haired elderly man with the cane before sneering, "Got a problem? Come and snatch it if you've got the guts! Come and kill me if you dare!"

A deathly silence fell over the crowd.

The Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses stared at Wu Yuan in disbelief.

Mu Xin, Chi Chang, and the others were equally stunned.

They had considered many possibilities, but never imagined Wu Yuan would dare to provoke them all.

Yet, faced with Wu Yuan's brazen attitude, they found themselves utterly helpless. This was a location with Dao pattern diagrams. To fight here would violate the rules of the Thunder Marsh World.

It would be a surefire path to certain death!

"Boy. At first, I wasn’t planning on taking your life," the black-haired elderly man with the cane spoke coldly. "But I've changed my mind. You won't be leaving the Thunder Marsh World alive."

The other Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses glared at Wu Yuan with equal fury.

Meanwhile, Chi Chang and the Longstar Immortal Sect group stood silently at a distance, clearly unwilling to intercede on Wu Yuan's behalf. After all, Wu Yuan was merely a trial participant, not an official disciple of the Longstar Immortal Sect.

“Won't be leaving the Thunder Marsh World alive?” Wu Yuan looked at the black-haired elderly man with the cane and sneered, "If you've got what it takes, come and kill me then."

Boom! Wu Yuan's form blurred as he shot forward, the violent rush of air causing the grass to explode. His speed instantly soared to three hundred li per second, transforming into a streak of light that vanished in an instant, heading straight for another passage leading out of the plaza.

"Don't let him escape!"

"Kill him!"

"Fool, you are courting death!" At that moment, over a dozen Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses who had been watching Wu Yuan closely erupted into action, transforming into streaks of light as they gave chase.

"Elder Chi? What should we do?" Mu Xin asked hurriedly.

"You two wait here. Protectorate Fang, the rest of us will go," Chi Chang said in a low voice.

Along with the black-robed protectorate and two other Void Refiner cultivators from their sect, they immediately joined the pursuit. Clearly, they too were unwilling to give up on acquiring the Thunder Marsh Spirit.

…

Originally, I thought I'd have to spend a great deal of time hunting thunder beast elites. Wu Yuan thought to himself as he sensed the gazes of numerous Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses boring into him.

He had already made up his mind - kill!

Wu Yuan had always lived by the principle of not harming others unless they harmed him first.

If these Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses actively sought to kill him and steal his treasure, they couldn't blame him for killing them in self-defense. So Wu Yuan had deliberately provoked them before fleeing.

"Stop running!"

"A mere Shambhala realm cultivator dares to provoke us?" The Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses roared as they gave chase, quickly swarming Wu Yuan on all sides.

Their angry shouts echoed in Wu Yuan's ears. Yet, before they left the bounds of the plaza, not a single one dared to actually attack.

Almost there, I’m about to leave the plaza. Wu Yuan's eyes narrowed as a pair of wings suddenly materialized on his back. It was his Beast Fusion form, though Wu Yuan had disguised it with a pair of high-grade spirion wings.

Whoosh! Wu Yuan, who had been flying at a speed close to that of a Void Refiner/Elysian Field cultivator, suddenly accelerated several times over, reaching a shockingly high velocity that surpassed even a ninth-stage Void Refiner.

Boom! Space itself seemed to tremble as he shot into the canyon passage, covering nearly a thousand li in an instant.

"So fast!"

"How did he suddenly cover so much distance?"

"No wonder he dared to flee. He must possess some kind of flight-enhancing artifact. But he won't be able to maintain that speed for long."

"After him!" Though shocked by Wu Yuan's sudden burst of speed, the nearly twenty Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses instinctively felt that it was only natural.

After all, if Wu Yuan truly had no trump cards or means of escape, how could he have dared to provoke them earlier? On the contrary, the fact that he could escape was within their expectations.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The numerous Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses gave chase without hesitation.

The pursuers and their target shot through several twists and turns in the canyon, quickly leaving the Thunder Beast Diagram plaza thousands of li behind.

"Something's not right, Chi Chang," said Protectorate Fang who was keeping pace in the middle of the pack. He remained calm as he transmitted a message. "This Shadow Blade is far too cunning to act so recklessly."

He recalled what Nie Le had told him earlier.

"A trap, you say?" Chi Chang murmured, a creeping suspicion dawning on him.

Protectorate Fang's voice rumbled low, "Even if Shadow Blade wished to flee, there's no need for such a spectacle. He could easily bide his time, waiting for a moment when everyone was distracted to make his escape."

"Slow down! No need to rush. We'll hang back," Chi Chang decided in an instant. At his command, the four Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses from the Longstar Immortal Sect immediately slackened their pace.

In truth, Chi Chang and his companions were far from the only ones sensing something amiss, yet not a single faction was willing to simply give up.

It was partly confidence in their own strength, but more due to greed! Who would willingly pass up an opportunity to increase their wealth and status a hundredfold?

This was especially so for the black-haired elderly man gripping a cane. His dark hair whipped in the wind, a faint black radiance emanating from his form. His speed increased slightly, making him the only one not completely left behind by Wu Yuan. In fact, he seemed to be gradually closing the distance.

"Die, boy!" the black-haired elderly man at the forefront suddenly roared. Black rings materialized in his palm, rapidly expanding as they flew towards Wu Yuan.

This should be far enough. We've fled about five thousand li from the plaza. Wu Yuan assessed. This distance should suffice to slaughter them all.

Faced with the onslaught of black rings filling the sky, Wu Yuan whirled around. His wings shimmered, instantly creating dozens of afterimages.

With a wave of his hand, a breathtakingly beautiful woman clad in purple robes appeared before Wu Yuan. Her garments billowed around her, her features exquisitely perfect—a rare sight even among the uncannily beautiful immortal cultivators.

She was the very picture of perfection. Too perfect to be alive.

"Shadow Moon, activate form one. Kill them all," Wu Yuan's voice resonated within Shadow Moon's control center.

"Understood," Shadow Moon responded instantly.

Shadow Moon had three different forms.

The first form consumed about ten billion catties of ethercrystal of energy per second; the second form, about fifty billion catties of ethercrystal per second; the third form, about three divine crystals per second.

In simpler terms, they all burned through money! If the enemy wasn't strong enough, he might even make a loss by choosing to activate her.

However, her power was immense. Even at the most basic first form, she could unleash the might of a second-stage Earth Immortal with a fifth-degree immortal root.

This entire exchange occurred in an instant.

Boom! Shadow Moon's aura exploded. Eighty-one throwing knives materialized around her, each gleaming with cold light.

This was a complete set of high-grade spirion artifacts, prepared by Wu Yuan for Shadow Moon. This single set of common-source throwing knife artifacts alone was worth over a hundred divine crystals.

Infused with Earth Immortal-level mana, they resonated with the Metal Dao, causing each throwing knife to shimmer with a faint golden hue.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! A terrifying expanse of blade rays filled the sky, forming a devastating Metal Dao knife domain. Like storms of blade rays, they swept through the thousand-li wide canyon, engulfing the nearly twenty Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses in pursuit.

Those seemingly formidable black rings were instantly scattered by the blade rays within the Metal Dao domain, veering off course.