<h4>Chapter 831: Space Essence Stone (2)</h4>


    "Young Master, we have no other demands," Sovereign Hei Zhen smiled. "We simply hope that when you be powerful in the future, we''ll have an additional backer when we venture out on expeditions.


    After all, our Spacetime Dao Realm lineage is a rtively small faction, and the Dao Master doesn''t care about us," Sovereign Hei Zhen sighed wistfully. He seemed to recall some humiliating encounters he had experienced in the past.


    As a Sovereign, there would be times when one was defeated when crossing paths with other powerhouses of the same level.


    Supreme beings often refrained from interfering in conflicts below their level. At such times, if a Sovereign had an Overlord-level powerhouse willing to stand up for them, they would naturally feel more confident.


    On the other hand, the Spacetime Dao Realm lineage didn''t have any Overlord-level powerhouses, and the Dao Master''s sessors didn''t belong to the Dao Realm lineage.


    Moreover, although several of the Dao Master’s sessors had be Overlords, it wasn''t always appropriate to ask a powerhouse for help in every situation. For instance, if the three Sovereign Custodians were to engage in a life-and-death battle with powerhouses from the Taiyuan Divine Court or the Eldritch Court in the future, who would Wu Yuan help?


    Besides, the goodwill between both parties was limited; the more times help was rendered, the more this goodwill would be depleted. Therefore, for the three Sovereign Custodians, it was naturally better to establish good rtions with more Dao Master sessors.


    "Young Master," Sovereign Lan Yan smiled, "I don''t have any particrly suitable artifacts. However, since you are upgrading your lifebound flying swords via the optimal evolution pathway, I''ve specially prepared a piece of Space Essence Stone for you."


    Sovereign Lan Yan waved her hand.


    <i>Whoosh~</i> A massive boulder about ten zhangs high appeared in the hall. It waspletely crystalline and translucent, with mysterious and profound Space Dao patterns flowing across its surface. A rich aura of the Space Dao’s essence emanated from it.


    "This!!" Wu Yuan was dumbfounded.


    "This?" Sovereign Hong Yi was taken aback.


    "Space Essence Stone of this size? Lan Yan, you were the one who redeemed that piece of essence stone from the Spacetime Treasure Hall?" Sovereign Hei Zhen was also shocked.


    Essence stone was a precious treasure nurtured from heaven and earth''s essence and had numerous uses. Its most important usage was in forging Dao Instruments. To create a Dao Instrument with aplete Dao essence, one had to refinerge quantities of essence stone.


    And Space Essence Stone was undoubtedly among the most precious of all essence stones, second only to Time Essence Stones.


    "Sovereign Lan Yan," Wu Yuan shook his head repeatedly, somewhat dazed. "A small piece of essence stone can already be exchanged for a low-grade Dao Instrument. Such arge piece?"


    This massive piece was likely almost worth a high-grade Dao Instrument on the same tier as the Devil Subduing Tome. Ten Hundred Stars Sabersbined wouldn''t match the value of this boulder-like Space Essence Stone. It even exceeded the total wealth of many Sovereigns.


    It was far too precious.


    No wonder Sovereign Hong Yi and Sovereign Hei Zhen lost theirposure; such a treasure was enough to make Sovereigns green with envy and harbor thoughts of stealing it.


    "It''s not that expensive, not even a third of my total wealth," Sovereign Lan Yan smiled. "Don’t worry, I simply sold off a bunch of useless treasures that make no difference to me. Young Master, with this, it is just a matter of time before your lifebound flying swords are upgraded to high-grade celestial artifacts.


    Take it," Sovereign Lan Yan looked at Wu Yuan.


    Wu Yuan took a deep breath.


    Indeed! The cost of evolving a lifebound flying sword from a mid-grade celestial artifact to a high-grade celestial artifact, following the optimal evolution pathway, was enough to make Sovereigns tremble. It was precisely for this reason that few had ever walked this path since ancient times.


    At this moment, all three Sovereign Custodians were looking at Wu Yuan, waiting for his response.


    She, the only female among the three Sovereigns, was actually the biggest gambler. And she had ced her bet on Wu Yuan.


    If not for this, when Sovereign Mo Lang wanted to kill Wu Yuanst time, she wouldn''t have sent help immediately. In fact, by doing so, she had vited some of the Spacetime Ind''s unspoken rules for nurturing geniuses.


    A moment passed.


    "Very well, I''ll ept all these treasures," Wu Yuan said slowly. "Thank you, Sovereigns."


    It was a big dilemma for Wu Yuan. The gifts from Sovereign Hong Yi and Sovereign Hei Zhen were one thing, but Sovereign Lan Yan''s gift was far too precious. However, it was also exactly what Wu Yuan needed most.


    With such arge quantity of Space Essence Stone, there was no need to sell off his other treasures; it alone was enough to support the upgrades of his lifebound flying swords. It was the best material for artifact evolution.


    <i>Whatever happens in the future, I’ll deal with it when ites. </i>Wu Yuan thought to himself. <i>Today, with these treasures, I can progress faster and more steadily.</i>


    The opening of the Megaverse Crossroads was not far off.


    "Haha, that''s more like it."


    "Excellent." Sovereign Lan Yan, Sovereign Hong Yi, and Sovereign Hei Zhen all smiled.


    As Dao Realm Sovereign Custodians, they were considered part of the core of the Spacetime Dao Master''s lineage and already had a close rtionship with Wu Yuan.


    And today, Wu Yuan had epted their gifts. Sovereign Lan Yan, in particr, had truly paid a heavy price, far exceeding others.


    "Young Master," Sovereign Lan Yan said, "I''ve already sent word to the Taiyuan Divine Court about your imminent departure. The divine court''s response was that when they send the next batch of imprint bearers in several decades, Overlord Xin Ya and Sovereign Bei You wille to receive you."


    "Overlord Xin Ya? An Overlord powerhouse?" Wu Yuan was startled.


    "Young Master, this is the intelligence we''ve gathered regarding many powerhouses of the Taiyuan Divine Court. You may peruse it," Sovereign Hei Zhen said.


    He waved his hand, and an immortal slip appeared before Wu Yuan.


    Wu Yuan reached out to take it, his Soul Will quickly probing its contents.


    The information wasn''t tooplex, but it was quiteprehensive. Wu Yuan also learned that Overlord Xin Ya was one of the eight Overlords within the Taiyuan Divine Court.


    "Such a super powerhouse ising to receive me?" Wu Yuan was secretly shocked.


    "Young Master, your talent is exceptional, already acknowledged as the top in our river of space and time," Sovereign Lan Yan said.


    "Although your cultivation time is still short, you''ll be quite a strongpetitor at the Crossroads. It''s not surprising that Overlord Xin Ya woulde personally.


    Moreover, although we always announce that candidates fail the inheritance trial when we notify various forces to receive each Dao Master imprint bearer, they will still specte that you have be a sessor."


    Wu Yuan nodded slightly.


    That made sense. Although Dao Master sessors weren''t publicly announced, the top powers in the rivers of space and time weren''t fools.


    Not a single sessor had been chosen over the long years since the Dao Master created the Spacetime Ind? That was illogical! Given enough time, they would naturally grow suspicious.


    They conversed a bit more.


    "Young Master, over the next few decades, feel free to travel anywhere you wish within the Dao Realm. We’ve granted you full authority over the Spacetime Ind''s teleportation arrays," Sovereign Lan Yan said. "When the divine court''s battleship arrives, I''ll notify you through the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm."


    "Alright."


    With that, Sovereign Lan Yan sent Wu Yuan back to the Spacetime Ind. However, Wu Yuan didn''t return to his own hall, but instead teleported straight to the Snowlight Mist Realm.


    <i>Sovereign Lan Yan truly gave me a grand gift.</i> Wu Yuan thought to himself. <i>The value of what the other two Sovereigns gave is not insignificant either.</i>


    <i>These are all karma. In the future, they must all be repaid.</i> Wu Yuan clearly understood that there are no free lunches in this world.


    <i>However, when I be more powerful, this bit of karma might not amount to much. </i>Wu Yuan shook his head.


    To receive, one must give. Whether the two are equivalent would be for Wu Yuan himself to weigh.


    <i>Mm. Throughout my ten thousand years on the Spacetime Ind, apart from the Samsara Sword, my greatest gain was Sovereign ck Devil’s inheritance. </i>Wu Yuan walked through the vast snowy winds of the Snowlight Mist Realm.


    Taking a step, he entered the Turbulent Spatial Layer, quickly heading towards the ck Devil Blood Hollow.


    Before leaving the Spacetime Dao Realm, he naturally had to retrieve the ck Devil Blood Hollow.


    ...


    <i>In the temple of the three Sovereign Custodians on the Spacetime Ind.</i>


    "Lan Yan, this isn''t right. We agreed to give gifts of simr value," Sovereign Hong Yi shook his head, his voice tinged with frustration. "Your treasure makes mine and Hei Zhen''s gifts seem utterly insignificant."


    Sovereign Hei Zhen remained silent, but his expression spoke volumes, clearly showing his displeasure as well.


    Once the gifts werepared, the stark contrast was troubling.


    "Even if I had told you in advance, would you have been willing to part with treasures as valuable as Spacetime Essence Stone?" Sovereign Lan Yan cast a sidelong nce at the two of them, her voice cool and measured.


    Sovereigns Hong Yi and Hei Zhen were struck speechless. Naturally, they wouldn''t have been willing to do so.


    "Ming Jian values rtionships. He won''t forget your gifts," Sovereign Lan Yan said softly, her tone even. "And if he doesn''t, then even the most valuable gift would be meaningless.”


    With that, she took a step and returned to her own hall.


    <i>Nevertheless, Ming Jian, I trust you. </i>Sovereign Lan Yan mused, confident in her judgment.


    ...


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    Time flowed on, and Wu Yuan spent nearly a year in the Snowlight Mist Realm.


    Through the Devil Subduing Tome, he summoned the dozens of Archimmortals and Archdeities who were scattered among various factions in the Dao Realm. They all left their respective factions and converged on the Snowlight Mist Realm. Then, they all entered the ck Devil Blood Hollow.


    "Master!"


    "We pay our respects, Master." Archimmortal Xiang Fei, Astral Lord Red Devil, Astral Lord Gu Shou, and dozens of others bowed respectfully.


    Among these dozens, only Archimmortal Xiang Fei wasn''t under soul-control.


    "From now on, you will cultivate temporarily in the Devil Realm. When the time is right, I will release your mana bodies and ether bodies for tempering," Wu Yuanmanded.


    "Yes, Master," the group of Archimmortals and Archdeities responded reverently.


    They then dispersed.


    "Master," Big Devil stood nearby, awaiting instructions.


    "I''m about to leave the Dao Realm, so I''ll take this opportunity to pack up the ck Devil Blood Hollow," Wu Yuan said, his tone thoughtful. "When I find a suitable ce, I''ll set it up again."


    "Very well," Big Devil nodded, seeing no issue with the n.


    <i>Whoosh!</i> In an instant, Wu Yuan appeared in outer space. The space around him seemed empty, devoid of anything unusual, but his mastery over Spacetime had grown immenselypared to ten thousand years ago.


    <i>Obtaining the Samsara Sword seems to have greatly enhanced my understanding of the Great Dao of Spacetime, much like when I merged with the Ancestral Pagoda''s essence. It''s quite mysterious. Could I have unknowingly experienced something?</i> Wu Yuan pondered silently. <i>Now, I''m approaching the ninth-level True Intent stage of Spacetime.</i>


    Moreover, he had imed ownership over the ck Devil Blood Hollow. Thus, Wu Yuan could sense the enormity of the ck Devil Blood Hollow, hidden beneath this vast expanse of spacetime.


    <i>Rise! </i>As Wu Yuan gave amand, the world trembled subtly. In the distance, ciers began to crumble, and billions of li of spacetime quivered.


    <i>Whoosh~ </i>An immense object, so vast that one couldn’t see where it ended, emerged from beneath the surface of space.


    "What is that?"


    "Heavens above!" The multitude of Archimmortals and Archdeities exploring the Snowlight Mist Realm were dumbfounded, their eyes wide with disbelief. None of them had ever witnessed such a spectacle.


    <i>Whoosh~</i> The immense ck Devil Blood Hollow began to shrink rapidly, from billions of li to millions, then tens of li... until it finally contracted into a ck sphere the size of a palm. Faint streams of blood-colored energy could be seen flowing across its surface.


    <i>It''s heavy.</i> Wu Yuan held it.


    He could sense that merely storing the ck Devil Blood Hollow wasn''t too difficult. But to fully deploy and activate it would be challenging, requiring an enormous amount of mana.


    To wield it for attacking? That would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.


    <i>With my current Daoprehension, activating it slightly shouldn''t be too hard.</i> Wu Yuan mused internally.<i> It''s just that my mana is insufficient.</i>


    <i>It’ll have to wait.</i>


    With this thought, Wu Yuan put away the ck Devil Blood Hollow with a wave.


    Just as he was about to leave, he paused.


    <i>Hmm? Master Kua Chi is looking for me? </i>A hint of surprise shed in Wu Yuan''s eyes. <i>Geniuses are about to arrive at the Eldritch Court?</i>