Yuan’s Ascension

Chapter 1269: Revised Rankings (1)

Physical attacks were not his forte. The self-created Dao he had forged did not target the physical aspect, forcing him to rely on artifacts to compensate for this weakness. His true strength, however, lay in the seamless fusion of physical and spiritual aspects.

With a thunderous boom, invisible fluctuations surged outward, infiltrating the Eternal Psyches of True Saint Jing Qiu, True Saint Wan Hai, and the two other True Saints. These fluctuations targeted their Yuan Soul essences deep within their Eternal Psyches.

“Ah!” True Saint Jing Qiu’s eyes glazed over, his gaze growing unfocused and distant. The Xiantian Instrument and Xiantian divine swords he wielded suddenly drooped, their movements growing sluggish and uncoordinated.

Not good, it’s a psyche dream illusion! True Saint Wan Hai, who possessed the strongest spirit and will among them and was further protected by a soul-type Xiantian Instrument, was the first to recognize the terrifying nature of Ming Jian’s attack.

Yet awareness offered no salvation. True Saint Wan Hai’s spirit howled in desperate protest as he struggled to break free. His consciousness plummeted into an endless abyss, shattering one illusion only to be ensnared by another more convincing one.

The other two True Saints fared even worse than True Saint Jing Qiu, their minds surrendering almost immediately to the overwhelming power of the dreamscapes.

A blinding storm of sword lights descended upon True Saint Wan Hai’s divine body. Despite being equipped with Xiantian Instrument armor and having cultivated the Eternal Matter Body to a small degree of mastery, his physical defenses crumbled against physical attacks from a Full True Saint. True Saint Wan Hai’s body was hurled backward, his vital aura plummeting precipitously.

Had his mind been clear, he could have marshaled his artifacts to form a proper defense, significantly reducing the physical impact. But trapped in the psyche dream illusion as he was, he could only passively endure the onslaught.

Even someone who completely mastered the Eternal Matter Body wouldn’t remain unscathed when taking attacks from a Full True Saint.

Agony erupted throughout True Saint Wan Hai’s being as his Eternal Psyche sustained damage, the pain jolting him momentarily back to clarity. With a desperate wave of his hand, countless azure spheres transformed into shimmering droplets that coalesced into a mighty river, surging forth to meet Ming Jian’s incoming sword lights.

In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged over a hundred blows. One-on-one, Wu Yuan’s mana body easily overpowered True Saint Wan Hai in physical attacks.

Boom! Eventually, Wu Yuan identified another opening in his opponent’s defense. Wielding his Xiantian Instrument divine sword, he sent Wan Hai flying once more, his vital aura diminishing with alarming speed.

There was nothing he could do. In terms of vitality, Wan Hai was already the weakest of the four True Saints before the battle began. Combined with Wu Yuan’s domain control and mastery of psyche dream illusions, he held complete dominion over the battlefield.

Though it appeared to be one against four or even six, the truth was that Wu Yuan could simply pick off his targets at will.

Hum~ Wu Yuan unleashed the Myriad Rebirths Tribulation once more, enveloping True Saint Wan Hai in an invisible dreamscape that clouded his eyes with renewed confusion.

Boom! A relentless barrage of sword lights descended upon True Saint Wan Hai, sending him reeling yet again across the battlefield.

These three consecutive strikes inflicted more damage than thousands of normal exchanges ever could, causing cracks to form on Wan Hai’s Eternal Psyche.

Retreat! Real fear flickered in Wan Hai’s eyes.

Wan Hai knew with absolute certainty that even True Saint Shen Yan could not have defeated him so swiftly. Ming Jian’s strength was truly beyond comprehension.

But how could he escape? With each deployment of the Myriad Rebirths Tribulation, True Saint Wan Hai sank deeper into delusion. After several more crushing blows, he couldn’t even mount a token resistance.

Seal! Wu Yuan produced an ornate pagoda that flew forth, exerting a powerful force that pulled True Saint Wan Hai’s weakened form into it.

“No!” True Saint Wan Hai struggled desperately, countless water droplets swirling around him in a futile attempt to resist the pull.

Under normal circumstances, he would scarcely concern himself with a sealing-type Xiantian Instrument, easily breaking free from its grasp.

But now, grievously wounded and greatly weakened, trapped within the golden lotus domain that constrained his every movement, he found himself completely at Wu Yuan’s mercy.

Most crucially, Ming Jian’s repeated psyche dream assaults left his mind fragmented and unfocused, unable to concentrate on simple defensive measures.

After just two brief attempts to resist, Wan Hai could endure no more. He was on the precipice of being drawn into the pagoda.

“Annihilate!” Wan Hai roared, his eyes glaring balefully as his body began to swell. He chose to destroy his Eternal Psyche rather than face imprisonment.

Death by self-destruction offered at least the slender possibility of revival in the future. Capture and imprisonment, however, would make even death an unattainable luxury. Thus, eternal powerhouses would choose self-destruction over capture if given any opportunity to do so.

Truly unyielding to the end. Wu Yuan murmured. Refusing to beg for mercy even in the face of destruction.

With a mere thought, Wu Yuan directed the pagoda to collect the numerous treasures dropped by Wan Hai.

At this point, the shockwaves from Wan Hai’s self-destruction had jolted True Saint Jing Qiu and the other two True Saints back to momentary awareness. Given their strength, they had periodically regained lucidity throughout the battle, only to be plunged back into delusion by Wu Yuan’s relentless Myriad Rebirths Tribulation.

“Dead?”

“Wan Hai… self-destructed?”

“In less than two breaths, True Saint Wan Hai was driven to self-destruct?”

The expressions of Jing Qiu and the others transformed dramatically as they regarded Ming Jian.

“Flee!”

“We’re no match. How can Ming Jian’s strength be this overwhelming? It defies all reason.”

“How long has he been a True Saint?” The remaining True Saints were utterly panic-stricken, their usual composure shattered.

One had to understand that they had the strength of Full True Saints. The four of them would be able to hold their own against True Saint Shen Yan for a significant time.

Yet against Ming Jian, they found themselves at an absolute disadvantage, with one of their numbers falling in an instant.

If the battle continued in this vein, wouldn’t they all soon meet the same fate as Wan Hai?

This was the strongest ultimate technique of Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self’s self-created Dao. Throughout the entire cosmic sea, in terms of mastery over psyche dream illusions, Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self could potentially claim first place among all True Saints.

“This Ming Jian is too powerful.”

“Shen Yan, save us!” Jing Qiu and the others fled in blind panic, but trapped amidst the golden lotuses, their speed was far too slow to escape their pursuer.

In a flash of movement, Wu Yuan caught up to True Saint Jing Qiu, simultaneously assailing him with both psyche dream illusions and sword arrays. True Saint Jing Qiu’s demise seemed only a matter of time.

“This Ming Jian.”

“How can he have reached such heights?”

True Saint Shen Yan and True Saint Chou Lie raced toward the battlefield. Separated by over a hundred million li and hindered by Wu Yuan’s domain, it would require precious time to arrive even with their considerable speed.

Wu Yuan did not waste his effort dealing with them, merely restricting them with his domain while he focused on his immediate opponent. Thus, they could only watch as True Saint Wan Hai fell.

Consequently, the two powerful True Saints were utterly shocked by what they had observed.

How can the Psyche Dream class be this strong? True Saint Shen Yan could scarcely believe it. He had encountered Psyche Dream class powerhouses before, but pure practitioners of this class were exceedingly rare. Most cultivated it as a secondary path, with the vast majority of True Saints merely opening the most basic Dream Worlds.

After all, whether sempiternal lifeforms or eternal lifeforms, those truly proficient in soul attacks were extremely uncommon.

As for Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self? He had opened not just a Dream World but a Dream Universe, an achievement that placed him on par with Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu in terms of Psyche Dream class foundation alone.

He was on an entirely different level from ordinary True Saints.

“Shen Yan, if you don’t unleash your power soon, Jing Qiu and the others will all fall here,” True Saint Chou Lie said through gritted teeth, his voice tight with urgency.

“I understand.” Shen Yan’s expression turned solemn as he spoke in a low voice. “Don’t resist. I’ll draw you into my grotto-heaven.”

True Saint Chou Lie nodded eagerly.

With a fluid wave of his hand, Shen Yan pulled Chou Lie into his grotto-heaven world. Then his eyes began to glow with an otherworldly brilliance, as if containing two vast universes within their depths.

Boom! At that moment, the third eye on Shen Yan’s brow opened. An ancient, boundless aura spread forth as auroral light streamed from the Divine Eye.

His expression twisted slightly, revealing a hint of pain.

The fact that even a True Saint’s spirit and will struggled to endure the pain spoke volumes about the tremendous burden of wielding the Divine Eye.

However, the power granted by the Divine Eye was equally immense.

A terrifying beam of auroral light shot forth from the Divine Eye on True Saint Shen Yan’s brow, instantly piercing through tens of millions of li of spacetime and shattering the golden lotuses in its path.

Wherever the light touched, the turbulent spacetime seemed to be smoothed by a steamroller, turning perfectly flat.

True Saint Shen Yan’s speed suddenly skyrocketed from tens of times the speed of light to hundreds of times faster. In the blink of an eye, he closed the vast distance, rushing toward True Saint Jing Qiu and the others with unstoppable momentum.

So this is the legendary Divine Eye? True Saint Shen Yan? Interest flickered in Wu Yuan’s eyes as he beheld this new opponent.

Legend had it that Shen Yan’s personal strength merely ranked in the top ten of the True Saint Rankings, but once he activated his Divine Eye artifact, he could absolutely contend for top three.

Was this mysterious artifact a Chaos Treasure? Or some other special item? It remained a mystery.

“Myriad Rebirths Tribulation.” Without hesitation, Wu Yuan instantly abandoned his assault on the nearly-defeated Jing Qiu, sending an invisible fluctuation of psyche power towards True Saint Shen Yan instead.

The moment he attempted to invade the other’s Eternal Psyche, a thunderous voice cut through the void.

“Begone!” Shen Yan’s command reverberated across the cosmos, the eye on his brow releasing a terrifying pulse that shattered Wu Yuan’s psyche dream attack. In a flash, he crossed the vast emptiness between them.

“Die!”

With his Divine Eye blazing, Shen Yan transformed into a primeval god or devil from the dawn of creation. Murderous intent poured from him. His palm, now morphed into a saber, descended with the finality of heaven’s judgment, aiming to cleave Wu Yuan’s mana body into nothingness.

He didn’t rush to rescue Jing Qiu; instead, he prioritized eliminating Wu Yuan entirely.

“Come then!” Wu Yuan’s mana body responded calmly, turning his palm upward to reveal twin divine swords that emanated an ancient, ethereal aura. The blades thrust toward the palm-saber.

Boom! The collision produced a deafening crash. What followed was a blinding exchange; dozens of strikes executed with lightning-fast speed. Each impact sent Wu Yuan’s mana body hurtling backward, yet remarkably, his vital aura barely diminished.

“What?”

“He isn’t severely injured?”

“Is his physical defense truly that formidable?” True Saint Jing Qiu and his companions exchanged bewildered glances. Far across the void, True Saint Taiyuan and the others who had been watching with trepidation finally allowed themselves to breathe.

He has mastered the Eternal Matter Body to a large degree? True Saint Shen Yan could sense the extraordinary resilience of Ming Jian’s body, seemingly indestructible and impervious to attacks.

Inwardly, Shen Yan felt a jolt of shock. This Ming Jian was a monstrous prodigy beyond comprehension, advancing at a pace that defied all logic. He had even cultivated the path of matter to such heights in this short time.

“Shen Yan,” Wu Yuan’s voice carried across the void, calm and unwavering, “I wonder how long you can sustain the activation of your Divine Eye.”

Wu Yuan understood perfectly that True Saint Shen Yan’s power came with severe restrictions. This Divine Eye treasure, though overwhelming, couldn’t be activated indefinitely.

If Shen Yan could wield it without limitation, he wouldn’t merely rank among the top ten True Saints; he would stand firmly in the top three, shoulder to shoulder with True Saint Dong Yi and Cloud Saint.

As for Wu Yuan’s mana body? Protected by the Xiantian Instrument battle armor and reinforced by his mastery of the Eternal Matter Body, it possessed remarkable durability. Though nowhere near the invulnerability of his ether body, it could withstand his attacks, at least for a short time.

“Hmph!”

True Saint Shen Yan’s expression hardened to ice as he surveyed Wu Yuan’s mana body. Finally, he withdrew, recognizing the stalemate. His strength stretched the binding power of the golden lotuses to their limit.

Whoosh! True Saint Shen Yan approached True Saint Jing Qiu and the others, his hand rising to sweep them into the safety of his grotto-heaven.

“Haha, Shen Yan,” Wu Yuan’s sudden laughter rippled through the void, “allow me to offer you one final gift.”

The sound echoed through spacetime, sending unease crawling down True Saint Shen Yan’s spine. He sensed an approaching aura of unimaginable power.

True Saint Shen Yan whirled, his eyes widening. What is that?

Above Wu Yuan, a vast universe seemed to unfold like a blossoming flower—seemingly infinite in breadth, unfathomable in depth, and teeming with profundities. Within this manifestation, a formless divine sword hung suspended.

The weapon was pitch black and appeared illusory, yet its power was unquestionably real, radiating a coldness that transcended physical sensation.

“Not good. It’s a psyche weapon!” True Saint Shen Yan’s expression twisted in shock and fury. “This Ming Jian… he cultivates both psyche dream and psyche weapon classes.” ꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛʀs, ᴘʟᴀs ᴠsᴛ NoveIＦire.net

At this critical juncture, True Saint Shen Yan focused solely on self-preservation. His Divine Eye flared between his brows, invisible fluctuations forming a shield around his Eternal Psyche.

Swoosh! The illusory sword above Wu Yuan’s head launched forward, crossing ten million li in a single instant. It bypassed Shen Yan entirely, driving straight into True Saint Jing Qiu’s body, and into his Eternal Psyche.

A delicate sound hung in the silence—like an egg cracking, or fine porcelain shattering against stone. Fear flickered briefly in Jing Qiu’s eyes before they dimmed.

True Saint Jing Qiu was dead!