“Zhuo Haiyue?” Wu Yuan was slightly taken aback.
The newcomer was none other than Zhuo Haiyue.
“Sister Nangong, I hope I’m not late.” Zhuo Haiyue, clad in silver armor, strode into the courtyard. She nodded lightly to Wu Yuan before her gaze settled on Nangong Meng.
“Not at all. Daoist Ming Jian has just arrived as well,” Nangong Meng said with a smile.
Nangong Meng then turned to Wu Yuan. “Daoist Ming Jian, you and Sister Haiyue should already be acquainted, so I won’t bother with introductions.”
“Indeed, we’re from the same macrocosm and quite familiar with each other,” Wu Yuan replied with a smile. This was no secret.
In the vast river of space and time, while there were many macrocosms, the factions subordinate to the divine court headquarters were limited in number.
“Please, everyone take a seat,” Kou Lei said with a smile.
Everyone sat down. Zhuo Haiyue, the last to arrive, took the seat next to Wu Yuan.
“The Eight Mountains Alliance and our Taiyuan Divine Court are on good terms, so imprint bearers from our two factions often team up for missions. Kou Lei here is a good friend of mine,” Nangong Meng explained. “Kou Lei, I’ll let you continue.”
Wu Yuan and Zhuo Haiyue both turned their attention to him.
“The exploration mission requires me to team up with two Divided Soul-level cultivators. If they are too weak, they’ll be of no help to me and might even become a burden,” High Deity Kou Lei stated.
“I see,” Wu Yuan nodded.
The Spacetime Island didn’t always assign teammates for spacetime missions, sometimes allowing one to invite their preferred imprint bearers to join them. Given the choice, one would naturally select the most suitable individuals, which was where connections came into play.
This was why so many powerful figures from the Taiyuan Divine Court were eager to welcome Wu Yuan and Zhuo Haiyue when they first arrived.
“Though there are several Earth Immortals and Earth Deities with decent strength in my Eight Mountains Alliance, they all excel in direct combat, similar to myself,” High Deity Kou Lei shook his head. “That’s why I asked Nangong to invite you two.
Daoist Ming Jian, you have comprehended Space True Intent, and are capable of traversing higher spatial dimensions. In terms of escaping and scouting, my abilities fall far short of yours,” High Deity Kou Lei looked at Wu Yuan.
Wu Yuan listened silently.
Comprehending Space True Intent? Forget Earth Immortals and Earth Deities, even among High Immortals and High Deities, those who could reach the True Intent stage in the Law of Space were extremely rare.
Among the imprint bearers who came to the Spacetime Island, the vast majority only studied it as a secondary pursuit, with over 99% only comprehending an Intermediate Law of Space. Those pursuing the Greater Law were few and far between.
“Daoist Haiyue, you’re even more extraordinary. Your insights into the Law of Thunder are terrifyingly profound, likely no less than my own. You’re especially skilled in lightning movement arts. Although you haven’t stepped into higher spatial dimensions, your speed in the Material Spatial Layer can likely reach the speed of light,” Kou Lei smiled. “I’ve also heard about your two previous confrontation missions.”
“Daoist Kou Lei, you flatter me,” Zhuo Haiyue said calmly.
Wu Yuan picked up his teacup and took a sip.
His previous Sovereign-level missions, especially the last large-scale confrontation mission where he showcased his mastery of Space True Intent, had earned him both fame and fear among the countless imprint bearers on Spacetime Island.
However, Zhuo Haiyue was even more terrifying. Wu Yuan’s ability to traverse higher spatial dimensions only made others wary of sudden ambushes. But in a direct confrontation, even some powerful High Deities weren’t afraid of him.
Zhuo Haiyue, on the other hand, was incredibly formidable in direct attacks and skilled in lightning movement arts. She also undertook spacetime missions more frequently, with some intelligence reports indicating that she had completed at least six spacetime missions.
In several of these confrontation missions, she had gone on a killing spree, unleashing overwhelming power close to that of an Archimmortal with the aid of several powerful artifacts, sweeping through hordes of imprint bearers. In terms of fame alone, Zhuo Haiyue now surpassed Wu Yuan by a fair margin.
During my first spacetime mission, I displayed terrifying power, but Metal Devil and Purple Secret couldn’t confirm the exchanges in higher spatial dimensions. Plus, they were afraid of offending me and didn’t dare leak information about me easily. Wu Yuan mused to himself.
Thus, Wu Yuan’s reputation was limited to someone who had crystallized Space True Intent.
The extent of one’s fame doesn’t matter much. Wu Yuan wasn’t particularly concerned, but he did admire Zhuo Haiyue. In terms of Dao comprehension progress and strength, she was indeed extraordinary, no weaker than himself.
…
As time passed, Wu Yuan and Zhuo Haiyue gradually gained a better understanding of Kou Lei’s mission.
“The Snowlight Mist Realm is very dangerous, and my mission objective is in the Core Region,” Kou Lei smiled. “But for you Fellow Daoists, as long as you accompany me through the Inner Region and send me into the Core Region, your mission will be considered accomplished.
Besides the normal mission rewards, I will gift each of you another two hundred thousand divine crystals. How does that sound?” Kou Lei’s gaze fell on Wu Yuan and Zhuo Haiyue.
Wu Yuan’s heart stirred.
Two hundred thousand divine crystals? Not bad at all. If one had bad luck, one might not even obtain a hundred thousand divine crystals from a Sovereign-level spacetime mission. Moreover, the Snowlight Mist Realm was indeed special.
“Alright, I agree,” Wu Yuan said.
“I’m in as well,” Zhuo Haiyue said casually. “However, we need to sign a spacetime mission contract.”
“Of course, contracts come first,” Kou Lei smiled.
Quickly, under the witness of the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm, Wu Yuan, Zhuo Haiyue, and Kou Lei signed the contract.
This contract was backed by the Spacetime Island. Once Kou Lei completed the mission, he would have to give the corresponding two hundred thousand divine crystals to Wu Yuan and Zhuo Haiyue.
“Imprint bearer Ming Jian, do you accept the spacetime mission to protect Kou Lei? Difficulty: Sovereign-level.” A cold voice resonated in Wu Yuan’s mind.
Kou Lei’s exploration mission had a Dao Master level difficulty rating. Clearly, Wu Yuan’s escort mission was much lower in difficulty.
“I accept,” Wu Yuan responded.
Beside him, Zhuo Haiyue also chose to accept.
“Excellent.” Kou Lei received the notification from the Spacetime Island and smiled. “This mission will begin in ten days. Would you two please enter the spacetime teleportation array at the agreed time?
I will send you all the information I have regarding the Snowlight Mist Realm and the various requirements for this mission,” Kou Lei said.
“Alright.”
“Then we shall take our leave now,” Wu Yuan and Zhuo Haiyue departed one after another.
…
Inside a personal hall in the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm.
The intelligence is quite comprehensive. Wu Yuan received various pieces of intel in the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm from Kou Lei and read through them carefully.
The Snowlight Mist Realm was a highly renowned realm boundary within the Spacetime Dao Realm, naturally formed by the operation of the Dao Realm.
The entire Snowlight Mist Realm had a maximum diameter of over a hundred thousand light-years, rivaling the spatial territory of an immortal continent. Perpetually shrouded in mist and plagued with frequent unpredictable snowstorms, it was thus named as such.
Of course, the vast majority of areas in the realm boundary were still relatively safe. Only the Inner Region and Core Region could be described as places where death lurked around every corner.
In fact, this Snowlight Mist Realm was famous among countless imprint bearers on Spacetime Island. Many imprint bearers often ventured to the Snowlight Mist Realm as it produced large quantities of special artifacts. Many powerful figures from various forces across the entire Spacetime Dao Realm also ventured there.
Kou Lei’s intelligence is even more detailed than what I’ve gathered from Spacetime Island. Even some hidden dangerous locations are recorded. Wu Yuan finished reviewing.
What Wu Yuan didn’t realize was that Kou Lei had previously explored the area alone, sacrificing two of his mana bodies to investigate. Only after gaining some confidence did he return to invite them.
However, perhaps the hand of destiny is truly involved in the grand scheme of things. Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.
He had accepted Kou Lei’s invitation not solely for the two hundred thousand divine crystals, but more so because the spacetime coordinates for the Black Devil Blood Hollow were located in the Core Region of the Snowlight Mist Realm.
Many High Immortals of the Dao Realm were hesitant to venture into the Inner Region recklessly, let alone the Core Region. Many of its hazards were deadly enough to claim the lives of even Astral Lords.
Therefore, in the decades since obtaining ‘Genesis Law Sacrifice’, Wu Yuan had never considered venturing there. He had planned to wait until he broke through to High Immortal, gaining a significant increase in strength, before attempting to explore the Black Devil Blood Hollow.
However, since the opportunity has presented itself, I might as well go to the Snowlight Mist Realm and take a look, acquiring some experience. Wu Yuan pondered.
While his qi refiner self cultivated, his mana body would be idle anyway. Even if he failed and perished, the impact wouldn’t be significant.
My mana body cannot bring the Genesis Divine Pillar when venturing to the Snowlight Mist Realm. I only have one, and without absolute certainty, I can’t risk losing it. Wu Yuan thought to himself.
If it were the original Black Devil Divine Pillar, even his mana body could use it as long as he had Devil Divine Pills. But Wu Yuan’s mana body didn’t house a black pagoda, and therefore couldn’t generate Genesis Power, or blood mist.
However, after decades of experimentation, especially after successfully cultivating part one of ‘Genesis Law Sacrifice’, Wu Yuan gradually discovered that he could infuse blood mist into the Genesis Divine Pillar in advance.
This way, his mana body could activate the Genesis Divine Pillar in battle, unleashing incredible power.
The drawback was that the Genesis Power in the Genesis Divine Pillar wouldn’t be replenished without his qi refiner self’s black pagoda, so his mana body had to ration its usage carefully.
For the first expedition there, I will just prepare a standard configuration for my mana body. Wu Yuan decided.
A standard configuration meant that his battle armor, soul defense artifacts, flying boat, and other equipment were all high-grade spirion artifacts.
He would also carry nine celestial swords, over a thousand high-grade spirion artifacts, as well as some talismans and mobile arrays.
These celestial swords and spirion equipment were all obtained by Wu Yuan over the years, purchased from the Spacetime Treasure Hall after selling many treasures.
Though it’s the standard configuration, the total value of all the mana body’s treasures is close to twenty thousand divine crystals. Wu Yuan mused silently.
Factoring in the Divided Soul Immortal Life Pills needed to speed up the creation of a new mana body, if Wu Yuan’s mana body were to perish, it would cost him the equivalent of thirty thousand divine crystals and waste ten years of time.
Soon, he finished deciding on the arrangements for this mission.
Hiss~ A series of strange fluctuations emanated from Wu Yuan’s body, and his silhouette began to blur.
At the same time, more Wu Yuans appeared around the original Wu Yuan seated in lotus position, either lying down, sitting, or smiling… Each one looked extremely realistic, making for an incredibly bizarre scene.
Manipulating the flow of time. True intersection of Spacetime… Master’s comprehension of the Law of Time is improving steadily. Star Moon marveled from afar.
She had served many masters, but never one this monstrous.
Those imprint bearers outside appear to know that Master excels in the Law of Space, but not Time. Star Moon thought to herself.