Yuan’s Ascension

"A Sovereign-level mission?" Star Moon exclaimed, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Master, your cultivation period is short, and your talent is unquestionable, attempting a Sovereign-level mission right away seems far too reckless.

The masters I've served throughout the ages had a failure rate exceeding ninety-nine percent for their first Sovereign-level mission," Star Moon stated gravely, speaking from personal experience.

"Oh?" Wu Yuan smiled. "Didn't you mention earlier that my missions would typically be less challenging compared to other imprint bearers?"

"Even the easiest Sovereign-level mission has a minimum difficulty level," Star Moon shook her head. "Moreover, Master, your talent is exceptional, and your power formidable, but spacetime missions are ultimately meant to temper you. It's impossible for you to complete them all unscathed."

Wu Yuan nodded, acknowledging the truth in her words. Indeed, if mere talent and brief cultivation time were enough to easily overcome Sovereign-level trials, Dao Master Imprint bearers wouldn’t be this rare.

"In fact, given that you’ve already crystallized the True Intent of Space, I suspect that your mission difficulty won't decrease at all. It might even be more difficult," Star Moon added, her eyes narrowing with concern.

Wu Yuan couldn't help but chuckle. "I understand. Nevertheless, I'll still apply for a Sovereign-level mission."

Star Moon stared at him, dumbfounded. It seemed her words had fallen on deaf ears.

"Go on," Wu Yuan said, his tone brooking no argument.

"As you wish," Star Moon replied, seeing no point in further protest. She knew that sometimes, one had to learn things the hard way.

She gently closed her eyes, and moments later, they fluttered open once more. "Master, the application has been submitted. It could take anywhere from one day to ten years for a mission to be assigned."

One day? Ten years? Wu Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly.

From what he knew, spacetime missions were rarely fixed, instead randomly generated based on various conditions across the vast expanse of the Spacetime Dao Realm. Thus, there was always a waiting period, typically ranging from half a year to a year before a mission was issued.

Continue cultivating. Wu Yuan closed his eyes once more.

Ever since crystallizing the True Intent of Space, he could perceive the essence of the Law of Space. Coupled with the further strengthening of his soul over the years, his rate of comprehension hadn't slowed in the slightest even with the influence of Dao Assimilation.

Time flowed on, and three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Hmm? Wu Yuan suddenly opened his eyes. He had been issued a spacetime mission through the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm.

In a flash, Star Moon appeared by his side. With a wave of her hand, a massive light screen materialized, displaying lines of text:

Sovereign-level Mission: Protect, Confront, Hunt.

Protect: Safeguard Earth Immortal Yin Yan of the Chong Gu Galaxy for one day. During this period, two imprint bearers at the Divided Soul/Dharma Body phase will join forces with you, forming a protection squad. ℞𝐚NỖВÈ𝒮

Confront: During the protection period, other imprint bearers will form teams to assassinate the target. Their numbers and identities are unknown. Eliminate all attackers.

Hunt: After completing the protection stage, kill Earth Immortal Yin Yan within one day, while ensuring your own survival for three days.

Mission Background: The Chong Gu Galaxy is a vast continent ruled by Archimmortal Chong Gu. Earth Immortal Yin Yan is a master pill refiner who has just used an array to harvest the lives of over ten billion living beings from several planets. He is now using the blood of these beings to refine medicinal pills...

The light screen continued to display detailed intelligence about the Chong Gu Galaxy.

Chong Gu Galaxy? Wu Yuan pondered.

From what he knew, the Spacetime Dao Realm, a realm created by the Spacetime Dao Master, had an internal structure and operational rules different from ordinary macrocosms.

The so-called galaxies, in terms of spacetime territory size, were on the same scale as immortal continents, spanning tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of light years across.

Galactic clusters, on the other hand, were truly vast, with maximum diameters spanning from tens of millions to over a hundred million light years, fully comparable to an immortal nation!

This is my first time accepting a Sovereign-level mission, and it turns out to be one with multiple stages. From the looks of it, the core of this Sovereign-level mission is confrontation. Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.

Spacetime missions could generally be divided into four main categories: hunting, confrontation, treasure-seeking, and relic exploration.

Hunting missions often involved eliminating a specific immortal cultivator or group of cultivators.

Confrontation missions were those where the Spacetime Island would select different imprint bearers who applied for the same mission level and pit them against each other.

Treasure-seeking missions involved searching for specific mission items.

Relic exploration missions were the rarest and most mysterious of all, with dangers spanning all levels, making them the most unpredictable type of spacetime mission.

From the intelligence provided, Wu Yuan could easily deduce that the core of this Sovereign mission was a confrontation and battle to the death with other imprint bearers. Walking the razor's edge between life and death was indeed an excellent form of stimulation.

Their aim is assassination, while mine is protection. Inevitably, one side must fail. Wu Yuan muttered to himself.

However, this Earth Immortal Yin Yan is truly unfortunate. First, he's to be hunted by a group of imprint bearers. And after I protect him for a day, my mission is also to kill him? Wu Yuan shook his head slightly, bemused by the apparent contradiction.

He truly couldn't fathom the Spacetime Island's reasoning. If the goal was simply to kill Earth Immortal Yin Yan, why go through such a roundabout process?

But that's none of my concern. Wu Yuan thought to himself as he continued to read through the mission details. Enter any spacetime teleportation array within one day?

After a moment of contemplation, a figure in white robes suddenly appeared beside Wu Yuan's qi refiner self. His appearance, attire, and vital aura were identical to Wu Yuan’s, indistinguishable in every way.

This was the mana body Wu Yuan had cultivated, the hallmark of the Divided Soul phase, and the main reason why countless immortal cultivators referred to them as ‘immortals'.

"Greetings, Daoist," the white-robed mana body and the qi refiner self suddenly spoke in unison, startling Star Moon.

Then, both the mana body and the true self broke into smiles.

It's truly uncanny. At first glance, this mana body is just like another true self. Wu Yuan observed, studying the mana body intently.

However, Wu Yuan was well aware of the fundamental differences between a mana body and a true self.

The two true selves were genuinely independent entities. If one was destroyed, the other could still exist eternally. As time passed and the different true selves grew stronger, the karmic connections between them would weaken.

By the time one reached the Tribulation/Universe Architect phase, even attacks of karma and destiny would struggle to affect the other true self, their effects negligible.

If one true self was destroyed, the other couldn't cultivate it anew. In contrast, the qi refiner’s mana body or the body refiner’s ether body existed as extensions of their respective true selves.

If a mana body or ether body perished, the true self they belonged to usually wouldn't be greatly affected, and a new mana body or ether body could be cultivated. However, if the true self died, the cultivated mana body or ether body would instantly perish as well.

For normal immortal cultivators with second or third-degree immortal roots, the base power of their mana body or ether body can reach ninety percent of their true self’s. Wu Yuan's qi refiner self observed, examining the characteristics of the mana body. But for those with first-degree immortal roots, the mana body's base power can rival that of the true self.

This was the advantage of a first-degree immortal root. With a flawless amethyst cradle, coupled with Wu Yuan's powerful Voidspace and the near-perfect mana body cultivation technique, it was only natural that he could cultivate the most perfect and powerful mana body.

There were only two disparities. First was the soul. The soul power of the mana body was far inferior to that of the true self, typically excelling in defense but significantly weaker in terms of offense.

The mana bodies of other immortal cultivators have weak souls. Wu Yuan mused, a faint smile playing on his lips. But mine?

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self possessed an incredibly formidable soul. Even though his mana body's soul was much weaker, this was only in comparison to his true self. In objective terms, it was not to be underestimated.

The second disparity lay in lifebound artifacts. Typically, mana bodies didn't carry lifebound artifacts or other precious treasures. Otherwise, if they were to perish and these items were lost, the loss would be too great.

This first Sovereign-level mission will allow me to test the waters. Wu Yuan decided. There's no need to carry any significant treasures. I'll just bring some spirion equipment and an ordinary flying sword. If I fail, the loss won't be substantial.

It wasn't that Wu Yuan was unwilling to carry more flying swords. With his wealth of divine crystals, purchasing several low-grade celestial flying swords wouldn't be difficult. However, an Earth Immortal's mana was limited. Unless it was a lifebound flying sword, it would be challenging to wield an additional celestial sword effectively.

Let's go. The white-robed mana body moved in an instant, flying out of the hall. It swiftly soared towards the spacetime teleportation arrays floating above the continent.

Inside the hall, Star Moon exclaimed, "Master, this mana body of yours gives me a terrifying feeling. I've seen some ninth-stage Earth Immortal true selves that weren't this frightening."

"Haha," Wu Yuan's qi refiner self laughed. "Whether it's powerful or not isn't important. What matters is whether it can complete this spacetime mission."

As his mana body departed, Wu Yuan's qi refiner self remained in the hall, cultivating quietly.

This was precisely why some ancient beings were difficult to kill for good even after eons of adventure and battle.

The mana body could rise again and again after falling in battle, and there were many who exercised extreme caution, keeping their true selves hidden safely away. They never left their hiding spots, only sending their mana bodies out. As long as the true self did not perish, one could stage comeback after comeback.

…

Hum! As Wu Yuan's mana body entered the teleportation hall, a hazy fluctuation enveloped him and a voice echoed in his ears: "For normal teleportation, select a destination. Or are you embarking on a spacetime mission?"

"Spacetime mission," Wu Yuan's mana body answered.

Whoosh! An invisible force enveloped him, and in an instant, Wu Yuan's mana body felt a massive distance opening up between him and his true self. This force was vast and magnificent, completely beyond his ability to resist. Silence and emptiness surrounded him.

This is not the Vacuum Spatial Layer, but rather the mission waiting area. Wu Yuan deduced.

For solo missions, the difficulty and restrictions were usually not too high. For group missions, there would be more limitations.

A good half of the day went by.

Suddenly, two silhouettes silently materialized beside Wu Yuan. They too immediately sensed his presence.

The three perceived each other's auras. Two Earth Immortals and one Earth Deity. The Earth Deity was also of the body refiner cultivation system, though unlike the Earth Eldritch, they generally did not cultivate lifebound eldritch beasts.

"You are... Ming Jian?" The burly youth clad in special metal armor fixed his gaze on Wu Yuan, his eyes lighting up. "I've seen you in the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm and heard tales of your exploits, Dao Master Imprint bearer."

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