Yuan’s Ascension

Time slipped away as Wu Yuan manned his battleship, navigating through outer space.

After dodging rogue planet after rogue planet, traversing nearly ten million li, they finally arrived at an unremarkable rogue planet and slowed to a stop.

"Daoist An Shu," Wu Yuan's powerful Soul Force swept through space. With a range of thousands of li, it completely enveloped the rogue planet.

Whoosh! Two figures shot out from the rogue planet, streaking across the void before swiftly landing in front of the battleship.

One was a young man clad in black robes. The other was a short, red-robed Amethyst Cradle cultivator.

A glint of surprise flickered in both of their eyes. The power of Wu Yuan's Soul Force was undeniable.

"Soul Will?" An Shu muttered, his tone doubtful

"I can't say for certain, the probability of him reaching the Soul Will level is not high." the red-robed cultivator rumbled in a deep voice, “However, with their help, we can hold them off. Our chances of winning this battle will increase significantly."

"Who would have thought you'd find such a powerful team in just one day?" The red-robed cultivator chuckled.

"It was luck," An Shu's eyes sparkled with relief. He had been worried that Wu Yuan wouldn't keep his promise, but seeing Wu Yuan's timely arrival with his formidable team, An Shu felt his anxiety ease. With such a powerful ally, their chances of victory had greatly improved.

Suddenly, a black metal puppet flew out of the spirit battleship, landing gracefully before An Shu and the red-robed cultivator.

The puppet's eyes gleamed as it spoke, "Daoist An Shu, I am Ming Jian."

"Daoist Ming Jian," An Shu responded, taking the initiative to introduce his companion, "This is my comrade, Gong Shujie, an expert in puppet manipulation and a seventh-rank fighter."

"A seventh-rank fighter?" Wu Yuan, who controlled the metal puppet, nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "Impressive."

Gong Shujie smirked, his eyes gleaming with a mix of respect and challenge. "Fellow Daoist, you don’t seem weak either, especially when you can command such an elite team."

"And you even own a first-grade spirit battleship," Gong Shujie added, his tone admiring as he recognized the quality of the flying boat at a glance.

"We're pressed for time. Let's talk on the go," An Shu said as he gestured toward his battleship. "Daoist Ming Jian, your puppet can board my vessel. I'll explain the situation on the way."

The metal puppet nodded in agreement.

Wu Yuan had purchased hundreds of similar puppets, all at the Golden Core level. They were not worth much ethercrystal, and were primarily used for scouting and communication.

While Golden Core-level puppets and ethercrystal weapons were affordable, the price increased exponentially at the Amethyst Cradle level. As for the Void Refiner or Elysian Field level? The cost was staggering.

Soon, An Shu summoned his own first-grade spirit battleship, leading Gong Shujie and Wu Yuan’s puppet aboard.

Whoosh! Whoosh! The two battleships took off in succession, their speeds skyrocketing to several thousand li per second as they plunged deeper into outer space.

…

Inside An Shu's battleship, Wu Yuan’s metallic puppet emitted a low hum as it processed the information. "A planet 900 million li away? A Fire Ethercrystal vein?" Wu Yuan's voice carried a note of surprise.

After their brief exchange, Wu Yuan finally understood An Shu's purpose for hiring his team—to conquer a planet.

"In our war zone, two major camps are constantly vying for control, their influence extending into the vast reaches of outer space," An Shu explained, his tone solemn. "Space is boundless, making it incredibly difficult to locate a specific place. Most battles occur on planets."

Wu Yuan gave a slight nod.

Millions of stars and planets dotted this expanse, scattered across billions of li. Each planet varied in size, with diameters ranging from tens of thousands to millions of li. In this unique environment, planets were extraordinarily sturdy.

Among these celestial bodies were certain planets with naturally occurring ore veins. Upon mining these veins, one could extract Fire Ethercrystal. These veins formed rapidly and were extremely valuable, serving a wide range of purposes.

Over the years, whenever a Fire Ethercrystal vein was discovered, it sparked fierce competition among powerhouses from both camps, each competing for control.

"This star is located in a remote region, yet the Fire Ethercrystal vein here is massive," An Shu stated, his voice heavy with significance. "Once excavated, its total value will exceed ten billion catties of ethercrystal."

An Shu's eyes met the puppet's glowing gaze. "Once the mission is accomplished, you will get an additional ten percent of the Fire Ethercrystals mined, on top of the original hiring price."

Both Ming Jian and Gong Shujie nodded slightly.

"Nine hundred million li," An Shu continued, his voice steady. "At a cruising speed of eighteen thousand li per breath, we'll arrive in less than three days. Ming Jian, I will cover the extra ethercrystal expenses."

"Okay," Wu Yuan agreed without hesitation.

With the battleship's cruising speed tripled, the ethercrystal consumption would increase tenfold. Covering nine hundred million li at such a speed would consume a significant amount of ethercrystal.

"Try to avoid battles along the way, and stay clear of main planets and common battlegrounds," An Shu advised.

Whoosh! Whoosh! The two battleships raced forward at breakneck speed, the void around them a blur. However, with the sheer number of stars and rogue planets, it was impossible to avoid them all.

Wu Yuan, Pei He, An Shu, and the others occasionally sensed intense fluctuations of spiritual qi, indicating that immortal cultivators clashed frequently across the battlefield.

But the intimidating sight of the two first-grade spirit battleships was enough to deter any potential threats.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

"Stay away from the core area of the battlefield," An Shu instructed. "Only twenty million li left to the target planet. Proceed along route nine, using the rogue planets to hide our tracks."

"Be on high alert.”

…

This was a red planet, over a hundred thousand li in diameter. The wind howled as it swept across its rugged surface, carrying grains of sand that skittered over rock.

A massive canyon carved into the planet's surface concealed a flying boat over a hundred zhangs long, docked near the entrance to an enormous cave.

Deep within the cave, a multitude of puppets, alongside numerous Amethyst Cradle and Shambhala cultivators, were tirelessly excavating massive quantities of rock.

Inside the flying boat, four figures stood in silence. The leader was a tall man who seemed to be forged from rock itself, his presence as imposing as a mountain.

The other three wore purple robes. Two were women, and the third was a man with numerous purple scales growing along his face, a single horn protruding from his head.

"Gu Zhong, I've eliminated another scouting team," a voice as cold and hard as rock rumbled from the stone-like man. "How much longer until this Fire Ethercrystal vein is fully mined?"

"Patience, Daoist Shi Jing," the man with the purple scales responded with a slight smile. "You know very well how tough these rocks are. Mining them will take time."

"Four more days. We've been at it for seven days. Another four, and we'll be done. Then we can return to the battlefield and regroup," the purple-robed man stated confidently.

"Once this job is finished, the four of us will split at least two billion catties of ethercrystal," he added.

Shi Jing, the stone-like man, nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, one of the two silent purple-robed women, who wore a silver mask, abruptly stood up. Her eyes were icy, her voice low and laced with warning. "Someone is coming. They've passed the monitoring array I set up on Route 16."

With a wave of her hand, a light screen projection appeared, displaying two first-grade spirit flying boats speeding past.

"It's him. That Eldritch Court punk. We let him escape last time, yet he dares to return?" A dangerous glint shone in the purple-robed man’s eyes as he turned to Shi Jing. "Weren’t you eager to take down that eldritch genius? He's here."

"Oh? Are you sure?" Shi Jing's eyes lit up, the thrill of the hunt evident in his expression.

"Certainly. I’ve fought him before. He's a genius who has reached the ninth-level True Intent stage," the purple-robed man confirmed. "If not for his mastery of the Law of Wind, which allowed him to escape so quickly, I would have killed him then." [1]

"Haha," Shi Jing chuckled darkly. "Ninth-level True Intent? Law of Wind? I wasn't here last time, but this time, let me tear him apart. I love killing geniuses."

"Ninth sister, how much longer?" the purple-robed man asked the woman in the silver mask.

"Fifteen minutes," she replied curtly.

"Good. We'll confront them directly in outer space. Remember, don't rush. Wait until they enter the array's range, then annihilate them," the purple-robed man commanded, his tone aloof.

"Mm.”

"Great! More merits for us.”

Whoosh! Whoosh! With a swift motion, the single-horned, purple-robed man stowed the battleship, leaving the four powerhouses exposed to the harsh elements of the planet’s surface.

The raging wind, reaching speeds of hundreds of li, didn't faze them in the slightest.

Soon, hundreds of Amethyst Cradle cultivators emerged from the massive cave, each bowing respectfully.

"Let's go. Head to Array 4," the purple-robed man commanded with a wave of his hand.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Hundreds of figures launched into the sky, streaking toward outer space.

…

Beyond the planet, countless rogue planets and space debris floated aimlessly. Hundreds of thousands of li away, planets with diameters of tens of thousands of li drifted along their orbits.

Numerous array disks and array flags had been discreetly planted on various rogue planets and meteoroids. These arrays lay dormant, their power hidden, unnoticed by most.

Whoosh! Whoosh! The two flying boats – Wu Yuan and An Shu's battleships – approached the planet silently, now moving at a speed of hundreds of li per second.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Suddenly, every rogue planet within a span of ten thousand li erupted in bursts of light.

The arrays were activated!

Countless azure qi streams surged over the two battleships, submerging them and the surrounding expanse of outer space.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Terrifying rays fired from the arrays, slamming into the two first-grade spirit battleships, causing them to lurch and roll violently. Their speed dropped drastically as they struggled against the onslaught.

…

Inside the battleship, Wu Yuan's eyes snapped open the moment the array was activated.

"Enemy attack! Form the battle array," Wu Yuan's urgent voice echoed in the ears of Pei He, Lie Shier, and the three hundred soldiers under his command.

In the other battleship, the short figure in red robes also opened his eyes, sensing the imminent danger.

"Battle array!" Light radiated from Pei He's silver battle armor as he coordinated with the fifty-four Amethyst Cradle cultivators around him, their silver battle armors merging to form a single, cohesive entity.

Rumble~ A miniature, lifelike jiaolong materialized, its scales shimmering silver, its whiskers bristling with energy.

The fifty-five Amethyst Cradle cultivators were now enveloped within the protective embrace of the silver jiaolong.

Buzz! Around Wu Yuan, a barely perceptible layer of earthy yellow light flickered to life. This protective aura expanded, enveloping the entire flying boat.

Boom! The array's powerful attack landed, causing the flying boat to shake violently and roll through the void.

But the combined defenses of the flying boat and the protective yellow light absorbed the brunt of the impact, leaving the crew unharmed.

"Out!" Wu Yuan commanded, his voice ringing with authority.

Boom! Boom! The hatches of the two flying boats burst open.

The array outside tore through the vast emptiness of space.

1. should be a Lesser Law of the Wind Dao ☜