Yuan’s Ascension

Chapter 1331: Original Sword Archon (1)

Countless dazzling stars shimmered across the void, their brilliance outshining those in the River of Universes by trillions of times. A million of these celestial bodies orbited around a vast Eternal Realm—the domain of the Blood Emperor.

As co-leader of the Blood Dream Alliance, his Eternal Realm served as a critical waypoint for True Saints and Saints of the faction traversing the cosmic sea. A constant stream of eternal powerhouses passed through this nexus.

Near the Eternal Realm, beside a blindingly brilliant star, stood a figure in blood-red robes, waiting patiently. Despite his dominating aura, he appeared almost insignificant next to the star’s radiance.

Spacetime suddenly rippled and surged. The blood-robed figure turned sharply, his gaze fixing on a white-robed silhouette materializing at the void’s edge.

The newcomer, emitting an ephemeral aura and wearing a faint smile, radiated a danger that made the blood-robed figure tremble inwardly.

“Dao Zenithel Ming Jian,” the blood-robed figure forced a smile, his tone decidedly polite.

“Blood Emperor, there’s no need for formalities,” Wu Yuan’s mana body replied with an easy smile. “Logically speaking, I’m a member of the Blood Dream Alliance. You’re the Second Alliance Leader, which makes me your subordinate.”

Both Wu Yuan’s mana body and qi refiner self had reached the Dao Zenithel stage. Unless they stood side by side, revealing the subtle differences in their vital essence, even other Dao Zenithels couldn’t distinguish between them.

“Dao Zenithel Ming Jian, please don’t mock me,” the Blood Emperor said wryly. “Daoist Tian Xu is your senior. How can I compare? If you think well of me, just call me Xue Hai.”[1]

“Xue Hai?” Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

The Eldritch Court’s intelligence archives identified the Blood Emperor as a naturally-born eternal lifeform, a sea of blood capable of splitting into trillions of clones. This granted him an innately powerful physical defense and terrifying self-preservation abilities from birth.

Among the twenty-odd Full Dao Zenithel powerhouses in the cosmic sea, if Great Emperor Yan Tuo’s self-preservation ranked first, the Blood Emperor’s would certainly be in the top three. Of course, Wu Yuan’s body refiner self now had to be factored into these rankings as well.

“Where’s the Dream Emperor? I don’t see him,” Wu Yuan asked. The message he’d received had come jointly from both Alliance leaders.

“You arrived too quickly. The Dream Emperor just left his own Eternal Realm,” the Blood Emperor explained ruefully. “His Eternal Realm isn’t far from mine, but it still takes months to travel between them.”

Wu Yuan nodded slightly. Dao Zenithels could move their Eternal Realms through the cosmic sea, though it took tremendous effort. Consequently, powerhouses of the same faction typically kept their Eternal Realms in close proximity to facilitate mutual support during crises.

For example, most of the Eldritch Court’s Eternal Realms were clustered not far from the Di Jiang Eternal Realm.

Of course, each Eternal Realm consumed astronomical amounts of Xuanhuang qi and affected the spacetime around them, thus they maintained certain distances from each other. A journey of several months was just about right.

“Months? Too long.” Wu Yuan shook his head decisively. “When you contacted me, didn’t you say the secret was with the Dream Emperor? Let’s go to him instead.” His gaze shifted to the Blood Emperor. “What say you?”

The Blood Emperor hesitated briefly, then nodded. “Very well.”

“Don’t resist,” Wu Yuan’s mana body said with a smile. With a gesture, an invisible spacetime force enveloped the Blood Emperor.

The essence of the Great Dao of Spacetime? Surprise flickered across the Blood Emperor’s face. Despite possessing the power to break free, he did not resist.

Boom! Wu Yuan tore through the void with the Blood Emperor in tow, following the fluctuations of spacetime toward the Dream Emperor’s Eternal Realm.

In a desolate region of space where only wisps of Xuanhuang qi drifted, Wu Yuan and the Blood Emperor emerged from the warped spacetime. Not far away stood a figure in dark blue robes, his aura equally vast, his features hauntingly beautiful.

“Dao Zenithel Ming Jian, Blood Emperor, you’ve arrived so quickly.” The blue-robed figure’s expression betrayed surprise as he approached.

“Indeed, that was faster than expected,” the Blood Emperor agreed, visibly shaken. “If we had travelled via the Eternal Realm’s essence, it would have taken us ten thousand times longer.”

The Blood Emperor was genuinely astonished. Though familiar with the Spacetime Dao Master’s abilities, Wu Yuan’s methods far exceeded his imagination.

“Ten thousand times faster?” The Dream Emperor’s face showed similar disbelief. “Most impressive! Dao Zenithel Ming Jian, you truly live up to your reputation as the Spacetime Dao Master. Few earn my respect, but you are certainly among them.” His expression was “utterly sincere”.

Inwardly, Wu Yuan was suppressing his laughter. The acting skills of these two Blood Dream Alliance leaders left much to be desired.

“You two,” he began with a smile, “Tian Xu is my guide. He said I could trust you both, which is why I agreed to this meeting. I’ve been in seclusion, neglecting you for some time. My apologies.”

Some time? The Blood Emperor and Dream Emperor inwardly scoffed. Try over six billion years!

“But I’m here now,” Wu Yuan continued. “I prefer directness and dislike beating around the bush. What exactly is this ultimate treasure you mentioned? And what’s this about needing my protection?”

Wu Yuan looked at the two leaders. Though the Blood Emperor and Dream Emperor had contacted Wu Yuan multiple times, their messages had always been vague, never stating things outright. This was also why Wu Yuan had never felt any urgency regarding this matter.

The Blood Emperor and Dream Emperor exchanged a glance.

“Daoist Ming Jian,” the Dream Emperor began, lowering his head slightly. “I’m sure you’re aware that I was slain by the Heavenly Imperator long ago in the Realm of Destruction.”

“I’ve heard of it,” Wu Yuan nodded.

“Back then, I died. The Blood Emperor barely escaped with his life, thanks to his blood sea form,” the Dream Emperor continued quietly.

“Oh?” Wu Yuan was surprised. This detail had never appeared in the Eldritch Court’s intelligence archives. Had the Dream Emperor not died, this conflict might have gone unnoticed.

“After the Heavenly Imperator killed me once, he’s been secretly seeking opportunities to completely annihilate both myself and the Blood Emperor,” the Dream Emperor explained. “We’ve been in hiding all these years.”

“Hiding?” Wu Yuan contemplated this revelation.

Such relentless pursuit meant either the Heavenly Imperator bore a mortal grudge against them, or they possessed something he desperately coveted.

“However, the Heavenly Imperator grows ever stronger. I have a premonition that sooner or later, we won’t be able to hide anymore,” the Dream Emperor said through gritted teeth. “So we wish to seek your protection. We want to offer you the position of First Alliance Leader of the Blood Dream Alliance.”

“First Alliance Leader?” Wu Yuan’s lips curved in an enigmatic smile. “Dream Emperor, surely you realize this position means little to me. It offers no aid to my cultivation path, yet saddles me with the risk of confronting the Heavenly Imperator. It’s not a good bargain.”

“Daoist Ming Jian, you are already an enemy of the Immortal Court,” the Blood Emperor interjected sharply. “Do you truly believe that the Heavenly Imperator won’t target you in the future just because you don’t take on this position?”

“The Heavenly Imperator will indeed come after me, but his primary target is the Eldritch Court,” Wu Yuan replied coolly. “Besides, even if he does target me, would the two of you be of any help?”

The Blood Emperor recoiled slightly.

“With our strength, we could at least serve as a distraction,” the Dream Emperor asserted through clenched teeth.

“I’ll say it again: the potential gains don’t justify the risks,” Wu Yuan stated flatly. “I have no desire to take disciples, much less spread my teachings.”

For True Saints and Standard Dao Zenithels, a major faction offered tremendous support. But for Full Dao Zenithel powerhouses, the burdens outweighed the benefits.

“Fine!” The Dream Emperor took a deep breath. “I understand your position. It’s true that even the Blood Dream Alliance is hardly enough to sway you. But what if we add the opportunity to control a Supreme Divine Object?”

“An opportunity to control a Supreme Divine Object?” Interest flickered in Wu Yuan’s eyes.

Could they truly know the secret to controlling such an artifact? Were they perhaps Archons of one?

“The Ancestral Pagoda, the Original Sword, the Heavenly Cauldron,” Wu Yuan’s voice sharpened. “Which Supreme Divine Object? What opportunity?”

“The Original Sword,” the Blood Emperor answered quietly.

“Really?” Wu Yuan asked, though inwardly he was already mostly convinced.

According to Daoist Tian Xu, the Original Sword’s physical form was indeed in the Realm of Destruction, aligning with the Dream Emperor’s past demise there. Moreover, besides a Xuanhuang Dao Treasure and the Three Supreme Divine Objects, nothing else would likely drive the Heavenly Imperator to such murderous intent.

“Yes,” the Dream Emperor nodded decisively.

“Tell me more,” Wu Yuan said, feigning casual interest.

“Dao Zenithel Ming Jian,” the Dream Emperor shook his head firmly. “You must first swear a Primordial Oath, promising that once we give you this opportunity and all the intelligence we possess, you will protect us.”

“Otherwise, we won’t speak,” he continued. “And don’t even think about threatening us. We’d rather die than reveal our secrets. You needn’t worry about deception either. We’re also willing to swear Primordial Oaths.”

“Primordial Oath?” Wu Yuan furrowed his brow slightly.

A Primordial Oath was enforced by the Primordial Rules, a terrifying binding force. If a Perennial or Saint violated it, their lives were most likely forfeit. And even if they didn’t die, they would suffer extreme torment for all of eternity. Even for a Dao Zenithel, violating it would gravely impact their cultivation, though it wouldn’t prove fatal.

“Fine, if what you say is true, I will swear to protect you.” Wu Yuan said nonchalantly.

They were both Full Dao Zenithel powerhouses; the chances of him needing to intervene personally were slim. Moreover, he would inevitably face the Heavenly Imperator in battle someday.

“Good. Swear the oath first,” the Blood Emperor and Dream Emperor demanded in unison.

Swiftly, accompanied by three vast ripples of power, Wu Yuan, the Dream Emperor, and the Blood Emperor each swore their Primordial Oaths in succession.

Only then did the two leaders visibly relax, exchanging a glance.

“We pay our respects to the First Alliance Leader,” they said simultaneously, bowing deeply.

Wu Yuan shook his head, caught between amusement and exasperation. “There’s no need for such formalities. Even as First Alliance Leader, you two remain the Second and Third Leaders. The day-to-day affairs of the alliance will still be managed by you.”

“As long as you nominally hold the position of First Alliance Leader, that’s enough,” the Dream Emperor smiled, visibly relieved.

The pressure of countless ages had largely dissipated in an instant, and he felt much lighter.

“Go on,” Wu Yuan said.

“Allow me to elaborate,” said the Dream Emperor. “Alliance Leader, surely you’ve heard the legends of the Three Supreme Divine Objects.”

“Legends?” Wu Yuan paused, momentarily confused. He nodded, then shook his head, uncertain.

“That’s understandable. Having cultivated for a brief time, it’s only natural that you are still unaware of certain secrets,” the Dream Emperor continued. “Throughout the long age, information gathered from the cosmic sea suggests that beyond the Dao Masters, figures such as Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, the Heavenly Imperator, and Great Emperor Yan Tuo acquired Xuanhuang Dao Treasures precisely because they became candidate controllers of Supreme Divine Objects.”

“Candidate controllers?” Wu Yuan’s eyes sparked with interest.

1. 血海 (Xue Hai) = Blood Sea ☜