Yuan’s Ascension

Chapter 1354: The Long Years (2)

High above this carnage, unseen by the warring masses, two figures walked through the void. One wore pristine white robes, the other azure garments, gazing down at the cruel warfare below.

“So this is the Six Paths of Samsara World you’ve constructed?” The azure-robed elder remarked, his voice tinged with genuine curiosity. “Truly remarkable.”

“Yes. I derived it through the Samsara Platform,” Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self offered a slight smile. “The platform possesses unique properties, containing a complete, independent strand of essence, essentially a miniature version of the Primordial Rules. For years, I’ve worked to merge it with my Dream Megaverse. This represents my first meaningful success.”

More than ten thousand years had passed since the battle in the Realm of Destruction. Wu Yuan’s body refiner self and mana body had long since returned to the River of Universes, neither venturing out again since then.

Throughout these years, both his body refiner self and mana body had fully recovered from their injuries. Only his ether body was still being painstakingly recultivated—a process that would require considerably more time.

Upon returning to the River of Universes, Wu Yuan had intended to return the Samsara Platform to the Nüwa Realm, allowing Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu to reclaim it upon her eventual revival.

Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang, however, dissuaded him with simple logic: “Before Hou Tu fell, she specified that this Samsara Platform would prove invaluable to your qi refiner self in cultivating the Psyche Dream class path. Study it thoroughly. When she returns, you can return it then.”

Thus, the Samsara Platform was temporarily handed to Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self, allowing him to gradually decipher its essence.

This meant each of Wu Yuan’s two true selves now wielded two Xuanhuang Dao Treasures.

Through contemplation, Wu Yuan came to understand the platform’s exceptional nature and recognized Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu’s profound intentions.

The Samsara Platform, named after samsara, functioned as a distilled version of the Primordial Rules. It contained the deepest profundities of Laws while incorporating the operations of Void rules. Its unique design allowed for the near-perfect combination of various powers.

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu had obtained this platform, studied its essence, and spent ages developing her inconceivable ultimate techniques: Six Paths of Samsara and Samsara Sacrificial Annihilation.

During the battle in the Realm of Destruction, Wu Yuan’s consciousness had briefly sensed the profound workings of Hou Tu’s ultimate technique. Though the exposure was fleeting, he gained crucial insights.

Over ten thousand years, his qi refiner self had used these insights as a foundation to explore the Samsara Platform’s potential, wielding it with increasing mastery. His understanding of how different powers could be combined and unleashed grew steadily deeper.

The spacetime before him represented one of his experiments, a practical application of his theories.

“Using the Dream Megaverse as the core,” the azure-robed elder observed, “and the Samsara Platform as the vessel, you’ve derived a world that blurs the boundary between illusion and reality.” He gazed down at the spacetime below, his voice reflecting genuine amazement. “By interweaving what is real and what is imagined, you’ve truly crossed the threshold on this path.”

“I still have far to go,” Wu Yuan replied with a modest shake of his head.

The spacetime he had created was illusory, just like the Dream Megaverse. Yet the beings within were real existences. These creatures, even the Saints and Perennials, experienced complex emotions and possessed true insights corresponding to their Dao cultivation level. Only the special environment constrained them, preventing them from crossing into the real world and limiting their true power.

“How much time has passed?” The azure-robed elder smiled. “Though you haven’t yet matched Nüwa’s achievement, your foundation surpasses hers. This gives you a genuine chance of controlling the Ancestral Pagoda.”

The azure-robed figure was, of course, Daoist Tian Xu.

“Indeed.” Wu Yuan nodded slightly. These ten thousand years of intensive study had crystallized his understanding.

For his body refiner self to take the fourth step, he needed to fully comprehend the ten Great Daos and perfectly integrate them. Yet even becoming a Grand Supreme would only get him to the Perfect Dao on the Path of Reality.

The power of Reality alone was likely insufficient to withstand the Ancestral Pagoda’s pressure. To truly control it, Reality and Void had to merge, and mastering Void law rested entirely on his qi refiner self.

“Your qi refiner self cannot directly help your body refiner self wield the Ancestral Pagoda,” Daoist Tian Xu pointed out. “But the crucial insights needed to combine Reality and Void must begin with your qi refiner aspect.”

Wu Yuan completely agreed.

Throughout these ten millennia, Daoist Tian Xu’s avatar had visited multiple times, offering guidance that significantly benefited Wu Yuan’s already rapid progress. As a former Ancestral Pagoda Archon, Tian Xu possessed unique insights into mastering the artifact.

The Samsara Sacrificial Annihilation wielded by Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, the third move of Psyche Destruction I’ve yet to create, and even my nascent Psyche Dream Domain—all these represent the fusion of Reality and Void. Wu Yuan reflected.

Techniques like the Dream Megaverse remained relatively crude, merely combining and explosively releasing psyche dream power and mana.[1]

Samsara Sacrificial Annihilation, by contrast, instantaneously released all of one’s power, leaning toward the psyche dream illusion aspect. It could trap opponents for extraordinary periods, sometimes causing them to slip unwittingly into death.

And the Psyche Destruction that Wu Yuan envisioned leaned more toward psyche weapon annihilation.

Using the Samsara Platform as a springboard to study the combination of Reality and Void.

Using the Samsara Sword as a foundation to create the third move, Psyche Destruction. Wu Yuan had long since charted his path. Finally, my body refiner self must draw upon and expand from my qi refiner self’s insights.

Only then could he attempt to wield the Ancestral Pagoda. This was the most efficient cultivation method Wu Yuan could conceive.

…

The path of cultivation grew increasingly difficult as one approached its ultimate end.

The Heavenly Imperator and Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu had reached the pinnacle of the cosmic sea with astonishing speed, only to find further progress nearly impossible.

Wu Yuan faced the same challenge. Both his qi refiner and body refiner selves had attained pinnacle-stage Dao Zenithel combat power in less than ten billion years. Even with the experience of many predecessors to draw upon, the path beyond remained exceedingly difficult.

One hundred million years! One billion years! Ten billion years!

Time spans that would seem inconceivable to sempiternal beings passed like moments on the arduous journey from Dao Zenithel to Grand Supreme.

…

The Eldritch Court and Immortal Court gradually reached a tense equilibrium. As time passed, the highest echelons of both sides grew reluctant to commit to all-out war.

The Heavenly Imperator held back, believing the perfect moment had not yet arrived.

Wu Yuan and Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang lacked confidence, unwilling to test whether the Heavenly Imperator could truly wield the Original Sword within the cosmic sea.

From Wu Yuan’s perspective, until he could guarantee victory over the Heavenly Imperator, conflict served no purpose. What benefit would come from slaying a few more Dao Zenithels of the Immortal Court? It would not alter the overall balance.

…

In what seemed like an instant, more than a hundred billion years had elapsed since the battle in the Realm of Destruction. The Megaverse Crossroads had been held dozens of times within the River of Universes.

All ripples from past conflicts had settled.

The fall of Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu hadn’t caused a great disruption to the balance of power in the cosmic sea.

Eldritch Court powerhouses like True Saint Dong Yi and True Saint Qi Guang had since broken through to become Dao Zenithels.

Those who had once competed for supremacy in the Tenth Chaos Void—True Saint Luan Hai, True Saint Luo Quan, and True Saint Yin Yu—gradually revived after falling a hundred billion years prior. They then ascended to Dao Zenithel, steadily establishing their prominence within the cosmic sea.

Yet these new Dao Zenithels possessed only ordinary strength. They could not significantly influence the greater balance of power.

Until the one hundred and thirty billionth year.

Dao Zenithel Fu You of the Eldritch Court ventured to Yonder Cliff, sensing a Chaos Treasure emerging in that region. He went to claim it, only to encounter Imperial Majesty Dong Huo of the Immortal Court. The battle erupted immediately.

Dao Zenithel Dao Mo and Dao Zenithel Jiu Huang arrived in time to witness the conflict.

The battle was brutal.

Initially, Dao Zenithel Fu You found himself slightly pressured by Imperial Majesty Dong Huo, though not significantly outmatched. Just as Dao Zenithel Dao Mo and the others prepared to intervene, Imperial Majesty Dong Huo unleashed an offensive Xuanhuang Dao Treasure at the critical moment.

A Xuanhuang Dao Treasure divine spear! With that, he swiftly defeated Dao Zenithel Fu You and immediately suppressed Dao Zenithel Dao Mo and the others.

News of this confrontation spread like wildfire, sending shockwaves through the entire cosmic sea.

A Xuanhuang Dao Treasure!

Imperial Majesty Dong Huo, already formidable, had obtained an offensive Xuanhuang Dao Treasure. His power now rivaled that of Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang.

“A Xuanhuang Dao Treasure?” Wu Yuan and Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang were astonished when they received the news.

Wu Yuan especially felt a chill of recognition. He immediately recalled how Imperial Majesty Nan Guang had beaten him to the Saber of Oblivion, as if guided by foreknowledge.

Now Imperial Majesty Dong Huo had acquired a Xuanhuang Dao Treasure? This was no ordinary Chaos Treasure.

Born from the Primordial Rules, only thirty-six Xuanhuang Dao Treasures would ever exist. And to date, over half remained undiscovered.

Wu Yuan couldn’t help but suspect that the Immortal Court possessed some special method for detecting unrevealed Xuanhuang Dao Treasures.

Most likely, the Heavenly Imperator can sense them through the Original Sword. Wu Yuan theorized.

Merely ten billion years later, Wu Yuan personally confirmed this hypothesis.

During an expedition, Wu Yuan’s ether body encountered Imperial Majesty Nan Guang once more at Yonder Cliff.

A fierce battle ensued. Though Wu Yuan’s ether body hadn’t brought a Xuanhuang Dao Treasure, it still easily overpowered Imperial Majesty Nan Guang. His mana body then joined the attack, and their combined strength seemed unstoppable.

Finally, they forced Imperial Majesty Nan Guang to unleash his full power, revealing his own Xuanhuang Dao Treasure.

A set of physical battle armor.

This armor allowed Imperial Majesty Nan Guang to emerge unscathed from the combined assault of Wu Yuan’s ether and mana bodies.

Another Xuanhuang Dao Treasure. The Immortal Court must be able to detect unrevealed Xuanhuang Dao Treasures. Wu Yuan concluded, a sense of urgency rising within him. Had I completed the third level of Psyche Destruction, I might have been able to defeat Imperial Majesty Nan Guang.

Unfortunately, even after over a hundred billion years, Wu Yuan had failed to create it.

The battle armor primarily enhanced physical defense but also protected its user’s soul essence.

Combined with Imperial Majesty Nan Guang’s already formidable strength and his sole focus on self-preservation, Wu Yuan’s ether and mana bodies had no choice but to let him escape.

This confrontation shocked every faction in the cosmic sea. It confirmed Wu Yuan’s terrifying strength, that he could easily overpower Imperial Majesty Nan Guang who possessed a Xuanhuang Dao Treasure without revealing his own.

Simultaneously, it signaled that the Immortal Court had gained another titan-level powerhouse, their overall strength growing increasingly formidable.

Nevertheless, both the Immortal Court and Eldritch Court maintained extraordinary restraint, with neither side initiating the final, all-out war.

…

Five hundred billion years! One trillion years! Two trillion years!

Wu Yuan had risen to prominence early in this samsara cycle of heaven and earth.

Since Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu’s fall, Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang and him had led the Eldritch Court in constant skirmishes against the Immortal Court.

His two true selves remained in seclusion, comprehending myriad Daos and techniques, unraveling the profundities of combining reality with illusion, and refining his self-created Dao’s ultimate techniques.

His ether and mana bodies roamed the cosmic sea’s various exploration sites, constantly seeking new opportunities to increase his power. The vast treasures he acquired were continuously channeled into the Eldritch Court’s treasury, strengthening the eldritch race.

Without fully realizing it, he had witnessed the development, evolution, and peak of an entire samsara cycle… And then, all thirty-six universes within the River of Universes gradually showed signs of decline.

Chaos within each universe grew more prevalent, the number of newborn lifeforms decreased sharply, and fewer cultivation prodigies emerged.

All signs indicated that the current samsara cycle of the Nine Megaverses Spacetime approached its end, moving toward the final calamity of the cycle.

Within the Ling Jiang Universe, Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self walked through outer space. With his current power, he could perceive the entire universe instantly through his Eternal Realm.

He could even project his consciousness to every corner of the vast River of Universes.

One samsara cycle of heaven and earth lasts approximately three trillion years. He observed. Different cycles vary somewhat in length, but not significantly.

By my calculations, the moment will arrive soon. Wu Yuan sensed the fluctuations of destiny and the river of space and time.

Throughout the cosmic sea, not even Dao Zenithel Wan Yu could now claim superiority over Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self in divination techniques.

Over two trillion years had passed.

Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self’s strength had grown beyond the mastery of Xuanhuang Dao Treasures; in many aspects, his power had become unfathomably profound.

His mana body had taken action several times, sending tremors through the cosmic sea and instilling fear in the hearts of Dao Zenithels from all factions.

The Immortal Court’s reluctance to initiate all-out war stemmed largely from fear of Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self.

When this samsara cycle ends, I can merge the Eternal Realms of both my true selves with their universes, becoming a universe controller. Wu Yuan reflected, his expression serene.

However, before that, it’s time for Fang Xia, my sister, and the others to become Perennials.

1. hmm the author might be referring to something else, not Dream Megaverse ☜