Yuan’s Ascension

Chapter 948: Breakthrough, Sovereign Ming Jian (1)

“Two stone doors, one large and one small?” Wu Yuan observed the pair of stone doors in the distant rock face.

One door for Astral Monarchs. One door for Sovereigns.

“You’re currently an Astral Monarch, so you’ll only need to push open the slightly smaller door,” the green-robed woman explained. “If you break through to Sovereign, then you will be unable to push the smaller door under the rules of this burial mountain. You’d have to push the larger one instead.”

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

A thought occurred to him. His body refiner self cultivated two eternal paths simultaneously. At present, he had reached the Astral Monarch level in both the path of Laws and path of matter.

He wondered if the green-robed woman’s mention of Astral Monarchs and Sovereigns referred only to the path of Laws, or if it included the path of matter as well.

The rules were set by the Creation Dao Master. Wu Yuan mused to himself. The supreme beings all know about the path of matter. Better not try to outsmart them.

Past experience had taught Wu Yuan not to gamble carelessly.

“Senior,” Wu Yuan inquired, “are there any requirements one must meet to push open the stone door?”

“Not many,” the green-robed woman shook her head. “Just one – you can only use your own power, and may not rely on external artifacts.

“I know you possess a Xiantian artifact, but this burial mountain has its rules. Your Xiantian artifact won’t manifest its power here,” the green-robed woman said with a hint of playful mockery.

“Senior?” Wu Yuan was slightly startled. He hadn’t brought out any Xiantian artifacts since entering this mysterious canyon. How could she tell?

“Even an Overlord wouldn’t be able to perceive it,” the green-robed woman smiled mysteriously. “However, I am the spirit of this burial mountain. My perception and control over this domain are nearly all-encompassing. You can’t hide it from me.

“Don’t worry, I have no interest in your Xiantian artifacts. Just keep them safe. No matter how precious a Xiantian artifact is, it’s useless in this burial mountain,” the green-robed woman said casually.

Wu Yuan felt slightly reassured. The Black Rock Saber was fine, being a relatively ordinary Xiantian artifact. The Azure Origin Armor was the true treasure.

“By the way, I can tell you have an impressive background, possessing Xiantian artifacts as an Astral Monarch. You must have connections to supreme beings,” the green-robed woman said with a smile.

“Unfortunately, it’s all useless here. Each burial mountain is connected to the essence of the Dao Realm, its spacetime location constantly shifting. Not only ordinary supreme beings, but even other Dao Masters can’t find this place,” the green-robed woman stated.

Wu Yuan’s pupils constricted slightly. So that meant he only had one path forward – push open the stone door.

“Therefore, be a good boy and keep me company here,” the green-robed woman looked at Wu Yuan as if observing a new toy.

As the spirit of the burial mountain created by the Creation Dao Master, she would never feel lonely throughout the long ages. However, she certainly wouldn’t mind having another fairly pleasant living being to chat with.

Hmm? The green-robed woman suddenly paused.

Wu Yuan had already silently walked towards the small stone door in the distant rock face.

He’s really persistent. The green-robed woman shook her head. Very well, once he tries and fails, he’ll finally give up.

She was looking forward to the show.

But soon, the smile froze on her face. How is this possible?

At the far end of the plaza, Wu Yuan approached the rock face step by step. The stone door was about ten meters tall and wide, fitting seamlessly into the mountainside. At first glance it appeared to be cast from bronze, smooth as new and clearly immensely heavy.

Let’s test it first. Wu Yuan placed his palm on the stone door, then suddenly struck it with a powerful punch.

Boom! This blow contained only his physical strength, yet it rivaled a late-stage Astral Monarch’s power. One punch could destroy a worldlet, but the stone door before him didn’t budge an inch, not even leaving the slightest mark.

She wasn’t lying to me. Pushing this open will be extremely difficult. Wu Yuan thought to himself.

He didn’t try again, instead placing both palms flat against the stone door. His right leg shifted back, preparing to exert force. Calming his mind, he gently closed his eyes.

“Open,” Wu Yuan’s eyes snapped open. Surging ether and physical power erupted simultaneously, connecting with the fluctuations of numerous Laws.

Full power! This was truly a terrifying force rivaling a Sovereign’s all-out attack. One palm strike could shatter half an immortal continent with ease.

Hum~ The previously immovable stone door trembled slightly, but quickly fell still again. It still hadn’t budged.

It didn’t move? Wu Yuan’s eyes widened. My strength absolutely reaches the Supreme Astral Monarch level. In the vast megaverse, there are only about a hundred Astral Monarchs at this level. Yet I still can’t push it open?

Were the requirements truly so high? Wu Yuan was immediately troubled.

“Such tremendous strength,” the green-robed woman’s voice held a hint of astonishment. “You actually managed to make it shake slightly. It seems I underestimated you earlier. You might actually stand a chance of pushing it open.”

“I have a chance?” Wu Yuan was taken aback.

“Do you want to know the requirements for pushing open the stone door?” The green-robed woman looked at Wu Yuan and continued unprompted, “To push open the small door, you need to unleash power comparable to a fourth-stage Sovereign. The large door requires Overlord-level power to push open.”

Wu Yuan was dumbfounded. No wonder he couldn’t push it open.

Without relying on artifacts, his true self could at most unleash power rivaling a first or second-stage Sovereign at full force. This was already considered the pinnacle among Astral Monarchs.

For an Astral Monarch to possess combat power rivaling a fourth-stage Sovereign without external artifacts? It seemed absurdly difficult.

And this is with me cultivating both the path of matter and Laws. If I only pursued the path of Laws, even with an Apotheosis root, I’d probably need to comprehend the Great Dao to the seventh or eighth-level Dao Field stage to have any hope. Wu Yuan mused.

An Astral Monarch’s base power was far inferior to a Sovereign’s. Only with sufficiently high Dao comprehension would there be any chance of meeting the requirements.

The ninth-level Dao Field stage was the Overlord level of Dao comprehension. As for Sovereigns who wished to unleash Overlord-level power, the requirements weren’t as strict – simply put, they had to become Overlords.

Of the hundred-odd Sovereigns who previously entered, those who sent their mana bodies or ether bodies realized their chances were slim and committed suicide to leave. Wu Yuan pondered. After all, mana and ether bodies are extremely important combat assets.

As for the Sovereigns whose true selves had ventured here? Even if they were willing to try, becoming an Overlord was no easy feat.

In the Ling Jiang Saintdom of the Eldritch Court, one could find thousands of late-stage Sovereigns accumulated over long ages. How many of them managed to break through to Overlord?

No wonder the green-robed woman said Wu Yuan would likely die of old age here.

“I find you quite agreeable,” the green-robed woman smiled. “And your strength is quite impressive. I’ll give you a few pointers.”

“Please instruct me, Senior,” Wu Yuan quickly replied.

“If I’m not mistaken, you should be comprehending the Dao of Creation,” the green-robed woman pointed at the rows of steles surrounding the distant plaza. “In fact, all of the Sovereigns buried here comprehended the Great Dao of Creation.

“Those steles hold the greatest techniques they created in their lifetimes.”

“They all comprehended the Great Dao of Creation?” Wu Yuan was slightly shocked. “Over a thousand Sovereigns?”

What an astonishing number.

“Is that so surprising?” The green-robed woman glanced at Wu Yuan. “You should know that the number of powerhouses subordinate to a Dao Master far surpasses that of ordinary supreme beings.

“In the past, the Dao Master nearly unified the entire Long Shan Universe. In each samsara cycle of heaven and earth, hundreds of thousands of Sovereigns and over a hundred Overlords followed the Dao Master.

“The thousand-odd Sovereigns and few Overlords here are nothing in comparison,” the green-robed woman shook her head.

Wu Yuan was inwardly astounded. To think the Creation Dao Master had once nearly unified the entire universe.

On second thought, it wasn’t so surprising. A Dao Master was the first being in the vast megaverse to master a particular Great Dao, wielding the Authority of that Dao. They were truly extraordinary beings.

Yet even such a great and heaven-defying being had still perished, leaving only legends behind after so many samsara cycles of heaven and earth.

Wu Yuan’s thoughts turned to the Ancestral Pagoda, the Spacetime Dao Master, the rivalry between the Eldritch Court and Immortal Court, and more.

Even eternal beings are not entirely harmonious. They too have their share of conflict and strife. Wu Yuan reflected.

Super powerhouses had their own troubles as well, just as mortals with lifespans shorter than a hundred years bustled about for basic necessities, and sempiternals yearned to break free from the shackles of samsara.

“These thousand-plus steles hold the ultimate techniques of over a thousand Sovereigns,” the green-robed woman explained. “And those three largest steles were left behind by the Creation Dao Master himself, containing the Dao Master’s teachings.

“The Dao Master once said that if one could comprehend part of its profundities, pushing open the stone door would be effortless.”

Wu Yuan’s eyes lit up. What a tremendous opportunity!

Left behind by the Creation Dao Master? Though Wu Yuan had gained part of True Saint Bu Xiu’s inheritance after setting foot on the path of Creation, obtaining his Great Dao imprint and the Will of Life and Death, his strength had been too weak at the time.

Now that he was comparable to a Sovereign, the benefits from those were diminishing. And he hadn’t found a chance to return to the Immutable Land.

Secondly, although True Saint Bu Xiu had thoroughly comprehended the Great Dao of Creation, he likely still fell short compared to the Creation Dao Master.

My purpose of exploring the Creation Dao Realm and entering the Well of Life was in part to find the Dao Master’s legacy. Wu Yuan mused. Now that I have encountered some part of it, it’s naturally a great boon.

“Thank you for your guidance, Senior,” Wu Yuan said gratefully.

“There’s no need. Even if I didn’t tell you, you would certainly scrutinize these steles carefully and come to the same conclusion eventually,” the green-robed woman replied.

“If you want to comprehend them, go ahead. If you can’t comprehend them, just stay here and keep me company,” she said with a smile.

Wu Yuan grinned but said nothing, striding towards the stele at the edge of the plaza.

A series of images was carved onto the stele, depicting the growth of a mystical creature, a divine bird. Though separate, the images subtly formed a cohesive whole, emanating a vast and hazy aura. There were thirty-six images in total.

The Dao pattern diagrams of the Creation Dao. Wu Yuan instantly sensed.

His comprehension of the Creation Dao had also reached the Dao Field stage, not far behind these Sovereigns. Involuntarily, Wu Yuan recalled the Thunder Beast Diagrams he had once studied in the Thunder Marsh World, which bore similarities to the images before him.

Perhaps this is a commonality among those who comprehend the Creation Dao. Wu Yuan mused. Painters express themselves through art; poets through verse; and we, through the creation of life itself.

Wu Yuan carefully studied and contemplated the thirty-six image, his consciousness soon immersed in the stele.

Hum~ Gradually, a vast and nebulous Dao resonance enveloped Wu Yuan completely, merging his aura with the stele’s.

Not far away, the green-robed woman’s eyes were filled with astonishment. Hm? How long has it been? Just over a year, and he’s already grasped the core principles of this Sovereign’s ultimate technique?

In her view, even if Wu Yuan had Sovereign-level comprehension, it should still take hundreds or thousands of years to truly grasp the profundities.

But little did she know that Wu Yuan’s body refiner self possessed a Great Dao Body. In terms of comprehension aptitude and potential, Wu Yuan was unanimously recognized by numerous supreme beings as the absolute top-tier among countless sempiternal lifeforms.