Yuan’s Ascension

The two true selves, separated by endless spacetime, were under the watchful eyes of several Sovereigns.

As for Wu Yuan, his consciousness was drawn by an invisible, otherworldly force into a realm that defied comprehension. It felt as though he had left his physical body behind entirely.

A void? Fifty-five divine mountains? Wu Yuan’s awareness drifted through this enigmatic realm, his previous worries and considerations forgotten. All his thoughts and ideas had dissolved into an indistinct haze.

The divine mountains floated in the vast expanse around him, their majesty unmatched and shrouded in eternal mists, as if this was a place created before heaven and earth. Great Dao resonances echoed within them.

Occasionally, streaks of blood-red light flickered and danced between the mountains, weaving intricate patterns that emanated an unearthly, sacred Dao resonance.

The various Greater Laws and profundities Wu Yuan had comprehended in the past all paled in comparison to the profoundness of these Dao resonances. They were not even worth mentioning, like fireflies compared to the sun and moon.

Even the Great Dao True Intents Wu Yuan had comprehended appeared primitive in the face of their magnificence.

Transcending the Laws... Transcending the Great Daos... Transcending eternity. Wu Yuan murmured, perceiving the profundities of the fifty-five divine mountains. Eternal? No, the Great Daos are flawed. These are the truly perfect and eternal Dao resonances.

Wu Yuan instinctively immersed himself in it, yearning to comprehend this power. This was the instinct of one who had cultivated for thousands of years, with Dao comprehension rivaling that of an Astral Monarch.

Within the divine lights of the Dao resonances emanating from the divine mountains, Wu Yuan gradually sensed many powers, including the profundities of the Great Dao of Creation and the Great Dao of Spacetime.

The divine resonances of these mountains transcend all the Greater Laws I know, and even transcend the Great Daos, rising above the Great Daos. Is this the power within the Ancestral Pagoda? An incarnation formed from Wu Yuan's consciousness murmured.

Rising above the Great Daos. Rising above eternity.

Without needing to reveal themselves, the mere existence of the three supreme divine objects could influence the workings of heaven and earth.

I came here to fuse with a strand of the Ancestral Pagoda's essence. Though Wu Yuan's consciousness was fuzzy and unclear, he still remembered this.

But how should he go about it?

Comprehend. Wu Yuan chose to continue contemplating the profundities of the fifty-five divine mountains. They were vast and complex, making comprehension far from easy.

Here, there seemed to be no concept of the passing of time. Perhaps ten thousand years had passed, or a hundred thousand years, or even longer. The long years, however, left no trace on Wu Yuan's consciousness.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally captured a thread of their true profundity after repeated observations and examinations.

Creation! Spacetime!

On the left side of his incarnation, a Dao pattern diagram emerged, depicting the intertwining Laws of Life and Death. On the right side, another Dao pattern diagram formed, intertwining the Laws of Time and Space.

Two Great Dao pattern diagrams.

In the external world, Wu Yuan’s qi refiner and body refiner selves could manifest only one Great Dao at a time. But in this mysterious realm, he could break free from this constraint, allowing their profundities to coexist.

Power that transcends the Great Daos. Wu Yuan's consciousness imitated the vast and magnificent resonances of the divine mountains.

Hiss~ Like puzzle pieces coming together, strands of Law-chains began extending from the Creation Dao pattern diagram and Spacetime Dao pattern diagram that Wu Yuan manifested. At their convergence, blood-red Dao patterns began to form, bearing a vague similarity to the profundities within the fifty-five divine mountains.

…

Time flowed differently in the two realms. While Wu Yuan's consciousness spent what seemed like countless years in that mysterious realm, in reality, only an instant had passed.

The red light emanating from Wu Yuan's body refiner self suddenly intensified rapidly. His aura became markedly more vigorous, his entire being radiating a heightened sense of holiness.

This unexpected change caused the expressions of Sovereign Kua Chi and Sovereign Cang Feng, who stood guard nearby, to shift subtly. Immediately, they arrived before Wu Yuan, perplexed by the sudden transformation.

"What’s going on?" Sovereign Cang Feng asked, his voice tinged with concern.

"Wasn't everything stable just now? What is this? Has Wu Yuan's attack intensified?" Both Sovereigns were visibly puzzled and shocked by the abrupt change.

From their view, Wu Yuan had undergone a dramatic transformation in the blink of an eye.

"His vital aura has grown stronger; there's no immediate danger," Sovereign Kua Chi responded in a low voice, though uncertainty flickered in his eyes. "But remain cautious, don't act hastily."

He had his suspicions but couldn't fully grasp the extent of Wu Yuan's change.

…

Inside the Black Devil Blood Hollow, Sovereign Black Devil observed Wu Yuan with a mixture of shock and disbelief. Wu Yuan's aura had skyrocketed unexpectedly.

The evolution of the Great Daos? How is this possible? He's merely a High Immortal. Sovereign Black Devil could hardly believe it. Back then, it was only after reaching the Sovereign phase and undergoing a metamorphosis that I achieved this step... Even True Saint Shi Yuan wasn't much stronger than me at the same age.

Having once fused with the Ancestral Pagoda's essence, Sovereign Black Devil was familiar with the process. He understood that while the fuser might experience an extended passage of time, the external world would see only moments pass. However, Wu Yuan's transformation had far exceeded his expectations.

It appears success is possible. But this Ming Jian is more formidable than I imagined. He has only crystallized Spacetime True Intent. Even with an Apotheosis Yuan Soul, he shouldn't undergo such a transformation in theory.

It shouldn't be possible. He must have some secret that I don't know about. Sovereign Black Devil thought to himself.

According to the records left by True Saint Shi Yuan, none of the many Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearers he knew could achieve this step at the High Immortal or High Deity phase.

Beyond his shock, Sovereign Black Devil felt a surge of joy. From his perspective, the stronger and more impressive Wu Yuan appeared, the better.

…

Back in the vast and mysterious realm, Wu Yuan's incarnation remained focused, largely oblivious to the passage of time.

His entire being was devoted to perceiving and comprehending the divine light, the manifestation of the Dao resonances of the fifty-five divine mountains.

The two Great Daos he comprehended had merged, giving rise to an intensified blood-red light. Simultaneously, he glimpsed the endless profundities of these Great Daos within the divine mountains.

For Wu Yuan, this merging process was an unparalleled opportunity.

Fuse. Ancestral Pagoda essence… He cultivated without conscious thought, relying purely on instinct.

An unknown length of time passed—perhaps a hundred thousand years, or even a million years.

Boom! At this moment, on both sides of Wu Yuan's incarnation, more than each half of the two initially separate Great Dao pattern diagrams in front of him were already merged, They combined flawlessly, emitting vast ripples.

At the center of this intricate fusion, a strand of dazzling and brilliant Dao patterns emerged. The power contained in this strand rivaled the profundities of the divine mountains themselves. Though its aura was weak and incomplete, the strand's existence defied all laws, a miracle possible only in this mysterious realm

Boom! Suddenly, Wu Yuan's incarnation dissipated. The massive, merged Dao pattern diagram began to unravel, its glowing fragments dispersing.

Whoosh! Wu Yuan's consciousness withdrew swiftly, leaving the vast and mysterious realm behind and returning to his two true selves.

…

In the Cang Feng Temple of the Cang Feng Eldritch World, Wu Yuan's body refiner self radiated an endless crimson light.

Whoosh~ The light began to retract into his body.

Boom! Within his upper dantian, a vast and majestic strand of Dao patterns flashed momentarily, and a powerful aura surged from his nine Yuan Souls.

Crack~ The nine Yuan Souls began to split, rapidly forming twelve Yuan Souls.

In that moment, the Apotheosis Yuan Soul underwent a profound transformation. Bathed in the crimson light radiating from the black pagoda, the newly evolved Yuan Souls began to grow rapidly.

Archimmortal level! In an instant, it advanced through the mid-stage Archimmortal level, toward the late-stage Astral Lord level, reaching the limit of the Apotheosis Yuan Soul.

"This... This Yuan Soul aura?" Sovereign Kua Chi and Sovereign Cang Feng were struck speechless. Both sensed the vast pressure enveloping Wu Yuan begin to dissipate, yet they also detected the dramatic transformation of Wu Yuan's Yuan Soul.

"Apotheosis Yuan Soul!" Sovereign Cang Feng exclaimed in utter shock, unable to contain himself. "Kua Chi, what exactly has your disciple experienced? How could his soul transform into an Apotheosis Yuan Soul? He's still a High Eldritch, for heaven's sake!"

The body refiner lineage typically had weaker Yuan Souls. Even among qi refiners, cultivating an Apotheosis Yuan Soul was exceedingly rare—only one in tens of millions succeeded. For a body refiner, it was an achievement unheard of.

At the very least, throughout the history of the eldritch world, no High Eldritch had ever established one.

"Cang Feng, this must be kept a secret. It must not be leaked under any circumstances," Sovereign Kua Chi said gravely. His voice was low, his expression solemn.

"I understand, it must be concealed," Sovereign Cang Feng agreed quickly, his eyes filled with anticipation. "Wu Yuan's talent was already exceptional, with an Apotheosis root. Now that his soul has evolved into an Apotheosis Yuan Soul, his cultivation speed will be even faster.

There's an extremely high probability he'll become a Sovereign in the future, and an extraordinarily powerful one at that."

He could almost envision the eldritch world producing another Sovereign in the not-so-distant future.

This disciple of mine. Sovereign Kua Chi's eyes flickered, his thoughts running deeper.

Unlike Cang Feng, he knew the full truth. Wu Yuan didn't just have a body refiner self, but also a qi refiner self.

And now his body refiner self’s soul had transformed into an Apotheosis Yuan Soul?

Dual Apotheosis... What kind of monstrous prodigy is this? He hasn’t even undergone his Tribulations. Sovereign Kua Chi could hardly believe it.

Perhaps some Overlords, after eons of cultivation, could achieve perfection in both aspects. But for a High Eldritch? Such a feat was unprecedented.

And if his body refiner self had undergone such a transformation, what about his qi refiner self?

Wu Yuan, what exactly are you going through? Kua Chi thought silently. Such an incredible achievement couldn't have been easy.

He had been observing Wu Yuan's body refiner self all along and didn’t notice him encountering anything unusual, yet suddenly, his Yuan Soul had completed an Apotheosis transformation?

Despite his curiosity, Wu Yuan's body refiner self remained seated with his eyes shut, seemingly yet to regain consciousness. For now, Kua Chi had no way of getting answers.

…

Just moments ago, the pressure emanating from Wu Yuan's qi refiner self had subsided, leading Sovereign Black Devil to believe the fusion was complete.

Then, an anomaly suddenly occurred: Wu Yuan's vital aura began to skyrocket.

Sovereign Black Devil might only be left with a remnant of consciousness, but through the power of the Black Devil Blood Hollow, he quickly sensed that Wu Yuan's immortal root was breaking through the shackles of heaven and earth, reaching Apotheosis.

Ming Jian already possessed an Apotheosis Yuan Soul. And now, his immortal root has also reached Apotheosis? Dual Apotheosis? Sovereign Black Devil was shocked beyond words.

This was something he hadn't achieved even in his prime.

If I had achieved dual Apotheosis back then, perhaps the Dao Master wouldn't have subdued me so easily. Sovereign Black Devil mused.

Yuan Soul and immortal root, both reaching Apotheosis. This was the pursuit of countless Sovereigns, but those who could truly achieve it were less than one in ten thousand.

This Ming Jian, he's actually achieved this at the High Immortal stage? Sovereign Black Devil shook his head slightly.

For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Well, it’s not a bad thing that he’s such a monstrous prodigy. In the future, with him around, perhaps my name will still be remembered. Sovereign Black Devil thought with a hint of self-mockery.

He waited silently.

Whoosh~ After his immortal root completed its upgrade, the vast pressure enveloping Wu Yuan rapidly dissipated, and that surge of vital aura was instinctively withdrawn.

After a long while, Wu Yuan exhaled, and finally opened his eyes. His gaze was bright and resolute, as if he had experienced an incomparably long span of time.

"Senior Black Devil." Wu Yuan bowed slightly in greeting.

At this moment, Sovereign Black Devil stood nearby, a smile gracing his features.

"Congratulations, Ming Jian, you've successfully fused with the Ancestral Pagoda's essence," Sovereign Black Devil smiled. "You are now the new master of the Black Devil Blood Hollow."

"The new master of the Black Devil Blood Hollow?" Wu Yuan was slightly taken aback.

"Thanks to you, I, Black Devil, can finally be free," Sovereign Black Devil said slowly, his gaze growing distant.

Whoosh~ The next moment, Sovereign Black Devil's remnant consciousness dissipated into countless motes of light.

It had completely dispersed!