Yuan’s Ascension

Chapter 1035: Breakthrough, Body Refiner Sovereign

Many powerful Overlords attempted to create their ultimate techniques at the Sovereign phase or even the Astral Monarch phase. Even many Archimmortals and Archdeities could develop impressive ultimate techniques based on their Dao comprehension.

Yet monstrous prodigies like Wu Yuan and Zhu Shan often failed to create techniques unique to themselves. Was it because their comprehension aptitude was poor? No! It was because they lacked sufficient time.

So-called ‘ultimate techniques’ were essentially applications of Dao comprehension, a retrospective summary of insights gained over eons. One sought to fill gaps and craft a perfect move when creating such techniques, which would help one break through bottlenecks to reach new heights.

This all required vast lengths of time. Many cultivators stuck at bottlenecks for ages had enough time to create ultimate techniques. But monstrous prodigies like Wu Yuan progressed at blinding speeds. They simply didn’t have enough time to create their own techniques. It was already impressive if their combat techniques could barely keep up with their level of Dao comprehension.

Originally, Wu Yuan thought he’d need to spend tens of millions of years establishing a solid foundation. Then, upon reaching a bottleneck in Dao comprehension, he would attempt to create an ultimate technique and challenge eternity.

The Thousand Daos Realm compensated for his lack of foundation, allowing him to create the ‘Wheel of Life and Death’ technique in just a thousand years.

I used my eighth-level Creation Dao Field comprehension as the core, incorporating some insights from the Life Chapter, then included a thread of Primordial Rules as a guide to create this move. Wu Yuan murmured. Without the Ancestral Pagoda’s help, it would’ve been impossible to merge two eternal paths.

Eternal beings who mastered a single path to eternity earned the right to comprehend others. Without fully grasping one, trying to merge them was pure fantasy!

As an Ancestral Pagoda Archon, Wu Yuan barely had the qualifications to attempt it.

But I’ve only merged a fraction of the profundities. This move can merely match an ordinary Overlord’s ultimate technique. Wu Yuan thought to himself. It’s probably still far weaker than the ultimate techniques of Overlord Bei Zhen and Overlord Long He.

When he first became a Sovereign, Wu Yuan believed Overlords had comparable Dao comprehension and their ultimate techniques didn’t vary much in power, with the main disparity lying in artifacts.

He wasn’t wrong. For first-stage, second-stage, and even third-stage Overlords, power differences mainly came down to artifacts.

But it wasn’t always the case.

Even with ninth-level Dao Field comprehension, some Overlords spend vast eons to potentially create inconceivable, heaven-defying ultimate techniques that can rival moves of Perennial Eternals. Wu Yuan mused. Combined with treasures, that’s how they unleash such terrifying combat power.

These were fourth-stage Overlords. Each one was a super powerhouse renowned throughout the megaverse, standing at the pinnacle above countless Overlords, very close to the eternal level. This was why they could swiftly pioneer their own Daos if they broke through with their own power.

Once I break through to body refiner Sovereign, with two eternal paths and Xiantian artifacts like the Mo Yuan Sabers and Azure Origin Armor, I can at least unleash power rivaling peak third-stage Overlords, perhaps even approaching fourth-stage Overlords. Wu Yuan estimated.

But to match long-established figures like Overlord Bei Zhen and Overlord Long He? He still fell considerably short. He needed even deeper Dao comprehension to create even stronger ultimate techniques.

Wu Yuan put away his saber, his gaze sweeping over the thousand-plus bamboo scrolls around him. The eternal Dao radiance emanating from the scrolls had dimmed noticeably.

My harvest from the Thousand Daos Realm has been immense. Wu Yuan reflected. I’ve memorized the Dao insights of over a thousand Dao Pioneer Eternals and True Saint Eternals. Carefully pondering them later will yield increasingly greater rewards.

The first read-through provided tremendous insights. Going forward, as Wu Yuan’s comprehension continued to soar, these Dao insights would prove increasingly useful, serving as invaluable reference.

I’ve reached my current limit. Wu Yuan thought. Further meditation and seclusion won’t help me reach higher levels.

In three hundred thousand years, the Xuanhuang Cosmiris would open.

Wu Yuan was confident his body refiner self could advance its Dao comprehension to the ninth-level Dao Field stage. But creating an even stronger ultimate technique? He wasn’t absolutely certain he could succeed.

I must see more and experience more. The wise speak of reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand li. Wu Yuan’s body refiner self mused, his expression serene. I can now claim to have read ten thousand books.

Next comes traveling ten thousand li, to witness the splendors of the vast River of Universes, and to venture into the boundless cosmic sea. Wu Yuan felt a surge of anticipation. It’s time for both my true selves to embark on adventures together.

Previously, his qi refiner self didn’t dare venture into the cosmic sea due to insufficient strength. But now, his body refiner self excelled at direct combat, while his qi refiner self specialized in domains, binding and evasion. With their minds linked, they formed a perfect combination.

However, before returning to the Ling Jiang Universe, I should resolve some troubles I’ve caused. A flash of icy killing intent flickered in Wu Yuan’s eyes. It’s time to end this inter-Saintdom war with the Immortal Court.

“Senior,” Wu Yuan called out, his voice echoing above the jade platform.

Whoosh~ The spectral figure of a white-robed elderly man appeared, smiling as he said, “Ready to leave? I see you’ve gained much.”

“Yes, thank you for your guidance, Senior,” Wu Yuan said sincerely.

“No need for thanks. If you must thank someone, thank the Dao Master, or rather Mountain Daoist,” the white-robed elderly man chuckled. “I hope that when we meet next, I can respectfully address you as Dao Master.”

“It shall be so,” Wu Yuan smiled.

“Go on then! Be on your way!” the white-robed elderly man laughed, his sleeve fluttering as he gestured. Invisible spacetime forces enveloped Wu Yuan, causing him to vanish from this space.

The entire Thousand Daos Realm returned to normal.

In the next moment, the white-robed elderly man’s spectral form gradually solidified, becoming almost tangible. He walked across the jade platform, reaching out to grab a bunch of bamboo scrolls, casually perusing them. Then he carelessly tossed them into the nearby void.

Silently, the white-robed elderly man transformed into a spectral humanoid figure clad in azure battle armor.

If Wu Yuan were present, he would be utterly shocked, for the resemblance was uncanny.

“Success? Your success is my key to escaping this prison,” the azure-armored spectral figure murmured.

“There’s only one chance. The Great Dao can only be deceived once. Using a thousand Daos as a foundation to help you pioneer your Dao is also a way for me to re-forge my Dao.” The azure-armored figure’s expression remained calm.

“Dao Master? I wouldn’t wish that on a dog.

“Master Yuan, I now understand your words from back then. I have always been just Mountain Daoist!

“Returning to one’s original intention is the way to the ultimate end.” The azure-armored figure gradually faded away.

…

In that temple suspended in the vast outer space.

Whoosh! Wu Yuan appeared out of thin air, immediately spotting two figures standing not far away.

“Bai Sui, Hong Qin,” Wu Yuan revealed a faint smile. “It’s been a while.”

“A while?”

“It’s only been two thousand years,” Bai Sui and Hong Qin were both taken aback.

They had assumed Wu Yuan would stay for tens of thousands of years at least. They never expected him to emerge after just two thousand years. For them, two thousand years was indeed very brief, passing in the blink of an eye.

But they were unaware that these two thousand years were actually the longest period Wu Yuan had ever experienced, equivalent to him living through hundreds of billions of years.

“Wait, Wu Yuan? This aura?” Bai Sui was stunned only momentarily before noticing something off about Wu Yuan.

“Wu Yuan?” Hong Qin sensed it too.

As eternal beings, even if only at the Perennial stage, they possessed extremely keen insight and thus quickly sensed Wu Yuan’s special qualities.

One’s temperament couldn’t be concealed. Just as mortal folk often spoke of a ‘scholarly air’ or ‘heroic spirit’, the same held true for cultivators.

In the past, Wu Yuan’s body refiner self had been like a blade, radiating a sharp cutting edge. But now he was completely restrained, unfathomable as a vast, deep ocean. Steady, profound, immense.

Bai Sui and Hong Qin even vaguely saw shadows of the many second-step and third-step Eternals they had encountered before within Wu Yuan. The temperaments were strikingly similar.

They weren’t mistaken. While Wu Yuan’s current Dao cultivation level still fell short of eternal beings, he had absorbed insights from over a thousand Dao Pioneer Eternals. His perspective had indeed undergone an earth-shattering transformation.

“He’s undergone a metamorphosis.”

“What exactly does the Thousand Daos Realm hold?” Bai Sui and Hong Qin were both inwardly astonished. Such an incredible metamorphosis in just two thousand years? It was simply inconceivable.

“Wu Yuan, it seems your gains were truly immense,” Bai Sui couldn’t help but marvel.

“I made some progress,” Wu Yuan smiled faintly.

“Haha, that’s good,” Hong Qin laughed. “The greater your gains, the higher your chances of becoming a Dao Master in the future. We look forward to that day. Once you succeed in becoming a Dao Master, we followers can finally return to our mother realm.”

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

The mother realm Hong Qin spoke of was actually the cosmic sea. As naturally-born eternal lifeforms, the cosmic sea was their true home, whereas lifeforms born in universes would naturally be more inclined towards the River of Universes.

“Wu Yuan, you’ve already received the first two rewards. Do you have any other requests?” Bai Sui asked. “As long as they aren’t too demanding, we’ll do our best to fulfill them.”

“Requests?” Wu Yuan pondered briefly, then said, “I need a meditation chamber to break through to body refiner Sovereign.

“Secondly, do you have any Sempiternal Creation Pills?” Wu Yuan inquired. “My ether body has perished. If I were to cultivate normally, it would take a million years. I wish to expedite the process.”

Although Wu Yuan was still merely a body refiner Astral Monarch, he had fundamentally evolved into a late-stage sempiternal lifeform. Thus, he required the Sovereign Immortal Life Pill to cultivate an ether body, a process that would normally take a million years.

Without the Sovereign Immortal Life Pill? It would take tens of millions of years, far too long!

However, after Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self had ascended to Overlord, he had learned of a miraculous medicinal pill in the Taiyuan Divine Court headquarters—the Sempiternal Creation Pill, forged by eternal lifeforms.

It could reduce the time required for sempiternal lifeforms to cultivate their mana and ether bodies to a mere hundred thousand years. Compared to the Sovereign Immortal Life Pill, the process was tenfold shorter.

Of course, the price was equally staggering.

“Sempiternal Creation Pill?” Bai Sui and Hong Qin exchanged glances, unable to suppress their amusement.

“Wu Yuan, if you were to seek such a pill in the external world, you’d need to trade at least one low-grade Xiantian artifact for it,” Bai Sui chuckled. “And we, by right, shouldn’t be gifting such a precious treasure.”

Worth a low-grade Xiantian artifact? Wu Yuan was inwardly astonished.

The Taiyuan Divine Court’s intelligence archives had only mentioned that the Sempiternal Creation Pill was incredibly valuable, but he hadn’t imagined it to be this exorbitant.

How many Xiantian artifacts did an ordinary Overlord possess in total? Under normal circumstances, no Overlord would be extravagant enough to use a Sempiternal Creation Pill.

“However,” Bai Sui continued, a slight smile playing on his lips. “The Dao Master crafted quite a few of these pills in the past. As his subordinates, their value isn’t quite as high. I’ll gift one to you, but you won’t be eligible for any other treasures.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Wu Yuan shook his head.

He had already obtained a guardian treasure. Any gifts from Bai Sui and Hong Qin were bound to be of lesser value. The Sempiternal Creation Pill was what Wu Yuan urgently needed.

In three hundred thousand years, when the Xuanhuang Cosmiris opened, Wu Yuan’s body refiner self would be significantly weaker without an ether body to participate in battle.

“Here.” Bai Sui waved his hand, and a ring-like storage artifact flew out, landing directly before Wu Yuan.

Wu Yuan reached out and caught it.

Swish~ Hong Qin waved her hand, and a crack appeared in one of the towering pillars at the far end of the temple.

“Wu Yuan, you can break through in here,” Hong Qin instructed. “This world has sufficient spiritual qi, and no one will disturb.”

“Many thanks.” Wu Yuan didn’t stand on ceremony.

Whoosh! With a single step, he entered the pillar, which contained a vast world within.

It appeared empty, but the spiritual qi was incredibly dense.

Wu Yuan sat down in lotus position in the void, and with a thought, the appropriate breakthrough teachings appeared in his mind.

In the Primordial Era, during the earliest samsara cycle of heaven and earth, it was difficult for universe-born beings to cultivate, and there was no systematic approach. Teachings for breaking through to Astral Monarch or Sovereign were extremely precious.

But by the time Wu Yuan rose to prominence, countless eons had passed and these teachings were no longer of great importance. Any Saintdom possessed numerous breakthrough teachings, all of which were nearly flawless. Typically, as long as one’s understanding of the Dao reached the required level, a breakthrough was possible.

The Law of Life as the core. Wu Yuan’s mind grew tranquil.

He had comprehended the four Greater Laws: Life, Death, Space, and Time.

His body refiner self, with the Great Dao of Creation as its core, naturally needed to use either the Law of Life or the Law of Death as the foundation when breaking through to body refiner Sovereign.

If he were to use the Law of Space as his foundation for the breakthrough, it would be almost impossible to achieve eternity with the Great Dao of Creation as the core in the future. They would conflict with each other.

This was also why Wu Yuan’s body refiner self had remained at the Astral Monarch phase despite having fully comprehended the Law of Space.

Life or Death. He had to make a choice between the two.

Wu Yuan preferred the Law of Life, which was also the first Greater Law his body refiner self had comprehended.

Boom! Having already comprehended the Law of Life and achieved great accomplishments in the Great Dao of Creation, Wu Yuan’s breakthrough was as natural as water flowing downhill. Every inch of his flesh and his internal world simultaneously underwent a chain reaction.

Rumble~ At the same time, in the Long Shan Universe, the vast and magnificent essence of the Law of Life descended directly into Wu Yuan’s internal world.

His internal world immediately began to undergo earth-shattering changes, expanding frantically. Both the Boundary Tree and the Teng Snake Little Black began to grow rapidly.

His vital ether began to undergo a metamorphosis as well. From Apotheosis-level Astral Monarch ether, it transformed into Sovereign-level ether, increasing a hundredfold in volume. Every thread of vital ether also grew more powerful.

Normally, when a body refiner Astral Monarch broke through to Sovereign, their physique would also be strengthened under the nourishment of Sovereign-level ether, resulting in an astonishing transformation.

However, Wu Yuan was a Matter Sovereign, with vitality far surpassing that of a body refiner Sovereign.

Trying to nourish his body with his evolved vital ether was as laughable as mud trying to stick to steel.

After a long while, Wu Yuan’s breakthrough finally concluded, and the space that had been surging with his aura returned to normal.

Body refiner Sovereign. Wu Yuan lowered his head.

He suddenly extended his hand and clenched his fist.

Infusing ether into his body, he simultaneously unleashed his physical strength, violently striking the void.

The vast space suddenly began to quake.

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