Yuan’s Ascension

Chapter 1287: Price (1)

Boom! A colossal fluctuation swept through spacetime, sending shockwaves across the void.

In that instant, every powerhouse in the Tenth Chaos Void, including True Saint Luan Hai, Wu Yuan, Luo Quan, and countless others ranked among the top of the True Saint Rankings, felt their hearts seize with desire. Their eyes gleamed with a feverish intensity as they recognized what this disturbance signified.

The Chaos Nucleus had finally emerged.

“Thirty-eight thousand years…I had nearly abandoned hope. At last, the Chaos Nucleus is here.”

“The Chaos Nucleus!”

“It’s finally born.”

“Fight! I must get it!”

The eyes of countless True Saints blazed with hunger.

“This is my sole chance to advance to Dao Zenithel.”

Their fervor wasn’t based on mere legend or speculation. History had proven the Chaos Nucleus’s power beyond any doubt. Nearly every True Saint who had claimed a Chaos Nucleus throughout the ages had taken the fourth step. The one exception was a being who had already taken the fourth step of their self-created Dao before acquiring it.

This era was different, however. Never before had five or six True Saints simultaneously reached the fourth step of their self-created Dao.

“When powerhouses clash, there will surely come an opportunity. Throughout history, the strongest often become targets for all others, and rarely emerge as the final victor.”

“At worst, we pay with our lives.” The True Saints showed no hint of fear. Those who had remained until now, who dared compete for the Chaos Nucleus, had long since cast aside all concern for their own mortality.

…

Let’s go! Wu Yuan’s mana body and ether body transformed into twin streaks that shot toward the source of the spacetime disturbance. According to my intelligence and destiny’s guidance, it lies tremendously far from here. I estimate it will take 3,000 years of flight to reach it. Get full chapters from ovelfire.net

Wu Yuan couldn’t help but feel a pang of helplessness at this realization.

Three thousand years? Even with his unmatched strength among True Saints and his peerless flight speed, the distance was staggering. The Chaos Nucleus had manifested almost directly at the other end of his current position.

I shall trust in destiny. He thought to himself.

If the Chaos Nucleus is already claimed when I arrive, then fate has determined it isn’t meant for me. Wu Yuan maintained calm. Having already acquired two Chaos Jade Crystals, with both his true selves possessing the foundation of a Dao Zenithel, what more could he ask for?

…

“The Chaos Nucleus has appeared, Little Yu. Wu Yuan and Ming Jian will certainly join forces, and their combined strength vastly exceeds our own.” True Saint Luo Quan communicated telepathically with a white-robed woman.

“Our only hope lies in a sneak attack. You must remain hidden while I operate openly.

“I will first form an alliance with Yin Yu and Luan Hai to neutralize Wu Yuan and Ming Jian, then when the moment is right, you shall unleash your full power. Only then might we secure victory.”

The white-robed woman nodded slightly. “Understood, Dear. We shall proceed exactly as you’ve planned.”

…

Meanwhile, True Saint Dong Yi stood motionless in the void, his aura so overwhelming it seemed to compress the expanse of outer space around him.

The Chaos Nucleus has emerged. He mused. Brother Wu Yuan is formidable indeed, having reached the fourth step. He no longer requires my assistance.

A smile crept across his face as he continued. However…Whether Wu Yuan needs my help is his concern. Whether I provide that help is my decision alone.

I, Dong Yi, keep my word for eternity!

Whoosh! True Saint Dong Yi, who had remained hidden in seclusion for over ten thousand years, launched himself toward the source of the disturbance.

…

True Saints from every faction sprang into motion.

In various voidrealms, Dao Zenithels from the major factions observed these movements with keen interest.

“In previous Chaos Voids, the Chaos Nucleus would typically appear no more than ten thousand years after the Chaos Void emerges. This time it has been delayed to nearly forty thousand.”

“Perhaps there are special circumstances.”

“That seems the most likely explanation.”

“There have already been many unusual aspects surrounding the opening of the Tenth Chaos Void.”

“Could it be that two Nuclei will emerge simultaneously?” Though most Dao Zenithels lacked the deduction capabilities of Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, and certainly weren’t informed by Tian Xu in advance, they still stood at the pinnacle of the cosmic sea. They were still capable of deducing the workings of the Primordium and sensing the uniqueness of this particular Chaos Void’s birth.

…

Within the Eldritch Progenitor Hall in the Eldritch Court Voidrealm, a temple formed specifically for the opening of the Tenth Chaos Void now stood nearly empty. Where thousands of True Saints had once gathered, now only a few dozen remained.

Several Eldritch Progenitor Dao Zenithels had issued strict orders: those lacking Full True Saint strength were forbidden from participating in the competition for the Chaos Nucleus. The risk of death was simply too great. Weaker participants would only add to the casualties without purpose.

Throughout history, even the weakest being to successfully claim a Chaos Nucleus possessed strength comparable to True Saint Tian Peng or True Saint Mu Jing.

A swirl of light particles suddenly coalesced in the center of the temple, materializing into a white-robed figure that immediately commanded the attention of the forty-plus True Saints present.

“We pay our respects to Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu,” Wu Yuan, True Saint Dong Yi, True Saint Pu Yang, and the others intoned, bowing deeply.

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu’s gaze swept across the True Saints. “The battle for the Chaos Nucleus now rests upon your shoulders. Among you, Wu Yuan possesses the greatest strength, with Dong Yi second. They have the highest probability of claiming the Nucleus.

“But I do not expect the rest of you to fight merely for their benefit. This is your opportunity to change your destiny. The chance lies in your own hands. Fight for yourselves! Battle for your own future!”

The forty-odd True Saints listened in solemn silence. They represented the Eldritch Court’s strongest group of True Saints, each possessing Full True Saint strength, all ranked within the top 300 of the True Saint Rankings at minimum.

“I have only one demand,” Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu’s voice grew serious. “That is unity. Under no circumstances are you to turn against one another.

“If any among you successfully claims the Chaos Nucleus, the rest must provide all possible assistance. Should anyone fall during this endeavor, I pledge on behalf of the Eldritch Court to compensate for all losses.

“If ultimately one of our Eldritch Court True Saints succeeds in obtaining the Chaos Nucleus, then all participants will be rewarded with ten million Xuanhuang merits. I trust you don’t find such compensation insufficient.”

The assembled True Saints listened with rapt attention.

True Saint Pu Yang suddenly rose, his thunderous voice filling the hall. “My friends! Will you give your all for this battle?”

“I shall fight to the death,” True Saint Tian Peng responded with a fierce grin.

“Fight!”

“Let’s fight! Seize the Chaos Nucleus! Slaughter those Immortal Court mongrels!”

“Kill!”

“Obtaining the treasure is secondary,” one True Saint laughed. “The true joy is that we finally have the chance for an all-out brawl!”

“A glorious battle awaits!” The True Saints fed off each other’s energy as their fighting spirit soared to breathtaking heights.

Wu Yuan felt deeply moved by this display. This was a reason why the Eldritch Court could stand tall in the cosmic sea for countless samsara cycles. This spirit of unity alone was something most factions couldn’t hope to match.

By comparison, the upper echelons of the Blood Dream Alliance fell woefully short. After Blood Emperor, Dream Emperor, and the others had presented their conditions to his qi refiner self, Wu Yuan could barely summon the interest to speak to them.

…

Later, within Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu’s plane in the Eldritch Progenitor Hall.

“Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu.” Wu Yuan bowed with deep respect.

“You’ve finally matured,” Hou Tu replied with a warm smile. “Before long, you too will qualify for a fully independent plane within the Eldritch Progenitor Hall in the cosmic sea.”

Wu Yuan’s heart quickened at these words. The Eldritch Progenitor Hall in the cosmic sea was its true structure, where only Dao Zenithels qualified to reside in independent planes.

“The Eldritch Progenitor overstates my humble abilities,” Wu Yuan responded with a modest smile.

“I sought you out for a reason, and I imagine you can guess why,” Hou Tu continued, her expression unchanging.

“The Chaos Nucleus?” Wu Yuan’s mind raced through possibilities.

“Indeed.” Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu nodded deliberately. “Whether it’s the Chaos Nucleus or Chaos Jade Crystals, their greatest value lies in their utility to True Saints. While they offer some benefit to Dao Zenithels, the impact isn’t particularly significant… With your mana body and ether body working in concert, I believe you have the highest probability of obtaining this treasure.

“I hope that if you manage to acquire the Chaos Nucleus, you will consider offering it to the Eldritch Court.

“Both your true selves have already reached the Dao Zenithel level in terms of Dao cultivation. Using it on yourself is unlikely to produce a fundamental change in your capabilities.

“If we could instead grant it to a True Saint with great potential, it would likely result in our Eldritch Court gaining another Dao Zenithel in the future.” Hou Tu’s explanation was measured and logical.

Wu Yuan considered these words carefully, weighing all implications.

“Of course, we wouldn’t ask you to take such risks without compensation,” Hou Tu continued with a knowing smile. “The Eldritch Court is prepared to trade two billion Xuanhuang merits for the Nucleus.”

Her eyes gleamed. “Moreover, these Xuanhuang merits can be freely exchanged for Chaos Treasures, without any of the usual restrictions. What do you think of this proposal?”

Wu Yuan sighed inwardly at the generosity of the offer.

Two billion Xuanhuang merits with no restrictions? Compared to the Blood Dream Alliance’s terms, this was extraordinarily generous.

Even within the Eldritch Court or Immortal Court, the conditions for exchanging Chaos Treasures were notoriously strict. It wasn’t simply a matter of possessing sufficient Xuanhuang merits.

For Full True Saint powerhouses, accumulating a billion Xuanhuang merits across dozens of samsara cycles wasn’t particularly challenging. So why did so few True Saints possess Chaos Treasures?

Because acquiring such treasures was phenomenally difficult. To Wu Yuan’s knowledge, within the entire Eldritch Court, only Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Eldritch Progenitor Zhu Rong could consistently forge new Chaos Treasures.

The other Dao Zenithel Eldritch Progenitors might possess the capability, but the cost was so astronomical that the effort was hardly worthwhile.

Therefore, the two billion Xuanhuang merits Hou Tu offered would enable Wu Yuan to redeem four or five Chaos Treasures; it was an offer of exceptional generosity.

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu’s ultimate goal was clear: to nurture another Dao Zenithel for the Eldritch Court.

“Very well,” Wu Yuan decided right away. “If I succeed in claiming the Chaos Nucleus, I will offer it to the Eldritch Court. I give you my word that I will do everything in my power to succeed.”

His decision wasn’t motivated solely by the material compensation, though that certainly factored into his thinking. More importantly, he recognized that someone as powerful as Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu had chosen to negotiate fairly and offer substantial payment, rather than resorting to coercion or emotional manipulation. This approach alone was enough to earn Wu Yuan’s respect.

“Won’t you consider further?” Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu asked with genuine concern. “Wu Yuan, you needn’t worry about other Dao Zenithels of the Eldritch Court resenting your decision. If you’re unwilling to accept this arrangement, the Eldritch Court won’t force your hand.”

“There’s no need for further consideration,” Wu Yuan replied with a shake of his head. “Strengthening the Eldritch Court aligns with my own aspirations.”

A smile crossed his face as he added, “There’s a saying from my homeland: When the sky falls, the tall must prop it up. I believe it’s time I became one of those tall pillars supporting the Eldritch Court’s sky.”

His voice grew reflective. “Though I may not yet be the tallest among them, at least I can share some of the burden.”

Hearing these words, Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu couldn’t help but smile.

…

Time flowed like water, and in what seemed the blink of an eye, over three thousand years had passed.

Whoosh! Wu Yuan’s mana body and ether body, which had been rushing over at maximum speed, finally arrived at the source of the spacetime disturbance.

In the distance, at the edge of the void, Wu Yuan beheld a vast and seemingly endless spacetime vortex. Streams of five-colored light crashed outward in all directions, as if some colossal beast were devouring everything around it, radiating a sense of great danger.

A spacetime vortex nine light-years across? Truly enormous!

Even with Wu Yuan’s power, his heart still pounded at the sight.

Beyond the spacetime vortex, Wu Yuan sensed the presence of figures radiating eternal Dao resonance throughout the surrounding void. All were True Saints of the highest caliber. This was to be expected. By this point, only the strongest dared to get involved. There were no weaklings.

Whoosh! Wu Yuan swiftly approached one group of True Saints—the assembled members of the Eldritch Court.

“Brother Wu Yuan!”

“True Saint Wu Yuan has arrived, he’s finally here!”

“Wu Yuan!” True Saint Dong Yi, True Saint Pu Yang, True Saint Tian Peng and others rushed forward to greet him. Even True Saint Qi Guang had come.

In no time, he was completely surrounded.

Power determined status. Over the tens of thousands of years since the opening of the Tenth Chaos Void, Wu Yuan had proven his strength through countless battles.

“Wu Yuan is here.”

Heads from every group turned as they detected the movement of the Eldritch Court’s group, followed by the unmistakable pressure of that newcomer’s aura.

“He actually made it in time.”

“We heard he was far away. I had hoped he would miss this opportunity.”

“Yet he still managed to arrive.” Sighs of frustration circulated among the True Saints.

In their estimation, had Wu Yuan failed to arrive promptly, their chances of claiming the Chaos Nucleus would have been significantly higher. His presence complicated everything.

“Now that Wu Yuan has appeared, Ming Jian cannot be far behind.”

“Indeed. Likely following in secret, as always.”

“Those two are inseparable as shadow and light. I’ve never known one to act without the other.” The most powerful True Saints wore expressions of deep concern.

Wu Yuan’s arrival signified more than just his own presence; it heralded the coming of the mysterious and fearsome True Saint Ming Jian.