Yuan’s Ascension

Chapter 1316: The Creator Of The Ancestral Pagoda (2)

“Hong.” Daoist Tian Xu uttered just the single syllable before falling silent.

Hong? Wu Yuan committed the name to memory. He’d never encountered this name in any historical record. Perhaps it meant that this being wasn’t that formidable.

“Besides these relic sites,” Daoist Tian Xu continued after a moment, “the Grand Supremes of previous epochs also left behind three Supreme Divine Objects. They are the Ancestral Pagoda, the Original Sword, and the Heavenly Cauldron.”

“The three Supreme Divine Objects originated from former Grand Supremes?” Wu Yuan nodded slightly, not particularly surprised by this revelation.

After all, the three artifacts didn’t appear to have formed naturally, but rather seemed crafted by hand. Yet each one could influence the operations of the Primordial Rules, a feat clearly beyond any Dao Zenithel’s capabilities. Combined with Daoist Tian Xu’s earlier statements, it seemed obvious they had been crafted by ancient Grand Supremes.

“Among the three Supreme Divine Objects, the Ancestral Pagoda is the source and also the most mysterious,” Daoist Tian Xu said. “It was created by Hong.”

“Hong?” Wu Yuan’s eyes widened. “Wasn’t the Ancestral Pagoda created by the Origin Saint?”

“Who told you that?” Daoist Tian Xu chortled.

“Senior Mountain Daoist,” Wu Yuan admitted.

“He doesn’t know shit,” Daoist Tian Xu shook his head dismissively.[1] “The Origin Saint indeed interacted with the Ancestral Pagoda, but he merely wielded it at most. Creating the Ancestral Pagoda… only Hong could have accomplished that.”

Daoist Tian Xu paused, considering his next words carefully.

“To be honest,” He added,, “only the Great Leader of Frostheaven Peak could rival Hong.”

Wu Yuan listened in stunned silence.

It now seemed that this mysterious Grand Supreme Hong vastly outclassed the Origin Saint, Azure Saint, Goddess Nüwa, and others he had once considered unrivaled, supreme existences. Wu Yuan had once believed the Origin Saint to be invincible, but as his strength grew, he had no choice but to acknowledge that this boundless cosmic sea concealed countless secrets.

“Senior,” Wu Yuan finally asked, “you nurtured Goddess Nüwa, and then me… What exactly is your purpose?”

Daoist Tian Xu had invested immense resources in their development. With his vast knowledge of secrets, what goal drove him? What was he truly pursuing?

“To control the Ancestral Pagoda,” Daoist Tian Xu replied with a faint smile. “My only desire is for you to become strong enough to control the Ancestral Pagoda.”

“What?” Wu Yuan couldn’t hide his shock.

Control the Ancestral Pagoda?

“Can the three Supreme Divine Objects truly be controlled?” he asked, incredulous. “Don’t they transcend Xuanhuang Dao Treasures?”

The thirty-six Xuanhuang Dao Treasures scattered throughout the cosmic sea were legendary artifacts, and all were physical objects. As for the three Supreme Divine Objects, most Dao Zenithels would struggle to locate them in the first place, let alone control their power.

“Dao Zenithels naturally cannot control them,” Daoist Tian Xu smiled knowingly. “But what about Grand Supremes? What might seem impossible is merely due to insufficient strength. With enough power, even the Primordial Rules must yield.

“All three Supreme Divine Objects can be controlled, with the Ancestral Pagoda being the most difficult and profound.

“The so-called Archons are actually controller candidates,” he explained. “Becoming an Archon means achieving the basic qualifications to potentially control a Supreme Divine Object.”

“What about Goddess Nüwa?” Wu Yuan asked, puzzled. Logically, she should have been able to control the Ancestral Pagoda after becoming a Grand Supreme.

“She failed.” Daoist Tian Xu shook his head. “This is what I meant earlier when I said she lacked certain providence. Becoming a Grand Supreme is merely one condition for controlling the Ancestral Pagoda; necessary but insufficient on its own.”

Wu Yuan nodded slowly as understanding dawned. The requirements sounded extraordinarily difficult to fulfill. Indeed, throughout the long ages, it seemed that no one could fully control a supreme divine object.

It seems Senior Tian Xu has remarkable confidence in me. Wu Yuan thought.

“There’s no need to rush,” Daoist Tian Xu said, as if reading his thoughts. “Once you become a Dao Zenithel, you’ll gain the basic qualifications to become the Ancestral Pagoda’s controller. When your body refiner self becomes a Dao Zenithel, you’ll be able to enter the Ancestral Pagoda Spacetime.”

His eyes shone with anticipation. “At that time, many things will become clear to you. You’ll understand why I said your providence surpasses Nüwa’s.”

“I see,” Wu Yuan nodded, contemplating the implications.

The Ancestral Pagoda Spacetime…it sounded like a special realm where the Ancestral Pagoda’s true form resided. Apparently, he would need to wait until his body refiner self became a Dao Zenithel to access it.

“Senior,” Wu Yuan said, a new question forming in his mind, “among the three Supreme Divine Objects, the Ancestral Pagoda can be controlled, but what about the Original Sword and the Heavenly Cauldron?”

“The Original Sword and the Heavenly Cauldron?” Daoist Tian Xu considered the question. “These two Supreme Divine Objects also have their Archons.”

“They also have their Archons?” Wu Yuan’s surprise was evident. “I’ve never heard of these two having imprint bearers.”

The Ancestral Pagoda’s imprint bearers were known throughout generations, and various major powers in the cosmic sea had documented their existence. But the Original Sword and Heavenly Cauldron seemed to only affect the Primordial Rules, with no mention of imprint bearers.

“The Original Sword and Heavenly Cauldron indeed don’t have imprint bearers in the conventional sense,” Daoist Tian Xu explained. “Having just become a Dao Zenithel, you may not know yet… The true body of the Original Sword resides in one of the eight elite exploration sites, the Realm of Destruction.”

He paused briefly. “The true form of the Heavenly Cauldron lies in the most dangerous exploration site, Yonder Cliff.”

Realm of Destruction? Yonder Cliff? Wu Yuan made a mental note of these locations. He’d heard of these major exploration sites before but knew little about their details. Among the eight elite exploration sites, apart from the Chaos Void and Azure Saint Tomb, the remaining six were typically only accessible to Dao Zenithels, leaving True Saints largely unaware of their secrets.

“All Dao Zenithel powerhouses can enter these two sites. With sufficient providence, one has a chance to encounter these Supreme Divine Objects,” Daoist Tian Xu continued. “However, becoming an Archon requires more than luck; it demands tremendous strength. As far as I know, Archons of both divine objects should already have been chosen.”

“Archons have been chosen?” Wu Yuan couldn’t hide his surprise.

“I’m not certain which Dao Zenithels they are,” Daoist Tian Xu admitted. “If the opportunity arises, you might investigate further. Should you become their Archon as well, you’d be able to sense the others. Archons can perceive one another.”

He gestured as he explained, “Once your body refiner self becomes a Dao Zenithel and enters the Ancestral Pagoda Spacetime to awaken your Archon Imprint, you’ll become aware of the other two Archon Imprints.

“Right now, they can sense that a third Archon has emerged, but they cannot identify who it is.”

Wu Yuan nodded thoughtfully. The Origin Spirit of the Ancestral Pagoda had mentioned something similar. When he became an Ancestral Pagoda Archon, the other Archons would sense his emergence without knowing his identity.

“Senior, do you know who the other Ancestral Pagoda Archon is?” Wu Yuan asked.

“Do you think I’m omniscient?” Daoist Tian Xu laughed. “This one was chosen after Nüwa’s departure. Though I knew another Archon had been born, their identity remains a mystery.”

Wu Yuan understood. Perhaps there is no rush to visit the Ancestral Pagoda Spacetime immediately after my body refiner self becomes a Dao Zenithel. But who could the last Ancestral Pagoda Archon be?

“When you discover their identity, send me a message,” Daoist Tian Xu said with a smile. “I’m quite curious myself.”

“Understood,” Wu Yuan agreed.

“Good! I’ve told you everything essential,” Daoist Tian Xu concluded. “As for the ordinary secrets within the cosmic sea, you’re more than capable of uncovering them yourself with your current abilities.

“However, to save you time, I’ve prepared a small gift.”

With a fluid movement, Daoist Tian Xu produced several divine slips made of a special material and handed them to Wu Yuan.

“What are these?” Wu Yuan examined the slips curiously.

“Intelligence I’ve gathered during my extensive explorations across the cosmic sea as the Spacetime Dao Master. I’m giving it all to you,” Daoist Tian Xu explained.

“Thank you, Senior.” Wu Yuan’s eyes shone.

One might say that such intelligence merely provided useful information, with no practical value. Yet, such knowledge was priceless. At times, intelligence proved more valuable than any treasure. Given the countless eons Senior Tian Xu had spent exploring, this information might rival even the Eldritch Court’s vast intelligence archives.

With a wave, Wu Yuan stored the divine slips.

“Also,” Daoist Tian Xu continued, “Meng Guan has already told me that you’ve given him the Chaos Nucleus. I promised you six Chaos Treasures, so I’ll deliver them all now.”

He fixed Wu Yuan with an inquiring gaze. “Do you have any specific requests?”

“Requests?” Wu Yuan considered briefly. “This junior needs some Chaos Treasure sabers and flying swords.”

Though Wu Yuan had acquired numerous treasures from the Tenth Chaos Void which could be exchanged for Chaos Treasures from the Eldritch Court, and his Eternal Realm would eventually nurture artifacts perfectly suited to him, he faced two constraints. First, Chaos Treasures were exceedingly rare, and he needed many. The Eldritch Court might not possess enough suitable ones. Second, waiting for his Eternal Realm to nurture such treasures would take hundreds of billions of years. It was an unacceptable delay.

“Chaos Treasure sabers?” Daoist Tian Xu nodded. “I have several, though none of the same source… I doubt anyone in the entire cosmic sea can forge Chaos Treasures of identical source.”

“I don’t require them to be of the same source,” Wu Yuan clarified.

In the vast cosmic sea, very few Dao Zenithels were capable of forging Chaos Treasures independently. Expecting someone to forge multiple Chaos Treasures of identical source was unreasonable.

“Very well. I possess six Chaos Treasure sabers in my collection,” Daoist Tian Xu said. “Do you want them all?”

“Yes, all of them,” Wu Yuan replied, his excitement evident.

Not counting his mana body, if his body refiner self wanted to unleash its maximum combat potential, he would need nine sabers. He already possessed the Creation Heavenly Saber but required eight more.

“They are all yours,” Daoist Tian Xu nodded.

With a wave of his hand, spacetime rippled.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! One by one, sabers emanating terrifying auras materialized in the void beside them. Even with their power suppressed, they created countless minute fractures in the space around them.

Six Chaos Treasure sabers hung before them.

“These were part of my collection for many years. Now they belong to you,” Daoist Tian Xu said with a smile. “Take them.”

“Thank you, Senior.” Wu Yuan collected all six with a wave of his hand.

“Oh, right,” Daoist Tian Xu added, “I also possess five Chaos Treasure divine swords. Would you like those as well? However, this time I can’t simply give them away; you’ll need to exchange other treasures for them.”

“I want them,” Wu Yuan replied without hesitation.

Once his qi refiner self and mana body completed their metamorphosis, assembling an effective sword array for each combat body would require eighteen Chaos Treasure flying swords in total.

“However, Senior, you’ll need to wait a few days,” Wu Yuan added apologetically. “My qi refiner self isn’t carrying sufficient treasures.”

“No matter,” Daoist Tian Xu replied graciously. “I trust you won’t deceive me, so I’ll give them all to you now. When it’s convenient, you can provide equivalent treasures in return.”

With another wave, five more Chaos Treasure divine swords appeared in the void.

“I thank you, Senior.” Wu Yuan said. Since he needed these weapons, he accepted them without fuss.

“I know you’ll soon face other Dao Zenithels,” Daoist Tian Xu said. “This is all I can do to assist you. The rest depends on your own abilities.”

“This junior will forever remember Senior’s kindness,” Wu Yuan said solemnly, genuinely grateful for the help.

“For your qi refiner self to exert its full strength, the Chaos Treasure flying swords are secondary. The key remains the Samsara Sword,” Daoist Tian Xu stated. “Your psyche dream illusions are still evolving.. Once it transforms into a Dream Megaverse, coupled with the Samsara Sword… Haha, it will be an impressive sight indeed!

“You should retrieve the Samsara Sword as soon as possible. I won’t keep you any longer.”

“Yes, then this junior shall take his leave,” Wu Yuan recognized the polite dismissal and rose to depart.

“Though you’ve become a Dao Zenithel, don’t grow complacent. I await the day you take control of the Ancestral Pagoda,” Daoist Tian Xu said with a smile.

Wu Yuan cupped his hands respectfully before departing.

Shortly after, accompanied by a burst of light, Wu Yuan was guided away, leaving the mysterious Chang Feng Spacetime behind.

Outside the Starweave Hall, Daoist Tian Xu watched Wu Yuan’s figure fade into the distance.

“Ancestral Pagoda Archon?” He murmured, “Original Sword Archon?”

He sighed softly. “What a pity. You two will inevitably clash in battle!”

1. yes the author used the same tone ☜