Yuan’s Ascension

Chapter 1225: Tian Chan’s Proposal, The Path Of One’s Dao (3)

The quiet moment was broken as a figure in brilliant golden robes rushed into the hall, his face etched with urgency—Saint Shang Yue.

“Cai’er? Did the Heavenly Venerable return?” he asked breathlessly. “Did he leave any message?”

“Yes, the Heavenly Venerable just departed,” she answered with remarkable composure. “He left three directives. First, the Wu Ji Holy Sect is to be renamed the ‘Heavenly Venerable Temple.'”

“Good,” Saint Shang Yue nodded approvingly.

“Second, the Heavenly Venerable’s true name is ‘Yuan,’ so henceforth, he shall be known as ‘Heavenly Venerable Yuan,'” she continued.

“Heavenly Venerable Yuan?” Saint Shang Yue repeated, momentarily stunned before nodding in acceptance.

“Third,” Overlord Shang Cai’s voice remained steady, “Heavenly Venerable Yuan has departed for the Grand Supreme Realm and will return only after countless ages have passed. In his absence, he has appointed me as the first hall master of the Heavenly Venerable Temple.”

A gleam flashed in Saint Shang Yue’s eyes. After a moment’s consideration, he shook his head slightly. “Cai’er, without the Heavenly Venerable appearing in person, you have no proof. The other Saints won’t submit to your authority on words alone.”

“The Heavenly Venerable has bestowed his techniques upon me,” she replied with quiet confidence, a faint smile on her lips. “I shall transmit his teachings—myriad Laws and Daos, the road to True Sainthood, all now within my grasp. The Saints will believe when they witness this truth.”

“The road to True Sainthood?” Saint Shang Yue couldn’t mask his astonishment.

“Beyond Saints lie True Saints, and beyond True Saints lie Zenithel Saints,” Overlord Shang Cai explained, her gaze taking on an otherworldly quality as her aura subtly transformed. “The five steps of eternity—this is the Heavenly Venerable’s guidance.”

Yearning flickered unmistakably in Saint Shang Yue’s eyes. He was beginning to believe that the Heavenly Venerable had indeed entrusted such profound knowledge to his daughter.

“Furthermore,” she continued, “the Heavenly Venerable has given me a Grand Supreme Token. With it, one can sense the Grand Supreme Realm and communicate with the Heavenly Venerable himself.” She turned her palm upward, revealing the azure token. The intangible aura emanating from it caused Saint Shang Yue’s expression to shift subtly. Having visited the Grand Supreme Realm himself, he recognized this distinctive aura.

“With Father’s support,” she continued, “I believe the entire Nine Realms will soon be completely enveloped by Heavenly Venerable Yuan’s radiance, prospering for eternity.”

…

Wu Yuan remained oblivious to the impending chaos sweeping through the Nine Realms. Even if he had known, it would have scarcely registered as a concern. After all, every being must navigate their own journey. For his part, Wu Yuan had already extended himself far beyond obligation to the companions he’d made across this world. The challenges that lay ahead were theirs to face alone.

Three Grand Supreme Tokens suffice. Wu Yuan muttered to himself. Upon acquiring the fourth token, he’d discovered it offered no new benefits—confirmation that three were indeed enough. Additional tokens would serve merely as surplus, which explained his willingness to leave one for Overlord Shang Cai.

The Grand Supreme Realm. Wu Yuan followed the tokens’ guidance as he traversed the tumultuous spatial currents of the Nine Realms’ void.

One year passed. Then two. Eventually ten.

He had ventured far beyond the known boundaries of the Nine Realms, surpassing even the furthest explorations of his mana body’s previous expeditions.

No wonder my mana body never located it. He realized. Venturing this deep without precise coordinates would leave one hopelessly lost, unable to find the path back to the Nine Realms.

Under normal circumstances, the powerhouses of the Nine Realms would avoid such remote reaches. To them, this chaotic void offered nothing worthy of investigation. Yet who could have guessed that the fabled Grand Supreme Realm lay hidden even deeper within this nothingness?

Onward! Wu Yuan pressed forward.

Guided solely by the resonance of his Grand Supreme Tokens, he flew for twenty more years.

Until finally—

Hmm? Wu Yuan halted abruptly, his gaze fixed on the distance, astonishment washing over his features.

At the void’s edge sprawled a continental mass spanning ten million li across. Surrounding this floating landmass were countless streams of Xuanhuang qi. It was impossibly dense, exuding overwhelming pressure.

Xuanhuang qi? Wu Yuan held his breath as he stared in disbelief. How could Xuanhuang qi exist at the furthest edges of the Nine Realms’ void?

While Xuanhuang qi was commonplace throughout the boundless cosmic sea, this marked Wu Yuan’s first encounter with it in the Nine Realms’ void.

This should be the Grand Supreme Realm. He thought with mounting anticipation, judging by the direction of the token’s resonance. Without hesitation, he flew directly toward the mysterious landmass.

Though the continent appeared deceptively close, it took Wu Yuan another half day of flight to truly approach its borders. The entire land mass lay shrouded in swirling Xuanhuang qi, its pressure intensifying with each li he advanced— sufficient to deter even ordinary Overlords from venturing closer.

With Wu Yuan’s extraordinary strength, however, he remained unshaken.

If the pressure is this formidable before I’ve even reached the continent, what awaits me when I finally step foot on its surface? The continent wasn’t particularly vast, yet its pressure exceeded that of a True Saint by orders of magnitude.

The more Wu Yuan observed, the more he perceived the continent’s uncanny perfection. Though it appeared barren—a wasteland of sand and gravel devoid of life—it radiated a bizarre sense of completion that defied explanation.

What secrets does this Grand Supreme Realm hold? Wu Yuan dared not venture into the areas obscured by the dense Xuanhuang qi, choosing instead to follow the tokens’ resonance.

Flying to the edge of the Grand Supreme Realm, he spotted a region not obscured by the swirling Xuanhuang qi. There lay an enormous azure stone-paved road, a hundred li wide, stretching endlessly into the distance.

Wu Yuan stopped several million li from the continent’s edge.

“You can come out now,” he called coldly. “These tricks are unnecessary.”

In an instant, the seemingly tranquil void erupted.

Boom! Boom! Bursts of overwhelming power shattered the silence as four colossal figures, each ten thousand li tall, materialized before him. Each radiated a distinctive aura, their attention fixed squarely upon Wu Yuan.

“Holy Emperor Tai Heng, Holy Emperor Gong Yan, Holy Emperor Zi Ming—so all of you were indeed here.” Wu Yuan’s gaze swept over the distant figures, recognizing three from his intelligence reports as Holy Emperors.

“And you,” Wu Yuan’s eyes settled on the fourth figure—hideously ugly and toad-like, clad in black armor. His lips curled into a slight smile. “What should I call you? Ugly Toad?”

“You’re the ugly toad.” The black-armored figure bristled with indignation. “Everyone in your family is an ugly toad.” The creature’s voice rumbled with barely contained rage. “Remember this—my name is Tian Chan, True Saint Tian Chan.”

“True Saint?” Wu Yuan’s smile remained casual. “Then why is your vital aura only at the Perennial level?”

Though his demeanor projected nonchalance, Wu Yuan’s vigilance heightened dramatically. A True Saint? True Saint Tian Chan? He’d never heard of such a being, suggesting this wasn’t a powerhouse from the cosmic sea.

“Hmph!” True Saint Tian Chan growled. “That’s none of your concern. Overlord Wu Ji, you’re clearly not native to the Nine Realms. You must be a Legend of the River from outside—an exceptionally monstrous prodigy at that.”

“That’s no concern of yours,” Wu Yuan replied flatly, his caution deepening toward this mysterious True Saint.

“Fine. I don’t care about your origins,” Tian Chan said. “You wish to enter the Grand Supreme Realm? I can permit your passage, but you must agree to two demands.”

“Oh? Let’s hear them,” Wu Yuan responded with feigned indifference.

“First, should you reach the depths of the Grand Supreme Realm, you must give me half of whatever treasures you find.” Tian Chan’s eyes gleamed with unmistakable avarice. “Second, if you manage to leave, you must take me with you.”

True Saint Tian Chan had considered blocking Wu Yuan outright but quickly recognized that it would be futile. Once Wu Yuan underwent Dao Enlightenment, defeat would be inevitable for Tian Chan. Moreover, after witnessing the fall of his Tian Luo incarnation and the failure of his Jian Ming incarnation, Tian Chan understood the terrifying extent of his opponent’s capabilities.

“Half the treasures?” Wu Yuan’s gaze turned glacial. “If I step into eternity, all your treasures will rightfully become mine. You dare demand treasures from me? True Saint Tian Chan, if you wish to negotiate, do so properly.”

Wu Yuan had made his decision, shedding all pretense of fear. Though Tian Chan held advantages in terrain knowledge and numerical superiority, his willingness to negotiate revealed a lack of absolute confidence in confronting Wu Yuan directly.

Of course, Wu Yuan refrained from attacking immediately, lacking absolute certainty he could handle the combined might of the three Holy Emperors—not to mention True Saint Tian Chan himself.

“Fine! Fine!” Tian Chan gritted his teeth. “Overlord Wu Ji. If you succeed, simply take me with you when you depart. As long as you agree to this, I’ll not obstruct you anymore.”

In truth, Tian Chan never truly expected Wu Yuan to share the treasures; he merely negotiated from an inflated starting position.

“Ridiculous.” Wu Yuan sneered. “Tian Chan, you can’t possibly believe I fear you? The Grand Supreme Realm is vast—you cannot guard all its exits. Once I attempt the challenge, if I fail, so be it… But if I succeed?”

Wu Yuan’s cold snort made Tian Chan increasingly anxious, fearing Wu Yuan might already understand the true nature of the Grand Supreme Realm.

“You wish to leave with me after my success? Simple enough.” Wu Yuan fixed his penetrating stare on Tian Chan.

“First, reveal the incarnation technique you’ve mastered—both methods and treasures used. Second, surrender all treasures in your possession—every last one. Third, divulge all intelligence regarding the Grand Supreme Realm. Meet these three conditions, and I’ll promise to take you with me upon my success.”

“Overlord Wu Ji, curb your arrogance,” Tian Chan glared. “You demand all my treasures? Preposterous! These represent the accumulation of countless ages.

“Don’t be too smug,” Tian Chan continued bitterly. “Your talent may be unparalleled, but you might not necessarily pass the Grand Supreme Trial.”

Grand Supreme Trial? Wu Yuan’s interest sparked, but he merely sneered, “Whether I pass or not will soon become evident.

“But you definitely cannot pass it.”

Tian Chan fell silent, trapped by his own words. Indeed, across the long ages, he had never successfully completed the ultimate trial of the Grand Supreme Realm. As time passed, his hope diminished, which explained his willingness to negotiate with Wu Yuan in the first place.