Yuan’s Ascension

Chapter 1348: Battle Of Life Or Death, Samsara Sacrificial Annihilation (2)

Only the two Eldritch Progenitors remained in the vast emptiness.

“Hou Tu, are you truly going through with this?” Di Jiang asked, his gaze sharp with concern. “Are you genuinely confident?”

“I am not confident,” Hou Tu replied, her eyes eerily calm. “I have perhaps a 50% chance of survival, but a 90% chance of saving Wu Yuan.”

“You’d risk so much?” Di Jiang gritted his teeth. “Even if Wu Yuan dies, he’d only lose two Xuanhuang Dao Treasures. With his accumulated power, he would revive quickly.”

His voice dropped lower. “But you…If you perish this way, you might not fully return.”

Clearly, Di Jiang recognized the technique Hou Tu intended to employ.

“My concern isn’t whether Wu Yuan falls,” she said slowly. “I worry about the Heavenly Imperator.”

“The Heavenly Imperator?” Di Jiang blinked in surprise.

Hou Tu gently closed her eyes. “He’s already wielding the Original Sword. How close is he to leaving the Realm of Destruction? We both know time grows short.

“Indeed, Wu Yuan would revive quickly, but I fear the Heavenly Imperator might break through during that brief interval.”

Break through? Di Jiang’s eyelid twitched at the thought.

“But even if you save Wu Yuan, can he stop the Heavenly Imperator after such a breakthrough?” Di Jiang shook his head doubtfully.

“Consider how long Wu Yuan has been cultivating for. He’s still developing rapidly,” Hou Tu smiled faintly. “His breakthrough potential exceeds my own, doesn’t it?”

Di Jiang fell silent.

“Moreover,” Hou Tu continued, her voice growing distant, “since creating the Six Paths of Samsara, I’ve struggled to advance further. I wish to transcend samsara itself, but have failed to truly comprehend the cycle of life and death.

“Perhaps walking through life and death once, experiencing revival, might grant me new insight.”

Di Jiang remained silent, recognizing that these words were simply Hou Tu’s attempt to comfort herself. If death and revival could significantly increase one’s power, ordinary Dao Zenithels would have long since cultivated to Peak or Full Dao Zenithel levels after dying and reviving countless times.

…

At the tumultuous boundary of the Sea of Thunder, deep within the Realm of Destruction, Wu Yuan fled at maximum speed. Both his body refiner self and ether body towered billions of li high, weapons flashing in desperate defense.

The Heavenly Imperator pursued unhurriedly, sword in hand, his demeanor as calm as drifting clouds.

Each sword strike was imbued with overwhelming force—pure annihilation without the slightest pretense of finesse. Each blow reached impossible speed, leaving Wu Yuan no opportunity to evade, forcing him to confront it head on. Each impact carried such power that both of Wu Yuan’s combat bodies were sent hurtling through space.

Fortunately, after each strike, the Heavenly Imperator needed to build up his energy before striking again, granting Wu Yuan precious moments to rest.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuan’s Eternal Realm within the Long Shan Universe operated at maximum capacity, frantically channeling power to repair the countless fractures in his Eternal Psyche. But the cracks appeared faster than they could be mended.

I can’t hold out any longer. Wu Yuan realized after over a thousand exchanges. Even with his body refiner self actively sharing the burden, his ether body had reached its limit.

Another soul-shaking sword light descended, crashing down toward him.

Block! Wu Yuan’s body refiner self swung its battle saber but was blasted backward. The residual sword energy crashed into his ether body nearby.

A hollow hum resonated as Wu Yuan’s ether body finally buckled. His Eternal Psyche, covered in cracks, shattered completely. His eyes dimmed as his vital aura rapidly faded.

His ether body was dead.

Wu Yuan gathered the artifacts dropped by his fallen ether body. Since becoming a True Saint status, this marked the first time his ether body had fallen.

“Saint Yuan, only your true self remains,” the Heavenly Imperator stated, his voice devoid of emotion. “There’s still a considerable distance to go before you leave the Realm of Destruction. You won’t last until then.

“If you take your own life, I’ll permit Dao Zenithel Ming Jian to leave.”

Wu Yuan’s eyes turned glacial. He responded only with a blade ray, which was immediately met by an even more terrifying sword light.

“His ether body is dead,” observed the Dao Zenithels of the Immortal Court through the voidrealm. “How much longer can Saint Yuan’s true self endure?”

“One month? Two months?”

The Heavenly Imperator’s overwhelming strength was now undeniable. Yet swiftly slaying Wu Yuan’s true self seemed impossible. Still, these Dao Zenithels were certain that within three to five months at most, even with Wu Yuan’s extraordinary physical defenses, his death was inevitable.

One month passed. Then three months. Nine months. Two years.

After Wu Yuan’s ether body perished, the battle between Wu Yuan and the Heavenly Imperator lasted far longer than anyone anticipated. The Heavenly Imperator, wielding the Original Sword, attacked relentlessly, constantly depleting Wu Yuan’s body refiner self’s ether.

Yet miraculously, Wu Yuan withstood each assault, the weakening of his vital aura barely perceptible.

“Two years!”

“Each day, the Heavenly Imperator must unleash thousands of attacks from the Original Sword. The total number must have reached millions by now. How has Saint Yuan not fallen?”

“Such vitality!”

“Inconceivable. Is this truly the supreme defense of the cosmic sea?”

“That Xuanhuang Dao Treasure is truly peerless, granting near-immortality.”

The Dao Zenithels from the Immortal Court watched in astonishment, unaware that Wu Yuan’s body refiner self had undergone a qualitative transformation with the addition of the Creation Origin Armor and the Saber of Oblivion.

The Saber of Oblivion negated much of the Original Sword’s impact. The Creation Origin Armor dissipated the vast majority of the force that penetrated through the saber. Most crucially, the extended duration allowed Wu Yuan’s Eternal Realm to recover continuously, significantly slowing the accumulation of injuries.

Without this constant restoration, Wu Yuan’s body refiner self would have perished long ago from the accumulated wounds.

Hold on! Wu Yuan gritted his teeth, desperately enduring. The Heavenly Imperator is also straining. The frequency of his attacks has decreased by roughly thirty percent compared to two years ago.

Clearly, repeatedly unleashing attacks from the Original Sword taxed even the Heavenly Imperator’s immense reserves.

Countless minute fractures now covered the Eternal Psyche within Wu Yuan’s body refiner self, threatening to shatter at any moment. Yet no fatal damage had occurred. The absence of irreparable fractures indicated that Wu Yuan could still persevere for some time.

He can still endure? The Heavenly Imperator noted with surprise. Even controlling an entire universe, I doubt Yan Tuo’s recovery rate would match Saint Yuan’s.

He had used Great Emperor Yan Tuo as a benchmark to estimate Wu Yuan’s capabilities, calculating that a year should have sufficed to slay him. Yet after two years of intense combat, Wu Yuan continued to withstand his onslaught.

Nevertheless, he has sustained grave injuries. The Heavenly Imperator thought. My soul, willpower, and mana are greatly depleted. If this battle continues… and Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu steadily approaches…

He had already sensed Hou Tu closing in.

Kill! He decided. Only by slaying him can I focus wholeheartedly on taking that final step. Moreover, witnessing Saint Yuan’s saber techniques during our countless exchanges has greatly benefited me.

Their life-or-death struggle intensified, one fighting to survive, the other to kill. In their frenzied battle, both strove to glean insights from each other’s ultimate techniques.

Combat proved the greatest teacher. Both Wu Yuan and the Heavenly Imperator ranked among the most brilliant geniuses since the Primordium, and both had reached their respective bottlenecks. Despite numerous fortuitous encounters and obtaining many Grand Supreme techniques, neither had faced such a formidable opponent.

For both, this battle presented an unparalleled opportunity.

…

The power of Wu Yuan’s saber techniques continued to grow throughout the conflict. Though the improvement came gradually, it persisted. The gains from this single confrontation surpassed what he might achieve from a billion years of secluded cultivation.

Faintly, Wu Yuan glimpsed the doorway to the fourth step of his self-created Dao, yet he could not cross the threshold.

My foundation remains insufficient. Wu Yuan realized with clarity. Only when I fully comprehend and integrate all ten Great Daos into the profundities of my self-created Dao will I inevitably break through.

The path forward lay clear before him. The ten Great Daos encompassed all Laws, and over several billion years, Wu Yuan had ceaselessly contemplated them. He had thoroughly grasped all Greater Laws, lacking only their fusion.

He had attained profound insights into many Great Daos. But to fully comprehend and merge all Great Daos in an extremely short time? That remained beyond reach.

Thus, although the might of Wu Yuan’s saber techniques steadily increased, a qualitative leap remained elusive. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Imperator’s sword techniques grew increasingly terrifying, his aura of annihilation becoming purer and more flawless.

Obliterating mana. Obliterating will. Even faintly obliterating the soul itself.

Their titanic clash persisted for three years and nine months, until they battled into the black fog.

The endless black fog continuously disintegrated around them, utterly incapable of affecting their battle.

My Eternal Psyche is on the verge of collapse. Wu Yuan realized, reaching the limits of his endurance. Several alarming fractures, like canyons splitting the earth, marred his incredibly resilient Eternal Psyche.

At last, this battle is about to end. The Heavenly Imperator observed. Though his aura had changed somewhat, he maintained his peak state. “Saint Yuan, your strength surpasses all opponents I have ever faced.”

He deeply respected Wu Yuan. And the greatest respect one could show an opponent was to slay them.

Suddenly, an invisible wave swept through the shadowy void. Immediately after, six massive wheels of light materialized above Wu Yuan’s head.

Each wheel seemed both real and illusory, as if existing beyond this spacetime dimension. Yet they emanated intangible fluctuations, suppressing the entire spacetime and causing the hearts of all Dao Zenithels in this spacetime to tremble.

Six Paths of Samsara? Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu? Wu Yuan looked up in confusion.

He sensed that these six wheels of light were unique, distinct from any he had previously encountered. Instantly, they filled him with dread. Wu Yuan had the immediate premonition that if his gravely wounded body refiner self were struck by these wheels of light, death would be certain.

What is this? Imperial Majesty Nan Guang, observing from the distant void, his heart quivering.

These six wheels, materializing from thin air, radiated endless slaughter and destruction.

“That is?”

“Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu?”

“Wasn’t she still years away from arriving?” The Dao Zenithels in the Immortal Court Voidrealm were bewildered.

Watching through the voidrealm, they could not sense the aura of the attack and remained unaware of the fearsome nature of these wheels of light. They merely found it strange that Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu would arrive so swiftly.

…

Samsara Sacrificial Annihilation! In the Eldritch Court Voidrealm, Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang stared at the light screen, a hint of melancholy in his eyes. Wu Yuan, I hope you do not waste Hou Tu’s efforts.

…

Six Paths of Samsara? Hou Tu? An attack transcending spacetime? The Heavenly Imperator gripped the Original Sword, endless golden light beneath his feet.

He calmly observed the six wheels of light above Wu Yuan’s head. He too sensed their lethal threat, but most crucially, he had lost all perception of Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu.

It was as if, in one instant, Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu’s true body had vanished, and in the next, the six wheels of light directly launched their killing strike.

“Six Paths Sacrifice!”

“Samsara Annihilation!”

“Life and Death Tribulation!”

Vast, invisible waves carrying resolute determination and a hint of madness radiated outward. The six wheels blazed with boundless radiance, their aura instantly enveloping the entire spacetime.

“This? Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu?” Wu Yuan finally understood, his expression transforming as he roared: “No!”

The six wheels merged into a nearly transparent stream of light, transcending spacetime, and piercing the Heavenly Imperator’s forehead in an instant.

“Wu Yuan, go!” Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu’s voice called out—her final message.

No matter how Wu Yuan called out in return, there was no further response.