Chapter 1129: Three Billion Years

This vast world was utterly tranquil, save for the entrance to the Path of Light where the towering black-armored giant continued to roar and bellow in rage.

"Damn it! Brat, get in here quickly so I can smash your head in!" The black-armored giant gnashed his teeth, his bellows causing the surrounding space to tremble subtly.

However, the effects were confined to the Path of Light. Beyond its boundaries, all remained serene.

"You big oaf. Your insults are so low-class, just the same few phrases over and over." Wu Yuan occasionally taunted back, before settling down to continue cultivating.

Simultaneously, he made numerous refinements to the World of Dreams, casting each new version and observing the results.

Then, he continued perceiving the streams of consciousness within the other's spirit world.

My hypothesis was indeed correct. On the Path of Dreams, the greatest opportunity was those Mist Dreams whose attacks helped me create the World of Dreams.

This Path of Light and its three guardians seem similarly special. I'm unsure about the latter two guardians, but this first guardian's spirit world is truly one of a kind.

The more Wu Yuan perceived, the more astonished he became.

It was like when he had made a breakthrough in the Great Dao of Creation – a large factor was obtaining the insights of over a thousand Eternals. Accumulation and foundation were crucial.

Similarly, to construct one's own spirit dreamscape such that it appeared incredibly realistic, entrancing countless beings, one first needed to see enough and experience enough. Only by witnessing all the sights in the world could one return to simplicity and truth.

The countless streams of consciousness in the black-armored giant's spirit world were a great opportunity for Wu Yuan's qi refiner self to advance in illusion arts and dreamscapes. If he had to search for such experiences himself, it might take endless eons to find so many unique life experiences.

This was a true ultimate treasure, a priceless gem. Experiencing the lives of these consciousnesses was like living through their past years. This was a rare opportunity to accumulate insights. It was also a way to temper his spirit.

All the myriad things in the world ultimately come down to joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, hate, and desire.

These seven emotions can be broadly divided into good and evil aspects. Good and evil are never absolutely opposed, but intertwined

. Wu Yuan mused silently.

The first guardian's spirit world can be said to have elucidated anger, sorrow, and evil to the extreme, also containing some desire. This tends towards the evil side.

Wu Yuan gradually realized the core principles of illusion art and dreamscapes.

All illusions and all dreams targeted the seven emotions. All living beings had emotions, and desire was also a type of emotion.

Even for so-called emotionless individuals single-mindedly pursuing the Dao, that inner longing for attaining the Dao was, in a sense, a kind of desire, a kind of emotion.

Previously, I hadn't clearly recognized this point. Now, with the aid of this first guardian's spirit world, I have full hope of deducing the evil side of the inner selves of living beings.

The path before Wu Yuan was growing clearer.

He continued researching and creating unceasingly.

Twenty thousand years, thirty thousand years, sixty thousand years... a hundred thousand years, a hundred and fifty thousand years...

Wu Yuan's progress was very slow, but he still walked this path with unwavering determination.

This was the normal speed of cultivation. Trying to advance from the Overlord level to the eternal level was inherently extremely difficult.

The Xuanhuang Cosmiris should have opened by now, and may have even concluded already.

Yet Wu Yuan's heart remained utterly tranquil.

If I've missed it, then I've missed it.

To regret is to betray one's past self. The present is always the best time, and one must look forward.

In reality, Wu Yuan hadn't placed all his bets on his qi refiner self. During these hundreds of thousands of years, his body refiner self had also been cultivating with all its might, hoping to break through to a higher level. For example, trying to pioneer a Dao!

Two paths, no! My body refiner self is also devoting part of its energy to deducing the Primordial Diagrams. Three paths to eternity pursued simultaneously.

Wu Yuan cultivated with a calm mind.

As long as I break through on one path, there's hope of escaping.

Six hundred thousand years, eight hundred thousand years...

When a million years had passed, Wu Yuan's mastery of illusion arts and dreamscapes could finally be said to have improved considerably.

The seven emotions of good and evil, this vast River of Universes in operation. Broadly speaking, the Abyss and universe are also divided into good and evil. The fundamental nature of the Abyss's operation essentially tends towards the evil side.

Wu Yuan extrapolated.

He gradually combined his new insights with his past experiences and insights into the Abyss's essence.

Back then, when using the Flower of Sin, Wu Yuan had focused more on the operation of Daos and Laws, without paying much attention to the emotions of countless Abyssal lifeforms. Now, Wu Yuan reviewed them properly.

All gains will have their use one day.

Wu Yuan smiled faintly.

Time, insights into the Abyss, the guardian's spirit world. The combination of various aspects allowed Wu Yuan to further refine his illusion arts and dreamscapes, making them increasingly profound and powerful.

Though still a limitbreak Overlord ultimate technique, its effect on the first guardian visibly grew as Wu Yuan continued to cast the World of Dreams.

The first guardian began to be confused by the World of Dreams again, occasionally showing a hint of bewilderment.

Although the guardian would break free of the influence in an instant, this was enough to demonstrate Wu Yuan's astonishing progress.

I've cast the World of Dreams on the first guardian countless times. By rights, he should have long since become immune to my illusions. Over the past million years, when my qi refiner self and mana body cast the World of Dreams, it couldn't affect him at all, only serving to anger him.

Now, it's starting to confuse him again. This shows that the method I chose is effective.

Wu Yuan was quite satisfied.

Continue!

Wu Yuan was full of confidence.

As my illusion art grows stronger, there will come a day when the first guardian sinks fully into the dreamscape, completely unable to break free.

At that time, he would be able to defeat the first guardian without shedding blood.

Perhaps I truly have a natural talent for soul cultivation?

As Wu Yuan delved deeper into his research, he felt his progress was indeed extremely fast.

His external cultivation environment was top-tier, but Wu Yuan's speed of advancement was truly extraordinary.

As time passed, he created new illusions one after another, gradually incorporating them into his World of Dreams.

...

While Wu Yuan was experiencing this great tribulation, possibly trapped forever...

In a mysterious place within the Dream River of Universes, on a lonely island amidst endless waters.

White Emperor sat leisurely, holding a fishing rod, seemingly angling for fish.

Beside him stood a white-robed woman radiating maternal warmth, incomparably beautiful, yet inspiring not the slightest thought of desecration in others.

White Emperor smiled faintly. "As expected of Hou Tu. This little fellow you chose is truly smart to have found the right path so quickly. Far superior to those wastes I picked before.

"In terms of rate of progress, only you could surpass this little fellow." White Emperor laughed.

If Wu Yuan were to witness this scene, he would undoubtedly be dumbfounded. For the one standing beside White Emperor now was none other than Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, her attire nearly identical to what Wu Yuan had seen in the voidrealm.

"Senior White Emperor." Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu smiled gently. "My achievements today are all thanks to Senior White Emperor's help back then. Without you, I wouldn't have become the person I am today."

Clearly, White Emperor had risen to prominence earlier than Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu.

"I helped you?" White Emperor shook his head repeatedly. "I was merely following Goddess Nüwa's orders, trying my best to select some juniors from the human race. I too was unwilling to see the human race exterminated by those naturally-born eternal lifeform races.

"Di Jiang was not bad, but still fell short. It's excellent that you were able to stand out. If Goddess Nüwa knew, she would be very gratified too." White Emperor sighed.

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu nodded slightly.

During that chaotic era, Goddess Nüwa had departed, leaving everything in disarray. The human race had risen from endless wilderness, conquering the lands.

It was she who ultimately led the human race and established the Eldritch Court, forging its reputation.

"Nurturing this little fellow must not have been easy for you." White Emperor smiled. "By setting him on this path, do you believe he has the potential to surpass you? To be honest, though his talent on this path is not bad, it's far from matching yours.

“Through countless samsara cycles of heaven and earth, you should be the only one to have half-stepped into the Primordium level." White Emperor said solemnly. "Though that Heavenly Imperator lad is more skilled in battle, he doesn't compare to you in this aspect."

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu couldn't help but smile.

Every Eternal had their own strengths, and this was especially true for those standing at the pinnacle.

In terms of mastery over spacetime, samsara, illusion arts, and dreamscapes, she dared say that she was second to none in the entire cosmic sea.

"I don't need him to surpass me on this path." Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu smiled faintly. "But I can't explain explicitly. When that day comes, Senior White Emperor, you will naturally understand."

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed in White Emperor's eyes as he smiled, "Very well, then I shall wait and see.

"What a pity." White Emperor suddenly sighed.

"What is it?" Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu was taken aback.

"Back then, this Ancient Dream Mountain was a chaotic mess. If Goddess Nüwa hadn't transformed it into the Dream River of Universes, but instead handed it over to you, you probably could have transformed it to an even stronger artifact, and perfectly controlled it." White Emperor shook his head. "That way, you wouldn't have been so passive when dealing with the Heavenly Imperator and the others."

"All things are subject to change. Even Goddess Nüwa couldn't foresee so much." Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu said, "Besides, without the Dream River of Universes, I might not have successfully broken through back then."

White Emperor paused upon hearing this, then nodded.

"How long can the Dream River of Universes be maintained this time?" Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu inquired.

"Three billion years, I suppose." White Emperor said, "If this little fellow hasn't broken through in three billion years, then it can't be blamed on me."

"Three billion years?" Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu nodded. "Still early."

Three billion years was no trifling span, even for an eternal powerhouse.

Her gaze shifted to the distant ocean, as if piercing through infinite spacetime to glimpse Wu Yuan meditating in another realm.

Wu Yuan, a chance like this comes but once.

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu mused silently.

If missed, a second opportunity may never arise.

Whoosh!

Her form dissipated, silent and traceless.

“How many autumns does this grand dream span?” White Emperor muttered, shaking his head. “Dream? Reality? How can we distinguish if this is reality, or if we're trapped in a dream, bound within the pages of a book, or merely characters in someone's spoken tale?”

“Oh?” White Emperor's eyes lit up, his hands fumbling in excitement. “A fish on the hook at last!”