Chapter 1134: Return

A deluge of information flooded Wu Yuan's mind in that instant, all of it pertaining to the Eternal Dream Codex.

It held numerous terrifying secret arts that could be employed by powerhouses of the Psyche Arsenal class and Psyche Dream class.

Previously, Wu Yuan had received some information from White Emperor, but it was mostly basic knowledge about the Eternal Psyche, the Psyche Dream class, Psyche Arsenal class, and various other schools of thought.

It was meant to familiarize Wu Yuan with the Psyche Dream class so he wouldn't make any elementary mistakes. How could it compare to the clarity of the Eternal Dream Codex?

This was truly an inconceivable set of teachings, arguably the most powerful ultimate secret codex Wu Yuan had ever obtained.

Moreover, without realizing it, Wu Yuan's eternalized spirit and consciousness were affected by these ripples, unconsciously slipping into a meditative state.

What an interesting little fellow. He actually knelt of his own accord?

White Emperor observed from afar, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

As a follower of Goddess Nüwa, she was the one White Emperor revered most. Wu Yuan's gesture naturally won him some favor.

Even with his connection to Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, White Emperor hadn't particularly liked Wu Yuan before this.

Time flowed on.

In the blink of an eye, a full million years passed. For powerhouses of the eternal level, spending millions or even billions of years on a single session of cultivation was quite normal.

Finally, Wu Yuan gradually regained awareness, understanding a million years had elapsed.

He half-rose, a hint of shock in his eyes.

The Eternal Dream Codex? Is this the inheritance left behind by Goddess Nüwa on Ancient Dream Mountain?

Through this inheritance, Wu Yuan came to understand just how incredibly accomplished Goddess Nüwa was in matters of the soul. It was truly mythical. Wu Yuan felt sincere admiration.

In these million years of cultivation, Wu Yuan had barely scratched the surface of the Eternal Dream Codex, only managing to glean the tiniest fraction of its profundities. Yet even this was enough to allow his strength to advance further. Most importantly, the Eternal Dream Codex had illuminated the path ahead for Wu Yuan, allowing him to plan his future with greater clarity.

The road to eternity is ultimately one I must walk myself. I can only learn from Goddess Nüwa's path, not follow it exactly.

Wu Yuan reflected calmly.

However, with the inheritance left by Goddess Nüwa as a guide, I will surely progress faster and more steadily on the path of the Psyche Dream class.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan once again solemnly kowtowed three times before rising respectfully and withdrawing.

He came before White Emperor once more.

"Senior White Emperor, I've kept you waiting," Wu Yuan said with a rueful smile, knowing he had spent a million years in cultivation.

"No rush. How long have I lived? What's a bit more time?" White Emperor chuckled. "Young man, you're quite the grateful one. This ultimate technique inheritance left by Goddess Nüwa can only be obtained by those who take the initiative to kneel and pay respects."

Wu Yuan now understood – so one had to take the initiative to kneel.

"I hope you will live up to the ultimate technique left by Goddess Nüwa," White Emperor said, fixing Wu Yuan with a meaningful look. "On this path of the Psyche Dream class, I hope you'll be able to pioneer a Dream Megaverse that rivals Goddess Nüwa's, or even surpass hers... truly reaching that legendary level."

"Legendary?" Wu Yuan was taken aback.

"You may go."

Whoosh~

White Emperor waved his hand, and Wu Yuan felt the world around him darken. The surrounding spacetime instantly shifted, and he vanished from the majestic temple.

Only White Emperor remained.

Surpass the Dream Megaverse? In the end, it's all just a dream.

There was a hint of wistfulness in White Emperor's eyes.

I, too, have ultimately passed on.

If psyche dreams could make all wishes come true, if dreams could become reality... who then could distinguish between dream and reality?

White Emperor shook his head gently.

Rumble~

The vast and boundless Dream River of Universes, nearly infinite in scope, began to slowly collapse and shrink, until it finally converged to a single point.

Dreams originate from a single thought in the psyche.

...

Here was a dark, endless cavern, over a hundred million li wide, leading to unknown depths.

On the damp ground sat two figures in lotus position, one in white robes, one in purple.

Wu Yuan's eyebrows twitched slightly before his eyes flew open. In that instant, countless thoughts flooded his mind. He looked around in slight confusion.

This? White Emperor has sent me out of the Dream River of Universes? Sovereign Lan Yan?

Not far away, sitting cross-legged and radiating a powerful aura, was Sovereign Lan Yan, whom he hadn't seen in hundreds of millions of years. Her eyes remained tightly shut.

Hm? No, that's not right! My body refiner self, my qi refiner self...

Wu Yuan suddenly froze as the consciousnesses of his four combat bodies instantly communed and unified.

His body refiner self was still in the Ling Jiang Universe. His qi refiner self was still in the Taiyuan Saint Realm.

How is this possible? Did Senior White Emperor silently send my two selves back without me noticing?

This thought flashed through Wu Yuan's mind, followed by a moment of surprise.

Unless...

He considered a possibility.

Without hesitation, his two selves, separated by great expanses of spacetime, simultaneously accessed the Eldritch Court Voidrealm and Blood Dream Voidrealm.

They swiftly began to search for news of all recent events, allowing Wu Yuan to understand the current situation. In no time, his mind was awash with shock.

Two hundred and fifty million years? No, only twenty-five thousand years have actually passed. To be precise, it seems my two selves were in slumber for twenty-five thousand years.

Wu Yuan was dazed for a long while.

Verification wasn't difficult. When Wu Yuan's qi refiner self awoke, he received a message from True Saint Taiyuan. Their exchange confirmed that Wu Yuan's qi refiner self had never left. It had simply fallen into a deep sleep.

If neither of my selves ever left, then was everything I experienced in the Dream River of Universes false? Was it all just cultivation in a dream?

Wu Yuan found it hard to believe.

Within his qi refiner self and mana body's spirit, Dream Worlds had been established.

The ultimate technique inheritance of the Eternal Dream Codex was vividly clear in his mind, along with numerous insights.

Everything pointed to one conclusion: the two hundred and fifty million years he had experienced were real.

...

On the mainland of the Taiyuan Saint Realm, inside Wu Yuan's hall.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self emerged from the meditation chamber and stood at the railing on the highest level of the hall, looking down upon the vast, endless continent and the distant spacetime vortex.

The White Stone Essence?

Suppressing the shock and excitement in his heart, Wu Yuan silently turned his attention to his internal space.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

That White Stone Essence hovered within his body, emanating an inexhaustibly mighty aura that suppressed the surging ocean of Overlord-level mana filling the space.

At this moment, Wu Yuan could barely distinguish whether he had entered a dream or truly experienced all of this.

Have I been trapped by my own thoughts?

Wu Yuan murmured to himself.

Dream River of Universes... Dream River of Universes... Senior White Emperor told me the truth long ago, yet I remained confused.

It's hard to see the big picture when you're in the middle of it. Once Wu Yuan's thoughts leapt outside the box, he suddenly understood.

Over these two hundred million years, my consciousness must have been living within the Dream River of Universes left behind by Goddess Nüwa.

Wu Yuan mused.

A Dream River of Universes is nearly a real River of Universes, nearly eternal... If the dream is eternal, then it becomes reality, which is why I was able to cultivate and grow normally within it.

No wonder the spirit worlds of those two guardians were so special. This is clearly the power of the Dream River of Universes.

According to White Emperor, Goddess Nüwa was the only Dao Zenithel in all of history to construct a Dream Megaverse. [1]

All the inheritance insights and memories are real, and the time experienced was real.

Wu Yuan pondered.

It was all real, only the Dream River of Universes itself was illusory.

For a moment, Wu Yuan had trouble distinguishing between reality and illusion.

As Wu Yuan examined himself, he also realized the Dream River of Universes was not omnipotent. For example, only cultivation of the Psyche Dream class was enhanced, while progress in other areas seemed to be greatly affected.

For instance, Wu Yuan's body refiner self appeared to have cultivated diligently for hundreds of millions of years in the Dream River of Universes, yet its progress was not obvious.

The flow of time in the Dream River of Universes is ten thousand times faster than that of the real world.

Wu Yuan mused.

After cultivating for over two hundred million years, I thought the world outside would be completely changed, yet only twenty thousand years have passed?

Wu Yuan shook his head in amazement, then thought of something else.

The Xuanhuang Cosmiris hasn’t opened?

Wu Yuan couldn't help but chuckle.

Is there anything in the Xuanhuang Cosmiris that can stop me now?

After hundreds of millions of years of cultivation, Wu Yuan's mind was utterly tranquil. Less than a hundred thousand years remained until the Xuanhuang Cosmiris opened, a very short time.

At this moment, Wu Yuan wasn't too concerned about the various opportunities within the Xuanhuang Cosmiris itself. If he obtained something, so be it. If not, he wasn’t troubled.

As for this White Stone Essence.

Wu Yuan sensed the White Stone Essence within his internal space.

I wonder how the Dream River of Universes was able to send it from the dream into my qi refiner self's body.

It was truly mysterious and unfathomable. At least, with Wu Yuan's current level of insight and strength, he couldn't figure out the mechanisms behind it.

If I can't understand it, I'll set it aside for now.

Wu Yuan thought to himself.

What I need to do is use this White Stone Essence to strengthen myself.

Wu Yuan's reason for choosing it was very simple: when White Emperor produced those seven treasures, the Samsara Sword within Wu Yuan's qi refiner self began to vibrate frantically, transmitting waves of desire to consume the White Stone Essence.

This immediately made Wu Yuan realize that his hope of recovering the Samsara Sword’s full power lay with the White Stone Essence.

Thirty percent, seventy percent, one hundred percent—these were the three main stages of the Samsara Sword's gradual manifestation into reality.

Previously, through Wu Yuan's tireless efforts, the Samsara Sword had reached seventy percent manifestation before hitting a bottleneck. For years, he had wracked his brain for a method to break through this impasse. Yet he had never found a satisfactory solution.

That was, until now.

The Samsara Sword, bestowed by the Spacetime Dao Master himself, is endlessly miraculous. It may not necessarily be inferior to Xiantian Instruments or even Chaos Treasures.

Wu Yuan mused, his expectations for the Samsara Sword growing.

The White Stone Essence? If the Samsara Sword can completely devour it, it would be enough to prove its terrifying nature.

Though the White Stone Essence was precious and a suitable primary material for Chaos Treasures, it was ultimately just a raw material.

Truly forging a Chaos Treasure required numerous auxiliary treasures. Wu Yuan, as a mere sempiternal lifeform, was far from capable of such a feat. Moreover, even if he could craft it, could he wield it now?

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

Wu Yuan thought to himself.

Unleashing the fullest extent of the Samsara Sword's power is the path I should take.

Wu Yuan gave a mental command, completely releasing his suppression of the Samsara Sword. Instantly, the sword unleashed endless purple divine radiance, thoroughly enveloping the massive white stone.

In that moment, the White Stone Essence seemed to encounter its natural predator. Its essence began to contract frantically, attempting to resist the invasion of the purple divine light. Yet all its struggles appeared futile.

Visibly, the Samsara Sword began to devour the power contained within the White Stone Essence, causing the sword to manifest even further in reality, its aura growing ever stronger.

Seventy percent manifestation?

Wu Yuan keenly sensed that the Samsara Sword had begun to break through this shackle, advancing towards the final stage.

However, the process is slow.

Wu Yuan noted inwardly.

It might take many years to complete.

Time was needed. Of course, time was the one thing Wu Yuan had in abundance now.

I’ll let the Samsara Sword's growth proceed at its own pace. For now, I should recall my mana body and ether body.

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self thought, his gaze turning towards the massive spacetime vortex in the distance.

...

Within that dark passage on Ancient Dream Mountain.

Hum~

Sovereign Lan Yan, who had been closing her eyes as if in deep slumber, suddenly opened them.

"This? Am I dead? Have I completely succumbed and perished?" Sovereign Lan Yan's eyes were filled with bewilderment.

"Lan Yan, you're awake?" A familiar voice instantly rang out beside her ear.

"Hm? Ming Jian? Young Master?" Sovereign Lan Yan started, instinctively responding, "I'm not dead, still trapped in a dreamscape?

"This dreamscape feels too fake. How could the young master possibly be by my side?" Sovereign Lan Yan shook her head, muttering to herself.

1. So the author changes the Dream River of Universes to Dream Megaverse later. However it’s super confusing which one he means because he clearly explained the significance of this being a dream version of a ‘River of Universes’. So I’ve decided to keep this particular place in Ancient Dream Mountain as the only Dream River of Universes. But it is not a level. ☜