Chapter 1147: Within The River Of Universes, I Am The Legend (1)

Ambush me? The Immortal Court?

Wu Yuan, who was in quiet meditation at the Yuan Realm headquarters, received this news with a slight frown.

The messenger was Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang, leader of the Eldritch Court’s Ling Jiang Saintdom.

Let's go meet with Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang.

With a thought from his body refiner self, Wu Yuan projected an avatar into the Eldritch Court Voidrealm.

After returning from Ancient Dream Mountain, Wu Yuan’s authority had been raised by Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu. Outwardly, he still held the status of a third-stage Overlord, but in reality, he now had Saint-level access for tasks like gathering intelligence or entering restricted areas of the Eldritch Court Voidrealm.

Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang's residence in the Eldritch Court Voidrealm? Wu Yuan could simply give him advance notice of his arrival.

In the most mysterious region of the Myriad River Realm, countless rivers surrounded a central hall, rendering it breathtakingly beautiful.

"Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang." Wu Yuan entered the great hall and bowed respectfully.

"Wu Yuan, I told you to visit more often. If I hadn't sent for you this time, I fear you'd never come." Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang emerged from the temple, smiling at Wu Yuan with a hint of resignation.

"I didn't want to disturb your cultivation, Eldritch Progenitor." Wu Yuan replied with a smile, showing no trace of embarrassment.

Over 400,000 years of cultivation, Wu Yuan had met with Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang several times. The Progenitor had always shown concern for him, and they had a rather good relationship.

Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang had discussed Wu Yuan's situation with Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, gaining some understanding. As a result, he treated Wu Yuan with increasing warmth, nearly as an equal.

Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang knew that if Wu Yuan were to reach the Dao Zenithel stage in the future, maintaining a good relationship would be a great asset.

"Eldritch Progenitor, you mentioned in your message that the Immortal Court might be planning to ambush and kill me?" Wu Yuan inquired.

"Correct." Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang nodded slowly. "This opening of the Xuanhuang Cosmiris is being monitored by Eldritch Progenitor An Guang. He has created a Dream World and excels at destiny divination and perception... He's discovered that the number of eternal powerhouses descending into the River of Universes this time is somewhat unusual."

"Unusual?" Wu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.

"The Xuanhuang Cosmiris opens hundreds of times in each samsara cycle of heaven and earth." Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang smiled faintly. "But the number of Saints able to return to the River of Universes is limited. This is especially so for the major powers of the cosmic sea, like the Blood Dream Alliance and Nine Peaks. Although they are first-rate factions, they cannot create many opportunities to send participants to the Xuanhuang Cosmiris. Thus, their participants must be chosen from only the very best. Sometimes, they don't even send Saints back to the River of Universes."

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Wu Yuan nodded slightly, understanding this approach.

With a limited number of Saints, if they dispatched Saints back to the River for every iteration, they might have no Saints left to send when the samsara cycle of heaven and earth neared its end. So, many major powers were selective about those participating in the Xuanhuang Cosmiris. If first-rate factions already faced such constraints, the second-rate factions in the cosmic sea naturally had it worse.

"The only ones with some flexibility are our Eldritch Court and the Immortal Court. We can send Saints every time." Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang explained. "However, there are also numerous Overlords in our ranks, so manpower is still very tight.

"For universe-born lifeforms, it's not so bad. Any third-stage Overlord can at least participate in battle. After all, universe-born Overlords generally have much greater potential if they achieve eternity in the future.

"But for naturally-born eternal lifeforms, we must choose only the very best. Usually, they need to be peak third-stage Overlords just to barely qualify." Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang continued.

Wu Yuan listened attentively.

Naturally-born eternal lifeforms generally had limited potential, but their greatest advantage was natural growth, a gift bestowed upon them by the operation of the Primordial Rules. Given enough time, any naturally-born eternal lifeform could grow to the Perennial stage.

However, it took an extremely long time. They would need to be born at the very beginning of a samsara cycle of heaven and earth to ensure a breakthrough to Perennial by the end of that cycle. The process took nearly an entire samsara cycle of heaven and earth.

The vast majority of naturally-born eternal lifeforms didn't have enough time to grow, and the tribulation of samsara loomed over their heads.

Once the cycle turned, whether lifeforms within the River of Universes dimension, those hiding in grotto-heaven artifacts of Dao Zenithels, or those concealed in certain exploration sites, all would be exterminated.

"Due to these many factors, each time the Xuanhuang Cosmiris opens, the number of Saints returning to the River of Universes ranges from as few as ten or so to as many as twenty-some. There are fluctuations, but usually not too extreme." Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang said.

Wu Yuan nodded to show he understood.

"This time, the situation is different." Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang said solemnly. "Eldritch Progenitor An Guang sensed abnormal fluctuations in the River of Universes' essence. At least thirty Saints have already descended."

Thirty?

Wu Yuan pondered.

When eternal powerhouses descended into the River of Universes, it caused ripples throughout the entire River. However, the disturbances were extremely subtle. Only True Saints still closely connected to the River could sense them, and even then, it was difficult to discern clearly. They could only make rough judgments. If over thirty Saints had truly returned, that was indeed abnormal.

"Therefore, we've communicated with first-rate factions like the Blood Dream Alliance, Nine Saints Alliance, and Wan Yu Tower, as well as some second-rate forces," Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang said. "We've learned the approximate number of Saints they're dispatching, and it hasn't exceeded the usual."

Wu Yuan marveled inwardly.

As expected of the Eldritch Court; their intelligence network was indeed impressive. And to think they could persuade other major powers to share such intelligence.

Of course, this was because the Xuanhuang Cosmiris wasn’t that important in the grand scheme of things. It was indeed a grand occasion for Overlords, but in reality, it opened more than a hundred times in just one samsara cycle of heaven and earth. Since the Primordial Era, it had opened countless times. In the eyes of Dao Zenithels, it was probably a minor matter, not worth keeping secret.

"So, we've deduced that the Immortal Court must have sent far more Saints than usual, at least ten." Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang said gravely.

Ten Saints? Wu Yuan frowned slightly. What a grand gesture indeed.

"The abrupt descent of so many Saints cannot simply be for the purpose of escorting those Overlords. It wouldn't require that many Saints." Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang shook his head. "They must have a major operation planned.

"After analysis by several Eldritch Progenitors, the most likely possibility is that they're targeting you. After all, if you want to enter the Xuanhuang Cosmiris, you'll definitely need to send your true self. This would be the best opportunity to destroy your true self."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

Indeed, although his body refiner self hadn't revealed much power, he was still the most dazzling figure of the Eldritch Court in this samsara cycle of heaven and earth.

"What does the Eldritch Progenitor suggest?" Wu Yuan inquired.

"Avoidance would be difficult," Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang shook his head. "If they take action, it will surely be an inescapable net. Even if you hide in a grotto-heaven artifact, they'll likely be able to detect you. Some extremely powerful mystical items with the ability to divine destiny can accomplish this."

Wu Yuan pondered. Divining destiny? That seemed formidable.

"Therefore, I have two suggestions. First, you could forgo the Xuanhuang Cosmiris," Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang said. "The Immortal Court can only sustain an operation like this once. They can't possibly do it twice in a row.

"This samsara cycle of heaven and earth is still in its early stages. You'll have plenty of opportunities to enter in the long years to come."

Wu Yuan frowned slightly.

Give up? Giving up once meant waiting another 5.5 billion years. How long had he been cultivating in total? Naturally, he was unwilling to wait.

"Second, we could prepare a secret artifact for you," Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang said. "It would conceal your soul aura, making the Immortal Court unlikely to detect your presence. Once you reach the edge of the Xuanhuang Cosmiris, the Immortal Court's Saints won’t be able to stop you.

"However, there are limits to the artifact’s abilities. It might not completely fool the Immortal Court's divinations. It would be a gamble."

Wu Yuan nodded. The secret artifact could only be used once. The Eldritch Court's upper echelons naturally wouldn't want to use up a precious artifact on a speculative, unconfirmed event.

"Of course, the best choice would be for you to give..." Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang continued to persuade him.

This wasn't just Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang's opinion, but the thoughts of many Eldritch Progenitors in the Eldritch Court. Time was on Wu Yuan's side, so there was no need to take such risks.

"Eldritch Progenitor, I have a question," Wu Yuan suddenly interrupted Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang.

"Go ahead."

"If the Immortal Court is truly preparing an ambush, but I don't go and instead hide in the Ling Jiang Universe, what will the Immortal Court's Saints do when they can't find any trace of me?" Wu Yuan asked calmly.

Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang was stunned for a moment, then a glimmer flashed in his eyes.

He understood what Wu Yuan meant.

With so many Saints descending from the Immortal Court, if they couldn't find Wu Yuan, they would likely target the Saints and Overlords sent by the Eldritch Court. They wouldn't waste this opportunity.

"Then what plan do you have in mind?" Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang asked in return.

"One can be a thief for a thousand days, but cannot guard against thieves for a thousand days," Wu Yuan shook his head. "If our Eldritch Court focuses solely on defense, we'll be far too passive. We might suffer even greater losses.

"So, my idea is very simple. If the Immortal Court wants a fight, we'll oblige them.

“In fact," A cold glint flashed in Wu Yuan's eyes. "Even if they don't want to fight, we should force them into battle.

"I don't care whether or not they intend to move against us. We just need to surround and attack any Immortal Court Saints who reveal their whereabouts," Wu Yuan said calmly.

Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang was stunned by Wu Yuan's bold words. This was setting the stage for an all-out war with the Immortal Court!

"It's too dangerous. We have no contingency plans. The Xuanhuang Cosmiris is about to open, and it's very difficult to mobilize so many Saints in such a short time," Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang frowned.

For large-scale confrontations like this, Saints needed to be notified well in advance. They weren’t simply waiting around after all.

The Immortal Court had been planning this for over a hundred thousand years – that was the only way they could mobilize more than twenty Saints. Gathering an equal number of Saints from the Eldritch Court in such a short time? Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang knew he couldn't do it.

"There's no need. Just send two or three to help me occupy the enemy," Wu Yuan smiled faintly. "The Immortal Court probably sent a dozen or so Saints at most. I alone can kill them all."

Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang stared at Wu Yuan in astonishment.

"You alone?" Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang found it hard to believe, shaking his head repeatedly.

"I know your qi refiner self is incredibly powerful, able to employ formidable soul secret arts, but they're not sending Perennials – they're sending Saints. Your qi refiner self plus your mana body could at most slightly affect a few Saints, and that effect would fade quickly. Moreover, there's a high chance of exposing your qi refiner self. The risks far outweigh any potential benefits." Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang flatly rejected Wu Yuan's idea.

"Eldritch Progenitor, my true self will arrive at the Saintdom headquarters shortly. Please send an incarnation projection to meet me," Wu Yuan said with a smile. "Words alone carry no weight. I will naturally prove myself, so you may rest assured."

Wu Yuan knew mere talk was meaningless. True powerhouses proved themselves through battle.