Chapter 1179: My Dao Is The Heavenly Dao (4)

"Haha, it's good that you feel you've gained a lot," the Emissary chuckled. "I'll give you one last piece of advice. Your Dao cultivation level is already extremely high, and you should have obtained a Great Dao's Authority."

His tone grew serious. "There aren't many opportunities worth your time within the River of Universes anymore. So, I advise you to undergo Dao Enlightenment as soon as possible."

"As soon as possible?" Wu Yuan was slightly startled.

"The sooner the better," the Heavenly Domain Emissary stated, fixing Wu Yuan with an intense gaze. "You'll understand the reasons for this when you become an Eternal."

Wu Yuan could see that the Emissary was deliberately holding something back, not wishing to elaborate more.

"Haha, go on then," the Heavenly Domain Emissary laughed.

"Someday in the future, I hope to see you take the legendary fifth step," he added, waving his hand.

An invisible force enveloped Wu Yuan, one so overwhelming that even he could not resist. In an instant, he vanished from the Essence Void.

The Emissary mused silently to himself.

I had thought the Heavenly Imperator's chances were greatest. Perhaps Wu Yuan will succeed even sooner than him

In a blink, he dissolved into countless motes of light and scattered. The vast, mysterious Essence Void returned to tranquility.

...

The River of Universes stretched boundless and infinite, countless Xiantian qi streams wandering through its expanse. Celestial bodies hung suspended in the void.

In one corner of this emptiness, a figure in a black robe materialized—Wu Yuan.

Where am I?

He wondered.

After pioneering his Dao, his perception had reached truly inconceivable levels. In a single thought, he could sense the essences of myriad universes throughout the vast River of Universes.

Not too far from the Violet Night Universe.

He noted. Then, his gaze turned towards the depths of the River of Universes.

The Abyss?

I never imagined I'd be able to sense the Abyss from here. Could I reach it directly through the River of Universes?

Wu Yuan pondered, though he harbored no intention of heading there.

During the ten thousand years spent on the Path of Ancients, his consciousness had intertwined with the River of Universes' essence. To him, there were hardly any more secrets in the entire River of Universes.

I should return to the Ling Jiang Universe first.

Wu Yuan decided.

It should take... about two days to arrive.

He took a single step and instantly accelerated to a hundred times the speed of light, racing towards the Ling Jiang Universe.

If any descending Saints were to witness this scene, they would be struck dumb. Even a Full Saint like Saint Zhu Guang would require significant time to accelerate to such speeds within the River of Universes.

As he journeyed, Wu Yuan's two true selves sent strands of their consciousness into multiple voidrealms: the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm, the Blood Dream Voidrealm, the Eldritch Court Voidrealm, and others.

The moment he entered, a deluge of messages inundated him. There were messages from Sovereigns, Overlords, Perennials, Saints... Information that had slowly accumulated over nearly 80,000 years since the opening of the Xuanhuang Cosmiris.

Wu Yuan swiftly examined them all.

It seems many events have become widely known.

He mused, gaining a clearer understanding of the current state of affairs across the River of Universes and the cosmic sea. He learned of the situations surrounding his family and numerous friends. Matters like his inclusion in the Samsara Rankings and the Eternal Register were simply skimmed through. Such things no longer concerned him.

My imprints across the entire cosmic sea...

Wu Yuan silently sensed their reach, perceiving them with utmost clarity.

It was far stronger than before he had entered the Xuanhuang Cosmiris. But still not nearly enough.

Once I achieve eternity, the difficulty of returning here may rival that of a True Saint. My current accumulation is still insufficient.

Wu Yuan pondered thoughtfully.

He kept the words of the Heavenly Domain Emissary close to heart, already contemplating the path to Dao Enlightenment.

For one of Wu Yuan's level, eternity was within reach. If he so chose, either of his two true selves could break through at any moment, such was the profound depth of his accumulation.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan soared through the void, making his way towards the Ling Jiang Universe.

Suddenly, his eyes flickered.

A message from Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu?

This did not surprise Wu Yuan in the least. If the voidrealm spirit had been observing his entry into the Eldritch Court Voidrealm, it would surely have notified the Eldritch Progenitors immediately.

...

Within the Eldritch Court Voidrealm was a mysterious hall. This was Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu’s residence.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan appeared out of thin air, clad in black robes. At a glance, he saw the white-robed figure deep within the hall, still fiddling with that strange box just as before — Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu.

But this time, besides Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, there was another figure in black robes present. This unfamiliar figure exuded an immeasurably vast aura, his presence subtle yet domineering, no less imposing than that of Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu.

"Wu Yuan." Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu set down the box and stood up. Her gaze fell upon Wu Yuan, a glimmer of surprise flashing in her eyes. "You've pioneered your Dao?"

The black-robed figure beside her also fixed his stare upon Wu Yuan.

Though he had heard Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu speak of him many times, this was his first time seeing Wu Yuan. Now face to face, even within the confines of the voidrealm, he could sense Wu Yuan's extraordinary nature.

Though merely a sempiternal lifeform, there was an intangible, understated quality to Wu Yuan that gave both Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and the black-robed man a strange impression. It was as if they stood before an equal in power.

The disposition of a living being was not fixed.

While Wu Yuan's raw strength paled in comparison to Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and her companion, his gains had been immense after pioneering his own Dao and cultivating on the Path of Ancients for nearly ten thousand years.

In terms of cultivation level alone, Wu Yuan was now no less accomplished than many True Saints. And how perfect was the Dao he had created?

"Wu Yuan pays his respects to Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang," Wu Yuan bowed respectfully.

"You know who I am?" The black-robed man smiled faintly.

"I saw you at the Xuanhuang Cosmiris," Wu Yuan replied. Indeed, he had seen him—and given him quite a thrashing.

Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang was taken aback.

Having traversed the Path of Ancients himself, he naturally understood Wu Yuan's meaning. Considering the time Wu Yuan had spent there, a realization dawned on him.

"It seems you managed to slay both the Dao trace incarnations of Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and myself," Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang said flatly.

"The two Eldritch Progenitors were incredibly powerful. It was a long and grueling battle," Wu Yuan replied.

It had indeed been a protracted struggle, though the final kill had come swiftly.

"It appears you reaped tremendous benefits from this venture into the Xuanhuang Cosmiris. Did you ultimately defeat the Heavenly Imperator on the Path of Ancients?" Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu gazed at Wu Yuan, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

"Yes. I emerged victorious!" Wu Yuan nodded. "In the final battle, your Dao trace incarnation appeared, Eldritch Progenitor, along with the incarnation of Goddess Nüwa and the Heavenly Imperator.

"The fight was incredibly difficult, but in the end, I managed to achieve a hard-fought victory," Wu Yuan stated.

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang were both taken aback as they listened.

So powerful? Was he telling the truth? From what they heard, it seemed the Dao that Wu Yuan had pioneered far surpassed even that of the Heavenly Imperator.

However, Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang had challenged the Path of Ancients before the Heavenly Imperator. Thus, they were unaware of the young Heavenly Imperator's true strength when he was at the sempiternal stage. Had they known, they would have been even more astonished.

"It seems you have indeed pioneered an inconceivable Dao," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu smiled. "If you were to undergo Dao Enlightenment now, how quickly could you become a True Saint?"

Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang also looked over, his interest piqued. This was crucial.

"Becoming a True Saint..." Wu Yuan pondered briefly. "My qi refiner self would likely require a period of cultivation before reaching the True Saint stage.

"As for my body refiner self? Once I undergo Dao Enlightenment, I could become a True Saint and open a Saint Realm at any moment," Wu Yuan stated confidently.

He had absolute certainty in this assessment.

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang were truly shocked, finding Wu Yuan's words far too bold. To become a True Saint immediately upon achieving eternity? How long had he even been cultivating for?

"Wu Yuan, how confident are you in breaching the Saintdom of the Immortal Court?" Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu looked at Wu Yuan intently.