Chapter 1181: A Chance To Rule The Universe (2)

"Wu Yuan, do you know why only the Heavenly Imperator and I have achieved complete dominion over a universe?" Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu smiled.

"The Dao Masters, like the Creation Dao Master and the Spacetime Dao Master, once unified the Long Shan Universe and the Ling Jiang Universe respectively, yet they ultimately gave up. This is because they couldn't prevent the universe from being annihilated and recreated cycle after cycle. Many precious treasure grounds they built at great cost would be destroyed in each samsara cycle of heaven and earth. Moreover, they couldn't prevent other major powers from infiltrating various macrocosms.

"But the Heavenly Imperator and I have complete control over our entire universes. Within our universes, whether it's macrocosms or universe exploration sites, nothing can hinder us from controlling them.

"Furthermore, with us presiding over the universes, the transition of the samsara cycles of heaven and earth only results in the reincarnation of living beings. The universes themselves remain intact," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu smiled.

The Eldritch Court Universe and the Immortal Court Universe were indeed extremely special.

Why did these two universes produce several times or even ten times more powerhouses than other universes? That was the result of absolute unification and absolute control. There was no internal attrition.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

At the beginning of each samsara cycle of heaven and earth when the universes were created, the Eldritch Court and the Immortal Court could extend their influence into every macrocosm of their respective universes.

"Is it because you two are stronger than the others?" Wu Yuan hazarded a guess.

"Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and the Heavenly Imperator are indeed stronger, but there’s no fundamental gap between them and other Dao Zenithels," Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang beside him smiled. "The most crucial reason is that these two, after undergoing Dao Enlightenment, pioneered their Saint Realms in an extremely short time, and became Dao Zenithels within a single samsara cycle of heaven and earth."

Wu Yuan was stunned. He thought back to the two Eldritch Progenitors' earlier inquiry about how quickly he could become a True Saint. There was likely a strong connection.

"In the eyes of the River of Universes' essence, before undergoing Dao Enlightenment, you are a child nurtured by the River of Universes. You're under its protection, so no matter how much power you unleash, you won't face much suppression," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu continued.

"Once you complete Dao Enlightenment, your connection with the River of Universes will weaken, but the entire process will last about one hundred million years.

"If you break through to become a True Saint very quickly after completing Dao Enlightenment, then you can fully seize this opportunity to establish a Saint Realm within your home universe," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu smiled.

"Establish a Saint Realm within a universe?" Wu Yuan was truly shocked.

In the numerous ancient texts he had perused, True Saints always pioneered their Saint Realms in the cosmic sea. Pioneering a Saint Realm within the universe?

"Pioneering a Saint Realm within a universe has its risks," Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang said. "If one cannot break through to Dao Zenithel and evolve it into an Eternal Realm before the end of the samsara cycle of heaven and earth, then the Saint Realm cannot withstand the destruction of the universe. In the end, your Saint Realm will also be annihilated along with it."

Wu Yuan listened intently.

"But once it evolves into an Eternal Realm, it will be able to withstand the transition of the samsara cycles of heaven and earth," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's eyes flickered with a hint of reminiscence. "Then, when the cycle turns again and the universe is reborn, the essence of the Eternal Realm can be merged with the nascent essence of the universe in its earliest stages.

"At that point, this corner of the River of Universes will be both a universe and your Eternal Realm, naturally granting you absolute control.

Wu Yuan understood it completely now.

So the so-called Eldritch Court Universe and Immortal Court Universe were, in a sense, the Eternal Realms of Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and the Heavenly Imperator, naturally everlasting and indestructible.

At the same time, this also resolved Wu Yuan's doubts. When he first sensed the vastness of the River of Universes, he had been shocked that Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and the Heavenly Imperator could resist the backlash of the entire River's essence. Now it seemed that Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and the Heavenly Imperator had both taken a shortcut.

However, this shortcut was far from easy to take. To become a Dao Zenithel within a single samsara cycle of heaven and earth? How many have achieved that since the Primordium?

"Goddess Nüwa accomplished it, but she was the first Dao Zenithel and did not know of this method," said Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu. "And besides myself and the Heavenly Imperator, Great Emperor Yan Tuo also became a Dao Zenithel within a single samsara cycle of heaven and earth, ultimately gaining dominion over an entire universe as well.

"It's just that Great Emperor Yan Tuo is far away in the Ancient Megaverse, so he is not known to most beings of the Central Megaverse."

Great Emperor Yan Tuo achieved it too? Wu Yuan was inwardly astonished.

Wu Yuan also began to understand why, among the successive Legends of the River, Great Emperor Yan Tuo and Dao Zenithel Wan Yu were somewhat more renowned.

Dao Zenithel Wan Yu's fame stemmed from the Eternal Register and Wan Yu Tower. As for Great Emperor Yan Tuo, it was likely due to his complete dominion over a universe.

"The ten Dao Masters later attempted to emulate Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and the others, trying to advance further themselves," Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang smiled.

"As Dao Masters wielding the Authorities of the Great Daos, they were quite special. The Spacetime Dao Realm and Creation Dao Realm you visited are actually prototype Eternal Realms reopened within the universe by two Dao Masters. But their self-created Daos were too weak, and the essences of their Eternal Realms were too feeble to withstand merging with the universe's essence, so they ultimately failed.

"However, as Eternal Realms, the Spacetime Dao Realm and Creation Dao Realm became indestructible as a result."

Wu Yuan was increasingly shocked.

So the Spacetime Dao Realm and Creation Dao Realm were prototype Eternal Realms. No wonder they were so special, indestructible across countless samsara cycles of heaven and earth.

"Wu Yuan, if you succeed, the number of talented powerhouses born in the entire Eldritch Court will increase by fifty percent. After tens of samsara cycles of heaven and earth, at least a hundred more True Saints will be born," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu said.

Wu Yuan pondered silently.

The number of Overlords born in the Eldritch Court Universe was several times that of an ordinary universe, and it produced an Eternal in almost every samsara cycle of heaven and earth. Such a rate was truly astonishing.

"This would be a great contribution to the entire Eldritch Court," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu said. "For you personally, evolving your Eternal Realm into a universe would also be an incredible boon. First, you would be able to sense the workings of the River of Universes constantly, benefiting immensely from it.

"Second, the vast essence of the universe would continuously help replenish your mana, at a rate at least a hundred times faster than other Dao Zenithels."

A hundredfold? Wu Yuan marveled inwardly.

"Take Great Emperor Yan Tuo for example. His direct combat ability is on par with mine, but his status is somewhat higher," Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang added. "His Dao excels at self-preservation, and coupled with his astounding mana recovery, he's practically immortal.

"Once, during a struggle in the depths of the cosmic sea, Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, Dao Zenithel Wan Yu, the Spacetime Dao Master, and others joined forces to besiege Great Emperor Yan Tuo, but they couldn't overcome his defenses.

"In terms of self-preservation ability alone, he surpasses even the Heavenly Imperator and Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, fully rivaling Goddess Nüwa."

Wu Yuan listened, inwardly trembling with awe. Great Emperor Yan Tuo truly lived up to his reputation. Such self-preservation ability was indeed heaven-defying.

"This path is not without obstacles. First and foremost, you must quickly advance to the True Saint stage," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu said. "If you're too slow, you'll be rejected by the essence of the River of Universes and fail.

"Secondly, you must reach the Dao Zenithel stage within a single samsara cycle of heaven and earth. If you're too slow, your Saint Realm will be destroyed all the same, resulting in failure.”

Wu Yuan nodded.

On this long path of cultivation, which eternal powerhouse wasn't a prodigy in their prime? To stand out among them and reach the pinnacle of the cosmic sea, how could one not take some risks?

"And the obstacles, besides your own cultivation speed, will be the Immortal Court's Saintdom, or rather all the other Saintdoms in the universe. They will all pose a threat," Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang said.

"Once you achieve eternity, you'll be suppressed within the universe. Opening a Saint Realm causes an enormous disturbance that cannot be concealed from other True Saints. They can easily take the opportunity to descend and destroy your nascent Saint Realm."

Wu Yuan pondered thoughtfully. Put that way, opening a Saint Realm in a universe was indeed risky and challenging.

"Therefore, we must first breach the Immortal Court's Saintdom and destroy the True Saint's anchor point," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu smiled. "This way, when the True Saint tries to descend and intervene, it will take him a long time, giving you enough time to open your Saint Realm."

Wu Yuan understood completely. Accurately speaking, it was about creating a delay.

"Twelve Saint Realms, with eleven True Saints in total," Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang smiled. "True Saint Bu Xiu and True Saint Taiyuan will help you, along with Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang.

"That's three. They can hold off three opponents. This leaves only eight.

"The Spacetime Dao Master can secretly intervene, enough to occupy two or three more," Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang smiled. "If we pay a price, we can persuade the Dao Zenithels behind two or three more True Saints to order them to withdraw and destroy their own Saintdoms. Then, there's hope.

"We've already contacted several Dao Zenithels. Though they're unwilling to help us, it's not difficult to just have them remain neutral," Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang said.

Wu Yuan listened, astounded at the scale of the plan.

This had to be a grand scheme that the two Eldritch Progenitors had been working on for a long time.

"There's just one thing," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu said slowly. "If we let the Spacetime Dao Master, True Saint Bu Xiu, True Saint Taiyuan and the others intervene, it will completely expose the matter of your two true selves. There will be no possibility of concealment left.

"In fact, the Spacetime Dao Master and I have been secretly helping you obscure events in past timelines, karma, and various other aspects, but the Immortal Court may already have suspicions about the connection between your two true selves."

Wu Yuan listened silently, somewhat surprised.

So Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Spacetime Dao Master had already been intervening secretly. No wonder there hadn't been any rumors so far.

However, while Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Spacetime Dao Master were formidable, the Immortal Court was no weakling either. They might well have noticed something.