Chapter 1184: Eight Hundred Thousand Years (1)

After redeeming the Cosmic Equilibrium Armor and the nameless saber, Wu Yuan headed directly to the Myriad River City, arriving outside Hou Jue Hall.

With Wu Yuan's current authority in the Eldritch Court, he could enter any part of the Eldritch Court’s Ling Jiang Saintdom save for Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang's residence. But Wu Yuan didn't barge in directly. Instead, he came to the hall gates and had the guards announce his arrival.

"An Overlord?"

"It's Overlord Wu Yuan." The many Astral Monarchs guarding Hou Jue Hall were shocked upon recognizing Wu Yuan.

It wasn't surprising. Wu Yuan's rise had been incredibly swift. Just a few hundred thousand years had passed, and the guards of Hou Jue Hall hadn't been replaced with a new batch yet. Most of them had seen Wu Yuan before.

"We pay our respects to the Overlord." The group of Astral Monarchs bowed respectfully.

Soon, a message came from the hall: "Overlord Hou Jue requests your presence inside."

"Very well." Wu Yuan nodded with a smile, striding into Hou Jue Hall.

Soon, he vanished from sight.

"Back then, Overlord Hou Jue was Overlord Wu Yuan’s guide. In just a few hundred thousand years, he's become an Overlord himself. Rumor has it that he's far more powerful than Overlord Hou Jue now," one Astral Monarch guard mused.

"What do you know? I heard that Overlord Wu Yuan has already become a Legend of the River. He's even slain an Eternal," another Astral Monarch boasted proudly, as if showing off his knowledge.

"Is that true?"

"Slain an Eternal? Which Eternal?" The group of Astral Monarchs were shocked.

"How would I know? I just overheard some Sovereigns talking about it."

"I've heard something similar. They say Overlord Wu Yuan has killed many Overlords from the Immortal Court."

These Astral Monarch guards, close to the core of power in the Saintdom, occasionally caught wind of some confidential information, but most of it was vague.

In reality, Wu Yuan's fame had grown immensely in the past hundred thousand years – revealing his identity as Devil Emperor Xia, defeating a Saint in the River of Universes, leaving behind legends in the Xuanhuang Cosmiris... His reputation had spread far and wide, but mostly among Overlords and Sovereigns.

As for those at the Astral Monarch level? News didn't travel quite so fast. Or rather, most Archimmortals, Archdeities, and Astral Monarchs didn't pay much attention to affairs at the Overlord level.

...

Inside Hou Jue Hall.

"Overlord Wu Yuan." Overlord Hou Jue was already waiting. The coldness had vanished from her face, replaced by a warm smile. There was even a hint of humility in her demeanor.

"Senior Hou Jue, please, have a seat," Wu Yuan smiled. "Even in the future, I’ll always be your junior. There's no need for such formality."

Overlord Hou Jue relaxed a little at that, but didn't dare truly let her guard down. Wu Yuan's current status in the Eldritch Court was simply too high, stemming from both his unparalleled talent and terrifying battle records.

The Astral Monarchs might not know the details, but how could Overlord Hou Jue not be aware? She knew very well that Wu Yuan was no longer that little boy from years past, but had become a Legend of the River. Even Overlord Yue Shan had been slain by him.

Despite having shown Wu Yuan some kindness in the past, Overlord Hou Jue dared not act overly familiar, given the sheer magnitude of his accomplishments. After all, she wasn't Wu Yuan's master, nor did they have truly deep bonds.

"Overlord Hou Jue, I have some matters to discuss with you," Wu Yuan said with a smile. He could sense Overlord Hou Jue's nervousness.

He sighed inwardly. Wu Yuan held great respect for this Overlord who had once guided and protected him. But changes in strength and authority could widen the distance between hearts. Never mind Overlord Hou Jue - even some of the Saints from the Taiyuan Saint Realm and the Eldritch Court were exceedingly polite to him now.

"Please, speak freely," Overlord Hou Jue said quickly.

"Senior Hou Jue, I'm not here to ask you to do something for me," Wu Yuan shook his head with a chuckle. "I've come to tell you that I've obtained a slot at the Eldritch Progenitor's Secret Realm for you."

"A slot at the Eldritch Progenitor's Secret Realm?" Overlord Hou Jue stood up, her breathing growing rapid. She could hardly believe it.

As an Overlord of the Eldritch Court, she naturally understood how precious such a slot was.

"That's right." Wu Yuan nodded with a smile.

The Eldritch Progenitor's Secret Realm was a mysterious place within the Eldritch Court Universe, created by Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu specifically to nurture the Overlords of the Eldritch Court.

There were two ways to enter:

First, possessing sufficiently great potential. Every 5.5 billion years, there would be one slot available. But with so many Overlords in the entire Eldritch Court, competing for this slot was incredibly difficult.

Second, one could exchange Xuanhuang merits for entry. Ten thousand Xuanhuang merits could be exchanged for one entry opportunity. A powerhouse of the Eldritch Court could redeem at most ten entries in their lifetime, either for themselves or for friends and family.

Ten thousand Xuanhuang merits were something ordinary Overlords simply couldn't afford. And those capable of redeeming it? They would likely already qualify for direct entry.

So, the so-called ten redemption opportunities were mainly used by eternal powerhouses of the Eldritch Court to nurture their disciples and loved ones.

"It's too precious," Overlord Hou Jue shook her head repeatedly. "That's ten thousand Xuanhuang merits."

It could be exchanged for several dozen low-grade Xiantian artifacts. Even most Saints would be reluctant to part with such wealth.

"For me, it's nothing," Wu Yuan smiled. "To enter the Eldritch Progenitor's Secret Realm, one must reach the ninth-level Dao Field stage of a Great Dao. My cultivation time has been brief, and most of my friends and family are still too weak to qualify."

If someone like Sovereign Kua Chi had reached that level of power, Wu Yuan certainly wouldn't have hesitated to help him. Unfortunately, he was still far from reaching the ninth-level Dao Field stage.

"But for me?" Overlord Hou Jue still hesitated, feeling that the disparity between what she had given and what she was receiving was too great.

"I'm close to achieving eternity," Wu Yuan smiled.

Overlord Hou Jue was startled.

"Not just me. Overlord Ming Jian is close as well," Wu Yuan added with a grin.

Overlord Hou Jue's eyes widened in disbelief. If this news got out, it would absolutely shake the heavens.

"It won't be too soon. I estimate that I will transcend within a hundred million years," Wu Yuan said.

Overlord Hou Jue nodded slightly.

A hundred million years? It sounded long, but historically, the vast majority of those who achieved eternity via their own efforts would wait until the end of the samsara cycle of heaven and earth.

"Your accumulation is deep enough. If you enter the Eldritch Progenitor's Secret Realm and gain some inspiration, then spend a few million or tens of millions of years, you have hope of creating a limitbreak Overlord ultimate technique," Wu Yuan looked at Overlord Hou Jue. "Then, when either I or Overlord Ming Jian achieve eternity, you could become a Heaven's Stowaway in one shot."

Overlord Hou Jue stared at Wu Yuan. She now understood why he had helped her redeem a slot at the Eldritch Progenitor's Secret Realm. Heaven's Stowaway?

A long moment passed.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Overlord Wu Yuan, if I succeed, I will never forget this kindness for as long as I live." Overlord Hou Jue struggled to contain her excitement.

Every Overlord yearned to achieve eternity. But the path to eternity was incredibly difficult. If one didn’t wish to rely on others, one first had to create a limitbreak Overlord ultimate technique, then create an eternal ultimate technique, before having even a glimmer of hope at Dao Breaking.

To have a hundred percent certainty? That would require pioneering their self-created Dao!

So, the goal of most Overlords was to create a limitbreak Overlord ultimate technique, then wait for an opportunity - to see if they could become a Heaven's Stowaway when some monstrous prodigy achieved eternity. If one couldn’t create a limitbreak Overlord ultimate technique, one wouldn't even qualify to be a Stowaway.

"Haha, no need to feel burdened," Wu Yuan smiled faintly. "Senior Hou Jue, if you become a Perennial in the future, remembering me will be the greatest help you can offer.

"I don't have many seniors and friends. If another Perennial emerges, that would be wonderful, and a blessing for the Eldritch Court as well," Wu Yuan smiled.

Overlord Hou Jue nodded repeatedly.

Soon after, Wu Yuan left the headquarters of the Eldritch Court’s Ling Jiang Saintdom, returning to the long-absent Greenridge Macrocosm.

...

In the vast, dim outer space.

Greenridge Macrocosm.

Wu Yuan gazed at the expanse of outer space in the distance. Countless stars twinkled. This was a complete macrocosm, with the largest diameter reaching ten billion light-years of spacetime.

Whether Overlord Hou Jue succeeds or not depends on her own efforts.

Wu Yuan mused silently.

The path to eternity could only be walked by oneself. As powerful as Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu was, even she wouldn't dare say the Eldritch Progenitor's Secret Realm could help every Overlord.

Time to head back.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self flew out. His two true selves flew to the headquarters of Ming Jian Realm and Yuan Realm respectively.

Soon, following messages from Wu Yuan's two true selves, Sovereign Bei You, Sovereign Dong Yang, Sovereign Kua Chi, and others came to see Wu Yuan. It had been nearly a hundred thousand years since they last met.

Wu Yuan showed great patience with these seniors, conversing with each of them, gifting them treasures, and offering insights on ultimate techniques and cultivation guidance. Having fully comprehended fifteen Greater Laws, giving pointers to Sovereigns was effortless for him.

In the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed.

In the headquarters of Yuan Realm, within the vast spacetime Wu Yuan had opened, was a towering, endless temple.

I've helped as much as I can.

Wu Yuan sat upon a majestic throne, murmuring to himself.

Unfortunately, I can no longer follow the original plan.

According to Wu Yuan's initial plan, he would wait until he became a fourth-stage Overlord. If he still couldn't pioneer a Dao by then, he would wait until the end of the samsara cycle of heaven and earth before attempting a breakthrough.

By that time, perhaps Master Kua Chi and the others would all have hope of reaching the Overlord level with his help. Then, if he broke through, they would all have a chance at becoming Heaven's Stowaways.

But in the end, this could only remain a dream.