Chapter 1218: The Ultimate Pinnacle Of The Nine Realms, The Great Battle Begins (3)

I've come too far to turn back now.

Wu Yuan thought, his mind still like a lake.

I must press forward with everything I have.

My mana body is still on the way back from the void of the Nine Realms. It will need at least ten more years to return. Will it arrive in time?

After the devastating battle at Dao Comprehension City, Wu Yuan had immediately altered his plans, and his mana body began its journey back from the void. With both his ether and mana bodies present, he would face the Holy Emperor with far greater confidence.

But contingencies had to be considered. If his mana body failed to return in time, and his ether body met with disaster, at least his mana body might survive to unveil the great secrets hidden within the Nine Realms.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Now it all rests with destiny.

Wu Yuan mused silently.

If my mana body arrives in time, we shall proceed together. If not, my ether body will head there alone.

...

Nearly a year passed before Wu Yuan, Saint Shang Yue, Overlord Shang Cai, and Saint Jiu Xing finally returned to the headquarters of the Qian Yang Holy Sect.

The holy sect's headquarters existed in its own separate realm—a magnificent domain spanning trillions of li, teeming with countless living beings.

Creating such a "realm within realm" in the Nine Realms was near impossible; only the legendary six Holy Emperors could do it.

"Wu Ji," Saint Jiu Xing informed him, "the Holy Emperor has sent word. After a hundred years, you shall meet with him."

"Understood," Wu Yuan replied with a respectful nod.

A hundred years? Though puzzled by this unexpected delay, Wu Yuan had a vague feeling in the depths of his consciousness–perhaps this was the influence of destiny, arranging for both his mana body and ether body to jointly meet the Holy Emperor.

Soon afterward, Wu Yuan returned to his residence alone, while the Saints and Overlord Shang Cai dispersed to their own quarters.

"Wu Ji," Overlord Shang Cai called before departing, "when you return from meeting the Holy Emperor, be sure to send me word."

"I will," Wu Yuan promised.

...

"Father, you weren't very supportive of me before," Overlord Shang Cai said with a defiant sniff as she soared through the skies of the holy sect alongside Saint Shang Yue. "What do you think now? Isn't the fact that Wu Ji pioneered a Dao as a sempiternal enough to satisfy even you?"

"Cai'er, you still don't understand my concerns," Saint Shang Yue replied, gazing at his daughter before sighing. "It's not that I failed to recognize Wu Ji's worth—on the contrary, I recognized it all too well."

"Too well?" Overlord Shang Cai's expression froze in surprise, but with her keen intelligence, she immediately grasped her father's meaning.

"I was somewhat supportive before because, although Wu Ji's talent was remarkable, it wasn't entirely beyond reach," Saint Shang Yue explained, his voice heavy with emotion. "If you were to become a Perennial in the future, both of you might still have maintained some semblance of equality in power. But now?" He shook his head slowly. "His Dao cultivation level already matches my own. And do you truly believe this is his limit?"

Overlord Shang Cai fell silent, her earlier defiance evaporating.

"He has cultivated for merely three hundred million years," Saint Shang Yue continued, his words measured and deliberate. "His future holds infinite possibilities. He may one day stand shoulder to shoulder with the Holy Emperors themselves, or perhaps even transcend the Nine Realms entirely.

"The gap between him and you is simply too vast. For you, this would be a disaster, not a blessing." His voice softened. "Moreover, I can see clearly that Overlord Wu Ji is, at his core, a person who doesn’t pursue such emotions.

"What he truly craves is the Dao—the relentless pursuit of cultivation's ultimate pinnacle," Saint Shang Yue concluded.

"Transcend the Nine Realms?" Overlord Shang Cai echoed, her eyes widening with incomprehension.

"That is a legend," Saint Shang Yue whispered, his eyes suddenly distant, harboring a flicker of yearning. "Legends say the six Holy Emperors came from beyond the Nine Realms... but I know only fragments of this tale."

...

More than ten years later, in the Second Realm, Wu Yuan's ether body stood motionless on a mirror-like lake outside the Qian Yang Holy Sect headquarters, not far from the mountain gate.

He appeared to be deep in meditation, surrounded by misty waves that stretched to the horizon.

Suddenly, a subtle ripple formed in the void—so faint that even ordinary Overlords might have missed it entirely. This ripple flowed seamlessly into Wu Yuan's body, then scattered without a trace.

My mana body has returned.

Wu Yuan's ether body murmured, a barely perceptible smile touching his lips.

Wu Yuan turned and flew toward the mountain gate, startling the Perennial guards stationed at the headquarters’ entrance.

"Overlord Wu Ji, you're leaving already?" one Perennial ventured to ask.

"Yes, I merely came to clear my mind by the lake," Wu Yuan replied with casual ease as he glided past them into the holy sect’s headquarters.

His mana body remained concealed within his internal space, undetected by the defense arrays surrounding the holy sect's domain.

...

While Wu Yuan cultivated peacefully at the holy sect headquarters, awaiting the Holy Emperor's summons, events were unfolding in the distant First Realm.

Deep within the Tian Luo Holy Sect headquarters stood a magnificent temple housing an imposing throne. Without warning, the throne erupted with blinding light, countless particles gathering to form a projected figure wreathed in crackling lightning. The pressure of its presence filled the entire temple.

"Great Holy Emperor!"

"Holy Emperor Tian Luo!" Eight figures prostrated themselves before the throne, their eyes gleaming with an almost fanatical reverence that bordered on the unsettling.

Each of these eight figures radiated eternal auras; six were Saints who had pioneered their own Daos. The remaining two were merely Perennials—the ones who had narrowly escaped death during their confrontation with Wu Yuan.

"I have returned from the Supreme Realm," the Holy Emperor Tian Luo announced, his thunderous voice resonating through the hall. "You say the Nine Realms has produced an individual who pioneered a Dao at the sempiternal stage?"

"Yes, Holy Emperor!" two Saints affirmed in unison. "It's the individual we previously reported on, Overlord Wu Ji."

"Thirteen of us Peak Perennial powerhouses joined forces, attempting to eliminate Overlord Wu Ji," the two surviving Perennials hastily explained, "but his saber techniques... In the end, eleven perished, and only we two barely escaped with our lives."

They projected their memories for the Holy Emperor to witness, though these projections showed only the external form, incapable of capturing the profundities of Overlord Wu Ji's saber techniques.

"An impressive saber technique," the Holy Emperor Tian Luo remarked with indifference. "It seems he has truly pioneered a self-created Dao. A sempiternal pioneering a Dao. Truly a legend. Very well, you may leave now."

"Yes." The six Saints and two Perennials withdrew from the temple, leaving the Holy Emperor Tian Luo alone upon his throne.

"Finally, one has emerged," he murmured to himself. "It has been such a long wait."

I was merely intending to apply some pressure by sending those Perennials, but I never expected him to break through right away.

The competition between the six holy sects, the constantly tempering, and continuous nurturing of the younger generation... After 600 trillion years, I've finally found what I've been waiting for.

The Holy Emperor Tian Luo's eyes flickered with anticipation.

It's truly remarkable that the insignificant Nine Realms could produce a Legend of the River.

A superior self-created Dao? No! Those who become Legends of the River should all possess top-tier self-created Daos.

His perspective was incredibly lofty; the vast Nine Realms held no secrets from him.

Just one final step remains. I've already absorbed eight; if I devour this Overlord Wu Ji, this treasure will be completely perfected, perhaps truly evolving my self-created Dao to the next tier.

The Holy Emperor Tian Luo's voice carried an undercurrent of eager anticipation.

Hmm, my Qian Yang incarnation is about to reach the Qian Yang Holy Sect.

Year after year passed as Wu Yuan remained within the Qian Yang Holy Sect, dedicating himself to serious cultivation. Over six million years had passed since he entered the Azure Saint Tomb.

The Dream World of my qi refiner self is approaching perfection.

Wu Yuan reflected.

The illusions I can create grow more powerful with each passing day. Once I step into eternity and receive the Primordium’s baptism, I may develop a Dream Universe and advance to the True Saint level.

The Primordium’s baptism represented an extraordinarily powerful opportunity—a gift bestowed by the operation of the Primordial Rules upon every cultivator stepping into eternity. It was something even Dao Zenithels coveted but could never obtain again.

Wu Yuan had discovered that while the Nine Realms had produced many Perennial powerhouses and Saints throughout the long ages, True Saints remained exceptionally rare. A significant factor was likely the absence of the Primordium’s baptism.

The True Saints here possessed decent talent but lacked proper guidance, most pioneering only ordinary self-created Daos.

Wu Yuan mused. At least, the Saints he had encountered didn't appear particularly formidable.

With merely an ordinary self-created Dao, advancing to the True Saint stage was nearly impossible!

But even with the Primordium’s baptism, it will still be hard for the self-created Dao of my body refiner self to reach the third step.

Wu Yuan acknowledged. [1]

The more he cultivated and refined his self-created Dao, the more Wu Yuan recognized the terrifying complexity of the Limitless Dao – it was too vast and profound, with countless aspects requiring his study and comprehension.

1. refers to steps of eternity ☜