Chapter 1264: Five Thousand Years Of Pioneering, Astonishing Harvest (2)

This confrontation at the entrance to the Tenth Chaos Void unfolded before the watchful eyes of numerous True Saints from various major factions.

Wu Yuan had demonstrated terrifying power, and with the Tenth Chaos Void currently at the center of attention of many cosmic sea powers, news of the battle spread with astonishing speed.

"Complete mastery of the Eternal Matter Body?"

"True Saint Wu Yuan's power exceeds all expectations! His physical attacks have reached a truly frightening level."

"Billions of years ago, he was overpowered by True Saint Yan Huo. Now, in the blink of an eye, he'll likely be the one to overpower True Saint Yan Huo."

"His rate of progress is terrifying."

"The number one genius since the Primordium; he’s worthy of the title." The True Saints and Dao Zenithels from various factions couldn't hide their astonishment.

"In terms of physical defense, he could already rank among the top ten or even top five True Saints billions of years ago. Now, with complete mastery of the Eternal Matter Body, he'll only grow more fearsome. He could certainly challenge for the top three or even first place in physical defense."

"Indeed!"

"He has a legitimate claim to first place in physical defense among True Saints!"

"And his attack power easily ranks in the top ten as well. So where should True Saint Wu Yuan stand in the overall rankings? Top ten? Perhaps top five?" a True Saint pondered aloud.

"He'll definitely break into the top ten."

"Whether he can claim a spot in the top five remains uncertain."

"We shall see! With the opening of the Tenth Chaos Void, many powerful True Saints will undoubtedly emerge and unleash their full strength. Tumultuous times lie ahead. By the time the competition ends, I suspect several new Dao Zenithels will have risen in the endless cosmic sea." The various powerhouses debated endlessly.

They unanimously agreed on one point: with Wu Yuan's strength, his ascension to the top ten of the True Saint Rankings was inevitable.

However, perhaps considering that the Tenth Chaos Void had just opened and the clashes between top-tier True Saints had not yet begun in earnest, the Wan Yu Tower refrained from immediately updating the True Saint Rankings.

...

In an inconspicuous corner of the void within the Ninth Chaos Void, a man with flowing long hair, dressed in elegant blue robes and radiating an extraordinary, carefree aura, strolled leisurely through space.

He appeared relaxed, yet he traveled at a thousand times the speed of light; a terrifying velocity considering that he was within the Ninth Chaos Void.

This was none other than True Saint Luan Hai, the peerless powerhouse who had survived countless bloody battles to stand at the pinnacle of True Saints in the cosmic sea, widely acknowledged as "Number One on the True Saint Rankings".

Haha, how fascinating.

He mused to himself.

To reach such power in mere billions of years. This True Saint Wu Yuan will likely ascend to the peak of Dao Zenithels before long. Perhaps in the future, even the Great Imperator won't match him.

True Saint Luan Hai's lips curved into a slight smile.

I'd better hurry and give him a taste of humility while I still can.

Otherwise, once he breaks through, I'll be the one getting my butt kicked.

And Cloud Saint, Yin Yu, Dong Yi, Meng Guan, and the others... Haha, I should humble them all one by one before they break through.

His attitude remained remarkably positive. As a direct disciple of Great Emperor Yan Tuo, he had always viewed his master as the ultimate goal.

The Chaos Nucleus?

He murmured thoughtfully.

Tsk, tsk! According to Master's words, great secrets lie hidden behind the eight elite exploration sites of the cosmic sea...What mysteries are concealed within the Nine Chaos Voids—no, it should now be called Ten Chaos Voids?

...

More than ten years later, Wu Yuan and True Saint Tian Peng effortlessly passed through the spacetime rift, arriving in the Tenth Chaos Void.

They were greeted by an endless expanse of dark emptiness, resembling a dilapidated universe. The gloomy void was marred by hideous spacetime rifts. Vaguely visible in the distance were enormous celestial bodies, some blazing with light like radiant suns, pulsing with boundless vitality, while the vast majority gave off an air of antiquity.

“The suppressive force of this Tenth Chaos Void is even more severe than the Ninth!" True Saint Tian Peng couldn't help but exclaim. "Yet we haven't encountered a single True Saint."

"Those who entered before us have likely scattered in all directions to hunt for treasures," Wu Yuan observed.

By his estimation, apart from the Abyss Alliance powerhouses, few True Saints from other major factions had entered thus far. They were among the earliest arrivals.

"Tian Peng, we must exercise extreme caution while exploring," Wu Yuan warned. "This Tenth Chaos Void differs fundamentally from the previous nine. It's completely uncharted territory, and even the Eldritch Court possesses no intelligence on it. We are among the first to venture here.

"We have no knowledge of where deadly arrays might lurk, or what unique Void Spirits inhabit this realm," he continued.

"Understood," True Saint Tian Peng nodded solemnly. "We are the pioneers."

Pioneers! For the previous nine Chaos Voids, True Saints had explored and mapped them over countless ages, accumulating a wealth of intelligence. Later arrivals could avoid most dangers simply by heeding this hard-won knowledge.

Had Wu Yuan encountered the Nine-Star Celestial Tree for the first time without prior warning, he would likely have mistaken it for a treasure ground. Had he rashly entered, that Void Spirit would have claimed his life.

But the Tenth Chaos Void remained an unknown in every respect. In essence, it required pioneers like Wu Yuan and True Saint Tian Peng to gather intelligence for the True Saints of the Eldritch Court who would follow.

That's acceptable.

Wu Yuan reflected.

I've always benefited from the Eldritch Court's resources. This time, I'll serve as a pioneer.

He felt at peace with this role. With great power came corresponding responsibilities.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

In terms of raw strength, he could now rightfully claim the title of the Eldritch Court's top True Saint, likely on par with True Saint Dong Yi himself. Naturally, he needed to shoulder the corresponding duties.

"Wu Yuan," True Saint Tian Peng suddenly proposed, "I've been considering something. Why don't we separate here and explore independently?"

"Separate?" Wu Yuan paused, contemplating the suggestion.

"Your strength is extraordinary. Exploring with you would certainly be safer," True Saint Tian Peng smiled. "But precisely because your power is so overwhelming, and even your ranged secret arts are formidable, I'd merely be deadweight if I remain with you, offering little assistance.

"It's better if we split up," Tian Peng continued. "Moreover, by exploring separately, we can survey more territory in less time. Should either of us require support, we can still contact each other."

"Very well. If you wish to explore independently, I have no objections," Wu Yuan replied with a faint smile. "Perhaps our gains will be doubled this way."

"Then I'll take my leave." True Saint Tian Peng cupped his hands respectfully, then swiftly departed.

Watching Tian Peng vanish into the distance, Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.

Split up to explore?

he thought to himself.

I suspect True Saint Tian Peng fears encountering major treasures and being unable to outcompete me for them.

With Tian Peng's considerable strength, he could certainly protect himself; he had the confidence to face True Saints ranked in the top ten and come out alive. At the end of the day, he had come to seek treasures. If he encountered the Chaos Nucleus alongside Wu Yuan, could he hope to compete for it? Everyone had their own interests.

Wu Yuan understood this clearly and chose not to mention it.

Very well, I'll venture forth alone. It will be more liberating.

He remarked to himself. Following his intuition, he swiftly chose a direction and began his solitary exploration.

...

The Tenth Chaos Void stretched immeasurably in all directions, a boundless expanse of mystery.

Initially, Wu Yuan traversed areas already searched by the True Saints who had preceded him, resulting in meager findings. But after several decades, the paths he chose began to grow increasingly "prosperous" with undiscovered treasures. Evidently, the Tenth Chaos Void was so vast that the majority of its regions remained untouched by any being.

These plants are all eternal-level, perfect for refining eternal-grade medicinal pills!

A damaged mid-grade Xiantian artifact? I'll take it!

This celestial body? No mere star, but an abandoned space fortress. Reforged properly, its value could rival a low-grade Xiantian artifact.

This palace is also a treasure! I'll take the whole thing!

What an enormous vein of Chaos Orichalcum! I've struck a fortune!

Wu Yuan's excitement grew as he feverishly collected treasures.

Though most finds were of modest value, worth only a few or perhaps dozens of Xuanhuang merits, items worth tens or hundreds of thousands of Xuanhuang merits would occasionally appear. Wu Yuan didn't discriminate; the sheer abundance of treasures in the Tenth Chaos Void was staggering.

In a mere four thousand years, simply by scavenging along his path, Wu Yuan had amassed treasures totaling over a hundred million Xuanhuang merits.

This rate of wealth accumulation rivals what one might gain through combat, and with far less risk.

Wu Yuan noted with satisfaction.

Most remarkably, his gains in these few thousand years surpassed what he had acquired from billions of years in the Ninth Chaos Void.

Wu Yuan understood the reasons for this bounty. First was his swift flight speed, allowing for efficient harvesting across vast distances. He estimated that ordinary True Saints and even Peak True Saints from the Abyss Alliance wouldn't have reaped such rewards, though they would have acquired millions of Xuanhuang merits by now.

Second was the matter of raw strength.

In these thousands of years, I've encountered only two True Saints, both of whom gave me a wide berth, avoiding confrontation.

Wu Yuan reflected.

But the natural dangers I've faced have been numerous and deadly.

With no intelligence to rely upon, the unfamiliar terrain had forced Wu Yuan to advance blindly through unknown perils. He had brute-forced his way through several killing arrays, relying solely on his overwhelming power to escape.

His most harrowing encounter had been with a bizarre Void Spirit taking the form of a river, possessing terrifying might that undoubtedly reached the Threshold Dao Zenithel level. Only the combined efforts of Wu Yuan's mana body and ether body had allowed him to escape the river's domain.

Reports indicate that the Abyss Alliance has lost over a hundred True Saints thus far.

Wu Yuan contemplated.

And our Eldritch Court has lost four as well.

Even with Wu Yuan, True Saint Tian Peng, and other pioneers providing intelligence, the True Saints who followed later were generally weaker, unable to escape when they encountered danger. They fell easily to the Chaos Void's countless threats.

As time passed, a flood of True Saints poured into the Tenth Chaos Void. The Eldritch Court estimated that over six thousand True Saints had entered in these thousands of years. The pioneering phase was nearing its conclusion, with most areas having been scouted and the majority of easily obtainable treasures already claimed.

Meanwhile, as intelligence accumulated, the various major powers rapidly gained a deeper understanding of the Tenth Chaos Void, and the probability of True Saints killed by the Chaos Void's inherent dangers steadily decreased.

Let's continue exploring.

Wu Yuan decided.

Though most areas have been surveyed, certain truly dangerous places remain untouched, places no one dares venture into. Furthermore, until now, no genuinely great treasures have emerged.

Wu Yuan had acquired two damaged Xiantian Instruments, but he hadn't found any traces of damaged Chaos Treasures or massive Chaos Orichalcum veins. Nor had he heard of anyone else obtaining such treasures, though some eternal powerhouses might have secretly acquired great treasures and kept their findings to themselves.

However, at least no one has yet obtained the Chaos Jade Crystals or Chaos Nucleus.

Wu Yuan noted to himself.

While the discovery of a massive Chaos Orichalcum vein would cause significant disturbance, it would remain manageable. But based on past emergences of Chaos Jade Crystals and Chaos Nuclei, the commotion would be so great that it would alert at least half the Chaos Void's inhabitants.

Such discoveries simply couldn't be concealed. They attracted multitudes of True Saints, requiring not only remarkable luck but also formidable strength to secure. Even after obtaining such treasures, one would still need to evade the pursuit and blockade of numerous True Saints and escape the Tenth Chaos Void to truly succeed.

Let's go!

Wu Yuan decided. He selected a direction through the shadowy expanse of the void and pressed forward.

Another thousand years passed in a blink.

The Tenth Chaos Void had grown increasingly populated during his travels. Intelligence from the Eldritch Court indicated that over ten thousand True Saints now wandered the Chaos Void. The Chaos Void’s merciless nature had claimed its toll; more than four hundred True Saints had succumbed either to the inherent dangers lurking within or to violent confrontations with their fellow explorers.

After extensive exploration, the Tenth Chaos Void had been thoroughly mapped. The dangerous pioneering phase had essentially reached its conclusion. Many of the less powerful True Saints, their storage artifacts loaded with treasures, had begun contemplating their departure.

On this day, Wu Yuan was roaming through the void as usual.

Hmm?

Without warning, Wu Yuan's senses flickered alert as he detected an immensely powerful disturbance rippling through spacetime.

Boom!

The terrifying spacetime fluctuations swept across the void in all directions.

A supreme treasure!

Wu Yuan’s eyes widened.

His mind raced through possibilities.

A damaged Chaos Treasure? Or perhaps a massive Chaos Orichalcum vein?

He furrowed his brow.

It's quite strange. During the entire pioneering phase, not once did we hear rumors of any great treasures emerging.

Why would such a treasure reveal itself now?

However, Wu Yuan had no time to contemplate further.

Whoosh!

His form blurred into a streak of motion as he launched himself toward the source of the spacetime fluctuations.