Chapter 1271: A Chaos Jade Crystal Emerges (1)

Perhaps by design or mere coincidence, the True Saint Rankings were updated in the wake of several titanic clashes between the top-ranked True Saints. The changes in the Eternal Register were instantly broadcasted. Thus, knowledge of the update reached countless True Saints and Dao Zenithels throughout the Nine Megaverses Spacetime within moments of its release.

"True Saint Luo Quan is truly fearsome. After a string of victories, he even defeated True Saint Dong Yi, seizing a position among the top three."

"True Saint Dong Yi's power is nothing short of terrifying. He fought a long and hard battle against True Saint Luan Hai, falling just short of victory."

"Cloud Saint is even stronger. He too has taken the fourth step of his self-created Dao. His advancement to Dao Zenithel is inevitable now."

"True Saint Bai Bing, once ranked among the top ten, was killed by Cloud Saint. She has yet to resurrect and was unceremoniously booted out of the top ten."

"Both True Saint Wu Yuan and True Saint Ming Jian have clawed their way into the top ten. Soon, they may break into the top three." Countless eternal beings engaged in heated discussions, analyzing the super powerhouses that dominated the top of the rankings.

Since the Primordium, when Wan Yu Tower first established the True Saint Rankings, two patterns had remained consistent throughout the ages.

First, the overall strength of True Saints throughout the endless cosmic sea had steadily grown over time. This was natural; True Saints were eternal beings, their power inevitably growing stronger across the eons.

Second, the might displayed by the top-ranking True Saints fluctuated unpredictably. During certain occasions, these beings would display tremendous surges of strength after eons of seclusion.

The birth of the Tenth Chaos Void represented precisely such an occasion.

Some, like Cloud Saint and True Saint Luo Quan, had managed to take fourth step during these eons of seclusion. Had the Tenth Chaos Void not emerged, this fact might have remained secret. And after a period of cultivation, they would have advanced straight to the Dao Zenithel stage, no longer qualifying for the True Saint Rankings.

The appearance of the Tenth Chaos Void, however, had prompted them to postpone their breakthroughs, joining the competition and shining brilliantly among their peers.

Whether there were other hidden fourth-step powerhouses was anyone's guess.

Consider True Saint Luan Hai, currently ranked first on the True Saint Rankings. He too had appeared in the Tenth Chaos Void. When competing for treasures against other True Saints, the power he displayed seemed marginally inferior to Cloud Saint and True Saint Luo Quan. But was that truly the extent of his capabilities? No one could say for sure.

Moreover, it seemed inevitable that once the Chaos Nucleus emerged and this generation of top True Saints broke through in succession, the caliber of those ranked in the top ten would experience a decline.

"The most tumultuous period has yet to arrive.”

"When the Chaos Jade Crystals emerge, and especially when the Chaos Nucleus appears, those top-tier True Saints will truly go into a frenzy."

Many True Saints, recognizing the improbability of their own breakthroughs, found few things that still interested them in their eternal existences. Thus, the True Saint Rankings had become one of the few measures that still held meaning for them.

...

In the Eldritch Court Voidrealm, within the Eldritch Progenitor Hall, thousands of True Saints gathered, the atmosphere heavy. Their solemness was understandable; the two most recent major battles had involved the Eldritch Court, and both had ended in defeat.

First, True Saint Dong Yi had fallen to True Saint Luo Quan. Then, True Saint Bai Bing had been slain outright.

"Cloud Saint's power has grown," True Saint Dong Yi remarked. He, Wu Yuan, True Saint Pu Yang, and True Saint Qi Guang stared intently at the memory projection before them—the final moments True Saint Bai Bing had transmitted before her demise. The recording revealed her battle against Cloud Saint, a crushingly one-sided affair that concluded with her swift death.

"Bai Bing specialized in domains," Wu Yuan observed, his brow furrowing slightly. "But this happened to be Cloud Saint's forte as well. She was utterly overwhelmed. In terms of physical defense, True Saint Bai Bing ranked only average among Full True Saints."

With her greatest strength neutralized and middling physical defense, True Saint Bai Bing's swift defeat seemed inevitable in retrospect.

"Bai Bing should eventually resurrect and return," True Saint Dong Yi sighed. "However, I fear she won't return in time to participate in further competitions within the Tenth Chaos Void."

"Brother Dong Yi, don't let this dishearten you too much." True Saint Pu Yang offered a faint smile. "Every era follows this pattern. Once a Full True Saint takes the fourth step, they naturally dominate the competition for a time. When Dao Zenithel Xuan Ya broke through in ages past, he similarly devastated the Immortal Court, defeating dozens of True Saints in succession. There's no need to contend for fleeting glory.

"When you take the fourth step, you won't be weaker than Cloud Saint or True Saint Luo Quan."

"I understand," True Saint Dong Yi replied in a low voice.

Wu Yuan's heart stirred at the mention of Dao Zenithel Xuan Ya, the Eldritch Progenitor who had most recently become a Dao Zenithel. Of course, this occurred nearly ten samsara cycles of heaven and earth ago.

When Dao Zenithel Xuan Ya was still a True Saint, he too had dominated the cosmic sea, ranking first on the True Saint Rankings for ages. During that era, figures like Cloud Saint, True Saint Qing Yan, True Saint Luan Hai, and True Saint Dong Yi had all been overshadowed by his brilliance.

Cloud Saint had even fallen once at Dao Zenithel Xuan Ya's hands in that distant era. Throughout the eras, exceptional individuals would always rise to prominence on the True Saint Rankings. This was the natural order.

"How difficult is it to take the fourth step?" True Saint Dong Yi sighed, turning toward Wu Yuan. "Brother Wu Yuan, I fear we’ll have to rely on you now.”

"Though my ranking might be slightly higher, in terms of actual combat strength, I'm not necessarily superior to you, Dong Yi," Wu Yuan replied with a modest shake of his head.

Wu Yuan found himself somewhat puzzled by the new True Saint Rankings. It seemed reasonable for his body refiner self to rank fifth, as nearly all those ranked above him had taken the fourth step of their self-created Daos. But it was surprising for his qi refiner self to rank tenth after a single battle.

"Let's continue our search for treasures," he suggested, then raised his voice to address the entire assembly. "Everyone, if you receive any news of Cloud Saint or True Saint Luo Quan, spread word immediately and avoid confrontation."

His tone grew solemn. "If you encounter danger, call for assistance."

"Alright!"

"We'll follow True Saint Wu Yuan's lead."

"This time, we cannot afford to clash with Cloud Saint. We must maintain a low profile."

The assembled True Saints responded in unison, showing Wu Yuan respect. After all, on the True Saint Rankings, Wu Yuan now ranked highest among the thousands of Eldritch Court True Saints.

For some ancient True Saints who had witnessed much, this situation felt all too familiar. They had experienced glorious eras when six of the top ten positions on the True Saint Rankings belonged to the Eldritch Court. They had also endured the Eldritch Court's weakest periods, when not a single Eldritch Court powerhouse ranked among the top twenty.

The present situation? They could only describe it as average.

...

In the dim expanse of the void, Wu Yuan's ether body soared gracefully. Under normal circumstances, his ether body was on the outside while his mana body remained within his grotto-heaven.

I never imagined this Cloud Saint from the Immortal Court would be so powerful.

Wu Yuan reflected silently.

In theory, taking the fourth step of one’s self-created Dao should have been extraordinarily difficult. Yet with the opening of the Tenth Chaos Void, several had emerged in rapid succession, which seemed highly unusual.

I cannot control the strength of others.

Wu Yuan thought, his mind remaining perfectly calm.

I can only strive to strengthen myself, until I stand mightiest among all.

Cloud Saint's power had established a new benchmark for Wu Yuan on his path of cultivation, a goal to surpass. However, Wu Yuan had never truly doubted that he would outshine Cloud Saint eventually. In his heart, his ultimate targets had always been the Heavenly Imperator and Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu.

As for this token...

Wu Yuan's ether body turned its palm upward, revealing a perfectly round purple crystal. It emitted mysterious fluctuations that caused his Eternal Psyche to tremble subtly.

No matter how Wu Yuan probed it over the years, he could not pry into the interior of the purple crystal or glean any useful information. He could only vaguely sense that it served as some sort of token, connected to something greater.

What exactly was it? That remained beyond him.

Is my strength insufficient? Or has the time for this opportunity not yet arrived?

Wu Yuan wondered as he carefully tucked the token away.

Even though he had exchanged treasures worth a hundred million Blood Dream points for it, Wu Yuan still considered the trade worthwhile. Something capable of affecting his ether body's Eternal Psyche to such a degree...If its true nature was ever revealed, the rewards would surely be immense.

I'll wait patiently.

He decided.

If it's merely a matter of timing, with the token in my possession, the destined moment will eventually arrive.

Wu Yuan maintained his optimistic outlook. Patience was essential for an eternal powerhouse.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan's ether body continued its flight, exploring the new reaches of the void.

...

Years passed like flowing water. The powerhouses of various major factions across the cosmic sea continued their frenzied explorations. Occasionally, tremendous battles would erupt, though most did not result in casualties among True Saints.

As the fighting intensified, however, the deaths of True Saint became increasingly common. Six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred... Another thousand years passed, and the number of True Saints who had fallen since the opening of the Tenth Chaos Void had surpassed a thousand.

This was a shocking figure by any measure.

"To date, not a single Chaos Jade Crystal has emerged, let alone the Chaos Nucleus, yet over a thousand True Saints have perished?"

"It's madness."

"When the Chaos Nucleus finally appears, how many more True Saints will fall? Since the Primordium, when have the Ten Chaos Voids ever witnessed such bloodshed?" Powerhouses from various factions sighed.

The carnage caused many True Saints to grow hesitant, for the slaughter was truly unprecedented.

"This is perfectly natural.”

"The Tenth Chaos Void has produced far more treasures than the Ninth Chaos Void when it first appeared."

"The number of incomplete Chaos Treasures alone exceeds several dozen, not to mention other rare and precious artifacts. With such abundance, how could the killing not be frenzied?"

"Let the slaughter continue."

"The more blood spilled, the greater the rewards." Many powerful True Saints reveled in the chaos, fighting and killing relentlessly in hopes of claiming treasures, or hoping to break through by tempering themselves in battle.

...

A hundred years later, another piece of news rippled through the cosmic sea.

"True Saint Qing Yan has fallen."

"True Saint Qing Yan encountered True Saint Dong Yi. They fought a brutally fierce battle, but in the end, True Saint Dong Yi emerged victorious."

"Dong Yi is Dong Yi after all. Even True Saint Qing Yan, ranked second in the Immortal Court, was defeated by him." The True Saints buzzed with discussion, but soon this battle faded from their focus.

The clash between the two sides had been fierce, with True Saint Dong Yi's victory being somewhat expected. Yet, failing to slay his opponent meant the commotion raised was not especially large.

...

Within the Eldritch Court Voidrealm, True Saint Dong Yi remarked, "We've suffered consecutive losses in our previous battles, with only Wu Yuan managing to save us some face. It's time we remind others of the strength of our Eldritch Court."

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Clearly, winning this battle had allowed True Saint Dong Yi to release his pent-up frustrations.

...

In the blink of an eye, over fifteen thousand years passed since the opening of the Tenth Chaos Void. Over this vast span, almost all True Saints willing to venture into the Tenth Chaos Void had arrived.

Conversely, with the fall of numerous True Saints and the voluntary withdrawal of many weaker ones, the number of True Saints remaining in the Tenth Chaos Void steadily decreased.

However, over eighty percent of the True Saints ranked in the top three hundred of the True Saint Rankings were present. Clearly, they were eyeing the Chaos Jade Crystals and Chaos Nucleus.

As super powerhouses continued to clash, the True Saint Rankings began to stabilize. As for the top ten? Since Wan Yu Tower's last ranking update, there had been no changes.

It's been so long.

Wu Yuan mused as he continued his tireless search.

Why hasn't a Chaos Jade Crystal appeared yet?

The total value of treasures he had acquired already exceeded six hundred million Xuanhuang merits, enough to exchange for another Chaos Treasure. But this wasn't his goal.

At that moment, a tremor rippled through the boundless expanse of the Tenth Chaos Void. Spacetime quivered as if alive.

Without warning, a majestic fluctuation erupted from the depths, sending shockwaves throughout the void.

It was as if some ancient divine beast from the primeval chaos had awakened from its slumber. The magnitude of the disturbance defied comprehension, rippling outward through infinite spacetime.

Mm?

On a desolate star, Wu Yuan broke his meditation. He lifted his head sharply, his keen gaze piercing the darkness toward the source of the disturbance.

This fluctuation?

In over ten thousand years of exploring the Tenth Chaos Void, he had never encountered a fluctuation of such immense power.

The realization struck him instantly.

A Chaos Jade Crystal?

Without a moment's hesitation, Wu Yuan launched himself skyward like an arrow. The very fact that he could sense the disturbance meant it wasn’t too far. He could reach it in time.