Chapter 1285: Tian Xu Returns (1)

History had witnessed True Saints taking the fourth step with each opening of the Chaos Void, but never in as much abundance as the Tenth Chaos Void.

Each True Saint who reached the fourth step was a world-shaking powerhouse, each nurturing personal ambitions that typically kept them from joining forces with others.

Most significant of all, even when alliances did form throughout history, none had ever achieved the flawless synergy displayed by True Saints Wu Yuan and Ming Jian, where each perfectly compensated for the other's vulnerabilities.

Wu Yuan's impenetrable defenses drove countless True Saints to the brink of despair, while his physical attacks sent numerous True Saints fleeing in terror.

Meanwhile, Ming Jian's psyche weapon assaults struck bone-deep fear into figures like True Saint Luo Quan and True Saint Yin Yu. Against Standard True Saints, his domain was enough to overwhelm them. They stood no chance whatsoever.

Together, they formed what many considered the most formidable True Saint team.

The battle concluded with Cloud Saint's death, marking the meteoric rise of Wu Yuan and Ming Jian. The two of them could dominate the vast expanse of the Tenth Chaos Void unrivaled.

Perhaps most remarkably, both were incredibly young, having risen to prominence a mere few billion years ago. And in the future, they were almost certain to be universe controllers.

"In the future, they'll no longer need to rely on anyone else.”

"Once they ascend to Dao Zenithels, they could establish a first-rate faction by themselves. Perhaps it might even rival the Eldritch Court or the Immortal Court." Many True Saints sighed wistfully at this prospect.

Many envisioned a not-so-distant future where these two powerhouses would join hands to dominate the endless cosmic sea, utterly unstoppable.

...

Deep within the mysterious Wan Yu Eternal Realm lay the greatest intelligence network in the entire cosmic sea. The Wan Yu Tower stood as the undisputed number one organization specializing in intelligence, its information gathering and dissemination speed surpassing even the Eldritch Court and the Immortal Court.

In the most secluded depths of the Eternal Realm, a disheveled elderly man with wild, unkempt hair, looking as if he hadn't bathed in centuries, sat leisurely on the weedy ground. He occasionally tilted his head back to drink from a simple clay vessel.

Across from him sat an elderly man with flowing white hair, his presence exuding a vast and benevolent aura.

Between them hovered a light screen projection, vividly displaying the recent battle where Wu Yuan and Ming Jian had joined forces to slay Cloud Saint.

"Tsk tsk, truly impressive," remarked the disheveled man.

"Wan Yu," he continued with a chuckle, "this little fellow called Wu Yuan seems more impressive than that youngster you've been nurturing."

"Indeed, he is more formidable," nodded Dao Zenithel Wan Yu. "Though Yin Yu has broken through, judging by the power of his self-created Dao and his past experiences, he will only be a Standard Dao Zenithel. Reaching the Peak Dao Zenithel level would be extremely difficult for him, let alone our level.

"But this Wu Yuan...His self-created Dao is exceptionally powerful, and he excels in all aspects. It likely approaches a Primordial self-created Dao, and he's destined to become a universe controller... Seeing him reminds me of Great Emperor Yan Tuo’s rise."

He shook his head suddenly, revising his assessment. "No! His cultivation years are too brief, his edge boundless. Now, his providence is in its heyday, his momentum unstoppable." Dao Zenithel Wan Yu sighed softly, the sound like distant thunder. "Heavenly Imperator! He is another Heavenly Imperator in the making."

"Great Emperor Yan Tuo? Heavenly Imperator?" The disheveled elderly man paused at these words, a glint flashing in his fathomless eyes.

Though unkempt in appearance, he was an extremely proud individual, well aware of the formidable natures of Great Emperor Yan Tuo and the Heavenly Imperator.

"It wouldn’t be difficult for Wu Yuan to reach the level of Great Emperor Yan Tuo," the disheveled elderly man conceded. "But to rival the Heavenly Imperator? Let's wait and see. I’ve wandered the other shore since the Primordium, yet have never seen anyone surpass the Heavenly Imperator."

"The Heavenly Imperator is indeed extraordinary," Dao Zenithel Wan Yu nodded.

They both held the Heavenly Imperator's strength in the highest regard, acknowledging him as the mightiest throughout all of history, unmatched by others who had come before or after.

"This little fellow called Ming Jian is no less impressive," the disheveled elderly man commented, shifting his attention to the other figure on the light screen. "He must be a pure soul class cultivator, practicing psyche dream and psyche weapon techniques. His Dream World is undoubtedly inconceivably powerful. In the future, he could very well reach the heights of Goddess Nüwa of old, establishing a Dream Megaverse."

"The level of Goddess Nüwa?" Dao Zenithel Wan Yu's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise, before he nodded in agreement. "Indeed, True Saint Ming Jian has such potential."

As beings standing at the pinnacle of the cosmic sea, their perspectives were immeasurably lofty, immediately discerning the terrifying natures of Wu Yuan and Ming Jian.

Especially Ming Jian. Another formidable and heaven-defying soul class powerhouse was on the rise.

Throughout endless ages, no soul class powerhouse had ever reached the level of Goddess Nüwa of old, not even coming close.

And now, True Saint Ming Jian was already faintly approaching her level.

"He must have only recently taken the fourth step," the disheveled man mused, "yet a single thought nearly shattered Cloud Saint's Eternal Psyche. He's likely not far from establishing a Dream Megaverse.

"Once he breaks through, his Dream World will reach an earth-shattering level. In the future, even we might not be able to withstand a single psyche attack from him." The disheveled elderly man stared at the white-robed figure on the light screen.

"Hehe, I'm not afraid, since I don't participate in battles anyway. But when this Ming Jian breaks through, he'll likely become a nightmare for numerous Dao Zenithels across the endless cosmic sea."

A pure soul class cultivator, reaching the limit of the Dao Zenithel stage?

Dao Zenithel Wan Yu sighed inwardly.

The hallmark of such achievement was the establishment of a Dream Megaverse.

Since the Primordium, generation after generation of eternal powerhouses had dabbled in soul class cultivation as a secondary path, but they could only establish a Dream Universe at most, which was already incredibly formidable.

Only Goddess Nüwa had ever established a Dream Megaverse.

Back then, how did Goddess Nüwa demand the submission of numerous Dao Masters across the cosmic sea? Why did none dare to defy her iron will?

It was because she was truly, terrifyingly powerful. With a single thought, she could slay any Dao Master.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Even Dao Zenithels would fall! One had to bear in mind that even someone as mighty as the Heavenly Imperator would need to laboriously hunt down a Dao Zenithel, using physical attacks to destroy a Dao Zenithel's numerous spacetime imprints. Truly killing a Dao Zenithel was extremely difficult.

But Goddess Nüwa, at her peak, could perceive the entire cosmic sea with a single dream, imperceptibly luring Dao Zenithels into her Dream Megaverse, where they would be slain without hope of escape.

She was truly invincible.

Compared to the Heavenly Imperator, Goddess Nüwa inspired greater fear among the Dao Zenithels. As long as they left their Eternal Realms, Dao Zenithels could potentially fall victim to Goddess Nüwa's attacks and perish without warning.

This level of deterrence was unparalleled, before or since. It was this that forged Goddess Nüwa's supreme reputation.

Later, Goddess Nüwa departed mysteriously, never to appear in the cosmic sea again, finally allowing countless Dao Zenithels to breathe a sigh of relief.

"No matter how strong this Ming Jian becomes, that's a matter for the future," Dao Zenithel Wan Yu smiled, his eyes holding the wisdom of eons. "Even Goddess Nüwa wasn't invincible when she first became a Dao Zenithel."

"Mm, that's true," the disheveled elder acknowledged with a tilt of his vessel.

"To be as formidable as Goddess Nüwa, one must create ultimate secret arts and pair them with a Xuanhuang Dao Treasure," he continued, setting down his drink. "Goddess Nüwa's ‘Purifying A Myriad Daos In A Dream’ and ‘Destiny Submergence’ were created only after endless effort. It won't be easy for this Ming Jian to create techniques of the same caliber.

"Moreover, he's not a Dao Master, so he doesn't have a Xuanhuang Dao Treasure waiting for him to claim.

"These days, obtaining a Xuanhuang Dao Treasure isn't easy," the disheveled elderly man added.

The two continued their casual conversation.

"By the way, Wan Yu," the disheveled elderly man said, shifting the topic, "Shouldn't the rankings on your Eternal Register be changed now?"

"Yes, they should be updated," Dao Zenithel Wan Yu smiled. Then, he waved his hand gently.

Whoosh~

An ethereal book appeared between the two, seemingly containing infinite profundities, yet existing beyond endless spacetime. This was none other than the famous Xuanhuang Dao Treasure—the Eternal Register.

A Xuanhuang Dao Treasure?

A flash of naked envy passed through the disheveled elderly man's eyes. In terms of personal strength, he believed himself no weaker than Dao Zenithel Wan Yu.

But without a Xuanhuang Dao Treasure in hand, he would undoubtedly lose in actual combat, even though the Eternal Register's primary function wasn't for battle.

Whoosh!

Dao Zenithel Wan Yu lightly tapped the book, and an invisible fluctuation passed through the Eternal Register, altering much of the information within.

The Eternal Register's true form, residing within the Primordial essence, could easily be sensed by countless Dao Zenithels and True Saints across the endless cosmic sea.

Immediately, the new True Saint Rankings were quickly made known to various major powers across the cosmic sea:

True Saint Luan Hai (Rank 1, Ancient Megaverse, taken the fourth step)

True Saint Wu Yuan (Rank 2, Eldritch Court, taken the fourth step)

True Saint Luo Quan (Rank 3, Eastmoon Megaverse, taken the fourth step)

True Saint Ming Jian (Rank 4, Blood Dream Alliance, taken the fourth step)

True Saint Tian Chan (Rank 5, unknown affiliation, suspected to have taken the fourth step)

True Saint Yin Yu (Rank 6, Wan Yu Tower, taken the fourth step)

True Saint Dong Yi (Rank 7, Eldritch Court)

True Saint Qing Yan (Rank 8, Immortal Court)

True Saint Meng Guan (Rank 9, Blood Dream Alliance)....

"Your rankings are clearly biased," the disheveled elderly man shook his head. "Wu Yuan's strength is so formidable, he could easily be ranked first.

"And Ming Jian, you actually placed him behind Luo Quan?"

"As for that youngster under your command, surely he should rank higher than Tian Chan, right?" The disheveled elderly man laughed. "Ah, Wan Yu, you and your little schemes never cease to amuse me."

"In their previous encounter, True Saint Luan Hai defeated Wu Yuan," Dao Zenithel Wan Yu replied calmly. "Though Wu Yuan has now broken through, he hasn't displayed invincible combat power, so ranking him second is completely reasonable.

“As for Ming Jian? These rankings are based on one-on-one combat. In direct confrontation, Ming Jian is indeed not Luo Quan's match.

"Regarding Yin Yu—if I don't rank him lower, how else can I ignite the fighting spirit in his heart?"

"You simply want Luan Hai, Wu Yuan, Luo Quan, and the others to continue their rivalry," the disheveled elderly man narrowed his eyes knowingly. "Even in eternity, it all comes down to benefits and fame.

"With endless lifespans, eternal beings place even more importance on such rankings.

"Benefits! With the emergence of the Chaos Nucleus next, they'll fight to the death, each exerting their utmost to get their hands on the treasure.

"Fame—dissatisfied with their own rankings, the up-and-comers will strive to battle fiercely, to prove themselves worthy of higher positions.

"These rankings of yours seem simple, but they kill without drawing blood," the disheveled elderly man chuckled.

Dao Zenithel Wan Yu smiled enigmatically, offering no rebuttal.

...

The new True Saint Rankings swiftly spread throughout the endless cosmic sea, naturally stirring up considerable controversy and debate.

Some felt Wu Yuan deserved the top spot.

Others believed True Saint Ming Jian should rank third, above True Saint Luo Quan.

Yet others defended the rankings as perfectly balanced and justified.

Nevertheless, precisely as Dao Zenithel Wan Yu had anticipated, the majority of True Saints acknowledged the fairness of the assessments, granting their tacit approval.

And for those who harbored objections? Well, then they could prove it with strength.

Deep within the cosmic sea, nestled in the Eldritch Progenitor Hall, was a mysterious realm.

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, dressed in white robes, stood beside Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang in black. Together, they fixed their solemn gazes upon an azure-robed projection hovering before them.

"Daoist Hou Tu, Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang, it has indeed been ages since we last met," the azure-robed projection remarked with a chuckle. He manifested as a youthful man, yet his eyes seemed to hold unfathomable depths of spacetime.

"Tian Xu, our last meeting was hardly that long ago," replied Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, her lips curving into a smile. "Billions of years is hardly a long time for beings such as ourselves... Yet your aura has transformed so dramatically that I scarcely recognized you."

"Haha. Billions of years?" The azure-robed projection’s laughter resonated through the hall. "Hou Tu, while merely billions of years have elapsed for you, I have experienced more than ten samsara cycles of heaven and earth."

"Over ten samsara cycles of heaven and earth?" A flicker of genuine astonishment crossed the eyes of both Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang.

Bewilderment settled across Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang's face.

After a weighted silence fell between them, a glimmer of understanding dawned in Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's eyes. She studied the figure before her for a moment.

"You went there?" she asked, unable to contain her curiosity.