Chapter 1320: The Name Saint Yuan (2)

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu smiled. "Wu Yuan, Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang is the second-generation leader of the Eldritch Court. Most current Dao Zenithels in our Court consider themselves his juniors, which is why we commonly address him as Elder Brother or Big Brother. You should follow suit."

In the cultivation world, strength and achievement commanded respect. Though Dao Zenithels like Di Jiang, Hou Tu, and Zhu Rong hailed from different eras, they now addressed each other as equals.

"Very well," Wu Yuan nodded, the unfamiliar form of address still awkward on his tongue. "I'll address you as such, Big Brother... Di Jiang."

"Haha! Excellent," Di Jiang's laughter filled the space. "Every time a new person calls me Big Brother, it signifies the growing strength of our Eldritch Court—there’s nothing I wish to see more."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly, noting how the leaders of the Eldritch Court seemed to prioritize the Court's strength above all.

Di Jiang's expression shifted to seriousness. "This Nüwa Realm holds immense importance and must remain under the control of the Eldritch Court's top powerhouses. Within our ranks, only three have reached the Full Dao Zenithel level."

"Three?" Wu Yuan listened intently.

"Hou Tu is one, I another, and the third is Dao Zenithel Fu You," Di Jiang replied.

"Dao Zenithel Fu You?" Wu Yuan recognized the name. He was a renowned figure both in the cosmic sea and within the Eldritch Court.

Hou Tu elaborated, "Dao Zenithel Fu You joined our Eldritch Court later. He's the strongest of the Shen You race, a race of naturally-born eternal lifeforms. While our Eldritch Court welcomes all races, humans still form its foundation. The Nüwa Realm cannot be entrusted to Fu You's control."

Wu Yuan nodded in understanding. The saying "those not of our kind must be of a different heart" wasn't entirely accurate, but contained truth.[1] Though the Eldritch Court treated other races fairly, when core interests were at stake, they clearly placed greater trust in human powerhouses.

"I accept this responsibility," Wu Yuan declared, no longer refusing.

Hou Tu and Di Jiang exchanged satisfied glances.

With a graceful gesture, Hou Tu conjured a strange, glowing jade talisman. "This talisman grants one the highest authority over more than ninety percent of our Eldritch Court's arrays throughout the cosmic sea. The Nüwa Realm, the Realm of Destruction—countless arrays in various danger zones and lairs can be controlled with it.

“Once you become its master, it fuses with your vital aura imprint. Should you die, the talisman's imprint will be destroyed."

The talisman floated toward Wu Yuan.

This represents the highest authority of the Eldritch Court?

Wu Yuan stared at the talisman, reaching out and branding his aura onto it.

Instantly, the talisman dissolved into countless motes of light that surged into Wu Yuan's body, merging with his soul's essence. The Yuan Soul within his body refiner self easily absorbed it.

Spacetime perception! Arrays!

Wu Yuan's awareness expanded, sensing the powerful arrays scattered across distant corners of spacetime. This was the foundation established by the Eldritch Court over countless ages. Numerous treasure grounds and exploration sites were under the vigilant guard of Eldritch Court powerhouses.

Within the River of Universes, powerhouses compete for territory.

Wu Yuan realized.

But in the cosmic sea, they vie for key locations where treasures emerge.

The more treasures and powerhouses a faction accumulated, the stronger it became, like a rolling snowball gaining mass.

“In terms of top-tier combat strength, the Immortal Court rivals us," Di Jiang smiled. "But regarding control over various regions of the cosmic sea, our Eldritch Court maintains a slight advantage, accumulated over ages."

Wu Yuan nodded. The Eldritch Court far predated the Immortal Court. Long before Hou Tu's name echoed through the cosmic sea, before the Heavenly Imperator's rise, the Immortal Court's predecessor called the Alliance of Myriad Races had been weak and disorganized.

He understood clearly now. Whether the Alliance of Myriad Races or the Immortal Court, they were essentially coalitions of smaller factions united against the human-dominated Eldritch Court. In this respect, the Immortal Court differed little from the Nine Peaks or the Demon Glory Alliance.

Everything changed when the Immortal Court produced the Heavenly Imperator, a supreme leader who could unify the various factions within.

"Wu Yuan," Di Jiang continued, "as controller of the Nüwa Realm, you may claim any treasures here that serve your needs. And should you possess excess treasures, you may place them here as well."

"Many treasures in the Nüwa Realm are contributions from our Dao Zenithels. Eldritch Progenitor Zhu Rong, for instance, donated many Chaos Treasures he forged to the treasury without seeking compensation." Di Jiang sighed appreciatively. "His contributions have been immense."

Wu Yuan nodded thoughtfully. Any great faction required contributors. Undoubtedly, the Eldritch Court's prosperity stemmed from enormous sacrifices made by the Dao Zenithel Eldritch Progenitors.

After brief consideration, Wu Yuan waved his hand, producing numerous treasures, keeping only those he deemed necessary. Their combined value exceeded twenty Chaos Treasures.

He then selected two Chaos Treasure sabers and four Chaos Treasure divine swords from the Nüwa Realm.

"These should suffice for now," he smiled.

"Excellent," Hou Tu nodded. "Let's proceed. Zhu Rong, Fu You, and the others have been waiting for us. We must discuss our strategy for the battle in the Tenth Chaos Void."

She paused, looking at Wu Yuan. "One more thing. Previously, we addressed you directly by name, but from today, you truly rank among our Eldritch Court's highest echelon and the cosmic sea's pinnacle. Would you prefer to choose a special alias?"

"An alias?" Wu Yuan blinked in surprise.

Di Jiang laughed. "If you prefer not, that's perfectly fine. We can continue addressing you as Dao Zenithel Wu Yuan or Eldritch Progenitor Wu Yuan. It's merely a form of address, not critical."

Wu Yuan fell into contemplation. Throughout his cultivation journey, he had used many names: Shadow Blade, Thousand Mountains, Li Xia, Ming Jian... all temporary identities. Yet "Wu Yuan" remained his name both in this life and his previous one.[2]

One should not forget their original intentions.

"I won't change my name," he finally smiled. "From now on, call me Saint Yuan."[3]

"Saint Yuan? Taking a character from your true name, pure and concise," Hou Tu nodded approvingly. "Very well, Saint Yuan it shall be."

Neither Hou Tu nor Di Jiang objected. Such aliases typically embodied a powerhouse's beliefs or desires, and as long as no taboos were violated, they caused no offense. Dao Zenithels were also known as Zenithel Saints, thus had he kept the title of Saint.

"Let's go!" The three quickly departed the Nüwa Realm, heading toward the Saint Hall at the highest point of the Eldritch Progenitor Hall.

...

The Saint Hall stretched vast and magnificent, ancient divine pillars rising upward, its decor both primordial and majestic.

Enormous stone platforms stood at the core of the hall, each spanning a million li in width. Today, most of the twenty-odd platforms were empty, with only three occupied by figures radiating overwhelming power.

"Zhu Rong, do you know why Elder Brother Di Jiang and Hou Tu summoned us?" asked a blue-robed figure seated on one platform. Streams of water swirled around him, as though he embodied a flowing river.

"Why ask pointless questions? We'll know soon enough," Eldritch Progenitor Zhu Rong cast him a sidelong glance. "You're always so talkative."

"Are you looking for a fight?" The blue-robed figure glared.

"Oh? Are you so confident that you’ll be the one beating me and not the other way round?" Zhu Rong sneered. "If I remember correctly, you were the one who ran off with excuses the last time."

"Those weren't excuses! I truly had urgent matters," the blue-robed figure bristled, eyes bulging.

The two of them seemed to be at odds with each other.

"Enough!" A third figure frowned deeply. He was dressed in fiery red robes, his aura ancient and domineering. "Zhu Rong, Gong Gong, stop bickering. Every time I see you two, my head aches. Can’t you remain quiet for once?"

"Exactly! Gong Gong, did you hear that? Can't you be quiet for a moment?" Zhu Rong added smugly.

Eldritch Progenitor Gong Gong glowered at him.

Suddenly, the red-robed figure straightened. "They're here."

All three rose to their feet as three figures materialized within the temple, one in white robes, one in black robes, and one in black armor.

"Hou Tu, Elder Brother Di Jiang, Brother Wu Yuan," Zhu Rong smiled in greeting.

"Hou Tu, Di Jiang," Gong Gong and the red-robed figure acknowledged, before turning shocked gazes toward Wu Yuan. He was a Dao Zenithel? This was unexpected news.

"Come, Saint Yuan," Di Jiang gestured. "Allow me to introduce Eldritch Progenitor Zhu Rong, our Court's foremost equipment craftsman and arguably the top craftsman in the cosmic sea. His personal strength is also formidable, ranking 28th on the Eternal Rankings."

"I've had the pleasure of meeting Eldritch Progenitor Zhu Rong several times before," Wu Yuan smiled.

The True Saint Rankings included over ten thousand powerhouses. But the Eternal Rankings, also known as the Dao Zenithel Rankings, was far shorter, listing only Dao Zenithels.

Since ascending to Dao Zenithel, Wu Yuan's authority within the Eldritch Court had expanded considerably, granting him access to more intelligence. According to the information he had found, there were only about two hundred Dao Zenithel powerhouses across all factions in the Nine Megaverses Spacetime. Even the two greatest factions, the Eldritch Court and Immortal Court, each had no more than thirty Dao Zenithels in their ranks.

Excluding myself, Eldritch Progenitor Zhu Rong should rank fifth within the Eldritch Court.

Wu Yuan recalled a piece of intelligence.

"This is Eldritch Progenitor Gong Gong, another ancient Dao Zenithel who achieved Dao Enlightenment early," Di Jiang continued, indicating the blue-robed figure. " He’s also a Peak Dao Zenithel, ranked 29th on the Eternal Rankings."

"Eldritch Progenitor Gong Gong," Wu Yuan greeted with a respectful nod.

Wu Yuan couldn't help recalling the legend from his previous life—Gong Gong crashing into Mount Buzhou in anger, tearing a hole in the heavens.[4]

While some legends bore similarities to powerhouses in this infinite cosmic sea, most differed considerably.

There were quite a few Peak Dao Zenithel powerhouses within the Eldritch Court; over ten in total. But the strongest and most famous were Eldritch Progenitor Zhu Rong, Eldritch Progenitor Gong Gong, and Eldritch Progenitor Xuan Ming. They were all super powerhouses ranked within the top 40 of the Eternal Rankings.

"I’ve long heard of you, a monstrous prodigy that our Eldritch Court has produced," Gong Gong laughed heartily. "I've seen recordings of your battles, but this is our first meeting. I never expected that you'd already be a Dao Zenithel! You've only cultivated for a few billion years, correct?"

"It was all thanks to the numerous fortuitous opportunities I encountered," Wu Yuan replied modestly. "It would have taken me at least a trillion years through normal cultivation."

This was, of course, a conservative estimate. But without the Azure Saint Tomb, the Tenth Chaos Void, and Frostheaven Peak, it would still have required several hundred billion years.

"Who doesn’t have their opportunities?" Gong Gong grinned. "Great strength proves everything."

"And this is Dao Zenithel Fu You," Di Jiang indicated the last figure. "Even in the vast cosmic sea, he's feared by various factions, ranked 10th on the Eternal Rankings."

"Dao Zenithel Fu You," Wu Yuan turned his attention to the blurry figure in fiery red battle armor, resembling a ball of flame. A massive battle axe rested on his back, his aura domineering.

In terms of the sheer intensity of his aura, Wu Yuan was not the least bit inferior to Dao Zenithel Fu You. He met those dark eyes without a hint of fear.

"Interesting," Fu You's deep, resonant voice carried a surprising openness. "Saint Yuan? The world outside claims you possess unparalleled talent, that you’re the greatest genius since the Primordium. Your reputation seems well-deserved. When time permits, I'd love to have a bout with you."

"Saint Yuan," Hou Tu interjected with a smile, "Dao Zenithel Fu You enjoys sparring with other Dao Zenithels. He's not trying to provoke you."

"I understand," Wu Yuan smiled. "Sparring with powerful opponents is a good way to temper one's abilities. I look forward to it as well."

Dao Zenithel Fu You's reputation preceded him. Rumors claimed that many factions had invited him to join and lead their ranks, but he declined them all. As the former third strongest member of the Eldritch Court, he represented the non-human powerhouses within the faction.

"Alright then. Xuan Ming is standing guard at Yonder Cliff and cannot return, so this gathering represents our Eldritch Court's innermost core," Hou Tu surveyed everyone. "Our main purpose is to get Saint Yuan acquainted with all of you.

"In terms of strength, though Saint Yuan has not yet obtained a Xuanhuang Dao Treasure, he should be comparable to Fu You."

These words instantly startled Eldritch Progenitor Zhu Rong, Eldritch Progenitor Gong Gong, and the others.

1. 非我族类，其心必异 was originally used in a political context to warn against trusting rival states or ethnic groups. While the phrase is still quoted today, it is often criticized for promoting xenophobia, racism, or extreme nationalism. However, in some contexts, it may simply emphasize cultural differences rather than outright hostility. ☜

2. WHY DO I ONLY KNOW THIS NOW? ☜

3. Sounds like he got demoted from True Saint -> Saint. But yup. ☜

4. In Chinese mythology, there's a famous story about Gong Gong, the water god, who was in conflict with Zhu Rong, the fire god, for control of the world. In his anger after being defeated, Gong Gong smashed his head against Buzhou Mountain, one of the pillars supporting the sky. This action damaged the pillar, causing the sky to tilt towards the northwest and the earth to shift to the southeast. This myth was used to explain various natural phenomena, including why rivers in China tend to flow southeast, and why the sun, moon, and stars move towards the northwest. ☜