Chapter 1325: Wu Yuan's Strength (1)

Dao Zenithel Wan Yu stared in disbelief, his mind reeling with confusion.

Just moments ago, Wu Yuan's aura clearly registered as only a True Saint.

He muttered, struggling to comprehend what had happened.

How could he have become a Dao Zenithel in a mere instant?

He shook his head, perplexed.

He didn't have the time to return to his Saint Realm. Even if he genuinely broke through, and his Saint Realm transformed into an Eternal Realm somewhere in the universe, how could such a momentous event escape the Heavenly Imperator's notice?

A torrent of conflicting information cascaded through Wan Yu's mind.

Yet Dao Zenithel Wan Yu was no ordinary figure. As keeper of the Eternal Register, his knowledge of various secrets surpassed even that of the Eldritch and Immortal Courts. His mind swiftly eliminated possibilities one by one until he arrived at a startling conclusion.

His gaze locked onto Hou Tu. "Ether body," he said, his voice dropping to a low, grave tone. "The one who's been in the Tenth Chaos Void all along was merely Wu Yuan's ether body?"

Though unfamiliar with the Xuanhuang Essence, he knew of the Five Elements Dao Master's unique ability.

"You've guessed correctly," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu replied with icy disdain, "but unfortunately, there's no prize for you."

Wan Yu's pupils contracted slightly before he shook his head with gentle resignation. "Perhaps I erred in not destroying his ether body when I had the chance."

Three factors had led Wan Yu to launch a mere soul attack against Wu Yuan's ether body during the initial ambush:

First, Hou Tu had erupted into action with blinding speed. Concerned that Dao Zenithel Bai Lian and Ancestral Saint Eastmoon couldn't contain her, he'd hesitated a moment, his attention diverted to defense.

Second, he'd calculated that Dao Zenithel Mo Wu and Dao Zenithel Jiu You possessed sufficient strength to kill a True Saint in one attack. He hadn't anticipated that Wu Yuan's ether body, protected by the Creation Origin Armor, would be granted such extraordinary resilience.

Third, and most critically, killing Wu Yuan and seizing the Xuanhuang Dao Treasure would have marked him as the primary aggressor in the eyes of the Eldritch Court, ensuring an implacable blood feud.

Besides, Wan Yu was here solely to repay his karmic debt to Ancestral Saint Eastmoon. Even if he obtained the Xuanhuang Dao Treasure, he would need to surrender it. Why shoulder such a tremendous burden?

"Ridiculous!" Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's voice cut like ice, "Wan Yu, do you truly believe it was your mercy that allowed Wu Yuan to escape with his life? Mo Wu and Jiu You couldn't destroy Wu Yuan's ether body after dozens of exchanges. Do you honestly think you could have obliterated him with a single strike?"

Dao Zenithel Wan Yu paused, then shook his head slightly.

He had witnessed the astonishing vitality of Wu Yuan's ether body, which nearly matched that of a Dao Zenithel. Though Wan Yu’s attacks surpassed those of Eastmoon and the others, he lacked specialized killing techniques. Even he couldn't have destroyed Wu Yuan's ether body in one blow.

In the vast cosmic sea, perhaps only Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and the Heavenly Imperator could accomplish such a feat. Even Great Emperor Yan Tuo would struggle. However, the Heavenly Imperator's attack speed wasn't quite so fast.

"Unless you could destroy him instantly, Ming Jian would have torn through the sealed spacetime to block you," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu stated coldly. "Your plot to seize the Xuanhuang Dao Treasure was doomed from the start."

"We miscalculated," Wan Yu admitted, his composure restored. "We didn't expect Ming Jian's power to surpass Tian Xu's by this much, accomplishing what he could not. Nor did we anticipate the extraordinary vitality of Wu Yuan's ether body."

As the Spacetime Dao Master who perfectly controlled the essence of the Great Dao of Spacetime, Ming Jian's ability to traverse dimensions defied the imagination of other Dao Zenithels.

Earlier, when Dao Zenithel Mo Wu and the others had sealed off spacetime, even Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu had been forced to fly slowly. Yet Wu Yuan's qi refiner self had torn through spacetime directly, appearing instantly.

"You've brought quite a few Dao Zenithels," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu’s gaze swept through them as light danced from her fingertips, materializing into terrifying wheels of light. "Why not face me together?"

With a swift motion, a book flipped open beneath Dao Zenithel Wan Yu's feet. From the weighty text, streams of light erupted, each transforming into the phantom of a formidable weapon. Their auras were vast and unmatched in might, wisps of Xuanhuang qi diffusing outward. This immediately captured the attention of every Dao Zenithel present.

"Xuanhuang Dao Treasures."

"The aura of Xuanhuang Dao Treasures."

"The Eternal Register's ultimate killing technique manifests projections of numerous Xuanhuang Dao Treasures, each containing traces of their core principles," the assembled Dao Zenithels murmured in awe.

The simultaneous activation of over a dozen Xuanhuang Dao Treasures seemed powerful enough to tear the infinite cosmic sea asunder. Their power clearly transcended the level of a Full Dao Zenithel.

It was Dao Zenithel Wan Yu's ultimate move.

But with a thunderous boom, six wheels of light blotted out the sky like enormous blood-red suns. Their power was unparalleled, shattering the projections of the Xuanhuang Dao Treasures into dust.

"Moonlit Night!" Ancestral Saint Eastmoon's hair whipped wildly as he unleashed his most powerful ultimate move once more. Light coalesced as the radiance of his self-created Dao burst forth. The vast moon that had previously shattered now reformed, but this time it wasn't moonlight. Instead, it transformed into a dark void that seemed to devour everything.

"Under the Azure Lotus Heaven." Dao Zenithel Bai Lian deployed her ultimate move again, as layers of azure lotuses blossomed around her.

However, these techniques fell short of Wan Yu's. Against the rotation of those six wheels of light, both were sent flying backward, the moon-void and sea of lotuses simultaneously destroyed.

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu displayed overwhelming dominance, single-handedly suppressing the ultimate moves of the three leaders with raw power.

Hou Tu is simply too powerful.

Ancestral Saint Eastmoon clenched his jaw.

We're both Dao Zenithels, and I have pinnacle-stage Dao Zenithel combat power. My self-created Dao has been refined to its limit. How can she be so much stronger? It must be because of that Xuanhuang Dao Treasure.

He knew he could match Hou Tu if he had a Xuanhuang Dao Treasure of his own, but that opportunity had slipped away forever.

I should find a way to escape.

Dao Zenithel Bai Lian thought, mind racing.

The attempt to seize the Xuanhuang Dao Treasure has failed. There's no benefit in continuing this fight, and making an enemy of the Eldritch Court brings no advantages.

Just as she contemplated retreat, a dazzling spear-light tore through the void, piercing through heaven and earth. In an instant, it struck one of the wheels of light, shattering it explosively.

A figure in silver armor materialized in the void, Imperial Majesty Dong Huo.

Before the battle began, the four leader-level powerhouses had agreed to take on specific roles: Ancestral Saint Eastmoon and Dao Zenithel Bai Lian would contain the Eldritch Court's strongest fighters; Imperial Majesty Dong Huo would make the final move to capture Wu Yuan; and Dao Zenithel Wan Yu would adapt to the situation as needed.

Dong Huo had just returned from pursuing Ming Jian.

"Die!" he roared, brandishing three divine spears. Endless spear-lights surged forth in a vast torrent, bombarding Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu.

The might of his spear techniques far surpassed those of Eastmoon and Bai Lian, rivaling even Wan Yu's attack power. As the second strongest in the Immortal Court and a universally acknowledged war god, Dong Huo excelled in battle. He ranked sixth on the Eternal Rankings, second only to the five titans.

The void shuddered. Primordial Rules manifested and receded in waves. Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's robes fluttered as she wielded six wheels of light, single-handedly matching four leaders without a trace of fear, occasionally unleashing killing moves that forced one of them back.

"Fight!"

"Join forces! Attack Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu!"

Terrifying divine radiance blossomed as one Chaos Treasure after another, each imbued with the profundities of a Dao Zenithel's self-created Dao, tore through the void, furiously assailing Hou Tu.

The twenty-three remaining Dao Zenithels from the four allied factions had joined the attack. Dao Zenithel Mo Wu, Dao Zenithel Jiu You, and the others had already merged into their ranks. Among these Dao Zenithels, seven were Peak Dao Zenithels, while the rest were Standard Dao Zenithels.

Though individually weaker and unwilling to engage in single combat, their combined long-range attacks were formidable. A single Dao Zenithel could already incinerate the heavens and shatter the earth. The assault of dozens?

Under the combined onslaught of twenty-seven Dao Zenithels, including the four leaders,Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu was finally suppressed, forced onto the back foot.

Spacetime fractured around them.

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu was known for her domineering nature. The word "retreat" did not exist in her dictionary, for she possessed an indomitable spirit! But the combined might of twenty-seven Dao Zenithels proved far stronger than she expected. Threads of radiance from their self-created Daos shot forth, causing the operations of the Primordial Rules to collapse repeatedly.

A group of Dao Zenithels battling a single opponent—such a sight had not been witnessed for ages. Even in retreat, Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu shook the cosmos and made the ten directions tremble. Her reputation as a supreme powerhouse was well-earned.

"Hou Tu," a cool voice echoed through the void, "today's battle began because Eastmoon had an idea and invited us to assist. Though there was some miscalculation, the outcome remains unchanged. The Xuanhuang Dao Treasure belongs to Dao Zenithel Wu Yuan. I suggest we end this now."

It was Dao Zenithel Bai Lian's voice.

"Bai Lian, you—!" Ancestral Saint Eastmoon's eyes widened with anger and anxiety. Her words clearly aimed to direct the Eldritch Court's enmity solely onto him.

"We've already helped you, and no one could have predicted this outcome," Bai Lian transmitted coldly, her message audible only to Eastmoon. "The karmic debt has been repaid. You can't expect us to share the blame."

"Eastmoon, the karmic debt is settled," Dao Zenithel Wan Yu's voice joined in, reaching only the twenty-seven Dao Zenithels. "We won't abandon you now. We came together, so we'll leave together. However, after today, you'll face the Eldritch Court's retribution alone."

Ancestral Saint Eastmoon gritted his teeth.

If they had obtained the Xuanhuang Dao Treasure, offending the Eldritch Court would have been worthwhile. However, they had failed. His only consolation was that Wan Yu and the others didn't intend to abandon him immediately. At least he could escape with his life today.

"Retreat!"

Under the combined efforts of Wan Yu, Bai Lian, Eastmoon and the others, they attempted to withdraw with their subordinate Dao Zenithels.

"Trying to leave?" Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's six wheels of light suddenly transformed, illuminating half the void. "I said you'd have to ask the rightful owner."

The six wheels rotated, enveloping the void and imposing an invisible suppression that slowed Wan Yu and the others.

Three thunderous explosions rocked the void as several terrifying auras erupted, rapidly approaching their position. Wan Yu, Dong Huo, and the others frowned.

The other Dao Zenithels of the Eldritch Court had arrived.

This was inevitable. When Wu Yuan's ether body appeared, the entire spacetime had been sealed off. Only Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Wu Yuan's qi refiner self could tear through the spacetime seal, moving at speeds far superior than others.

Meanwhile, Dao Zenithel Fu You, Eldritch Progenitor Zhu Rong, and the others were significantly slower even at full speed. Though it seemed like an eternity had passed, less than two breaths had elapsed since Wu Yuan's ether body appeared.

Without hesitation, Eldritch Progenitors Zhu Rong and Gong Gong struck simultaneously. "Void of Flame and Tides!"

One emanated endless flames, blazing fiercely like the origin of all fires. The other surged with infinite torrents, like the source of all waters.

The flames and torrents intertwined, not extinguishing each other but producing a wondrous reaction that amplified their already terrifying power. In an instant, trillions of li of void were completely enveloped by fire and water, exerting astonishing power and binding force.

This move was clearly an extremely powerful domain ultimate technique. Under this endless shroud of water and fire, even the six wheels of light wielded by Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu seemed to dim.

"Void of Flame and Tides! One of the top three domain ultimate techniques in the entire cosmic sea?"

"Such binding power." The dozens of Dao Zenithels, already slowed, felt even greater pressure weighing upon them.

"Haha! Without Tu You here, no domain ultimate technique can surpass ours." Eldritch Progenitors Zhu Rong and Gong Gong laughed heartily as they exerted their full power to control the technique.

Holding the advantage in domains meant seizing the initiative.

This joint ultimate move of two Eldritch Progenitors, Void of Flame and Tides, truly defies the heavens.

Wu Yuan's body refiner self thought as he flew through the void, feeling the overwhelming aura of water and fire supporting him.

Through the Eldritch Court's intelligence archives, he had learned about the might of Zhu Rong and Gong Gong's fusion technique, which was second only to Dao Zenithel Tu You's domain in the cosmic sea. But witnessing it firsthand made him truly comprehend how formidable this Void of Flame and Tides truly was.

In terms of individual Dao cultivation, neither Eldritch Progenitor Zhu Rong nor Gong Gong has reached the Full Dao Zenithel level. However, when they combine their powers, they are able to perfectly launch an extremely powerful technique, even more terrifying than typical pinnacle-stage Dao Zenithel combat power.

Wu Yuan mused.

The two Eldritch Progenitors, seemingly at odds in personality, were actually the closest of friends. How else could they have created such a seamless fusion technique?