Chapter 1333: The Hand That Envelops All (1)

In the eternal darkness, far beyond Wu Yuan's body refiner self and mana body, stretched a realm nearly devoid of existence. No light pierced this void. No matter resided here. Not even Xuanhuang qi or Great Dao fluctuations stirred the emptiness. Even the Primordial Rules seemed non-existent, and the very concept of spacetime seemed meaningless.

Only darkness and void remained.

This was the deepest part of the cosmic sea, the Realm of Darkness, a place beyond the Nine Megaverses Spacetime. Years ago, Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu had ventured to the depths of the cosmic sea, only to halt at this boundary.

Following a vague sensation, Wu Yuan's ether body arrived at a special void shortly after entering the Realm of Darkness. Here, countless points of light shimmered faintly like a nebula. These luminous clusters encircled one another in concentric layers, resembling stellar rings that supported a mysterious core.

With his immense power and perception, Wu Yuan easily determined that this wasn’t a true nebula but rather a manifestation of the operational rules. Moreover, he could peer through the layered nebula to the innermost core, where an immense, pitch-black pagoda towered endlessly. Vast, boundless waves, like the essence of Primordial Rules themselves, radiated from the structure in all directions.

The Ancestral Pagoda’s true form.

Wu Yuan's ether body mused, his eyes blazing as he gazed across the void.

This is the Ancestral Pagoda Spacetime.

Though the towering black structure seemed not far away, Wu Yuan felt a sense of infinite distance between them, as if it stood on the opposite shore of the cosmic sea.

The Ancestral Pagoda exists alongside the Primordium, omnipresent.

Wu Yuan realized.

No matter what spacetime one occupies, the power of the Ancestral Pagoda can exert its influence.

This was power that transcended spacetime itself. Even Wu Yuan's qi refiner self couldn't project power across infinite spacetime within the cosmic sea.

But the Ancestral Pagoda could.

"Master, look," an extremely handsome youth beside him pointed at the black pagoda enshrouded by layers of the nebula. "This is the true body of the Ancestral Pagoda. Truly enviable."

"Tian Chan, don't look at the Ancestral Pagoda just yet." Wu Yuan's ether body turned to him with a smile. "You still haven't told me why you came to the Ancestral Pagoda Spacetime."

This void was special, located within the Realm of Darkness beyond the bounds of the Nine Megaverses. Without the Ancestral Pagoda's imprint as a guide, even beings on the level of the Heavenly Imperator or Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu would struggle to find this place after countless eons. They might also encounter obstruction from the Ancestral Pagoda itself.

Tian Chan? Why was he here?

"Master, it's a long story," the handsome youth grinned. "Years ago, when we parted ways, I sought a place to cultivate in seclusion and make a breakthrough."

"And then?" Wu Yuan inquired.

"I reached the depths of the cosmic sea, the border between the Central Megaverse and Ancient Megaverse. In just a few hundred million years, I successfully constructed a Saint Realm with my Eternal Psyche. Then, after another hundred million years, I attempted a breakthrough and succeeded in becoming a Dao Zenithel."

Wu Yuan listened intently. From his estimation, when Tian Chan had advanced to Dao Zenithel, he was still in the Ninth Chaos Void. It was long before the opening of the Tenth Chaos Void.

"Why didn't you come see me once you broke through?" Wu Yuan asked, puzzled.

According to their original agreement, once Tian Chan became a Dao Zenithel, he was supposed to join the Eldritch Court.

"My bad," Dao Zenithel Tian Chan said with a wry smile. "I was originally intending to return to you, Master. But soon after my breakthrough, I felt a pull from destiny, a calling with irresistible attraction."

"A calling?" Wu Yuan was taken aback.

"Yes! It felt like I was being summoned!" Dao Zenithel Tian Chan nodded solemnly, his eyes still holding traces of shock. "At that time, I had just broken through to become a Dao Zenithel. By right, unless it was a Grand Supreme, nothing should have been able to befuddle me like that. But the force of that summoning seemed to control my soul."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly, also somewhat surprised. Even one as powerful as Goddess Nüwa was only said to have slain Dao Zenithels in the past, not to have directly controlled any.

“I immediately set out. Following the vague sensation, I moved through the cosmic sea, and finally arrived in this spacetime," Dao Zenithel Tian Chan sighed softly. He pointed at the distant Ancestral Pagoda. "Then I finally woke up and understood what had brought me here."

"The Ancestral Pagoda?" Wu Yuan mused.

"Yes. This summons originated from the Ancestral Pagoda," Dao Zenithel Tian Chan nodded heavily. "In the depths of destiny, I can sense that a great secret about me seems to be hidden deep within this Ancestral Pagoda."

Wu Yuan grew even more astonished. A great secret about Tian Chan?

"To be precise, it should be a great secret about the Xuanhuang Essence," Dao Zenithel Tian Chan looked at Wu Yuan. "Master, I am the spirit of the Xuanhuang Essence. Though I broke free from it and gained the ability to cultivate independently, becoming an autonomous life form, that is my fundamental nature. It cannot be changed."

Wu Yuan nodded. If Tian Chan were not the spirit of the Xuanhuang Essence, he would not have been able to cultivate so easily to True Saint, let alone Dao Zenithel. His two innate abilities, Eternal Incarnation and Dao Devouring, both originated from the Xuanhuang Essence. The reason Wu Yuan's mana body and ether body could cultivate Eternal Psyches was also because of the Xuanhuang Essence.

The Xuanhuang Essence was an incomparably miraculous ultimate treasure, beyond the scope of the Primordial Rules' operation. Other Dao Zenithels, no matter how strong their self-created Daos or how heaven-defying their ultimate techniques, could only enable their mana and ether bodies to manifest Overlord mana. Only the Five Elements Dao Master was slightly exceptional.

The stronger one became and the higher one's perspective, the more Wu Yuan could sense the power and heaven-defying nature of the Xuanhuang Essence.

Back in the Azure Saint Tomb, that mysterious silver-robed figure had explained that the Xuanhuang Essence was, at its core, a fragment of essence, infused with traces of Primordial profundities. It could be considered the ultimate protective treasure during cultivation.

Wu Yuan recalled the moment he had obtained it.

The figure had said the Xuanhuang Essence had two main functions: to allow mana bodies and ether bodies to cultivate Eternal Psyches, and a second function that would naturally manifest when the time came for it to play its role.

Could the second function of the Xuanhuang Essence be related to the Ancestral Pagoda?

Wu Yuan's mind was filled with questions.

The Azure Saint had greatly respected the Origin Saint. The Ancestral Pagoda should have existed in the same era as the Azure Saint.

The Azure Saint established the Azure Saint Tomb, but for what purpose? Could it also be related to the Ancestral Pagoda?

Various thoughts surfaced in Wu Yuan's mind, all leaving him perplexed.

"Tian Chan, in these billions of years, have you obtained any secrets from the Ancestral Pagoda?" Wu Yuan inquired.

"No," Dao Zenithel Tian Chan shook his head helplessly. "Master, come with me. You'll understand soon enough."

Whoosh!

The once-ugly, now demonically handsome Dao Zenithel Tian Chan transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the nebula. Wu Yuan's ether body quickly followed.

Soon, they arrived at the edge of the vast, endless nebula. Before they could draw close, the points of light forming the nebula suddenly transformed into transparent humanoid figures. Powerful auras radiated from them, their eyes faintly emitting crimson light. Each one brimmed with murderous intent.

However, these humanoid figures made no move, merely staring at Wu Yuan and Dao Zenithel Tian Chan.

"These are?" Wu Yuan turned to Dao Zenithel Tian Chan.

"I call them nebula guardians," Dao Zenithel Tian Chan said in a low voice. "Master, once anyone enters the nebula's range and tries to approach the Ancestral Pagoda, they will be attacked by these guardians.

“At first, the attacks are relatively weak. The further one goes, the stronger these guardians become. Towards the core, even a single guardian has power approaching that of a Dao Zenithel. I only made it to the ninth layer before I could go no further."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly. It seemed that one still had to overcome obstacles to pass through the Ancestral Pagoda Spacetime. It was not so easy after all.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"How many layers are there in total?" Wu Yuan asked.

"I don't know. By my estimate, probably more than thirty layers," said Dao Zenithel Tian Chan.

Wu Yuan nodded. Tian Chan had only recently become a Dao Zenithel. He lacked strong Chaos Treasures and only reached mid-stage Dao Zenithel combat power. Getting stopped at the ninth layer was normal.

"Alright, I'll see if I can get any closer to the Ancestral Pagoda," Wu Yuan said with a smile.

"Master, you've probably just become a Dao Zenithel yourself... You should be careful. If you feel you can't handle it, retreat here." Dao Zenithel Tian Chan quickly replied.

"Mm," Wu Yuan smiled.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan's ether body soared upwards, directly charging into the first nebula's range. The previously dormant nebula guardians instantly came to life, surging towards Wu Yuan like a tidal wave. More than a hundred guardians charged at him in a frenzy. Their bodies were translucent, and they wielded no visible weapons, yet exuded formidable auras.

Chiaroscuro Domain.

Wu Yuan focused his will, and streams of black and white qi immediately condensed around him. The qi streams intertwined, forming a terrifying destructive force.

One guardian after another was shredded into nothingness by the black and white qi streams before they could even get close to Wu Yuan, posing no obstacle to him. In no time, he charged straight towards the second layer.

A domain? Master can destroy these guardians with his domain alone?

Dao Zenithel Tian Chan, waiting outside the nebula, was inwardly shocked.

The power of this domain must be at the level of a Peak Dao Zenithel.

How long has it been? How did Master become so powerful already?

Just billions of years ago, Wu Yuan had been a sempiternal lifeform, needing his protection to escape the pursuit of True Saints. In the blink of an eye, he had become this strong?

Indeed, after over six billion years of secluded cultivation, Wu Yuan's saber techniques had advanced further, reaching the pinnacle of the third step. His myriad techniques—flight evasion techniques, sealing ultimate techniques, domain secret arts, and more—had all improved slightly even without him expending much effort on them. Coupled with his overwhelmingly powerful ether, even his domain secret art reached the Peak Dao Zenithel level. Slaughtering Full True Saint guardians was effortless, even with their extremely resilient vitality.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, Wu Yuan swept through layer after layer of nebula guardians with his Chiaroscuro Domain, charging directly to the ninth layer.

In the ninth layer, the strength of the guardians reaches the Threshold Dao Zenithel.

Wu Yuan's gaze swept across the over one hundred guardians standing united. No wonder Tian Chan couldn't break through.

Relying on my domain alone, I can't kill them instantly. My speed has slowed.

Wu Yuan noticed.

A dazzling blade ray flashed as a saber materialized in Wu Yuan's hand. The blade ray, sharp and fierce, instantly annihilated all the guardians struggling within the Chiaroscuro Domain. He pressed onward.

Threshold Dao Zenithel powerhouses can't withstand a single strike from Master?

Tian Chan stared in disbelief.

How strong is Master, truly? Full Dao Zenithel?

Tian Chan's heart surged with shock. As the Xuanhuang Essence spirit, he had witnessed much before becoming an independent cultivator. Even in the era when the Azure Saint roamed, there weren't many Full Dao Zenithel powerhouses under his command. The Full Dao Zenithel level represented the pinnacle of Sainthood. It wasn't easily attained.

Less than ten billion years? The pinnacle of Sainthood?

Tian Chan blinked.

Too fast.

He felt as if this was all a dream.

Suddenly, he grinned.

Haha, looks like I've followed the right person. Master will surely become a Grand Supreme!

Being his follower for ten samsara cycles of heaven and earth? Tian Chan felt that following him for a hundred or a thousand cycles would still be worthwhile.

With Master's strength, can he break through?

Tian Chan muttered as he gazed into the distance. With his power, he could clearly observe what was happening deep within the nebula.