Chapter 1349: The Insights From Samsara (1)

With Wu Yuan’s perception of spacetime, karma, and destiny, it only took him a moment to realize the truth: Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu had fallen.

The karmic connection between Wu Yuan and Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu ran deep. Yet now, at such close proximity, every thread of karma had vanished completely. The source of that connection no longer existed. In that same moment, the token Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu had given to Wu Yuan became ownerless.

How could this happen? It shouldn't be possible! If I were to fall, that would be my choice, my risk to take. But how could Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu fall?

Anxiety and fury coursed through Wu Yuan, his heart heavy with self-reproach.

Just moments ago, when his body refiner self faced death, Wu Yuan had felt reluctance but not urgency or rage, for he had chosen his path willingly. He had decided to enter the Realm of Destruction, knowing the risks.

No one could predict the future in its entirety. No one had thought the Heavenly Imperator could wield the Original Sword. When Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang first learned that the Heavenly Imperator was pursuing Wu Yuan, they weren't overly concerned, believing his Xuanhuang Dao Treasures would provide sufficient protection.

Years earlier, both Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Great Emperor Yan Tuo had entered the Realm of Destruction. Though the Heavenly Imperator defeated them, he couldn't kill them and had to let them depart. Armed with this knowledge, Wu Yuan believed his chances of survival exceeded those of Great Emperor Yan Tuo, which emboldened him to take the risk.

No one possessed complete information. Thus, there was nothing to regret about his chosen path, even if it led to his demise.

However, Wu Yuan never anticipated that Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's "method" would involve staking her life to launch a strike at the Heavenly Imperator, securing him a slim chance of survival. Had he known her plan beforehand, Wu Yuan would never have agreed.

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's strike must have originated from the Samsara Platform, capable of attacking across infinite spacetime.

Wu Yuan realized.

I understand now. She didn't attack earlier, telling me to flee to her position with all my might, because she needed to close the distance between herself and the Heavenly Imperator. When she finally struck, she minimized the interference caused by spacetime distance to the greatest extent possible.

With his deep Dao cultivation, Wu Yuan comprehended the entire situation in an instant.

Anger and regret burned in Wu Yuan's heart, yet he maintained absolute clarity and rationality. He knew anger and hatred served no purpose; only strength and overwhelming power could enforce one's will.

His own strength was formidable, capable of suppressing Great Emperor Yan Tuo in the cosmic sea and potentially rivaling Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu herself. But against the Heavenly Imperator wielding the Original Sword, he remained weak. And weakness was the original sin.

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu sacrificed herself to save me, believing I would ultimately challenge the Heavenly Imperator one day and defeat him.

Wu Yuan understood this with crystal clarity.

He could not allow Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's sacrifice to be for naught.

The instant Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's attack struck the Heavenly Imperator's body, Wu Yuan had already made his choice.

Whoosh!

His form split in two. His gravely wounded, nearly dead body refiner self transformed into a streak of light, wielding the Saber of Oblivion as it frantically fled into the distance. This true self, on the verge of destruction and severely weakened, could now barely suppress Imperial Majesty Nan Guang.

The other white-robed figure was Wu Yuan's mana body.

Psyche Destruction, Second Level.

Without hesitation, his mana body unleashed his most powerful ultimate technique.

This technique had three levels, though the third existed only in conception. The second level, consuming half his psyche power and nearly half his soul essence to wield the Samsara Sword, already possessed terrifying destructive potential.

Wu Yuan's mana body's pupils dimmed, his eyes revealing a vast megaverse that contained a divine sword spanning heaven and earth—the Xuanhuang Dao Treasure, Samsara Sword.

Hum~

As the sword emerged, an invisible sword light sliced across the vast void, harnessing Disordered Void's majestic power, transcending spacetime to pierce the Heavenly Imperator's body.

One before, one after. Wu Yuan's mana body’s attack followed up with Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's earlier strike perfectly, executing her plan to launch a lethal blow against the Heavenly Imperator.

Boom!

The Heavenly Imperator's form was completely enveloped by six dazzling wheels of light. Pain was etched across his face, his vital aura fluctuating drastically. He was utterly unable to attend to his surroundings. Even the Original Sword in his grasp had vanished.

He faced an unprecedented crisis.

This? The Heavenly Imperator?

Imperial Majesty Nan Guang observed with panic.

Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu? What attack did she unleash?

He remained ignorant of what killing move Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu had employed, only sensing instinctively that she was terrifyingly powerful, capable of affecting the Heavenly Imperator so profoundly from distant spacetime.

In the next instant, the Heavenly Imperator's expression of pain intensified, his vital aura diminishing rapidly.

...

Within the Immortal Court Voidrealm.

"The Heavenly Imperator?"

"What exactly was the attack Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu unleashed?"

"And Dao Zenithel Ming Jian struck as well. Wu Yuan has fled, yet he remains? Does he not fear death?" Over twenty Dao Zenithels of the Immortal Court watched in stunned silence.

Earlier, they had been certain the Heavenly Imperator would slay Wu Yuan. After all, the two had battled for years while Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu remained extremely far away. Who could have anticipated such a turn of events?

They could all see the Heavenly Imperator's precarious situation.

"Nan Guang, how is the Heavenly Imperator?"

"Imperial Majesty Nan Guang?" Imperial Majesty Dong Huo, Dao Zenithel Jiu You, and others questioned him urgently.

Only Imperial Majesty Nan Guang was at the scene; the other Dao Zenithels were merely viewing projected images.

"The Heavenly Imperator's vital aura is diminishing," he reported grimly. "He won't fall immediately, but there's no response at all, as if he's trapped in some illusion art. Dao Zenithel Ming Jian still lingers. I'll guard this place to prevent any surprise physical attacks.

"We must also guard against subsequent strikes from Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu."

The other Immortal Court Dao Zenithels nodded. They were too distant to be of any help; even rushing over immediately would be futile.

Who could have foreseen such a turn of events? Not even the Heavenly Imperator himself could have predicted it.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

As for guarding against Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu? The Heavenly Imperator had a hypothesis, and both Wu Yuan and Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang knew of her death. But these Immortal Court Dao Zenithels remained ignorant that Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu had already perished.

...

Within the Eldritch Court Voidrealm.

Wu Yuan's figure materialized out of thin air in that special realm, immediately spotting Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang nearby.

"Saint Yuan?" Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang's eyes held a trace of sorrow as he glanced at Wu Yuan, then returned to watching the scene on the light screen.

“Is Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu truly...?" Even now, Wu Yuan struggled to accept this reality.

The instant his body refiner self fled, a strand of his consciousness had entered the Eldritch Court Voidrealm, seeking confirmation. If anyone would know Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's true condition, it would be Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang.

"She has fallen," he confirmed, his voice low yet surprisingly calm. "However, there is hope for her revival. Flee with all your might, and don't pause.

"Don't waste the chance Hou Tu sacrificed herself to provide.

"Along your escape route, you should encounter the Samsara Platform Hou Tu left behind. I've shared the spacetime coordinates; do everything possible to retrieve it." Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang fixed Wu Yuan with a steady gaze. "Remember, don't stop for anything else, and don't let hatred cloud your judgment.

"If Hou Tu could have slain the Heavenly Imperator, she would have annihilated his soul instantly. Since she didn't succeed, her primary goal failed. All she can do now is trap the Heavenly Imperator temporarily.

"Even Hou Tu herself couldn't be certain how long he will remain in this state. So flee with all your strength.

"Self-reproach serves no purpose. No one could have expected the Heavenly Imperator to wield the Original Sword." Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang's gaze bore into Wu Yuan. "I only hope Hou Tu's fall won't be in vain."

"I understand," Wu Yuan responded, his voice muffled but resolute. His avatar then dispersed.

Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang's eyes dimmed. He knew Wu Yuan truly couldn't be blamed; this outcome wasn't what Wu Yuan wanted either. It was Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's choice.

To prevent Wu Yuan from blaming himself, Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu had deliberately withheld the specifics of her plan from start to finish.

Yet even having anticipated it, her death filled Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang with boundless fury, heartache, and hatred.

Jin Yi!

Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang stared fixedly at that figure. He and Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu had jointly sheltered the Eldritch Court, watching countless younger disciples grow. Their bond ran profoundly deep.

They would willingly sacrifice themselves for each other.

Today, Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang could only watch helplessly as Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu fell. How could his heart not burn with hatred?

...

In the vast void, golden light illuminated heaven and earth. The Heavenly Imperator stood suspended in the Void, his hands now empty. Layer upon layer of strange radiance surrounded him, contracting and exploding again and again, as if trying to crush him completely.

No ordinary Dao Zenithel could approach him now.

In the distant void, Wu Yuan's mana body unleashed three consecutive killing moves.

His first attack, the second level of Psyche Destruction, had consumed fifty percent of his psyche power. The second and third attacks, the first level of Psyche Destruction, each consumed ten percent of his psyche power and soul essence.

Wu Yuan's mana body had nearly exhausted its soul essence, his face deathly pale. Countless cracks spread across his mana body's Eternal Psyche.

The Psyche Destruction secret art killed the enemy but harmed the user, the inevitable price for wielding the Samsara Sword and the defining characteristic of the Psyche Arsenal class.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three psyche weapon sword lights, one strong and two weak, penetrated the layers of light enveloping the Heavenly Imperator consecutively. All three attacks contained Wu Yuan's consciousness.

Upon infiltration, Wu Yuan sensed that the Heavenly Imperator's soul essence and self-created Dao's radiance had fully blossomed around his Eternal Psyche. The light seemed endless.

The extreme destructive force emanating from the Heavenly Imperator's soul essence spread outward like an immovable mountain, blocking everything. Simultaneously, an intangible fluctuation protected the Heavenly Imperator's Eternal Psyche like armor.

This was the Imperator Mountain, a Xuanhuang Dao Treasure with both offensive and defensive capabilities, extremely effective at protecting the divine body, Eternal Psyche, and soul. Though not as specialized as single-purpose Xuanhuang Dao Treasures, it surpassed Chaos Treasures in every aspect.

Outside the Heavenly Imperator's Eternal Psyche, six enormous wheels of light rotated, waves of terrifying fluctuations frantically consuming his soul essence, depleting it continuously.

Most crucially, the six wheels of light suppressed everything, obscuring the Heavenly Imperator's consciousness, preventing him from controlling his divine body or affecting the outside world.

Like a massive cage, they trapped the Heavenly Imperator firmly. Until the strange power contained in the six wheels was exhausted, the Heavenly Imperator's consciousness could not break free.