Chapter 779: The Ancestral Pagoda Wants You Dead (1)

"A candidate has qualified for the eighth trial. Therefore, I have made the rules public," declared Big Devil, standing in mid-air as his gaze swept over the Archimmortals and Archdeities. "The rest of you may also ponder this.

Ming Jian, you may take your time to think it through carefully. Answer me when you're ready," Big Devil said nonchalantly.

He then closed his eyes. Unlike before, he did not vanish.

Within the grounds of the third trial, hundreds of Archimmortals and Archdeities began to contemplate his words, especially those like Archimmortal Xiang Fei, Astral Lord Gu Shou, and Archimmortal Xue Yao who had already obtained six Black Devil Tokens.

If they were given the chance, should they take it?

The Sovereign would only have one successor. Once the successor was chosen, all others who entered the grounds of the eighth trial would perish.

None of these Archimmortals and Archdeities from the Devil Realm doubted Big Devil's words. In their eyes, Big Devil represented the Devil Lord.

The Devil Lord was the mightiest being in the eyes of these Devil Realm powerhouses, the one who had created the entire Devil Realm.

The Archimmortals and Archdeities from the Dao Realm treated this with equal gravity, for Sovereign Black Devil had once been universally acknowledged as the foremost Sovereign of the Dao Realm.

If I can ultimately obtain twelve Black Devil Tokens, I will go!

Astral Lord Xue Yao's eyes flickered.

Such a great opportunity—if I don't seize it, I'll never have another chance. My spirit will eventually rot away. If I can't obtain it, I'll die sooner or later anyway.

Though she had survived for billions of years through caution, she would still seize any opportunity presented with all her strength.

I must compete for this opportunity.

Archimmortal Xiang Fei decided without hesitation. She had long thought it through thoroughly and would not waver in the slightest.

Should I really risk the life of my true self?

Astral Lord Gu Shou, on the other hand, felt a flicker of doubt.

As an Astral Lord of Space, he was quite contented with his life even if he failed to obtain Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance. Moreover, he believed he had already glimpsed the path to becoming an Astral Monarch.

If I cultivate normally, I can still become an Astral Monarch. Even if I successfully obtain this inheritance after staking my life, there’s no guarantee that I can become a Sovereign.

Astral Lord Gu Shou hesitated.

Although Sovereign Black Devil was powerful, he was still just a Sovereign. And he’s already dead, so how could the treasures he left behind help me become a Sovereign?

As an Astral Lord of Space, Astral Lord Gu Shou had considerable knowledge and some understanding of Astral Monarchs and even Sovereigns.

At this moment, faced with Big Devil's question, the hundreds of Archimmortals and Archdeities present each had their own thoughts.

Even if they perished during the first trial, most would only lose their mana bodies or ether bodies in reality. But now, they faced the danger of true death, so naturally they were extremely cautious.

Each individual only had one life.

...

"How will Ming Jian choose?"

"It's hard to say."

"His situation is different from ours."

"Most of us Archimmortals and Archdeities have cultivated for eons, yet still haven't become Astral Monarchs. To be honest, in terms of talent, we're quite average among the countless immortals and deities."

"Indeed. If we had sufficient talent and opportunities, we'd have become Astral Monarchs long ago." The many Archimmortals and Archdeities conversed among themselves.

"Ming Jian is different. His talent is unbelievable. Even without Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance, if he cultivates step by step, he'll at least reach the late-stage Astral Monarch level, and most likely become a Sovereign."

"He has no need to take such risks." Many immortals and deities discussed, making their own judgments.

In fact, many Archimmortals and Archdeities instinctively hoped Wu Yuan would give up. After all, Wu Yuan had too large of an advantage. If he didn't give up, their own chances would be far too slim.

...

Even my other true self faces a risk of perishing.

Wu Yuan was indeed hesitating.

If only his qi refiner self faced the risk of death, then after brief consideration, Wu Yuan would choose to take the gamble. After all, based on the intelligence gathered earlier, Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance was deeply connected to the black pagoda. If he wasn't willing to take any risks at all, Wu Yuan wouldn't have put his true self into such a risky situation in the first place.

But since it involved his body refiner self, Wu Yuan naturally had to think twice.

My body refiner self has already obtained a Great Dao imprint. I am already the successor of True Saint Bu Xiu. With systematic cultivation, as the Creation Emissary said, it shouldn't be difficult for me to reach the late-stage Sovereign level in the future, with the possibility of becoming an Overlord.

Wu Yuan mused.

Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance... No matter how powerful it is, could it really surpass a supreme being’s?

The Creation Emissary had made it clear that even for a supreme being, a Great Dao imprint was extremely precious and would not be casually bestowed.

My qi refiner self is affected by the Great Dao and will find it difficult to fully comprehend a Greater Law. But even if I don't obtain the Spacetime Dao Master's inheritance in the future, reaching the late-stage Astral Monarch level shouldn't be difficult.

At the very least, I should have a glimmer of hope to become a Sovereign.

Wu Yuan pondered.

Is it worth risking everything just for a Sovereign's inheritance?

Other Archimmortals and Archdeities had no choice, so they wouldn't struggle with this dilemma for too long. But for Wu Yuan, his future path was already bright enough.

A treasured son should not be placed where beams might fall. [1]

One could say that if this were an ordinary Sovereign's inheritance, faced with such great risk, there was over a fifty percent chance Wu Yuan would choose to give up. It simply wasn't necessary.

But Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance was related to the Ancestral Pagoda, which naturally made Wu Yuan hesitate.

Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearer. Don't toil only for others' benefit... What exactly did Sovereign Black Devil leave behind?

Wu Yuan's eyes flickered.

The Ancestral Pagoda was undoubtedly tied to supreme beings, but the depth of those connections remained uncertain.

...

In the pill-refining ground within the Cang Feng Eldritch World of the Greenridge Macrocosm.

"Master, that is the situation," Wu Yuan said respectfully. He had just finished recounting everything in detail, only omitting the information related to the black pagoda.

Unable to decide for himself, Wu Yuan naturally thought of Master Kua Chi. His master was a Sovereign of the Eldritch Court. He was extremely knowledgeable and might be able to offer advice.

"There's a risk of perishing, and it would even affect your other true self? That one called Big Devil said that?" Sovereign Kua Chi frowned slightly.

Wu Yuan nodded. "He did indeed say so."

"That's not right! It shouldn't be." Sovereign Kua Chi said solemnly. "If what Big Devil claimed is true, Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance is likely extremely special."

"Special?" Wu Yuan was puzzled.

"Disciple, you are not yet a Sovereign, so you don't understand." Sovereign Kua Chi looked at Wu Yuan. "An ordinary Sovereign's inheritance, such as mine, essentially consists of divine crystals, divine crystal elixir, personal cultivation insights, powerful teachings, high-grade Dao Instruments, mid-grade Dao Instruments, and the like.

No matter what, unless the Sovereign deliberately left a deadly trap, it shouldn't cost the successor's life." Sovereign Kua Chi said.

Wu Yuan nodded in agreement.

Indeed, the so-called selection of a successor rarely directly caused one’s death unless deliberately designed to do so.

"Even if they intended to take their successor's life, it's difficult for them to harm their true self through a mana body or ether body." Sovereign Kua Chi continued. "Let alone destroy the successor's other true self through a single mana body or ether body."

"It is indeed inconceivable," Wu Yuan shook his head.

He was very clear about this point. For example, through Wu Yuan's mana body, it wouldn't be too difficult for some powerful beings to try to kill Wu Yuan's qi refiner self. But to harm Wu Yuan's body refiner self? The difficulty would increase a hundredfold or thousandfold.

The karmic connection between his two true selves was already very weak, and Wu Yuan was now strong enough to put up a formidable resistance.

“With your strength, even a Sovereign skilled in karmic attacks would find it difficult to kill your body refiner self directly through your qi refiner self." Sovereign Kua Chi looked at Wu Yuan. "Moreover, now that you've explained the situation, I will protect you.

If you take refuge in an eldritch world stronghold, with the combined protection of the stronghold and your own strength, even an Overlord who has mastered the Great Dao of Destiny couldn't kill you across spacetime, even if they used their full power," Sovereign Kua Chi said solemnly. "Your master is confident of this."

As a Sovereign of the eldritch world, he possessed such certainty.

"Master, what do you mean?" Wu Yuan hesitated slightly.

"Sovereign Black Devil is dead, so I believe there are two possibilities." Sovereign Kua Chi said.

"First, that Sovereign Black Devil left behind some terribly vicious method before dying, ensuring that all who didn't pass his final requirement would die in order to conceal information. But he has already perished, so setting up such a vicious method would be very difficult. Even if it exists, it couldn't be used many times. It shouldn't be necessary, so this possibility is very small.”

Wu Yuan nodded in agreement.

"Second, his inheritance involves a supreme artifact." Sovereign Kua Chi said. "And it's an extremely high-level and important supreme artifact."

"A supreme artifact?" Wu Yuan's pupils constricted slightly as he instantly thought of the black pagoda.

"Yes. The True Saints, such as Bu Xiu, and the Dao Master we speak of are all supreme beings." Sovereign Kua Chi said slowly. "They have transcended the samsara cycles of heaven and earth and are truly eternal and undying.

Supreme artifacts naturally hold extraordinary power. Some terrifying supreme artifacts could severely wound or even completely destroy a Sovereign who comes into contact with them if their strength is insufficient.

"Some of the most horrifying supreme artifacts, once activated, have destructive power so terrible it may be as if a supreme being personally launched an attack." A flash of barely perceptible fear passed through Sovereign Kua Chi's eyes, as though recalling some scene he had once encountered.

However, Wu Yuan did not notice this.

"If so, that Big Devil indeed has a basis for his words." Sovereign Kua Chi looked at Wu Yuan and said, "I guess the second possibility is more likely with regards to Sovereign Black Devil's inheritance."

An extremely high-level supreme artifact?

Wu Yuan thought to himself, feeling his master's words made sense.

He couldn't help but feel fortunate that he had a Sovereign master he could consult at any time to help assess his situation. Otherwise, with his own knowledge and perspective, how could he have figured it out?

"Master, what do you think I should choose?" Wu Yuan couldn't help asking.

"From my perspective, I hope you give it up. You already have a high chance of becoming a Sovereign, especially your body refiner self, and your potential is limitless," Sovereign Kua Chi shook his head slightly.

"And Sovereign Black Devil’s inheritance is far too dangerous, even more perilous than many supreme legacies. I even suspect that Sovereign Black Devil's downfall may be related to this inheritance he left behind.

If you get entangled in it, one misstep could lead to your demise."

Wu Yuan was taken aback.

Indeed, if it truly involved the black pagoda, perhaps that was the reason for Sovereign Black Devil's death.

"However, your strength is already formidable. If I'm not mistaken, you should have reached the fourth-level True Intent stage of the Creation Great Dao, correct?" Sovereign Kua Chi asked with a faint smile.

"Master is perceptive," Wu Yuan's eyes flashed with surprise.

Exactly, compared to his qi refiner self's progress in the Great Dao of Spacetime, his body refiner self's analysis of the profundities of all things and beings had advanced just as swiftly, in fact, he was nearly reaching the fifth-level True Intent stage of Creation.

His body refiner self, endowed with a Life Dao Body, exhibited an astonishingly rapid efficiency in comprehending Laws.

"Your Dao comprehension level might approach mine in tens of thousands of years," Sovereign Kua Chi said. "With your talent, I suspect you harbor some desire to glimpse the supreme level."

Wu Yuan couldn't help but smile.

Indeed! Becoming an Astral Monarch? For Wu Yuan, it was merely a matter of time, and his chances of becoming a Sovereign were also extremely high.

But what about beyond that? Any Sovereign would yearn for the supreme level. After all, only supreme beings had truly transcended, no longer bound by the samsara cycle of heaven and earth.

"At first, I only hoped for you to become a Sovereign," Sovereign Kua Chi looked at Wu Yuan. "But if you aspire to the supreme level, then Black Devil’s inheritance might greatly increase your chances.

I've said all that needs to be said. The final choice is yours," Sovereign Kua Chi said.

1. 千金之子，不坐垂堂!The meaning of this proverb emphasizes the importance of protecting valuable assets, particularly children from influential families. It can be extended metaphorically to mean that anything of great value should be safeguarded and not needlessly exposed to risk. ☜