Chapter 781: The Truth, Chesspiece (1)

The essence of the Ancestral Pagoda? The Ancestral Pagoda wants you dead?

Sovereign Black Devil’s words carried an overwhelming weight of information, hitting Wu Yuan like a thunderous roar that nearly seemed to shatter his brain. In that instant, countless thoughts flooded his mind.

Master Kua Chi's judgment was truly accurate.

Wu Yuan's mind was in turmoil.

Indeed, Big Devil made such a bold claim not because of the deceased Sovereign Black Devil, but because it involved the Ancestral Pagoda.

Only... the Ancestral Pagoda’s essence? What exactly is the Ancestral Pagoda?

Wu Yuan was both shocked and curious.

The Ancestral Pagoda was incredibly mysterious. Until now, Wu Yuan had not figured out all its secrets, but from Sovereign Black Devil’s words, he finally understood a tiny bit.

Moreover, Wu Yuan thought of even more questions. What exactly did Sovereign Black Devil do to incite the Dao Master into action back then? Was it because of the Ancestral Pagoda?

Also, in Sovereign Black Devil's words, toiling for another’s benefit? There were too many puzzles.

"Ming Jian, I’m sure you are confused. Don't worry, before you make contact with the Ancestral Pagoda's essence, I will naturally explain everything to you clearly." Although Sovereign Black Devil was only left with a remnant of consciousness, the aura he emitted was still vast, as if he was still alive.

"First of all, you are an Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearer, which means you are destined to walk this path of no return," Sovereign Black Devil said slowly.

"Senior Black Devil, what exactly is an Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearer? And what is the Ancestral Pagoda?" Wu Yuan asked.

Path of no return?

"The Ancestral Pagoda is a pagoda, yet not a pagoda," Sovereign Black Devil said indifferently. "I was ultimately unable to walk this path to the end, and have already died, so I only know part of the information.

Just listen quietly."

Wu Yuan nodded gently.

"Within this vast heaven and earth, what we call the river of space and time is merely one universe. Many universes converge to form a megaverse," Sovereign Black Devil began.

"Numerous universes, undergoing samsara cycles over time, do not affect the megaverse.

Breaking free from the constraints of the universe, transcending the samsara cycle of heaven and earth, that is how one becomes a supreme existence." A glimmer of longing flashed in Sovereign Black Devil's eyes.

Universe? Megaverse? Wu Yuan was increasingly bewildered. So this vast river of space and time was just one universe? Many universes formed a megaverse?

In an instant, Wu Yuan thought of the soon-to-open Megaverse Crossroads he had heard of in the past.

Could it be that the Megaverse Crossroads is where powerhouses and geniuses from various universes gather?

Wu Yuan speculated.

However, he still knew very little about the Megaverse Crossroads.

"The Great Daos are eternal Daos," Sovereign Black Devil gazed down at Wu Yuan and continued, "From what I know, before the many samsara cycles of heaven and earth, three supreme divine objects descended upon the vast megaverse. We call them artifacts, but their forms suggest they weren't naturally created, but rather forged.

In truth, these three supreme divine objects are not objects at all. They are more akin to the essence and rules themselves.

They cannot be touched by living beings. Even supreme existences cannot come into contact with them. They are the mightiest objects in the megaverse, standing above even the eternal Great Daos."

Three supreme divine objects? Even supreme existences couldn't touch them?

Wu Yuan listened in astonishment, yet in his mind, he already had some vague guesses about these three supreme divine objects.

"The various supreme existences call the three supreme divine objects the Original Sword, Heavenly Cauldron, and Ancestral Pagoda," Sovereign Black Devil spoke slowly.

"I don't know the story behind their names or their origins. Perhaps the Spacetime Dao Master knows. But the Original Sword and Heavenly Cauldron have already influenced the workings of heaven and earth, affecting countless cultivators across the various rivers of space and time.

Take the sword cultivation path, for instance. There are myriad weapons in the world, especially for cultivators. Weapons are merely external forms; logically, what matters most is the application of the Dao."

But why is it that even among Sovereign powerhouses, sword cultivators are the most numerous? It's because the Original Sword has influenced the Great Daos, affecting the workings of heaven and earth, and making sword-shaped weapons more formidable.

The very existence of the three supreme divine objects constitutes part of the workings of heaven and earth, even transcending the Primordial Rules." Sovereign Black Devil spoke gravely.

Wu Yuan listened with bated breath.

These were all secrets beyond his knowledge. At least, in all the intelligence Wu Yuan had access to, there had never been any mention of the three supreme divine objects.

"After their initial appearance, the Original Sword and Heavenly Cauldron became elusive. But they undoubtedly exist, as the workings of heaven and earth have been influenced by them. Thus, countless cultivators are aware of these two divine objects to some degree, even if they've never encountered them directly." Sovereign Black Devil continued slowly.

"The Ancestral Pagoda, however, hasn't directly influenced the workings of heaven and earth. So ordinary cultivators are completely unaware of its existence. Even many Sovereigns throughout the samsara cycles of heaven and earth don't know about it.

Yet it has truly affected many cultivators, the most special of whom are the Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearers.

The Ancestral Pagoda is profoundly mysterious. I don't know where it physically resides, after all, I'm merely a Sovereign.

But Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearers are essentially those chosen by the Ancestral Pagoda. Why they were chosen, and what the criteria are—I don't know either. The Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearers throughout history have come from different rivers of space and time. There's far more than one imprint bearer, and it's even possible for multiple to exist in the same era." Sovereign Black Devil looked at Wu Yuan.

"I am one such Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearer. And so are you."

Wu Yuan listened in astonishment. As the explanation unfolded, some of the confusion in his mind began to dissipate.

Among the three supreme divine objects, the Original Sword and Heavenly Cauldron have no imprint bearers, yet they invisibly influence the workings of heaven and earth?

Wu Yuan pondered silently.

The Ancestral Pagoda barely influences the workings of heaven and earth, but it chooses imprint bearers? And these imprint bearers are greatly influenced by the Ancestral Pagoda?

The three supreme divine objects seemed to have chosen two different approaches.

While Wu Yuan's progress was largely the result of his own efforts, the Ancestral Pagoda had played a significant role in shaping his cultivation journey.

"What happens to Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearers?" Wu Yuan asked. "What is the Ancestral Pagoda's purpose?"

He was indeed curious, and wary—the Ancestral Pagoda likely had its own agenda for doing this.

"The Ancestral Pagoda's power is limitless. If I'm not mistaken, it exists at the pinnacle of an infinitely high dimension of spacetime, illuminating the past, present, and future, existing across many rivers of space and time. We cannot perceive it, yet it can perceive us no matter where we are." Sovereign Black Devil sighed softly.

"Every imprint bearer receives gifts from the Ancestral Pagoda. The stronger one's power and potential, the greater the help received from the Ancestral Pagoda."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly. It was indeed so.

"I was aided by the Ancestral Pagoda during my rise to power back then," said Sovereign Black Devil. "Even after becoming a Sovereign, under the Ancestral Pagoda's subtle guidance, I received the legacy of a supreme being called True Saint Shi Yuan, obtaining a series of treasures like the Genesis World, Genesis Stars, Genesis Divine Pillars, and so on. [1]

There was also a powerful teaching called 'Genesis Law Sacrifice'. After my modifications, I transformed them into a series of Black Devil treasures, which led to the creation of the Black Devil Blood Hollow." Sovereign Black Devil looked at Wu Yuan. "The Black Devil Star you obtained—you've used Genesis Power to restore it into a Genesis Divine Pillar, haven't you?"

"True Saint Shi Yuan?" Wu Yuan was dumbfounded. "'Genesis Law Sacrifice' wasn’t granted by the Ancestral Pagoda?"

All along, Wu Yuan had believed that 'Genesis Law Sacrifice' and the series of treasures like the Genesis Star all came from the Ancestral Pagoda. After all, the Genesis Power produced by the Ancestral Pagoda couldn't be faked!

"Of course not. Initially, I thought the same way." Sovereign Black Devil shook his head slightly. "True Saint Shi Yuan was also an Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearer. However, this supreme being has long since perished.

Most of what I know about the Ancestral Pagoda comes from the information left behind by this True Saint Shi Yuan."

Wu Yuan was taken aback.

"Does the Ancestral Pagoda in your upper dantian lobe generate Genesis Power?" Sovereign Black Devil looked at Wu Yuan.

Wu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"But according to the information left by the True Saint Shi Yuan, when he first became an imprint bearer, there was no Genesis Power within the Ancestral Pagoda imprint," Sovereign Black Devil said softly. "But after he ascended to the supreme level and spent a great deal of effort to create 'Genesis Law Sacrifice' with his divine abilities, subsequent Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearers were able to receive Genesis Power.

Later on, True Saint Shi Yuan perished. He never revealed the truth, but I have my suspicions. Ming Jian, I think you probably have some guesses too." Sovereign Black Devil looked at Wu Yuan, his eyes carrying a hint of pity and mockery.

A chill ran through Wu Yuan's heart. How could he not understand what he meant? If what Sovereign Black Devil said was true, the truth was too terrifying.

"All gains come with a price. Destiny never bestows gifts without seeking compensation," Sovereign Black Devil's voice deepened.

"Being an Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearer, in my view, is already a path of no return. But we have no choice. This is our fate."

Wu Yuan fell silent.

According to Sovereign Black Devil, the so-called Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearers were merely pieces on a chessboard, chosen by the supreme Ancestral Pagoda. It nurtured them and strengthened them, until they became extremely powerful, only to devour these chess pieces in the end. True Saint Shi Yuan was one such example.

However, Wu Yuan dared not fully trust this information. This was simply the opinion of Sovereign Black Devil.

Moreover, supreme beings were incredibly powerful. Of the few supreme beings Wu Yuan knew of, which one didn't possess incredible divine abilities? How could they be so easily controlled by the Ancestral Pagoda?

So, Wu Yuan took all this with a grain of salt.

"Senior Black Devil," Wu Yuan bowed slightly and said, "If that's the case, then back then in the Dao Realm, why did you..."

"Silence!" Sovereign Black Devil’s eyes narrowed, a ferocious glint flashing through his pupils.

Boom!

An unseen but overwhelming force descended upon Wu Yuan, silencing him mid-sentence and crushing the words he was about to speak.

The pressure was unimaginably strong, rendering him completely powerless to resist.

Just as abruptly as it appeared, the oppressive force vanished, leaving Wu Yuan stunned. He turned to Sovereign Black Devil, his eyes filled with confusion.

"This is the Dao Realm—do not speak of the Dao Master," Sovereign Black Devil said, shaking his head. "Remember, within the Dao Realm, nothing escapes the Dao Master’s perception if he wishes to know your affairs."

Wu Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

"My dealings with the Dao Master are beyond your involvement, and you cannot interfere," Sovereign Black Devil said, fixing his gaze on Wu Yuan. "There’s no need for you to understand, and knowing would bring you no benefit. Am I clear?"

Wu Yuan nodded.

"I know you still have some questions. For example, why I specifically required your true self to participate, while most other candidates only sent their mana bodies or ether bodies." Sovereign Black Devil said flatly.

Wu Yuan nodded. "This junior indeed wishes to know."

"You were the only true successor from beginning to end, and only you are qualified to participate in the eighth trial," Sovereign Black Devil said slowly. "This trial was initiated for you alone.

To fuse with this strand of the Ancestral Pagoda’s essence, one must first be an Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearer," Sovereign Black Devil intoned.

"My legacy is inconsequential. What matters is this single strand of essence," Sovereign Black Devil continued. "My expectation for you was to obtain twelve Black Devil Tokens within the first four trials.

If you couldn't meet even that basic requirement, you wouldn't be worthy of an audience with me. I'd simply annihilate you on the spot.

Fortunately, your performance has been quite impressive, exceeding my expectations," Sovereign Black Devil remarked, casting a sidelong glance at Wu Yuan.

Wu Yuan felt inwardly surprised. So this was the truth behind it all.

“I’m the only one truly receiving the inheritance? What about the others?" Wu Yuan couldn't help but ask, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"They are merely devil army candidates I prepared for you," Sovereign Black Devil replied, his tone unnervingly calm. "Big Devil told them they had a chance to receive the inheritance in order to bring out their maximum potential, allowing us to select the most promising individuals.

After all, positions in the devil army are limited. At the very least, one must have the potential of an Astral Monarch to qualify for entry into the devil army."

Sovereign Black Devil turned his piercing gaze towards Wu Yuan. "I haven't exactly deceived them. If they truly manage to obtain twelve Black Devil Tokens, proving their potential, and ultimately join the devil army, they can indeed receive one of my teachings as an inheritance. That could be considered a Sovereign's inheritance."

Wu Yuan was struck speechless.

He hadn't imagined that all of this was orchestrated by Sovereign Black Devil, and that the others were destined never to receive the ultimate inheritance. On top of that, they were expected to become part of the devil army?

1. Shi Yuan = Genesis. I will refer to him as either the Genesis True Saint or True Saint Shi Yuan. ☜