Chapter 783: Two True Selves, Dual Apotheosis (1)

A trace of the Ancestral Pagoda's essence?

Wu Yuan's gaze fell upon blood mist.

The blood mist roiled and flowed subtly, forming the shape of a tower. It seemed unremarkable, yet contained a power that made one's heart tremble.

Hum~

At this moment, the black pagoda in Wu Yuan's upper dantian lobe, which had previously fallen silent, began to quiver faintly once more.

Desire, endless desire! Wu Yuan felt an instinctive urge rising within him, a longing to devour and refine that trace of the Ancestral Pagoda's essence.

In the past, Wu Yuan would have undoubtedly been elated and excited. But now? Wu Yuan felt far less joy, Sovereign Black Devil's words still echoing in his mind—this was a path of no return.

A path of no return. But I have no choice now.

Wu Yuan mused silently.

I just don't know if failing to merge with this trace of the Ancestral Pagoda's essence would affect my body refiner self.

According to Big Devil, it would, but my body refiner self has made thorough preparations, with numerous defensive measures.

Wu Yuan pondered.

From his earlier conversation with Sovereign Black Devil, it seemed the Sovereign had not detected the existence of his body refiner self. So, Wu Yuan did not intend to ask, nor did he regret choosing to challenge the eighth trial.

If I hadn't come, how would I have learned these secrets about the Ancestral Pagoda?

If I hadn't come, according to Sovereign Black Devil, as one already bearing the Ancestral Pagoda's imprint, I would have been imperceptibly guided to walk the path of merging with the Ancestral Pagoda's essence anyway.

Wu Yuan reflected silently.

This path is pre-ordained.

Unable to change it, he could only grasp a chance of survival.

Even if what Sovereign Black Devil said is true, it would take me reaching the Sovereign phase, or even true transcendence at least, before the Ancestral Pagoda sets its sights on me.

Wu Yuan thought to himself.

As one of the three supreme divine objects, I fear only a supreme being would barely qualify to be its opponent.

In other words, before transcendence, at least before becoming a Sovereign, Wu Yuan was certainly relatively safe.

I'm too weak now. Only by growing stronger can I slowly seek a way to break free of this situation.

Wu Yuan had made his decision:

Besides, what Sovereign Black Devil said is just one side of the story. Take the matter of the three supreme divine objects for example.

Long ago, the realm master of the Fourth Eldritch Realm said that it was two supreme beings of heaven and earth, one wielding a sword and the other a cauldron, that influenced later generations. Although the essence of what he said was similar, it actually deviates somewhat from the truth of how the three supreme divine objects came to be.

With different levels of strength come different heights of perspectives and scopes of knowledge, so naturally, the conclusions made will differ. Sovereign Black Devil's words cannot be dismissed entirely, nor can they be fully trusted.

Wu Yuan mused silently.

But, that was for future him to worry about.

Now, my top priority is fusing it successfully. Only success will allow me to survive, to continue growing stronger.

This was the only thought remaining in Wu Yuan's mind.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuan's body refiner self, far away in the Greenridge Macrocosm, had likewise prepared to face any calamity or attack.

...

"Ming Jian, you only have one chance." Sovereign Black Devil's eyes held a glimmer of anticipation: "If you can succeed, regardless of what happens in the future, the immediate benefits you’ll gain are endless.

Are you ready?"

"Yes." Wu Yuan nodded: "Senior, let's begin."

Seeing this, Sovereign Black Devil no longer hesitated. With a thought, that blood mist tower floated over, stopping directly above Wu Yuan's head.

Silently, this blood mist tower entered Wu Yuan's qi refiner self, then immediately made its way to his upper dantian lobe.

In the vast, boundless upper dantian lobe, the blood mist tower split into thirteen parts, the largest of which instantly flew into the black pagoda.

Rumble~

The base of the black pagoda opened once more, absorbing the blood mist.

Boom!

The black pagoda, which had been trembling slightly, suddenly erupted the moment the blood mist surged inside, radiating endless red light. The light engulfed the entire upper dantian lobe, enveloping Wu Yuan's twelve Yuan Souls.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The other twelve wisps of blood mist also surged into the twelve Yuan Souls respectively.

The instant that the red light blanketed the world, a trace of surprise flashed across Wu Yuan's eyes.

This? The black pagoda?

Boom!

A majestic and vast power, originating from an unfathomable place, completely swallowed Wu Yuan's consciousness.

In the final moment before losing consciousness, Wu Yuan vaguely saw a void dimension devoid of light, where a colossal structure that spanned space and time loomed in the boundless void. It seemed to be black...

...

Endless black fog surged around Wu Yuan as he stood in this expanse of void, his body now faintly enveloped by a layer of red light.

The light was boundless! It augmented the aura emanating from his body to a terrifying degree, granting it a subtle hint of a supreme Dao resonance. At this moment, he appeared absolutely untouchable.

This remnant consciousness of Sovereign Black Devil calmly watched Wu Yuan, whose eyes were closed and consciousness completely subsumed.

After endless ages, I've finally found an Ancestral Pagoda imprint bearer, and one with heaven-shaking talent at that.

Sovereign Black Devil murmured.

But was it truly the Ancestral Pagoda's imperceptible guidance that led Ming Jian here to me? Or was it you, Dao Master?

Dao Master, you perceive all. Back then, you stopped me from continuing down my path, believing it was wrong... yet you deliberately kept the Black Devil Blood Hollow and this trace of the Ancestral Pagoda's essence intact. What exactly are your intentions?

Sovereign Black Devil shook his head slightly.

He could not understand. For eons, he had pondered this matter, but to no avail.

Enough, the considerations of supreme beings are ultimately beyond me. I am already dead, what more can I do?

Sovereign Black Devil's gaze fell upon Wu Yuan.

I can only hope you succeed.

Your success will be my liberation.

Sovereign Black Devil's eyes were filled with anticipation.

...

Within the Cang Feng Temple at the heart of the eldritch world in the Greenridge Macrocosm.

Wu Yuan, who had been sitting in lotus position atop a jade platform, suddenly looked fearful, then his gaze went blank and he closed his eyes, his consciousness completely subsumed.

At this moment, in the upper dantian lobe of Wu Yuan's body refiner self, that black pagoda likewise radiated endless red light. Clearly, fusing with this trace of the black pagoda's essence affected not only his qi refiner self, but also implicated his body refiner self.

Though the karmic connection between the two true selves was faint, they were ultimately one, and both true selves had black pagodas in their upper dantian lobes.

When the body refiner self's upper dantian lobe underwent this anomaly, a layer of red light faintly suffused the surface of Wu Yuan's body refiner self, and he emanated an extremely special aura!

This aura was not particularly strong, yet it contained a mysterious hint of Dao resonance.

Whoosh!

This aura suddenly lashed out in all directions. Though not intense, it alarmed Sovereign Kua Chi and Sovereign Cang Feng.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The two Sovereigns immediately arrived before Wu Yuan, perceiving the special aura emanating from him.

"This? Attacking Wu Yuan silently, breaching my Cang Feng Temple’s defenses without a trace. What kind of technique is this?" Sovereign Cang Feng was utterly shocked.

The Cang Feng Temple was his most powerful treasure, as well as his ultimate treasure for traversing the river of space and time. He was certain that even an Overlord’s attack would be unable to evade his perception.

"This aura feels threatening even to me." Sovereign Cang Feng frowned.

"Wu Yuan has lost consciousness." Sovereign Kua Chi said softly, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes.

Earlier, when Wu Yuan chose to attempt the trial, he had not stopped him, but his heart was filled with concern.

Now, the situation had veered off in an unpredictable direction.

"Kua Chi, what exactly has this disciple of yours provoked?" Sovereign Cang Feng looked at Sovereign Kua Chi: "Such a profound and inscrutable attack... There's a ninety percent chance it came from a supreme being. How could a mere High Eldritch provoke a supreme existence?"

Though Sovereign Cang Feng did not know the truth, he could deduce a thing or two.

"It's not an attack. If a supreme being attacked my disciple, how could he still be alive?" Sovereign Kua Chi shook his head: "I'm not entirely clear about the specifics either. Let's wait and see."

"Kua Chi, I must warn you, this is no small matter. If worse comes to worst, report it to the Eldritch Court." Sovereign Cang Feng said.

"I've already reported it. However, even the Great Eldritches cannot intervene, and the Eldritch Progenitor roams many spacetimes—he may not quickly take notice of a youngster like Wu Yuan." Sovereign Kua Chi shook his head.

Sovereign Cang Feng frowned slightly, but he did not inquire further.

As Wu Yuan's Master, if Sovereign Kua Chi took such a stance, it was not his place to say more.

Disciple, what could a mere inheritance of a Sovereign possibly stir up?

Sovereign Kua Chi stared at Wu Yuan's body refiner self, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes:

Or have you stumbled upon some great secret, leaving you unable or unwilling to send a message?

You must survive!

The special pressure enveloping Wu Yuan's entire body was inscrutable to Sovereign Kua Chi and Sovereign Cang Feng, so they naturally dared not act rashly.