For eons, his qi refiner self remained in seclusion on the Spacetime Island.

In the distant Greenridge Macrocosm, the eldritch world.

Within the First Origin Eldritch Field was a void continent Wu Yuan resided in.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan's ether body emerged from the teleportation array. Instantly, several figures darted over, their vital auras all remarkably powerful—each one a High Immortal or High Deity.

"Master," the High Immortal and High Deity servants bowed respectfully, their eyes filled with fervent admiration.

They were all well aware of their master's immense power. As servants, they worshipped Wu Yuan from the depths of their hearts.

"Mm." Wu Yuan's gaze swept over the group of servants. "Where is High Immortal Cen Jiang?"

"The High Immortal has gone to the Origin Eldritch Continent," a golden-robed servant immediately replied. "The Heaven and Earth Tournament is about to begin. High Immortal Cen Jiang went to draw lots on your behalf since you hadn't arrived, Master."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly. The First Origin Eldritch Field had the most members among the five Origin Eldritch Fields, and its Heaven and Earth Tournament was the most grand in scale.

Most members of the First Origin Eldritch Field were out exploring, and their true selves weren't even in the Origin Eldritch Field. Thus, the rules were quite complex.

"Has anything happened in the void continent recently?" Wu Yuan asked.

"Nothing major," another servant replied.

"Good. I'll head to the Origin Eldritch Continent first," Wu Yuan said, turning to enter the teleportation array.

The servants bowed respectfully as they saw him off, only straightening once the teleportation array activated.

"Master's aura is so powerful!"

“The pressure he gives off is near the level of an Archeldritch."

"It's terrifying!"

"By my calculations, Master must be a Sixth Tribulation High Eldritch now." The servants discussed in hushed tones.

…

The Origin Eldritch Continent served as the central hub for tens of millions of High Immortals and High Eldritch beings from the First Origin Eldritch Field. Naturally, it was designed to accommodate their needs, with hundreds of teleportation arrays spread across its expanse. Ȓа𐌽Ȱ₿Êṧ

Powerhouses moved through the area in a constant flow. In addition to members of the Origin Eldritch Field, the continent was populated by numerous servants, spirit beasts under their command, and a myriad of administrative personnel managing its operations.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan flew out of a teleportation array. The intangible aura emanating from the emblem on his robe instantly alerted many High Immortals and High Eldritches in the area.

"An earth-tier member."

"It's Wu Yuan."

"It's him!"

"He rarely comes to the Origin Eldritch Continent, right? Rumor has it he's already been taken as a direct disciple by a great Sovereign." Many gazes turned towards the figure streaking through the void, their eyes filled with admiration.

Over the last ten thousand years, Wu Yuan had occasionally participated in the First Origin Eldritch Field's Heaven and Earth Tournaments, or sent his ether body to fight in the high-level Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield.

The minuscule fraction of his power he revealed was enough to shake the entire eldritch world, drawing the attention of countless powerhouses and making countless Origin Eldritch Field members look up to him in awe!

Presently, it was widely acknowledged that among the tens of millions of First Origin Eldritch Field members, Wu Yuan, who had cultivated for over ten thousand years, already possessed a terrifying combat power ranking in the top ten, estimated to rival that of fourth or fifth-stage Archimmortals.

East of the teleportation array, inside a temple.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Hmm?

A black-robed figure sitting in lotus position inside the temple suddenly opened his eyes, perceiving a scene millions of li away through the temple’s arrays.

Numerous details entered his mind.

Wu Yuan? Such a powerful soul aura...Could it be his true self?

A hint of surprise and delight flashed in the depths of the black-robed figure's eyes.

However, the scene vanished from the black-robed figure’s perception in an instant, and he betrayed no outward sign of emotion or anomaly.

As an eldritch army powerhouse on rotation for the First Origin Eldritch Field in the eldritch world, Astral Lord Xuan Tu was just an unremarkable figure among countless Astral Lords in the eldritch world.

Unbeknownst to all, long ago, when he was still a High Immortal and his mana body participated in the high-level Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield, his soul had been invaded by a powerhouse from the Voltari Temple, and he was subsequently soul-controlled.

There were numerous other eldritch world powerhouses like him who had been secretly controlled, becoming sleeper agents of the Voltari Temple within the Eldritch Court.

As the years passed, even the powerhouses of the Voltari Temple hadn't anticipated that Xuan Tu would make breakthrough after breakthrough during his time in the eldritch world, becoming an Archimmortal and even an Astral Lord.

Naturally, his status in the Voltari Temple skyrocketed, and under the Voltari Temple's instructions, he joined the eldritch army.

For over a hundred million years, the Voltari Temple had never given him a mission, at most having him pass on some intelligence, all in preparation for him to play a crucial role when the time came.

And precisely because his secret was so well hidden, the level of trust Astral Lord Xuan Tu received in the eldritch world also rose with time. Now, he even had the qualifications to stand guard in the First Origin Eldritch Field.

No need to rush. An ether body generally has a weaker soul aura. With such a powerful soul aura, it’s very likely to be Wu Yuan's true self.

Astral Lord Xuan Tu pondered silently.

But he has no need to send his true self to the Heaven and Earth Tournament. Could there be some other major matter... There's only a ten percent chance.

Is it worth exposing myself for a ten percent chance?

In the eldritch world, not too far from the Cang Feng Continent, was a vast realm where countless troops were stationed.

In an extremely high-level military camp, a series of halls floated, with Astral Lords residing in each one.

Inside one of the halls.

"I wish to cultivate in seclusion. Everyone withdraw for now," a deep voice echoed from within the hall.

"Yes," the many servants and High Immortal and High Deity soldiers swiftly departed.

Only the black-robed figure at the far end of the temple remained. He was none other than Astral Lord Xuan Tu's true self.

As a core soldier of the eldritch army, who could even lead large numbers of Archimmortals and Archeldritches into battle at crucial moments, his true self was not permitted to leave the military camp when his mana body went out to carry out important missions.

This was to prevent traitors from escaping.

"Master." Astral Lord Xuan Tu closed his eyes, soul light flickering deep within his brow.

He didn't dare let his mana body in the First Origin Eldritch Field make contact with the Immortal Court, for the Sovereigns might sense it.

The military camp maintained a high level of alertness, but it was not as stringent as the security measures implemented in the First Origin Eldritch Field.

At least, over the long years, Astral Lord Xuan Tu’s occasional communications with the Voltari Temple had never been exposed.

…

Within the territory of the Cang Feng Eldritch World was a seemingly tranquil expanse of outer space, far from any immortal continent or mainland.

Deep within this region of outer space, a vast world had been created, encased and shrouded by invisible arrays to prevent any aura from leaking out.

At the core of this world stood a sprawling hall complex. Within these halls lived numerous Archimmortals and Archdeities, each with remarkable auras.

The deeper one went into the complex, the more powerhouses appeared. At a glance, the Archimmortals and Archdeities in this entire world appeared to number over ten thousand.

As for High Immortals and High Deities? They were spread throughout the world, numbering in the tens of millions.

Inside one of the temples.

Whoosh~

Countless black rays of light coalesced, forming a black-robed figure, though his features were blurred and indistinct.

"Master," the black-robed figure bowed respectfully.

Inside the temple, many Archimmortals and Archdeities were busy working.

"Agent 057328, what urgent matter has led you to contact us?" On the high throne in the temple sat a golden-robed figure.

"Master, I’ve just encountered Wu Yuan who is number one on the assassination list in the First Origin Eldritch Field." The black-robed figure said respectfully, "The Heaven and Earth Tournament is about to begin, he should be there to draw lots.

This isn't important. The key is, I sensed that it was most likely his true self."

"Wu Yuan? His true self?" The previously calm golden-robed figure stood up, his eyes flashing. "Is this true?"

Even the many Archimmortals and Archdeities in the temple stopped their work and looked towards the black-robed figure.

Wu Yuan!

Ever since Wu Yuan revealed his strength in the First Origin Eldritch Field's Heaven and Earth Tournament ten thousand years ago, he had surpassed Jiang Huan on the Voltari Temple intelligence bureau's assassination list, ranking number one.

Wu Yuan's subsequent performances further eliminated any dispute within the Voltari Temple. It was unanimously recognized that Wu Yuan's talent was unparalleled, truly the number one of his generation in the eldritch world.

In the future, it was almost certain he would become an Astral Monarch, perhaps even a late-stage Astral Monarch powerhouse.

Such a genius posed a great threat to the Voltari Temple. Naturally, the Voltari Temple made arrangements in secret, attempting to assassinate Wu Yuan and eliminate him.

However, Wu Yuan's true self had remained Summerpeak all this time, never revealing itself. Even when his ether body occasionally appeared on the high-level Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield, they only managed to catch fleeting glimpses, leaving the Voltari Temple unable to trace his whereabouts. Without a clear trail, they couldn't even lay a trap if they wanted to.

Moreover, even if they set a deadly trap, destroying the ether body would be futile. They had to eliminate the true self to succeed.

"His true self has appeared?" The golden-robed figure stood, gazing down at the black-robed silhouette. "Six thousand years ago, we dispatched three Astral Lord-level agents to launch an attack on the outskirts of Summerpeak World, probing its defenses. They couldn't even breach the defense array.

Those three agents perished without even glimpsing Wu Yuan's true self. To this day, we haven't located his true self. Are you certain of success?" the golden-robed figure inquired.

Astral Lord-level agents were precious. Having already lost three on Wu Yuan, he was reluctant to sacrifice more.

"I am not certain. By logical deduction, his true self shouldn't appear, yet the aura he emanates doesn't resemble that of an ether body," the black-robed figure replied respectfully. "I estimate only a ten percent chance of success."

A mere ten percent.

The hall fell into silence.

The odds were dismally low.

Time trickled by.

"Master, we must decide quickly. He won't remain on the Origin Eldritch Continent for long," the black-robed figure urged. "Once he departs this time, who knows when we'll encounter him again."

"Very well. Go forth!

For the glory of our Immortal Court, use every means at your disposal to slay Wu Yuan," the golden-robed figure commanded, his voice resonating through the hall. "Even if you fall, your animus will ascend to the Immortal Domain, spared from the cycle of reincarnation. After endless eons, you shall be resurrected by the eternal Heavenly Imperator."

"For the glory of the Immortal Court." The black-robed figure bowed reverently, a glint of fanaticism flashing in his obscured eyes.

Being soul-controlled, he had long since wholeheartedly believed himself a member of the Immortal Court, viewing the Eldritch Court as mortal enemies.

Such was the tragedy of soul-control. Once controlled, escape was nearly impossible. Thus, countless powerhouses would rather truly die than be enslaved and controlled.