Chapter 925: I'll Shelter You from Wind and Rain

"As for Lie Jin, you've also broken into the top ten, earning the right to an audience with the Eldritch Progenitors," Great Eldritch Kua Fu glanced at the strikingly handsome Lie Jin who stood nearby.

Lie Jin, having broken into the top ten of the Megaverse Crossroads, would be considered the most dazzling genius in any other Saintdom. Only in the Eldritch Court was his brilliance completely overshadowed by Wu Yuan and Zhu Shan.

"Understood," Lie Jin responded respectfully.

"Very well, you may all disperse now. The Overlords from your respective Saintdom branches await you outside the hall to escort you directly back to your home universes," Great Eldritch Kua Fu addressed the other dozens of geniuses.

"Yes," the dozens of geniuses in the hall responded respectfully, their minds already wandering to visions of the future.

Whoosh!

Great Eldritch Kua Fu waved his hand, vanishing from the hall of elites along with Wu Yuan, Zhu Shan, and Lie Jin. The accompanying Overlords also departed in succession.

"Let's go."

"It's over."

"My gains from the Megaverse Crossroads were immense. Haha! It even helped me break into the ranks of Supreme Geniuses. When I return, I'll be ready to break through to become a Sovereign."

"Same here. Remaining at the High Eldritch phase holds little meaning now."

"I'm also very close to breaking through. With a bit more effort, I should be able to advance my Dao comprehension to the Sovereign level within a million years." Only now did this group of top geniuses from the Eldritch Court relax and converse freely with each other. Earlier, with several Overlords present, they couldn't speak so openly.

Before coming to the Eldritch Court Universe, they had all been the core, elite talents of their respective branch Saintdoms, and were unacquainted with one another when they first arrived. Now, many of these Eldritch Court prodigies had come to know each other, even forging deep friendships.

The Eldritch Court was vast. Though united under one banner, they were divided into numerous factions, and there were still varying levels of closeness and familiarity between members. As members of the same Megaverse Crossroads cohort, they naturally shared a closer bond.

"Wu Yuan and Zhu Shan will most likely become Overlords in the future."

"Indeed, but if we become Sovereigns and work hard, we too have a chance at becoming Overlords."

"There's hope."

"Let's strive together." These peerless geniuses naturally understood the immense difficulty of advancing from Sovereign to Overlord—a feat achieved by less than one in a thousand. But at this moment, in the prime of their youth, they couldn't help but feel a surge of ambition!

"Farewell."

"Until we meet again in future adventures through the megaverse."

"Goodbye." The group of peerless geniuses from the Eldritch Court swiftly dispersed.

After this parting, reuniting would not be easy. The megaverse was endless, vast and boundless. Sovereigns mostly lived within their own universes, and traversing between different universes remained extremely challenging for them.

...

As the other peerless geniuses departed, Wu Yuan, Zhu Shan, and Lie Jin followed Great Eldritch Kua Fu. Space warped layer by layer around them.

Before he realized it, Wu Yuan had lost sight of the other two. Only Great Eldritch Kua Fu remained before him.

"Hm? Where are Zhu Shan and Lie Jin?" Wu Yuan asked, startled as he belatedly noticed their absence.

"Pay it no mind. Zhu Shan and Lie Jin are native lifeforms of the Eldritch Court Universe, each subordinate to different Eldritch Progenitors. Naturally, they've gone to pay respects to their respective Eldritch Progenitors," Great Eldritch Kua Fu explained with a smile. "By rights, since you're from the Ling Jiang Universe, you should go pay respects to Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang."

"Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang?" Wu Yuan was slightly taken aback.

"Yes." Great Eldritch Kua Fu nodded and continued, "The twelve Saintdoms of the Ling Jiang Universe dare call themselves Saintdoms and remain indestructible before the end of the samsara cycle precisely because they each have supreme beings presiding over them.

"The Ling Jiang Saintdom of the Eldritch Court is naturally ruled by a supreme being - Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang," Great Eldritch Kua Fu explained. "Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang attained the status of Eldritch Progenitor in the previous samsara cycle of heaven and earth, possessing tremendous power."

Wu Yuan silently committed this information to memory. He had been unaware of these details before.

"Haha, I shouldn't be telling you so much, considering you're still just a mortal lifeform. But with your talent, you'll soon become a Sovereign," Great Eldritch Kua Fu said with a smile. "Moreover, I can sense that while you appear to be a mortal lifeform, your vital aura seems to rival that of an Astral Monarch. Have you walked the path of matter? You're essentially a sempiternal lifeform already, aren't you?"

"This?" Wu Yuan's pupils constricted slightly. Great Eldritch Kua Fu knew?

"When universe-born lifeforms grow from weak to strong, they almost always walk the path of Laws. Otherwise, they simply can't develop to maturity," Great Eldritch Kua Fu chuckled. "But among those cosmic sea-born lifeforms, many walk the path of matter... It's a completely different road. Haha, I won't say more. When you grow powerful in the future, you'll understand naturally."

"Yes." Wu Yuan nodded, inwardly startled.

It seemed that in the vast megaverse, there were quite a few lifeforms walking the path of matter—not as rare as he had imagined. At the very least, Great Eldritch Kua Fu, widely acknowledged as one who stood at the pinnacle of sempiternal lifeforms, knew quite a bit about it.

Indeed, the workings of heaven and earth and the endless megaverse hold countless secrets.

Wu Yuan mused silently.

In the past, I thought I was dazzling, able to access many secrets, but I was merely limited to the perspectives of so-called geniuses.

Geniuses were, after all, just geniuses—recipients of training from higher echelons. Only by becoming a true powerhouse would one qualify to access the many secrets of the boundless megaverse, and even great opportunities.

"I'm not sure if Eldritch Progenitor Luan Jiang will summon you. You'll naturally know when you return with Overlord Hou Jue later," Great Eldritch Kua Fu suddenly spoke gravely. "We're almost there. I’d better tell you, the one who wishes to see you this time is truly a top existence of our eldritch race."

"A top existence?" Wu Yuan's pupils contracted, his mind already forming a guess. Unable to resist, he asked, "Great Eldritch, may I inquire who it is?"

"Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu." Great Eldritch Kua Fu uttered four words.

Even though Wu Yuan had guessed it, his heart still surged with waves of shock at the confirmation.

It was indeed her! Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, the supreme being who had provided crucial aid on his path to prominence. She wanted to see him? Wu Yuan felt instinctively nervous.

"What's wrong? Nervous?" Great Eldritch Kua Fu smiled.

Wu Yuan couldn't help but nod.

"It's normal to be nervous. After all, that's Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, the greatest Eldritch Progenitor of our Eldritch Court, and even in the vast megaverse, one of the top eternal lifeforms," Great Eldritch Kua Fu said solemnly. "You should be well aware that there are quite a few supreme beings in our Eldritch Court."

Wu Yuan nodded in agreement.

A bit of deduction made it clear. The Ling Jiang Saintdom of the Eldritch Court alone had a supreme being presiding over it. The Eldritch Court spanned thirty-five universes and also occupied the entire Eldritch Court Universe. While becoming a supreme being was difficult, over the long ages and repeated samsara cycles of heaven and earth, the mighty Eldritch Court would naturally produce supreme beings from time to time.

"For other Saintdoms, losing one or two supreme beings would basically spell their doom. Supreme eternal lifeforms are the foundation of a Saintdom," Great Eldritch Kua Fu continued. "But our Eldritch Court is different. Even if we lost not just one or two supreme beings, but ten, the Eldritch Court would still stand tall in the boundless megaverse, maintaining its status as one of the greatest factions."

Wu Yuan listened in breathless awe. The Eldritch Court was truly formidable.

"The root lies with Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and several other extremely powerful Eldritch Progenitors," Great Eldritch Kua Fu's eyes filled with reverence. "As far as I know, Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang were born in the most ancient primordial era. They joined forces and rose to the pinnacle together.

“In subsequent samsara cycles of heaven and earth, they guided the younger generations of the eldritch race. That's how our Eldritch Court gradually produced more supreme beings.

“Among these later generations, some extraordinary beings emerged, but Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang have always stood at the absolute pinnacle, serving as the pillars that hold up the sky for our Eldritch Court. These two are also hailed as the progenitors of all eldritches," Great Eldritch Kua Fu said.

Progenitors of all eldritches? Wu Yuan nodded slightly, his heart filled with indescribable awe. Clearly, even among supreme beings, there were distinctions of strength, with Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu and Eldritch Progenitor Di Jiang standing at the absolute peak. They were the leaders of the entire Eldritch Court.

"Supreme beings all possess extremely powerful self-preservation abilities. Their every thought resonates through reality, and they exist eternally with their imprints etched into the river of space and time," Great Eldritch Kua Fu sighed. "Even if they were to supposedly perish, as long as this samsara cycle of heaven and earth hasn’t ended, they have hope of reviving through their imprints."

"Oh?" A flash of shock passed through Wu Yuan's eyes.

So that was it. This was the truth behind why supreme beings were so difficult to kill—their aura imprints existed alongside the river of space and time?

"Therefore, supreme beings do battle each other, but it's extremely difficult for them to truly perish," Great Eldritch Kua Fu smiled. "From what I know, it usually takes a group of supreme beings working together, laying extensive plans, to have any hope of killing another supreme being.

“And even when killed, they often can't completely erase all traces, leaving the possibility of resurrection."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

So-called eternal lifeforms still struggled against each other, and still faced the danger of perishing. He thought of the enmity he had formed with Saint Lei Xing. [1]

"However, Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu has, on more than one occasion, single-handedly slain other supreme beings. And once slain, they were completely obliterated," Great Eldritch Kua Fu said with a sigh. "Such a battle record, such combat prowess—this is what forged Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's reputation."

"That powerful?" Wu Yuan's mind trembled with shock.

In the past, he knew Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu was formidable, but he had never imagined her to be this overwhelmingly powerful.

Perhaps she's even more powerful than the Spacetime Dao Master.

A thought flashed through Wu Yuan's mind.

The Spacetime Dao Master was also an extremely ancient being, born in the primordial era. He was the first to fully master the Great Dao of Spacetime.

"Wu Yuan, we've arrived," Great Eldritch Kua Fu suddenly announced, halting his steps.

Wu Yuan also stopped. The Spacetime Intersection Layer, with its chaotic temporal flows and spatial fluctuations, subtly stabilized. In the void not far ahead, a faintly discernible realm of darkness and emptiness could be seen.

"This?" Wu Yuan was taken aback.

"The true body of an Eldritch Progenitor is incomparably majestic and invincible. It cannot descend into the interior of a universe—the entire universe couldn't withstand the operation of her power," Great Eldritch Kua Fu said softly. "This place holds an imprint of her consciousness. By touching the imprint, you can communicate with Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

He couldn't help but recall similar words spoken by Overlord Xin Ya when he previously met True Saint Taiyuan. Their true bodies of Supreme beings rarely descended.

Whoosh!

Without much hesitation, Wu Yuan flew into that void, his form becoming blurry, as if he had entered a realm beyond endless Spacetime.

"How peculiar," Great Eldritch Kua Fu muttered to himself. "Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu personally summoned a Saintcrest Prodigy?"

Perhaps, in the eyes of countless Sovereigns of the Eldritch Court, Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu was merely one of the stronger Eldritch Progenitors. Only those at his level truly understood Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's immense power.

The information he had just shared with Wu Yuan was already beyond the knowledge of countless Sovereigns. After all, ordinary Sovereigns had no qualifications to touch upon Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's level.

It wasn't that Saintcrest Prodigies weren't incredible enough. Rather, through countless samsara cycles of heaven and earth, Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu had witnessed the emergence of far too many Saintcrest Prodigies.

...

As Wu Yuan's body entered that seemingly tranquil void, a vast and mighty force instantly descended and enveloped his form.

In that moment, Wu Yuan felt as if he had traversed countless layers of spacetime, crossing an inconceivably vast distance. Even the connection between his two true selves became somewhat blurred.

In an instant, Wu Yuan felt his body and consciousness arrive in an incomprehensibly vast and distant realm.

This was a boundless void. In the void, crystalline spheres gathered and flowed like a mighty river, with streams of qi coursing over their surfaces.

Upon closer inspection, one would be shocked to discover each of these countless droplet-like crystalline spheres contained a vast world teeming with countless lives. The spheres, like droplets, merged and flowed across the entire void. The river was boundless, the void limitless.

Struggling, Wu Yuan raised his head, and finally saw clearly that the seemingly endless river of worlds encircled a towering figure.

She wore earthy-yellow robes with seven arms sprouting from her back. It was unmistakably the Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu often depicted in countless Eldritch Court murals.

Boom!

The instant Wu Yuan's gaze met hers, his perception changed drastically. His mind was filled only with the image of Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu.

His memories and understanding, his perception of heaven and earth, his sense of good and evil... all his past and present experiences were enveloped by Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's Dharma Body.

Everything warped, silently and imperceptibly, yet Wu Yuan instinctively felt it to be perfectly normal. This was undoubtedly a terrifying phenomenon.

Whoosh!

A faint yet crystal-clear ripple flashed by, instantly restoring Wu Yuan's perception to normal. Now, everything appeared as it once was. Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's towering figure, in Wu Yuan's eyes, now exuded only a vast sense of supremacy.

This? This!

Wu Yuan's heart surged with shock and awe. His perception had been twisted, his spirit altered. What a heaven-defying power this was! And all because he had merely gazed upon the Eldritch Progenitor's Dharma Body for a moment?

Instantly, Wu Yuan recalled a certain scene from long ago. When he received his heavenly endowed eldritch tattoos, his consciousness seemed to have visited this place as well.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan raised his head once more, meeting the gaze of the towering Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu. Her eyes were compassionate, all-encompassing, and she appeared to look at Wu Yuan while simultaneously surveying the countless hospitable worlds in the river of worlds... The progenitor of all Eldritch beings.

"Wu Yuan." A gentle voice suddenly resonated from the depths of Wu Yuan's spirit, echoing through every consciousness, irresistible.

"Wu Yuan pays respects to the Eldritch Progenitor," Wu Yuan bowed respectfully.

"You originate from the Primordium, from the choice of the Ancestral Pagoda," the gentle voice resounded again. "However, it can only determine your beginning, not your future.

“You are exceptional. I look forward to your growth.

“You have claimed a Saintcrest in this Megaverse Crossroads, and a first-grade Saintcrest at that," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu continued.

Wu Yuan was instantly startled. How did Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu know this?

"What I wish to know, I know," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu seemed to perceive Wu Yuan's thoughts. "You need only remember one thing: I shall shield you from the wind and rain of those at the supreme level and above.

“Display your brilliance freely, do not worry about the Immortal Court. The conflicts of supreme beings will not affect you, this is the rule," the gentle voice slowly continued, like a mother's reassurance. "A rule I have set." Her voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable authority.

Wu Yuan listened quietly, his spirit instinctively enveloped in a feeling of warmth.

"However, I will not interfere in the conflicts between sempiternal lifeforms. The final step, the essential transformation from sempiternal life to eternal life, will still depend on your own efforts," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's voice remained steady.

"Thank you, Eldritch Progenitor," Wu Yuan said respectfully.

"You have proven yourself worthy of meeting me. Very good," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu looked down upon him. Before her towering figure, Wu Yuan was but a speck of dust.

"This is my gift to you."

Whoosh~

Countless beams of light converged in the river of worlds, finally coalescing into a dazzling orb of light that flew directly before Wu Yuan.

Before Wu Yuan could reach out to receive it, the orb of light silently entered his internal shambhala.

"The next time we meet will be when you achieve eternity," Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's voice grew ethereal. "Do not disappoint me."

Hum~

An invisible force enveloped Wu Yuan, and he felt himself rapidly leaving this boundless void.

1. Thunder Saint ☜