Chapter 958: Behind The Stone Door (1)

To advance from the third to fourth-level of Creation Dao Field in just over ten thousand years—there are probably only a handful in the entire history of the megaverse who have achieved such a feat.

Wu Yuan thought with a faint smile.

Cultivating a Great Dao was inherently arduous. Upon reaching the Dao Field stage, each step forward was exponentially more challenging. Ultimately, when breaking through to the eighth-level, ninth-level, and fully comprehending the Great Dao, each step forward would be ten times more difficult than all previous steps combined. It required not just time, but also sufficient talent, opportunities, and—luck.

Yes, luck.

After returning from the Megaverse Crossroads and cultivating for twenty thousand years, my qi refiner self is still at the fourth-level of Spacetime Dao Field.

Wu Yuan mused.

My body refiner self was able to break through so quickly due to numerous factors: first, possessing a Great Dao Body, second, accumulating insights from over a thousand Sovereign and Overlord techniques, third, guidance from the Creation Dao Master's stele, fourth, drawing insights from both the paths of Laws and matter.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

And finally, a little bit of luck.

If his luck had been slightly worse, and he failed to seize that fleeting moment of inspiration to break through, Wu Yuan estimated he would likely have been stuck at the upper limit of the third-level Dao Field stage of Creation for a long time.

In truth, the key to his qi refiner self’s astonishing progress lay in his last thousand years spent at the Megaverse Crossroads.

That period was equivalent to tens of thousands of years of standard cultivation.

Wu Yuan mused.

The challenge of overcoming bottlenecks was reduced by more than ten times. My cultivation efficiency was leagues beyond what I achieved in over ten thousand years on this burial mountain.

Consider Zhu Shan. Although his talent nearly matched Wu Yuan's and he too encountered numerous opportunities, he found himself stuck at the limit of the third-level Dao Field stage of the Five Elements Dao for nearly a hundred thousand years. Only during the Megaverse Crossroads did he advance.

Wu Yuan turned his gaze to the second and third Dao Master steles after sheathing his saber. However, a mere glance was enough to make him abandon any effort to comprehend them. They were simply too profound!

Ten thousand years ago, after studying over a thousand Overlord and Sovereign techniques, Wu Yuan had examined all three Dao Master steles, promptly setting aside the second and third to focus on the first.

The second and third steles likely hold the full profundities of the Great Dao of Creation.

He muttered, feeling a slight mental strain from just a brief scan.

These steles are probably meant for Sovereigns. Only someone at the seventh-level Dao Field stage could barely decipher them. Attempting them without that level of cultivation might prove detrimental.

Indeed, the latter two Dao Master steles were treasures of immeasurable value. Overlords comprehending the Creation Great Dao would be elated to study them, dedicating millions of years to contemplation. But for Wu Yuan, such a level was still too distant.

Relying just on arduous cultivation without additional opportunities and references would mean spending several million years to see hope of reaching the seventh-level Dao Field stage.

Wu Yuan reflected.

And even then, I might just get stuck at the peak of the sixth level.

Wu Yuan had only been cultivating for a little over fifty thousand years. He couldn't afford to wait that long. Exploring the world outside might lead to greater opportunities in the same span of time.

This was why adventures were so appealing to many Sovereigns and Overlords; the risk of death could propel life's evolution, and the universe's mysteries might reveal unexpected fortunes.

Wu Yuan strode towards the distant mountain wall, heading directly for the small stone door.

Oh? After cultivating for over twenty thousand years and seemingly studying all the steles, this little fellow wants to try his hand?

In the distance, the green-robed woman who had been waiting all along perked up.

She revealed a playful smile.

Observing his saber techniques earlier, he seems to have made a breakthrough. But to move the stone door? I'm afraid he's still a bit short.

As the spirit of the burial mountain and a creation of the Dao Master, she was born with formidable strength and had incredibly keen perception in some aspects. However, she was too lazy to warn Wu Yuan.

To her, the more setbacks Wu Yuan encountered, the more entertainment she would have.

Standing at the foot of the small door that seemed cast from bronze, Wu Yuan placed both palms on the door. Then, as if exerting all his bodily strength, he suddenly erupted with power.

Hum~

The stone door trembled slightly, much like when Wu Yuan first attempted over twenty thousand years ago. But still, it would not budge.

Wu Yuan frowned slightly, then quickly regained his composure.

"Kid, I've told you already, it takes mid-stage Sovereign strength to push open this door. Your Dao comprehension level is decent, but you're merely at the Astral Monarch phase. Your foundation is not..." the green-robed woman began to tease.

But a moment later, the smile on her face froze, revealing a trace of disbelief: "How is this possible!"

In the distance, Wu Yuan's eyes gleamed with a hint of determination.

That was only the eruption of ether coupled with Laws—the eruption of my accumulation on the path of Laws. Now, ether, Laws and physical strength, erupt with full force for me.

That was right! When the stone door trembled slightly earlier, Wu Yuan hadn't used his physical strength at all, only wanting to test his abilities from the path of Laws.

Only now did Wu Yuan erupt in full.

In the last twenty thousand years, although Wu Yuan devoted the vast majority of his efforts to comprehending the Creation Great Dao, he hadn't completely neglected progress on the path of matter, constantly researching the ‘Primordial Doctrine’.

Progress was slow, but time held an incredible power. He had broken through the threshold of two thousand Primal Force Diagrams, restructuring his physical body to the limit of mid-stage Sempiternal life – quasi-Sovereign level.

In other words, a single punch from Wu Yuan's current physical body alone could rival a quasi-Sovereign’s attack.

Wu Yuan lowered his head slightly. His entire musculoskeletal system, muscles, blood, and ether all strained to their peak. The veins on his neck bulged out, and a hint of frenzy flashed through his eyes as he roared: "Open!"

He pushed forth with both palms, unleashing all his power!

Rumble~

The small stone door, sealed for who knew how many samsara cycles of heaven and earth, was finally slowly pushed open. As it opened inch by inch, droplets of blood seeped out from cracks all over Wu Yuan's body, a clear indication that he had reached his limit. Finally, the stone door revealed a gap wide enough for a person to pass through.

Thud~

Having exhausted his strength, Wu Yuan half-collapsed against the stone door, yet still gritted his teeth and refused to kneel.

A moment passed.

Exhaling, Wu Yuan finally straightened up, his vital aura quickly returning to normal. Though a hint of weariness could still be faintly seen, his eyes remained bright.

Just now, when he was pushing the door, Wu Yuan immediately felt as if something was frantically devouring his vital aura through his palms pressed against the door. He couldn't break free, only able to grit his teeth and give it his all. Fortunately, he ultimately succeeded.

Whoosh!

A green figure floated over, arriving before Wu Yuan.

"Senior." Wu Yuan was startled and quickly looked towards the green-robed woman. But he found the green-robed woman silent, looking at him with a curious and strangely complex expression.

"Senior?" Wu Yuan still tried asking: "I've pushed open the stone door. Is there still a problem?"

"There’s no problem! Now that you've opened the stone door, you can leave this place. At least, that was the rule established when the Dao Master created me," the green-robed woman shook her head. "I'm just curious about you. I thought that even if you managed to break free, it would take several million years at least... I didn't expect you to take just twenty thousand years.

“I underestimated you. At the very least, your potential should be greater than the Overlords and Sovereigns buried here," said the green-robed woman.

Wu Yuan nodded slightly, his gaze unconsciously drifting toward the distant forest.

Standing here, he couldn't see those graves, but Wu Yuan could visualize it. If he too ended up trapped at the Overlord level after millions of years, waiting for the samsara cycle of heaven and earth to end, he would likely end up the same way.

Overlord Xia Zhou was truly formidable—one could glimpse this from the ultimate technique he left behind. But so what?

Without reaching eternity, all is in vain.

Wu Yuan silently recited in his heart. An endless longing filled him.

I, Wu Yuan, must break free from the shackles of the river of space and time, and shatter the cycle of samsara.

The more he experienced, the more Wu Yuan yearned for it.

"Keep working hard. Perhaps in the future, you'll have the chance to reach the supreme level." The green-robed woman waved her hand, and a jade pendant-like storage artifact appeared in her palm. "You are the only living person I know. Since we were fated to meet, I'll give this thing to you. I can't use it anyway."

"This is?" Wu Yuan's heart pounded, but he maintained his composure.

"Don't play dumb with me." The green-robed woman snorted: "These are the artifacts left behind by those hundred-odd unfortunate souls previously. Do you want them? If not, I'll take them away."

"I want them! Of course I do!" Wu Yuan smiled and reached out to grab the jade pendant.

How could he not want free treasures? Artifacts left behind by over a hundred Sovereigns—and nine of them were true selves, likely carrying a large number of treasures.

However, due to the rules set by the Dao Master in this burial mountain, Wu Yuan's ether and Yuan Soul power couldn't leave his body, so he couldn't claim ownership. Therefore, Wu Yuan temporarily couldn't inspect them in detail.

"By the way, just a friendly reminder. Some things have been sitting inside for too long, so they aren't worth as much as you imagine," the green-robed woman said casually.

"Mm." Wu Yuan nodded.

With the passage of time, almost all things deteriorated, but with so many treasures, surely some things would be fine, right?

"Senior, won't you come in with me to take a look?" Wu Yuan pointed at the area behind the stone door.

It was pitch black, the contents difficult to glimpse with the naked eye.

"I cannot enter," the green-robed woman shook her head. "I can only remain on the burial mountain, and I sense that the space beyond the stone door no longer belongs to the mountain. Take care of yourself."

Not part of the burial mountain? Then where does it lead to?

Wu Yuan was slightly startled.

He pondered for a moment.

I'll send my ether body in first.

Wu Yuan focused his thoughts, and his ether body walked into the darkness beyond the stone door.

But immediately, Wu Yuan's expression changed: "No response?"

After entering, his ether body could only see a sea of darkness, if it had entered into nothingness. He could neither find a way forward nor a way back, trapped.

"This junior bids farewell," Wu Yuan gritted his teeth and bowed to the green-robed woman.

There was no choice! To gain freedom, he could only go through the stone door. His true self would have to make the attempt personally.

"Go then," the green-robed woman waved.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan's body refiner self took a step and darted into the darkness beyond the stone door.

“Before Xia Zhou and the others died, they all said that a great treasure trove of the Dao Master lies beyond the stone door.” The green-robed woman muttered to herself. "It's a pity there's no proof, and after so many samsara cycles of heaven and earth, who knows if the treasures are still there.

“Hopefully this little one will have some good luck."

Rumble~

As Wu Yuan's body refiner self flew through the stone door, the small door slowly closed behind him, as if waiting for the next peerless genius to push it open.