Chapter 978: The Fallen Supreme

In the depths of the Well of Life, within the Creation Dao Realm.

For over a thousand years, Wu Yuan's body refiner self advanced through the Abyss Region, steered by the guidance of the black pagoda.

Due to the chaos of spacetime, it was impossible to calculate exactly how far he had traveled. It was an astonishing distance he had covered purely through flight.

The black pagoda’s guidance ensures I won’t be completely lost. However, returning in the future will be incredibly troublesome.

Wu Yuan mused, straining to survey the depths below.

He was withstanding the relentless pull of an unimaginably terrifying force that consistently attempted to drag him to the depths of the Abyss Region.

In the early stages of Wu Yuan's journey, this suction force had steadily grown stronger, leaving him deeply unsettled. He feared that if it continued to intensify, it would eventually surpass his ability to resist. Fortunately, around seven hundred years ago, the force had reached a peak and tapered out.

If Sovereign Feng Huang were here, he would be torn apart by this force given enough time.

Wu Yuan thought. Without the Azure Origin Armor, he too would struggle to escape this force.

Light?

Wu Yuan peered downward, faintly glimpsing some luminescence. He could vaguely feel his perception growing clearer—a sign that he was approaching his destination.

Yet Wu Yuan remained extremely vigilant. During his thousand-year exploration of the Abyss Region, he had encountered dozens of dangerous situations, with nearly ten of them being life-threatening.

The most perilous instance was when he was trapped in a deadly snare, and his true self couldn't break free despite relying on the Azure Origin Armor. It had forced Wu Yuan to destroy his ether body, gambling on a slim chance of survival. In the end, he barely managed to break free. At that time, he had almost lost the Black Rock Saber.

Indeed, Wu Yuan currently only had his body refiner self left. Although Wu Yuan had prepared multiple Immortal Life Pills before embarking on this expedition, and had immediately begun creating a new ether body once the previous one fell, it would still take millions of years to nurture a new one.

The loss of his ether body made Wu Yuan increasingly cautious. This was a life-or-death venture; no matter how strong one's providence or how peerless one's talent, death was always a possibility.

Of course, trials and opportunities went hand in hand. The essence stone he had acquired alone throughout his journey thus far was comparable in value to four or five high-grade Dao Instruments.

The destination seems to be the source of that light.

Wu Yuan thought to himself. After observing for a moment, he sensed no other dangers.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan approached slowly.

As time passed and Wu Yuan drew nearer, the light became increasingly apparent. It appeared rather eerie in the endless darkness of the Abyss Region.

Logically, in a place of darkness where no matter obstructed one’s vision, light should travel very far. But within the Abyss Region, spacetime was distorted. Strange rays of light radiated in all directions, yet remained confined to a specific area.

Hmm?

A hint of surprise flashed in Wu Yuan's eyes as he felt the force acting upon him weaken rapidly.

The spatial suppression he experienced was also subtly diminishing, though his perception still couldn't extend too far from his body.

Could it be that the light marks the bottom of the Abyss Region?

With this thought in mind, Wu Yuan continued to approach.

After advancing for a long while, Wu Yuan suddenly halted, stunned.

Previously, with his perception suppressed, he could only vaguely see the light growing brighter. But as he drew closer to the radiance, the pressure upon him weakened more and more, allowing his perception to expand to a wider range. He finally saw the source of those rays of light.

This!

A tsunami of shock crashed through Wu Yuan's heart, his expression betraying his sheer disbelief.

Below him, a humanoid figure lay horizontal. Its height, no, more accurately its length, definitely exceeded one light-year.

It lay there silently, emanating an endless, ancient aura, as if it had been slumbering for trillions of years, yet also as if it had merely closed its eyes for a brief rest. Wu Yuan could only vaguely make out its general shape, unable to discern specific details.

The light was emitted from the azure armor covering its body.

This humanoid figure of unimaginably vast proportions appeared before Wu Yuan's vision, shattering his understanding of reality.

This? It should be a lifeform.

Wu Yuan muttered, finally regaining his composure after a long daze.

With a bit of discernment, Wu Yuan could confirm that this enormous body, over a light-year in length, was indeed a lifeform! The faint will within its massive form was unmistakable.

It looks new and pristine. Its will is boundless, its Dao resonance eternal.

Wu Yuan silently observed.

It's eternal! Definitely an eternal being.

A height of one light-year? It was inconceivable.

Wu Yuan, a Matter Sovereign, could easily grow to hundreds of millions or billions of kilometers if he wished, but as one’s body grew beyond a certain point, it would only hinder combat. Physical size was meaningless in battle. Moreover, maintaining a large physical form consumed an astonishing amount of ether.

Even a body refiner Overlord, exerting all their power, can grow to tens of billions of li in height at most.

Wu Yuan estimated mentally.

For Sovereigns and Overlords, employing large-scale arrays and arcane arts spanning several light-years wasn’t difficult. But a body one light-year tall? The mere thought made Wu Yuan shiver. Only an eternal being could achieve this.

Is it dead?

Wu Yuan silently observed this colossal humanoid form.

Though his perception was hazy, Wu Yuan could roughly determine that its appearance was not much different from a human. The only notable feature was a massive golden pattern on its forehead, seemingly a closed divine eye.

Three eyes? Wu Yuan couldn't be certain, he could only guess.

As for the azure armor it wore, it was incredibly ancient, its surface inscribed with countless enormous, mysterious Dao patterns. It seemed to be an ultimate treasure, yet also appeared to be integrated as one with its body.

I can only vaguely sense the will emanating from this enormous body, but there's not a trace of vital aura.

Wu Yuan pondered.

Wu Yuan dared not be entirely certain. He knew very little about eternal beings. In the intelligence archives of various Saintdoms, information about them was largely restricted. The gap between sempiternal and eternal beings far exceeded that between mortal and sempiternal lifeforms.

There are numerous records of mortal lifeforms slaying sempiternal beings over the course of endless ages.

Wu Yuan mused.

But throughout the numerous samsara cycles of heaven and earth, instances of sempiternal lifeforms slaying eternal beings are likely extremely rare.

Perhaps the Heavenly Imperator is the only one who accomplished it.

It was precisely because of this difficulty that the tale was called an immortal legend by Overlord Hou Jue, still celebrated and passed down by many sempiternal lives through numerous samsara cycles of heaven and earth.

However, if this eternal being is dead, why is his corpse here? Why can't I see any trace of injury? Is it related to the Creation Dao Master?

Wu Yuan had many questions in his mind.

Could it be that even after countless samsara cycles of heaven and earth, no powerhouses from other factions have discovered this body?

At least, with Wu Yuan's access level in the intelligence archives of the Eldritch Court, there was no mention of an eternal being's corpse in the Well of Life.

There were both advantages and disadvantages.

The downside was that without predecessors having explored the body, there was no precedent, making it difficult to avoid risks. The benefit was that a fallen eternal being might have left behind a great treasure trove.

Most of the Xiantian artifacts obtained by sempiternal lifeforms are bestowed by eternal beings, which suggests that most eternal beings possess more than one Xiantian artifact.

Wu Yuan thought to himself.

To obtain all the treasures one of them left behind?

The mere thought made Wu Yuan somewhat excited. Not to mention, the armor covering this enormous humanoid figure seemed to be an inconceivably powerful ultimate treasure in itself.

Most importantly, the black pagoda’s target.

Wu Yuan silently observed.

It seems to be inside this azure-armored humanoid figure.

Wu Yuan's gaze shifted, finally settling on the leftmost part of the humanoid figure—its head!

The black pagoda’s target is within the head.

Wu Yuan was now certain of this.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan took a step through the void and began circling this enormous humanoid figure, spending a long time observing it, but unable to find any other passage to enter the humanoid figure's body.

At the same time, Wu Yuan fully confirmed that as long as he approached the humanoid figure, the suction force from the Abyss Region below would continually weaken. Once he moved away, the suction force would steadily increase again.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan finally landed on the chest of the humanoid figure, which was like an inconceivably vast metallic continent.

A continent stretching trillions of li.

Wu Yuan mused, observing the enormous 'ravine' before him.

The entire metallic continent was incredibly smooth. No matter how closely Wu Yuan examined it, most areas appeared perfectly flat, without the slightest protrusion. Only those slightly conspicuous ravines and mountain ranges stood out.

In reality, the so-called ravines and mountain ranges were merely Dao patterns inscribed on the surface of the humanoid figure's battle armor. They were vast and magnificent, with boundless power!

Even with its aura completely suppressed, Wu Yuan could still feel the immense power contained within the battle armor as he drew closer.

Claim ownership?

Wu Yuan hesitated briefly before landing on the metallic continent, attempting to infuse his ether and Yuan Soul to claim ownership, but there was no response. He couldn't even discern if it was an artifact at all.

No other paths left.

Wu Yuan remained cautious. Something here had caused an eternal being to perish. One could never be too careful in such circumstances.

Let's go.

Wu Yuan took flight, moving from the chest to the humanoid figure’s head.

Its head was impossibly vast, spanning nearly a trillion li. Its lips were tightly sealed, with only the nostrils and ears offering any openings.

Should I enter the head?

Wu Yuan observed the four passages into the skull. He also felt the faint vibration of the black pagoda within him.

If his ether body still existed, Wu Yuan would have unhesitatingly sent it in. But now, with the ether body gone, only his true self remained.

The Creation Dao Realm's environment is extremely hostile even to Overlords. Ordinary Overlords, wandering aimlessly in the Abyss Region, could never reach this place.

Wu Yuan mused silently.

I have many secrets that cannot be exposed. Even if I returned immediately to request help, finding my way back would be extremely difficult without the black pagoda's guidance.

Wu Yuan considered many possibilities. Unless he sought aid from a supreme being, he had no better options available.

An ether body? It would take a million years to cultivate a new one, and Wu Yuan didn't have that kind of time to spare.

According to the black pagoda's original message, he should enter within a hundred thousand years. Now, less than twenty thousand remained.

I'll make the gamble. Having come this far, I can’t turn back now.

A glint of determination flashed in Wu Yuan's eyes.

Perhaps a great opportunity awaits me.

After thoroughly inspecting his various treasures once more and adjusting his condition, Wu Yuan entered through the humanoid figure's left ear.

Though called an ear canal, its diameter spanned billions of li.

Simultaneously, he had also tested the figure’s skin earlier, finding it utterly impenetrable. His battle saber couldn't leave even the slightest mark.

Even the skin is this resilient? It far surpasses high-grade Dao Instruments.

Wu Yuan's astonishment grew.

He had a feeling that this eternal being was inconceivably powerful, far stronger than any records had described.

This fallen eternal being must have been extraordinary even among eternal lifeforms. Otherwise, if any random Eternal was this formidable, how could Overlords ever hope to slay one?

This thought flashed through Wu Yuan's mind.

His true self's combat power rivaled an eighth-stage Sovereign, not far from the Overlord level. No matter how big the power gap, it shouldn't be this vast.

A fork in the road?

As Wu Yuan journeyed deeper into the humanoid figure's body, he found himself traversing enormous passageways. He encountered no dangers, only an astonishing number of branching paths, more than he could count.

Fortunately, Wu Yuan could easily discern which path to take among the many branches by following the black pagoda's guidance.

Time passed.

So many branching paths? I must have flown nearly half a light-year by now.

As Wu Yuan continued through the maze of passages, his confidence waned.

Though Wu Yuan seemed to make constant progress, he didn’t appear to be getting much closer to his target. He could only press on.

...

Wu Yuan continued his journey through the endless branching paths.

Meanwhile, deep within the humanoid figure lay a special region spanning over ten billion li. It was shrouded in incredibly dense blood mist, resembling a vast sea of blood.

Gurgle! Gurgle!

Suddenly, the sea of blood, dormant for countless eons, began to churn.

Then, great quantities of blood mist gathered, rose, and coalesced, ultimately forming towering figures that stood ten thousand zhangs tall. They wore blood-red armor and wielded twin blood-red sabers in their hands, resembling imposing blood-armored warriors. These warriors all had their eyes tightly shut, as if in deep slumber.

Whoosh!

In the next instant, six blood-armored figures abruptly opened their eyes, their gazes cold and filled with boundless bloodlust.

"An outsider."

"Disturbing the Dao Master's peace."

"Kill without mercy."

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Waves of powerful, strange energy emanated from the vast sea of blood, while a hazy radiance descended upon the six blood-armored warriors, strengthening their auras even further.

After a long while, the will-energy finally dissipated, but the six blood-armored warriors now exuded extremely powerful auras. Their bodies, armor, and sabers were faintly covered with a trace of eternal Dao resonance.

"Kill!" One of the blood-armored warriors suddenly uttered in a strange tone.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The six blood-armored warriors instantly transformed into six strange streams of light, rushing into different passages.

They seemed to know Wu Yuan's location, swiftly converging on his position.

...

Where exactly is the target?

Wu Yuan continued to navigate the branching paths, remaining vigilant.

The walls emitted a faint, hazy glow, illuminating the passage.

Hm?

Wu Yuan suddenly turned his head, sensing something from the direction he'd come.

Tens of billions of li away was a towering blood-armored giant, ten thousand zhangs tall, charging towards him at an alarming speed down the winding passage.

Its gaze, battle saber, and the powerful aura it emitted all caused Wu Yuan's expression to change.

A living being? Is it an astral beast? It feels similar to an astral beast, yet its aura is akin to an Overlord's?

Wu Yuan's expression changed drastically.

How could there be astral beasts inside this dead eternal being's body? An Overlord-level astral beast?

There were no answers to be found.

Flee!

Wu Yuan dared not verify whether it was truly an Overlord-level astral beast.

Boom!

He transformed into a dazzling streak of light, frantically fleeing down the passage.