Yuan’s Ascension

The eldritch race army tore through the battlefield like an unstoppable force of nature. Among them, one towering figure stood out, engulfed in roaring flames. Each of his strikes seemed to rend the very fabric of the world.

It was a true catastrophe. Neither the intricate arrays of the immortal race nor the vast armies of High Immortals and Earth Immortals could hold back the onslaught of the eldritch race’s army.

Agonized cries filled the air as the immortal race suffered untold losses.

"Where are the Imperial Majesties?"

"Where are our three Imperial Majesties?"

"Where are our High Immortals? Why have they abandoned us? Will they let the eldritch army slaughter us all?" The immortal race screamed and cursed in anguish and fury as they faced their doom.

Many tried to flee, but the eldritch army’s advance was too swift. Even the immortal race's Immortal Warriors and Immortal Generals couldn’t reach the higher heavens in time.

"Kill!"

"The immortal race's main force has been routed. Eldritch Deity Hou Feng has slain seven High Immortals. The Earth Archeldritch tribe has achieved victory."

"With this war, we will obliterate the very foundation of the immortal race." The eldritch army surged forward like a tidal wave, their power unrelenting, crushing everything in their path.

Boom! The earth trembled as a High Immortal erupted in power, summoning countless artifacts to defend against the eldritch army.

This section of the world was his race's breeding ground, and he was the sole High Immortal. He refused to flee, rather dying than abandon his homeland. But his struggles were all in vain.

Boom! A colossal flaming palm blazed through the sky, spanning hundreds of thousands of li. Spirion artifacts in its path shattered like brittle glass, and the palm descended mercilessly upon the High Immortal.

With a look of horror, the High Immortal tried to flee, but the gigantic palm trapped him. The two forces collided violently in the air!

Thud! With a sickening sound, the High Immortal was obliterated, reduced to nothing. He had fought for his people to the last breath, but not even his ashes remained.

The flaming palm crashed to the ground, leveling mountains and valleys, erasing countless lives in an instant.

It was an apocalypse.

"Damn the eldritch race!"

"We myriad races once lived freely upon this land. It was you who drove us out, slaughtering us and occupying our homes. Now, even after retreating to Heavenly Pillar Mountain, you won't leave us in peace?"

"One day, you too will be destroyed!" Some of the dying immortal race experts cursed with their dying breaths.

They fought, unwilling to surrender.

"You are correct," came a cold voice from the sky. Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu, wreathed in flames, walked through the air. He towered above all, his flames threatening to devour heaven and earth. His gaze was icy, filled with an overwhelming sense of tyranny. "My eldritch race was not born to rule this land, but neither was this world ever your paradise.

Power belongs to those strong enough to seize it. Weakness is damnation.

Today, I am strong, and so I slaughter you. In the future, I shall eliminate the entire immortal race and claim all of Huanggu as the eldritch race’s territory.

Your blood, your tears, your bones will not trouble my conscience—they will only add to my glory, nourishing the prosperity of my eldritch race.

And if one day, someone stronger comes to destroy me and my people, I will harbor no hatred, only regret for my own inadequacy.

Heaven and earth are not benevolent, treating all beings as straw dogs. This is the will of the heavens." Zhu Jiu's cold words reverberated across the world.

With a single punch, flames soared into the sky, and the world was set ablaze. Millions of immortal race lives were snuffed out in an instant.

In just two hours, under Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu's leadership, the eldritch army turned the lower seventeen heavens into a blood-soaked wasteland, reaching the entrance of the Eighteenth Heaven.

As one ascended through the Thirty-Three Heavens, the power of the Mirror of Creation grew more stronger.

The Eighteenth Heaven marked a qualitative shift.

"Da Yan, you dare face me alone?" Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu's dispassionate voice resounded through this realm. "Moreover, your schemes have already failed."

"Despite paying the price in blood, it was all for naught." Zhu Jiu's fiery eyes locked onto the Imperial Majesty who stood in the air.

"How can one know success or failure without trying? I have no regrets, even in defeat." Imperial Majesty Da Yan’s face was pale but composed. He showed no fear, even as news of the failed ambush on Hou Feng reached him.

"Our battle from years ago left me unsatisfied. Today, let me witness the full might of the Creation Divine Artifacts," Zhu Jiu said, launching his attack without hesitation.

He wielded no weapons—his bare hands were his mightiest weapons. Flames descended from the heavens, bathing the Eighteenth Heaven in an ominous glow.

The sheer intensity of his power caused both High Eldritches and High Immortals to pale.

"The power of Creation is beyond your reach," Imperial Majesty Da Yan countered, stepping forward as a bronze mirror soared skyward, casting its light across millions of li, locking onto Zhu Jiu.

Streams of purple divine light burst forth, colliding with the torrents of flame, unleashing untold destruction.

Whoosh! With each step Da Yan took, his vital aura swelled. After nine steps, it had reached an unfathomable level.

In the sky, he appeared as a transcendent immortal descended from the heavens, ethereal and untouchable, nearly invincible.

The oppressive aura left hundreds of High Eldritches gasping for air.

"An Archimmortal?"

"As expected! I've long suspected that you three could channel Archimmortal-level power within Heavenly Pillar Mountain," Zhu Jiu remarked, unfazed.

Unleashing his full power, palm strike after palm strike erupted from him like flaming celestial sabers, their strength rivaling that of Imperial Majesty Da Yan.

Clearly, in terms of Dao comprehension, Zhu Jiu far surpassed Da Yan.

The two clashed, their battle obliterating layer after layer of arrays and barriers, leaving the Eighteenth Heaven in utter ruin.

The High Eldritches and High Immortals on both sides watched in stunned silence. This level of combat was far beyond their ability to intervene; the mere aftershocks could grievously wound them.

Suddenly, the Mirror of Creation, suspended in the air, shifted. A beam of light shot across millions of li, locking onto Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu in mid-air and freezing him in place.

Thud!

A streak of purple light cut through the air, piercing Zhu Jiu's skull. Blood sprayed forth, painting the sky a deep crimson.

The sight sent shockwaves through the hearts of the immortal race's High Immortals.

Crack! Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu's body exploded, the blast scattering the purple divine light. But almost immediately, the bits of flesh began to reform, though his vital aura was significantly weaker.

"Haha! Excellent! Da Yan, I'll remember this move. The next time we meet, I won't fall for it again," Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu's voice boomed without a trace of anger.

Boom! With a palm strike, he shattered the void, flames blocking the oncoming sword-like purple divine lights. His body became a streak of light, rushing toward the Seventeenth Heaven.

"Retreat!" he commanded.

"Go!" Over a hundred High Eldritches turned into streaks of light, vanishing from the Eighteenth Heaven in an instant.

The eldritch army had withdrawn.

"They've retreated."

"We’ve held our ground." The remaining High Immortals looked at each other, uncertain whether to celebrate or mourn.

They had defended their home, but the losses were staggering. Earth Immortals and High Immortals had fallen in droves, and the lower seventeen heavens were left in ruin, their reconstruction a distant prospect.

More troubling still, the power Zhu Jiu had displayed was terrifying. Even within the Eighteenth Heaven, he could match an Imperial Majesty. If he breached their defenses once, he could do so again.

"Remain calm and wait. The other two Imperial Majesties will return soon," Da Yan said, his voice devoid of emotion as his form faded from the Eighteenth Heaven.

"Yes," the High Immortals replied respectfully.

Whoosh! Like a breeze, Imperial Majesty Da Yan passed through layers of barriers and defenses, returning swiftly to the Thirty-Third Heaven.

In the empty palace, he sat cross-legged.

Puh! Blood sprayed from his lips, his vital aura plunging sharply, weaker now than that of an ordinary High Immortal.

Even after burning my life essence and channeling the power of Creation, I still couldn't kill Zhu Jiu? Da Yan closed his eyes wearily.

Indeed, with the full support of the Creation Divine Artifacts, the three Imperial Majesties could reach Archimmortal-level strength, but only in the Thirtieth Heaven.

In the Eighteenth Heaven, the boost he received from the authority of heaven and earth was insufficient. Normally, he would only possess the mana of a Sixth Tribulation High Immortal. It was by burning his life essence and using the bronze mirror to conceal his actions that he had tricked Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu into believing he could exhibit the power of a Seventh-Tribulation Archimmortal.

Yet even so, Da Yan had failed to kill Zhu Jiu, only managing to wound him. Seeing that the situation had turned unfavorable, Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu had immediately fled.

Zhu Jiu is already a great threat. Imperial Majesty Da Yan thought with a heavy heart, no longer daring to attempt further divination. In his current weakened state, trying to foresee the future would be nothing short of suicidal.

Yet, even without the need for foresight, Da Yan could sense the grim reality: the odds of the immortal race's extinction had now soared to over ninety percent.

There are only two paths. One is to use a divine weapon as a vessel to leave this world. The other is to exhaust everything, sacrifice everything, to slay Hou Feng. Imperial Majesty Da Yan pondered silently. Then flee, and wait for an opportunity to reestablish the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Neither option offered safety; both paths were riddled with peril.