Yuan’s Ascension

Imperial Majesty Lei Fu and Imperial Majesty Nan You died silently, unbeknownst to the highest echelons of the eldritch race, who never let down their guard against the two Imperial Majesties.

Outside the towering Heavenly Pillar Mountain stood a vast city perpetually bustling with activity, spanning hundreds of thousands of li and teeming with powerful eldritch warriors.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Several streaks of light descended.

"Eldritch Deity Hou Feng, Eldritch Deity Hou Tu." Three High Eldritches led a large group of Earth Eldritches to welcome them, bowing respectfully.

This group of Earth Eldritches gazed at Wu Yuan with reverence, all aware of his feats of defeating three Imperial Majesties and slaying Imperial Majesty Da Yan.

Wu Yuan and Eldritch Deity Hou Tu nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"How fares the battle?" Eldritch Deity Hou Tu inquired.

"Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu, Eldritch Deity Hou Lu, and the others have led the main army in, likely reaching the immortal race's Thirty-Third Heaven by now," the lead High Eldritch reported deferentially. "We merely guard the outskirts of Heavenly Pillar Mountain, eliminating any remaining immortal race powerhouses attempting to flee.

We are also keeping a lookout for the immortal race’s remaining Imperial Majesties, prepared to sound the alert immediately should any return," the High Eldritch added.

Wu Yuan and Eldritch Deity Hou Tu nodded in approval.

In a real decisive battle, ordinary High Eldritches could still play a role, but this large group of Earth Eldritches? Their usefulness was limited.

"Veteran Elder Hou Zhi, the great war is nearing its end. You and Hou Tong should remain here," Wu Yuan said. "Eldritch Deity Hou Tu and I will go take a look at the Thirty-Third Heaven."

"Alright." High Eldritch Hou Zhi nodded with a smile. "Go ahead."

Hou Tong had no objections.

Soon, they watched as Wu Yuan and Eldritch Deity Hou Tu transformed into two streaks of light, shooting into the towering, boundless Heavenly Pillar Mountain.

"Little Hou Tong, did Eldritch Deity Hou Feng agree?" High Eldritch Hou Zhi suddenly asked.

Hearing this, a faint blush crossed Hou Tong's face, and she hesitated for a moment. "Perhaps... he did!"

"If he truly agreed, it's somewhat unexpected," High Eldritch Hou Zhi remarked, seeming somewhat emotional. "And now, looking at the situation, I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse for you."

Hou Tong was taken aback. "Why? Veteran Elder Hou Zhi, haven't you been encouraging me these past few hundred years?"

"At the beginning, I did support you," High Eldritch Hou Zhi smiled. "In terms of age, you and Eldritch Deity Hou Feng are similar; in terms of talent and strength, you have the potential to become a High Eldritch in the future. Looking across the entire eldritch race, if one were to choose a wife for Eldritch Deity Hou Feng, you would likely be the most suitable candidate.

This is also something the entire eldritch race's upper echelons would be pleased to see happen."

Hou Tong listened attentively. This was something she had always believed without doubt.

Over these two hundred years, though she accompanied Wu Yuan, she never neglected her cultivation. On the contrary, under the guidance of two Eldritch Deities and a High Eldritch veteran elder, her progress sped up.

"But today, I actually feel that you might not be suitable for him anymore," High Eldritch Hou Zhi sighed.

Hou Tong grew increasingly confused.

"I know you've always looked up to High Eldritch Hou Qiong, right?" High Eldritch Hou Zhi looked at Hou Tong.

After several hundred years, he had grown increasingly fond of this junior.

"Yes," Hou Tong nodded. "High Eldritch Hou Qiong is someone that deserves to be looked up to."

"It's not just you who admires him. We High Eldritches also respect him. To be able to do so much for one's wife is simply incredible," High Eldritch Hou Zhi said with emotion. "But do you think Eldritch Deity Hou Feng and you can become like High Eldritch Hou Qiong and his late wife?"

Hou Tong hesitated immediately.

"You hope for it! You yearn for it. But deep down, you know it's unlikely," High Eldritch Hou Zhi sighed. "At first, Eldritch Deity Hou Tu and I both thought that you and Eldritch Deity Hou Feng would develop feelings for each other over time.

Since ancient times, it's been said that familiarity breeds affection.

Later, Eldritch Deity Hou Feng wandered the mortal realm. When he was a scholar, you were a maid who lit the candles in his room; when he transformed into a wealthy merchant, you disguised yourself as his wife; when he became a mortal general, you could ride horses beside him, fighting alongside him on the battlefield..." High Eldritch Hou Zhi said.

"It seems you've been through a lot together, and in your brief lives, you've shared many long-lasting memories."

Hou Tong listened, realizing it was these experiences over the long years that made her believe in her feelings for Wu Yuan.

"But today, I've come to a realization." High Eldritch Hou Zhi shook his head and said, "We went through the experiences in the mortal realm together, but Eldritch Deity Hou Tu and I were always above it all, never truly letting ourselves get absorbed into the lives of a mortal. Those experiences didn't affect us at all.

You, on the other hand, immersed yourself too deeply, to the point of gradually losing yourself. Each experience and change of identity often left you feeling lost. As outsiders, Eldritch Deity Hou Tu and I could see it clearly.

When Eldritch Deity Hou Feng took on any identity, he would fully commit to it. Yet once he stepped back, he would quickly regain clarity, no longer affected in the slightest, merely incorporating the various insights of the mortal world into his own path, tempering his Dao Heart.

He is a born seeker of the Dao."

The more Hou Tong listened, the more her heart began to pound in panic. "Veteran Elder, do you mean...?"

"The terrifying nature of Eldritch Deity Hou Feng's Dao Heart, the unshakable strength of his will, in my view, cannot be influenced by a brief number of shared years," High Eldritch Hou Zhi sighed, looking at Hou Tong with some regret.

"Today, I saw it especially clearly. Imperial Majesty Da Yan was most skilled in divination and soul attacks. The killing move he set up, using his life as the price and the Creation Divine Artifact as the conduit, was incredibly horrifying. Even ordinary High Eldritches would likely lose themselves in it and die inevitably.

But, having cultivated for only a few hundred years, Eldritch Deity Hou Feng was able to quickly break through numerous shackles and regain clarity, without being affected by thousands of illusions in the slightest.

How terrifying is such a Dao Heart? Do you really think he would develop deep feelings for you just because of a few hundred years of companionship?" High Eldritch Hou Zhi asked.

Eldritch General Hou Tong fell silent.

She wasn't ignorant. As a powerful Eldritch General, she too had extraordinary insight and experience. She had just been too caught up in the situation to fully realize it before.

High Eldritch Hou Zhi's words made her ponder. However, she still found it hard to accept.

"Veteran Elder, why do you think Hou Feng asked me that? If he hasn’t developed feelings for me, then why?" Hou Tong said softly.

"In my view, it's pity, not love," High Eldritch Hou Zhi shook his head and sighed. "Perhaps he truly felt a moment of affection, but this is likely more due to his short cultivation period. No matter how strong his Dao Heart is, it hasn't been tempered by time yet, and hasn't truly reached that level of complete detachment."

Hou Tong fell silent.

Pity? A moment of affection?

"Little Hou Tong, what do you think is a Dao companion? What is a wife?" High Eldritch Hou Zhi suddenly smiled.

"Aren't Dao companions and wives just different terms for the same thing?" Hou Tong asked, somewhat hesitantly.

"Haha, the concept of a Dao companion isn’t as simple as that of a wife. Perhaps I'm just getting senile and misjudged the situation. Maybe Eldritch Deity Hou Feng truly has feelings for you," High Eldritch Hou Zhi smiled, seemingly unwilling to say more. "But you need to think carefully about this step.

The word 'love' is the most hurtful. Immersing oneself in it hurts both others and oneself," High Eldritch Hou Zhi said emotionally. "Is being like High Eldritch Hou Qiong really right?

However, you still have time. Think about it carefully."

Hou Tong fell into deep thought.

High Eldritch Hou Zhi smiled faintly. After hundreds of thousands of years, how much had he seen? He knew very well why the younger generation was always more prone to infatuation. It was because the world of youth was the purest.

Why was it harder for the powerful and the elderly to fall in love? They had experienced too much, their lives were rich, and they had numerous concerns. Even the deepest emotional imprints would occupy an increasingly smaller portion of their lives, making it harder and harder to abandon everything for them.

Life is like a river. Finding a Dao companion is like the merging of two rivers, forming a larger river that can flow through more lands and witness more splendor. High Eldritch Hou Zhi mused to himself.

But only those who are similar have the hope of sharing life and death, of abandoning everything for each other.

If one is just a stream, while the other is a vast river or even an ocean, it only becomes increasingly difficult.

Life is but a fleeting moment in the vast sea of existence. In this boundless heaven and earth, only the Dao is eternal. High Eldritch Hou Zhi sighed inwardly.

Love might be as unyielding as steel, but the Dao endured beyond the lifespan of heaven and earth.

Those who pursued the Dao were not truly devoid of emotion. Rather, they recognized that the Dao's eternity surpassed even that of love!

This was High Eldritch Hou Zhi's insight, but he didn't voice it. He knew that some things could only be understood by experience. Only by understanding it could one truly see through it.

…

Inside Heavenly Pillar Mountain, Wu Yuan and Eldritch Deity Hou Tu passed through layer after layer of ruined worlds, countless corpses of immortal race beings, and shattered lands.

The ‘immortal race paradise’ of legend in Huanggu was now the scene of an apocalypse.

Wu Yuan and Eldritch Deity Hou Tu, however, viewed all this calmly, swiftly making their way toward the Thirty-Third Heaven. Along the way, they encountered only one or two High Eldritches stationed in each layer.

"Eldritch Deity Hou Feng, what about that Mirror of Creation? Can you control it?" Eldritch Deity Hou Tu asked curiously, with a hint of anticipation in his heart.

"Not yet, the deciphering process is very slow," Wu Yuan shook his head and replied.

The Eldritch Deity Hou Tu nodded, unsurprised. It would have been strange indeed if Wu Yuan had been able to swiftly decipher such an inconceivable artifact.

Little did he know, Wu Yuan had been attempting to refine the Mirror of Creation from the moment he acquired it. But success had eluded him at every turn. He couldn't even brand the faintest aura imprint upon it.

It was as if an invisible barrier stood between Wu Yuan and the mirror, thwarting his every effort, no matter how hard he tried.

I’m unable to refine it?

Wu Yuan mused silently.

The aura of the Mirror of Creation has been growing stronger since I entered Heavenly Pillar Mountain. Its power seems to be increasing rapidly. Wu Yuan keenly observed.

Returning to Heavenly Pillar Mountain, the Mirror of Creation seemed to have found its way back to the wellspring of its power.

Heavenly Pillar Mountain is unshakeable. Historically, the eldritch race has attempted to destroy Heavenly Pillar Mountain, but it seems to be fused with the world itself, the very essence of the entire Huanggu world, the core of the land’s spirit veins. Wu Yuan pondered.

And yet, the Mirror of Creation can only unleash its ultimate power here on Heavenly Pillar Mountain… A suspicion was slowly forming in Wu Yuan's mind.

He recalled the Snake Progenitor's words, that as outsiders, they could never truly wield the authority of heaven and earth in this world.

We'll see when we reach the Creation Divine Hall. He thought.

They continued onward.

Encountering no obstacles, they ascended higher, each world they passed through more intact than the last, until they reached the Thirty-Third Heaven.

This realm had been largely untouched by war, with cascading halls suspended in the void.

A group of High Eldritches stood waiting in the air.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Two figures swiftly approached.

"Eldritch Deity Hou Feng and Eldritch Deity Hou Tu, you have arrived," Having received word in advance, the large group of High Eldritches turned to the newcomers, flying over.

Both sides exchanged swift greetings.

The High Eldritches gave them an exceptionally warm reception, their gazes lingering on Wu Yuan with particular interest. They all knew of his tremendous power. To slay an Imperial Majesty of the immortal race—even Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu might not be capable of such a feat.

But Wu Yuan's gaze fell upon the figure in black robes, whose aura was extraordinary. Standing there, he was like a blazing sun. It was scorching and blindingly radiant!

"Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu," Wu Yuan smiled in greeting.

"Haha, Eldritch Deity Hou Feng? I've heard much about you, but this is our first meeting," Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu smiled slightly, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.

Without activating the Archeldritch Divine Artifacts, Wu Yuan did not exude an overwhelmingly powerful vital aura. Yet that intangible, razor-sharp will was equally heart-stopping.

"To be able to slay Da Yan—you’re strong, far better than me," Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu laughed. His voice was domineering and resonant, yet somehow pleasant to the ear.

"I merely relied on the Archeldritch Divine Artifacts," Wu Yuan said with a humble smile.

"I too possess Archeldritch Divine Artifacts, yet I cannot unleash even a fraction of their full potential. This is your unique talent, something others couldn't hope to emulate," Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu shook his head. "Is there really no trace of the other two Imperial Majesties of the immortal race?"

"There’s none," Wu Yuan shook his head. "They escaped."

As for how they escape? Further explanation seemed pointless, so Wu Yuan didn't elaborate.

"No matter. With the two of us working together, along with Hou Tu, Hou Lu, and the other Eldritch Deities, we can hold our own even here in the Thirty-Three Heavens," Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu said with a smile.

Wu Yuan nodded in agreement.

So what if two of them had Archimmortal-level strength? With the combined might of the eldritch race's top powerhouses, even if they couldn't emerge victorious, they could at least ensure a safe retreat.

"Shall we take a look at the Creation Divine Hall first?" Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu suggested with a smile.

"Oh?" Wu Yuan's eyes lit up.

He had heard many legends about the Creation Divine Hall, but had never seen it himself.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The group took flight immediately, swiftly arriving at the center of the sprawling hall complex in the Thirty-Third Heaven.

To call it the center of the hall complex was an understatement—it spanned thousands of li.

Here lay a vast, boundless lake, more an ocean in reality. It was shrouded in mist, radiating an aura of divine sanctity. In the center of the lake, one could faintly make out an imposing, ancient purple hall.

It seemed to stand proudly in the void. Yet it also shimmered and wavered, as if floating on the surface of the lake. It exuded an immense, ethereal aura that instinctively inspired awe. Standing by the lake, one couldn't help but feel a sense of inner calm.

"I've inquired—aside from the three Imperial Majesties of the immortal race, no one has truly entered the Creation Divine Hall. The other members of the immortal race mostly just meditate and cultivate by the lake," Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu explained.

Wu Yuan listened silently. But inside, his heart was thumping with shock.

At this moment, the aura emanating from the Creation Divine Hall was extremely similar to the spiritual resonance of the Creation Essence Diagram he possessed.

No! Not similar! But rather—they shared the same source.

It was just that the spiritual resonance and artistic conception contained within the distant Creation Divine Hall seemed even more noble and profound.

A voice in Wu Yuan's mind urged him—go in!