Yuan’s Ascension

Time flowed on.

Amethyst Cradle and Shambhala cultivators could find themselves spending anywhere from years to centuries in entry-level battlefields.

In the blink of an eye, Wu Yuan had already roamed this battlefield for nearly two years.

In these two years, he had experienced over a hundred battles, both large and small. Simply put, he had swept through all opposition, killing every enemy that crossed his path. The only difference was in the number of adversaries he vanquished each time.

More than twenty Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses, along with countless Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala cultivators, perished by his hand. One could say that Wu Yuan had become the undisputed king of this battlefield.

It was important to note that many powerhouses from the Immortal Court’s camp, who roamed the battlefield long-term, had established methods to communicate and share information. Add to this the powerhouses who managed to escape Wu Yuan’s wrath, and it was no surprise that his reputation spread quickly.

Wu Yuan’s fame spread rapidly from Outer Space War Base 1294.

“He’s secretly a peerless genius.”

“He has comprehended the Celestial Body Dao to the True Intent stage. His power is terrifying, truly a top-tier genius.”

“And yet, he shamelessly leads a large group of ordinary Amethyst Cradle cultivators, pretending to be weak.”

“His strength is beyond frightening.”

“We can’t match him. My two brothers and I—two first-stage Void Refiner cultivators and one second-stage Elysian Field cultivator—were utterly defeated by him alone. Both my brothers died in that battle.” The Immortal Court powerhouses active in this region of the battlefield all knew of Wu Yuan's terror.

“Avoid that region.”

“Avoid that passage, do not provoke him.” Gradually, these Immortal Hall powerhouses reached a consensus, unwilling to challenge him any further.

This, however, led to a rapid decrease in Wu Yuan’s team’s efficiency in accumulating kills.

Meanwhile, the Eldritch Court powerhouses at Outer Space War Base 1294 also learned of Wu Yuan's name from the fighter ranking leaderboard.

“Ming Jian!”

“In less than two years, he has risen from a first-rank fighter to a ninth-rank fighter! He must be one of the top peerless geniuses who has comprehended a Dao Field.”

“To become a ninth-rank fighter so swiftly, he surely has the potential to reach legendary rank.”

“Ming Jian.” The name was memorized by countless immortal cultivators of the Eldritch Court on this battlefield. Each legendary-rank fighter was truly a legend.

A ninth-rank fighter was already formidable, representing near-invincibility among Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala cultivators.

However, what truly shook the countless immortal cultivators on this battlefield, etching the name ‘Ming Jian’ in their minds, were his subsequent actions.

“Kill! The Immortal Hall’s immortal cultivators are avoiding us? They’re making detours around us? Then we will invade the so-called Death Zone.

“Kill our way through. Stop a hundred million li from their war base,” Wu Yuan ordered his team.

A hundred million li; that was truly akin to slaughtering them at their doorstep.

In just two days, Wu Yuan led his team in over fifty battles, killing three Void Refiner/ Elysian Field powerhouses, as well as thousands of Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala immortal cultivators. This stirred a massive commotion.

Then, as though realizing such actions would utterly enrage the Immortal Hall, he led his team in a hasty retreat, fleeing more than a billion li before stopping.

…

Inside the battleship.

“Commander, are we taking a break?” The once ice-cold Bing Roushui now smiled at Wu Yuan.

Of course, she still maintained her icy demeanor towards others, including Pei He, who had just advanced to the Void Refiner phase.

“Mm.” Wu Yuan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the five individuals before him. “In these two years, we have gained much, but also suffered significant casualties.

“Next, let’s rest for a while and each reflect on and consolidate what we’ve learned.

“Roushui, you’ve reached the seventh-level True Intent stage. If you wish to break through to the Void Refiner phase, you may do so,” Wu Yuan instructed.

“Yes, Commander,” Bing Roushui respectfully replied.

Wu Yuan nodded and turned, entering the meditation chamber within the battleship. Pei He, Bing Roushui, and the other three remained behind.

“Old Bing, do you have a crush on the commander? Wanna be his Dao companion?” The bald youth, Lie Shier, grinned as he teased.

“Shut up. No one will think you’re mute just because you don’t speak,” Bing Roushui’s tone was as frosty as ever. “I just admire the Commander, that’s all.”

“The Commander is indeed formidable,” Pei He sighed emotionally.

“Yeah.”

“Inconceivably strong. I never imagined an Amethyst Cradle-level cultivator could be this powerful,” Yu Zhuo and Shi Ji couldn’t help but voice their thoughts.

In the past two years, Wu Yuan had displayed his abilities time and again, his terrifying strength inspiring genuine awe and admiration from them.

"Alas, Zhang Shan still met his end," Shi Ji suddenly sighed.

Two years had passed, during which they had engaged in hundreds of deadly battles. Even though Wu Yuan's strength was astonishing and he provided much support, their opponents grew stronger with each encounter, leading to significant casualties within the team.

After all, the desperate counterattacks of some Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses were incredibly fearsome.

Of the initial three hundred soldiers of the Huo Cang Army, only 252 remained. Even Zhang Shan, who was at the ninth-stage Shambhala phase, had perished in a dreadful battle.

"The deceased are gone. As those who have survived, our task is to strive to become stronger," Pei He said solemnly. "When we return, we must take care of his family."

"Indeed."

"We cannot allow his family to be bullied," the other captains nodded in agreement. This was a promise they had made long ago.

After hundreds of years of military life, coupled with the recent life-and-death struggles, the bonds between them ran deep.

"I'll go break through first. Only then can I be of greater help," Bing Roushui said as she entered a room.

As one continually pushed their limits in consecutive life-and-death battles, the probability of an Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala cultivator making a breakthrough was very high.

…

Inside the meditation chamber, which measured ten zhangs in diameter, Wu Yuan sat in lotus position atop a jade platform.

The consecutive life-or-death battles and consistent reflection after each encounter have truly increased my efficiency in Dao comprehension. Wu Yuan mused silently.

In merely two years, I’ve advanced to the seventh-level Domain stage of the Longevity Dao, not far from the eighth-level Domain stage. I’ve also made progress in the Celestial Body Dao.

Indeed, with constant tempering through combat, coupled with the support of Faith, Wu Yuan had unknowingly broken through the bottleneck between the sixth-level and seventh-level Domain stage of the Longevity Dao.

Wu Yuan believed that within ten years at most, he could advance to the ninth-level Domain stage of the Longevity Dao. In terms of progression, it wouldn't be much slower than the Celestial Body Dao.

If others learned about his speed of progress, they would be utterly astonished.

But Wu Yuan had always remained patient. For the past two years, besides honing himself in the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield, neither his qi refiner self nor his body refiner self had made any remarkable moves.

Stay low-key, develop myself. This was Wu Yuan's current guiding principle.

However, despite his rapid progress in the Celestial Body Dao and Longevity Dao, his body refiner self made very little headway in deciphering the cryptic patterns on the silver sphere. In fact, one could say there had been no progress at all.

If it were purely the Space Dao, I might still grasp a thing or two, given enough time. Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.

But the unique cryptic patterns on the surface of the silver sphere were a fusion of Celestial Body, Longevity, Space, and other Daos. The more he studied them, the more Wu Yuan understood why his many senior brothers and sisters, each brilliant in their own right, struggled to tread this path. It was simply too profound.

However, the greatest gain from two years of life-and-death combat in the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield is not Dao comprehension, but blood mist, which has finally reached the limit that the black pagoda can bear. Wu Yuan gently closed his eyes, switching his main focus to his soul essence which resided within the upper dantian lobe.

Wu Yuan's primary purpose for applying to join the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield was to accumulate blood mist. However, whether due to possessing two true selves or having broken through to a higher level, it took him two whole years to accomplish it.

In the past two years, Wu Yuan's accumulated ethercrystal laurels had exceeded one hundred million, earning him the title of ninth-rank fighter.

Only then did he reach the blood mist’s saturation point. One could only imagine the extent of killing needed to reach his goal.

At this moment, an unprecedented quantity of blood mist permeated his upper dantian lobe. Yet, the gate at the base of the black pagoda did not open as Wu Yuan had anticipated. Instead, it was the stone pillar at the top of the pagoda that emitted a brilliant yet somewhat eerie light.

Buzz~ Countless strands of blood mist began to flow like streams, continuously pouring into the stone pillar, tainting its surface with a faint crimson hue.

What’s happening? The blood mist has reached the saturation limit, yet the black pagoda shows no change. Instead, the stone pillar is absorbing the blood mist. Wu Yuan's soul essence observed, not daring to act rashly.

First, Wu Yuan knew the stone pillar was also a special treasure, particularly adept at soul defense. He was unsure why it was absorbing the blood mist.

Second, Wu Yuan was uncertain if the stone pillar at the top of the black pagoda was part of the pagoda itself, and was unsure if it was the black pagoda absorbing the blood mist.

However, compared to the abnormal behavior of the black pagoda in his body refiner self, the stone pillar's absorption of the blood mist was exceedingly slow.

Why did Wu Yuan retreat after days of intense battle right outside the Immortal Court’s war base?

Apart from not wanting to thoroughly enrage the Immortal Court, the more crucial reason was that the blood mist had reached its limit, causing the black pagoda's stone pillar to react, and Wu Yuan did not wish to be distracted.

I’ll wait for the changes to be completed, investigate what this phenomenon means, then resume hunting enemies. Wu Yuan waited silently.

At the current rate, it would take six days to fully absorb the blood mist.

After two years of brutal combat, the blood mist Wu Yuan accumulated in his upper dantian lobe was dense beyond belief. If used solely for Faith purification, it would last for him ten thousand years at the current depletion rate.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuan and his team hid behind an inconspicuous rogue planet between the Danger Zone and Ordinary Zone, quietly cultivating.

Immortal Court camp, Outer Space War Base 1294.

The entire battle star was divided into several levels. The first level was where the Immortal Court soldiers resided; entry to the second level was restricted to Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses; and the third level, the largest, was where Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala cultivators gathered.

At this moment, outside the super-large teleportation array on the second level, six Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses had gathered, each exuding extraordinary auras.

They all waited quietly.

Suddenly, light flashed, and a black-armored figure emerged from the teleportation array. Though he was merely at the Shambhala phase, he exuded a subtle domineering aura.

"Greetings to His Highness Feng Sheng."

"Greetings to His Highness Feng Sheng." The six Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses greeted the black-armored figure with utmost respect.

"No need for formalities." The black-armored young man spoke softly, his gaze icy. "By the order of the Immortal Hall, I am here to kill the Eldritch Court's ninth-rank fighter Ming Jian."

"Where is he now?"