Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 263: Wan Xing and Dong Pan

“Trying to break through to the Golden Core phase?” Wu Yuan was taken aback.

Transitioning from the Qi Sea phase to the Golden Core phase wasn’t too difficult for the genius cultivators in higher-order worlds. But for someone in the Middle Land, it was an immense hurdle.

And Jin Quan was currently in seclusion to attempt a breakthrough?

"Jin Quan's circumstances differ from ours," Daoist Wan Xing continued. "Both Daoist Dong Pan and I have cultivated one step at a time over centuries."

"Furthermore, what we refer to as inheritances are nothing more than remnants left by the sect's predecessors many years ago. And most of the ancient texts we acquired were incomplete."

Wu Yuan nodded. In the words of the realm master, the immortal cultivators of the Middle Land were all loose cultivators, relying mostly on rudimentary techniques to progress.

In other words, if a ninth-stage Qi Sea cultivator in the Middle Land were to receive proper cultivation guidance like Fang Xia, they would stand a good chance of reaching the Golden Core phase.

"But Jin Quan is different. He has inherited a comprehensive legacy," Daoist Wan Xing said seriously. "He has most likely discovered a well-preserved relic from an immortal sect's ruins."

“Oh?” Wu Yuan's curiosity was piqued. A well-preserved relic?

"Do you really think the rapid progress of his early years was all due to his talent? Even if we consider his natural aptitude, how could his son be just as exaggeratedly talented as him? Jin Ji reached the eighth-stage Qi Sea phase after just 200 years of cultivation," Daoist Wan Xing shook his head.

Wu Yuan couldn't help but agree. It made sense!

Inheriting talent through one’s bloodline was possible, similar to how the children of Heavenly Rankers naturally possessed an exceptional aptitude for martial arts.

He might also have handed down treasures to his son, like the one Wu Yuan gifted to his sister, Wu Yijun, turning her into a young prodigy.

However, it was important to remember there was a limit to these auxiliary measures.

Reaching the eighth-stage Qi Sea phase in just 200 years meant that Jin Ji's talent surpassed not only that of Jin Quan, but also Daoist Wan Xing and many others.

The chances of both father and son naturally being born with such perverse talent were near zero, so there had to be an underlying reason.

Throughout history, the Jin royal family produced a constant stream of Land Rankers and Heavenly Rankers, each generation stronger than the last.

How could a single family with few descendants produce so many talented individuals?

Daoist Wan Xing commented, "Over the years, Jin Quan has consistently discovered a wide variety of extraordinary treasures. The artifacts he wields, along with the Septet Ignis Array, all exceed our wildest expectations. While the Starcom Consortium may be considered the wealthiest empire in the world, our treasures cannot compare to that of the Jin royal family."

Wu Yuan nodded.

Indeed, the Goldstone Penta Array was gifted to him by the realm master. If not for that, he would never have obtained it. And the Septet Ignis Array was every bit as rare as the Goldstone Penta Array.

Daoist Wan Xing sighed, "Our hopes of breaking through are hindered by old age and a lack of guidance. Our only option is to forcefully attempt a breakthrough. I have tried to condense a Golden Core twice, but both attempts failed due to the fragility of my soul. It took me years to recover from the backlash of each failure."

"It was only then that I came to the realization that a strong soul is crucial for advancement." Wan Xing smiled bitterly.

Wu Yuan sighed inwardly. Structured guidance was indeed of paramount importance.

For example, consider Fang Xia and his cultivation of the Eldritch Codex. He had extensive knowledge of the requirements to advance to the Golden Core phase, as well as the correct cultivation methodology, allowing him to avoid unnecessary detours and delays.

But Daoist Wan Xing, Emperor Dong Pan, the Arctic King, and the others were the top echelons in their respective factions, yet they lacked proper guidance and thus had to go through repeated trial and error.

"Jin Quan has exceptional innate talent and guidance from an inheritance," Daoist Wan Xing said. "Other than being at a critical juncture of a breakthrough, I cannot think of any other reason for his decision to abstain from participating in the fight against the worm devil."

Wu Yuan felt that this was highly plausible.

Overall, the Jin royal family supported the fight against the worm devil. If not, they wouldn’t have surrendered the array disc, and Jin Ji and Black Snake King wouldn't have joined the battle. The Starsea Pavilion and Yuanxia Palace wouldn't have gathered their forces either.

“In reality, all of us know that if Jin Quan doesn't get involved in this battle, he’ll stand to reap the benefits of our sacrifices.” Daoist Wan Xing sighed, "Unfortunately, we have no other options."

Wu Yuan stayed quiet. Indeed, they had no choice but to accept it. They simply had no way to force Jin Quan to join the upcoming battle.

They were faced with two constraints: time was running perilously short, and both the Starsea Pavilion and Yuanxia Palace would refuse to lend their support.

Even if all other factions combined their forces, breaking through the heavily guarded palace of the Jin royal family was still going to be an arduous battle.

While they were embroiled in internal conflicts, the worm devil’s army would inevitably sweep through the Huang Continent. How could they hope to stop the worm devil then?

Meanwhile, by choosing not to coerce Jin Quan, they were able to wield two powerful arrays, greatly increasing their chances of defeating the worm devil.

Harnessing the full power of these arrays required the combined might of twelve cultivators in total. But there were only twelve late-stage Qi Sea cultivators in the Middle Land, with the Jin royal family making up four of them.

It was precisely due to their strong position that Jin Quan had the confidence to abstain from participating.

"The outcome of the battle against the worm devil is still uncertain. We might not have a choice, but Dong Pan, the Arctic King, and I are determined to prevent Jin Quan from uniting the Middle Land," Daoist Wan Xing declared solemnly.

"But, Wu Yuan, you are different," he continued with a hint of a smile. "The strong reign. If you are the one to unify the Middle Land in the future, we have no objections."

Wu Yuan quickly spoke up, 'The future can wait until after we have eradicated the worm devil. If we fail to kill it, all this will be meaningless anyway.'"

"I can only give you my word that if I survive this ordeal, I will respect the philosophies of the various factions. After all, if Great Jin wishes to unify the world, the first obstacle in their way is the Cloudstride Sect."

“Excellent.” Having confirmed Wu Yuan’s stance, Daoist Wan Xing’s face brightened.

"Daoist Wan Xing, I will take my leave.”

With that, Wu Yuan’s avatar swiftly dispersed into numerous light specks, and he left the Middle Land Immortal Hall.

The gentle smile on Daoist Wan Xing's face slowly vanished. After a brief moment, a figure dressed in black armor materialized beside him. It was Emperor Dong Pan.

"You’ve heard everything," Daoist Wan Xing turned to Emperor Dong Pan.

Emperor Dong Pan nodded. He had the ability to monitor all activities in the Middle Land Immortal Hall, which naturally included the conversation between Daoist Wan Xing and Wu Yuan.

"Are you really planning to give it up?" Emperor Dong Pan asked in a low voice, "The Starcom Consortium does not belong to you alone.”

Daoist Wan Xing smiled wryly. "The last immortal epoch ended a thousand years ago. It’s just a name." he shook his head. "They were the ones who founded the Starcom Consortium, but I am the master of the Starcom Consortium now. Naturally, I get to decide what to do with it."

"Moreover," he continued, "think about Wu Yuan's progression. How close is he to the Spiritual Body stage?”

Daoist Wan Xing sighed, "When the Xin Continent is overturned once more, even they can't ignore the power of the Middle Land."

Emperor Dong Pan gave a slight nod.

As peak powerhouses of the Middle Land, they were privy to many secrets and fully understood what it meant when immortals arrived.

Daoist Wan Xing met Emperor Dong Pan’s eyes, "We have no other options. If Wu Yuan and Fang Xia join forces, they have enough strength to dominate the Middle Land. Regardless of who achieves a breakthrough, the unification of the Middle Land is inevitable."

"Rather than ending up in a sorry state in the future," he continued, "it's better to take advantage of our shared mission of exterminating the worm devil to proactively show goodwill towards Wu Yuan."

Daoist Wan Xing smiled slightly, "At least, based on the intelligence I’ve received, Wu Yuan wouldn't annihilate our bloodline disciples as long as we voluntarily submit to him."

Emperor Dong Pan nodded reflexively.

Why didn't they go looking for Fang Xia, choosing to speak to Wu Yuan instead? Apart from Wu Yuan's greater talent, it was because they believed that Wu Yuan's actions and character were traceable and more trustworthy.

Fang Xia's character was far too overbearing!

When the Chu-Jiang Empire fell into ruin, the Starcom Consortium backed up the Cloudstride Sect, preventing its destruction. Thus Daoist Wan Xing could be considered a benefactor of sorts to the Cloudstride Sect.

Yet the moment Fang Xia returned, he mercilessly ended Wu Jianzhong's life.

Though Daoist Wan Xing had never openly expressed his thoughts on this matter, how could he feel indifferent?

Emperor Dong Pan cautiously asked, "Well, what are your speculations?"

Daoist Wan Xing smiled. "It's pointless to investigate further. The strength Wu Yuan has shown is already close to that of a Golden Core Superior. Whether he is Wan Liu or not, does it even matter?"

"Only by following the trend can we survive. I’ve already made all the necessary preparations for the younger generations."

"That saber of yours is just sitting around collecting dust. Why don’t you give it to Wu Yuan instead?" Daoist Wan Xing chuckled.

Emperor Dong Pan nodded thoughtfully.

"Our top priority right now is to kill the worm devil. As for what happens afterward..." A mysterious smile appeared on Daoist Wan Xing's face. "We’ll talk about it after we survive this."

...

Huang Continent, North Huang City.

The immense battle had caused extensive damage to the entire North Huang City, claiming countless lives in the aftermath. However, the martial artists and army of the Huang Temple quickly maintained order.

The Heavenly Rankers each went their separate ways to rest.

Wu Yuan returned to the desolate mountain located north of the city, which remained untouched by the disastrous clash.

"Master, these are the devil crystals from the devil soldiers you killed.” Qiong Sea King’s massive body descended from the sky, gradually shrinking in size as he approached the cave entrance.

A bunch of devil crystals flew through the air and landed softly at Wu Yuan's feet.

Given Wu Yuan’s strength, no one dared to covet his spoils.

"I will take the three devil crystals from the Spiritual Body devil soldiers. As for the rest, you can divide them between yourself and Mountain Devil King. These devil crystals are of little use to me." Wu Yuan's voice echoed from the cave.

Whoosh! A pile of devil crystals flew out.

"Understood," Qiong Sea King nodded repeatedly, collecting dozens of devil crystals. Now that he recognized Wu Yuan's strength, he no longer harbored any dissatisfaction with his master.

Sensing Qiong Sea King's departure, Wu Yuan began to iron out his thoughts.

The quality of devil crystals obtained from the Spiritual Body devil soldiers is one tier higher. Wu Yuan examined the three enormous floating devil crystals.

A single one is worth dozens of devil crystals from Communion devil soldiers.

With a wave of his hand, he kept the three devil crystals.

What did Daoist Wan Xing mean by that? Wu Yuan ruminated over their conversation.

He wants to make me the ruler of the Middle Land?

Was he sincere? Perhaps.

But it’s more likely that the circumstances forced his hand. My strength has already exceeded their expectations. And Jin Quan is a looming threat.

If Jin Quan managed to advance to the next phase, how could he tolerate the existence of Daoist Wan Xing and Emperor Dong Pan given their deep resentment?

Daoist Wan Xing and Emperor Dong Pan might not truly like me. However, when compared to Jin Quan, I am the better option.

Is this Daoist Wan Xing’s way of making his final arrangements?

No matter what awaits me in the future, the worm devil must be killed. If the worm devil isn’t dead, there will be no future to speak of.

Wu Yuan closed his eyes, regulated his breath, and began cultivating silently.

As blood-red mist flooded into his soul chamber, the five vortexes of vital ether began rotating at an astonishing speed.

As the Teng Snake joyfully swam amidst the vital ether, the injuries on its body and wings healed rapidly.

...

On the Holy Capital's western flank, a mountain cloaked in secrecy stood as a forbidden zone for all but the royal family. Few humans ventured up the mountain, which was home to many species of snakes.

Deep inside a cavern was a majestic underground temple. And beyond the temple was a relatively small metal chamber, spanning only a few dozen meters in length.

Inside the chamber, a middle-aged man wearing purple robes sat in the lotus position, his feet bare.

Abruptly, strange streaks of green light circulated around the man. He remained undisturbed, his eyes still closed. Streams of the same colored light emerged from his body, streaking about energetically around the entire chamber.

The barefoot man in purple muttered to himself, "Is this the essentia Domain?"

The nine previously tranquil vortexes within his qi sea began to thrash and writhe turbulently.

Rumble!

A surge of golden brilliance erupted from the depths of the maelstrom, engulfing the vortexes and restoring them to their previous calm. At the same time, the qi sea began to undergo a complete transformation.