Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 245: To Live Without Regrets (1)

He couldn’t save the Middle Land? Even if he were capable of doing so, he would not come to its rescue?

Each word hit Wu Yuan's heart like a sledgehammer. Even the realm master was helpless?

"Realm Master, is there truly no way?" Wu Yuan clenched his teeth, “It’s merely a juvenile worm devil.”

At the far end of the temple, the ten-meter tall, slightly illusory figure finally moved. Clad in black armor, he strode forward, stopping in front of Wu Yuan. Even as an eldritch warrior, Wu Yuan felt pressured by his overwhelming aura.

"Hmph!" A contemptuous snort escaped the giant’s lips. "Wu Yuan, you little rascal. Now that you’ve embarked on the path of immortal cultivation and reached the third stage of the Communion phase, you’ve grown bold indeed," the realm master's voice turned icy. "A juvenile worm devil? Did you not read the immortal slips I gave you? Don’t you understand what a devil is?"

“Throughout the ages, the Greenridge Macrocosm had been plagued by countless wars, ignited by the infamous Blood Sea and Abyss. Each conflict created mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, claiming the lives of numerous immortal cultivator powerhouses.

“In the bleakest of times, the devils reigned supreme over the Greenridge Macrocosm. It was only through the arrival of the Eldritch Deities dispatched by the Eldritch Progenitors and the Celestial Soldiers of the Immortal Court that the tides were finally turned."

"Be it a blood devil or a hell devil, they are an incomprehensibly powerful entity in the river of time and space, and the worm devil is an elite sub-species of hell devil. Even a juvenile worm devil exceeds your current capabilities as a novice immortal cultivator. The Middle Land completely lacks the means to resist such a foe," the realm master's voice boomed, echoing through the grand hall as he looked down at Wu Yuan.

"Realm Master, I understand all that," Wu Yuan said through clenched teeth, doing his all to resist the realm master’s intimidating aura. "This battle will be extremely difficult. But if we don’t at least give it a shot, we are all doomed to certain death! I see no alternative!"

"You do have an alternative," the realm master interjected. “In accordance with tribal law, as a member of the tribe, you have the option to seek refuge in the Fourth Eldritch Realm. This grotto-heaven, established by Hou Feng, exists in a different layer of space. Even if an adult devil is highly unlikely to discover this realm, let alone intrude it. It will be a safe haven for you."

"Considering the size of Summerpeak, other regions may have already discovered methods to establish contact with the macrocosm. When the devastation caused by the devil reaches a critical level and its impact grows significant, powerful cultivators from the macrocosm will be dispatched here to annihilate it."

"Even if the macrocosm's cultivators do not arrive, the devil will eventually depart from Summerpeak once it has consumed all life in this world, and move on to another world among the countless spacetimes. At that point, you can safely emerge from the Fourth Eldritch Realm. You can absolutely survive this crisis."

"What about the others? Can they take refuge here?" Wu Yuan asked urgently.

"Fang Xia may. He’s an eldritch mage, and a member of our Hou Feng Tribe," the realm master replied in a deep voice. "Any cultivator of the eldritch lineage may be permitted to enter. As for all other individuals, they are forbidden from taking refuge here."

"Is there no room for flexibility?" Wu Yuan pressed. The Fourth Eldritch Realm spanned thousands of li. If it could shelter a significant number of people, he wanted to ensure the safety of his loved ones at least. Wu Yuan didn’t have a single ounce of confidence in this battle against the devil.

"Wu Yuan, don’t push your luck," the realm master said, appearing slightly annoyed. "I favor you and assist you to the best of my abilities, all for the succession of the tribe’s legacy. I do have some leeway to maneuver, but I must adhere to the rules established by Hou Feng. I cannot defy them."

Wu Yuan sighed inwardly. At the end of the day, the realm master was merely a spirit, a 'program'. This program possessed wisdom and a semblance of humanity, but it was bound by its core rules.

"In that case, I have no choice," Wu Yuan shook his head gently, his gaze fierce with determination. "There is only one path left: to fight to the death for the Middle Land! To vanquish the devil!"

"Do you understand what you’re saying?" The realm master frowned.

"I understand," Wu Yuan nodded, his voice returning to its usual calm. "The Middle Land is small, so small that a Golden Core Superior has never emerged to this day. But at the same time, the Middle Land stretches across tens of thousands of li, teeming with billions of living beings! This is a place where I’ve made countless memories, a civilization of rich culture dating back more than thousands of years."

"Here, countless heroes have risen, their sagas told over the years," Wu Yuan's thoughts turned to the Martial King.

"Moreover, it’s the homeland of my family and friends," Wu Yuan's voice softened as he began to piece together fragments of his past two decades.

When he transmigrated here, he didn't replace his body’s predecessor’s mind. Instead, a merging of both minds took place. It wasn’t just their memories that intertwined, but emotions as well. At this point, he could no longer discern whether he was Wu Yuan from the Blue Planet who had transmigrated, or Wu Yuan from Middle Land who was infused with memories of the Blue Planet. It was akin to Zhuang Zhou's dream of becoming a butterfly - who could truly discern what is real? [1]

And how can I forget the seniors and Daoists who are willing to fight for the Middle Land? Wu Yuan's thoughts drifted to the proactive declarations of Daoist Wan Xing and Emperor Dong Pan.

"Realm Master, I consider the Middle Land my homeland," Wu Yuan said. He recalled the words of Daoist Wan Xing, echoing them with conviction. "Cultivation is not just for the sake of longevity, but to live without regrets!"

"Perhaps, if I were to hide away in the Fourth Eldritch Realm, I could emerge as a formidable cultivator after thousands or even millions of years. This may not be the wrong choice, but in doing so, I fear I would cease to be the person I am now."

"Much like you, Realm Master, who would go to any lengths to secure the legacy of the Hou Feng Tribe, I, Wu Yuan, am prepared to give my all for the survival of Middle Land, to fight until my last breath with no regrets!”

Wu Yuan exhaled and continued softly, “Realm Master, I wish to leave the Fourth Eldritch Realm. Please send me out."

The realm master stared at Wu Yuan, speechless. The resolute words of this young man had left a huge impact on him.

"Homeland? Cultivation for a life without regrets?" the realm master murmured. After a moment, a smile slowly spread across his face, and his body began to glow.

Wu Yuan observed the change in astonishment, not sure what caused it.

"Wu Yuan, you should understand that the Fourth Eldritch Realm is merely a secret realm for training new eldritches, so I don’t possess any treasures that can be considered too precious," the realm master began. "Furthermore, you have only reached the Communion phase at present, limiting your privileges. As per the rules, I am unable to grant you any of the relatively more powerful treasures."

Wu Yuan nodded, a glimmer of hope flickering in his heart. From the realm master's words, it seemed he was going to provide assistance?

"Based on your account, this worm devil possesses the ability to produce devil soldiers at the Spiritual Body phase," the realm master stated, "And since it’s willing to dispatch one for an expedition, it signifies the presence of at least one devil soldier of the same caliber, or perhaps even two, or three, guarding its lair within the devil soil."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuan's heart sank.

"I can only grant you two more treasures," the realm master solemnly said, "The first one is a fifth-grade Heavenly Thunder Talisman."

The realm master waved a hand, conjuring a purple talisman that crackled with lightning, and sending it toward Wu Yuan. Numerous intricate patterns were etched on the talisman. To date, it was the most complex talisman Wu Yuan had ever seen.

The art of talisman crafting was deeply profound, equivalent to the path of alchemy and equipment forging.

"Imprint your vital aura on it, and you’ll be able to activate it at will. However, do bear in mind that despite its destructive power, it can only be used once," the realm master warned, "It does not discriminate between friend and foe, but it should be capable of obliterating a large group of devil soldiers or a devil soldier at the Spiritual Body phase."

"Thank you, Realm Master," Wu Yuan replied with palpable excitement.

A talisman capable of eliminating a Spiritual Body devil soldier? With such a trump card in his possession, his chances of victory soared considerably.

"I also recall you mentioning that there are several ninth-stage Qi Sea phase cultivators in the Middle Land." the realm master said, "The second treasure I grant you is an array."

"Relying solely on your own strength to confront the worm devil is futile. The cultivators of the Middle Land must unite their strength. The most efficient method to unite multiple cultivators for a coordinated assault is through the utilization of an array,”

With a wave of the realm master’s hand, a gold disk the size of a watermelon materialized out of thin air. Alongside it were four gold flags.

“This array?” As Wu Yuan’s gaze fell on this array, his eyes lit up. The aura exuded by the four flags rivaled that of the Septet Ignis Array, and appeared even more refined.

"Claim ownership and the corresponding information will be made known to you," the realm master instructed.

Wu Yuan nodded and gently placed a hand on the disk. As he infused the array with eldritch ether and imprinted it with his vital aura, a torrent of information flooded out from the array into his consciousness.

The Goldstone Penta Array requires the coordination of three cultivators for activation, and can accommodate five cultivators at most. With metal at its core, the cycle of the five elements perpetuates endlessly. Among the numerous five elements arrays, it is one of the deadliest.

The five elements were the five most common Daos in heaven and earth, and many cultivators chose to contemplate them. For example, the profundity of the Land that Wu Yuan sought to comprehend was a subset of the earth element, whereas Fang Xia chose to comprehend the Gold Dao, which was a subset of the Metal Dao.

"You guessed right, Fang Xia will lead this array.” The realm master chuckled.

“Remember, it isn’t a big deal if you lose the flags, but the array disk is important. As long as the array disk is secure, the array flags can always be recreated through the patterns on the array disk. Moreover, only by wielding the disk can one harness the full potential of the array,"

"The destructive power of this array is relatively high. A group of five late-stage Qi Sea cultivators controlling the array can rival a Spiritual Body devil soldier. That’s why Fang Xia must be the leader. Do you understand?"

“Yes,” Wu Yuan nodded. He carefully stored both the Heavenly Thunder Talisman and the array disk and flags with a wave of his hand.

"Right, you mentioned the existence of a voidrealm in the Middle Land. Show me the voidrealm jade."

Wu Yuan nodded once more. Turning over his palm, the hall jade appeared and flew toward the realm master.

The towering figure effortlessly caught the jade. It looked ridiculously tiny in his hands, akin to an ordinary human holding a button.

In an instant, the hall jade burst into light, as though numerous beams were piercing through its surface. Less than a breath later, the jade returned to its normal state.

"Here you are," the realm master said nonchalantly, casually tossing the hall jade back to Wu Yuan. "An eighth-grade voidrealm, far inferior to the sixth-grade variety possessed by the Hou Feng Tribe, is still a rarity in the humble Middle Land."

"I have made some modifications to this voidrealm jade," the realm master continued. "Henceforth, this voidrealm jade may be used to establish two separate identities."

"Two identities?" Wu Yuan was taken aback. He had been grappling with how to come up with an excuse for why ‘Wu Yuan’ was unable to enter the Middle Land Immortal Hall. Unexpectedly, the realm master effortlessly resolved his dilemma, providing a way to avoid arousing suspicion.

"There’s no need to be surprised; it is not a difficult task," the realm master explained softly. "A voidrealm is essentially an artifact that simulates Soul Force, and as such, there are methods to deceive its core essence."

"Thankfully, this is just an eighth-grade voidrealm," the realm master mused. "If it were a seventh-grade voidrealm, I would be powerless to help you."

"Thank you, Realm Master," Wu Yuan said gratefully. Even if Wan Liu's identity as Wu Yuan’s persona were to be exposed, it wouldn’t significantly impact the overall situation. But, the fewer complications, the better.

"Wu Yuan, this is all I can do for you," the realm master said slowly. "From this point onward, you are on your own."

"Remember, when all seems lost, do your best to survive!" The realm master said.

Wu Yuan chuckled, giving a non-reply.

"Are you prepared to depart?" the realm master inquired.

"Yes!"

An array of dazzling lights converged on Wu Yuan, swallowing him whole before he disappeared from the temple.

1. The passage tells the story of the philosopher Zhuang Zhou, who dreamed that he was a butterfly. When he woke up, he could not tell if he was Zhuang Zhou dreaming that he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that it was Zhuang Zhou. The passage is often interpreted as a meditation on the nature of reality and the relationship between the self and the world. It suggests that the distinction between dreams and reality is not always clear, and that our sense of self is fluid and ever-changing. ☜

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