Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 299: The Bloodforge Army’s Report

Qiong Sea King took the initiative to step up. Fang Xia, who was still caught in a dilemma, was startled by his decisiveness.

"Daoist Fang Xia, I am unlike you," Qiong Sea King said, shaking his head. "You’ve only spent two centuries cultivating, yet you’ve already reached the Golden Core phase and mastered the Domain stage long ago. Even in the face of limited resources, you can still progress. It may take a bit longer, perhaps 200-300 years more, but you can ascend to the ninth-stage Golden Core phase in due time. Only the leap from the Golden Core phase to becoming an Amethyst Cradle Reverend marks a true hurdle."

Fang Xia nodded in acknowledgment.

Transitioning from the Qi Sea phase to the Golden Core phase did not necessitate mastering the Domain stage. However, to advance from the third-stage Golden Core phase to the fourth, one's understanding of a Dao must reach the first level of the Domain stage at least.

"But my circumstances differ," Qiong Sea King continued, his voice subdued. "Master has treated me well, granting me various body tempering techniques, ether arts, new body refining methods, and even the 'Eldritch Codex' for study. Yet, I am unable to advance from the Harmony of Man and Nature stage.

“I have located two suitable locations for body tempering in the depths of the sea. However, lacking the Body Tempering Spirit Pill and Bloodmerge Spirit Grass, I cannot endure the excruciating pain during the process," Qiong Sea King admitted, shaking his head. "Forcing myself to proceed would likely result in the collapse of my soul."

Fang Xia was taken aback.

Wu Yuan sighed inwardly. Despite Qiong Sea King's age, he was born with a formidable bloodline and faced no opposition in the South Sea. The lack of trials and obstacles had left his Dao Heart and soul relatively fragile.

Over the years, Qiong Sea King had faced numerous challenges in pursuit of a breakthrough, but still failed to achieve it.

"As I age, the possibility of a breakthrough grows more distant," Qiong Sea King confessed quietly. "I sense that if I remain in the Middle Land, I may die of old age before I attain my goal."

"In the Daoist Scripture Tower, it is written that the macrocosm is vast, teeming with interconnected spacetimes, countless cultivators, and rare treasures," Qiong Sea King mused.

"Though the risks of exploration are high, if my time is to come, then let it be on the path to a breakthrough," he concluded, a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes. "In this life, I desire nothing else."

"Daoist Qiong Sea indeed has a strong resolve," Fang Xia remarked with a tinge of admiration. "I lack your determination." He wished he wasn’t so fearful.

"Old Fang, your views aren’t necessarily wrong," Wu Yuan remarked with a thoughtful expression. "There’s no need to charge recklessly into the unknown. Qiong Sea is willing to take risks due to his own motivations. I, too, wish to enter the macrocosm for reasons I cannot ignore."

"Moreover," he continued, his lips spreading into a smile, "Even if I embark on this journey, it will be only my qi refiner self that ventures forth. My body refiner self will remain here in the Middle Land, cultivating in seclusion."

On the road of immortal cultivation, each step must be tread with caution. Reacting recklessly to provocations, rushing into dangerous escapades under the misguided notion of self-improvement—such actions were folly. One should only take great risks when faced with bottlenecks, where it is impossible to break through otherwise.

Wu Yuan believed that his body refiner self was still making rapid progress, a sign that he was on the correct path. Without absolute certainty, one should not hastily change course.

In the quest for immortality, speed is important, but stability is paramount. Wu Yuan thought quietly.

Reaching the Spiritual Body phase granted him a lifespan of 5000 years. Right now, Wu Yuan was in his 30s, time was on his side. If he could smoothly reach the Shambhala phase in a century or two, he was willing to bide his time.

His qi refiner self, however, could not afford such leisurely progress. He only had a lifespan of only 1000 years in the Golden Core phase. Furthermore, the path of the sword demanded unwavering determination to cut through all obstacles in one’s path, unlike that of the eldritch warrior.

The memories and souls of his two true selves were connected, yet their cultivation paths diverged. Cultivating separately, each compensating for the other's weaknesses, was the correct approach.

...

Wu Yuan chose not to disclose the news to anyone else. Entrusting the knowledge of the teleportation array and his two true selves to the loyal Fang Xia and Qiong Sea King was enough.

In Wu Yuan's plan, only his qi-refining self would leave, so why bother with a public announcement? In terms of strength, his body-refining self had grown even more powerful, and the absence of his qi-refining self didn't affect Wu Yuan's ability to defend the Middle Land by much.

After his meeting with Wu Yuan, Qiong Sea King returned to meet with Mountain Devil King and the other Archdemons. Of course, he dared not reveal the truth, citing absolute seclusion as the reason for his absence.

Mountain Devil King and Black Jiao King fully understood Qiong Sea King’s determination. They knew all too well that Qiong Sea King had reached an advanced age and the prospect of a breakthrough was fading, making seclusion a logical choice.

Two days later, Wu Yuan's body-refining self and Qiong Sea King departed Cloudhill and arrived at Yanqing Hall in the western reaches of Zhong Continental City.

As for Fang Xia? Wu Yuan saw no need to summon him once more. Wu Yuan respected his decision to remain in the Middle Land, but it wasn’t necessary to divulge all the secrets of the Yanqing Hall. Wu Yuan rarely allowed Little Black to appear before Fang Xia and the rest on normal days as well.

He would never fully let down his guard in front of anyone.

Upon entering Yanqing Hall, the black-robed Wu Yuan rose to his feet on the jade platform in the meditation chamber, facing the white-robed Wu Yuan and Qiong Sea King who were entering via the passageway.

"This?" Qiong Sea King who was leading the way, stared at the black-robed Wu Yuan in shock.

Despite his mental preparation, the sight of Wu Yuan's two true selves still caught him off guard. He sensed that his soul was linked to both Wu Yuans, confirming their shared identity as Wu Yuan.

Qiong Sea King soon noted the discrepancy between the white-robed Wu Yuan and the black-robed Wu Yuan. One exuded a sharp aura akin to a divine sword, while the other possessed a more reserved but domineering aura.

"Qiong Sea," the black-robed Wu Yuan grinned, "I am the qi-refining self. Come with me to the teleportation array."

"Yes, Master," Qiong Sea King nodded.

Though they were merely different true selves of Wu Yuan with connected souls and consciousnesses, the situation felt weird.

Qiong Sea King began reacting on instinct to bid the white-robed Wu Yuan goodbye, but halfway through, he paused.

"Follow," the white-robed Wu Yuan murmured, "The two true selves are both me, there is no distinction."

"Understood," Qiong Sea King acquiesced.

Whoosh! Whoosh! The black-robed Wu Yuan and Qiong Sea King proceeded down the passageway of the Yanqing Hall towards the teleportation array, leaving the body-refining self in the main hall.

Little Black emerged from the white-robed Wu Yuan’s soul chamber and coiled itself around his arm. "Master."

"Stand guard and alert me to any developments," Wu Yuan communicated through his spirit.

Little Black nodded, leaving the Yanqing Hall in a flash.

...

Underneath the Yanqing Hall, Qiong Sea King stood in awe before the four massive spatial mithril towers, his breath catching in his throat.

"Is this the teleportation array?" he asked, his eyes wide with wonder.

Though he couldn't recognize what the spatial mithril towers were, there was no doubt in his mind that they were immensely precious treasures.

"Qiong Sea, follow my earlier instructions," the black-robed Wu Yuan commanded, "After you enter, activate the array. Take some time to explore your surroundings, then activate it from the other end to return. We have plenty of ethercrystal."

With a wave of his hand, Wu Yuan tossed a hefty chunk of ethercrystal to Qiong Sea. It weighed a few thousand catties!

So much ethercrystal. Qiong Sea King held his breath as he accepted it.

As he held the ethercrystal, Qiong Sea remembered how he used to treat several dozen catties of ethercrystal like a precious treasure.

Master was so wealthy the whole time. There’s no need for him to exploit us to obtain ethercrystal and etherstone at all. He must have been trying to motivate us, making sure we don’t find it too easy to learn the teachings of the Daoist Scripture Tower and slack off.

Qiong Sea King shrank his body and stepped onto the teleportation array. Then, he placed the ethercrystal into the fuel chamber.

Hum~ The four mithril towers which had remained dormant for untold ages lit up sequentially, and the chains connecting them were illuminated with cryptic patterns.

Whoosh~ After their radiant display, the mithril towers swiftly dimmed. The teleportation array was now vacant. Qiong Sea King had vanished.

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self waited patiently. Leaving was not the difficult part. The tough part was returning safely.

Soon, a quarter of an hour elapsed, but the teleportation array exhibited no changes.

Has Qiong Sea King encountered a mishap? Wu Yuan furrowed his brow. Qiong Sea King was a ninth-stage Communion phase body refiner with robust vitality. Could he have encountered grave danger?

Just as Wu Yuan began to worry, the four silver towers gleamed faintly, and a hazy ring of light appeared. Then, Qiong Sea King materialized in the center of the spatial mithril towers.

"Qiong Sea?" Wu Yuan's gaze brightened.

"Master." Qiong Sea King was ecstatic, zooming out of the teleportation array. "Master, it is a macrocosm! The destination of the teleportation array is most likely the legendary Greenridge Macrocosm."

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

This was the optimal outcome.

"Master, please take a look." Qiong Sea King retrieved a crystalline sphere, a water crystal ball crafted by water-type cultivators.

The crystal ball projected the image of an enormous world.

"Master, the opposite terminus of the teleportation array is also a teleportation array." Qiong Sea King explained. "However, it is buried deep underground, concealed by an invisibility array."

"It took me some time to reach the ground level. The environment of this vast expanse is not harsh at all, and the spiritual qi is exceedingly abundant." Qiong Sea King swiftly relayed his discoveries. Wu Yuan nodded, his heart brimming with anticipation. He didn’t need a fortuitous encounter, arriving safely in the macrocosm through the teleportation array was already a fantastic scenario.

"However, Master, the ethercrystal required to activate the teleportation array far exceeds your initial estimate," Qiong Sea King continued. "For a single activation, 2000 catties of ethercrystal are necessary."

"What?" Wu Yuan's countenance shifted slightly.

2000 catties of ethercrystal didn’t sound like much. Yet, in Wu Yuan's knowledge, such mid-grade teleportation arrays typically demanded around 200-300 catties per activation. A tenfold increase in consumption? What was the rationale?

He deliberated for a moment.

"Perhaps it’s due to neglect over the years, or the considerable distance," the black-robed Wu Yuan murmured. "Regardless, let’s proceed."

2000 catties of ethercrystal? Even if it were 20,000 catties, Wu Yuan could afford it. He was resolved to enter the macrocosm.

Whoosh! Whoosh! The black-robed Wu Yuan and Qiong Sea King stepped onto the teleportation array and inserted 2000 catties of ethercrystal into the fuel chamber.

As a brilliant light enveloped them, both man and beast vanished from the array simultaneously.

Within the meditation chamber of the Yanqing Hall, the white-robed Wu Yuan closed his eyes.

I wonder if this journey to the macrocosm will go smoothly.

...

The Summerpeak World was a complete, independent world. Observing it up close, one would feel that it was a vast expanse, teeming with countless lives and civilizations. Beyond the world stretched an endless, boundless cosmos.

However, in a distant spacetime region from the Summerpeak World, an observer standing here could gaze upon numerous vast worlds, each rivaling the size of the Summerpeak World itself. These worlds adhered to a set of laws, perpetually in motion. The Summerpeak World was but one among many, unremarkable in comparison.

Suspended in this spacetime region were towering majestic halls, their inhabitants bustling about within.

Outside one temple, armed soldiers patrolled the perimeter, their eyes cold but devoid of life.

Abruptly, a sharp voice rang out, "High Immortal Qiming, it’s an urgent matter! Urgent matter!" A black-robed man bearing a jade tablet hurried towards the hall. [1]

"Stop!"

"Impudent!" The soldiers immediately grew hostile, readying their weapons.

The man was taken aback, but before a confrontation could escalate, an unseen power emanated from the hall, quelling the soldiers' aggression. However, they maintained a cold vigilance toward the black-robed man.

The black-robed man breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's the matter?" a disinterested voice echoed from the unlit temple. "Zang Gan, you’ve interrupted my cultivation. If your news fails to satisfy me, you should know the consequences."

The black-robed man's expression shifted as he knelt before the temple. "High Immortal, the Bloodforge Devil Army has reported escapees from Bloodforge World 30056, originally named the Summerpeak World. The World Seal Array has detected a breach in the seal via a teleportation array, releasing two transcendent beings."

"Shall we dispatch a team to pursue them?" the black-robed man asked solemnly.

1. Yes, the author used the same given name as Wu Qiming (same chinese characters). Dun Dun DUUNN!! Nah I think the author just ran out of names...or did he? ☜

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