Yuan’s Ascension

Through the black-armored man’s explanation, the tens of thousands of immortal cultivators in the plaza gained a deeper understanding of the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield.

Suddenly, beams of light materialized from thin air, illuminating each cultivator. There were only three colors: white, blue, and gold. The majority were bathed in white light, a smaller group in blue, and only a select few—less than one-twentieth, including Wu Yuan and his group leaders—stood beneath golden beams.

"What does this mean?"

"What's happening?"

"Do the colors indicate the war bases we are assigned to?" whispered the cultivators.

The black-armored man’s voice cut through the murmurs, "White beams have been assigned to a specific war base. You’ll need to meet the ethercrystal laurel requirement to move to a different base.”

“Blue beams may choose from a list of suggested bases, but remember. There is a limit to the number of combatants teleported to each war base per day. First come, first served."

“Golden beams have full autonomy to select any war base.” The black-armored man intoned, "Remember, send your application through your personal hall in the Cang Feng Eldritch Voidrealm."

“Make your decision within the hour. After that, you’ll be teleported to your war base, and the earliest you may return is more than a year from now."

The plaza erupted into conversation. Those who dared to participate in the war weren't fools. They could all discern that the color coding system was clearly a categorization of power!

And the team led by Wu Yuan was evidently formidable.

"Which base will that team choose?"

"No idea."

"I heard each war base is like a mini-battlefield. If one side is too weak, it’ll be overrun."

"I want to follow them. With their strength, we’d have the upper hand." Many eyes were fixed on Wu Yuan’s team, some even approaching them for information.

But the Huo Cang Army was disciplined. Years of military training kept them silent, awaiting Wu Yuan’s command.

"Commander, which war base are we heading to?" Pei He asked, breaking the silence. "Should we go to a base on the mainland or in outer space?"

"The bases are concentrated on the mainland, with more powerful participants gathered there." The burly Zhang Shan voiced, quite eager, "We will rack up ethercrystal laurels faster."

"But it’s also more dangerous," Bing Roushui countered coolly. "I suggest we start in outer space for the first year. It’s safer, and once we’re acclimated to the battlefield, we can move to the mainland."

"I think..." The captains each gave their opinions before turning to Wu Yuan for the final decision.

As Wu Yuan weighed the options, a steady voice called out, "Friends, I invite you to Outer Space War Base 1294."

Whoosh! A streak of black light descended from the sky, heading straight for Wu Yuan’s group. It was a young man in black robes.

His eyes were spirited, his vital aura vigorous. He was obviously astute, easily sensing that Wu Yuan and the captains were the strongest in the entire team.

All of them were at the ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase or ninth-stage Shambhala phase.

"Who are you?" Wu Yuan asked calmly. He felt a hint of threat from the young man in black robes.

It was the first time since leaving the Redmoon Immortal Continent that he felt threatened by an Amethyst Cradle cultivator.

A powerhouse! The young man in black was definitely a super powerhouse in the Amethyst Cradle phase, the type that could fight beyond his cultivation phase.

"My name is An Shu," the young man replied with a grin. "I’m an eighth-rank fighter in the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield. I believe you understand what that means."

An Shu made his profile public, allowing Wu Yuan, Pei He, and the others to verify his rank through their voidrealm jades.

A wave of astonishment rippled through the group. Even the hundreds of stoic soldiers from the Huo Cang Army couldn't help but take a few more looks at the black-robed young man, their expressions filled with astonishment.

In the Cang Feng Eldritch World, the powerhouses of the battlefield valued combat achievements above all else. Strength alone was insignificant; it was the number of formidable foes one killed that truly mattered. The more enemies defeated, the greater the ethercrystal laurels, leading to an incremental rise in ranking and a proportional increase in one's rights and privileges.

The fighters with the lowest kill count were first-rank fighters. As they killed more enemies, they would ascend to the second and third ranks, and continue upward to become ninth-rank fighters, legendary-rank fighters, and finally, king-rank fighters—each rank represented a significant leap in prestige and power.

Wu Yuan, Pei He, and the other immortal cultivators in the plaza were merely first-rank fighters.

Reaching the third rank was a monumental feat, typically requiring the slaughter of hundreds of Amethyst Cradle Cultivators.

Achieving the sixth rank demanded even greater bloodshed—thousands of Amethyst Cradle cultivators had to fall by one’s hand.

As one climbed higher in rank, the difficulty increased exponentially. An eighth-rank fighter was undeniably a super powerhouse, having slaughtered numerous opponents in the Void Refiner or Elysian Field phases.

An eighth-rank fighter? Wu Yuan pondered, curiosity piqued.

Could he be a member of the Origin Eldritch Field? With such formidable strength, he could easily gain entry into the Fourth Origin Eldritch Field, becoming one of its powerhouses.

Wu Yuan's body refiner self began investigating immediately. However, no such person existed!

There were two possibilities. First, this person had yet to join the Origin Eldritch Field. Second, this person was using a false name, much like Wu Yuan's alias, Ming Jian.

“Fellow Daoist An Shu, your strength is formidable," Wu Yuan remarked with a frown. "You could match our entire team with your strength alone. Why invite us?"

Wu Yuan was genuinely curious. Super fighters of this caliber generally disliked joining forces with others, and if they did, they usually teamed up with those on the same level.

Leading an army? It might appear grand and safer, but it wasn’t conducive for ambushes and hunting targets. Sometimes, it could even be a burden.

"I can't tell you what my purpose for you is just yet." An Shu shook his head. "However, if you're willing to obey my commands for the next year, I'm willing to offer a hundred million catties of ethercrystal."

Suddenly, silence reigned.

Many soldiers in the Huo Cang Army lit up at the offer. A hundred million catties of ethercrystal? It wasn't much for a super genius like Wu Yuan, but for the average Amethyst Cradle cultivator, it was quite significant.

One had to understand that on average, each of them would get hundreds of thousands of catties of ethercrystal.

However, this sum of ethercrystal couldn't sway Pei He, Zhang Shan, or Lie Shier. Instead, they immediately grew wary.

This person was so powerful, yet he was seeking help. That reeked of grave danger.

"Is it a protection or assault mission?" Wu Yuan asked suddenly.

The question made An Shu pause. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes before he chuckled, "It seems like you know a thing or two, Fellow Daoist. How should I address you?"

"Ming Jian," Wu Yuan replied.

"Since Daoist Ming Jian understands, I won't hide it from you," An Shu nodded. "It's an assault mission, but I can't disclose more specifics."

"You must sign a contract," An Shu added without hesitation.

So what if Wu Yuan knew it was an assault mission? The exact target location was unspecified, and the area covered by each war base was extensive.

"One billion catties of ethercrystal!" Wu Yuan declared.

An Shu froze.

"500 million catties of ethercrystal, and we will help you strike the target. We can promise to hold off five first-stage to second-stage Void Refiner cultivators," Wu Yuan stated with a faint smile. "Another 500 million catties of ethercrystal, and we can help you hold the fort for a year."

Pei He, Lie Shier, Zhang Shan, and the rest were dumbstruck, staring at Wu Yuan in disbelief.

A billion catties of ethercrystal? Even they felt their hearts tremble. Such a fortune was enough to tempt any Void Refiner Eminence. Even if this sum was split among hundreds of soldiers, each person would still receive a substantial amount.

"Daoist, your asking price is too high," An Shu frowned.

"Not at all," Wu Yuan replied indifferently. "I know the eldritch world's rating for our team is only seventh-rank, but our collective strength may surpass your imagination."

A flicker of surprise passed through An Shu's eyes. He pondered for a moment.

"Alright," An Shu said solemnly. "However, I need you to sign a contract first. I can only deliver the ethercrystal upon completion of each task."

"Pay half upfront," Wu Yuan quickly added. "That's our bottom line."

An Shu was taken aback.

He didn't expect to encounter such a tough negotiator. Almost every condition pressed on his limits. Clearly, Wu Yuan was very familiar with the market rates.

After a moment of silence, An Shu finally said in a low voice, "Fine, I agree. I only hope you won't disappoint me, Daoist Ming Jian."

"Don't worry," Wu Yuan replied casually. "Let's sign the contract in the Cang Feng Eldritch Voidrealm."

Soon, Wu Yuan and the three hundred soldiers of the Huo Cang Army, including Pei He, had all signed the employment contract with An Shu, receiving 250 million catties of ethercrystal upfront.

"Regular soldiers get five hundred thousand catties of ethercrystal each. The six of you get ten million each; the rest goes to me, all upfront," Wu Yuan distributed the funds. "Once the second task is completed, the second disbursement will follow the first."

No one objected, not even Zhang Shan. They all knew that without Wu Yuan, they could never have negotiated such a lucrative deal. They likely would have accepted 200 or 300 million catties of ethercrystal.

And now, whether they were ordinary soldiers or captains, everyone was extremely satisfied with this bounty of ethercrystal that they had received before even engaging in battle.

In reality, Wu Yuan didn’t mind giving up his portion of ninety million catties of ethercrystal to his team. He wasn’t lacking in ethercrystal, after all.

But Wu Yuan knew that if he took nothing for himself, he would break the unspoken rules and make his soldiers uneasy. Rules were important!

"Daoist Ming Jian," An Shu spoke in a deep voice, "I'll be waiting for you outside Outer Space War Base 1294."

"I hope you are as strong as you claim." With that, the young man in black robes turned into a streak of light and departed.

"Commander, are you confident? Will there be danger?"

"Can our team hold off five Void Refiner cultivators?" The six captains expressed their concerns one by one.

They were confident in their own abilities, but the power gap between the Amethyst Cradle phase and the Void Refiner phase was vast. Even with their coordination arrays, they didn't have much confidence.

"If I say we do, then we do," Wu Yuan said with a faint smile. "As for danger? We're here for war—where could we possibly go that wouldn’t be dangerous?"

"Don’t worry!"

Pei He, Lie Shier, and the other four captains exchanged glances but could do nothing more than suppress their worries.

At the same time, their image of Wu Yuan was becoming increasingly mysterious and unfathomable in their minds.

Time passed.

Wu Yuan, along with hundreds of his subordinate immortal cultivators, selected the agreed war base.

Soon, it was time.

The black-armored man arrived at the plaza once more, his voice thunderous: "Everyone, prepare to teleport."

"Ten, nine, eight... two, one! Initiate teleportation!"

Whoosh! Suddenly, the entire plaza erupted with light. Countless beams crisscrossed, instantly engulfing nearly twenty thousand Amethyst Cradle cultivators.

As the beams of light faded, the entire plaza was left barren.

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