Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 727: The Astral Monarch’s Treasure Trove (1)

"With his strength far surpassing Arctic and the others, coupled with our assistance, Fang Xia reached the ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase. He sought an opportunity to break through to the Void Refiner phase," Cen Jiang explained.

"So he ventured alone into the Thousand Serpent Forbidden Valley, ultimately disappearing within without a trace of news emerging."

"Any word from the eldritch voidrealm?" Wu Yuan immediately inquired.

Unless the power disparity was truly extraordinary, resulting in instant demise, immortal cultivators could generally transmit a message through the voidrealm before death. A single thought was all it took.

"None. No message came through. We suddenly lost all contact," Cen Jiang said. "However, Fang Xia's soul lamp hasn't been extinguished. He may still be alive.

But the Thousand Serpent Forbidden Valley is fraught with dangers. We can't be certain," Cen Jiang added.

Wu Yuan pondered silently.

Soul lamp? Many major sects would light soul lamps for important cultivators to determine whether they were still alive.

Though expensive, the Summerpeak lineage decided to purchase them for some key figures, and Fang Xia was undoubtedly a veteran elder of Summerpeak. He held a special place in Wu Yuan's heart, second only to his family.

However, soul lamps had several flaws. They could malfunction in certain dangerous locations or if the distance from the user was too vast.

"Thousand Serpent Forbidden Valley?" Wu Yuan furrowed his brow slightly.

He'd never heard of it.

"It's an exploration site on the Shan Lin Immortal Continent, controlled by the Shan Yue Sect," Cen Jiang explained.

"Brother, I'll provide the intelligence—" Wu Yijun beside him began to speak.

"There’s no need. Give me a moment," Wu Yuan said, then with a thought, he began gathering the relevant information.

As a disciple of a Sovereign, he possessed Astral Lord-level authority within the Cang Feng Eldritch Voidrealm. Accessing some information about an immortal continent took no effort and didn't consume any eldritch merits. These were all part of his benefits.

Soon, Wu Yuan had a general understanding.

There weren't many forces within the Shan Lin Immortal Continent. It was primarily dominated by two factions: the Shan Yue Sect and the Bai Lin Valley, each controlling vast territories.

These two forces were of the same caliber as the Redmoon Immortal Hall, though slightly weaker.

The Thousand Serpent Forbidden Valley was an exploration site controlled and occupied by the Shan Yue Sect. It spanned a vast area and held some opportunities, though the area was fraught with peril.

Under normal circumstances, visiting immortal cultivators could pay the Shan Yue Sect a sum of ethercrystal to enter and explore it.

"Have you contacted the Shan Yue Sect?" Wu Yuan asked.

"We did. Shortly after losing contact with Fang Xia, we requested assistance from a High Immortal of the Shan Yue Sect," Cen Jiang replied respectfully. "But after investigating the matter briefly, they told us Fang Xia had perished and that we needn't search further.

However, they provided no evidence. When I tried to contact them again, the Shan Yue Sect simply stopped responding," Cen Jiang said with a bitter smile. "We were helpless to pursue the matter."

She understood the bond between Wu Yuan and Fang Xia.

"The Shan Yue Sect would rather offend you than offer any explanation over a ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle cultivator?" Wu Yuan's eyes narrowed.

It was strange. Normally, ordinary High Immortals and even some major sects would be reluctant to offend a cultivator like Cen Jiang who represented Wu Yuan. There was no benefit in it.

Were they hiding something? Although Fang Xia's talent was impressive, it was only within the Summerpeak lineage. How much trouble could a ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase cultivator cause?

"With the Shan Yue Sect refusing to explain, we were powerless to investigate the matter," Cen Jiang shook her head. "After all, they are a powerful sect presided by multiple Archimmortals, including an Astral Lord... It’s difficult for me to even meet with one of their Archimmortals."

"Mm." Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

Archimmortals viewed ordinary High Immortals with a condescending attitude. After all, it was rare for a single Archimmortal to emerge from over ten thousand High Immortals.

Over ninety percent of the Fifth Origin Eldritch Field’s members would perish or be eliminated as they progressed through each Origin Eldritch Field, leaving an average of only tens of millions of High Immortals and High Eldritches in the First Origin Eldritch Field.

In the end, far less than ten percent would become Archimmortals.

Despite his brilliant performance in the Fifth and Fourth Origin Eldritch Fields, it wasn't enough to make such a powerful sect fear him.

Moreover, he wasn't personally making an appearance; it was just Cen Jiang. The Archimmortals of the Shan Yue Sect probably weren't even aware of the situation.

"Alright. I understand the situation now," Wu Yuan said. "I'll handle it. You can continue cultivating as per usual."

"Yes." Cen Jiang nodded, inwardly heaving a sigh of relief.

"Little Yi, you can tell Mother that I should return to Summerpeak to see her in three years at the earliest, or ten years at the latest," Wu Yuan said.

"You want me to tell her now?" Wu Yijun was startled.

"If you tell her now, she'll be happy for a long time, looking forward to my return," Wu Yuan smiled faintly. "But if I surprise her by showing up unexpectedly, her happiness will only last for a moment. Why keep it a secret?"

"I see, Brother. I’ll do just that," Wu Yijun's eyes lit up.

"If anything comes up, send me a message. I'll most likely be staying in the eldritch world for quite some time," Wu Yuan said. "I'm going to see your master now."

"My master?" Wu Yijun was surprised at first, then nodded, "Alright."

...

Within the Inner Region of the Thunder Marsh World was an inconspicuous canyon passage.

Hum! Wu Yuan sat in lotus position atop a massive boulder, his body emanating waves of blood-red light.

He was fully focused on cultivating ‘Creation Saint Prohibition’ and ‘Immutable Soul’. For Wu Yuan, mastering these two great teachings wasn't particularly difficult, but it required a substantial investment of time.

Meanwhile, in Wu Yuan's upper dantian lobe, his nine Yuan Souls simultaneously transformed into nine phantoms, concentrating on forming one mysterious seal after another, which emitted strange fluctuations.

This karmic secret art is truly challenging to cultivate. Wu Yuan muttered to himself. Fortunately, I have some understanding of the Laws of Space and Time.

Compared to my body refiner self, my qi refiner self is progressing faster. I've already achieved a small degree of success with the karmic secret art, which should suffice for now.

In terms of Dao comprehension, Wu Yuan currently rivaled Astral Monarchs. Although he hadn't comprehended the Law of Karma, he could still cultivate karmic secret arts.

Just as Archimmortals could use brute force to enter the Fragmentary Spatial Layer, cultivating karmic secret arts followed similar principles.

Astral Monarchs could easily perceive karma due to their high Dao comprehension level and formidable strength.

This karmic secret art was something Wu Yuan had obtained from the eldritch voidrealm. It was quite common, but the cultivation requirements were extremely high, beyond even Astral Lords.

Besides the karmic secret art, Wu Yuan was also attempting to cultivate other secret arts, many of which were not for use in direct combat, but auxiliary purposes.

For example — a transformation secret art! It could disguise one's appearance, vital aura, and even soul aura. This was a specialty of the Dao of Creation.

Old Fang? As Wu Yuan cultivated, Fang Xia's image involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Scenes from their early years in the Middle Land also flashed before him. Without Old Fang's help, he might not have smoothly cultivated to become an eldritch warrior. Not to mention surviving the worm devil calamity later.

Thus, Wu Yuan didn't wish to see Fang Xia die. If he was in danger, Wu Yuan would spare no effort to save him.

If Old Fang had encountered danger and perished in the past hundreds of years, it would have been too late. Going now would be useless.

But his soul lamp is still burning. Generally, unless separated by the spacetime domain of an immortal nation, the soul lamp should function accurately.

But the message the Shan Yue Sect gave to Cen Jiang seems somewhat strange. Wu Yuan pondered. I must find an intermediary to inquire about the situation first.

Logically, searching for an Amethyst Cradle cultivator in the Thousand Serpent Forbidden Valley shouldn't be too difficult. Even if they couldn't find him or encountered difficulties, the Shan Yue Sect could have proactively provided an explanation.

Hm? Archimmortal Xu Cai can see me now? A glint of surprise flashed in Wu Yuan's eyes as a strand of consciousness entered the Cang Feng Eldritch Voidrealm to meet her.

...

Within one of the planes in the Cang Feng Eldritch Voidrealm was an icy planet.

Halfway up the highest mountain of the entire planet was a hall. Sitting here, one could overlook nearly half the planet’s landscape.

Whoosh! A black-robed figure appeared out of thin air, immediately spotting the majestic and elegant woman seated in the distance.

"Wu Yuan, my young friend." The elegant woman stood up.

"Fellow Daoist Xu Cai." Wu Yuan smiled.

This address of ‘Fellow Daoist’ prompted a flicker of surprise in the elegant woman's eyes. She could clearly sense that Wu Yuan was merely an Earth Eldritch. An Earth Eldritch, addressing her as ‘Fellow Daoist’?

"Please, sit." Archimmortal Xu Cai smiled, not revealing a hint of dissatisfaction on her face despite feeling a touch of displeasure inwardly.

"Mm." Wu Yuan didn't stand on ceremony, taking a step to land opposite Archimmortal Xu Cai.

He appeared extremely at ease, seemingly unconcerned by Archimmortal Xu Cai's status.

"Wu Yuan, my young friend, what brings you here?" Archimmortal Xu Cai smiled, unhurriedly pouring tea for Wu Yuan.

"I would like to thank Fellow Daoist, for nurturing and guiding Little Yi over the years. It must have been troublesome for you," Wu Yuan said with a smile.

"It's nothing. I'm very fond of Little Yi," Archimmortal Xu Cai's face involuntarily lit up with a smile at the mention of Wu Yijun.

"Though she is not considered highly talented, her personality is excellent... I believe you understand that even among Archimmortal disciples, very few can become Archimmortals. I took her as my disciple not for her talent."

"Mm." Wu Yuan nodded.

If Archimmortals took disciples based on talent, they would at least seek geniuses at the level of the Fifth Origin Eldritch Field members. His sister fell far short of that.

"Young friend, if you have something to say, please speak frankly," Archimmortal Xu Cai said.

"Very well, there is indeed a matter I'd like to request your assistance with," Wu Yuan said. "I have a close friend named Fang Xia, a ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle cultivator, who entered the Thousand Serpent Forbidden Valley in the Shan Lin Immortal Continent...

I was hoping you could inquire with the Archimmortals of the Shan Yue Sect, to see if they could investigate the matter, and if Fang Xia is still alive, whether it be possible to bring him back."

"Is that all?" Archimmortal Xu Cai asked, taken aback.

"Yes," Wu Yuan nodded.

"It seems this Fang Xia is quite important to you," Archimmortal Xu Cai said with a smile. "Alright, I'll ask around. However, I'm not particularly close with the Archimmortals of the Shan Yue Sect, so I can only inquire through the eldritch voidrealm."

"I appreciate your help, Fellow Daoist," Wu Yuan said. "If there are any expenses involved, please don't hesitate to let me know." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"One moment, please," Archimmortal Xu Cai said. Her eyes briefly lost focus before returning to normal.

It seemed she had already transmitted an inquiry.

Wu Yuan waited patiently.

After a while, Archimmortal Xu Cai suddenly spoke, “Young Friend Wu Yuan.”

"Do you have any news?" Wu Yuan asked eagerly.

"I have news, but the situation doesn't look good," Archimmortal Xu Cai said, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Wu Yuan was taken aback.

"I managed to contact an Archimmortal from the Shan Yue Sect. The conversation went well initially, but as soon as I mentioned Fang Xia and your name, this Archimmortal seemed to already know about the matter," Archimmortal Xu Cai said gravely. "He told me right away that Fang Xia is dead, without a doubt."

"Dead?" Wu Yuan's expression changed slightly.

The Archimmortals of the Shan Yue Sect had already been aware of this matter?

"I tried to probe a bit further, asking for the specifics, but they simply said he was killed while encountering the usual threats in the area, and refused to say more," Archimmortal Xu Cai shook her head. "I didn't feel it was appropriate to press further."

"I understand. Thank you for your help, Daoist Xu Cai," Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

"It's no trouble."