Yuan’s Ascension

"Being flawless and perfect is itself a flaw," the Heavenly Imperator declared calmly. "My Dao is destruction itself. If the overly rigid breaks easily, it's just not rigid enough.

"I believe in my invincibility. My Dao will break through all limits and shackles, even breaking free of the Primordium's constraints," he continued, meeting Wu Yuan's gaze. "I may not be your equal at the sempiternal stage, but at the pinnacle, I will not be weaker than you.

"You are of the human race. We will have our battle, but I believe my true self will ultimately defeat you."

Whoosh!The Heavenly Imperator's form dissipated, transforming into countless points of light that merged into Wu Yuan's body. Countless insights flooded Wu Yuan's mind.

Great Destruction! The ultimate destruction?Wu Yuan pondered carefully, perceiving the extraordinary nature of the Heavenly Imperator's Dao. Destruction and creation intertwined, giving rise to and ending each other.

Typically, when Great Destruction was taken to its extreme, it would inevitably birth the power of creation. But the Heavenly Imperator's Dao was different—a pure, absolute destruction without a trace of vitality. Within destruction, more destruction was nurtured.

Originating from Great Destruction, yet subtly transcending Great Destruction?Wu Yuan was shaken to his core.Heavenly Imperator... He's truly worthy of such a title!

Though he had swept aside all the Legends of the River, Wu Yuan had to admit that even Goddess Nüwa and Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu seemed to lack the grand ambition to shatter all and transcend eternity, compared to the Heavenly Imperator.

Heavenly Imperator, you believe your path is no weaker than mine?Wu Yuan smiled faintly.However, I firmly believe my path will be stronger than yours!

The current Heavenly Imperator already stood at the pinnacle of the cosmic sea, while Wu Yuan remained but a sempiternal lifeform.

Give me some time, and I shall surely surpass you.He continued to comprehend the insights of the self-created Daos he had absorbed.

Whoosh!Wu Yuan settled into lotus position, and a familiar hazy fluctuation enveloped him once more.

In an instant, his spirit and consciousness merged with the essence of the River of Universes, his perception expanding across universes and the Abyss.

The battle with dozens of Legends of the River had barely taken any time. According to the Heavenly Domain Emissary, if he completed the Path of Ancients, he would be allowed to spend ten thousand years cultivating here. Nine thousand years remained.

The previous thousand years of cultivation were equivalent to millions of years cultivating in the past, perhaps even more.

Wu Yuan's mind was still as he began to cultivate. Having just pioneered his Dao, countless insights surged through him.

...

Far away, in the endless cosmic sea, the mysterious Eldritch Progenitor Hall stood tall in the vast void.

"Another trace of consciousness within the River of Universes. It must be Wu Yuan!" Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu's voice carried a hint of anticipation. "Has he truly defeated all the Legends of the River? Even Jin Yi?"

...

Time flowed like water. The Xuanhuang Cosmiris had closed, and the Overlords of the cosmic sea had long since returned. The storm gradually dissipated, leaving behind only tales of extraordinary powerhouses.

Two names rose above all others: Overlord Wu Yuan and Overlord Ming Jian. They had become the benchmarks of this samsara cycle, subjects of admiration and worship for countless Sovereigns and Overlords.

The Wan Yu Tower updated its Samsara Rankings. Overlord Yue Shan vanished, along with the Immortal Court Overlords Wu Yuan had defeated. The rankings now proclaimed that Overlord Wu Yuan was number one while Overlord Ming Jian was number two.

Discussions erupted throughout the cosmic sea.

"In this samsara cycle of heaven and earth, I'm afraid no one can shake the positions of Overlord Wu Yuan and Overlord Ming Jian anymore."

"Two Legends of the River in one era?"

"Their positions might not be unshakeable—with such talent and strength, they might soon transcend the Overlord level."

"It's possible."

Wu Yuan and Ming Jian's reputation continued to grow.

Nine thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. The fervent discussions gradually faded.

On the Path of Ancients within the mysterious Xuanhuang Cosmiris, Wu Yuan stirred. A thoughtful look crossed his face as an intangible wave swept over him. Then, without warning, he vanished.

Time was up.

...

Whoosh!Wu Yuan materialized in the void, his gaze immediately finding the white-robed figure waiting—seemingly having stood here for ten thousand years.

"Senior," he greeted with a slight bow.

The Heavenly Domain Emissary studied him with an intense, complicated gaze. Words hovered on his lips, held back by some unspoken hesitation.

"Senior?" Wu Yuan prompted him again.

"I'm just a bit surprised and somewhat shocked that you actually succeeded," the Heavenly Domain Emissary finally spoke, shaking his head. "Crazy enough to provoke over a dozen Legends of the River into awakening at the same time, yet emerging victorious? It's beyond comprehension."

Wu Yuan gave a slight smile.

Crazy? Perhaps. But without such audacious madness, he could never have pioneered his own Dao, secured victory, or gained the transformative nine thousand years of cultivation that followed.

"Your Dao is terrifying," the Heavenly Domain Emissary marveled. "It's the strongest self-created Dao I've ever witnessed. Most pioneered Daos excel in one dimension while remaining vulnerable in others. But yours..." He paused. "Yours is absolutely perfect."

Wu Yuan nodded, acknowledging the observation.

Typically, self-created Daos were inherently imperfect—encompassing everything was nearly impossible. Even legendary figures like Goddess Nüwa, who nearly perfected illusions with her Dream World, had limitations.

It was worth noting that unlike Wu Yuan's qi refiner self, the concept of the Psyche Dream class had yet to exist in Goddess Nüwa's time. This school of thought was founded by Goddess Nüwa herself. Perhaps, in terms of the Daos they pioneered, Goddess Nüwa and Wu Yuan's qi refiner self were not far apart. But one blazed a trail through a fog of confusion, while the other received guidance from predecessors. There was a fundamental difference in difficulty levels.

Similarly, the young Heavenly Imperator's Dao represented pure, extreme attack power. At equivalent strength levels, Wu Yuan's body refiner self would marginally outperform the Heavenly Imperator's offensive capabilities. Yet in defense, resilience and self-preservation, the Heavenly Imperator was vastly inferior.

"Being able to pioneer it was also luck," Wu Yuan offered modestly.

The Heavenly Domain Emissary laughed. "Luck? In Dao pioneering? No. Your achievement involves fortuitous factors, certainly, but it's fundamentally a testament to your extraordinary talent and strength.

"Congratulations! You're the first to complete the Path of Legends since the Heavenly Imperator," the Heavenly Domain Emissary proclaimed. "And remarkably, you're also the first whose Dao traces cannot be imprinted onto the Path of Ancients."

Wu Yuan's curiosity was piqued. "Cannot be imprinted?"

"The Path of Ancients embodies the operational profundities of the River of Universes' essence," the Heavenly Domain Emissary explained. "Naturally, it has its limits. For the vast majority of Legends of the River, their self-created Daos did not surpass the essence of the River of Universes in their initial stages, thus allowing them to be imprinted."

He continued, "Take the Heavenly Imperator—his Dao wasn't fully imprinted, only about eighty to ninety percent was captured."

Wu Yuan's mind raced. Eighty to ninety percent imprinted? This meant the young Heavenly Imperator he had encountered was not even at full strength.

"As for you," the Emissary continued, "The Path of Ancients couldn't imprint even a trace of your Dao." His voice carried a note of helplessness. "The operation of your Dao is flawless, too perfect."

Wu Yuan's faint smile betrayed his inner satisfaction. That his Dao resisted imprinting was, in itself, profound validation of its unprecedented strength.

"What do you call the Dao you pioneered?" the Heavenly Domain Emissary asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"The Heavenly Dao!" Wu Yuan replied frankly.

The Emissary was stunned. "Heavenly Dao? Such grand ambition. However, if your Dao reaches the ultimate pinnacle in the future, perhaps it will truly deserve to be called the Dao of Heaven."

His tone turned cautionary. "But your Dao is still in its infancy. I think it's better not to be too conspicuous. At least, before you take the fourth step of eternity, it's best not to name it as such publicly. It attracts too much attention."

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior," Wu Yuan nodded. "What does Senior think it should be called?"

A knowing smile crossed the Emissary's face.

"Limitless! The Great Dao is limitless, chaos is boundless," he elaborated. "How about calling it the Limitless Dao for now? When it fully evolves to perfection in the future, you can call it the Heavenly Dao then."

Wu Yuan considered this briefly. "Limitless? Good, I'll follow Senior's suggestion."

Whether Limitless, Chaos, or Heavenly Dao—they were merely names. Wu Yuan understood that the Dao itself was what truly mattered.

"I don't have anything better prepared for you," the Heavenly Domain Emissary smiled. "I've given you all I can."

Wu Yuan responded solemnly, "The help from the Xuanhuang Cosmiris has been immense. Especially these ten thousand years on the Path of Ancients. In terms of value, it's probably equivalent to several Xiantian Instruments."

Indeed, after pioneering his Dao and cultivating for nine thousand years, Wu Yuan had continued to contemplate the operational essence of the River of Universes, making another great stride in his self-created Dao. Though still far from taking the third step, it was undeniably a rare and grand opportunity.