“You wish to see the Snake Ancestor?”
“And you want all of us Eldritch Deities to accompany you?” Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu, Eldritch Deity Hou Tu, Eldritch Deity Hou Lu, and the others exchanged glances.
Recalling Wu Yuan’s earlier proclamation that the three Imperial Majesties of the immortal race were dead, they instantly realized that Wu Yuan must have stumbled upon something extraordinary within the Creation Divine Hall.
“Is it urgent?” Zhu Jiu inquired.
“You could say that,” Wu Yuan replied cryptically. He could sense an invisible force restraining him from divulging the full truth about the Creation Divine Hall.
“If we all leave, what of the Creation Divine Hall and the Thirty-Three Heavens? Should we leave anyone to guard them?” Eldritch Deity Hou Tu asked, his hesitation palpable.
The reconstruction of the entire Heavenly Pillar Mountain would demand an enormous investment of time and energy from the eldritch race.
“I can’t be absolutely certain that the three Imperial Majesties of the immortal race are truly dead. We’ll need time to verify it,” Wu Yuan explained, his voice steady. “If all of us Eldritch Deities depart, leaving only the High Eldritches here… should Imperial Majesty Nan You or Imperial Majesty Lei Fu still live, it will be a difficult fight.
If we presume that the two Imperial Majesties of the immortal race are dead, that leaves only a few scattered High Immortals and Heavenly Masters making up the remainder of the Huanggu immortal race’s strength.
They no longer pose a significant threat to our eldritch race. If they’re wise, they’ll likely go into hiding, changing their names and appearances, rather than return.
Moreover, the Creation Divine Hall remains here, indestructible by any means,” Wu Yuan continued. “Therefore, I suggest our forces return to their respective Archeldritch tribes.
Once this matter is settled and we’ve agreed upon a plan to rebuild Heavenly Pillar Mountain, we can reconvene without delay.”
His proposal met with nods of approval from the other Eldritch Deities.
Within Heavenly Pillar Mountain, the lower thirty heavens lay in ruins, their reconstruction requiring vast resources. Even if the two Imperial Majesties of the immortal race had somehow survived, which seemed unlikely, they would be unable to defend it.
Leaving it unattended for a time posed no immediate danger.
“Then let us depart,” Zhu Jiu declared.
“Let’s go!” The assembled Eldritch Deities and High Eldritches reached a consensus, swiftly following Wu Yuan as they descended through the shattered worlds, leaving Heavenly Pillar Mountain behind.
…
Just over a day later, the three Eldritch Deities and Wu Yuan, accompanied by a large group of High Eldritches, Earth Eldritches, and others including Hou Tong, returned to the Earth Archeldritch Tribe.
The remaining High Eldritches and Earth Eldritches dispersed and returned to their respective tribes.
Wu Yuan, Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu, Eldritch Deity Hou Tu, and Eldritch Deity Hou Lu, however, proceeded directly to the vast underground lake deep within the earth.
Ripples danced across the water’s surface, the air thick with concentrated spiritual qi.
The Snake Ancestor, its body as massive as a mountain, lay coiled upon itself, its head raised high.
“You have come,” the Snake Ancestor’s voice boomed, reverberating throughout the subterranean world.
It was clear that it had been waiting for some time.
“Eldritch Deities, there are matters I must discuss with the Snake Ancestor in private. Please, wait here for a moment,” Wu Yuan requested, his tone respectful yet firm.
“Very well.”
“Go ahead.” Zhu Jiu and the others had no objections. Everyone had their secrets, and they could guess that Wu Yuan had likely learned some great secrets.
The Snake Ancestor, though originating from beyond this world, had remained tight-lipped about its extraterrestrial experiences throughout the long ages.
Zhu Jiu and the others were well aware that the Snake Ancestor possessed knowledge of many secrets unknown to them.
With a swift motion, Wu Yuan flew forward, coming face to face with the Snake Ancestor. Immediately, a powerful and majestic mana enveloped the area, shielding them from prying eyes and ears.
“Snake Ancestor,” Wu Yuan bowed slightly, his respect and gratitude for this ancient Teng Snake evident in his demeanor.
“Thank you,” the Snake Ancestor’s voice carried a hint of amusement.
“You’re thanking me? Why?” Wu Yuan’s surprise was evident.
“Without you, it would have taken the Huanggu eldritch race an unknown length of time to vanquish the immortal race,” the Snake Ancestor explained. “Even Zhu Jiu’s chances of breaching Heavenly Pillar Mountain through a frontal assault are slim at best.”
Wu Yuan nodded in agreement.
In terms of Dao comprehension, Zhu Jiu could perhaps rival an Eighth Tribulation Archimmortal. This placed him among the more formidable Archimmortals.
However, with the base power of merely a First Tribulation High Eldritch, he could only unleash power at the threshold of an Archimmortal after the slight enhancement from the Archeldritch Divine Artifacts.
To defeat, let alone slay, the three Imperial Majesties of the immortal race entrenched in Heavenly Pillar Mountain would be a Herculean task.
It might take hundreds of millions or even billions of years. Perhaps it would even have remained forever out of reach.
The path of immortal cultivation was filled with bottlenecks. One could go a hundred million years without a breakthrough – a common occurrence. Zhu Jiu, too, had been cultivating for an immense span of time.
“The fact that you’ve visited me with such urgency suggests you have important matters to discuss. Are you preparing to leave?” the Snake Ancestor inquired.
“You knew?” Wu Yuan’s surprise was evident once more.
“Haha, you come from beyond this world, drawn here by the opportunities it presents. Now that you’ve gained entry to the Creation Divine Hall, there’s little reason for you to linger,” the Snake Ancestor chuckled. “It’s not difficult to deduce.
Moreover, according to Zhu Jiu’s message, you managed to enter without activating the Archeldritch Divine Artifacts, relying solely on your own strength. Truly remarkable,” the Snake Ancestor added, a note of admiration in its voice.
Wu Yuan couldn’t help but smile.
Entering the Creation Divine Hall through one’s own power was neither impossible nor trivial. It required one to be among the most exceptional of top-tier geniuses within their cultivation phase. Of course, for Wu Yuan, widely regarded as the most outstanding of his generation, such a test posed little challenge.
“I plan to head to the Creation Divine Hall once more. When I emerge from the hall, I will depart immediately,” Wu Yuan explained.
“Thus, I wish to entrust a few items to you, Snake Ancestor. This is the Mirror of Creation, and these are the Archeldritch Divine Artifacts.”
With a wave of his hand, Wu Yuan summoned four artifacts, each radiating a powerful aura.
They were indeed the three Archeldritch Divine Artifacts and the Creation Divine Artifact.
“I suspect these might only manifest their power within the Huanggu World. Taking them with me would likely render them ineffective,” Wu Yuan said with a smile. “Naturally, they should remain here.”
“Indeed, your assumption is correct. They cannot leave the Huanggu World,” the Snake Ancestor’s gaze fell upon the Mirror of Creation.
“You were unable to claim ownership over the Mirror of Creation?”
“That’s right,” Wu Yuan nodded.
“Understandable. The Mirror of Creation is, in essence, a manifestation of this world’s fundamental rules. Unless one’s Dao comprehension reaches an inconceivable level, it’s nearly impossible for beings not native to this world to decipher it,” the Snake Ancestor mused.
Wu Yuan’s eyes widened in realization. So that was the reason.
“With this Creation Divine Artifact, Zhu Jiu should now be able to enter the Creation Divine Hall,” the Snake Ancestor added with a chuckle. “The Creation Divine Artifacts dramatically lower the difficulty of entering the hall.”
Wu Yuan nodded slightly, his thoughts aligning with this assessment.
“Additionally, the Huanggu eldritch race has shown me great kindness,” Wu Yuan continued, producing dozens of immortal slips with a flick of his wrist.
“These immortal slips contain various teachings I’ve recorded. I hope they will be of benefit to the Huanggu eldritch race,” Wu Yuan explained with a smile.
These teachings were a compilation of knowledge he had gathered during his adventures, along with some publicly available, free teachings he had transcribed from the Cang Feng Eldritch Voidrealm and Eternal Sun Immortal Voidrealm.
For top-tier major factions, such teachings might seem trivial and inconsequential. But for the Huanggu eldritch race? They were invaluable, equivalent to hundreds of millions of years of accumulated wisdom, if not more.
“Oh?” The Snake Ancestor’s eyes lit up with interest.
It briefly examined the immortal slips, quickly grasping their immense value.
Though the Snake Ancestor came from beyond this world, and previously followed an Eldritch of Heaven, its breadth of knowledge and experience actually fell short of Wu Yuan’s. Many of the teachings and secret arts were unfamiliar to it.
“Hou Feng, you’ve returned to sever your karmic ties, haven’t you?” the Snake Ancestor suddenly asked.
Wu Yuan hesitated momentarily before nodding.
Indeed! Karma, in essence, referred to the various connections formed between different beings through people and events!
To live in the world was to accumulate karma. Generally speaking, the longer one lived and the more experiences one had, the greater their karma grew.
Karma, be it great or small, was neither absolutely good or bad.
For ordinary mortals, karma held little significance. But once one stepped onto the path of immortal cultivation, the stronger they became, the greater the impact of their karma.
Some super powerhouses deliberately entangled themselves in karma along their cultivation paths. Far from hindering them, this abundance of karma accelerated their progress.
Others continually severed their karmic ties, smoothing out their destiny, pruning various future branches, all to purify their inner hearts.
Everything depended on the cultivator’s inner nature and Dao Heart!
For Wu Yuan, who placed great importance on his inner heart, he leaned more towards the second path, constantly attempting to sever various karmic ties.
In simpler terms, the Huanggu eldritch race had been of great help to Wu Yuan, placing high hopes on him. Now that he was about to leave, never to return, he felt a lingering sense of guilt, despite having largely repaid their kindness by helping them defeat the immortal race.
If this guilt remained unresolved, given Wu Yuan’s temperament, it might cause disturbances in the future.
Leaving behind the Creation Divine Artifact and numerous texts and teachings was his way of repaying this debt of gratitude, allowing him to depart with a clear conscience.
As long as his heart remained tranquil and he could honestly say he had no regrets, even the greatest karma would struggle to interfere with his mental state.
“What about little Hou Tong?” the Snake Ancestor suddenly asked with a smile. “I’ve only just learned of this matter. The word ‘love’ is most difficult to express. Many claim not to believe in love, yet in their hearts, they desire it most.”
“Love is ineffable. But the Dao alone is eternal. When the time comes to sever ties, they must be cut,” Wu Yuan’s gaze remained crystal clear.
It was evident he had thoroughly contemplated this matter.
“Very well, the decision is yours to make,” the Snake Ancestor said with a smile. “It’s rare to encounter a monstrous prodigy like yourself… With your talent, you’re likely to shine brilliantly in the myriad worlds beyond. I hope we’ll have the chance to meet again.”
“Perhaps,” Wu Yuan replied ambiguously.
The realms beyond? He was to return to the Greenridge Macrocosm, but was it connected to the myriad worlds of the Immutable Land?
A subtle vibration rippled through the air as the invisible barrier dissipated. Not far away, the three Eldritch Deities, seemingly receiving a message from the Snake Ancestor, flew over.
“Eldritch Deity Hou Feng has obtained a great opportunity within the Creation Divine Hall,” the Snake Ancestor announced, his voice carrying an air of authority. “A super powerhouse from beyond our realm seeks to recruit him.”