Yuan’s Ascension

To pursue this mysterious artistic conception by delving into the Laws of Lightning or Fire... that would be a grave misstep. Wu Yuan mused to himself.

Though he yearned to grasp its secrets, he remained clear-headed, refusing to lose sight of his true goal.

The purpose of unraveling this enigmatic artistic conception is to gain insights that would help me breach the threshold of the Law of Life – a law that encompasses Longevity, Celestial Body, and True Domain. Wu Yuan understood this with crystal clarity.

If one could fully comprehend this mysterious artistic conception, it might lead to unimaginable power – a path to the pinnacle. Yet Wu Yuan knew the pursuit of raw strength alone might not be the most suitable path for his nature.

Thunder and Fire are not my forte. Wu Yuan shook his head slightly. Nor do they resonate with me.

Wu Yuan's passion lay in unraveling the profundities of the Celestial Body Dao. He found himself captivated by the concept of ‘returning to the source’, much like in his early years when he would spend decades at a time exploring the profundities of the Land. His swift progress stemmed from his total immersion in these studies.

The Longevity Dao, with its endless vitality, often brought an involuntary smile to Wu Yuan's face as he contemplated it. He reveled in that sensation of vibrant life force.

Similarly, the Space Dao left Wu Yuan in awe of its vast, unfathomable nature. This allowed him to grasp the Lesser Law of Spatial Dimension with unparalleled speed.

Yet his progress in Spatial Fracture and Dimensional Blade lagged far behind, advancing at a far slower pace.

At his core, Wu Yuan did not relish violence. He preferred quiet cultivation to constantly pushing himself through life-or-death ordeals.

Though his natural talents had set him on the path of immortal cultivation, those same talents often reflected one's inner nature. Only by following one's heart could one continuously break through bottlenecks.

Even during his time on the Bloodforge Battlefield and Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield, Wu Yuan typically withdrew once his objectives were met.

The path most suited to oneself is invariably the best path. Wu Yuan reflected silently.

Take Senior Brother Jiang Huan, for instance. Surely he was aware of the Law of Life? Yet he had chosen to fully comprehend the Law of Celestial Body instead.

For Wu Yuan, the Thunder Dao and Fire Dao did not currently align with his inner nature. Attempting to comprehend them would be an exercise in futility. A thousand years of contemplation might not yield the same results as a mere decade spent on the Celestial Body Dao or Longevity Dao.

Having learned that this Thunder Beast Diagram demands mastery of Thunder and Fire, I can only set it aside for now. Wu Yuan decided, abandoning this particular path.

It was worth noting that the Thunder Marsh World contained more than just this single diagram.

I should seek out other Thunder Beast Diagrams. Perhaps not all of them embody the same artistic conception.

With a deep breath, Wu Yuan collected his thoughts and rose to his feet. His gaze shifted to find Yun Ya and Yun Ling smiling at him from a short distance away. They seemed to have been patiently waiting for him to finish his contemplation.

"Yun Ya, my apologies for the delay," Wu Yuan said with a smile.

Though this period of meditation seemed brief, two days had actually passed.

"No need for apologies. We've just completed our session of contemplating the diagram as well," Yun Ya sighed. "While we gained some insights, they were minimal. That's why we've decided to venture into the Inner Region. The stone walls there bear seventy-three Thunder Beast Diagrams per area."

Wu Yuan nodded in understanding.

Over countless eons, various factions had thoroughly explored the world. From the intelligence gathered, the Outer Region contained a total of 365 Thunder Beast Diagrams. These diagrams were scattered across different areas, with only one diagram per location.

The Inner Region, however, was divided into five major areas, each housing seventy-three diagrams.

As for the Core Region? It contained all 365 diagrams in their complete form.

In essence, the more dangerous the area, the more concentrated the distribution of diagrams.

"While each Thunder Beast Diagram has a unique appearance, the projected images in our reports only capture their general form," Yun Ling explained with her melodious voice. "Only by standing before the actual stone walls can one sense their spiritual resonance and the profundities of the Dao they contain."

"Indeed," Wu Yuan agreed. "That was my thought as well."

Had he not already encountered a Thunder Beast Diagram, he might have been content to leave things be.

But having witnessed one and sensed its profound nature, Wu Yuan would not rest until he found an artistic conception that resonated with him among the 365 diagrams. At the very least, he needed to see them all.

Moreover, based on the overlap between the entry coordinates for the Immutable Land and the map of the Thunder Marsh World, the entrance lay at the border between the Inner and Core Regions.

"Daoist Shadow Blade, why don't you join us?" Yun Ya extended an invitation to Wu Yuan.

"With the three of us traveling together, it would certainly be safer," Yun Ling added with a smile.

"Agreed," Wu Yuan nodded.

Traveling in a group, especially with two Void Refiner cultivators, would resolve most potential issues and help conceal his true strength.

Some immortal cultivators might have reservations, but Wu Yuan wasn't overly concerned. He had enough confidence to handle most dangers.

…

Swiftly, Wu Yuan, Yun Ya, and Yun Ling formed a team and departed from the area with the Dao pattern diagram.

Following a mountain range that stretched for millions of li, they entered the Inner Region.

The dozens of cultivators from the Longstar Immortal Sect, as well as those from the other two major sects, chose not to follow.

The Inner Region? For these Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala cultivators, unless they were extremely confident or possessed ultimate life-saving treasures, most would limit their explorations to the Outer Region.

In the Outer Region, thunder beast elites appeared only occasionally. But in the Inner Region, thunder beast elites were far more common. Occasionally, even thunder beast kings would appear, forcing even Void Refiner/Elysian Field cultivators to exercise caution.

…

The five major areas of the Inner Region were incredibly vast, but the mountain ranges on either side grew increasingly tall, reaching heights over 30,000 li.

With the array of the Thunder Marsh World in effect, even Earth Immortals dared not attempt to surpass such heights, fearing that they would be struck by heavenly lightning.

The mountain ranges were separated by less than a thousand li, casting the plains of the valley floor into deep shadow. Light barely penetrated the gloom. The air was damp and the ground muddy.

"These mountain ranges are incredibly sturdy. I've tried digging through them, but after about a hundred li, it becomes nearly impossible to continue any further. There must be an array reinforcing them," Yun Ya shook his head. "So our only option is to slowly navigate through the valleys and across the mountain ranges."

Wu Yuan listened attentively.

He hadn't attempted such excavation himself, but since the Longstar Immortal Sect's intelligence reports hadn't mentioned any shortcuts, he assumed there were none to be found.

The three of them flew cautiously between the mountain ranges, moving quietly.

In the Inner Region, though their Soul Force range seemed unrestricted, the special nature of the thunder beasts meant they couldn't detect them in advance.

So this is the work of an Astral Monarch. A single array he lays down can drive the evolution of an entire world, granting it such inconceivable properties. Wu Yuan marveled silently.

Upon arriving in this vast Thunder Marsh World and witnessing its peculiarities, Wu Yuan became increasingly aware of the gulf between himself and super powerhouses.

Other Archimmortals and Astral Lords respect me, and many Astral Monarchs treat me courteously because of my talent and the Sovereign’s backing. Wu Yuan reflected.

But talent is only useful when realized. As for having powerful backers? That's merely throwing one's weight around. In a true face-to-face battle, a ninth-stage Earth Immortal could annihilate me with a single move. Wu Yuan pondered quietly.

I must be cautious. Although most of the dangers in this Thunder Marsh World aren't likely to prove fatal and I have numerous trump cards up my sleeve, I must remain vigilant.

Only by staying alive can I achieve anything.

…

"Let's take this passage."

"The terrain of the Outer Region in the Thunder Marsh World remains constant. But in the Inner Region, apart from the five major areas with stone wall Dao patterns, the mountain ranges are constantly shifting under the effects of the array."

"We can only use our sense of direction to gradually approach the areas with the stone wall Dao patterns."

Wu Yuan, Yun Ya, and Yun Ling continued to navigate through various mountain passes and valleys.

…

Swish! "Kill!" With a sweep of her hand, Yun Ling sent several golden beams of light streaking across the sky, instantly slicing apart more than ten thunder beasts.

As they pressed onward, they encountered no other immortal cultivators, but occasionally ran into ordinary thunder beasts. Yun Ya and Yun Ling dispatched these with ease.

It seems Yun Ya's true specialty isn't the Thunder Dao, but rather the Wood Dao. And this Yun Ling excels in the Metal Dao? Wu Yuan quickly noticed this point and pondered it thoughtfully.

Both had only comprehended Lesser Laws, but appeared to have reached the ninth-level True Intent stage, which was considered quite decent among Void Refiner cultivators.

…

On one side of a dark valley, at the base of a mountain range, was an enormous cavern. Within its vast expanse dwelled countless thunder beasts, each dozens of zhangs long. Among them were several dozen over a hundred zhangs in length, emanating overwhelmingly powerful auras.

The cave was undoubtedly a terrifying lair of thunder beasts. Most of the beasts lay sprawled across the cavern floor in deep slumber, with only a few weaker ones playfully scuffling about. Their intelligence was rudimentary at best, barely matching that of a human toddler.

Suddenly, a low growl reverberated from the depths of the cave, its fearsome resonance stirring up gales laced with flickering lightning.

"Roar~"

"Roar!"

"Roar!" The sleeping thunder beasts stirred awake, one by one opening their eyes and responding with their own rumbling calls.

Eventually, every thunder beast in the cavern had awakened.

"Roar~" The growl from the cave's depths suddenly transformed into a thunderous bellow, as if issuing a command to charge.

In an instant, over a hundred thunder beasts roared without hesitation, then surged forward in a stampede, some flying, others sprinting, all moving with lightning speed as they burst out of the cave and into the canyon.

…

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Two figures in white robes and one muscular man carrying a saber on his back skimmed along the ground, flying at a speed of three hundred li per second.

"I reckon we're getting close. We just need to find one more mountain range cutting across our path," Yun Ling said with a smile. "We've been quite fortunate so far, not encountering a single thunder beast elite..."

Wu Yuan and Yun Ya nodded in agreement, all three of them visibly relaxing.

Suddenly, a rumbling tremor shook the earth, as if some massive entity was about to approach.