Yuan’s Ascension

When he first observed the Thunder Beast Diagram, it seemed to come alive. Meanwhile, once the Thunder Beast Stones were removed from those thunder beasts, the bodies of the beasts quickly dissolved. After crushing the stones and stripping away all external power, only these fragments of Dao pattern diagrams remained.

The thunder beasts born in the Thunder Marsh World truly originate from these Dao pattern diagram fragments. And these diagram fragments are all part of the Thunder Beast Diagrams.

Most crucially, the Thunder Beast Diagram I copied is a mere image, it can’t be comprehended; but the Dao pattern diagram fragments extracted from the Thunder Beast Stones are identical to the true Thunder Beast Diagram. Wu Yuan's eyes flashed with hope. They also contain the profundities of the Dao, as well as the faint ripples of artistic conception.

This meant that by obtaining enough Thunder Beast Stones, then crushing them and extracting their essence, there was hope of reassembling a complete Thunder Beast Diagram within his internal shambhala, identical to the one on the stone wall.

In that case, even after leaving the Thunder Marsh World, I can continue to observe and comprehend it.

Wu Yuan took a deep breath, understanding what he needed to do next: hunt thunder beasts and seize their Thunder Beast Stones!

However, there were a few issues.

First, I suspect only a complete Thunder Beast Diagram can truly generate that mysterious artistic conception. Wu Yuan silently recalled.

Compared to the complete Thunder Beast Diagram, the artistic conceptions of these Thunder Beast Stone diagram fragments were far too weak. Forget comprehending them, even sensing them was incredibly difficult.

To recreate all the Thunder Beast Diagrams, wouldn't that require hunting at least a hundred thousand thunder beast elites? And that's not accounting for duplicates? Wu Yuan's heart shook at the thought.

A hundred thousand thunder beast elites? Were there even that many in the entire Thunder Marsh World?

No, that's not right! A flash of inspiration struck Wu Yuan, and his gaze fell once more on the Dao pattern diagram fragments.

I've only observed one Thunder Beast Diagram, yet of the twenty-three Dao pattern diagram fragments I've obtained, there are thirteen matches? By right, he would be fortunate to get even one match. Wu Yuan immediately formed a new hypothesis.

The 365 Thunder Beast Diagrams were perhaps formed from just five or six hundred second-grade Thunder Beast Stone diagram fragments, combined in different ways, with most patterns repeating.

If that's true, I might be able to assemble all the Thunder Beast Diagrams with just one or two thousand second-grade Thunder Beast Stones. Wu Yuan mused inwardly.

Hunting a hundred thousand thunder beast elites? That was unrealistic! Hunting one or two thousand? It was possible.

If all else fails, I'll have to risk entering the Core Region and sending Shadow Moon to hunt thunder beast kings. Wu Yuan thought.

This was extremely dangerous. But Wu Yuan speculated that the Dao pattern diagram fragments formed from first-grade Thunder Beast Stones would undoubtedly be more complex and complete. Perhaps a few dozen would suffice.

Since I managed to discover the secret of the Thunder Beast Stones, surely the six major sects of the White Sea Immortal Continent or other factions have found out about it as well. Wu Yuan wondered.

What Wu Yuan didn't know was that this secret was no secret at all among many factions in the Ling Huan Immortal Nation.

But knowing made little difference. So what if one could assemble Thunder Beast Diagrams from Thunder Beast Stone cores?

The Thunder Beast Diagrams on the stone walls had existed in the Thunder Marsh World for countless eons, yet few immortal cultivators had gleaned much from them.

Moreover, the Thunder Beast Diagrams assembled from the Dao patterns of Thunder Beast Stones had certain flaws compared to the true Thunder Beast Diagrams engraved on the stone walls, flaws that Wu Yuan was currently unaware of.

…

The Thunder Marsh World was opened once every few centuries by the six major sects of the White Sea Immortal Continent.

Each time it opened, the terrain of the Inner Region changed. Only the Outer Region and the locations of the stone wall Dao pattern diagrams remained constant.

So Wu Yuan continued referring to his map. Following the general direction indicated, he passed through mountain ranges and winding passageways, steadily approaching Area 3 of the Inner Region.

Along the way, Wu Yuan encountered numerous thunder beasts and even thunder beast elites attempting to ambush him.

He slew them all.

Gradually, his hypothesis was confirmed.

Just as I suspected, while some of these Thunder Beast Stone cores are duplicates, half of them correspond to parts of that Thunder Beast Diagram. Wu Yuan thought with considerable satisfaction.

Over the six days since entering the Inner Region, he had slain over sixty thunder beast elites, including those at the beginning. He had already filled in more than a tenth of that Thunder Beast Diagram.

I hope following this canyon passage will lead me to the stone wall in Area 3. Wu Yuan consulted his map.

According to the map, the displacement was only a few million li. But Wu Yuan had already been diverted from his original direction twice before, and who knew if the winding mountain ranges and canyons might veer off in another direction.

Let's go! Wu Yuan no longer stayed close to the ground, instead flying several hundred li above it for a better view.

In the Thunder Marsh World, one’s eyes were more useful than Soul Force.

…

Several million li from the canyon passage Wu Yuan was traversing through, two figures stood on a massive boulder.

One stood about three meters tall, burly and robust, clad in heavy silver armor. He resembled a small silver mountain, his face adorned with a full beard, exuding an aura of savage dominance.

Beside him stood a red-robed youth about two meters tall with demonic features. Yet his brow bore a peacefulness at odds with his appearance.

Beneath the massive boulder where the two men stood, several mutilated corpses lay scattered in gruesome disarray.

"Brother, we've already ambushed two teams," the man in silver armor rumbled, his breath like crashing waves. "Do you think more will come?"

"They should be. We arrived at Area 3 as fast as we could," the red-robed youth replied, his eyes snapping open. "This is one of only two routes to the stone wall Dao patterns from the Outer Region. Aside from our Phoenix Immortal Sect, there are hundreds of Void Refiner/Elysian Field cultivators from the other five major sects and foreign cultivators. Most will attempt to enter the Inner Region."

"We've only killed four so far. That's nothing. Relying on ourselves to gather Thunder Beast Stones? It's far quicker to ambush others," the red-robed youth stated matter-of-factly.

The silver-armored warrior nodded in agreement.

In the Thunder Marsh World, some sought adventure, while others came for the Thunder Beast Diagrams. But there were also those who hunted other immortal cultivators. The dangers varied, as did the rewards and outcomes.

Less than an hour later.

"Hmm? Another fat sheep approaches," the red-robed youth suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the distant end of the winding canyon pass.

Eight hundred li away, the imposing figure carrying a saber and clad in beast hide also came to an abrupt halt.

Both parties had spotted each other.

"How interesting, a ninth-stage Shambhala cultivator?"

"Tsk tsk! A little Shambhala brat who managed to reach the Inner Region's core. Judging by his attire, he's not from the six major immortal sects. Hmm, let me think," the demonic red-robed youth stood up. "Ah, I remember now. That soul aura... he must be from the Longstar Immortal Sect."

"A foreign trialist, some faction's peerless genius?"

The six major sects were rivals, so the Longstar Immortal Sect naturally wouldn't share their intelligence with the others.

"Second Bro, shall we?" the silver-armored warrior asked in a low voice.

"Of course!" The demonic red-robed youth licked his lips, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Why not?"

"These geniuses from major factions... killing just one could net us billions of catties of ethercrystal."

Boom! Boom! Without hesitation, the red-robed youth and silver-armored warrior transformed into streaks of light, shooting forward at terrifying speeds.

Rumble~ Like a volcanic eruption, waves of flame burst forth from the red-robed youth's body.

Simultaneously, an invisible pulse of soul power lashed out in a deadly assault.

…

Wu Yuan had sensed their presence long ago with his Soul Force, but this was the route with the highest chance of reaching the stone wall in Area 3. He couldn't afford to take a detour.

The moment Wu Yuan laid eyes on the red-robed youth and silver-armored warrior, he halted, sensing their vital auras. Ninth-stage Void Refiner phase? Ninth-stage Elysian Field phase?

Such power was absolutely top-tier in the Thunder Marsh World.

Moreover, the corpses strewn across the ground instantly revealed their nature to Wu Yuan — hunters!

Some powerful cultivators gained wealth through exploration and adventure. Others did so by slaughtering fellow adventurers and taking their treasures.

Before Wu Yuan could make his final assessment, the two parties had already sprung into motion, attacking with brutal speed.

"Boy, if you die obediently, your death will be far less painful," the red-robed youth's voice echoed in Wu Yuan's mind.

At the same time, an invisible force descended as a powerful soul attack invaded Wu Yuan's upper dantian lobe.

"No!" Though Wu Yuan instantly grew to a thousand zhangs tall, a hint of ‘terror and desperation’ surfaced in his expression, and he appeared to be trapped by the soul attack.

Rumble~ A fiery domain spread out, enveloping Wu Yuan and suppressing him.

Wu Yuan appeared utterly immobilized.

"Haha, what a weak-willed little brat. Though I must say, his defense isn't bad. Must be some spirion armor," the red-robed youth grinned, closing in rapidly on Wu Yuan.

In the blink of an eye, only three hundred li remained between them.

Whoosh~ The red-robed youth waved his hand, conjuring a massive flaming hand.

At this moment, Wu Yuan’s eyes looked vacant and his body was suppressed by the domain.

As the hand smashed down, poised to utterly annihilate Wu Yuan, his eyes suddenly snapped open, his pupils radiating an icy coldness.

Hum~ A pair of wings abruptly unfurled from his back.

"Die!" Wu Yuan's towering thousand-zhang form shot skyward like lightning, effortlessly piercing through the seemingly overwhelming layers of the fiery domain.

Slash! An eerie blade ray sliced across the sky, streaking towards the shocked and enraged red-robed youth.