Yuan’s Ascension

Flee! I must escape as far as possible. The silver-armored warrior fled frantically, not daring to pause for even a moment. His heart was consumed with terror.

As a ninth-stage Elysian Field cultivator, his perspective was far higher than the average person. Though limited to a single immortal continent, he had cultivated for thousands of years and had some knowledge of the upper echelons of the immortal nation. For instance, the legendary peerless monstrous prodigies.

This mysterious Shambhala cultivator's true strength couldn't possibly be this formidable. It's too absurd. He must have used some treasures I'm unaware of.

Second Bro is dead. He defeated me with one move, then swiftly killed Second Bro. His secret treasures must be worth tens of thousands of divine crystals. The silver-armored warrior quickly analyzed the earlier battle.

How precious must such a treasure be? He can't possibly be a disciple of the Longstar Immortal Sect. He must be a foreign trialist, and one with an extremely powerful background at that. He's likely a core member of an immortal nation-level force. The silver-armored warrior felt goosebumps.

We were foolish and too arrogant, thinking those monstrous prodigies wouldn't come to a tiny Thunder Marsh World.

His deduction wasn't wrong. Apart from the Thunder Beast Diagrams, the Thunder Marsh World wasn't particularly special among the hundreds of thousands of special worlds and realms in the entire Greenridge Immortal Nation.

Moreover, as an artificially created world that had been thoroughly explored countless times over billions of years, those peerless geniuses wouldn't come to the Thunder Marsh World for expeditions under normal circumstances.

The status of a monstrous prodigy like this must be comparable to a High Immortal, or even rivals an Archimmortal. I can't tell the Earth Immortal that I provoked such a powerful figure. The silver-armored warrior quickly made a decision. Once I get out, I'll inform the sect that Second Bro was killed by a thunder beast elite.

Whoosh! He transformed into a streak of light, not daring to linger in Area 3.

…

After traveling just over a hundred thousand li, the narrow canyon passage opened up into a vast expanse.

An enormous plaza with a diameter exceeding five thousand li appeared before Wu Yuan's eyes.

On both sides of the plaza stood towering stone walls, upon which numerous colossal Thunder Beast Diagrams were inscribed. There were seventy-three diagrams in total.

Each Thunder Beast Diagram emitted an incredibly powerful pressure. The combined auras from over seventy diagrams caused Wu Yuan's heart to skip a beat. It was overwhelming, as if facing a High Immortal with their aura fully unleashed.

So this is indeed the right place. Wu Yuan gently landed on this vast plaza.

The entire plaza was devoid of people. Evidently, apart from the red-robed youth and his companion, as well as the immortal cultivators they had killed, Wu Yuan was the earliest to arrive at the stone walls in Area 3.

These Thunder Beast Diagrams. Wu Yuan endured the pressure emanating from the diagrams as he observed them.

Ordinary Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala cultivators would likely be forced to leave the plaza before long if they didn't have treasures for protection. But with Wu Yuan’s strength, he could easily withstand it.

It's just as I suspected. Different Thunder Beast Diagrams contain slightly different artistic conceptions. Wu Yuan had a deep impression of the previous diagram he had studied.

The very first one he had studied was just an inconspicuous one among these seventy-three Thunder Beast Diagrams.

Seventy-three Thunder Beast Diagrams. Judging from appearances alone, they depict the entire process of a thunder beast discovering its prey, preparing to ambush it, striking, and finally killing its target. Wu Yuan pondered.

A single Thunder Beast Diagram only depicted one scene. The seventy-three Thunder Beast Diagrams seemed to tell a complete story about thunder beasts.

I need to find the Thunder Beast Diagram whose artistic conception I can truly comprehend. Wu Yuan thought to himself. I can only try to study them one at a time.

It was impossible to judge from the images alone. He had to contemplate each Thunder Beast Diagram individually, which was bound to be a time-consuming process.

However, with his previous experiences from the first diagram, Wu Yuan estimated it would take at most ten days to complete

I hope I can find a suitable one. Wu Yuan thought as he sat down in the lotus position on a patch of grass and began to meditate.

…

Not suitable. Still centered on the two paths of Thunder and Fire, with Longevity, Celestial Body, and True Domain merely as supplements.

This one doesn't fit either.

Not suitable!

Time passed.

As he abandoned the study of one Thunder Beast Diagram after another, Wu Yuan's hopes fell further and further, gradually reaching rock bottom.

Over twenty Thunder Beast Diagrams, yet not a single one suited him!

As he studied diagram after diagram, a pattern emerged. The fierce, pointed artistic conceptions of Thunder and Fire grew more intense, while the profundities of the Longevity Dao and Celestial Body Dao faded into obscurity.

It seems the outward appearance of these Thunder Beast Diagrams subtly represents their underlying artistic conception. Wu Yuan mused, his brow furrowing in concentration as he began to unravel this principle.

When the thunder beasts in the diagrams exuded an air of slaughter and aggression, the profundities of the Thunder and Fire Daos seemed to resonate more powerfully!

With this realization, Wu Yuan's gaze fell upon the fifty-eighth Thunder Beast Diagram.

This particular Dao pattern diagram depicted a thunder beast in the midst of attacking and hunting its prey.

As he contemplated it further, his suspicions were confirmed. The artistic conception of this Thunder Beast Diagram was the most domineering. At the same time, it purely contained the interweaving of Thunder and Fire Dao patterns, with barely a trace of the Longevity Dao or Celestial Body Dao.

As Wu Yuan pondered this revelation, a disturbance caught his attention.

Whoosh! Whoosh! A series of subtle spatial fluctuations alerted Wu Yuan's heightened senses, prompting him to turn his head. Someone's coming.

In the distance, nine figures descended from the sky – seven Void Refiner cultivators and two Amethyst Cradle cultivators, subtly divided into three groups. Among them were several familiar faces.

"Childe Shadow Blade, you're here alone? What a pleasant surprise to encounter you so soon," said Mu Xin, her voice a mix of innocence and charm, clad in a purple robe.

"Daoist Shadow Blade," Nie Le, the young man in fine cyan robes, managed to greet him, his smile somewhat forced.

Wu Yuan acknowledged them with a slight nod.

"Childe Shadow Blade is truly extraordinary, reaching this place so swiftly on his own. Admirable! Most admirable!" The elderly man in white robes, Chi Chang, praised effusively, his admiration seemingly genuine.

The burly man in black robes, an eighth-stage Elysian Field phase cultivator, stood silently beside Nie Le, eyeing Wu Yuan curiously, as if wondering how he had managed to reach this place alone.

"I was just lucky," Wu Yuan replied nonchalantly, clearly disinterested in further conversation.

"Haha, is Childe Shadow Blade contemplating these Thunder Beast Diagrams? Very well, we won't disturb you then. We'll chat another time," Chi Chang said with a laugh.

"Childe Shadow Blade, come find me when you're done cultivating," Mu Xin added, her eyes twinkling.

The four of them moved to another area.

This Mu Xin... Wu Yuan frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the two distant groups.

One group consisted of two Void Refiner Eminences. The other group had two Void Refiner Eminences and one Elysian Field cultivator. Judging by their vital auras, they were not to be underestimated, seemingly all high-level Void Refiner/Elysian Field cultivators.

Are they cultivators from other immortal sects? Or foreign trialists? Wu Yuan pondered briefly before dismissing the thought.

He returned his focus to contemplating the Thunder Beast Diagrams.

Combat was strictly forbidden in the locations of the stone wall Dao pattern diagrams, with death as the inevitable consequence for violators. Thus, everyone was at ease, either resting or studying the Thunder Beast Diagrams.

…

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

By now, nearly twenty Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses had gathered in the plaza, along with four or five Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala elites from various major sects.

Wu Yuan was just one unremarkable figure among them.

None of the seventy-three Thunder Beast Diagrams here contain a spiritual resonance compatible with me. Wu Yuan concluded, having finally examined each diagram.

However, if I had to choose, the most suitable diagram for my contemplation would be the first one. Wu Yuan's gaze settled on the first Thunder Beast Diagram.

From its outward appearance, this diagram depicted a thunder beast that had just spotted its prey, not yet revealing its desire to hunt.

The spiritual resonance it carries is the most harmonious. Though the profundities of the Longevity Dao and Celestial Body Dao contained are shallow, at least they are clearly perceptible. Wu Yuan mused.

With a mental command, one Thunder Beast Diagram after another appeared within his internal shambhala, quickly reaching a total of 365.

However, these were only the images copied from the diagrams, lacking spiritual resonance and the profundities of Dao patterns.

These Thunder Beast Diagram images were all included in the intelligence provided by the Longstar Immortal Sect. They were no secret.

Extrapolating from this pattern, if I am seeking a Thunder Beast Diagram with the highest likelihood of containing the Celestial Body Dao and Longevity Dao profundities as its main focus, then the thunder beast in the diagram should be in its most peaceful state. Wu Yuan's gaze fell upon one particular group of diagrams.

Five areas, five groups of Thunder Beast Diagrams in total.

In this group, the thunder beasts were depicted in various states of repose: lying on the ground, leisurely enjoying the breeze, deep in slumber, or perched lazily on trees... All exuding an air of tranquility, ease, and peace.

The diagrams in Area 1.

Wu Yuan had a vague feeling that the Thunder Beast Diagrams he was looking for were located in Area 1 of the Inner Region.

As Wu Yuan was pondering over these Thunder Beast Diagrams, countless bolts of lightning began to materialize in the sky ten thousand li above the plaza.

The intensity of this phenomenon caused all the immortal cultivators on the plaza, whether in quiet meditation or engaged in cultivation, to open their eyes. They all instinctively looked up towards the sky.

Countless streaks of lightning interwove, forming a massive ball of electric light at the center, its aura and pressure growing increasingly terrifying.

"What is this?"

"The Thunder Marsh Spirit!"

"To think that a Thunder Marsh Spirit would be born while we're here!"

"A treasure, we must seize it!" The entire plaza instantly erupted into chaos, with dozens of Void Refiner/Elysian Field cultivators eyeing it with intense desire.

A Thunder Marsh Spirit is more valuable than a first-grade Thunder Beast Stone. Wu Yuan was equally surprised.

Apart from Thunder Beast Stones, Thunder Marsh Spirits were another great treasure originating from the Thunder Marsh World. However, their emergence followed no pattern. They could potentially show up anywhere, at any time.

No cultivator dared to fly up and seize it. Countless bloody lessons from the past had proven that one could only wait for the Thunder Marsh Spirit to descend of its own accord.

A full quarter-hour passed.

Rumble! The immense ball of electricity that had gathered in the sky suddenly exploded, sending countless bolts of lightning in all directions.

Then, without a sound, a streak of electricity instantly traversed ten thousand li, landing directly in front of Wu Yuan.

In that moment, the eyes of everyone on the plaza fell upon Wu Yuan and the ball of light before him.

Whysee's Thoughts

Sorry guys, I had a misconception about the Dao comprehension stages. Initiate threshold is not a stage below Domain stage, it REFERS TO the Domain stage.

Lesser Law

Intermediate Law

Domain = initiate threshold

x

True Intent

Domain = initiate threshold

Dao Field

True Intent

(Completion) = Archimmortal

Dao Field (7th level = peak-stage Archimmortal = Astral Lord)

x

(Completion) = Astral Monarch