Yuan’s Ascension

And so their group set out to explore the vast lands of Huanggu, a realm so immense it spanned billions of li in every direction, with countless tribes calling this place home.

As their journey progressed, Wu Yuan gradually discovered that beyond the eldritch race, numerous other intelligent species inhabited this boundless land. They did not occupy the spirit veins, and most were quite weak, with the majority still mortal. Only a rare few managed to become immortal cultivators.

The eldritch race ruled this land, but they were not its sole inhabitants. Even the lowliest eldritch tribe was an overwhelmingly powerful force in the eyes of the weaker races.

The war between the immortal race and eldritch race rages on, yet for many of the lesser races on the fringes of the world, it remains a distant conflict. Wu Yuan mused to himself.

They passed by numerous civilizations on their travels. Some occupied mere tens of thousands of li, situated far from spirit veins, yet still possessed fascinating and unique cultures.

Time flowed onward, and years turned into decades. In the blink of an eye, over a century had passed.

…

Within the Greenridge Macrocosm.

Level one hundred of the two-star tower wasn’t much of a challenge. Wu Yuan's qi refiner self easily conquered it.

Yet compared to his previous feat of conquering the one-star tower, this accomplishment caused little stir. Even many Astral Monarchs paid it only passing attention.

Ming Jian's reputation as an unparalleled genius was already well established. Only various Astral Monarchs of the Bei You faction congratulated him, and neither Immortal Sovereign Bei You nor Eldritch Sovereign Kua Chi came to see Wu Yuan.

In their view, someone who could conquer level one hundred of the one-star tower would naturally conquer the two-star tower as well.

"Ming Jian is the number one prodigy in the history of our Greenridge Macrocosm." Such praise began to circulate, though it had yet to gain universal acceptance, after all, he was still quite young.

If he could conquer level one hundred of the three-star, four-star, and five-star towers, then he might truly earn the recognition of all the super powerhouses.

…

Meanwhile, in the mysterious realm of Huanggu.

To Eldritch Deity Hou Tu and High Eldritch Hou Zhi, who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, a century went by in the blink of an eye.

But for Wu Yuan? It was a time of profound transformation. Never before had he wandered the land with such freedom, visiting countless eldritch tribes and other civilizations without encountering danger or attacks from the immortal race.

Carefree and unfettered, his heart grew ever more tranquil, yet not truly at peace. For beneath the leisurely exterior, he observed the lives of countless beings, absorbing their joys and sorrows.

Gradually, Wu Yuan began to spend longer durations in small tribes, living as an ordinary member of the eldritch race to experience their way of life.

The Ju Hong Tribe was a mid-tier tribe, unremarkable among the countless eldritch settlements. It occupied a small spirit vein, home to tens of millions of the eldritch tribespeople. It was like a small nation.

On the eastern side of the tribe's main city stood a vast courtyard. A crowd of finely dressed eldritch race members had gathered to watch from a distance.

Thunk! Chipped fragments of stone fell to the grass as a figure in white robes wielded his tools. Slowly, a ten-man-high boulder began to take the shape of a strange beast. [1]

Its head was thrown back in a roar. The eyes, fur, tail, and facial features all appeared lifelike, but most striking was the spiritual resonance it exuded. It seemed to be on the verge of coming alive.

"Truly incredible."

"Indeed. Who would dare question the skills of Master Thousand Mountains? Do you know how many people have tried and failed to commission a thunder beast statue from him?"

"It's so realistic, as if it could spring to life at any moment."

"If only my father had given me enough ethercrystal… I'd buy it in a heartbeat." The nobles of the tribe whispered among themselves.

When the granaries are full, one learns etiquette.

The eldritch race had risen from primordial chaos, yet even after countless millennia, despite their ongoing war with the immortal race and the pressures they faced, they had not completely stagnated in artistic pursuits.

While cultivation in the pursuit of longevity and power remained paramount, fields such as cuisine, fashion, painting, and more continued to advance.

However, perhaps due to their inherently rugged nature, the eldritch race preferred collecting stone sculptures and weapons over delicate paintings or calligraphy.

Wu Yuan had dwelt in this tribe for nearly a decade, purchasing a mansion here. When the mood struck him, would create stone sculptures for sale.

At first, the prices were modest. But as his reputation spread, the value of his work skyrocketed. Now, he was widely acknowledged as the finest sculptor in the capital of the tribe.

Yet Wu Yuan only ever carved thunder beasts, and he never sold them to individuals, even to those who claimed to be of high status and influence. Paradoxically, this only served to increase his fame within the Ju Hong Tribe.

"The young master's sculptures grow ever more lifelike," one figure remarked.

"Indeed. He began with wood carvings on the road, then gradually progressed to stone. At first, it was small rocks, but now he works with massive boulders," replied another.

"It feels to me as though this sculpture contains a spark of life within it." The two figures, who appeared to be manservants of some kind, conversed quietly at the edge of the courtyard.

They were none other than Eldritch Deity Hou Tu and High Eldritch Hou Zhi.

With their vast experience, they naturally sensed something extraordinary about the beast sculpture. It seemed to contain a special, mystical artistic conception.

…

Carving wood is easier, as plants are inherently forms of life, making it simple to imbue the sculpture with spirituality. Wu Yuan mused to himself, his gaze fixed upon the massive stone sculpture before him.

He had never forced himself to sculpt, merely following the guidance of his heart. This was but one method to cultivate the Law of Life.

Life... Once one grasps the True Intent of Life, the next step is to observe all things, to understand the profundities of life's workings, to comprehend the unique spirituality possessed by living beings. Wu Yuan reflected silently.

He had chosen sculpting as his medium. And his subject? The thunder beast!

The reason was simple: the Creation Essence Diagrams had left a deep impression upon him, particularly the spiritual resonance emanating from the thunder beasts depicted within.

He had begun with wood, but ultimately chose stone.

Stone is lifeless. Thinking about it now, the so-called thunder beasts of the Thunder Marsh World were merely imbued with spirituality by Astral Monarch Wan Lei to resemble a form of life. He used the Essence Great Dao containing the Law of Life, with Thunder as its foundation, to grant them a spirituality akin to true living beings. Wu Yuan pondered.

He continued his work, lost in thought.

A stone sculpture, no matter how vivid, remains lifeless in the end. Perhaps one day, if I can truly bring this sculpture to 'life', make it move and run circles around me like a living creature, I might reach the Dao Field stage of Life. Wu Yuan mused.

Alas, that goal was still far away.

Wu Yuan knew that those who had comprehended the Law of Life to its highest levels could even attempt to create life itself. For now, he could only imitate it.

As the last stone chips fell away, the massive sculpture was complete. Before him stood a thunder beast so lifelike, it seemed ready to leap from its prison of stone at any moment.

Its aura was overwhelming. Its eyes in particular seemed to contain a subtle yet palpable pressure that made many of the well-dressed, young Eldritch Soldiers in the plaza hold their breaths.

It was terrifying!

What they didn't know was that Wu Yuan had carved this using the Creation Essence Diagram and thunder beast elites as templates. Once completed, its aura was naturally intense.

Whoosh! A woman in red suddenly darted out, arriving at the base of the stone sculpture. Her gaze swept over the crowd as she smiled and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, as per our usual rules, the starting price is one hundred catties of ethercrystal. Each bid must increase by at least ten catties of ethercrystal. Let's begin."

"200 catties of ethercrystal."

"300 catties of ethercrystal."

"320 catties of ethercrystal."

…

"1800 catties of ethercrystal." The number of bidders dwindled as the price climbed.

After all, it was just a stone sculpture. No matter how marvelous, it was only a collector’s item and didn't contain any profundities of the Dao. Naturally, its price wouldn't be too outrageous.

"Ten thousand catties of ethercrystal." A voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. A young man in silver robes stepped forward, surrounded by a group of people.

A commotion erupted as everyone turned to look.

Ten thousand catties of ethercrystal for a stone sculpture? Had he gone mad?

The silver-robed youth wore a slight smile, his face brimming with arrogance. He seemed to relish the attention of the crowd, his eyes betraying a hint of greed.

"It's Young Master Zhu Ren."

"Him?"

"I didn't know he was interested in sculptures." The crowd immediately recognized the youth as a famous Eldritch Warrior from the tribe.

His fame, however, wasn't due to his strength. It was because of his powerful background. He was the son of an Eldritch General, albeit an unremarkable third son.

But for a mid-tier tribe like the Ju Hong Tribe, where their strongest members were merely a few Eldritch Generals, having an Eldritch General for a father was enough for Zhu Ren to act wilfully with few consequences.

Whenever he made minor transgressions, the tribe's law enforcement would turn a blind eye to them.

"Ten thousand catties of ethercrystal, are you sure?" Hou Tong, wearing red robes and acting as a maidservant, frowned slightly. "Once confirmed, you can't back out."

"Haha. When have I, Zhu Ren, ever gone back on my word? I've long heard that Master Thousand Mountains is exceptionally skilled, and today I see his reputation is well-deserved." The silver-robed youth, Zhu Ren, grinned widely.

"However, these ten thousand catties of ethercrystal aren't just for this stone sculpture. I was hoping to persuade Master Thousand Mountains to part with this servant girl of his. What do you say?" Zhu Ren fixed his gaze on Hou Tong, his eyes gleaming with greed.

Hou Tong's eyes briefly reflected a wintry chill.

Even though she was concealing her aura and pretending to be a servant, she was still a young Eldritch General, and had far from mastered the art of completely suppressing her aura like Eldritch Deity Hou Tu and the others. So, her aura occasionally leaked out at times, giving those who sensed it the impression that she had a unique quality.

This was something that ordinary servants and even Eldritch Warriors didn't possess. And just now, it had caught Zhu Ren's attention.

The stone sculpture? He had only come to see what the commotion was about after hearing about a master sculptor here.

But after arriving, he found himself immediately attracted to Hou Tong. The red-robed woman before him made his heart itch with desire.

"He wants the servant girl?"

"This Zhu Ren, is he here to cause trouble?"

"But it's just a servant girl. Her bearing is indeed extraordinary, but Master Thousand Mountains... although his sculpting skills are high, he's still just an Eldritch Soldier. He probably wouldn’t dare offend Zhu Ren." The onlookers whispered among themselves, but no one dared to intervene.

With Zhu Ren's background, few in the tribe’s capital dared to provoke him.

Hou Tong's eyes flashed with cold intent. She clenched her hands, ready to unleash her power. "You're looking for..."

"Little Tong, since Young Master Zhu Ren has made a bid, he is our guest. Don't be rude." Wu Yuan's calm voice drifted from nearby.

Hou Tong frowned slightly.

"Is Master Thousand Mountains afraid?"

"It seems so." The crowd wasn't surprised. Ordinary Eldritch Warriors might not dare to offend Master Thousand Mountains, given the high status of master sculptors.

But Zhu Ren?

"Haha, I see Master Thousand Mountains knows how to conduct himself." Zhu Ren's smile grew even brighter as he leered at Hou Tong. "It's an auction, after all. The highest bidder wins. I'll leave ten thousand catties of ethercrystal here. Come, take the sculpture back to my place, and as for the girl..."

"We always treat our guests with politeness." Wu Yuan's calm voice continued. "Leave him an intact corpse."

"Yes, Young Master." A fierce light flashed in Hou Tong's eyes.

The onlookers were stunned.

Intact corpse? Were they hearing him correctly?

"What?" Zhu Ren was equally stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief.

His entourage was just as shocked.

"How dare you screw around with me? You'll leave me an intact..." Zhu Ren was about to explode in anger when suddenly, fear flashed across his eyes.

"You want me? Here I come!" The harmless-looking servant girl’s eyes were now cold as ice.

Swift as lightning, her palm struck out.

1. any guesses as to how tall one man is? ☜