Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 466: The Strongest Golden Core Cultivator (2)

Bloodforge Immortal Voidrealm, Silvermist Plane, Archimmortal observation space.

"In terms of strength, Wu Yuan should be able to rank around the 100th place. For his age, this is already an incomparably dazzling accomplishment."

"Yes, indeed."

"He's very strong. His comprehension of the Celestial Body Dao is deep, though not yet at the seventh-level Domain stage. He can't compete with the top-tier geniuses." The Archimmortals conversed, each sharing their opinions.

The breadth of their knowledge and experience was exceedingly vast.

Youngsters like Wu Yuan, Ao Qi, or Bai Li who were at the Golden Core or Spiritual Body phases generally only reached the True Intent stage (Lesser Law), even with high Dao comprehension aptitude.

Almost no secrets could escape their eyes.

"In terms of Dao comprehension, Wu Yuan is only slightly stronger than other geniuses who completed level thirteen of the Dark Star. What truly makes him formidable is his immortal root and his spirit beast."

"His ether arts are also quite remarkable."

"Wu Yuan is a combat-type genius," many of the Astral Lords sitting at the front concluded.

Dao comprehension was crucial. But many factors determined one’s overall strength, including immortal root, combat awareness, Dao comprehension, and artifacts.

Undoubtedly, aside from Dao comprehension, Wu Yuan excelled in all other aspects, ranking among the very top in the entire Bloodforge Battlefield.

In reality, these observing Archimmortals were unaware that Wu Yuan was also comprehending the Longevity Dao. Thus in terms of Dao comprehension, he would also rank among the very top.

Time flowed by.

In the blink of an eye, more than a month went by since the Bloodforge Battle began.

Within a passageway of the Bloodforge Battlefield, tens of thousands of li wide, was an unremarkable cave. The cave further branched off into several winding passageways only a few dozen li wide, leading to the unknown.

Wu Yuan was seated in lotus position here, quietly meditating.

His Soul Force spread out in a radius over three hundred li, and he remained constantly on high vigilance.

How tiring. Wu Yuan sighed inwardly.

It was truly exhausting! Such unending, strenuous life-or-death battles would wear anyone down, not just physically and mentally, but spiritually. It was the weariness of slaughter, of one life after another perishing before his eyes.

In less than two months, I've killed nearly ten thousand immortal cultivators. Wu Yuan closed his eyes lightly.

This sort of merciless carnage was something he had never experienced before, whether in his past life or present one.

Wu Yuan had never cowered in the face of bloodshed. From the day he single-handedly crushed the Vicious Tiger Gang in Li City, his heart had hardened, turning as cold as ice.

Upon embarking on the path of cultivation, killing became routine. Along this journey, slaughter was commonplace. Wu Yuan didn't relish killing, but when he had to strike, he was never one to hold back.

However, the Bloodforge Battle still deeply impacted Wu Yuan's spirit.

“A voidrealm duel is incomparable to taking a real life.” Wu Yuan murmured to himself, "Even if a voidrealm duel feels real, deep down, I know it's fake. Because it's fake, I don't think too much into it."

"The Bloodforge Battle, however, involves killing in the true sense of the word. Even someone as powerful as me, who doesn’t facing life-threatening dangers, can still get shaken by witnessing death repeatedly." Wu Yuan's spirit underwent many changes.

He felt as though he was experiencing a form of baptism.

"Perhaps this is one of the reasons the Bloodforge Devil Hall holds these cruel Bloodforge Battles," Wu Yuan mused. "No wonder Protectorate Xiong Yuan once said that immortal cultivators from the immortal nation are cowardly. He wasn't referring to strength, but rather the spirit."

Wu Yuan thought of Zhuo Haiyue. She had survived the Golden Core Bloodforge Battle and returned, rising to great heights and becoming a disciple under an Astral Monarch.

After a long period of contemplation, Wu Yuan vaguely understood.

The Asura Devil path of the Bloodforge Devil Hall was neither about killing for the sake of killing, nor finding joy in slaughter. Those who did so were madmen and devils.

What was Asura? It was the understanding of one's Dao Heart and the unwavering pursuit of one's goals, undisturbed by external circumstances.

If the goal is to save a world, then save that world.

If the goal is to destroy heaven and earth, then even if the heavens collapse and endless souls perish, one’s resolve still remains unshaken!

This was Asura!

"Where does my Dao Heart lie?" Wu Yuan couldn't help but ponder.

Protecting his family? Guarding his clan? Perhaps. But Wu Yuan knew that these were just a part of his life's goals, not the end goal.

A vague insight dawned on him; though not fully formed, he knew what to do now.

"I dislike slaughter. If given a choice, I wouldn’t kill." Wu Yuan's eyes turned cold, "But I shouldn't disdain slaughter."

"Slaughter is just a means to an end. Don't let the means affect the heart; stay true to my path." Wu Yuan resolved.

With this clarity, any lingering doubts dissipated completely.

"Current ranking." As he contemplated, Wu Yuan checked the Blood Devil Token ranking in the Bloodforge Immortal Voidrealm.

Blood Devil Tokens: 96542

Rank: 78

Since his meteoric rise into the top hundred, Wu Yuan's Blood Devil Token count continued increasing rapidly, but the rise in ranking slowed. Sometimes, it even dropped.

Clearly, it wasn’t just Wu Yuan wreaking havoc in the Bloodforge Battlefield; those top-tier geniuses in the top two hundred were also on mass killing sprees.

Of course, the universally acknowledged strongest participant, Ao Qi, had already broken into the top ten and was climbing toward first place at astonishing speed.

After nearly two months, aside from a few groups consisting of a hundred to a thousand immortal cultivators, most of the weaker participants are likely dead. Wu Yuan thought.

Only one out of ten, perhaps only one out of a hundred have managed to survive.

Initially, he could easily locate other participants after spreading out his Soul Force. But now? He once went an entire hour without finding another participant.

On one hand, it’s getting harder to find participants and those still alive are generally stronger. On the other hand, the remaining participants each hold far more Blood Devil Tokens.

Overall, the speed of which he accumulated Blood Devil Tokens wouldn't differ by much.

As Wu Yuan was contemplating, a powerful wave of Soul Force swept over him, instantly colliding with Wu Yuan's Soul Force.

Mm?

Boom~ Two Soul Forces clashed, but Wu Yuan's Soul Force barely had the upper hand.

Yang Soul? Wu Yuan's eyes narrowed, a hint of wariness rising.

Over these months, he had encountered tens of thousands of immortal cultivators, but this was his first encounter with a Yang Soul-level participant.

Before Wu Yuan could ponder further, an ethereal golden divine sword ripped through the air at terrifying speed, zipping through the winding cavern passage towards him.

Its speed was beyond Wu Yuan's expectations.

The fierceness of the golden sword and sharpness of the sword qi caused Wu Yuan's heart to tremble involuntarily.

In an instant, two words emerged in his mind—sword domain.

This was the Metal Sword Domain. [1]

"Begone!" Wu Yuan roared furiously.

With a mental command, his body transformed, reaching a height of a hundred zhangs with four arms.

Ether Art: Eldritch Form!

Ether Art: Four Armed Form!

Four sabers appeared simultaneously in his broad hands. Blade rays interwove, instantly forming a near-perfect defense.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The golden divine sword struck four times in succession, each blow landing heavily, but Wu Yuan's blade rays grew faster with each strike. Paired with the Celestial Body Domain spreading around him, he managed to block them.

At the final strike, an immense force was transmitted through the saber, causing Wu Yuan to stagger backward uncontrollably, crashing heavily into the cave wall.

The incredibly sturdy wall now bore huge cracks.

Whoosh~ Though the momentum of the golden divine sword was spent, the array showed no signs of crumbling. It withdrew.

In this direct confrontation, Wu Yuan had the lower hand.

What a strong Soul Force, what a terrifying divine sword. Wu Yuan's eyes sharpened, his mind now on high alert.

This was undoubtedly the most fearsome opponent he had encountered since entering the Bloodforge World.

No! Wu Yuan had never faced a stronger Golden Core cultivator in his entire cultivation journey. This was the first time meeting someone who could suppress his body refiner self in close combat!

Boom! Wu Yuan's Soul Force erupted instantly, covering a vast area.

A moment later, he sensed a young man in white robes hovering in the air three hundred li away. Everything in a thousand li radius around him was enveloped by the Metal Sword Domain.

It's him! Wu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

From the opponent's strength and attire, he had already deduced his identity: Silvermist Immortal Nation—Gao Yun!

This was a peerless genius who had conquered level fifty-nine of the two-star tower.

In terms of overall strength, he surpassed Wu Yuan's qi refiner self.

1. More specifically, a Lesser Law under the Greater Law of Metal. But this is how the author termed it, so I left it as such. ☜