Chapter 2357 — Chapter 2357 Entering the God Ascension Realm

After his first attempt failed, Yuan immediately launched a second assault on the 1,000th layer. Yet the outcome remained the same. If anything, the resistance felt even greater than before.

Realizing brute force would not suffice, Yuan chose a different approach. Stationed before the layer, he no longer needed to focus on advancing toward it, which allowed him to divert most of his attention elsewhere.

Thus, he began cultivating his soul on the spot.

Even so, he could not neglect the ascension entirely, and part of his consciousness still had to remain fixed on the 1,000th layer.

A year… a million years… a billion years…

After cultivating his soul for a billion years, Yuan launched his third attempt.

His soul drove forward with renewed strength, colliding with the 1,000th layer. For the first time, it yielded—warping under the pressure like fabric being forced outward by something beneath it.

However, after a few moments of struggle, Yuan's soul bounced back once again, failing to breakthrough.

"I will not leave this place until I break through—no matter how long it takes!"

Fueled by nothing but sheer determination and stubborn resolve, Yuan resumed cultivating his soul.

Another billion years slipped by in what felt like a blink. Then ten billion. Then a hundred billion—time itself losing meaning as he persisted.

At last, after spending another trillion years cultivating his soul, Yuan made his fourth attempt.

Over that incomprehensible span of time, his Soul Strength had ascended to levels beyond measure—greater than the sum of all his past lives.

"Breakthrough!" Yuan roared as his soul smashed into the 1,000th layer.

The barrier, though thin, held firm for a heartbeat. Then, unable to withstand the pressure, it ruptured as Yuan's soul shot through like a projectile tearing apart a fragile net.

"I did it!" Yuan shouted with excitement.

However, before he could even celebrate, Yuan sensed an indescribable presence descending upon him, forcing his full attention toward it.

What awaited beyond the 1,000th layer left Yuan utterly speechless.

In the boundless void stood a solitary silhouette. Its form was difficult to comprehend, resembling a human figure, yet distinctly not. Within its body flickered countless stars and swirling galaxies, as though the entire universe had been condensed into its frame.

This entity—this existence—exuded a presence that was both familiar and foreign. It carried the aura of an Eternal, yet there was something beyond that… something undeniably superior.

Seeing this existence, Yuan felt a subtle change within him, but he couldn't discern what the change was.

"Are you the Absolute—"

The moment Yuan attempted to speak, an overwhelming force suddenly struck his soul.

His soul was violently repelled, hurled backward through the boundless void at a speed countless times faster than his ascent.

Though it had taken him more than a trillion years to reach that height, he returned to his body in the span of a heartbeat.

The moment Yuan stepped into the God Ascension Realm, a profound ripple spread across the entire world—one that could only be perceived by those within the same realm.

Its arrival sent shockwaves through their hearts, but this was not the first time they had experienced such a ripple, as every breakthrough into the God Ascension Realm triggered one.

But this… this ripple was on an entirely different level—unfathomably stronger than anything they had ever experienced before.

In fact, the only time they would sense something comparable was when someone reached the very peak of cultivation.

"T-This feeling! The birth of a new Cultivation God?!"

All around the world, experts misinterpreted Yuan's breakthrough. The sheer magnitude of the phenomenon led them to believe that someone had just ascended to the rank of a Cultivation God.

Because of this misunderstanding, many powerful factions dispatched their forces to search for and identify the newly born Cultivation God, unaware that they were chasing nothing but a ghost.

However, unbeknownst to them, before the ripple that shook the Nine Heavens had spread, another ripple had already manifested. And it was unfathomably more powerful—so powerful that it swept across the entire universe.

Despite how powerful it was, nobody in the Nine Heavens sensed it—not even Cultivation Gods.

Yet that did not mean it went unnoticed. The Eternals who dwelled within the boundless void sensed it clearly, and it shook them more than the humans who sensed the second ripple.

When the ripple reached them, their bodies trembled uncontrollably. For many Eternals, it was the first time they had ever felt fear.

Those who had once tasted that emotion, however, needed no explanation. They instantly recognized its source.

Delight, awe, anticipation, fear, agitation, panic, dread, nervousness—an array of emotions surged through the Eternals. Yet among them all, fear and unease were the most dominant.

Of course, Yuan, the cause of all this, remained oblivious to the commotion he'd caused across the universe with his breakthrough into the God Ascension Realm.

"How long have I been cultivating…?" Yuan muttered to himself.

Though he had spent over two trillion years within the phenomenon, most of that experience faded upon returning to his body, as though it had all been a distant dream.

Yet one thing remained undeniable—his Soul Strength had grown tremendously, even if it was no longer as overwhelming as it had been during his ascension.

Before Yuan could gather his thoughts or examine his body, a brilliant light appeared at the end of the tunnel, its radiance cutting through and illuminating the void.

"Ah… finally…"

Yuan closed his eyes and embraced the light. Within moments, it enveloped his entire being.

As the gentle warmth dissolved, cool wind wrapped around him, caressing his skin like he was drifting—or perhaps falling—through the sky.

He snapped his eyes open, only to find himself plummeting from the sky toward a vast plain of crimson grass below. A minute later, his descent ended gracefully. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he began examining his surroundings.