Chapter 1331 : Tenfold Celestial Barriers

At this moment, the Heaven-Slaying Demonic Blade was summoned with power that had reached the mid-stage Earth Immortal realm, seeking to confront Eldrin in battle and settle the vendetta of bygone years.

"Overestimating your own strength!" The young man in embroidered robes sneered coldly, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes. He casually raised his right hand, and a fiery red longsword materialized out of thin air. The sword body was engraved with intricate patterns, faintly emitting waves of spiritual energy—this was none other than the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure). "Since you seek death, I shall grant your wish!" As his voice fell, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss transformed into a crimson streak, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. Wherever the sword light passed, even the space itself seemed to distort slightly. The young man in blue remained calm and composed. Though his cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, his gaze was exceptionally steady. He knew this strike contained the full power of a Golden Core expert—a single misstep would mean certain death. "Come!" The young man in blue shouted loudly, his hands swiftly forming seals. A faint golden light shield materialized before him. This was the Golden Light Shield (Spell) he had cultivated for 10 years, yet at this moment, it appeared so fragile. Boom—! The sword light collided with the light shield, erupting into dazzling sparks. The violent shockwave sent stones and dust flying in all directions, and several nearby ancient trees were severed at their roots. The young man in blue was sent flying over 30 meters away, a trace of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Yet, his eyes burned with an unprecedented fighting spirit. "Is this all the power of a Golden Core expert?" "What?!" The young man in embroidered robes was both shocked and angered. He never expected that a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator could withstand his full-force strike. "You... how is this possible?!" The young man in blue slowly rose to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. A mysterious smile appeared on his lips. "Do you truly believe... that I am merely at the Foundation Establishment stage?" As these words fell, an astonishing change occurred. The spiritual energy around the young man in blue began to surge wildly, and his aura rose continuously. In the blink of an eye, it had broken through the Golden Core stage and was still climbing upward! "This... this is impossible!" The young man in embroidered robes stared wide-eyed, his voice trembling. "You... just who are you?!" The young man in blue chuckled lightly, a faint golden light shimmering in his palm. "I am but a traveler seeking the path of immortality." "Remember this name—Eldrin (Person Name)."

Watching Celestial Prison Master propel the Heaven-Slaying Demonic Blade toward him, Eldrin’s eyes turned frosty. With a flick of his finger, a thunderous 5-Colored Divine Lightning roared forth.

This strike was no different from that of years past, effortlessly sending the Heaven-Slaying Demonic Blade flying backward. Even its wielder, Tian Yu Zi, was sent tumbling through the air, blood spraying from his lips as he sustained no minor injury.

"Impossible!"

That day, Prison Child was suddenly struck by a heavy blow, spitting out a mouthful of blood as an expression of utter shock spread across his face.

He had believed that after stepping into the 9 Tribulations Realm, he would at least possess the strength to contend with Eldrin. Yet he never imagined that when they crossed paths again, Eldrin would still grievously wound him with a single strike.

Dealt such a devastating blow, Tian Yu Zi’s face twisted with overwhelming resentment. He took a deep breath and said, “You have shattered the limits and stepped into the 10 Calamities forbidden realm?”

"Hmm..."

In an instant, the void trembled faintly.

The half-step Earth Immortal experts from both sides of the battle wore expressions of utter disbelief.

Since time immemorial, 9 has been the ultimate number. From the Qi Refinement Realm all the way to Foundation Establishment, Purple Mansion, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Primordial Spirit, and even the Ascendant Immortal Realm—each cultivation stage is said to consist of 9 layers.

Within the realms of cultivation, the stages are as follows: First Stage, Qi Refining; Second Stage, Foundation Establishment; Third Stage, Violet Mansion; Fourth Stage, Golden Core; Fifth Stage, Nascent Soul; Sixth Stage, Primordial Spirit; Seventh Stage, Ascending Immortal; Eighth Stage, World Creation; Ninth Stage, Celestial Immortal.

These 9 cultivation realms represent the pinnacle of cultivation. As for the Great Perfection Realm beyond, 1 must transcend the very limits of these 9 extremes.

Legend has it that for a Celestial Immortal to break through to the Great Perfection Realm, 1 must not only comprehend the embryonic form of the Great Dao but also shatter the "Tenfold Heavenly Gates of Limitation" to step into that domain.

Therefore, the so-called 9 Realms already represent the ultimate pinnacle.

Between heaven and earth, whether it be the boundless mortal realm or the hundreds of millions of immortals, most could never hope to surpass the Ninth Realm. This represents a true extremity—to shatter these limits is truly a trial of 10 1000 hardships.

Within the Half-Step Earth Immortal realm, the state of the 9-Cycle Immortal is a near-perfect pinnacle. How arduous must it be to transcend even beyond this?

Even a peerless prodigy who cultivated 3 Dao Fruits simultaneously, perfected every realm to flawless completion, and forged 3 World-Creation Foundations that merged into the Trinity Unity phenomenon, could at most ascend to the realm of the 9-Tribulation Immortal.

Beyond that level were peerless prodigies who had each opened at least 1 path to the heavens.

Lyra's Great 5 Elements Infinite Rules, even if it were a path to the heavens, had allowed her to reach the Ninth Tribulation Realm solely through this Dao.

If she possessed the Yin Immortal Body and achieved perfect harmony with her own Dao Fruit, forming the Trinity Unity, she would undoubtedly step into this realm.

Eldrin's Primordial Chaos Infinite Law and his Indestructible Primordial Chaos Body were both paths to the heavens. Even though he had yet to attain the flawless Primordial Chaos Dao Fruit of world creation, with these 2 supreme paths alone, he had still stepped into this realm.

Breaking Through the Limits, the 10 Calamities Forbidden Realm.

Hearing Tian Yu Zi's words, Eldrin murmured inwardly, a brilliant gleam flashing through his eyes.

Legend has it that for a Celestial Immortal to break through to the Great Perfection Golden Immortal realm, 1 must shatter 10 layers of extreme heavenly barriers. By setting foot in the forbidden domain of 10 calamities today, has he managed to breach 1 layer of these extreme heavenly barriers?

He knew very little about the Great Dao Realm, yet he vaguely sensed that this might very well signify the shattering of a fundamental limit.

At the same time, the Heaven Prison Flame Lord high above the firmament took a deep breath and spoke with an icy expression, "Since the last Dao Calamity, only 8 individuals in the entire Vast Azure Immortal Domain have set foot in this realm."

"Among those 8 individuals, only 3 remain alive today, and the weakest among them is already at the half-step Celestial Immortal realm. This junior from the Returning Abyss actually possesses such aptitude. Should he be allowed to mature, he would inevitably become a calamity. We cannot possibly let him live today."

As the words fell, the Heaven Prison Flame Lord could no longer afford to hold back. To everyone's astonishment, he summoned yet another supreme-grade World-Creation Treasure to press down upon his foes.

The Lord of 1000 Dragon Lake also cast a cold gaze, his expression icy as he spoke, "Daoist Guixu (Cultivator Name), you truly possess remarkable talent—a prodigy seen but once in 1,000,000 years within the Qingcang Immortal Domain (Immortal Realm)."

Yet the immortal realms stretch on without end, and since ancient times, geniuses have never been in short supply. Even those rare talents who emerge but once in a million years—when measured against the vast expanse of hundreds of millions of years—number over a 100 with each tribulation cycle.

"Most of these prodigies who shattered their limits met an early demise on the Path, never even setting foot upon the threshold of Celestial Immortality."

"Today you have forged the bearing of an Immortal Court Emperor, yet you fail to realize that tall trees catch much wind—these 10 Calamity Taboo Realms shall likewise become the path to your demise."

The master of 1000 Dragon Lake finished speaking, the Yin Yang Life-Death Treasure Vase in his hand blossoming with annihilating light, intent on utterly obliterating Eldrin (Person Name).

In that moment, the Lord of 1000 Dragon Lake felt a surge of killing intent unlike any before. He no longer regarded Eldrin as a mere junior, but rather as a mortal enemy who must be eliminated.

A prodigy like Eldrin, while not guaranteed to attain the Great Perfection Realm, would possess at least a 50 percent certainty of achieving Celestial Immortality in the future—provided he did not meet an untimely demise.

Those Heavenly Immortal mighty figures were all peerless talents rarely seen in a million years across the entire Qing Cang Immortal Domain, and they might not necessarily regard Eldrin with any particular esteem.

However, the master of the 1000 Dragon Lake could not do the same. Faced with an opponent with such terrifying potential, he dared not allow them to grow unchecked.

Seeing this, Eldrin (Person Name) slightly furrowed his brow. With a flick of his sleeve, he summoned the Primordial Chaos True Aura (Cultivation Technique) to manifest across the sky, continuously defending against the assaults of the 2 powerful Earth Immortals (Cultivation Realm).

This Mystic-grade divine ability was truly extraordinary. Even when facing the full-force assault of 2 seventh-level Earth Immortals, it remained as steadfast as Mount Tai, showing no signs of being breached.

Seeing this, the master of the Azure River Ancient Sect breathed a sigh of relief and continuously deployed methods such as the Yin-Yang Immortal-Slaying Array, the Starry Cosmos Ancient Bell, and the Azure River Ancient Sword to assist, greatly alleviating the pressure on Eldrin (Person Name).

At the same time, Tian Yu Zi, Elder Yan Ao, the Frigid Frost Serpent, the 5-Clawed Golden Dragon, and the 2 newly ascended Earth Immortals from 1000 Dragon Lake all launched their assaults, intent on swiftly breaching the Cosmic Star Formation.

Fortunately, the terrestrial immortals of the Abyssal Sea were no less formidable. Sun-Childe, Azure-Childe, Daoist Tianfeng, Ancestral Earthspring, and the 2 Supreme Elders of the Ancient Verdant Stream Sect all joined the fray, engaging them in a fierce and protracted battle.

Lyra intercepted Tian Yu Zi, while the most powerful Elder Yan Ao was pinned down by the combined efforts of Ri Ji and Qing Ji. The remaining 4 Earth Immortal elders each engaged a demonic Earth Immortal in combat.

Several experts intercepted the Earth Immortal-level combatants of the demon race, instantly alleviating the immense pressure on the mountain-protecting formation and finally stabilizing the precarious situation.

As the immortals within the Immortal Alliance continued their repairs, the shattered array banners across the Zhou Tian Star Islands were replaced 1 by 1, and the scattered celestial islands gradually reignited with astral light. For a time, the power of the Zhou Tian Grand Star Array regained a fraction of its former strength. Thus the struggle persisted for over 30 years, until the primordial creation energy within several Earth Immortal-ranked demonic cultivators had been severely depleted. Yet the stalemate remained unbroken, and their hearts grew increasingly restless with desperation.

Yet the more anxious they became, the more mistakes they made.