Chapter 1438 : Ancestor Xigeng
In other words, whoever slays it would not accumulate any karmic sin—this was an extremely unfavorable situation.
Some enemies would likely seize the opportunity to strike without restraint, intent on killing him outright.
Should his Karmic Malice ever surpass his Virtuous Qi, then whoever slays him would earn merit for the Celestial Realm. Even righteous Earth Immortals who previously held no grudge against Eldrin might be compelled to take action.
At this thought, everyone’s expressions turned extremely grave.
Seraphina Qu let out a soft sigh before speaking, "I've long heard that those who tread the path of physical sanctification are inevitably burdened with boundless karma. Now it appears this holds true."
"At this critical juncture, my husband, you must find a way to obtain Virtuous Merit Light (Cultivation Resource). Otherwise, I fear the situation will be extremely perilous."
Everyone nodded slightly upon hearing this.
Lyra (Person Name) pondered briefly before speaking, "There are few ways to obtain virtue power. The most common methods essentially boil down to 3: repaying the heavens and earth, receiving heavenly favor, or slaying demonic cultivators."
"At present, it appears that the most effective method to accumulate virtue is likely through slaying demonic cultivators."
Eldrin (Person Name) nodded slightly upon hearing this.
Among the 3 methods to accumulate virtue, nourishing the heavens and earth is the most arduous.
To nourish the heavens and earth in return signifies that your cultivation has transcended the very fabric of the cosmos. In the context of the Vast Azure Immortal Realm, 1 must attain at least the Great Luo Realm before achieving such a feat.
The Heavenly Dao bestows merit through 2 primary sources. The first arises when cultivators break through to the Celestial Immortal realm and assist the heavens and earth in refining primordial chaos. For this service, the Heavenly Dao naturally grants boundless merit. Thus, all Celestial Immortal powerhouses carry immense virtue upon their persons.
The second method occurs during the Great Tribulation or the Dao Tribulation, when 1 acts as Heaven’s agent to execute the cyclical workings of the Dao. By eliminating adversaries at such times, 1 may obtain a certain measure of virtue power, without fear of karmic retribution taking hold.
The most common method to eliminate demonic cultivators stems from their penchant for plundering the world's resources. By harnessing the power of karmic malevolence in their cultivation, most demonic cultivators become shackled with boundless karmic retribution.
Therefore, slaying demonic cultivators almost always yields virtue power.
As for how much merit power 1 could obtain, it depended entirely on the magnitude of karmic malevolence harbored by the slain demonic cultivator.
At this thought, Kiyohime couldn't help but remark, "What a pity. That old devil's cultivation was quite profound back in the day, carrying at least a dozen or so strands of Karmic Sin power."
"If we slay it, my lord need not worry about the karmic miasma any longer."
Seraphina Qu (Person Name) let out a soft sigh and shook her head, saying, "A Demonic Cultivator at the Earth Immortal Perfection Realm—with our current strength, slaying 1 was always nearly impossible."
"Indeed." Lyra nodded, then asked, "What do you plan to do?"
"After this journey, let us venture into the Abyssal Inferno Sea."
Eldrin’s expression remained calm as he gazed outside the cavern and said, "For righteous cultivators like us, if our karmic burden ever outweighs our accumulated merits, we might 1 day be struck down by a senior expert without warning."
Upon hearing this, the young women's expressions shifted subtly.
The Abyssal Inferno Sea is a gathering place for heretical sects, demonic paths, and unorthodox schools, where perils lurk beyond all measure.
They sought to step forth and eradicate evil to uphold righteousness, yet they also had to face the peril of being ambushed by demonic cultivators.
But given the current situation, they seemed to have no other choice.
Eldrin seemed to notice their expressions and remarked with a faint smile, "We immortals cultivate within the celestial realms. If we merely plunder the world's resources without giving back, how are we any different from demonic practitioners?"
"Slaying demons and vanquishing evil, cleansing the world of corruption—this is what we're meant to do."
With that said, no 1 spoke further.
Eldrin glanced at the boundless cavern from which the blessed land had been extracted, a faint crease forming between his brows as he remarked, "The commotion from our retrieval of this blessed land was hardly subtle. I fear the demonic tribes of the Western Geng Xuan Mountain have already taken notice."
"Our top priority is to leave this place immediately."
With that, the group hastily departed from the cavern.
Soon after their departure, a demonic immortal whose power blazed like the midday sun descended upon the scene. This was Patriarch Xigeng, master of the Tiger's Roar Blessed Land—a cultivator who stood half a step into the Celestial Immortal realm.
那西庚老祖看了一眼被收走的福地，略作推算之后，目光微微一冷的道：「人族，还敢收走吾妖族的福地，当真不怕业煞加身不成？」
"Dispatch the order. We must locate that human's trail."
As the White Tiger Clan's half-step Celestial Immortal issued the command, within the vast expanse of the Western Geng Mysterious Profound Mountain, countless demon clans swarmed out from their nests, commencing a sweeping search for the group's traces.
Eldrin (Person Name) concealed himself within the Yin Yang Void Realm, transporting the group through the void using the ultimate spatial treasure. Though their journey progressed at a measured pace, its true advantage lay in absolute safety.
They had been flying for several 100 years before finally emerging from the Western Geng Tai Xuan Mountain Range, at last able to breathe a slight sigh of relief.
"We're safe for now."
Beyond the Western Geng Xuan Mountain Range, a trace of calm settled in Eldrin's heart.
He glanced back at the Boundless Mountain Range and couldn't help but heave a heavy sigh of relief.
Within the Western Geng Tai Xuan Mountain Range, the Tiger's Roost Blessed Land blotted out the sun like a colossal canopy. This lineage alone boasted 3 half-step Celestial Immortals, with Earth Immortal Patriarchs numbering over 3 100.
Within the entire Western Geng Xuan Mountain Range, over half of the nearly 1 100 blessed lands were occupied by them, while the remainder served as their subsidiaries.
Such a magnificent and powerful force would have been slightly inferior even to the Western Abyss Dragon Palace at its zenith.
Today, the Chen Immortal Clan boasted 9 Earth Immortals, a force considered formidable among Earth Immortal blessed lands. Yet compared to this, it was nothing at all.
"A clan with 3 half-step Celestial Immortals... it seems in a million years, this shall become a formidable rival."
Eldrin (Person Name) let out a soft sigh, a trace of melancholy stirring in his heart as he murmured.
Lyra also nodded, her expression turning exceptionally grave as she stated, "In the next Dao Tribulation, this lineage will undoubtedly become 1 of the key players."
Everyone nodded slightly upon hearing this.
As the name implies, the Dao Tribulation refers to a calamity befalling a dao lineage.
What Is the Orthodoxy?
The great Daoist sects, the demonic overlords, the ancient Buddhist temples, the White Tiger of the Western Extremity, and the 9 Heavens True Dragons—all belong to the supreme orthodox traditions.
The so-called Dao Tribulation is a time when Buddhas and Daoists clash, demons and monsters vie for supremacy, and a 100 races contend for the Dao.
When the Dao Calamity erupts, the war among the human race, the demon race, the divine race, the Buddhist sect, and other orthodoxies will commence, and the ultimate victor shall give birth to the supreme grotto-heaven.
With each additional Celestial Immortal and every new Supreme Grotto-Heaven, the lineage's Dao heritage and destiny grow ever more prosperous.
From a broader perspective, if humanity were to gain a few more grotto-heavens during the Dao Tribulation, their destiny would be strengthened by several degrees.
In a narrower sense, should the White Tiger lineage give rise to a second grotto-heaven within their territory, the destiny of their orthodox tradition would flourish even more profoundly.
In the Dao Tribulation, the victor shall flourish with surging destiny, while the defeated shall be left with withered fortune.
The Heavenly Dao used this as bait, forcing the various cave heavens to continuously raise their stakes by dispatching countless disciples into the tribulation. Its ultimate goal was to compel more immortals to return their cultivation to the heavens. Under such circumstances, Eldrin foresaw that the Tiger's Roost Blessed Land would undoubtedly become 1 of humanity's greatest adversaries.
At this thought, Eldrin said with a grave expression, "Such a supreme blessed land is likely 1 of the greatest trials you and I will face during our Dao Tribulation."