Chapter 1864 : Turtle Sage

Having glimpsed the true nature of the great cosmos, Eldrin couldn't help but feel deeply moved in his heart.

He said no more. After a brief communion with the Cosmic Consciousness, he strode away from this place, heading toward the Violet Realm.

With a single step, he traversed boundless starry rivers and appeared before a vast stellar abyss.

It was a vast starry abyss, formed by countless resplendent stars converging into an invisible field that veiled everything.

Profound Brilliance Star Abyss.

Eldrin (Person Name) spoke slowly, his voice tinged with deepening emotion as he gazed upon the Abyssal Starry Depths once more after so many years.

With but a single glance, he grasped the origins and karma of the Mystic Brilliance Star Abyss.

This Profound Stellar Abyss was originally an innate spiritual treasure born alongside the Stellar Deity of the Profound Ming, still gestating within the endless dimensional river of stars.

The divine status of the Mysterious Luminance Star was exceptionally noble, inherently embodying a sacred nature from birth. Once fully gestated, it could directly ascend to the realm of Eighth-Tribulation Ancient Immortals, and advancing further to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm would pose no significant obstacle.

Alas, during the legendary battle where Violet Immortal Lord attained the Dao, he slew a demonic emperor of unparalleled cultivation. A single drop of that fiend's blood scattered across the endless dimensions, corrupting the Primordial Star Deity's innate destiny. Thus, its divine gestation failed and it descended into a Cataclysmic Abomination.

Thus, the Mystic Radiance Star Abyss lost its luster, falling to the realm of an acquired treasure.

Now that the Calamity Fiend was slain by Eldrin, the demonic energy within the Stellar Abyss of the Mystic Radiance Star gradually dissipated. Its grade had already reached the realm of a Primordial Treasure.

However, Eldrin could see clearly that within the Profound Abyssal Starfall, a single drop of demonic blood remained deeply entrenched, nearly impossible to completely eradicate or expunge.

"What potent demon blood! Though merely a single drop, it possesses an almost indestructible nature."

"That demon god in life must have been a peerless fiend who cultivated the Indestructible Body."

Sensing the demonic blood within the Mysterious Stellar Abyss, Eldrin's brow subtly furrowed.

The original owner of this demonic blood was far too powerful in life; with his current level of cultivation, it remained exceedingly difficult to refine this single drop.

Of course, it wasn't absolutely impossible. Once his cultivation reached the Great Perfection Realm, he could naturally erode it through the Great Dao of Chaos.

Moreover, he was confident that he could gradually refine them using methods such as the Chaos Millstone and the Pure Yang Heavenly Flame.

However, doing so would likely damage the Dao patterns of this innate spiritual treasure, requiring an extensive period of time for its recovery.

At this thought, Eldrin said contemplatively, "The Venerable Qi Yuan has fused with the remnant soul of the Profound Luminosity Star God. This object can be considered his innate treasure. Should the venerable succeed in cultivating the Great Dao of the Sun, he might gradually refine it using the power of the True Sunfire."

With these thoughts in mind, Eldrin quickly set them aside.

With a single step, he traversed the Stellar Abyss of the Profound Brilliance Star and arrived beyond the Violet Realm.

"I have returned."

Gazing at the Violet Realm, Eldrin couldn't help but smile faintly as he slowly began to speak.

"Bzzz—"

In the haze, the Purple Realm sensed his aura and tore open a void rift for him.

Eldrin smiled faintly and stepped directly into the Violet Realm, transforming into a man clad in snow-white robes.

This was Eldrin's (Person Name) third descent to the Violet Realm since his ascension. Unlike his previous 2 visits, this time Eldrin (Person Name) arrived in the Violet Realm in his true form.

With his level of cultivation, stepping into the Violet Realm in his true form was akin to stuffing an entire universe into a single grain of sand. The slightest leakage of his power would be enough to shatter the entire Violet Realm.

This was the effect of having cultivated a True Spirit Divine Soul. Ever since Eldrin had achieved the True Spirit Divine Soul, he had gained complete control over his power. Thus, even if his true form were to step into the Violet Realm, it would not cause the slightest damage to it.

"You're back."

Noticing his return, the Heavenly Dao of the Violet Realm spoke unhurriedly, a trace of gentleness coloring its voice.

Eldrin (Person Name) nodded slowly and spoke in a measured tone, "The homeland has changed greatly over these years."

"Indeed, it is all thanks to your feedback."

Zi Tiandao spoke slowly, a rare trace of emotion surfacing in Eldrin's heart.

Over these tens of millions of years, as the Abyssal Immortal Alliance grew increasingly powerful, more and more high-level immortals emerged, and their feedback to the Violet Realm had also multiplied.

Although Eldrin had not descended to the lower realm for many years, he had previously arranged for Lyra and others to bring down resources and rare treasures from the immortals of the Abyssal Return Immortal Alliance to nourish the Violet Realm.

Nurtured by these immortals, the Violet Realm expanded into an ever more boundless expanse. Within its borders now lay 9 supreme-grade blessed lands, capable of hosting dozens of Half-Step Celestial Immortals of the Great Ascension Realm and over a 1000 Earth Immortals in their cultivation.

The world was so vast and magnificent, and thus the number of immortals nurtured by the Violet Realm grew ever greater.

To this day, at least 1 immortal ascends to the Celestial Realm from the Violet Realm every 100 years.

Eldrin also understood this point. As he gazed upon the boundless and magnificent Violet Realm, he could not help but sigh with emotion, "We were born from the Violet Realm, and so we should give back to it in return."

He murmured these words softly, then took 1 last look as he bid farewell to the Violet Realm and stepped into the vast, boundless earth.

After so many years, he had returned to the vast earth once more. Treading across the lands of the Eastern Wastelands, he felt the changes of heaven and earth ever more keenly.

The Purple Realm of today had long undergone a dramatic transformation in its topography. The boundless, mist-shrouded marshes that once spanned hundreds of millions of miles had vanished without a trace, now replaced by fertile lands known as the Guixu Dao Domain.

The Void Dao Domain was the foremost sacred land of the Violet Realm—the Dao Domain of the Void Chen Clan.

It encompasses billions of provinces, both vast and small, each spanning hundreds of millions of miles. Across these lands, majestic immortal mountains pierce the skies, and blessed lands cluster in abundance. Towering above them all is the legendary Returning Abyss Blessed Land (Blessed Land), ranked first in the Violet Realm, anchoring and suppressing the very fate of the realm.

Of course, the former Violet Realm had long since been renamed the Returning Abyss Realm.

The legends of the Violet Immortal Lord had long since vanished into the river of time, no 1 knew when.

Be they the countless mortal beings or the immortals who have ascended once more, all know only this: 1 100 million years ago, the Abyssal Realm was but a single mortal major world.

Later, when the Eldrin Immortal attained enlightenment and ascended to immortality, he became a hegemon ruling over a region of the celestial realm. It was through his nurturing feedback that the Abyssal Realm achieved its present magnificence and vast expanse.

To this day, with the Patriarchs across the immortal realms deliberately keeping it secret, even the vast majority of ascended immortals have long forgotten the ancient name of the Violet Realm.

"Perhaps it's for the best that you don't remember. This serves as a form of protection for the Violet Realm as well."

Eldrin (Person Name) spoke slowly, fully aware that this Purple Realm was connected to the Purple Immortal Lord. Should its existence be revealed, even with his current cultivation level, he might not be able to protect it.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Eldrin grew intrigued by the Violet Realm Chen Clan and unconsciously stepped onto Verdant Chariot Mountain.

After the passage of tens of millions of years, Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location) had unwittingly transformed from a Second-Order Spirit Mountain into a celestial peak rarely seen across the annals of time.

It is 1 of the 9 supreme blessed lands of the Violet Realm, and also 1 of the 3 supreme blessed lands established by the Chen Clan of the Immortal Domain with vast resources to nurture talents in the mortal world.

Atop Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location), Eldrin (Person Name) detected several dozen auras of considerable strength, 1 of which stood out exceptionally—its cultivation had reached the very threshold of the Celestial Immortal realm, precisely at the Half-Step Celestial Immortal stage.

Chen Xinghong.

Eldrin (Person Name) raised a faint eyebrow in surprise, realizing this Quasi-Celestial Being was none other than the Turtle Sage Chen Xinghong of the Chen Immortal Clan (Organization).

At this thought, Eldrin couldn't help but perform a quick finger calculation, then revealed a bitter smile.

It turned out that after Chen Xinghong ascended to the immortal realm, his cultivation progressed smoothly with the foundation of the 3 Ascensions. Not only did he break through to the Earth Immortal realm, but he also successfully opened a full 9 celestial layers.

Such a figure should have been the pillar of the clan, a true seed meticulously cultivated to become a celestial immortal of great power.

However, Chen Xinghong's temperament was far too cautious, truly living up to his moniker of the Turtle Immortal. From the moment he first stepped into immortality until he broke through the 9 Heavenly Layers and cultivated all the way to the Great Perfection Stage of the Earth Immortal Realm, he had never once set foot beyond the borders of the Chen Immortal Clan (Organization).

He had cultivated in the Qingcang Immortal Domain for over a million years, rarely venturing beyond the Guixu Grotto-Heaven, let alone traveling outside the Guixu Celestial Realm.

The farthest place he had ever been to was actually the Violet Mystery Cavern, 1 of the 9 Great Grotto-Heavens of the Eldrin.

Such a cautious individual had actually cultivated to the Great Perfection stage of the Earth Immortal realm, leaving the family elders both amused and exasperated. Lior (Person Name) and Chen Ethan (Person Name) especially felt frustrated at his unwillingness to reach his full potential.

It so happened that a great turmoil erupted in the lower realm's Chen Immortal Clan (Organization). At that time, the Chen Immortal Clan (Organization) acted with unbridled arrogance, provoking the wrath of all major immortal clans across the Violet Realm. The commotion even drew the attention of the Lord of the Dao Palace and other Celestial Immortal patriarchs, ultimately escalating until it was brought before the various ancestral elders of the Chen Immortal Clan (Organization).

That time, it was said that Ethan (Person Name), known for his relentless hatred of evil, personally ordered the expulsion of several dozen Chen Clan immortals from the family, casting them into the cycle of reincarnation. The number of immortals implicated and punished exceeded 1,000.

Seizing this opportunity, the clan finally drove that Turtle Immortal down to the mortal realm.

According to Chen Xinghong's own words, his cultivation had only reached the Great Perfection stage of the Earth Immortal realm. With this level of cultivation, venturing through the Vast Azure Immortal Domain was far too perilous—he wouldn't feel the slightest sense of security until he attained the Ancient Immortal realm.

After some deliberation, the clan elders decided to grant his wish, allowing him to descend to the mortal realm to reign supreme and maintain order for their branch families there.

"This kid."

Understanding the cause and effect, Eldrin let out a bitter laugh.

It turned out that all of this had occurred over 3 million years ago. However, Eldrin (Person Name) was exploring the primordial chaos at the time, and his clan members did not wish to disrupt his cultivation. Thus, they had kept all of this from him.

At this thought, Eldrin revealed his form and ascended Verdant Chariot Mountain.

"Who goes there?"

The instant he revealed his form, Chen Xinghong finally sensed his aura and let out a sharp, muted exclamation.

However, when he realized it was Eldrin, he promptly bowed with reverence and said, "This junior Chen Xinghong pays his respects to the Ancestor."

"Turtle Immortal, have you been wronged in the lower realm?"

Eldrin gazed at him, then with a sweep of his sleeve, lifted him to his feet.

Chen Xinghong’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, “Serving the family is my duty. A little grievance is nothing.”

"Is that so?"

Eldrin’s eyes glinted with amusement as he remarked with a half-smile, “But how is it I’ve heard that when you descended to the lower realm back then, your very first words were: ‘Violet Realm, your grandfather has returned!’”

"Even the immortals from your era speak ill of you behind your back, saying that yet again you, the eternal turtle hiding in its shell, have gotten your wish—descending to the lower realm to squat on the latrine without ever relieving yourself."

Chen Xinghong broke out in a cold sweat, offering an awkward smile as he found himself momentarily at a loss for words.

Eldrin (Person Name) let out a light chuckle but refrained from saying anything more.

He lifted his gaze toward the distant Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location), where a staircase of white jade stood at its base. Entirely constructed from stacked white jade, it was adorned with myriad immortal Dao sigils.

The Stairway of Heart's Trial.

Eldrin spoke, a note of surprise in his voice.

Chen Xinghong seized the opportunity and promptly added, "This is a Heart-Questioning Stairway I forged, capable of interrogating a cultivator's mind and soul."

"Any wicked or malevolent individual whose heart is impure will be struck down by heavenly lightning before taking a 100 steps upon the Stairway of Heart's Trial."

"Over the years, I have established a rule: all Chen Clan immortals within the Violet Realm must traverse this Heart-Questioning Stairs every 10,000 years. Those who fail to complete the ascent are ordered to rectify their faults. Those who fail 3 times, or whose wicked thoughts prove particularly severe, shall be directly expelled from the family."

Eldrin (Person Name) nodded upon hearing this and remarked, "You are quite thoughtful."

"This humble 1 merely devised it by drawing inspiration from the Ancestor's 5 Questions of Heaven and Man. It is hardly anything remarkable."

Chen Xinghong spoke with humility, then added, "I had long since decreed that a Heart-Questioning Stairway be erected upon every Ling Mountain(Spiritual Mountain) above the fourth rank within the Chen Clan's domain."

Its levels varied greatly, with even the lowest tier being the Heart-Interrogating Stairs of the Golden Core Realm, sufficient to test all cultivators below the Golden Core stage.

"Over these years, thanks to these Stairways of Heart Trials, the family's ethos has improved by more than a hundredfold compared to 1 million years ago."

Hearing this, Eldrin (Person Name) gave a slight nod.

He let out a sigh and spoke, "For us immortals, a single session of secluded cultivation lasts no less than a 1000, 10 1000, or even a million years. Should we ever break through to the Great Perfection Realm in the future, it would be even more unthinkable to squander our attention on trivial matters."

"There are many matters we cannot possibly address in every detail, so we may lack sufficient deterrence against clan members below the Ascension Realm. This Path of Heart-Questioning truly is an excellent method to purify our family's traditions."

"Since you preside over the family in the mortal realm, remember to reward the deserving and punish the transgressors without partiality. Should there be any black sheep within the clan, you must mete out severe punishment without leniency."

Receiving Eldrin’s affirmation, Chen Xinghong couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

He was born the direct descendant of the Primordial Immortal Clan, having witnessed his family's rise through the ages, yet he had never experienced the true crucible of a harrowing battle.

Even though he had now cultivated to the Half-Step Celestial Immortal realm, his foremost principle remained to prioritize caution above all else.

To him, compared to the perilous Immortal Realm fraught with immense dangers, the safety of the Violet Realm was elevated by over a hundredfold.

After all, with his level of cultivation, he was nearly invincible within the Violet Realm. Even if a Starfall Cataclysm erupted beyond its borders, it would hardly pose any real calamity to him.

Even if he encountered an opponent he couldn't defeat, he could always call upon reinforcements from his immortal domain family. 1 could say that within the Violet Realm, he lived in nothing short of absolute comfort.

This time when he encountered Eldrin, his greatest fear was that Eldrin would recognize his extraordinary talent and insist on taking him back to the immortal realm for cultivation.

Hearing Eldrin accept his terms, he couldn't help but sigh in relief and said, "You flatter me, Ancestor. Since Xinghong is the clan leader of the lower realm's Chen Family, he will naturally spare no effort in upholding the Chen Family's traditions."

"You, my boy, are truly a turtle."

Eldrin let out a derisive snort, then sighed and said, "I’ve already seen it—you’re the kind whose brilliance lies within, 1 who stores strength quietly only to emerge strikingly in time."

"From now on, cultivate diligently in the lower realm. Given sufficient time, you might even establish foundations of the 3 Primordial Ones, and perhaps even glimpse a sliver of possibility to step into the forbidden realms."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 1: The Prodigy's Fall The mountain mist coiled like ancient serpents, shrouding the Qingyun Sect's training grounds in an otherworldly haze. Ling Xuan stood at the precipice of the Broken Soul Cliff, his white robes fluttering like torn dreams in the bitter wind. "30-2 1000 spirit stones," he murmured, the words tasting like ash in his mouth. "All gone for naught." Below his feet, the abyss whispered of forgotten cultivators who had plummeted from grace. 3 years ago, he had been the sect's brightest hope, the young master who comprehended the 9 Revolutions Nirvana Scripture at merely 16 winters. Now, his dantian laid in ruins, his cultivation shattered at the Foundation Establishment realm's peak. "Ling Xuan." The voice sliced through the mist like tempered steel. Elder Ming Feng emerged from the swirling vapors, his azure robes embroidered with silver runes that shimmered with restrained power. In his palm hovered the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, its crimson blade pulsing with ancient malice. "The sect council has reached its verdict," the elder declared, his eyes holding the frost of unforgiving winters. "Your core meridians are damaged beyond repair. You are to relinquish your position as core disciple by dawn." Ling Xuan's knuckles turned white as he gripped the jade pendant at his chest - his mother's final gift before the demon invasion that claimed her life. Countless memories surged within him: the childhood spent deciphering arcane texts, the 10 1000 nights meditating under twin moons, the 70-2 disciples he had surpassed to reach his former glory. "Elder Ming," Ling Xuan's voice emerged steadier than he expected, "what if I told you that within my shattered dantian, I've discovered the lost teachings of the Primordial Chaos Sage?" The elder's laughter echoed harshly against the mountain stones. "Delusions! The Primordial Chaos Art perished millennia ago with its creator. You're grasping at phantoms, boy." From his sleeve, Ling Xuan produced a faintly glowing crystal. The air hummed as spatial energy rippled outward, distorting the very fabric of reality around them. "Then how do you explain this Spatial Pearl, Elder? Forged from shards of the Void Phoenix's essence?" Elder Ming Feng's eyes widened, his composure cracking for the briefest moment. The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss flared violently, as if recognizing the primordial power awakening within the youth it had been summoned to condemn. In that suspended breath between heartbeats, Ling Xuan realized the truth that would redefine his destiny: some falls weren't endings, but beginnings written in the stars' oldest tongues.