Chapter 915 : The Mortal Path to Heavenly Ascension

"We understand."

Everyone nodded repeatedly, their expressions turning solemn and reverent.

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen gave a slight wave of his sleeve and spoke calmly, "Since that is the case, let us begin."

As his words fell, he pointed a finger into the void with a flick of his sleeve, conjuring a phantom light in the image of Path Void.

Everyone looked up to see the ethereal light continuously evolving in the void, slowly taking shape from a blurred, embryonic form until it finally transformed into an infant.

Jiang Venus furrowed his brow and couldn't help but murmur, "This is..."

"This is depicting the scene of a mortal's birth." Xuan Qingyi uttered softly, then frowned and said to himself, "What profound meaning does the senior intend with this act?"

Simultaneously, the form in the void continued to evolve bit by bit, finally transforming into a fetus being born.

Only after completing this step did Eldrin Chen begin to explain in detail, "Do you all know what the process from conception to birth represents for a mortal?"

The group was momentarily taken aback by the question. Jiang Venus was the first to speak up, "A human life begins with the nurturing of a single wisp of True Spirit [the fundamental spiritual essence of a being], and is then born from the mother's womb." This chapter appears courtesy of audio-novel*com.

"This process of gestation, then, is the Mortal Path [the foundational cultivation path of mortal existence], which is the true Great Path [the ultimate and profound Way of cultivation]."

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod and spoke with a smile, "The gestation of a human is not only the Mortal Path [the foundational cultivation path of mortal existence], but also the legendary Heavenly Path [the exalted cultivation path of celestial beings]."

"This..."

The crowd revealed looks of astonishment. Xuan Qingyi could not help but ask, "Senior, please enlighten us. Why is the Mortal Path [the foundational cultivation path of mortal existence] connected to the Heavenly Path [the exalted cultivation path of celestial beings]?"

Eldrin Chen did not answer directly. Instead, he extended a finger once more, pointing into the void and conjuring another phantom spiritual light of Path Void.

Behold, as the spiritual light blossomed, it transformed into a hazy expanse of the Primordial Chaos Opening [the divine ability representing the opening of the primordial chaos], resembling the scene of the world's very first dawn.

"The senior is now manifesting the ancient scene from the time of the World-Opening [the primordial event of creation when the world was first formed]!"

The crowd murmured, unable to suppress their inner astonishment. Yet, in the next instant, they felt as if a great bell had struck deep within their souls.

Within that hazy, newly-opened world, upon a desolate and silent primordial earth, strands of nascent vitality began to take form and gestate.

As the heavens and earth continued their eternal rotation, these strands of vitality evolved into plants, trees, bamboo, and stones; they gave rise to birds in the sky and beasts upon the land, and ultimately, they gave birth to 'humankind'.

The Clear Heart Path Master quickly gained an insight and could not help but answer, "Heaven and Earth nurture all living beings; all living beings are born of Heaven and Earth."

"Whether it is the Human Race or the Demon Race, all the myriad beings of our Purple Seal Realm are children of the Purple Seal Heaven and Earth."

"Heaven and Earth are the parents who nourish us, and the path we walk is the necessary road that follows the evolution of the Heavenly Path [the fundamental, natural order of the cosmos]."

"Therefore, the Mortal Path [the path of cultivation pursued by mortal beings] is the Heavenly Path."

"Indeed." Everyone nodded in agreement. Jiang Venus could not help but remark, "So the path of cultivation is one of following Heaven's will, not defying it."

Only after everyone had gained some understanding did Eldrin Chen nod in satisfaction.

He then placed the manifested infant within the world and began to explain in a measured tone, "Now that you understand the Mortal Path is the Heavenly Path, you may continue to listen to the Way of the Celestial Being [a cultivator who has ascended to a higher, immortal state of existence]."

"*Hum*—"

As Eldrin Chen's words fell, he pointed a finger once more.

The infant began to grow, maturing bit by bit. At the same time, Eldrin Chen continued his exposition, "Our path of cultivation is not so different from the gestation of a fetus."

"In this humble work's view, the six realms of the mortal cultivation path can essentially be categorized into three distinct processes."

"The three realms of Vital Essence Refinement, Foundation Establishment, and Forming the Golden Core are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges," Eldrin Chen murmured, his voice low. "They are like countless grains of sand, striving with all their might to gather the energy of heaven and earth, seeking to refine the mother's vital essence into an embryo."

Eldrin Chen continued his soft soliloquy, then channeled his magical power to manifest a vision. Within the expanse of heaven and earth, a tiny figure could be seen absorbing various Spiritual Object resources, gradually cultivating its way into the Infant Soul Realm.

Upon reaching this stage, Eldrin Chen spoke again, his words resonating with the Great Path: "The Infant Soul Realm signifies the embryo has been birthed. It has crossed the threshold from being mere grains of sand."

"Though still insignificant, it has finally earned a fleeting glance from the will of heaven and earth."

Within that manifested realm, the tiny figure's cultivation advanced unceasingly. It finally summoned its Heaven and Earth Souls to return to their rightful places, undergoing a metamorphosis into a Primordial Spirit and nurturing a wisp of Primordial Solar power. Published by audio-novel . com. All rights reserved.

Only at this moment did Eldrin Chen speak once more: "And once it transforms into a Primordial Solar Primordial Spirit, for the Purple Seal Heaven and Earth it is akin to a babe in the womb."

"Though the journey to be fully born is still long, it can now be considered, however tenuously, a child of heaven and earth, worthy of receiving a measure of heavenly Fortune."

Witnessing this scene, the many Path Lord upon the Heavenly Vault could not help but nod in agreement.

Sea-Calmer Path Master stroked his long beard and could not resist speaking: "No wonder cultivators of the Purple Seal Realm who merely break through to the Primordial Spirit realm almost invariably find an opportunity for Primordial Solar advancement within a millennium."

"So our path of cultivation is, in essence, one of harmony with Heaven, not defiance of it."

Below in the assembly hall, Kunpeng Child furrowed his brow and could not help but ask, "If our path is one of harmony with Heaven, why then do the myriad Tribulation [Heavenly trials and calamities that test cultivators] descend upon us?"

"Because the resources of Heaven and Earth are finite."

Eldrin Chen stated decisively, then began to explain in a measured tone: "Just as a mortal mother carries a child for ten months, the Purple Seal Realm [a vast and powerful cultivation world] could never sustain an infinite number of Immortal [beings who have transcended mortality and ascended to immortality]."

At this point, Eldrin Chen's expression turned profoundly solemn. "The resources consumed by a single cultivator, progressing from Vital Essence Refinement [the initial stage of refining one's life force], Foundation Establishment [establishing a stable cultivation foundation], Golden Core [forming a core of condensed spiritual power], Infant Soul [nurturing a nascent spiritual soul], Primordial Spirit [forging one's primordial spiritual essence], and finally to the Immortal Ascension Realm [the realm of transcending mortality], are beyond imagination."

"Even a glorious Great Thousand World [a major world within the cosmic hierarchy] like the Purple Seal Realm, producing one Immortal every ten thousand years, would suffer a drain on its vital essence."

"As for the weaker Minor Thousand Worlds, it's likely that not a single person could achieve immortality even over hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of years."

Eldrin Chen continued his explanation, then sighed. "It is precisely for this reason that after an Immortal ascends, they can remain in the Purple Seal Realm for a thousand years at most."

"It is akin to a fetus carried for ten months. If it lingers too long within its mother's womb, not only might the mother's body be unable to bear it, but both could face the peril of perishing together."

Upon hearing this, the assembly gained a flash of understanding, feeling as if their horizons had been vastly broadened in that moment.

Above the Nine Heavens, the Master of Southern Sea Glazed Palace drew a deep breath, then nodded slowly. "Perhaps what Fellow Cultivator Eldrin says is indeed the truth. Our Tribulation [a series of divine trials and calamities that test a cultivator's worthiness] may well have originated for this very reason."

"Since the heavens and earth cannot allow all to ascend to immortality, they can only descend various Tribulation as trials, selecting the most exceptional among their children."

"Thus, it is not merely a test for us, but also a means to choose those with the greatest certainty of achieving immortality."

"Indeed, indeed."

The Violet Firmament Path Lord also nodded, stroking his long beard with a sigh. "No wonder the Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality and achieved a higher state of existence] of successive generations from the Purple Seal Realm would, after their ascension, employ every means to repay the Karma [the cosmic principle of cause and effect, action and consequence] they owed to Purple Seal."

"We are all children of heaven and earth, and an Immortal is a cherished child nurtured by the cosmos, nourished since youth by the boundless resources the world provides for cultivation."

"If one does not ascend, it matters not. But to ascend is to depart the Purple Seal Realm, carrying away with them an immeasurable quantity of its primordial essence."

"Such immense grace and Karma—even an Immortal would have to pay a tremendous price to repay it in full." This chapter is part of a larger work available at audio-novel-dot-com.