Chapter 985 : A Hidden Blade in the Dark

Yet their Life Soul [the core of one's destiny and spiritual existence] had been seized, rendering them puppets to a will not their own. The three Ninth Layer Nascent Soul Heaven-Demon [powerful celestial demons] were the first to surge forward, engaging Kael Chen in a desperate, bloody battle to the death.

This clash, where Kael Chen stood alone against the many, was fated to be a battle of unparalleled and gruesome ferocity.

Yet even as he held the tide of Heaven-Demon at bay, a profound despair began to seep into the hearts of the defenders.

For from the depths of the void, a black-robed elder strode through the air, commanding the Five Venoms Immortal-Slaying Swords [a set of five legendary swords, each imbued with a different lethal poison] to strike directly at the secluded retreat where Eldrin Chen was in closed-door cultivation.

Unbeknownst to all, the Five Venoms Ancient Ancestor had, at some unknown time, also fallen under the control of the Extraterrestrial Demon God [a malevolent deity from beyond this realm], his Life Soul seized, transforming him into a hidden pawn of the demonic force.

This turn of events was utterly unforeseen by the forces of the Purple Realm, a shock that not even Eldrin Chen had anticipated.

For the Five Venoms Ancient Ancestor had fought with apparent full commitment in previous great battles. That he would now turn his blade against them revealed just how deeply and cunningly the Extraterrestrial Demon God had concealed its machinations.

Eldrin Chen was in deep meditation within the earth itself. Should this land be contaminated by the venom of the Five Venoms Immortal-Slaying Swords, the tainted energy of the five elements would be drawn into his liver as he cultivated, utterly destroying his path to the Great Perfection of the Primordial Chaos Indestructible Body [a legendary physique of ultimate resilience, forged from the essence of primordial chaos].

At this moment of dire peril, a youthful figure stepped forth.

"Harm not my Master!" Your portal to cultivation novels: audio_novel.com.

The group looked up and saw that the newcomer was none other than Sylas Ye [a cultivator known for his swordsmanship].

At this moment, Sylas Ye positioned himself before Five Venoms Ancient Ancestor [a powerful and malevolent cultivator], his sword raised to strike.

"A mere junior dares to stand in my way? How presumptuous!"

Five Venoms Ancient Ancestor roared in fury. The Five Venoms Immortal-Slaying Swords [a set of five deadly enchanted blades] crisscrossed through the void, seeking to cut Sylas Ye down.

Yet, Sylas Ye's strength defied all expectations—he actually managed to block this ferocious assault.

Sylas Ye possessed the Five Spiritual Roots [a rare spiritual aptitude allowing affinity with all five elemental energies] and the Pure Yang Dao Body [a constitution of pure masculine Yang energy, ideal for certain cultivation paths]. After making his great vow [a profound cultivation oath that can unlock potential], his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, and he had unknowingly reached the Primordial Spirit, Late Stage [the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, where one's spiritual core is highly developed].

Although he had not yet forged a Primordial Chaos Foundation [the ultimate foundation for ascension, built upon primordial chaos energy], he had already comprehended four types of Primordial Chaos Secret Power [profound supernatural abilities derived from the power of primordial chaos].

In his duel against Five Venoms Ancient Ancestor, his Pure Yang Immortal Sword [a sword imbued with pure Yang energy] soared and cleaved downward. He fought with ruthless abandon, trading injury for injury, and with a brilliant flash, his blade pierced straight through the Ancient Ancestor's chest.

"Aaaargh—!"

Five Venoms Ancient Ancestor screamed in agony and tried to disengage, desperate to flee for his life.

Yet, controlled by the Extraterrestrial Demon God, he had no choice. He forcibly merged the Five Venoms Immortal-Slaying Swords into a single, five-colored sword radiance and slashed down, piercing it into Sylas Ye's physical body.

"Die—!"

With five supreme venoms invading his body, a terrible agony flooded his entire being. Sylas Ye felt dizzy and his vision blurred, yet he gritted his teeth against the pain, drew his sword, and counterattacked with an upward slash.

In that moment, he seemed like Jiang the Sovereign Emperor reborn. The four types of Secret Power [esoteric energies cultivated to unlock profound abilities] within him were pushed to their absolute limit and poured into his Immortal Sword. A dazzling, peerless Sword Intent [the conceptual will and power imbued within a sword technique] pierced the heavens, shredding Five Venoms Ancient Ancestor into fragments.

"Who else... dares harm my Master!"

Leaning on his sword planted in the ground, his face a mask of fury, Sylas Ye roared after his desperate, life-risking strike that had slain Five Venoms Ancient Ancestor.

The horde of charging Nascent Soul Celestial Demon [powerful demons who have cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm] recoiled in shock. Seeing his teetering, unsteady figure, a flicker of retreat actually stirred within them for a moment.

But with their Life Soul [the core soul linked to one's destiny and lifespan] under another's control, the demonic horde had no choice. A shade of darkness passed through their pupils, and they advanced with cold, merciless intent to kill.

"Kill, kill, kill…"

A brutal, desperate battle raged on for seven days and seven nights.

Only after seven days had passed, when Sylas Ye had slain the final foe before him, did he discover that the Pure Yang Immortal Sword in his hand had already snapped into two pieces, and not a single wisp of Mana [the spiritual energy used to fuel spells and techniques] remained within his body.

He could no longer suppress the five supreme poisons within him; even his internal organs and his Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core and highest essence of a cultivator's being] were tainted by the lethal toxins, leaving not a shred of vitality behind.

Sylas Ye stood frozen on the spot for a long while, then stumbled forward in a daze, heading deeper into the earth.

He arrived before the great doors of Eldrin Chen's secluded cultivation chamber and knelt heavily upon the ground, kowtowing. "Master," he said, "this disciple has never forgotten your teachings."

"In one's life, one need not kneel to heaven and earth, need not bow to immortals or demons, need not revere brute power, but one must understand gratitude."

"My grandfather once told me, repay a drop of kindness with a gushing spring; repay the grace of guiding one onto the Dao even if it costs one's heart's blood. Now, this disciple has done so." For more chapters, visit site: audio-novel.com for the complete novel.

Sylas Ye's face was the color of ash, his body enduring agonies beyond mortal imagination.

Yet he remained utterly calm, his gaze fixed upon the Cultivation Cave [a chamber or cavern specially prepared for deep meditation and cultivation] as he continued, "Master, this disciple must depart. To have been able to serve at your side in this life fills me with profound contentment. There is little I cannot let go of."

"My only regret is that I shall not witness your Ascend to Immortal Eternity [the ultimate transcendence, achieving immortality and eternal life], nor follow you to slay the Demon God and avenge my parents."

"Now, this disciple repays your grace with his blood. Having lost the fate to serve you further, I can only offer three kowtows to wish you well, Master."

Sylas Ye murmured to himself, then kowtowed heavily upon the ground.

"First bow, I wish Master and the Mistress eternal union of hearts."

"Second bow, I wish Master to achieve the Great Dao and Ascend to Immortal Eternity in everlasting glory."

"Third bow, I pray Master quells the great calamity and fulfills the long-cherished wish held for countless Millennium."

Sylas Ye kowtowed heavily upon the ground, his voice gradually fading into silence, remaining there like a statue, utterly without sound.

"Tap—"

Within the Seclusion Chamber, a single tear traced a path down the cheek of Eldrin Chen.

He was in a state of profound seclusion, not truly awakened, yet an inexplicable, heart-rending grief and remorse washed over him.

As if stimulated by this, the five viscera within his body began to operate at blinding speed. An indescribable torrent of Five Elements Qi [the refined spiritual essence of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth] surged in ceaselessly. Centuries of cultivation culminated in this moment, achieving flawless perfection.

Eldrin Chen opened his eyes. Gazing upon Sylas Ye kowtowing before him, he was momentarily lost in a daze.

In a single instant, the events of the past several hundred years, the karmic bond of master and disciple spanning millennia, all surged through his mind.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Sylas Ye. My grandfather said he hoped I would be like the Three-Foot Verdant Sword, possessing an unyielding pride that would rather break than bend."

"Do you have any other family?"

"I have my father and mother. Grandfather said they went to a very distant place. They are great heroes who slay demons and vanquish evil."

"He said that when the Human Race marches back to the Distant Sea, my parents will return to see me."

"Then you shall follow me from now on, until the day your parents come to find you."

"Your disciple, Sylas Ye, pays his respects to Master."

"Sylas... Sylas Ye..."

"Ah—!"

A cry of profound anguish and despair tore through the heavens and the earth. Eldrin Chen's eyes were pools of crimson as he gathered Sylas Ye into his arms.

In that instant, the heavens shifted hue and the winds and clouds churned violently.

An immense, boundless tide of the world's spiritual energy [the ambient vital essence that permeates all things] converged, surging into the Seclusion Chamber.

Eldrin Chen wrested the Creation from the cosmos itself, drawing upon the primordial Qi [the fundamental life-force energy] of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. He forged it into a heaven-shaking, earth-sundering torrent of Immortal Essence Power and poured it into Sylas Ye's body, striving to snatch his life back from the abyss.

Yet mortal effort has its limits, and even an Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality] possesses boundaries they cannot cross.

Though Eldrin Chen was an Immortal of the Mortal Dust [an immortal who walks the mortal world], even his utmost exertion could not transcend the final divide between life and death.

He refined and expelled every last trace of the lethal poison from Sylas Ye's body and mended the shattered, ruined flesh. But he could not restore the Pure Yang Nascent Soul [the radiant spiritual core of a high-level cultivator], which had already dissolved into nothingness.

A moment later, Eldrin Chen emerged, cradling Sylas Ye. His hair was now a stark, frost-white mane, as if touched by eternal winter.

"He succeeded!"

In that ksana-time [an infinitesimal moment], the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon [demonic beings from beyond this realm] upon the battlefield were seized by utter despair.

Eldrin Chen's face remained an impassive mask, yet in the span of a single breath, nothing within tens of millions of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] of mountain and river could escape the sweep of his divine sense.

He witnessed Kael Chen fighting with a thirst for blood, saw the Old Patriarch battling on with only half his physical body remaining, and beheld one Dao Lord after another locked in desperate, brutal combat.

Confronted with all this, his expression never wavered. Only within his crimson-tinged eyes did a hatred and killing intent, impossible to erase, begin to unfurl.

"Sylas," he whispered, the words a vow etched in ice, "your master has come to avenge you…"

This chapter serves as an homage to 'After the Ascension'. For the best reading experience, visit audio‑novel.com.