Chapter 1016 : A Letter from the Volcanic Isle

"From the direction of Fire Mulberry Island [a volcanic island known for its rare fire-attributed spiritual resources], a letter has arrived."

Outside the Cultivation Cave [a secluded cavern used for meditation and spiritual refinement], a young man bowed his head slightly, his expression grave as he spoke.

"Oh?"

Six Stars Immortal [an immortal being associated with celestial constellations] paused for a moment, then promptly stepped out from the Cultivation Cave.

He took the letter from the youth's hand and began to examine its contents with great care.

A short while later, he shook his head and said with a faint smile, "Over the course of one hundred thousand years, Fire Mulberry Island has changed hands seven times."

"Now that it has fallen into the hands of a Human Race Fellow Daoist [a respectful term for a fellow cultivator] once more, one wonders if Fellow Daoist Eldrin can hold it."

The young man's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this. He pondered for a moment before asking, "According to the Ancient Ancestor's [a venerable title for a senior clan progenitor] judgment, should we lend them our aid?"

"Since they are a Human Race Fellow Daoist, we naturally cannot stand idly by."

Six Stars Immortal remained composed, stroking his long beard with a smile. "Make a journey to Refining Void [a title meaning 'Refiner of the Void'] and Violet Feather Immortal Island [an immortal isle famed for its violet-plumed spiritual birds]. Inform the several Immortal [beings who have ascended to a higher state of existence] there of this matter. They will understand my intent." The story continues at site: audio-novel.com.

"This disciple understands."

The youth nodded, his expression immediately clearing with comprehension.

Within a Cultivation Cave [a secluded dwelling for meditation and cultivation] on Verdant Rock Immortal Island, located in the Setting Sun Sea, where Immortal Qi [the refined spiritual energy of Immortals] drifted like ethereal mist, two figures sat facing each other.

The two figures were one old and one young. The elder was naturally Xander Qian, while the youth was Patriarch Qian Rowan Qian.

Xander Qian picked up a cup of fragrant tea, took a sip, and then spoke: "A letter has arrived from the Crimson Dragon Sea. That individual has succeeded."

"Oh?"

The youth, hearing this, showed a look of astonishment. "In just over a month's time, he has taken an Immortal Island? To possess such capability..."

Xander Qian smiled faintly. "It was to be expected."

Rowan Qian nodded, yet a trace of doubt surfaced. "This disciple has a question. Ancient Ancestor has been in secluded cultivation within the mountains for many years, having withdrawn from worldly affairs for hundreds of thousands of years."

"Why, this time, did he agree to the request of Fellow Daoist Eldrin [a respectful title for a fellow cultivator], involving himself in matters that carry such karmic entanglement?"

Xander Qian smiled and shook his head, then spoke calmly, "Those three may appear to have newly arrived in the Immortal Realm [the realm of the Immortals], but I observed their bearing and found them all to be extraordinary. I fear they possess profound and deep-rooted origins."

"In my view, these three likely have boundless futures ahead. It is not impossible they may have the opportunity to achieve the Earth Immortal Dao Fruit [the Dao Fruit of an Earth Immortal, a foundational Immortal attainment]."

"So that is how it is."

Rowan Qian nodded, yet still seemed to harbor doubts in his heart, for Xander Qian had not been tainted by the mortal dust for many years and had not left Verdant Rock Island for a long time.

Noticing his expression, Xander Qian understood his thoughts and sighed, "I know the questions in your heart. Let me tell you this as well."

"You have not long since Ascended to Immortality [achieved the state of an Immortal]. You only know that we Immortal [beings who have transcended mortality] live in carefree freedom, yet you do not know that we Immortal also face our own tribulations."

"Tribulations?"

Rowan Qian's expression faltered slightly, and he could not help but show a look of astonishment.

Xander Qian gave a slight nod and began to speak, "We Immortal ingest the essence of the sun and moon, able to recline upon the Nine Heavens [the highest celestial realms] and live eternally without death."

"Yet, if Immortal only ceaselessly draw upon the Immortal Spirit Qi [the spiritual energy of the Immortal Realm] without giving back to this Great Thousand Immortal Domain [the vast domain of myriad Immortal worlds], then even with the immensity of the Immortal Realm, its spiritual vitality will gradually be consumed and exhausted over the long ages."

Xander Qian spoke with measured grace, unveiling the mysteries of the boundless Immortal Realm [the higher plane of existence where immortals reside].

His expression turned profoundly grave as he continued, "The Dao of Heaven and Earth is a cycle. To endlessly plunder the Creation [the primordial creative force of the cosmos] is to invite a terrible and inevitable backlash."

"Thus, within the Immortal Realm, there exist the concepts of the Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic heavenly trial that reshapes the immortal world], the Dao Tribulation [a tribulation that tests one's comprehension of the fundamental Dao], and the Calamity Tribulation [a legendary era-ending calamity of unimaginable scale]."

"Great Tribulation, Dao Tribulation, Calamity Tribulation?"

Rowan Qian listened, his face a mask of stunned disbelief.

Xander Qian gave a solemn nod and pressed on. "In the Immortal Realm, a Great Tribulation descends roughly once every million years. A Dao Tribulation unfolds only once across the span of ten million years." Find this and other novels at site: audio-novel.com.

"As for the legendary Calamity Tribulation, it erupts but once in countless eons, a cataclysm measured in hundreds of millions of years."

Xander Qian's voice grew heavy with the weight of memory. "This old man has cultivated for over a million years and lived through one such terrifying Great Tribulation."

"In such a cataclysm, the Heavenly Secrets [the obscured workings of celestial fate] are veiled. Even the host of immortals must struggle to cross that turbulent sea of calamity. Without cultivation at the Earth Immortal Realm [the realm of an Earth Immortal, a powerful immortal being], one has little hope of surviving the passage."

After hearing this, Rowan Qian could not help but wear a look of profound shock.

His heart brimmed with boundless curiosity, and he could not help but inquire, "This tribulation is truly so terrifying? Even Ancient Ancestor [a venerable, long-lived cultivator of immense power] treats it with such gravity?"

"Far more dreadful than you can imagine."

The old immortal shook his head, sinking into recollection. A flicker of fear passed through his pupils.

After a long while, he shook his head again, seemingly unwilling to elaborate further. He merely offered a bitter smile and said, "This old one can only tell you that a tribulation of this magnitude is utterly, profoundly terrifying."

"There exists the ancient saying: 'The Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic heavenly trial] for the Earth Immortal [an immortal whose power is rooted in the earth], the Dao Tribulation [a tribulation testing one's comprehension of the Dao] for the Heaven Immortal [an immortal whose power ascends to the heavens], and the Calamity Tribulation [a tribulation of world-ending calamity] for the Ancient Immortals [beings of myth who have transcended countless ages].'"

"It means that only an Earth Immortal Progenitor [a supreme Earth Immortal who can found a lineage] possesses the certainty to shelter those around them through the Great Tribulation. Only an existence at the level of a Heavenly Immortal Paragon [a paramount Heaven Immortal] can withstand the Great Dao [the supreme, fundamental principle of all existence] tribulation that strikes once in ten million years."

"As for the Ancient Immortals who have weathered the Calamity Tribulation... beings of that stature..."

Xander Qian shook his head, extending five fingers. "Within the entire Azure Firmament Immortal Domain [a vast realm of immortal cultivation], legend speaks of no more than a handful of such Ancient Immortals—truly, fewer than the fingers on one hand."

"This old man once, by sheer fortune, survived a single Great Tribulation. And even that was only by calling upon a favor owed to my ancestors, relying on the protection of an Earth Immortal senior to barely scrape through."

Rowan Qian felt a chill of horror creep down his spine. "A cataclysm so dreadful," he uttered with profound dread, "and yet we, who bear the title of Immortal [a transcendent being who has ascended beyond mortality], cannot roam free and unburdened?"

"Yet, it is not merely that," the ancient immortal nodded slightly, stroking his long beard as he continued, "Under the cataclysm, the multitude of immortals shed their mortal forms and return to the heavens. This is the cyclical rule of heaven and earth."

"However, within the calamity itself, opportunities for attaining the Dao [the fundamental principle or path in Chinese philosophy] also manifest."

"Are you aware that within this cosmos, there exists also the concept of the Tribulation Immortal?"

"Tribulation Immortal?"

Rowan Qian was momentarily stunned, a look of astonishment crossing his features.

That Xander Qian smiled faintly, stroking his beard with a hint of pride as he said, "A Great Tribulation occurs once in a million years. Judged by the standards of such calamities, this old man can barely be considered a One-Tribulation Immortal."

"Do not underestimate this One-Tribulation Immortal. An Immortal who has survived a single Great Tribulation within the Immortal Domain possesses a cultivation base of at least the Late Stage Immortal Ascension Realm."

"Such an existence has cultivated for a million years of time, further empowered by the opportunities [fate-granted chances for advancement, often pivotal in cultivation] bestowed by the Great Tribulation. Their strength far surpasses that of other Immortals of the same realm."

Rowan Qian was utterly astounded. He could not help but take a deep breath and ask, "Above the One-Tribulation Immortal, could there exist even more ancient beings?"

"It must be so."

Xander Qian gave a slight nod, his gaze turning distant and profound as he looked towards the direction of the Setting Sun Blessed Land. "Within that Setting Sun Blessed Land, legend speaks of an ancient immortal who has lived for five million years," he said.

"An existence of that level, a Five-Tribulation Immortal [an immortal who has survived five Great Tribulations], having weathered the blessings and trials of five Great Tribulations [cosmic trials that reshape fate and grant immense power], is likely not far from the Earth Immortal Realm [the realm of an Earth Immortal, a being of profound stability and power tied to the world's essence]," he continued.

"Although such a being has not yet fully become an Earth Immortal [an immortal whose power and existence are fundamentally anchored to the world], they have in truth already transcended the ordinary Ascension to Immortality Realm [the realm of those who have ascended to immortality]. There is little point in explaining this further to you."

Having said this, Xander Qian spoke no more on the matter.

He cast a glance towards the Crimson Dragon Sea and then spoke again. "By my reckoning, the time until the next Great Tribulation is not far off."

"I observed that the Abyssal Daoist [a title for a powerful cultivator associated with the abyss] is surrounded by an aura of merit-light, suggesting a person of pure character. Furthermore, his innate talent and latent potential are extraordinary."

"If we foster good relations with him, we may find mutual support during the coming Great Tribulation."

"Should he one day break through to the Earth Immortal Realm, he might even be capable of sheltering us through the Great Tribulation. In that event, by partaking in the tribulation's bestowed opportunities, we ourselves might grasp a sliver of a chance to achieve the state of an Earth Immortal." Enjoyed this chapter? Read more at audi0-n0vel.c0m.