Chapter 964 : Echoes of a Lost Golden Age

"Though Heaven and Earth possess no sentient wisdom, a sliver of consciousness exists within the profound workings of fate. In times of great peril, it naturally gives birth to those destined to face the calamity."

Lord of the Path Palace spoke in a measured tone. After a long while, he continued, "Long before the Demonic Abyss Cataclysm [a cataclysmic event involving the demonic abyss], the Purple Seal Realm was home to several dozen Immortal Path Lineage [orthodox sects dedicated to the path of immortality]."

"Among these various orthodoxies, the weaker ones possessed over a dozen Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator, a high-level cultivation stage] cultivators. The most powerful holy lands even had over a hundred Primordial Spirit."

"In that era, the number of Demigod Patriarch [a patriarch who has reached the demigod cultivation stage] within the Purple Seal Realm exceeded several dozen, more than ten times the present number. Over tens of thousands of years, talented individuals emerged generation after generation, and several destined calamity-facers were born in succession."

"Yet even so, how many of those predecessors from that time remain today?"

"All are gone, swept away by the tides of time!"

Lord of the Path Palace's voice grew even more somber. His gaze rested on Eldrin Chen, and the two of them fell into a prolonged silence.

Eldrin Chen understood in his heart. Those Patriarch from the peak era of the Purple Seal Realm, and the later-born calamity-facers, had all perished within the great cataclysm.

The Supple Wood Azure Dragon [a powerful demonic beast of the Azure Dragon type] nurtured through the schemes of several generations of Immortal [beings who have ascended to immortality]; the Myriad Tribulation Thunder Mountain [a holy land renowned as the foremost in the Eastern Sea], the premier holy land of the Eastern Sea; Eastern Sovereign Energy Abyss Chen, who achieved immortality through physical body cultivation; and even Imperial Sovereign Jiang, who lived up to expectations and ascended to immortality—all had now become mere history.

"Back then, we in the Purple Seal Realm united our efforts, pooling the strength of the entire realm to assist Imperial Sovereign Jiang in achieving immortality. We truly believed there was hope to quell the cataclysm." The complete novel can be found at audio_novel.com.

"Alas, in the end, we have still failed!"

Lord of the Path Palace shook his head, his expression grave as he looked at Eldrin Chen and said, "You are one outside the Tribulation [the cosmic cycle of destruction and renewal]. Perhaps you are our last, our only remaining chance."

"Precisely because of this, whether it was Long River Path Lord or the venerable Tomb Guardian, they were all willing to die to protect you for a time."

"Do not be misled by how the various Immortal Path Lineage [the great sects and clans that follow the path of immortality] seem unwilling to lend out their Immortal Scripture [profound cultivation manuals]. In truth, they are merely waiting for the right price, hoping to extract more treasures from your hands."

"When the nest is overturned, no egg remains whole. With a calamity where the loss of one means the peril of all looming before us, perhaps within the next thousand years the Purple Seal Realm will cease to exist. No orthodox tradition is truly so foolish or unreasonable as to withhold all assistance from you."

Listening quietly to the words of the Lord of the Path Palace, Eldrin Chen felt a tremor in his heart, yet he did not know how to voice it. He simply listened in heavy silence.

The Lord of the Path Palace patted his shoulder and said with a sigh, "Do not grieve. In his youth, Imperial Sovereign Jiang was much the same. Countless senior Patriarch [powerful leaders of cultivation lineages] fell to protect his path to enlightenment."

"You are the one most likely to quell this great calamity. Promise me you will end this cataclysm, so that their efforts will not have been in vain."

"You must not let the sacrifice of Fellow Daoist Long River, of the Master of Horizon Pavilion, of the venerable Tomb Guardian... you must not let their fall be for nothing!"

Listening in silence to the heartfelt words of the Lord of the Path Palace, Eldrin Chen remained quiet, feeling only an indescribable, immense pressure settling upon his heart.

In ages past, Imperial Sovereign Jiang was a figure of unparalleled brilliance. He cultivated both a Path Fruit [the condensed essence of a cultivator's chosen Dao] and Path Principles Power [the fundamental laws and power of a specific Dao], achieving a peerless Celestial Immortal Foundation [the foundational stage for ascending to true immortality].

Such a being, with heaven-defying talent, is one whom—even if one were to comb through the millions of years of history within the Purple Seal Realm—could be counted as his equal on fingers numbering less than ten.

Yet, even this dazzling existence, who achieved two types of Immortal Ascension Path Fruit [the ultimate fruit of cultivation that allows one to ascend to immortality], still could not quell that great calamity. Could Eldrin Chen truly be certain he would succeed where that one failed?

"He will!"

"But I must become stronger still, to fulfill the eighty-thousand-year-old aspiration of the Purple Seal Realm."

Eldrin Chen murmured to himself, a look of unwavering resolve settling upon his features.

As he was now, he could not yet surpass Imperial Sovereign Jiang. But his path had not reached its end.

He needed to advance his Primordial One Indestructibility Body [a legendary physique of supreme resilience] to the next stage, cultivating it into the Primordial One Indestructibility Golden Body [the perfected golden form of the Indestructibility Body]. Then, he must master the Primordial One Path Principles Power [the supreme law of the Primordial Dao]. Only by surpassing Imperial Sovereign Jiang by several such tiers would he possess a chance to slay that Catastrophe Demon God.

With this thought, his desire to study and comprehend the classics of a hundred schools burned ever brighter. He could not help but cup his hands respectfully towards the Lord of the Path Palace and declare, "Senior, rest assured. Eldrin will not fail your expectations."

"In that case, my mind is at ease!"

The Lord of the Path Palace [the supreme leader of the Path Palace Sacred Land] nodded, and without Eldrin Chen even noticing, he had already guided him back to the heart of the Path Palace Sacred Land.

Upon arriving at the Path Palace Sacred Land, Eldrin Chen wasted no time. He proceeded directly to the Inheritance Grand Hall [the sacred hall housing the sect's most profound legacies] within the sacred land and began to contemplate and study the nine volumes of Immortal Scripture [profound texts containing the laws and insights of the Immortal Path] held within.

The origins of these nine volumes of Immortal Scripture from the Path Palace Sacred Land were extraordinary. One volume was passed down by the legendary 'Flowing Void Ancient Immortal' and was hailed as the foremost among the hundred great scriptures of the Purple Seal Realm, known as the 'Seated Oblivion Immortal Scripture' [a scripture focused on achieving enlightenment through profound stillness].

Of the remaining eight volumes, three were created by ascended Immortal [beings who have transcended mortality and ascended to a higher plane of existence] predecessors from the Path Palace Sacred Land itself. The other five were legacies left behind by Immortal Path Lineage [sects or traditions dedicated to the pursuit of immortality] that had perished within the Purple Seal Realm, later collected and preserved by the Path Palace Sacred Land.

Having gained the opportunity to study these nine volumes of Immortal Scripture, Eldrin Chen quickly became deeply engrossed. Unbeknownst to him, nine years slipped by in this manner.

After those fleeting nine years, Eldrin Chen had committed the nine volumes of Immortal Scripture to memory, their profound truths and underlying principles etched into his mind. Only then did he finally push open the doors of the Inheritance Grand Hall and emerge. Support the author by reading on AUDIO-NOVEL.COM.

The Lord of the Path Palace, having sensed his emergence, inquired, "What insights have you gained from this period of secluded cultivation?"

"I have grasped the profound mysteries and principles contained within," Eldrin Chen replied promptly. "However, I understand that to truly achieve my goal, I must assimilate the strengths of a hundred scriptures. Only then can I hope to forge my own path." His words revealed a clear and well-defined vision for his future cultivation.

The Lord of the Path Palace's eyes flickered with a subtle light as he nodded in understanding. "You seek to harmonize five distinct Path Principles [fundamental laws or truths of the cultivation world, such as Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth] and forge them into the Primordial One Path Principles [the unified, primordial law from which all others are said to derive]. The difficulty of this path far surpasses that of the conventional route to immortality. Success will not come easily."

Eldrin Chen's expression remained resolute. "I am prepared for the challenge. The path I have chosen is one of integration and synthesis. To walk it, I must first understand the myriad paths that came before."

"This path may be exceedingly arduous. You must steel your heart for the journey. If it proves impassable, you may retreat and seek a lesser, more attainable goal."

"I understand."

Eldrin Chen nodded, grasping the Lord of the Path Palace's meaning. He was being advised that if forging his own Path Principles proved too difficult, he should abandon the pursuit of the Primordial One Path Principles [the supreme, unified law of creation] and instead establish his foundation upon three or four lesser Path Principles.

However, by doing so, while his combat prowess would still far surpass that of an ordinary Immortal, he would lose the qualitative, transcendent gap afforded by the perfect fusion of the Five Elements [the fundamental forces of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth].

Unless there was truly not the slightest possibility of comprehending the Primordial One Path Principles, Eldrin Chen would absolutely not abandon this path.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen spoke, "I intend to visit the Solar Fire Hall once more to continue borrowing their Immortal Scripture [ancient texts containing profound cultivation methods and cosmic truths]. I shall not linger here."

The Lord of the Path Palace saw at once that his words had not taken root. He could only say, "Go then. May you achieve your heart's desire and forge those peerless Primordial One Path Principles."

"..."

Time flowed on its relentless course, and in the blink of an eye, a full century had passed.

On this day, Eldrin Chen returned to his abode within Spirit Isle Lake and entered secluded meditation, delving deep into the profound mysteries of the myriad arts.

Over the span of a century, Eldrin Chen traversed the Four Extremities of the world. He perused the supreme Ancient Scripture of the Central Ancestral Domain, studied the immortal legacies of the Southern Sea Glazed Palace, and examined the peerless immortal canons of the Kunpeng Lineage.

Unconsciously, he had committed to memory over a hundred volumes of immortal scriptures, engraving the profound mysteries of various Immortal Ascension Art within his heart.

These Immortal Scripture recorded numerous cultivation secrets and contained the insights and experiences of many Immortal.

Though Eldrin Chen did not cultivate these arts himself, their essence subtly seeped into his being, becoming part of his profound foundation.

This accumulated knowledge could be called peerless throughout the ages. Surveying the entire Purple Seal Realm, there was likely no one whose breadth of learning could stand shoulder to shoulder with Eldrin Chen.

"Gathering the essence of a hundred scriptures into one body shall aid me in forging the Primordial One Immortal Foundation," he declared.