Chapter 985 : Betrayal of the Poisoned Blade

Yet their Life Soul [the core of one's destiny and life force] had already been seized, leaving them no choice in the matter. The three Primordial Spirit 9th Tier [the ninth and highest stage of the Primordial Spirit realm] Heavenly Demons were the first to charge forth, engaging Kael Chen in a desperate, bloody battle to the death.

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

Yet even as he held back the horde of demons, a tide of despair washed over the hearts of the onlookers.

For from the depths of the void, a black-robed elder strode through the air, actually wielding the Five Poisons Immortal-Slaying Sword [a legendary blade steeped in five lethal venoms] to strike at the very place where Eldrin Chen was secluded in meditation.

Unbeknownst to all, the Five Poisons Patriarch had somehow also fallen under the control of an Outer Realm Demon God [a malevolent deity from beyond this world], his Life Soul seized, transforming him into a hidden pawn of the outer realm fiends.

This development far exceeded the expectations of Purple Seal Realm [a major cultivation world], and even Eldrin Chen himself had not foreseen it.

For the Five Poisons Patriarch had fought with his full might in previous battles, making this sudden betrayal all the more shocking—a testament to the profound depth of the Outer Realm Demon God's concealment.

Eldrin Chen was in deep meditation within the earth. If this land were to be contaminated by the venom of the Five Poisons Immortal-Slaying Sword, the tainted Five Elements [the foundational energies of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth] spiritual energy would be drawn into his liver by Eldrin Chen during his cultivation, utterly destroying his path to the Great Perfection of the Primordial One Indestructibility Body [a legendary physique of unbreakable unity].

At this moment of dire crisis, a youthful figure stepped forward.

"Harm not my master!" This chapter is provided by audio-novel[dot]com. Support the original.

The group looked up and saw that the newcomer was none other than Alistair Ye.

At this moment, Alistair Ye stood blocking the path of Five Poisons Patriarch, his sword raised to strike.

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

Five Poisons Patriarch roared in fury. His Five Poisons Immortal-Slaying Sword cleaved through the void, aiming to cut down Alistair Ye where he stood.

Yet, Alistair Ye's strength defied all expectations, as he managed to parry the devastating blow.

Alistair Ye possessed the Five Spiritual Roots and the Primordial Solar Path Body [a physique perfectly attuned to the path of the primordial sun]. After making his Great Vow [a profound and binding oath that can catalyze immense cultivation progress], his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, and he had unknowingly reached the Primordial Spirit Late Stage.

Although he had not yet forged his Primordial One Foundation [the ultimate, unified spiritual foundation], he had already comprehended four distinct types of Primordial One Arcane Power [the most fundamental and potent form of arcane energy].

In his duel against Five Poisons Patriarch, his Primordial Solar Immortal Sword soared and descended. He fought with reckless abandon, trading injury for injury, and with a brilliant flash, his blade pierced straight through the Patriarch's chest.

"Aaaargh—!"

Five Poisons Patriarch screamed in agony, desperately trying to disengage and flee for his life.

Yet, controlled by the Outer Realm Demon God [a malevolent entity from beyond this world], he had no choice. He forcibly merged the Five Poisons Immortal-Slaying Sword [a legendary blade imbued with five lethal venoms] into a single, five-colored streak of sword light and drove it down, piercing deep into the flesh of Alistair Ye.

"Die—!"

With five supreme poisons invading his body, a terrible agony flooded his entire being. Alistair Ye felt his vision swim and his head spin, yet he gritted his teeth against the pain, drew his sword, and slashed upward.

In that moment, he seemed to channel the very presence of the long-departed Imperial Sovereign Jiang. The four types of Arcane Power [profound, esoteric energies cultivated to a supreme level] within him were pushed to their absolute limit and poured into his Immortal Sword. A sword intent [the conceptual will and power focused through a blade] of blinding brilliance pierced the heavens, shredding Five Poisons Patriarch into fragments.

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

Having spent his life force in that desperate strike to slay the Five Poisons Patriarch, Alistair Ye leaned on his sword, planted in the earth, and roared with a savage, contorted face.

The swarm of oncoming Primordial Spirit Heavenly Demon [demonic cultivators who have reached the Primordial Spirit realm] recoiled in shock. Seeing his teetering, near-collapsing figure, a flicker of retreat actually stirred within them for a moment.

But with their Life Soul [the core essence of one's life and destiny, often vulnerable to external control] held captive, the demonic horde had no choice. A cold, emotionless darkness flashed in their pupils as they charged forward to kill.

"Kill, kill, kill…"

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

Only after seven days had passed did Alistair Ye slay the final foe before him, only to find the Primordial Solar Immortal Sword in his hand had snapped in two, and not a single wisp of magical power remained within his body.

He could no longer suppress the five supreme poisons within him; even his Five Viscera and Six Bowels and his Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] were tainted by the ultimate toxins, leaving not a shred of vitality behind.

Alistair Ye stood frozen in place for a long while, then stumbled forward in a daze, heading deeper into the earth.

He arrived before the sealed gate of Eldrin Chen's secluded cultivation chamber and knelt heavily, kowtowing upon the ground. "Master," he said, "this disciple has always remembered 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 spring, repay the grace of the Path with one's very blood if need be. Now, this disciple has done so." Your portal to cultivation novels: audio–novel.com.

Alistair Ye's face was ashen, a hue of utter defeat. He endured pain beyond mortal imagination.

Yet he remained utterly calm, gazing at the cave abode as he continued, "Master, this disciple must depart. To have been able to serve at your side in this life, this disciple is deeply content, with few regrets left to hold."

"My only regret is that I did not live to see you Ethereal Ascension [achieve the ultimate transcendence], nor to follow you in slaying the Demon God to 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."

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

"First bow, I wish for Master and Mistress to be united in heart forever."

"Second bow, I wish for Master to achieve the Great Path [the ultimate principle of cultivation], attain Ethereal Ascension [transcendence to a higher state of being], and achieve Immortality [the state of eternal life beyond mortality]."

"Third bow, I pray Master pacifies the great calamity and fulfills the deep-seated wish harbored in his heart for millennia."

"..."

Alistair Ye kowtowed heavily upon the ground, his voice gradually fading into silence. Like a statue, he remained prostrated there, utterly motionless and soundless.

"Tap—"

Within the Seclusion Chamber, a single tear traced its way down Eldrin Chen's cheek.

He was in a state of deep seclusion, not truly awakened, yet an inexplicable, heart-wrenching grief and remorse pierced through him.

As if stimulated by this, the Five Viscera [the five vital organs in traditional cultivation physiology] within his body began to operate with astonishing speed. An indescribable torrent of Five Elements Energy [the fundamental spiritual energies of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth] surged in ceaselessly. Centuries of cultivation finally culminated in this moment, achieving a state of flawless perfection.

Eldrin Chen opened his eyes and gazed at the kneeling Alistair Ye before him. For a fleeting moment, his mind was cast adrift in a sea of memories.

In that single instant, centuries of worldly events and millennia of the karmic bond between master and disciple flooded his consciousness.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Verdant Edge Ye. My grandfather said he hoped I would be like the Three-foot Verdant Edge sword—unyielding and proud, never bending even if it meant breaking."

"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 finally reclaims the distant seas, my parents will return to see me."

"Then you shall stay with me from now on, until the day your parents come back for you."

"Your disciple, Alistair Ye, pays homage to his master."

"Verdant Edge... Alistair Ye…"

"Ah—"

A cry of profound anguish and fury shook the heavens and the earth. Eldrin Chen's eyes were pools of crimson as he gathered Alistair Ye into his arms.

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

An immense tide of Spiritual Energy [the vital energy that flows through all living things and the world itself] converged from the heavens and earth, surging into the Seclusion Chamber.

Eldrin Chen wrested the very Creation [the fundamental creative force of the cosmos] from the world, drawing upon the primordial energies of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths [the layered realms of the cosmos]. He transformed this power into a heaven-shaking, earth-sundering surge of Immortal Essence [the purest, most potent energy of an immortal] and channeled it into Alistair Ye's body, striving to wrest a life back from the jaws of fate.

Yet mortal effort has its limits, and even an Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality through cultivation] cannot surpass certain boundaries.

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

He refined and expelled every last trace of the lethal poison from Alistair Ye's body and mended the shattered flesh, but he could not restore the Primordial Solar Primordial Spirit [the radiant spiritual core of a high-level cultivator, akin to a sun within the soul], which had already dissolved into nothingness.

A moment later, Eldrin Chen emerged, cradling Alistair Ye. His hair had turned as white as frost and snow.

"He succeeded!"

In a single Ksana-time [an infinitesimal unit of time from Buddhist cosmology, less than a second], the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons on the battlefield all revealed expressions of utter despair.

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

He saw Kael Chen fighting with bloodlust, he saw the Old Patriarch battling on with only half his physical body remaining, and he witnessed one Path Lord after another locked in desperate, brutal combat.

Faced with all this, his expression remained unchanged, yet from within his crimson eyes bloomed a hatred and killing intent that could never be erased.

"Verdant Edge, your master has come to avenge you…" Continue reading this story at audio-novel-dot-com.