Chapter 996 : Ascension and Severed Mortal Ties

Millennia of time flowed past, and the myriad scenes of bygone days rose vividly before their eyes.

Now, as the two of them looked back, they faced each other in profound silence, words having fled.

Eldrin Chen gazed deeply at her for a long moment, yet in the end, he left not a single word behind. He turned and strode away toward the east.

"Eldrin…"

Silas Chen stood rooted to the spot, silently watching his receding figure. A thousand words and ten thousand thoughts swirled in her heart, yet all were destined to remain locked within.

She could only stand there, spiritless and adrift, as if her very soul had departed.

"Ah, such a foolish child!"

It was at that moment that Old Patriarch stepped forward, having arrived unnoticed.

He looked at the despondent Silas Chen before him, sighed, and shook his head. "He has achieved Ascension and Attainment of the Path [the state of transcending mortality and attaining the immortal path]," the Old Patriarch said. "The karmic ties of the Mortal Dust [the mundane, mortal world] must be severed completely."

"That you could accompany him for several thousand years is a rare and precious fate in itself. But now, a chasm separates the immortal from the mortal. I fear you will only meet again if you, too, ascend to immortality." Published by audio . novel . com. All rights reserved.

"Since our mortal ties have reached their end in the Mortal Dust [the mortal world], it is better to focus wholeheartedly on cultivation. Perhaps, upon ascending to the Immortal Domain [the realm of immortals] in the future, we may yet rekindle our former bond."

As the Old Patriarch spoke with gentle persuasion, Silas Chen felt a slight tremor in his heart.

"Mortal ties ended in the Mortal Dust, mortal ties ended!"

She gathered her despondent feelings, murmuring to herself as her gaze gradually solidified with resolve. "The Patriarch speaks wisely. Since our mortal ties have ended here in the Mortal Dust, then we shall meet again in the Immortal Realm [the realm of immortals] another day!"

"…"

Eldrin Chen journeyed eastward, arriving not long after at the Cosmic Stellar Archipelago.

Contrary to expectations, the space beyond the Cosmic Stellar Archipelago was already thronged with hundreds of millions of cultivators.

Thousands upon thousands of Treasure Ship [enchanted vessels used for travel and transport by cultivators] lay anchored across the heavens and earth. Countless cultivators watched his approach, their faces alight with reverence.

At the heart of this immense gathering, Eldrin Chen spotted many familiar figures.

There was the Purple Radiance Thunder Dragon Avatar of Sage Lord Dorian, the Demon-Subduing Divine Monk from the Western Pole Serene Spirit Temple, Heaven Abandoned Lin, the foremost Sword Cultivator [a cultivator whose primary path and power is focused on the sword] of Purple Seal, and also the supreme powerhouse of the Demon Race, Kunpeng Demon Sage.

Gathered here were Primordial Spirit Path Lord cultivators from across the Purple Seal Realm, each gazing upon him with profound reverence in their eyes.

Eldrin Chen understood clearly. This was the populace of the Purple Seal Realm sending him off, paying their respects as he embarked on his campaign into the Demonic Abyss to slay the Outer Realm Demon God [a malevolent deity from beyond this world].

With this thought, he swept his sleeve, gently raising the kneeling crowd, and spoke in a temperate voice, "My young friends, your courtesy is most gracious."

"We pay homage to the Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality and attained immortality]!"

Countless cultivators prostrated themselves upon the ground, their hearts ablaze with fervent passion, their eyes alight with fanatical zeal and exhilaration.

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod, offering no further words. He simply gazed towards the Demonic Abyss Heavenly Scar [a celestial rift leading to the Demonic Abyss] and declared, "The Demonic Abyss lies just ahead. There is no need for you to accompany me further."

"We are not here merely to see you off."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from among the multitude.

The speaker was Heaven Abandoned Lin, who stood gripping his Peerless Immortal Sword [a sword of unparalleled sharpness and power forged by an immortal], his voice ringing with steely resolve. "I have come to follow the Immortal, to join the battle and eradicate that Outer Realm Demon God which brings calamity upon the world."

"To follow me..."

Eldrin Chen's expression shifted subtly, his gaze sweeping over the assembled figures.

For across this expanse of heaven and earth, tens of thousands of Treasure Ship vessels lay anchored upon the Heavenly Vault, a vast and surging river of light that drowned the very Boundless Void itself.

And upon those Treasure Ship, there stood a multitude of cultivators beyond counting.

Their cultivation levels varied greatly—from young disciples at the Vital Essence Refinement stage, to venerable elders of the Violet Sanctum and Golden Core Realm, and even peerless powers who had attained the Infant Soul and Primordial Spirit Realm.

Each one held a Spiritual Object [an object imbued with spiritual power] and gripped a magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators] war-spear. They did not appear to be here for a simple farewell, but rather, for war.

"What is the meaning of this…?" Discover more cultivation stories at audio-novel[dot]com.

In that fleeting moment, Eldrin Chen's heart clenched with a tremor of foreboding.

As he feared, the myriad cultivators knelt in unison, their Vitality [the life force and spiritual vigor of a cultivator] blazing as they declared with fervent voices, "We have come to follow the Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality and attained immortality], to quell the cataclysm at its very source!"

"Preposterous!"

Eldrin Chen's face darkened with stern anger, and he rebuked them immediately. "The war between Immortals and Demons is fraught with peril beyond measure. You are but cultivators from the mortal realm—how can you recklessly intervene?"

"Eldrin!"

At that very moment, several figures stepped through the void, arriving through the air. The one at their forefront was none other than Kael Chen.

Clad in robes as dark as ink, Kael Chen addressed Eldrin Chen by name, a rare occurrence.

He gazed deeply at Eldrin Chen and then spoke. "The calamity befalling the Purple Seal Realm is not yours to bear alone."

"We who follow you to quell this disaster do not do so merely to lend you our strength. We do it to seek a clear conscience, to act without regret."

"You must understand, this is the plea of all living beings within Purple Seal, the shared aspiration in the hearts of countless cultivators."

"If you doubt it, look upon them!"

With those words, Kael Chen swept his sleeve, pointing towards the myriad cultivators who filled the heavens and the earth.

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen's heart trembled. He could not help but turn his gaze upon that vast multitude.

With but a single glance, Eldrin Chen fell into a profound silence.

Before them stood cultivators who had journeyed from the farthest corners of the world, each bearing the weathered marks of their arduous travels.

Among these cultivators was an ascetic monk from the Western Pole Eternal Sands Domain, clad in nothing but a simple kasaya robe and a string of Prayer Beads. He had trekked on foot all the way to the Cosmic Stellar Archipelago, driven solely by the purpose of personally subduing a member of the Fiend Race.

There was also an aged cultivator from the Southern Sea Cultivation World, who had endured countless hardships to reach this place. His Vitality [the life force and vigor of a living being] was now withered and exhausted, leaving him with strength for only one final strike.

Another was a Spiritual Root [a sentient plant or tree spirit awakened by spiritual energy] that had been enlightened by the immortal radiance when Eldrin Chen ascended to immortality. Setting out from its youth, it had cultivated all the way to the Golden Core Realm, spending nearly a thousand years on its long, arduous pilgrimage to arrive here.

Among these people were the heaven-favored prodigies of the younger generation, regional overlords in the prime of their Vitality, and elderly cultivators on the verge of exhausting their lifespan, frail and nearing their end.

Yet the majority were ordinary and unremarkable, minor cultivators who had been trapped their entire lives within the Vital Essence Refinement, Foundation Establishment, or Violet Sanctum Realm realms.

These individuals were all different, sharing only one common trait: each was filled with fervent passion and a resolute, death-defying conviction, determined to contribute their part to quelling the great calamity for Purple Seal.

"Do you see them?"

At that moment, the Black Tortoise Patriarch stepped through the air to arrive. His long-dormant and withered fervor began to stir anew as he spoke with a tone of liberated ease, "The great calamity of Purple Seal has stretched across tens of thousands of years. This demonic tribulation is not a burden for you to bear alone."

"A Tribulation [a cataclysmic heavenly trial or disaster] of this magnitude should not be endured by one person alone!"

"Our purpose in coming here is to follow you into battle. Though our strength may be insignificant, if we can slay even a single Fiend Race [a race of malevolent beings], it will be our contribution to quelling this great calamity!"

Master of Glazed Palace also nodded, stroking his long beard as he said, "Having received the immortal mark from our senior, I can now undergo Reincarnation [the cycle of death and rebirth] three times with my memories intact. Even if I fall in this battle, I shall have no regrets in this life."

Eldrin Chen listened to their words, standing silently in the void, a complex emotion stirring within his heart.

After a long while, he ceased his internal struggle and spoke, "Your willingness to march to your deaths in this fight is a testament that you are not unworthy of the nurturing Karma [the cosmic law of cause and effect] bestowed by the Purple Seal Realm."

"However, the legacies of each school and lineage are hard-won. You must leave behind at least one Primordial Spirit [a cultivator whose spiritual core has fully formed] to ensure their continuation."

At this point, he turned his gaze to Demon-Subduing Divine Monk and said, "A millennium ago, Tribulation Transcending Divine Monk fell protecting my path to enlightenment. His reincarnated self has yet to recover its memories."

"Now, the Serene Spirit Temple possesses only a single cultivator at the Primordial Spirit Late Stage. You must not participate in this battle."

"But—!"

Demon-Subduing Divine Monk's expression shifted, a protest forming on his lips, but it was cut short by Eldrin Chen. For uninterrupted reading, go to https://audio-novel.com.