Chapter 1002 : The Immortal Ascension Path Unveiled

"It is done!"

One hundred years later.

Within the Boundless Starry Sky, the Demonic Abyss stretched across heaven and earth. And within that abyss, an ancient path wound its way deep into the void.

Deep along this ancient path, Eldrin Chen stood shoulder to shoulder with Exquisite Jiang and the others, gazing quietly at a Celestial Stele before them.

Ever since the fall of the Outer Realm Demon God years ago, Eldrin Chen had extensively gathered the relics of the Fiend Race. At the End of the Demonic Abyss, he had constructed this Immortal Ascension Path.

To forge this Immortal Ascension Path, Eldrin Chen had conscripted hundreds of millions of cultivators. Over the course of more than a century, expending an incalculable amount of Spiritual Object [rare materials imbued with spiritual energy], he had finally succeeded in refining the Immortal Ascension Path.

Upon this ancient path, Eldrin Chen had left behind countless legacies and opportunities, some even including treasures of the Primordial Solar Grade [a supreme level of power and enlightenment].

When future generations of his clan tread upon this Path to Immortality, even obtaining a fraction of these remaining blessings would be enough to benefit them for a lifetime.

Thinking of this, Lila spoke from the side, "The Path to Immortality is complete. When shall we undertake our own ascension?"

Upon hearing this, Exquisite Jiang [the Immortal Maiden Exquisite] also revealed a faint smile in her eyes.

Ethereal Ascension [the process of transcending the mortal world] and ascending to the Immortal Realm [the realm of the immortals] is the lifelong pursuit of countless cultivators. Having reached this stage themselves, they naturally yearned for it immensely.

However, Eldrin Chen [the cultivator Eldrin] standing nearby shook his head and spoke, "Before ascending, I intend to make a journey to the Depths of the Starry Sky [the vast, uncharted void between stars]. It will serve to eliminate a lingering threat for the Purple Seal Realm [the world known as Purple Seal]."

"Eliminate a threat for the Purple Seal Realm?" Verdant Consort [the Verdant Consort] frowned slightly, a look of surprise crossing her features as she asked.

"Indeed."

Eldrin Chen nodded. With a flick of his sleeve, he manifested a vision of the Cosmic Stellar [the cosmic tapestry of stars], seemingly calculating something.

At his current level of cultivation, his immortal eyes alone could perceive the profound mysteries of heaven and earth. Mortal Dust Affairs [the affairs of the mortal world] could scarcely be hidden from him, and he no longer required the assistance of the Star Observation Tower [a mystical tower for celestial divination] to deduce worldly matters.

After only a brief moment, Eldrin Chen ceased his Great Deduction Polarity Stars Path [the Great Deduction Polarity Stars Path, a profound art of calculation]. He then looked at the few Mortal Path [cultivators on the Mortal Path] present. "The Purple Seal Realm drifts through this expanse of void. If its location were to be exposed, it would likely invite further Tribulation [cosmic trials and calamities].

"Although we have refined the Demonic Abyss [the Demonic Abyss] and used it to shroud the Purple Seal Realm, there remains one final matter that requires our attention."

Exquisite Jiang's pupils contracted slightly. "You mean...?" she could not help but ask.

"Hmm."

Eldrin Chen nodded, his gaze seeming to pierce through the Boundless Void to behold another Great Thousand World [a vast, self-contained world within the cosmos] lying beyond the starry expanse.

"..."

The Endless Chaos [the primordial, formless expanse beyond ordered worlds] held within it the myriad Cosmos [the ordered structure of reality], and the Great Thousand World were as countless as the sands of the Ganges.

Within this Universe, the Great Thousand World shone like stars. Even the Great Encompassing Immortal Lord [a supreme immortal sovereign] residing within the Nine Heavens Immortal Court [the celestial court of the immortals] could scarcely calculate their true number.

The starry region where the Purple Seal Realm resided was a particularly remote and desolate corner of the Depths of the Starry Sky.

Such forgotten, isolated reaches of the cosmos were nearly infinite in number, making them difficult to draw anyone's attention.

Yet Eldrin Chen understood that while this place was remote, the possibility of its discovery was not zero.

"This is the place!"

Eldrin Chen traversed the endless void, crossing an immeasurable distance, until he finally arrived before an ancient, yet crumbling world.

This was a world in ruins, a desolate expanse where wind and sand reigned supreme across the broken lands.

Within this shattered realm, ancient immortal mountains had been brutally sheared off, and the Heaven and Earth Placenta [the primordial membrane that nurtures a world] had been torn open, leaving a gaping, horrific wound.

The spiritual energy [the vital energy that flows through all living things and the world itself] of heaven and earth had drained away completely. Across the Eight Desolations, fire, storms, and tsunamis took turns ravaging the land, painting a scene of true cosmic annihilation.

"The Cosmos Void Realm,"

Exquisite Jiang murmured, her voice low as she gazed upon this devastated world, a grave expression settling upon her features.

This Cosmos Void Realm had once been a Great Thousand World [a major world within the cosmic hierarchy]. Though its glory paled in comparison to the Purple Seal Realm, over millions of years it had still given birth to three Immortal [beings who have ascended to immortality]. Dive deeper into the Dao at audio-novel.com (official site).

Such a illustrious world held a certain standing within the Myriad Heavens Stellar cosmos. Ordinarily, even a Demon God [a powerful entity of the demonic path] would think twice before provoking it.

Alas, in his quest to annihilate the Purple Seal Realm, the Catastrophe Demon God had not hesitated to forcibly attack the Cosmos Void Realm. He captured eight of its Demigod [cultivators at the peak of power below true divinity] to refine the dread Eight Demons Immortal Refining Formation [a formation designed to refine even immortals].

In that cataclysmic battle, the will of the Cosmos Void Realm was shattered. The vast world was nearly torn asunder, and billions of living beings could not escape the world-ending calamity.

Now, nearly three thousand years later, the spiritual energy of the Cosmos Void Realm had leaked away entirely. The ambient energy between heaven and earth had grown so thin it was nearly extinct.

Thus, within this vast Great Thousand World, the number of living beings was less than one ten-millionth of what it once was, and the most powerful cultivator present was only at the Infant Soul Realm.

"A world-ending calamity, an era of Dharma's end [the final age where spiritual laws and cultivation fade from the world]."

Gazing upon the Great Thousand World before him, Eldrin Chen could not help but sigh, a trace of helplessness coloring his expression.

Had it not been for the generations of heroes from the Purple Seal Realm who fought desperately, had they not struggled to quell the final cataclysm, this very scene would likely have been the fate of the Purple Seal Realm as well.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen sighed once more and stepped into the Cosmos Void Realm. "Let us go in and see."

"..."

"Father, Father!"

For ten thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], the Lingering Sun stretched, an endless expanse of yellow sand.

A youth, bare-chested, trudged through the desert carrying an old man withered by hardship on his back.

The old man's lips were parched and cracked. Looking down at the youth beneath him, he spoke with a bitter smile, "Foolish child, your father is spent. Do not worry about me. You must keep going, you must find the Crimson Mysterious Oasis."

"Father, hold on just a little longer. The Crimson Mysterious Oasis lies just ahead."

"They say there are cultivators at the Crimson Mysterious Oasis, Immortal [a term for powerful cultivators, often translated as 'immortal'] beings of great compassion. We will surely survive."

Yet the youth shook his head with grim resolve, a sheen of unshed tears glinting in his eyes.

This broken world was a veritable purgatory for mortals. Not long ago, the oasis that had been their home and sanctuary had been utterly Oblivion [reduced to nothingness, annihilated] by a monstrous sandstorm.

Their group had fled for their lives, but after crossing the vast, merciless desert, only the father and son remained.

Perhaps the youth's desperate hope had moved the heavens. As they crested one final dune, their eyes beheld, on the distant horizon, an oasis cradled within the desert's embrace.

"Father, look! That is the Crimson Mysterious Oasis!"

"We are saved."

Wild joy surged through the boy. He shook his father's shoulder, ready to summon his last dregs of strength and run towards salvation.

But at that very moment, he saw it. From the edge of the world, an endless, roiling wall of sand and dust surged forth, a tidal wave of annihilation threatening to swallow both the Crimson Mysterious Oasis and them whole.

"It's over!"

As the sandstorm swept towards him, the youth collapsed onto the ground, his face etched with utter despair.

His journey had drained him to the last dregs of his strength; sheer will alone had kept him moving, let alone finding the next oasis.

"Alas..."

In that very instant, the youth heard a sigh. From the horizon's edge, boundless immortal light cascaded down, and wherever it touched, the raging sandstorm instantly stilled.

Immortal radiance and spiritual rain showered the heavens and earth. Vast stretches of desert transformed before his very eyes, miraculously turning into a lush grassland.

After what felt like an eternity, the youth felt his vitality restored, his very being having undergone a profound metamorphosis.

Lifting his head, he finally glimpsed a figure standing at the edge of the void, ethereal and majestic like a Nine Heavens Banished Immortal.

"Is that... an Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality through cultivation]?" For the best reading experience, visit audio-novel[dot]com.