Chapter 1159 : The Reborn Ancestor's Legacy

Contemplating this, Eldrin Chen gazed at the young child before him,

then stepped forward and spoke: "Since we are late, let us properly behold the splendor of Mount Ronan and witness the glory of the Chen Clan."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, summoning Ethan Chen, who guarded the Great Desolate Ancestral Domain, and said: "This is the reincarnated form of your elder brother, Caleb."

"Elder Brother Caleb has been reborn!"

Ethan Chen's heart trembled, and a look of wild joy spread across his face.

After examining the child, he could not contain his delight: "A born Pure Yang Dao Body [a constitution of pure Yang energy, exceptionally suited for cultivation]! Elder Brother Caleb has hope of Ascending to Immortality [achieving the highest state of cultivation and transcending mortality] in this life."

"Indeed," Eldrin Chen nodded, then declared: "He possesses an innate Immortal Bone [a rare skeletal structure signifying supreme cultivation potential]. Before I depart, I intend to take him under my wing for instruction."

"I understand."

Ethan Chen nodded in agreement and added with a bow of his head: "Rest assured, Clan Uncle, I will handle the necessary arrangements."

In this life, Caleb Chen's parents were still alive, a pair of cultivators who had reached the Purple Mansion Realm [the third major stage of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual core within the body]. This content originates from audi0-n0vel.c0m. Please respect copyright.

Considering that Caleb Chen's previous life was an Ancient Ancestor of the Xian Generation, a status far too extraordinary, and to avoid future awkwardness in seniority, Eldrin Chen decided to personally mentor him for one Jiazi-time [a cycle of sixty years].

In exchange, the clan would cultivate his parents in this life, guiding their cultivation all the way to the Golden Core Realm [the third major stage of cultivation where one forms a solidified golden core of spiritual power].

Upon hearing their child was the reincarnation of a founding clan ancestor, the couple was momentarily struck speechless with astonishment. Understanding that Eldrin Chen truly could not raise the child under such circumstances, they naturally agreed to the proposal.

As for the karmic debt of blood ties between Caleb Chen and his parents, that would be for Caleb Chen to repay in the years to come.

With their consent secured, Eldrin Chen took Caleb Chen and continued his journey westward.

He traversed the vast Ronan Mountains, trod upon the ancient grounds of the former Celestial Ruins Mountain, and passed by the site of the long-vanished Celestial Python Lake.

Walking this familiar path, memories of bygone years flooded Eldrin Chen's mind.

In those distant days, when the Chen Clan was but a minor Foundation Establishment [the second major stage of cultivation] Immortal Clan, the Celestial Python Lake had already reigned as a dominant power in the lands surrounding the Chu Kingdom.

Every century, the Beast Tide Calamity [a catastrophic invasion of demonic beasts] unleashed by the Celestial Python Demon King brought ruin and annihilation to Yu County, a disaster that shattered homes and extinguished lineages.

At that time, Xu the Ancient Ancestor of the Green Sun Sect, having usurped his senior brother's position through treachery, possessed neither the will nor the strength to aid the Borderlands of Yu County.

Had it not been for Lyra Jiang [the formidable cultivator] taking the lead, Yu County would likely have fallen to the Demonic Tribe [a malevolent race of demonic cultivators and creatures] ten thousand years ago, and the present-day glory of the Chen Immortal Clan [the Chen family of immortal cultivators] would never have come to pass.

"I still remember those days," he mused, "when we, a group of Purple Mansion [the third major stage of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual mansion] cultivators, joined forces to assist Lyra in slaying the Celestial Python Demon King [a powerful serpent demon monarch]. That was the true beginning of the Chen Clan's rise."

Recalling those bygone events, Eldrin Chen felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him.

Though the Chen Clan had been weak back then, their unity in overcoming that tribulation represented a rare and genuine bond of fellowship.

Even now, Eldrin Chen could not forget the crucible of that ancient battle.

Passing over the Celestial Python Lake, he journeyed onward until he found himself at the shores of Azure Wave Lake.

Gazing upon the Azure Wave Lake, Eldrin Chen turned to Caleb Chen with a faint smile. "More than ten thousand years ago, this Azure Wave Lake was the greatest lake in all the Eastern Wastelands."

"In those days, a mighty Azure Flood Dragon [a powerful aquatic dragon demon], on the very cusp of its ascension to true dragonhood, laired here. It was a tyrant of the Eastern Wastelands, and it caused me no small amount of trouble."

Eldrin Chen recounted the tale, his voice tinged with emotion. "Later, that Azure Flood Dragon succeeded in its transformation, only for me to strike it down upon the Guyuan Mountain Range. Its very dragon soul was then refined by Verdant Consort into the Azure Dragon Stirring the Sea Sword [a legendary magical sword]."

"Now, after ten thousand years, the Water Essence Power [the concentrated spiritual energy of water] within this Azure Wave Lake has been drained away, eight or nine parts out of ten, by The Vast Sea. Among the famed lakes of the Eastern Wilderness, it likely no longer holds any rank."

Caleb Chen listened in silence, his youthful features etched with a look of partial comprehension. He sensed, albeit vaguely, that this was a tale of truly epic and magnificent scale.

Eldrin Chen understood that the boy was still too young to grasp the full weight of what this represented. His words were merely an outpouring, a sharing of the burden.

He crossed Celestial Python Lake and journeyed deep into the heart of the Vast and Boundless Marsh, only to discover that the marsh, at some unknown time, had long since dried up and vanished.

The once boundless expanse of water was gone. Now, the vast Vast and Boundless Marsh had transformed into an ancient Great Wilderness, teeming with countless Immortal Clan [powerful cultivation families or clans] thriving within its expanse.

Even the Chen Immortal Clan had established numerous 'Mortal Domain' [settlements for non-cultivators] here, supporting hundreds of thousands of mortal lives in their cycle of birth and death.

A mere ten thousand years in the blink of an eye—seas had turned to mulberry fields, and the Vast and Boundless Marsh had become the Vast and Boundless Wilds. Visit audi novel.com to enjoy the complete series.

For the myriad cultivators who now thrived within it, ten thousand years was perhaps an immense span, the entirety of their lives spent within the Vast and Boundless Wilds.

Yet for Eldrin Chen, the Vast and Boundless Marsh of yesteryear felt as if it existed only yesterday.

This growing sense of dissonance settled in Eldrin Chen's heart, deepening into a profound and solitary melancholy.

"The mortal realm has transformed beyond all recognition," he murmured. "It is no longer the world I once knew."

The mountains had changed, and the people were no more. Eldrin Chen could not help but feel a sense of melancholy settling upon him.

Only when he regained his focus did he realize he had arrived at the former site of Black Dragon Pool.

Black Dragon Pool was once the secluded cultivation ground of the Black Dragon. Though its spiritual aura [the ambient energy vital for cultivation] had long since faded from its former glory, as Eldrin Chen drew near, he still detected a familiar presence.

There, a man in White Robe as pure as snow sat in silent meditation, his gaze fixed calmly upon him.

"Inscription of Sorrow Lord."

Gazing at the figure before him, Eldrin Chen murmured the name, a wave of complex emotions stirring within his heart.

The Inscription of Sorrow Lord was a being who had attained the Dao [the fundamental principle or path of cultivation] from a snail's origin. Once, he was a peerless Demon Emperor whose might shook the Vast and Boundless Marsh.

In his previous life, he was Aethelstan Chu, a disciple of Dorian Ji and one of the pioneers who opened up the Chu Kingdom Cultivation World.

In those bygone years, to aid Dorian Ji in overcoming his Nascent Soul Grand Tribulation [a catastrophic heavenly trial faced when advancing to the Nascent Soul realm], Aethelstan Chu employed the Nirvana Tribulation Transference Art [a profound technique to transfer tribulation calamity], undergoing a Reincarnation Tribulation [a trial of rebirth] to be reborn in the body of a snail. He thus became a trusted confidant of the Green Flood Dragon Demon Emperor.

Later, at a critical juncture, the Inscription of Sorrow Lord turned against his master, dealing a severe blow to Azure Wave Lake and even the Green Flood Dragon Demon Emperor himself. His actions were so decisive that they forced the Black Dragon Demon Progenitor to pledge not to interfere with or obstruct the Dao advancement of others.

Thus, Dorian Ji was freed from his greatest worry, allowing him to gather his momentum and break through to the Dao Lord Realm.

However, ever since Dorian Ji advanced to the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator], Inscription of Sorrow Lord had vanished without a trace. Despite searching for many years, Dorian Ji had never found him. He never expected to encounter him here.

Upon seeing Eldrin Chen, Inscription of Sorrow Lord seemed to have anticipated it. He spoke calmly, "To see an Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality] before my end, I, Aethelstan Chu, can consider this life not lived in vain."

"Alas."

Eldrin Chen examined him carefully, and a soft sigh escaped his heart.

In the past, this Aethelstan Chu had transformed into the Demon Emperor [a sovereign ruler among demonic beings] known as Inscription of Sorrow Lord to undergo the Reincarnation Tribulation [a perilous trial to be reborn] for Dorian Ji. Though his power could be considered peerless among Nascent Soul [the realm where a cultivator forms their immortal soul] cultivators, this very transformation had barred him from advancing any further.

Sovereign of the Solitary Sword [a legendary sword cultivation art]

Having been reborn through the Nirvana Tribulation Transference Art [a supreme technique to transfer a tribulation's burden] to undergo the Reincarnation Tribulation, he lacked a wisp of innate prenatal Qi [the primordial vital energy from the womb]. This deficiency forever prevented him from breaking through to the Nascent Soul Dao Lord realm.

Now, with a cultivation base merely at the Half-Step Primordial Spirit [a state just shy of achieving a Primordial Spirit], he had lived for over twenty thousand years. His life force was utterly exhausted, like an oil lamp burning its last drop.

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen could not help but sigh and ask, "Do you have any regrets?"

"Regrets?"

Inscription of Sorrow Lord [a Dao title signifying one who inscribes or embodies sorrow] fell into a brief, contemplative silence before shaking his head slightly. "Who in this mortal world can truly claim to be without them?"

"I imagine even you, as a Nine Heavens True Immortal [a supreme immortal who has ascended to the highest of the nine celestial heavens], must have faced things beyond your power, must carry some regrets within your heart?"

Inscription of Sorrow Lord spoke with a tone of serene detachment, not waiting for Eldrin Chen's reply before continuing. "I have come to terms with mine. I am content."

"To have lived for twenty thousand years—I have already surpassed countless myriads of living beings beneath heaven and earth. What more could I possibly desire?" For more chapters, visit audio–novel.com for the complete novel.