Chapter 1145 : The Path to Immortal Ascension

Eldrin Chen offered no further words. He simply retrieved a single Dragon-Phoenix Path-Forging Pill from his sleeve, along with a piece of Incense Offering Celestial Silver [a rare, spiritually conductive metal used in high-level rituals and cultivation], and handed them over.

"After consuming this pill and harnessing the power of the Incense Offering Celestial Silver, you should have a four in ten chance of forging an Immortal Body [a perfect, transcendent physical foundation for immortal cultivation]," he stated.

"If you dare to temper your body with the Life and Death Path Principles [the profound and dangerous Dao principles governing creation and destruction], taking that perilous gamble, your odds may increase further."

Ethan Chen accepted the two treasures, a flicker of deep contemplation in his eyes.

A glimmer of understanding had already dawned upon him. He bowed respectfully to Eldrin Chen and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Clan Uncle. Ethan understands."

"Hmm."

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod, already discerning the thoughts within Ethan Chen's heart.

His gaze then shifted to the remaining individuals. Among them, Support Revive Chen, Ancestor Mystery Chen, Literature Abyss Lu, and Withering Liana Gu had all cultivated to the Demigod Realm. Each held future hope of achieving Ethereal Ascension [the final, transcendent breakthrough to become a true immortal].

Eldrin Chen did not immediately bestow gifts. Instead, he addressed them, "All four of you possess the potential for the Ascendant Immortal Realm. You are the seeds of future celestial beings within our Chen Immortal Clan. Now, I present you with two choices."

"The first choice is to remain within the Purple Seal Realm. The second is to accompany me to the Immortal Realm." Read the full novel exclusively on audio-novel.com (official site).

Upon hearing this, the four individuals exchanged glances with one another.

Finally, it was Literature Abyss Lu who spoke, bowing respectfully as he inquired, "Master, what would be the outcome if we remained in the Mortal Realm [the lower world inhabited by mortals], and what would be the outcome if we followed you to the Immortal Realm [the higher world of immortals]?"

Eldrin Chen offered a gentle smile and began to explain in detail, "If you choose to remain in the Mortal Realm, I shall bestow upon you a piece of Incense Offering Celestial Silver [a precious metal used in sacred rituals and cultivation] and a single Dragon-Phoenix Path-Forging Pill [an elixir said to forge one's path with the essence of dragon and phoenix]."

"However, this Dragon-Phoenix Path-Forging Pill is primarily suited for cultivating the Immortal Body [a physical constitution refined for immortality], and may not align perfectly with your individual chosen paths. Therefore, whether you could achieve immortality remains uncertain."

"If you follow me to the Immortal Realm, within my Path-Field [a personal domain cultivated by a powerful immortal], there still remain Heart of Heaven Jade [a jade containing the condensed essence of heaven] and various Immortal Artifact [powerful enchanted tools used by immortals]. Whether you pursue the path of the Immortal Body, the Path of Path Fruits [a cultivation method focusing on nurturing spiritual fruits of enlightenment], or even the Path of Path Principles [a cultivation method focused on comprehending fundamental cosmic principles], your chances of attaining immortality would be significantly greater."

Upon hearing this, joy lit up everyone's faces. Support Revive Chen promptly spoke up, saying, "We wish to accompany the Patriarch in his ascension to immortality, to remain by your side henceforth."

The others, hearing this, also hurriedly knelt and prostrated themselves on the ground.

Currently, the Purple Seal Realm [a specific cultivation world] was experiencing a Golden Prosperous Age [an era of unprecedented opportunity and flourishing talent], where prodigies and heroes seemed to emerge one after another without end.

Although they considered themselves peerless talents with the potential to break through to the Ascendant Immortal Realm [the realm of a true immortal] in the future, they also understood that the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy [the primal spiritual energy of heaven and earth] and resources within the Purple Seal Realm were insufficient to support all of them in achieving immortality.

Furthermore, the production of the Purple Seal Realm's Purple Seal Divine Fruit [a divine fruit unique to that realm, crucial for ascension] was limited. Even if they succeeded in becoming immortals, it would inevitably diminish the hopes of others seeking the same path.

Rather than remaining within the confines of the Purple Seal Realm to fight over the pitifully scarce Immortal Fate [the destiny or opportunity to ascend to immortality], it would be far better to venture into the Immortal Realm [the higher realm where immortals dwell]. By leaving that sliver of Immortal Fate for others, one's own hope of achieving immortality would be greatly magnified.

Having grasped this logic, they naturally saw no reason to refuse.

Seeing the four agree, Eldrin Chen gave a satisfied nod. He revealed his plan to bring ten individuals with him to the Immortal Realm.

Exquisite Fragrance Su had already claimed one spot. With these four occupying another four, five slots remained, which he intended to consider with great care.

With this in mind, Eldrin Chen turned his gaze towards Elara Lin.

Nearly ten thousand years had passed since their ascension. Most of Eldrin Chen's old companions had already cultivated to the Primordial Spirit 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of the Primordial Spirit realm], or had even stepped into the Demigod Realm [the realm of power just below true divinity]. Elara Lin alone had only recently broken through to the Primordial Spirit 7th Tier.

This drew a faint sigh from Eldrin Chen. Elara Lin was the first direct disciple of Exquisite Jiang, their relationship one of both master and close friend.

In earlier years, with the support of both, Elara Lin had managed, albeit with great difficulty, to cultivate her way into the Primordial Spirit Realm [the realm where one's spiritual core is fully formed].

She had cultivated for over seventeen thousand years. Relying on her status and consuming vast quantities of resources, coupled with sheer perseverance over time, she had finally reached the Primordial Spirit 7th Tier. Yet, the path forward grew increasingly arduous.

Her foundation was simply too shallow. Given her inherent potential, the prospect of her achieving immortality bordered on the impossible.

"After all, she is a disciple of Exquisite [the Immortal Maiden Exquisite]. Alas!"

Eldrin Chen let out a sigh, then looked at Elara Lin and said, "It has been nearly ten thousand years since my ascension. Exquisite has often spoken of you to me."

"Before this journey, she specifically instructed me to bring you to the Immortal Realm [the higher plane of existence where immortals reside]. You shall accompany me there."

Elara Lin trembled slightly, her eyes reddening as she choked back a sob. "Master..."

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen sighed inwardly and said no more.

The path to immortality is profoundly difficult. Elara Lin had established her Foundation Establishment [the second major stage of cultivation] using elixirs, and later broke through to the Violet Sanctum [the third major stage] with the aid of Purple Sun Jade [a rare spiritual jade]. Although she later used the Ancient Furnace Heaven-Mending Herb [a legendary herb that can mend foundational flaws] to partially repair her foundation, she ultimately only achieved a Middle-Tier Golden Core [the middle grade of the fourth major cultivation stage]. The story continues at audio-novel`com.

As the saying goes, one misstep leads to many. No matter how diligently Elara Lin cultivated thereafter, she only managed to form an Earthly Path Infant Soul [a lower-grade method for forming the nascent soul, the fifth major stage], and her Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator, the sixth major stage] foundation remained somewhat weak.

With such a foundation, achieving immortality was nearly impossible. In the future, she would likely need to undergo a soul dissolution and start her cultivation anew to have even a sliver of hope. For now, however, the priority was to bring her to the Immortal Realm and let Exquisite Jiang see her before making further plans.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen turned his gaze to the others present.

The remaining old acquaintances were all descendants of the Chen Clan from bygone days, many of whom had received Eldrin Chen's care in the past.

Most of these individuals had now reached the Primordial Spirit Late Stage [the advanced stage of spiritual core formation], yet their bonds were not as close as those of the others, and their innate talent and foundational potential fell short by more than a single measure.

Eldrin Chen had no intention of meticulously arranging the path for every single descendant. He simply bestowed upon each a single Top Grade Primordial Solar Spiritual Treasure [a supreme-grade artifact imbued with the essence of the primordial sun], a vial of high-grade Primordial Solar Immortal Pill [an elixir of immortality aligned with the Primordial Solar realm], and a scroll containing an Ancient Scripture [an archaic cultivation manual] suited to their individual practice.

After this, he offered words of encouragement: "The path of cultivation is unique to each individual. Having reached the Primordial Spirit Late Stage, each of you now holds a sliver of hope to one day ascend to immortality."

"Devote yourselves to your cultivation. I hope that one day, I shall see you all within the Immortal Realm [the celestial domain of the immortals]."

"We thank the Patriarch for his generous gifts."

Upon hearing his words, the group bowed deeply in unison, their faces alight with joy as they gratefully received the treasures.

With that, Eldrin Chen gave a slight wave of his hand, signaling for them to depart.

After they had left, Eternal Profound Chen produced a Treasure Box and offered it, saying, "Now that you have returned, I shall entrust this item to you."

"This is..."

Eldrin Chen felt a slight tremor in his heart. With utmost care, he accepted the Treasure Box.

He opened the Treasure Box and looked inside, discovering to his surprise that it contained a dark, shadowy orb.

"A Soul-Gathering Pearl [a mystical artifact designed to collect and contain wandering souls]."

With a sigh in his heart, Eldrin Chen understood what this Soul-Gathering Pearl was.

Old Granduncle nodded, his expression filled with sorrow as he said, "Silas was always too stubborn. He forced his breakthrough into the Immortal Ascension Realm [the final major realm before achieving true immortality] and ended up nearly scattering his soul to the winds."

"Following your method, we refined this Soul-Gathering Pearl and barely managed to preserve a wisp of his remnant soul."

"Alas!"

Eldrin Chen sighed. The Soul-Gathering Pearl contained only a single wisp of Silas Chen's shattered soul. To allow him to be reborn through Rebirth [a profound technique for reincarnation], a journey to the Netherworld Underworld Court [the celestial bureaucracy governing death and reincarnation] would still be necessary.

With a complex expression, he stored the Soul-Gathering Pearl away. Eldrin Chen then spoke, "Since I have returned, though it is a rare occasion, I should first go and see a few people."

"..."

Departing from Green Chariot Mountain, Eldrin Chen made his way towards the Vast Sea.

After many years apart, the Vast Sea [the vast inland sea of the Purple Seal Realm] had transformed into the foremost inland sea of the Purple Seal Realm, gathering immense and majestic Water Essence Power [the fundamental energy of water, one of the five elemental forces]. It could rightfully be called one of the most glorious cultivation havens within the Purple Seal Realm.

However, the present Eldrin Chen had not come for the sake of the Vast Sea. For uninterrupted reading, go to audio—novel.com.