Chapter 1146 : Reunion in the Netherworld Court

He descended along the Vast Sea [the boundless ocean realm] and soon arrived within the Netherworld Underworld Court [the seat of power for the rulers of the underworld], where he met the Verdant Seal Patriarch whom he had not seen for many years.

After so many years apart, the Verdant Seal Patriarch appeared vastly different from his former self.

Now, he was clad in a verdant imperial robe, crowned with the regalia of a Nether Emperor [a sovereign ruler of the underworld], with Netherworld Energy [the dense, yin-aligned spiritual power of the underworld] swirling around his form. He stood with a majesty that rivaled that of a true Netherworld Nether Emperor Imperial Lord.

Seeing Eldrin Chen, the Verdant Seal Patriarch smiled and said, "In the mere ten thousand years since we last met, you have become increasingly unfathomable to me."

Eldrin Chen nodded, then said earnestly, "Shrouded in Netherworld Energy, you, Patriarch, already possess the bearing of a Nether Lord [a lord of the underworld realms]."

"You flatter me," the Patriarch demurred.

The Verdant Seal Patriarch sighed, a bitter smile touching his lips. "Sheltered by the Fortune [auspicious destiny] of a Great Tribulation [a major, world-shaking calamity], this old man barely survived several brushes with death."

"Yet, I fear I may not withstand the next deadly tribulation."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly.

Long ago, the Verdant Seal Patriarch had chosen the path of a Ghost Immortal [an immortal who cultivates through ghostly or underworld methods]. Within the Purple Seal Realm, he had established an incomplete Netherworld Underworld Court and received the faith and offerings of the entire realm. His cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds ever since. Experience the full epic at audio—novel.com.

Although his current strength had not yet reached the level of an Ghost Immortal [a powerful spirit that has transcended mortality but not yet achieved true immortality], he had already entered the realm bordering on immortality, standing just one step away from a breakthrough. In a certain sense, Verdant Seal Patriarch could even be considered the foremost figure in the current Purple Seal Realm.

However, Ghost Cultivator [cultivators who follow the path of spectral energy and spirit refinement] practicing in the mortal world face a minor tribulation every three hundred years, a Great Tribulation [a major, life-threatening heavenly trial] every thousand years, and a death tribulation every three thousand years.

Each death tribulation grows more terrifying than the last. Verdant Seal Patriarch had managed to survive several of them by relying on the Fortune [karmic merit and good luck] gained from participating in quelling great calamities, and, after the Demonic Abyss Cataclysm, on the vast quantity of Pure Lunar Demonic Treasure [demonic artifacts purified by lunar essence] that Eldrin Chen had entrusted to him.

To survive these death tribulations, nearly eighty to ninety percent of his Demonic Treasure [artifacts imbued with or refined using demonic energy] had been destroyed.

Now, as the Tribulation [heaven-sent trials that test a cultivator's worth and power] grew increasingly horrifying, he no longer had the confidence to survive the next one.

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen spoke, "Why not come with me to the Immortal Realm? I can arrange for you to enter the Netherworld Underworld Court [the bureaucratic and judicial system governing the underworld and reincarnation]. Seize the opportunity to establish a Netherworld Underworld Court of your own there."

"This..."

Verdant Seal Patriarch was momentarily taken aback. After a pause, he nodded. "You make a valid point. Rather than waiting for death in the mortal world, it is better to take a chance and strive for a position in the Immortal Realm or the Netherworld Realm [the vast and complex realm of the dead]."

Establishing a family-owned Netherworld Underworld Court within the Netherworld had always been part of Eldrin Chen's long-term plans.

Once such a Netherworld Realm institution was established, future clansmen of the Chen Immortal Clan who met their end could undergo Reincarnation [the cycle of death and rebirth of the soul] directly through their own family's Nether Lord [a ruler or high official within the Netherworld bureaucracy] and Underworld Court.

After all, if there were trusted individuals within the Underworld Court [the celestial bureaucracy governing the afterlife], it would be far more reassuring to have them personally guide a departed friend from the Netherworld Realm [the realm of spirits and the dead] into Reincarnation [the cycle of rebirth], rather than entrusting the matter to outsiders.

Seeing that Verdant Seal Patriarch agreed, Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod and said, "Then the seventh Immortal Ascension quota shall be reserved for you, Patriarch."

"…"

Emerging from the depths below, Eldrin Chen did not linger. He proceeded directly towards the heart of the Eastern Barrens Sea of Blood.

Arriving once more within the Sea of Blood after so many years, Eldrin Chen noticed that the subterranean blood springs had grown significantly clearer.

He flew to the very core of the Sea of Blood, where he beheld a hazy golden radiance. At the heart of this light, a Primordial Solar [a state of pure, primordial yang energy] brilliance was slowly taking form.

It was a light of utmost purity and yang essence, seemingly engaged in a ceaseless, day-and-night purification of the subterranean Sea of Blood.

"Oh, foolish child!"

Gazing upon this radiance, Eldrin Chen could not help but sigh.

Long ago, when Eldrin Chen had laid down the grand formation within the Sea of Blood, his purpose had been to aid Alistair Ye in the process to reforge [to temper and reconstruct through profound cultivation] his Primordial Spirit [the foundational spiritual core of a high-level cultivator].

However, this wisp of Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] belonging to Alistair Ye, even while still gestating, continuously radiated a Primordial Solar [pertaining to the purest, most fundamental essence of the sun] light that refined the Sea of Blood [a vast, malevolent ocean of blood and corruption].

Such constant expenditure of Primordial Spirit power greatly slowed the speed of Alistair Ye's recovery. It was impossible to tell how many more years it would take for a complete resurgence.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen sighed softly. He retrieved a dazzling crystalline stone from his sleeve and refined it directly into that nascent Primordial Spirit.

This crystal was known as Primordial Solar Immortal Gold [a legendary ore imbued with the primordial essence of the sun], an Immortal Artifact [a treasure of immense power used by immortal beings] that Eldrin Chen had retrieved from the Verdant Spirit Ancient Star. It was the most suitable treasure for a body aligned with the Primordial Solar essence.

By bestowing it upon Alistair Ye, Eldrin Chen intended to assist Alistair Ye in swiftly purifying the Sea of Blood.

As the Primordial Spirit light fused with the Primordial Solar Immortal Gold, its radiance indeed intensified severalfold. The rate at which it refined the Sea of Blood increased dramatically. For uninterrupted reading, go to (audio-novel.com).

Witnessing this, Eldrin Chen gave a satisfied nod. With the aid of the Primordial Solar Immortal Gold, Alistair Ye would be able to completely dissolve the Sea of Blood within thirty thousand years, achieving perfection in Merit [a metaphysical currency representing accumulated virtuous deeds and good karma] and ascending as an immortal.

This was the path of a supreme Merit immortal. Upon success, immense Merit would be bestowed. Coupled with Alistair Ye's innate talent, his future prospects would be truly boundless.

Having completed this task, Eldrin Chen departed from the Netherworld Blood Spring [a sinister spring connected to the underworld's blood sea] and ventured deeper into the heart of the Far North Icy Plains.

Not long after, deep within the Far North Icy Plains, he found what he sought amidst the Eternal Glacier [a glacier of unimaginable age and permanence].

After a span of ten thousand years, standing once more upon the shores of the Great Mystery Ice Pool [a legendary frozen lake of profound and ancient power], Eldrin Chen found the Primordial Era Ice Silkworm [an ancient, mythical creature born in the dawn of time].

Having slumbered for many years, the Primordial Era Ice Silkworm seemed to have recovered. Sensing Eldrin Chen's arrival, it stirred from its icy seal, awakening.

Though it had not yet broken free from the ice, it was now capable of communication. A gentle voice, carrying the weight of eons, resonated forth.

"Fellow Daoist, you are truly a prodigy rarely seen across the ages. To think that in the mere span of ten thousand years, you have already cultivated to the Mid Ascendant Immortal Realm [a profound stage of immortality where one begins to ascend towards the heavens]."

"It was merely a matter of some Opportunity and Fortune [the confluence of chance and destiny that guides a cultivator's path]," replied Eldrin Chen with a light tone, though a flicker of surprise shone in his eyes. "Yet, I perceive that your own origins, fellow Daoist, are truly Extraordinary."

By now, Eldrin Chen's vision and experience were far beyond what they had been in those bygone days.

When he first beheld the Primordial Era Ice Silkworm, he had merely sensed it was a Mythical Immortal Seed [a being of immense potential, a seed of future divinity]. But now, gazing upon it once more, Eldrin Chen discerned its true, Extraordinary nature.

Within the body of this Primordial Era Ice Silkworm flowed a faint, almost imperceptible thread of Rule Power [the fundamental power to shape reality, the domain of true deities]. Yet, it seemed this power had suffered a catastrophic blow, shattered to near oblivion.

Sensing Eldrin Chen's astonishment, the Primordial Era Ice Silkworm knew it could not hide the truth from his discerning gaze. Thus, it spoke.

"I was originally a celestial silkworm from the Frigid Immortal Domain [a realm of eternal frost and profound spiritual energy], having once cultivated to the Half-Step Earth Immortal Realm [a state of being on the very cusp of becoming an Earth Immortal, possessing immense power but not yet fully transcended]. I was an immortal insect raised by my master."

"Approximately several hundred thousand years ago, my master was pursued by a great enemy. I was grievously wounded and brought to the brink of death. To ensure my safety, my master brought me to the Purple Seal Realm [a lower realm, a world separate from the higher immortal domains], intending to hide from the enemies of that time."

"I thought that once we descended to this lower realm, safety would be assured. I never imagined we would encounter the calamity of Purple Seal's fall."

As it spoke of this, the Primordial Era Ice Silkworm [an ancient, mythical creature of ice and silk from the dawn of time] revealed a bitter smile.

Eldrin Chen's gaze flickered with surprise, and he could not help but ask, "Who was your master?"

"The Heavenly Mountain Goddess [the divine sovereign of the Celestial Peaks]."

The Primordial Era Ice Silkworm spoke, its tone filled with reverence.

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen could not conceal his astonishment. "You, a being of the Half-Step Earth Immortal realm, were merely a pet of the Heavenly Mountain Goddess?"

"It is exactly so."

The Primordial Era [the Mythic Epoch, the ancient and foundational age of creation] Ice Silkworm nodded, its voice filled with profound admiration. "My master was an ancient immortal who underwent Nirvana [a profound rebirth or transformation, shedding an old form for a new, more perfected one]. She was the very first Snow Lotus [a mystical flower of pure ice and spiritual essence] to bloom at the dawn of creation within the Purple Seal Realm. She was a figure from the same era as the Purple Seal Patriarch."

"In his previous life, he had already cultivated to the Celestial Immortal Realm [the realm of a true celestial being]. After his Nirvana [a profound rebirth or enlightenment], it was only natural his talents would be peerless."

"Ever since she ascended to the Frigid Immortal Domain [a vast and icy immortal realm] six hundred thousand years ago, she broke through to Earth Immortal [the foundational immortal realm] in a mere one hundred thousand years. Even within the vastness of the Frigid Immortal Domain, she is considered a prodigy of the first rank."

"Although she may not yet rival Purple Seal Immortal Lord, the likelihood of her breaking through to Celestial Immortal and reclaiming her former cultivation level in the future should still be considerable." Read the full novel exclusively on http://www . audio-novel.com.