Chapter 1172 : A Father's Guidance Through Doubt

Worthy Pursuit Chen's moment of enlightenment was not long. By the time he emerged from that profound state, he realized Eldrin Chen was still standing guard before him.

He looked at Eldrin Chen and offered a faint smile. "Thank you, Father, for safeguarding my cultivation."

Eldrin Chen nodded, a sigh of relief escaping him. "You have grasped a thread of life's essence. Now, you can gradually proceed with the Nirvana [the profound process of rebirth and purification]. All the necessary Immortal Source [rare treasures imbued with the purest source energy of immortality] and exotic materials will be sent to you by your mother."

Worthy Pursuit Chen did not reply immediately. He lifted his gaze to the drifting clouds on the horizon and sighed softly. "Your son has attained Buddhahood, yet I find myself adrift in uncertainty. I beg you, Father, to resolve my doubts."

"Oh?"

"Speak your mind."

Eldrin Chen settled onto the ground, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with his eldest son as they gazed upon the sea of clouds.

"Father, you understand my nature. I am stubborn. When I witness the world's evils, I cannot bear them, always resorting to severe and unyielding methods."

"Ancient Buddha Empty Brightness constantly admonishes me, saying that the Buddha loves all beings. We should ferry all suffering across the sea of sorrows, soothing the world's wounds and hardships. He believes I should not act with such overbearing force."

At this point, Worthy Pursuit Chen sighed. "When my master came to see me on this journey, he said this calamity befell me precisely because my actions have always been too extreme, accumulating karmic burdens that triggered this Tribulation [a heavenly trial or calamity, often a test of one's cultivation and resolve]." The complete novel can be found at audio . novel . com.

"Father, my heart is troubled with doubt. Have I truly erred in my actions?"

Eldrin Chen listened quietly to his eldest son's words. After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, gazing intently at Worthy Pursuit Chen for a moment before calmly shaking his head.

He looked at the churning, flying clouds of the sea of mist and sighed softly. "The Ancient Buddha Empty Brightness is a Half-Step Earth Immortal [a cultivator who has nearly ascended to the Earth Immortal realm]. His mastery of the Buddha's teachings is profound, and his words surely hold their own truth."

"Yet you must understand, the path he walks is not necessarily the one you must tread."

"His path..." Upon hearing this, Worthy Pursuit Chen fell into deep contemplation.

"Indeed."

Eldrin Chen nodded, speaking with serene composure. "What you should do is follow the dictates of your own heart."

"To eradicate evil foes with thunderous resolve is itself an act of salvation for the myriad beings of this world. Is this not also a form of universal deliverance?"

Speaking of this, Eldrin Chen added with a gentle smile, "To kill is to protect life; to sever karma is not to slay people. By acting according to your true nature, using the Buddha's Dharma to subdue demons and vanquish evil, you embody the greatest compassion!"

Worthy Pursuit Chen experienced a sudden, brilliant awakening. His eyes shone with a clear light as he declared, "The world holds ten thousand paths. Every person must walk their own."

"He walks his path, I tread my own way."

"I understand, Father."

Worthy Pursuit Chen seemed to attain a profound enlightenment, finally declaring with unwavering resolve: "If one day I can achieve the ultimate Path [the highest state of enlightenment and power], I will surely eradicate all the evil spirits of Myriad Heavens and cleanse the filth from the cosmos. Only thus can I ferry the world across its sea of suffering."

"If I can ferry all suffering to its end, what does it matter if karmic power [the metaphysical consequence of one's actions] arises?"

"You have comprehended your Path."

Eldrin Chen nodded, finally rising to his feet. "Be it mortal, immortal, or Buddha," he said, "one's life should always be spent understanding what one must do."

"Otherwise, even with cultivation that reaches the heavens, one is merely a puppet of one's own practice."

"Now that you have comprehended your Path, I can finally be at ease about your future."

"Go. The road ahead is yours to walk alone."

"…"

With Worthy Pursuit Chen's injuries on the mend, Eldrin Chen finally allowed himself a sigh of relief.

He summoned several Immortal [beings who have transcended mortality through cultivation] residing on Green Chariot Mountain to the Great Hall within the Green Chariot Mountain Hall to recount his experiences from his recent descent to the lower realm.

Upon hearing of the great battle upon Verdant Spirit Ancient Star, expressions of concern flickered across their faces. Yet, when he mentioned the ascension of the Purple Seal Realm, smiles blossomed in their stead.

Violet Consort Yan could not help but remark with a smile, "With the Purple Seal Realm undergoing Heaven and Earth Ascension [a profound metamorphosis elevating a world's spiritual rank], the number of cultivators between the Post-Heaven [the mundane, physical world] and the earth will only grow. It seems we can expect an Immortal to ascend every few thousand years from now on."

Hearing this, everyone nodded slightly in agreement.

In an ordinary Great Thousand World [a vast cosmic realm containing countless worlds], hundreds of thousands of years might pass without a single cultivator achieving immortality. Support the author by reading on audio-novel*com.

However, the Purple Seal Realm had once produced a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a supreme level of immortal existence], and its hidden Fortune [the inherent luck and destiny of a place or lineage] was extraordinary. Even during the Demonic Abyss Cataclysm, it averaged one Immortal every ten to twenty thousand years.

Figures like Exquisite Jiang, Verdant Consort, and Kael Chen were considered top-tier geniuses even within the Immortal Realm [the higher plane where immortals reside], yet they had all been nurtured within the Purple Seal Realm. This alone spoke volumes of its astonishing Fortune.

Now that the Purple Seal Realm had transformed into an immortal-grade realm, the number of cultivators attaining immortality in the future was likely to be anything but small.

Considering this, Exquisite Jiang spoke again, "In a few hundred years, Kael, the Lord of the Path Palace, and seven other Immortal will ascend. Our immortal mountains may soon prove insufficient to accommodate them all."

Verdant Consort [a powerful female cultivator] also nodded and said, "After we annihilated the Crimson Dragon Clan, we gained control over the five Immortal Isles [floating islands rich in spiritual energy] they held. Apart from Crimson Dragon Island, the remaining four are now under our dominion."

"Therefore, Immortal Isles are still sufficient. However, I fear the Stellar Glazed Boundary [a grand formation that gathers stellar energy] will be unable to sustain so many Immortal [beings who have ascended to immortality through cultivation]."

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze shifted slightly.

The Stellar Glazed Boundary was the most crucial foundation of the Chen Clan. It could triple an Immortal's cultivation speed, rivaling a low-grade Earth Immortal Blessed Land [a land naturally blessed with immense spiritual power].

Yet, the Stellar [energy drawn from the stars] gathered by the Stellar Glazed Boundary was finite. At most, it could only support the cultivation of nine Immortal, a number far too meager for the Chen Clan.

Currently, within the Chen Immortal Clan, the main family alone boasted six Immortal: Eldrin Chen, Exquisite Jiang, Violet Consort Yan, Lila, Verdant Consort, and Nyssa Qu.

Even with Nyssa Qu absent and Worthy Pursuit Chen planning to descend the mountain to wander and cultivate once recovered, that still left four Immortal.

Adding the clan's guardian immortal spirits—the 'Blazing Phoenix' [a title for a powerful phoenix spirit], Black Tortoise Patriarch, and the Mistress of Drifting Snow Palace—made seven. Once the Eight Immortals of Purple Seal [a group of eight powerful immortals] arrived in full, there would be a full fifteen Immortal.

This count did not even include individuals like Ethan Chen, Support Revive Chen, Literature Abyss Lu, and Withering Liana Gu from among the ten candidates Eldrin Chen had brought for ascension, all of whom possessed the potential to achieve immortality.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, these individuals would likely ascend to immortality one after another over the next few millennia of the Future.

By that calculation, within ten thousand years, the number of Immortal within the Chen Clan would likely exceed twenty. The Stellar Glazed Boundary [a defensive formation powered by stellar energies] would undoubtedly be far from sufficient.

"The Stellar Glazed Boundary is indeed insufficient,"

Eldrin Chen nodded slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he retrieved the Three Thousand Stellar Pearls from his sleeve and said, "This treasure can channel the power of the Cosmic Stellar [the celestial realm of stars and constellations]. It is a rare Supreme-Grade Immortal Artifact [a treasure of the highest rank among immortal artifacts]."

"I intend to refine this artifact into the Stellar Blessed Land [a blessed land imbued with stellar essence], thereby augmenting the stellar power of the Stellar Glazed Boundary."

"This..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions shifted. Lila could not help but advise, "That artifact is a Supreme-Grade Immortal Artifact, one of your most precious trump cards. Are you truly resolved to merge it into the Stellar Glazed Boundary?"

"My decision is final."

Eldrin Chen nodded firmly and declared, "Though a treasure is valuable, if it serves only as a protective magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators], it will inevitably become obsolete one day."

"Only by refining it into the Stellar Glazed Boundary to enhance our cultivation speed does it serve as a strategy for enduring prosperity."

Hearing this, the others understood that Eldrin Chen's decision would not be altered, and so they offered no further counsel.

Eldrin Chen gazed at the Three Thousand Stellar [a collection of three thousand condensed stellar essences], a faint smile gracing his lips. "I have a premonition," he said, "that once this treasure is refined into the Stellar Glazed Boundary [a defensive formation that mimics a crystalline, starry firmament], the formation's wondrous applications will increase by a significant degree."

"At that time, it will easily accommodate more than twenty Immortal [beings who have ascended beyond mortality through cultivation]. We could even grant access to the Six Stars Immortal and our other in-laws, as well as some of the Demigod Patriarch [patriarchs who have reached the peak of mortal cultivation] within our clan, allowing them to cultivate within its bounds." This content originates from audio~novel.com. Please respect copyright.