Chapter 1196 : Voyage of the Cosmic Ark

"This ancient vessel..."

Many Immortal [a being who has attained immortality through cultivation] were deeply shaken, unable to suppress their murmurs of astonishment.

They found it equally hard to believe that such a colossal ancient ship could have been forged through artifice.

Immortal Maiden Verdant Flame, observing their reaction, spoke up: "The Dragon Bone [the skeletal remains of a dragon, imbued with immense power] forming the keel of this ship was refined from the skeleton of a Chaos Ancient Beast [a primordial beast born from the chaos before creation]. It was then fused with over a million portions of Immortal Artifact [a treasure of immortal grade] Spirit Wood [wood infused with spiritual energy]. Naturally, its scale is vast."

"In the boundless starry void, many a Great Thousand World [a major world within the cosmic hierarchy] would likely seem but a drop in the ocean compared to it."

Eldrin Chen forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart. Upon closer inspection, he realized the ancient vessel contained worlds within itself.

Within that ancient hull, one hundred and eight Eighth Heaven and Earth [a complete, self-contained minor world or realm] floated and sank like islands in a sea.

Within those one hundred and eight Eighth Heaven and Earth, countless living beings thrived and multiplied. Ancient civilizations spread their light, and epic tales of glory and sorrow were even now unfolding.

"A single ship... it rivals a Great Universe [a vast, complete cosmos]."

"Indeed," he realized. "It voyages through the Boundless Chaos [the formless, primordial expanse beyond ordered worlds], having sailed for epochs beyond count. It has witnessed the birth and Oblivion [complete annihilation, the end of all things] of ten thousand civilizations. What difference is there between it and a Great Thousand Universe [the grand totality of all cosmic realms]?" Original publication: @udio-novel.com - The source of this chapter.

A weight lingered in Eldrin Chen's heart, and as his gaze swept across the ancient vessel, he saw that two of its layered heavens had been pierced through.

Between those two breached heavens, the aura of the Boundless Chaos [the primordial, formless state before creation] seeped forth. Countless components lay shattered, and untold numbers of living beings had perished, extinguished by the corrosive touch of that Chaos [the primordial, formless state before creation] essence.

"Perhaps we are not merely repairing a ship," he murmured to himself, "but mending two shattered worlds."

This thought led his eyes to seek out the Immortal Maiden Verdant Flame.

She met his gaze and gave a slight nod before speaking. "Within the ruins of these two heavens, many materials can still be salvaged and repurposed."

"Let us first recover what we can and attempt to restore them."

"For those beyond repair or utterly destroyed, we shall forge new replacements."

With those words, the Immortal Maiden Verdant Flame gathered the assembled cultivators, and they flew into the heart of the ancient vessel to begin the meticulous collection of the broken components.

Their labor spanned more than a decade before the salvage operation was complete. Only then did they begin the daunting task of cataloging the damage.

The final tally was sobering. Over thirty thousand Seventh Rank [a high tier of power and refinement] Immortal Artifact [enchanted artifacts used by powerful immortals] components were damaged. Among the wreckage, they also found more than one hundred pieces of Eighth-Rank Immortal Artifact [artifacts of even greater power and rarity than Seventh Rank ones] that had been compromised.

These Seventh Rank artifact forgers were utterly incapable of crafting Eighth-Rank Immortal Artifact [an artifact of the eighth rank, a pinnacle treasure]. Consequently, they were all assigned the task of repairing Seventh Rank Immortal Artifact [immortal-grade magical treasures].

Over the years, Eldrin Chen had forged several High-Grade Immortal Treasure [high-quality immortal treasures], establishing himself as a seasoned upper-grade Seventh Rank artifact forger.

Repairing these ordinary Immortal Artifact was, therefore, a task he could accomplish with effortless ease.

He spent a mere three hundred years, successfully restoring seven immortal-grade components. Moreover, in the process of mending these Seventh Rank Immortal Artifact, Eldrin Chen gleaned many rare array patterns and forging techniques.

Observing his aptitude, the Heaven Flame Patriarch spoke, "Your forging skill is remarkable. Wasting it on mere repairs is a pity."

"Very well. These few damaged components are beyond repair. You shall be responsible for forging their replacements."

So saying, the Heaven Flame Patriarch handed Eldrin Chen several batches of forging materials and tossed him a scroll of array diagrams.

Eldrin Chen received these as priceless treasures. After studying the ancient scroll of array patterns, he immediately set to work forging the Immortal Treasure [immortal treasure] components.

These parts were all crucial High-Grade Immortal Treasure, the forging of which would strain even a typical Upper Grade Immortal Rank [the upper grade of the Immortal Realm] artifact master. Yet, Eldrin Chen handled the task with practiced ease, successfully completing them all before long.

Witnessing this, the Heaven Flame Patriarch nodded with satisfaction. "The pupil is worthy of instruction," he remarked.

With those words, Heaven Flame Patriarch tossed a piece of damaged immortal material to Eldrin Chen and said, "Try this one now."

The surrounding immortals were visibly startled by this action.

Even the few Earth Immortal Patriarch present glanced over and shook their heads one after another.

Eldrin Chen took the damaged immortal material, and upon examining it, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

This piece of immortal material was extraordinary. It was not an ordinary component from an ancient vessel but a side panel from the World-Ferrying Ancient Ark. Its grade was that of a Supreme-Grade Immortal Artifact [the pinnacle tier of immortal artifacts], forged from supreme-grade immortal metal.

Such a precious component would typically require an eighth-rank artifact forger at the Earth Immortal [a major realm of cultivation surpassing the Primordial Spirit stage] level to have a reasonable chance of repairing it. Published by audio–novel.com. All rights reserved.

Eldrin Chen was merely a Seventh Rank high-grade artifact forger. In the eyes of the assembled immortals, asking him to repair this item was pushing him beyond his limits.

Yet, after receiving the item, Eldrin Chen felt a surge of intense excitement.

For him, repairing a Supreme-Grade Immortal Treasure was a once-in-ten-thousand-years opportunity. If he could successfully restore this Supreme-Grade Immortal Treasure, his artifact forging skills would undoubtedly advance by leaps and bounds.

His current mastery of the Artifact Forging Art [a specialized technique for crafting magical artifacts] was already nearing the threshold required to forge a Supreme-Grade Immortal Treasure. With one more step forward, he might truly attempt to craft one himself.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen could not help but take the immortal-grade material and begin to examine it with utmost seriousness.

Upon this damaged side panel were carved rare Immortal Path Principles [the fundamental laws and patterns that govern immortal-level formations and artifacts] formation patterns, from which even a wisp of Rule Power [the manifestation of a fundamental cosmic law or principle] had been derived.

Eldrin Chen contemplated it for a long while, faintly sensing a glimmer of understanding. Only after observing it for an extended period did he finally begin the work of restoration.

"This side panel was forged by an eighth-rank Immortal Court [the celestial bureaucracy governing immortals] artifact-smith. The crafting methods contained within are utterly unheard of to me, even incorporating profoundly mysterious Rule Power," he murmured to himself.

"With my current level of Artifact Forging Art [the esoteric art and technique of crafting magical artifacts], attempting to inscribe rule-based formation patterns and fuse them within, to re-forge this treasure from scratch, is simply impossible."

"But if I merely follow the existing patterns like tracing a gourd from its outline, and repair the damaged rule-veins within, perhaps I can give it a try."

Whispering this resolve in his heart, Eldrin Chen immediately began mending the immortal material, meticulously replicating the internal rule-veins.

However, Eldrin Chen's current cultivation base was ultimately still somewhat lacking. An Immortal Artifact [a treasure forged with immortal-level techniques and materials] of this grade contained intrinsic Rule Power. For an Immortal [a being who has ascended to the first major stage of immortality] who had not yet comprehended a rule, attempting such a repair was far too arduous. In the end, he failed.

Yet Eldrin Chen was not disheartened. Although this attempt at repair had ended in failure, he had still faintly grasped a thread of insight into the method.

Wiping away the erroneous formation lines, he once again began inscribing the intricate rule-veins within the material.

Due to his insufficient cultivation base, even with the incomplete rule patterns, he found it difficult to mend the Rule Power [the fundamental power derived from comprehending the laws of the universe] within. Failure followed failure.

Amidst this relentless string of failures, Eldrin Chen did not grow impatient or restless. Instead, he continuously distilled lessons from each attempt, refining the artifact while simultaneously deducing the intricate rule patterns hidden within its structure.

Through this arduous cycle of trial and error, Eldrin Chen discovered his comprehension of the rules deepening with each failure. The threshold of success drew ever nearer.

After countless failures—their exact number lost to the flow of effort—Eldrin Chen suddenly snapped back to awareness from his deep focus on artifact forging, a flicker of triumphant delight lighting his features.

The side panel in his hands erupted with a dazzling Immortal Radiance [a radiant, otherworldly light signifying the presence of immortal-grade power]. A complete, flawlessly formed rule pattern finally manifested upon its surface.

"Success!"

The onlookers were utterly astonished. Even the several Earth Immortal Patriarch present wore expressions of profound surprise.

One of the Earth Immortal Patriarch turned to Heaven Flame Patriarch and remarked, "Your junior's talent is truly Extraordinary. It seems only a matter of time before he fully grasps Rule Power. He is destined to become, at the very least, a Half-Step Earth Immortal [a cultivator who has partially transcended mortality but not yet fully ascended to the Earth Immortal realm]." Visit audio–novel.com to enjoy the complete series.