Chapter 1217 : The Unrefined Netherworld Essence

After the Celestial Prison Clan [a powerful clan of cultivators] fell, it transformed into a vast, billowing cloud of Heavenly Fiend [a malevolent, heaven-defying energy] essence that scattered across the heavens.

Eldrin Chen channeled the Primordial Solar Heavenly Flame [a supreme, purifying flame of solar origin] to refine it, turning the boundless Heavenly Fiend essence into wisps of faint, dissipating smoke.

When the dust finally settled, not a single trace of the Celestial Prison Clan remained—no bones, no ashes. All that was left was a single, incredibly pure wisp of black, baleful energy.

"Netherworld Earthly Fiend Energy [a supremely potent and corruptive baleful energy born from the netherworld and earthly fiends]."

Gazing at this mass of baleful energy, Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly in contemplation.

This Netherworld Earthly Fiend Energy was one of the most dreadful types of baleful energy found between heaven and earth. Not only did it possess an unrivaled, domineering Power of Oblivion [a force capable of erasing existence], but it could also corrupt a cultivator's Immortal Essence [the refined, foundational energy of an immortal] and defile their Immortal Treasure [a powerful enchanted artifact used by immortals].

The wisp before him was the very source of the Celestial Prison Clan's baleful essence. Even the mighty Primordial Solar Heavenly Flame struggled to refine it swiftly, a testament to its formidable and tyrannical nature.

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen did not press the refinement further. Instead, he summoned his Primordial One Limitless Dharma Power [the boundless, foundational power of a supreme cultivator] and drew the energy into a precious vial.

This Netherworld Earthly Fiend Energy was of exceptional purity. It could be used to forge Demonic Treasure [powerful artifacts imbued with demonic energy] and special Divine Ability [supernatural powers and techniques], or to consecrate and empower unique Slaughter-type Immortal Treasure.

Its true value was hard to quantify, but it might prove useful in the days to come. For more chapters, visit site: audio-novel.com for the complete novel.

To return to the tale, after Eldrin Chen defeated the Celestial Prison Clan, the assembled immortals had witnessed his true power. No more Demon Immortals or Divine Spirits dared to step forward to contest him.

Thus, Eldrin Chen waited several more days. Once the slots upon the three thousand Celestial Pillars were finally settled, this grand Sword Duel of the Celestial Stele Sea came to its definitive conclusion.

"Success!"

Only at this moment did Eldrin Chen finally allow a sigh of relief to escape his heart.

In this Celestial Stele Sea Sword Duel, all five of them had secured a coveted slot to contemplate the Celestial Steles. Their long-cherished wish was finally fulfilled.

"*Hum!*"

Just as this thought flashed through Eldrin Chen's mind, he felt the stone pillar beneath his feet tremble faintly.

Behold! The pillar suddenly erupted with a dazzling Immortal Radiance. In the blink of an eye, it teleported them beyond the confines of the void.

When their senses cleared, they found themselves standing before a single, monumentally vast Celestial Stele.

"This is..."

"The Path Principles Celestial Stele [a divine monument that aids in comprehending the fundamental laws of cultivation]!"

The assembled immortals murmured amongst themselves, smiles gracing their faces.

An opportunity to comprehend the Path Principles Celestial Stele arises only once every one hundred thousand years. Everyone present cherished this rare chance, and thus, there was no hesitation.

They immediately sat cross-legged upon the ground and began to meditate upon the power emanating from the Celestial Stele.

Eldrin Chen did not delay either. After exchanging a brief nod with Exquisite Jiang and the others beside him, he lowered his gaze and immersed his consciousness into the Celestial Stele.

"Boom!"

As a wisp of Eldrin Chen's divine sense probed into the Celestial Stele, he felt a sudden disorientation. The world around him dissolved into Primordial Chaos [the formless, primordial state before creation], a Chaos [the undifferentiated, swirling mass of potential before the cosmos was ordered] realm spanning the Eight Desolations [the eight primordial wastelands at the edges of the known world].

Within this Chaos world, everything was disordered and formless. The Path Principles [the fundamental laws and truths that govern cultivation and reality] of the Myriad Heavens [the countless realms and heavens of existence] were utterly absent; no life or form had yet been conceived. The oppressive weight of this primordial void made him feel as if he could scarcely breathe.

An immeasurable length of time seemed to pass. Then, in a haze, he heard a thunderous roar, akin to the sound of World-Opening [the cataclysmic event of a universe being born from chaos].

Lifting his gaze, he looked around. From within the swirling Chaos, a brilliant light manifested. A figure of unimaginable majesty and grandeur strode forth.

A figure clad in the supreme Immortal Lord imperial robes emerged from the Depths of Chaos. In their hand, a cyan-gold war halberd cleaved through the void with a mighty swing. A brilliant light illuminated the boundless Primordial Chaos, forcefully parting the Boundless Chaos itself.

"BOOM!"

Heaven and earth roared, all creation trembled.

Eldrin Chen looked up. He saw the infinite, endless Great Thousand World begin to unfold from this point. One after another, Great Universe were conceived and born, being carved out from within the Chaos.

It was like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow—a myth from the Antiquity-Tracing [the ancient, primordial times].

This was an ancient existence performing the act of World-Opening [the primordial act of separating Chaos to create a new world]. The story continues at audio-novel dot com.

Eldrin Chen's divine sense was fixed upon this scene. In a fleeting moment, within that newly opened heaven and earth, he saw billions of Path Principles [the fundamental laws and truths of existence] evolve and manifest. In the end, they all imprinted themselves upon a single Celestial Stele.

"World-Opening. The myriad laws take form. All converge upon the Celestial Stele. From it, one may comprehend the Great Path [the ultimate, all-encompassing Dao]."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, gradually reining in the shock and awe within his heart.

In the primordial past, when 'Vast Azure' performed the World-Opening to create the cosmos, the billions of Path Principles that evolved during that genesis were all fused into the Celestial Stele. The Path Principles Power [the power and essence of the fundamental laws] contained within it is all-encompassing, leaving nothing out, containing everything that is.

There was no reason for hesitation. He immediately began to seek out the five Path Principles Power he primarily cultivated and commenced his contemplation of them.

With the talent of Eldrin Chen, amplified by the Celestial Stele, his cultivation progressed as if he were in a state of sudden enlightenment. Furthermore, with the mysteries of the Path Principles laid bare before him, his comprehension advanced with astonishing swiftness.

Before long, he had perfected the Primordial Solar Heavenly Flame Path Principles to a flawless and harmonious state.

This represented the absolute pinnacle achievable within the Ascendant Immortal Realm. The next step would be to transcend this level and begin comprehending Rule Power.

Eldrin Chen did not immediately attempt this step. Instead, he turned his focus to contemplating the other various Path Principles Power.

An immeasurable span of time seemed to pass. One by one, Eldrin Chen perfected the four Path Principles: Profound Darkness True Water, Primordial One Ancient Metal, Source Earth of All Things, and the Seed of Life.

Upon completing this, the five Path Principles within Eldrin Chen's body merged, rotated, and ultimately coalesced into a single, flawless, and harmonious Primordial One Limitless Path Principles.

"It is done."

Elated joy surged within Eldrin Chen's heart. This Primordial One Limitless Path Principles was a Limitless Path Principles Power. Having cultivated it to perfection, it now surpassed the ultimate limits of ordinary Path Principles.

He had a profound intuition. With the power of this Primordial One Limitless Path Principles alone, he could now forcibly initiate World-Opening, performing the legendary act of World-Opening.

From this perspective, the power of the Primordial One Limitless Path Principles [the foundational, boundless laws governing existence] is already sufficient to rival that of a Rule Embryo [the nascent form of a personal cultivation law].

"With my current strength, I should be able to match wrists with a Half-Step Earth Immortal [a cultivator who has partially transcended mortality but not yet fully ascended to Earth Immortal status],"

Eldrin Chen murmured to himself, a glint of confidence in his heart.

Tens of thousands of years since his Ascension and Attainment of the Path [becoming a true Immortal], having reached this realm, he finally possessed a measure of self-preservation power.

The might of the Primordial One Limitless Path Principles, coupled with the Five-Colored Divine Light [a supreme divine ability of five colors] in his grasp, along with his various Spiritual Treasure [enchanted artifacts of great power] and Divine Ability [supernatural techniques], meant Eldrin Chen's strength could at least rival that of a Half-Step Earth Immortal who had weathered four heavenly tribulations.

Although he could not yet compare to those Six Tribulations Half-Step Earth Immortal [Half-Step Earth Immortals who have survived five tribulations], he had indeed gained the power to safeguard himself.

One must understand that among Immortal [beings who have ascended to immortality], a Half-Step Earth Immortal is considered a figure of Patriarch [a venerable clan or sect leader] stature. A single Half-Step Earth Immortal is typically powerful enough to suppress dozens of ordinary Immortal.

With strength of this caliber, he was no longer someone to be easily bullied within the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea [a vast and perilous sea region in the immortal realms].

Thinking this, Eldrin Chen felt his confidence swell further. Suppressing these thoughts, he turned his gaze once more towards the Four Extremities Celestial Stele [a mysterious stele inscribed with profound cosmic truths].

"There is still time. I can contemplate the various Path Principles Power [the fundamental powers underlying different cultivation paths] and see if I can deduce the mysteries of true Rules."

As his words fell, Eldrin Chen began to contemplate the Path Principles Celestial Stele [a divine monument inscribed with the fundamental laws of cultivation].

In principle, the Path Principles Celestial Stele is only useful for comprehending Path Principles Power [the foundational energies that govern specific cultivation arts]. For beings at the Ascendant Immortal 9th Tier [the pinnacle of the Ascendant Immortal realm, one step below divinity], who need to grasp Rule Power [the power to manipulate the fundamental laws of reality itself], it should hold little value.

However, comprehending the rules of reality is not an achievement one can reach by isolated meditation alone.

For an Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality] to grasp these rules, aside from relying on their innate comprehension, only legendary artifacts like the Eighth-Rank Enlightenment Tea [a celestial tea that grants profound insights] or other such Immortal Artifact [divinely crafted tools of immense power] can be of aid.

Beyond those, this very Path Principles Celestial Stele also holds its use.

An Immortal can use the stele to continuously study the myriad forms of Path Principles Power, assimilating their strengths and discarding their weaknesses to forge something new. There is a chance, however slight, to glean fragments of true Rule Power from this process.

It is precisely for this reason that every time the Path Principles Celestial Stele opens, numerous Ascendant Immortal 9th Tier gather to participate in the Sword Contest. The complete novel can be found at http://www . audio-novel.com.