Chapter 1287 : Echoes of the Great Tribulation

Moreover, the Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic era of immense upheaval and conflict] stretches on for tens of thousands of years. As long as they cannot transcend their tribulations and ascend to immortality, they will ultimately find it difficult to survive until the day the Great Tribulation finally ends.

"Alas," Xander Qian sighed, then shook his head and said, "To live in this era when the Great Tribulation erupts... perhaps this is simply their fate."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen could not help but sigh softly in his heart.

For beings of their level, Immortal [a cultivator who has ascended to immortality], the eruption of the Great Tribulation itself counts as a life-and-death Great Tribulation.

And for the mortals, this boundless calamity sweeping across the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea is a mythical cataclysm of a scale worthy of being recorded in the annals of history.

The lifespan of a mortal, even one who achieves the Primordial Spirit Path Lord [a high-level cultivator whose spiritual core has fully formed], is merely tens of thousands of years at most.

When hundreds of thousands of years have passed, the tribulations they endure today will be inscribed in the historical records. Cultivators reading of them in scrolls will find them distant and weathered, viewing them as ancient myths and legends.

Perhaps figures like the Lord of Western Abyss Dragon Palace and the Divine Lord of Ye Ruins will be highlighted in the annals like mythic heroes, and Immortal of their stature may have their names preserved in the local histories of the surrounding seas.

But the mortals and cultivators living in this era are destined to be but a wisp of dust within the tides of time.

Perhaps by then, the historical records will contain a passage such as this: The story continues at audio-novel dot com.

For thirty thousand years [a conventional long duration], beneath the Great Path of Heavenly and Earthly Cycles [the cosmic law governing the cycles of creation and destruction], countless immortals have faced their tribulations and reincarnated, while billions upon billions of mortal souls have turned to dust and ashes.

Across the three thousand seas, a million Spirit Island [islands rich in spiritual energy] have reverted to primal wilderness. The myriad lives that once flourished there have been extinguished, leaving behind less than one-hundredth of their former glory and vitality.

Eldrin Chen felt a weight upon his heart, a profound and ineffable sense of desolation.

Though he had ascended to immortality for tens of thousands of years and dedicated himself wholly to climbing the Great Path [the supreme path of cultivation], a part of his mortal heart had never truly faded.

Now, witnessing the tribulation of heaven and earth, his feelings grew ever more profound and complex, a deep resonance stirring within his soul.

"Heaven and Earth are the mother of all things. All life is born from them. We who dwell between heaven and earth, nurtured by their boundless grace, are in truth the bloodline born of their essence."

"Be it Demon Immortal [immortals who follow a demonic path], Divine Spirits [innate spiritual beings born of natural laws], or even the Human Race Immortal [humans who have achieved immortality]—all are thus!"

"All living beings multiply and thrive, drawing sustenance from the world. Upon their final rest, they return their essence to the heavens, thus perpetuating an endless cycle of Reincarnation [the cycle of death and rebirth]."

"Yet Immortal [those who have achieved immortality] are deathless and Indestructibility [impervious to decay]. They seize the world's Creation [primordial creative essence] to fuel their cultivation but offer no nourishment in return. Prolonged thus, the Immortal Domain [realms where immortals dwell] will inevitably wither and decay. Hence, the Great Path of Heavenly and Earthly Cycles [the cosmic law governing the cycles of creation and destruction] is set into motion."

"The Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic event that reshapes the cosmos] and the Path Tribulation [a personal trial faced by cultivators on their path] are both born from this very cause."

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, his thoughts a complex and drifting tapestry.

Immortals and Divine Spirits [powerful beings who have transcended mortality] cultivate arduously for tens of thousands of years to finally Transcend the Cycle of Reincarnation and achieve Immortality [a state of eternal life beyond death and rebirth]; they would never simply await their doom. Thus, they too would spare no cost to brave the tribulation.

And from the perspective of Heaven and Earth itself, this might be the optimal way to handle the situation for the entire world.

Rather than waiting for the Immortals to completely drain the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy [the foundational spiritual essence of creation], leading the entire Immortal Domain [a realm of higher existence] to ruin under the Chaos Torrent [a cataclysmic tide of primordial disorder], it is better for Heaven and Earth to use the Great Tribulation [a world-shaking calamity] to force the myriad Immortals to face their destined trials, thereby forming a cycle of cosmic renewal.

The only true pity lies with the cultivators and mortals. They are still struggling within the Mortal Dust [the mundane world of suffering and desire], unable to escape the bitter hardships of Reincarnation [the cycle of death and rebirth], and must endure immense suffering when the Great Tribulation erupts, victims of a calamity not of their own making.

"If one day I were to establish an Immortal Domain of my own, even if I were to initiate the cosmic cycle of renewal, I should leave a path of survival for the cultivators and mortals."

"This tribulation is unleashed for the deathless Immortals and Divine Spirits. When the Great Tribulation arrives, the host of Immortals and Divine Spirits should be forbidden from acting against mortals and lesser cultivators."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, then shook his head abruptly. "No, that's not right. If I were still alive, I should not unleash a Great Tribulation at all."

Eldrin Chen whispered, his mind turning to the Earth Immortal World [a self-contained minor realm] of the Lingering Sun Patriarch.

In a world with a master, the positions of Immortals and Divine Spirits are fixed in number. Take the Lingering Sun Patriarch, for example. The ultimate limit his world could bear was two Rule Authorities [supreme edicts governing fundamental aspects of reality] of Heaven and Earth, and seventy-two Path Principles Immortal [an immortal who has mastered a fundamental law of existence] divine positions.

Therefore, within the Earth Immortal World [a world created and sustained by an Earth Immortal] opened by Lingering Sun Patriarch, there existed the King of Immortals, the Emperor of Gods, thirty-six Divine Spirits [powerful spiritual beings], and thirty-six Immortal [transcendent beings who have achieved immortality].

As long as Lingering Sun Patriarch remained for a single day, he could firmly grasp control over these rules and the Path Principles [the fundamental laws and concepts that govern cultivation and reality] positions, preventing others from ascending to the realm of Immortal.

Only in worlds where the original creator had perished, where no World-Creating Divine Spirit [the primordial divine being who shaped the world] remained to gather and control the world's rules and Path Principles, was it impossible to restrict others from reaching higher realms or to control the number of Immortal. Such worlds were the ones that required the unleashing of a Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic event meant to cull life and reset the cosmic balance].

It was precisely for this reason that Earth Immortal Patriarch [a patriarch who has attained the Earth Immortal realm] and Celestial Immortal Great Power [a mighty being of the Celestial Immortal realm] were able to use the power of their Earth Immortal World and Grotto-Heaven [a pocket dimension or paradise realm] to shelter countless living beings from falling into the Great Tribulation.

"If even Lingering Sun Patriarch could control all living beings and appoint the holders of rules and Path Principles positions,"

"then there is no reason why the Immortal Lord Vast Azure of this Vast Azure Immortal Domain [a vast realm within the immortal worlds] could not do the same." Access the full story on audio-novel dot com.

Eldrin Chen suddenly recalled something and lifted his gaze towards the boundless Heavenly Vault [the celestial dome or firmament] above.

His knowledge of the Vast Azure Immortal Domain was limited. He only knew it was an ancient realm, and legend held that Immortal Lord Vast Azure, who had opened this Immortal Domain [a domain within the immortal realms] during the Primordial Era [the earliest age of creation], had vanished into the Chaos [the primordial, formless state before creation] early in this current cosmic epoch.

Now it seemed the Vast Azure Immortal Domain was masterless; that Immortal Lord Vast Azure had likely perished long ago.

"Legends speak of the Three Thousand Immortal Domains [a collective term for the myriad immortal realms], and even the vast, boundless Primordial Immortal Domain [the original and most fundamental immortal realm], all being subject to outbreaks of Great Tribulation, Path Tribulation [a tribulation targeting specific cultivation paths], and even Kalpa Tribulation [a cosmic-scale tribulation cycle of immense duration]."

"Could it be that all those who opened these Immortal Domain [a vast realm of existence where immortals dwell] have truly perished?"

The thought took root in Eldrin Chen's mind, growing more chilling and more plausible the longer he pondered it.

For an Earth Immortal [an immortal whose power is anchored to a specific world] could conceal their world within the void, a Celestial Immortal [a higher-tier immortal who transcends worldly realms] could house a Grotto-Heaven [a pocket paradise or sanctum] within their own body—surely a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal who has mastered a Great Path] would possess no lesser capability.

Yet these Three Thousand Immortal Domains drifted within the Endless Chaos [the primordial, formless expanse from which all creation emerges], a fact that seemed to defy logic.

From what he knew, among these Three Thousand Immortal Domains, aside from a few like the Primordial Immortal Domain [one of the first domains to exist since the dawn of time] which had existed since the era of Antiquity-Tracing, the vast majority were domains carved out by conscious will.

"If this is true... could there be something within the Endless Chaos so utterly terrifying that it could cause the fall of three thousand Great Encompassing Golden Immortal?"

Eldrin Chen murmured the question, his voice laced with disbelief.

To his knowledge, a Celestial Immortal Great Power [a Celestial Immortal of significant might and influence] had already mastered Path Principle [the fundamental laws governing a specific Dao or Path], transcending the boundless Dimensional Void [the layered spaces between realms].

A Great Encompassing Golden Immortal wielded a Great Path [a supreme and complete Dao, the foundation of ultimate power]. As long as their Great Path endured, they possessed Immortality [true, unending life]—beings of such Indestructibility [the state of being utterly unbreakable and eternal] should be nigh impossible to kill. How could so many have met their end?

As these dark thoughts swirled within him, Eldrin Chen's mind drifted unbidden to the figure of Purple Seal Immortal Lord.

That even an existence like Purple Seal Immortal Lord, who had one foot already in the Primordial One Realm, could fall... if these Three Thousand Immortal Domains were indeed formed from the remains of fallen Great Encompassing Golden Immortals, then perhaps that notion was not so far-fetched after all.

"Perhaps I am overthinking it."

"..."

After several days of flight, the immortal vessel finally arrived at the Returning Abyss Sea Region.

Eldrin Chen arranged for the reception of the Qian Immortal Clan envoys, then returned to the confines of the Stellar Glazed Boundary.

He sought out Exquisite Jiang and Verdant Consort, who were recuperating from their injuries. He presented the Supreme-Grade Path Source [a supreme-grade source of Path energy] from the Winged Human Race to Verdant Consort, and gave the Supreme-Grade Immortal Treasure Azure Feather Immortal Wings to Exquisite Jiang. Only then did he recount the full extent of their gains from the journey.

After listening, Exquisite Jiang smiled faintly. "The Netherworld Nether Antiquity Locust Tree, the Lingering Sun Fire Mulberry Tree, now joined by the Heavenly Heart Divine Willow Tree and the Vast Cold Immortal Osmanthus Tree... my set of World-Opening Spiritual Roots is finally complete."

"Indeed," Eldrin Chen nodded. "However, the grades of these Spiritual Roots are still insufficient. Nourishing them with Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [the supreme violet energy of primordial chaos], it will likely take thirty thousand years for them to advance to the World-Opening Spiritual Root level." This novel is serialized on (audio-novel.com). Visit for updates.