Chapter 1287 : Origin of the Immortal Realm

Moreover, the great calamity has persisted for tens of thousands of years. Unless they transcend the tribulation and ascend as immortals, they will ultimately struggle to survive until the calamity's end.

"Alas." Qian Xuande let out a sigh, then shook his head and said, "Living in this era of the great tribulation's eruption, perhaps this is simply their fate."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin (Person Name) could not help but sigh inwardly.

For immortals like them, even the outbreak of a great calamity could be considered a life-and-death tribulation.

For ordinary mortals, this boundless catastrophe sweeping through the Xī Qì Shén Yuān Hǎi was nothing less than a mythical calamity worthy of being recorded in the annals of history.

The life of a mortal, even 1 who achieves the state of a Primordial Spirit Dao Lord, spans but a few tens of thousands of years at most.

When tens of millions of years had passed, the tribulations they endured today would be recorded in the annals of history. Cultivators reading from these scrolls would find them distant and weathered, regarding them as ancient mythological tales.

Perhaps figures like the Lord of the Western Abyss Dragon Palace and Sovereign Ye Xu could leave mythic, indelible marks in the annals of history, while immortals of their stature might also etch their names into the chronicles of the surrounding seas.

Yet the mortals and cultivators living in this era are but specks of dust in the river of time. Perhaps when that day comes, the annals of history shall record but these words:

The Great Cataclysm spanned 30 1000 years. Under the cyclical workings of the Heavenly Dao, immortals faced their tribulations and reincarnated, while hundreds of millions upon millions of mortal lives turned to ashes. Across the 3 1000 seas, millions of spirit islands reverted to primordial wilderness. All living beings perished and returned to dust, leaving behind less than 1 percent of the former world's flourishing vitality.

Eldrin's mood was somber, tinged with an indescribable desolation.

Though he had attained immortality for tens of thousands of years and devoted himself to climbing the great path, that mortal heart of his remained. Now, sensing the Heavenly Tribulation, he couldn't help but feel profoundly moved, his emotions growing increasingly complex.

"Heaven and Earth are the mother of all things, and all life is born of Heaven and Earth. We who dwell between them, nurtured by their grace, may be considered the bloodline born of Heaven and Earth."

"Be it a demon immortal, a divine spirit, or even a human celestial—all are the same!"

"All living beings thrive and multiply, born of the heavens and earth. When they pass from this world, they return their essence to the cosmos—thus the cycle continues unbroken through endless reincarnations."

"Yet immortals, undying and eternal, cultivate by seizing the natural creation of heaven and earth without ever giving back. Should this continue, the celestial realm will inevitably wither and decay. Thus, the great cycle of cosmic balance was conceived."

"The Great Tribulation and the Dao Tribulation were both born of this."

Eldrin murmured inwardly, a tangle of complicated thoughts drifting through his mind.

Immortals and deities, having arduously cultivated for tens of thousands of years to transcend the cycle of reincarnation and achieve immortality, would never resign themselves to fate. Thus, they would spare no cost to transcend their heavenly tribulations.

From the perspective of the cosmos, this might be the optimal resolution for the entire world.

Rather than waiting for the immortals to drain the world's spiritual energy entirely and let the entire celestial realm be destroyed beneath the chaotic tides, it would be better to force all immortals to face the tribulation through a great heavenly calamity, thus forming the Dao of cosmic cycles.

The only pity was for these cultivators and mortals. Still struggling within the mortal realm, unable to escape the suffering of samsara, they would endure immense hardships when the great calamity erupted—truly bearing calamity through no fault of their own.

"If 1 day I establish a celestial realm of my own, even when enacting the Dao of Heaven's cycles, I must preserve a path of survival for both cultivators and mortals."

"This tribulation is invoked for the immortal gods and deities. When the great calamity descends, all immortals and divine beings must refrain from raising hands against mortals and cultivators."

Eldrin murmured under his breath, then abruptly shook his head. "No, if I yet live, the Great Cataclysm should never have been unleashed."

Eldrin murmured, recalling the Earth Immortal realm of the Setting Sun Patriarch.

In the cosmos where dominions are claimed, the stations of immortals and deities are fixed in number. Take the setting sun Patriarch as an example—the utmost his realm could sustain was 2 heavenly and earthly Rule stations, along with 70-2 Dao Principle stations for immortals and deities.

Thus, within the earthly immortal world forged by the Setting Sun Patriarch, there existed the King of All Immortals, the Emperor of All Deities, 30-6 Divine Spirits, and 30-6 Celestial Immortals.

As long as the Setting Sun Ancestor remained, he could firmly grasp these rules and law dominions, preventing all others from ascending to the Immortal Realm.

Only in worlds where the primordial creators have perished—where no divine beings exist to govern the laws of heaven and earth, to restrict ascension to higher realms, or to control the number of immortals—must a great tribulation be unleashed.

It was precisely for this reason that Earth Immortals and Celestial Immortals could leverage their Earth Immortal Realms and Grotto-Heavens to shield hundreds of millions of living beings from the Great Tribulation.

"If the Crimson Sun Patriarch can control all living beings and appoint the arbiters of rules and the holders of law authority," "then the Qingcang Immortal Lord of the Qingcang Immortal Realm has no reason to be incapable of this."

Eldrin suddenly recalled something and lifted his gaze toward the boundless firmament above.

He knew little about the Vastheaven Immortal Realm, only that it was an ancient land of profound age. Legend spoke of the Great Ancient Vastheaven Immortal Lord who had forged this realm, only to vanish into the primordial chaos in the earliest days of this epoch.

It now appears that the Vast Heaven Immortal Domain is without a master; that Lord Vast Heaven may have fallen long ago.

“Legend has it that across the 3 1000 Immortal Domains, and even the vast, boundless Primal Immortal Domain, there exist calamities—lesser tribulations, heavenly tribulations, and even cosmic tribulations—that erupt in their turn.”

"Could it be that those who established these celestial realms have truly all met their demise?"

Eldrin pondered this, and the more he thought, the more alarmed he became—increasingly convinced this was highly probable.

Since Earth Immortals can conceal worlds within the void, and Celestial Immortals can harbor grotto-heavens within their bodies, there was no reason a Great Luo Golden Immortal couldn’t do the same.

These 3 1000 celestial realms drifted amidst the boundless chaos, which seemed somewhat contrary to reason.

As far as he knew, among these 3,000 immortal domains, it seemed that aside from a few like the Primal Immortal Domains that had existed since the dawn of antiquity, all others had been artificially carved out.

"If this is true, could there be something utterly terrifying within the endless chaos, capable of causing the fall of 3 1000 Great Luo Golden Immortals?"

Eldrin murmured, unable to believe his eyes.

As far as he knew, Celestial Immortals had already mastered the Dao Principles, transcending the boundless dimensional void.

Great Luo Golden Immortals command the Great Dao itself; so long as the Great Dao remains eternal, they are undying and indestructible. How could so many of such beings possibly have perished?

Eldrin thought to himself, yet his mind unwittingly drifted to thoughts of Zixianjun (Person Name).

Even an existence like Immortal Lord Lian Zi, who had 1 foot already stepped into the Primordial Chaos Realm, met his demise. That these 3 1000 immortal domains were all formed from the fall of Great Luo Golden Immortals now seemed almost acceptable.

"Perhaps I am overthinking it."

The immortal vessel flew for several days before finally arriving at the Sea of Returning Abyss.

Eldrin instructed his attendants to receive the Qian Clan of immortal cultivators, then returned to the Starry Glazed Realm.

He found Lyra and Qing Ji, who were recuperating from their injuries, and presented Qing Ji with the supreme Dao Origin of the Avian Tribe before giving the supreme immortal treasure, the Cyan Feather Immortal Wings, to Lyra. Only then did he recount the gains from their journey.

After hearing this, Lyra (Person Name) smiled faintly and said, "With the Netherworld Ancient Pagoda Tree, the Setting Sun Fire Mulberry, along with the Heavenly Heart Divine Willow and the Moon Palace Cassia, the materials for my Heavenly Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root) are finally complete."

"Mm." Eldrin nodded, then spoke, "However, these few spiritual roots haven't yet reached sufficient grade. Nourished by my Primordial Purple Qi, it will take approximately 30,000 years for them to advance into Heavenly Spiritual Roots."