Chapter 1328 : Ascension of the Tribulation Dragons

After devouring the Verdant Stream Ancient Sect, nearly every immortal of Thousand Dragon Lake obtained a Path Source [a primordial essence that can accelerate cultivation and tribulation transcendence], each one effectively having weathered an additional Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic heavenly trial faced by immortals].

The lineage of Thousand Dragon Lake originally harbored many True Dragon [primordial dragons of immense power] who had already endured two or even three Great Tribulation. Now, with this additional tribulation weathered, they would reach the realm of three or even four tribulations.

And a Four Tribulations Immortal [an immortal who has survived four heavenly tribulations] is almost guaranteed to step into the domain of a Half-Step Earth Immortal [a cultivator on the very cusp of becoming a true Earth Immortal].

Under such circumstances, it was not just a matter of adding over a dozen Half-Step Earth Immortal in one breath; it was possible for several Earth Immortal Patriarch [a patriarch who has fully ascended to the Earth Immortal realm] to emerge, or even one or two Seven Tribulations Immortal [an immortal of legendary power who has survived seven heavenly trials].

Merely the Path Source from those dozen or so Half-Step Earth Immortal within the Verdant Stream Ancient Sect alone had the potential to cause Thousand Dragon Lake's strength to skyrocket.

After all, most of the True Dragon of Thousand Dragon Lake had lived for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years. Among them, many had already weathered two, or even three, Great Tribulation.

The numerical disparity in Immortal [beings who have transcended mortality through cultivation] was already vast. The Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance had initially hoped to rely on their higher average cultivation level—gained from their recent substantial harvests—to withstand Thousand Dragon Lake. Now, it seemed even that advantage in cultivation might be lost.

Although the Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance had secured greater spoils, with each of its Immortal refining several Path Source—gains equivalent to surviving three Great Tribulation—the immortals within the Immortal Alliance had ascended far too recently.

Setting aside the Six Stars Immortal [an immortal associated with six celestial stars] and the Heavenly Feather Immortal, the rest of the alliance's immortals had only ascended a mere fifty or sixty thousand years ago. They simply lacked the time needed to fully digest and integrate such monumental gains.

"The gap is too great. Even relying on our Mountain Protection Formation [a powerful defensive array that shields a mountain or sect], I fear we may not be able to hold." Your portal to cultivation novels: audio-novel.com (official site).

Seeing the immense pressure weighing upon everyone's hearts, Verdant Consort immediately stepped forward to bolster their spirits. "In the previous great battle with us," she declared, "Thousand Dragon Lake successively lost ten of its Half-Step Earth Immortal [cultivators who have half-stepped into the Earth Immortal realm]."

"Furthermore, on the battlefield of the Verdant Stream Ancient Sect, Thousand Dragon Lake also saw several True Dragon [primordial dragon beings] of the Half-Step Earth Immortal Realm fall in combat."

"Although they have now obtained over a dozen Supreme-Grade Path Source [supreme-grade treasures containing the essence of a cultivator's path], their number of Half-Step Earth Immortal has dwindled to merely a handful. What use are more Supreme-Grade Path Source if they lack sufficient Half-Step Earth Immortal to utilize them?"

"I estimate their newly ascended Earth Immortal [immortals whose power is anchored to the earth] will not be as numerous as you fear. At most, I believe they will only add one or two new Earth Immortal."

Having said this, Verdant Consort continued, "Moreover, they are currently in seclusion digesting their gains. This means that for the next several hundred, or even a thousand years, the pressure we face will not be overwhelming."

Upon hearing her words, everyone present could not help but let out a collective sigh of relief.

The Sun Consort nodded thoughtfully and said, "Let us hope Fellow Cultivator Eldrin can advance further and emerge from seclusion soon to confront the Great Tribulation [the impending cosmic calamity]."

The assembled immortals fell into a heavy silence. They needed a figure capable of breaking the deadlock. Eldrin Chen's seclusion was ill-timed, yet it was absolutely necessary at this very moment.

For without the power to shatter the stalemate, even if Eldrin Chen had not entered seclusion, it would only have delayed the inevitable arrival of defeat and ruin.

For now, the only thing they could do was to stall for time, racing against Thousand Dragon Lake minute by minute, and delay until the day Eldrin Chen advanced further and stepped into the Forbidden Domain [a realm of power forbidden to ordinary cultivators].

With those words spoken, the group fell silent, having nothing more to add.

They began to continuously activate the Cosmic Stellar Formation [a grand defensive array that mimics the power of stars and cosmos], simultaneously depleting the forces of the Demon Race [a powerful and often malevolent race of demonic beings] while awaiting the opportune moment for a counterattack.

In the days that followed, events unfolded precisely as they had anticipated. The Demon Race merely continued to channel the power of their Treasure Ship [a massive, fortress-like vessel imbued with immense power], wearing down the strength of the Cosmic Stellar Formation without ever launching a true, all-out assault.

It was not until three hundred years had passed that Demon Immortal [demonic cultivators who have ascended to the Immortal Realm] began to join the battlefield in succession, steadily increasing the pressure on the Cosmic Stellar Formation.

These newly arrived Demon Immortal True Dragon [powerful dragon-type demonic beasts of immense strength and ancient lineage] possessed even greater might. The majority had already stepped into the Mid Ascendant Immortal Realm [the middle stage of the Ascendant Immortal cultivation realm], with a minority having entered the domain of the Great Perfection of the Ascendant Immortal Realm [the pinnacle stage of the Ascendant Immortal realm].

There were even a handful of Half-Step Earth Immortal [cultivators who stand at the threshold between the Ascendant Immortal and Earth Immortal realms] who made their move. These individuals were not recorded in the intelligence they had received beforehand, clearly being newly ascended four-tribulation True Dragon.

As time flowed on, the number of Demon Race Demon Immortal gradually swelled. By the time six hundred years had elapsed, the Demon Immortal besieging the Cosmic Stellar Formation had surpassed three hundred.

Eight hundred years later, the besieging Demon Immortal even exceeded four hundred.

This situation reached its absolute peak at the one-thousand-year mark. Over five hundred Demon Immortal True Dragon had joined the fray, more than half of whom were beings of the Late Ascendant Immortal Realm [the late stage of the Ascendant Immortal cultivation realm].

Among them were over a dozen Half-Step Earth Immortal, and even two newly ascended Earth Immortal [cultivators who have reached the Earth Immortal realm, a significant leap in power and longevity]. These two, alongside the three veteran Earth Immortal Patriarch from Thousand Dragon Lake [a demonic stronghold and territory], launched their assaults together, exerting immense pressure upon the Cosmic Stellar Formation.

Amidst the brutal and unrelenting conflict, the Cosmic Stellar Formation [a grand defensive array that mimics the power of stars and cosmos] had, without anyone fully realizing, begun to teeter on the brink of collapse.

Many of the outer Spirit Island [islands rich in spiritual energy] had already been shattered and annihilated. Countless cultivators had perished utterly from the backlash of the formation's failure, and even among the assembled Immortal [powerful beings who have transcended mortality], many had suffered grievous, backlash-induced wounds.

"Hold the line!"

"The World-Ending Cannon [a weapon of cataclysmic destructive power]—deploy it now! Target those high-grade Treasure Ship [enchanted vessels used for warfare and transport] first!"

In the heart of the raging battle, Sun Consort [a powerful immortal consort associated with solar energy], watching the relentless advance of the Demon Race [a race of malevolent, power-hungry beings] army, could not help but roar the command.

Beyond the perimeter of the Returning Abyss Sea Region [a treacherous sea region near a cosmic abyss], a seemingly endless fleet of Demon Race Treasure Ship continuously bombarded the faltering Cosmic Stellar Formation. Continue your cultivation journey at @udio-novel.com.

Among them were several Immortal Rank Supreme Grade [the pinnacle grade of immortal-tier artifacts] Treasure Ship, their hulls forged from the very bones of Half-Step Earth Immortal Realm [a realm just shy of becoming an Earth Immortal] dragons—Dragon Bone [bones of dragons, imbued with immense primal power]. These behemoths spearheaded the assault, ramming through defenses with brute force and placing immense strain on the grand formation.

"BOOM—"

No sooner had Sun Consort's words faded than a deafening explosion shattered the air. Three beams of annihilating, world-ending light lanced out. Two found only empty space as their targets evaded, but the third struck true, instantly obliterating one of the Immortal Rank Supreme Grade Treasure Ship.

The defenders glanced back to see Energy Abyss Chen [a patriarch of the Chen Clan, master of profound energies] himself at the controls of the World-Ending Cannon. With a single, perfectly aimed shot, he had blasted that formidable Immortal Rank Supreme Grade Treasure Ship into nothingness.

"Well done."

Witnessing a Treasure Ship [a massive, heavily armed vessel used for war and transport by powerful factions] being blasted apart, the defenders let out a cheer of triumph, a wave of relief washing over them.

An Immortal Rank Supreme Grade Treasure Ship was a possession of incalculable worth, each one more precious than even a World-Opening Treasure [a supreme-grade treasure capable of creating or stabilizing pocket dimensions]. Even with the deep reserves of Thousand Dragon Lake, they possessed only four such vessels.

The threat a single Immortal Rank Supreme Grade Treasure Ship posed to the Cosmic Stellar Formation [a grand defensive array that mimics the power and alignment of stars] surpassed that of one or two Early-stage Earth Immortal Patriarch.

With one now destroyed, the remaining Treasure Ship lost their coordination, their formations breaking as they began to retreat in disarray.

"No retreat!"

High upon the Heavenly Vault [a celestial platform or command post], the Lord of Thousand Dragon Lake watched this development, his expression turning to ice as he spoke.

"You have battled in the Returning Abyss Sea Region for a thousand years, yet you have failed to breach a single Immortal Isles Formation Eye [a critical node that powers and anchors a grand formation] of their Cosmic Stellar Formation. How much longer must this stalemate drag on?"

His words hung in the air, a command and a rebuke. The Lord of Thousand Dragon Lake once more urged his vast army to press the assault, and he himself took to the field, his power surging forth as he sought to shatter the grand formation in one decisive push.

Seeing this, Blaze Lord of Heaven's Prison acted in concert. He summoned forth his own High-Grade World-Opening Treasure and unleashed its devastating power directly against the shimmering veil of the Cosmic Stellar Formation.

Only the final thousand years remained of the five-thousand-year deadline, and he no longer wished to delay any further.

"Everyone, hold the line firmly."

Witnessing the two Late Stage Earth Immortal [a high-level cultivator who has refined their earthly form] Patriarchs take action, the Patriarch of Verdant Stream Ancient Sect [the leader of the Verdant Stream Ancient Sect] expression shifted slightly.

While channeling the Formation [a structured arrangement of energy nodes and flows for defense or attack] to command the Ancient Starry Firmament Bell [an ancient bell imbued with the power of the starry heavens] to withstand the Blaze Lord of Heaven's Prison, he simultaneously summoned the Verdant River Ancient Sword [an ancient sword containing the essence of a verdant river], intending to engage the Lord of Thousand Dragon Lake [the ruler of the Thousand Dragon Lake domain] and, with all his might, strive to alleviate the pressure on the grand formation.

Sun Consort, Verdant Consort, Heaven Wind Path Master [a master of the path who commands the winds of heaven], and Earth Spring Patriarch, along with other Earth Immortal [a cultivator who has refined their earthly form] combatants, all joined the fray. They unleashed their World-Opening Treasures [powerful artifacts capable of shaping reality] to block the Demon Race [a race of powerful, often malevolent, supernatural beings] Earth Immortals, desperately trying to share the burden borne by the Cosmic Stellar Formation [a grand defensive formation drawing power from the cosmos and stars].

Yet, even so, faced with the boundless Demon Race horde and the assault of the two Late Stage Earth Immortals, the radiance of the Cosmic Stellar Formation grew increasingly dim.

"If the battle continues like this, I fear we cannot hold for another five hundred years."

As Verdant Consort strained to fend off the attacks from the Demon Race Earth Immortals, her heart grew heavier. Her gaze turned once more towards the location of the Abyss of the Returning Abyss [a profound and mysterious chasm].

"My husband, when will you emerge from your seclusion?" Immerse yourself in the complete world at audio-novel.com.