Chapter 1367 : Trial of the Frozen Veins

The extreme cold Earth Vein [a subterranean channel of concentrated earth-elemental energy] within the Icy Jade Immortal Palace could not compare to the Myriad Tribulation Thunder Abyss [a legendary abyss of endless thunder tribulations] that commanded awe throughout the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea.

Yet, it was, after all, an Upper Grade Blessed Land [a land of supreme spiritual fortune and power]. The profound cold energy [a potent, freezing spiritual force] within was incredibly abundant, potent enough to frostbite Eldrin Chen's very marrow and even his Five Viscera and Six Bowels [the vital internal organs in traditional Chinese medicine].

Under such conditions, Eldrin Chen's Primordial One Indestructibility Body [a legendary physique of near-unbreakable resilience] operated ceaselessly. His Five Viscera Divine Spirits [the spiritual embodiments of the five vital organs] radiated with dazzling brilliance, engaging in a constant struggle against the invasive cold.

Throughout this process, Eldrin Chen did not actively channel his magic power. He only occasionally used the Rule of Life [the fundamental law governing vitality and regeneration] to restore his physical form. The rest of the time, he relied solely on his fleshly body to withstand the assault.

As his cultivation deepened and the amount of profound cold energy he drew in gradually increased, the pressure on his physical form grew immense.

Simultaneously, the five Earth Vein [subterranean channels of concentrated earth-elemental energy] within his Five Viscera [the five vital organs: heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys] grew rigid and stubborn under the cold's influence, becoming increasingly difficult to mobilize.

The only recourse for Eldrin Chen was to continuously drive his Five Viscera Divine Spirits [the spiritual embodiments of the five vital organs], waging an unending battle against the relentless cold.

As time flowed on, within this ceaseless conflict, Eldrin Chen discovered his mastery over the Five Viscera Divine Spirits growing ever more profound. His control over the power of the five Supreme-Grade Earth Vein [earth veins of the highest possible quality] also became increasingly effortless and precise.

Thus, the wheel of time turned, and in the blink of an eye, a full millennium had passed.

Over these thousand years, Eldrin Chen had absorbed a vast quantity of Profound Ice Energy [a potent, freezing spiritual essence]. His physical body's resistance to Profound Ice Power [the power of profound, soul-chilling ice] had seen a monumental increase, and its overall strength had also advanced significantly through this relentless tempering.

By the time the first millennium had passed, Eldrin Chen discovered that his physical body's resistance to extreme cold had reached its absolute limit. Even the formidable chill within this Blessed Land [a realm of concentrated spiritual energy and natural wonders] could no longer exert any influence upon his flesh.

Most crucially, with the hindrance of the frigid energy gone, Eldrin Chen found his mastery over the Five Viscera Divine Spirits [the divine spiritual essences residing within the five vital organs] within his body, and indeed over the five Supreme-Grade Earth Vein [primeval terrestrial energy channels of the highest purity], had reached a state of utter perfection.

Previously, his ability to command the power of the Five Viscera Divine Spirits and the Supreme-Grade Earth Vein had relied entirely on the forceful coercion of the Primordial One Limitless Rule [the foundational cosmic law of boundless unity].

Yet now, Eldrin Chen realized that even without the Primordial One Limitless Rule, he could manipulate the five Supreme-Grade Earth Vein with a fluid ease, as if they were extensions of his own limbs.

"The cultivation of the Ice Vein Power [the divine ability to channel and command glacial earth vein energy] is now complete," Eldrin Chen murmured softly to himself.

Feeling the five distinct Earth Vein [terrestrial energy channels] powers within him responding with seamless obedience, Eldrin Chen allowed himself a faint sigh of relief.

After the impurities were tempered away by the Heavenly Thunder Body Tempering [a body-forging art that uses heavenly thunder tribulation], the energies of the five Earth Vein had become exceptionally pure. Now, further refined by the glacial Earth Vein, his control over them had become absolute.

At this moment, he had fully assimilated the five Supreme-Grade Earth Vein, making them truly his own. To call them merely Earth Vein forces was no longer apt. They were better termed the Five Vein Source [the foundational source power of the five veins], or perhaps the wellspring of the Five Viscera [the five vital organs].

This Five Vein Source was the very font of power for the Primordial One Indestructibility Body [the Primordial Indestructible Physique, a legendary body cultivation constitution]. It was the fundamental strength that allowed the Primordial One Indestructibility Body to strike against the Nine Heavens [the Nine Celestial Heavens] above and Suppress Nine Nether Abysses below.

Next, he needed only to undergo the bone-eroding, soul-refining process of the Gale Power [a spiritual force of corrosive, howling gales], to fuse the power of this Five Vein Source into a single, unified whole. Then, Eldrin Chen's physical body would undergo a true, qualitative metamorphosis.

The transformation of the physical body is different from the transformation of one's comprehension of the laws of reality.

While Eldrin Chen's Primordial One Limitless Rule is indeed formidable, it requires an immensely profound reservoir of magical power to unleash its ultimate potential.

This is precisely why, on the day his Primordial One Limitless Rule took form, Eldrin Chen's combat prowess had only just stepped into the Nine Tribulations Domain; the fundamental constraint was his limited magical power.

However, once his Primordial One Indestructibility Body [a supreme physical constitution said to be unbreakable] is fully perfected, Eldrin Chen will be able to shake the heavens and earth with his physical strength alone. Without relying on any external aids, he could contend with a Seventh Level Earth Immortal Great Power, his combat strength directly entering the Forbidden Domain.

Of course, this does not mean the power of the Primordial One Limitless Rule is inherently inferior to the Primordial One Indestructibility Body.

Once Eldrin Chen completes his World-Opening [the act of creating one's own inner world or cosmos], thus resolving his weakness of insufficient magical power, and further augments it with profound Divine Ability [supernatural techniques], mighty Immortal Treasure [artifacts of immense power used by immortals], and the myriad applications of secret arts...

...the upper limit of combat power unleashed by the Primordial One Limitless Rule would undoubtedly far surpass that of pure physical strength.

Moreover, channeling the power of the Primordial One Limitless Rule into his physical form would further enhance the might of his Primordial One Indestructibility Body.

Contemplating this, a wave of profound satisfaction washed over Eldrin Chen.

His Primordial One Indestructibility Body had advanced once more. Only a single, final step remained before its complete and perfect manifestation.

Without delay, Eldrin Chen emerged from the Earth Vein and walked out joyfully alongside Exquisite Jiang.

Outside the Earth Vein, Jade Frost the Immortal Maiden and the others had been waiting for some time. Upon seeing Eldrin Chen emerge, she smiled and asked, "Fellow Daoist, did your secluded cultivation yield any gains?"

Eldrin Chen offered a slight smile and replied, "Thanks to your grace in allowing me to cultivate within the Blessed Land [a land imbued with potent spiritual energy], I have finally surmounted a significant hurdle."

"..."

Having achieved his goal, Eldrin Chen did not linger long at the Icy Jade Immortal Palace.

Settling his account with a sum of Immortal Source [a highly concentrated source of immortal energy], he promptly departed from the Icy Jade Immortal Palace.

Drawing from his prior experience, Eldrin Chen did not seek out an ordinary Earth Immortal Blessed Land this time. Instead, he journeyed to a premier wind-attributed Blessed Land known as 'Gale Wind Valley'.

The Gale Wind [a potent spiritual wind] is one of the Eight Winds [a set of eight legendary divine winds], specifically the western wind among them. The Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea lies within the western region of the Vast Azure Immortal Domain, which is precisely why the Gale Wind Valley Blessed Land was born from its essence.

Unlike the Icy Jade Immortal Palace, this Gale Wind Valley was not a Blessed Land belonging to the Human Race, nor was it one held by a Divine Spirit Lineage. It was, in fact, a Blessed Land of the Demon Race.

The Demon Race inhabiting this Gale Wind Valley were known as the 'Dark Great Roc'. It was said this lineage shared ancestry with the Golden-Winged Great Roc, ranking among the most supreme divine avian species within the Immortal Domain.

As for the Clan Patriarch of the Dark Great Roc, he is a powerful expert at the Earth Immortal Great Perfection realm named 'Dark Great Roc King'. He has opened up a Seventh Heaven Earth [a high-level personal realm cultivated by Earth Immortals] and is one of the ten supreme powerhouses among the Demon Race of the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea.

This time, as the Dark Great Roc Bird Clan has entered the Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic era of conflict ordained by fate], and because they are relatively close to the battlefield of the Western Abyss Dragon Palace, they have already become involved in the core of the conflict. It seems they are scheming to seize the Opportunity and Fortune needed to break through to the Primordial Unity Realm.

When Eldrin Chen arrived at Gale Wind Valley, he discovered that the valley held almost no Demon Race defenders.

All the treasures within had been taken away. Even the immature Spiritual Root [a plant with inherent spiritual properties, often the foundation of a blessed land] and Immortal Herb had been moved into their Earth Immortal World [the personal inner world cultivated by an Earth Immortal].

Only an empty Gale Wind Valley Blessed Land remained, seemingly unconcerned about being raided by others.

Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang, concealed within the Polarity Void Mirror, scoured every corner of Gale Wind Valley. Confirming there were indeed no Demon Race left behind, they finally relaxed their guard.

They made their way towards the summit of Gale Wind Valley. After one final check, Eldrin Chen stated, "Upon this valley's peak, endless Gale Wind [a potent spiritual wind with cutting properties] howls day and night."

"The higher one climbs, the more ferocious the Gale Wind becomes. By the mountainside, even an ordinary Earth Immortal would furrow their brow in distress."

"And upon the very summit, its fury is sufficient to scour an Immortal's flesh and blood to dust."

"In terms of peril, while it may not rival the ninth layer of the Ninefold Thunder Abyss, it is certainly comparable to the eighth. It can rightly be called one of the death zones of the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea."

"I must now ascend to the mountain peak to cultivate. Please wait for me on the mountainside, my lady."

"Very well." Exquisite Jiang nodded and then spoke, "Remember, if you feel you can no longer endure, there is no shame in retreating."