Chapter 1369 : Treading the Primordial Chaos

More importantly, within the Chaos [the primordial, formless void beyond the ordered worlds] lies the legendary Innate Energy [the purest form of primordial energy, the foundation of all creation], and even Innate Rare Treasure [rare materials born from the primal chaos] and Innate Spiritual Treasure [supreme treasures forged from innate chaos essence].

In the past, when Lingering Sun Heavenly God's companion Innate Treasure [a treasure born alongside a being from the chaos], the Crimson Sun Halberd, was seized, he personally ventured into the Chaos to make up for his lost combat power.

It is said Lingering Sun Heavenly God did not travel far before obtaining a strand of Innate Energy, which he used to forge the Innate Treasure known as the Nine Dragon Ancient Cauldron.

For ordinary Celestial Immortal [immortals who have ascended to the celestial realm], the aura of the Chaos is an immensely threatening force. Traversing its depths greatly consumes one's magic power and foundational essence.

If one lingers within for too long and exhausts their magic power before returning to an Immortal Domain [a realm governed by immortal laws], death is the only fate that awaits.

If Eldrin Chen were to step into the Celestial Immortal Realm, coupled with his Primordial One Indestructibility Body [a legendary physique said to be unbreakable] which has cultivated Chaos Origin [the foundational essence of primordial chaos], the Chaos surrounding the Three Thousand Immortal Domains would be as easy for him to tread as flat ground, with no danger of exhausting his magic power.

At that point, Eldrin Chen could explore the Chaos for extended periods. The resources he could obtain would undoubtedly far surpass those available to ordinary Celestial Immortal, and his cultivation speed would surely advance by leaps and bounds.

The reason the former Purple Seal Immortal Lord was able to cultivate to the verge of challenging the Path Ancestor Immortal Sage [the pinnacle of cultivation, a sage who has mastered a fundamental path of the cosmos] in a mere eight million years was not only due to his peerless talent but more so because he was protected by the Chaos Cauldron.

Legend states that above Innate Spiritual Treasure lies the Innate Supreme Treasure [the highest grade of treasures born from innate chaos]. Above that is the Chaos Spiritual Artifact [artifacts forged directly from the substance of chaos], and above even those resides the supreme Chaos Supreme Treasure [the ultimate treasures of the primordial void].

And the Chaos Cauldron held by the Purple Seal Immortal Lord was precisely such a legendary Chaos Supreme Treasure.

Unfettered by the protection of the Chaos Cauldron, the Purple Seal Immortal Lord was able to wander the Chaos [the primordial, formless state before creation] at an early stage, acquiring a vast trove of precious resources. Among these were not only Innate Energy [the primordial energy of creation] but even Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light [a legendary spiritual radiance that grants near-perfect durability].

Bolstered by these resources, the Purple Seal Immortal Lord's cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. In the span of a mere few million years, he traversed a cultivation path that would take others several Kalpa Tribulation [immense cosmic cycles spanning billions of years] to complete.

The wealth amassed by the Purple Seal Immortal Lord was likewise staggering. Legend speaks of nine 'Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure' [treasures born from the primordial chaos, of the highest possible grade] that he nurtured, each one powerful enough to shake the Immortal Domain [the realm of the immortals].

These nine Innate Spiritual Treasure [treasures born from the primordial chaos] were revered as the Purple Seal Nine Treasures, and any single one was enough to make even the most powerful Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal realm cultivator] covet it with envy.

Furthermore, the three most powerful among these nine Innate Spiritual Treasure were nurtured by him to the level of Innate Supreme Treasure [the pinnacle grade of treasures born from chaos].

With such profound wealth and foundation, the Purple Seal Immortal Lord was hailed as one of the few individuals below the Path Ancestor Immortal Sage [a supreme being who has merged with a fundamental cosmic principle] with the deepest reserves. It was no wonder he dared to attempt the breakthrough into that very realm.

Eldrin Chen had only heard fragments and rumors of these secrets; much of it remained unknown to him.

He did not fully comprehend the true, profound utility of the Primordial One Indestructibility Body [a legendary physique of unbreakable unity with the primordial source]. Yet, he had a vague intuition that with the complete cultivation of his World-Opening True Body [a divine ability to manifest a body capable of creating worlds], he might have stumbled upon a heaven-defying Opportunity and Fortune [a momentous chance bestowed by fate].

With this thought, Eldrin Chen spoke, "Now that my comprehension of cosmic rules and my World-Opening True Body are both complete, it is time to set my sights on condensing the World-Opening Path Fruit [the fruit of one's cultivation path, representing the power to open and shape worlds]."

Exquisite Jiang nodded, yet her expression turned grave. "Given the profundity of your foundation, the difficulty of condensing a flawless World-Opening Path Fruit will undoubtedly be immense," she said with concern.

"Even a Nine Tribulations Path Source [a source of Path power that has endured nine heavenly tribulations] would be of no use to you. What do you intend to do?"

Eldrin Chen pondered for a moment before replying, "There are three methods to condense a Path Fruit [the ultimate fruit of one's cultivation path, representing mastery over a fundamental law of existence]. The first is the method of arduous cultivation. Given a hundred thousand years of dedicated practice, I am confident I could achieve completion."

"The second method is to refine a Path Source [a rare spiritual object containing the concentrated essence of a specific Path or law], using its power to forcibly coalesce the Path Fruit."

"The third method relies on external aid, a force powerful enough to compel the Path Fruit into form."

Upon hearing this, Exquisite Jiang's brow furrowed slightly.

Among these three paths, the first was clearly not viable.

During this Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic era of conflict ordained by fate], they had made many formidable enemies. If Eldrin Chen did not break through to the Earth Immortal [a realm of cultivation where one becomes an immortal anchored to the mortal world] realm, retribution would inevitably find them.

They lacked a powerful patron and were not direct disciples of a Supreme Grotto-Heaven [a paramount immortal sanctuary and power base]. Relying solely on their own strength without a breakthrough in cultivation, surviving for a hundred thousand years was nearly an impossibility.

The second method was even more impossible. A Path Source useful to Eldrin Chen would need to be one that had itself touched the Forbidden Domain [a legendary and nearly unreachable state of cultivation].

Entities reaching such a realm appear perhaps once in a hundred thousand years. In the entire Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea [a vast and perilous sea region in the immortal realms], only Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang had achieved this in the last hundred millennia.

Even beyond the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea, if there were top-tier prodigies who had stepped into this domain, they would most likely be direct disciples of a Supreme Grotto-Heaven.

Even if they were not direct disciples of a Grotto-Heaven, any Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality through cultivation] who reached this realm would not linger there for long; they would likely enter seclusion immediately to attempt a breakthrough into the Earth Immortal Realm [the realm of an immortal anchored to the mortal world].

Therefore, considering everything, obtaining a Path Source [the primordial source energy of a cultivation path] with more than ten tribulations was fundamentally a near-impossible feat.

"It seems, then, the only viable method is the third one," Exquisite Jiang said with a furrowed brow, unable to resist asking, "How, pray tell, does your method utilize external aid?"

Eldrin Chen did not answer immediately. After a moment, he spoke, "The method of utilizing external aid is to harness the power of Heaven and Earth itself."

"Using the cosmos as the furnace and Polarity [the fundamental opposing forces of Yin and Yang] as the flame, only then can my lifetime's cultivation be refined into a single, perfect Leakless Path Fruit [a flawless, self-contained manifestation of one's cultivation path]."

"This..."

Exquisite Jiang was greatly startled, her expression turning profoundly grave.

According to Eldrin Chen's method, it meant using the power of the Immortal Domain's [a realm of immortals] very heavens and earth to refine oneself as if one were a cauldron of Immortal Pill [a divine elixir of immortality].

Noting Exquisite Jiang's expression, Eldrin Chen showed no surprise. He continued, "The World-Opening Path Fruit [a Path Fruit representing the power to cleave open a new world] is the condensation of an Immortal's lifetime of cultivation. Its difficulty and potency vary greatly depending on the individual."

"For ordinary Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality and ascended to a higher state of existence], whose foundation at the Great Perfection of the Ascendant Immortal Realm [the peak stage before advancing to the next major realm] is as fragile as loose earth, the Path Fruit [the condensed essence of one's cultivation path and comprehension] they form is merely of inferior grade. Naturally, the difficulty of condensing such a Path Fruit is not great."

"For an Immortal who has cultivated either a World-Opening True Body [a physique forged to withstand the tribulations of world creation] or comprehended Path Principles [the fundamental laws governing a specific cultivation path], their foundation is like a mountain of stubborn stone. They can achieve a mid-grade World-Opening Path Fruit [the Path Fruit formed upon reaching the World-Opening Realm], but it still requires meticulous and patient polishing."

"For those who cultivate both the World-Opening True Body and Path Principles, their foundation is comparable to primordial Mystic Iron [a legendary, incredibly durable metal]. They can condense a flawless, leak-proof superior-grade Path Fruit. Yet, to forge such a Path Fruit requires a thousand hammer strikes and a hundred temperings—constant forging before it takes shape."

At this point, Eldrin Chen paused, then shook his head. "As for cultivators with constitutions like ours, they are akin to Immortality Immortal Gold [a mythical metal symbolizing eternal durability] or even Chaos Ancient Iron [primordial ore from the dawn of chaos, representing ultimate resilience]. How immensely difficult is it to condense a single Flawless Path Fruit [a Path Fruit of the highest, unblemished quality]?"

"One must either rely on external aid, endure a bitter cultivation spanning a million or even several million years, or undertake endeavors far beyond the ordinary."

Upon hearing this, Exquisite Jiang fell into contemplative silence.

After a moment of deep thought, she asked, "How is this method of yours to be implemented? How can I assist you?"

"The Immortal Domain [the realm of the ascended, representing the heavens] shall be the sky, the Netherworld [the underworld, representing the earth] shall be the earth. Fuse them into a single crucible, then temper it with the Polarity Flame [a divine flame embodying the union of opposing forces]. This shall aid my path to completion."

Eldrin Chen wore a thoughtful expression as he began to narrate his method in detail.

As his explanation unfolded, Exquisite Jiang grew increasingly astonished, profoundly shaken by the sheer audacity of Eldrin Chen's conception.

According to Eldrin Chen's conception, to refine a cultivation foundation as profound as his required an immense external force, a pressure vast enough to catalyze his breakthrough.

Thus, the heavens and earth themselves must serve as the furnace. The 'heavens' refer to the Immortal Domain [the realm of celestial beings and immortal energy], while the 'earth' signifies the domain of the Netherworld Hell [the underworld realm of spirits and yin energy].

Eldrin Chen needed to journey to a convergence point between the Polarity Two Realms [the opposing domains of Yang and Yin], there to establish a grand formation. This array would gather the powers of both the Immortal Domain and the Netherworld [the underworld], fusing the energies of heaven and earth into a single crucible to serve as the vessel for condensing his Leakless Path Fruit [a flawless, self-contained manifestation of one's cultivation path].

As the Polarity [the fundamental duality of Yin and Yang] serves as the fire, two distinct flames embodying this duality are required to achieve equilibrium within the furnace.

The Yin flame is the boundless Netherworld Energy [the cold, shadowy essence of the underworld], while the Yang flame is the Great Tribulation Flame [the purifying, celestial fire of heavenly retribution] from the Immortal Domain.

The Netherworld Energy is supremely Yin and frigid, the Great Tribulation Flame supremely Yang and unyielding. Only by merging these two into a single Polarity furnace-fire could Eldrin Chen's lifetime of accumulated cultivation foundation finally be forged into a single, flawless Leakless Path Fruit.