Chapter 1373 : The Millennial Stalemate at Sea

"However, in recent years, the Demon Race have stubbornly defended the Hundred Demons Archipelago, and demon armies have continuously reinforced them. As a result, the progress of the war has slowed considerably."

As the Heaven Solemn Patriarch recounted the tale, Eldrin Chen gradually grasped the current state of the conflict.

Ever since the great demonic formation was shattered years ago, the Western Abyss Dragon Palace, having lost the combat power of one Half-Step Celestial Immortal, collapsed overnight. Even with the later arrival of reinforcements from the Celestial Prison Clan, they could not reverse their decline and were forced to shift from offense to defense.

The Human Race and the Divine Clan pressed their advantage, achieving victory after victory. They breached over a dozen Blessed Land [a land imbued with potent spiritual energy] of the Demon Race and slew numerous Earth Immortal Patriarch [a patriarch who has attained the Earth Immortal cultivation realm].

Facing the pincer attack from the Human Race and the Divine Clan, the Demon Race later dug in at the Hundred Demons Archipelago. Relying on the defensive formations of one Blessed Land after another, they engaged in a protracted and bloody war across these seas.

This struggle has lasted for millennia. While the Demon Race have continuously lost Blessed Land and sea territories, the Human Race and the Divine Clan have also suffered significant losses, thanks to the power of the Mountain Protection Formation [a powerful defensive formation].

Thus, even to this day, a decisive victory has not yet been achieved by either side.

Speaking to this point, the Heaven Solemn Patriarch said, "Fortunately, the Demon Race are in constant retreat. Many demon forces have now fallen back to the Dragon Palace's sea territories."

"If this continues, we estimate that within five thousand years, we can completely clear the Blessed Land and concentrate all our forces to besiege the Western Abyss Dragon Palace."

Eldrin Chen nodded upon hearing this. As the Heaven Solemn Patriarch had stated, the four Half-Step Celestial Immortal [cultivators one step below the Celestial Immortal realm] of the Human Race had already encircled the Western Abyss Dragon Palace.

After five thousand years, when all the Demon Race sea territories have been conquered, the remaining Western Abyss Dragon Palace will likely find it impossible to escape the fate of defeat and destruction.

The Great Tribulation lasts for thirty thousand years. Thirteen thousand years remain until its conclusion; after five thousand years pass, eight thousand years will still be left.

Two Grotto-Heaven [a higher-dimensional realm of profound spiritual energy] are secretly involved in this war. Given the strength of the Western Abyss Dragon Palace, holding out for eight thousand years will be an immensely difficult task.

It is entirely possible that one or two of the Half-Step Celestial Immortal [cultivators on the verge of ascending to true immortality] from the Demon Race and the Celestial Prison Clan could fall in battle, or even that their entire force could be annihilated in this conflict.

Even if they ultimately manage to hold their ground, the Demon Race and Celestial Prison Clan of the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea will undoubtedly suffer devastating losses. For the next million years, they will likely be suppressed and struggle to breathe under the weight of the Human Race.

Of course, there are traces of covert support from the Demon Race Heavenly Court behind the Western Abyss Dragon Palace, so Eldrin Chen dare not say their defeat is absolutely certain.

"After this Great Tribulation, the very landscape of the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea will be transformed,"

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, a sigh escaping his lips.

It was undeniable that, regardless of the outcome, this war would irrevocably alter the balance of power within the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea.

If the Western Abyss Dragon Palace were to evolve into a True Dragon Grotto-Heaven [a Grotto-Heaven founded and ruled by a True Dragon], the Demon Race would undoubtedly rise in power, leading to a tripartite balance of power dominating the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea.

It is highly likely that the Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven will join forces with the True Dragon Grotto-Heaven to oppose the mightiest Western Essence Grotto-Heaven.

And should the Western Abyss Dragon Palace fail to ascend into a Grotto-Heaven, then the Demon Race will suffer grievous losses, facing further suppression from both the Human Race and the Divine Clan.

"With my current level of cultivation, dwelling on such matters is futile for now,"

"The immediate priority is to swiftly achieve the World-Opening Path Fruit. Once I have stepped into the Earth Immortal Realm, there will be time enough to consider these things."

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, then cupped his hands towards Heaven Solemn Patriarch and said, "We have pressing matters to attend to today and cannot linger here any longer."

After bidding farewell to Heaven Solemn Patriarch, the group continued on their journey.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the periphery of the 'Myriad Dragon Nest' sea region, the domain of the Western Abyss Dragon Palace.

Within the waters of the Myriad Dragon Nest before them, the Human Race's Leaf Ruins Divine Sea and the Divine Clan's two supreme Blessed Land were engaged in a relentless siege.

Eldrin Chen did not alert them, halting from a great distance. He then concealed their presence with the Polarity Void Mirror before speaking. "This Myriad Dragon Nest sea region is the very heart of the current Great Tribulation within the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea."

"To draw upon the Great Tribulation Flame, we must lay down the Heaven and Earth Furnace Formation deep beneath the Myriad Dragon Nest, at the convergence point where the Immortal Domain meets the Netherworld."

Hearing this, all the immortals nodded with grave expressions.

Exquisite Jiang pondered for a moment, a trace of worry in her voice. "If we set up the grand formation beneath the Myriad Dragon Nest, will it alert the denizens of the Myriad Dragon Nest itself?"

"It will not."

Eldrin Chen shook his head, his tone utterly certain. "The point of convergence between the Immortal Domain and the Netherworld lies at a distance from the Mortal Realm so vast it is beyond measure."

"Even if the Western Abyss Dragon Palace were to sense something, they are currently embroiled in a fierce and consuming war. It is unlikely they could spare the resources to investigate."

Hearing this, Sun Consort nodded in agreement. "That is reassuring."

Seeing the consensus, Eldrin Chen wasted no further time. He immediately led the group deeper into the churning mists of the Netherworld Depths.

Their journey through that shadowed expanse took them more than a year, finally bringing them to a desolate region that marked the border between the Immortal Domain and the Netherworld Realm.

Within the void of this Boundary of Solar and Lunar Polarity, the Polarity Energy [the fundamental energies of light and darkness] flowed in stark, clearly demarcated currents, creating a palpable divide between the Immortal Domain and the Netherworld.

Eldrin Chen performed a brief divination with his fingers, calculating their precise position. "This place is ideal," he declared. "The ambient energy of calamity is abundant, and the Netherworld Energy [the dark, yin-aligned energy native to the underworld] is more than sufficient. It is perfectly suited for deploying the Heaven and Earth Furnace Formation."

Hearing this, the assembled immortals wasted no time and immediately began assisting Eldrin Chen in setting up the grand formation.

The Netherworld Realm, meanwhile, was entrusted to Ancient Ruins Nether Lord to manage.

As a Netherworld Ghost Immortal [a powerful spirit who cultivates in the underworld], Ancient Ruins Nether Lord had already reached the Ghost Ancestor realm [the pinnacle of ghostly cultivation]. Having reversed his constitution to attain a Primordial Solar body [a yang-aligned physique supremely rare for a ghost], his strength was comparable to a formidable Ghost Ancestor of the Late Stage Earth Immortal level.

An Earth Immortal [a terrestrial immortal, a major power in the cultivation world] of such power naturally had many followers at his side.

This time, he brought several dozen Ghost Immortal [immortal-level ghosts] to assist, and the formation for the Netherworld Realm was swiftly completed.

Once the Heaven and Earth Furnace Formation [a grand formation that uses heaven and earth as a crucible] was fully established, and as the immortals continuously channeled their power, a colossal furnace, vast enough to span the Polarity Two Realms [the realms of Yang and Yin, Heaven and Netherworld], took form with a world-shaking rumble.

Simultaneously, the Great Tribulation Flame [the celestial fire of heavenly tribulation] from the Heavenly Vault above, and the boundless Netherworld Energy [the yin-aligned spiritual essence of the underworld] from the Netherworld Realm below, surged in torrents into the celestial furnace.

"The Immortal Domain as Heaven, the Netherworld as Earth. The Polarity Flame [the flame born from the fusion of opposing forces], fused into a single crucible,"

"This shall aid me in condensing my lifelong cultivation base into one, refining it into a flawless, leakless Supreme Path Fruit [the ultimate fruit of one's cultivation path, representing supreme attainment]."

Witnessing this spectacle, Eldrin Chen murmured softly to himself.

He delayed no longer. With a single step, he entered the Heaven and Earth Furnace and immediately began to use the power of heaven and earth to condense his Path Fruit [the ultimate crystallization of a cultivator's power and enlightenment].

To condense a World-Opening Path Fruit [the Path Fruit of a World-Opening Realm cultivator], one must fuse their entire cultivation base into a single, unified whole. The more powerful the Immortal, the greater the difficulty of forming this World-Opening Path Fruit.

Eldrin Chen's Primordial One Limitless Rule [a supreme law of boundless potential], his Primordial One Indestructibility Body [a physique of near-unbreakable resilience], his Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator], and his mana reserves were all supremely potent. Naturally, the challenge of refining them into one entity was immense.

Even with the aid of the Heaven and Earth Furnace and the Polarity Flame [a divine flame born from the union of opposing forces], forcing his power to coalesce into a Path Fruit was a task of monumental difficulty.

At the outset, the combined power of the Polarity Flame and the Heaven and Earth Furnace was still insufficient.

As time flowed on, the might of the Heaven and Earth Furnace grew ever stronger, drawing in more and more Great Tribulation Flame [the purifying flames of heavenly tribulation] and Netherworld Energy [the profound, yin-aligned energy of the underworld]. Gradually, Eldrin Chen began to feel the pressure mounting.

Only after a full millennium, when the Polarity Flame within the furnace had grown potent enough to refine and slay an Earth Immortal Patriarch, did Eldrin Chen finally feel a significant, unyielding pressure.

The Heaven and Earth Furnace, a convergence of power from the Immortal Domain and the Netherworld Hell, acted like a colossal Treasure Furnace [a supreme-grade furnace for forging treasures and pills]. It pressed down upon Eldrin Chen with relentless, crushing force.

The Polarity Flame ceaselessly tempered him, its searing heat a constant assault, seeking to reduce his very being to ashes of tribulation.