Chapter 1386 : Thunder's Wrath and Ancient Grudges

During the battle that besieged the Western Abyss Dragon Palace in those years, the Extinction Thunder God took action, slaying the mightiest of the Golden-Winged Heavenly Ape Clan and ten Earth Immortal Patriarch. He nearly wiped out more than half of the Golden-Winged Heavenly Ape's high-ranking powerhouses.

Such a deep-seated grudge naturally made the Golden-Winged Heavenly Ape harbor a bone-deep hatred for the Myriad Tribulations Sea of Thunder lineage.

The Divine Spirits currently being besieged by them was the Thunderclap Divine Spirit, a member of the Myriad Tribulations Sea of Thunder lineage.

Eldrin Chen had seen this individual before. When Eldrin Chen infiltrated the Ninefold Thunder Abyss back then, this Thunderclap Divine Spirit was still an Eight Tribulations Divine Spirit. To avoid alerting the Extinction Thunder God, Eldrin Chen had refrained from acting against him.

Later, when chaos erupted within the Ninefold Thunder Abyss, this Thunderclap Divine Spirit suffered grievous wounds. Fortunately, as a follower of the Extinction Thunder God, he was supported by this Half-Step Celestial Immortal and recovered from his injuries not long after.

Shortly thereafter, to further bolster this Thunderclap Divine Spirit, the Extinction Thunder God personally struck against the Golden-Winged Heavenly Ape Lineage, slaying ten of their Earth Immortal Patriarch and even obtaining a Eight Tribulation Path Source.

Relying on this Eight Tribulation Path Source, the Thunderclap Divine Spirit stepped into the Nine Tribulations Realm and soon after broke through to the Earth Immortal realm, opening his Eighth Heaven and Earth.

Alas, this favorable situation did not last. Not long after, the Western Abyss Dragon King broke through to the Celestial Immortal Realm, and the circumstances instantly took a drastic turn for the worse.

After the great battle of those years, the Extinction Thunder God was severely wounded and vanished without a trace, clearly having gone into hiding within the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea.

The Heavenly Thunder Tribulation Divine Spirit could only flee as well, secretly slipping into the Boundless Sea Region. Yet, somehow, he was found by the Golden-Winged Heavenly Ape Clan.

"Perhaps it is because this Thunderclap Divine Spirit possesses a rare treasure upon which a tracking spell was cast?"

Eldrin Chen mused inwardly, likely deducing the reason why the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation Divine Spirit had been found.

In truth, leaving tracking methods on important treasures was a common practice among Immortals.

In previous years, the two World-Opening Spiritual Roots that Eldrin Chen had seized both bore tracking Dao-marks [mystical imprints of a cultivator's understanding of the Dao] left by the Great Wasteland Celestial Crocodile Clan.

Fortunately, Eldrin Chen's Primordial One Limitless Rule was Extraordinary, capable of grinding away all manner of foreign rules and Dao-patterns, and had long since erased those tracking marks.

Even so, Eldrin Chen had been constantly shifting locations these years, wandering throughout the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea to avoid being tracked down by the Dark Great Roc and the Great Wasteland Celestial Crocodile through some special means.

Now that the Thunderclap Divine Spirit was cornered, it was most likely because it possessed a treasure bearing tracking Dao-marks left by the Golden-Winged Heavenly Ape Lineage.

"It seems this Thunderclap Divine Spirit's fate is sealed."

Watching the fierce battle unfold before him, Eldrin Chen murmured to himself, yet showed no immediate intention to intervene.

The Path Source [the foundational spiritual essence of a cultivator's Dao path] held by this Thunderclap Divine Spirit was exceedingly precious, enough to aid Verdant Consort in stepping into the Ten Tribulations Realm. However, Eldrin Chen was in no hurry at the moment.

The enemy was exposed in the open while he remained hidden in the shadows. All he needed was to seize the Path Source [the condensed essence of a cultivator's lifelong comprehension of the Dao] at the critical moment.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen concealed himself within the Polarity Void Mirror [a mystical artifact capable of creating a pocket dimension of absolute void], silently awaiting the outcome of the great battle.

On the battlefield at this moment, the situation faced by the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation Divine Spirit [a primordial being born from the essence of heavenly tribulation lightning] had become perilously precarious.

With cultivation at the Early-stage Earth Immortal [the initial phase of the Earth Immortal realm, marking transcendence beyond mortality] level, to contend against five Earth Immortal Patriarch [venerable masters who have attained the Earth Immortal realm], including one at the Late Stage Earth Immortal [the advanced phase of the Earth Immortal realm] was a feat bordering on the impossible.

After all, two fists are no match for ten hands. Even as he desperately activated his various rare treasures for defense, he was still forced into a steady, relentless retreat.

The fierce battle raged for several days until the Thunderclap Divine Spirit [a divine being of thunder and lightning] could withstand no more. With a final, devastating blow, it was completely annihilated, reduced to a cloud of drifting, ashen tribulation dust.

In that fleeting moment, Path-Dissolving Radiance [a divine light capable of unraveling the very fabric of cultivation paths] flooded heaven and earth, and a dazzlingly brilliant Path Source [the condensed essence of a cultivator's lifelong comprehension of the Dao] slowly materialized.

"Hahaha! Myriad Tribulations Sea of Thunder [a legendary divine ability manifesting as an ocean of countless thunder tribulations], we have finally reclaimed a portion of our debt!"

Witnessing this scene, the several Demon Race [a powerful faction of beings who cultivate through demonic arts] Earth Immortal [a realm marking transcendence beyond mortality] laughed heartily, their faces alight with triumph and delight.

Yet, precisely at that instant, the void rippled subtly. An ancient mirror manifested, swallowing that Path Source [the condensed essence of a cultivator's lifelong comprehension of the Dao] into its depths. Immediately after, a brilliant spatial distortion erupted, and the mirror vanished without a trace into the formless void.

Witnessing this scene, the several Demon Race Earth Immortal [powerful cultivators who have ascended to the terrestrial immortal realm] were momentarily stunned. Upon realizing what had happened, they exclaimed in fury, "Who dares to snatch prey from the tiger's jaws?"

"..."

At the same moment, the Polarity Void Mirror [a mystical artifact capable of manipulating spatial polarity and void] appeared just beyond the Boundless Void. Eldrin Chen plunged headlong into the sea region. Gazing at the Path Source [the primordial source essence of a cultivation path] now in his hand, a faint smile touched his lips.

Once again, he marveled at the profound mysteries of the Polarity Void Mirror.

This time, using the mirror to seize the Path Source, he had secured the greatest prize of the entire conflict without ever revealing his presence.

Having obtained the immensely precious Path Source, Eldrin Chen decided to quit while he was ahead. His priority now shifted to ensuring his own safety.

He concealed his form and traveled towards the Returning Abyss Sea Region, a journey that spanned a full millennium.

By the time Eldrin Chen reached the fringes of the Returning Abyss Sea Region, he observed that the calamitous energies suffusing the heavens and earth had grown thin. The Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic era of conflict and heavenly retribution] was finally drawing to a close.

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen remained hidden just outside the Returning Abyss Sea Region for nearly another century. Only when the last vestiges of the Great Tribulation's aura had completely dissipated did he finally return to the sea region's heart.

Standing once more within the Returning Abyss Sea Region, he breathed in the air, now clear and pure, and felt the vastly enriched Immortal Spirit Essence [the ambient spiritual energy vital for immortal cultivation]. Eldrin Chen let out a sigh. "Thirty thousand years in the blink of an eye. The Great Tribulation is finally over."

At the same time, Exquisite Jiang and Verdant Consort had also returned.

Standing beside Eldrin Chen, they could not help but sigh, "Since the onset of this Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic era of immense conflict and upheaval], the landscape of the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea has been utterly transformed."

"Indeed."

Eldrin Chen nodded, a flicker of solemn gravity passing through his gaze.

Now that the Great Tribulation had finally drawn to a close, the dust had settled, and the power structure among the human, demon, and Divine Clan [a powerful race of beings with innate divine heritage] factions had undergone a monumental shift.

As far back as five hundred years prior, the Western Abyss Dragon Palace had breached the defenses of the Leaf Ruins Divine Sea [a sacred sea realm], completely annihilating this premier Blessed Land [a land imbued with potent spiritual energies and fortune].

The Divine Lord of Ye Ruins had been outmaneuvered by a hair's breadth; it was said he had undergone Reincarnation [the process of the soul passing into a new life after death], and even his supreme treasure, the Primordial Unity Ruins Heaven Sword, had been seized by the Western Abyss Dragon Palace.

After vanquishing the Leaf Ruins Divine Sea, the Western Abyss Dragon Palace plundered the majority of its resources.

Thereafter, using the Primordial Unity Ruins Heaven Sword and the Triad Wonder Pearls [a set of three miraculous pearls] as a foundation, they erected a world-shaking grand formation within their palace grounds. This culminated in the coalescence of a supreme True Dragon Grotto-Heaven [a self-contained pocket realm of immense power, often created by or for dragons].

This Grotto-Heaven was named the 'Heavenly Dragon Grotto-Heaven', becoming the second True Dragon Grotto-Heaven within the Vast Azure Immortal Domain.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen sighed and said, "With the rise of a True Dragon Grotto-Heaven [a powerful, dragon-aligned pocket realm], the very landscape of the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea has been profoundly altered."

Exquisite Jiang nodded, her expression turning grave. "We annihilated Thousand Dragon Lake. Might they seek retribution against us?"

"That is my concern as well," Eldrin Chen agreed with a nod, his face solemn. "Therefore, I intend to journey to the Glazed Blessed Land to seek an audience with Glazed Divine Lord."

Violet Consort Yan also gave a slight nod. "Worthy Path serves within the Immortal Court. His master, Heavenly Halberd Demon-Slaying True Lord, is the master of the Western Abyss Immortal Palace. I shall write him a letter."

"That would be wise."

Eldrin Chen nodded. From his sleeve, he produced three Path Source [rare spiritual objects that can enhance one's cultivation path]. He gave one each to Verdant Consort, Violet Consort Yan, and Lila, saying, "My recent travels have borne significant fruit."

"Refine these treasures first. Let us see if they can fulfill our hopes."

The sight caused the women's hearts to stir with surprise.

High-quality Path Source were exceedingly rare. They had not imagined that Eldrin Chen could produce, all at once, two Eight Tribulation Path Source and one Nine Tribulations Path Source.