Chapter 1438 : The Weight of Sin and Merit

This meant that whoever slew him would not incur any additional Karmic Burden [a metaphysical weight representing negative consequences for one's actions], creating a most perilous situation.

Old enemies could seize this chance to strike without restraint, eliminating him with impunity.

Furthermore, once his Karmic Malignancy Power [the power derived from accumulated sin and negative karma] surpassed his Merit Qi [the energy derived from accumulated virtuous deeds and merit], then slaying him would be considered a meritorious service to the Immortal Domain. Even righteous Earth Immortal [a high-level cultivator who has attained immortality tied to the earthly realm] who bore Eldrin Chen no prior grudge might be moved to act.

At this thought, the atmosphere among them grew profoundly grave.

Nyssa Qu let out a soft sigh before speaking. "It has long been said that those who walk the path of Fleshly Body Sanctification [a cultivation art focused on refining the physical body to an immortal state] are inevitably burdened with Boundless Karmic Sin [an immense accumulation of negative karma from past actions]. It seems the saying holds true."

"The most pressing matter now is for my Husband to find a way to obtain the Merit's Pure Radiance [a luminous spiritual phenomenon representing purified merit and virtue]. Otherwise, the danger will be extreme."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded slightly in agreement.

Lyra Jiang pondered for a moment before speaking. "The methods to acquire the power of Merit [virtuous energy gained from good deeds] are few. The most common are: nourishing the world in return, receiving rewards from the Heavenly Dao [the supreme, impersonal natural order and cosmic principle], and slaying Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who use unorthodox, often malevolent methods that harm the natural order]."

"Given the circumstances, the most viable method to obtain Merit now likely lies in eliminating Demonic Cultivator."

Eldrin Chen listened and gave a slow, acknowledging nod. This novel is serialized on (audio-novel.com). Visit for updates.

Among the three methods to obtain Merit [a metaphysical "currency" representing good karma or virtuous deeds], the method of 'nourishing the heavens and earth' is the most arduous.

To aspire to nourish the heavens and earth signifies that one's cultivation has already transcended the bounds of the world itself. Taking the Azure Firmament Immortal Domain as an example, one would need to cultivate at least to the Great Luo Realm [the Grand Tapestry Realm, a supreme state of being] to achieve this.

There are two primary sources from which the Heavenly Dao [the Celestial Way, the fundamental order of the cosmos] bestows Merit. The first is upon a breakthrough to the Heaven Immortal Realm [the Celestial Immortal Realm]. By assisting the world in ingesting and exhaling Chaos Qi [Primordial Chaos Energy, the undifferentiated essence before creation], the Heavenly Dao naturally grants boundless Merit. This is why all Heavenly Immortal Paragon [Celestial Immortal Paragons, the pinnacle of the Celestial Immortal Realm] carry immense Merit upon their persons.

The second source occurs during times of Great Tribulation [Great Calamities] or Dao Tribulation [Dao Calamities]. When acting as an agent of heaven to execute the cyclical principles of the Great Dao [the Grand Dao, the ultimate truth and path], one may obtain a measure of Merit power upon slaying adversaries, and need not worry about incurring Karmic Burden [the weight of negative karma].

The method of slaying Demonic Cultivator [practitioners who cultivate through demonic, often destructive and predatory, means] is the most common. Demonic Cultivator delight in plundering the resources of heaven and earth, and they cultivate by harnessing Karmic Malignancy Power [the power of accumulated negative karma and sin]. Most Demonic Cultivator bear the weight of Boundless Karmic Sin [immeasurable sinful karma] upon themselves.

Therefore, striking down a Demonic Cultivator will almost always yield Merit power.

The amount of Merit power obtained depends on the magnitude of the Karmic Malignancy Power harbored by the slain Demonic Cultivator.

Thinking of this, Verdant Consort could not help but remark, "What a pity. That old Demonic Cultivator from back then was no weakling; he must have carried at least a dozen strands of Karmic Malignancy Power upon him."

"Had we managed to slay him, Husband would not have to worry about Karmic Malignancy Power now."

Nyssa Qu however, let out a sigh and shook her head, saying, "A Demonic Cultivator at the Earth Immortal Great Perfection [the Great Perfection stage of the Earth Immortal Realm]... with our strength at the time, slaying him was a near-impossible feat from the start."

"Indeed." Lyra Jiang [the Immortal Maiden Lyra Jiang] nodded, then asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"After this journey, we shall venture into the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea [a perilous sea realm where demonic and unorthodox forces gather]."

Eldrin Chen [Eldrin Chen, the Abyssal Emperor] wore a calm expression, his gaze turning towards the cavern entrance as he said, "We who walk the Righteous Path Cultivator [the path of righteous cultivation], if our Karmic Burden [the metaphysical weight of negative karma from one's actions] surpasses our accumulated merit, may one day be struck down by a senior master without warning."

Upon hearing this, the complexions of the several women present shifted slightly.

The Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea is a convergence point for heretical sects, the Demonic Path [the path of demonic cultivation], and practitioners of Unorthodox [unorthodox and forbidden arts]; its depths are fraught with unpredictable dangers.

While they sought to enter and purge demons to defend the Dao, they would also face the peril of being ambushed by Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who draw power from demonic or corrupt sources].

Yet, given the present circumstances, it seemed they had little choice.

Noticing their expressions, Eldrin Chen offered a gentle smile and said, "We Immortal [beings who have attained immortality] cultivate within the Immortal Domain [the realm of immortals]. If we merely plunder the resources of heaven and earth without giving back, how are we any different from Demonic Cultivator?

"Slaying demons, vanquishing evil, and cleansing the world—this is our rightful duty."

With these words, no one spoke further on the matter.

Eldrin Chen cast a glance at the boundless cavern from which the Blessed Land [a region of concentrated spiritual energy and natural wonders] had been taken, then frowned slightly and said, "The disturbance from us taking the Blessed Land was not small. It is likely the Demonic Tribe [a powerful faction of demonic cultivators and creatures] of the Western Geng Supreme Profound Mountain have already reacted."

"Our immediate priority is to leave first," he continued.

With that, the group hastily departed from the cavern.

Not long after they left, a Demon Immortal [a powerful demonic being who has ascended to immortality] whose aura blazed like the midday sun flew swiftly to the spot. This demon was the master of the Tiger's Roar Abode of Bliss, the Half-Step Celestial Immortal Realm [a realm just shy of achieving full Celestial Immortality] Ancestor Western Geng.

That Ancestor Western Geng looked at the now-empty space where the Blessed Land had been. After a brief moment of calculation, his gaze turned icy. "The Human Race [the collective of human cultivators and factions], they dare to seize our Demonic Tribe's Blessed Land? Do they truly not fear the burden of Karmic Miasma [the accumulation of negative karma and spiritual pollution from wicked deeds]?"

"Issue the order. We must locate the traces of those Human Race," he commanded. Official source: AUDIO-NOVEL.COM. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

With the decree from the White Tiger Clan's Half-Step Celestial Immortal, the vast expanse of the Western Geng Supreme Profound Mountain was soon swarming. Countless members of the Demonic Tribe poured forth from their dens, beginning a widespread search for the group's whereabouts.

Eldrin Chen, concealed within the Yin-Yang Void Realm [a spatial treasure capable of creating a pocket dimension], used the Spatial Supreme Treasure [a top-tier artifact for manipulating space] to carry everyone as they navigated through the Void [the empty space between dimensions, used for rapid travel]. Their progress was not swift, but it was secure.

They traveled in this manner for several hundred years before finally emerging from the Western Geng Supreme Profound Mountain Range, allowing them to finally breathe a slight sigh of relief.

"We are relatively safe now," one of them remarked.

Having left the Western Geng Supreme Profound Mountain Range, Eldrin Chen felt a slight sense of relief settle within his heart.

He glanced back at the boundless mountain range and could not help but heave a deep sigh of relief.

Within this Western Geng Supreme Profound Mountain Range, the Tiger's Roar Abode of Bliss loomed like a sun blotting out the sky. This lineage alone boasted three Half-Step Celestial Immortal [cultivators on the very threshold of ascending to true immortality], and their number of Earth Immortal Progenitor [powerful cultivators who have attained the Earth Immortal realm and founded their own lineages] exceeded three hundred.

Of the nearly one hundred Blessed Land [regions of exceptional spiritual energy and natural fortune] scattered throughout the entire Western Geng Supreme Profound Mountain Range, more than half were occupied by them, with the remainder serving as their vassals.

Such a glorious and powerful force would have slightly surpassed even the Western Abyss Dragon Palace at the height of its power.

Now, the Chen Immortal Clan with its nine Earth Immortal [cultivators who have attained the Earth Immortal realm] was considered strong among the powers of the Earth Immortal Blessed Land, yet compared to them, it was fundamentally insignificant.

"A single lineage with three Half-Step Celestial Immortal... it seems that in a hundred thousand years, they will be a formidable rival,"

Eldrin Chen sighed softly, a trace of reflective sentiment coloring his thoughts.

Lyra Jiang also nodded, her expression turning gravely solemn. "In the next Dao Tribulation [a cataclysmic heavenly trial that reshapes the cosmic order], this lineage will undoubtedly be one of the principal actors."

Upon hearing her words, everyone present gave a slight nod of agreement.

The so-called Dao Tribulation [a cosmic calamity where different orthodoxies and paths contend for supremacy], as its name implies, is a tribulation of the orthodoxies and paths.

What constitutes an orthodoxy?

Great sects of the Daoist Path, titans of the Demonic Path, ancient temples of the Buddhist Sect, the Western Pole White Tiger lineage, the Nine Heavens True Dragon lineage—all belong to Supreme orthodoxies.

The so-called Dao Tribulation is a time when Buddhism and Daoism clash, Demonic Monsters vie for dominance, and the Hundred Races contend for the Dao [the fundamental principle or path].

When the Dao Tribulation erupts, it is a war of orthodoxies: the Human Race, the Demonic Tribe, the Divine Race, the Buddhist Sect, and others. The ultimate victor will give birth to a Supreme Grotto-Heaven [a supreme blessed realm, a pinnacle paradise for cultivation].

With each additional Heavenly Immortal Paragon [a supreme being who has ascended to the Heavenly Immortal realm] and each new Supreme Grotto-Heaven, the fortune and destiny of that lineage's orthodoxy grows ever more prosperous.

From a broad perspective, if during the Dao Tribulation, the Human Race gains several Grotto-Heaven [blessed realms, paradises], then the fortune of the Human Race will increase by several measures.

From a narrower view, if the White Tiger lineage were to give birth to a second Grotto-Heaven, the fortune of the White Tiger orthodoxy would flourish even more vigorously.

Within the Dao Tribulation, the victors will see their fortunes surge, while the defeated will find their destinies diminished.

The Heavenly Dao [the Way of Heaven, the supreme natural order] uses this as bait, forcing the various Grotto-Heaven to continuously place their bets, compelling them to dispatch vast numbers of disciples and followers into the calamity. The ultimate goal is to have more Immortals [beings who have achieved immortality through cultivation] return their Dao to the heavens. Under such circumstances, Eldrin Chen could foresee that this Tiger's Roar Abode of Bliss would undoubtedly be one of the great adversaries of the Human Race.

Contemplating this, Eldrin Chen's gaze grew solemn as he spoke, "Such a supreme Blessed Land [a place of immense spiritual power and natural fortune] will likely be one of the greatest trials we face during our Dao Tribulation [the heavenly tribulation that tests a cultivator's path and resolve]." Original English translation available at AUDIO-NOVEL.COM.