Chapter 1416 : Divine Radiance Seals the Spear

Yet the Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan dared not unleash his treasure's full power, merely gripping the great spear tightly to parry the onslaught. Though his attacks seemed majestic, sweeping across sky and sea, he was ultimately fighting with his hands and feet bound.

"BOOM—"

After more than thirteen thousand exchanges in this manner, Eldrin Chen finally seized an opening. His boundless Rule Power [the power derived from comprehending and wielding a fundamental law of the cosmos] and the Five Divine Deities [five powerful spiritual entities or aspects of power residing within his body] within him blazed with light. A world-shaking force slammed against the Six Harmonies [a defensive formation based on the harmony of six directions or elements], cleaving directly onto the great spear itself.

The Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan instantly felt the flesh of his palms split, and the great spear in his hands was actually shaken loose, flying from his grasp.

"ARGH—"

Dealt a heavy blow, the Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan cried out in agony and tried to recall his spear.

But he found a Five-Colored Divine Light [a radiant, five-hued light capable of sealing and capturing objects] sweeping past, and this formidable World-Opening Treasure [a treasure of immense power, capable of aiding in the creation or stabilization of worlds] was also seized away.

"Disastrous."

Having lost this World-Opening Treasure as well, the Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan now had no treasures left to wield.

A sudden panic gripped his heart. He transformed into an Escape Radiance [a beam of light used for rapid flight or escape] to flee once more, but it was already too late.

"Pfft—" [the sound of something piercing flesh]

With a furious roar, Eldrin Chen hurled his great spear. It tore through the air with a shrieking whistle and, with a sickening *thwack*, impaled the Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan upon the void itself.

"Aaaargh—!"

Struck by another fatal blow, the Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan let out a wretched scream.

He tried to muster his spiritual power to heal the grievous wound, but alas, after the prolonged battle, his reserves were utterly spent. The foundational essence of his Earth Immortal World [the inner world cultivated by an Earth Immortal] was also depleted, and his vast inner world teetered on the brink of total collapse.

Witnessing this, Eldrin Chen showed no mercy. With a flick of his sleeve, he pointed a single finger. A torrent of Chaos [the primordial, formless state before creation] energy surged forth, completely annihilating the Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan's Primordial Spirit Immortal Embryo [the nascent immortal form of a cultivator's primordial spirit, the core of their being].

"Hah..."

With the Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan slain, Eldrin Chen finally allowed himself a slow, deep breath of relief.

This battle, without a doubt, had been the most protracted and grueling conflict Eldrin Chen had faced since ascending to immortality.

The Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan's combat prowess had been nearly equal to his own. Had it not been for the overwhelming advantage granted by his Mysterious Grade Divine Ability [a divine ability of the highest, most profound grade]—the Five-Colored Divine Light [a divine light containing the power of the five elements]—the outcome of a fair duel between them would have been truly uncertain.

At least he did not possess the Five-Colored Aurora Evasion [a supreme escape technique that manifests as a five-colored aurora]. If the Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan [the supreme leader of the Celestial Crocodile demon clan] were to flee for his life at all costs, aside from those whose strength surpassed the Half-Step Celestial Immortal [a cultivator who has half-stepped into the realm of Celestial Immortals], no one could be certain of slaying him.

This battle had raged for over thirteen thousand exchanges. Eldrin Chen's magical power was already more than half depleted, and even the power of Heaven and Earth he could draw upon was diminished by over half. If the fight were to continue, it risked depleting the very World's Origin [the foundational life-force and spiritual essence of a world or realm].

Furthermore, in the latter stages of this great battle, both sides relied primarily on their physical might to duel. Magical power was reserved for activating key Divine Ability [a supreme supernatural power or technique], such as the Five-Colored Divine Light [a divine ability that unleashes a beam of light containing the power of the five elements]. Otherwise, the World's Origin would have likely suffered severe depletion.

"Without a powerful Formation [an array or magical formation used for trapping, defense, or attack] to confine him, killing a Late Stage Earth Immortal [a cultivator at the final stage of the Earth Immortal realm] is this difficult,"

"And if a Half-Step Celestial Immortal were determined to escape, even four or five Half-Step Celestial Immortal joining forces might not be enough to hunt him down to his death."

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, a shadow of solemn contemplation flickering across his brow.

With a sweep of his sleeve, he collected the various treasures of the Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan. As he took up the God-Slaying Flying Dagger [a legendary dagger famed for its ability to slay deities], Eldrin Chen's brow twitched slightly.

It was undeniable that this God-Slaying Flying Dagger was truly Extraordinary. Had it not been for this blade cleaving through the grand formation, allowing the Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan to break free, the Patriarch would have long since fallen under the combined assault of the group.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen spoke, "I also possess a World-Opening Spiritual Root [a primordial spiritual plant of immense power, said to have existed at the world's creation]—the Gale Wind Gourd Vine [a magical vine that bears gourds imbued with the power of gale-force winds]. If I were to nurture this God-Slaying Flying Dagger within the Gale Wind Treasure Gourd [a treasure gourd born from the Gale Wind Gourd Vine], could its power be further enhanced?"

Contemplating this, Eldrin Chen channeled his Primordial One Limitless Rule Power [the supreme, boundless primordial energy that governs all creation] to thoroughly erase all traces of the Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan from within the God-Slaying Flying Dagger.

Once this step was completed, he placed it within the Gale Wind Treasure Gourd to nurture it with spiritual energy.

Yet, the moment the God-Slaying Flying Dagger was placed inside, Eldrin Chen discovered that this Exotic Treasure [a rare and unique type of enchanted artifact] was slowly fusing with the Gale Wind Treasure Gourd.

"It truly works."

A surge of delight filled Eldrin Chen's heart, and he immediately began to inspect the transformed Gale Wind Treasure Gourd.

After a thorough spiritual sense examination, Eldrin Chen found that the fusion of the two treasures had already induced several remarkable mutations.

There were three primary changes. First, the God-Slaying Flying Dagger had become one with the Gale Wind Treasure Gourd. From now on, its grade would continuously improve as it was nurtured by the World-Opening Spiritual Root.

Second, the Gale Wind Treasure Gourd could now act as the reservoir for the God-Slaying Flying Dagger's energy. Attacks could be launched by drawing upon the power stored within the gourd.

This Gale Wind Treasure Gourd was a World-OpeningSpiritual Treasure [a treasure of the World-Opening realm] specifically designed for energy storage. Its capacity far surpassed that of the God-Slaying Flying Dagger alone.

According to Eldrin Chen's estimation, a Gale Wind Treasure Gourd at the Low-Grade World-Opening Treasure level could fuel a single activation of the God-Slaying Flying Dagger.

A Mid-Grade gourd could unleash the attack three times, while a High-Grade one could manage an astonishing nine activations.

Once the Gale Wind Gourd Vine advances further, ascending to the rank of a Supreme Grade World-Opening Spiritual Root, the Gale Wind Gourd will be capable of unleashing a strike comparable to the full-force blow of a Celestial Immortal Great Power [a supreme cultivator who has ascended to the celestial realm].

Of course, a single strike from a Celestial Immortal Great Power can sunder Myriad Heavens [the countless realms of existence], and the energy consumed is immense. Therefore, this treasure possesses only a single such strike within its power.

Thirdly, the Gale Wind Treasure Gourd will continuously nurture the God-Slaying Flying Dagger, with the power of Gale Wind [a potent spiritual force embodying the essence of tempestuous winds] within it gradually converging upon the dagger itself.

At that time, the God-Slaying Flying Dagger will transform into a pure Slaughter [the divine principle of absolute destruction] supreme treasure—the 'Gale Wind God-Slaying Flying Dagger'. The destructive might it can unleash will increase by thirty percent compared to its original form, while the Gale Wind Treasure Gourd will become a vessel purely for energy storage.

"Gale Wind Treasure Gourd, Gale Wind God-Slaying Flying Dagger."

"When these two are combined, they become the Gale Wind God-Slaying Gourd."

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, a faint smile touching his lips.

Henceforth, this Gale Wind God-Slaying Gourd would become a hidden trump card in his arsenal.

In the hands of the Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan, the God-Slaying Flying Dagger was merely a one-time, desperate measure. Yet, in Eldrin Chen's grasp, it would eventually be capable of being unleashed multiple times in succession.

Most importantly, Eldrin Chen could continuously cultivate the Gale Wind Gourd Vine, guiding its ascension to the level of an Innate Ancient Tree [a primordial tree born of the world's creation] and even further to that of an Innate Spiritual Root [a spiritual plant of the highest, world-foundational order].

Unlike ordinary Earth Immortal Patriarch [a patriarch who has attained the Earth Immortal realm], who reach their limit by nurturing a single top-grade World-Opening Spiritual Root [a spiritual root of the highest quality, capable of assisting in world-creation] and can scarcely advance further in their entire lifetime.

Such a supreme treasure, if continuously nurtured, holds the potential in the future to slay even Celestial Immortal Great Power [a mighty being who has ascended to the Celestial Immortal realm], and perhaps even to cleave through Chaos [the primordial, formless state before creation] and vanquish Chaos Demon God [a primordial demon god born from chaos itself].

"With this harvest, the hardships of this battle were not in vain,"

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, then lingered no more, setting his course for the Returning Abyss Sea Region.

On their journey back, midway they encountered Exquisite Jiang and the others who had come to provide support.

Seeing him unharmed, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Exquisite Jiang was the first to speak, asking, "What was the outcome of the battle?"

"A grueling fight, but in the end, our wish was granted."

Eldrin Chen produced the Inner Pill [the condensed core of a powerful being's cultivation, containing immense spiritual energy] of the Patriarch of Celestial Crocodile Clan, then inquired, "And your side?"

Heaven Abyss Path Master reported, "Those five Demon Race Earth Immortal [demonic cultivators who have attained the Earth Immortal realm] have all been executed."

"Excellent." Eldrin Chen gave a nod of approval. "This is no place to linger. Let us return and discuss matters further."

"Very well," he replied.

The group nodded in agreement and followed Eldrin Chen back to the Returning Abyss Sea Region.

Eldrin Chen activated the Polarity Void Mirror [a mystical artifact capable of traversing vast distances] and led the party towards the Returning Abyss Sea Region. They swiftly returned to the peak of Green Chariot Mountain.

Within the protective glow of the Stellar Glazed Boundary [a powerful defensive array formation], Eldrin Chen cast a glance over his companions, a faint smile gracing his lips. "Our complete victory in this battle," he said, "owes much to the invaluable aid of you all, my fellow Daoists."

"Now that we have secured these gains, let us divide the spoils."

Eldrin Chen spoke unhurriedly, then withdrew from his sleeve the various treasures they had acquired.