Chapter 585 : Clash of Blades and Demon's Flight

Old Patriarch and Elara Lin naturally did not let the opportunity slip. The Old Patriarch summoned his Golden Light Blazing Fire Sword and with a resonant *clang*, cleaved downward, aiming to seize the moment and claim its life.

The Crimson Serpent Demon Emperor tried to twist away and flee, but at the critical moment, Elara Lin instantly unleashed her Innate Divine Ability, the 'Frost Soul Condensing Radiance Curse' [a curse that freezes the soul and congeals its radiance into a binding frost]. The spell descended, causing the demon emperor to falter and freeze for a crucial instant.

Lila also seized the opening. Channeling her formidable spiritual power, she drove her Frost Soul Coldlight Sword forward in another devastating slash.

Thus, the Golden Light Blazing Fire Sword and the Frost Soul Coldlight Sword crossed paths in a lethal dance, their combined strikes shearing the Crimson Serpent Demon Emperor into three separate pieces.

"Aaaargh—!"

The Crimson Serpent Demon Emperor let out a wretched scream. This fiend was, after all, a great demon at the Infant Soul Mid Stage. At the final moment, its Infant Soul [the nascent spiritual core of a cultivator, housed within the dantian] erupted with a burst of Infant Soul Essence [the concentrated spiritual energy of the Infant Soul realm], allowing it to flee from its ruined physical form.

Witnessing the Crimson Serpent Demon Emperor's body being sundered, the Celestial Scorpion Demon Emperor felt a tremor of fear. It immediately disengaged, fleeing in a frantic, desperate scramble, abandoning the Violet Jade Demon Emperor without a second thought.

"Useless trash, both of you!"

Seeing one Demon Emperor [a title for a powerful ruler among demonkind] lose its physical form and the other flee in panic, the Violet Jade Demon Emperor could not contain a roar of fury.

He had been single-handedly suppressing five opponents with Infant Soul Mid Stage combat prowess. In his arrogance, he believed that even a powerhouse at the Great Perfection of Infant Soul would fare no better. Yet, the incompetence of his two supposed allies had utterly dashed his expectations. Original English translation available at site: audio-novel.com.

"I hate this!"

Violet Jade Demon Emperor [a powerful demonic ruler] fixed his gaze upon the assembled cultivators, his heart seething with boundless resentment.

Even the mightiest have their limits, and an Infant Soul Demon Emperor [a demon emperor at the Infant Soul cultivation stage] is no exception. Though his combat prowess was formidable, he could not single-handedly sweep aside all opposition.

He bitterly regretted not having ten Infant Soul Demon Emperor under his command. If only he could gather as many Infant Soul [a high stage of cultivation where the nascent soul is formed] level combatants as Eldrin Chen, wouldn't he be able to dominate this entire Vast Sea?

"Damn it all!"

With a furious roar, the unwilling Violet Jade Demon Emperor unleashed his final move, transforming into his true form and activating one last Great God Ability [a supreme-level divine technique].

A colossal, sky-obscuring violet serpent-dragon coiled into the heavens, summoning a deluge of Purple Heavenly Thunderclap [a devastating divine thunder technique] that rained down upon the world.

"The Nine Heavens Heavenly Demon Myriad Tribulation Art!"

The cultivators' expressions shifted dramatically as they recognized the origin of this terrifying Great God Ability.

Eldrin Chen had not anticipated that the Violet Jade Demon Emperor had mastered a fourth Great Vehicle Divine Ability [a supreme-level divine technique of the Great Vehicle path]. Moreover, the power of this fourth technique even brushed against the threshold of a Quasi-Primordial Solar Divine Ability [a divine ability approaching the legendary Primordial Solar level].

This Divine Ability was of such immense power that the Violet Jade Demon Emperor could not unleash it in his human form; he needed to revert to his true, primordial shape to activate it.

In an instant, billions of Heavenly Thunder Tribulation bolts descended, blotting out the sky and covering the earth. Each strike possessed the power to rend the heavens and sunder the land, leaving the group with nowhere to hide and no avenue of escape.

Reacting swiftly, Eldrin Chen raised the Bulwark Earth Sovereign Bell to block the onslaught, his expression shifting dramatically as he shouted, "We must combine our strength to withstand this!"

The others immediately joined the defense. Lila's Frost Soul Jade-Condensing Pagoda, Exquisite Jiang's Cultivable Earth Kun Origin Disk, and other Defensive Spiritual Treasure artifacts and Divine Ability techniques were activated one after another, forming a bulwark against this Quasi-Primordial Solar Divine Ability.

Yet the Nine Heavens Heavenly Demon Myriad Tribulation Art was relentless. An endless cascade of Thunderclap strikes fell without cease. Even for cultivators of their caliber, the drain on their spiritual energy was immense, and sustaining their defense for long seemed an impossible task.

At that critical juncture, Violet Consort Yan made her move. With a flick of her hand, she unleashed a blade of light, ethereal and intangible. It shot towards the Violet Jade Demon Emperor and, with a single strike, carved a wound a hundred Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] deep into his colossal form.

"It's the Violet Cosmos Void-Severing Blade!"

Exquisite Jiang's eyes lit up with recognition as she identified the origin of this Divine Ability.

The lineage of the Violet Cosmos Path Lord was renowned for inheriting three Great God Ability techniques and one Spiritual Treasure. The Spiritual Treasure was, of course, the Violet Cosmos Void Escape Mirror. The Divine Ability techniques were the Violet Cosmos Heaven-Slaying Sword, the Violet Cosmos Indestructibility Aegis, and the Violet Cosmos Void-Severing Blade.

This Violet Cosmos Void-Severing Blade was a spatial Divine Ability. Formless and intangible, it was perfectly suited for ambush and assassination. Once unleashed, it was nearly impossible to defend against; even a Great Infant Soul Cultivator [a cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage] would suffer grievous wounds if struck.

That Violet Jade Demon Emperor was wounded by a single strike. Its expression shifted drastically as it immediately retreated in a burst of speed, revealing a look of shock and uncertainty.

In that very instant, Freya Ji seized the opportunity to strike. A flash of Formless Sword light swept down from the heavens, actually severing half of the Violet Jade Demon Emperor's tail.

"Arooo—!"

The Violet Jade Demon Emperor let out a pained shriek, retreating once more in a mixture of shock and fury. Only then did it notice a glimmer of Formless Sword light flickering within the void, its presence so elusive that even its formidable spiritual sense found it difficult to grasp.

"The Ji Immortal Clan's Formless Immortal Sword."

The Violet Jade Demon Emperor roared in realization. This Immortal Sword was indeed the Formless Immortal Sword of the Ji Immortal Clan. This novel is serialized on audio~novel.com. Visit for updates.

In the past, the Ji Clan Patriarch had once used this very sword to slay a Great Perfection of Infant Soul Demon Emperor from Azure Wave Lake. Now, after Dorian Ji's breakthrough to the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] realm, the sword was of no further use to him and had fallen into the hands of Freya Ji.

Recalling the fearsome reputation of this Formless Sword, the Violet Jade Demon Emperor's face contorted wildly with fear. In the end, filled with deep apprehension, it withdrew and fled deep into the void.

"Returning Abyss, this Emperor shall remember today's grievance. We will settle this score another day."

Only then did everyone present finally let out a sigh of relief.

Freya Ji shook her head and sighed, "It is a pity my cultivation is insufficient, allowing him to sense the danger at the critical moment. If a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Infant Soul [the peak stage of the Infant Soul realm] had struck, they would have surely beheaded him with a single stroke of the Formless Sword."

"I am in the same predicament,"

Violet Consort Yan also shook her head. "The Violet Cosmos Void-Severing Blade is itself a simplified version of the Supreme Primordial Solar Divine Ability. Had it been unleashed by a top-tier Great Infant Soul Cultivator, the Violet Jade Demon Emperor's physical body would likely have been utterly annihilated."

Eldrin Chen, however, smiled and let out a breath. "Regardless, after being so grievously wounded today, it will likely take the Violet Jade Demon Emperor three hundred years of recuperation to return to his peak. For this, I must thank you all for your assistance."

"There is no need for such formalities. We must continue to support each other in the days to come."

Path Master Unreal said with a smile. By taking action this time, he had repaid a measure of his debt, and the bond between them had deepened imperceptibly.

With their hands now free, the group relentlessly pursued the Demon Race [the race of demonic beings], swiftly exterminating the besieging Demon King [a powerful demonic entity] and Violet Sanctum Great Monster [a formidable monster at the Violet Sanctum level], reaping a considerable haul of resources.

After the battle concluded, Eldrin Chen hosted a banquet for everyone. During the feast, he said with a smile, "This time, we have slain the Greenjade Demon Emperor and the Golden Rhino Demon Emperor, obtaining two Demon Emperor Infant Soul [the condensed spiritual core of a slain Demon Emperor]. I intend to open the alchemical furnace and refine two batches of Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a precious pill that aids in forming the Nascent Soul]."

"Once they are successfully refined, if any of you have need, you may take one."

Freya Ji shook her head, offering a faint smile. "A Nascent Soul Formation Pill holds no use for me, and the Ji Clan does not lack for such a pill. Consider this a favor you owe me."

Violet Consort Yan and Patriarch Mo-ink also shook their heads, politely declining the request to be allocated a Nascent Soul Formation Pill. Patriarch Mo-ink had only recently broken through to the Infant Soul realm; managing his own cultivation was already a challenge, leaving him with neither the spare resources nor a suitable candidate to nurture into an Infant Soul Cultivator.

As for Violet Consort Yan, she had just expended considerable effort to help Immortal Maiden Spirit Consort achieve her breakthrough. Her own resources were now exceedingly scarce, and furthermore, the Purple Abyss Sect currently lacked a fitting disciple worthy of such an investment.

It was Path Master Unreal who, after a moment of contemplation, finally spoke. "I owe a debt of gratitude to the Liu Clan of Celestial Lake Continent," he said. "It is only fitting that I aid them in fostering a future Infant Soul cultivator. I shall purchase one Nascent Soul Formation Pill from you."

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod, offering no further comment. Path Master Unreal had occupied Heavenly Lake Island, with its Fifth Rank Earth Vein and Spiritual Vein, for centuries. His wealth and resources were considerable among their group, making the acquisition of a Nascent Soul Formation Pill a trivial matter.

Seeing that the others would not accept the pills, Eldrin Chen clasped his hands in a formal salute. "Regardless," he stated with firm resolve, "the favor you have shown me today is etched in my memory. Should you ever have need in the future, you have my word that I will not refuse." Read, share, and discuss at www . audio-novel.com.