Chapter 1483 : Divine Artifacts Clash in the Netherworld

After establishing his might with the Gale God-Slaying Gourd, Eldrin Chen felt a slight sense of calm settle within him.

Immediately, he activated the Heavenly Separated Twin Swords and the Earth-Fortress Sovereign Bell to engage the enemy. With a flick of his sleeve, he then summoned forth the Crimson Dragon Ancient Cauldron.

With the might of the Crimson Dragon Ancient Cauldron, even an existence at the Earth Immortal Great Perfection realm would find it difficult to withstand, let alone a mere Primordial Nether Dragon conjured from an ancient talisman.

In the very first clash, one of the Primordial Nether Dragon phantoms was refined into a cloud of tribulation ashes.

Immediately after, Eldrin Chen once again channeled the Primordial Chaos Qi Grasping Hand. With a single raised palm, he suppressed the third Primordial Nether Dragon.

Boundless Pure Yang Celestial Flame surged down, utterly annihilating it in an instant.

The remaining two Primordial Nether Dragon phantoms were now far from being a match for Eldrin Chen.

"Perish!"

At that very moment, Ancient Ruins Yin Lord seized the opportunity. He drove his four Netherworld Ancient Treasure treasures forward in a fierce assault, crushing and slaying a Ghost Progenitor [a powerful ghost cultivator at the Earth Immortal realm] who was at the Earth Immortal Great Perfection realm.

By this point in the battle, the grand formation of the Three Thousand Ghost Cities [a vast domain of three thousand spectral cities] was in tatters. Deprived of much of its power source, the Abyssal Sea Pearl could no longer effectively suppress Lyra Jiang. Experience the full epic at audio novel.com.

The remaining four Earth Immortal Great Perfection Ghost Progenitor [powerful ghost cultivators at the Earth Immortal realm], understanding the tide had irrevocably turned, immediately retreated toward the core region with their legions of Ghost Immortal [immortal-level ghost cultivators].

The allied forces gave relentless chase, cutting down the majority of the Ghost Immortal and Ghost Progenitor before finally halting their pursuit at the very edge of the core territory.

"Regroup and rest. Tally our gains and our losses."

After a glance toward the core region ahead, Eldrin Chen gave the order.

The battle's outcome was soon tallied. Upon reviewing the report, Eldrin Chen's expression grew solemn.

He gathered the Earth Immortal [cultivators who have attained the Earth Immortal realm] and presented the report. "Our spoils from this battle surpass the first," he stated, "yet our losses have also grown significantly heavier."

Lyra Jiang took the report. A shadow of gravity fell over her features as she read its contents.

This engagement had been far more protracted and brutal than the initial clash.

Their tally listed the fall of the Lords of the Three Thousand Ghost Cities, two thousand Ghost Immortal, and forty Earth Immortal Realm Ghost Progenitor.

Yet the price paid was steep. Over six hundred Divine Spirits [deified beings of immense power] had perished, and the toll among figures of Imperial Lord [a supreme title for a ruler of a vast domain] stature reached a grievous twelve.

Eldrin Chen's situation here was still acceptable, with only a little over thirty Divine Spirits [powerful cultivators who have ascended to a divine state] having fallen in battle. The Emperors of the Six Heavens and Seven Realms [the supreme rulers of the six celestial realms and seven mortal planes] had suffered no losses. However, the remaining forces had mostly incurred significant casualties.

Among them, six individuals—Verdant Consort, Nyssa Qu, Ethan Chen, Qiyuan Chen, Ancient Ruins Yin Lord, and Yvonne the Violet Consort—each saw a figure of Imperial Lord [a title for a supreme ruler or sovereign] caliber perish within their respective Earth Immortal World [a self-contained pocket dimension cultivated by an Earth Immortal].

The forces under Kael Chen, Lila, and Sky Abyss Daoist fared even worse, each losing two Imperial Lord figures.

This was particularly devastating for Lila and Sky Abyss Daoist. They had already lost one Imperial Lord-level figure in the previous great battle. Now, with the loss of two more, their internal Primordial Source [the foundational life-force and spiritual essence of a cultivator] was significantly depleted.

These were all prodigies who had opened their own Ninefold Heavens [a legendary, multi-layered celestial realm]. However, the heavy loss of Divine Spirits within them, compounded by the deaths of three Imperial Lord existences, had severely damaged their Primordial Source.

By now, their combat prowess had diminished by at least twenty percent.

"Twelve Imperial Lord and over six hundred Divine Spirits," she tallied silently.

"To resurrect them all would require at least seventy-two vials of Primordial Essence Power [a primordial, condensed form of cosmic energy used for miraculous feats], equivalent to the power of seventy-two Galaxy Star-Sand Pill [a legendary elixir said to contain the condensed essence of a galaxy's stars]."

Lyra Jiang murmured softly, a sigh escaping her heart.

Though this battle had ended in victory, the price paid was staggeringly high.

Merely procuring this batch of Galaxy Star-Sand Pill would require a staggering seven million two hundred thousand Immortal Source [a highly concentrated and potent form of spiritual energy used by high-level cultivators].

Contemplating this, Jiang Ling inquired, "What should we do next? Should we immediately assault the core region?"

"There is no need for haste."

Eldrin Chen shook his head and spoke, "Our combat strength has been severely depleted. To rashly attack the core region now would be unwise."

"We must first restore our power swiftly before making a move against what lies within."

Everyone nodded slightly at his words. The Ancient Ruins Yin Lord pondered for a moment and said, "During the battles in the inner and outer perimeters, we seized a considerable number of rare Spiritual Object [objects imbued with or containing spiritual energy]." Experience the full epic at audio‑novel.com.

"Even excluding the Heaven-Opening Marvel [a legendary treasure of immense power], the value of the remaining treasures amounts to at least several tens of millions of Immortal Source."

"If we could sell them all and exchange everything for Ascending to Immortality [the final major realm before achieving true immortality] resources, it would be more than sufficient to restore every one of us."

Hearing this, Nyssa Qu frowned slightly. "Such a vast quantity of treasures, and all of them are Netherworld [the underworld or realm of the dead] items from the Yin Plane Microcosm [a small, self-contained world dominated by Yin energy]. Selling them off would surely draw unwanted attention."

"Moreover, within the Netherworld, the only entities capable of absorbing such a massive influx of wealth would likely be those at least at the Half-Step Celestial Immortal Realm [a transcendent state just below that of a true Celestial Immortal]."

Upon hearing this, the brows of the several individuals involuntarily furrowed slightly.

The treasures they had obtained this time were truly immense. Merely the Netherworld Ghost Treasure [enchanted artifacts forged from the essence of the Netherworld] of the seventh calamity numbered in the tens of thousands, let alone the vast quantities of Netherworld Immortal Herb [rare spiritual herbs that grow in the depths of the Netherworld], Incense Fire Celestial Silver [a mystical metal refined from the essence of incense smoke and celestial fire], and other Eighth Rank [a high level of cultivation, corresponding to the Earth Immortal realm] rarities.

Such a vast amount of resources was more than sufficient for Ancient Ruins Yin Lord to cultivate all the way to the Half-Step Celestial Immortal Realm [a transitional state just below the true Celestial Immortal realm], and was enough to stir the heart of even a Heavenly Immortal Paragon [a supreme expert who has ascended to the Heavenly Immortal realm].

It could be said that if this wealth were to be sold off, it would likely attract the attention of a Heavenly Immortal Paragon.

After all, this was not within the context of a Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic event ordained by fate or cosmic law]; producing tens of thousands of Netherworld Ghost Treasure at once was no simple matter.

After careful consideration, Eldrin Chen finally spoke: "We cannot expose this wealth. Once exposed, with our current strength, we would be utterly incapable of holding onto it. Moreover, it could very well lead to the exposure of the Yin Plane Microcosm [a hidden pocket dimension within the Yin Plane, the realm of the dead]."

"Here is my proposal: let us leave the Netherworld Ghost Treasure and Immortal Herbs untouched for now. We shall only take out the Incense Fire Celestial Silver to purchase the Galaxy Star-Sand Pill [an elixir refined from the essence of galactic star-sand, used to enhance cultivation]."

Hearing this, the others all nodded slightly in agreement.

The Ancient Ruins Yin Lord calculated for a moment, then said, "From the two great battles, we have seized a total of ninety thousand pieces of Incense Fire Celestial Silver. This is more than enough to purchase seventy-two vials of Galaxy Star-Sand Pill."

Lyra Jiang gave a slight nod, weighing her words carefully: "Ninety thousand pieces of Incense Fire Celestial Silver is also no small sum. Its value approaches ten million Immortal Source [a purified, high-density form of spiritual energy used by high-level cultivators]. We cannot expose such a large amount of wealth all at once."

"Perhaps we should divide it into three portions," Eldrin Chen suggested. "Our Chen Clan, Sky AbyssFellow Daoist, and Ancient Ruins Fellow Daoist can each take a portion and travel to the various Celestial Domains to exchange them for Galaxy Star-Sand Pill before returning."

"We need not traverse the Celestial Domains in their entirety."

Seeing this, Ancient Ruins Yin Lord spoke up, "Incense Fire Celestial Silver is more sought-after within the Netherworld Hell. If we visit several of the Ninth Rank Ghost Cities within the Netherworld Ghost Domain, we should be able to exchange for a sufficient quantity of Galaxy Star-Sand Pill."

Seeing the logic in this, Eldrin Chen nodded in agreement. "Very well, then. The matter is settled."

"Sky Abyss, Ancient Ruins, and Kael—the three of you shall make the journey to the Yin Domain. The rest of us will remain here to guard our position."

Upon hearing this, Kael Chen gave a firm nod. Possessing a Demon MonarchDao Fruit [the condensed essence of one's cultivation path], he could move through the Netherworld with the ease of a fish in water, making him particularly suited for venturing into its depths. "Agreed," he stated with a slight inclination of his head.

With the plan finalized, the three of them departed the Minor Universe without delay, setting their course for the Nine Calamities Ghost City deep within the Netherworld Depths. Discover more cultivation stories at @udio-novel.com.