Chapter 1449 : The Weight of Karmic Sin

For a supreme fiend like Lunar Crow Old Freak, whose cultivation rivals the Earth Immortal Great Perfection realm and who has committed boundless bloodshed in his lifetime, the Karmic Sin Light [a visible manifestation of accumulated evil karma] he carries would only number around eighty or so strands.

To condense a single strand of Merit Violet Light [a manifestation of immense accumulated virtue and merit], one would need to single-handedly slay over a dozen such Earth Immortal Great Perfection fiends.

And how immensely difficult would it be to slay over a dozen Earth Immortal Great Perfection fiends?

Such powerful fiends, having cultivated to this realm, possess exceptionally ruthless means of self-preservation and survival.

If not for the power of Eldrin Chen's Spatial Law today, even a supreme Earth Immortal Great Perfection cultivator like Violet Mystery Path Master would find slaying such a foe a fool's dream.

Even some Great Power Figure at the Half-Step Celestial Immortal Realm might find it relatively easy to defeat such an Earth Immortal Great Perfection foe, but should they be determined to flee, ending their lives would be an exceedingly arduous task.

Moreover, such an Earth Immortal Great Perfection Demonic Cultivator [a cultivator who follows a path of demonic arts] would be considered a top-tier powerhouse even within the depths of the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea.

Consider the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea: among its more than twenty thousand Earth Immortal Patriarch, those who have reached Earth Immortal Great Perfection number fewer than one hundred.

The Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea is no different. Although Demonic Cultivator progress faster in their cultivation, those who attain Earth Immortal Great Perfection are still exceedingly rare, and slaying them is a feat of monumental difficulty.

Furthermore, venturing deep into the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea risks drawing pursuit from major Demonic Path [the demonic cultivation path] sects and unorthodox Grotto-Heaven [a blessed realm or pocket dimension for cultivation] forces.

Contemplating this, Violet Mystery Path Master shook his head and said, "Within the entire Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea, aside from the two Grotto-Heaven [a higher-level blessed land and cultivation sanctuary], there are over thirty Half-Step Celestial Immortal [cultivators on the verge of ascending to the Celestial Immortal realm]. Yet, only two among them have managed to condense the Merit Violet Light [a protective aura formed from accumulated virtuous merit]."

"Unless another great war between immortals and demons erupts, even if you gave this old man another thirty million years, I would have no confidence in condensing the Merit Violet Light."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen felt a flicker of interest stir within him.

Although, given the profound depth of his own foundation, he did not strictly need the aid of the Merit Violet Light to have a significant chance of cultivating all three types of Primordial Unity Foundation [the supreme foundational cultivation arts representing the unity of essence, energy, and spirit].

However, those close to him like Violet Consort Yan and Lila possessed foundations of the Ninefold Heaven [a term denoting an exceptionally pure and lofty cultivation base]. If they could condense the Merit Violet Light, their chances of successfully consolidating the three Primordial Unity Foundation would also increase.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen inquired, "Do wars between immortals and demons also occur within the Immortal Domain [the realm of true immortals]?"

"They do."

Violet Mystery Path Master nodded, then continued, "Thirty million years ago, the Departing Sun Ancient Immortal from the Southern Extremity Heavenly Domain initiated a great immortal-demon war. He united over ten Grotto-Heaven to launch an assault deep into the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea [a demonic realm of suffering and torment]."

"Alas, that campaign ended in a disastrous defeat. The Departing Sun Ancient Immortal passed away not long after, and the once-mighty Liyang Grotto-Heaven, which had dominated the Vast Azure Immortal Domain for several Kalpa Tribulation [cosmic cycles of immense duration], has been in decline ever since."

"By my reckoning, it has been thirty million years since the Vast Azure Immortal Domain witnessed a large-scale war between immortals and demons."

Speaking to this point, Violet Mystery Path Master could not help but shake his head. [a senior cultivator skilled in profound and mysterious arts]

Now, after thirty million years have passed, the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea [a vast and perilous sea realm associated with demonic forces] already has seven Grotto-Heaven [a self-contained, superior-grade spiritual realm] suppressing the Cosmos [the fundamental order of the universe]. Its strength is sufficient to rank within the top three even among the Thirty-Three Heavens [the collective name for the supreme immortal domains] of the Vast Azure Immortal Domain. [one of the primary realms in the immortal world]

Coupled with the aid of the fallen Heavenly Path [a supreme cultivation method that has been corrupted], the difficulty of utterly destroying them is truly immense.

If the over one hundred Grotto-Heaven within the Vast Azure Immortal Domain were to join forces, it would certainly be achievable.

However, within the current Vast Azure Immortal Domain, the Immortal Court [the primary governing body of orthodox immortal cultivators], the Demon Court [the primary governing body of demonic cultivators], the Divine Court [the primary governing body of divine beings and spirits], and the Hundred Clans—all these factions' interests are deeply intertwined. The over one hundred Grotto-Heaven also each have their own stances and allegiances.

Unless there is a danger of Oblivion [complete annihilation or cosmic extinction] for the entire Immortal Domain [a vast realm within the immortal world], it is fundamentally impossible for everyone to unite.

"Without sufficient cause, or the emergence of another great power like the Departing Sun Ancient Immortal [a legendary ancient immortal of immense power], a full-scale war between immortals and demons remains very difficult to ignite."

Having spoken thus far, Violet Mystery Path Master said no more.

The group inventoried the treasures of the Lunar Crow Old Freak [a sinister and ancient demonic cultivator]. They discovered that most were Demonic Path [the cultivation path aligned with demonic and destructive energies] artifacts, useless to them, but there was also no small amount of resources and rare curios.

Among them were several treasures of the Eighth Rank High-Grade [a very high tier of power for artifacts and cultivators], but the most precious were two items in particular.

One was naturally the Heaven-Piercing Shuttle [a divine ability for swift and direct travel], and the other was named the 'Heaven-Veiling Haze' [a magical treasure that creates a concealing mist]. That Heaven-Veiling Haze could completely conceal the auras of those within it; even a Half-Step Celestial Immortal [a cultivator on the verge of ascending to the Celestial Immortal realm] would find it difficult to see through it. It was precisely the means by which the Lunar Crow Old Freak had hidden himself.

The Violet Mystery Path Master took the Heaven-Veiling Haze and then spoke, "In this battle, Fellow Cultivator Eldrin's mastery of Spatial Law [the divine laws governing space] was of paramount importance. Let us entrust this Heaven-Piercing Shuttle to him."

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, offering no other opinions.

Soon, they had thoroughly looted the treasures, but indeed, they did not find the artifact that had been used to command the demonic crows to besiege them.

Seeing this, Breaker the True Lord [a title meaning 'Lord of the Shattering'] asked with puzzlement, "We haven't seen the treasure that commanded the myriad crows. So how did he drive countless Fire Crow [demonic birds wreathed in flame] and Lunar Crow [demonic birds associated with lunar energy] to besiege us?"

Eldrin Chen seemed to have thought of something, his expression turning exceedingly grim. "What if," he said, "it wasn't that he commanded the myriad crows to attack us."

"But rather, that he left something upon our persons capable of attracting countless Lunar Crow Fire Crow."

"This..."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions changed drastically.

For in the boundless void, yet another endless tide of Lunar Crow Fire Crow was sweeping towards them, blotting out the sky.

"Go, now!"

Witnessing this scene, Eldrin Chen's expression shifted drastically. He immediately transformed into a streak of Five-Colored Aurora and shot away in flight.

Seeing this, the others also transformed into beams of Escape Radiance to flee for their lives, while simultaneously conducting a thorough search of their persons for any object that might have been left by Lunar Crow Old Freak.

Yet, despite searching again and again, they could not find where the object was hidden.

As the countless Lunar Crow Fire Crow grew ever more numerous, Violet Mystery Path Master finally could bear it no longer. "Time is running out," he urged. "We must scatter and flee for now."

As soon as the words were spoken, the group dispersed, each fleeing into the boundless void.

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen did not persist. Activating the Polarity Void Mirror, he led Exquisite Jiang and the others, breaking through the encirclement of the endless Lunar Crow Fire Crow.

After fleeing for what seemed an eternity, Eldrin Chen finally escaped the bounds of the vast Myriad Crow Forbidden Land and set foot in a region shrouded by boundless, coiling Fiendish Energy.

"We're here. This should be the territory of the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea,"

Eldrin Chen spoke, the thought forming in his mind.

Exquisite Jiang also let out a deep sigh of relief. Gazing at the countless Lunar Crow Fire Crow that had halted their pursuit at the edge of the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea, she could not help but voice her confusion. "What method did that Lunar Crow Patriarch employ to incite so many Lunar Crow Fire Crow to hunt us down?"

"It likely was not a physical object,"

Eldrin Chen replied. Having fled for such a long distance, he had already deduced the Lunar Crow Patriarch's likely stratagem.

With a flick of his sleeve, Eldrin Chen channeled his boundless Primordial One Limitless Rule Power. From the very fabric of his robes, he forced out a wisp of faint, insidious, and utterly pure Nether Yin Miasma [a malevolent spiritual energy associated with darkness and death].

This strand of Nether Yin Miasma was so subtle it had been nearly imperceptible, yet its purity was absolute.

Alarmed, the others immediately began searching their own persons. Soon, each of them had expelled a similar wisp of the sinister energy.

Witnessing this, Energy Abyss Chen could not hold back his question. "What is this?"

"A thread of the purest Nether Yin Miasma," Eldrin Chen explained, his expression grave. "Its intrinsic aura seems connected to the Myriad Crow Forbidden Land. That is why it drew the relentless pursuit of countless Lunar Crow Fire Crow."

Eldrin Chen spoke slowly, his tone heavy with concern.