Chapter 885 : An Ordinary Heart

“When the Heaven-Abandoning Dao Lord recovers 3 100 years from now, he shall return to reclaim the Eastern Wastelands (Location).”

Fool!

Hearing this, the Master of the Endless Sky Pavilion sharpened his expression and declared, "I may be able to wait another 3 100 years, but can the hundreds of millions of mortal souls in the Eastern Sea's cultivation realm endure another 3 centuries?"

"Is this old man alone more important, or are the hundreds of millions of living beings in the Eastern Sea cultivation world more important?"

The elder’s tone was unusually stern, carrying a tone of exasperation as if disappointed by someone’s failure to meet expectations.

His expression turned incomparably grave, his gaze fixed intently on Eldrin as he declared, "With the demon clan currently lacking any ninth-level Nascent Soul experts, this is our optimal moment to strike."

"Do you realize that if this rare opportunity were missed because of me, I could never rest in peace even in death?"

"Senior!"

Eldrin's eyes burned crimson, a 1000 words surging in his heart yet trapped behind sealed lips.

He could only stand there quietly, holding the hand of the Master of the Skyreach Pavilion in silence, wordless.

Seeing his stubborn demeanor, the master of the Endless Sky Pavilion could not help but sigh inwardly.

He slowed his tone, gazing intently at Eldrin as he said, "You there—your demeanor may seem sharp, but you care far too deeply about sentiment."

"Your Dao Heart is but a mortal heart. To cultivate the Dao with a mortal heart is to be destined to experience the myriad karmic ties of the mundane world and endure all its suffering."

At this point, the master of the Endless Sky Pavilion sighed and said, "This is your Dao Heart, yet also your weakness. Perhaps 1 day it shall become your heavenly tribulation."

"I would rather you cast aside your mortal attachments and forge a heart of iron—1 ruthless enough to sever all karmic ties without hesitation."

"Abandon mortal desires?" Eldrin appeared momentarily lost, yet his voice quickly steadied with resolve. "If 1 discards humanity itself, what meaning remains in achieving immortality?"

"The self of that time is no longer the self of today, so what meaning is there in my attaining immortality?"

At this point, Eldrin said with a smile, "You claim I possess a mortal heart, yet you yourself would sacrifice your personal desires for the greater good of hundreds of millions of living beings. Does that not make you a man bound to the mortal realm as well?"

"Throughout 1's life, the heaviest burden to bear is responsibility. Since we now possess the capability yet cannot abandon our mortal hearts to cultivate in solitude, this may very well be the fate we were born to carry."

When he emerged from the Endless Sky Pavilion, Eldrin stood atop its peak for a long while. Finally, he offered a deep bow toward the pavilion before setting off toward the Eastern Wastelands.

After returning to the Eastern Wastelands (Location), Eldrin (Person Name) did not enter seclusion again. Instead, he began mobilizing the major immortal clans of the Eastern Wastelands (Location) to prepare for war.

They also sent messages to the Central Ancestral Domain and several other domains, demanding that all major immortal clans join forces in a coordinated campaign to reclaim the Eastern Sea Cultivation World.

Thus, in the blink of an eye, 10 years had passed.

On this day, within the Ancient Domain of Starry Lake, thousands of treasure ships gathered, and countless cultivators assembled, each with blazing battle intent shining in their eyes.

In this battle, the human race gathered forces from all domains. Though not as formidable as during the cataclysm of the Demonic Abyss 2 centuries prior, it still constituted a campaign of immense scale.

Eldrin stood poised in the void, his battle spirit boiling ever fiercer as he gazed upon the treasure ship that blotted out the heavens.

He exchanged a glance with the fellow Dao Lords beside him, and as the war horns sounded, the majestic fleet began to cross the Dragon-Severing Mountain Range, advancing toward the Eastern Sea Immortal Cultivation Realm.

This time, the human race came fully prepared. They brought with them a dozen or so Primordial Spirit Dao Lords alone, with countless cultivators under their command. Meanwhile, the Eastern Sea demonic race still had to guard against Dorian (Person Name), the Horizon Pavilion, and several sacred lands of the demonic tribe, making it nearly impossible for them to mount an all-out defense.

The mighty fleet advanced with unstoppable force, breaking through all the way into the Eastern Sea Cultivation Realm as the Extraterrestrial Demonic Tribes began to retreat in successive defeats.

Meanwhile, the 2 great human sacred grounds of the East Sea cultivation world and the Primordial Spirit Demon Ancestors also began their counterattack against the demonic tribes.

Utterly incapable of resistance, they immediately collapsed like a mountain crumbling, plunging into a full-scale rout.

The great war raged on for 17 years. With his mighty army, Eldrin swept across the lands, driving the Outer Realm Demons back until they were cornered within the Demonic Sea.

The Demonic Sea of Heavens was once the domain of the ancient Jayu Heavenly Demon. Now occupied by the Outer Realm Demons for hundreds of years, it has become their second stronghold.

This place and the Zhou Tian Star Archipelago are both under the control of the extraterrestrial demons, forming a pincer-like strategic posture that poses 1 of the gravest threats to the human race.

"Esteemed colleagues, what course of action do you propose?"

At this moment in the Celestial Demon Sea, a dozen or so Outer Realm Devils had gathered, each revealing expressions of grave solemnity.

The 2 leaders were both at the Primordial Spirit, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm). 1 of them wore black robes, with a celestial eye gleaming mystically on his forehead—an extraordinary sight to behold.

Another figure was an enchantingly alluring woman, draped in a sheer pink gauze. Her aura radiated sacred elegance and nobility, yet upon closer observation, 1 could detect a subtle hint of wantonness beneath her saintly demeanor.

Among the 2 individuals, the former was a member of the 3-Eyed Divine Tribe. It was said this lineage originated from the depths of the starry sky, possessing cultivation at the Nascent Soul realm since birth—an exceptionally rare Primordial Spirit. For reasons unknown, they had fallen into the demonic path.

The woman was a powerful figure from the Desire Demon clan. This lineage was born with the Physique of the Desire Demon, specializing in the path of charm and soul refinement. Though her own strength was not formidable, she was accompanied by several powerful experts.

Among them, 3 were actually former Primordial Spirit Dao Lords of the Violet Realm. Evidently, they had all been seduced by this demonic entity and fallen into the demonic path.

Yet at this very moment, both the Desire Demon’s primordial spirit and the 3-Eyed Divine Clan’s heavenly demon wore expressions of utmost gravity.

The 3-Eyed Divine Tribesman’s expression turned exceedingly grim as he solemnly regarded the group. “Now, the Purple Primordial God advances with overwhelming force, accompanied by 3 other Primordial Spirit, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) experts—the Frost Glaze Demon Ancestor, the Abyssal Return Daoist, and the Immortal-Refining Furnace—each possessing combat prowess of the highest order.”

"Given our strength, a head-on confrontation would likely prove unwise."

"Indeed, that Daoist Guixu possesses a Void Spirit Treasure, and he even slew the Demon Lord Galou."

At the mention of Eldrin, the demons' expressions shifted dramatically.

The demonic soul of the Lustful Fiend trembled, her beautiful eyes flickering with fear as she spoke, "What if we abandon this Demonic Sea Region and retreat to the Star Archipelago instead?"

"Absolutely not!"

A soul demon quickly shook its head and said, "For Lord 9 Netherfiend to recover from his injuries swiftly, he requires a blood sacrifice of tens of thousands of humans."

"Once we abandon the Demonic Sea, who among us could withstand the wrath of the 9 Netherworlds Demonic Lord?"

Seeing this, the 3-Eyed Divine Fiend also nodded and said, "With sufficient blood sacrifices, the Netherworld Demon Venerable could recover earlier than Lin Tianqi."

"If the Demon Lord had replied sooner, he might have turned the tide completely, ferreting out and slaying Lin Tianqi. Then who could have stood in our way?"

Seeing this, the 3-Eyed Divine Fiend also nodded and said, "With sufficient blood sacrifices, the Netherworld Demon Venerable could recover sooner than Lin Tianqi."

"If the Demon Lord had replied sooner, he might have turned the tide of battle completely, ferreted out that Lin Tianqi, and slain him. Who then could have stood in our way?"