Chapter 1562 : A Sword of Ancient Memories

That Path Master Yu departed swiftly and returned with equal haste.

Not long after, he arrived at the gate accompanied by a Verdant-robed Path Master.

The path master's cultivation was merely at the Early-stage Earth Immortal level, yet his bearing and demeanor were exceptionally noble and imposing. This was the Ghost Cultivator [a cultivator who specializes in ghostly or soul-based arts] form of the Verdant Abyss Path Master.

The Verdant Abyss Path Master did not speak immediately. He simply stepped forward and sat down opposite Eldrin Chen. Seeing this, the Ancient Ruins Nether Lord and Path Master Yu tactfully withdrew.

Only after the two had left did the Verdant Abyss Path Master turn his gaze to Eldrin Chen and ask, "For what purpose have you sought me out?"

Eldrin Chen did not answer immediately. With a flick of his sleeve, a dazzlingly brilliant azure Immortal Sword [a sword forged with immortal power] slowly materialized before him.

"Senior, do you recognize this sword?"

"*Chime—*"

Recognizing its master, the Azure Abyss Sword [the Sword of the Verdant Abyss] emitted a soft, clear ring and began to slowly circle the Verdant Abyss Path Master.

The Verdant Abyss Path Master's eyes trembled slightly. He slowly reached out and grasped the Azure Abyss Sword. Instantly, a profound sense of connection, as deep as shared blood, coursed through him. His heart quivered, and understanding dawned within him. For more chapters, visit audio-novel.com (official site) for the complete novel.

He lowered his gaze, contemplating for a moment before sighing softly. "Old friend, it has been a long time since we last met."

"The affairs of a past life... in the blink of an eye, hundreds of thousands of years have passed. I never imagined we would meet again in this place."

Only then did Eldrin Chen understand that Verdant Abyss Path Master had already recovered part of his memories. He spoke, "It seems my journey here was merely an unnecessary effort."

Verdant Abyss Path Master gave a slight nod. It turned out that many years prior, he had already begun to regain fragments of his past.

As his cultivation base continued to advance from this point, the memories from his previous life would gradually and completely return.

Verdant Abyss Path Master poured a shallow cup of tea and spoke with calm detachment, "Tell me, how has the Purple Seal Realm fared in all these years?"

"All is well."

Eldrin Chen began to speak slowly, recounting for Verdant Abyss Path Master the recent history and the sequence of changes that had unfolded within the Purple Seal Realm.

Verdant Abyss Path Master listened in silence. When he learned that the demonic tribulation of the Purple Seal Realm had been quelled and that generations of outstanding talents had emerged, he nodded once more. "The Purple Seal Realm is the ancient land of the Great Encompassing. It is no wonder boundless Fortune [the metaphysical force of destiny and prosperity] gathers there."

"Such a land, where dragons lie in wait, needs only a slight improvement in the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy [the fundamental spiritual energy of creation that permeates heaven and earth] to nurture prodigious talents, true dragons among men."

"Alas, my Purple Seal Immortal Sect [a once-great immortal cultivation sect], has seen its lineage severed."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen could not help but let out a soft sigh.

The Purple Seal Immortal Sect of the Purple Seal Realm was the direct orthodox lineage of the Purple Seal Immortal Lord [a powerful immortal lord]. Legend held that at its zenith, this lineage had produced multiple Immortal [beings who ascended to immortality] who successfully ascended to the higher realms.

Yet, over eight hundred thousand years ago, before the Purple Seal Immortal Lord met his sudden demise, the cultivators of the Purple Seal Immortal Sect mysteriously vanished, with only a handful remaining behind.

The Verdant Abyss Path Master could be considered the last sect master of the Purple Seal Immortal Sect. By the time he was born, the sect had dwindled to a mere handful of members, so weak it was considered insignificant even among Primordial Spirit [a major cultivation stage] level orthodoxies.

"A mortal-world direct lineage of a Great Encompassing [a supreme cultivation realm] level sect, yet its final master perished at the hands of a mere Primordial Spirit Heavenly Demon [a demonic being at the Primordial Spirit stage]."

The Verdant Abyss Path Master spoke slowly, finally shaking his head. "I have truly failed our ancestors."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen inquired, "May I ask, Senior, what are your plans from here?"

"We shall take one step at a time."

The Verdant Abyss Path Master shook his head, his expression grave. "Our origins are not to be spoken of lightly. We must focus on diligent cultivation. Once our strength is sufficient, we shall fear nothing."

"By the way, the Path Marker [a unique spatial coordinate or anchor point] of the Purple Seal Realm [a hidden world], you must not reveal it to anyone, or even a Celestial Immortal Great Power [a mighty being at the Celestial Immortal level] would covet it."

Eldrin Chen nodded upon hearing this and said, "The Path Marker of the Purple Seal Realm has been concealed by the Purple Seal Immortal Lord [the ancient lord who founded that realm], making it impossible for anyone to locate the Purple Seal Realm."

As he spoke, a faint stirring arose within Eldrin Chen's heart.

The Purple Seal Realm had been cast adrift within the boundless Great Universe [the vast cosmos] by the Purple Seal Immortal Lord, its location further obscured by the Purple Seal Immortal's methods. Not even a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal realm] could find its Path Marker.

Anyone attempting to divine the location of the Purple Seal Realm would be thwarted by subtle countermeasures left behind by the Purple Seal Immortal Lord. Even with a precise Path Marker, finding the realm was exceedingly difficult.

Even Immortals [beings who have ascended to immortality] who ascended from the Purple Seal Realm were affected by this obscure force, unable to retain the exact memory of its Path Marker. The story continues at audio—novel.com.

Only Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang seemed to be exceptions. They possessed a mysterious, innate sense of the Purple Seal Realm's Path Marker, allowing them to locate the realm through the immortal traces they had left behind there.

Between the two of them, Exquisite Jiang had received the legacy the Purple Seal Immortal Lord left in the mortal world. As for Eldrin Chen, even he did not know why he could sense it.

Considering the special status of Verdant Abyss Path Master now, Eldrin Chen chose not to reveal his ability to return to the Purple Seal Realm.

He sighed softly, remembering the purpose of his visit. "My journey here," he began, "is also to fulfill a promise made long ago."

With that, he recounted to Verdant Abyss Path Master the agreement he had made with the Azure Abyss Sword [a legendary sentient sword of immense power].

After listening, Verdant Abyss Path Master could not help but laugh. "If I were to undergo Reincarnation [the process of being reborn into a new life], could I achieve the Celestial Immortal Realm [the exalted realm of a true celestial being]?"

Eldrin Chen shook his head. "Attaining the Celestial Immortal Realm is exceedingly difficult. I fear the path would be fraught with ten thousand hardships."

Verdant Abyss Path Master pressed further. "Then, could I become an Earth Immortal [an immortal whose power is anchored to the mortal world]?"

Eldrin Chen pondered for a moment before replying, "Becoming an Earth Immortal is also a formidable challenge. The outcome hangs in the balance."

Seeing this, Verdant Abyss Path Master spoke plainly. "In this life, I am already a Netherworld Ghost Ancestor [a powerful spectral entity ruling over ghosts]. To undergo Reincarnation is to gamble. First, I cannot guarantee reaching the Celestial Immortal Realm. Second, I dare not claim I would retain my current cultivation base."

"Given that," he continued, "why should I walk that perilous path of Reincarnation?"

Having said this, Verdant Abyss Path Master declared, "Let the third condition from our agreement all those years ago be considered null and void."

"I understand,"

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod. The conclusion of this Karma [the cosmic law of cause and effect] spanning hundreds of thousands of years lifted a subtle, unnamed weight from his spirit.

The Inner Demon Oath [a binding vow sworn upon one's inner demons] from years past was now but a trivial matter to the present-day Eldrin Chen, yet it had remained a lingering concern in his heart all these years.

Now that this matter was resolved, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders, his mood becoming significantly more carefree.

Seeing this, the Verdant Abyss Path Master said with a smile, "Your journey here may have been in vain, but in a short while, an Earth Immortal Rank Barter Convention [a high-level trade fair for Earth Immortals] will be held at the Other Shore Ghost City."

"While most items from this Netherworld [the underworld realm of spirits and ghosts] are useless to Immortals like yourselves, the few that *are* useful are unique specialties of our Depths of the Netherworld."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen's eyes gleamed faintly as he inquired, "Might I ask if there will be any Netherworld Turbid Energy [a rare, impure spiritual energy unique to the Netherworld] at this upcoming auction?"

"Netherworld Turbid Energy?"

The Verdant Abyss Path Master paused briefly, then shook his head. "That Netherworld Turbid Energy is exceedingly rare. It is a crucial catalyst for refining the Ninth Rank Netherworld Treasure Pill and is also a resource sought after by Netherworld Great Power [powerful beings native to the Netherworld]."

"Generally speaking, such a treasure only appears at Celestial Immortal Rank Barter Convention [trade fairs of an even higher tier, for Celestial Immortals] and does not circulate at Earth Immortal-level auctions."

"I see,"

Eldrin Chen replied, a slight frown creasing his brow as a sigh welled up within him.

Auction gatherings at the Celestial Immortal [a high-level immortal realm] level were still beyond his current qualifications to access. It seemed the Netherworld Turbid Energy [a dense, chaotic spiritual energy from the underworld] was indeed exceedingly rare and difficult to find.

Seeing this, the Verdant Abyss Path Master pondered for a moment before speaking. "If you truly desire the Netherworld Turbid Energy, I do know of a potential source."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen's eyes lit up with anticipation. "Please, enlighten me." The complete novel can be found at site: audio-novel.com.