Chapter 1566 : Guardians of the Abyssal Sea

Aside from these individuals, within the Chen Immortal Clan, Kael Chen, Ethan Chen, and Energy Abyss Chen had not yet returned.

The remaining Earth Immortal [a cultivator who has attained immortality tied to the mortal world] from the Purple Seal Realm had also nearly all arrived.

Understanding this, Eldrin Chen spoke, "For this descent to the lower realms, the Immortal Alliance must leave behind sufficient strength to guard our holdings, lest we fall prey to the schemes of others."

Upon hearing his words, everyone nodded slightly. Verdant Consort then asked, "Who do you propose should stay?"

Eldrin Chen pondered for a moment before replying, "The Flowing Fire Blessed Land [a land blessed with spiritual power] can be entrusted to the care of the Blazeflame Divine Spirit, and the Lingering Sun Blessed Land has Fellow Daoist Heaven Wind."

"We only need to leave one top-tier powerhouse within the Returning Abyss Sea Region."

Nyssa Qu nodded thoughtfully and suggested after a brief pause, "Perhaps Sister Exquisite should remain."

"No..."

Exquisite Jiang immediately shook her head, wishing to accompany Eldrin Chen on the journey.

Yet Eldrin Chen agreed with Nyssa Qu's reasoning. He gave a firm nod and said, "The Returning Abyss Sea Region is our foundation. It must be guarded by at least one top-tier cultivator at the Earth Immortal Great Perfection [the pinnacle stage of the Earth Immortal realm]. Exquisite is, by nature, the most suitable candidate for this duty."

"Moreover, your Black Dragon Ancient Cauldron [an ancient, powerful artifact shaped like a cauldron and imbued with draconic power] is also the key Formation Artifact [a specialized treasure used to anchor and power large-scale defensive or offensive arrays] for safeguarding the Returning Abyss Sea Region."

Hearing this, Exquisite Jiang understood that she was indeed the most suitable candidate to garrison the Returning Abyss Sea Region, and a soft sigh escaped her heart.

She cast a glance at Eldrin Chen, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Since it is so, you must all take great care."

"..."

Thus, the roster for the descent to the lower realm was finalized.

Those descending this time, besides Eldrin Chen, included four Eighth Level Earth Immortal [cultivators who have reached the eighth stage of the Earth Immortal realm, a high level of power]: Nyssa Qu, Verdant Consort, Lila, and Violet Consort Yan.

Adding to them were six others: Heaven Abandoned Lin, Lord of the Path Palace, Void-Refining Immortal [an immortal whose Dao title signifies mastery over void and refinement], Dorian Ji, Freya Ji, and Demon-Subduing Divine Monk. In total, eleven Immortal [beings who have transcended mortality and attained immortality] would descend.

Though only eleven Immortal were descending, each was an Earth Immortal Patriarch [a venerable and powerful figure within the Earth Immortal realm], their combined strength surpassing that of thousands of ordinary Immortal.

With the personnel decided, Eldrin Chen did not delay any further.

Soon after, he led the group, activated the Void Gate [a portal artifact capable of traversing vast cosmic distances], and set off for the Starry Sky Great Universe. Upon arriving in the Starry Sky Great Universe, they utilized the teleportation gates of the Immortal Court Star Palace to traverse swiftly, soon arriving within a great river of stars.

Emerging from the Teleportation Formation, Eldrin Chen gazed into the depths of the Boundless Starry Sky [the infinite cosmos], towards the direction of the Purple Seal Realm and said, "This place is extremely distant from the Frontier Star Domain. It will likely take us several hundred years to reach it."

"If we work together and combine our power to utilize the Polarity Void Mirror [a mystical artifact capable of manipulating space], we should be able to travel much faster."

As soon as Eldrin Chen finished speaking, the group immediately joined forces. Channeling their power through the Polarity Void Mirror, they began traversing the Boundless Void [the endless, empty space between realms].

For an ordinary Immortal [a being who has ascended to immortality through cultivation], reaching the Frontier Star Domain would require nearly a thousand years. Fortunately, the cultivators present possessed profound cultivation bases and continuously tore through the fabric of space itself. Their speed was not merely a hundred or a thousand times faster than that of a typical Immortal.

After a mere dozen or so years, Eldrin Chen had crossed the Boundless Void and arrived within the Frontier Star Domain, coming to a halt just outside the Purple Seal Realm.

"Good. It seems we are not too late," he remarked.

Upon arriving outside the Purple Seal Realm, Eldrin Chen observed that the surroundings were calm and peaceful. For the moment, the realm showed no signs of being under attack by the Starry Sky Fiend Race [a malevolent race of beings from the starry void].

Beyond the Purple Seal Realm, the Mysterious Bright Starry Abyss [a defensive formation of swirling starlight] had transformed into a vast Starry River [a flowing river of stars] that enveloped the entire realm, forming a firm and unyielding protective barrier.

"This Mysterious Bright Starry Abyss... it seems different from how it was in the past," 『『『Lord of the Path Palace|Person Names|new』』』 [the master of the primary cultivation palace] noted, a slight frown creasing his brow as he spoke with a tone of uncertainty.

Observing the Mysterious Bright Starry Abyss before them, the Lord of the Path Palace furrowed his brow slightly, his expression one of wary suspicion.

Eldrin Chen also gave a slight nod, a contemplative gleam flashing in his eyes.

This descent to the lower realm was different from the last. Eldrin Chen's cultivation had now reached the Eighth Level Earth Immortal [the eighth stage of the Earth Immortal realm], placing him on a level utterly incomparable to his former self.

With his current perception, he observed that after the Demonic Fiendish Energy [a corrupting, demonic aura] within the Mysterious Bright Starry Abyss had completely dissipated, the abyss seemed to be gradually recovering its former power.

Considering this, Eldrin Chen performed a brief divination with his fingers before speaking. "The Mysterious Bright Starry Abyss was originally a Lower Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [a primordial treasure born from the cosmos, of the lowest grade], the Companion Spiritual Treasure [a treasure intrinsically linked to a specific deity's birth and destiny] of the Mysterious Bright Star Deity."

"Yet, for reasons unknown, the Mysterious Bright Star Deity was contaminated by the Demonic Blood [a mysterious and profoundly corrupting blood]. The Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light [the primordial, indestructible spiritual radiance that forms the core of an Innate Deity] within its body vanished without a trace, severely damaging its foundation and causing its descent into the Catastrophe Demon God."

"The Mysterious Bright Starry Abyss suffered the same fate. Its internal Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light seems to have disappeared. With only the embryonic form of the abyss itself remaining, it too fell from grace, degrading to the level of a mere Postnatal Spiritual Treasure [a treasure crafted or refined after creation, lacking primordial nature]."

Upon hearing this, everyone was inwardly shaken.

Lila drew a sharp breath, unable to hold back her question. "What exactly is the origin of that Demonic Blood? To think it could defile an Innate Spiritual Treasure and even destroy the foundation of an Innate Ancient God [a deity born from primordial cosmic principles]..."

"I do not know,"

Eldrin Chen shook his head, his expression turning gravely solemn. "The Mysterious Bright Star Deity was born embodying the profound mysteries of the Great Path [the fundamental Dao or cosmic principle]. By all rights, upon its emergence into the world, it should have instantly become a great power of the 'Ancient God Realm' [the realm of primordial deities]."

"That it could utterly destroy the foundation of an Ancient God [a primordial deity of immense power] shows that the Demonic Blood [blood tainted by demonic corruption] must be at least at the Great Encompassing [the Great Encompassing Realm, a supreme cultivation stage] level."

Eldrin Chen spoke slowly, his expression growing increasingly grave.

The Ancient God of a Divine Clan [a clan of divine beings] was a truly peerless powerhouse, analogous to an Ancient Immortal Great Power [an ancient immortal of immense power] within the Human Race, both being existences with one foot already in the Great Encompassing Realm.

Yet such an existence was plotted against and killed. The one who acted must have been at least at the level of a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a Golden Immortal of the Great Encompassing Realm].

Furthermore, considering that after the fall of the Mysterious Bright Star Deity, the Mysterious Bright Starry Abyss [the Profound Luminous Starry Abyss] was used to shelter the Purple Seal Realm [the Violet Seal World], it was highly likely that Purple Seal Immortal Lord [the Immortal Lord of the Violet Seal] was involved behind the scenes.

Of course, the Mysterious Bright Star Deity was corrupted by the Demonic Blood, and it seemed a Great Encompassing expert from the Demonic Path [the Demonic Path of cultivation] was secretly meddling. The intricate Karma [the web of cause and effect] within was not something Eldrin Chen could yet perceive.

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen took a deep breath and said, "The current Mysterious Bright Starry Abyss has already recovered to the grade of a Primordial Unity Immortal Weapon [a Primordial Unity-grade Immortal Weapon], and it seems to have fused as one with the Purple Seal Realm."

"It appears the safety of the Purple Seal Realm faces no immediate threat for now."

Having said this, Eldrin Chen took a step into the Mysterious Bright Starry Abyss. Gazing upon the vast, boundless expanse of the Purple Seal Realm, he could not help but sigh in relief.

"Since the Purple Seal Realm is safe, let us first descend to the mortal world and take a look."

As the words of Eldrin Chen fell, a strand of divine consciousness immediately descended into the Purple Seal Realm, materializing into an ethereal avatar clad in robes white as snow.

Witnessing this, the remaining figures all followed suit, projecting their own avatars into the Purple Seal Realm.

A full eleven Earth Immortal [powerful cultivators who have ascended to a terrestrial immortal state] descended. Though merely projections of divine will, the power they manifested was profoundly awe-inspiring.

With their descent, the very heavens and earth of the Purple Seal Realm stirred; winds rose and clouds surged.

In that instant, miraculous light cascaded from the sky, golden lotuses bloomed from the earth, and the myriad Path Principles [fundamental laws governing cultivation and reality] and the grand Great Path [the supreme Dao] manifested fully, celebrating the arrival of these Immortal [ascended beings].

Within the Purple Seal Realm, countless mortal beings lifted their heads. They beheld eleven figures of transcendent grace standing between heaven and earth, wreathed in boundless Immortal Energy [the purified, potent energy wielded by immortals]. They shone like suns, their radiance illuminating the Myriad Heavens [the countless celestial realms].

"True Immortals [fully ascended beings of great power] have descended."

That thought flashed through the minds of innumerable cultivators in a single breath.

The Primordial Spirit Path Lord [cultivators who have reached the Primordial Spirit realm and begun to comprehend their own Path] within the Purple Seal Realm were overcome with ecstatic joy.

"The Immortals take pity on mortal life, descending to quell the great calamity."

"It is the Immortals descending to the mortal realm, coming to quell the great calamity."