Chapter 1669 : Divine Battle at the Firmament's Edge

Lyra Jiang further unleashed the Innate Primordial Unity Qi Pearl [a supreme treasure born from the convergence of primordial chaos], instantly annihilating the Three Half-Step Celestial Immortals [cultivators who have partially transcended mortality but not fully ascended to immortality] on the spot.

Countless Divine Spirits [deified beings of immense power] and Earth Immortals [immortals bound to the terrestrial realm] of the Divine Race [a powerful race of deified beings] sought to resist, converging their power into the Myriad Deities Grand Formation [a grand battle array harnessing the combined might of numerous deities] for a final, desperate strike. Yet, Frost Soul Immortal Clam [an ancient, frost-aspected demonic clam of immense power] and her two companions activated the Triad of Wonders Ancient Pearl [an ancient pearl embodying three wondrous powers] to block the assault, before the formation was utterly shattered by the bombardment of the Ninth Rank World-Destroying Cannon [a cannon of the ninth rank, capable of unleashing cataclysmic force].

When Lyra Jiang then channeled the Innate Gale Ancient Gourd [an ancient gourd born with the power to command primordial winds], in the blink of an eye, countless Divine Spirits were swept away and reduced to ashes.

Simultaneously, high above in the Firmament [the highest reaches of the sky, bordering the void], the battle between Eldrin Chen and the Wei River Celestial God had escalated to a fever pitch of extreme intensity.

Grasping the Chaos Heaven Halberd [a halberd imbued with the power to cleave primordial chaos], Eldrin Chen unleashed overwhelming Celestial God [a deified being of celestial rank] might. His strike split heaven and earth, tearing through the fabric of the Void [the formless emptiness between realms], and cleaved the Wei River Celestial God nearly in two, sending the deity reeling through the air, blood spraying from the grievous wound.

"Argh! I refuse to accept this!"

Once more grievously wounded, an expression of profound unwillingness twisted the features of the Wei River Celestial God.

His eyes, filled with boundless hatred, fixed unwaveringly on Eldrin Chen. "Impossible! I am a Heavenly Immortal Paragon [a peerless immortal who has ascended to the celestial realm]! How could I be defeated by you!"

"Hah—"

Eldrin Chen offered a faint, cold smile. His gaze was icy as he declared, "Though you are a Celestial God, the moment you entered this tribulation, you became nothing more than a pawn on the board." Original publication: audi novel.com - The source of this chapter.

"A pawn."

Upon hearing this, Wei River Celestial God [a powerful deity associated with the Wei River] could not help but turn slightly pale, a bitter smile twisting his features.

"Indeed, a pawn."

In his heart, he understood all too well. A so-called pawn is also a sacrifice, destined to be discarded.

One must understand that whether it is a Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic event of immense scale that reshapes the world] or a Dao Tribulation [a tribulation centered on the struggle for a specific Dao or principle], their essence stems from the Immortal Domain [the realm of immortals and higher cultivation] seeking to restore its vitality, enacting the cyclical Great Dao [the supreme, fundamental principle governing all existence] of Heaven and Earth.

Within a Dao Tribulation, the individual who spreads the calamity across the world becomes the protagonist of that tribulation.

Whether it is the protagonist of a Great Tribulation or a Dao Tribulation, they are all blessed by the Mandate of Heaven [a divine right or destiny bestowed by the cosmos]. It is impossible for them to be slain by an existence of a higher cultivation realm.

Even important supporting characters within the tribulation often carry a portion of this heavenly mandate. They possess the potential to transform into a tribulation protagonist themselves. To kill such a figure would incur an unimaginably terrible price.

Even a Heavenly Immortal Paragon [a supreme expert at the Heavenly Immortal stage] who dares to move against the protagonist of a Great Tribulation or Dao Tribulation would find only death awaiting them.

To act against a crucial supporting character would likely taint one with a fatal calamity.

The former Dragon King of the Western Abyss achieved his Dao precisely by leveraging his identity as a protagonist of the Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic era of conflict ordained by fate].

However, compared to the Great Tribulation, protagonists of the Dao Tribulation [a tribulation centered on the struggle for the Dao itself] are far rarer. Within the entire Azure Firmament Immortal Domain, such individuals number no more than ten.

To oppose a Dao Tribulation protagonist is to obstruct the cyclical Great Dao [the fundamental, all-encompassing principle of existence] of heaven and earth. One who does so is essentially pitting themselves against the Great Dao of the Azure Firmament Immortal Domain itself. Even an existence at the Great Perfection Celestial Immortal Realm [the pinnacle of the Celestial Immortal stage] cannot truly kill a Dao Tribulation protagonist.

Direct confrontation with a Dao Tribulation protagonist inevitably leads to contamination by Boundless Karmic Sin [an immeasurable burden of negative karma]. At critical moments, the Heavenly Dao [the Heavenly Way, the will of the cosmos] may even intervene personally to erase any existence that hinders the Dao Tribulation protagonist.

It is precisely for this reason that the flawless Heaven Immortal [a perfect, foundationally pure Celestial Immortal] of the major powers do not interfere in the Dao Tribulation.

For even if they intervened and succeeded in nurturing a flawless Heaven Immortal, their own chances of survival would be exceedingly slim. It is simply not a worthwhile transaction.

The Early Celestial Immortal Realm cultivators who do enter the fray are invariably Flawed Celestial Immortal [Celestial Immortals with imperfect foundations and limited potential]. They are sent because, given their limited prospects, it is deemed acceptable for them to risk contamination by the tribulation's calamities in order to protect an entity with the potential to break through to a flawless Heaven Immortal.

If this gambit succeeds, trading a Flawed Celestial Immortal for a flawless Heaven Immortal is considered a profitable exchange for a Grotto-Heaven [a blessed, semi-independent realm].

Yet, in doing so, the Early Celestial Immortal Realm cultivators who enter become sacrificial pawns. Hence, the Heaven Immortal who join the tribulation are also spoken of as pieces on a board.

Of course, as a Heavenly Immortal Paragon [a supreme figure among Celestial Immortals], as long as one refrains from directly attacking the Dao Tribulation protagonist or crucial supporting characters, there remains at least some possibility of survival.

Wei River Celestial God had initially believed that Eldrin Chen was merely a supporting character within the Dao Tribulation [a grand, fate-altering cosmic trial]. However, after battling to this point, he understood that Eldrin Chen was very likely one of the fated protagonists of this Dao Tribulation.

Even figures like Qiyuan Chen and others who possessed the Triple Taiyi Foundation [a legendary, supremely stable foundation for cultivation] were destined to be pivotal supporting characters blessed by fate.

"I cannot afford to kill a single one of these individuals."

Observing the combatants locked in their fierce struggle, Wei River Celestial God revealed a bitter smile.

If he were dealing with ordinary Half-Step Celestial Immortal [cultivators on the very cusp of true immortality] caught within the tribulation, slaying them would indeed draw the tribulation's wrath upon him. Yet, if he exerted his full power to suppress the Tribulation Qi [the calamitous energy of the cosmic trial], there might still be a sliver of hope for survival.

However, the protagonists and crucial supporting characters within a Dao Tribulation were a different matter entirely. To lay a hand on them was to court certain, inescapable doom. This novel is serialized on audio-novel . com. Visit for updates.

At this very moment, Wei River Celestial God could feel with crystalline clarity that myself was already shrouded in boundless Tribulation Qi. From the Firmament [the highest heavens], an inscrutable, watchful gaze had fallen upon him.

It was evident that the Heavenly Dao [the supreme, impersonal Way of Heaven] had long since taken notice of him from the unseen depths of fate.

Even if he turned and fled for his life now, he could never escape the Karmic Burden [the metaphysical weight of cause and effect] imposed by the Azure Firmament Immortal Domain's Heavenly Dao.

The Azure Firmament Immortal Domain's Heavenly Dao would not need to act directly. Heavenly Immortal Paragon [peerless masters who have ascended to true immortality] would emerge, willing to pay any price to hunt him down.

For after he had struck at Eldrin Chen, the Merit Violet Light [a manifestation of accumulated virtuous karma] he had painstakingly gathered over many years had been completely stripped away by the Azure Firmament Immortal Domain's Heavenly Dao [the supreme natural law and cosmic order of the Azure Firmament Immortal Domain]. All that remained upon him was Boundless Karmic Sin [an immense burden of negative karma from evil deeds], and he had become a person utterly forsaken by Heaven itself.

Whoever managed to slay him would receive at least three strands of Merit Violet Light [a manifestation of accumulated virtuous karma] and, even more precious, would obtain a portion of the invaluable Dao Source [the primordial essence and origin of a cultivator's Dao path].

"Hahaha... Forsaken by Heaven..."

Upon comprehending his own dire predicament, Wei River Celestial God revealed a boundless, chilling killing intent.

His gaze fixed deathly upon Eldrin Chen, his eyes glacial as he spoke, "Fortunately, this old man still possesses one Wheel of Reincarnation Edict [a rare talisman that can preserve a soul's memories through the cycle of rebirth]."

"Today, even if it costs me my life, I will see you slain."

At this moment, Wei River Celestial God could no longer afford to hold anything back.

That Wheel of Reincarnation Edict [a rare talisman that can preserve a soul's memories through the cycle of rebirth] was an Innate Marvels [a treasure born from primordial chaos, possessing innate mystical laws] treasured by the Western Qi Grotto-Heaven. It was forged by one of the six great Netherworld Imperial Lord [a supreme ruler of the underworld] of the Netherworld Depths [the deepest realms of the underworld] within the Three Thousand Immortal Domains.

With this object upon one's person, even if one perishes amidst tribulation, it can preserve a portion of one's memories through the Cycle of Reincarnation [the cosmic process of death and rebirth], increasing the chance of cultivating back to the Heaven Immortal [a high immortal realm] in the next life by thirty percent.

It must be understood that when a Heavenly Immortal Paragon [a pinnacle expert among Heaven Immortals] reincarnates, they must cultivate anew to the Heaven Immortal Realm [the realm of Heaven Immortals] before their past memories can be fully restored.

To cultivate anew to the Heaven Immortal Realm [the realm of celestial immortals, beings who have transcended mortality and attained a higher state of existence] is a task of monumental, almost unimaginable difficulty.

Given its profound utility, the value of this Wheel of Reincarnation Edict [a mystical decree that can preserve a soul's memories through the cycle of rebirth] is beyond question. Often, even an Ancient Immortal Great Power [a supremely powerful being from ancient times who has achieved immortality] would spare no great expense to acquire one.

To compel Wei River Celestial God [a deity associated with the Wei River] to enter this tribulation, the Western Qi Grotto-Heaven [a mystical paradise realm of the Western Qi] did not hesitate to expend three strands of Innate Qi [primordial energy that existed at the dawn of creation] to purchase this Low Grade Innate Treasure [a treasure of the lowest rank among artifacts born from primordial chaos]-grade Wheel of Reincarnation Edict.

Of course, even possessing a Wheel of Reincarnation Edict merely allows for the preservation of *some* memories. Whether one can cultivate back to the Divine Spirit Realm [the realm of divine spirits, a powerful state of being] in the next life remains highly uncertain.

Take the Silent Annihilation Thunder God [the deity of thunder associated with silent destruction], for instance. He is suspected to be the reincarnation of a Heavenly Immortal Paragon [a peerless master among heavenly immortals]. Despite laying plans across eons and retaining fragments of his previous life's Deep-Seated Foundation [the profound and unshakable foundational cultivation base], he ultimately met his end within the calamity.

Now, understanding that myself [referring to the speaker, Wei River Celestial God] was already treading a path of certain death, Wei River Celestial God resolved to make a final, desperate gamble, aiming to slay Eldrin Chen even at the cost of his own life.

With a furious roar, he marshaled all his remaining power, healing his wounds as he thrust his Innate Divine Spear [a divine spear born from primordial chaos] heavenward, its tip aimed to pierce the firmament as it came crashing down to suppress Eldrin Chen.

Eldrin Chen remained utterly unperturbed. His Chaos Heaven Halberd [a halberd embodying the power of primordial chaos and the heavens] descended with world-sundering force. The first blow caused the Innate Divine Spear to tremble violently, its radiance flickering. Three more devastating strikes followed in rapid succession, the final impact so tremendous that it wrenched the divine spear from its wielder's grasp, sending it flying.

"Perish!"

With the Innate Divine Spear cast aside, Eldrin Chen lunged forward once more, the Chaos Heaven Halberd in his hands a blur of lethal intent. It pierced through the air and found its mark, driving deep into the chest of Wei River Celestial God. This chapter is part of a larger work available at site: audio-novel.com.