Chapter 1573 : Heaven's Will Against the Demon Sovereign

Upon hearing these words, the group fell into a contemplative silence.

In their hearts, they understood all too clearly that the emergence of such a Demonic Path Great Power Figure [a supreme cultivator of immense power] would inevitably spell catastrophe for this vast expanse of starry realms.

The Void-Refining Immortal [an immortal title signifying mastery over void and emptiness] took a deep breath before speaking. "Given our current strength, confronting this Demon Sovereign [a supreme ruler among demonic cultivators] would likely be... overly ambitious."

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod, his tone calm and measured. "For a Demonic Path cultivator to attempt a breakthrough into the Celestial Immortal Realm is an act of defiance against the Universe's Heavenly Path [the natural, righteous order of the cosmos]. It is certain to invoke a fearsome tribulation."

"I believe the moment I descended to this lower realm, I had already stepped into the midst of his Path-Blocking Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic heavenly trial designed to block a cultivator's ascension]."

Hearing this, the Lord of the Path Palace nodded in understanding. "Indeed. By descending, you have become the tribulation that blocks the Demon Sovereign's path to enlightenment. It seems the will of heaven has orchestrated this."

"Hmm."

Eldrin Chen gave another faint nod and continued. "However, we must not forget that this Demon Sovereign possesses a Dual Primordial Unity Foundation [an exceptionally stable and powerful foundational cultivation state]. His combat prowess may not be inferior to that of the Western Abyss Dragon King before his own breakthrough. Engaging him directly would be perilous in the extreme."

"Unless one possesses combat strength at or above the Ninth Level Earth Immortal realm, it is best not to intervene at the heart of the battlefield."

Upon hearing this, Heaven Abandoned Lin's eyes dimmed slightly with resignation. He could only nod in agreement. "If that is the case, then we shall return to the Immortal Domain and await your news."

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke, "After we return, send a letter to the Blazeflame Divine Lord and also to Violet Mystery Path Master."

"Their Violet Heaven Divine Thunder and Southern Brightness Solar Fire possess immense power to restrain Demonic Cultivator. This could increase our chances of vanquishing the demonic forces."

"I understand."

Upon hearing this, the others cupped their hands in acknowledgment and then vanished into the starry void.

This time, five individuals departed: the Demon-Subduing Divine Monk, Void-Refining Immortal, Heaven Abandoned Lin, Lord of the Path Palace, and Dorian Ji.

After they had left, Nyssa Qu spoke up, "This Demon Sovereign likely possesses formidable strength. We must proceed with caution if we are to confront it."

"Indeed."

Eldrin Chen nodded, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed into the Depths of the Starry Sky. "That Demon Sovereign is a fiend forsaken by heaven itself. Slaying it would yield immense Merit [a metaphysical currency representing virtuous deeds and good karma]. I suspect it would be sufficient to condense a Merit Violet Light."

"This is our opportunity. No matter how perilous the Demon Sovereign may be, it surely pales in comparison to venturing into the heart of the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea to face a Half-Step Celestial Immortal Realm titan of the Demonic Path."

The others nodded in agreement. To cultivate his Primordial One Indestructibility Body, Eldrin Chen still required two more strands of Merit Violet Light.

An ordinary Earth Immortal Great Perfection [the pinnacle of the Earth Immortal cultivation stage] Demonic Cultivator [a practitioner of malevolent cultivation arts], when slain, would yield no more than a few dozen strands of Pure Light of Merit [a pure, condensed form of virtuous energy]. To amass enough of such energy to coalesce into Merit Violet Light [a higher, violet-hued form of condensed merit], one would need to slay roughly twenty such cultivators.

If the target were a Half-Step Celestial Immortal [a cultivator on the very cusp of ascending to the Celestial Immortal realm], a single kill would likely suffice.

Yet, whether it be an Earth Immortal Great Perfection or a Half-Step Celestial Immortal, both represent immensely powerful Demonic Cultivator. Even within the depths of the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea [a vast, nightmarish sea realm within the Nether Abyss], such figures are far from easy prey.

To slay twenty Earth Immortal Great Perfection cultivators in one fell swoop, or to eliminate a single Half-Step Celestial Immortal—both tasks border on the impossible.

Should Eldrin Chen attempt such a feat, he would inevitably alert the Demonic Path [the collective term for malevolent cultivation methods and their practitioners] great powers of the Celestial Immortal Realm [the realm above Earth Immortal]. His chances of returning would then become vanishingly slim.

The alternative, and better, strategy would be to infiltrate the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea multiple times. Each foray would target one or two Demonic Cultivator at the Earth Immortal Great Perfection stage. Spreading the task over a dozen or more such incursions would avoid drawing the attention of Celestial Immortal Great Power [a formidable being who has fully ascended to the Celestial Immortal realm] entities.

Yet, venturing into the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea over a dozen times would exponentially increase the cumulative risk of encountering mortal danger.

To mitigate this peril, the wisest course would be to space out the missions by tens of thousands of years, even hundreds of millennia, waiting until the vigilance of the Earth Immortal Great Perfection denizens within the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea had waned. Only then would success be more assured.

For the present Eldrin Chen, however, both paths were fraught with grave danger.

By comparison, if he could slay this Demon Sovereign [a title for a ruler or supreme power among demons] here, within the Depths of the Starry Sky [the remote, star-filled voids between realms], it would perhaps be the optimal choice.

After much deliberation, Eldrin Chen spoke, "My current combat prowess can barely match that of a Dual Primordial Unity Foundation [a cultivator who has established two foundational pillars of Primordial Unity energy]."

"After refining the Southern Brightness Solar Fire [a supreme solar flame of the southern heavens], the Primordial Unity Path Principle [the foundational law of Primordial Unity energy] he commands has transformed from Southern Heaven's Blazeflame into the Southern Brightness Solar Fire. His foundation and reserves have undergone an extraordinary metamorphosis, and his techniques must have seen significant breakthroughs as well."

"Fellow Daoist Violet Mystery possesses exceptional means and combat strength, and he also wields a Primordial Unity Immortal Weapon [an immortal-grade weapon forged with Primordial Unity energy]—the Kui Ox Heavenly Drum [a divine drum said to produce thunderous waves capable of shaking the heavens]."

"With the three of us joining forces, and given that the Path Principles [the fundamental laws governing cultivation] inherently counter the Demonic Path [the cultivation arts of demonic beings], we already have a fair chance of slaying a Demonic Cultivator [a practitioner of demonic arts] of the Dual Primordial Unity Foundation realm."

"If that Demon Sovereign [a title for a supremely powerful demonic ruler] has other enemies seeking to block his path to ascension, our odds should increase even further."

"..."

His resolve firm, Eldrin Chen set off towards the Depths of the Starry Sky [the remote, uncharted regions between star systems].

The group arrived at the Depths of the Starry Sky and soon entered the 'Heavenly Demon Star System' [a star cluster dominated by celestial demons], where the Fiend Race [a race of malevolent, demonic beings] had established their lair.

The Heavenly Demon Star System was vast and boundless, spanning one hundred thousand light-years. Throughout this entire galaxy's Stellar [celestial] expanse, it was saturated with boundless Demonic Fiendish Energy [a corrupt, malevolent form of spiritual energy], where countless Fiend Race practiced their arts and multiplied.

Upon reaching the fringes of the Blood Demon Star System [a sub-region within the Heavenly Demon Star System], Eldrin Chen made some inquiries and finally learned the origins of this Heavenly Demon Star System.

It turns out this Heavenly Demon Star System was originally formed from the disintegrating corpse of a Demonic Path Great Power from the Heavenly Demon Realm. Its flesh and bones decomposed into the cosmic dust of the Heavenly Demon Nebula, ultimately coalescing into this magnificent star system.

It is said that at its peak, this Heavenly Demon Star System once spanned millions of light-years across the surrounding void, a truly vast and boundless stellar domain.

However, as eons passed, the energy within the Heavenly Demon Nebula gradually dissipated. What remains now is less than one percent of its former glory. The current Heavenly Demon Nebula is roughly comparable in power to a single Supreme Grade Blessed Land.

Within this Heavenly Demon Nebula, over a hundred powerful Starry Sky Fiend Race clans have now flourished, collectively known as the Hundred Demonic Path Clans.

The strength of these Hundred Demonic Path Clans is not to be underestimated; nearly every clan possesses beings at the Earth Immortal Realm level.

The master of these Hundred Demonic Path Clans, who is also the sovereign of the Heavenly Demon Nebula, is revered as the Sovereign of Hundred Clans—the supreme power residing in the depths of this stellar region.

After comprehending the power structure of the Heavenly Demon Star Domain, Eldrin Chen remarked with a slight frown, "It is said that these Nine Nether Abyssal True Demons rarely ascend to the Immortal Domain."

"Most of them refine True Demon Nest [a mobile demonic fortress] and wander the Depths of the Starry Sky, seldom establishing a permanent hold over an entire galaxy."

"For this Demon Sovereign to dare entrench himself within the Heavenly Demon Star System, he must be exceedingly confident in his own formidable power."

Upon hearing this, the group's gazes sharpened. While Immortals [cultivators who have achieved immortality] ascend to the Immortal Domain, most practitioners of the Demonic Path [a cultivation path often associated with darker, more aggressive methods] remain within the Starry Sky Great Universe.

Although Immortal [powerful beings who have ascended beyond mortality] can descend to Demon-Slayer [a title for those who hunt and eradicate demons], broadly speaking, the balance of power between the righteous and demonic paths within the starry void is skewed.

Fortunately, in this era where the demonic tide recedes and the righteous path grows long, within the vast and boundless Three Thousand Immortal Domains [the collective name for the myriad immortal realms], the two Divine Sovereign [supreme rulers of the divine clans] of the Divine Clan [clans of beings with innate divine power], the three Heavenly Emperor [emperors who rule over celestial domains] of the Demon Race [races of powerful demonic beings], and even the two Path Ancestor Immortal Sage [legendary figures who have reached the pinnacle of both cultivation and wisdom] of the Human Race [the collective of human cultivators and clans], are none of them practitioners of the Demonic Path [the dark and corrupt path of cultivation that draws power from chaos, slaughter, and negative energies].

Overall, the number of Immortal [powerful beings who have ascended beyond mortality] and divine beings still significantly exceeds that of Demonic Cultivator [practitioners of the dark and corrupt path of cultivation].

Furthermore, deep within the Boundless Starry Sky [the infinite expanse of space filled with stars and realms], there exist the Divine Court [the celestial court of the divine clans], the Immortal Court [the celestial court of the immortal sects and clans], and the Demon Court [the celestial court of the demon races]—collectively known as the Three Great Heavenly Courts [the three supreme celestial powers]—which govern the most prosperous Cosmic Stellar [star clusters and celestial regions].

Therefore, to avoid provoking Immortal [powerful beings who have ascended beyond mortality] to descend for Demon-Slayer [a title for those who hunt and eradicate demons], and to avoid drawing the ire of the Three Great Heavenly Courts [the three supreme celestial powers], the practitioners of the Demonic Path [the dark and corrupt path of cultivation] within the Depths of the Starry Sky [the remote and less governed regions of the cosmos] maintain a relatively low profile. They often steer clear of bustling stellar domains, targeting only Ancient Star [ancient, often isolated stellar systems] and worlds that lack the protection of Upper Realm Immortals [immortals from the higher, more powerful realms].

Otherwise, if they were to incite a powerful Immortal [powerful beings who have ascended beyond mortality] to descend for Demon-Slayer [a title for those who hunt and eradicate demons], or provoke a military campaign from a Heavenly Court [a celestial court, one of the three great powers], they would face a grim choice: either lose their lives or abandon their hard-earned lairs and flee deeper into the Depths of the Starry Sky [the remote and less governed regions of the cosmos].