Chapter 1577 : The Demon Sovereign's Ascension Gambit

With this thought, Eldrin Chen also suppressed his impulse to act, a flicker of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

As they spoke, the heavens and earth grew increasingly resplendent.

The divine might of the Demon Sovereign shook the heavens. As he channeled his full power to pierce through the cosmos, the entire Gloomy Ancient Realm began to expand violently.

Beyond the Ancient Continent, the Cosmic Stellar continuously evolved. Endless void dimensions were pried open, and the starry sky began to swell with immense force.

"Incredible power."

Witnessing this scene, Eldrin Chen's expression darkened slightly.

At this moment, he could sense that this Demon Sovereign was second only to the Black Cloud Demon Monarch and the Myriad Spirit Patriarch he had encountered before, ranking among the absolute pinnacle of Earth Immortal [a powerful immortal whose power is anchored to the earth].

As time passed—no one knew for how long—the group observed this dark Ancient Continent expand violently, growing in size by a factor of thousands.

Its interior was now filled with boundless, majestic power, seemingly approaching the critical point of ascending into a Universe.

"It's almost a success." The complete novel can be found at audio-novel dot com.

Witnessing this scene, a flicker of cold calculation and burgeoning hope ignited in the eyes of the assembled figures.

They understood perfectly well that even if the Demon Sovereign had successfully elevated his Earth Immortal World to a Celestial Immortal Universe, undergoing a supreme metamorphosis of power…

…the newly ascended Demon Sovereign would inevitably be in a state of utter exhaustion.

For the difficulty of condensing Innate Energy [the primordial, foundational energy of creation] far surpassed that of catalyzing a Heaven and Earth Ascension.

At this moment, with no guardians to protect him during his cultivation, the Demon Sovereign risked total failure. A single misstep could lead to the complete annihilation of both his physical form and his spirit.

Even if he ultimately succeeded in condensing the Innate Energy, the process would leave him utterly drained, his combat prowess at its weakest, his spiritual power [the energy cultivated and wielded by practitioners of the mystical arts] completely depleted.

At such a time, their combined forces would stand a great chance of utterly eradicating the Demon Sovereign.

This realization caused their hearts to stir, their gazes growing ever more focused and resolute.

"*Hummmm—*"

Yet, at the very instant the transformation of heaven and earth into a Universe reached its critical juncture, the void trembled violently.

The entire world trembled violently. Within the vast and somber expanse, an endless crimson hue filled the void. One after another, strands of Oblivion Dao Patterns [the fundamental laws and principles of reality] saturated heaven and earth, seeking to refine and consume the entire world.

"Disaster! He intends to refine the entire Great World [a vast, self-contained realm, larger than a continent but smaller than a universe]!"

Witnessing this scene, Xuan Yu Immortal's expression shifted drastically, revealing a look of profound shock.

In that fleeting moment, the entire Universe [a complete, self-contained cosmos with its own laws and celestial bodies], on the verge of ascension, began to slowly collapse. Countless terrifying streams of Universe energy converged and condensed.

The boundless heavens and earth, along with their billions of living beings, all transformed into streams of blood energy, slowly being absorbed by that Demon Sovereign [a supreme ruler among demonic beings].

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen felt a chill run down his spine and said, "He has abandoned ascending the Universe. He intends to sacrifice this entire cosmos to break through to the Triple Primordial Unity Foundation [a legendary, supremely stable foundation for cultivation, representing the perfect fusion of essence, energy, and spirit]."

"BOOM—"

A world faced Oblivion. A Universe on the cusp of promotion shattered. This terrifying act of world-annihilation shook the endless Dimensional Void [the chaotic, formless space between stable realms and dimensions].

In that moment, everyone wore expressions of utter disbelief, though they comprehended the cause and effect of it all mere instants later.

For an Earth Immortal Patriarch [a patriarch who has attained the Earth Immortal realm, a powerful immortal stage] to break through to the Celestial Immortal Realm [a higher immortal realm transcending the earthly plane], they must reverse their Innate [the natural, born state] and transform it into an Innate Foundation [a perfect, heaven-born foundation for cultivation]. The key to this lies in Innate Energy [the primordial, untainted energy present at the birth of the cosmos].

There are, broadly speaking, two main pathways to obtain Innate Energy [the primordial, foundational energy that existed at the dawn of creation].

The first is to transform the heavens and earth into a Universe [a self-contained cosmos]. At the very moment of ascension to Universe, one seizes the Opportunity and Fortune [the unique confluence of destiny and cosmic favor] of that nascent cosmos's opening. With one's supreme cultivation physique, one condenses the Heaven Earth Profound Yellow [the primordial chaos of heaven and earth] into Innate Energy.

The second pathway is to acquire it from within the Chaos [the formless primordial state before creation], or from newly opened Immortal Domain [a realm of immortals] or Small Universe [a lesser, self-contained cosmos], where such treasures may also be found.

However, Innate Energy is exceedingly rare, a treasure even Celestial Immortal Great Power [powerful Celestial Immortals] desperately need and are loath to part with for their disciples.

Only the most ancient Great Encompassing [Great Encompassing] sects, or beings at the level of Ancient Immortal [Ancient Immortals], would bestow small amounts of Innate Energy upon their disciples to aid their breakthrough into the Celestial Immortal Realm.

Generally speaking, those who condense Innate Energy through their own World-Opening [World-Opening] efforts possess far greater combat prowess than Celestial Immortal who ascended only after receiving the energy as a gift from a senior. Experience the full epic at audio - novel . com.

It turns out, the reason Demon Sovereign [Demon Sovereign] abandoned his nearly successful Universe ascension was to sacrifice the entire cosmos, using its essence to break through the Triple Primordial Unity Foundation [Triple Primordial Unity Foundation].

According to Demon Sovereign's original plan, during the derivation of his Universe, he would have seized the Opportunity and Fortune presented by the Heaven and Earth Ascension [Heaven and Earth Ascension] divine ability. In that single, pivotal moment, he would have condensed Innate Energy and ascended directly to the Heavenly Demon realm.

Thereafter, he would have sacrificed the entire Great Universe [Great Universe] to obtain an additional one or two strands of Innate Energy, thereby partially mending the flaws in his foundation.

He would then cultivate the Heavenly Demon techniques of the Demonic Path [Demonic Path]. This path would grant him hope of one day breaking through to the Late Celestial Immortal Realm [Late Celestial Immortal Realm], and perhaps even a sliver of a chance to glimpse the Great Encompassing realm.

However, the arrival of Eldrin Chen and his companions was a development far beyond his expectations, forcing the Demon Sovereign to abandon his original plan this time.

He understood that if he were to forcibly initiate World-Opening [the process of creating a new world within oneself] to condense Innate Energy [the primordial energy of creation], he would inevitably be left in a state of utter vulnerability.

At that critical moment, Eldrin Chen and the others would certainly not grant him the opportunity to complete the fusion of Innate Energy and reverse his form into that of an Innate [a being born of primordial essence] being.

Consequently, even if his breakthrough succeeded, he would be utterly exhausted and unable to convert his power into Innate Dharmic Power [the fundamental power of primordial laws]. Facing the assembled foes in such a state would be a death sentence.

It was even likely that the precious Innate Energy he had gathered would become nothing more than a dowry for another's triumph.

Thus, at the final juncture, he abandoned the refinement of Innate Energy. Instead, he directly sacrificed his Celestial Immortal Great Cosmos [the nascent universe within him, which had reached a critical point], using its explosive demise to assault the barriers of the Triple Primordial Unity Foundation [a legendary cultivation foundation representing the unity of the three primordial forces].

Should this gambit succeed, his combat power would undergo a monumental metamorphosis. Even if it failed, his strength would still increase dramatically.

Most crucially, this path allowed him to maintain his peak combat state, ensuring he would not be left utterly defenseless against the encircling host.

The sole flaw was that, having sacrificed his internal Universe, he had forever forfeited the chance to obtain Innate Energy through the conventional World-Opening process.

Henceforth, if he wished to break through to the Celestial Immortal Realm [the realm of Heavenly Immortals], he would have no choice but to seek out Innate Energy on his own.

The current state of heaven and earth is far from the pristine dawn of the Universe. In that primordial age, Innate Energy [the pure, foundational energy of creation] was not exactly commonplace, but its traces could still be found.

Yet now, after enduring the Primordial Era and the Ancient Era, the reserves of Innate Energy within the Three Thousand Immortal Domains and the Great Universe have been nearly exhausted.

For him to attempt a breakthrough into the Celestial Immortal Realm, he would either require the patronage of an Ancient Immortal or even a Great Encompassing being, or he must risk his life by venturing into the Chaos [the primordial, formless void beyond ordered reality].

But even for a Celestial Immortal, entering the Chaos carries the peril of annihilation. For an existence like his, who has laid a Triple Primordial Unity Foundation [the pinnacle of foundational cultivation, harmonizing three supreme primordial energies], stepping into the Chaos would be a venture with almost no chance of survival.

His hopes of breaking through to the Celestial Immortal Realm in the future had grown exceedingly faint.

"We cannot allow him to succeed."

Understanding that the Demon Sovereign was attempting to assail the Triple Primordial Unity Foundation, the expressions of everyone present turned grave.

Those who achieve the Triple Primordial Unity Foundation are peerless, epoch-defying existences. Once such a figure breaks through, they become virtually invincible beneath the level of Celestial Immortal.

In the past, the Myriad Spirit Patriarch had once fought one against five, overpowering five Grotto-Heaven [a blessed, self-contained pocket dimension] direct disciples who possessed the Dual Primordial Unity Foundation.

If the Demon Sovereign succeeded in his breakthrough, their only recourse would be to flee.

The enmity of blocking one's path [preventing someone from achieving a breakthrough in their cultivation] is as deep as the heavens and cannot coexist under the same sky.

Naturally, they were unwilling to witness Demon Sovereign [a title for a supreme ruler among demons] succeed in his breakthrough.

With this thought in mind, the assembled figures immediately took action.

In that instant, Xuan Yu Immortal unleashed his Nine Heavens Milky Way Star Sand Sword [a divine sword forged from the sands of the celestial river], Violet Mystery Path Master struck with his Kui Ox Heavenly Drum [a mystical drum imbued with the power of the legendary Kui Ox], and even Blazeflame Divine Spirit directed the fury of his Blazeflame Heavenly Lantern [a heavenly artifact containing an immortal flame]—all of them bombarding the target below.

Eldrin Chen also held nothing back. With a sweep of his sleeve, he commanded the Celestial Abyss Twin Swords [a pair of divine swords representing heaven and abyss] to merge their power for a combined strike. Simultaneously, he gripped the Primordial Unity Adamantine War Halberd [a peerless weapon forged from primordial unity metal] and channeled his full might, smashing it against the Universe [a protective barrier or formation shaped like a cosmic gourd] that was on the verge of shattering.

In that fleeting moment, the Universe, already corroded by the power of Oblivion [a destructive, entropic force that erodes existence], was instantly blasted apart, half of its form crumbling under the onslaught. Discover more cultivation stories at *audio-novel.com*.