Chapter 1612 : Heaven's Fall and a Legacy Reclaimed

Yet in the current Vast Azure Immortal Domain [the vast celestial realm where the story takes place], Grotto-Heaven [a powerful, semi-independent realm within the greater immortal domain] factions vie for supremacy, a hundred races rise, and the Divine Beast [powerful, ancient beasts with divine lineage] Three Great Heavenly Courts [the three supreme governing bodies of the immortal domain] hold dominion over all directions. No one dares claim they can utterly suppress everything.

Under such circumstances, whoever dares to claim lordship over the Vast Azure Grotto-Heaven would inevitably provoke a united assault from all major powers.

Within the Vast Azure Immortal Domain, no single force possesses the might to subdue all the other Grotto-Heaven factions. Consequently, none dare to ascend as master of Vast Azure Heaven [the central, most powerful location within the Vast Azure Immortal Domain].

Eldrin Chen even suspected that the downfall of the last power to hold the Heavenly Path [the supreme governing authority] of the Vast Azure Immortal Domain—the Soaring Grotto-Heaven—was shrouded in a certain degree of mystery.

Returning to the matter at hand, Eldrin Chen ascended to Vast Azure Heaven and, finding no immediate trouble, proceeded directly towards the Soaring Immortal Ruins.

"So this is the Soaring Immortal Ruins?"

At the very heart of Vast Azure Heaven, Eldrin Chen lifted his gaze to behold the former site of the Soaring Grotto-Heaven.

The Soaring Immortal Ruins were formed from the remains of the Soaring Grotto-Heaven. They drifted upon the boundless Heavenly Vault [the highest, most ethereal layer of the sky], resembling a circular, once-glorious Universe [a microcosmic realm], now seemingly shattered into a thousand gaping holes by some cataclysmic force.

As Eldrin Chen understood it, after the fall of the Soaring Grotto-Heaven, its remains had been adrift upon the Heavenly Vault ever since.

Its location was a place of endless, violent gales, battered day and night by the Eight Directional Winds [winds of immense power originating from all eight cardinal directions]. Here converged the Eight-Directional Gale [the collective, concentrated force of these winds] from across the entire Vast Azure Immortal Domain.

The Eight Directional Winds [a powerful divine ability that commands the eight fundamental winds of the world] whirled and shuttled incessantly through the riddled and broken Grotto-Heaven [a self-contained pocket dimension, a higher-level cultivation realm]. Continuously gathered and cycled by the Soaring Grotto-Heaven [the "Soaring" Grotto-Heaven, a specific cultivation sect or organization], the Eight Directional Winds ultimately converged at a single point. Amplified beyond measure, they coalesced into a terrifying Forbidden Land [a perilous, restricted area fraught with danger].

"Within this Soaring Grotto-Heaven, no living beings remain today. Its legacy treasures have long been plundered clean by powerful foes."

"Yet, this former site of the Grotto-Heaven, where the Eight Directional Winds converge, has only accumulated power over the long ages. Now, even a Celestial Immortal Great Power [a cultivator who has ascended to the Celestial Immortal realm, a being of immense power] would risk perishing by venturing too deep."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, yet he soon ascended onto the Soaring Immortal Ruins [the ruins of the Soaring Immortal's domain].

The moment his feet touched the Soaring Immortal Ruins, Eldrin Chen was instantly assailed by several ferocious gales, their force nearly hurling him back into the void.

"*Whoosh—*"

Struggling to steady himself, Eldrin Chen spoke with a note of astonishment, "The winds from the four quarters."

In that single instant, he had sensed four distinct, overwhelmingly powerful exotic winds.

These four winds carried the essences of scorching heat, immense solidity, yin-cold sharpness, and other forces. As they swept into his flesh, Eldrin Chen felt a terrifying sensation—as if his bones were dissolving, his flesh withering, and his very soul being scattered by the gale.

"The scorching blaze of the Blazing Wind [a wind imbued with intense, devouring heat], the profound solidity of the Surging Wind [a wind of immense, earth-shaking power], the fierce intensity of the Fierce Wind [a wind of violent, cutting force], and the biting chill of the Frigid Wind [a wind of piercing, soul-numbing cold]."

"With four such rare winds converging here, it truly lives up to its reputation as the former site of a Grotto-Heaven [a superior realm of cultivation, a paradise separate from the mortal world]."

Eldrin Chen spoke slowly, his expression turning profoundly solemn.

As the saying goes, between Heaven and Earth exist the Eight Winds [the eight primordial winds originating from the Eight Desolations of the world], which are eight distinct forms of wind originating from the Eight Desolations [the eight extreme, primordial wildernesses at the cardinal and intercardinal points of the world].

These so-called Eight Winds are divided according to the Eight Desolations: the northeast wind is called the Blazing Wind [a scorching, furnace-like wind], the east wind is the Surging Wind [a wind that rises like a surging tide], the southeast wind is the Warm Wind [a gentle, bone-melting wind], the south wind is the Colossal Wind [a vast, all-encompassing wind], the southwest wind is the Desolate Wind [a bleak, withering wind], the west wind is the Gale Wind [a sharp, cutting wind], the northwest wind is the Fierce Wind [a violent, ferocious wind], and the north wind is the Frigid Wind [a piercingly cold, glacial wind].

In his cultivation journey thus far, Eldrin Chen had encountered the Gale Divine Ridge, which was formed by the convergence of the Warm Wind from among the Eight Winds, possessing the wondrous ability to erode bone and dissolve spirit.

Later, while cultivating within the Gale Wind Valley, the Gale Wind [the sharp, cutting wind essence] he used for practice was precisely the Western Pole Wind—the Gale Wind.

For these eight rare winds, each originating from a different direction of Heaven and Earth and each possessing its own profound mysteries, to converge into one entity was truly a miracle rarely seen throughout the ages.

"It must be due to the unique location of the Soaring Grotto-Heaven [the Soaring Paradise, a specific Grotto-Heaven], combined with the profound mysteries of a Supreme Grade Grotto-Heaven [a Grotto-Heaven of the highest possible rank], that such a wondrous domain could ultimately form here, right?"

Eldrin Chen mused inwardly. He could feel that under the constant buffeting of these four rare winds, his physical body was being continuously tempered, growing stronger bit by bit.

Therefore, without hesitation, Eldrin Chen immediately closed his eyes. He allowed the Gale Power [the potent, cutting energy of the Gale Wind] to wash over him, seizing the opportunity to cultivate his Primordial One Indestructibility Body [the Primordial Indestructible Body, a legendary physique of supreme resilience].

Thus, time flowed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, a thousand years had passed.

After that millennium, Eldrin Chen slowly opened his eyes. Sensing the potent winds from all directions, he felt his physical body had not suffered any significant impact.

"The winds from the four directions can no longer exert sufficient pressure upon me," he murmured.

Eldrin Chen whispered softly to himself, then continued his journey deeper into the Soaring Grotto-Heaven.

The further he ventured inward, the more powerful the force of the Eight-Directional Gale became. It wasn't long before Eldrin Chen found a convergence point where winds from five directions gathered. There, he resumed his cultivation of the Primordial One Indestructibility Body.

He was in no rush to press forward. He would wait until the winds from all five directions held little effect on him before proceeding further.

Thus, time marched on, and ten thousand years slipped by in a rush. On this day, Eldrin Chen opened his eyes once more. Sensing the power of his Primordial One Indestructibility Body, a flicker of movement passed through his gaze.

"One final step remains," he said.

Eldrin Chen spoke quietly. Currently, he stood at the junction of seven extraordinary winds, a convergence point of such fierce gales that even a Celestial Immortal Great Power [a mighty cultivator who has ascended to the Celestial Immortal realm] could not endure for long. Yet, he remained completely unscathed.

At this stage, Eldrin Chen's method of tempering his body through the wind element was nearly perfected, lacking only the final step to achieve flawless, unblemished completion.

"This final step..."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, his gaze fixed upon the deepest reaches of the Soaring Grotto-Heaven.

At the very core of that Grotto-Heaven, the Eight Directional Winds [a divine gale that blows from all eight cardinal directions] converged upon a single point, undergoing a qualitative transformation. Its power was sufficient to scour the flesh and melt the bones of a Celestial Immortal Great Power [a powerful immortal who has ascended to the celestial realm].

When such Eight Directional Winds blew forth, even an ancient Heavenly Ark [a legendary flying vessel] would be overturned. Even a Celestial Immortal Great Power could not steady their form and would be swept away by the wind.

More terrifying still was that the core of the Soaring Grotto-Heaven was a peculiar, spherical space. The wind, empowered by the external Eight-Directional Gale, could only spin endlessly in place within this confined area.

This meant that once caught by the Eight Directional Winds here and unable to stabilize oneself, one would be spun around and around by the relentless gale, forever losing any chance of return.

It was said that over the course of ten Kalpa Tribulation [immense cosmic cycles spanning billions of years], three Celestial Immortal Great Power had cultivated here. In the end, only one being at the Late Celestial Immortal Realm [the advanced stage of the celestial immortal realm] had managed to leave alive.

The other two had been trapped within, their bones and flesh scoured away, their souls scattered to the winds, never managing to escape their fate.

"To leave this place, one must master the Eight-Directional Gale, allowing the winds of the Eight Desolations [a mythical, barren expanse] to buffet one's form without being moved."

"This is my only chance."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, a ripple of emotion stirring in the depths of his gaze.

In the next instant, his resolve solidified. He took a single step, crossing the threshold into the very heart of the Soaring Grotto-Heaven.

"Whoosh—"

The moment Eldrin Chen set foot within, a tempest of supreme power assailed him, its force so immense he could not steady his form.

Caught in this supreme and wondrous gale, Eldrin Chen was swept along, tumbling helplessly through the core space. The spatial constraints held him fast, offering no chance to break free.

"What a formidable wind,"

Eldrin Chen thought inwardly, his eyes narrowing with focus.

He lifted his gaze, scanning the vast expanse around him. The deep reaches of the space offered no point of purchase, no anchor to stabilize his tumbling body.

He attempted to channel his Primordial One Limitless Dharma Power [the supreme, boundless magical energy cultivated by a master], but the instant it manifested, it was utterly scattered and dispersed by the overwhelming force of the Eight Directional Winds [a legendary, all-encompassing gale of divine origin].