Chapter 1458 : Flight from the Nether Abyss

In the blink of an eye, thunderous Sword Qi [sword energy imbued with spiritual power] crisscrossed the air. In a flash of lightning and spark of flint, the great foe was vanquished.

With the successive fall of two Earth Immortal Great Perfection [cultivators at the pinnacle of the Earth Immortal realm], the faces of the remaining fiends paled drastically. The last four Earth Immortal Great Perfection found themselves at an absolute disadvantage against the assembled group.

Seeing the situation was untenable, the two Earth Immortal Great Perfection fiends battling Zixuan the Daoist immediately fled into the distance. The opponents of Broken Cauldron True Lord and Seraphina, the Soul-Capturing Immortal Maiden also wasted no time in making their escape.

"Fiends, you cannot escape!"

Watching the fiends flee for their lives, Broken Cauldron True Lord still wished to give chase.

But Eldrin Chen stopped him, his expression grave as he said, "This is no place to linger. We must return to the Western Qi Divine Abyss Sea [a vast and perilous sea realm] first."

Seeing this, Zixuan the Daoist also nodded in agreement. "Right now, within the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea [a sea of torment and demonic energy], a great host of fiends are hunting us. We cannot afford to stay any longer."

Hearing this, Broken Cauldron True Lord said no more. Together with the others, he headed towards the Western Qi Divine Abyss Sea.

They were not far from the Western Qi Divine Abyss Sea. After flying for a short while, they arrived at the border region where the Abyssal Depths [a title referring to a profound and deep realm] and the Western Qi [the Western Qi region] seas met.

Just as they were about to depart, an endless tide of black clouds surged forth from the Void [a state of emptiness or a spatial void technique] behind them. Visit *audio-novel.com* to enjoy the complete series.

Behold, the black clouds surged across the Heavenly Layers [the higher, more ethereal realms of existence], ultimately coalescing into a colossal hand that blotted out the sky and sun, descending with crushing force.

"Disaster!"

Eldrin Chen felt a jolt of alarm in his heart. He swiftly channeled energy into the Heaven-Fleeing Shuttle [a magical vessel designed for swift escape], intending to flee, only to find the surrounding Void [the fabric of space itself] had grown unnaturally sluggish and resistant.

Witnessing this, Zixuan the Daoist cried out with even greater urgency, "Flee, now!"

As his words fell, Zixuan the Daoist swept his sleeve, unleashing a blinding arc of thunderous light. Once more, he summoned the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Sword [a supreme sword technique channeling the wrath of the highest heavens], slashing it towards the titanic hand of black clouds.

Yet, such a formidable strike was but a flickering firefly before the dark behemoth, utterly extinguished and annihilated by the colossal hand in an instant.

That monstrous hand, delayed for less than a single Ksana-time [an infinitesimal unit of time], continued its descent with undiminished, overwhelming might, bearing down upon the group.

Fortunately, that fleeting moment of obstruction was enough. The group had already crossed the boundary and stepped into the domain of the Western Qi Divine Abyss Sea [the Western Qi Divine Abyss Sea, a vast and perilous expanse of spiritual oceans].

The black cloud hand halted at the edge of the Western Qi Divine Abyss Sea, then slowly withdrew, receding and transforming into a handsome man clad in black robes.

His eyes emitted a chilling light. With a final, disdainful snort, he turned and departed into the distance.

Only at this moment did Eldrin Chen and the others who had managed to escape dare to breathe a sigh of relief, casting a glance at the departing figure.

"Who is he?"

Eldrin Chen could not help but ask.

Zixuan the Daoist's face was pale. He took a deep breath before finally speaking, "The foremost figure among the Demonic Path Earth Immortals [powerful demonic cultivators who have reached the Earth Immortal realm], ranked third on the Heaven-Opening Ranking [a prestigious ranking of powerhouses within the Azure Firmament Immortal Domain]—'Blackcloud Demon Monarch'."

"Blackcloud Demon Monarch?"

Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly. As Zixuan the Daoist continued his explanation, Eldrin gained a certain understanding of this Blackcloud Demon Monarch.

This Blackcloud Demon Monarch was the foremost Earth Immortal [a high-level immortal cultivation stage] within the Nether Abyss Purgatory Sea. It was said he had once stepped into the Forbidden Realm [a legendary and perilous state of cultivation], having at the very least opened a Ten-Layered Heaven [a supreme foundation representing ten perfected heavenly layers]—a Supreme [peerless, unparalleled] Demon Monarch [a title for a supreme demonic cultivator].

Such a Supreme demonic fiend possessed talent and prowess that had already reached the absolute pinnacle among Earth Immortal.

"If nothing goes awry, this Blackcloud Demon Monarch has likely already cultivated the Three Taiyi Foundations [three supreme foundational pillars], forging a Perfect Celestial Immortal Foundation [a flawless foundation for ascending to the Celestial Immortal realm] in one fell swoop,"

Zixuan the Daoist explained methodically, his expression one of utmost gravity.

Eldrin Chen also furrowed his brow slightly. Having reached his current realm, he naturally possessed a clear understanding of the Perfect Celestial Immortal Foundation [the pinnacle foundational stage for a Celestial Immortal].

If one only possessed two types of Primordial Foundation [the most ancient and potent type of cultivation foundation], then at most, they could only cultivate to the Mid Celestial Immortal Realm in the future.

However, those capable of achieving the Three Taiyi Foundations [a legendary triple foundation representing supreme potential] would be able to cultivate to the Great Perfection Celestial Immortal Realm, and even have hope of reaching the Great Luo Realm [a realm of profound cosmic unity]. The gap between the two was nearly insurmountable.

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen could not help but ask, "This Blackcloud Demon Monarch has already cultivated the Three Taiyi Foundations. Why has he not broken through to the Heaven Immortal Realm?"

Zixuan the Daoist shook his head and then spoke, "Because the path of the Demonic Cultivator [a cultivator who draws power from demonic or unorthodox sources] is different from ours, the Immortal [practitioners of the orthodox celestial path]."

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Eldrin Chen was momentarily taken aback. Then, Zixuan the Daoist continued, "The Heavenly Layers [the stratified realms of celestial law] contain ten thousand methods; the myriad paths of the world all lead to the Dao. Demonic Cultivator focus on concentrating all power within their own bodies. Most do not seek to ascend to a Grotto-Heaven Microcosm [a self-contained pocket dimension cultivated within one's body]."

"If you wish to understand this point, you must first comprehend that the cultivation path during the Ancient Era [a primordial age of myth and legend] was different from the present one."

As Zixuan the Daoist narrated, Eldrin Chen gradually understood why this Blackcloud Demon Monarch had not broken through to the Heaven Immortal Realm.

It turned out that during the Dawn of Antiquity [the very beginning of the ancient era], the methods of cultivation were indeed different from now.

In the distant epochs before time was measured, when the Three Thousand Immortal Domains and the Boundless Cosmos were first cleaved open, the spaces between the Heavenly Layers were suffused with World-Initiating Qi [the primordial energy from which worlds are born], and even Innate Qi [the pure, unadulterated spiritual energy of creation] was not considered rare.

In that primordial age, the Primordial Divine Spirits [the first gods born from chaos], merely by finding World-Initiating Qi, Innate Qi, or the Primordial Indestructible Spirit Light [an eternal, unbreakable radiance from the dawn of existence], could shatter the shackles binding their Immortal Physique [a body of perfect, immortal foundation], their comprehension of the Laws of the Dao [the fundamental principles of reality], and their Dao Fruit [the culmination of one's cultivation path], ascending all the way to the Great Luo Realm.

As for those Innate Sacred Spirits [beings born with sacred, innate nature], they entered the world already possessing the 'Primordial Indestructible Spirit Light' and their own 'Innate Spiritual Treasure' [a treasure born with them, perfectly attuned to their soul]. Upon reaching maturity, they could naturally step into the Great Luo Realm.

The realms were divided differently then, known as Divine Spirits, Divine Lord, Celestial God, and Great Deity, corresponding to the four great realms of the present day: Ascendant Immortal, Earth Immortal, Heaven Immortal, and Great Luo.

It can be said that in that era, there was no established cultivation system for World Creation [the act of creating a new world or reality]. With sufficient innate talent, profound enlightenment, and access to the crucial resources, one could cultivate their way forward on the path.

By the twilight of the Primordial Era, however, the Innate Qi and World-Initiating Qi within the Immortal Domain were gradually being exhausted, consumed by the ages.

The Demonic Tribe and the Human Race, along with other Postnatal Beings [beings born after the creation of the world, not from primal chaos], discovered that upon reaching the Ascension Immortal Realm, the path forward was utterly severed.

As Postnatal Beings, the Human Race, the Demonic Tribe, and indeed the myriad races of the Heavenly Layers, found that their entire lifetimes were insufficient to ever set foot in the Heaven-Opening Realm [the realm of opening the heavens, a legendary stage].

Compared to the heaven-nurtured, earth-reared Divine Spirits, they, as Postnatal Beings, possessed almost no opportunity to advance further.

Then came the Ancient Era. The Solar Divine Sovereign [the Divine Sovereign of the Sun] established the Ancient Celestial Court, leading the myriad races in rebellion against the Divine Race to rise to prominence. It was he who pioneered an overwhelmingly domineering and profound method, a new path for those born after the dawn.

This method is named the Heaven-Seizing Method [a profound and formidable cultivation art]. It possesses the power to seize the Creation [the fundamental creative force of destiny] from the Heavenly Layers [the stratified celestial realms]. It can refine the Innate Primordial Essence [the primordial, heaven-bestowed vital essence] contained within the bodies of the Divine Race [a race of beings born with divine power] into one's own being. By doing so, it shatters the practitioner's own Postnatal Shackles [the inherent limitations of a mortal, acquired body], thereby breaking through to the Divine Lord [a title for a supreme divine being] and Divine Spirit Realm [a realm of divine spiritual power].

Yet, in its very essence, this method has not truly transcended the original path of cultivation.

In the twilight years of the Ancient Era [a primordial age of myth and legend], the Human Race rose from the dust. As the weakest among the myriad races of the Immortal Domain [the vast realm of immortals], the Postnatal Human Race [humans born into the mortal world, lacking innate power] found their path blocked upon reaching the Ascension to Immortality Realm [the realm of becoming an immortal]; further advancement seemed an impossibility.

To forge a path forward, countless Human Ancestral Sages [the revered founding sages of humanity] dedicated themselves, generation after generation. Through the combined efforts of the Seventy-Two Generations of Sages [seventy-two successive generations of human sages], they studied and borrowed from the cultivation paths of all races, ultimately pioneering a single, unparalleled Heaven-Reaching Great Path [the Great Path that Reaches for the Heavens].

Lacking the World-Initiating Qi [the primordial breath that gave birth to worlds], the ancient sages ventured forth to World Creation [the act of creating new worlds].

Without the Innate Qi [the innate vital energy bestowed at birth], the sages opened the Primordial Great Cosmos [the Primordial Great Cosmos within themselves]. With their postnatal bodies, they gathered the power of the Supreme Grotto-Heaven [a supreme paradise realm], reversing the natural order to condense that single strand of Innate Qi.

Without the Primordial Indestructible Spirit Light [the indestructible spiritual radiance of the primordial era], the sages shattered the Ninefold Heavenly Pass [the Ninefold Heavenly Barrier]. With earth-shaking, heaven-startling methods, they coalesced the Primordial Indestructible Spirit Light, breaking the shackles that barred the way to the Great Luo Realm [the Great Luo Realm, a supreme state of being].

History proved this path surpassed all others, ancient and modern. The Great Luo Golden Immortal [a Golden Immortal of the Great Luo Realm] cultivated through this method was far more powerful than those of the Primordial Era [the primordial age of creation]. For more chapters, visit audio_novel.com for the complete novel.