Chapter 1646 : A Palace Reclaimed from Chaos

After exiting the Violet Ye Palace, Eldrin Chen turned back to look at it, falling into a moment of thoughtful silence.

This Violet Ye Palace was constructed from Chaos Divine Material and Violet Jade, and further fortified by Violet Capital Path Master with a Ninth Rank High-Grade Grand Formation [a formation of the highest known tier]. At its peak, even an Ancient Immortal Great Power would have struggled to breach its defenses.

Now, after dozens of Kalpa Tribulation [immense cosmic cycles] had passed, the Violet Ye Palace had been eroded by the relentless flow of Primordial Chaos Energy [the primordial, formless energy that predates creation], its Formation [a structured arrangement of energy for defense or attack] power diminished by ninety percent.

Even so, the Violet Ye Palace could still withstand nearly all attacks below the level of a Celestial Immortal [an immortal who has ascended to the celestial realm], making it an exceedingly rare and valuable Path-Field [a sanctified place for cultivation and enlightenment].

"Now that this Violet Ye Heaven has fallen into Oblivion [a state of utter annihilation and non-existence], even if Violet Capital Path Master were to revive and return, he could not restore it. Leaving this Violet Ye Palace here is a waste," Eldrin murmured to himself.

"Since I have inherited his Karma [the spiritual cause and effect governing one's destiny], I shall borrow this treasure for now."

With those words, Eldrin Chen waved a hand and stored the entire Violet Ye Palace within his spatial treasure.

After securing the palace, Eldrin Chen spent some time further searching the ruins of Violet Ye Heaven. His efforts were rewarded with five rare treasures left behind by the Chaos Ancient Beast, all of them precious Chaos Divine Material [divine-grade ores born from primordial chaos].

Among them was a piece of Chaos Stone, a material of unyielding durability, perfect for refining the Bulwark Earth Sovereign Bell [a legendary bell-type treasure symbolizing supreme earthly defense].

Having gathered these treasures, Eldrin Chen did not linger. He set his course and flew directly towards the Five Elements Small Universe.

Within the Chaos [the primordial, formless state from which all existence emerged], a vast and misty expanse stretched endlessly. Countless Universe [vast cosmic structures containing galaxies and worlds] and Great World [major realms within the cosmos] drifted in their relative celestial dances. Without special guidance or means of navigation, discerning any true direction was a formidable task indeed.

Fortunately, Violet Ye Heaven was not far from the Five Elements Small Universe. Eldrin Chen retraced his path back towards the estimated location of the Five Elements Small Universe, flying for a century at the same speed he had used on his outward journey, covering a distance roughly equal to his initial travel.

Then, using that point as a center, he began a systematic, circular search pattern, expanding his radius for two centuries. Finally, his perseverance was rewarded as he located the familiar spatial signature of the Five Elements Small Universe.

"It is fortunate the journey was only a century,"

"Had I ventured into the Depths of Chaos [the deeper, more turbulent and trackless regions of primordial Chaos] for millennia, or even tens of millennia, retracing my steps to find the Five Elements Small Universe would have been nearly impossible,"

Eldrin Chen remarked with a touch of belated apprehension upon his return to the Small Universe.

For within the Endless Chaos, Small Universe and the myriad Immortal Domain [realms governed by immortal laws and beings] were not static. These worlds ceaselessly orbited and drifted through the Chaos, their trajectories subtle and inscrutable.

Not only was relocating one's original departure point within the Chaos a monumental challenge, but even if one succeeded, the world from which they had set out might have long since moved on from that location.

A journey of a century was manageable, but once one traveled for millennia, tens of millennia, or even hundreds of millennia, finding one's way back to the original world became a feat akin to scaling the heavens themselves.

It was precisely for this reason that even Celestial Immortal Great Power [powerful immortals who have ascended to a celestial state] faced a significant risk of becoming utterly lost within the boundless Chaos.

And once lost within the Chaos [the primordial, formless void between worlds], unable to find a new Immortal Domain [a stable realm of immortal cultivation] to stand upon, then even a Celestial Immortal Great Power [a mighty cultivator who has ascended to the Celestial Immortal realm] would find only a path to their doom.

"Husband."

Seeing Eldrin Chen return, Exquisite Jiang and the others rushed forward, their faces alight with joy.

Nyssa Qu glanced at Eldrin Chen. Seeing no sign of grievous injury upon his countenance, she asked, "How did it go?"

"It went smoothly enough."

Eldrin Chen spoke calmly, then with a flick of his sleeve, he cast down the massive carcass of the Chaos Leviathan [a primordial beast born from the formless Chaos].

The sight of the Chaos Leviathan brought a surge of elation to the group, swiftly followed by a wave of awe.

Though they had long understood that Eldrin Chen possessed the means to suppress and slay a Celestial Immortal [an immortal who has transcended mortality], witnessing him personally vanquish a Chaos Ancient Beast [an ancient monster native to the primordial Chaos] still left them astonished by the sheer power he displayed.

Eldrin Chen remained composed. He produced the three treasures obtained from the Violet Ye Palace and recounted the tale of his journey to the assembled group.

After hearing his account, their expressions shifted between shock and delight.

Exquisite Jiang let out a soft sigh, then spoke, "This time, you owe a favor as vast as the heavens."

"As long as you can achieve a breakthrough into the Triple Primordial Unity Foundation [the pinnacle state of harmonizing the three foundational energies of a cultivator], then it will all have been worth it."

Eldrin Chen offered a faint smile and spoke slowly.

Seeing this, Kael Chen and Energy Abyss Chen beside him could not help but feel a touch of emotion color their expressions.

A flicker of joy appeared on Energy Abyss Chen's face as he said, "With this Path Hearing Meditation Mat [a mystical mat that enhances spiritual perception and meditation], if not for my insufficient accumulation of foundational essence, I would wish to attempt the Triple Primordial Unity Foundation immediately."

Hearing this, everyone smiled faintly. They had all only recently broken through to the Dual Primordial Unity Foundation [the state of harmonizing two foundational energies].

As their Earth Immortal World [a cultivator's internal world, the foundation of their power] had not yet reached a state of perfect fullness in its foundational essence, and because their own comprehension and accumulated insights were still somewhat lacking, they were not yet ready to attempt the third Primordial Unity Foundation.

Thinking of this, Ethan Chen could not help but say, "I find myself anticipating the arrival of the Path Tribulation [a great calamity that tests a cultivator's path and destiny]. To swiftly vanquish powerful foes, obtain Path Source [the primordial essence of a cultivator's destined path], refine it to accelerate our cultivation, and then charge towards the Triple Primordial Unity Foundation."

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen also gave a slight nod.

At this point, even he felt a stirring of anticipation for the opening of the Path Tribulation.

With these thoughts in mind, Eldrin Chen offered his final counsel: "You must cultivate diligently. This Path Tribulation will see many Grotto-Heaven sects drawn into the calamity, and even disciples from Ancient Sect's Direct Lineage will descend into the mortal world."

"To stand out from among countless prodigies, merely possessing a Dual Primordial Unity Foundation may not be sufficient. One requires even more formidable means."

Upon hearing this, everyone present nodded in understanding. "We comprehend," they replied.

"…"

Having given his instructions to the clan members, Eldrin Chen returned to the Primordial Solar Five Elements Grotto-Heaven.

Back within the Primordial Solar Five Elements Grotto-Heaven, Eldrin Chen retrieved the two strands of Innate Energy [the primordial, uncreated energy that forms the basis of all things] he had recently obtained and fell into deep contemplation.

"I now possess six strands of Innate Energy. Four are reserved for advancing the Innate Primordial Unity Pill and cannot be used lightly."

"These two strands before me can elevate two of my Innate Treasure [treasures born from the world's innate laws]. Which two should I choose to empower?"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly to himself, lost in thought.

Having cultivated to his present level, Eldrin Chen's Innate Primordial One Indestructibility Physique [a legendary body constitution that embodies the indestructible nature of the primordial unity] had long since achieved a state of Immortality and Indestructibility [a state of being impervious to decay and destruction]. Both his defensive and offensive capabilities were truly Extraordinary.

Especially after obtaining the Chaos Heaven Halberd [a legendary weapon of immense power], he could already be considered well-rounded in both offense and defense, showing no fear even when facing an Early Celestial Immortal Realm [the initial stage of the Celestial Immortal cultivation level] expert with a Triple Innate Foundation [an exceptionally rare and potent innate spiritual constitution].

At this moment, Eldrin Chen's primary focus for advancement lay in four specific choices.

These four choices were the 'Path Heart Purple Lotus' [a mystical lotus that embodies the essence of the Dao], the 'Purifying Mud White Lotus' [a sacred lotus said to cleanse impurities], along with the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword [a divine sword imbued with solar flame energy] and the Heavenly River Positive Water Sword [a sword technique that channels the pure, positive energy of the Heavenly River].

"The might of the Sky-Severance Sword Union [a supreme sword technique capable of sundering the heavens] is peerless in its Slaughter [destructive, annihilating power]," he mused. "However, I possess the Gale Wind God-Slaying Gourd [a gourd-shaped treasure that unleashes god-slaying gale winds], so I am not entirely without means to unleash ultimate Slaughter."

"Moreover, the water-attributed Primordial Unity Immortal Gold [a mythical metal of perfect unity, essential for forging supreme treasures] required for the Heavenly River Positive Water Sword is still nowhere to be found."

"On the other hand, both the Path Heart Purple Lotus and the Purifying Mud White Lotus are extraordinary. Once they advance to become Innate Treasure Lotus [a lotus born from primordial chaos, a treasure of the highest order], the Lotus Throne Magical Treasure [a throne-shaped treasure formed from lotuses, used for meditation and empowerment] belonging to Exquisite and myself could reach the Innate [primordial, chaos-born] level."

"And the Lotus Seed [seed of a mystical lotus], Lotus Root [root of a mystical lotus], and Lotus Leaf [leaf of a mystical lotus] are all treasures of Extraordinary [a person of remarkable talent or destiny]."

After a moment of silent contemplation, Eldrin Chen finally made his decision.

The Lotus Throne Magical Treasure was crucial to his own spiritual power reserves. Currently, Eldrin Chen already possessed several Innate Treasure [treasures born from primordial chaos], but he was hampered by insufficient spiritual power, unable to unleash their ultimate combat potential.

If they could obtain an Innate Lotus Throne Magical Treasure, the strength of both individuals would undoubtedly receive a significant boost.

With this thought in mind, Eldrin Chen immediately proceeded to the Immortal Herb Garden. There, he extracted two streams of Innate Energy [the primordial, unformed energy that existed before creation] and infused them into the two precious lotuses.

In a single Ksana-time [an infinitesimal unit of time from Buddhist cosmology, less than a second], the two Innate Treasure Lotus [lotuses born from the world's primordial essence] underwent a profound metamorphosis. The transformation instantly sent tremors of spiritual energy rippling through the entire Five Elements Small Universe [a miniature cosmos governed by the five fundamental elements].