Chapter 1661 : The Prodigy's Shadow Over the Abyss

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen gave a slight, thoughtful nod.

He had long heard of this Nirvana Dragon Demon Venerable. It was said to be a rare variant within the Nirvana Dragon Clan, a prodigy whose talent was considered peerless even among the Great Encompassing Immortal Clan.

Even the Western Abyss Dragon King, a being of the Celestial Immortal Realm, was said to be overshadowed by this Nirvana Dragon Demon Venerable.

This time, the Nirvana Dragon Demon Venerable had entered the tribulation within the Western Essence Divine Abyss Sea, placing its seeds upon nearly a hundred Demon Race cultivators at the Ninth Level Earth Immortal realm, nurturing several who had reached the Half-Step Celestial Immortal Realm.

Now that the Western Abyss Dragon King was moving against the Returning Abyss Sea Region, the fact it could bring twenty-seven Half-Step Celestial Immortal beings was likely also at the behest of the Nirvana Dragon Demon Venerable.

Considering this, a glint flickered in Eldrin Chen's eyes as he spoke. "It is said the Nirvana Dragon Clan is an exceedingly rare lineage within the Dragon Clan, counted among its most powerful branches."

"It seems this Great Tribulation may yet grant us an encounter."

Exquisite Jiang nodded in agreement and continued, "Over the past thousand years, the Western Abyss Dragon King has launched three assaults, yet failed to breach the Eight Trigrams Grand Formation each time."

"Though their legions number in the hundreds of millions, without a Ninth Rank Ancient Ship, and with our thousands of Immortal Vein [geographical formations that generate immortal-grade spiritual energy] providing a constant stream of Immortal Spirit Essence [the purified energy required for immortal cultivation], it would likely take them tens of thousands of years to break through, if they ever could."

At this point, a thoughtful light entered Exquisite Jiang's gaze. "If I am not mistaken, the Western Abyss Dragon King must currently be devising a strategy to counter us."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen turned his gaze towards the countless Demon Beasts [monstrous creatures born of demonic energy] swarming the periphery and spoke, "There are only three methods capable of breaching the Eight Trigrams Immortal Formation [a powerful defensive array based on the eight trigrams of the I Ching]."

"The first," he continued, "requires a great power at the Mid Celestial Immortal Realm [the middle stage of the Celestial Immortal cultivation realm] to take action. By wielding a supremely potent Innate Treasure [a treasure born of natural law, possessing immense power] and unleashing a mighty Divine Ability [a supreme supernatural power mastered by high-level cultivators], one could forcibly shatter the Eight Trigrams Grand Formation."

"The second method," Eldrin Chen explained, "would be for a force of five or more combatants possessing strength equivalent to the Early Celestial Immortal Realm [the initial stage of the Celestial Immortal realm] to join hands. Perhaps, over the span of a millennium, they could wear down and break the grand formation."

"The third," he concluded, his voice steady, "is to expend a vast ocean of troops, supported by ancient warships of the Ninth Rank [a classification denoting the ninth and highest tier of power for such vessels] or higher. Such relentless attrition could also eventually breach its defenses."

Exquisite Jiang's eyes flickered with a tremor of understanding upon hearing his words.

Among these three conditions, the intervention of a Mid Celestial Immortal Realm great power was nearly impossible. Beings of such stature commanded awe across the world; their status and position far surpassed that of any Half-Step Celestial Immortal [a cultivator on the verge of breaking into the Celestial Immortal realm].

Their identities placed them among the high echelons within the great Grotto-Heaven [a transcendent realm and power base for immortal sects], and they generally refrained from directly interfering in matters of Path Tribulation [a great calamity or conflict that tests the fate of powers and cultivators].

In the distant past, before unspoken rules were established between the various Grotto-Heaven and even the Great Encompassing [the realm beyond Celestial Immortal, representing the pinnacle of known cultivation] powers, a dangerous escalation was common.

In those days, if you dispatched a Mid Celestial Immortal Realm expert into the tribulation, your rival would counter by sending a Late Celestial Immortal Realm [the advanced stage of the Celestial Immortal realm] powerhouse, and even those at the Great Perfection Celestial Immortal Realm [the peak, perfected stage of the Celestial Immortal realm] could not resist joining the fray.

And when pivotal figures fell, some Great Encompassing Ancient Sect [ancient sects possessing Great Encompassing realm cultivators] would ignite their True Flame [a sacred flame representing a sect's foundational legacy and ultimate weapon], leading to situations where supreme orthodoxies were utterly annihilated.

To allow a few disciples to break through to the Celestial Immortal [a powerful immortal who has ascended to the celestial realm] realm, ultimately leading to the sect's complete annihilation and a devastating outcome, was a price far too steep to pay.

After a series of grand and tumultuous wars, the Three Immortal Courts [the three supreme governing bodies of the immortal world], the Hundred Immortal Spirit Races [the collective of one hundred powerful immortal spirit clans], and even the major Grotto-Heaven [a blessed realm, a paradise for cultivation] realms reached a tacit understanding: high-level powerhouses would no longer interfere in the Path Tribulation [a great calamity that tests the fate and destiny of cultivators and their paths].

They tacitly permitted conflict among peers of the same generation; generally, Celestial Immortal Great Power [a formidable expert who has reached the Celestial Immortal realm] would not intervene.

Of course, whenever a true Celestial Immortal Seed [a prodigy with the potential to become a Celestial Immortal] entered the tribulation, some Grotto-Heaven would still dispatch Early Celestial Immortal Realm [an expert at the early stage of the Celestial Immortal realm] to interfere.

In essence, this was the Grotto-Heaven realms leveraging their deep reserves to oppress those not from a Grotto-Heaven, though this oppression was limited to the level of Early Celestial Immortal Realm experts.

Furthermore, these Early Celestial Immortal Realm great powers, mindful of their status, often acted merely as final guardians, unwilling to strike until the most critical moment.

After all, once a Celestial Immortal Great Power completely shed all pretense and took action, the very nature of the Path Tribulation would change, leaving no room for Half-Step Celestial Immortal [a cultivator on the verge of becoming a full Celestial Immortal] to matter.

Therefore, whether it was having a Mid Celestial Immortal Realm [an expert at the mid-stage of the Celestial Immortal realm] expert intervene or gathering more than five Early Celestial Immortal Realm great powers, such scenarios were nearly impossible.

Thus, the only plausible possibility was that the Western Abyss Dragon King intended to summon a Ninth Rank Ancient Ship [a legendary vessel of immense power, ranked at the ninth tier].

Considering this, Exquisite Jiang's eyes flickered with thought as she asked, "Where would the Western Abyss Dragon King obtain a Ninth Rank Ancient Ship from?"

Eldrin Chen [the protagonist, a powerful cultivator] remained utterly calm, his gaze serene as he spoke, "The Western Abyss Dragon King does not possess one, but it is not certain that the Nirvana Dragon Demon Venerable lacks such an ancient vessel."

Having said this, Eldrin Chen glanced towards the direction of the Returning Abyss Blessed Land [a sacred land under his protection] and continued, "A Ninth Rank Ancient Ship [a top-tier magical vessel] is not to be underestimated. It would be wiser to wait until the Energy Abyss Patriarch achieves his breakthrough before drawing in the net."

"..."

Heaven and earth roared, the void itself trembling.

Beyond the Eight Seas of the Returning Abyss [the eight seas surrounding the sacred land], countless Demon Immortal [demonic beings who have attained immortality], ancient ships, Exotic Treasure [rare and powerful enchanted artifacts], and Divine Ability [supernatural techniques] relentlessly assailed the Eight Trigrams Immortal Formation [a supreme defensive array].

Under this boundless, overwhelming force, the vast expanse of the Eight Seas of the Returning Abyss shuddered incessantly, churning up towering waves. Colossal tsunamis swept across the desolate expanse, only to be quelled by the combined spiritual power of countless Immortal [cultivators who have ascended to immortality].

The great battle raged on, and in the blink of an eye, another three thousand years passed.

During this epoch, the full might of the Eight Trigrams Immortal Formation was unleashed. Under the full-powered guidance of Exquisite Jiang [a master of formations], it manifested a formidable Eight Trigrams Domain [a lethal zone of power].

This Eight Trigrams Domain was supremely tyrannical. Any member of the Demon Race [the race of demons] below the Ascendant Immortal [a high rank of immortal cultivation] who dared charge into its domain would be instantly shredded by eight supreme elemental forces before they could even strike the formation itself.

Countless Demon Immortal drove endless hordes of the Demon Race and Demon Beasts [monstrous beasts] to crash against the Eight Trigrams Domain. Wave upon wave perished, ground to nothing by the Formation [the defensive array's power]. Their sole achievement was to drain a minuscule fraction of the Formation's energy reserves.

The war, which had raged for millennia, saw the Eight Trigrams Grand Formation [a supreme defensive formation based on the eight trigrams] annihilate countless billions upon billions of Demon Race [a malevolent race of beings] and Demon Beasts [monstrous beasts corrupted by demonic energy].

However, the immense price paid by the Demon Race yielded significant gains. The reserves of Immortal Spirit Essence [the concentrated spiritual energy required to sustain immortal-level formations and realms] stored within the Immortal Isles [floating islands imbued with immortal energy] and Blessed Land [lands of exceptional spiritual fortune] of the Returning Abyss Sea Region [a vast and perilous oceanic realm] were now depleted by more than half. This had reached a critical threshold that threatened the very stability of the grand Formation [a complex array of magical energy used for defense or attack].

"They are preparing their final assault,"

Eldrin Chen murmured, his gaze fixed upon the vast demonic host gathering beyond the sea, his eyes growing solemn and heavy.

Upon hearing his words, the others lifted their eyes towards the depths of the void. A collective chill ran through them as they beheld the sight.

From the boundless emptiness, tens of thousands of Demon Immortal [demonic beings who have attained a level of power comparable to immortals] began their advance. They were accompanied by thousands of Earth Immortal Patriarch [venerable patriarchs who have ascended to the Earth Immortal realm] and tens of thousands of Immortal Rank Ancient Ship [ancient vessels of war forged with immortal-grade materials] tearing through the fabric of space.

Yet more terrifying was the sight at the farthest edge of the void. A vessel more vast than a Great Thousand World [a major world within the cosmic hierarchy], stretching for millions upon millions of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], was slowly sailing forth.

"The Nirvana Dragon Vessel,"

"I never imagined that Nirvana Dragon Demon Venerable [a supremely powerful demonic dragon lord] would be willing to lend his Ninth Rank Ancient Ship [a mythical-grade warship of the highest order] to him,"

Glazed Divine Lord [a title for a powerful immortal lord] whispered softly, a ripple of complex emotion stirring within the depths of his gaze.

She turned her gaze towards Eldrin Chen, her expression turning gravely solemn as she spoke. "Upon that Nirvana Dragon Vessel rests a Ninth Rank Oblivion Cannon. Such a colossal cannon is forged from the very essence of a Small Universe [a miniature, self-contained cosmos], refined and empowered with Chaos Ancient Gold [a primordial metal born from the chaos of creation]."

"The force of its full-powered blast rivals a direct strike from a cultivator at the Mid Celestial Immortal Realm [the middle stage of celestial immortality, a realm of immense power]."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen's eyes darkened slightly. The destructive potential of such a weapon was staggering; a single full-force bombardment could likely shatter the entire Returning Abyss Sea Region [a vast and treacherous oceanic domain].

Although the Eight Trigrams Immortal Formation [a powerful defensive array based on the eight trigrams of divination] was formidable, it was, after all, merely a Primordial Unity Immortal Formation [a formation of the foundational unity stage]. It likely could not withstand more than a few such blows before being utterly shattered.

Considering this, Eldrin Chen spoke, his voice measured. "If we allow that Oblivion [the concept of utter annihilation, the void] cannon to fire unchecked, I fear even the Eight Trigrams Grand Formation [the grand version of the eight trigrams defensive array] will not hold."

"It matters not if it holds,"

Exquisite Jiang replied calmly, a glint of battle intent flashing in her eyes. "We have prepared for this moment for a long time. We have been waiting for them to enter."