Chapter 1662 : The Dragon Vessel's Onslaught

As the group conversed, the Ninth Rank Ancient Ship [a legendary vessel of immense power and antiquity] tore through the void, arriving under the aegis of the Western Abyss Dragon King.

Upon drawing near, it gathered its power for a long moment before unleashing a cataclysmic blast. The strike slammed into the Eight Trigrams Grand Formation [a defensive formation based on the eight trigrams of the I Ching], causing its radiant glow to dim precipitously and instantly sapping its defensive power by thirty percent.

"What a formidable Formation [a structured arrangement of energy for defense or attack]," someone murmured.

Witnessing this, a flicker of astonishment passed through the eyes of the Western Abyss Dragon King.

The value of a Ninth Rank Ancient Ship surpassed even that of a Low-Grade Innate Treasure [a treasure born from the primal chaos of creation]. A single shot from its Oblivion [a force representing utter annihilation] cannon possessed enough power to grievously wound or even obliterate a Chaos Ancient Beast [a primordial monster born from the formless chaos].

He had assumed it would shatter the Eight Trigrams Immortal Formation with ease. To his surprise, the formation held.

"It seems borrowing the Nirvana Dragon Vessel [a dragon-shaped ark of immense destructive power, said to be capable of rebirth] was the right decision after all," the Western Abyss Dragon King thought to himself.

To secure the loan of the Nirvana Dragon Vessel, he had been forced to promise half of all spoils to the Nirvana Dragon Demon Venerable [a venerable and ancient dragon demon associated with cycles of destruction and renewal]. The cost had pained him at the time.

Now, he felt nothing but profound relief.

Had he attempted to breach the grand formation by his own power, it would likely have taken tens of thousands of years, and by then, his own strength would have been worn down to a mere fraction.

At this thought, Western Abyss Dragon King ordered the Nirvana Dragon Vessel to continue its assault. The supreme cannon, powerful enough to annihilate even a Mid Celestial Immortal Realm cultivator, fired two more consecutive blasts, finally shattering the entire Eight Trigrams Grand Formation.

"Slaughter them—!"

In that instant, countless Demon Immortals erupted with maniacal glee, scrambling over each other to charge into the Eight Seas of the Returning Abyss.

Fortunately, Eldrin Chen had anticipated this. He had already ordered his Immortals to retreat within the protective confines of the Cosmic Stellar Formation in the Returning Abyss Sea Region.

The horde of Demon Race cultivators pursued relentlessly, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the outer perimeter of the Returning Abyss Sea Region.

Watching everyone take refuge within the Returning Abyss Sea Region, the Western Abyss Dragon King sneered coldly, "Your Eight Trigrams Immortal Formation could not withstand me. How do you expect this Cosmic Stellar Formation to fare any better?"

As his words fell, the Ninth Rank Ancient Ship gathered its power with a thunderous roar, intent on shattering the Cosmic Stellar Formation in a single, decisive blow.

Yet, at that very moment, a World-Illuminating Immortal Light erupted across the heavens. A Chaos Heaven Halberd tore through the firmament and came crashing down upon the Nirvana Dragon Vessel ancient ship.

The Western Abyss Dragon King's eyes flashed coldly as he hastily moved to block. However, he was instantly met with an overwhelming force of Chaos [the primordial, formless state before creation]. The impact sent him flying backward, slamming hard into the hull of the Nirvana Dragon ancient vessel.

"Trouble—!"

The Western Abyss Dragon King felt a sudden, inexplicable dread in his heart. He swiftly turned his gaze toward Eldrin Chen and demanded, "An Innate Physique [a supreme, heaven-defying constitution granted at birth]? Are you a Celestial Immortal Great Power [a mighty being who has ascended to the Celestial Immortal Realm]?"

"No, it's merely the Innate Physique."

In an instant, he shook his head again, his expression turning icy and sinister. "You cunning That upstart Eldrin, you possess the combat power of the Celestial Immortal Realm yet only reveal the cultivation of a Ninth Level Earth Immortal. Truly, your methods are impressive."

"Realizing it now is far too late."

Eldrin Chen spoke with calm finality. As his words faded, high above in the boundless Heavenly Vault, a Polarity Ancient Mirror [an ancient artifact capable of manipulating the fundamental forces of Yin and Yang] began to rotate. It radiated an endless light of void that cascaded down, enveloping the mountains and rivers, sealing the entire battlefield within its grasp.

Simultaneously, Exquisite Jiang stepped forward into the sky, summoning forth the Innate Gale Gourd [a primordial treasure born from the chaos of creation, containing devastating gale forces].

In that fleeting moment, a supreme Innate Gale [a primordial, world-shaking wind] descended. Its bone-eroding, soul-dissolving Gale Power [the destructive energy of a primordial wind] swept across the vast and desolate landscape.

Countless members of the Demon Race, Demon Immortal [demonic beings who have attained immortality], and even Earth Immortal Patriarch were packed within this stretch of the Returning Abyss Sea Region. There was simply no room to evade.

In the blink of an eye, over one hundred thousand Demon Race Immortal [immortal beings] had their souls scattered to the winds, leaving behind an uncountable multitude of Path Source [the condensed essence of a cultivator's cultivation path, released upon death] drifting in the space between heaven and earth.

"Dragon King, save us!"

In that instant, countless Demon Race [the collective term for beings of demonic origin] revealed expressions of terror, scrambling to seek the protection of Western Abyss Dragon King.

Yet, the very reason Eldrin Chen had abandoned the Eight Seas of the Returning Abyss [a specific region of the immortal realm] and lured them here was to annihilate them all in one fell swoop. How could he possibly allow them to have their way?

Behold, Eldrin Chen gripped the Chaos Heaven Halberd [a primordial weapon of immense power], single-handedly pressing the Western Abyss Dragon King into a steady retreat. He even had strength to spare, channeling the Chaos Weapon Forging Art [a supreme technique for manifesting and controlling weapons] to restrain that Ninth Rank Ancient Ship [a legendary vessel of the highest grade].

Seizing the opportunity, Exquisite Jiang continuously activated the Ancient Gale Gourd [a gourd that unleashes primordial winds], extinguishing the lives of over one hundred thousand Demon Immortal [demonic beings who have attained immortality]. Only then did she slowly draw a deep breath and retract the Innate Gale Gourd.

This sustained activation had depleted over half of her Innate Dharmic Power [the fundamental spiritual energy one is born with]. While her remaining power would suffice to eliminate the majority of the Demon Immortal, it would also completely drain her own reserves.

At this juncture, the wise course was to leave the remaining Demon Immortal to her clansmen and focus her own efforts on exterminating those Half-Step Celestial Immortal [beings on the very threshold of true celestial immortality].

Across the boundless void, a battle of staggering grandeur had already erupted. With Eldrin Chen suppressing the Western Abyss Dragon King, the Half-Step Celestial Immortal from both sides had already clashed.

The Demon Race side boasted twenty-seven Half-Step Celestial Immortal, while the Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance [an alliance of immortal forces] fielded only twenty. By numbers alone, the Demon Race held the advantage.

However, most of the Demon Race Half-Step Celestial Immortal possessed a Single Primordial Unity Foundation [a cultivation base forged from a single, unified primordial essence]. In contrast, aside from five newly ascended Half-Step Celestial Immortal from the Immortal Clam Clan [a clan of immortal clam beings], the rest of the Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance forces were Half-Step Celestial Immortal with a Dual Primordial Unity Foundation [a far more potent foundation forged from dual unified essences]. In terms of comprehensive strength, the Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance was actually superior.

From the very onset of the great battle, the Half-Step Celestial Immortal of the Demon Race were forced into a steady retreat, falling into a position of utter disadvantage.

With the descent of Exquisite Jiang [the powerful female cultivator], the Demon Race [the collective of demonic beings] Half-Step Celestial Immortal [cultivators on the cusp of ascending to the Celestial Immortal realm] began to show signs of a complete rout.

"This is bad," he muttered.

Seeing the situation turn dire, the Western Abyss Dragon King [the sovereign ruler of the Western Abyss dragon clan] felt his heart sink.

At this critical juncture of life and death, the Western Abyss Dragon King realized he could not contend with the Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance [a powerful coalition of immortal cultivators]. He immediately abandoned any thought of breaching their defenses. Instead, he commanded the Nirvana Dragon [a mythical dragon associated with rebirth] Ancient Ship to turn around, intending to activate the World-Ending Cannon [a weapon of catastrophic destructive power] to blast through the blockade formed by the Polarity Void Mirror [a mystical mirror capable of sealing space].

Yet, in that very instant, a blinding radiance pierced the heavens.

A majestic, golden-hued figure, vast and imposing, was seen drawing a longbow. A single arrow shot forth, piercing the protective barrier of the Nirvana Dragon Ancient Ship. The figure then strode forward, breaching the vessel and swiftly seizing control of the Ninth Rank Ancient Ship [a legendary ship of the highest ancient grade].

After his breakthrough, Energy Abyss Chen [the formidable patriarch of the Chen Clan] had ascended to become a supreme existence who had achieved the Triple Primordial Unity Foundation [a legendary cultivation foundation unifying body, energy, and spirit]. His physical form and spiritual energy, fused into a singular Path Fruit [the condensed essence of a cultivator's chosen Dao], granted him a tremendous surge in combat prowess.

Once in command of the Ninth Rank Ancient Ship, he stood upon its deck, wielding the Gale Soul-Chasing Bow [a divine bow that fires arrows guided by the wind] and the Gale Wind Sun-Pursuing Arrow [arrows swift enough to chase the sun]. With each release of the bowstring, a Half-Step Celestial Immortal met their end. Not even those who had achieved the Dual Primordial Unity Foundation [a foundation unifying two aspects] could withstand his onslaught.

He loosed seven arrows in succession, felling seven Half-Step Celestial Immortal. Only then did he realize the Demon Race Half-Step Celestial Immortal had already been completely exterminated.

After all twenty-seven of the Demon Race Half-Step Celestial Immortal had perished, Eldrin Chen [the central protagonist, a master strategist and cultivator] did not allow his allies to intervene in the battle against the remaining Celestial Immortal [true immortals who have ascended beyond the mortal realm]. Instead, he signaled for them to focus on eliminating the Demon Race Earth Immortal [immortals bound to the earthly realm, a step below Celestial Immortals].

"Wretched dragon, your time of reckoning has come!"

Eldrin Chen rode the Chaos Heaven Halberd across the heavens. After three hundred fierce exchanges, he finally suppressed and slew the Western Abyss Dragon King upon the Heavenly Vault.

In this battle against the Western Abyss Dragon King, Eldrin Chen did not rely on the Gale Wind God-Slaying Gourd nor did he activate treasures like the Innate Polarity Path Union Gourd. Using only the power of his physical body, he utterly vanquished the Western Abyss Dragon King.

The disparity in their combat prowess was simply too vast. Although Eldrin Chen had not yet cultivated to the Celestial Immortal Realm, his Innate Primordial One Indestructibility Physique was equivalent to a first-level Celestial Immortal who had cultivated three types of Innate Foundation.

A Triple Innate Foundation is also known as a Perfect Celestial Immortal Foundation—this represents the flawless potential of an Innate Divine Spirit.

In contrast, a Dual Primordial Unity Foundation, while still within the Celestial Immortal Realm, is a Flawed Celestial Immortal foundation. The future achievements of one with such a foundation are severely limited, with the Mid Celestial Immortal Realm being their absolute ceiling.

The difference between flawed and flawless, though seemingly a matter of a single word, is in truth a chasm as vast as heaven and earth. The disparity in combat power at the same level is at least threefold.

The Western Abyss Dragon King was precisely such a flawed, ordinary Celestial Immortal. He could not even guarantee victory against a powerful cultivator with a Triple Primordial Unity Foundation, as their combat prowess was simply not on the same level.

It could be said that even if three Western Abyss Dragon Kings were to attack together, Eldrin Chen could still fight and triumph over them.