Chapter 1666 : A Gathering Storm of Immortals

Upon hearing this, the expressions of those present shifted repeatedly, a flicker of unease passing through their eyes.

They understood all too well that while the Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance [a powerful coalition of immortal forces] had achieved successive great victories, it had also become a thorn in the side of every major power.

This was because nearly every major power had lost at least one Half-Step Celestial Immortal [a cultivator on the very cusp of ascending to the Celestial Immortal realm] to the hands of the Returning Abrast Abyss Immortal Alliance.

The primary reason they had not yet sought revenge was that they were currently embroiled in their own wars, unable to spare the forces needed to deal with the Chen Immortal Clan.

Secondly, it was also because the strength displayed by the Chen Immortal Clan had repeatedly exceeded their expectations; none of these powers felt confident they could annihilate the Chen Clan alone.

After all, Eldrin Chen had slain the Western Abyss Dragon King single-handedly before countless witnesses, a feat demonstrating combat prowess that had entered the domain of the Third Heaven Celestial Immortal Realm [the third tier within the Celestial Immortal cultivation stage].

However, their current inaction did not mean they would remain passive forever.

Eldrin Chen had reason to believe that once the conflict between Western Essence Grotto-Heaven [a major immortal realm] and Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven [another major immortal realm] was decided, the victorious side would likely give rise to at least two cultivators who had laid a Triple Primordial Unity Foundation [an exceptionally stable and powerful foundational cultivation base, formed by unifying three primordial energies].

Furthermore, if any individual from among the other six great powers managed to rise to prominence, they would undoubtedly seek to eliminate Eldrin Chen, the greatest perceived threat.

For Eldrin Chen, while still a Half-Step Celestial Immortal, had slaughtered a Celestial Immortal [a true immortal who has ascended beyond the mortal coil] of the first heaven, a true Great Power. Should he ever break through to the full Celestial Immortal Realm, the several major powers that had moved against the Chen Clan during this Path Tribulation [a cosmic trial or calamity faced by cultivators and their factions] would likely face dire consequences.

Everyone understood this point, recognizing that the present moment offered the best opportunity.

Energy Abyss Chen pondered for a moment before speaking, "In your opinion, who should we target first?"

Eldrin Chen contemplated briefly, then analyzed, "Among the six major powers, Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven and Western Essence Grotto-Heaven are still locked in fierce battle."

"The Nirvana Dragon Clan is embroiled in heated conflict with the Celestial Net Ancient Sect, while the Violet Flame Divine Clan and the Longevity Sun Clan are locked in a stalemate. We can choose one to attack."

"My suggestion is to eliminate Western Essence Grotto-Heaven first."

Upon hearing this, Blazeflame Divine Spirit nodded slightly. "Western Essence Grotto-Heaven is currently pushing Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven back step by step, while the other two battlefields remain deadlocked."

"With the other major powers preoccupied with their own struggles, dealing with Western Essence Grotto-Heaven first is indeed the optimal choice."

The others present also nodded in agreement.

They were well aware that the true disciples of these Great Encompassing Ancient Sect, even if only sending a few of their members to participate in the war, possessed foundations that were undoubtedly extraordinary, perhaps even surpassing those of a Grotto-Heaven [a blessed realm of profound spiritual energy] Holy Scion.

In comparison, dealing with the direct disciples of a Grotto-Heaven carried risks that were still within manageable bounds.

Having considered this, Exquisite Jiang made the decision: "Since that is the case, let this matter be settled."

"..."

With the high-level decision for war made, the war machine of the Chen Immortal Clan swiftly sprang into motion.

In truth, ever since the destruction of the Western Abyss Dragon King, those managing the clan's affairs, such as Eternal Profound Chen and Lior Chen, had keenly perceived that the next major conflict would inevitably erupt beyond the Returning Abyss Sea Region.

Therefore, they had been preparing for this for several thousand years.

Now, the grand army was already assembled and ready for deployment. In a mere half a month, a fleet of eight hundred ancient vessels was gathered.

Compared to the tens of thousands of vessels in the grand army of the Western Abyss Dragon King, these eight hundred ancient ships of the Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance could be considered negligible in number, yet they far surpassed them in quality.

These eight hundred-plus vessels were all World-Opening Ancient Ship of the Eighth Rank or higher. A small portion were accumulated by the Chen Immortal Clan and the Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance, while the majority were captured from the forces of the Western Abyss Dragon King.

Among the fleet were seven Eighth Rank Supreme Grade ancient ships, each equipped with a World-Ending Cannon. Most formidable of all was the Ninth Rank Ancient Ship, the Nirvana Dragon Vessel. This was the true foundation of the Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance's current strength.

Furthermore, Eldrin Chen left behind only three Half-Step Celestial Immortal to guard the homeland. With the support of the Eight Trigrams Immortal Formation, even a Celestial Immortal Great Power would find it impossible to breach this Formation [a complex arrangement of energy channels and nodes used for defense, offense, or other mystical purposes] in a short time.

Once the grand army began its march, it advanced directly toward the Divine Abyss Sea [a vast and perilous sea region].

Over these past years, the protracted war between the Western Essence Grotto-Heaven [a celestial realm of profound cultivation] and the Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven [a rival celestial realm] had raged on. Outmatched, the forces of Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven had been forced to retreat across several layers of sea territories, their main forces now holed up within the Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven itself.

On this day, as the Returning Abyss Sea Army [the naval forces of the Returning Abyss alliance] mobilized, the news swiftly reached the major powers.

Both the Western Essence and Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven [celestial paradises] fell into a heavy silence upon receiving the intelligence reports in their hands.

The First Divine Scion of the Western Essence Grotto-Heaven, gazing at the report in his grasp, felt a chill flash within his eyes. "A pity," he murmured, "We were but a single step away."

"Had we taken the Divine Abyss Sea, I could have settled the fate of this conflict in one decisive battle and achieved the Triple Primordial Unity Foundation [a supreme state of cultivation where three primordial forces merge into one]."

Witnessing this, the Second Divine Scion of Western Essence Grotto-Heaven nearby asked with unconcealed worry, "What should we do now?"

As the Second Divine Scion of Western Essence Grotto-Heaven, he understood all too well that even if the Western Essence Grotto-Heaven managed to suppress the Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven, their own forces would be stretched perilously thin, with little strength to spare.

The Chen Immortal Clan had secured two major victories in succession. The Path Source [a rare spiritual resource vital for cultivation breakthroughs] they had seized was enough to elevate the combat prowess of the entire Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance by a significant degree.

If they were to join forces with the Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven in a pincer attack, it was likely the Western Essence Grotto-Heaven would be utterly unable to withstand the assault.

First Divine Scion understood this logic as well. His expression grew slightly somber before he spoke, "There is only one solution: to ally with the Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven."

"This..."

The Second Divine Scion's face shifted slightly. "Our feud with the Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven spans hundreds of millions of years," he said. "Will they truly agree?"

"They will."

The First Divine Scion spoke calmly, his gaze profound. "When the Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven's sect master, Abyss Halting Path Master, acted against the Returning Abyss Chen Clan for the sake of Glazed Divine Lord, they already forfeited any other choice."

"..."

As for the schemes brewing between the Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven and the Western Essence Grotto-Heaven, Eldrin Chen remained unaware. Even if he had known, it is doubtful he would have cared.

Since the great war began, the Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance had welcomed four new cultivators who had achieved the Triple Primordial Unity Foundation [a legendary and supremely stable foundation for cultivation]. Their wings were now fully fledged. It was the moment for the eagle to spread its wings and soar across the Heavenly Vault.

Unburdened by slower Seventh Rank ancient ships, the World-Opening Ancient Ship traveled with immense speed. Aided by the Polarity Void Mirror [a treasure capable of piercing through the void of space], it traversed the vast distances in mere years, arriving at the fringes of the Divine Abyss Sea.

The grand battlefield now lay just a single sea away.

Eldrin Chen stood beyond the Divine Abyss Sea [a vast and perilous sea region], his gaze fixed upon the fiercely contested expanse before him. A cold glint flickered within his eyes as he surveyed the brutal conflict unfolding across the waters.

Within the churning depths of the Divine Abyss Sea, the battle raged with ferocious intensity. Yet, he noted, the clashes had not escalated beyond the level of Ninth Level Earth Immortal [the pinnacle stage of the Earth Immortal cultivation realm] combatants.

Exquisite Jiang stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him, her own gaze sweeping over the Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven [a hidden realm and sect headquarters]. A thoughtful light stirred in her eyes as she spoke. "The situation appears to be unfolding as you predicted. It seems the Western Essence Grotto-Heaven [a rival hidden realm] and the Divine Abyss Grotto-Heaven have indeed formed an alliance."

"They are gathering their strength, biding their time for the opportune moment to launch a joint assault against us."

Nyssa Qu observed the scene, her expression growing solemn and her gaze turning grave.

After a moment of contemplation, she stated, "Given our current power, even if these two Grotto-Heaven [powerful hidden realms that serve as sect bases] unite, we have nothing to fear from them."

"My only concern is whether the other major powers might set aside their own enmities to intervene."

"They will not."

Eldrin Chen shook his head, his tone calm and assured. "The Violet Flame Divine Clan [a powerful clan of cultivators] and the Longevity Sun Clan [another powerful clan] are sworn enemies of many generations. With Ancient Immortal [a cultivator who has transcended mortality and achieved immense age and power]-level figures having fallen to their blades, the Violet Flame Divine Clan entered this tribulation specifically to settle that old score."

"Likewise, the war between the Nirvana Dragon Clan [a mighty clan of dragon-type demonic beasts] and the Celestial Net Ancient Sect [an ancient and formidable sect] has reached a fever pitch. It is unlikely either side can easily disengage."

"The most crucial point is that they too are waiting for us to exhaust each other in battle."