Chapter 1692 : Whispers of a Banished Immortal

Just as Worthy Pursuit Chen was lost in thought, Plain Essence walked into the courtyard from outside.

Seeing him standing there, she approached with concern. "Your injuries are not yet fully healed," she said. "Why aren't you resting inside?"

Worthy Pursuit Chen shook his head calmly. "I am already largely recovered," he stated. "All that remains is a period of recuperation."

Only then did Pure White let out a sigh of relief, a gentle smile gracing her features.

In the days that followed, Worthy Pursuit Chen settled into the mountain manor, focusing on quiet cultivation to regulate the lingering damage within his body.

Pure White remained by his side, tending to him day and night with meticulous care. Their days passed in a state of profound peace and tranquility.

Time flowed on, and three months slipped by. Although Worthy Pursuit Chen was still far from being able to muster even a sliver of his true power, the persistent efforts to regulate his internal energies had finally halted the further deterioration of his condition.

"Now, we wait," he murmured to himself, "for the day this world faces its Oblivion [its final, utter annihilation]."

A quiet sigh echoed in Worthy Pursuit Chen's heart. His gaze then fell upon the white-robed woman beside him, and a subtle weight settled in his chest.

He had been born a Banished Immortal, nurtured within a True Dragon Relic [a sacred artifact containing the essence of a True Dragon] by his father's design. His innate foundation and potential placed him among the true, peerless prodigies amidst the countless billions of souls across the boundless heavens and earth. This chapter is part of a larger work available at AUDIO-NOVEL.COM.

Throughout his cultivation journey spanning this lifetime, he had scarcely ever encountered the mortal cycles of birth, aging, sickness, and death, nor had he truly tasted the bitterness and helplessness they entailed.

In these recent days, his physical body had relied entirely on the care of the woman in white robes. An inexplicable sense of closeness had grown towards this mortal woman, and his heart of stone, unyielding for a million years, seemed to have softened ever so slightly at a certain moment.

To simply stand by and watch such a woman grow old and die before his eyes was something his heart truly could not bear.

At the peak of his power, with his cultivation at the Primordial Unity Realm and his mastery over Creation, he could have reforge the Spiritual Root [the innate foundation for cultivation] and fundamental essence for Pure White with a mere snap of his fingers; aiding her ascension to immortality would not have been difficult.

Yet, in his current state, not a wisp of magical power remained within him, and his divine soul was so weak it verged on exhaustion. He could not muster even a trace of Rule Power [the power to command natural laws]. How then could he perform a Heaven-Defying Fate Alteration [a profound act of altering destiny against the will of heaven] for Plain Essence?

Thinking of this, Worthy Pursuit Chen felt his heart grow even heavier, a shadow of worry settling between his brows.

Noticing his expression, Plain Essence asked, "What is the matter?"

"It is nothing."

Worthy Pursuit Chen shook his head, then seized the opportunity to inquire, "I have heard that the turmoil outside grows worse with each passing day. What is the situation now?"

Pure White let out a soft sigh and replied, "The rebel forces in East Yan Province have already seized nearly half of the cities. The imperial court dispatched a Grand General to quell the rebellion, but instead of hastening to confront the enemy, his troops have been burning, looting, and killing everywhere they pass."

"Now, across the vast expanse of East Yan Province, refugees and bandits are everywhere. The situation outside grows more chaotic by the day."

As Pure White recounted the tale, Worthy Pursuit Chen grasped the state of affairs on the Northern Martial Continent in an instant.

It turned out that over these years, as the world's spiritual energy [the vital essence that permeates heaven and earth] grew ever more scarce, the environment itself had gradually deteriorated into a harsh and unforgiving state.

For the past several centuries, the Northern Martial Continent had been plagued by calamities—droughts spanning a thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] one moment, catastrophic floods submerging vast fields the next. Harvests often failed completely, driving many common folk to desperate measures: stripping bark from trees, digging for roots, and in the most tragic cases, even resorting to the unthinkable exchange of children for sustenance.

Last year, the Lamenting Emperor of the Great Sun Dynasty passed away. The new emperor, young and naive, fell under the control of Chancellor Wei. Natural disasters erupted across the land, yet the imperial court showed no intention of providing relief. Instead, it redoubled its efforts to extort grain and wealth from the suffering populace.

This year, a rare and severe drought struck East Yan Province. With survival an impossibility, the people had no choice but to raise the banner of rebellion.

The court dispatched troops to quell the unrest. Yet, before even engaging the rebel armies, these soldiers began burning, killing, and plundering, seizing the meager grain and livestock of the common folk. This drove East Yan Province further into ruin, pushing it to the brink where scarcely one household in ten remained intact.

"Alas."

Hearing this, a complex emotion stirred within Worthy Pursuit Chen's heart.

His entire life had been one of soaring ambition and peerless momentum, cultivating from a mortal all the way to the Immortal Ascension Realm while overwhelming every foe in his path. He had never personally tasted the bitterness of the Mortal Dust [the mundane world of mortal suffering and impermanence]. Now, immersed in this churning sea of mortal strife, he finally understood the profound helplessness of ordinary people.

He understood clearly in his heart that this was an inevitable event during the era of The End [the final, cataclysmic decline of a world].

As the resources between heaven and earth grew increasingly scarce and the environment deteriorated, even the lofty Innate [the foundational stage where one's innate potential is awakened] martial artists of this world, and even Divine Ability Venerable [powerful cultivators who have mastered divine abilities] would have no choice but to cast aside their pride and personally descend to vie for meager resources.

This is the twilight of The End [the final, cataclysmic decline of a world]. Unless an Immortal [a being who has ascended to immortality] descends from the higher realms and uses heaven-defying means to grant this world a reprieve, ultimately, there will be no turning back the tide.

Yet, within the boundless dimensions, such insignificant minor worlds are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River, utterly uncountable. Even Immortal [a being who has ascended to immortality] could not possibly oversee them all.

Thinking of this, Worthy Pursuit Chen looked at Plain Essence with concern and asked, "The world is in chaos now. You must also be careful."

Hearing his concern, Pure White felt a warmth in her heart and said, "Do not worry. Willow Catkin Manor is a renowned martial arts sect on the Northern Martial Continent. My father is a powerful Innate [the foundational stage where one's innate potential is awakened] expert. Few places under heaven are safer than here." This chapter appears courtesy of www . audio-novel.com.

Upon hearing this, Worthy Pursuit Chen gave a slight nod.

He said no more, merely gazing at the boundless drifting clouds in the sky, his brow furrowing with deepening melancholy.

"The calamity of the world's The End [the final, cataclysmic decline of a world] seems to be accelerating."

"This is my chance for recovery, yet it is her fatal knot. What should I do?"

Worthy Pursuit Chen murmured inwardly, yet ultimately fell into a profound silence.

"..."

Thus, time flowed swiftly by, and in the blink of an eye, a full year had passed.

During this year, Worthy Pursuit Chen's physical body recovered to a state indistinguishable from an ordinary person's. Although he still could not mobilize his own spiritual power, and his Great Power Heavenly Dragon Constitution [a supreme physical constitution granting immense strength and resilience] remained eroded by countless foreign rules and curse-like laws, this was, after all, the Primordial Unity Immortal Body [the foundational, indestructible physique of a true immortal].

Unable to harness the power of his fleshly form, he simply began attempting to cultivate this world's Martial Path [a cultivation system focused on refining the physical body and vital energy] methods.

Perhaps the Vital Energy [the life-force energy cultivated in martial arts] of this world's Martial Path was too insignificant, for it was not annihilated by the alien rules within his body.

Furthermore, with an Immortal Body [a body whose every meridian is perfectly clear and unobstructed], Worthy Pursuit Chen broke through to the Innate Realm [a foundational martial realm where one's internal energy becomes self-generating] after cultivating for merely a single day. Unfortunately, when he wished to advance further and attempt to achieve the Divine Ability [a martial realm involving the awakening of supernatural abilities linked to the soul] realm, he found himself utterly unable to make the breakthrough.

The Divine Ability realm already involved a trace of soul power. At this moment, he could not spare even the faintest wisp of his soul essence, thus naturally he could not cultivate to this world's Divine Ability realm.

Yet, achieving even the Innate Realm was enough for Lord of Willow Catkin Manor to regard him with awe, as if he were a Celestial Being [a being of transcendent power]. The lord personally decided to marry Pure White to Worthy Pursuit Chen.

However, this good fortune did not last. After their marriage, the conditions between heaven and earth grew increasingly harsh. With the imperial court corrupt and incompetent, rebellions by displaced refugees grew more intense and widespread.

Until this day, the imperial court suddenly dispatched a great army to surround Willow Catkin Manor.

When Worthy Pursuit Chen arrived before the manor gates, he discovered that a full several thousand troops had encircled Willow Catkin Manor. Their crossbows and arrows were drawn and ready, poised as if awaiting a single command to slaughter everyone within Willow Catkin Manor.

Before the army stood a refined Middle-aged Man, his expression calm yet his brow slightly furrowed, his countenance clearly troubled.

This man was none other than the Lord of Willow Catkin Manor, and also the father of Pure White.

Seeing this, Worthy Pursuit Chen stepped forward and inquired, "Father-in-law, what is the situation?" Your portal to cultivation novels: @udio-novel.com.