Chapter 1708 : Clash of Celestial Titans

"A formidable opponent indeed."

In the mere moments after their clash began, Path Ruins Jiang felt an immense pressure bearing down upon him.

His brow furrowed slightly, and he immediately channeled the Void Sword Art, unleashing the Mysterious Grade Divine Ability once more upon the mortal realm.

"Severing the Nine Heavens!"

In that instant, a Sword Intent [a cultivator's conceptual understanding and willpower focused through a blade, capable of cutting through reality itself] capable of cleaving all existence tore through the firmament, slashing towards the Solar Golden Bell and sending it hurtling backwards with tremendous force.

Yet, Golden Crow Imperial Sun showed not a trace of fear. With a flick of his sleeve, he manifested a divine aegis the color of Dao Gold [a legendary, supremely pure and potent spiritual metal], effortlessly blocking the attack.

"The Impenetrable Golden Aegis?"

Witnessing this, Primordial Solar Holy Son remarked with a flicker of surprise in his eyes, "That Impenetrable Golden Aegis is the supreme defensive technique of the Golden Crow Grotto-Heaven. I never imagined he had already mastered it."

Song Luo nodded in agreement, adding his analysis, "With the Impenetrable Golden Aegis at his command, he is virtually invincible. None of us, acting alone, would likely be able to overcome him."

"Then allow me to test his mettle." Experience the full epic at audio–novel.com.

As his words fell, Eldrin Chen raised his palm and pressed down to suppress his foe.

In that instant, a Chaos Giant Hand [a divine ability that manifests a colossal hand imbued with primordial chaos energy] blotted out the sky, firmly suppressing Imperial Sun Golden Crow.

Seeing this, Great Ruins Jiang sheathed his Innate Celestial Slaughter Sword [a divine sword born of heaven, embodying the concept of celestial execution] and did not join forces with Eldrin Chen against their common enemy.

"Perfect timing."

As Eldrin Chen's strike arrived, Imperial Sun Golden Crow gripped his Solar Golden Bell [a magical treasure in the form of a bell forged from solar essence] and smashed it forward. It collided violently with the Primordial One Giant Hand [a divine ability that conjures a giant hand embodying the power of the primordial unity]. Then, he strode through the air, closing the distance directly to press his attack upon Eldrin Chen.

This surprised Eldrin Chen, who had not expected anyone in this day and age to willingly engage him in close-quarters combat.

Yet that fleeting thought vanished in an instant. Eldrin Chen flicked his sleeve and met the opponent's palm with his own. Immediately, he felt a tremendous shock in his tiger's mouth [the fleshy part between thumb and forefinger], and a torrent of Innate [a cultivation realm representing a state of primordial, heaven-born power] Supreme Yang energy surged forth.

Under the divine might of this Innate Supreme Yang power, even his Innate Primordial One Indestructibility Physique [a legendary divine constitution granting near-absolute resilience] felt immense pressure.

With no other choice, Eldrin Chen diverted part of the residual force. Yet, as the aftershock of this clash was dispersed, it tore one crack after another through the fabric of the void itself.

"The Innate Golden Crow Divine Body [a supreme divine constitution born of the primordial Golden Crow, embodying the ultimate power of the sun]."

Eldrin Chen felt a surge of astonishment in his heart, instantly realizing that this Imperial Sun Golden Crow had made the same daring choice as he had.

To risk increasing the danger of the Tribulation [the heavenly trial faced by cultivators] in order to prematurely cultivate an Innate Physique [a supreme, heaven-defying physical constitution], it was clear this Golden Crow Imperial Sun was also a being of immense pride and arrogance, harboring the ambition to dominate the entire Vast Azure Immortal Domain.

"And is your Innate Primordial One Indestructibility Physique [the supreme physique of unbreakable primordial unity] not the same?"

The Golden Crow Imperial Sun spoke slowly, flicking his sleeve to summon a divine spear that blazed like a miniature sun, hurling it through the air to pierce towards Eldrin Chen.

Eldrin Chen gripped the Chaos Heaven Halberd to block, immediately feeling an astonishing, overwhelming force crash against him.

Having advanced his Innate Physique, this Golden Crow Imperial Sun's combat power had already transcended a certain limit, surpassing even the might of the former Diyang Tai Cang.

Eldrin Chen, fighting with only half his strength, found himself unable to match the divine might of the Golden Crow Imperial Sun, falling into an absolute disadvantage.

The Golden Crow Imperial Sun had already perceived this weakness. He immediately drove the Solar Divine Spear [a spear imbued with the power of the sun] forward in an unrelenting assault. Each strike carried the force to shatter a Heavenly Domain [a realm within the immortal world], hammering down with the intent to end Eldrin Chen's life.

"If this is all you have to offer, then leave your life here today."

The Golden Crow Imperial Sun roared with wild laughter, the attacks from his Solar Divine Spear growing ever more ferocious and unrestrained.

Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly. With no other choice, he pushed his power to sixty-five percent of its maximum. This was the absolute limit he could safely channel; exceeding it risked the collapse of his Path Fruit [the condensed essence of a cultivator's chosen Dao path].

At that time, he stood alone, which was precisely why he dared not unleash his full strength.

Fortunately, power at sixty-five percent was sufficient to allow him to barely hold his ground against Golden Crow Imperial Sun, granting him the capability to engage in this climactic battle.

High above on the Heavenly Vault, the others were also locked in combat. Great Ruins Jiang sensed Eldrin Chen's predicament and immediately sought to intervene, but was stopped by Exquisite Jiang.

Exquisite Jiang transmitted a voice message, saying, "Once he unleashes his full power, even he cannot fully control it. Anyone who tries to assist him risks being caught in the backlash. You must trust him."

Hearing this, Great Ruins Jiang had no choice but to abandon the thought of intervening and refocused on the formidable foe before him. Original publication: audio~novel.com - The source of this chapter.

This battle represented the pinnacle conflict within the Vast Azure Immortal Domain. More than sixty percent of the peak combat power from both the Human Race and the Demon Race had converged upon this single location.

The Demon Race alone fielded three Path Tribulation Protagonist [individuals destined to face and overcome great cosmic tribulations on their path]: Golden Crow Imperial Sun, the Five-Colored Immortal Phoenix, and Zhu Yan Imperial Scion. The Human Race forces, however, were no less formidable.

At this moment, Exquisite Jiang clashed with the Five-Colored Immortal Phoenix, while Great Ruins Jiang fiercely battled Zhu Yan Imperial Scion. The remaining combatant, the Nine-Tails Heavenly Fox, found herself facing six opponents alone: Primordial Solar Holy Son, Wind Cloud Fearless, Energy Abyss Chen, Kael Chen, Nyssa Qu, and Verdant Consort.

The Nine-Tails Heavenly Fox's expression shifted dramatically. With a bitter smile, she said, "If none of you lend a hand, I fear this little sister will have to make her exit immediately."

"Why the haste, Sister Nine-Tails [a legendary fox demon with multiple tails signifying great power]?"

At that very moment, more than ten figures slowly approached through the air, materializing just beyond the Void Mountain Range.

These individuals were all supreme prodigies of the Demon Race [a race of powerful beings, often with bestial traits and formidable innate abilities]. Leading them were three figures—two males and one female—each having reached the pinnacle of the Forbidden Domain [a legendary state of cultivation power that defies conventional limits].

"Bifang Imperial Scion, Immortal Maiden Peacock, Suanni Imperial Scion."

"How could it possibly be you?"

Witnessing this, Primordial Solar Holy Son [a prodigy embodying the pure essence of the primordial sun] could not help but exclaim, his face paling with shock.

His words sent a ripple of astonishment through the onlookers. Among these newcomers, Bifang Imperial Scion was the foremost prodigy of the Bifang Demon Domain. Both Immortal Maiden Peacock and Suanni Imperial Scion hailed from the Great Encompassing Demon Vein, a realm lying beyond the borders of the Vast Azure Immortal Domain.

Most crucially, they had all entered this Path Tribulation [a cataclysmic era of conflict that determines the fate of paths and cultivators] within the Central Ancestral Domain. At this very moment, the three races—Human, Divine Beast [powerful creatures of ancient lineage and immense spiritual power], and Demon—were locked in a chaotic war there. How could they possibly be here today?

"Surprised?"

Bifang Imperial Scion offered a faint smile as he spoke slowly, "In this Path Tribulation, your Human Race has birthed far too many heaven-defying prodigies. They have already amassed the power to sweep through this tribulation unchallenged."

"Our Demon Race [the collective term for demonic beings] and the Verdant Sun Divine Scion reached an agreement in advance to sweep away the Human Race [the collective term for humanity]."

Upon hearing this, the hearts of those present sank slightly, and Eldrin Chen felt a particular weight settle within his own.

In this great tribulation, the Human Race of the Vast Azure Immortal Domain [a vast realm of cultivation] originally had only two figures of Path Tribulation Protagonist [a destined figure who plays a pivotal role in a great cosmic tribulation] caliber: the Purple Tenuity Imperial Scion and Unfettered Great Center.

However, the rise of the Chen Immortal Clan [the Chen family of immortals] granted the Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance [an alliance of immortal forces] two more such figures: Exquisite Jiang and Eldrin Chen.

Furthermore, Path Ruins Jiang also rose to prominence due to Eldrin Chen's Scripture of Innate Primordial Breath [a supreme cultivation scripture].

Adding to this were the more than twenty cultivators with a Triple Primordial Unity Foundation [a supreme and nearly perfect foundational cultivation method] within the Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance. It could be said that because of Eldrin Chen's existence, the strength of the Human Race had increased by at least forty to fifty percent.

In essence, Eldrin Chen's presence had added three figures of Path Tribulation Protagonist caliber to the Human Race.

Five Path Tribulation Protagonist-level figures, coupled with several dozen masters of the Triple Primordial Unity Foundation, constituted a force that posed a tremendous threat to the Demonic and Divine Clans [the collective forces of demons and ancient divine beings].

The entire Vast Azure Immortal Domain understood clearly: if the Demon Race were defeated in this war, the Divine Clan [an ancient race of powerful divine beings] would likely be powerless to turn the tide. Those who had already severed their Tribulation [the karmic ties to a great cosmic calamity] Karma [the metaphysical law of cause and effect] might still break through to the Celestial Immortal Realm [a high immortal realm] and evade the coming Tribulation.

But for those who had not severed their Tribulation Karma, there would be nothing left but to await their doom.

Thus, within the Central Ancestral Domain [the primordial heartland of the world], the Demon Race [a powerful faction of non-human beings] and the Divine Clan [a faction of beings with divine heritage] forged a pact. They would allow three Imperial Scion Level Figures [prodigies of the Demon Race with the potential to become emperors] to cross over, their sole purpose: to crush—or utterly eradicate—the rising prodigies of the Human Race [the faction of humankind] in one decisive confrontation. For uninterrupted reading, go to audio-novel[dot]com.