Chapter 1836 : Ambush of the Chaos Beast King

As the words fell, the group swiftly made their move. A full six Ancient Immortal Great Power [powerful beings who have attained immortality in ancient times] launched a coordinated ambush, unleashing their full-force strikes towards the Lunar Black Simurgh [a mythical, moon-hued black simurgh, a creature of immense power].

Yet, the Lunar Black Simurgh proved worthy of its title as a five-calamity Chaos Beast King [a sovereign beast born from primordial chaos, having survived five great tribulations]. Even facing a surprise attack, it reacted with astonishing speed.

With a beat of its wings, it stirred a tempest of Primordial Chaos [the formless, primordial state before creation]. Countless feathers transformed into Celestial Sword [divine blades of heavenly might], piercing through the Primordial Chaos and sending the group's assaults flying back in disarray.

When the chaos subsided, Eldrin Chen saw that the Lunar Black Simurgh bore only two relatively minor wounds, inflicted by Eldrin Chen and Astraea Luo.

"Its Physical Body [the tempered and fortified corporeal form of a cultivator] is as if forged from Peerless [a grade denoting supreme, matchless quality] innate Divine Metal [a celestial ore of divine origin], its Plume Feather [its majestic, enchanted feathers] as indestructible as peerless immortal armor,"

Eldrin Chen thought with shock. Gripping his Chaos Heaven Halberd [a halberd imbued with the power of chaotic heavens], he charged forward, shouting a reminder to Astraea Luo: "Act swiftly!"

Seeing this, Astraea Luo hesitated not a moment. With decisive resolve, she immediately began the arduous task of drawing the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree [a mythical tree bearing fruit that nourishes the heavenly soul] into her possession.

However, the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree was deeply rooted within the Chaos Lair [a den or nest formed within primordial chaos], its essence long intertwined with the Chaos Nest Origin [the foundational spiritual source of a chaos lair]. Uprooting it was no simple feat.

She could only exert her full power, continuously channeling her Mana [the spiritual energy or life force used in cultivation arts] to draw in the Ancient Tree, even at the cost of contesting the entire Chaos Lair itself.

And in that brief moment of delay, the other Chaos Beast King within the Chaos Lair surged forth, engaging Horizon Sea Ancient Ancestor and the others in a fierce and chaotic battle. Enjoyed this chapter? Read more at www . audio-novel.com.

The might of this Chaos Lair was truly formidable. Beyond the Lunar Black Simurgh of the Fifth Tribulation, there were five Chaos Beast Kings. Among them, two were beings of the Fourth Tribulation Ancient Immortal Realm.

Coupled with a thousand Chaos Ancient Beasts, even a Six Tribulations Ancient Immortal who ventured here would find only a grave.

The group clashed with them repeatedly, suffering severe wounds in rapid succession, forcing Eldrin Chen to intervene time and again to aid them.

Fortunately, their purpose was not a fight to the death, but to steal the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree. By continuously activating their Innate Ancient Treasures for defense, they managed to avoid casualties, at least for the moment.

Thus, a frantic One Shichen passed. Finally, Astraea Luo managed to extract the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree, exclaiming with wild joy, "Let's go, now!"

"You go first."

Eldrin Chen spoke decisively. Urging the others to flee, he alone stayed behind to cover their retreat.

He faced the horde single-handedly, wielding the Chaos Heaven Halberd to strike in all directions. He sent several Chaos Beast Kings reeling, blood spraying from their wounds, though the force of the clash left his own lips stained with crimson.

Yet, through this fierce struggle, he finally enabled his companions to escape the Chaos Lair.

"That should be enough."

As the others departed, Eldrin Chen spoke with a placid expression. He then activated the Chaos Heaven Halberd to pierce through the passageway, flying towards the Depths of Chaos.

The Lunar Black Simurgh still wished to give chase, but Eldrin Chen cast a gaze tinged with amusement and declared, "You cannot detain This Venerable One."

Upon hearing this, the Lunar Black Simurgh shuddered inwardly. A sense of profound dread washed over it, warning that taking another step forward would invite calamity. It hastily halted its pursuit.

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen swiftly vanished into the Primordial Chaos.

With his current conventional combat prowess, subduing this Lunar Black Simurgh would be difficult. However, if he risked activating a seed pearl of the Abyssal Pearl, even this formidable beast would meet a fate with no place for burial.

Seeing the Lunar Black Simurgh had ceased its pursuit, Eldrin Chen was spared the need to hazard activating the Abyssal Pearl. He immediately traversed the Primordial Chaos and caught up with his companions.

Upon discovering Eldrin Chen had followed, the group collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

Astraea Luo handed the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree over to Eldrin Chen, unable to contain her awe. "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist," she exclaimed, "for securing a Deep-Seated Foundation [a profound and enduring cornerstone for future growth] for your Ancient Sect."

Eldrin Chen offered a faint smile at her words but chose not to elaborate further.

It seemed that even now, Astraea Luo still mistakenly believed him to be a direct lineage disciple of a Great Luo Ancient Sect.

However, Eldrin Chen had no desire to explain. Even if he did, the other party might not believe him. After all, it was common practice for many Ancient Sect to let their core, direct-line disciples roam freely to temper themselves through experience, forbidding them from relying on their sect's prestige.

Some Ancient Sect even went so far as to avoid acknowledging their disciples until they had broken through to the Great Luo realm, all to prevent their Great Luo True Seed [a cultivator with the potential to reach the Great Luo realm] from being targeted by schemers.

The more powerful a Great Luo Ancient Sect was and the more enemies it had, the more secretive the identities of its core, direct-line disciples tended to be.

Eldrin Chen knew he was not a direct-line disciple of any Great Luo Ancient Sect, but he offered no further clarification. Being mistaken for one could serve as an extra layer of protection.

Returning to the matter at hand, after obtaining the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree, Eldrin Chen stored it away with immense joy.

He said nothing more, merely smiling as he stated, "The Chaos Tide [a periodic, devastating surge of chaotic energies] is nearly upon us. We should not linger. Let us return promptly." Read the full novel exclusively on audio-novel[dot]com.

Seeing his expression, the others also turned grave and hastened their journey back.

The six of them traversed the Primordial Chaos [the formless, primordial state before creation], not hesitating to expend their Mana [the spiritual energy used to perform arts and techniques] at a severe rate to force their way through the turbulent void. They finally reached the relative safety of the Three Thousand Immortal Domains just before the Chaos Tide erupted in full force.

They parted ways within the Violet Sun Immortal Domain. After the three from the Flower Goddess Palace had departed, Eldrin Chen turned to Celestial Maiden and Horizon Sea Ancient Ancestor. "I shall return first to the Azure Firmament Immortal Domain to fetch the Soul-Nourishing Wood [a rare spiritual wood that nourishes and heals the soul] for you."

"Take this portion of Dragon's Saliva Incense [an incense made from dragon saliva, prized for aiding cultivation] for your own cultivation. We shall distribute the remaining treasures upon my return."

Upon hearing this, both of them nodded. They took the Dragon's Saliva Incense from the Primordial Chaos Heavenly Whale. The Celestial Maiden then spoke, "Go swiftly and return swiftly. However, having offended the Golden Crow Clan this time, you must remember to be exceedingly cautious."

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen said calmly, "Set your minds at ease. During the time I am away, you two must remember not to leave the Violet Sun Immortal Domain."

"Understood. We know."

After giving his instructions, Eldrin Chen did not linger any longer.

He returned directly to the Sea of Chaos. Using the concealment of the Chaos Tide and the power of the Abyssal Pearl, he made his way back to the Abyssal Heaven Domain.

The moment Eldrin Chen returned, Lyra Jiang sensed his presence. Seeing him, she could not contain her delight and asked, "How have you returned so early this time?"

"I intend to elevate two stalks of Soul-Nourishing Wood [a rare spiritual wood that nourishes and strengthens the soul] to serve as treasures for your cultivation of the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator]," Eldrin Chen replied with a smile, proceeding to explain the key aspects of cultivating the Nascent Soul Celestial Passage [a critical breakthrough stage in the Nascent Soul realm].

After listening, Lyra Jiang nodded thoughtfully and said, "With the Soul-Nourishing Wood, the speed of our breakthrough into the Nascent Soul Celestial Passage will undoubtedly increase greatly."

"Furthermore, with the Seven-Colored Immortal Pearl [a mystical pearl radiating seven colors of light, said to aid cultivation], if we first achieve a breakthrough in both our Primordial Spirit and our Mana [the reservoir of spiritual energy within a cultivator] to the Ninth Limit [the theoretical pinnacle of a cultivation stage], and then turn our focus to cultivating the three major Heavenly Pass [profound cultivation barriers]—the Physical Body [the art of refining one's corporeal form], the Great Dao [the fundamental principle or path one follows], and the Dao Fruit [the crystallization of one's cultivation path]—our progress will be exponentially accelerated."

"Yes."

Eldrin Chen nodded, then spoke: "If you can cultivate to the fourth or fifth calamity realm before the Calamity Tribulation [the periodic heavenly tribulations that test cultivators], you might be able to provide me with significant assistance."

Seeing this, Lyra Jiang said, "The Soul-Nourishing Wood [a rare spiritual wood that nourishes and stabilizes the soul] is easy to handle. The clan still has some reserves. I will fetch two stalks for you."

With these words, Lyra Jiang hurried away and soon returned with two stalks of Soul-Nourishing Wood, both at the level of a Low Grade Primordial Ancient Tree [an ancient spiritual tree of the lowest grade, possessing primordial essence].

For a Low Grade Primordial Ancient Tree to grow to the Peerless [the highest grade of treasure, unparalleled in quality] level, it would normally require dozens, if not hundreds, of Calamity Tribulation cycles, and even then, the chances of a successful advancement were slim.

Fortunately, Eldrin Chen possessed the Primordial Qi Vase of Heaven and Earth [a magical vase that can accelerate the growth of spiritual plants] to hasten its development, and the Primordial Essence [the purest form of foundational energy] to break through its limiting bottlenecks, making the advancement process relatively straightforward.

Thus, Eldrin Chen decisively activated the Primordial Qi Vase of Heaven and Earth and began continuously refining this Soul-Nurturing Wood [a variant of Soul-Nourishing Wood, specifically cultivated for nurturing the soul]. After expending two more strands of Innate Primordial Violet Qi [a strand of innate, supreme-grade violet energy used for breakthroughs], he finally succeeded in advancing the Soul-Nurturing Wood.

"Supreme Grade Innate Soul-Nurturing Wood [a supreme-grade, innately formed variant of Soul-Nurturing Wood, possessing unparalleled soul-nourishing properties]."

Gazing at the Primordial Ancient Trees before him, Eldrin Chen murmured with a touch of delight.

He decisively felled the Ancient Tree, taking the core essence where the Divine Wood [wood imbued with divine or supremely potent spiritual properties] resided, and obtained nine large segments of Soul-Nourishing Wood.

"A single tree divided into nine segments—this is already a substantial quantity."

Gazing upon these nine segments of Soul-Nourishing Wood [a rare spiritual wood that nourishes and strengthens the cultivator's soul essence], Lyra Jiang could not help but speak with delight.

Eldrin Chen also nodded with a smile. This Supreme Grade Innate Soul Nurturing Wood [the highest quality of Soul-Nourishing Wood, born with innate spiritual properties] was exceedingly precious. Most of the Soul-Nourishing Wood available on the market consisted of small segments.

While small segments of Soul-Nourishing Wood were still effective for cultivating the Primordial Spirit [the foundational spiritual core of a being, representing their true essence], their potency was roughly thirty percent lower compared to large segments.

However, if a single tree of Soul-Nourishing Wood was divided into small segments, it could yield twenty-four pieces. Valued at three hundred strands of Innate Qi [the primordial, unadulterated spiritual energy present at birth] each, the total profit would be staggering.

If divided into large segments, the cultivation efficacy was superior, but the yield was limited to only nine pieces.

Cultivators who could afford large segments of Soul-Nourishing Wood were few, making them difficult to sell at a high price. Consequently, small segments were more readily marketable and far more cost-effective.

For this reason, within the Three Thousand Immortal Domains [a collective term for the vast, interconnected realms of cultivation], large segments of Soul-Nourishing Wood were rarely sold publicly. Typically, they were treasures reserved for internal use by the Great Luo Ancient Sect [one of the most ancient and powerful cultivation sects].

Eldrin Chen's cost for cultivating the Soul-Nourishing Wood was exceptionally low. Since these pieces were intended for use by myself and myself own people, there was no need for such frugality. They were simply all divided into large segments.

"One segment each for the Horizon Sea Ancient Ancestor and the Celestial Maiden."

"For myself, Lyra, Verdant Consort, Lila, Violet Consort, and Nyssa, we would each need one portion, which would consume eight segments of the Soul-Nourishing Wood [a rare spiritual wood that nourishes and strengthens the soul]."

"Considering there are still Qiyuan the Ancient Ancestor, Qing the Ancient Ancestor, Kael, Ethan, Caelan, Xander Qing, Xander, and others, a single stalk of Soul-Nourishing Wood [a rare spiritual wood that nourishes and strengthens the soul] would still be insufficient."

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, then decisively expended another wisp of Innate Primordial Violet Qi [the most fundamental and potent form of spiritual energy, violet in hue and of innate origin] to cultivate a stalk of Supreme Grade Innate Soul Nurturing Wood [the highest quality of spiritual wood, born of innate energy, specifically for nurturing the soul].

This yielded a total of eighteen segments of Innate Soul Nurturing Wood [spiritual wood of innate origin used to nurture the soul]. Eldrin Chen took three of these segments for himself, then instructed Lyra Jiang: "After the clansmen have used their share, if any Soul-Nourishing Wood [a rare spiritual wood that nourishes and strengthens the soul] remains, you may also send some to our old friends like Ancient Ruins and Sky Abyss."

Upon hearing this, Lyra Jiang let out a soft sigh. "You and your sentimentality," she said. "You're willing to part with such Heavy Treasures [treasures of immense value and power] to gift them."

"Ah."

Eldrin Chen offered a faint smile and shook his head. "Though they may no longer be of great assistance to us now, they were comrades who once fought shoulder to shoulder with us."

"During the Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic event of heavenly retribution and profound crisis], when the Celestial Prison Race [a powerful and ancient clan] and the master of Thousand Dragons Lake [a formidable territory ruled by a dragon clan] launched their assault, had it not been for their aid, we would likely have suffered grievous losses, perhaps even faced a disastrous defeat."

"A drop of kindness deserves a fountain's return in gratitude. Now that you and I are no longer what we once were, we should, within our means, extend our care to these friends from those bygone days."

At this point, Eldrin Chen added with a chuckle, "If you're truly reluctant to part with it, have them sign a promissory note. They can return it in the future, should circumstances allow."

Lyra Jiang [the Immortal Maiden Lyra] heard this and could not help but shake her head with a smile. "I understand now," she said. "As long as one can be your friend, they will never come out at a loss."

Eldrin Chen [the cultivator Eldrin] offered a faint smile but said nothing more.

While being his friend meant no disadvantage, becoming his friend was no easy feat.

He had never been one to indiscriminately extend kindness. Those old acquaintances who received his special care were either those who had once shown him great favor or steadfast comrades who had fought shoulder-to-shoulder with him in the past.

"Enough of that," he said, shifting the topic. "Let us examine this Heaven Soul Fruit Tree [a spiritual tree whose fruit nourishes the soul]."

Eldrin Chen [the cultivator Eldrin] then recalled the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree [a spiritual tree whose fruit nourishes the soul] and retrieved it.

Lyra Jiang [the Immortal Maiden Lyra] took one look and drew a sharp breath. "With this treasure," she said, "and that large section of Innate Soul Nurturing Wood [a rare wood that naturally fosters soul growth], the Nascent Soul Celestial Passage [the critical breakthrough from Golden Core to Nascent Soul realm] should pose no great obstacle for us."

Eldrin Chen [the cultivator Eldrin] nodded in agreement. "I plan to plant it within the Abyssal Universe [Eldrin's personal pocket dimension], replacing one of the High Grade Innate Spiritual Root [a top-tier natural spiritual root that gathers ambient energy]. This will also accelerate the growth of my cultivation base."

Lyra Jiang [the Immortal Maiden Lyra] nodded, understanding Eldrin's current predicament all too well.

The crux of Eldrin Chen's [the cultivator Eldrin's] situation was this: his realm [his overall stage of cultivation] was advancing with startling speed, yet his actual cultivation base [the depth and density of his spiritual power] lagged behind, unable to keep pace.

The current Eldrin Chen has already shattered the two great Heavenly Pass of Physical Body and Mana. In principle, he should have reached the realm of a Two Tribulations Ancient Immortal, yet his cultivation base remains at the level of the Great Perfection Celestial Immortal Realm.

The primary reason for this is that accumulating cultivation base requires time, and the rate at which Abyssal Heaven can absorb Chaos Qi [the primordial, formless energy of chaos] is limited.

Consequently, while the quality of Eldrin Chen's Mana [the refined spiritual energy used for cultivation] has reached the Tenth Limit realm, it lacks sufficient quantity, preventing his overall realm from fully catching up.

For other Ancient Immortals, this would hardly be an issue. Once a realm breakthrough is achieved, catching up in cultivation base typically requires only a few hundred thousand years at most.

However, Eldrin Chen has opened Thirty-Six Heavenly Domains, making his Cosmos [his internal spiritual world] tenfold, even several dozen times larger than that of an ordinary Great Perfection Celestial Immortal Realm cultivator.

This grants Eldrin Chen a Mana reservoir ten to several dozen times more profound than his peers, but it also means elevating his cultivation base to match requires a correspondingly vast amount of time.

Of course, this is not the main issue. The core problem lies in the sheer speed of Eldrin Chen's realm progression.

Other cultivators at the Great Perfection Celestial Immortal Realm often linger for over ten million years to accumulate enough power to attempt the breakthrough to Ancient Immortals, granting ample time to saturate their cultivation base.

Since Eldrin Chen's breakthrough to the Late Heaven Immortal Realm, less than one million years have passed. Even with the Innate Five Elements Gourd using its own Primordial Source [the foundational, origin-level energy] to save him a million years of cultivation, it is far from enough to elevate his base to the Ancient Immortal Realm.

This presented a minor vexation for Eldrin Chen. While he lacked for no Mana within the Sea of Chaos, if his cultivation base could be raised to the Ancient Immortal Realm boundary, his combat prowess would still increase by a measurable degree.

By that time, Eldrin Chen should be able to use his own Mana [the refined spiritual power of a high-level cultivator] to activate the Innate Seven Treasures Gourd [a legendary gourd-shaped artifact containing seven innate powers], unleashing the full might of this Innate Ancient Treasure [a primordial artifact born from the world's foundational energies].

With the power of the Innate Seven Treasures Gourd, Eldrin Chen dared not claim it could rival a Seven Calamities Ancient Immortal [an immortal who has survived seven great cosmic tribulations], but achieving invincible combat prowess below that seventh calamity threshold should not be difficult.

Realizing this, Lyra Jiang spoke up, "With this Supreme Grade Innate Ancient Tree [a primordial tree of the highest innate quality], your cultivation progress should accelerate significantly."

"I estimate that within five hundred thousand years, your cultivation base should be able to break through to the Ancient Immortal Realm [the realm of ancient, primordial immortals]."

Eldrin Chen nodded in agreement. He proceeded to Abyssal Heaven [a celestial realm of profound depth and mystery] to plant the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree [a tree whose fruit nourishes the very soul], then continuously accelerated its growth using Innate Spiritual Water [water imbued with the world's primordial spiritual essence].

After repeating this acceleration process nine times, Eldrin Chen had obtained a total of seventy-two Supreme Grade Soul Nurturing Fruit [fruits of the highest grade for nourishing and strengthening the soul].

However, when Eldrin Chen attempted to accelerate the growth for a tenth time, he discovered that despite aging the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree by several Calamity Tribulation [cosmic cycles of catastrophe and renewal], it stubbornly refused to produce a tenth batch of Heaven Soul Fruit.

Thus, Eldrin Chen performed a quick divination with his fingers and said with some regret, "After nine consecutive accelerations, the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree has suffered severe depletion of its Primordial Source [the foundational, life-giving essence of a being or object]. It can no longer be accelerated again in the short term."

"It is like an ancient tree struggling to blossom; the root cause is a lack of nourishment. Merely using Innate Spiritual Water cannot replenish its depleted Primordial Source."

"To accelerate the growth of Supreme Grade Soul Nurturing Fruit next time, one must either pay a tremendous price to fully restore its Primordial Source, or wait for the span of one full Calamity Tribulation." The story continues at audio~novel.com.