Chapter 1840 : A Gathering of Immortals

Yet, upon deeper reflection, it seemed only natural that the Ming River Immortal Lord, having cultivated for hundreds of Calamity Tribulation [cosmic cycles of immense duration], would possess a cultivation base of at least the Mid Stage Great Luo Golden Immortal [a high level of immortal attainment]. Commanding a legion of a million Celestial Soldiers and Generals [heavenly troops] was well within expectation.

After all, a simple calculation of time suggested that converting a few thousand Celestial Soldiers and Generals [heavenly troops] every Calamity Tribulation [cosmic cycle] would hardly be an excessive burden for a Great Luo Golden Immortal [an immortal of the highest order].

Contemplating this, Eldrin Chen turned his gaze to the fleet of Innate Ancient Ship [primordial vessels born of chaos]. A slight frown creased his brow as he murmured, "So many Innate Ancient Ship [primordial vessels], accompanied by such a host of Celestial Soldiers and Generals [heavenly troops]... It seems a matter of great import is unfolding within this expanse of the Chaos Sea [the primordial, formless void between worlds]."

"Fellow Daoist Eldrin."

At that very moment, Eldrin Chen heard his name called. He glanced sideways to see three figures cleaving through the firmament towards him.

All three possessed an aura of peerless grace, true Immortal Maiden [female immortals of great beauty and power]. Leading them was Astraea Luo of the Flower Goddess Palace.

Eldrin Chen offered a slight, composed bow, a calm smile gracing his lips. "So it is the Immortal Maiden Luo. My respects."

Astraea Luo returned the courtesy with equal grace. Noting the contemplative look on Eldrin Chen's face, she inquired, "It appears you have not yet received the news?"

"News?" Eldrin Chen was momentarily taken aback before clasping his hands respectfully. "I beg you to enlighten me."

Astraea Luo's expression turned solemn. "The great Ancient Sect [time-honored immortal sects] and the Celestial Court [the heavenly bureaucracy] have gathered here for one purpose," she stated gravely. "They come for the Chaos Violet Phoenix Nest." Immerse yourself in the complete world at audio–novel.com.

Astraea Luo spoke thus, her gaze carrying a trace of solemnity.

As Astraea Luo recounted the tale in detail, Eldrin Chen quickly grasped the sequence of events. After millions of years of fierce battle, the conflict between the Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix and that unknown Chaos Demon God had finally reached its conclusion.

Now, the Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix had been driven deep into the Chaos Frontier, leaving behind a Chaos Lair [a nest or lair formed within primordial chaos] in this world. This had naturally attracted the covetous attention of many powerful figures from the surrounding Immortal Domain.

These thirty-seven Innate Ancient Ship [primordial vessels of immense power] were all prepared by various powers for the exploration of the Chaos Violet Phoenix Nest.

After clarifying the origins of these Ancient Vessel and the powerful beings, Astraea Luo's expression turned grave as she cautioned, "Among the combatants this time, there are more than twenty Seven Calamities Ancient Immortal [immortals who have survived seven great heavenly tribulations]. Rumor even speaks of several Eight Calamity Ancient Immortal [immortals who have survived eight great heavenly tribulations]."

"Our current strength is insufficient. Without the protection of the Celestial Soldiers and Generals, it would be unwise for us to recklessly involve ourselves."

Eldrin Chen nodded upon hearing this, a look of solemn contemplation settling on his face.

With his current power, he should possess the means to protect himself against a Seven Calamities Ancient Immortal. However, encountering an Eight Calamity Ancient Immortal would still pose a grave and perilous threat.

After careful consideration, Eldrin Chen finally clasped his hands in a respectful salute. "Thank you for the warning. I understand the situation clearly."

Seeing this, Astraea Luo returned the salute to Eldrin Chen and then boarded one of the Innate Ancient Ship.

That was a Supreme Grade Innate Ancient Ship [a primordial vessel of the highest innate grade], upon which were garrisoned a full three thousand Celestial Soldiers and Divine Generals [elite celestial warriors and divine commanders], each possessing supreme combat prowess.

"It is the Innate Ancient Ship [an ancient vessel of innate origin] belonging to the Flower Goddess Palace."

The Celestial Maiden spoke slowly, a note of envy in her voice as she addressed Eldrin Chen: "Upon such an Ancient Vessel, there are Slaughter Formation [formations designed for mass annihilation] personally laid down by a Great Luo Golden Immortal [a Golden Immortal of the Great Luo realm]. They can unleash attacks comparable to Patriarch-Grade Divine Ability [divine abilities of a patriarch's level]; its combat power rivals even that of a Seven Calamities Ancient Immortal [an Ancient Immortal who has survived seven heavenly tribulations]."

"It seems the Flower Goddess Palace also wishes to claim a share of this opportunity."

Eldrin Chen remained utterly calm, merely striding towards the Depths of Chaos as he stated with profound serenity, "Pay them no mind. We need only walk our own path."

The Horizon Sea Ancient Ancestor nodded in agreement. He understood that for Eldrin Chen, the paramount task was still to first cultivate the Innate Primordial Indestructible Physique [a supreme, indestructible physique of innate and primordial origin].

By comparison, although the Chaos Violet Phoenix Nest was precious, it was not something Ancient Immortals [immortals of great age and power] below the seventh calamity could hope to lay hands upon.

With this thought, both of them followed Eldrin Chen as he tore through the void, heading towards the Depths of Chaos.

Meanwhile, among the many Innate Ancient Ships, upon an Ancient Vessel shaped like a Primordial Golden Crow [a mythical solar bird from the dawn of creation], a figure watched the trio depart with a blazing gaze.

This person was none other than the Golden Crow Clan Ancient Immortal, Dione, the Ancient Ancestor. Clad in golden robes, his eyes held a glint of cold intent.

After a moment of silence, he rose and entered the Grand Hall.

Within the Grand Hall, a youth with lips red as cherries and teeth white as jade stood tall. Clad in a robe of black and gold, his posture was straight and slender. Behind his head, layer upon layer of Merit Golden Light [a radiant halo signifying accumulated virtue and good karma] shone forth, illuminating the space. He resembled a Primordial Era Demon Emperor standing firm within the mortal dust.

"Thirteenth Prince."

Dione knelt upon the ground, his expression one of utmost reverence.

The youth lowered his gaze, appraising Dione for a moment before inquiring calmly, "What matter brings you here?"

"This humble general wishes to mobilize troops to slay a man." Read, share, and discuss at AUDIO-NOVEL.COM.

Dione spoke, a trace of solemnity still evident in his eyes.

The Thirteenth Prince did not agree immediately, merely asking, "Whom do you wish to kill?"

"A Six Tribulations Ancient Immortal [an immortal who has survived six heavenly tribulations], whose combat prowess is on par with my own."

Dione replied, a flicker of killing intent surfacing within his gaze.

Thirteenth Prince's expression remained placid. He tapped his fingers on the table and, after a long moment, spoke. "I grant you command of one thousand soldiers, plus ten Demon General."

"My deepest gratitude, Your Majesty."

Dione's face lit up with wild joy. The combat prowess of demon soldiers and Demon General was extraordinary. While individually they only possessed the strength of Celestial Immortal Realm cultivators or Initial Entry Ancient Immortals, their Mana [the spiritual energy used to power spells and techniques] could interweave and amplify one another.

A full one thousand Heavenly Demon and ten Demon General, fighting in concert, could unleash a collective might. He dared not claim they could rival a Seven Calamities Ancient Immortal, but surrounding and slaying a foe with the power of a Six Tribulations Ancient Immortal should be a simple matter.

"Do not celebrate prematurely."

At that moment, the Thirteenth Prince spoke again. "I hear your homeland is the Azure Firmament Immortal Domain. The Hundred Tribulations Rebirth Opportunity draws near. As one of the mightiest figures from that realm, it is time you returned to partake in that destined chance."

"Legend says the flesh and heart of Qing Cang, the Great Deity can be refined into a Great Luo Level Great Luo Cloud-Patterned Immortal Pill [a supreme elixir marked with cloud-like patterns, capable of greatly advancing a Great Luo realm cultivator]. I charge you with retrieving it for me."

Dione's heart quivered upon hearing this. After a long, contemplative silence, he finally clasped his hands and bowed. "Dione will not fail in this mission."

Returning to our tale, while the various Ancient Sect still waited, Eldrin Chen had already set his course for the Depths of Chaos.

The trio pressed onward, hastening their passage through the Sea of Chaos. They soon arrived at the region known as the Outer Chaos Sea.

Yet at that very moment, Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly. He turned his gaze back towards the Depths of Chaos [the turbulent, primordial expanse beyond the ordered realms].

"What is it?"

Noticing his expression, Celestial Maiden [a title for a high-ranking female immortal] inquired.

Eldrin Chen performed a brief divination with his fingers, then spoke. "We are being pursued."

"By whom?" Horizon Sea Ancient Ancestor felt a tremor in his heart and could not help but ask.

Eldrin Chen's brow remained slightly creased as he answered. "One thousand Heavenly Demon [powerful demons born of celestial corruption], ten Demon General [commanders of demonic legions], aboard a single Small Innate Treasure Ship [a vessel forged from primordial materials]. Furthermore, I sense the aura of the Golden Crow Clan. It seems our visitors bear ill intent."

Horizon Sea Ancient Ancestor's expression shifted, and he asked, "Can you handle them?"

"The situation is manageable. However..."

Eldrin Chen paused, then turned and began moving deeper into the Depths of Chaos. "We are still too close to the Three Thousand Immortal Domains [the collective name for the myriad ordered realms of cultivation]. A battle here would likely alert Ancient Immortals [immortals who have survived for eons] of the Golden Crow Clan who have transcended seven or more heavenly tribulations."

"To avoid unnecessary complications, we shall lure them into the Depths of Chaos before dealing with them."

Just as Eldrin Chen and his two companions accelerated their journey towards the Depths of Chaos, the Innate Ancient Ship trailing behind them, Dione, the Ancient Ancestor sensed something amiss.

A slight frown creased his brow before he sneered coldly, "You flee swiftly, but you cannot outrun my Supreme Grade Innate Ancient Ship."

"The longer you run within this Sea of Chaos, the greater your energy expenditure becomes. Let us see how long you can endure."

With those words, the smaller Innate Ancient Ship surged forward, cleaving through the void as it relentlessly pursued its quarry.

Thus began a chase that spanned tens of thousands of years. Unbeknownst to them, they had traveled beyond the hundred-thousand Dao-Path radius of the Three Thousand Immortal Domains, surpassing its very fringes and arriving at the true Deep Chaos Sea.

"This should suffice."

Eldrin Chen located a Supreme Grade Chaos Nest, gauged his position, and then addressed Horizon Sea Ancient Ancestor and the Celestial Maiden: "Here. Let us deal with these troublesome pursuers."

"Agreed. We shall use this Supreme Grade Chaos Nest to test the mettle of these demonic soldiers, the Divine Generals."

With that, the trio concealed their auras and hid at the periphery of a Chaos Lair.

It was a vast and imposing Chaos Lair, harboring over four hundred Chaos Ancient Beast and even five Chaos Beast King. The mightiest among them possessed power rivaling a five-tribulation Ancient Immortal Realm cultivator.

According to conventional reasoning, under the suppression of the Sea of Chaos [the turbulent, primordial expanse between worlds], even if two or three Six Tribulations Ancient Immortal [powerful beings who have survived six heavenly tribulations] were to join forces and assault this Chaos Lair [a fortress or stronghold built within the primordial chaos], they would have to pay a tremendous price for merely a fifty percent chance of success.

Eldrin Chen believed this particular Chaos Lair would be more than enough to give these Heavenly Demon [powerful, malevolent beings born from celestial corruption] a severe challenge.

"BOOM—"

Not long after they had concealed themselves, a violent sound of something tearing through the void arrived.

A small Supreme Grade Innate Ancient Ship [a primordial vessel of the highest innate quality] was seen cleaving through the Primordial Chaos [the formless, primordial state before creation] to arrive at the location of this Chaos Lair.

Upon that small vessel, Dione cast a cold glance at the Chaos Lair before sneering, "You think to use a Chaos Lair to delay us and drain our strength?"

"Wishful thinking!"

As the words fell, Dione waved a hand. Over ten Heavenly Demon and Great Deity [powerful deities] soared into the air, surrounding the vast and imposing Chaos Lair.

In theory, given the violent nature of the Chaos Sea Water [the corrosive and turbulent waters of the Sea of Chaos], these Celestial Immortal Realm [the realm of Celestial Immortals] Heavenly Demon should have been crushed and obliterated in an extremely short time.

To everyone's astonishment, not only did these Heavenly Demon not perish, but they were also able to exert their full power without hindrance.

"How is this possible?"

Eldrin Chen was inwardly quite shocked, his expression one of utter disbelief.

Upon closer observation, however, he realized the auras of these Heavenly Demon were not particularly formidable. Their Mana and comprehension of Dao Principles were both rather ordinary, yet their Physical Body were as indestructible as a Chaos Ancient Beast's, capable of withstanding the pressure of the Primordial Chaos completely.

"These Celestial Soldiers and Generals were specifically created by the Dao Ancestor Immortal Sage for waging war in the Sea of Chaos."

Horizon Sea Ancient Ancestor spoke, his gaze turning profoundly grave. "Their Physical Body are forged from Innate Marvels as the primary material, supplemented with Innate Qi and Chaos Water, and then given life through that Innate Supreme Treasure, the Celestial Demon Pool.

"Thus, these Celestial Soldiers and Generals are born with peerlessly powerful Physical Body and can naturally adapt to the suppressive force of the Sea of Chaos."

"Fortunately, their Dao Principles, Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator], and Mana are not particularly strong, and they possess no potential for further advancement. Otherwise, the Three Thousand Immortal Domains would have long fallen under the dominion of the Celestial Soldiers and Generals, leaving no place for us who walk the Immortal Path."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen nodded in understanding.

All beneath the Great Luo realm are but ants. Even if a hundred thousand Celestial Soldiers and Generals of the Celestial Immortal Realm joined forces, they could not withstand a single finger from a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Since the Celestial Soldiers and Generals could never become Great Luo Golden Immortal, they were fated to remain mere pawns, forever incapable of becoming masters of their own Destiny.

In comparison, those who cultivate to the Ancient Immortal Realm [the realm of ancient immortals, a profound state of existence] through their own efforts are valued more by the various Great Luo Ancient Sect [ancient sects founded by Great Luo Realm powerhouses] because they possess a sliver of potential to break through to the Great Luo [the Great Luo Realm, a legendary state of supreme enlightenment and power].

"Kill—!"

Just as the three of them were conversing, a shocking battle erupted.

To call it a battle would be an understatement; it was more akin to a one-sided slaughter. One thousand Heavenly Demon [powerful demons born of celestial chaos] encircled and hunted over four hundred Chaos Ancient Beast [primordial beasts born from the primal chaos]. Not only did they hold an absolute numerical advantage, but they also possessed an overwhelming superiority in equipment.

These Heavenly Demon were clad in Innate Divine Armor [armor forged from innate divine materials] and wielded Innate Divine Spear [spears specifically crafted for hunting Chaos Ancient Beasts], relentlessly suppressing the four hundred Chaos Ancient Beast, forcing them into a desperate, retreating fight.

The five Chaos Beast King [monarchs among the Chaos Ancient Beasts] fought desperately, bathed in blood. Yet, facing them were ten Innate Divine General [commanders of the Heavenly Demons, beings of immense power] fighting in unison, displaying astonishingly potent force that kept the beast kings firmly on the defensive.

These Demon God [a powerful realm for demonic cultivators, equivalent to the Immortal Realm] commanders activated their Lifebound Formation Tool [a magical treasure that binds the user's life force and can form arrays], linking the auras of their forces into one cohesive whole. This unleashed combat prowess of a truly terrifying magnitude.

"With one hundred Heavenly Demon joining forces, led by a single Demon General [a commander of Heavenly Demons] controlling the formation, they can unleash power equivalent to a Fifth Calamity Chaos Beast King,"

"One thousand Celestial Soldiers [the elite soldiers among the Heavenly Demons] led by ten Demon General translates to the combat strength of ten Fifth Calamity Chaos Beast King."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly. The combined might of ten Fifth Calamity Chaos Beast King equivalents might not guarantee victory against a Seventh Calamity Chaos Beast King [a Chaos Beast King that has survived seven heavenly tribulations], but it would at least rival the strength of three Six Calamity Chaos Beast King [a Chaos Beast King that has survived six heavenly tribulations].

It must be understood, this is a Chaos Beast King capable of unleashing its full combat prowess. Its deterrent power within the Sea of Chaos is not something a Six Tribulations Ancient Immortal could ever hope to rival.

Considering this, Eldrin Chen pondered briefly before speaking: "When we strike later, our first targets must be the ten Demon General commanding the formation."

"Once those ten Demon General fall, the Heavenly Demon [a powerful type of demon] will be unable to coalesce the power of their entire force. This thousand-strong horde of Heavenly Demon will then be nothing but a scattered rabble, which any one of us could cut down to the last."

Upon hearing this, both Horizon Sea Ancient Ancestor and Celestial Maiden nodded in agreement. The chasm between a Heaven Immortal [an immortal who has ascended to the celestial realm] and an Ancient Immortals [immortals who have survived for eons, vastly more powerful] is immeasurably vast.

Any single Ancient Immortal Great Power could effortlessly defeat a coalition of one hundred Heaven Immortal. Otherwise, not even a hundred Seventh Heaven Immortal [a high-tier Heaven Immortal] could hope to challenge an Ancient Immortals.

Both Horizon Sea Ancient Ancestor and Celestial Maiden are High-Rank Ancient Immortals of the Fifth Tribulation, their combat prowess transcending the ordinary. Either of them alone possesses the power to sweep away a force of over a thousand Heaven Immortal from the Azure Firmament Immortal Domain.

As long as no Demon General commands their formation, dealing with a mere thousand Heavenly Demon would naturally be a simple matter.

With this in mind, Horizon Sea Ancient Ancestor asked, "What is your plan?"

Eldrin Chen contemplated for a moment, then spoke: "Wait until over half of the Ancient Beast [ancient, powerful demonic beasts] within the Chaos Lair have fallen. You two will launch a surprise attack to draw their attention. I will then suppress them with the Innate Yin-Yang Five Elements Gourd [a supreme treasure born of primordial forces]. This will surely create the perfect opening for victory."

"Agreed!"

Upon hearing this, both individuals nodded, their expressions turning grave.

Time flowed swiftly in the waiting. Within a mere few centuries, the Chaos Ancient Beast lair had suffered grievous losses; its numbers had been unknowingly reduced by more than half.

It was at this precise moment that Eldrin Chen decisively commanded, "Now."

"BOOM—"

Almost in that same instant, Horizon Sea Ancient Ancestor struck. They activated several Innate Ancient Treasure [primordial artifacts born of heaven and earth] to assail one of the Demon General [powerful commanders of the demonic legions], aiming to slay it in a surprise attack.

Yet, simultaneously, Dione upon the Ancient Vessel [an ancient, colossal flying ship] sneered coldly. He summoned a sky-obscuring giant hand that surged upwards, blocking the duo's assault. "Did you think," he mocked, "that This Sovereign [a title used by powerful cultivators to refer to themselves] would be unprepared?"

"HUM—"

But in that very same moment, the Void [the empty space between realms] trembled with a violent roar.

Seven dazzlingly radiant gourds descended from the Depths of Chaos [the primordial, formless expanse at the beginning of creation], unleashing torrents of World-Illuminating Immortal Light [a divine radiance capable of piercing all darkness] that cleaved towards the ten Demon General. Dive deeper into the Dao at (audio-novel.com).