Chapter 1862 : The Aperture of True Spirit

"Such formidable power, the True Spirit Aperture [the ultimate spiritual gateway within a cultivator, representing the pinnacle of their inner potential]."

Sensing the immense power of his True Spirit Aperture, Eldrin Chen could not help but reveal an expression of ecstatic joy.

He performed a quick calculation with his fingers and discovered that, at the current rate of nurturing by the True Spirit Aperture, it would only take approximately one million years for his Primordial Chaos Qi [the foundational chaotic energy of creation] to transform into a True Spirit Divine Ability [a supreme power born from one's truest spiritual essence].

"One million years... that is more than sufficient time."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly to himself, then turned his senses inward to feel the power of his True Spirit Primordial Spirit [the ultimate, perfected form of a cultivator's spiritual core].

In that moment, he comprehended the true might of his True Spirit Primordial Spirit. Without exaggeration, he now held mastery over his own life and death.

He felt a profound certainty that with the power of his current Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] alone, he could suppress the Eight Great Heavenly Passes [the eight supreme tribulations blocking the path to immortality]. He was even confident he could forcibly sever his own River of Fate [the metaphysical river representing one's destiny] and shatter his Destiny Heavenly Pass [the final, fate-bound tribulation].

He could go a step further—directly stir the Sea of the Great Dao [the boundless ocean of the fundamental laws of existence], fuse his Primordial Spirit with the Great Dao itself, and achieve the realm of a Grand Luo Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal who has transcended the cycles of fate]. It was entirely within his grasp.

In fact, this was precisely how the legendary Violet Immortal Lord [a title for a supreme immortal master] had accomplished his breakthrough.

He had forged a foundation based on a certain True Spiritual Root [the innate spiritual affinity that determines a cultivator's potential], directly invoked the Great Dao to break through to Grand Luo Golden Immortal, moving so swiftly that even the Chaos Celestial Emperors [supreme rulers born from primordial chaos] could not react in time.

Of course, Eldrin Chen was not foolish enough to take that step. He possessed far greater potential and saw no need to squander it for a fleeting advancement.

Having reached his current realm, Eldrin Chen harbored a deep suspicion. He suspected that the reason Violet Immortal Lord of old had failed to break through to the Chaos Realm [the legendary realm of primordial chaos] was precisely because he had wasted his own latent potential.

His cultivation speed had been too rapid, so swift that he never had the chance to polish each realm to its absolute limit. This, perhaps, was one of the key reasons for his ultimate failure to ascend to the Chaos Realm.

"My time is long, and all is still within reach."

Eldrin Chen spoke softly, then turned his focus inward, thoroughly comprehending the power of his Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core and highest essence of a cultivator].

In that moment, Eldrin Chen perceived that his old Primordial Spirit had been fully expended, and the newly born one had reached a state of flawless, consummate perfection.

However, among the nine major apertures within his Primordial Spirit, only a single one had undergone transformation. To transform them all into True Spirit Aperture [apertures refined with the essence of True Spirit power] would require a truly oceanic quantity of True Spirit Imprint [the foundational essence required to forge a True Spirit foundation].

The amount of True Spirit Imprint needed to transform each aperture into a True Spirit Aperture was immense, sufficient to forge an entire True Spirit Primordial Spirit [a Primordial Spirit foundation built upon True Spirit essence] from scratch.

Generally speaking, an existence that had cultivated the Twelve Limits Foundation [the pinnacle foundation establishment realm with twelve perfected limits] would obtain enough True Spirit Imprint to, at most, enlighten a single aperture or to shape one Twelfth LimitTrue Spiritual Root [a spiritual root of the highest purity, representing the twelfth and final limit].

That Eldrin Chen, having already forged his True Spirit Primordial Spirit, still managed to enlighten one True Spirit Aperture proved that the True Spirit Imprint he had obtained was double that of an ordinary cultivator.

This could already be considered astonishing, but Eldrin Chen knew very well that he was not yet capable of illuminating all nine apertures [the spiritual nodes within a cultivator's body].

Understanding this, Eldrin Chen slowly concluded his cultivation session and opened his eyes.

Only then did Eldrin Chen calculate with his fingers, realizing that this seclusion had lasted for one hundred thousand years.

"Regardless, the True Spirit Primordial Spirit [the perfected spiritual core of a high-level cultivator] has been achieved. It is time to comprehend divine abilities and Dao arts."

With this thought, Eldrin Chen retrieved the three Dao tomes of the Primordial Beginning Dao Scripture and began to contemplate the divine abilities and profound mysteries contained within.

For his first serious study of the Primordial Beginning Dao Scripture, Eldrin Chen began with the Formation Chapter. After a preliminary comprehension of it, he could not help but admire the heaven-shaking mastery of the Primordial Beginning Dao Ancestor.

The Formation Chapter contained hundreds of millions of different formations, from the most basic first-rank arrays to Great Luo Grade Great Dao Formation Patterns [supreme formations embodying the principles of the Great Dao].

These formations encompassed dozens of types, including offensive, defensive, illusory, supportive, and special arrays. Each type contained a complete set of formation patterns from the first rank all the way to the Great Luo Grade.

Among the most supreme formations were even those of Primordial Unity and the Chaos Grand Formation [a legendary formation of primordial chaos].

"With these formations, my Lifebound Immortal Treasure [a cultivator's personally bound and nurtured supreme artifact] grand array may have hope for further advancement."

After gaining a preliminary understanding of the formation [a structured arrangement of energy patterns used for defense, attack, or cultivation], Eldrin Chen could not help but speak with delight.

In the years that followed, he began with First Rank formations [the most basic level of magical arrays], delving ever deeper into their mysteries and absorbing the wisdom of his predecessors.

The number of First Rank formations was the greatest, their quantity reaching untold billions upon billions. Yet, comprehending them was the simplest. Eldrin Chen spent merely ten years mastering several million different formation patterns and complete arrays.

With these million patterns as his foundation, Eldrin Chen was confident he could use a single point to unravel the whole, grasping the profound mysteries of nearly every First Rank formation in existence.

Thereafter, he turned to Second Rank formations, requiring only another twenty years to master them all completely.

Proceeding from the shallow to the profound in this manner, a mere thousand years passed before he had grasped the intricacies of all formation patterns from the First to the Sixth Rank.

It could be said that the present Eldrin Chen could now fully comprehend all Mortal Dust Formations [formations of the mortal realm, from First to Sixth Rank], achieving a state of near omniscience and omnipotence within this domain.

Thus, he advanced another step, seeking to perceive the power of various Immortal Rank Formation [formations of the immortal realm, Seventh Rank and above].

The number of Immortal Rank Formation could not compare to the multitude of mortal formations, yet their patterns were far more profound and inscrutable. Each strand of Immortal Dao Formation Patterns [the fundamental energy patterns of immortal-rank formations] contained the power of laws [the fundamental principles governing reality], enough to occupy an Immortal [a cultivator who has ascended to the immortal realm] for tens of thousands of years to fully digest.

Yet for the present Eldrin Chen, comprehending them was not considered overly troublesome.

He continuously contemplated the myriad formations, requiring only a single day to fully master one of the Immortal Dao Formation Patterns and comprehend the Law Power contained within.

Thus, three thousand years passed in a blur. Eldrin Chen had completely digested a million Immortal Dao formations, becoming a figure of rare attainment in this field within the Immortal Domain.

One million formations represented one million types of Law Power. After thoroughly comprehending these laws, Eldrin Chen discovered that his Chaos Limitless Dao Principle had, without him noticing, become somewhat more refined and complete.

"So that's how it is," he mused. "The Chaos Great Dao encompasses all phenomena."

"If I comprehend the billions upon billions of laws and Daos [fundamental principles] between heaven and earth, it can also enhance my own Chaos Limitless Great Dao."

Though Eldrin Chen gained this insight, he set aside the thought of continuing to contemplate laws and instead began to ponder the eighth-rank Heaven-Opening Grand Formations.

It was not that Eldrin Chen was unwilling to continue comprehending laws. Rather, the laws between heaven and earth were infinite and boundless, numbering far beyond trillions. Not even a Dao Ancestor Immortal Sage could possibly comprehend and master them all.

He had comprehended one million laws, which almost encompassed all elemental laws and special laws.

The remaining billions upon billions of laws, though infinite, differed from these only by subtle nuances. Having grasped these core laws, he could use them as a focal point to understand the whole, making it unnecessary to laboriously comprehend each and every one individually.

Compared to Law Power, the eighth-rank Heaven-Opening Grand Formations were formed from Rules [principles more fundamental than laws]. Their profundity and mystery were not merely hundreds or thousands of times greater than that of Law Power.

Eldrin Chen continuously contemplated the profound mysteries within these Heaven-Opening Grand Formations [grand cosmic arrays that shape the heavens and earth]. From them, he gleaned insights into myriad rules and principles, steadily deepening his foundational comprehension while simultaneously refining the power of his own Dao of Rules. He felt the path beneath his feet growing ever more complete and luminous.

Thus, ten thousand years passed in a fleeting rush, and Eldrin Chen had thoroughly mastered the intricacies of tens of thousands of World Creation [divine arts capable of creating and shaping worlds] formations.

Thereafter, he continued his contemplation of the Ninth Rank Innate Formation Patterns [primordial arrays born with the cosmos, embodying the fundamental laws of existence]. These patterns were inscrutably profound and mysterious, yet with Eldrin Chen's prodigious aptitude for enlightenment, he deciphered them at a staggering pace—one every ten years—and his speed only accelerated with time.

In this manner, merely three hundred thousand and some years later, he had comprehended tens of thousands of these innate grand formations, completely digesting the Innate Dao Principles [the fundamental truths and laws woven into the fabric of reality from the beginning] contained within them.

"It is nearly sufficient."

On this day, having fully assimilated the myriad Ninth Rank Innate Formation Patterns, Eldrin Chen slowly opened his eyes from deep seclusion. A rare, genuine smile graced his features.

Having reached this stage, he decided against delving further into the Great Luo Formations [the supreme arrays of the Grand Luo realm, representing the pinnacle of cosmic order]. These formations each contained the sublime essence of the Great Dao itself. Comprehending them would demand an immense span of time. Moreover, every single Great Luo Formations was imbued with the subjective will and imprint of its original creator.

With his current level of cultivation, attempting to grasp them would force him into mere imitation—a shallow tracing of another's blueprint. He would be unable to fully internalize their complete essence, and worse, it risked contaminating his own foundational philosophy and ideals.

Therefore, Eldrin Chen abandoned the pursuit of these higher-order Great Luo Formations. Instead, he turned his focus inward to digest and synthesize his monumental harvest.

This time, he had contemplated a boundless sea of formations. These arrays had become the bedrock of his accumulated wisdom and experience. Using this vast repository as his foundation to forge his own, unique Great Luo Formation Patterns—that, perhaps, was the most crucial step of all.

Contemplating this, Eldrin Chen began a period of secluded cultivation to deduce and refine formation patterns [the intricate energy channels and symbols that form the basis of magical arrays].

Starting from First Rank formation patterns, he deduced a complete set of transcendent formations spanning from the First to the Ninth Rank, a task that consumed merely one thousand years.

Thereafter, he persevered with relentless effort, successively creating thirty-six distinct categories of formations: offensive, defensive, illusionary, mind-affecting, auxiliary, and special-purpose arrays. He refined each and every one of these formations to the pinnacle of the Supreme-Grade Ninth Rank realm.

"Thirty-six Supreme-Grade Innate Ancient Formations,"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, finally allowing himself to release a long-held breath.

Each of these thirty-six Supreme-Grade Innate Ancient Formations could be considered a rarity unseen since antiquity. A single one of these formations possessed power sufficient to slay an Ancient Immortal Great Power. For an ordinary Ancient Immortal, creating just one such formation would be enough to firmly establish their standing within the Ancient Immortal Realm.

Yet Eldrin Chen, having consecutively created thirty-six complete sets, remained profoundly unsatisfied.

In truth, he could have created even more formations, but it would have been a meaningless endeavor. These thirty-six sets encompassed the myriad manifestations of the Dao of Formations. Any additional creation would merely be a variation on these themes, with no significant divergence in effect.

For Eldrin Chen, his current aspiration was to transcend these thirty-six formations and forge a single, peerless, world-shaking Lifebound Immortal Formation [a supreme formation intrinsically bound to a cultivator's life force and soul, growing in power with them].

"Using these thirty-six formations as the foundation, extracting their essence and discarding their dross, to create one unparalleled Immortal Formation—can I thereby lay down a Lifebound Immortal Formation?"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, then with a sweep of his sleeve, manifested five Lifebound Immortal Treasure: the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, the Celestial River Ren Water Sword, the Wu Earth Sovereign Emperor Bell, the Enlightenment Violet Lotus Throne, and the Mirror of Yin, Yang, and Void.

Using these five Lifebound Immortal Treasure as his foundation, he continuously refined and integrated new, peerless formation patterns into them, striving to synthesize them into a single Great Luo Slaughter Formation.

Yet, after a long while, when the formation finally coalesced with a resounding boom, Eldrin Chen's gaze held a complex mixture of emotions—both satisfaction and regret—as he shook his head ruefully.

"It succeeded, but it did not cross that final threshold."

Eldrin Chen spoke calmly, his eyes fixed on the grand formation composed of the five Lifebound Immortal Treasure, a tinge of disappointment coloring his expression.

He realized that while his formation had indeed taken shape and could amplify the power of all five Lifebound Immortal Treasure by fifty percent, it ultimately had not ascended to the level of the Great Luo Realm.

The formation was profoundly formidable, arguably the pinnacle achievement just below the Grand Luo realm. It combined effects of slaughter, entrapment, suppression, amplification, material manipulation, and energy storage. Yet, for the current Eldrin Chen, its failure to breach that ultimate boundary rendered it somewhat redundant.

Because the five Immortal Treasure possessed different elemental attributes, their essences could not achieve perfect unity, thus preventing them from shattering the inherent limits of ancient treasures.

Had it been a set of Five Elements Innate Ancient Treasures, the five treasures could have achieved Primordial Unity through the formation, amplifying each other's power to its absolute zenith.

Such a union would unleash their ultimate might, a force that would not be inferior to the power of one hundred and eight supreme-grade Supreme Unity Golden Bamboo Sword Formation.

And one hundred and eight supreme-grade Primordial Supreme Unity Golden Bamboo Sword could be arranged into the 'Celestial Stars and Earthly Fiends Limitless Sword Formation', its power rivaling that of an Innate Spiritual Treasure [a supreme-grade magical artifact born from the primal chaos of heaven and earth]. It could even suppress some of the weaker Eight Tribulation Ancient Immortal [an immortal who has survived eight heavenly tribulations] without issue.

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen could not help but fall into deep contemplation.

A moment later, he drew the five treasures into his hand and murmured to himself, "If all five Lifebound Immortal Treasure [a cultivator's personally forged and soul-bound magical artifact] were to Ascension [undergo a qualitative evolution to a higher grade] into Innate Spiritual Treasure, it would perhaps constitute an exceedingly powerful formation set, yet it still would not be what I truly desire."

In truth, what Eldrin Chen sought was not an ordinary set of formation artifacts, but a set of Lifebound Formation Artifacts [a complete set of soul-bound magical artifacts designed to function together as a formation], for this concerned the pivotal mystery of the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass [one of the nine great heavenly barriers a cultivator must overcome, focused on mastering spiritual treasures].

Among the nine great heavenly passes a cultivator must face, the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass could theoretically also be cultivated to the Twelfth Limit [the theoretical pinnacle, the twelfth layer of perfection for a heavenly pass].

Generally speaking, binding one's Great Dao [the fundamental path of cultivation] with an Innate Spiritual Treasure gifted by another could at most lead to cultivation of the Nine-Limit realm. Using one's own Lifebound Immortal Treasure that had ascended to Innate Spiritual Treasure grade, however, could allow one to cultivate the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass to the Ten-Limit realm.

Building upon this foundation, if one could cultivate a complete set of Lifebound Formation Artifacts, simultaneously using several Lifebound Immortal Treasure that had become Innate Spiritual Treasure to combine into a formation, one could then step into the Eleventh Limit of the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass.

Once one achieved the Eleventh Limit Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass, they would be powerful enough to roam heaven and earth with no equal, their combat prowess ranking among the very top even among Eight Tribulation Ancient Immortal.

Such a figure, merely by deploying their grand formation of Innate Spiritual Treasure, could force even an Eight Tribulation Ancient Immortal to meet their bitter end.

In any given Kalpa Tribulation [a cosmic cycle of creation and destruction], an existence that had cultivated the Eleventh Limit Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass would be a figure of genuine Protagonist of the Kalpa [a being destined to play a central, world-shaping role in a kalpa] caliber. Only a peerless genius who had established a foundation upon a True Spiritual Root [the highest grade of innate spiritual affinity] could hope to stand against them.

And beyond the Eleventh Limit Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass, there exists, in theory, the legendary Twelfth Limit Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass.

Yet since time immemorial, this has remained but a legend, a feat not even the Divine Emperors or the Dao Ancestor Immortal Sage have accomplished.

Since the dawn of the Three Thousand Immortal Domains, only the Violet Immortal Lord is rumored to have possibly touched this realm.

Born bearing the Chaos Supreme Treasure known as the 'Chaos Cauldron', many speculate that the Violet Immortal Lord naturally and seamlessly broke through the Twelfth Limit Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass.

Of course, this remains mere conjecture, its truth unknown and unverified.

Nevertheless, many Immortal believe that the Chaos Cauldron, as a Chaos Supreme Treasure, is likely also an Indestructible True Spirit Treasure [a treasure of the highest order, fused with a True Spirit Imprint and thus indestructible].

"Let us set aside the matter of a Twelfth Limit True Spirit Treasure for now,"

"If I cannot unify the foundational essences of my five Lifebound Immortal Treasure, I will be forced to choose only one Innate Spiritual Treasure to merge with my Dao. In that case, I fear I may not even be able to break through the Eleventh Limit Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass."

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, a faint frown creasing his brow.

Yet the thought was dismissed as quickly as it came. At present, he possessed only two strands of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light [a primordial, unbreakable spiritual radiance used to forge supreme treasures]. He had not even gathered the five strands required for his Lifebound Immortal Treasure to Ascension [to undergo a qualitative evolution to a higher grade]. To dwell on such distant concerns was, for now, utterly meaningless.

Contemplating this, Eldrin Chen set aside the Primordial Beginning Dao Scripture—Formation Chapter and retrieved the Divine Ability Chapter to begin his contemplation.

In the path of cultivation, the art of formations focuses on Dao Patterns [mystical inscriptions that form the foundation of reality], while these patterns can evolve into Great Daos [the fundamental principles of existence]. Divine abilities, in turn, are the fruits born from the convergence of these Great Daos.

From Eldrin Chen's perspective, Dao Patterns are the bedrock of all things. Great Dao Principles represent the achievements of a cultivator's journey, and divine abilities are the potent fruits borne from the tree of those principles.