Chapter 1836 : Chaos Lair Ambush

As the words fell, the group acted swiftly. A full six Ancient Immortal Great Power launched a coordinated ambush, their full-powered strikes converging upon the Supreme Lunar Black Luan [a primordial black luan bird of supreme lunar essence].

Yet, the Supreme Lunar Black Luan proved worthy of its title as a five-tribulation Chaos Beast King [a ruler among primordial chaos beasts]. Even caught by surprise, it reacted with astonishing speed.

With a beat of its wings, it stirred a tempest of Chaos [the formless, primordial state before creation]. Countless feathers transformed into heavenly swords that pierced the Chaos, deflecting the group's assault and sending their attacks flying back.

When the tumult subsided, Eldrin Chen saw that the Supreme Lunar Black Luan bore only two minor wounds, inflicted by Eldrin Chen and Falling Star Xuan.

"Its body is forged as if from supreme-grade Innate Heavenly God Metal [a divine metal born from the primordial heavens], its plumage an impenetrable armor rivaling the finest immortal battle-plate,"

Eldrin Chen thought with shock. Gripping the Chaos Heaven Halberd, he charged forward, shouting to Falling Star Xuan, "Strike now, with haste!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Falling Star Xuan acted decisively, focusing her power to seize and draw in the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree [a divine tree bearing fruit that nourishes the heavenly soul].

But the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree was deeply rooted Within the Chaos Lair [inside the lair formed from primordial chaos], its essence long since intertwined with the very foundation of the Chaos Lair. Uprooting it was no simple task.

She could only pour all her strength into the effort, channeling her cultivation base without reserve to wrest the ancient tree free, even if it meant contending against the entire Chaos Lair itself.

In that brief moment of delay, the other Chaos Beast King dwelling Within the Chaos Lair descended upon them. A fierce battle erupted as they clashed with Horizon Patriarch and the others. Your portal to cultivation novels: audio-novel . com.

The might of this Chaos Lair was truly formidable. Beyond the Supreme Lunar Black Luan of five tribulations, there were five Chaos Beast Kings, among which two were beings at the Four Tribulations Ancient Immortal level.

Coupled with a thousand Chaos Ancient Beasts, even a Six Tribulations Ancient Immortal who ventured here would find their doom sealed, with no ground left to bury their bones.

The group clashed with them continuously, and in a short span, they were severely wounded one after another, forcing Eldrin Chen to leap to their aid time and again.

Fortunately, their purpose was not a fight to the death but to steal the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree. By constantly activating their Innate Ancient Treasures for protection, they managed to avoid casualties for the time being.

Thus, after a hurried hour, Falling Star Xuan finally managed to extract the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree, exclaiming with wild joy, "Let's go, now!"

"You go first."

Eldrin Chen spoke decisively. After urging the others to leave, 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 and bleeding, though the force of the battle left his own lips stained with blood.

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

"That should be enough."

Watching the others depart, Eldrin Chen spoke with a calm expression. He then activated the Chaos Heaven Halberd to pierce through the passageway and flew towards the Depths of Chaos.

The Supreme Lunar Black Luan still wished to pursue, but Eldrin Chen looked at it with a hint of amusement in his gaze and said, "You cannot keep this venerable one here."

Upon hearing this, the Supreme Lunar Black Luan felt a tremor in its heart. Sensing that taking one more step forward would invite a great and terrible calamity, it hurriedly halted its pursuing form.

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen swiftly vanished into the Chaos.

With his current conventional combat power, it was difficult for him to subdue this Supreme Lunar Black Luan. However, if he risked activating a subsidiary pearl of the Returning Abyss Pearl, this Supreme Lunar Black Luan would also meet a death with no place for burial.

Seeing that the Supreme Lunar Black Luan had ceased its pursuit, Eldrin Chen also spared himself the risk of activating the Returning Abyss Pearl. He immediately traversed the Chaos and caught up with the others.

Seeing Eldrin Chen follow them, the group all breathed a sigh of relief.

Falling Star Xuan handed the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree over to Eldrin Chen and could not help but exclaim with admiration, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, for securing a foundation for the ancient sect behind you."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen gave a faint smile but said nothing more.

It turned out that even now, Falling Star Xuan still mistakenly believed he was a direct lineage disciple of a Great Encompassing Ancient Sect's Direct Lineage.

However, Eldrin Chen had no intention of explaining. Even if he did, the other party might not believe him. After all, it was already common practice for many Ancient Sects [sects with lineages stretching back to antiquity] to let their Direct Lineage Disciples [core disciples who inherit the sect's true teachings] roam freely to grow on their own, forbidding them from relying on the sect's prestige.

Some Ancient Sects even went so far as to avoid acknowledging their disciples until they had broken through to the Great Encompassing Realm [the Da Luo realm, a supreme state of cultivation], all to prevent their Great Encompassing True Seeds [cultivators with the innate potential to reach the Great Encompassing realm] from being targeted by others.

The more powerful a Great Encompassing Ancient Sect [an ancient sect that has produced Great Encompassing realm cultivators] was, and the more enemies it had, the more secretive the identities of its core Direct Lineage Disciples tended to be.

Eldrin Chen knew he was not a Direct Lineage Disciple of a Great Encompassing Ancient Sect, but he offered no further explanation. Being misunderstood in this way could serve as an extra layer of protection for him.

Returning to the main point, after obtaining the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree [a spiritual tree whose fruit nourishes and strengthens the soul], Eldrin Chen was overjoyed and carefully stored it away.

He said nothing more, merely smiling as he stated, "The Chaos Tide [a periodic, violent surge of primordial chaos energy between realms] is about to begin. We should not linger any longer. It is best we return early." Your portal to cultivation novels: audio_novel.com.

Seeing this, the others also wore expressions of grave solemnity as they hurried back.

The six of them traversed the Primordial Chaos [the formless, primordial void that exists between stable realms] without pause, expending a severe amount of their spiritual power to travel through it. They finally reached the borders of the Three Thousand Immortal Domains [a collective name for the myriad realms where immortals dwell] 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 looked at Immortal Maiden Exquisite and Horizon Patriarch and said, "I will first return to the Vast Azure Immortal Domain to fetch the Soul Nourishing Wood [a rare spiritual wood that nourishes and repairs damaged souls] for you."

"Take this portion of Dragon's Saliva Incense [an incense made from condensed dragon saliva, used to greatly aid meditation and cultivation] for your own practice. We can distribute the other treasures after I return."

Upon hearing this, both nodded. They took the Dragon's Saliva Incense [a rare incense made from the solidified saliva of ancient dragons, prized for its potent spiritual properties] from the Chaos Heaven Whale [a colossal leviathan demon beast that dwells within the primordial chaos]. The Celestial Maiden then spoke, "Go swiftly and return swiftly. However, having offended the Golden Crow Clan [a powerful clan whose members are said to descend from the legendary Golden Crows], you must remember to be exceedingly cautious."

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen said calmly, "Set your minds at ease. During my absence, you two must remember not to leave the Violet Sun Immortal Domain [a vast and secure realm bathed in the light of a perpetual violet sun]."

"Understood. We know."

"..."

After giving his instructions, Eldrin Chen did not linger.

He returned directly to the Sea of Chaos [a boundless, turbulent expanse of primordial, formless energy]. Using the concealment of the Chaos Tide [a mystical technique that allows one to blend with and navigate the chaotic currents], he harnessed the power of the Returning Abyss Pearl [a mystical pearl capable of traversing vast distances between realms] to return to the Returning Abyss Heavenly Domain [his home domain, a realm of profound mysteries and deep abysses].

The moment Eldrin Chen returned, Exquisite Jiang sensed his presence. Seeing him, she could not help but exclaim with pleasant surprise, "How have you returned so early this time?"

"I intend to elevate two Soul Nourishing Wood [ancient, sentient trees whose essence is supremely nourishing to the soul and spirit] to serve as your Primordial Spirit Treasure [a treasure specifically cultivated to house and empower one's Primordial Spirit, the spiritual core of a high-level cultivator]."

Eldrin Chen spoke with a smile, explaining to her the crucial aspects of cultivation at the Primordial Spirit Heavenly Pass [a critical bottleneck realm where a cultivator refines their spiritual essence into a cohesive Primordial Spirit].

After listening, Exquisite Jiang nodded and said, "If we possess the Soul Nourishing Wood, the speed of our breakthrough through the Primordial Spirit Heavenly Pass will undoubtedly increase greatly."

"With the addition of the Seven-colored Immortal Pearl [a mystical pearl containing the essence of seven celestial colors], our Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] and mana have already broken through the Ninth Limit [the ninth and final bottleneck before a major realm advancement] ahead of schedule. If we then turn our focus to cultivating the physical body, the Great Path [the supreme cultivation law one follows], and the three major Heavenly Pass [critical thresholds] related to the Path Fruit [the condensed essence of one's cultivation path], the speed will undoubtedly increase dramatically."

"That is correct."

Eldrin Chen nodded, then spoke: "If you can cultivate to the level of the Fourth or Fifth Tribulation before the Kalpa Tribulation [the great cosmic cataclysm that marks the end of an era], you will likely be of immense help to me."

Seeing this, Exquisite 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, Exquisite Jiang hurried away and soon returned with two stalks of Soul Nourishing Wood, both at the level of a Low-Grade Innate Ancient Tree [a primordial tree born of heaven and earth, possessing innate spiritual properties].

For a Low-Grade Innate Ancient Tree to grow to Supreme Grade, it would normally take dozens, if not hundreds, of Kalpa Tribulation cycles, and even then, the chances of a successful promotion were slim.

Fortunately, Eldrin Chen possessed the Primordial Energy Vase of Heaven and Earth [a legendary vase that can accelerate the growth of spiritual objects by condensing the energies of creation] to hasten its growth, and the Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [the supreme primal energy of creation, purple in hue] to break through the Limit-Breaker [a state or method for shattering cultivation bottlenecks] thresholds. Thus, advancement became a much simpler matter.

Therefore, Eldrin Chen decisively activated the Primordial Energy Vase of Heaven and Earth and began continuously promoting this Innate Soul Nourishing Wood [the primordial, innate version of Soul Nourishing Wood]. After expending another two strands of Innate Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [the innate, purer form of Primordial Chaos Violet Aura], he finally succeeded in elevating the Innate Soul Nourishing Wood.

"Supreme Grade Innate Soul Nourishing Wood."

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

He decisively felled the ancient tree, extracting the essence-rich divine wood from its core, obtaining nine large sections of Soul Nourishing Wood [a rare spiritual wood that nourishes and strengthens the cultivator's soul essence].

"One tree divided into nine sections—this is a substantial quantity."

Gazing at the nine sections of Soul Nourishing Wood, Exquisite Jiang could not help but speak with delight.

Eldrin Chen also nodded with a smile. This Supreme Grade Innate Soul Nourishing Wood [the highest quality, naturally formed variant of Soul Nourishing Wood] was exceedingly rare. Most Soul Nourishing Wood available on the market were small sections.

While small sections of Soul Nourishing Wood were still effective for cultivating the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core and highest form of a cultivator's consciousness], their efficacy was roughly thirty percent lower compared to large sections.

However, if a single Soul Nourishing Wood tree was divided into small sections, it could yield twenty-four pieces, each valued at three hundred strands of Innate Energy [the primordial, unadulterated spiritual energy of heaven and earth]—a staggering potential profit.

If divided into large sections, the cultivation effect was superior, but the yield was only nine pieces.

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

Therefore, within the Three Thousand Immortal Domains [the collective name for the vast, interconnected realms of the immortal cultivation world], large sections of Soul Nourishing Wood were rarely sold. Typically, they were treasures reserved for internal use by the Great Encompassing Ancient Sect [a legendary and immensely powerful sect of antiquity].

Eldrin Chen's cost for cultivating the Soul Nourishing Wood was minimal. Since these pieces were for the use of his own people, there was no need for such frugality. He simply divided them all into large sections.

"One segment each for Horizon Patriarch and Celestial Maiden."

"Myself, along with Exquisite, Verdant Consort, Lila, Violet Consort, and Nyssa, will each take one portion. That alone will claim eight segments of the Soul Nourishing Wood [a miraculous wood that nourishes and strengthens the soul]."

"Considering we still have Energy Abyss Patriarch, Verdant Seal Patriarch, Kael, Ethan, Worthy Longevity, Worthy Verdancy, Worthy Pursuit, and others, a single stalk of Soul Nourishing Wood simply won't suffice."

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, then decisively expended another wisp of Innate Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [a supreme, primordial energy of creation and chaos] to cultivate a stalk of Supreme Grade Innate Soul Nourishing Wood [the highest quality, naturally formed Soul Nourishing Wood].

This yielded a total of eighteen segments of Innate Soul Nourishing Wood. Eldrin Chen took three of them for himself, then instructed Exquisite Jiang: "After our clansmen have used their share, any remaining Soul Nourishing Wood can be sent to our old friends like those from the Ancient Ruins and Heaven Abyss."

Upon hearing this, Exquisite Jiang let out a soft sigh. "You and your sentimentality," she said. "You're willing to part with such Heavy Treasures [extremely rare and precious magical artifacts] for their sake."

"Alas."

Eldrin Chen offered a gentle smile and shook his head. "Though they may no longer be of great assistance in our current struggles, they were once comrades who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us in battle."

"During the Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic era of immense conflict and heavenly punishment], when the Celestial Prison Clan and the master of Thousand Dragon Lake launched their assault, had it not been for their aid, we would have suffered grievous losses, perhaps even faced the risk of a devastating defeat."

"A drop of kindness received should be repaid with a flowing spring. Now that our circumstances have changed so profoundly, it is only right that we extend our support to these old friends from those days, within the bounds of our capability."

Speaking of this, Eldrin Chen still smiled and said, "If you are reluctant, just have them sign an IOU. If conditions allow in the future, they can repay it then."

Hearing this, Exquisite Jiang could not help but shake her head with a laugh. "I understand now. As long as one can be your friend, they will never be at a disadvantage."

Eldrin Chen gave 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 show kindness. Those old acquaintances who received his special consideration were either those who had once shown him great favor or steadfast comrades who had fought side by side with him.

"Enough of that. Let's take a look at this Heaven Soul Fruit Tree instead."

Eldrin Chen then remembered the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree and retrieved it.

Exquisite Jiang took one glance and could not help but draw a sharp breath. "With this treasure and that large section of Innate Soul Nourishing Wood, the Primordial Spirit Heavenly Pass [the critical breakthrough to the Primordial Spirit Realm] should not pose too great a challenge for us."

Eldrin Chen nodded in agreement. "I plan to plant it within the Returning Abyss Universe [Eldrin's personal pocket dimension], replacing one of the Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Roots [a top-tier spiritual plant that gathers ambient energy]. This should also accelerate my cultivation progress somewhat."

Exquisite Jiang nodded, understanding Eldrin Chen's current circumstances perfectly well.

In Eldrin Chen's current situation, his realm advancement has been too swift, while his actual cultivation base has failed to keep pace with his realm.

Currently, Eldrin Chen has already shattered the two major Heavenly Passes [the profound barriers separating cultivation realms] of his physical body and his magical power. By all logic, he should have attained the realm of a Second Tribulation Ancient Immortal [an immortal who has survived two heavenly tribulations]. Yet, his cultivation base remains at the level of the Great Perfection Celestial Immortal Realm [the pinnacle stage of the Celestial Immortal realm].

The primary reason for this is that accumulating cultivation base requires time, and the rate at which the Returning Abyss Heaven [Eldrin's personal inner world] can absorb and refine Primordial Chaos Energy [the primal, formless energy that predates creation] is finite.

This has resulted in Eldrin Chen's magical power possessing the qualitative nature of the Tenth Limit [a legendary, near-perfect state of power density] realm, yet lacking the sufficient quantity to fully match his elevated realm.

For other Ancient Immortals [immortals who have survived at least one heavenly tribulation], this would hardly be a concern. Once the realm breakthrough is achieved, catching up the cultivation base would typically require merely several hundred thousand years at most.

However, Eldrin Chen has opened a Thirty-Sixfold Heaven [an inner world of extraordinary scale and stability] domain. The size of his inner Universe [the cosmos within a cultivator] is tenfold, or even several dozen times, that of an ordinary cultivator at the Great Perfection Celestial Immortal Realm.

This grants Eldrin Chen a depth and potency of magical power that begins at ten to several dozen times that of his peers at the same realm. Yet, it also dictates that elevating his cultivation base to match will demand a correspondingly vast amount of time.

Of course, this is not the core issue. The primary factor remains the breathtaking speed of Eldrin Chen's realm progression itself.

Other cultivators at the Great Perfection Celestial Immortal Realm, seeking to break through to the Ancient Immortal Realm, typically linger at that peak for over ten million years, granting them ample time to accumulate their cultivation base to perfection.

For Eldrin Chen, the time since his breakthrough to the Late Celestial Immortal Realm [the advanced stage of the Celestial Immortal realm] has been less than one million years. Even with the assistance of the Innate Five Elements Gourd [a supreme treasure born from the primal elements] using its own foundational essence to save him a million years of cultivation time, it is still far from sufficient to elevate his cultivation base fully to the Ancient Immortal Realm.

This presented a minor complication in Eldrin Chen's mind. Although he lacked not for spiritual power within the Sea of Chaos, advancing his cultivation to the Ancient Immortal Realm [the realm of ancient, long-lived immortals] would still grant him a slight increase in combat prowess.

By then, Eldrin Chen should be able to channel his own spiritual energy to activate the Innate Seven Treasures Gourd [a primordial treasure gourd containing seven distinct powers], unleashing the full might of this Innate Ancient Treasure [a treasure born from the primordial chaos of creation].

With the power of the Innate Seven Treasures Gourd, Eldrin Chen dared not claim he could rival a Seven Tribulations Ancient Immortal, but achieving an invincible level of combat strength below that of the Seven Tribulations [a stage representing the surmounting of seven great heavenly trials] should not be difficult.

Understanding this, Exquisite Jiang spoke up, "With this Supreme Grade Innate Ancient Tree [a tree of the highest quality, born from primordial essence], your cultivation progress should accelerate significantly."

"I estimate your cultivation base will break through to the Ancient Immortal Realm within five hundred thousand years."

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod. He proceeded to Returning Abyss Heaven [a celestial realm], planted the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree [a spiritual tree bearing fruits that nourish the soul], and continuously nurtured it with Innate Spiritual Water [water imbued with primordial spiritual essence].

After nine such cycles of accelerated growth, Eldrin Chen obtained a total of seventy-two Supreme Grade Heaven Soul Fruit [fruits of the highest quality from the Heaven Soul Tree].

However, when Eldrin Chen attempted to induce a tenth cycle, he found that despite accelerating the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree's age by several Kalpa Tribulation [cosmic cycles of immense duration], it stubbornly refused to produce a tenth batch of Heaven Soul Fruit.

Thus, Eldrin Chen performed a brief divination. With a hint of regret, he concluded, "Nine consecutive cycles of forced maturation have severely depleted the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree's foundational essence. It can bear no more fruit for the foreseeable future."

"It is akin to an ancient tree struggling to blossom—the root cause is a lack of nourishment. The Innate Spiritual Water alone cannot replenish its lost foundational vitality."

"To hasten the ripening of the Supreme Grade Heaven Soul Fruit [a legendary fruit that nourishes the soul and grants profound enlightenment] again would require either a monumental sacrifice to replenish its foundational essence, or the patient wait of an entire Kalpa Tribulation [an immense cosmic cycle spanning billions of years]." Experience the full epic at audio-novel.com (official site).