Chapter 1717 : The Brilliance Fades

After 3 1000 exchanges, he had failed to slay Eldrin, only to see his own soul essence and vital blood burn to exhaustion, scattering as starlight across the heavens and earth.

"This defeat, I have no grievance in suffering."

At the moment of Dao sublimation, the Golden Crow of the Solar Emperor spoke slowly.

He gazed at Eldrin, his eyes profound as he spoke, "With 1 such as you among humankind, it seems that in tens of millions of years, the Vast Azure Immortal Realm shall witness the rise of another Ancient Immortal's celestial grotto-abode."

Eldrin's expression remained serene as he gazed calmly at the Solar Golden Crow, nodding faintly. "In this ultimate battle, you have not disgraced the prestige of the demon race."

"In the end, I still can't compare to you."

The Solar Emperor Golden Crow let out a sigh, ultimately dissolving into scattered specks of golden light.

A scion of the demonic race, the most prodigious talent ever born within the Golden Crow Grotto-Heaven, was utterly annihilated in this very moment. Only a wisp of regretful resonance lingered in the air.

"Devote yourself to cultivation. May the day come when you shatter the 10 Heavenly Barriers and behold the vistas beyond the Great Luo Realm on my behalf."

"I will."

Eldrin took the Dao Origin of the Solar Golden Crow, gazing at it intently as he murmured in a low voice.

He said nothing more, merely swallowing an elixir to restore a sliver of spiritual power before stepping forward to the edge of the grand formation.

Then they saw the Azure Sun Imperial Son desperately unleashing a barrage of treasures to assault the formation, striving to breach even a single corner to secure his escape.

"It's useless."

Eldrin spoke slowly, and with a sweep of his sleeve, he unleashed the Primordial Chaos Qi Grasping Hand to suppress his foe.

Crown Prince Qingyang was driven to the brink of madness, exerting every ounce of his strength to parry and retreat. Yet before a half-step Patriarch-level divine ability, he ultimately could not reverse his fate. In that very instant, he was crushed beneath the colossal palm.

Looking at the Azure Sun Imperial Scion in his hand, Eldrin (Person Name) could not help but ask, "When the Solar Emperor was fighting for his life earlier, if you had exerted your full strength to assist him, there might have been a sliver of chance for victory."

"Your Innate Primordial Indestructible Body is impervious to all assaults, further reinforced by the innate Dao principles. Even if we could defeat you, it would be impossible for us to permanently subdue you."

The Son of Qingyang gave a bitter laugh, his words bordering on madness. "As the most powerful prodigy in the history of the Qingyang Grotto-Heaven, I bear the supreme true blood of the Ancient God King within my veins."

"My future knows no bounds. I have yet to witness the grandeur beyond the Great Luo Realm. I refuse to perish here."

"Hahaha…"

The Azure Sun Imperial Scion laughed through bloodied lips, 2 trails of crimson tears streaming from his eyes.

As the most exceptionally gifted deity in the Azure Heaven Immortal Realm in the past 1 billion years, he prided himself on having no match among those of the same cultivation realm.

I had thought to sweep aside all rivals during this heavenly tribulation, amass boundless fortune to forge a peerless foundation. Never did I expect to encounter someone as extraordinary as Eldrin.

Most crucially, when facing Eldrin (Person Name) unleashing his overwhelming might, he felt fear stirring within his heart for the very first time.

Therefore, when the Eldrin Golden Crow burned itself in battle, he had no intention of fighting with full strength but sought to seize the opportunity to flee.

The moment he chose to flee, his conviction of invincibility shattered. Even if he were to break through to the Celestial Immortal realm in the future, he would likely advance no further.

At this thought, Eldrin nodded, then shook his head and said.

"You possess decent talent, but in terms of determination and Dao Heart, you fall short compared to Taicang Diyang and the Golden Crow of the Solar Emperor."

"Ahahaha... *cough* *cough* *cough*..."

Crown Prince Qingyang let out a bitter laugh, crimson staining his lips as he recalled the previous battle in the Great White Mountain Range where the Twin Imperial Scions of Taicang had been utterly routed.

Upon receiving the news, he had once mocked the Twin Princes of Taicang for tarnishing the prestige of the Divine Emperor of Taicang. Yet at this moment, Eldrin believed he couldn't measure up to Taicang Diyang.

At this very moment, he let out a bitter smile and said to Eldrin, "Between life and death lies the greatest terror."

"I hope that even after a 100 million years, your Dao heart remains unchanged, and you never become someone like me."

In the end, Crown Prince Qingyang met his demise.

Knowing he was no match for Eldrin, he ceased all futile resistance and willingly dissolved his physical form, returning his essence to the cosmos through Daoist disintegration.

Eldrin did not harm his soul, allowing his spirit to return intact to the netherworld. As a 12 Tribulations forbidden prodigy's soul reincarnated, the Celestial Son of Qingyang would undoubtedly possess astonishing innate talent in his next life. Perhaps after a 100 million years, they might meet again.

In stark contrast, the Solar Golden Crow had exhausted its primordial essence and soul, with only its true spirit and a wisp of residual consciousness reincarnating. The legacy of its past life had nearly vanished, casting doubt upon its ability to tread the path of cultivation again in this new existence.

Eldrin expended his supreme power to assist the 2 in stepping into the cycle of reincarnation. A profound intuition stirred within him—the Scion of Solar Divinity would swiftly rise again in his next life, while the Solar Golden Crow might endure a 1000 cycles of rebirth, yet perhaps ultimately tread the path of cultivation once more.

Yet the 2 of them were bound by karma in this life. Perhaps after millions of years, their destinies would intertwine once more in a predestined entanglement.

Eldrin attempted to divine the future through finger calculation, only to find his vision shrouded by a dense mist. Even the profound mysteries of the Great Yin-Yang Stellar Dao at the Arcane level could not pierce through this obscuring veil.

"Interesting."

Eldrin murmured softly, "To be able to obscure my divination even now... it seems these 2 are destined for no small achievements in their future cultivation realms."

However, Eldrin (Person Name) was not the least bit afraid. Not to mention the countless possibilities the future held, even if both of them were reborn and cultivated to an extremely profound realm in their next lives, Eldrin (Person Name) would still remain utterly unshaken.

Today, he was able to defeat both of them. In millions of years, he would inevitably far surpass his current self, and thus feared nothing.

With this thought in mind, Eldrin strode upward into the sky, arriving at the very heart of the battlefield.

The most powerful Qingyang Imperial Son and the Solar Golden Crow had fallen, while 3 other Prodigies of Taboo were slain by Eldrin (Person Name). The outcome of this battle was gradually becoming inevitable.

At this moment, in the heart of the battlefield, Jiang Taixu (Person Name) was locked in a life-and-death struggle against the 5-Colored Immortal Phoenix. Lyra (Person Name) had forced the Zhu Yan Imperial Son into relentless retreat, while the other 9-Calamity Half-Step Celestial Immortals and forbidden prodigies from the demon and god races were all being overpowered by the human forces.

Eldrin did not directly intervene in the battle among the cultivators, merely standing aloft in the heavens. Only when someone faced the peril of falling would he extend a helping hand.

Thus, the great war persisted for 10 years, until the prodigies of the demon and god clans were gradually slaughtered to the last, leaving only the 5-Colored Immortal Phoenix barely holding on.

Jiang Taixu and the 5-Colored Immortal Phoenix clashed in a fierce battle spanning over 1 100 1000 exchanges. In the end, he prevailed by the narrowest margin, piercing through the divine soul of the 5-Colored Immortal Phoenix with his Taixu Sword Art.

"The Ethereal Sword Art is truly extraordinary."

At the moment of death, the 5-Colored Phoenix's soul slowly disintegrated, its physical form and primordial spirit continuously dissolving into the Dao.

Yet she remained utterly composed. Gazing at Jiang Taixu, she then turned her head to Eldrin (Person Name) and Lyra (Person Name), sighing softly as she spoke.

"With the 3 of you, it seems that in tens of millions of years, the Vast Azure Immortal Realm will be dominated by the human race."

"Fortunately, I am merely a passing traveler. Were it otherwise, I would likely have to bow my head before you as well."

The 5-Colored Immortal Phoenix whispered, a trace of a smile lingering in her eyes.

Jiang Taixu’s brow furrowed slightly, and he could not help but remark in astonishment, “A passerby… Could it be that you are still able to leave?”

"My name is Nihuang. We shall meet again."

The 5-Colored Immortal Phoenix spoke calmly, ultimately dissolving into scattered starlight and vanishing into ashes.

It was only then that Sun Qian spoke up. "The Phoenix Clan possesses the Nirvana Tribulation Transcendence Art, allowing them to be reborn through nirvana with but a wisp of their soul."

"By slaying her today, you are effectively severing his old vessel, allowing the new form to undergo natural nirvanic rebirth."

(End of Chapter)