Chapter 1906 : The Vase of Limitless Cultivation

At this moment, Eldrin Chen gained a faint understanding of the resource expenditure required beyond the Grand Luo Golden Immortal [the pinnacle realm of the Golden Immortal stage within the Grand Luo hierarchy] realm.

By Eldrin Chen's estimation, for his Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core and highest essence of a cultivator] cultivation to advance by a single minor stage, it would require the consumption of at least one thousand stalks of Supreme-Grade Innate Soul-Nourishing Wood.

The Great Luo Ancient Sect [a primordial and immensely powerful cultivation sect] was capable of cultivating Supreme-Grade Innate Soul-Nourishing Wood in vast quantities, bearing the temporal and cultivation costs, thus their acquisition cost for this herb was far lower than the market price an Ancient Immortal [an immortal who has existed since ancient times] would pay—approximately one thousand strands of Innate Primordial Qi [the purest, most fundamental energy born with the universe] per stalk.

At this price, the resource value needed to break through a single layer of Primordial Spirit cultivation would amount to one million strands of Innate Primordial Qi.

Of course, this was because Eldrin Chen's Primordial Spirit was exceptionally potent. For a Grand Luo Golden Immortal who had cultivated a Nine-Limit or even a Ten-Limit Primordial Spirit [a Primordial Spirit that has reached the theoretical pinnacle of ten limits], the required amount of Soul-Nourishing Wood [a general term for spiritual plants that nourish and strengthen the soul] would be drastically reduced, roughly only thirty percent of Eldrin Chen's consumption.

While Eldrin Chen's mighty Primordial Spirit demanded more resources, he possessed the Heaven-Earth Primordial Qi Vase [a mystical vase that generates and condenses the world's primordial energy], which allowed him to cultivate Supreme-Grade Innate Soul-Nourishing Wood at an exceedingly low cost.

Using the Heaven-Earth Primordial Qi Vase for cultivation, the cost per stalk of Supreme-Grade Innate Soul-Nourishing Wood did not exceed thirty strands of Innate Primordial Qi, suppressing the cost by several dozenfold. Thus, for now, the burden was manageable.

Naturally, the efficacy of Supreme-Grade Innate Soul-Nourishing Wood had its limits; it could, at most, serve as cultivation sustenance for the early stages of a Grand Luo Golden Immortal.

Upon reaching the Mid Great Luo Golden Immortal [the middle stage of the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm], one would require soul-nourishing treasures of the Innate Spiritual Root [a born-with spiritual foundation of the highest grade] grade to aid in breaking through to higher realms.

And after the Mid Great Luo Golden Immortal stage, the resources consumed for Primordial Spirit cultivation would need to be at least Soul-Nourishing Wood of the Great Luo Rare Treasure [a treasure of immense rarity and power within the Grand Luo system] grade.

The Supreme-Grade Innate Soul-Nourishing Wood and the Great Luo Rare Treasure grade Soul-Nourishing Wood [a spiritual wood that nourishes and strengthens the cultivator's soul essence], how could their value differ by less than ten thousandfold?

And this is merely for the Mid Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. To break through to Late Great Luo Golden Immortal, the required resources are so immense that even a top-tier Grand Luo Golden Immortal would struggle to bear the cost, forced to accumulate them slowly over thousands upon thousands of Kalpa Tribulation [cosmic cycles of immense duration].

In truth, it is precisely for this reason that cultivation for a Grand Luo Golden Immortal places even greater emphasis on the refinement of the Great Dao [the fundamental laws and principles of existence].

For the cultivation of the Great Dao relies more on enlightenment and insight, consuming far fewer external resources. One only needs to integrate Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light [a primordial, unbreakable radiance that facilitates the metamorphosis of one's Dao] during the breakthrough to the mid or late stages of Grand Luo Golden Immortal to complete the necessary Dao transformation.

In comparison, cultivating the Primordial Spirit [the foundational spiritual core of a being] and the physical body is extremely resource-intensive, and in the early stages, their power may not yet rival that of Dao Authority [the authority and power derived from one's comprehension of the Dao].

"With the Heaven-Earth Primordial Qi Vase, my Primordial Spirit cultivation in the early Grand Luo Golden Immortal stages should not face any major obstacles,"

"As for physical cultivation, drawing upon the waters of the Chaos Sea [the primordial, formless expanse from which all creation emerged] as sustenance should suffice for a baseline rate of progress."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, continuously assessing the future costs of his cultivation. After careful deliberation, he concluded, "Yet no matter how frugal I am, my future cultivation will inevitably consume vast quantities of Innate Primordial Qi [the most fundamental and purest form of energy from the dawn of creation]."

"To truly perfect my cultivation progress, I must obtain a great amount of Innate Primordial Qi."

Having thought this, Eldrin Chen quickly suppressed the notion, storing it away for later contemplation.

He immediately handed the Heaven-Earth Primordial Qi Vase to the Old Patriarch and gave him tens of thousands of strands of Innate Primordial Qi for the Old Patriarch to use in nurturing the Supreme-Grade Innate Soul-Nourishing Wood and other rare treasures.

After completing these tasks, Eldrin Chen lowered his gaze and began to scatter his divine essence across the myriad dimensional spaces contained within the Abyssal Immortal Domain.

Since its inception, the Abyssal Immortal Domain had existed for little more than two hundred thousand years. Within its boundless, infinite dimensional spaces, countless minor worlds, major worlds, great thousand worlds, and Cosmos were all in their nascent, primordial stages of development.

Eldrin Chen's consciousness observed these endless multidimensional Space-Time, discovering within them minor worlds beyond count, major worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, great thousand worlds numbering in the trillions, and even Cosmos reaching into the millions.

Furthermore, at every moment, countless new heavens, earths, and Cosmos were being born and taking shape within this expanse.

Minor worlds, with diameters not exceeding tens of thousands of Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], flickered in and out of existence within the dimensional void, their lifespans rarely exceeding one hundred thousand years before Annihilation.

Major worlds were vast and magnificent, spanning millions of Li-lengths, and could endure for several million years.

Great thousand worlds stretched for billions of Li-lengths, capable of nurturing Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality through cultivation] and divine spirits, giving birth to ancient and distant myths. They could persist for the span of several Kalpa Tribulation [an immense cosmic cycle in Buddhist cosmology, often billions of years].

Cosmos were boundless and immeasurable, some as small as a single galaxy, others stretching across untold billions of light-years.

"Worlds vanish in illusion, all things are born anew."

"All living beings are groping in the dark, seeking the path of cultivation [the practice of refining one's body and spirit to ascend towards immortality]."

Eldrin Chen gazed upon the myriad souls within the boundless worlds and could not help but murmur softly.

He witnessed prodigious divine spirits [powerful beings born of heaven and earth] being born, transcending their tribulations to ascend as immortals to the Abyssal Immortal Domain, and he saw ancient sages kindling the first fires, traversing the great wilderness, and emulating fierce beasts and birds of prey to discover the most primitive arts of combat.

Yet, what he saw most were the ancient mortals of a bygone era, with no path for their cultivation.

They dwelled in darkness, mere prey for savage beasts, ants struggling for survival beneath wildfires and floods, carving out a precarious existence amidst blood and flame.

"The multitude has no path."

Eldrin Chen spoke with calm finality, his eyes ultimately gleaming with a light of unwavering resolve. "Since there is no path ahead, then I shall be the one to transmit the Dao [the fundamental principle or path of cultivation and existence]."

As his words fell, in a single thought of his, Eldrin, countless beams of light diverged and scattered, raining down upon worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

These rays of light transformed into innumerable white-robed figures, who walked the mountains and vast wilderness, imparting to all beings the knowledge of written language and the methods for cultivating the martial path [a branch of cultivation focusing on physical prowess and combat techniques].

The Path of Self-Sacrifice—a heaven-defying method to alter one's fate that disregarded innate talent or origin, valuing only willpower and perseverance—spread like scattered sparks of starlight across the infinite Myriad Heavens.

Uncertain how much time had passed, Eldrin Chen slowly opened his eyes, a glimmer of profound understanding dawning within their depths.

At that very moment, from the boundless expanse of the Myriad Heavens [the countless realms and dimensions of existence], an immeasurable radiance of Merit [a metaphysical "currency" representing good karma or virtuous deeds] converged, gathering within Eldrin Chen's form and coalescing into a divine halo of the Great Dao [the fundamental principle or path of cosmic truth].

"So this... is the state of a Dao Progenitor [the ultimate realm of one who originates and disseminates a fundamental cosmic principle]?"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, ripples of comprehension stirring in his gaze. In this moment, he finally grasped the true meaning of a Dao Progenitor.

To forge a new path for all living beings and propagate it throughout the Myriad Heavens.

Such is a Dao Progenitor!

Unbeknownst to him, the Path of Self-Sacrifice [a cultivation art centered on the principle of selfless devotion] had, over time, matured into a nascent Great Dao of its own.

As the pioneer of this path, Eldrin Chen had, in an almost imperceptible manner, come to master a new cosmic principle, becoming the sovereign of the Path of Self-Sacrifice.

Yet this Dao was still frail, arguably the most nascent and fragile of all, currently not even reaching the level of a Primordial Great Dao [one of the foundational, ancient cosmic principles].

However, the Path of Self-Sacrifice held boundless potential. The more powerful its adherents became in the future, the mightier this Dao itself would grow.

For those who cultivate the Path of Self-Sacrifice [a profound cultivation art centered on sacrifice for the greater good] in the future, each time a new Immortal [a being who has achieved immortality through cultivation] ascends through its principles, the Path of Self-Sacrifice will subtly refine and perfect itself. Should three thousand cultivators of the Path of Self-Sacrifice attain the realm of Heavenly Immortal Paragon [the pinnacle of the Heavenly Immortal realm], then the art itself would Ascension [undergo a fundamental transcendence] and transform into a Primordial Great Dao [a foundational, cosmic-level Dao or principle].

Furthermore, each existence that uses the Path of Self-Sacrifice as their foundation to break through to Grand Luo [the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm] contributes to the art's further refinement. Ultimately, after a multitude of Path of Self-Sacrifice Immortal achieve Ascension to Grand Luo, the Path of Self-Sacrifice itself would also ascend, reaching the very threshold of a Chaos Great Dao [a Great Dao born from primordial chaos].

At that point, as the Dao Progenitor [the original founder and supreme master of a Dao] who pioneered this Great Dao, Eldrin Chen could utilize the perfected Path of Self-Sacrifice to break through to the realm of Chaos Dao Progenitor [a Progenitor whose Dao is rooted in primordial chaos].

In essence, the Path of Self-Sacrifice is the key to paving the way for all living beings, similar to the method pioneered by the Primordial Beginning Dao Ancestor [the legendary progenitor who initiated the path of cultivation] for Ascension to the Immortal Domain [the realm of the Immortals] to obtain the Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light [a primordial, unbreakable spiritual radiance].

The entire purpose of the Path of Self-Sacrifice is to lay the foundation for proving one's Dao and attaining Grand Luo. Ultimately, even those who use the Path of Self-Sacrifice to achieve Ascension to Grand Luo must comprehend their own unique Grand Luo path and cultivate their personal Great Dao to truly step into the Great Luo Realm.

Currently, for those who have reached the Cosmos Realm [a high-tier Immortal realm] via the Path of Self-Sacrifice, unless they are a peerless genius like a Reincarnation Body [a special avatar formed through reincarnation], they do not hold a significant advantage over top-tier Eight Tribulation Ancient Immortal [an Ancient Immortal who has survived eight Heavenly Tribulations].

If an Eight Tribulation Ancient Immortal were to confront a Cosmos Realm cultivator at the Great Perfection stage who follows the Path of Self-Sacrifice, the latter's hope of ultimately proving their Dao and attaining Grand Luo would not necessarily be greater.

"The method of the Path of Self-Sacrifice still requires refinement," murmured Eldrin Chen.

Eldrin Chen whispered softly, then summoned his Reincarnation Body to begin a deep study into the cultivation path of the Path of Self-Sacrifice.

After many years, Eldrin Chen once again delved into researching the Path of Self-Sacrifice and quickly grasped its current shortcomings.

The Path of Self-Sacrifice fuses one's physical body, Great Dao [the supreme cosmic principle], Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator], Dao Fruit [the culmination of one's cultivation path], mana, divine abilities, and all other foundational aspects into a single, unified whole. While this forges the peerless Body of Self-Sacrifice, it ultimately imposes its own profound limitations.

The fundamental reason lies in the sheer power of the Body of Self-Sacrifice; its very strength makes further advancement exponentially more arduous.

Take the Reincarnation Body as an example. Its Body of Self-Sacrifice has already reached the True Spirit Realm. Yet, if each foundational aspect were considered separately, any single one would only be at the level of an Indestructible Foundation.

This means that for the Reincarnation Body's Body of Self-Sacrifice to advance further, all seven foundational pillars must be cultivated to the True Spirit Realm simultaneously.

Ascending this step is a task of near-impossible difficulty, a hundred times more challenging than cultivating a single True Spirit Foundation. Not even Eldrin Chen could accomplish it, and the Reincarnation Body itself stands no chance.

"To grant the Path of Self-Sacrifice a greater advantage, another path must be sought,"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly. With his current cultivation and insight, he continuously contemplated the Path of Self-Sacrifice, and soon discerned a method to break this deadlock.

After a long period of deep thought, he finally spoke: "For the Path of Self-Sacrifice to find its way forward, two paths are possible."

"The first is to further refine the Ten Great Divine Treasuries, harnessing the power of the Divine Treasury to amplify the strength of the Body of Self-Sacrifice."

"The second is the method of the Inner World [a self-contained microcosm cultivated within one's own body]."

"By further refining the Inner World [a supreme cultivation art focused on developing one's internal cosmos] and pushing it to its absolute limit, then using the Inner World to empower oneself, one can dramatically enhance their combat prowess."

Eldrin Chen pondered this deeply and immediately began to further deduce the principles of the Ten Great Divine Treasuries [a supreme cultivation art centered on ten foundational divine repositories].

The Path of Self-Sacrifice [a profound cultivation path emphasizing sacrifice for greater power] encompasses the Ten Great Divine Treasuries, of which the Nine Great Foundations [the nine foundational treasuries] constitute the Divine Treasury [a major cultivation realm]. These are: Origin Source, Blood Qi [vital life force energy], Force Extreme [the pinnacle of physical strength], Primordial Qi [the fundamental energy of existence], Soul, Dao Heart [the unwavering heart aligned with the Dao], Longevity, Heavenly Secrets, and Laws.

Furthermore, there exists the ultimate Divine Treasury—the Grand Luo [the supreme, all-encompassing treasury realm]!

At this moment, Eldrin Chen continuously contemplated the Nine Great Divine Treasuries. Ultimately, using them as a foundation and emulating the methods of the Nine True Spirit Divine Patterns [divine patterns formed from nine true spirits] and the Nine Great True Spirit Apertures [nine major apertures connected to true spirits], he tirelessly deduced and perfected the Nine Great Divine Treasuries.

As he continuously refined it, he finally deduced a new method, evolving from the foundation of the Cosmos Realm [a realm where one embodies a personal cosmos] to push forward into yet another realm—the Immortal Treasury [a realm where one's foundational treasuries are elevated to an immortal level]!

"The Immortal Treasury Realm!"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, a glint of unwavering resolve flashing in his eyes.

The Path of Self-Sacrifice consists of the Six Mortal Realms [the six foundational realms of mortal cultivation]: Body Forging [tempering the physical body], Qi Refining [refining one's vital energy], Dao Foundation [laying the foundation of one's Dao], Divine Treasury, Dao Embryo [nurturing the embryonic form of one's Dao], and Imperishable [achieving a state of indestructibility].

These are followed by the Four Immortal Dao Realms: Self-Sacrifice, World Creation, Three Realms, and Cosmos.

Now, Eldrin Chen has pioneered the fifth realm of the Immortal Path, known as the Immortal Treasury Realm.

The so-called Immortal Treasury Realm involves cultivating the Nine Great Divine Treasuries, transforming them into the more powerful Immortal Treasury.

When Eldrin Chen first created the Ten Great Divine Treasuries, it was to integrate vast cultivation resources, using them as fuel to sacrifice everything and reshape the Body of Self-Sacrifice.

It can be said that the Ten Great Divine Treasuries are, by nature, the very source of a cultivator's power.

By now reactivating the Ten Great Divine Treasuries, the True Self Cultivation Method he created uses these treasuries as its foundation. They draw in and refine the primordial essence of the Cosmos, serving as the wellspring of power for attaining the Grand Luo realm.

The Divine Treasury originates from the external world, concealed within the Void, and is not constrained by the limitations of the Body of Self-Sacrifice.

Thus, Eldrin Chen used this as a basis, refining a single Divine Treasury Treasure [a powerful enchanted artifact that serves as the core of a Divine Treasury] into each of the Ten Great Divine Treasuries.

Each of these Ten Great Divine Treasuries, integrated with a Divine Treasury Treasure, draws in, refines, and transforms various cultivation resources. They convert them into ten fundamental types of power: Primordial Origin, Blood Qi [the vital life force energy contained within blood], Force Extreme [the ultimate expression of physical strength], Vital Energy, Soul Essence, Dao Heart [the unwavering, enlightened core of a cultivator's will and understanding of the Dao], Longevity, Heavenly Secrets, Laws, and Grand Luo.

Once they are filled to their absolute limit, they will transform into the far more potent Immortal Treasury.

At that time, using the Great Luo Immortal Treasury as the foundation, he will fuse the Nine Great Divine Treasuries into a single Innate Formation Patterns [a natural, self-generating magical array] that empowers his own body. Much like the Bloodline Divine Ability of the Sainthood through the Flesh path, this will be sufficient to amplify the power of the Body of Self-Sacrifice to its absolute zenith.

Theoretically speaking, if one cultivates the Ten Great Divine Treasuries to its ultimate limit, the power of the Path of Self-Sacrifice would be elevated to an exceedingly formidable level.

At that point, even a Body of Self-Sacrifice at the Nine or Ten Limit realms could possess combat prowess rivaling that of an Eight Tribulation Ancient Immortal.

If one could cultivate the Body of Self-Sacrifice to the Imperishable realm, bolstered by the Ten Great Immortal Treasury, one could even parry an Innate Spiritual Treasure with bare hands, matching the combat strength of a single True Spirit Foundation cultivator.

A reincarnated physique like the Reincarnation Body, if cultivated to the ultimate limit of the Ten Great Immortal Treasury, would also experience a monumental surge in combat power.

Furthermore, the Ten Great Immortal Treasury hold the potential for an even greater ascension.

"True Spirit Divine Treasury,"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, a profound depth flickering within his gaze.

A moment later, he shook his head. The Ten Great Divine Treasuries are concealed within the Void; they are not part of one's foundational cultivation base. The difficulty of refining them to the True Spirit Realm is increased a hundredfold, if not more.

Setting aside the fact that he currently lacks the means to perfect them, even if he could, such a metamorphosis could not be completed below the Grand Luo realm.

According to Eldrin Chen's estimation, one would need to cultivate the Path of Self-Sacrifice to at least the Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch realm to have any chance of guiding the Ten Great Immortal Treasury through their ultimate transformation, granting a sliver of possibility to reach the True Spirit Realm.

At that stage, the Path of Self-Sacrifice would be akin to the Sainthood through the Flesh and the Soul Path Celestial Emperor method; it likely would not require the cultivation of a Great Dao [the fundamental cosmic principles] to reach the realm of the Chaos Celestial Emperor.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen suppressed the notion.

He took a deep breath and once more attempted to further refine the method of the Inner World.

With the precedent of opening an Immortal Domain, refining this step was not difficult. As he continuously perfected it, he ultimately succeeded in creating the Inner World Transformation into Immortal Domain technique for the Path of Self-Sacrifice.

Only after everything was perfected did Eldrin Chen finally complete the cultivation path from the Path of Self-Sacrifice to the Grand Luo realm.

According to Eldrin Chen's estimation, once the Path of Self-Sacrifice cultivates ten great Immortal Treasury, its combat power would already surpass that of the Immortal Path [the mainstream cultivation system] at the same stage.

However, considering that the Path of Self-Sacrifice cultivates the entire foundational body as one, allowing for only a single True Spirit Physique or a single Indestructible Body, and its breakthrough difficulty is greater, the number of top-tier Body of Self-Sacrifice cultivators would likely be extremely few.

Nevertheless, with the support of the Inner World and ten great Immortal Treasury, those who have cultivated a Body of Self-Sacrifice to the ninth or tenth limit would certainly not be weak. They would still possess the potential to prove their Dao [achieve enlightenment and ascend] and reach the Grand Luo realm.