Chapter 1860 : The Final Step to Immortality

This was not due to any lack of brilliance on his part, but rather because his time cultivating had been far too brief, unable to compare with those Peerless Prodigy who had cultivated for hundreds of millions or even billions of years.

Strictly speaking, this Kalpa Tribulation [a cataclysmic cosmic cycle marking the end of an era] was not his era to dominate.

Understanding this, Eldrin Chen could not help but ask, "What is Grandfather's meaning?"

"I believe for this Kalpa Tribulation, we should concentrate our strength to help you take that final step."

With a flick of his sleeve, Path Ruins Jiang presented the Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light [a primordial spiritual radiance embodying the concept of unbreakable durability] into Eldrin Chen's hands, then spoke, "With the aid of this treasure, I believe your chances of attaining the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [the supreme pinnacle of immortal cultivation, representing perfect unity with the cosmos] will increase by several more degrees."

"Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light."

Eldrin Chen spoke softly, then after a moment nodded and said, "This object is indeed useful to me. In that case, I shall not refuse your generous gift."

As he spoke, Eldrin Chen waved his sleeve, manifesting three thousand strands of Innate Energy [the primordial, foundational energy of creation] alongside several dozen types of Supreme Grade Innate Rare Treasure [the highest class of treasures born from the primordial chaos], plus one portion of the Great Encompassing Sword Fiend [a legendary sword embodying a supreme, all-encompassing demonic principle].

He handed all these Rare Spiritual Wonders over to Path Ruins Jiang and said with solemn gravity, "In my years of wandering the Sea of Chaos [the primordial, formless expanse from which all realms are born], my harvest of treasures has been plentiful."

"These may be of some use to you, perhaps allowing you to advance another step before the Kalpa Tribulation arrives." Support the author by reading on site: audio-novel.com.

Path Ruins Jiang's eyes flickered slightly. He accepted these treasures calmly and then spoke, "It seems the you of today is no longer the you of yesterday."

Eldrin Chen's expression remained unchanged, merely offering a placid smile. "Just a few minor gains. If Grandfather were to set foot in the Sea of Chaos [the primordial, formless expanse from which all things emerged], I imagine your Creation [the act of world-shaping or profound creation] would shake the heavens as well."

Upon hearing this, Path Ruins Jiang gave an ambiguous smile, offering no further comment.

Today's visit left Path Ruins Jiang quite satisfied. Although he had gifted Eldrin Chen the Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light [a primordial, unbreakable spiritual radiance], he had received a batch of treasures he urgently needed in return—a more than fair exchange.

Afterwards, the two discussed the Dao [the fundamental principle and path of cultivation] for a period of time. Then, Path Ruins Jiang did not linger further and departed from the Returning Abyss Grotto-Heaven.

After Path Ruins Jiang's departure, Eldrin Chen wasted no time and immediately began secluded cultivation to master a new Divine Ability [a supreme supernatural power or technique].

Years ago, Eldrin Chen had obtained the Five Elements Great Encompassing Thunder Marrow [the essential marrow of thunder encompassing all five elements], completing the final catalyst needed to cultivate the Chaos Divine Thunder. His cultivation had been temporarily set aside due to the longevity banquet, but now the time had come.

Now that he had the opportunity, Eldrin Chen did not squander it. He began the arduous process of cultivating this formidable Chaos Divine Thunder.

The cultivation method for the Chaos Divine Thunder was remarkably similar to that of Primordial One Energy [the unified, primordial energy from which all things derive]. Eldrin Chen had long since deduced its principles, so the actual cultivation proved less daunting than anticipated.

He continuously refined and absorbed the Five Elements Great Encompassing Thunder Marrow. Merely one thousand years later, the Solar Fire Divine Thunder was the first to be mastered, its power breaking through in one surge to the Patriarch Level [a realm of power equivalent to that of a founding patriarch].

After another two thousand years, the Positive Water Divine Thunder also broke through to the Great Encompassing Rank.

Step by step, he cultivated in this manner. After ten thousand years, all five divine thunders had fully advanced to the Great Encompassing Realm.

"BOOM—"

As the five divine thunders succeeded one after another, they intertwined and fused continuously. The dazzling, five-colored lightning radiance nearly pierced through the vast and boundless void.

This power was far too domineering. A single lapse in control would be enough to shatter an Immortal Domain [a realm governed by immortal laws], inflicting irreversible damage upon the Vast Azure Immortal Domain.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, Eldrin Chen relied on his Indestructibility Primordial Spirit [a spiritual core of unbreakable resilience] and his Eleventh Limit [the pinnacle of the eleventh major cultivation stage] level of mana to completely control it, guiding it to its final, perfect fusion.

With the fusion of the Five Elements Great Encompassing Divine Thunder, the five elemental powers ultimately coalesced into one, transforming into a supreme force of Primordial Chaos Limitless [a state of boundless, primordial chaos].

"Chaos Divine Thunder."

"The supreme Divine Ability [a god-like supernatural technique] of the Eleventh Limit."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, a glimmer of profound joy lighting his eyes.

Having cultivated the Chaos Divine Thunder to this stage, it had not only reached the Eleventh Limit Realm, but its power had already transcended the limits of this realm, drawing near to the Twelfth Limit True Spirit Divine Ability.

Moreover, compared to the Chaos Unity Energy which excelled in defense and capture, this Chaos Divine Thunder was peerless in offense, its might within the same tier could be described as nearly invincible.

Of course, for Eldrin Chen, who possessed an Innate Spiritual Treasure, an Eleventh Limit Divine Ability [a supreme supernatural power] was perhaps formidable enough, yet it could not bring him such elation.

What truly filled him with joy was that with the mastery of the Chaos Divine Thunder, the Five Thunders Spirit Refining Great Art [a supreme art for refining the spirit with five thunders] within his body had finally advanced a step further, transforming into the Chaos Divine Thunder Spirit Refining Great Art [a supreme art for refining the spirit with the divine thunder of primordial chaos].

This spirit-refining method of the Chaos Divine Thunder could constantly activate the thunder to temper the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator], continuously increasing the cultivator's spiritual strength, allowing it to eventually shatter a certain limit and reach the realm of the Twelfth Limit True Spirit Primordial Spirit.

Now, as Eldrin Chen succeeded in cultivating the Chaos Divine Thunder, he immediately felt his Primordial Spirit begin to continuously disintegrate and crack. The supreme Chaos Divine Thunder annihilated everything, grinding the fragments of his Primordial Spirit into the purest essence of soul origin. Original English translation available at www . audio-novel.com.

For an ordinary person, the moment their Primordial Spirit collapsed like this, there would be no turning back.

Fortunately, Eldrin Chen had cultivated the Indestructibility Primordial Spirit. Even facing this seemingly certain death, a trace of Indestructibility Divinity [the divine principle of indestructibility] still remained within him.

Behold, Eldrin Chen's fracturing Primordial Spirit erupted with Indestructibility Immortal Radiance [an immortal, unyielding light]. Then, the continuously disintegrating Primordial Spirit actually began to recover unceasingly. It ceaselessly drew upon the scattered soul origin essence, mending its own wounds and spiritual nature.

However, if this were all, the recovery speed of his Primordial Spirit would still fall far short of the rate of its disintegration.

Fortunately, within the sea of consciousness of Eldrin Chen, a stalk of Soul Nourishing Wood [a miraculous spiritual wood that continuously nourishes and heals the soul] ceaselessly emanated an inexhaustible source of soul-nourishing essence, constantly nurturing his Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core and highest form of a cultivator's soul]. This barely maintained a balance between the two forces, preventing them from completely disintegrating into Oblivion [the state of utter non-existence, the final end].

However, the consumption rate of this Soul Nourishing Wood was extremely rapid. By this reckoning, this single stalk would likely be completely exhausted in less than a thousand years.

For an ordinary cultivator, witnessing such a situation would force them to immediately halt their cultivation of the Chaos Divine Thunder Spirit Refining Great Art [a supreme art that refines the spirit using the power of primordial chaos thunder]. Fortunately, Eldrin Chen possessed the Polarity Energy Vessel [a legendary treasure capable of accelerating the growth of spiritual plants], which could hasten the maturation of the Soul Nourishing Wood.

Thus, Eldrin Chen promptly retrieved the Soul Nourishing Wood and began expending vast amounts of Innate Energy [the primordial, untainted energy present at the dawn of creation] and Immortal Spirit Essence [the purified spiritual essence of an immortal] to cultivate it. In a remarkably short span, he had nurtured several dozen stalks of Supreme Grade Innate Soul Nourishing Wood [the highest quality variant of Soul Nourishing Wood, born of innate energy].

With this ample supply of Soul Nourishing Wood, Eldrin Chen's Primordial Spirit finally settled into a state of long-term equilibrium.

He began to continuously channel the Chaos Divine Thunder [thunder born from the primordial chaos, possessing world-sundering power] to disassemble his Primordial Spirit, tearing it into countless fragments and annihilating them into the purest essence of soul origin.

Simultaneously, he refined this purified soul origin essence along with the Soul Nourishing Wood, constantly nourishing and replenishing his soul power.

After refining thirty-six stalks of Soul Nourishing Wood in this manner, Eldrin Chen discovered that the purity of his Primordial Spirit seemed to have reached a certain absolute limit. Even the Chaos Divine Thunder could no longer inflict significant damage upon it.

"Has it reached its ultimate limit?"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, a trace of solemn gravity flickering in the depths of his eyes.

Yet, after but a moment, he halted his cultivation. Instead, he turned his focus once more to accelerating the growth of the Soul Nourishing Wood [a rare spiritual wood that nourishes and heals the soul].

He continued this process relentlessly until he had nurtured over three hundred stalks. Only then did he cease, finally drawing a deep breath. "Consuming over ten thousand strands of Innate Energy [the primordial life-force energy one is born with] to barely force-grow this many stalks of Soul Nourishing Wood," he murmured.

"Whether I can break and then rebuild... it all hinges on today."

With those words, Eldrin Chen refined all three hundred-plus stalks of Soul Nourishing Wood directly into his sea of consciousness [the metaphysical space housing one's spirit and mind].

This task complete, Eldrin Chen for the first time fully unleashed the Chaos Divine Thunder [a primordial thunder of creation and destruction], allowing it to rage unchecked within the confines of his mental realm.

"BOOM—"

A deafening roar echoed as a blinding arc of Thunderclap [a concentrated blast of thunderous force] descended within Eldrin Chen's sea of consciousness.

However, this bolt of Chaos Divine Thunder was not aimed at his Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core and true self of a high-level cultivator]. Instead, it struck directly at the gathered mass of three hundred-plus Soul Nourishing Wood.

A colossal detonation followed. The stalks of wood were violently shattered into countless fragments, their pieces scattering like spiritual dust through the mental expanse. Yet, Eldrin Chen exerted the power of his soul, forcefully gathering and containing the dispersed debris once more.

Immediately after, another earth-shattering crash resounded. A second bolt of Chaos Divine Thunder fell, hammering the fragments further—pulverizing them into fine splinters and, ultimately, into mere spiritual powder.

This process repeated over and over. After more than three thousand divine thunderbolts had fallen, these Soul Nourishing Wood were repeatedly forged by the Thunderclap [a powerful thunder-based forging technique], transforming into a vast and boundless sea of primordial soul essence.

Such an immense sea of essence was sufficient to help thousands of Ancient Immortal [powerful cultivators who have transcended mortal limits] break through the Primordial Spirit Heavenly Pass [a critical bottleneck in spiritual cultivation]. Yet, within the mind of Eldrin Chen, it churned and boiled, becoming the purest nourishment for his cultivation.

"Haaa—"

Eldrin Chen's Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core and highest form of a cultivator's soul] slowly exhaled a breath, then began to inhale and refine this mighty sea of soul essence.

As time flowed on, Eldrin Chen's Primordial Spirit began to expand continuously, growing hundreds of times larger without him even noticing. The entire spirit became vast, majestic, and profoundly potent.

"Almost there."

It was at this very moment that Eldrin Chen's Primordial Spirit slowly opened its eyes.

Sensing the power contained within his own spirit, he could not help but draw in a deep, slow breath.

In this instant, Eldrin Chen understood with perfect clarity. The power of his Primordial Spirit had swelled a hundredfold compared to before, and the spirit's raw strength had increased by no less than a hundred times. Yet, it had also become bloated and ponderously heavy.

Within this Primordial Spirit, invisible impurities and unrefined essence filled every corner. It required continuous tempering and refinement to complete its final, ultimate metamorphosis.

With this thought in mind, Eldrin Chen lifted his gaze to the expanse above his consciousness sea [the metaphysical realm of the mind and spirit], then looked down at the Enlightenment Purple Lotus Throne upon which he sat, and spoke: "It is time to take this step."

As his words faded, Eldrin Chen swept his sleeve, moving the Enlightenment Purple Lotus Throne aside. He then began to inhale and exhale the Primordial Breath [the foundational energy of creation] of the Boundless Chaos, coalescing within his consciousness sea the form of a Primordial Chaos Millstone.

"From the Chaos Unity Energy [the harmonized essence of primordial chaos], three Divine Ability [supreme supernatural techniques] shall be derived."

"The first shall be the Primordial Chaos Unity Energy True Aura, the second the Primordial Chaos Unity Energy Grasping Hand. As for this third Divine Ability..."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, his words trailing off as he gazed upon the Primordial Chaos Millstone taking shape before him.

After a moment, a smile touched his lips, and he continued: "Life, Primordial Solar [the essence of the primal sun], Profound Darkness [the essence of profound shadow], Source Earth [the essence of the foundational earth], Mixed Metal [the essence of blended metals]—these five auras converge, coalescing into this single Primordial Chaos Millstone."

"Thus, this third technique shall be named 'Primordial Chaos Unity Energy Great Mill'."

Speaking thus, Eldrin Chen could not help but let his smile widen.

The third Divine Ability derived from the Chaos Unity Energy, its method of activation, was a peerless technique that combined the effects of suppression and utter annihilation.

While its suppressive power fell short of the Primordial Chaos Unity Energy Grasping Hand, and its destructive force could not match the Chaos Divine Thunder, it possessed a unique and formidable effect all its own.

By employing this method to suppress a formidable foe, it can grind away both their physical form and their Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator, representing their consciousness and soul essence].

Cultivators who have ascended beyond the Great Encompassing [a profound cultivation realm] are exceedingly difficult to truly slay. Unless there exists a vast disparity in cultivation realms, it is nearly impossible for those of equal standing to decide life and death between them.

Theoretically speaking, those nearly indestructible Indestructibility Primordial Spirit [a divine ability that renders one's spiritual core virtually unbreakable], and even the Indestructibility Body [a legendary physique of supreme resilience] of the Twelfth Limit [the pinnacle of a cultivation stage], are considered almost impossible to utterly erase.

Even if Eldrin Chen were to unleash the Chaos Divine Thunder [a divine thunder technique born from primordial chaos], he could not completely annihilate a high-level Ancient Immortal [an immortal who has existed since ancient times] who has cultivated the Indestructibility Primordial Spirit.

This is because an Ancient Immortal who has achieved the Indestructibility Primordial Spirit is virtually impossible to be completely extinguished. Only a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal realm] acting personally could utterly annihilate such an existence.

However, the Primordial Chaos Millstone [a divine ability manifesting as a millstone of primordial chaos] is an exception. This Divine Ability [a supreme supernatural power] originates from the differentiation of Chaos Unity Energy [the primordial, undifferentiated energy from which all things emerged], inheriting its profound, enduring, and inexhaustible nature.

Theoretically, given sufficient time, the Primordial Chaos Unity Energy Millstone could grind to dust even an Indestructibility Primordial Spirit of the Eleventh Limit [a cultivation stage just below the ultimate pinnacle].

Such an effect is truly astonishing. Yet, for the present Eldrin Chen, it is another aspect of this ability that captures his focus.

"My Indestructibility Primordial Spirit, its Immortality [the quality of being deathless] and Indestructibility [the state of being unbreakable], cannot be completely erased even by the relentless forging of the Chaos Divine Thunder. Consequently, it is also difficult to force it through a complete and final metamorphosis."

"To advance a step further, perhaps leveraging this Primordial Chaos Unity Energy Millstone is the optimal path."

As the words fell, Eldrin Chen did not hesitate for a moment.

He continuously channeled the Chaos Divine Thunder, the surging divine thunderbolts crashing down upon his own Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator].

As the power of the Chaos Divine Thunder gradually intensified, his Primordial Spirit began to fracture and shatter into fragments.

This time, however, Eldrin Chen did not activate the Indestructibility [the property of being unbreakable and eternal] inherent within his Primordial Spirit to restore it. Instead, he placed these shattered remnants into the Primordial Chaos Unity Energy Millstone and began to use the grinding power of the Primordial Chaos Grinding Mill to utterly pulverize his own Primordial Spirit.

"RUMBLE—"

As the Primordial Chaos Grinding Mill began to turn, Eldrin Chen watched in astonishment as the fragments of his Primordial Spirit continued to break apart. With each rotation and crushing pressure, they were ground into nothingness, utterly annihilated.

Even more terrifying was the gradual disappearance of the Indestructibility Divinity [the divine principle of unbreakability] that had been woven into the very fabric of his Primordial Spirit.

As time passed, the stream of spiritual soul origin essence that finally flowed from the Primordial Chaos Millstone was nearly as viscous and clear as water, yet it held not a trace of divinity or sentient spirit.

This was the purest, most pristine spiritual soul origin essence. Any cultivator could easily refine it to bolster their own soul power, and its efficacy surpassed that of the Soul Nourishing Wood by a hundredfold, even a thousandfold.

"The purest spiritual soul origin essence, without the slightest impurity?"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly. After a moment of contemplation, he decisively channeled his consciousness into that mass of supremely pure origin essence [the foundational spiritual source of a being].

This time, Eldrin Chen resolved to abandon his old Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator]. He would fuse his consciousness with the supremely pure soul origin essence, using this opportunity to reforge a new Primordial Spirit, ultimately stepping into that supreme and peerless realm in one fell swoop.

"Hmm—"

As his consciousness merged within, the new Primordial Spirit took shape. Eldrin Chen discovered that within the Primordial Spirit forged from supremely pure origin essence, a trace of Indestructibility Divinity [a divine quality representing unbreakable permanence] began to stir.

What surprised Eldrin Chen even more was the discovery that his four Innate Divine Abilities [powers born from one's spiritual nature] had been stripped away.

The newborn Primordial Spirit seemed like a blank slate, yet it possessed nine apertures for Divine Abilities [channels for cultivating supernatural powers]. Each aperture radiated with the power of supremely pure origin essence.

"A Nine Apertures Primordial Spirit,"

Eldrin Chen murmured slowly, a flicker of pleasant surprise crossing his features.

A Nine Apertures Primordial Spirit signified his potential to cultivate nine Innate Divine Abilities. This could be considered an unprecedented harvest.

It must be understood that a cultivator's Innate Divine Abilities are typically fixed upon reaching the Infant Soul Realm [a major stage of spiritual cultivation].

Generally speaking, a Mortal Path Infant Soul [the lowest grade of the Infant Soul cultivation stage] can open one aperture, allowing the cultivation of a single Innate Divine Ability [a powerful innate supernatural power]. An Earthly Path Infant Soul [the middle grade] can open two apertures, enabling the mastery of two such abilities, while a Heavenly Path Infant Soul [the highest grade] can open three apertures, granting the potential for three Divine Ability [supernatural powers].

When Eldrin Chen achieved the Great Encompassing Infant Soul [a legendary, near-perfect grade], he only managed to open four apertures, yet that alone was enough to be considered peerless within his realm. He never imagined that his newly formed Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a high-level cultivator] would be born with nine apertures. This was truly astonishing.

The gap between an Innate Divine Ability and a non-innate one is immense. Not only is an innate ability roughly thirty percent more powerful, but the most crucial difference is its significantly lower consumption of spiritual energy [the vital energy used to fuel cultivation and techniques].

Below the Great Encompassing realm, this disparity matters less. The vast majority of Earth Immortal [a foundational immortal realm] and Celestial Immortal [a higher immortal realm] cultivators possess resources sufficient only to cultivate one or two Innate Divine Ability to perfection, so the difference between them is not overwhelming.

However, upon reaching the Great Encompassing Realm [a realm of profound power and comprehension], the distinction becomes stark. Nearly every Great Encompassing Immortal Lord [a title for a powerful immortal in this realm] commands staggering resources, allowing them to cultivate all their Innate Divine Ability to the Patriarch Level [a level of mastery associated with founding ancestors].

Under such circumstances, the difference between possessing four Innate Divine Ability and possessing five or six becomes a chasm of power.

From Eldrin Chen's knowledge, within the Chaos [the primordial, formless state before creation], there exist rare Exotic Treasure [unique and powerful enchanted artifacts] that can assist a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a powerful immortal of the Great Encompassing Realm] in opening a fifth or even a sixth Primordial Spirit aperture.

Those esteemed Primordial One Imperial Lord [supreme lords who have unified their cultivation into a singular, primordial essence] have almost all opened at least seven Primordial Spirit Apertures [the spiritual gateways within the Primordial Spirit]. Yet, there has never been a whisper of anyone possessing nine such apertures.

But in this moment, Eldrin Chen understood. To possess a Primordial Spirit with nine apertures was, in fact, the minimum requirement for achieving the legendary True Spirit Primordial Spirit [a state of spiritual purity and perfection where the Primordial Spirit embodies its truest, most primordial form]. Discover more cultivation stories at audio–novel.com.