Chapter 1862 : The True Spirit's Ascendant Revelation

"Such formidable power, the True Spirit Aperture [the ultimate foundational realm for a cultivator's spirit]."

Sensing the immense power of the True Spirit Aperture, Eldrin Chen could not suppress a look of ecstatic joy.

He performed a quick calculation with his fingers and discovered that, at the current rate of nurturing within the True Spirit Aperture, it would take roughly one million years for his Chaos Unity Energy [the primordial energy born from the fusion of chaos] to transform into a True Spirit Divine Ability [a supreme power born from the True Spirit foundation].

"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 spiritual core refined to its ultimate, True Spirit state].

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 had a profound intuition: with the power of his current Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a high-level cultivator] alone, he could suppress all eight Heavenly Pass [the celestial barriers one must overcome on the cultivation path]. He was even confident he could forcibly sever the River of Destiny [the metaphysical river governing one's fate] and shatter his own Destiny Heavenly Pass [the celestial barrier related to one's ordained destiny].

He could go even further—directly stir the Sea of the Great Path [the boundless ocean of cosmic principles], fuse his Primordial Spirit with the Great Path [the fundamental laws of the cosmos], and achieve the realm of a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal who has fully comprehended and integrated with the Great Path]. It was entirely within his grasp.

In fact, this was precisely how the legendary Purple Seal Immortal Lord had accomplished his breakthrough in ages past.

He had cultivated a certain True Spirit Foundation [an ultimate foundational cultivation method], directly invoked the Great Path, and ascended to Great Encompassing Golden Immortal—so swiftly that the various Chaos Heavenly Emperor [emperors who rule over realms of primordial chaos] could not react in time. Published by www . audio-novel.com. All rights reserved.

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 level of cultivation, Eldrin Chen harbored a deep suspicion. He suspected that the reason Purple Seal Immortal Lord had ultimately failed to break through to the Chaos Realm [the legendary realm of primordial chaos] was precisely because he had wasted his own innate potential.

His cultivation speed had been too rapid, so swift that he never had the chance to refine each realm to its absolute limit. This, perhaps, was one of the key reasons he ultimately could not transcend into the Chaos Realm.

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

Eldrin Chen spoke these words slowly, then turned his focus inward to thoroughly comprehend the power of his Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator].

In that moment, Eldrin Chen perceived that his old Primordial Spirit had been completely exhausted, while the newly formed one had reached a state of flawless and perfect completion.

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 imbued with the essence of a True Spirit] would require a truly astronomical amount of True Spirit Imprint [the metaphysical imprint of a True Spirit's essence].

The True Spirit Imprint required for each aperture to transform into a True Spirit Aperture was immense, enough to forge an entire True Spirit Primordial Spirit [a Primordial Spirit of True Spirit grade] from scratch.

Generally speaking, an existence that had cultivated a Twelfth Limit Foundation [a Foundation Establishment realm pushed to its theoretical twelfth limit] would obtain enough True Spirit Imprint to, at most, enlighten a single aperture or to shape a single Twelfth Limit True Spirit Foundation [a True Spirit-grade Foundation Establishment realm].

This time, Eldrin Chen had not only forged his True Spirit Primordial Spirit, but had also managed to enlighten one True Spirit Aperture. This clearly demonstrated that the amount of 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 still far from capable of illuminating all nine apertures.

Understanding this, Eldrin Chen slowly withdrew his cultivation power and opened his eyes.

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

"Regardless, the True Spirit Primordial Spirit [the ultimate spiritual core of a cultivator] has been cultivated. Now it is time to comprehend Divine Ability [supernatural powers] and Daoist arts."

With this thought, Eldrin Chen retrieved the three Daoist tomes of the Primordial Genesis Path Scripture [the foundational scripture of the Primordial Genesis Path] and began to delve into their Divine Ability [supernatural powers] and profound mysteries.

For his first serious study of the Primordial Genesis Path Scripture [the foundational scripture of the Primordial Genesis Path], Eldrin Chen began with the Formation Arts Chapter [the chapter dedicated to the art of formations]. After a preliminary study of the Formation Arts Chapter, he could not help but be awed by the heaven-shaking mastery of the Primordial Genesis Path Ancestor [the founding ancestor of the Primordial Genesis Path].

The Formation Arts Chapter contained hundreds of millions of different Formation [structured arrays of power used for offense, defense, or other purposes], ranging from the most basic first-rank Formation to Great Encompassing Rank [the highest known realm of cultivation] Great Path Formation Patterns [formation patterns embodying the principles of the Great Dao].

These Formation encompassed dozens of categories including offensive, defensive, illusory, supportive, and special types. Each category contained complete sets of formation patterns from the first rank all the way to the Great Encompassing Rank.

Among the most supreme Formation were even Primordial One [formations of the primordial singularity] and Chaos Grand Formation [grand formations of primordial chaos].

"With these Formation, my Lifebound Immortal Treasure [a cultivator's personal, soul-bound magical treasure] grand formation may have hope of advancing further."

After gaining a preliminary comprehension of the Formation [a complex arrangement of patterns and energy channels used to create powerful magical effects], Eldrin Chen could not help but speak with delight.

In the years that followed, starting from the First-Rank Formation [the most basic and numerous tier of magical formations], he delved ever deeper into the study of Formation, absorbing the accumulated wisdom of his predecessors.

The First-Rank Formation were the most numerous, their count reaching untold billions upon billions. Yet, comprehending them was the simplest task. Eldrin Chen required merely ten years to master several million different formation patterns and Formation.

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.

After that, he turned to the Second Rank Formation [a more complex and powerful tier of formations], mastering them all in a mere twenty years.

Thus, progressing from the shallow to the profound, he continued his relentless study. In just one thousand years, he had mastered the intricacies of all formation patterns from the first rank up to the Sixth Rank [a high level of cultivation power]. Dive deeper into the Dao at audio—novel.com.

It could be said that the current Eldrin Chen could now fully comprehend any Mortal Dust Formation [formations of the mortal realm, as opposed to immortal ones]. In this domain, he had achieved a state of near-omniscience and omnipotence.

And so, he advanced further, seeking to perceive the power within the myriad Immortal Rank Formation [formations of the immortal realm, vastly more powerful and complex].

The number of Immortal Rank Formation paled in comparison to the countless formations of the mortal dust, yet their patterns were far more profound and inscrutable. Each strand of Immortal Path Formation Patterns [the fundamental energy patterns of immortal-grade formations] contained Path Principles Power [the fundamental laws and truths of the cultivation path], enough to occupy an Immortal [a being who has ascended to immortality] for tens of thousands of years to fully digest.

Yet for the Eldrin Chen of the present, comprehending them was not an overly troublesome endeavor.

He continuously contemplated the myriad Formation [arcane patterns that channel and manipulate energies], mastering one complete set of Immortal Path Formation Patterns [the foundational patterns of celestial formations] in a single day and comprehending the Path Principles Power [the fundamental laws and energies that constitute reality] contained within them.

Thus, three thousand years passed in a blur. Eldrin Chen had fully digested one million Immortal Path [the celestial way of cultivation] Formation [arcane patterns that channel and manipulate energies]. In this field, he could already be considered a rarity within the Immortal Domain [the realm of immortal beings].

One million Formation [arcane patterns that channel and manipulate energies] represented one million distinct Path Principles Power [the fundamental laws and energies that constitute reality]. After thoroughly contemplating these Path Principles [the fundamental laws of existence], Eldrin Chen discovered, to his surprise, that his own Chaos Limitless Path Principle [the divine principle of boundless primordial chaos] had subtly grown more refined and complete.

"So that's how it is," he mused. "The Primordial Chaos Great Path [the supreme way of primordial chaos] encompasses all things."

"If I were to contemplate the billions upon billions of Path Principles [the fundamental laws of existence] and Great Path [supreme ways of cultivation] within heaven and earth, it would also enhance my own Chaos Limitless Great Path [the supreme way of boundless chaos]."

Though he gained this insight, Eldrin Chen set aside further Path Principles Comprehension [the art of comprehending fundamental laws] and turned his focus to contemplating the Eighth-Rank World-Opening Grand Formation [the grand formation of the eighth rank, capable of cleaving open worlds].

It was not that Eldrin Chen was unwilling to continue his Path Principles Comprehension [the art of comprehending fundamental laws]. Rather, the Path Principles [the fundamental laws of existence] between heaven and earth were infinite and inexhaustible, numbering far beyond trillions. Not even a Path Ancestor Immortal Sage [an immortal sage who is an ancestor of a cultivation path] could possibly comprehend and master them all.

By contemplating one million Path Principles [the fundamental laws of existence], he had encompassed nearly all elemental and special Path Principles [the fundamental laws of existence].

The remaining billions upon billions of Path Principles [the fundamental laws of existence], while infinite, differed from these only by subtle nuances. Having grasped these core principles, he could now extrapolate and master the rest, seeing the whole through its parts. There was no need to laboriously contemplate each and every one individually.

Compared to Path Principles Power [the fundamental laws and energies that constitute reality], the Eighth-Rank World-Opening Grand Formation [the grand formation of the eighth rank, capable of cleaving open worlds] was a manifestation of cosmic rules. Its profundity and mystery were not merely hundreds or thousands of times greater—it was on an entirely different plane of existence.

Eldrin Chen continuously contemplated the profound mysteries within these World-Opening Grand Formation [grand formations used to establish new worlds or realms], gleaning insights into various cosmic rules. This process not only deepened his foundational reserves but also allowed him to refine the power of his Rule Great Path [a supreme cultivation art focused on mastering cosmic laws]. With each revelation, he felt the path beneath his own feet grow ever more complete and luminous.

Thus, ten thousand years slipped by in a mere blink. By their end, Eldrin Chen had thoroughly digested the intricacies of tens of thousands of World-Opening Formation [the art of constructing and utilizing magical formations].

Thereafter, he turned his focus to the Ninth Rank Innate Formation Patterns [the highest tier of primordial, naturally-occurring formation patterns]. These patterns were inscrutably profound, yet with Eldrin Chen's prodigious comprehension, he unraveled them at a staggering pace—one pattern every ten years, with his speed only accelerating as he progressed.

In this manner, a mere three hundred thousand years passed. He had deciphered tens of thousands of Innate Grand Formation [grand formations born from the primordial chaos] and had completely mastered the Innate Path Principle [the fundamental principles of the primordial path] contained within them.

"It is nearly time."

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

Having reached this point, he decided against delving further into the Great Encompassing Formations [formations of ultimate cosmic scale and complexity]. These formations were all imbued with the mysteries of the Great Path [the supreme, all-encompassing Dao]. Comprehending them would demand an immense span of time. Moreover, each Great Encompassing Formation carried the subjective will and imprint of its original creator.

Given Eldrin Chen's current level of cultivation, attempting to grasp them now would force him into mere imitation—a shallow replication without true understanding. It could even contaminate his own foundational philosophy and ideals.

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

This period of seclusion had granted him insight into countless Formation. These arts now formed a vast reservoir of knowledge and experience—the very bedrock of his accumulated wisdom. To use this foundation to create his own, unique Great Encompassing Formation Patterns—that, he realized, was the true key to his future ascent.

With this thought in mind, Eldrin Chen began his secluded cultivation to deduce and refine formation patterns.

Starting from First-Rank formation patterns, he deduced a transcendent set of patterns spanning from the First to the Ninth Rank in merely a thousand years.

Thereafter, he pressed on with relentless effort, successively creating thirty-six distinct types of Formation [mystical arrays used for offense, defense, illusion, mental attacks, support, and special purposes]. He refined all of these Formation to the pinnacle of the Ninth Rank Supreme Grade realm.

"Thirty-six Supreme Grade Innate Ancient Formation [peerless, heaven-defying arrays of supreme innate grade]."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, finally allowing himself a sigh of relief.

Each of these thirty-six Supreme Grade Innate Ancient Formation could be considered a rarity unseen since antiquity, potent enough to slay an Ancient Immortal Great Power [a formidable cultivator who has ascended to the Ancient Immortal realm]. 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 had consecutively created thirty-six sets and still felt unsatisfied.

In truth, he could have created even more Formation, but it would have been meaningless. These thirty-six sets already encompassed the myriad possibilities. Any further creations would merely be variations on similar themes, offering no significant difference in effect.

For Eldrin Chen, his current ambition was to transcend these thirty-six sets of Formation and forge a single, peerless Lifebound Immortal Formation [a supreme formation that becomes one with the cultivator's life essence].

"Using these thirty-six Formation as a foundation, extracting their essence and discarding the dross, can I forge a formation of immortal grandeur? Can I lay down a Lifebound Immortal Formation?"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, then with a flick of his sleeve, manifested his Five Lifebound Immortal Treasures: the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword, the Heavenly River Positive Water Sword, the Bulwark Earth Sovereign Bell, the Enlightenment Purple Lotus Throne, and the Polarity Void Mirror.

Using these Five Lifebound Immortal Treasures as his foundation, he continuously refined and integrated new, peerless formation patterns into them, seeking to synthesize them into a single Great Encompassing Slaughter Formation.

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

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

Eldrin Chen spoke calmly, his eyes fixed on the grand formation composed of his Five Lifebound Immortal Treasures, a trace of disappointment coloring his expression.

He realized that while this Formation had indeed taken shape and could amplify the power of all five Immortal Treasure by half again, it ultimately had not ascended to the realm of the Great Encompassing Realm.

The Formation was formidable, truly the pinnacle achievement just below the Great Encompassing level. It combined effects of Slaughter, entrapment, suppression, amplification, object manipulation, and energy storage. Yet, having failed to cross that ultimate boundary, it remained somewhat inadequate for Eldrin Chen's current needs.

Because the attributes of the five Immortal Treasure differed, their essences could not become truly unified. This prevented them from shattering the inherent limits of ancient treasures.

Had it been a set of Five Elements Innate Ancient Treasure, the five treasures could have become Primordial One—a single, unified entity—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 Primordial Unity Golden Bamboo Sword Formation.

And one hundred and eight supreme-grade Innate Primordial Unity Golden Bamboo Sword [swords forged from a unique spiritual bamboo, embodying the concept of primordial unity] could be arranged into the 'Heavenly Stem Earthly Branch Limitless Sword Formation' [a legendary sword formation based on the cosmic cycles of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches]. Its power could rival that of an Innate Spiritual Treasure [a treasure born from the primordial chaos of heaven and earth, possessing innate laws], and it would even be capable of suppressing some of the weaker Eight Tribulations Ancient Immortal [an ancient immortal who has survived eight heavenly tribulations].

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen couldn't help but fall into a moment of silent contemplation.

After a short while, he drew the five treasures into his hand and murmured to himself, "Even if all five Five Lifebound Immortal Treasures [the five core magical treasures bound to a cultivator's life and soul] were to ascend to the rank of Innate Spiritual Treasure, they might form an exceptionally powerful Formation [an array or formation art used for combat or defense]. Yet, this still isn't what I truly seek."

In truth, what Eldrin Chen desired was not merely an ordinary Formation Artifact [a set of artifacts specifically designed to work together in a formation]. He sought a set of Lifebound Formation Artifact [formation artifacts that are lifebound to a cultivator, sharing the same origin and essence], for this was intricately linked to the crucial mysteries of the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass [one of the Nine Heavenly Passes, a critical cultivation stage focused on harmonizing with a spiritual treasure].

Among a cultivator's Nine Heavenly Passes [the nine critical barriers or stages a cultivator must overcome on the path to immortality], the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass was, in theory, also a stage where one could achieve the Twelfth Limit Realm [the legendary twelfth and ultimate limit of a cultivation stage, representing perfection].

Generally speaking, binding one's Great Path [the fundamental Dao or cultivation path one follows] with an Innate Spiritual Treasure gifted by another could, at most, lead to the cultivation of the Ninth Limit Realm [the ninth limit of a cultivation stage]. However, using one's own lifebound Innate Spiritual Treasure could allow one to cultivate the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass to the Tenth Limit Realm [the tenth limit of a cultivation stage].

Building upon this foundation, if one could cultivate a complete set of Lifebound Formation Artifact, simultaneously combining several lifebound Innate Spiritual Treasure into a single formation, it would be possible to step into the Eleventh Limit Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass [the eleventh, near-mythical limit of the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass].

Once the Eleventh Limit Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass was achieved, one would possess power enough to roam the heavens and the earth with no equal. Their combat prowess would rank among the very pinnacle even among Eight Tribulations Ancient Immortal.

Such an individual, by merely deploying their Innate Spiritual Treasure Grand Formation [a grand formation composed of innate spiritual treasures], could force even an Eight Tribulations Ancient Immortal to meet their bitter end.

In any given Kalpa Tribulation [a cosmic cycle of destruction and rebirth], an existence that had cultivated the Eleventh Limit Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass would be a figure of true Kalpa Tribulation Protagonist [a destined hero or central figure of a kalpa tribulation] caliber. Only a Peerless Prodigy [a genius without equal in their generation] who had cultivated a True Spirit Foundation [a foundation of cultivation based on one's true, primordial spirit] would be capable of standing against them.

Above the Eleventh Limit Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass, there theoretically exists the legendary Twelfth Limit Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass.

However, since time immemorial, this has remained a legend. Not even Divine Sovereign Heavenly Emperor or Path Ancestor Immortal Sage have ever achieved it.

Since the opening of the Three Thousand Immortal Domains, only Purple Seal Immortal Lord is rumored to have possibly touched this threshold.

This is because Purple Seal Immortal Lord was born embracing the Chaos Supreme Treasure 'Chaos Cauldron'. Many suspect that He naturally and effortlessly broke through the Twelfth Limit Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass.

Of course, this remains mere speculation; its truth is unknown.

Yet, many Immortal believe that the Chaos Cauldron, as a Chaos Supreme Treasure, is most likely also an Indestructibility True Spirit Treasure that has fused with a True Spirit Imprint.

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

"If I cannot unify the origins of my Five Lifebound Immortal Treasures, I will be forced to choose only one Innate Spiritual Treasure to advance to Path Union. 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 slight frown creasing His brow.

Yet, the thought was dismissed almost instantly. Currently, He possessed only two strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light—not even enough to gather the five strands required for the ascension of a single Lifebound Treasure. Dwelling on such distant concerns was meaningless.

With these thoughts in mind, Eldrin Chen set aside the Primordial Genesis Path Scripture—specifically the Formation Arts Chapter—and retrieved the Divine Abilities Chapter to begin his contemplation and enlightenment.

In the path of cultivation, Formation [the art of creating magical arrays] is fundamentally about Path Runes [the fundamental symbols of cosmic law]. These runes can evolve into Great Paths [profound cosmic principles], while Divine Abilities [supernatural powers] are the fruits born from the convergence of these Great Paths.

From the perspective of Eldrin Chen, Path Runes are the foundation of everything. The great Path Principles [comprehension of cosmic laws] represent the achievements of a cultivator's practice, while Divine Abilities are the tangible results, the "fruit" borne from the cultivation of these Great Paths. Visit audio-novel.com (official site) to enjoy the complete series.