Chapter 1942 : The Forge of Heroes

This was within Eldrin Chen's expectations. After all, compared to the Vast Chaotic Sea, the Three Thousand Immortal Domains were but a small part of it.

The Chaotic Fiendgod [primordial beings born from chaos] were forever the race with the most Grand Luo Golden Immortal [supreme immortal sovereigns] within the Chaos. However, the Chaotic Fiendgod were further divided into countless sub-races, lacking unity amongst themselves. Otherwise, how could the Three Thousand Immortal Domains possibly withstand these Chaotic Fiendgod?

After the Kalpa Tribulation [a cataclysmic cosmic cycle] concluded, Lyra Jiang looked at the intelligence report in her hand and sighed with emotion, "The number of newly ascended Grand Luo Golden Immortal from this Kalpa Tribulation ranks third among the past hundred or so Kalpa Tribulation."

Eldrin Chen nodded. The Kalpa Tribulation during which he achieved his Dao, blessed by the legacy of the Violet Immortal Lord, had ushered in a Golden Age where dozens of Grand Luo [Golden Immortals] were born within a single cycle.

Although this recent era could not compare to that legendary time, it could still be considered exceptionally glorious.

"Though war and turbulent times are cruel, they are also the forge where heroes are tempered,"

Eldrin Chen remarked with a sigh. He then set down the intelligence report and inquired, "Has the war on the front lines resumed?"

"Yes," Lyra Jiang affirmed with a nod. "However, the intensity of the conflict has diminished significantly."

Eldrin Chen nodded again, having anticipated this development.

This war, ignited by the Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch [a supreme ruler born of primordial chaos], was destined to see its ferocity wane as the Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch's will to fight grew uncertain.

After all, even though a Grand Luo Golden Immortal does not fall into Samsara [the cycle of death and rebirth], the Ancient Immortals and Celestial Soldiers and Generals beneath them are living, breathing beings, and even the Chaos Beast Kings possess intelligence no weaker than that of ordinary people.

Many of those fallen Immortals were disciples and followers of the Grand Luo Golden Immortals, and the perished Celestial Soldiers and Generals were also painstakingly nurtured by the Grand Luo Immortal Lords.

Having already attained immortality and carefree existence, witnessing countless familiar Immortals fall in this conflict, even the Grand Luo Golden Immortals could not remain unmoved.

Under such circumstances, upon realizing the two Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarchs had no intention of a fight to the death, they naturally would not recklessly charge forward to their doom.

The Immortals of the various Immortal Domains, being on the defensive, could maintain a slightly firmer will to fight.

However, the Chaos Beast Kings and Chaotic Holy Spirits launching the offensive likely would not possess such unwavering resolve; it is doubtful even that Primordial Unity Demi-Progenitor could compel them to continue fighting with utter disregard for their lives.

Lyra Jiang also assessed the situation and, after a long while, spoke: "The tide of war is settling into a deadlock, a state of grinding attrition."

"Once both sides can fight no more, the Chaotic Fiendgods will likely withdraw their forces."

Eldrin Chen studied the map for a moment, then finally shook his head. "For the Departing Flame Chaos Fiend to achieve victory, to even drive the Departing Flame Emperor Lord into a corner like a hunted dog, they must systematically weaken the Human Race's strength within the Eastern Departing Flame Domain."

"If I were the Departing Flame Chaos Fiend, faced with a protracted stalemate, I would leave a portion of the grand army to besiege the main forces within the Thirty-Six Immortal Domains."

"Then we divide our forces to besiege the other scattered Immortal Domain [a realm governed by an immortal], shatter this Immortal Domain, and slay the Grand Luo Golden Immortal [a cultivator who has attained the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm]. Even if we cannot kill these Grand Luo Golden Immortal, we can force them to lose their Daoist sanctuaries, thereby driving them out of the Eastern Departure Flame Domain."

Having said this, Eldrin Chen took a deep breath and then pointed at the map of the Eastern Departure Flame Domain. ….

Lyra Jiang glanced at it, and her expression subtly shifted.

She suddenly realized that with Donghua Immortal Lord's Donghua Immortal Domain joining the Thirty-Six Heavenly Constellations Immortal Domains, the periphery of the Seven Abyssal Immortal Domains no longer had any powerful Immortal Domain to rely upon.

Considering this, Lyra Jiang could not help but draw a sharp breath and said, "If they can mobilize a heavy force to encircle us, wouldn't that mean…"

Eldrin Chen nodded and then spoke, "Fortunately, we have been concealing our true strength all these years. The enemy does not know our real power."

"If they discovered our true capabilities, they would likely dispatch multiple top-tier Chaotic Fiendgod [powerful demons born from primordial chaos] of the eighth layer of Grand Luo Golden Immortal to besiege us."

At this point, Eldrin Chen patted Lyra Jiang's shoulder and said, "You need not worry. With our current forces, and relying on the defensive formations, we have more than enough to protect ourselves, as long as no Great Luo Golden Immortal Great Perfection [a Grand Luo Golden Immortal who has reached the Great Perfection stage] makes a move."

Only then did Lyra Jiang nod. After repeatedly weighing the strength of both sides, she let out a slight sigh of relief.

Do not be fooled by the fact that Departing Flame Demi-Progenitor commands over two hundred Chaotic Fiendgod. After all, he only has two Great Luo Golden Immortal Great Perfection under him. These two would be completely tied down facing the two Great Luo Golden Immortal Great Perfection from the Human Race and could not possibly break away.

Considering the need to besiege the Thirty-Six Immortal Domains, the number of Grand Luo Golden Immortal of the eighth layer who could be spared likely amounts to only three or four.

Without knowing the true strength of the Seven Abyssal Immortal Domains, it is fundamentally impossible to dispatch so many Grand Luo Golden Immortal of the eighth layer to besiege the Abyssal Immortal Domain.

Having thought this far, Lyra Jiang spoke, "What should we do next?"

"Focus on cultivation with haste and prepare for battle—that is all we must do."

As he spoke thus, Eldrin Chen once more entered the Abyssal Immortal Domain and sought out the Heavenly Soul Fruit Tree within the Netherworld Heavenly Domain.

The Heavenly Soul Fruit Tree is a Supreme-Grade Innate Ancient Tree that aids in cultivating the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator]. In terms of its efficacy for Primordial Spirit cultivation, it is a peerless treasure of the highest order.

Currently, Eldrin Chen's resources for Sainthood through the Flesh [a path of cultivation focusing on physical perfection] include the Indestructible Golden Fruit Tree and Great Luo Immortal Pill. For the cultivation of the Great Dao, he has the Innate Spiritual Root [a spiritual root of innate origin] and the Enlightenment Tea. Only the cultivation of his Primordial Spirit still lacks an Innate Spiritual Root.

Thus, after much deliberation, he concluded that this Heavenly Soul Fruit Tree remained the optimal choice.

Now, he retrieved the Heaven-Earth Primordial Qi Vase and directly nourished the Heavenly Soul Fruit Tree with Primordial Unity Chaos Water [a primordial water of chaos and unity], thereby helping the tree shatter its own bottleneck and Ascension [achieve a breakthrough to a higher realm] to become a Great Luo Ancient Tree.

After completing this, Eldrin Chen exhaled a wisp of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light [an innate and indestructible spiritual radiance] and, as was his custom, supplemented it with a strand of Innate Primordial Chaos Purple Qi [an innate purple energy of primordial chaos], merging them into the Heavenly Soul Fruit Tree. This aided the tree in its Ascension to become an Innate Spiritual Root.

After advancing to a low-grade Innate Spiritual Root, a single Kalpa Tribulation [an immense cosmic cycle in Buddhist cosmology, often billions of years] could also yield three 'Heavenly Soul Fruit', and one Kalpa Tribulation could accelerate its maturation nine times.

Eldrin Chen harvested the Heavenly Soul Fruit Tree, then directly performed nine cycles of accelerated maturation, ultimately obtaining thirty Heavenly Soul Fruit.

Considering a great battle could erupt at any moment, Eldrin Chen did not hoard them. He immediately summoned the eight Grand Luo Golden Immortal [the pinnacle realm of immortal cultivation] of the Chen Immortal Clan and distributed these Heavenly Soul Fruit, giving three to each person.

Eldrin Chen kept six for himself, then took a deep breath and said, "With this batch of Heavenly Soul Fruit, my Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] cultivation should also be able to break through to the Mid-Great Immortal Realm within, at most, the time of one Kalpa Tribulation."

Upon hearing this, the members of the Chen Immortal Clan all revealed faint smiles.

Similar to the Indestructible Golden Fruit, only three Heavenly Soul Fruit can be refined per Kalpa Tribulation, yet refining even one is enough to equal the cultivation progress the Chen Clan members would achieve in an entire Kalpa Tribulation....

It must be understood that the foundations of the Chen Clan Great Luo Ancient Sect members are profoundly deep. Furthermore, they have long cultivated by refining the Great Luo Rare Treasure Soul-Nourishing Wood. Their cultivation speed in one Kalpa Tribulation is enough to equal the progress an ordinary Grand Luo Golden Immortal would make over several Kalpa Tribulation.

Thinking of this, Verdant Consort, who had broken through to Grand Luo Golden Immortal relatively late, also smiled and said, "It seems breaking through our Primordial Spirit and Great Luo Body to the Mid-Great Immortal Realm shouldn't take too much longer."

Eldrin Chen smiled upon hearing this. Although Verdant Consort had only broken through to Grand Luo Golden Immortal a single Kalpa Tribulation ago, the cultivation resources available to her were even more abundant than what Eldrin Chen had access to in the beginning. Now, both her physical body and Primordial Spirit cultivation were not far from the third layer of Grand Luo Golden Immortal.

After distributing these rare treasures, Eldrin Chen sent them off to refine and cultivate. He then returned to his cave abode and resumed his secluded cultivation.

He first refined three Heavenly Soul Fruit [a rare spiritual fruit that nourishes the soul], then retrieved and refined the Great Luo Immortal Pills [supreme-grade elixirs that enhance the cultivation of Great Luo realm immortals].

During the previous Chaos Great War [a cataclysmic conflict involving primordial forces], the group had slain seven Grand Luo Golden Immortals [supreme immortals of the Great Luo realm], allowing Eldrin Chen to refine a total of thirty-six Great Luo Immortal Pills.

As was customary, Eldrin Chen distributed three of these Great Luo Immortal Pills to each person, leaving nine pills remaining.

Now, having broken through to the Mid Great Luo Golden Immortal [the middle stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm], Eldrin Chen refined these remaining Great Luo Immortal Pills once more and discovered his capacity to absorb them had increased again.

Previously, before his breakthrough to the mid-stage of the Great Luo Body [the physical cultivation path parallel to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm], Eldrin Chen could only refine three Great Luo Immortal Pills per Kalpa Tribulation [a cosmic cycle of immense duration]; any more risked destabilizing his foundation.

Yet after this recent breakthrough, Eldrin Chen refined three pills in succession and found no signs of instability in his foundation, clearly indicating a greater tolerance for the Great Luo Immortal Pills.

Thus, Eldrin Chen continued his refinement, only sensing he was approaching his limit after finishing the sixth pill.

"After the Great Luo Body reaches its mid-stage, one can refine six Great Luo Immortal Pills per Kalpa Tribulation?" Eldrin murmured to himself.

A faint, involuntary smile touched his lips as he pondered this discovery.

Yet after a moment of deeper introspection, Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly, his expression turning solemn.

After sensing his own condition, Eldrin Chen discovered that since his breakthrough to the Mid Great Luo Golden Immortal [a high stage of immortal cultivation], refining the Ten Revolutions Immortal Pill [a supreme pill that cycles energy ten times] had become utterly ineffective. At most, it could only be used to restore his stamina, incapable of augmenting his power any further.

This meant that henceforth, to further enhance his physical body, he would have to refine Great Luo Immortal Pill [a supreme pill for Great Luo realm cultivators], or consume rare treasures like the Indestructible Golden Fruit [a legendary fruit that grants unyielding durability].

Furthermore, after this breakthrough, the resources required for Eldrin Chen's cultivation to advance further had become even more staggering.

He had just refined six Great Luo Immortal Pill in succession, yet the foundational essence of his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Body [a supreme physique born from primordial chaos] had only been filled by fifteen percent.

In other words, if Eldrin Chen wished to swiftly break through to the fifth layer of Great Luo Body [the physical cultivation stage of the Great Luo realm], he would need to consume at least forty Great Luo Immortal Pill. This was equivalent to the spoils from slaying over a dozen Great Luo Golden Immortal [immortals at the peak of the Great Luo realm]!

"It seems that unless there are more astonishing gains, the supply of Great Luo Immortal Pill can no longer be distributed evenly. My cultivation must take priority,"

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly before slowly exhaling a breath.

The resources he had allocated to the members of the Chen Clan were sufficient for them to cultivate to the perfection of the Third Layer of Great Luo Physique. Beyond that, whether they could advance quickly would depend primarily on the availability of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light [a primal, unbreakable spiritual radiance].

With this thought, Eldrin Chen took a deep breath and entered the Chaos Celestial Domain [a celestial realm born from chaos]. He harvested the matured Indestructible Golden Fruit, then used his powers to accelerate its growth nine more times, gathering a total of thirty fruits.

Subsequently, Eldrin Chen entered seclusion once more to refine the Indestructible Golden Fruit. After refining another six fruits, he felt the accumulation within his physical body increase by another fifteen percent, reaching a state where thirty percent of its foundational essence had been filled.

At this moment, Eldrin Chen could not help but reveal a trace of helplessness in his expression.

His Great Luo Body was indeed formidable, but the resources it consumed were truly staggering.

One must understand, for an ordinary Mid Great Luo Golden Immortal with Imperishable-grade foundational limits, after consuming so many—twelve Great Luo Immortal Pill and Indestructible Golden Fruit—their physical body should have been sufficient to break through to the fifth-layer realm of a Grand Luo Golden Immortal.

Yet, for an ordinary Mid Great Luo Golden Immortal, if they cannot win at least one or two Chaotic War, they might not be able to accumulate this many resources even over a hundred Kalpa Tribulation.

However, Eldrin Chen consumed twelve in succession, yet his foundational essence was only replenished by one-third. This showed that Eldrin Chen would need at least three Kalpa Tribulation worth of resources to advance a single layer in cultivation.

"At this rate, for the Great Luo Body to break through to the Sixth Layer Great Luo Golden Immortal perfection, it would take at least ten Kalpa Tribulation of time, consuming close to two hundred Great Luo Immortal Pill and Indestructible Golden Fruit."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, a slight frown creasing his brow.

The resource consumption required for the path of Sainthood through the Flesh had far exceeded Eldrin Chen's expectations, filling him with a sense of gravity.

Two hundred portions of Great Luo Immortal Pill would require slaying dozens of Chaotic Fiendgod to gather. Even if half the consumption were replaced with Indestructible Golden Fruit, it would still be no small amount.

Of course, Eldrin Chen's Great Luo Body rivaled a seventh-layer Grand Luo Golden Immortal. If one converted these resources into what would be needed for a Great Luo Body to advance from the seventh layer to perfection, the figure seemed somewhat more reasonable.

"Resources... resources are never enough."

After a long while, Eldrin Chen drew a deep breath.

He lifted his gaze towards the vast Depths of Chaos, and it seemed a glimmer of understanding dawned upon him regarding the distant conflicts waged within those chaotic depths.

"Be it mortal or immortal,"

"as long as one seeks to break through to higher realms, the scarcity of resources will forever be a reality, inevitably drawing one into the vortex of contention."

"To be a carefree Immortal who seemingly turns away from the Mortal Dust Realm is an ideal, yet as long as strife exists in this world, can such an immortal truly remain carefree forever?"

Eldrin Chen shook his head, finally gathering and suppressing all wandering thoughts.

In the years that followed, Eldrin Chen Restoration his secluded cultivation. He devoted himself to refining the nourishment within his body, such as the Heavenly Soul Fruit and the Great Luo Immortal Pill, while also partaking of the Enlightenment Tea to deepen his comprehension of the Great Dao [the fundamental principle or path of cultivation and existence].

Simultaneously, he employed the Root Origin Treasure to ceaselessly temper his physical body and his Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core and true essence of a cultivator], awaiting the opportune moment for his cultivation base to advance once more.

In his spare time, Eldrin Chen would expound upon the Dao for his clan members, aiding disciples and descendants in forging a solid foundation for their cultivation.

On the other front, perhaps due to the diminished intensity of the conflict, Departing Flame Emperor Lord ceased issuing edicts summoning Eldrin Chen to battle. Furthermore, with the cautionary tale of Chaos Crimson Wolf King and others serving as a stark warning, the other Chaotic Fiendgod dared not make another move.

Thus, it seemed everything was progressing favorably, settling into a state of tranquil serenity.

In the blink of an eye, twenty million years slipped by, their passage as swift as a fleeting glance.

For Eldrin Chen, this span of Time was not overly long. Yet, for the Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality and attained longevity] of the Abyssal Ruins World, these twenty million years constituted an immensely vast epic. ….

With the exception of Immortal under the protection of Grand Luo Golden Immortal [the highest echelon of immortal existence], such as those from the Chen Immortal Clan and the Abyssal Immortal Alliance, the vast majority of Immortal could scarcely hope to survive such an immense stretch of time.

Even among Earth Immortal Progenitor [immortals whose power is rooted in the earth and its energies], those capable of living through twenty million years were the exceptional few, requiring at least cultivation at the Late Stage Earth Immortal level.

In the eyes of Eldrin Chen, the Chaotic War loomed perilously close, a tempest poised at any moment to unleash terrible turmoil and the risk of Annihilation upon the Seven Great Immortal Domains.

Yet, to these Immortal, that same Chaotic War seemed immeasurably distant, a legend grown ancient with the passage of eons.

What you perceive as a horizon beyond reach.

To my gaze, it lies within arm's length.

This stood as a stark contrast; only the ceaselessly flowing patterns of the formation arrays of the Seven Great Heavenly Domains served as a constant reminder that this war, spanning tens of millions of years, was far from over.

It was not until thirty million years after the conclusion of the Kalpa Tribulation [a cataclysmic cycle of cosmic destruction and renewal] that a piece of news, shocking the entire Chaos [the primordial, formless void from which all things originate], emerged from its depths.

Facing the Thirty-Six Immortal Domains, the Chaotic Fiendgod [primordial beings of chaos and malevolence] found themselves unable to achieve a decisive breakthrough despite prolonged assaults. Ultimately, they resolved to split their forces, diverting nearly half their strength to launch a flanking attack on the dozens of Immortal Domain [realms governed by immortal powers] held by the Human Race, aiming to weaken the power of the Human Race within the Eastern Departure Flame Domain.

"Your prediction was correct, as expected."

Lyra Jiang examined the intelligence report in her hand, her expression grave as she drew a deep breath and stated, "This time, the Departing Flame Demi-Progenitor has dispatched over sixty Grand Luo Golden Immortal [supreme immortals who have attained the pinnacle of the Grand Luo realm], and among them, at least four have reached the Eighth Layer."

A slight frown also creased the brow of the Verdant Consort. She then spoke, "Currently, within the Eastern Departure Flame Domain, including our own, there are sixty-two Immortal Domain. On the surface, we have a total of sixty-five Grand Luo Golden Immortal."

"From the very beginning of the Chaos Great War, the Departing Flame Demi-Progenitor deployed an equivalent number of Chaotic Fiendgod to contain us. Now, with these additional sixty dispatched, their numbers have doubled ours."

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod, his gaze fixed on the map and intelligence reports before him as he sank into deep contemplation.

Witnessing this, Ethan Chen nearby could no longer restrain himself and asked, "Uncle Eldrin, what should we do?"

Eldrin Chen did not answer immediately. Instead, he continued to study the map of the Eastern Departure Flame Domain intently. After a long while, he finally spoke, "If you were the Chaotic Fiendgod, how would you deploy your forces at this moment?"

"Concentrate our forces and advance with overwhelming momentum."

Ethan Chen spoke, his gaze resolute.

Eldrin Chen smiled faintly, then shook his head. "Concentrating our forces is indeed the safest approach, but we are not fools who must meet them head-on in a frontal clash."

"We are positioned not far from the Three Thousand Immortal Domains. If they truly launch such an assault, we need only retreat our Immortal Domain [a celestial territory anchored in the void] back to the Three Thousand Immortal Domains. Later, we can reform the Immortal Domain Grand Formation [a grand defensive array linking multiple Immortal Domains] and counterattack."

Upon hearing this, Ethan Chen's brow furrowed slightly. He was well aware of the power of the Immortal Domain Grand Formation.

If dozens of Immortal Domain were used as anchors to deploy a Chaos Grand Formation [a supreme formation harnessing primordial chaos energy], resisting even a Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch [a supreme ruler who has mastered the power of primordial chaos] would be effortless.

However, this would mean the Immortal Domain would be clustered as closely as those within the Three Thousand Immortal Domains, drastically reducing each domain's hunting grounds and, consequently, the resources they could harvest.

Yet, when survival itself is at stake, sacrificing hunting range to establish such a grand formation is not an impossible choice.

At that point, for these Chaotic Fiendgod [ancient, powerful demons born from primordial chaos] to breach an Immortal Domain would be a fool's dream; even three to five times their current numbers would be insufficient.

Therefore, if the Chaotic Fiendgod unite to attack, it will inevitably force the various Immortal Domain to band together in response.

Contemplating this, Ethan Chen fell into a brief, thoughtful silence before speaking. "However, if we divide our forces, the Grand Luo Golden Immortal [the pinnacle of immortal cultivation, a realm of supreme power], backed by his Immortal Domain [a realm or territory governed by an immortal], could likely withstand the assault of three to five opponents of equal strength."

"Could it be that..."

Eldrin Chen nodded in agreement and continued. "He *can* divide his forces. By concentrating a portion of his power, he can seize the more formidable Immortal Domain [realms or territories governed by immortals]. As for the other domains not under direct attack... it is far from certain they would come to their aid."