Chapter 1907 : The Ten Treasuries Unleashed

"Finally complete,"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, a faint smile gracing his lips.

Having perfected the methods of the Inner World and the Ten Great Immortal Treasuries, the cultivation of the Path of Self-Sacrifice could now be considered exceptionally refined, at the very least on par with any technique preceding the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm.

As for the methods required for breakthroughs beyond Grand Luo, while not yet perfected, if one were to switch to cultivating the Path of Dao Dominion, it would already be no different from an ordinary Grand Luo Golden Immortal. The outcome would depend more on one's own cultivation base and fortune.

With such a complete technique now in hand, the final barrier obstructing the Path of Self-Sacrifice had been surmounted.

Eldrin Chen directly retrieved ten portions of Great Luo Rare Treasure and handed them to his Reincarnation Body to refine into Divine Treasury Treasure. He also took out vast quantities of resources for the Reincarnation Body to use in its cultivation.

Thus, after a mere ten thousand years, the Reincarnation Body had already successfully cultivated the Ten Great Immortal Treasuries.

According to Eldrin Chen's estimation, these Ten Great Immortal Treasuries had each reached a level comparable to an Indestructible Foundation.

Using the Great Luo Immortal Treasury as its foundation and the nine other Immortal Treasury as its formation eyes, the Reincarnation Body laid down a Ten Directions Boundless Formation [a grand formation that harnesses power from all directions without limit] to empower itself. Instantly, the power of the Reincarnation Body was amplified to its utmost limit.

At this moment, Eldrin Chen realized that the Ten Great Divine Treasuries functioned much like ten major acupoints or a Bloodline Divine Ability, elevating the combat prowess of the Reincarnation Body by several tiers.

"A power that rivals Five True Spirit Foundations."

Sensing the might of the Reincarnation Body, Eldrin Chen murmured softly to himself, a flicker of astonishment surfacing in the depths of his gaze.

In that moment, Eldrin Chen grasped the latent potential of the Path of Self-Sacrifice. He understood that if, one day, he could continue to refine the Ten Great Immortal Treasuries of the Path of Self-Sacrifice, advancing them to the level of the True Spirit Divine Treasury...

...then, by harnessing the combined power of the ten great True Spirit Divine Treasury, the Reincarnation Body might very well directly attain the Dao and become a Chaos Celestial Emperor.

The cultivation method of these Ten Great Immortal Treasuries was, in its very foundation upon the Divine Treasury, created in emulation of the True Spirit Aperture and the True Spirit Divine Runes.

In other words, if it were continuously perfected, and combined with the Body of the New Self—a constitution formed by the complete fusion of one's entire foundation after sacrificing the physical body, soul, and other core aspects—it could ultimately lead to attaining the Dao as a Chaos Celestial Emperor.

Yes, taking this path to its ultimate extreme would likely resemble Sainthood through the Flesh or Primordial Spirit Dao Attainment—a direct ascension to Chaos Celestial Emperor without needing to tread the Path of Dao Dominion.

"A method that rivals the Great Dao of Sainthood through the Flesh, or rather, the embryonic form of a supreme Great Dao itself."

Eldrin Chen murmured once more, a ripple of profound thought stirring within his eyes.

The potential of the Path of Self-Sacrifice was simply too immense. In that very moment, a fleeting thought even crossed Eldrin Chen's mind—the thought of forsaking his current path to cultivate the Path of Self-Sacrifice instead.

Yet after a long while, Eldrin Chen still suppressed the thought.

Whether it was the Path of Self-Sacrifice, the Sainthood through the Flesh [a cultivation path focused on tempering the physical body to its ultimate, saintly limits], or the Primordial Spirit Dao Attainment [the ultimate realm of cultivating one's primordial spiritual core], these Great Daos [the supreme, fundamental principles of cultivation] all possessed an extremely strong exclusivity.

The foundation Eldrin Chen had painstakingly built was currently maintained in a precarious balance, relying on his formidable Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] and the Primordial Boundless Great Dao. If he were to now cultivate the Ten Great Immortal Treasuries [a core technique of the Path of Self-Sacrifice focusing on ten internal reservoirs of power] from the Path of Self-Sacrifice, it was far more likely to cause a violent conflict within his foundational energies, leading to a catastrophic disintegration of his very being.

"The Path of Self-Sacrifice is not yet perfected," he concluded.

"The Sainthood through the Flesh, the Primordial Spirit Dao Attainment, and the Primordial Boundless Great Dao are all paths to the heavens. Their potential and power are not necessarily inferior to the Path of Self-Sacrifice."

"For now, I shall cultivate in peace. If one day I reach the ultimate pinnacle of both Sainthood through the Flesh and Primordial Spirit Dao Attainment, walking the very limits of those two paths, only then should I seek to incorporate the strengths of all schools into the Path of Self-Sacrifice. Perhaps then I can truly surpass my predecessors."

Eldrin Chen murmured to himself, his resolve finally settling on following the mainstream path for now.

It was far more reliable to first walk the path laid by predecessors to its very end, then extract its essence and discard its dross to integrate into his own Great Dao, rather than fumbling blindly in the dark on his own.

In truth, the current iteration of the Path of Self-Sacrifice had already assimilated the strengths of numerous schools, incorporating the essence of the Immortal Dao [the mainstream path of cultivation], the Sainthood through the Flesh, the Primordial Spirit Dao Attainment, and others. It was, in essence, standing upon the shoulders of giants.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen swiftly gathered his wandering mind back to the present.

He immediately brought the Reincarnation Body to the Depths of Chaos and, without a ripple of disturbance, attained the Realm of the Great Luo Golden Immortal [the supreme realm of an immortal who has mastered a Great Dao].

The breakthrough of the Reincarnation Body did not stir significant waves, primarily because Eldrin Chen had already attained the Grand Luo [the foundational state of a Great Luo Golden Immortal]. As the saying goes, once a Grand Luo Golden Immortal [an immortal sovereign who has mastered a Great Dao] attains their Dao, they are eternally confirmed in it.

Unless a Grand Luo Golden Immortal willingly relinquishes their Dao Authority [the authority and dominion over a specific Great Dao], there is no bottleneck in attaining the Grand Luo. This Reincarnation Body [a divine ability to create a body connected to the cycle of rebirth], being akin to an avatar of Eldrin Chen, naturally faced no bottleneck in its own breakthrough to Grand Luo.

Secondly, the Reincarnation Body cultivated the Inner World [a profound cultivation art focused on developing an internal cosmos]. The commotion of the Inner World Transformation into Immortal Domain [the process of transforming an inner world into an immortal's domain] was suppressed by the Reincarnation Body itself, preventing any major disturbance.

The Reincarnation Body transformed its Inner World into the Reincarnation Immortal Domain [an immortal domain themed around the cycle of rebirth]. This domain contained the Thirty-Six Heavens [thirty-six celestial realms], the Thirty-Six Mortal Dusts [thirty-six realms of mortal existence], and the Thirty-Six Netherworlds [thirty-six underworld realms], totaling the One Hundred and Eight Heavens [one hundred and eight layered realms], all of which broke through to the Great Luo Realm [the foundational realm of a Great Luo Golden Immortal].

To the delight of Eldrin Chen, after this Reincarnation Immortal Domain underwent its Ascension [the final, transformative breakthrough of a cultivation realm], it gave birth to a total of twelve strands of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light [a primordial, unbreakable spiritual radiance of immense power].

Averaged out, each Ninth Heaven [the ninth and highest layer of a celestial realm] nurtured one strand of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light. To possess so many strands was truly astonishing.

One must understand, Eldrin Chen had forged a Sevenfold True Spirit Foundation [an exceptionally profound and stable spiritual foundation], simultaneously cultivating the Sainthood through the Flesh [the path of attaining sainthood through physical refinement], the Primordial Spirit Dao Attainment [attainment of the Dao through the Primordial Spirit], and the Path of Dao Dominion [the cultivation art focused on dominating the Dao]. Yet, on average, only one strand of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light was obtained for every six layers of his Immortal Domain [the personal realm of an immortal].

Of these twelve strands of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light, Eldrin Chen directly fused seven of them into his Body of Self-Sacrifice [a unique constitution forged through immense personal sacrifice].

Three strands were respectively fused into the Great Daos of Time, Space, and Samsara [the endless cycle of death and rebirth], thereby allowing him to cultivate authority over these three Great Daos and break through to the Realm of the Great Luo Golden Immortal.

The remaining two strands of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light [a form of primordial, unbreakable spiritual radiance] were both used by the Reincarnation Body [a profound cultivation technique or avatar focused on the cycle of rebirth] to refine and consecrate its supreme proof-of-Dao treasure, the 'Reincarnation Bell'.

This Reincarnation Bell was the Life-Bound Supreme Treasure [a cultivator's ultimate artifact, intrinsically linked to their life and cultivation] of the Reincarnation Body. It had successively fused with Primordial Yellow Mother Gold [a legendary metal of creation], Time Fragment [a shard containing the essence of time], and Space Fragment [a shard containing the essence of space], imprinting upon it the divine patterns of the Great Dao of Time, Space, Samsara [the endless cycle of death and rebirth], and others.

Most crucially, the Reincarnation Body had also integrated the Chaos Jade Platform [a mysterious jade pedestal born from primordial chaos] as a material component. This platform, which originally served as the base for holding wonders like the Chaos Mud [the primordial, formless substance from which all things are said to coalesce], was of an unknown substance. Astonishingly, it contained a vast sea of True Spirit Imprint [the fundamental spiritual signatures or blueprints of existence].

Using this as the artifact's foundation actually allowed the Reincarnation Body to forge an Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo [the primordial core of a heaven-defying treasure], a feat whose rarity and potential rivaled even that of a True Spirit Treasure [a treasure containing the awakened spirit of a primordial being].

Thus refined, the Reincarnation Bell, though only at the level of a Low Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [the foundational tier of treasures born from innate laws], and while it could not match the main body's Abyssal Seal, could still be considered a rare and peerless treasure. It held the potential to one day evolve into a Chaos Spiritual Treasure [a treasure embodying the fundamental laws of primordial chaos].

The power of such a supreme treasure was, naturally, breathtakingly formidable.

Eldrin Chen attempted to activate it. As the Reincarnation Bell tolled, the immeasurably vast Chaos [the primordial, formless void before creation] itself seemed to shudder and roar in response.

An ancient world was cloven asunder. The powers of Space-Time intertwined, and the boundless Samsara Great Dao [the supreme principle governing the cycle of rebirth] swept through the Chaos. Wherever its power passed, all things were reduced to dust.

"This power..."

Eldrin Chen was shaken, a trace of solemn gravity flashing within his eyes.

In this moment, he understood with even greater clarity the formidable power of the Reincarnation Body [a supreme divine ability that manifests a separate, independent body of immense power]. It was a force that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a Mid Great Luo Golden Immortal [a cultivator who has reached the middle stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm]. Under the extreme Eruption [a state of unleashing one's full, latent potential], it could even put up a desperate fight against a Late Great Luo Golden Immortal [a cultivator who has reached the late stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm].

"The Ten Great Immortal Treasuries [legendary repositories of supreme power and knowledge], the Inner Immortal Domain [a perfected, self-contained world within a cultivator's body], the True Spirit Physique [a body refined to its most primordial and perfect spiritual state]."

"With such foundational pillars supporting it, the Reincarnation Body [a supreme divine ability that manifests a separate, independent body of immense power], though newly ascended to the Grand Luo [the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm], possesses strength sufficient to withstand a Mid Great Luo Golden Immortal [a cultivator who has reached the middle stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm]."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly to himself, finally withdrawing his gaze.

He looked towards the Reincarnation Body [a supreme divine ability that manifests a separate, independent body of immense power], a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "From now on, I must trouble you, fellow Daoist, to traverse the Chaos [the primordial, formless expanse from which all things are born] and seek out cultivation resources on my behalf."

"We are one and the same. How can there be talk of 'fellow Daoist' between us?"

The Reincarnation Body [a supreme divine ability that manifests a separate, independent body of immense power] chuckled. He was born from a fragment of Eldrin Chen's soul; their fundamental essence was identical. Speaking to himself in this manner held a peculiar charm.

Rising to his feet, he gazed into the Depths of Chaos [the most remote and turbulent regions of the primordial Chaos]. "I shall take my leave first."

As his words faded, the Reincarnation Bell [a supreme magical treasure capable of traversing the boundaries of life, death, and reality] tore through the Chaos [the primordial, formless expanse from which all things are born] with a thunderous roar, carrying him away into the heart of the Chaos Sea [the vast, churning ocean of primordial Chaos].

Eldrin Chen remained where he stood, watching the departing figure of the Reincarnation Body [a supreme divine ability that manifests a separate, independent body of immense power] vanish. A faint, knowing smile touched his lips.

Unlike the main body, the Reincarnation Immortal Domain [the inner world of a Reincarnation Body] resides within the Reincarnation Body [a powerful clone or avatar formed through reincarnation]. For such an entity, the entire Vast Chaotic Void [the primordial, boundless expanse of chaos] is its home; it has no need for a fixed cultivation Daoist Abode [a cultivator's sanctum or dwelling place].

Therefore, venturing into the Chaos Sea [the turbulent, primordial ocean of chaos], hunting Chaos Ancient Beast [ancient, monstrous beings native to the Chaos], and seeking Opportunity [a chance encounter or resource that aids cultivation] within the Chaos [the primordial, formless state of existence] are the most fitting pursuits for a Reincarnation Body.

After seeing off the Reincarnation Body, Eldrin Chen returned to his Abyssal Immortal Domain [the immortal realm under Eldrin Chen's dominion].

At this moment, he once more observed the Multidimensional Space-Time [a complex, layered structure of reality containing multiple dimensions and timelines] of his Abyssal Immortal Domain, falling into deep contemplation.

He realized that within the vast Multidimensional Space-Time of the Abyssal Immortal Domain, Minor World [small, lower-tier worlds] were born and perished with alarming speed, and the beings within Major World [larger, more stable worlds] had almost no chance to advance further.

Only the inhabitants of Great Thousand World [a vast cluster of major worlds] and the Cosmos [the grand, overarching universe] possessed the potential to ascend to immortality and fly up into the Abyssal Immortal Domain.

"The beings of the Minor World and Major World should also have a chance to attain immortality,"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly. Then, with a sweep of his sleeve, he communed with the Heavenly Dao [the fundamental laws and principles of the universe] and began to alter the rules governing this Multidimensional Space-Time within the Abyssal Immortal Domain.

Instantly, the creative power of a Grand Luo Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal realm cultivator] rippled through the Multidimensional Space-Time, and the rules within the immense Abyssal Immortal Domain began to transform.

Not long after, a new phenomenon appeared within the endless Multidimensional Space-Time—the Ascension Immortal Light [a radiant pathway that guides worthy souls towards immortal ascension].

In times past, the Ascension Immortal Light [a divine radiance that guides cultivators to ascend to a higher realm] was a rule belonging to the Immortal Domain Heavenly Dao [the Heavenly Dao, or natural order, of the Immortal Domain]. Only the Immortal Domain [the supreme realm of immortals] possessed the power to emit this light, summoning Immortal [beings who have achieved immortality] to ascend into its midst.

However, with the alteration of the rules, henceforth the Minor World [a small, lower-tier world], Major World [a larger, intermediate-tier world], Great Thousand World [a vast, high-tier world], and even the Cosmos [the primordial cosmos itself] would all be capable of emitting the Ascension Immortal Light.

From this day forward, any being from a Minor World, upon cultivating to the early stage of the immortal path's 'Purple Mansion Realm' [the Purple Mansion stage, where the cultivator's spiritual foundation is established] or achieving perfection in the martial path's 'Dao Foundation Realm' [the Dao Foundation stage, the solid base of one's cultivation], would be able to ascend to the nearest Major World.

Beings from a Major World, once they cultivated to the immortal path's 'Nascent Soul Stage' [the Nascent Soul stage, where the cultivator's spiritual essence forms an infant soul] or the martial path's 'Dao Embryo Realm' [the Dao Embryo stage, where the foundational Dao condenses into an embryonic form], could ascend to the nearest Great Thousand World or Cosmos.

The resources of a Great Thousand World were sufficient to nurture Immortal, while a Cosmos could sustain an Earth Immortal Progenitor [an Earth Immortal, a powerful immortal rooted to a specific world or cosmos]. Beings who cultivated to the Ascension Immortal Realm [the realm where one is ready to ascend to the Immortal Domain] within these two places could all ascend to the Immortal Domain.

Nevertheless, altering the rules of the Ascension Immortal Light meant that the Abyssal Immortal Domain [the Immortal Domain ruled by Eldrin Chen] would henceforth consume a vastly greater amount of its foundational essence.

Yet, the Abyssal Immortal Domain resided within the Chaos Sea [the primordial sea of chaos], and with a Grand Luo Golden Immortal [a Golden Immortal of the Grand Luo realm, a supreme existence] presiding over its Heavenly Dao, the essence it converted was a hundredfold that of the Vast Azure Immortal Domain [another Immortal Domain]. Such a loss was of little consequence.

In the view of Eldrin Chen, as long as practitioners of the Path of Self-Sacrifice [a cultivation art that emphasizes sacrifice for a greater cause] continued to ascend as Immortal, this expenditure was a worthy price.

Of course, allowing beings from Minor World to ascend also presented a significant problem.

That problem was this: a Minor World inherently possessed a lifespan of only one hundred thousand years. If a large number of Purple Mansion cultivators and those who had perfected their Dao Foundation were to ascend, it would accelerate the world's Annihilation [its eventual destruction and return to nothingness].

Due to the limited primordial Qi [the fundamental life-force energy of the universe] within a Minor World, the accumulated spiritual energy and resources of a hundred years could, at most, give rise to no more than one or two cultivators reaching the Violet Mansion realm or the Perfection Stage of the Dao Foundation realm.

Furthermore, to attempt a breakthrough into the Violet Mansion realm, merely relying on spiritual energy might prove insufficient; one would also require rare treasures born from the world's precious foundational essence.

Take, for instance, the Li Fire Crystal required for a Violet Mansion breakthrough. Within the Violet Boundary, such an item is considered a relatively common rarity, as any third-grade fire-attribute spiritual vein could nurture it.

Yet, a Minor World spans only tens of thousands of Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], its expanse not even rivaling the former desolate lands of a mere hundred thousand Li-lengths. How could such a minuscule world easily give birth to a Li Fire Crystal?

According to Eldrin Chen's estimation, within a Minor World, during the first ten thousand years after its creation, one Li Fire Crystal could be nurtured every ten years.

After those ten thousand years passed, it would take several decades, even a full century, to nurture a single crystal.

By the final millennia of its existence, the Li Fire Crystal would become a peerless treasure appearing only once in a thousand years, something future generations would fight and die to obtain.

As the world's resources were exhausted, the lifespan of the Minor World would inevitably be drastically shortened.

Based on Eldrin Chen's calculations, if one cultivator at the Violet Mansion or Perfected Dao Foundation realm ascended every century, the lifespan of a world fifty thousand Li-lengths in radius would be halved, reduced to approximately fifty thousand years.

A single Minor World could likely only sustain the ascension of between one hundred and five hundred such cultivators.

"Does the Ascension Immortal Light [a radiant phenomenon accompanying a cultivator's transcendence to immortality] of a powerful being's ascension accelerate a Minor World [a lower-tier, finite world within the cosmic hierarchy]'s Annihilation [the ultimate end and dissolution of a world]?"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, then swiftly lowered his gaze.

The Heavenly Dao [the impersonal, fundamental order of the cosmos] is without sentiment, viewing all beings as straw dogs. Now, having transcended even the Heavenly Dao itself, Eldrin Chen had grown accustomed to the cycle of life and death within the Mortal Dust Realm [the mundane world of mortals].

The Annihilation of a single Minor World, or even the hastened demise of a thousand such worlds, could no longer stir his heart.

In his view, just as mortals face birth, aging, sickness, and death, so too do worlds themselves.

The birth and destruction of countless myriad worlds is the very Samsara [the endless cycle of death and rebirth] of the Heavenly Dao. For mortals who cannot attain longevity, a Minor World lasting ten thousand years or one hundred thousand years holds no true difference.

Be it a hundred thousand years or a million, without the gift of immortality, they are but bubbles upon the fingertips of time, vanishing in the span of a single thought, destined ultimately for decay and oblivion.

Conversely, if among the prodigies who emerge from a Minor World, a single one were to someday Ascension [transcend to a higher realm of existence] and become an immortal, their feedback might allow that Minor World to Ascension into a Great Thousand World [a vast, stable, and enduring higher-tier world], thereby gaining the potential to endure for several, or even countless, Kalpa Tribulation [cosmic cycles of immense duration, often involving cataclysmic upheavals].

"Ah, one must not nurture the ungrateful and faithless,"

Eldrin Chen whispered, once more altering the fundamental rules of heaven and earth.

Within the Multidimensional Space-Time [the layered fabric of reality encompassing all dimensions and timelines], he altered the fundamental laws. Henceforth, any who dared to break an Heavenly Dao Oath [a sacred vow sworn upon the Heavenly Dao, the cosmic order] would find themselves utterly incapable of summoning the Ascension Immortal Light [the radiant gateway of light that facilitates ascension to a higher realm].

Furthermore, all who ascended from their native worlds incurred a debt of karma and gratitude to those worlds. After ascension, this karmic debt must be repaid.

Should one fail to repay this debt for an extended period, they too would be unable to invoke the Ascension Immortal Light. In severe cases, even the Immortal Domain Heavenly Dao [the cosmic will and governing principles of the Immortal Domain] would reject their attempt to ascend to the Immortal Domain [the higher realm of immortals].

For those who ascended but whose native world met Annihilation [complete cosmic destruction] before they could settle their karmic debt, the object of their repayment would shift to the Abyssal Immortal Domain [the foundational, primordial realm from which all others are born].

After all, every Multidimensional Space-Time was born from and dependent upon the Abyssal Immortal Domain. Transferring the karmic obligation to it was therefore a logical and permissible adjustment.

Having established these new cosmic edicts, Eldrin Chen let out a slow, measured breath.

Under the rules he had decreed, he could not guarantee the inherent character of every ascending Immortal [a being who has achieved immortality through cultivation]. However, it would at least ensure that those who successfully passed through the screening process and ascended to the Immortal Domain would not be ungrateful wretches.

Once within the Immortal Domain, they would fall under the direct governance of the Heavenly Dao's laws. He trusted that the Progenitor of the Heavenly Dao [the primordial architect and sovereign of the cosmic order], his Old Granduncle, Thalion Chen, would maintain proper oversight over all.

Of course, should any among them advance further and prove their Dao, attaining the Realm of the Great Luo Golden Immortal [the exalted realm of the Great Luo Golden Immortal], Eldrin Chen would have little direct authority to compel them to repay the karmic debt they owed him.

Yet, Eldrin Chen believed that any existence capable of ascending from the Abyssal Immortal Domain and ultimately proving their Dao as a Grand Luo Golden Immortal would inevitably resemble the successive generations of Eight Tribulation Ancient Immortal [Ancient Immortals who have survived eight heavenly tribulations] from the Great Cold Immortal Domain [a specific, frost-bound realm within the Immortal Domain]. Achieving such heights without the patronage of the Lord of the Immortal Domain [the supreme ruler of a given Immortal Domain] was nearly impossible.

Such individuals would most likely be taken in as disciples and nurtured by Eldrin Chen.

If they were to attain the Grand Luo realm and not repay their karmic debts, they would likely be scorned and ridiculed by the great ancient sects and the Hundred Clans.

A Grand Luo Golden Immortal does not fall into Samsara [the endless cycle of death and rebirth]. For such an existence, life and death hold little fear; their Dao Heart [the core of their cultivation and resolve] and their reputation are far more important than mere mortality.

"Within the Three Thousand Immortal Domains, it is exceedingly rare for a newly ascended Grand Luo Golden Immortal to achieve Ascension [the process of transcending to a higher realm of existence] directly from within an Immortal Domain."

"If my Abyssal Immortal Domain could give rise to a new Grand Luo, it would indeed be a joyous occasion for me."

Eldrin Chen smiled faintly. Once more, he meticulously examined the laws of heaven and earth, confirming there were no errors or omissions, before finally withdrawing his divine sense.

Having disseminated the Path of Self-Sacrifice and altered the cosmic laws, Eldrin Chen entered a period of secluded cultivation.

In the long years that followed, Eldrin Chen divided his efforts between refining his cultivation methods and projecting his divine consciousness into the boundless dimensions to spread his teachings across the Myriad Heavens.

During these vast stretches of time, the other eight newly ascended Grand Luo Golden Immortal of the Human Race held their immortal banquets.

Eldrin Chen attended the banquets of several among them, one of whom was Umbralia.

As the direct disciple of Grand Nether Emperor Lord, Umbralia had obtained numerous Opportunity [a chance encounter or resource that aids in cultivation] in the past. During the final several hundred thousand years of the Kalpa Tribulation [a cataclysmic cycle of destruction and rebirth], she campaigned across the realms and finally cultivated her True Spirit Primordial Spirit [the perfected, indestructible spiritual core of an immortal].

Using this as her foundation, Umbralia broke through to the Realm of the Great Luo Golden Immortal [the pinnacle realm of a Golden Immortal, signifying supreme attainment]. She had already become a True Seed of an Emperor Lord [a cultivator destined with the potential to reach the Emperor Lord realm] for the future of the Human Race.

Thus, amidst continuous secluded cultivation and attendance at immortal banquets, the first million-year epoch slipped quietly by. The Abyssal Immortal Domain also welcomed its first great tribulation.

The great tribulation is part of the Dao [the fundamental principle or path] of Heaven and Earth's cyclical motion, and Eldrin Chen did not interfere.

However, as a governed Immortal Domain [a realm suffused with immortal energy], the Immortal Spirit Qi [the highest grade of spiritual energy, used by immortals] transformed within the Abyssal Immortal Domain was far beyond what the Vast Azure Immortal Domain could hope to match.

Therefore, for this tribulation, Eldrin Chen did not intend to slaughter excessively.

First, for the clansmen of the Chen Immortal Clan and the allied Immortal [a being who has achieved immortality] within the Immortal Alliance, Eldrin Chen granted them his protection, shielding them from having to undergo the tribulation.

The true immortals who entered the tribulation were the newly ascended Immortal from the Dimensional Void, along with those Earth Immortal [an immortal whose power is tied to a specific land or realm] who aspired to prove their Dao and ascend to Grand Luo [the supreme realm of cultivation], seeking to advance further.

Furthermore, Eldrin Chen sought to prevent internal strife within the Abyssal Immortal Domain. Instead, he ventured into the Depths of Chaos and captured several hundred Chaos Nest [a primordial pocket of unstable chaotic energy].

He refined these several hundred Chaos Nest into a single vast Chaos Celestial Domain. Using the blood of Chaos Ancient Beast [primordial beasts born from chaos] and ferocious beasts, he created the Chaos Beast Race.

The Chaos Celestial Domain lay beyond the borders of the Abyssal Immortal Domain. Those of the Chaos Beast Race fed upon Primordial Chaos Qi, requiring little in the way of additional resources or nurturing from Eldrin Chen.

Whenever a great calamity or Dao Tribulation [a trial of one's cultivation path imposed by the heavens] descended, the Chaos Celestial Domain would briefly merge with the Abyssal Immortal Domain.

Those undergoing the tribulation could step into that realm to engage in a life-or-death struggle with the Chaos Beast Race. To pass the trial, one needed only to slay a single Chaos Beast Race of equivalent cultivation realm.

The victor would obtain the physical essence of the Chaos Beast. This essence was a supreme treasure for body cultivation, the finest possible nourishment for cultivators who walked the Path of Self-Sacrifice [a cultivation art that focuses on refining one's own physical body through immense hardship].

Defeat, of course, meant perishing on the spot, one's Dao returning to the heavens and their essence rejoining the source of the Immortal Domain, thus fulfilling the grand cycle of the world's natural laws.