Chapter 1790 : Upheaval

Seeing this, everyone exchanged glances, their eyes flickering with surprise.

Eldrin understood that while Daoist Ziyao appeared calm and unperturbed, he was in fact highly guarded against everyone, likely because his injuries were far more severe than he let on.

If there had been any enmity between them, Eldrin might have taken pleasure in this outcome. But bearing no grudge against the man, Eldrin saw no reason to delay.

He strode skyward, the 5 Veins Divine Spear in his hand piercing through the vast expanse as it swept forth with overwhelming force, striking toward the Chaos Flame Spirit.

Seeing this, Patriarch Tianya also decisively lent his assistance. Working together, they completely suppressed the frenzied Chaos Flame Spirit.

On the other side, the Golden-Winged Roc and the Golden-Winged Patriarch, seeing that neither of them harbored ulterior motives, immediately launched a decisive pincer attack against the Chaos Flame Spirit.

Seeing this, Daoist Ziyao also breathed a sigh of relief and immediately charged toward the Chaotic Flame Spirit.

5 full-power Heavenly Immortals joined forces, and the already severely wounded Chaos Flame Spirit ultimately could not hold out. In but a brief span, it had suffered 1 devastating blow after another.

In just a 1000 years, the Chaos Flame Spirit's injuries had grown increasingly severe. Were it not for the fear of its desperate, cornered-beast retaliation, the assembly would have long since slain it.

Even so, after thousands of years of grueling battle, it had already reached the brink of death.

Boom—

At the final moment of the great battle, Patriarch Tianya unleashed the combined power of the Horizon's Edge Twin Swords. With a single strike, he severed half of the Chaos Fairy's body, inflicting unprecedented devastation upon it.

The others were overjoyed at the sight.

The Violet Radiance Elder’s face lit up with ecstatic surprise. Without a moment’s hesitation, he harnessed the power of thunder and charged toward the Chaos Flame Spirit.

But at that very moment, Patriarch Ziyao suddenly noticed the Chaos Flame Spirit erupting with overwhelming fiery light, and couldn't help feeling something was amiss.

"Damn, this beast still has a final death strike!"

His heart skipped a beat. Daoist Ziyao immediately withdrew, poised to explode backward in retreat.

But just then, the Golden-Winged Roc appeared unexpectedly at his flank. With a beat of its wings, a golden ancient blade descended, forcing him to devote all his strength to block it.

In that fleeting moment of resistance, the Chaos Immortal unleashed a final, desperate strike that surpassed even its prime.

An unstoppable force stirred the primordial chaos, wielding the immortal iron staff to strike across all realms, tearing through the 9 heavens and crashing upon his mortal form.

"Ah—"

With a piercing shriek, Daoist Ziyao's body nearly shattered apart, sustaining unprecedented severe injuries.

The Golden-Winged Roc possessed the ultimate speed in the world. Everything transpired in the blink of an eye—even Eldrin had no time to intervene.

But the master of the Endless Sky Pavilion decisively intercepted the Golden-Winged Great Peng, his face filled with utter shock as he turned to the Golden-Winged Ancestor and demanded, "Why would you do this?"

The Golden-Winged Patriarch's expression was utterly serene, yet he offered no reply, merely standing side by side with the Golden-Winged Roc.

Eldrin arrived with the 5 Veins Divine Spear in hand, carefully scrutinizing the Golden-Winged Roc and the Golden-Winged Ancestor before calmly stating, "Senior, you have asked the wrong person."

"This act of the Golden-Winged Roc is most likely orchestrated by the Golden-Winged Patriarch."

"You have a keen eye."

At that very moment, the Golden-Winged Roc spoke with an air of nonchalance, ultimately transforming into a man clad in golden battle armor.

The man stood tall and slender, exuding an indescribable air of nobility. His expression remained tranquil as he gazed at Eldrin and said, "How did you discern that I am the true master?"

Eldrin cast a calm glance at the 2, his tone detached as he spoke: "Legends say the Golden-Winged Great Peng feeds on dragons. With its profoundly arrogant nature, it would never willingly submit to another."

"If you were not the Golden-Winged Ancestor's pet, he would likely have been subdued by you long ago."

"Golden Wings Ancestor puts on such an arrogant front before the world, likely to conceal his own humiliation and insecurities."

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"

The Golden-Winged Roc nodded, casting an appreciative glance at Eldrin (Person Name). "With such discernment," it declared, "your future accomplishments shall be boundless. 1 day, you will undoubtedly stand as my equal."

At this point, the Golden-Winged Roc glanced at the dying Master Ziyao before turning back to Eldrin (Person Name) and the Ancient of Tianya (Person Name). "Among our 3 factions," it said, "the Violet Luminary Grotto-Heaven has always been the weakest."

"As the initiators of this assault on the Chaos Nest, they demand the largest share of opportunities—this is utterly despicable."

"How about we join forces to eliminate the Ziyao Grotto-Heaven disciples first, then split the spoils of this battle equally?"

Eldrin (Person Name) furrowed his brow slightly upon hearing this. Going back on 1's word was something he simply could not bring himself to do.

Tianya Ancestor also decisively refused. Entrusting Violet Radiance Taoist to Mistgreen Fairy's protection, he spoke with an icy countenance, "We immortals who transcend mortality value face above all else—our eternal lives demand nothing less."

"If we yield to you today, how shall we ever establish our standing across the 3 1000 Immortal Domains hereafter?"

"Is that so?"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng sneered coldly, its gaze turning icy as it declared, "You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. You are courting death!"

As the words faded, the Golden-Winged Roc descended through the skies, a pair of peerless heavenly blades in its grasp cleaving through the vast chaos as it struck down.

The moment they clashed, Eldrin sensed something was amiss. The Golden-Winged Roc possessed astonishingly formidable power—likely a manifestation of ancestral bloodline reversion, a lineage of the Demon Emperor. Its combat prowess ranked among the pinnacle, rivaling even the highest echelons of the Ninth Heaven Celestial Immortals.

Generally speaking, Celestial Immortals at the Great Perfection stage are all Flawless Celestial Immortals. Each 1 of them is a top-tier prodigy, with minimal disparity in combat prowess.

However, differences inevitably exist between individuals, and this holds true even for those at the Great Perfection stage of the Celestial Immortal realm. Among such beings, variations in foundational strength inevitably lead to disparities in combat prowess.

An ordinary Great Perfection Heavenly Immortal typically possesses combat strength equivalent to 5 Eighth-Level Heavenly Immortals. Such experts are considered the most common among their ranks—the Golden-Winged Ancestor, for instance, falls into this category.

Slightly stronger, capable of matching 6 or 7 Celestial Immortals at the eighth level—for instance, this is precisely the level of power possessed by the Violet Radiance Daoist.

There were also some who could withstand the combined assault of 8 Eighth-Level Celestial Immortals—these could be considered the most formidable among the Ninth-Level Celestial Immortals.

Only those who could be considered truly supreme typically possessed either a Forbidden Emperor Seed or an innate foundation, enabling them to face 2 opponents at once and defeat 2 ordinary Great Perfection Celestial Immortals in unison at this realm.

In addition, there were also Supreme Celestial Immortals at the Great Perfection stage who could single-handedly contend with 3 opponents. However, such individuals were exceedingly rare, as they were almost certain to break through to the Ancient Immortal realm and would not remain at the Celestial Immortal Great Perfection stage for long.

On the contrary, peak Great Perfection Heavenly Immortals, due to their own strength and foundation not yet being sufficient to directly break through to the Ancient Immortal realm, could remain at the Great Perfection stage for an extended period.

Thus, relatively speaking, beings like the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Ancient 1 of the World's Edge—top-tier Golden Immortals at the Great Perfection stage—could almost be considered the most formidable combat forces beneath the Ancient Immortals.

At this moment, the Golden-Winged Great Peng wielded the Heavenly Blade to sweep across the 6 directions. With each strike, it carried an overwhelming momentum through the skies, exerting such immense pressure that even Eldrin (Person Name) could keenly feel its weight.

"Hand it over."

The Ancient 1 of the Distant Skies also sensed this and immediately took decisive action, engaging the Golden-Winged Great Peng in battle.

Seeing this, Eldrin (Person Name) raised his palm to counter the Golden-Winged Ancestor (Person Name), whose power was rather unremarkable.

Had they met in the Celestial Realm, Eldrin would have had no choice but to flee immediately. But here in the Primordial Chaos, where the oppressive energies suppressed all cultivation, allowing him to wield only 50 or 60 percent of his true power, Eldrin felt not the slightest trace of fear.

In the blink of an eye, the 2 exchanged hundreds of moves. Not only did Eldrin not fall into a disadvantage, but he instead forced the Golden-Winged Ancestor into relentless retreat.

Just as the 4 were locked in fierce combat, a struggle also erupted among those maintaining the formation on the periphery.

The 5 Celestial Immortals from the Violet Radiance Grotto-Heaven, sensing the situation turning perilous, immediately launched a coordinated assault against the 3 Celestial Immortals of the Golden Wings Grotto-Heaven.

The 3 Celestial Immortals of the Golden Wing Grotto-Heaven were no easy foes either. They decisively withdrew the 3 '9 Heavens Divine Thunder Banners', allowing over a dozen primordial chaos beasts to charge in and thoroughly throw the battle into chaos.

For a time, the entire battlefield descended into utter chaos, making it impossible to determine victory or defeat.

Even more terrifying was the emergence of a ninth-rank, superior-grade Primordial Chaos Beast from the depths of the void. The moment it appeared, it unleashed a world-shaking aura of slaughter and devoured a Celestial Immortal elder from the Amethyst Radiance Grotto-Heaven in a single gulp.

Seeing the situation turning dire, Fairy Qingyan, burning with urgency to save her husband, actually abandoned the others and was the first to flee into the depths of the chaos, clutching the mangled remains of the Purple Radiance Daoist.

The other Celestial Immortals of the Violet Radiance Grotto-verse had no choice but to follow suit and retreat. Even the Violet Radiance Heavenly Ark tore through the primordial chaos and vanished into the distance.

Amidst the chaos, the Golden-Winged Roc fixed an intensely grave gaze upon Eldrin (Person Name) and declared, "A foundation of innate divinity—no wonder you dare block my path!"

"A Chaos Ancient Beast is stirring trouble today, making it difficult for us to determine a victor. Another day, this sovereign shall battle you again."

As the words fell, the Golden-Winged Roc beat its wings and tore through the sky, charging toward the remnants of the Chaos Flame Spirit.

After the Chaos Flame Spirit unleashed its final, desperate strike, it exhausted the last trace of its strength and perished. Its remains now lay stretched across the primordial chaos, and any further delay would likely attract contention from the ancient beasts of the void.

The Golden-Winged Roc was free to take it, but the Endless Horizon Patriarch was unwilling to let it go. Without hesitation, he summoned the Twin Swords of the Horizon's Edge to block its path.

Eldrin and the Golden-Winged Ancestor also engaged in a fierce duel, repeatedly contending for the Chaos Flame Spirit Inner Core. Yet neither possessed the strength to completely overwhelm the other, making it difficult to determine victory or defeat for the time being.

"Roar—"

At that very moment, an earth-shattering roar erupted from the depths of chaos.

Dozens of primordial chaos beasts tore through the void, led by several top-tier Ninth-Order primordial chaos beasts. Among them were even 2 entities whose power rivaled the Great Perfection of Celestial Immortals.

"How could there be so many Primordial Chaos Beasts?"

Eldrin was utterly astounded, his heart trembling with disbelief as he thought, "Could it be that there are not just 1, but multiple superior-grade Chaos Lairs nearby?"

Just as he was reeling in shock, the Golden-Winged Roc declared decisively, "If we keep fighting, I fear none of us will escape alive."

"This Chaos Flame Spirit's inner core and its flesh, blood, and fur shall be separated. How about we each take 1?"

"Excellent—"

In the blink of an eye, Elder Tianya and the Golden-Winged Roc had reached an agreement: the elder claimed the inner elixir, while the Chaos Flame Spirit's physical form was granted to the Golden-Winged Roc.

Seizing the opportunity, Eldrin collected the remains of the Chaos Flame-Horned Ox, then took the Celestial Maiden and followed Ancestor Tianya as they tore through the void.

The 3 of them journeyed through the primordial chaos, fighting their way out in a continuous series of battles. Along the way, they discovered vast numbers of ancient chaos beasts. Fortunately, Eldrin (Person Name) shrouded them in mists of chaos to conceal their auras, allowing them to escape unscathed despite the peril.

When the surrounding Chaos Ancient Beasts grew sparse, Eldrin finally took a deep breath and said, "How could there be so many Chaos Ancient Beasts?"

Not only was Eldrin (Person Name) astonished, even the Ancient 1 of the Distant Shores could no longer remain seated.

Just moments ago when they broke through the encirclement, they had spotted no fewer than nearly a 100 primordial chaos beasts, with even seventh or eighth 9-tier superior-grade primordial chaos beasts among them.

This was just 1 direction. Considering that the primordial beasts might approach from multiple fronts, the number drawn by the Innate Ambergris earlier was likely no fewer than several 100.

Logically speaking, within the 3 1000 Immortal Domains, the Primordial Chaos Qi was exceedingly sparse—it made no sense for such a dense concentration of Ancient Chaos Beasts to appear here.

"Where so many primordial chaos beasts can emerge, there must be astonishing secrets hidden nearby."

"Moreover, it is highly probable that within lies a Chaos Nest of the highest ninth-tier grade."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin's expression shifted subtly, a mix of astonishment and delight flickering across his face.

Joyfully, it was a Chaos Nest of the ninth rank and supreme grade, capable of nurturing at least several 100 to a 1000 strands of Primordial Qi every 10 million years.

To their astonishment, it was a supreme-grade Chaos Nest of the ninth rank, guarded by at least several Chaos Beast Kings. Among them, there might even exist top-tier Chaos Beast Kings comparable to Sixth Tribulation Ancient Immortals, or even beings of the Chaos Saint Spirit level.

Such a formidable Chaos Nest, when unleashed within the primordial chaos, wields truly terrifying power. Even if an entire celestial realm were to marshal all its forces to assault it, they would likely pay an unimaginably steep price to claim victory.

Due to the scarcity of chaotic energy, within this expanse of primordial chaos where the 3 1000 Immortal Domains reside, ninth-grade supreme chaos nests were exceedingly rare and incomparably precious.

"Most importantly, each of these Chaos Nests possesses at least several dozen to over a 100 subsidiary Chaos Nests. The accumulated Primordial Qi would number no less than several 1000 to begin with."

"If our speculations hold true, I fear not only the Taihan Immortal Domain, but even several surrounding immortal domains would be stirred into commotion."

The Celestial Maiden murmured softly, her gaze revealing an expression of utmost gravity.

Elder Tianya also nodded and spoke, "If this legendary Grade 9, supreme-grade nest proves genuine, it is beyond any single faction's claim. Yet should the major grotto-heavens across the Taihan Immortal Realm take action, we might still secure a share of the spoils."

At this point, Old Man Tianya turned his gaze to Eldrin and said, "We shall send the message back, but before that, let us first pay a visit to the Chaos Immortal Flame Nest."

The Celestial Maiden and Eldrin exchanged a glance upon hearing this. The Chaos Immortal Flame Nest was a supreme-grade chaos nest, and the opportunities within were certain to be extraordinary.

Now that the Chaos Flame Spirit had been slain by them, it was the perfect opportunity to explore this Chaos Lair—a chance they naturally could not let slip by.

The 3 of them steeled their resolve and immediately headed for the Chaos Immortal Flame Nest, arriving within its depths not long after.

To their delight, within the Chaos Immortal Flame Nest, they discovered 3 Chaos Immortal Pools—1 high-grade and 2 low-grade—which together contained a total of 17 strands of Primordial Qi.

The 3 swiftly gathered the innate qi, then proceeded to ransack the area, uncovering over a dozen innate treasures—among them, a single stalk of the Celestial Flame Tree (Spiritual Root).

This Celestial Flame Tree was a top-grade primordial ancient tree, its value almost beyond measure. With the utmost care, they collected it before immediately pressing onward into the depths of the Chaos.

No sooner had the trio departed than the Golden-Winged Roc and the Golden-Winged Patriarch descended upon the scene. After inspecting the Chaos Immortal Flame Nest, they let out roars of utter frustration.

"Damn it, they actually beat us to it."

The Golden-Winged Roc let out a furious roar, its gaze growing increasingly frigid.

Golden-Winged Patriarch’s expression darkened, his voice tinged with resentment. "If not for the sudden interference of tens of thousands of primordial chaos beasts, how could they have possibly seized the opportunity before us?"

"It seems they were fortunate, the direction they fled in had far fewer Primordial Chaos Beasts." (End of Chapter)