Chapter 1971 : Return to the Abyssal Domain
Elsewhere, after bidding farewell to Violet Sun Emperor Lord, Eldrin Chen departed the Chaos Realm Sea without a moment's delay.
They journeyed across the desolate seas of the Vast Chaotic Void and finally returned to the Abyssal Immortal Domain, only then allowing themselves a sigh of relief.
"We are safe."
Upon returning to the Primordial Chaos Desolate Sea, Eldrin Chen finally let the tension drain from his shoulders.
Eldrin Chen led the group to Abyssal Heaven and addressed them, "Our venture into the Chaos Realm Sea was fraught with peril, yet fortune favored us, and we emerged unscathed."
"Now that we have returned, let us divide the spoils of our journey."
Hearing this, Lyra Jiang and the others could not suppress the smiles that touched their eyes.
Though only six Grand Luo Golden Immortal had ventured into the Primordial Chaos Desolate Sea, the resources they had seized were of unprecedented abundance, filling their hearts with wild elation.
The Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix pondered for a moment before speaking, "In this battle, you aided me in slaying the Primordial Chaos Kui Ox. Such a debt is already difficult to repay. I shall not partake in the division of these treasures."
Eldrin Chen merely smiled and replied, "It is of no consequence. Since you fought alongside us, Fellow Daoist, you are entitled to your share of the bounty."
Lyra Jiang and the others also smiled, acknowledging Eldrin Chen's approach.
After all, the spoils from this battle were indeed staggering. Distributing them according to merit, allowing Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix to claim a portion would cause no harm.
With this thought, Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix said no more, merely watching Eldrin Chen with a look of anticipation.
Seeing this, Eldrin Chen offered no further words. He directly began retrieving the various captured treasures to take stock.
In this great battle within the Chaos Realm Sea, they had slain over twenty top-tier Grand Luo Golden Immortal. Among them, those at the seventh or eighth layer numbered a full twenty-one.
As for those whose cultivation had reached the Great Luo Golden Immortal Great Perfection realm, there were also seven individuals: Golden Roc Demon Lord, Violet Dawn Divine Spirit, Grand Desolation Ancient Ancestor, Golden Radiance Celestial Lord, Verdant Extreme Ancient Ancestor, Blazing Flame Demon Lord, and Azure Crocodile Demon Lord.
Having slain so many powerful foes, the plundered treasures were naturally astonishing. After a thorough inventory, their faces lit up with ecstatic joy.
The spoils from this battle could roughly be divided into four categories: Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light [a primordial, unbreakable essence of spiritual light], Innate Spiritual Treasure [a treasure born from the primordial chaos], Great Luo Body [the physical remains of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, usable for alchemy], and finally, a batch of highly valuable Innate Divine Object [a divine object of innate origin].
Among these, the Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light were the most plentiful. Before encountering Violet Dawn Divine Spirit and the others, they had obtained close to three hundred strands. In the final battle, they seized another three hundred-plus strands in one fell swoop.
Adding these together, Eldrin Chen now held over six hundred strands of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light in his possession. With this batch of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light in hand...
Had it not been destined for nurturing the Innate Spiritual Root [a supreme spiritual foundation born from the primordial essence of the world], the quest for Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light [a luminous, indestructible spiritual energy essential for the highest breakthroughs]—vital for Eldrin Chen and Lyra Jiang's ascent to the Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch [the supreme sovereign realm preceding the final ascension]—would have been more than half complete.
Beyond the Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light, the value of Innate Spiritual Treasures [treasures born from the primal essence of heaven and earth] was also astonishingly profound.
After a brief inventory, Eldrin Chen found that from this battle, he had seized over one hundred Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Moreover, these Innate Spiritual Treasures were all of exceptionally high grade; the vast majority were Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, and there were even thirty-three Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures among them.
The most precious of all, naturally, were the three Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Among these three Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, the Longevity Ancient Seal [a seal imbued with the Dao of longevity] and the Great Roc's Golden Wing Slash [a divine slashing technique of the Great Roc] were relatively ordinary in power, both being common Twelve-Rune Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Only the Violet Dawn Solar Pearl [a solar pearl containing the power of the violet dawn] belonging to the Violet Dawn Divine Spirit was truly formidable. Although this treasure was also a Twelve-Rune Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, it uniquely embodied two Great Daos: the Violet Ruins Divine Thunder [a divine thunder from the violet primordial ruins] and the Pure Yang Heavenly Fire [a heavenly fire of pure yang essence]. Its power surpassed that of an ordinary Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure by twenty percent.
"A truly bountiful harvest," he murmured.
Gazing upon the over one hundred Innate Spiritual Treasures before him, Eldrin Chen could not help but reveal a look of profound satisfaction.
The value of Innate Spiritual Treasures was extraordinary. The combined worth of several dozen Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures was approximately equivalent to nearly two hundred measures of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light.
The thirty-three Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [the highest tier of treasures born from the world's primal essence] were even more precious. Such treasures are considered rare even among Grand Luo Golden Immortal [cultivators who have attained the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm]. The value of any single one could match ten strands of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light [an indestructible primal light of creation].
Yet, in Eldrin Chen's estimation, the sum of all the mid-grade Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure paled in comparison to these three Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [the absolute pinnacle of innate treasures, surpassing the Top Grade].
The reason lay in the scarcity of Primordial Chaos Rank [materials of a chaos-origin grade] and the abysmal success rate for forging a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure—less than thirty percent. Thus, Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure were truly exceedingly rare.
They were exceptional rarities, seldom seen in the world. In the open market, any single Twelve-Rune Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [a Supreme Grade treasure inscribed with twelve primal runes] would command a price starting at one hundred strands of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light.
In truth, even one hundred strands of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light would rarely be enough to purchase a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.
After all, for an expert at the Great Luo Golden Immortal Great Perfection [the pinnacle stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm], amassing one hundred strands of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light was difficult but not impossible, given sufficient longevity.
Yet, within the Three Thousand Immortal Domains [the collective name for the myriad realms of immortals], few at the Great Luo Golden Immortal Great Perfection level possessed a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. The fundamental reason was the sheer scarcity of such artifacts.
Without the express approval of a Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch [a sovereign ruler born from Primordial Chaos], one could rarely acquire a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, even by offering double the standard price.
"This time, the combined value of the Innate Spiritual Treasure [treasures born from the world's innate essence] and the Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light alone exceeds one thousand strands of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light,"
Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, his gaze then shifting to the Great Luo Body [a physique tempered to the Great Luo realm] and the Innate Divine Object [a divine object of innate origin].
There were over twenty Great Luo Body [the physical form of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, a pinnacle of cultivation], and Eldrin Chen only took the dozen or so that did not belong to the Human Race.
The Great Luo Body of these Demon Race and Divine Race were of extraordinary value. Once refined into Great Luo Immortal Pill [a supreme pill capable of advancing a Great Luo Golden Immortal's cultivation], they would be sufficient to supply nine Grand Luo Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal realm beyond the Golden Immortal stage] in their cultivation up to the seventh layer of the Great Luo Body.
As for Innate Divine Object [objects born from the primordial chaos, possessing innate divine properties], there were not many. Exploring the Chaos Realm Sea [a vast, turbulent sea of primordial chaos between realms] carried significant risk, so these Grand Luo Golden Immortal had not brought many useless Innate Divine Object with them.
These Innate Divine Object had all been seized by these Grand Luo Golden Immortal as spoils of war, their total value not exceeding two hundred strands of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light [a primordial, unbreakable spiritual energy used for high-level refinement and cultivation].
After cataloging the treasures, Eldrin Chen assigned a value to each item, then allowed Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix [a primordial phoenix of supreme violet flame] to exchange them using her own accumulated merit points.
Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix possessed considerable merit, yet it was still not enough to claim the truly priceless treasures.
After careful deliberation, she exchanged for the legacy artifacts of the Primordial Chaos Kui Ox [a primordial chaos beast resembling a mighty ox], including its ThunderDivine Spear [a divine spear imbued with the power of primordial thunder] and its Fiend God Heart [the core essence of a powerful fiend or demon god]. With her remaining merit, she acquired over a dozen more strands of Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light, finally completing the exchange with deep satisfaction.
Once the exchange was complete, Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix could not contain her joy. "By slaying the Primordial Chaos Kui Ox," she said, "my Dao Authority [authority over a specific aspect of the Dao, the fundamental law of existence] has increased substantially."
"As long as I thoroughly refine the Fiend God Heart and Dao Authority of the Primordial Chaos Kui Ox," she continued, "I should encounter no bottlenecks before my breakthrough to Great Luo Golden Immortal Great Perfection [the perfected, pinnacle stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm]."
Eldrin Chen smiled, a hint of amusement in his expression. "Then I congratulate you, Fellow Daoist," he said, "and wish for your swift ascension to Great Luo Golden Immortal Great Perfection, and even for your eventual triumph in reaching the realm of a Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch [a sovereign emperor born from and ruling over primordial chaos]."
Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix [a supreme ancient phoenix of violet and ultimate essence] wore a solemn expression as she bowed slightly and said, "This time, I owe you a debt of gratitude, Fellow Daoist. Should you ever have need in the future, I will spare no effort to assist you."
Eldrin Chen merely smiled in response, offering no further words.
Only after Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix had departed did Eldrin Chen, Lyra Jiang, and the others begin to divide the spoils.
After the distribution, Eldrin Chen was surprised to find that while the treasures they had seized were incredibly numerous, very few were actually useful to them.
This was because Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [the highest grade of treasures born from the world's primal chaos] are exceedingly difficult to refine; one requires at least the cultivation of a Late Great Luo Golden Immortal [a late-stage Golden Immortal of the Great Luo realm] to successfully temper them. Setting aside the Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [high-grade treasures born from primal chaos] offered little practical benefit to the group.
Take Eldrin Chen as an example. His Abyssal Seal [a mighty seal imbued with abyssal power] possessed power comparable to a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, and could even manifest ten directions of Spiritual Treasure [enchanted artifacts]. He had no need to refine a mere Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.
Even his Primordial Chaos Soldier Derivation Art [a divine art that conjures soldiers from primordial chaos] likely rivaled the power of an ordinary Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.
As for the others, Nyssa Qu possessed the Nine Severities Spirit-Slaying Sword [a sword capable of slaying spirits across nine severities], and Lyra Jiang had the True Spirit Treasure [a treasure housing a true spiritual consciousness] known as the 'Exquisite Immortal Pagoda'.
Verdant Consort [the Verdant Consort, a title for a powerful female cultivator] held even greater treasures: the Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo [the embryonic form of a supreme innate treasure] 'Crimson Azure Twin Dragon Swords', the Primordial Chaos Spiritual Treasure Embryo [an embryonic treasure born from primordial chaos] 'Chaos Azure Lotus Scripture' [a scripture of the Chaos Azure Lotus], the 'Chaos Azure Lotus Immortal Robe' [an immortal robe woven from chaos and azure lotus essence], the 'Chaos Azure Lotus Platform' [a cultivation platform of chaos and azure lotus], and others.
Even the Reincarnation Body [a body formed through the power of reincarnation] possessed a Reincarnation Golden Bell. This bell was forged using a mysterious Chaos Jade Platform [a jade platform of chaotic origin] left behind by Violet Immortal Lord as its embryonic core, further interwoven with the profound principles of Samsara [the cycle of death and rebirth], Time, and the Space Great Dao [the Great Dao of Space]. Its power and potential were truly ineffable.
To put it bluntly, none of the five esteemed individuals considered these Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures [the highest tier of treasures born from the world's primal essence] worthy of their personal use.
Left with no better alternative, Eldrin Chen took inventory of the treasures. He selected thirteen items—those with particularly unique functions or those deemed the finest among the Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures—to be set aside as foundational reserves for the clan.
The remaining twelve Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, Eldrin Chen intended to use as raw materials. In the future, they could be reforged within the Creation Cauldron [a legendary cauldron capable of creation and transformation] to serve as Ascension [the process of advancing one's cultivation realm] Innate Lifebound Spiritual Treasures [treasures fused with a cultivator's life essence, growing in power alongside them], or as resources to aid clansmen in their Foundation Reforging [a profound process of reforging one's cultivation foundation].
One had to admit, the Creation Cauldron lived up to its legacy as a supreme Innate Supreme Treasure [a treasure of the highest innate order] born from the division of a Chaos Spiritual Treasure [a treasure originating from the primordial chaos]. Its unparalleled mystery, demonstrated merely in its ability to reforge Innate Spiritual Treasures [treasures born of the world's innate essence], justified the profound meaning of its name, 'Creation'.
Returning to the matter at hand, after finishing the inventory, Eldrin Chen instructed the others to go and heal their wounds. He then summoned the clan's Grand Luo Golden Immortals [cultivators who have attained the Golden Immortal realm within the Grand Luo hierarchy], including Yvonne the Violet Consort, Lila, and Ethan Chen.
For those at the Mid-Great Immortal Realm [the middle stage of the Great Immortal realm], Eldrin Chen bestowed upon each a compatible Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. As for those at the early Grand Luo Golden Immortal stage, such as Thalion Chen and Qingfeng Ye, each received a Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [a mid-tier innate spiritual treasure].
Even the First Divine General, Drayan Taicang, was fortunate enough to receive a share—a Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure of formidable power.
With the rewards distributed, Eldrin Chen then retired to the seclusion chamber with his Dao Companions to focus on healing.
Following a period of intimate dual cultivation, Eldrin Chen employed the Yin-Yang Mutual Cultivation Dao [the Dao of mutual cultivation through balancing Yin and Yang energies] for recovery. Augmented by the Life Great Dao [the supreme Dao principle governing life and vitality] and various rare treasures, he managed to heal eight or nine-tenths of his internal injuries over the course of several million years.
By this time, Eldrin Chen had nearly recovered to his peak condition, save for the lingering inability to unleash any Forbidden Divine Ability [divine abilities of such immense power their use carries severe consequences].
On this day, Eldrin Chen awoke from his haven of tender solace, finding his injuries had mended without issue, and thus emerged from his secluded cultivation.
After leaving seclusion, Eldrin Chen glanced at a piece of intelligence in his hand and remarked with a smile, "It seems the Opportunity within this Chaos Realm Sea is not insignificant."
Lyra Jiang, nestled against him, cast her beautiful eyes upon the report and spoke, "A grand-scale Chaos Realm Sea, and one that held an Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo [the nascent form of a supreme treasure born from primordial chaos]. I wonder into whose hands it ultimately fell."
Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen's gaze grew subtly more solemn.
The great war within the Chaos Realm Sea, which had raged for millions of years, was finally drawing to a close.
Eldrin Chen had departed relatively early in the conflict. After his exit from the Chaos Realm Sea, rumors spoke of an astonishing, monumental Opportunity [a rare chance for immense advancement or gain] emerging within its depths.
It turned out this particular Chaos Realm Sea was a rare, large-scale one of its kind.
Within its vast expanse, there were no fewer than three Chaos Nest [a focal point of concentrated chaotic energies where rare treasures or beings form] of the Primordial Unity [a profound cultivation realm representing the initial unity of primordial forces] level. These nests had even given birth to Chaotic Fiendgod [powerful, primordial beings of chaos] whose power reached the Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch [a sovereign-level realm within the hierarchy of chaotic beings] realm.
During this great war, these three Primordial Chaos Rank-level Chaos Nest had produced more than thirty strands of Innate Primordial Qi [the pure, foundational energy of creation, born from chaos itself].
Most crucially, within the most powerful of the Chaos Nest, there was an Innate Supreme Treasure [a treasure of ultimate power, born naturally from the cosmos, not crafted by mortal or immortal hands] that was nearly fully formed.
At that time, that Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo emerged into the world alongside an immensely powerful Chaotic Fiendgod, displaying combat prowess at the level of a Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch the moment it was born.
Yet, even this was insufficient to contend against Taicang Divine Emperor and Primordial Thunder Crow Great Emperor.
In that battle, the Chaotic Fiendgod of Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch level was defeated and fled into the Depths of Chaos, pursued by a host of top-tier Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch.
It is said that Taicang Divine Emperor and Primordial Thunder Crow Great Emperor chased him all the way to the deepest reaches of the Primordial Chaos Desolate Sea, where they ultimately vanished amidst the chaos, their fates unknown.
No one knows where that Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo ultimately ended up. Some say it was seized by Primordial Thunder Crow Great Emperor, while others believe it fell into the hands of Taicang Divine Emperor.
"An Innate Supreme Treasure on the very cusp of completion,"
Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, a flicker of solemnity passing through his gaze.
As an Immortal who possessed the Creation Cauldron, he understood all too well the world-shaking power inherent in an Innate Supreme Treasure.
It was said that the emergence of any single Innate Supreme Treasure was enough to set a host of Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch at each other's throats in mortal combat. Even if this particular treasure was not yet fully formed, being but a single step away from completion still qualified it as a supreme divine artifact.
Seeing his expression, Lyra Jiang spoke up, "For an Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo to metamorphose into a true Innate Supreme Treasure, it must fuse with nine strands of Innate Primordial Qi."
"It is said that this Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo has already fused with seven strands of Innate Primordial Qi. If handed to the Chaos Celestial Emperor for personal refinement, the certainty of its metamorphosis into a true Innate Supreme Treasure would be no less than eighty percent."
Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen gave a slow, thoughtful nod.
An Innate Supreme Treasure possesses the potential to evolve into a Chaos Spiritual Treasure; it has long since transcended the realm of mere Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure treasures.
Generally speaking, there are only three methods to forge an Innate Supreme Treasure.
The first method is to cultivate a True Spirit Treasure. Such a treasure, having fused with a True Spirit Imprint, will almost inevitably Ascension into an Innate Supreme Treasure as naturally as water flowing downhill, once it merges with nine strands of Innate Primordial Qi.
The second method is natural gestation. Within the Chaos, there are always places of profound and heaven-defying origin that can attract a few or many True Spirit Imprint, naturally giving birth to an Innate Supreme Treasure.
The third method is to directly Ascension a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure into an Innate Supreme Treasure.
Generally, a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure also possesses the potential to fuse with Innate Primordial Qi. However, lacking a True Spirit Imprint, the fusion process carries an immense risk of catastrophic failure.
A twenty-four pattern Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure has roughly a fifty percent chance of successfully fusing with one strand of Innate Primordial Qi and metamorphosing into an Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo.
Failure naturally results in the utter waste of both the Innate Primordial Qi and the Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. Yet, success grants a tremendous surge in power, transforming it into an Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo.