Chapter 1974 : The Daoist's Final Tribulation

Gazing upon the Violet Ye Heaven before him, a faint smile touched the eyes of Eldrin Chen.

He stepped calmly into its confines, where he saw an old Daoist with hair and beard white as snow hurriedly packing his belongings.

This was none other than the master of Violet Ye Heaven, Violet Ye Daoist. At this moment, a trace of worry colored his features, and his gaze held a profound gravity.

As a top-tier cultivation prodigy of his generation, Violet Ye Daoist had cultivated diligently for dozens of Kalpa Tribulation [cosmic cycles of immense duration], his cultivation base having reached the realm of a Seven Tribulation Ancient Immortal. Under the aegis of the Immortal Court, he had even succeeded in forging his Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Pass.

Yet, gripped by fear of the Kalpa Tribulation, Violet Ye Daoist had not entered a tribulation for dozens of these cycles. This had left a flaw in his Dao Heart [the cultivator's fundamental will and spiritual core], forever hindering him from breaking through the Dao Heart Heavenly Pass.

Now, trapped at the Seven Tribulation Ancient Immortal realm with no hope of advancement, Violet Ye Daoist understood that to shatter the Dao Heart Heavenly Pass, he must face the Kalpa Tribulation head-on. Finally, he had resolved to personally enter the tribulation.

Even so, deep within his heart, Violet Ye Daoist harbored immense doubt about his ability to survive this ordeal.

An ineffable premonition whispered to him, a faint intuition that he might very well not return.

"The tribulation is difficult to cross. I fear it may all be for naught," he murmured.

With this thought weighing on him, Violet Ye Daoist, after much deliberation, decided to leave behind treasures he no longer needed. These included a Primordial Chaos Sky Halberd, several strands of Innate Primordial Qi [the primordial energy from which all things are born], and the immortal palace known as the Purple Ye Palace.

After completing all this, Violet Ye Daoist performed a brief divination with his fingers. Vaguely sensing something, he could not help but smile and say, "After several tens of Kalpa Tribulation [cosmic cycles of immense duration], it seems a prodigy of astonishing destiny will arrive here."

"Inheriting this legacy, I hope that one day you may prove your Dao and attain the Grand Luo [the supreme, transcendent realm of cultivation]."

Violet Ye Daoist murmured softly, then finally stepped across the firmament and ventured alone into the Depths of Chaos [the primordial, formless expanse from which all creation emerged].

Simultaneously, within the intangible currents of Space-Time [the fabric of reality encompassing both spatial and temporal dimensions], Eldrin Chen gazed calmly at the Primordial Chaos Heaven Halberd before him, a faint smile touching his lips.

The Primordial Chaos Heaven Halberd left behind by Violet Ye Daoist had accompanied Eldrin Chen for many years. Apart from his Five Natal Immortal Treasures [the five core magical treasures bound to a cultivator's life force and cultivation path], such as the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, it was one of the weapons Eldrin Chen wielded most frequently.

Even now, after the Primordial Chaos Heaven Halberd had been integrated into the Abyssal Seal, it remained Eldrin Chen's weapon of choice for close-quarters combat.

"With such karma, it is only fitting to aid you in transcending this tribulation."

Eldrin Chen spoke with a smile, then stepped forward to follow in the footsteps of Violet Ye Daoist.

During this journey, Eldrin Chen witnessed Violet Ye Daoist stepping into the Kalpa Tribulation [a cataclysmic trial marking a major epochal shift]. He saw him clash fiercely with numerous heroes and formidable foes, cutting down many great enemies along his path.

In this very process, Violet Ye Daoist confronted his own Dao Heart [the unwavering core of a cultivator's will and spiritual resolve], ultimately achieving a breakthrough to the realm of an Eight Tribulation Ancient Immortal [an Ancient Immortal who has survived eight great cosmic tribulations].

Alas, the Chaos [the primordial, formless state before creation] has never lacked for peerless prodigies. Though Violet Ye Daoist was himself a top-tier, world-shaking genius, how many of those who manage to set foot upon the realm of an Eight Tribulation Ancient Immortal [an ancient immortal who has survived eight heavenly tribulations] are truly weak?

In the end, within the Immortal Ruins Ancient Continent, Violet Ye Daoist encountered a formidable foe, a being who blazed like a sun from the Primordial Era [the mythical age of creation].

"Aurelius, no wonder."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, a flicker of surprise coloring his voice.

Violet Ye Daoist had crossed paths with Aurelius, the Imperial Scion. It was no surprise, then, that he had perished in obscurity during the Kalpa Tribulation [a cataclysmic heavenly calamity that marks the end of a cosmic cycle].

The vision unfolded: Aurelius, the Imperial Scion hovered in the void like an eternal, blazing sun, wielding a Solar God-Spear that cleaved the firmament as he thrust forward. From the very first move, his demeanor was one of invincible supremacy.

Though Violet Ye Daoist resisted with all his might, he managed to withstand only two of those devastating strikes. In the end, he was impaled and slain by the Solar God-Spear, his body left adrift in the Chaos.

Witnessing Violet Ye Daoist's body dissolve into the Dao [the fundamental principle of existence], Eldrin Chen did not hesitate. He immediately reached out to capture the dissipating True Spirit [the core spiritual essence of a being]. With power vast enough to bridge past and present, he pierced through the long river of Ronan [time, personified here], working to reshape a Primordial Spirit [the foundational spiritual core of a cultivator] for Violet Ye Daoist.

"BOOM—"

In that instant, heaven and earth roared, and all creation trembled.

Causality, Fate, Tribulation, Space-Time, Samsara [the cycle of death and rebirth]—one great Dao [the fundamental principle or path] after another began to violently stir.

In an instant, an infinite torrent of Dao laws and karmic force descended upon him, transforming into a power akin to Annihilation that crashed against Eldrin Chen's form.

"Hmph—"

Eldrin Chen grunted, immediately channeling the Path of Self-Sacrifice to withstand the onslaught of myriad Daos. Yet, in that same moment, his face paled, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his lips.

A being at the Eight Tribulations Realm, an Ancient Immortal Great Powers, is in themselves a peerless powerhouse of the multiversal stratum.

The fate of such a figure is potent enough to influence the Space-Time of the Myriad Heavens to a significant degree, even entangling the fortunes of many high-ranking powerhouses.

To resurrect one would inevitably incur the backlash of Daos such as Causality, Fate, Tribulation, Space-Time, and Samsara.

It could be said that even a Grand Luo Golden Immortal could not bear such a colossal price. They could only guide the Reincarnation Body [a body born from the cycle of rebirth] of an Eight Tribulation Ancient Immortal from within Samsara, and then seek ways to reawaken their memories.

But Eldrin Chen was now extraordinary. As a Dao-Grasping cultivator who had mastered the Path of Self-Sacrifice, his power had already stepped into the realm of the Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch.

With such formidable foundational strength, even the combined backlash of Daos like Causality, Fate, Tribulation, Space-Time, and Samsara was not something he was utterly incapable of enduring.

After all, no matter how powerful Violet Ye Daoist was, he remained merely at the level of an Ancient Immortal [a cultivator who has achieved immortality but not yet ascended to higher realms of power].

As long as one has not transcended the shackles of fate, their influence upon the boundless Chaos [the primordial, formless state from which all existence emerged] is inherently limited. The resulting karmic backlash and causal retribution are likewise finite, burdens that Eldrin Chen could bear without faltering.

"I am the Supreme Sovereign who has grasped the Dao-Grasping [the ultimate realm of cultivation where one comprehends and masters the fundamental principles of existence]. Even if all the karmic debts and causal chains of the world were to descend upon me, I would shoulder them all!"

"BOOM—"

As Eldrin Chen's declaration faded, the Great Dao [the fundamental principle or path of all existence] within his palm erupted with an eternal radiance. This light pierced through the eternal River of Time and Space [the metaphysical continuum through which all events flow], arriving in an era billions of years into the future.

In that instant, countless beams of light traversed the Space-Time [the fabric of reality encompassing both spatial dimensions and the flow of time] to converge upon him.

These luminous strands were the remnants of Violet Ye Daoist's final dissolution—his shattered Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core and true essence of a cultivator], his physical form, his Innate Spiritual Treasure [a magical artifact born from and intrinsically linked to a cultivator's very being], and indeed, every foundation of his existence, all broken down at the moment of his fall.

Across those billions of years, these Dao-dissolved foundations had transformed into the most primal particles of energy, merging into the very Space-Time of the Myriad Heavens [the collective term for the countless realms and dimensions of existence].

Some residual souls had morphed into Indestructible Malignant Spirits [vengeful spectral entities of immense power and hatred, nearly impossible to destroy], his cultivated mana had dispersed to become the world's vital Qi [the vital energy that flows through all living things], and his comprehended laws and Great Dao had been absorbed into the Chaos.

Some fragments had been refined by other Ancient Immortal into their own internal mana; others had nurtured the birth of immortal herbs, spiritual elixirs, or had been absorbed and recycled through the cosmos by countless Immortal [beings who have achieved immortality through cultivation], circulating through heaven and earth innumerable times.

Yet at this moment, as Eldrin Chen channeled his vast power, everything that once belonged to the fallen Violet Ye Daoist was being extracted and drawn forth.

Some Immortal [a being who has achieved immortality through cultivation] suddenly found a portion of their power diminished; celestial deities of the Nine Heavens discovered their Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] abruptly cleaved in half, dissolving into streams of primordial immortal light that vanished without a trace.

There were even Grand Luo Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal of the Grand Luo realm] who felt a faint, dormant strand of Blood Qi [vital life force energy] awaken deep within their physical bodies, only to be siphoned away by an indescribable, inexorable force.

"This is…"

The Grand Luo Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal of the Grand Luo realm] paled slightly, instantly comprehending that a Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch [a supreme sovereign born from primordial chaos] was aiding in the revival of one who had fallen.

With his current realm, he certainly possessed the power to halt this process. Yet, after a moment of silent contemplation, he allowed that strand of Blood Qi [vital life force energy] to be drawn away….

For that wisp of Blood Qi [vital life force energy] was utterly insignificant to Him, easily Restoration [restored] with but a single cycle of breath. It was far wiser to go with the flow and grant this favor.

"RUMBLE…"

As Eldrin Chen unleashed his full might, all that pertained to Violet Ye Daoist dissolved into the most fundamental particles of origin, flowing backwards against the current of the River of Time and Space [the metaphysical stream governing the flow of time and space].

In the span of a single breath, it converged within Eldrin Chen's palm, coalescing into a sphere of the purest, most concentrated essence.

Simultaneously, the overwhelming tide of Karmic Retribution [the metaphysical consequence of actions that binds one's fate] and the weight of destiny descended upon him, causing Eldrin Chen's complexion to pale slightly.

He had extracted everything belonging to Violet Ye Daoist from billions of years in the future, an act that could be said to have interfered with the destinies of countless beings across the myriad threads of Space-Time.

The sheer magnitude of this Karmic Burden [the accumulated negative karma from interfering with fate] pressing upon him was difficult to bear, even for Eldrin Chen at his current level of cultivation.

This was an unavoidable truth. The higher one's cultivation realm, the more potent the Primordial Essence [the fundamental life force and spiritual core of a being] within them becomes. Consequently, when such a being perishes and returns to the Dao [the fundamental principle of existence], the scope of their influence upon dissolution grows exponentially vast.

Precisely for this reason, directly resurrecting a high-level Immortal requires interfering with the fates of far more individuals, demanding the bearer shoulder a correspondingly more staggering weight of Karmic Retribution.

Fortunately, having successfully gathered the Primordial Essence released at the moment of Violet Ye Daoist's return to the Dao, the most difficult hurdle had already been cleared.

Behold, Eldrin Chen forcefully suppressed the myriad strands of Karmic Retribution. Then, using this essence that belonged to Violet Ye Daoist, he began to reconstruct her physical form and Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core and consciousness of a cultivator].

In the span of mere moments, Violet Ye Daoist, whose soul had scattered and spirit vanished, was drawn back from her state of dissolution. Her essence converged and unified once more, finally rematerializing within the River of Time and Space.

"Did I not perish?"

Regaining her senses, Violet Ye Daoist could not help but reveal a look of profound astonishment.

He jolted back to awareness, and after glancing at Eldrin Chen, he seemed to comprehend something. He immediately prostrated himself on the ground and said, "I am eternally grateful for Your Excellency's life-saving grace. Violet Ye Daoist is indebted beyond measure."

"Rise."

Eldrin Chen helped him to his feet, a faint smile gracing his lips as he spoke, "A thread of karma connects you to this lord. Your resurrection and return today settles a matter from a past life."

With those words, Eldrin Chen said no more.

He directly took Violet Ye Daoist and descended along the River of Time and Space [the metaphysical river representing the flow of time and space], returned to the present era where the Space-Time [the supreme law governing time and space] resided within the Abyssal Immortal Domain.

Upon arriving within the Abyssal Immortal Domain, Eldrin Chen dismissed Violet Ye Daoist. He cast one final glance at the River of Time and Space, then continued his stride into the distant, ancient past.

This time, he ascended against the current of Space-Time, arriving in an instant within the ancient Space-Time of several billion years prior.

Yet he did not linger for a moment. In the blink of an eye, he had stepped back to an era one hundred Kalpa Tribulation [immense cosmic cycles, each spanning billions of years] before the present.

To journey upstream against the flow of one hundred Kalpa Tribulation was nearly the limit for a Grand Luo Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal who has attained the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm]. The vast majority of Grand Luo Golden Immortal could only traverse one hundred Kalpa Tribulation of Space-Time.

But Eldrin Chen now possessed the means of a Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch [an emperor-monarch who has mastered the primordial chaos]. With effortless ease, he surpassed this limit and continued his journey deeper into the annals of time.

Two hundred Kalpa Tribulation [a cosmic cycle of immense duration and cataclysmic change], five hundred Kalpa Tribulation, one thousand Kalpa Tribulation, and even three thousand Kalpa Tribulation.

With supreme and unparalleled power, Eldrin Chen pierced through the River of Time and Space [the metaphysical flow of all events and existence]. He journeyed upstream against its current, traversing epochs to a time before the ancient era of Sugu.

Within this boundless expanse of time, he witnessed the rise of one prodigious talent after another, each a favored child of the heavens.

He saw Grand Luo Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal who has attained the pinnacle of the Grand Luo realm] vanquishing all rivals to claim their Dao. He observed True Spirit Prodigies [individuals born with a perfect, innate spiritual foundation] dominating all eras, peerless and unmatched. He also beheld legendary heroes who fought their way through the very depths of the Seven Domains of the Southern Abyss.

Even within the infinite currents of the River of Time and Space, Eldrin Chen encountered numerous other beings who were also navigating against the flow of Space-Time [the fabric of reality encompassing both temporal and spatial dimensions]….

They were Grand Luo Immortal Lord [a sovereign lord within the Grand Luo immortal realm] whose aura overshadowed the Myriad Heavens [the countless celestial realms], and there were also Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch [an emperor-monarch born from the primordial chaos] of peerless grace and majesty. Yet, almost all of them were shrouded in a mist of Space-Time, making it difficult to perceive or communicate with one another across the ages.

Nevertheless, Eldrin Chen had a faint intuition that he could, across the ancient divide of the River of Time and Space, cross blades with these peerless paragons of power.

In the end, however, Eldrin Chen relinquished the thought. The River of Time and Space was vast and tumultuous. To truly erupt into a world-shaking battle by crossing the boundaries of Space-Time could cause heaven and earth to overturn. It risked trapping him within the currents of the River of Time and Space, making it impossible to return to his own era.

Although a Grand Luo Golden Immortal possesses the ability to travel the River of Time and Space, every action taken within its flow incurs immense karmic burden. Furthermore, it conceals indescribable, taboo risks.

Most crucially, erupting into a major conflict by crossing the River of Time and Space would inevitably affect its course to some degree. Such an act would surely incur the disdain and rejection of the Time-Space Great Dao [the supreme principle governing time and space].

The one who strikes first will inevitably incur the backlash of the Time-Space Great Dao [the fundamental law governing time and space]. Attempting to traverse the River of Time and Space [the metaphysical river representing the flow of all time and events] in the future would likely become a hundred times more difficult.

Thus, Eldrin Chen suppressed the urge to act and continued his stride forward, immersing himself in the epics of the ancient epochs.

During this journey, Eldrin Chen beheld numerous Grand Luo Golden Immortal [the pinnacle realm of immortality, transcending the cycles of life and death], even exchanging glances with Grand Luo Golden Immortal who existed tens and hundreds of billions of years in the past.

He saw old foes like the Crimson Mastiff Immortal Lord, as well as vanquished enemies of the Dao such as the Verdant Extreme Ancient Ancestor and the Violet Dawn Divine Spirit. However, those who had broken through to the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm had already transcended the shackles of fate.

Their forms were shrouded in a Space-Time [pertaining to the manipulation of time and space] mist that transcended the Mortal Dust Realm [the mundane world of mortals]. Even with Eldrin Chen's current cultivation, piercing the mysteries of these beings was exceedingly difficult.

Yet, the grand events within the Three Thousand Immortal Domains [the collective name for the myriad immortal realms] remained vividly clear to his sight.

He journeyed through Space-Time, witnessing, within the era of three hundred billion years past, the Sage-King of the Grand Abyss attaining the Chaos Immortal Sage [a sage who has comprehended the primordial chaos], and beholding the magnificent founding of the Human Race Immortal Court [the celestial court established by humanity's immortals].

Venturing further into the distant past, he witnessed the birth of the Seventy-Two Sages of Humanity [the legendary seventy-two founding sages of human cultivation].

He wished to go further still, to witness the Primordial Beginning Dao Ancestor [the progenitor who first comprehended the Dao] attaining enlightenment, to see the breakthroughs of the Candle Dragon [a primordial dragon deity of time] and the Primordial Phoenix [the first phoenix, a being of rebirth]. Yet, he ultimately found he could advance no further.

"Ten thousand Kalpa Tribulation [a cosmic cycle of immense duration, often associated with cataclysmic change]... is this the limit?"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, letting out a faint sigh. He understood that this was his absolute limit.

Currently, the power of the Path of Self-Sacrifice could only sustain him in traveling ten thousand Kalpa Tribulation [a grand cosmic cycle of destruction and rebirth] against the flow of Space-Time. To go any further was simply beyond his capability.

"It seems I still cannot save the Daoist of Total Annihilation," he concluded.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen prepared to withdraw from this place.

Yet, at that very moment, he felt the River of Time and Space suddenly begin to tremble with violent intensity.

"BOOM—"

Eldrin Chen's expression shifted dramatically. He looked up toward the source of the turbulence and saw, within the distant Space-Time of Weilai [Future], a cataclysmic tempest suddenly erupting.

A figure clad in robes white as snow was surging upstream against the Space-Time. Its form was shrouded in boundless Chaos Mist [primordial, formless energy], and above its head hovered a supremely radiant violet seal of Primordial Chaos [the state of undifferentiated existence before creation]. It was traversing an unfathomably vast stretch of the River of Time and Space.

"The Abyssal Seal... is that... my future self from Weilai?"

Eldrin Chen's face underwent a drastic change. He instantly recognized the origin of that figure, and his expression contorted with profound shock.

Before he could even react, he witnessed that Weilai [the future self] shatter the firmament, piercing through ten thousand Kalpa Tribulation [cosmic cycles of destruction and rebirth] in an instant, to engage in a world-shaking battle against an indescribably vast foe.

It was undeniable—this Weilai [future self] was truly formidable.

Its form was wreathed in the manifestation of the Nine True Spirit Divine Forms [Nine True Spirit Divine Forms], and it was further empowered by supreme Great Daos such as the Abyssal [Abyssal], Space-Time [Space-Time], and Samsara [Samsara, the cycle of reincarnation]. Each wisp of its Dao power was potent enough to pierce the River of Time and Space [River of Time and Space], having stepped into a realm beyond description.

Eldrin Chen even suspected that the most powerful being he had ever encountered in this life, the Black Abyss Great Emperor, would likely be suppressed by a mere thought from this Weilai [future self].

Yet, despite such overwhelming might, this Weilai [future self] still seemed hard-pressed to contend against that mysterious and formidable adversary.