Chapter 1971 : A Bounty from the Primordial Chaos

Elsewhere, after bidding farewell to Violet Sun Imperial Lord, Eldrin Chen departed the Primordial Chaos World Sea without delay.

They journeyed across the Vast and Boundless Chaos Desolation Sea and returned to the Returning Abyss Immortal Domain before finally allowing themselves a sigh of relief.

"We are safe now."

Only upon returning to the Chaos Desolation Sea did Eldrin Chen finally let the tension drain from his shoulders.

Eldrin Chen led the group to Returning Abyss Heaven and addressed them, "Our venture into the Primordial Chaos World Sea was fraught with peril, yet we have emerged unscathed."

"Now that we have returned, let us divide the spoils of our journey."

Hearing this, Exquisite Jiang and the others could not suppress the smiles that touched their eyes.

Though only six Great Encompassing Golden Immortal had ventured into the Chaos Desolation Sea, the resources they had seized were of an unprecedented scale, filling their hearts with immense joy.

The Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix pondered for a moment before speaking, "You aided me in slaying the Primal 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."

Exquisite Jiang and the others also smiled, acknowledging the approach taken by Eldrin Chen.

After all, the spoils from this battle were indeed astonishing. Distributing them according to merit, it was harmless to let the Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix claim a share.

With this in mind, the Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix said no more, merely looking at Eldrin Chen with a hint of anticipation.

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen offered no further words. He directly began retrieving and cataloging the various treasures they had seized.

In this great battle within the Primordial Chaos World Sea, they had slain over twenty top-tier Great Luo Golden Immortals. Among them, a full twenty-one were at the seventh or eighth level of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

As for those whose cultivation had reached the Great Luo Golden Immortal Great Perfection stage, there were seven: Golden Roc Demon Lord, Violet Dawn Divine Spirit, Desolate Wilderness Patriarch, Golden Radiance Celestial Lord, Verdant Extreme Patriarch, Blazing Flame Demon Lord, and Verdant Crocodile Demon Lord.

Having slain so many formidable foes, the spoils were naturally staggering. After a thorough inventory, their faces lit up with unrestrained joy.

The treasures seized in this battle could roughly be divided into four categories: Innate Indestructibility Spirit Lights [a type of supreme spiritual light that grants innate indestructibility], Innate Spiritual Treasures [treasures born from the primordial chaos, possessing innate power], Great Encompassing Physiques [supreme physical constitutions suitable for refining into elixirs], and a batch of highly valuable Innate Heavenly God Objects [primordial objects containing the essence of heavenly gods].

Among these, the Innate Indestructibility Spirit Lights were the most plentiful. Before encountering Violet Dawn Divine Spirit and the others, they had obtained close to three hundred strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light. The final battle yielded another three hundred-plus strands in one fell swoop.

Thus, combined, Eldrin Chen now held over six hundred strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light in his possession. With this immense quantity of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light at hand...

If not used to nurture the Innate Spiritual Root [a foundational spiritual root that determines a cultivator's potential], the amount of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light [a rare and potent spiritual energy required for major breakthroughs] needed by Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang and the others before their breakthrough to the Primordial One Imperial Lord [a supreme realm of cultivation] had already been largely secured.

Beyond the Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light, the value of the Innate Spiritual Treasure [a treasure born from the primordial chaos, possessing innate laws] was also astonishingly high.

After a brief inventory, Eldrin Chen discovered that from this battle, he had seized over one hundred Innate Spiritual Treasures.

Furthermore, these Innate Spiritual Treasures were all of exceptionally high grade. The vast majority were Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures [a mid-tier innate treasure], and there were even thirty-three pieces of Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures [a high-tier innate treasure].

Among them, the most precious were naturally the three Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures [the pinnacle tier of innate treasures].

Of these three supreme treasures, the Longevity Ancient Seal [an ancient seal imbued with the power of longevity] and the Great Roc's Golden Wing Slash [a divine weapon mimicking the slash of a great roc's wing] were relatively ordinary in power, both being standard twelve-pattern Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.

Only the Violet Dawn Divine Sun Pearl [a divine pearl containing the essence of the violet dawn] belonging to the Violet Dawn Divine Spirit [a divine entity born from the violet dawn] was the most formidable. Although also a twelve-pattern Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, it uniquely contained two distinct Great Paths [fundamental laws or principles of the cosmos]: the Violet Ruins Divine Thunder [a devastating divine thunder technique] and the Primordial Solar Heavenly Flame [the primordial flame of the heavenly sun]. Its power surpassed that of an ordinary supreme-grade innate treasure by twenty percent.

"A truly bountiful harvest," he murmured.

Gazing upon the hundred-plus Innate Spiritual Treasures before him, a look of profound satisfaction spread across Eldrin Chen's face.

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 strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light.

The thirty-three Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [treasures born from the world's essence, possessing innate power] were even more precious. Such treasures were considered rare even among Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a supreme realm of cultivation where one's spirit merges with the cosmos], with the value of any single one equivalent to ten strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light [a primal, unbreakable spiritual energy used for refining supreme treasures].

Yet in the eyes of Eldrin Chen, even the combined worth of all the mid-grade Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure could not compare to these three Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [the pinnacle of innate treasures, bearing twelve divine patterns].

The reason lay in the scarcity of Primordial One Grade [the highest grade of primordial materials] and the fact that the success rate for forging a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure did not exceed thirty percent. Thus, such treasures were exceedingly rare.

These were exceptional, world-defying Rare Spiritual Wonders [miraculous objects of profound spiritual nature]. In the open market, any twelve-patterned Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure would command a starting price of one hundred strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light.

In truth, even one hundred strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light would rarely be enough to purchase a single Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

After all, for an expert at the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Great Perfection [the perfected stage of the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm], amassing one hundred strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light, while difficult, was not an impossible feat given sufficient longevity.

Yet within the Three Thousand Immortal Domains [the collective name for the myriad realms of the immortal world], few at the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Great Perfection level possessed a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. The fundamental reason was the sheer scarcity of such objects.

Without the express approval of a Primordial One Imperial Lord [an Imperial Lord who has attained the Primordial One realm], one could not acquire a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, even by offering double the price.

"This time, the combined value of the Innate Spiritual Treasure [innate treasures of various grades] and the Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light alone exceeds one thousand strands," Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, his gaze then shifting to the Great Encompassing Physique [a legendary physique capable of encompassing the great Dao] and the Innate Heavenly God Object [an object containing the essence of a primal heavenly deity].

There were over twenty Great Encompassing Physique [a supreme physical constitution of immense power]. Eldrin Chen only took the dozen or so that did not belong to the Human Race [the collective of human cultivators].

The value of these Great Encompassing Physique from the Demon Race [demonic beings and monsters] and Divine Clan [clans of innate divine beings] was extraordinary. Once refined into Great Encompassing Immortal Pill [a supreme pill for cultivating the Great Encompassing Physique], they would be sufficient to supply nine Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal realm] cultivators in advancing their Great Encompassing Physique to the seventh layer.

There were not many Innate Heavenly God Object [objects born from the essence of innate divine beings] left. As exploring the Primordial Chaos World Sea [the boundless, formless sea of chaos from which worlds are born] carried significant risk, these Great Encompassing Golden Immortal had not brought many useless Innate Heavenly God Object with them.

These Innate Heavenly God Object had all been seized by these Great Encompassing Golden Immortal. Their total value did not exceed two hundred strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light [a primal, unbreakable spiritual energy used as a high-level currency].

After finishing the inventory of treasures, Eldrin Chen assigned a value to each artifact. He then allowed the Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix [a primordial phoenix of supreme violet flame] to exchange them using her own accumulated Merits [a metaphysical currency representing virtuous karma and cosmic favor].

The Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix possessed a considerable amount of Merits, yet it was still insufficient to acquire the truly priceless treasures.

After careful deliberation, she exchanged for the legacy items left by the Primal Chaos Kui Ox [a primordial chaos beast resembling a mighty ox], including the Thunderclap God Spear [a divine spear that strikes with the force of thunder] and the Demon God Heart [the crystallized heart-core of a powerful demon god]. With her remaining Merits, she acquired over a dozen strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light. Only then, thoroughly satisfied, did she complete the exchange.

After securing her treasures, the Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix could not help but say with delight, "Slaying the Primal Chaos Kui Ox has greatly increased my Great Path Authority [one's authority and comprehension over a fundamental cosmic law]."

"Once I completely refine the God-Demon Heart and the Great Path Authority of the Primal Chaos Kui Ox, I should face no bottlenecks before breaking through to Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Great Perfection [the perfected stage of the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm]."

Eldrin Chen smiled, a hint of amusement in his expression. "Then I congratulate you, Fellow Daoist, and wish for your swift ascension to Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Great Perfection, and even your eventual triumph in reaching the Primordial One Imperial Lord Realm [the realm of a supreme primordial imperial lord]."

The Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix [a mythical bird of immense power and ancient lineage] 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 of me in the future, I will spare no effort to assist you."

Eldrin Chen merely smiled in response, offering no further words.

Only after the Violet Ultimate Ancient Phoenix had risen and departed did Eldrin Chen, Exquisite Jiang, and the others begin to divide the spoils.

After the distribution, Eldrin Chen was surprised to discover that, while the number of treasures they had seized was astonishingly vast, the number truly useful to them was surprisingly few.

The reason was that Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [the highest grade of treasures born from the world's primal energies] were exceedingly difficult to refine; one required at least the cultivation of the Late Stage Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a late-stage Golden Immortal whose power encompasses all] to even attempt it. Setting aside the Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [high-grade innate treasures] offered little practical benefit to individuals of their caliber.

Take Eldrin Chen as an example. His Returning Abyss Seal possessed power comparable to a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, and it could further manifest ten Spiritual Treasure [enchanted artifacts of great power]. He had no need to refine an Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure at all.

In fact, even his Chaos Weapon Forging Art [a divine art for forging weapons from primordial chaos] likely possessed power not inferior to an ordinary Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

As for the others, Nyssa Qu possessed the Nine Severities Spirit-Slaying Swords, and Exquisite Jiang had her True Spirit Treasure [a treasure born from a True Spirit's essence], the 'Exquisite Immortal Pagoda'.

Verdant Consort held even greater treasures: the Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo [the embryonic form of a supreme innate treasure] 'Crimson-Azure Twin Dragon Swords', the Chaos Spiritual Treasure Embryo [an embryonic treasure born from primordial chaos] 'Scripture of the Primordial Chaos Verdant Lotus', the 'Primordial Chaos Verdant Lotus Immortal Robe', the 'Primordial Chaos Verdant Lotus Throne', and others.

Even the Reincarnation Body [an avatar formed through the power of reincarnation] possessed a Reincarnation Golden Bell. This bell was forged using the mysterious Chaos Jade Platform left behind by the Purple Seal Immortal Lord as its embryonic core, further interwoven with the profound concepts of Reincarnation [the cycle of death and rebirth], Time, and the Path of Space. Its power and latent potential were truly inestimable.

It could be said that all five of them looked down upon these Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [treasures born from the world's essence, possessing innate power and potential for growth].

Thus, with no other choice, Eldrin Chen sorted through the treasures. He selected thirteen items that had special functions or were considered the finest among the Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure to serve as the clan's foundational reserves.

The remaining twelve Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure were set aside by Eldrin Chen to be used as materials. In the future, they could be reforged using the Creation Cauldron [a legendary cauldron capable of refining and recreating spiritual treasures] to either advance one's own Innate Spiritual Treasure or serve as resources to aid clan members in their Foundation Reforging [a profound process of reforging one's cultivation foundation].

It must be admitted that the Creation Cauldron truly lived up to its origin as a top-tier Innate Supreme Treasure [the pinnacle of innate treasures] born from the division of a Chaos Spiritual Artifact [an artifact of primordial chaos]. Its unparalleled ability to reforge Innate Spiritual Treasure alone made it worthy of the name Creation [the act of bringing something new into existence].

Returning to the main point, after finishing the inventory, Eldrin Chen instructed the others to go and heal their wounds. He then summoned the clan's Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a high realm of immortal cultivation], including Violet Consort Yan, Lila, and Ethan Chen.

For those at the mid-stage of Great Encompassing, Eldrin Chen bestowed upon each a suitable Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. As for those at the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Early Stage, such as Energy Abyss Chen and Alistair Ye, each received a Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [a powerful innate treasure of intermediate grade].

Even the First Divine General, Diyang Tai Cang, was fortunate enough to receive a Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure of formidable power.

With the rewards distributed, Eldrin Chen retired to the Seclusion Chamber [a chamber for secluded cultivation] with his Dao companions to focus on healing.

After a period of intimate dual cultivation, Eldrin Chen employed the Polarity Mutual Cultivation Path [a cultivation art based on the harmony of opposing forces] to Recovery [recover from] his injuries. Augmented by the power of the Great Path of Life [the profound Dao of vitality and creation] and various Rare Spiritual Wonders [rare spiritual materials with wondrous properties], he managed to recover eighty to ninety percent of his wounds over several hundred thousand years.

By this time, Eldrin Chen had nearly Recovery to his peak condition, with the only remaining limitation being his inability to unleash Forbidden Divine Ability [divine abilities of immense power that carry severe consequences].

On this day, Eldrin Chen awoke from his haven of tender solace, finding his injuries had largely mended. Only then did he emerge from his secluded cultivation retreat.

After leaving seclusion, Eldrin Chen glanced at a piece of intelligence in his hand and remarked with a smile, "It seems the Primordial Chaos World Sea this time held no small Opportunity and Fortune."

Exquisite Jiang leaned against him, her beautiful eyes scanning the report before she spoke, "A large-scale Primordial Chaos World Sea, and one that even contained an Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo [the nascent form of a supreme treasure born from the primordial chaos]. I wonder into whose hands it ultimately fell."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen's gaze grew subtly more solemn.

The great war within the Primordial Chaos World Sea, which had raged for millions of years, was finally drawing to a close.

Eldrin Chen had departed relatively early. After he left the Primordial Chaos World Sea, rumors spoke of an astonishingly great Opportunity and Fortune emerging within its depths.

It turned out this particular Primordial Chaos World Sea was a rare, large-scale one.

Within its vast expanse, there were no fewer than three Primordial One Tier Chaos Lair [a nest or stronghold born from primordial chaos], and within them, Chaos Demon God [powerful demons born from the primordial chaos] of the Primordial One Imperial Lord level had even been nurtured.

During this great conflict, these three Primordial One Grade Chaos Lair gave birth to more than thirty strands of Innate Primordial Breath [the foundational, chaotic energy from which all things are born].

Most crucially, within the most powerful Within the Chaos Lair, there was an Innate Supreme Treasure [a supreme treasure born directly from the primordial chaos, not crafted by any being] that was nearly fully formed.

At that time, that Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo [an embryonic form of a supreme treasure born from the primordial chaos], emerged into the world alongside an immensely powerful Chaos Demon God [a primordial deity born from the formless chaos], and upon its birth, it displayed combat prowess at the level of a Primordial One Imperial Lord [a supreme sovereign who has mastered the foundational principles of the cosmos].

Yet, even this was insufficient to contend with Tai Cang Divine Emperor and the Primordial Era Thunder Crow Great Emperor [an ancient and mighty avian emperor from the dawn of time].

In that great battle, the Chaos Demon God of Primordial One Imperial Lord rank was forced to retreat into the Depths of Chaos [the most turbulent and primordial regions of the formless void], pursued by a host of top-tier Primordial One Imperial Lord.

It is said that Tai Cang Divine Emperor and the Primordial Era Thunder Crow Great Emperor chased their foe all the way to the deepest reaches of the Chaos Desolation Sea [a vast, turbulent sea of primordial energy within the chaos], where they all vanished without a trace amidst the ensuing pandemonium.

No one knows for certain what ultimately became of that Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo. Some say it was seized by the Primordial Era Thunder Crow Great Emperor, while others believe it fell into the hands of Tai Cang Divine Emperor.

"An Innate Supreme Treasure [a peerless artifact born directly from the fundamental laws of the cosmos] on the very cusp of completion,"

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, a flicker of solemnity passing through his gaze.

As an Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality through cultivation] 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 drive a host of Primordial One Imperial Lord to bloody conflict. Even one not yet fully formed, lacking only that final step, would be considered a divine artifact of peerless might.

Seeing his expression, Exquisite 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 Breath [the most fundamental and pure energy from which all creation springs]."

"It is said this Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo has already fused with seven strands of Innate Primordial Breath. If handed to the Chaos Heavenly Emperor for personal refinement, the likelihood of it transforming into a true Innate Supreme Treasure would be no less than eighty percent."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod of understanding.

An Innate Supreme Treasure possesses the potential to evolve into a Chaos Spiritual Artifact; it is a treasure that has long since transcended the same tier as a mere Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Generally speaking, there are only three methods to refine 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 ascend to become an Innate Supreme Treasure once it merges with nine strands of Innate Primordial Breath.

The second method is natural gestation. Within the Chaos, there are always places of profound and heaven-defying origin that can attract a small or great number of True Spirit Imprint, naturally giving birth to an Innate Supreme Treasure.

The third method is to directly elevate a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure into an Innate Supreme Treasure.

Generally, a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure also has the potential to fuse with Innate Primordial Breath. However, lacking a True Spirit Imprint, the fusion process carries an extremely high risk of catastrophic failure.

A twenty-four pattern Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure has roughly a fifty percent chance of successfully fusing with a single strand of Innate Primordial Breath and transforming into an Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo.

Failure naturally results in the waste of both the Innate Primordial Breath and the Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. Yet, success would greatly amplify its power, transforming it into an Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo.