Chapter 1974 : The Path Heart's Perilous Trial

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 Capital Path Master. At this moment, his face bore a trace of worry, and his gaze held a profound gravity.

As a top-tier cultivation prodigy of his generation, Violet Capital Path Master had cultivated diligently for dozens of Kalpa Tribulation [immense cosmic cycles], his cultivation base having reached the Seven Tribulations level within the Ancient Immortal Realm. 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 Capital Path Master had not entered a tribulation for dozens of these cycles. This had left a flaw in his Dao Heart [the unwavering core of a cultivator's will and purpose], forever hindering him from breaking through the Path Heart Heavenly Pass.

Now, trapped at the Seven Tribulations Ancient Immortal level with no hope of advancement, Violet Capital Path Master understood that to shatter the Path Heart Heavenly Pass, he must face the Kalpa Tribulation head-on. Finally, he had resolved to personally enter the tribulation fray.

Even so, deep within his heart, Violet Capital Path Master harbored immense doubt about his ability to survive this ordeal.

Indeed, an ineffable premonition whispered to him—a feeling that he might very well not return.

"The Tribulation [Heavenly Calamity] is difficult to transcend. I fear this endeavor may yet prove futile," he murmured.

With this thought weighing on him, Violet Capital Path Master, after much deliberation, set aside the treasures he no longer needed. These included a Chaos Heaven Halberd, several strands of Innate Energy [the primordial energy from which all things are born], and the immortal palace itself, the Violet Ye Palace. For uninterrupted reading, go to audio~novel.com.

After completing all this, Violet Capital Path Master performed a brief divination with his fingers. He seemed to faintly perceive something and said with a smile, "After several dozen Kalpa Tribulation [immense cosmic cycles], it seems a prodigy with astonishing Fortune [destiny and luck] will arrive here."

"Having received this legacy, I hope that one day you may prove your Great Encompassing [the supreme, all-encompassing Dao]."

Violet Capital Path Master murmured softly, then finally stepped across the firmament and ventured alone into the Depths of Chaos [the primordial, formless expanse before creation].

At the same time, within the intangible currents of Space-Time, Eldrin Chen gazed calmly at the Chaos Heaven Halberd before him, a faint smile touching his lips.

The Chaos Heaven Halberd left behind by Violet Capital Path Master had accompanied him for many years. Apart from weapons like the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword, it was one of Eldrin Chen's most frequently used Five Lifebound Immortal Treasures [powerful artifacts bound to a cultivator's life force].

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

"With such Karma [the law of cause and effect that binds all actions], it is fitting to aid you in transcending this tribulation."

Eldrin Chen spoke with a smile, then stepped forward to follow the path of Violet Capital Path Master.

During this journey, Eldrin Chen witnessed Violet Capital Path Master stepping into a Kalpa Tribulation, clashing fiercely with numerous heroes and formidable foes, and vanquishing many great enemies along the way.

In this process, Violet Capital Path Master even confronted his own Dao Heart [the unwavering core of a cultivator's will and purpose], ultimately breaking through to the realm of an Eight Tribulations Ancient Immortal.

Alas, the Chaos [the primordial, formless state before creation] has never lacked for peerless prodigies. Though Violet Capital Path Master was himself a top-tier, world-shaking genius, how many of those who manage to step into the realm of an Eight Tribulations Ancient Immortal are truly weak?

In the end, within the Immortal Ruins Ancient Continent, Violet Capital Path Master encountered a formidable foe, a presence as brilliant and scorching as a sun from the Primordial Era [the mythical first age of the cosmos].

"Soaring Sky, no wonder."

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

Violet Capital Path Master had crossed paths with Soaring Sky Imperial Scion. No wonder he had fallen silently and Nameless within the Kalpa Tribulation [a cataclysmic cycle of cosmic destruction and renewal].

The vision showed Soaring Sky Imperial Scion hovering like an eternal, blazing sun, a Solar Divine Spear in hand cleaving through the firmament as he struck. From the very first move, his demeanor was one of invincibility.

Though Violet Capital Path Master resisted with all his might, he managed to withstand only two blows before the Solar Divine Spear finally pierced through him, pinning his lifeless form amidst the Chaos.

Witnessing Violet Capital Path Master's body dissolve into the fundamental principles of the Great Path [a common fate for powerful cultivators upon death], Eldrin Chen did not hesitate. He immediately reached out to gather the dissipating True Spirit [the immortal, indestructible core of a high-level cultivator's being]. With monumental, world-shaking divine power, he pierced through the currents of the ancient Long River [a metaphor for the river of time] to reforge the Primordial Spirit [the foundational spiritual essence of a cultivator] for Violet Capital Path Master.

"BOOM—"

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

Karma [the cosmic law of cause and effect], Destiny [the predetermined course of events], Tribulation [heavenly trials and calamities], Space-Time [the fabric of reality encompassing space and time], Reincarnation [the cycle of death and rebirth]—one after another, the Great Path began to rage and rebel.

In an instant, an endless tide of Great Path Path Principles and karmic power descended upon him, transforming into a force akin to Oblivion [utter annihilation] that crashed against Eldrin Chen's form.

"Hmph—"

Eldrin Chen grunted, immediately marshaling the power of the Sacrificial Self Path to resist the onslaught of myriad Great Path. 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 of an Ancient Immortal Great Power was, in itself, a peerless powerhouse of the multiverse.

The Destiny [predetermined fate] of such a figure was potent enough to influence the Myriad Heavens' Space-Time [fabric of reality] to a significant degree, even entangling the fortunes of many high-level experts. Read the full novel exclusively on audio-novel.com.

To resurrect one would inevitably incur the backlash of Great Path such as Karma [cosmic cause and effect], Destiny [predetermined fate], Tribulation [heavenly trials], Space-Time [the fabric of reality], and Reincarnation [the cycle of rebirth].

It could be said that even a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal could not bear such a colossal price. The only recourse was to guide the Reincarnation Body [new physical vessel born from the cycle] of the Eight Tribulations Ancient Immortal from within the cycle of Reincarnation, and then find a way to reawaken their memories.

But Eldrin Chen was now extraordinary. As a Path Master [a master who has forged his own supreme cultivation path] who had grasped the Sacrificial Self Path, his power had already ascended to the level of a Primordial One Imperial Lord.

With such a formidable foundation and profound reserves, even as Karma [cosmic law], Destiny [fate's decree], Tribulation [heaven's wrath], Space-Time [reality's weave], Reincarnation [the wheel of souls], and all other Great Path turned their fury upon him, it was not a burden he could not bear.

After all, no matter how powerful Violet Capital Path Master was, he remained merely at the level of an Ancient Immortal [a cultivator who has transcended mortality and attained immense age and power].

As long as one has not broken free from the shackles of Destiny [the predetermined course of fate and cosmic law], their influence upon the Endless Chaos [the primordial, formless expanse from which all realms are born] remains limited. The resulting Karma [the cosmic principle of cause and effect governing actions and their consequences] and its backlash are likewise finite, burdens that Eldrin Chen could bear.

"I am the Supreme Path Master [the ultimate master of the cosmic Dao, the fundamental truth of existence]. Even if all the Karma and karmic retribution in the world were to descend upon me, I alone have the strength to shoulder it all!"

"BOOM—"

As Eldrin Chen's words fell, the Great Path [the supreme cultivation art embodying the fundamental Dao] within his palm erupted with an eternal radiance. This light pierced through the eternal River of Space-Time [the conceptual flow of time and space, often visualized as a river], 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 the three dimensions of space and the dimension of time] to converge upon him.

These luminous strands were the remnants of Violet Capital Path Master's final dissolution—his scattered Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core and true self of a high-level cultivator], his physical form, his Innate Spiritual Treasure [a treasure born from the chaos of creation, possessing unparalleled power], and indeed, every fragment of his foundational cultivation base.

Over those billions of years, all these dissolved foundations of his Dao had transformed into the most primordial particles of energy, merging into the very Space-Time of the Myriad Heavens [the collective name for the infinite realms and worlds of existence].

Some residual souls had become ferocious spirits of Indestructibility [a state of being that cannot be destroyed or eroded], his dissipated mana had transformed into Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy [the pure, foundational energy that gave birth to heaven and earth], and his Path Principles [the fundamental laws and truths comprehended on one's cultivation path] and Great Path had merged into the Chaos [the primordial state of undifferentiated existence before order].

Some had been refined by Ancient Immortals into their own internal mana. Others had nurtured the growth of Immortal Herbs [plants of immense spiritual potency used in alchemy], spiritual pills, or had been absorbed and cycled through the heavens and the earth by other Immortals [beings who have achieved immortality through cultivation] countless times over.

Yet at this moment, under the influence of Eldrin Chen's magical power, all the countless fragments belonging to the former Violet Capital Path Master were being extracted and drawn forth.

Some Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality through cultivation] suddenly discovered a portion of their mana was missing; some Nine Heavens Divine Spirit [a powerful celestial entity] abruptly realized their Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] had been cleaved in half, transforming into raw Immortal Radiance [the luminous essence of an immortal] and vanishing without a trace.

There were even Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal who has attained the Golden Immortal realm] who felt a faint surge of Vitality [the fundamental life force] awakening deep within their physical bodies, only to be siphoned away by an indescribable, nameless power.

"This is..."

The Great Encompassing Golden Immortal's expression shifted slightly, instantly comprehending that a Primordial One Imperial Lord [an Imperial Lord who has returned to the primordial state of the One] was aiding in the revival of one who had fallen.

With his current level of attainment, he could certainly have prevented it. Yet, after a moment's contemplation, he allowed that strand of Vitality to be drawn away.

That sliver of Vitality was utterly insignificant to Him, easily replenished with a single cycle of breath. It was better to go with the flow and grant a favor.

"RUMBLE…"

As Eldrin Chen exerted his full power, everything that had belonged to the Violet Capital Path Master dissolved into the most fundamental particles of origin. They flowed backwards against the current of the River of Space-Time [the conceptual flow of time and space, often depicted as a river].

In the span of a mere instant, they converged within Eldrin Chen's palm, coalescing into a sphere of the purest, most refined origin essence.

Simultaneously, a deluge of Karma [the metaphysical consequence of one's actions] and Destiny [the predetermined course of fate] descended upon him, causing Eldrin Chen's complexion to pale slightly.

He had extracted everything belonging to Violet Capital Path Master from billions of years in the future, an act which interfered with the Destiny of countless beings across the multiverse's Space-Time [the fabric of reality encompassing all dimensions and temporal flows].

The weight of this immense karmic burden was difficult for even Eldrin Chen, at his current level of attainment, to fully bear.

This was an unavoidable consequence. The higher one's cultivation realm, the more potent their fundamental essence becomes. Upon their death and dissolution back into the Dao, the resulting ripple effects across reality are correspondingly vast.

Precisely for this reason, directly resurrecting a high-ranking Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality] requires interfering with the Destiny of far more individuals, and thus incurs a proportionally staggering karmic debt.

Fortunately, having successfully gathered the dispersed essence from the moment of Violet Capital Path Master's dissolution, the most difficult hurdle was now overcome.

With immense effort, Eldrin Chen forcibly suppressed the surging tides of karma. Then, using this recovered essence that belonged to Violet Capital Path Master, he began to reforge [to meticulously reconstruct through profound arts] the other's physical form and Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core and true self of a cultivator].

In the span of mere moments, the one who had been utterly annihilated, body and soul scattered, was drawn back from dissolution. Violet Capital Path Master coalesced once more, finally reappearing within the currents of the River of Space-Time [a conceptual representation of the flow of all time and space].

"Did I not perish?"

As Violet Capital Path Master regained his senses, an expression of profound astonishment dawned upon his face.

He jolted back to his senses. After a glance at Eldrin Chen, understanding seemed to dawn. He immediately prostrated himself before Earthly Path [the fundamental cultivation path of the Earthly Sovereign], saying, "I am eternally grateful for Your Excellency's life-saving grace. Violet Capital Path Master is forever in your debt."

"Rise," came the reply.

Eldrin Chen helped him to his feet, a faint smile on his lips. "A thread of Karma [the cosmic principle of cause and effect] connects you to me. Your revival today settles a matter from a past life, closing a chapter of old debts and entanglements."

With those words, Eldrin Chen said no more.

He directly took Violet Capital Path Master and descended along the River of Space-Time [a conceptual visualization of the flow of time and space], returning to the present moment within the Returning Abyss Immortal Domain.

Upon arriving within the Returning Abyss Immortal Domain, Eldrin Chen dismissed Violet Capital Path Master. He cast one final look at the River of Space-Time, then continued his stride backward into the depths of antiquity.

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

Yet he did not pause. In the blink of an eye, he had traversed the ages to a point one hundred Kalpa Tribulation [immense cosmic cycles spanning billions of years] in the past.

To ascend against the flow of time for one hundred Kalpa Tribulation was nearly the limit for a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a supreme immortal realm]. The vast majority of Great Encompassing Golden Immortal could only reverse the tide of Space-Time for that duration.

But Eldrin Chen, now wielding power akin to a Primordial One Imperial Lord [a legendary realm of supreme unity], easily surpassed that limit. He pressed onward, journeying deeper into the mists of primordial time.

Two hundred Kalpa Tribulation [immense cosmic cycles], five hundred Kalpa Tribulation, one thousand Kalpa Tribulation, and even three thousand Kalpa Tribulation.

With supreme and boundless power, Eldrin Chen pierced through the River of Space-Time [the metaphysical river representing the flow of all time and events]. He traced its currents upstream, traversing epochs older than the era of Antiquity-Tracing.

Within this boundless expanse of time, he witnessed the rise of one prodigious talent of heaven after another.

He saw Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [the supreme realm of Golden Immortal cultivators] who dominated their peers in the contest for the Great Path. He beheld True Spirit Prodigy [individuals born with innate divine constitutions] who reigned supreme across all ages, unchallenged. He also witnessed peerless heroes who fought their way through the Southern Abyss Seven Domains.

Even within the endless flow of the River of Space-Time, Eldrin Chen encountered numerous beings who were also swimming against its current.

They were Great Encompassing Immortal Lord [Immortal Lords of the highest order] whose aura could overshadow the Myriad Heavens [the countless realms of existence], and also Primordial One Imperial Lord [Imperial Lords from the dawn of creation] of unparalleled grace and power. Yet, almost all of them were shrouded in a mist of Space-Time [the fundamental fabric of reality encompassing time and space], making it difficult to perceive or communicate with one another across the ages.

However, Eldrin Chen had a faint intuition that he could, across the ancient currents of the River of Space-Time, cross blades with these supreme and peerless powerhouses.

Yet, in the end, Eldrin Chen abandoned the thought. The River of Space-Time was vast and tumultuous. If he were to truly erupt into a world-shaking battle by crossing the barriers of Space-Time, it could cause cataclysmic upheaval. He risked becoming lost within the River of Space-Time, unable to return to his own era.

Although a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal possesses the ability to traverse the River of Space-Time, every action taken within its flow bears immense karmic consequences and harbors indescribable, forbidden risks.

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

The one who strikes first would inevitably draw the attention of the Space-Time Great Path [the fundamental law governing the flow of time and space], making any future attempts to traverse the River of Space-Time [the conceptual river representing the flow of all history and possibility] a hundred times more difficult.

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

During this journey, Eldrin Chen beheld not a few Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [the supreme realm of cultivation, representing a state of perfect, all-encompassing enlightenment], even exchanging glances with those who had attained that state tens of billions of years in the past.

He saw old foes like the Crimson Mastiff Immortal Lord, and also those he had slain as Great Path Rival [a destined adversary on the path of cultivation], such as the Verdant Extreme Patriarch and the Violet Dawn Divine Spirit. However, those who had broken through to the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm had already transcended the shackles of Destiny [the predetermined course of fate].

Their forms were shrouded in a mist of Space-Time [the fabric of reality encompassing time and dimensional space] that had transcended the Mortal Dust [the mundane, mortal world], a veil so profound that even with his current cultivation, Eldrin Chen found it difficult to peer into their mysteries.

Yet, the great events unfolding within the Three Thousand Immortal Domains [the collective name for the myriad realms and worlds of the immortals] were laid bare before his sight with perfect clarity.

He journeyed through Space-Time, and in the era three hundred billion years past, he witnessed the Great Abyss Immortal Sage attaining the Chaos Immortal Sage [a sagehood born from primordial chaos], and beheld the magnificent founding of the Human Race Immortal Court.

Traveling further back into the depths of time, he observed the birth of the Seventy-Two Sages of the Human Race.

He wished to go further still, to witness the Primordial Genesis Path Ancestor achieving his enlightenment, to see the breakthroughs of beings like the Candle Dragon and the Primordial Phoenix. Yet, he ultimately discovered he could advance no further.

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

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, a sigh escaping his lips as he acknowledged that this was the limit of his current power.

At present, the power of the Sacrificial Self Path could only sustain him as he traveled ten thousand Kalpa Tribulation [immense cosmic cycles] upstream through the Space-Time [the continuum of time and space]. To venture any further was simply beyond his reach.

"It seems I still cannot save the Annihilation Path Master," he concluded.

With this thought heavy in his heart, Eldrin Chen prepared to withdraw from the temporal stream.

Yet, at that very moment, he felt the River of Space-Time [the metaphysical river representing the flow of time and space] shudder violently around him.

"Boom—"

Eldrin Chen's expression shifted dramatically. He looked toward the source of the disturbance and saw, within the distant Future [a being representing a future timeline], a cataclysmic tempest erupting within the Space-Time.

A figure robed in pristine white was surging *upstream* against the current of Space-Time. Its form was shrouded in boundless Chaos Mist [primordial mist of unformed creation], and above its head hovered a resplendent, blindingly radiant Primordial Chaos Violet Seal [a supreme seal artifact born from primordial chaos]. It was traversing an unfathomably vast stretch of the River of Space-Time.

"The Returning Abyss Seal... Is that... my future self?"

Recognition struck Eldrin Chen with the force of a thunderbolt, his face paling as he instantly grasped the identity of the approaching figure.

Before he could even react, he witnessed his Future self pierce through the firmament, traversing ten thousand Kalpa Tribulation [immense cosmic cycles] in an instant to clash in a world-shaking battle against an indescribably formidable foe.

It was undeniable—his Future self was truly powerful beyond measure.

His form manifested the Nine True Spirit Divine Forms [the ultimate divine manifestations of nine primordial spirits], and he was further empowered by supreme Great Path [the fundamental laws of the cosmos] such as Returning Abyss, Space-Time [the fabric of reality itself], and Reincarnation [the cycle of death and rebirth]. A single wisp of his Great Path power was sufficient to shatter the River of Space-Time [the flowing continuum of time and space], placing him in a realm of existence that defied description.

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

Yet, despite such overwhelming might, his Future self still seemed hard-pressed to contend with that mysterious and formidable adversary. Read the full novel exclusively on audio-novel dot com.