Chapter 1976 : The Path to Golden Immortal Ascension

"Excellent."

Eldrin Chen offered a faint smile and promptly retrieved the Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure and other Rare Spiritual Wonders to complete the transaction with Blazeflame Imperial Lord.

It had to be admitted that once one's status and standing reached a certain lofty height, acquiring the necessary resources often became a far simpler matter.

After concluding the trade, Eldrin Chen did not linger within the Blazeflame Immortal Domain. After expressing his thanks, he returned directly to the Returning Abyss Immortal Domain.

Upon his return to the Returning Abyss Immortal Domain, Eldrin Chen immediately proceeded to his Seclusion Chamber. After regulating his breath and settling his internal state, he began refining the Great Path Source Marrow without delay.

Eldrin Chen's foundational accumulation was already more than sufficient. Advancing to the Late Stage Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm was, at this point, a natural progression, as inevitable as water flowing downhill.

As the Great Path Source Marrow was refined, the Primordial One Limitless Great Path cultivated by Eldrin Chen began to hungrily absorb its primordial essence. His cultivation base grew at a pace visible to the naked eye.

Time flowed swiftly by. In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of years passed, and Eldrin Chen's Chaos Limitless Great Path finally reached its ultimate pinnacle.

Seizing this critical moment, Eldrin Chen immediately refined a full thirty strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light in one breath. This shattered the final shackles binding his cultivation, allowing him to complete the breakthrough of his Mahayana Great Path and step firmly into the realm of a Late Stage Great Encompassing Golden Immortal.

"Mahayana Chaos Limitless Great Path."

After his breakthrough was fully consolidated, a faint smile finally touched the lips of Eldrin Chen.

He rose to his feet, sensing the power now circulating within him, and a wave of profound satisfaction washed over him.

Upon reaching the Great Perfection Realm in the Chaos Limitless Great Path, Eldrin Chen discovered that his cultivation base in the Great Path had undergone another immense leap. His power derived solely from this Great Path cultivation was now comparable to that of an existence at the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Great Perfection.

Although this power still paled in comparison to the Path Mastery-level might of the Sacrificial Self Path, it represented the very foundation of Eldrin Chen's being, its importance beyond measure.

For while Eldrin Chen had pioneered the Sacrificial Self Path, his true self had not cultivated it. The Chaos Limitless Great Path remained the bedrock of his personal cultivation journey.

By Eldrin Chen's estimation, after this breakthrough, his cultivation base from the Great Path alone should be sufficient to rival a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Great Perfection expert.

Without invoking the Sacrificial Self Path, and relying solely on the combined might of his physical body, his Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator], and his Great Path cultivation, his combat prowess should now be enough to contend with the combined force of three Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Great Perfection experts.

Of course, if measured against his ultimate combat strength when pushing the Sacrificial Self Path to its limits, this breakthrough did not significantly elevate his overall peak power.

The reason was simple: the power of the Sacrificial Self Path already resided within the domain of the Primordial One Imperial Lord. Such power was not merely a few times stronger than that of a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Great Perfection—it was on an entirely different plane.

Thus, having one of his foundational pillars of strength reach the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Great Perfection level contributed, at most, an increase of only half a tenth to his overall peak combat capability.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen reined in his excitement and proceeded into the Returning Abyss Forbidden Land. He retrieved the Creation Cauldron and began the ritual to refine the Returning Abyss Seal.

Following his breakthrough in Great Path cultivation, Eldrin Chen's power had surged significantly. He was now capable of elevating the Returning Abyss Seal to the rank of an Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

To further enhance the might of the Returning Abyss Seal, Eldrin Chen prepared to use the Creation Cauldron to facilitate its ascension.

After taking out the Creation Cauldron, Eldrin Chen immediately wove his Great Path cultivation base into the fabric of the Returning Abyss Seal.

He then fused it with Great Encompassing Innate Heavenly God Metal and various other divine materials, even expending a full sixty strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light before the Returning Abyss Seal's promotion was complete.

Furthermore, Eldrin Chen discovered that perhaps due to the profound nature of the Chaos Mud, the newly ascended Returning Abyss Seal seemed capable of assimilating more Innate Spiritual Treasure treasures—specifically, two more.

After a moment of contemplation, Eldrin Chen reluctantly produced a void-type Immortal Sword and a precious diagram, both of Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure rank, and fused them into the seal.

These two treasures were among the finest Innate Spiritual Treasure items Eldrin Chen had acquired in battle. The former was named the Cosmos Immortal Sword, possessing the power to cleave through the void. The latter was the Myriad Heavens and Worlds Diagram, a Formation Path Supreme Treasure capable of amplifying the power of various Immortal Treasure artifacts.

"Sixty strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light, two Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure... the cost is truly staggering," he mused.

As the Returning Abyss Seal completed its final transformation, a wry smile touched Eldrin Chen's lips.

His Returning Abyss Seal [a supreme magical seal embodying the power of the abyss] was far too potent. Even disregarding the various Rare Spiritual Wonders [exceptional spiritual materials] that had been fused into it, it had already consumed a staggering ninety strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light [a primal, unbreakable spiritual radiance]. Such an astonishing expenditure would likely be burdensome even for a cultivator at the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Great Perfection [the pinnacle stage of the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm].

Fortunately, the might of the Returning Abyss Seal was truly Extraordinary [remarkable and peerless], which allowed Eldrin Chen to endure this significant drain on his resources.

"In its current state, the Returning Abyss Seal's power should be comparable to that of a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [the highest grade of treasures born from the primal chaos] with twenty-four divine patterns, shouldn't it?"

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, a flicker of curiosity lighting up his eyes.

He directly commanded the Returning Abyss Seal, causing it to instantly transform and divide into twelve distinct Innate Spiritual Treasure [treasures born from the primal chaos]: the Heavenly Halberd [a celestial polearm], the Immortal Sword [a blade of immortality], the Great Cauldron [a massive ritual cauldron], a pagoda, an Ancient Bell [a primordial bell], a divine scroll, and others.

Each of these twelve Innate Spiritual Treasure was an Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [a high-grade primal chaos treasure]. If deployed to form a lethal formation, even a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a master of the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm] would meet their doom.

Furthermore, if Eldrin Chen manifested the Returning Abyss Seal as any one of these individual treasures, it could Burst [unleash] with power rivaling a Twenty-Four Patterns Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [a supreme-grade primal treasure with twenty-four divine patterns]. This was more than double the might it possessed before its advancement.

"I think I understand now,"

Eldrin Chen murmured, a moment of profound insight dawning upon him, clarifying the challenge of advancing a treasure to the level of an Innate Supreme Treasure [the supreme class of treasures born from primal chaos].

He realized that a true Innate Supreme Treasure required the integration of nine distinct Great Path Divine Chains [divine chains representing fundamental cosmic laws]. Only by weaving these chains into a unified whole could they transform into the power of Great Path Authority [the authority to command a fundamental cosmic law].

And each of these nine Great Path Divine Chains is woven from thirty-six Great Path Divine Rune.

A Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure with twenty-four patterns possesses only twenty-four Great Path Divine Rune. Therefore, to ascend to become an Innate Supreme Treasure, it must first fuse with Innate Primordial Breath [the primordial, foundational energy of creation] and transform into a thirty-six-patterned First-Rank Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo.

However, achieving this metamorphosis into an Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo is no simple feat.

Generally speaking, the stronger the foundation of a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure and the greater the number of its innate sacrificial patterns, the simpler its future path to becoming an Innate Supreme Treasure will be.

Take Eldrin Chen's Returning Abyss Seal as an example. The current Returning Abyss Seal was forged from the fusion of twelve supreme treasures. This means the ultimate form of the Returning Abyss Seal will manifest twelve Great Path Divine Chains.

Even if Eldrin Chen's Returning Abyss Seal absorbs no more Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light, given its current state of having already integrated one hundred and eight strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light, it is destined to possess at least three Great Path Divine Chains in the future.

In other words, should he obtain three strands of Innate Primordial Breath, Eldrin Chen's Returning Abyss Seal could directly evolve into a Third-Rank Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo in time.

"So that's the secret to ascending to an Innate Supreme Treasure," Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, a flash of profound understanding lighting his eyes.

For others, their life-bound treasures—be they a single Innate Spiritual Treasure or a top-tier artifact composed of a set of Formation Artifact—face a far more arduous path to becoming an Innate Supreme Treasure, unless they have cultivated them into a True Spirit Treasure using the Heavenly Emperor's Artifact Fusion Chapter.

Without that specific method, the journey is fraught with immense difficulty.

For an ordinary Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [a treasure born from the world's essence, possessing immense natural power], to continuously break through from its foundation of twenty-four divine patterns and ultimately give birth to nine Great Path Divine Chains [chains of divine law that embody a fundamental cosmic principle], thereby ascending to become an Innate Supreme Treasure [the pinnacle of naturally-born treasures, containing supreme laws], is undoubtedly a feat more difficult than scaling the heavens themselves.

However, once it successfully ascends to become an Innate Supreme Treasure, such a treasure is destined to be a peerless wonder, unparalleled across the ages.

This is because the ability to successively fuse with nine strands of Innate Primordial Breath [the primordial, foundational energy from which all creation springs] grants it a power that surpasses even a complete set of Formation Artifact [artifacts designed to work together to form powerful arrays]. It becomes an utterly transcendent Rare Spiritual Wonders [objects of profound spiritual significance and power], one that fundamentally cannot be overcome by those of a lower realm.

Contemplating this, a faint smile touched Eldrin Chen's lips.

He had a feeling his Returning Abyss Seal was different. It seemed capable of shattering a certain inherent limitation, perhaps able to bear not just one, but multiple Great Path Authority [the sovereign authority and power over a complete Great Path or cosmic principle]. Its potential appeared far greater than that of a typical Innate Supreme Treasure.

As far as Eldrin Chen knew, whether it was Path Ruins Jiang's Innate Primordial Breath Sword or Worthy Longevity Chen's Vast Sea Divine Pearl, they seemed to reach a limit at bearing only a single Great Path Authority.

In other words, regardless of how many strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light [an indestructible spiritual radiance of innate origin] their perfected True Spirit Treasure [a treasure that has become one with its wielder's spirit] could fuse, they could ultimately only give birth to nine Great Path Divine Chains and bear the weight of one Great Path Authority.

Two authorities over fully realized Great Path [a fundamental cosmic principle or law] held no inherent superiority over one another. Their power might vary, but there existed no unbridgeable chasm between them.

Yet Eldrin Chen's Returning Abyss Seal appeared capable of breaking this very restriction, potentially bearing the weight of multiple Great Path Authority simultaneously.

"Is this a property of the Chaos Mud [the primordial, formless substance from which the Returning Abyss Seal was forged]?" he murmured to himself.

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, but swiftly reined in his wandering thoughts.

Dwelling on such matters was fruitless. After gathering his focus, Eldrin Chen returned to his cultivation abode at once, only to find Exquisite Jiang had been waiting for him for quite some time.

"How did it go?"

Exquisite Jiang looked at him, her voice tinged with concern as she inquired.

Eldrin Chen offered a faint smile and spoke with calm assurance, "This breakthrough has deepened my foundation somewhat. Most crucially, the Returning Abyss Seal [a powerful enchanted seal artifact] has successfully advanced."

Hearing this, Exquisite Jiang could not help but let a smile grace her lips as well.

While both possessed the might of a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [the highest tier of treasures born from heaven and earth], the recent ascension of the Returning Abyss Seal brought a vastly different level of enhancement to Eldrin Chen's combat prowess.

Prior to its advancement, the Returning Abyss Seal wielded only the standard power of an ordinary Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Such treasures, marked with twelve innate Dao patterns, often provided negligible boosts to those at the early stage of the Primordial One Imperial Lord [the first major realm among the highest echelons of cultivators, signifying mastery over a single primordial Dao].

In truth, aside from the most freshly ascended Primordial One Imperial Lords, the vast majority at that early stage already possessed Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures adorned with twenty-four innate Dao patterns.

Under such circumstances, if Eldrin Chen lacked the Twenty-Four Patterns Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, his strength would merely be at the level of a newly-advanced Primordial One Imperial Lord [a powerful cultivator who has unified their Primordial Spirit and physical form into a single, supreme entity].

But now, with the Returning Abyss Seal having completed its advancement, Eldrin Chen's capabilities and power have barely managed to step beyond the domain of a newly-advanced Primordial One Imperial Lord and can now rival most practitioners at the Primordial One Imperial Lord 1st Tier.

Thinking this, Exquisite Jiang still said, "After the Returning Abyss Seal's promotion, your strength is no longer that of a weakling among Primordial One Imperial Lord."

"But do not grow arrogant. The higher the realm of a Primordial One Imperial Lord, the more profound their foundation and the more formidable their methods become."

"Most who cultivate to the Primordial One Imperial Lord Mid Stage possess Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo [the nascent form of a supreme innate magical treasure] with fewer than three spirit patterns. With your current strength, you should still not provoke them lightly."

Eldrin Chen nodded, then spoke, "I have heard that in a few days, there will be a Barter Convention [a grand gathering for cultivators to trade rare resources] in the Southern Abyss Seven Domains. I plan to attend personally to gather the key resources needed for my cultivation at the Late Stage Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [the late stage of the Golden Immortal realm where one's power begins to encompass all things]."

Upon hearing this, Exquisite Jiang fell into a moment of thoughtful silence.

After Eldrin Chen's cultivation broke through to the Late Stage Great Encompassing Golden Immortal, the potency of his eight Innate Divine Ability [powers born from one's innate constitution] and five True Spirit Divine Runes [mystical symbols representing the power of a True Spirit] had begun to feel somewhat insufficient. They would need to be cultivated to the Great Perfection Realm [the pinnacle stage of a cultivation realm] to keep pace with his current power.

This was especially true for the Five True Spirit Divine Abilities and the five True Spirit Divine Runes. The resources they consumed were all exceedingly precious Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Rare Material [top-tier spiritual materials born from the world's innate essence].

For Eldrin Chen to fully cultivate all these Divine Ability [supernatural powers] and divine runes, he would need to consume several dozen portions of Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Rare Material.

Even though the Three Thousand Immortal Domains [the collective name for the myriad realms of the immortal world] number in the tens of thousands, gathering so many Upper Grade Innate Rare Treasures [supreme treasures born from the primordial chaos] all at once would likely be an exceedingly difficult feat.

Without a high-level Barter Convention [a grand gathering where powerful cultivators trade rare treasures], Eldrin Chen would likely need hundreds of Kalpa Tribulations [cosmic cycles of immense duration] to amass the required treasures.

Under such circumstances, only by participating in the Barter Convention held within the Southern Abyss Seven Domains [a cluster of seven powerful and prosperous immortal domains] could one gather such a vast quantity of treasures with any speed.

After all, the Barter Convention of the Southern Abyss Seven Domains are gatherings where only those at the Imperial Lord [a supreme realm of cultivation, lord over a domain] level are qualified to attend. The wealth of such individuals is not something ordinary Great Encompassing Golden Immortals [immortals who have achieved the pinnacle of the Golden Immortal realm] can hope to match; producing a few Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Rare Materials [rare materials of the highest innate grade, brimming with spiritual essence] would be a trivial matter for them.

Considering this, Exquisite Jiang spoke up, "I support your decision to attend the Barter Convention."

"However, as a precaution, you must remain vigilant against those few Great Path Rivals [formidable adversaries fated to contend on the same grand path of cultivation]."

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod and replied directly, "Rest assured. Unless the Primordial Solar Great Emperor [a supreme title for an emperor who commands the power of the primordial sun] himself takes action, other Primordial One Imperial Lords [Imperial Lords at the initial stage of the Primordial One realm] should not be able to detain me."

Exquisite Jiang nodded in agreement but added, "This Barter Convention is being held in the Domain of Chaos Celestial Pole [a legendary domain situated at the celestial pole within the primordial chaos]. To guard against any unforeseen events, it would be best for you to invite those allies of yours to journey together."

"Understood. I shall go and invite them immediately."

Eldrin Chen nodded, then immediately tore through the Chaos [the formless, primordial state from which all things emerged] to return to the Primordial Immortal Domain [his home immortal domain, imbued with ancient power]. Without delay, he proceeded to pay a visit to the Taiyang Clan [the illustrious Clan of the Great Sun].

Times had changed. Meeting again after so many years, Eldrin Chen's status was vastly different from before.

For Eldrin Chen's visit, the Taiyang Clan acted with utmost solemnity. Two Primordial One Imperial Lords, including Great Center Imperial Lord himself, personally welcomed him, preparing a grand banquet in his honor.

After several rounds of toasts, Eldrin Chen invited the three to the Domain of Chaos Celestial Pole to attend the Barter Convention.

Great Center Imperial Lord agreed with decisive swiftness, consenting to journey together to the Barter Convention. Yet, before parting, his expression turned grave as he spoke, "Fellow Daoist, if there are matters you wish to settle, I advise you to complete them within the next two Kalpa Tribulations."

Eldrin Chen was momentarily taken aback, a flicker of surprise crossing his features. "What does the Imperial Lord mean?" he inquired.

"The situation remains unclear for now."

Great Center Imperial Lord shook his head, yet his words carried a pointed implication. "Your ties with Tai Cang Divine Emperor run deep. I believe he knows more than I do."

A shadow of solemnity fell over Eldrin Chen's face. After a final, respectful bow of farewell, he made his way to the Tai Cang Imperial Court.

He presented his Visiting Card and was swiftly granted an audience with Tai Cang Divine Emperor.

The last time he had seen Tai Cang Divine Emperor was within the Primordial Chaos World Sea. Back then, the Divine Emperor's aura had dominated the Myriad Heavens, displaying a presence that bordered on invincibility.

However, upon meeting Tai Cang Divine Emperor this time, Eldrin Chen faintly sensed that the Tai Cang Divine Emperor's aura was weak, as if he had sustained significant injuries.

"You noticed it too."

The Tai Cang Divine Emperor spoke slowly, his expression grave. "That Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo [a nascent form of a supreme treasure born from the primordial chaos] has fallen into the hands of the Primordial Era Thunder Crow [a legendary avian demon beast from the dawn of time, wielding the power of thunder]."

Eldrin Chen's expression shifted, a look of deep concern flashing in his eyes.

Seeing this, the Tai Cang Divine Emperor continued, "Within our Tri-Pole Primordial Domain [the vast primordial realm governed by the three celestial poles], the Demon Race stands as the foremost among the Three Great Heavenly Courts. And among the Demon Race, the Golden Crow Lineage is the most powerful."

"Within the Golden Crow Lineage, the supreme being is naturally the Solar Heavenly Emperor [the Celestial Sovereign of the Sun], that much is obvious."

"Beneath him exists the Primordial Era Verdant Crow, whose cultivation has reached the Sage Ascendant Realm [a realm just half a step below the Heavenly Emperor]. He is the quasi-Heavenly Emperor of the Golden Crow Lineage. The third most powerful figure of the Golden Crow Clan is this very Primordial Era Thunder Crow."

"In recent years, the Solar Heavenly Emperor has withdrawn from worldly affairs, and the Verdant Crow Great Emperor wanders the Chaos [the formless, primordial state before creation] seeking Path Mastery and Opportunity and Fortune [chance encounters and destiny that can advance one's cultivation]. Thus, the one currently managing the affairs of the Golden Crow Clan is this Primordial Era Thunder Crow."

"And the Primordial Era Thunder Crow Great Emperor is known for his domineering nature. Should he succeed in refining that Innate Supreme Treasure [a supreme-grade treasure born from the primordial chaos], the balance of power within the Three Thousand Immortal Domains [the myriad realms inhabited by immortals] will undoubtedly be thrown into turmoil once more."