Chapter 1982 : The Primordial Vase's Ascension

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, his gaze settling upon the Primordial Energy Vase of Heaven and Earth.

Having completed its recent advancement, the Primordial Energy Vasa of Heaven and Earth had now transformed into an Innate Supreme Treasure Embryo [the nascent form of a supreme innate treasure], its profound mysteries elevated to a vastly greater degree.

After some calculation, Eldrin Chen discovered that the newly ascended Primordial Energy Vase of Heaven and Earth now produced an additional type of Innate Spiritual Water [water imbued with innate spiritual essence] beyond its original capabilities.

This new Innate Spiritual Water was named the Primordial One Qiankun Water [Primordial Unity Heaven-Earth Water]. This water contained the power of the Heaven and Earth Great Path [the supreme Dao of Heaven and Earth] at the Primordial One Grade [Primordial Unity Realm] level, making it an exceedingly rare Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Water.

As a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Water, the power of the Primordial One Qiankun Water was extraordinary, possessing three remarkable applications.

First, this water could now accelerate the growth of a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root [the highest grade of innate spiritual root], with a single drop enhancing its growth speed by one full Kalpa Tribulation [a cosmic cycle of immense duration].

Second, it could help a Spiritual Root [a plant or tree with spiritual properties] break its inherent shackles. When used in conjunction with Innate Spiritual Radiance [innate spiritual light], it could potentially elevate a Spiritual Root all the way to the Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Root [High-Grade Innate Spiritual Root] realm.

Third, the Primordial One Qiankun Water contained an immense concentration of Heaven and Earth Great Path power. It could be used as a potent medicinal Immortal Herb [herb of immortal grade] for healing, or as a precious catalyst for cultivating Divine Ability [supernatural powers and techniques].

Of course, while profoundly mystical, the creation of the Primordial One Qiankun Water came at a staggering cost.

Nurturing the Primordial One Qiankun Water required vast quantities of Heaven-Earth Energy [the fundamental energy of heaven and earth] at the level of a Great Encompassing Rare Treasure [a treasure of immense rarity and power]. Even with the combined resources of the Chen Immortal Clan, the Eight Great Immortal Domains, and two Middle Grade Chaos Lair [mid-grade chaotic realms], and without depleting their foundational essence, the Heaven-Earth Energy produced over an entire Kalpa Tribulation was only sufficient to cultivate three portions of this precious water.

Furthermore, to nurture each portion of Primordial One Qiankun Water [a primordial spiritual water embodying the essence of heaven and earth], an investment of three portions of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light [an indestructible spiritual light of innate origin] is also required.

According to Eldrin Chen's estimation, the cost for a single portion of Primordial One Qiankun Water would roughly amount to five strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light.

"The value of Primordial One Qiankun Water is likely comparable to that of an Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [a top-tier magical artifact born of innate nature]," Eldrin Chen murmured to himself.

With a quiet resolve, Eldrin Chen retrieved the accumulated Heaven-Earth Energy [the fundamental energy of the cosmos] and Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light he had gathered over the years and began the process of cultivating the Primordial One Qiankun Water.

Once his stored reserves of Heaven-Earth Energy were finally exhausted, Eldrin Chen found he had successfully produced a total of fifteen portions of Primordial One Qiankun Water.

"Fifteen portions of Primordial One Qiankun Water," he mused, a flicker of satisfaction crossing his features. "This is sufficient to accelerate the maturation of a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root [the highest grade of innate spiritual plant] fifteen times over."

A faint, genuine smile touched Eldrin Chen's lips as he contemplated this bounty.

A Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root requires one full Kalpa Tribulation [a grand cosmic cycle of immense duration] to mature. Conveniently, one portion of Primordial One Qiankun Water consists of precisely thirty-six drops, which is exactly the amount needed to catalyze a single maturation cycle for such a spiritual root.

With this calculation clear in his mind, Eldrin Chen turned to his companions, his smile widening. "Now that we possess the Primordial One Qiankun Water," he declared, "we should begin the process of advancing our Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root."

Exquisite Jiang pondered for a moment, then posed the logical question. "In that case," she inquired, "which one should we prioritize for advancement first?"

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen fell into contemplation. The Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root [the highest grade of natural spiritual root, possessing immense potential] held an exceedingly lofty status. It required the absorption of a vast sea of primordial essence to grow and would therefore never take root in an ordinary place.

Generally speaking, only a Primordial One Grade [the first and foundational grade of the primordial chaos realm] Chaos Lair [a lair or nest formed from primordial chaos energy] could provide an environment for a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root to flourish.

A superior-grade Immortal Domain [a realm or territory suffused with immortal energy] could barely nurture a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root, but with significant limitations. Typically, a superior-grade Immortal Domain at the Great Encompassing [a high cultivation realm signifying vast comprehension and power] limit could, at most, sustain only one such Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root.

Currently, within the Returning Abyss Immortal Alliance, only Eldrin Chen's Returning Abyss Immortal Domain was a superior-grade Immortal Domain, meaning it should only be capable of nurturing a single Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root.

Considering this, Eldrin Chen pondered for a moment before speaking. "If we activate the grand formation and use the primordial essence from the Eight Great Immortal Domains and the Chaos Lair to nourish them, we should be able to cultivate two ."

Exquisite Jiang nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Being able to plant two Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Roots greatly expanded their options.

After a brief moment of thought, she offered her suggestion. "Cultivating the Great Path [the supreme cultivation art of the Great Path] consumes very few resources. Moreover, after severing your Great Path Rival [a destined rival on the Great Path], your progress in the Great Path has been astonishingly swift. Perhaps we should first cultivate the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree [a divine tree bearing fruits that nourish the soul] and the Indestructibility Golden Fruit [a golden fruit said to grant a form of indestructibility]?"

"A sound suggestion."

Eldrin Chen gave a nod of assent and immediately set to work. He took control of the Chaos Grand Formation [a grand formation that manipulates primordial chaos energy] and redirected the primordial essence from the Eight Great Immortal Domains and the two , channeling it into the Returning Abyss Immortal Domain and the Chaos Golden Bull Nest. This essence would serve as the vital nourishment required for the growth of the two Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Roots.

Thereafter, he began to retrieve the Primordial One Qiankun Water [a primordial water of creation and transformation] and commenced the process of assisting the Indestructibility Golden Fruit Tree and the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree in their advancement to the Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root [the highest grade of a tree born from the world's primordial essence].

During the advancement process, Eldrin Chen discovered that integrating merely three drops of Primordial One Qiankun Water, supplemented by a single wisp of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light [a light of unyielding essence inherent to creation], was sufficient to elevate an Innate Ancient Tree [a tree born from the world's primordial essence] into a low-grade Innate Spiritual Root.

Advancing a low-grade Innate Spiritual Root to mid-grade, however, required the consumption of twelve drops of Primordial One Qiankun Water, and the promotion from mid-grade to high-grade demanded an entire portion of the Primordial One Qiankun Water.

Accounting for both the accelerated maturation and the promotions, Eldrin Chen expended over three portions of Primordial One Qiankun Water and sixteen wisps of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light to elevate the two low-grade Innate Spiritual Root into Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Root.

Once they had grown to the limit of Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Root, the Primordial One Qiankun Water retained only its function of accelerating maturation.

Subsequently, Eldrin Chen expended six sparks of Primordial Chaos Indestructibility Divine Spark [a divine spark of indestructibility born from primordial chaos] to finally elevate the two Innate Spiritual Root into Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root.

"Success."

Upon completing their advancement to Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root, the two trees underwent a profound metamorphosis, bearing exceptionally rare supreme-grade Innate Spirit Fruit [spiritual fruit born from a tree of primordial essence].

The Heaven Soul Fruit Tree produced three Supreme Grade Heaven Soul Fruit, and the Indestructibility Golden Fruit Tree likewise bore three Supreme Grade Indestructibility Golden Fruit.

Compared to the spirit fruits yielded by ordinary Innate Spiritual Root, the medicinal potency of these fruits had increased dramatically. Each one was nearly equivalent to the total medicinal power contained within a single high-grade Innate Spirit Herb [a herb born from the world's primordial essence].

The potency of such an immortal fruit was extraordinary. When Eldrin Chen consumed one Supreme Grade Heaven Soul Fruit, he immediately felt his Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] surge with immense growth, directly increasing by one-tenth from its original foundation.

"Such astonishing medicinal power," he murmured.

A flicker of joy arose within Eldrin Chen's heart.

One must understand, his current cultivation had reached the Late Stage Great Encompassing Golden Immortal. At this realm, the difficulty of advancing even a single step further was dozens of times greater than progressing from the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Mid Stage.

A mere ten percent increase in Primordial Spirit power—for an ordinary Seventh Layer Great Encompassing Golden Immortal, lacking sufficient cultivation resources, would likely require arduous cultivation spanning dozens of Kalpa Tribulation [immense cosmic cycles] to achieve.

Seeing this, Exquisite Jiang asked with evident delight, "How was it?"

"Quite satisfactory," Eldrin Chen replied, a smile gracing his lips. "With eight or nine more of these Supreme Grade Heaven Soul Fruit, I should be able to break through to the Eighth Heaven of the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal."

"A pity, the Supreme Grade Heaven Soul Fruit imposes severe limitations. One can only consume a single fruit per Kalpa Tribulation, lest it destabilize one's foundational cultivation."

As he spoke, Eldrin Chen allowed a faint, knowing smile to touch his lips.

After breaking through to the Seventh Layer Great Encompassing Golden Immortal and cultivating to the peak of the seventh layer of Great Encompassing, one's foundation and latent potential would become roughly fifty percent stronger than at the moment of initial breakthrough.

By that time, he could attempt to break through to the Eighth Heaven of the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm.

Therefore, for Eldrin Chen to cultivate his Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] to the Great Perfection of the Seventh Layer Great Encompassing Golden Immortal, he would need to refine approximately five Heaven Soul Fruit [a supreme spiritual fruit that nourishes the soul and strengthens one's foundation] to elevate his foundation, followed by another five Heaven Soul Fruit to serve as a hidden reserve of potential.

Once his foundation was perfected and his latent potential sufficiently accumulated, he would be able to assail the Eighth Heaven of the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal.

This process would require roughly ten Kalpa Tribulation [an immense cosmic cycle in Buddhist cosmology, often billions of years]. To reach the threshold of the Eighth Heaven in merely ten such cycles was an astonishingly swift pace.

It must be understood that many top-tier Great Encompassing cultivators, even those backed by Primordial One Imperial Lord patrons and thus not lacking in cultivation resources, would linger at the Seventh Layer Great Encompassing Golden Immortal for over a dozen Kalpa Tribulation. They did so to consolidate their foundation and build reserves for their future ascent.

Eldrin Chen's ability to progress so rapidly stemmed from his possession of a Root Origin Treasure [a foundational treasure used to temper and polish one's cultivation base], which allowed him to refine one Supreme Grade Heaven Soul Fruit per Kalpa Tribulation.

Ordinary Great Encompassing Golden Immortal cultivators, even if they consumed fewer resources, would likely require several Kalpa Tribulation to refine a single such fruit. Consequently, the majority of their time was spent solely on polishing their foundation.

Returning to the main thread, after refining the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree, Eldrin Chen took out a Supreme Grade Indestructibility Golden Fruit [a peerless fruit that grants immense resilience and fortifies the physical body] and began its refinement.

Following the refinement process, Eldrin Chen felt the essence of his physical body swell by another ten percent. He slowly released a long, steady breath.

"Ten Kalpa Tribulation to break through to the Eighth Heaven of the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal..." he murmured to himself.

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, feeling that this pace was still somewhat slow.

After pondering for a moment, he retrieved the Primordial One Qiankun Water [the foundational water essence of primordial chaos] to nurture the Innate Spiritual Root [a root of spiritual potential present from birth] known as the 'Great Encompassing Golden Bamboo Shoot' [a legendary bamboo shoot symbolizing vast potential and golden essence] and the 'Soul Nourishing Wood' [a mystical wood that nourishes and strengthens the soul].

Soon, after expending one portion of Primordial One Qiankun Water and twelve strands of Innate Indestructibility Spirit Light [an innate spiritual light that grants unyielding durability], Eldrin Chen obtained twelve specimens each of the Great Encompassing Golden Bamboo Shoot and the Soul Nourishing Wood, all at the grade of an Innate Spiritual Root.

He refined the Great Encompassing Golden Bamboo Shoot into a Great Encompassing Golden Core [the golden core stage representing vast, all-encompassing potential], and then refined the Soul Nourishing Wood within his sea of consciousness, beginning the continuous enhancement of his physical body and his Great Encompassing Physique [a supreme physical constitution of vast capacity].

After a long while, Eldrin Chen opened his eyes within his secluded cultivation chamber and stated calmly, "Consuming three specimens each of the Great Encompassing Golden Bamboo Shoot and the Soul Nourishing Wood per Kalpa Tribulation [a cosmic cycle of immense duration and tribulation], my Primordial Spirit [the foundational spiritual core of a cultivator] and Great Encompassing Physique can approximately double in potency."

Exquisite Jiang, observing from the side, could not help but feel a sense of helplessness.

Innate Spiritual Root are all of immeasurable value, yet advancing beyond the Late Stage Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [the late stage of the Golden Immortal realm with vast potential] demands resources of such precious rarity.

If not for Eldrin Chen possessing the Primordial Energy Vase of Heaven and Earth [a magical vase that condenses the primordial energies of heaven and earth], which reduced the cost of nurturing Innate Spiritual Root by more than fivefold, he likely could not sustain such staggering consumption.

"As long as it enhances our strength, any expenditure of resources is worthwhile,"

Eldrin Chen said, speaking up immediately upon noticing her expression.

As his words fell, he suddenly smiled and said, "Your cultivation progress is not slow. After refining these Soul Nourishing Wood [a rare spiritual wood that nourishes and strengthens the soul] and these Great Encompassing Golden Core [the condensed spiritual core of a Great Encompassing Golden Immortal], you should also be able to glimpse the threshold of the Late Stage Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [the advanced phase of the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm]."

Having said this, Eldrin Chen gathered Exquisite Jiang, Nyssa Qu, Violet Consort Yan, Lila, Verdant Consort, and others, distributing five stalks of Soul Nourishing Wood and five Great Encompassing Golden Core among them.

He even accelerated the ripening of the Heaven Soul Fruit [a supreme fruit that fortifies the heavenly soul] and the Indestructibility Golden Fruit Tree [a legendary tree bearing fruits of indestructibility] twice more, extracting five portions of Heaven Soul Fruit and Indestructibility Golden Fruit [the golden fruit of indestructibility] to hand over to the group.

Upon receiving the treasures, Nyssa Qu and the others could not help but reveal faint smiles.

After nine Kalpa Tribulation [a grand cosmic cycle of immense duration] of arduous cultivation, the members of the Chen Immortal Clan had also made significant progress. Those who had reached the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a high immortal realm denoting vast spiritual power] during the earliest three Kalpa Tribulation now had cultivation bases that were, at the very least, at the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Mid Stage [the middle phase of the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm].

Among them, Exquisite Jiang, Verdant Consort, Nyssa Qu, Lila, and Violet Consort Yan had broken through earlier and received the most resources. Their cultivation had now reached the Sixth Layer Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [the sixth layer within the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm].

This speed of advancement placed them within the first echelon among Great Encompassing Golden Immortal, comparable to the personal disciples of the Imperial Lord [a sovereign lord of an imperial domain] from the Primordial One Imperial Court [the supreme imperial court of the primordial era].

Now, with these additional Soul Nourishing Wood and supreme-grade Innate Spirit Fruit [a fruit born of innate spiritual essence], they would likely soon break through to Late Stage Great Encompassing Golden Immortal, surpassing the vast majority of Imperial Lord disciples.

After all, supreme-grade Innate Spirit Fruit were treasures of immense value, a crucial cultivation resource desperately needed by Late Stage Great Encompassing Golden Immortal. They even held some minor benefit for Primordial One Imperial Lord [an Imperial Lord from the Primordial One Imperial Court]. Using them on cultivators at the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Mid Stage was considered a grievous waste, a luxury few within the Primordial One Imperial Court were willing to indulge in.

After distributing the treasures, Eldrin Chen spoke again, "After this Kalpa Tribulation, the Heavenly Emperor's Treasure Vault [the legendary treasury of a Heavenly Emperor] left behind by the Immortal Firmament [the Celestial Domain of Immortals] will reappear in the mortal realm."

"Combined with what Worthy Longevity obtained and what we have collected in recent years, we now possess twelve Ancient Immortal Firmament Token [ancient tokens granting entry to a legendary treasure vault], which grants us twelve slots to enter the Treasure Vault."

"I hope all of you can break through to the Late Stage Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [the advanced stage of the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm] before then, to increase our chances of securing the Heavenly Emperor's Legacy [the profound inheritance left by a Heavenly Emperor] within the Immortal Firmament Treasure Vault."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded with solemn expressions, a slight furrow appearing between their brows.

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen instructed the women to proceed with their secluded cultivation. After a moment of contemplation, he retrieved the Primordial Energy Vase of Heaven and Earth [a mystical vase capable of nurturing spiritual plants]. He expended the last few portions of Heaven-Earth Creation Water [a miraculous water that accelerates the growth of spiritual flora] to hasten the maturation of the Heaven Soul Fruit Tree and the Indestructibility Golden Fruit Tree several times, along with other such Rare Spiritual Wonders.

In the end, he reserved only the cultivation resources needed for his own Future for the next two Kalpa Tribulation [cosmic cycles of immense tribulation]. The remainder was distributed among the most promising Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [cultivators at the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm] within the Immortal Clan, such as Energy Abyss Chen, Path Ruins Jiang, Ethan Chen, and Worthy Longevity Chen.

After handling these matters, Eldrin Chen perceived the roiling tide of calamitous energy [the pervasive aura of impending disaster] between heaven and earth, signaling the imminent arrival of another Kalpa Tribulation.

"The tenth Kalpa Tribulation,"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, a sigh of profound reflection escaping his lips.

Unbeknownst to him, his lifespan had already surpassed nine hundred million years. Less than ninety million years remained until his one billionth year milestone.

"For this tribulation, our Returning Abyss Chen Clan shall still not partake in the calamity."

With a faint sigh in his heart, Eldrin Chen ultimately gave the order.

Within the Chen Immortal Clan and the Immortal Alliance, there were still quite a few individuals possessing the Great Encompassing Potential. However, Eldrin Chen ultimately prevented the members of the Immortal Alliance from entering the tribulation.

The fundamental reason was that newly advanced Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [the highest tier of immortal cultivation] could no longer bring significant enhancement to the strength of the Chen Immortal Clan.

Secondly, due to the existence of those Great Path Rival [destined adversaries on the grand path of cultivation] of Eldrin Chen, the prodigies of the Chen Immortal Clan entering the tribulation were far too susceptible to schemes and plots.

Rather than letting clansmen be schemed against and perish at the hands of Imperial Court prodigies, it was better to let them continue tempering their foundations through the ages, ultimately cultivating a more formidable Great Encompassing Foundation [the foundational stage of the Great Encompassing realm].

In truth, this was the practice of all the Great Emperor [a supreme cultivation realm] Courts. True heaven-defying prodigies often remained in seclusion until they emerged, having cultivated several Indestructibility Foundation [foundations of indestructibility], directly sweeping aside all opposition to prove their Great Encompassing [the supreme cultivation realm] with the bearing of a Primordial One Imperial Lord [an Imperial Lord of the Primordial One realm].

Having decided that the Immortal Clan prodigies would not enter the tribulation, Eldrin Chen immediately sealed off the Eight Great Immortal Domains, then entered a state of profound seclusion.

Thus, time flowed swiftly by. Thirty million years passed in the blink of an eye.

By the time Eldrin Chen emerged from seclusion, he discovered the Kalpa Tribulation [a cosmic cycle of destruction and renewal] had concluded tens of millions of years prior.

"The Immortal Firmament Treasure Vault is about to open."

On this day, Eldrin Chen sensed something during his secluded cultivation. After performing a brief divination with his fingers, a trace of pleasant surprise colored his words.

He immediately summoned the various Great Encompassing Golden Immortals within the Immortal Alliance to convene a meeting within the Returning Abyss Immortal Hall.

Within the immortal hall, Eldrin Chen surveyed the Great Encompassing Golden Immortals of the Chen Clan gathered before him, and a faint smile touched his lips.

The current foundation of the Chen Immortal Clan could be described as resplendent beyond measure. The number of those who had reached the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm alone had already surpassed twenty individuals.

Among them, those at the Late Stage Great Encompassing Golden Immortal level numbered six: Eldrin Chen, Exquisite Jiang, Verdant Consort, Nyssa Qu, Violet Consort Yan, and Lila.