Chapter 1986 : The Vase of Primordial Void

Eldrin Chen had anticipated that entering the Immortal Firmament Hall would subject him to trials of unimaginable difficulty.

To his astonishment, however, the Immortal Firmament Hall was enveloped in profound silence, devoid of any living presence. At the very Central of the Great Hall, a single ethereal treasure vase hovered in serene suspension.

It drifted in boundless stillness, resembling a Chaos-era ancient vase that had existed since the dawn of Antiquity-Tracing, radiating an eternal light of the void.

"A Chaos Spiritual Artifact... the Chaos Void-Refining Vase [a primordial artifact capable of refining the very fabric of space and void]," Eldrin murmured, his voice a low whisper.

A flicker of awe passed through Eldrin Chen's eyes as he spoke the name.

For this treasure before him was none other than the legendary Chaos Void-Refining Vase, a Chaos Spiritual Artifact whose might had once shaken the Immortal Cosmos Primordial Domain.

The Chaos Void-Refining Vase was a Spatial Attribute Chaos Spiritual Artifact, ranked among the top ten supreme artifacts within the Heaven Abyss Domains of the Primordial Era.

This treasure possessed the wondrous ability to refine Void Heaven [the highest, most fundamental layer of emptiness]. It was one of the three Chaos Spiritual Artifact belonging to the Immortal Firmament Path Ancestor, an artifact Eldrin had believed lost forever with the disappearance of that great Patriarch. He never imagined it would be concealed here, within the Immortal Firmament Treasure Vault.

With this realization, Eldrin Chen suppressed the surge of excitement in his heart. He stepped forward until he stood before the hovering Chaos Void-Refining Vase. Detecting no hostile aura or trap, he cautiously extended his spiritual sense, attempting to draw the artifact toward him.

Contrary to all expectations, the Chaos Void-Refining Vase offered no resistance. It drifted gently, almost willingly, and settled into the palm of Eldrin Chen's hand.

Only at this moment did Eldrin Chen realize that the Treasure Spirit [the sentient consciousness within a powerful magical artifact] of the Chaos Void-Refining Vase had long since fallen into a profound and unresponsive slumber.

"The Treasure Spirit slumbers, seemingly having suffered unprecedented damage,"

Eldrin Chen murmured to himself. He attempted several times to rouse the Treasure Spirit, but to no avail. In the end, he could only stow the artifact away.

The Void-Refining Vase was a Chaos Spiritual Artifact [a primordial treasure of immense power, born from the chaos of creation]. To wield even a sliver of this supreme treasure's might required a cultivation base of at least the Late Stage of the Primordial One Imperial Lord realm.

Had the Treasure Spirit not been dormant, Eldrin Chen could have communicated with it to channel a portion of the vase's power. But now, with the Treasure Spirit of the Void-Refining Vase lost to slumber, the artifact was, for the time being, rendered useless.

With a sigh of resignation, Eldrin Chen stored the Chaos Void-Refining Vase. His gaze then swept across the vast expanse of the Immortal Firmament Ancient Hall.

The interior of the Immortal Firmament Ancient Hall was almost entirely empty. Aside from the Void-Refining Vase, no other treasures remained.

"No treasures left behind at all?"

Eldrin Chen was somewhat taken aback. He ventured into the inner courtyards of the immortal hall, only to find the Immortal Herb Garden [a garden cultivating plants of immense spiritual potency], the Immortal Pill Alchemy Hall [a hall dedicated to the forging of divine elixirs], the Artifact Forging Hall [a forge for crafting magical treasures], and other such pavilions all sealed tight by powerful restrictive formations.

By all logic, these immortal halls should have contained trials left by the Immortal Firmament Path Ancestor. Passing these trials would grant one the Opportunity and Fortune [a chance encounter with great luck or a pivotal destiny] contained within. Yet now, there were no trials to be found, and the seals barring entry could not be broken.

"Because the Immortal Firmament Patriarch was targeted, the trial here has also been rendered void?"

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly. He had a nagging sense that something was amiss, yet the underlying cause remained obscured from his sight. In the end, he could only depart.

Upon stepping out of the Immortal Firmament Treasure Vault, Eldrin Chen could not help but let a smile touch his lips.

Regardless of other considerations, this journey had yielded the most precious of treasures—the Chaos Void-Refining Vase. This single acquisition alone was a harvest surpassing all others.

As he had not tarried overly long within the Immortal Firmament Ancient Hall, Eldrin Chen emerged relatively early. The others were still within the Treasure Vault and had not yet come out.

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen decided to remain and continue his secluded cultivation within the Immortal Firmament Ancient Hall. In his leisure moments, he sorted through the gains from this venture and discovered he had already gathered the five key medicinal catalysts at the Upper Grade Innate Spiritual Rare Material level: those for Primordial Solar, Profound Darkness, Mixed Metal, Life, and Source Earth.

These Rare Spiritual Wonders were the crucial catalysts for cultivating the five major True Spirit Divine Runes. Without delay, Eldrin Chen immediately began refining the five portions of Rare Spiritual Wonders to catalyze the evolution of his True Spirit Divine Runes.

Aided by the five portions of Rare Spiritual Wonders, Eldrin Chen's five major True Spirit Divine Runes began their transformation at once. As time flowed, the five divine runes, each corresponding to a Great God, began to grow and intensify dramatically, until one day they finally reached their ultimate limit.

Accompanied by a thunderous, resonant boom, Eldrin Chen felt the five True Spirit Divine Runes within his body complete another metamorphosis, ascending into the domain of the Great Completion stage.

"The True Spirit Divine Runes have reached the Great Completion realm."

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, once again channeling the True Spirit Divine Runes to empower himself. He discovered that within these divine runes lay hidden a power as profound as the abyss and as vast as the sea. Once Burst, they could effortlessly pierce the firmament and rend the boundless ChaosSpace-Time [the fundamental fabric of reality].

Setting aside these thoughts, Eldrin Chen took stock of his own cultivation system. He found that among his Three Great Foundations, his Primordial Chaos Indestructibility Body had already reached the Seventh Layer Great Encompassing Golden Immortal level. Furthermore, the five key True Spirit Divine Runes had also reached Great Perfection.

His Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] cultivation had also stepped into the Seventh Layer Great Encompassing Golden Immortal realm. All three of his Innate Divine Ability and his Five True Spirit Divine Abilities had likewise attained Great Perfection.

His Great Path cultivation was even closer to the Eighth Heaven of the Great Encompassing Golden Immortal. Having refined such a vast amount of Path Source [the foundational essence of a cultivation path], his progress should remain astonishingly swift until he breaks through to Great Encompassing Golden Immortal Great Perfection.

This filled Eldrin Chen with a quiet joy. A faint smile touched his lips as he whispered to himself, "The accumulation for my Three Great Foundations is now sufficient. From here, I need only focus wholeheartedly on elevating my cultivation base."

With this thought, Eldrin Chen stepped out from the Immortal Firmament Ancient Hall and arrived within the Celestial Stairway to await the others as they concluded their secluded cultivation.

Before long, the others began to emerge one after another, each face alight with varying degrees of delight. Without exception, they had all obtained harvests of significant value.

The first to emerge was Exquisite Jiang. Her expression was one of clear satisfaction as she announced, "I obtained several portions of Innate Primordial Breath [the primordial, foundational energy of creation]. It seems my chances of a future breakthrough to Primordial One Imperial Lord have now increased by a fair margin."

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod of acknowledgment but offered no further comment.

As the rest of the group finished emerging, Eldrin Chen observed that nearly every person present had managed to acquire several strands of the precious Innate Primordial Breath.

Worthy Longevity Chen, Lila, Violet Consort Yan, and others had even obtained supreme treasures left behind by the three great Immortal Sage [the highest echelon of cultivators, beings of profound wisdom and power]. These were all peerless items capable of Heaven-Defying Fate Alteration [literally altering one's destiny against the will of heaven].

Among them, Worthy Longevity Chen acquired a portion of Thalion Divine Marrow [a primordial essence that refines the very foundation of one's being], Lila obtained a measure of Frigid Soul Immortal Source [a source of icy spiritual energy that purifies and strengthens the soul], and Violet Consort Yan received a piece of Chaos Fire Jade [a jade born from primordial chaos, containing the essence of creation and flame].

These three treasures were all Chaos Rare Treasure [objects of immense rarity and power born from the primordial chaos] of extraordinary value, and moreover, they were supreme treasures that could assist in breaking through to the Primordial One Imperial Lord [a legendary realm representing the unity of one's foundational essence with the primordial source of all things].

If these three were to use these treasures to break through to the Primordial One Imperial Lord Realm in the future, there was a theoretical possibility they could cultivate an additional True Spirit Foundation [a foundational cultivation art that forges one's spirit into its truest, most potent form].

Eldrin Chen tallied the gains and discovered that, apart from Diyang Tai Cang, the group had collectively obtained more than twenty portions of Innate Primordial Breath [the pure, unadulterated energy that existed at the dawn of creation] and dozens of other various Rare Spiritual Wonders [objects of spiritual power and mystery].

Having received such Opportunity and Fortune [a confluence of chance and destiny], the critical resources needed for their future breakthrough to the Primordial One Imperial Lord Realm were already more than half secured.

"It seems our Karma [the cosmic law of cause and effect, action and consequence] with the Immortal Cosmos Primordial Domain [the ancient, foundational realm of the immortal cosmos] has grown immense, almost without our noticing," Eldrin Chen remarked.

Upon understanding the extent of everyone's harvest, Eldrin Chen could not help but release a soft sigh, a complex mix of emotions coloring his expression.

Hearing his words, the others also nodded slightly in agreement.

To receive such grace inevitably meant incurring a Karma debt that must be repaid. Having obtained so much Opportunity and Fortune, they could not possibly stand idly by when the denizens of the Immortal Cosmos Primordial Domain eventually stirred from their slumber.

For the various Sages of the Immortal Cosmos Primordial Domain to awaken, it is likely not an easy matter.

At the very least, given their current strength, they would likely be less than cannon fodder before such Karma [the cosmic principle of cause and effect].

Thinking of this, Verdant Consort spoke: "Focus on your cultivation. Only by reaching the level of a Sage Ascendant [a being one step below a true Sage] can we barely be qualified to offer our meager assistance."

"To truly be a player on the board of this Chaos Domain, one must step into the realm of a ChaosHeavenly Emperor's Domain [the domain of a Chaos Heavenly Emperor], to have any possibility of lending a hand to their revival."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen gave a slight, thoughtful nod.

He said no more, leading the group down the Celestial Stairway. Only when they reached its end did Eldrin Chen speak again: "Once we exit, there may be those who scheme against us."

"Stay close by my side. Do not wander from my immediate vicinity."

Everyone nodded solemnly, their expressions turning grave.

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen activated the Ancient Immortal Firmament Token, instantly transporting them to a formation platform within the Chaos Desolation Sea.

Upon arriving at the platform, Eldrin Chen immediately stepped off, intending to depart swiftly. Yet he discovered endless arrays of formation patterns spreading across heaven and earth, transforming into Great Path Divine Chains that sealed off this entire expanse of the Chaos Desolation Sea.

"They have come swiftly,"

Eldrin Chen spoke, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes.

In the boundless void, several majestic figures shattered the firmament as they arrived. At their head was Nether Mystery Imperial Lord, who sneered and declared, "Returning Abyss Path Master, where do you think you can flee to now?"

"Nether Mystery Imperial Lord, Desolate Ape Imperial Lord, Golden Spirit Ancient Progenitor, and Longevity Imperial Lord—four Great Emperor-level lords laying a trap to besiege me. You have truly gone to great lengths,"

Eldrin Chen said slowly, his tone grave. "However, with just the few of you, I doubt you could have woven a killing formation of this magnitude alone."

As he spoke, Eldrin Chen looked towards the Heavenly Vault. There, a Treasure Furnace [a supreme artifact for refining and containing power] soared into the sky, radiating boundless void energy that suppressed the entire Chaos Desolation Sea.

"The Innate Supreme Treasure, the Kui Heaven Furnace. I've heard this is the peerless treasure of the Kui Ox Ancestral Court," he remarked.

"Hmph, you have a keen eye," a voice replied.

At that moment, an immeasurably majestic figure strode forth from the depths of the void.

His form was towering and vast, like a Primordial Era Divine Demon [an ancient, god-like being of immense power from the dawn of time]. He cleaved through the heavens, emanating a radiance akin to an eternal sun. A mere wisp of his slanted aura stirred endless Sea of Chaos Tidal Wave [cataclysmic waves born from primal chaos], causing the vast Chaos Desolation Sea to churn with berserk fury.

"The Third Elder of the Primal Chaos Kui Ox Clan—Primordial Sun Divine Venerable!"

Eldrin Chen spoke, a glint of solemnity flashing in his eyes.

In the days when the Kui Ox Heavenly Emperor still walked the earth, the Primal Chaos Kui Ox Clan lineage boasted several dozen Primordial One Imperial Lord. Yet, ever since the Kui Ox Heavenly Emperor was defeated and fled to the Chaos Desolation Sea, the once-mighty clan had lost more than half its power. Now, only a little over twenty Primordial One Imperial Lord remained in the world.

This Primordial Sun Divine Venerable was the Third Elder of the Primal Chaos Kui Ox Clan, and his cultivation was unfathomably profound, having reached the Primordial One Imperial Lord 8th Tier realm.

At this moment, Nether Mystery Imperial Lord and the other three Great Emperor Lords all wore expressions of utmost gravity. They respectfully stepped aside and bowed to the Primordial Sun Divine Venerable. "We pay our respects to the Divine Venerable," they intoned.

"No need for such formalities!"

The Primordial Sun Divine Venerable waved a dismissive hand, his gaze lowering to fix upon Eldrin Chen. "So it is you," he said, his voice rumbling like distant thunder. "You who meddled in my son's Great Path Contention [the cosmic struggle for supremacy over a Great Dao], allowing him to be harmed and to fall?"

Eldrin Chen remained utterly calm. He merely looked towards the Depths of Chaos and said, "Senior, since I have already drawn out the Primordial Sun Divine Venerable for you, the rest is in your hands."

"Not good!"

The Primordial Sun Divine Venerable's expression shifted slightly. He immediately sought to retract the Kui Heaven Furnace [a legendary cauldron artifact] and make his escape, but alas, it was already too late.

Yet from the boundless Depths of Chaos [the primordial, formless expanse from which all creation emerged], a golden fist shot forth. It blazed with piercing radiance as it slammed into Primordial Sun Divine Venerable, sending him hurtling through the void, blood spraying from his mouth.

Close behind, a figure clad in Golden War Armor [a suit of divine armor forged from celestial gold] strode through the air. His expression was placid as he regarded Primordial Sun Divine Venerable. "Old thief Primordial Sun," he said, his voice calm. "It has been a while."

"It's you!"

Primordial Sun Divine Venerable's face changed dramatically, his gaze fixed on the golden figure with a mixture of shock and fury.

A flicker of recognition passed through Eldrin Chen's eyes as he recalled this person's origins. After Ant Heavenly Emperor [the sovereign ruler of the celestial ant-kind] achieved his supreme path, he had sired three peerless Imperial Scions, each a pure-blooded Chaos Imperial Extreme Ant [a primordial ant species of supreme power and chaos affinity].

The Fleshly Body Sanctification [a cultivation method focused on perfecting the physical body to divine levels] lineage found it difficult to propagate its bloodline. However, whenever an Imperial Scion was born, they would invariably inherit their progenitor's astounding talent and potent heritage.

The Imperial Scions of Ant Heavenly Emperor were no exception. His youngest, Heaven Punishment, was still in his youth and thus not yet a major force.

But his eldest, 'Heaven's Slaughter', possessed talent that overshadowed his generation. He had carved a path of utter dominance through the entire Southern Abyss Seven Domains [a cluster of seven perilous realms in the southern cosmic abyss], finding no equal.

Though he had not yet stepped into the Sage Ascendant Realm [the realm just below that of a true Sage], he had already cultivated seven True Spirit Divine Forms [divine transformations that embody the essence and power of primordial true spirits]. His combat prowess approached that of the Sage Ascendant Realm.

The second son, 'Heaven's Extinction', possessed a physical constitution rare even across the eons. Having only recently entered the Great Perfection Primordial One Imperial Lord [the pinnacle stage for an Imperial Lord], he had cultivated Three Great True Spirit Divine Forms. Yet, his power was sufficient to sweep through the domain of Great Emperor [a supreme cultivation realm], finding no worthy opponent.

The figure before them was none other than the second son of the Ant Heavenly Emperor, 'Heaven's Extinction Great Emperor'.

At this moment, witnessing Heaven's Extinction Great Emperor charge forth to kill, the expression of Primordial Sun Divine Venerable shifted repeatedly, betraying his alarm.

He drew a deep breath, his face etched with profound gravity, and declared, "It is you. So, you have been scheming against me all along?"

"You old turtle," Heaven's Extinction retorted coldly, "if not for this opportunity, it would have been truly difficult to catch you."

With a flick of his sleeve, Heaven's Extinction summoned a golden divine spear, thrusting it forth with peerless divine power towards Primordial Sun Divine Venerable. In the blink of an eye, a world-shaking battle Burst into being.

Primordial Sun Divine Venerable roared with fury, his voice laced with immense resentment and Slaughter Intent [a palpable aura of murderous intent]. "Do you truly believe I fear you?"

In that instant, he commanded the Kui Heaven Furnace to descend like a mountain, initiating a cataclysmic duel against Heaven's Extinction.

Leading his companions away from the battlefield, Eldrin Chen observed that the four Great Emperor-level lords, including Nether Mystery, had already seized the chance to withdraw, seeing the tide turn against them.

Against this, Eldrin Chen could do nothing.

Given the strength of these Primordial One Imperial Lord [a supreme cultivation realm], if they were determined to flee for their lives, even a cultivator at the Primordial One Imperial Lord Late Stage might not be able to stop them.

Unless sealed by a spatial treasure of the Innate Supreme Treasure [a supreme treasure born from the primordial chaos, possessing world-defying powers] level, it is fundamentally impossible to completely suppress and slay such an entity.

Contemplating this, Eldrin Chen turned his gaze to the heart of the battlefield, a trace of solemnity inevitably flickering in his eyes.

The great battle within the Chaos Desolation Sea [a boundless, turbulent sea of primordial chaos at the edge of the cosmos] raged for a full several hundred thousand years. By the time the conflict finally subsided, Primordial Sun Divine Venerable had been pierced through the collarbones by golden Chains [divine shackles used to bind and suppress powerful beings] and was utterly and completely suppressed.

"A Primordial One Imperial Lord [a supreme cultivator who has unified their being with the fundamental laws of existence, achieving a state of near-immortality] of this level is under the protection of their Great Path [the supreme cultivation art or law they embody, granting them profound resilience], making them almost impossible to kill."

"Even if a Chaos Heavenly Emperor [a supreme sovereign who rules over a vast domain of primordial chaos] were to intervene, they could only force such an enemy into a temporary slumber."

At that moment, Heaven Punishment appeared beside Eldrin Chen as if from nowhere, speaking with a note of resignation: "To deal with such foes, one must either have a Great Path Rival [a destined nemesis whose own Great Path perfectly counters the enemy's, allowing for true annihilation] take action, or one must completely seal them away."

Eldrin Chen nodded, a glimmer of understanding dawning in his eyes.

A Primordial One Imperial Lord possesses a Primordial Spirit [the indestructible spiritual core of a high-level cultivator, the seat of their consciousness and power] that is truly Indestructibility [a state of being impervious to destruction], and is further shielded by their Great Path. Such a being is nearly impervious to true death.

Even if their physical body is annihilated, as long as the Primordial Spirit remains intact, reforging a new body is but a mere thought away. At most, restoring such a newly forged body to its peak strength would come at a significant cost.

Since the enemy cannot be slain, the only recourse is to use a treasure to seal them away.

From what he knew, many Chaos Heavenly Emperor would forge special Innate Supreme Treasure [treasures of supreme power born from the primal chaos]. For instance, Great Abyss Immortal Sage possessed the Great Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, and Solar Heavenly Emperor had the Solar Golden Pagoda—both were places designed specifically to imprison such formidable foes.

Clearly, it seemed Ant Heavenly Emperor also possessed a similar treasure, one capable of suppressing a top-tier Primordial One Imperial Lord [a supreme lord who has mastered the foundational principles of existence] like Primordial Sun Divine Venerable.

Seeing this, Heaven Punishment understood his thoughts and said with a smile, "Within our Domain of Chaos Celestial Pole, there exists a special Forbidden Land [a perilous and restricted realm] used to imprison powerful enemies. It can suppress the cultivation base [the foundational power of a cultivator] of those at the Primordial One Imperial Lord level."

"Once his collarbones are pierced and bound, he can be completely sealed away within it."

Eldrin Chen nodded. He had heard some rumors about that particular Forbidden Land.

It was said that place was called the Forbidden Path Abyss. It could suppress one's cultivation base but not their physical strength. In ancient times, before Ant Heavenly Emperor achieved his supreme Dao, he had once been imprisoned within the Forbidden Path Abyss by Kui Ox Heavenly Emperor.

Yet, Ant Heavenly Emperor proved to be a peerless genius across the ages. He actually used the power of that Forbidden Land to break through the limits of his physical body, cultivating the Nine True Spirit Divine Forms [a legendary divine art manifesting the forms of nine primordial spirits] and fought his way out with sheer force.

After emerging, Ant Heavenly Emperor managed to escape the relentless pursuit of Kui Ox Heavenly Emperor, eventually fleeing into the Chaos Desolation Sea where he fortuitously found the Opportunity and Fortune [the pivotal chance and destiny] needed to prove his Dao and ascend.

Recalling this, Eldrin Chen could not help but smile and say, "Imprisoning the descendant of Kui Ox Heavenly Emperor within the Forbidden Path Abyss... that would indeed be a fitting way to settle the old Karma [the cosmic law of cause and effect] from your father's era."

Heaven Punishment shook his head, however, and replied with a gentle smile, "Regarding those past events, ever since the Primal Chaos Kui Ox [the primordial demonic ox of chaos] was defeated and fled, my father had long since let go. He no longer acts against the descendants of Kui Ox Heavenly Emperor."

"We apprehended the Primal Chaos Kui Ox Clan solely because they have repeatedly assassinated the younger generation of our Chaos Heaven Ant Clan."

As he spoke, Heaven Punishment looked at Eldrin Chen and said, "We owe you our thanks for your assistance this time. Capturing the Primordial Sun Divine Venerable would not have been easy otherwise."

Eldrin Chen offered a faint smile before replying, "And I must thank you for helping me eliminate a significant threat."

"A mutually beneficial arrangement, then. Not a bad outcome."

Heaven Punishment chuckled softly, then gave a casual wave of his hand and departed.

After his departure, Eldrin Chen's gaze sharpened. In a fleeting moment, through a rift in the Chaos, he glimpsed a golden figure that vanished as quickly as it appeared. The aura emanating from that figure felt even more formidable than that of the Heaven's Extinction Great Emperor.

"Was that... the Heaven's Slaughter Great Emperor?"

Eldrin Chen murmured to himself, a flicker of astonishment passing through his eyes.