Chapter 1870 : Karmic Affliction Yama King, Path of Pure Yang

After dividing the treasures, everyone returned to the Abyssal Grotto-Heaven and began arduous cultivation, preparing to refine the Dao Origin and rare treasures to enhance their strength.

However, Lyra lingered behind. She gazed at Eldrin and asked, "Are you now prepared to resolve the karmic ties of the past?"

"Hmm."

Eldrin nodded and declared, "In the past, I once made a great vow, swearing that upon achieving mastery in my cultivation, I would cleanse the Abyssal Inferno Sea, redeem the fallen Heavenly Dao, and restore all existence to its primordial purity—cleansing the very fabric of the cosmos."

"Now that I have slain the Profound Heng Ancient Demon, it is time to transcend the Fallen Heavenly Dao."

Lyra (Person Name) nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this, then inquired further, "After over 90,000 years, the Ancient Immortal Ruins Continent will open. When the time comes, let me accompany you there."

Eldrin (Person Name) pondered briefly before finally saying, "The Ancient Immortal Ruins Continent is far too perilous. Unless you possess the combat prowess of an 8-Calamity Ancient Immortal, venturing there would be exceedingly dangerous."

"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it."

Hearing this, Lyra (Person Name) fell silent for a moment before murmuring to herself, "An 8-Calamity Ancient Immortal?"

After bidding farewell to Lyra, Eldrin traversed the boundless void and arrived at the Abyssal Inferno Sea.

After so many years had passed, Eldrin returned to the Abyssal Purgatorial Sea and discovered that the Heavenly Dao of this realm no longer posed any significant threat to him.

The once-prosperous Abyssal Inferno Sea, where countless demonic cultivators had thrived, now lay silent and desolate. It seemed they had all perished in the boundless calamity.

Eldrin was not surprised by this. Demon cultivators had always employed ruthless methods. That ancient demon Xuanheng had laid his schemes here for multiple kalpas, and his first act upon revival was to devour the billions of souls within the Abyssal Inferno Sea to restore his strength.

"The methods of demonic cultivators are truly ruthless."

Eldrin murmured under his breath, then shattered the heavens in an instant as he surged forward.

Before long, he arrived at the Chaotic Abyss within the Nethervoid Inferno Sea, where the Heaven's Dao Source Artifact was located.

At this very spot, Eldrin (Person Name) unexpectedly caught sight of a figure—a burly man with a full head of white hair. Though his cultivation had only reached the Half-Step Celestial Immortal realm, he was an old acquaintance.

Zhen Yu Zi.

Eldrin murmured softly, recalling this person's identity.

This Zhenyuzi was a cultivator from the Zhenyu Grotto-Heaven, the second greatest grotto-heaven within the Abyssal Purgatorial Sea. When Eldrin first ascended to the immortal realms and embarked on his inaugural exploration of ancient ruins, he had once collaborated with this individual. Yet, in the 10 million years that followed, the 2 never crossed paths again.

He was thought to have perished long ago, yet unexpectedly, he has survived to this day.

Zhenyu Zi gazed at Eldrin with a complex expression and said, "Who would have thought that a fellow cultivator who had merely reached the Ascension Realm back then has now become the true master of the Qingcang Immortal Domain."

"I believe I have witnessed a miracle, or perhaps a legend of the Qing Cang Immortal Realm."

Meeting an old acquaintance from bygone days was a rare occasion, prompting a faint smile from Eldrin. With a graceful sweep of his sleeve, he invited Zhenyu Zi to be seated before taking the opposite position himself. "I never imagined," he began, "that you would have survived."

Zhenyuzi gave a faint smile and said, "The methods of demonic cultivators have always been sinister and vicious. I long anticipated that the Ancient Demon Xuanheng would have a backup plan—I would never entrust my life to his hands."

"And so I stealthily infiltrated the Western Qi Divine Abyss Sea, thus evading the calamity of Xuanheng, the Ancient Demon, sacrificing countless demons in his blood ritual."

"Later, when the Ancient Demon Xuanheng fell, I came here at once to await you."

Hearing this, Eldrin couldn't help but smile faintly, his estimation of Zhen Yu Zi's wisdom rising considerably.

Zhenyu Zi's choice was indeed his only path to survival, and perhaps his sole chance to stay alive.

He surmised that Eldrin the Ancient Demon would likely perform a blood sacrifice in the Abyssal Inferno Sea, so he fled the abyssal depths long before the ritual, evading Eldrin's sanguinary rite.

But choosing where to flee was a matter of great strategy. With his Half-Step Celestial Immortal cultivation, it was utterly impossible for him to escape into the primordial chaos. Instead, he decisively headed toward the Western Aether Divine Abyss Sea—the most perilous place for a demonic cultivator.

From then on, after the fall of the Ancient Demon Xuanheng (Person Name), humanity achieved overwhelming victory in the kalpic tribulation, leaving no doubt about the outcome of the war.

Next, the human race would undoubtedly sweep through the entire Vast Azure Immortal Domain. Countless immortals would seize this opportunity to eliminate their powerful foes and obtain Sources of the Dao. As a demonic immortal, he stood not a shred of chance of survival if he attempted to hide under such circumstances.

So he did the opposite and went straight into the Chaos Abyss, the most crucial part of the Nethervoid Purgatorial Sea, waiting for Eldrin (Person Name) to arrive.

In fact, his gamble had paid off.

For such an old acquaintance—1 with whom he had once fought side by side—even if he practiced demonic arts, Eldrin was willing to offer him a path to redemption out of regard for their past bond.

At this thought, Eldrin gazed calmly at Zhen Yu Zi. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Be it the unorthodox path or the demonic path, in my eyes they are ultimately but different manifestations of power."

"As long as you maintain your true nature and refrain from committing deeds that provoke the wrath of both heaven and man, I shall not stand in your way."

At this point, his voice paused briefly before he continued, "Given our friendship, is there anything you need my help with?"

Zhenyuzi pondered briefly before speaking, "I have mastered the Prison-Suppressing Dao Principles and wish to cultivate in the Netherrealm. May I ask for your assistance?"

"Oh?"

"Easy enough."

Eldrin nodded with a smile and said, "Coincidentally, my disciple also has unresolved karma to settle in the Netherrealm."

As the words fell, Eldrin flicked his sleeve and tore through the endless void with a single palm strike, traversing boundless realms and crossing the boundaries between Yin and Yang.

Deep within the boundless gloom of the Netherworld, an ancient and majestic Netherdark Immortal City stood.

The Karmic Grime Nethercity was an incomparably majestic ghostly metropolis of the underworld. Its ruler, the Karmic Grime Netherking, ranked among the 10 Great Netherkings of the Nether Realm.

The Karmic Affliction Netherking had attained the pinnacle of Heavenly Immortal perfection. Having entrenched himself in the abyssal depths for countless kalpas without faltering, he stood as 1 of the most formidable existences within the Stellar Azure Immortal Realm's netherworld.

But at this very moment, the entire City of Karmic Residue trembled violently.

"Crack—"

Suddenly, a heaven-sundering roar erupted throughout the Endless Netherrealm.

Then, high above the vast Karmic Filth Nethercity, the firmament was abruptly torn asunder. A colossal hand spanning countless hundreds of millions of miles tore through the void and descended.

This colossal hand was vaster than an entire expanse of the Netherrealm. The moment it emerged, the underworld’s gravitational forces violently inverted.

Countless rivers flowed backward, mountains shattered, and boulders, rivers, plants, ghosts, deities, and spectral soldiers all defied gravity as they rose into the sky, blotting out the sun. Even the Karmic Filth Ghost City, which had long terrorized the Netherworld, was sent soaring upside down into the air.

Immediately after, a deafening roar erupted as the colossal hand surged forward, seizing toward the City of Karmic Filth.

"Spare my life!"

In an instant, countless ghost immortals let out terrified cries, while even more spirits were struck dumb with fear—yet nothing could halt the unfolding catastrophe.

Above the City of Karmic Filth, the Karmic Filth Underworld King, whose might shook the Vast Azure Immortal Domain, unleashed his full power with desperate force. Yet before this colossal palm, he appeared as insignificant and minuscule as an ant.

His full-powered strike slammed into the colossal palm, yet failed to even stir a single ripple upon its surface.

Boom—

In the blink of an eye, the colossal palm shrouded everything, suppressing the Karmic Filth Netherking within its grasp. In that same instant, it seized 1 of the Reincarnation Wells from the ghost city.

After completing all this, the colossal hand withdrew with overwhelming momentum, vanishing into the void rift in the blink of an eye.

On the other side, Eldrin withdrew his hand as Zhen Yu Zi trembled violently, revealing the formidable King of the Underworld in his palm.

A Sovereign of the Netherworld.

Zhenyu Zi murmured, his face revealing an expression of utter astonishment.

Though he had long known of Eldrin's power, he never imagined that Eldrin could effortlessly seize this peerless Nether King across nearly half the immortal realm.

You must understand, the Lord of Karmic Afflictions was a being at the Great Perfection stage of Celestial Immortality, whose power was on par with others of the same rank. Yet, unexpectedly, he was handled as effortlessly as an ant in his hands.

At that very moment, the Karmic Affliction Nether King caught sight of Eldrin and immediately prostrated himself in utter terror, pleading with hands clasped, "I pay homage to Your Excellency. This humble 1 bears no grudge against you, nor have I ever offended you. May I ask why Your Excellency has come to seize me?"

Lord of Karmic Afflictions.

Eldrin spoke softly, his gaze sweeping over the nearby Reincarnation Well. "Do you know what this is?"

The Lord of Karmic Afflictions was momentarily taken aback before fawningly replying, "This object is the Wheel of Reincarnation Well, forged by this junior from the 6 Paths Bamboo. If you desire it, esteemed senior, I shall offer it to you at once."

"Refined with 6 Paths Bamboo, that confirms it."

Eldrin nodded slightly. A gleam in his eyes tore through the void, summoning an ancient bamboo that pierced the skies to descend before him.

The bamboo was emerald green, each leaf brimming with supreme spiritual radiance—this was none other than the Innate Purity Bamboo.

Master.

Upon seeing Eldrin, the Serene Bamboo materialized into the form of a childlike figure and bowed in reverence.

Eldrin nodded slightly before asking, "Little Qingjing, is this the earthly remains your father left behind?"

"Father!"

Turning around, Tranquil Bamboo caught sight of the Well of Reincarnation and immediately fell to his knees, choked with emotion.

The Lord of Karmic Afflictions paled at the sight, his face turning ghastlier than a specter's.

"Do you have anything to say?"

Eldrin gazed calmly at the Karmic Filth Nether King and asked serenely.

The Lord of Karmic Afflictions fell into a speechless silence, knowing he had lost his last glimmer of hope. Rather than forsake the dignity befitting a Lord of the Netherworld, he instead let out a cold sneer. "In all my years," he declared, "I have never once made an enemy of a power I could not hope to withstand."

"My downfall today is not due to my incompetence, but merely the cruelty of fate."

As the words faded, the Karmic Grime Underworld King's Incarnation of Faith and primordial spirit actually began to disintegrate.

Eldrin was momentarily taken aback. This Lord of Karmic Filth could indeed stoop or stand tall as needed—truly a figure of remarkable talent in his own right.

Realizing he had no chance of survival, and unwilling to endure further humiliation, he chose to disintegrate his own body in an act of self-annihilation.

With Eldrin's current level of power, he could easily cast this foe into the 18 Hells, condemning them to endure countless kalpas of suffering with no hope of reincarnation for all eternity.

But Eldrin did not do so, merely sighing softly as he said, "Let it be. Since you have chosen to end your own life, I shall not pursue the karma of this lifetime into the next."

"Go now to the cycle of reincarnation."

With those words, Eldrin flicked his sleeve, casting it into the cycle of reincarnation to be reborn.

Reborn with the foundation of a Great Perfection Celestial Immortal, and without having his current roots severed, his hope of attaining immortality in the future was almost 90-9 percent certain. The likelihood of cultivating back to the Celestial Immortal realm would be no less than 30 percent. Yet, Eldrin paid no heed to this.

Even if the Karmic Plague Nether King were to cultivate back to the Celestial Immortal realm in the future and seek revenge against me, he would not be able to pose the slightest threat to me.

After seeing off the King of the Underworld, Eldrin handed the Soul Retention Orb to the Pure Serenity Bamboo and said, "The karmic ties of the past have been settled. Return now and devote yourself to cultivation, so you may prove worthy of your father's trust."

"My gratitude for your tutelage, esteemed mentors."

Holding the Wheel of Reincarnation Well, Tranquil Bamboo choked back sobs as he prostrated himself on the ground. He kowtowed 9 resounding times to Eldrin before finally taking his leave.

After the Serene Bamboo departed, Eldrin handed the Dao Origin of Karmic Filth Nether King to Zhen Yu Zi and said with a smile, "The Prison-Suppressing Great Dao ranks among the 10 Great Nether Paths."

"You cultivate such a profound Great Dao. Should you refine this Source of Dao, you will undoubtedly become 1 of the 10 great Underworld Kings in the Vast Azure Immortal Domain."

Zhenyuzi’s heart trembled faintly, yet he promptly shook his head and said, “This treasure is far too rare and extraordinary. With my current level of cultivation, I am not yet worthy of refining it. You would do better to leave it for someone of the Chen clan.”

"Now that the Chen Clan governs the Vast Azure Immortal Realm, I believe the Netherworld should also fall under your dominion."

Eldrin shook his head with a light chuckle. "To you, the Vastsky Immortal Realm may seem boundless—a magnificent, peerless immortal clan reigning over it all."

"In my eyes, the Vast Azure Immortal Realm is but a mere corner of the world."

"This tribulation, my ambition is to attain the Great Luo Realm. After the kalpa's end, the Chen Immortal Clan (Organization) shall no longer dwell under another's roof."

Zhenyu Zi fell silent upon hearing this.

He glanced at Eldrin (Person Name), feeling insignificant once more.

In the brief span of just 10 million years, the 2 who once regarded each other as peers now found an insurmountable chasm dividing their perspectives, a divergence that had crept upon them unnoticed.

"Alas."

Zhenyuzi silently stored the treasure, rose to his feet, and cupped his hands in a faint salute before departing somewhat desolately, vanishing into the boundless immortal realms.

Eldrin watched his departure and couldn't help but sigh softly in his heart, feeling a twinge of emotion.

He had cultivated to this day, with far too many friends and old acquaintances by his side—countless of whom could be called kindred spirits transcending generations.

Yet now, after tens of millions of years had passed, most of his former companions had long turned to dust. Those few who survived or were guided into the cycle of reincarnation could no longer trace the path he had walked.

Even those close to the Chen Immortal Clan would likely have struggled to keep pace with him, had it not been for Eldrin's unwavering support.

Eldrin understood all too well that someone like Zhen Yu Zi would neither be the first nor the last.

The path of cultivation is like climbing a mountain—the higher 1 ascends, the colder and more solitary it becomes.

Eldrin (Person Name) let out a soft sigh, then finally shook his head and withdrew his gaze.

He gazed at the Heavenly Dao Source Artifact within the cavernous abyss and seized it firmly in his hand.

"Sizzle..."

The Heavenly Dao Artifact of the Abyssal Purgatorial Sea had long been corroded by Xuanheng, the Ancient Demon, through a single demonic cultivation method.

Within it was filled with sinister demonic path miasma and origin essence, potent enough to corrode the magical power and physical form of ancient immortal mighty cultivators.

If an ordinary ancient immortal were to come into contact with this Heaven's Dao Source Artifact, they would likely soon fall into depravity and become a demonic cultivator.

Eldrin possessed extraordinary power. He continuously channeled his undying magic to refine this Heaven's Dao Source Artifact, gradually eroding the baleful energy within. Yet, after a short while, he slightly furrowed his brow.

"The Heavenly Dao Source Artifact has been deeply corrupted. At this rate, it would likely take hundreds of thousands of years to refine it."

Thinking this, Eldrin set aside the idea of refining the Heaven's Law Source Artifact immediately and instead took out 3 strands of the Source of Dao.

This time, the tribulation bestowed upon Eldrin a great many treasures, yet only a handful proved truly useful to him. He retained but 3 rare wonders: the Dao Origins of the Nether Emperor, Emperor Nirvana, and the Primordial Azure Dragon.

Among these 3 Dao Origins, the Nether Emperor also cultivated the 'Profound Nether True Water' Great Dao, which was nearly a 100 percent compatible with Eldrin's (Person Name) Profound Nether True Water Dao Principles. After refinement, it could fully assimilate the majority of the Nether Emperor's cultivation insights accumulated over billions of years.

The Primordial Azure Dragon cultivated the Path of the Verdant Dragon, which bore some resemblance to the Dao of Life.

The Path of the Solar Nirvana Flames cultivated by Emperor Nie greatly benefits the practice of the Pure Yang Celestial Flames.

"If 1 could master 3 Great Daos, refining this Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root) would likely become far simpler."

Eldrin gazed at the 3 Dao Origins in his palm, his voice gradually fading into a whisper.

Without a moment's hesitation, Eldrin decided to refine the Source of Dao. He immediately began the process of absorption.

Adhering to the principle of the 5 elements' mutual generation and restraint—where wood engenders fire—he began refining the Dao Origin of the Primordial Azure Dragon first. Of course, since water nourishes wood in the elemental cycle, prioritizing the refinement of the Nether Emperor's Dao Origin would have been more fitting.

However, the 5 Elements Grand Daos inherently repel 1 another. With each Grand Dao comprehended, the difficulty of comprehending the next grows exponentially greater.

Thus, Eldrin reserved the Nether Emperor's Dao Origin—the most compatible and highest-grade—for last.

To return to our story, as Eldrin continued to refine the Dao Origin of the Primordial Azure Dragon, his comprehension of the Great Dao of Verdant Wood grew increasingly profound. Through drawing parallels from this insight, his grasp of the Great Dao of Life also advanced by leaps and bounds.

Thus time flowed on, fleeting as a blink. A mere 3 1000 years later, he slowly opened his eyes.

"Is this the power of the Dao of Life?"

On this day, Eldrin slowly opened his eyes, a faint smile unconsciously gracing his lips.

This time, he gained insight into the embryonic form of the Dao of Life, deepening his comprehension of this profound truth.

With the empowerment of this Great Dao, he could already sense that any injuries inflicted by forces below the 7 Calamities Ancient Immortal realm would be completely healed in the blink of an eye.

Even when facing an 8-Tribulation Ancient Immortal, my regenerative capacity was several times greater than that of an ordinary 8-Tribulation Ancient Immortal.

"This is merely the embryonic form of the Great Dao. If 1 could truly master it completely, how astonishing would it become?"

Eldrin (Person Name) murmured inwardly, his heart yearning to continue contemplating the Great Dao of Life, yet he swiftly suppressed the impulse.

The rejection from the Great Path was immensely potent. Were he to fully master the Path of Life before attempting to comprehend the Path of Chaos, the difficulty would likely increase more than tenfold.

"No rush, we shall comprehend it step by step."

Eldrin murmured inwardly, then took out the Source of the Emperor's Nirvana Dao to meditate upon.

The second time he sought enlightenment in the Great Dao proved noticeably more challenging than the first. Fortunately, Eldrin was bolstered by his True Spirit Divine Soul, which granted him far greater comprehension than what his current mastery of the True Spirit Divine Soul realm would typically allow.

At this moment, refining the Source of the Emperor's Nirvana Dao took merely 1 1000 years to complete. Building upon this foundation, he then spent 4 1000 years in profound contemplation, ultimately achieving minor mastery in the Pure Yang Heavenly Flame.

Afterward, Eldrin directly refined the Dao Origin of the Nether Emperor.

This was the first time in Eldrin's life that he had refined a perfectly compatible Dao Source, and the speed of refinement far exceeded his expectations.

In just 1 year, he completely refined the Emperor of Netherworld's Dao Source and absorbed over half of the accumulated essence the Netherworld Emperor had gathered over billions of years.

Its effect was easily a 100 times greater than refining the source of the Emperor's Nirvana Dao.

Building upon this foundation, Eldrin cultivated the embryonic form of the Profound Abyssal True Water Grand Dao in less than 10 years, and even attained complete comprehension of the entire Profound Abyssal True Water Grand Dao.

Indeed, Eldrin had comprehended the complete Profound Nether True Water Dao. However, as he had yet to grasp the embryonic forms of 2 other Daos, he had refrained from cultivating the Profound Nether True Water Dao.

"The Dao of Shared Origins, with such absolute compatibility, could actually yield such an effect."

Eldrin murmured softly, a trace of astonishment flickering across his expression.

In that moment, he finally understood that slaying an immortal who cultivated the same Great Dao allowed 1 to completely devour their lifetime of insights and cultivation.

No wonder those Great Luo Golden Immortals would resort to lethal measures against those cultivating the same Great Dao. This was not merely a conflict of Dao principles—it was a direct path to augmenting their own power.

2 beings who cultivated the same Great Dao and had reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Immortal realm—if they could slay 1 another, there was a high likelihood they could ascend directly to the realm of the Primordial Chaos Emperor.

"It seems the struggle for the Great Dao is far more perilous than I anticipated."

Eldrin murmured softly, his brow furrowing slightly as he contemplated the few Great Daos he primarily cultivated.

His own Pure Yang Heavenly Fire was known as the Great Dao of Pure Yang, while the Profound Abyss True Water was hailed as the Great Dao of Profound Abyss—both were among the most coveted Great Daos across the 3 1000 Immortal Domains and the Primordial Chaos.

Throughout the entire 3 1000 Immortal Domains, those who have attained the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm through these 2 Great Paths number at least over a dozen, and there are even figures at the level of Primordial Chaos Emperor Lords.

Moreover, the Earthly Dao of All Things, the Primordial Chaos Golden Dao, and the Dao of Life were all exceptionally formidable Great Daos. Each of these Great Daos was cultivated by no fewer than 1 or 2 Great Luo Golden Immortals across the 3 1000 immortal realms.

Once Eldrin (Person Name) establishes these 5 Great Daos as his foundation and attains the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm through the Chaos Great Dao, he may face at least 20 to 30 immensely powerful enemies in the future.

When the time came to contend for the Dao, in order to eliminate Eldrin (Person Name) as their foe, it was highly likely that several Great Luo Golden Immortals would join forces against him.

For instance, the 2 Great Luo Golden Immortals who cultivated the Mysterious Nether Great Dao and the Pure Yang Great Dao respectively harbored no contention over each other’s Dao authority. Yet both were engaged in a fundamental conflict of the Great Dao with Eldrin (Person Name), making them natural allies.

"It seems that after I break through to the Great Luo Realm, I will face no small amount of trouble."

Eldrin murmured under his breath, but swiftly suppressed the thought.

"Not necessarily. These Great Luo Golden Immortals have attained the Dao for many years—they likely have other rivals in contending for the Dao. It’s unlikely they could spare so much energy to deal with me."

Moreover, we will confront soldiers with shields and stem floods with earth—so long as my strength is formidable enough, I may well be able to handle these rivals contending for the Dao.

"Forget it, no need to dwell on it."

With this thought in mind, Eldrin withdrew his focus and turned his gaze toward the Heavenly Dao Source Artifact before him.

Having cultivated 3 Great Daos this time and shattered the barriers of his own Heavenly Dao, Eldrin’s strength had grown yet again. Most crucially, he had now fully mastered the Pure Yang Heavenly Flame.

Whether it was Eldrin's (Person Name) Pure Yang Celestial Fire or the Profound Abyss True Water, both were the most supreme and ultimate Great Daos. Theoretically, they could lead directly to the Primordial Chaos Realm, and even possess the potential to reach the level of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor.

Even if 1 were to merely cultivate the rudimentary form of such a Great Dao, they could instantly transcend the 10 Limits of the Heavenly Pass of the Great Dao—let alone the fact that he had now successively mastered 3 Great Daos. It could be said that Eldrin's (Person Name) Great Dao had already approached the level of the Eleventh Limit.

With the aid of such formidable Pure Yang Heavenly Fire, augmented by the driving force of his Eleventh-Cycle cultivation base and primordial spirit, Eldrin's purification of his Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root) accelerated by no less than severalfold.

He had spent tens of thousands of years in secluded cultivation, ultimately refining the corrupt Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root) within the Heavenly Dao Source Artifact.

Thereafter, he spent another 10 1000 years purging all the demonic energy from the Abyssal Purgatorial Sea, transforming it once more into a realm of pristine celestial purity.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone! Today brings another lengthy chapter. For this National Day holiday, the author won’t be taking a break but will stay home writing drafts to keep you all company. Let’s have some