Chapter 1615 : Clash of Primordial Gales

"It is enough to slay you."

Gale Heavenly God's eyes turned utterly frigid. Seizing the moment of close combat with Eldrin Chen, he flicked his sleeve and unleashed the Ancient Gale Gourd.

The Ancient Gale Gourd erupted with a terrifying Gale [a violent, supernatural windstorm] that swept directly towards Eldrin Chen.

"Not good!"

Eldrin Chen's heart clenched. He simultaneously activated his Primordial One Energy True Aura [a supreme defensive technique that manifests a protective aura of primordial energy] to block the attack and pushed his Primordial One Indestructibility Body [a legendary physique said to be nearly unbreakable] to its absolute limit.

This Ancient Gale Gourd was a group-combat Innate Treasure [a treasure born from the primordial chaos, possessing innate laws and immense power]. It could brew Innate Gale Energy [primordial wind energy of devastating force]; once released, it could scour the Eight Desolations [a mythical term for the most remote and barren corners of existence], powerful enough to reduce an entire galactic river to dust.

Had it been unleashed in the outside world, such an Innate Treasure could have melted the very flesh and bones from a Celestial Immortal Great Power [a mighty being who has ascended to the Celestial Immortal realm].

But this place was the Soaring Grotto-Heaven. The power of the Eight Winds [a divine ability commanding the eight fundamental winds of creation] swept through everything. The Innate Gale Energy was mostly dispersed the moment it blew forth, its remaining force barely causing Eldrin Chen any significant harm.

Witnessing this, Gale Heavenly God was so enraged he nearly coughed up a mouthful of rebellious blood.

"Hahaha…"

In that very instant, Eldrin Chen let out a hearty laugh.

With a cold sneer, he then spoke, "Old thief, your gourd is insufficient. You must witness the power of mine."

As his words fell, Eldrin Chen produced the Innate Gale Wind God-Slaying Gourd.

"Disastrous!"

The moment he laid eyes on the Innate Gale Wind God-Slaying Gourd, Gale Heavenly God's heart lurched with dread, instantly sensing the dire turn of events.

The Gale Wind God-Slaying Gourd was forged from the 'Gale Wind Ancient Gourd'. Both are Innate [a primordial state of existence, the highest grade of spiritual treasures] gourds of the wind attribute, yet their functions are vastly different.

Between the two gourds, the Gale Gourd excels in area-of-effect assaults. Once activated, it possesses the might to 'extinguish the galaxy', capable of snuffing out a sky full of Stellar [celestial bodies or star-related energies] with a single strike.

The Gale Wind Gourd, in contrast, is its opposite. The Gale Wind [a spiritual wind of immense sharpness and destructive power] it contains belongs to the category of 'Western Pole Metal Wind [a legendary, supremely sharp metallic wind from the Western Pole]'. It possesses the power to slice flesh and scrape bone, is exceptionally adept at nurturing flying blades and Immortal Sword [a sword wielded by an immortal, possessing profound power], making it an ultimate treasure of Slaughter [massacre or god-slaying], potent enough to easily slay a Celestial Immortal Great Power [a mighty being who has ascended to the Celestial Immortal realm].

Thus, the moment he saw the Innate Gale Wind Gourd, Gale Heavenly God sought to flee for his life. Alas, it was already too late.

The space within this Gale's Eye [the calm center or core of a massive gale] was confined, and the combatants were perilously close. As Gale Heavenly God strained to evade, a streak of golden light shot forth from the Gale Wind God-Slaying Gourd, piercing through his brow in an instant.

"Aaaargh—"

In that instant, Gale Heavenly God let out a shrill, agonized scream.

His brow was utterly pierced through at that moment. His Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] flickered into motes of light under the interweaving patterns of the Innate Celestial Slaughter Path Patterns [innate divine patterns embodying the path of celestial slaughter], disintegrating into nothingness bit by bit.

"I die with such hatred!"

With his dying breath, Gale Heavenly God fixed his gaze fiercely upon Eldrin Chen, his eyes brimming with utter unwillingness.

He could never have imagined that he, a mighty Heavenly God [a powerful celestial being] of the Third Heaven Celestial Immortal Realm [the third level of the Celestial Immortal realm], would actually fall at the hands of a mere Half-Step Celestial Immortal [one who has nearly ascended to the Celestial Immortal realm].

At the peak of his power, not just one Eldrin Chen, but even two or three of him combined could have been easily suppressed and slain.

If not for Eldrin Chen possessing an Innate Slaughter treasure [a magical artifact born of the innate path of slaughter], he would have faced even several dozen Eldrin Chen without the slightest fear.

The vast gulf in their cultivation realms should have rendered him invincible. Even if he could not prevail, he should have been able to come and go as he pleased, utterly impossible to be slain by Eldrin Chen.

Alas, the unique constraints of this environment prevented him from unleashing even a fraction of his true power, stripping him of any chance to flee for his life.

"Haaa—" [a long exhalation of breath]

Having slain the Gale Ancient God, Eldrin Chen heaved a profound sigh of relief.

He retrieved the Gale Ancient Sword and the Innate Gale Gourd. These two rare treasures were the prized possessions of Gale Heavenly God and likely contained hidden contingencies left by the Gale Ancient God.

Eldrin Chen channeled the Primordial One Indestructibility Rule to continuously refine and purify the two artifacts. Only after confirming that all foreign energies within them had been cleansed did he allow himself to relax slightly.

Perhaps because his resources had been exhausted over countless eons, or perhaps because his treasures had long been reduced to dust by the Eight Winds, the possessions left behind after Gale Heavenly God's demise were not numerous.

After taking stock, Eldrin Chen discovered within the Ancient Gale Gourd a scroll of the Gale Divine Canon and a few other items of Extraordinary value.

What brought Eldrin Chen the greatest delight was finding, among Gale Heavenly God's relics, the Path Marker [a mystical object that guides one to a specific location or realm] to the Gale Grotto-Heaven.

That Gale Grotto-Heaven was Gale Heavenly God's Path-Field [a cultivator's personal realm or domain of cultivation]. Before coming here to cultivate, he had hidden the Gale Grotto-Heaven within the Dimensional Void as a precaution against unforeseen misfortune.

Later, because Gale Heavenly God came to this place to cultivate, the Gale Grotto-Heaven remained concealed within the void, unseen for ages. Unbeknownst to all, eighty million years had passed.

Eldrin Chen did not know how many treasures lay within that Gale Grotto-Heaven, but judging from the Ancient Gale Gourd, it likely contained an Innate Ancient Vine known as the 'Gale Gourd Vine'—an Innate Rare Treasure [a treasure born from the primordial chaos, possessing unique and immense power] of truly immeasurable worth.

"Should we head to the Gale Grotto-Heaven first?"

With this thought, Eldrin Chen murmured to himself.

Yet, a moment later, he shook his head. Even without a Heavenly God [a powerful divine being] presiding over it, the Gale Grotto-Heaven was still protected by at least a Ninth Rank [the highest grade] Grotto-Heaven [a blessed pocket dimension] formation array. Without strength at the Celestial Immortal Realm [the realm of true celestial immortals] level, breaching it would be exceedingly difficult. Even if Eldrin Chen went, it would be futile.

"The most pressing matter now is to first perfect my cultivation of the Supreme Unity Primordial One Indestructibility Physique [a legendary physique of supreme unity and indestructibility]. Other matters can wait until after my breakthrough."

Eldrin Chen whispered inwardly. After a final glance around, he immediately activated the Returning Abyss Pearl [a mystical pearl capable of traversing space] and returned to the Nameless Space.

Back within the Nameless Space, Eldrin Chen went directly into the Small Universe [his personal miniature cosmos].

He handed the Gale Ancient Sword [an ancient sword imbued with gale force] and the Ancient Gale Gourd [an ancient gourd treasure containing gale energies] to Exquisite Jiang and recounted the events of his journey.

After listening, Exquisite Jiang could not help but voice her deep concern, "Husband, the next time you face such peril, I do not wish for you to confront it alone."

"I understand."

Eldrin Chen nodded. He gave the Path Marker [a mystical token that guides one's path] leading to the Gale Grotto-Heaven to Exquisite Jiang and offered words of reassurance, "Do not worry. Since I chose to act, I was confident of a favorable outcome."

Speaking of this, Eldrin Chen noticed that Exquisite Jiang seemed to be injured and couldn't help but inquire, "I see your aura is unstable, as if you've been through a great battle. Has the clan encountered trouble during my absence?"

Upon hearing this, Exquisite Jiang's expression turned slightly grave.

She took a deep breath and then spoke, "The clan itself is fine. However, this Five Elements Small Universe has faced some troubles in recent years."

"Over the last several tens of thousands of years, the Five Elements Small Universe has been assaulted by seven Chaos Ancient Beast [primordial beasts born from the formless chaos]. These beasts were each at least comparable to a Half-Step Celestial Immortal, with one even rivaling an Early Celestial Immortal Realm in power."

"It took us no small effort to protect this Small Universe [a self-contained, smaller cosmos]."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen's expression shifted slightly. "How is that possible?" he couldn't help but exclaim.

He knew that Chaos Ancient Beast existed within the Depths of Chaos. The reason the Chaos Abyssal Chasm in the Vast Azure Immortal Domain required constant garrisoning by Celestial Immortal was precisely due to frequent attacks from these beasts.

However, the Five Elements Small Universe was merely a single Small Universe. Logically, such a place should be an inconspicuous speck within the vast Chaos [the primordial, formless void from which all things emerged]. How could it be subjected to repeated assaults by Chaos Ancient Beast?

"Could it be that..."

Suddenly, a look of realization dawned on Eldrin Chen's face.

Exquisite Jiang [the Immortal Maiden of Exquisite Beauty] nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this. "We had also surmised," she said, "that the presence of several Innate Ancient Tree [primordial trees born of the world's essence] might have drawn these Chaos Ancient Beast [ancient beasts born from primordial chaos] here."