Chapter 1977 : Ant Emperor

Upon hearing this, Eldrin (Person Name) furrowed his brow slightly, a trace of solemnity flickering in his gaze.

Eldrin had once crossed paths with the Great Ancient Thunder Crow Emperor and knew all too well that this individual possessed an overwhelmingly domineering nature.

Among the 10 Great Emperors of the Demon Clan's Celestial Court, the Great Emperor of Primordial Thunder Crow stood as 1 of the most radical advocates for war. For eons, he had sought to wage battle against the Human and Deity Clans, yearning to avenge the devastating blow dealt to the Demon Clan when the 2 races joined forces 3 1000 kalpas ago.

Such a figure was originally 1 of the key leaders of the demon race. If they succeeded in refining an Innate Supreme Treasure, they would likely seize the opportunity to reignite the flames of war.

At this thought, Eldrin couldn't help but ask, "With the Primordial Chaos Divine Artifact in his possession, could the Great Emperor of Primordial Thunder Crow truly reshape the entire landscape of the Primal Immortal Realm?"

"Without the intervention of the several Chaos Heavenly Emperors, any single Primordial Supreme Treasure would hold decisive significance."

The Great Elder God Emperor spoke, his gaze suffused with profound gravity.

He took a deep breath before speaking, "Since the fall of Eldrin (Person Name), the 3 Extremes Primordial Domain (Location) has only 16 supreme Primordial Treasures (Magic Treasure) remaining in the open—aside from the handful of Chaos Celestial Emperors (Cultivation Rank)."

Among these 16 Emperors, 6 hailed from the 100 Immortal Races, each an ancient progenitor of incomparably archaic status. Of the remaining 10, 3 resided with the Spirit Race, 3 with the Human Race, while 4 were held within the grasp of the Demon Race.

At this point, the Celestial Venerable Sovereign spoke, "Including these 3 artifacts, the demon race now publicly possesses 5 Primordial Chaos Treasures (Supreme Treasure)."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin (Person Name) slightly furrowed his brow.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he couldn't help but inquire, "Senior mentioned 'on the surface'—could there be even more Primordial Treasures (Heavenly Treasure) concealed from public view?"

"Indeed, that is the case."

The Great Elder God Emperor nodded, yet added, "The origins of Primordial Chaos Treasures are actually divided into 2 types. The first are those cultivated into being through 1’s own efforts, while the second are those discovered within the primordial chaos."

"The 16 Primordial Treasures I mentioned are precisely those innate treasures forged by the Primordial Chaos Emperor himself."

Such a Primordial Treasure can attract the mark of a True Spirit. Once cultivated, it will undoubtedly aid the Primordial Emperor in establishing a foundation of 1 True Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root), which is why such individuals possess exceptionally formidable power.

Only those retrieved from the primordial chaos remained, most being fully-formed Primordial Treasures. Such treasures already contained true spirit imprints, making it impossible to seize the opportunity to cultivate a True Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root) foundation.

Moreover, such a finished Primordial Chaos Treasure can obscure the workings of fate. Unless a Chaos Origin Emperor personally wields it in battle, even a Chaos Heavenly Emperor would find it nearly impossible to deduce its existence through divination.

Eldrin also nodded in agreement. His Cauldron of Creation was likewise a supreme innate treasure, yet it was clear that even the countless heroes across the 3 1000 Immortal Domains would struggle to detect its presence.

It is likely that if the other Great Primordial Emperors possessed similar trump cards, they too would have methods of concealment.

At this thought, Eldrin spoke, "Since the Primordial Thunder Crow has made you so cautious, I presume the demon race is concealing even more innate supreme treasures?"

"Hmm."

The Great Elder God Emperor nodded and said calmly, "During the final battle of the Primordial Era, when the Primal Domain of the Immortal Cosmos was utterly shattered, both of our divine race's 2 great Primordial God Emperors fell into slumber. It was the demonic races who reaped the greatest benefits from that cataclysm."

Eldrin furrowed his brow slightly upon hearing this, a trace of solemnity washing over his expression.

In that moment, Eldrin finally grasped the true might of the Demon Clan's Celestial Court, and a trace of solemnity deepened within his heart.

Observing their reactions, the Great Cang Divine Emperor spoke once more, "We suspect that each of the 10 Directions Great Emperors of the demon race likely possesses a trump card on the level of an Innate Supreme Treasure."

"Even though the vast majority of these Primordial Treasures were not attained through their own ascension, they were absolutely not to be underestimated."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin (Person Name) had a general understanding in his heart.

And the Primordial Chaos Treasure that I advanced to will help the Chaos Origin Emperor cultivate a True Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root) foundation.

However, a finished Primordial Treasure is incapable of this. Yet regardless of the type, all Primordial Treasures embody the authority of the Great Dao, and there is no fundamental difference in their power.

Hence, those capable of refining batches of Primordial Treasures (Magic Treasure) were equally formidable adversaries.

At this thought, before Eldrin could speak with a solemn expression, he said, "It seems the strength of the demon race far surpasses what we anticipated."

"If it weren't formidable, how could it claim to be the foremost of the 3 Great Celestial Courts?"

The Great Elder God Emperor shook his head, then smiled bitterly and said, "The Great Emperor of the Primordial Thunder Crow is the blood brother of the Celestial Emperor of the Sun. He was originally bestowed with a Primordial Chaos Treasure by the Celestial Emperor of the Sun."

If he were to obtain another and use it to cultivate a True Spiritual Root foundation, his strength would undoubtedly propel him to the forefront of the 10 Great Emperors of the demon race, elevating his authority to an entirely new level.

By that time, he would likely be capable of persuading other factions of the demon race directly, thereby igniting a war that would sweep across all 3,000 immortal domains. I fear neither you nor I would be able to stay out of it.

Eldrin listened quietly, his brow deeply furrowed.

After a long while, Eldrin finally spoke, "How long would it take for It to advance into an innate supreme treasure?"

The Solar Celestial Emperor was the foremost artifact forger across the 7 Domains of the Southern Abyss. Should He personally undertake the work and utilize that Primordial Chaos Treasure embryo as 1 of the core materials, a Chaos-grade treasure could be forged within at most 3 kalpas.

The Great Elder spoke, his voice tinged with a sigh. "The Heavenly Dao is impartial—it never favors any being. Yet the path of cultivation is fraught with hardship, and the higher 1 climbs, the more treacherous it becomes. Countless prodigies have fallen at the final step, their millennia of cultivation vanishing like smoke. The Heavenly Tribulation is the ultimate trial, and those who fail face utter annihilation, their souls scattered beyond redemption." He paused, his gaze distant. "In the vast expanse of the cultivation world, only a mere dozen or so have ever ascended beyond the Heavenly Tribulation. The rest... have all become mere specks of dust in the river of time." The Grand Primordium Emperor spoke, and even he could not suppress a faint sigh.

Upon hearing this, Eldrin (Person Name) slightly furrowed his brow. He had heard some rumors about the Sun Celestial Emperor’s artifact forging techniques.

In the primordial era, 3 100 billion kalpas ago, the reason the Monster Tribe’s Celestial Court could reign supreme was primarily due to the Sun Celestial Emperor’s mastery of artifact forging.

It is said that the Sun Celestial Emperor, drawing upon his own artifact forging arts as a foundation, pioneered a heaven-defying method capable of extracting the innate indestructible radiance from primordial spiritual treasures—at the cost of their destruction.

Although this process would incur a loss of approximately 50%, it remained 1 of the primary channels for obtaining the Innate Indestructible Spirit Light.

Throughout the entire primordial era, the Celestial Court of the Demon Race successively destroyed over 100,000 innate spiritual treasures, thereby cultivating more than 10,000 Great Luo Golden Immortals and numerous high-level Great Luo Golden Immortals.

It was precisely because of this that the Celestial Court of the Demonic Clans later flourished in its golden age.

However, the Primordial Spirit Treasures were ultimately finite. As the demonic races continued to destroy them, the Primordial Spirit Treasures accumulated across the 3,000 Immortal Domains over millions of kalpas were gradually depleted.

This ultimately led to a situation in the latter half of the Primordial Era, where nearly all Great Luo Golden Immortals across the 3 1000 Immortal Realms no longer possessed Innate Spiritual Treasures. Many beings at the late-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal realm could only wield mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.

It was precisely during this seemingly flourishing era for the demon race that approximately 10 1000 kalpas ago, the Primordial Dao Ancestor began imparting the methods to ascend to the immortal realm.

The method of obtaining the Primordial Indestructible Radiance by establishing celestial domains was destined to reshape the structure of the 3,000 celestial realms from the very moment of its emergence.

As the Primordial Dao Ancestor attained the Chaos Dao Ancestor realm by obtaining the Primordial Chaos Qi bestowed by the Great Dao, thanks to the merit and providence gained from creating a new cultivation method, the Ancient Demon Court finally began its decline.

Thus, the Demon Tribe's Celestial Court endured for nearly 10 1000 cosmic kalpas, until over 3 1000 kalpas ago, the very moment the Taixian Immortal Sage attained the Dao, it finally lost its status as the sole sovereign of the 3 1000 immortal domains.

Though the Demon Court of today no longer possesses the splendor of ancient times, 1 must admit that the Sun Emperor's craftsmanship in forging artifacts is truly astonishing.

His mastery of artifact forging ranked first across the 3 1000 Immortal Domains. He had even refined a Chaos Spiritual Treasure using the Primordial Chaos Qi of the Qilin Ancestor, employing it as a hidden trump card to ambush the Violet Sky Divine Emperor. Through this, he seized authority over the Great Dao of the Stars.

It could be said that with the methods of the Solar Celestial Emperor, using that 7-marks innate supreme treasure embryo as material to fuse with the Primordial Thunder Crow Emperor's life-bound supreme treasure would undoubtedly elevate the latter into an innate supreme treasure.

"3 full kalpas at most?"

Eldrin murmured inwardly, before finally withdrawing the thought.

After 2 or 3 kalpas, his physical body and primordial spirit cultivation would likely advance further. By then, the convergence of his 3 foundational combat strengths would undoubtedly rival the realm of a Chaos Origin Emperor.

With such strength, he should possess a certain degree of self-preservation capability even when facing the war among the 3 Great Celestial Courts.

At this thought, Eldrin spoke, "Thank you for the advice, Fellow Daoist. I understand the situation now."

Having said that, Eldrin then explained the purpose of his visit.

After hearing this, the Heaven-Sovereign Emperor of the Grand Firmament shook his head and said, "I am wounded, so I'm afraid I cannot accompany you to this Gathering of Treasures Exchange."

"My apologies for the abruptness, Your Eminence. Please focus on recovering from your injuries."

In the end, after several more days of clandestine discussions, Eldrin cupped his hands in a farewell salute.

After leaving the Great Cang Imperial Court, Eldrin paid visits to both the Great Han Imperial Court and the Great You Imperial Court. Unfortunately, the Great Han Emperor and the Great You Emperor were both in secluded cultivation, politely declining the invitation to attend the artifact exchange gathering.

In the midst of this process, Eldrin also reunited with old acquaintances such as Youwu and the Skyrend Demon Emperor.

After several kalpas had passed, the cultivation progress of the 2 had not been particularly remarkable. The Skyrend Demon Emperor had only reached the third level of the Great Luo Golden Immortal (Cultivation Realm), while You Wu had merely attained the fourth level of the Great Luo Golden Immortal (Cultivation Realm).

Of course, Eldrin was well aware that breaking through to the third or fourth level of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm in just over 7 kalpas was by no means a slow cultivation pace.

Eldrin's rapid progress was primarily due to his victories in several Chaos Wars, which granted him vast resources and abundant innate Heavenly Spiritual Roots to enhance his cultivation.

In comparison, although both were Great Luo Golden Immortals of the Primordial Imperial Court with immensely abundant resources at their disposal, the portion that actually trickled down to them might not have been substantial.

Taking the Ethereal Frost Imperial Court as an example, under the command of the Ethereal Frost Emperor alone, there were 80-3 Great Luo Golden Immortals.

As far as Eldrin (Person Name) knew, the Great Luo Golden Immortals under Lord Taihan primarily originated from 4 lineages: the Taihan Immortal Palace, the Taihan Immortal Domain, the Taihan Dao Domain, and the Taihan Ancient Sect—these 4 major branches.

These 4 major branches correspond respectively to the Primordial Immortal Domain's Great Chill Celestial Realm, the Great Luo Golden Immortals who emerged from the Great Chill Immortal Domain, an offshoot lineage established within the Primordial Chaos Sea, and the sect founded by the Great Chill Emperor.

Among the 4 lineages, all the Great Luo Golden Immortals who emerged were either direct disciples or grand-disciples of Emperor Taihan.

Even figures like the Sky-Rending Demon Emperor and the 13 Great Luo Golden Immortals who emerged from the Taihan Immortal Realm were merely a single branch under the dominion of the Taihan Divine Monarch.

To be precise, the Taihan Immortal Realm branch favored a more laissez-faire approach. Among the 4 major branches, the lineage of the Heaven-Rending Demon Emperor held the lowest status.

Under such circumstances, the resources obtained by the Cracking Heaven Demon Emperor paled in comparison to what Eldrin (Person Name) had acquired over the years, resulting in a significantly slower progress in his cultivation.

In truth, the reason the Heaven-Rending Demon Emperor was able to attain the Great Luo Realm was not primarily due to the Great Frost Emperor, but because he encountered 2 pivotal benefactors.

His first benefactor was none other than White Crane Immortal Lord.

The White Crane Immortal Lord was originally a crane demon raised by Emperor Taihan in his early years. They shared a profound bond, which led Emperor Taihan to nurture him all the way to the late-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

It could be said that Lord White Crane held an extraordinary position within the Great Cold Imperial Court. It was his recognition of the Celestial Rift Demon Emperor that allowed the latter to receive focused cultivation and patronage.

The second benefactor was none other than Eldrin (Person Name).

If not for Eldrin (Person Name) carrying him through the cataclysm while sweeping through countless heroes, he might never have attained the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

Fully aware of this, the Skyrend Demon Emperor held Eldrin in the highest regard. With utmost deference, he welcomed Eldrin into the Great Cold Imperial Court and received him with extraordinary courtesy.

Of course, this was merely a minor interlude.

Since the Grand Serene Emperor was in seclusion, Eldrin did not linger long within the Grand Frost Imperial Court. After leaving only a letter, he returned to the Abyssal Return Immortal Domain.

He secluded himself in cultivation within the Eldrin Immortal Realm for a time, until at last, after millions of years, the Great Yang Emperor arrived.

"The Trading Assembly is about to begin. Let us depart directly without further delay."

The Great Central Emperor spoke, then together with Eldrin (Person Name), they tore through the primordial chaos, heading toward that domain of the Chaotic Heavenly Extremity.

The Southern Abyss spans 7 vast and boundless domains, further divided into 7 primordial realms: the 3 Extremes Primordial Domain, the Haoran Primordial Domain, the Chaotic Heavenly Extremes Domain, the Chaotic Cosmic Extremes Domain, the Myriad Divinities Primordial Domain, the Sacred Demons Primordial Domain, and the Great Kettle Primordial Domain.

Thus, among the 7 domains, both the Chaotic Heaven's Extremity Domain and the Chaotic Cosmos' Extremity Domain were upper third-grade chaos nests.

Yet, the origins of the Chaos Heavenly Extremity Domain within the 2 great chaotic nests were steeped in legend.

It is said that the Chaotic Heaven's Extremity Domain was originally named the Chaotic Kui Bull Domain, ruled by a Chaos Heavenly Emperor-level 'Primal Heaven Kui Bull'.

Indeed, this Chaos Kui Bull belongs to the same race as the Chaos Kui Bull, the arch-nemesis of the Violet Zenith Ancient Phoenix in the Great Dao.

It is said that the Primordial Chaos Kui Ox was revered as the 'Kui Ox Celestial Emperor', born with the supreme power to suppress primordial chaos. In the primordial era, it once defeated a Chaos Celestial Emperor from the Primordial Domain of the Great Pot, and its combat prowess ranked among the formidable even amidst the Chaos Celestial Emperors.

Yet, regrettably, he encountered an even more dazzling figure.

Ant Emperor embarked on the path of cultivation from the humblest origins of an ant, soaring from a minor realm all the way to the primordial chaos. Throughout his journey, he crushed all opposition in his path.

Before attaining the Dao as the Primordial Chaos Heavenly Emperor, the Ant Heavenly Emperor had endured multiple pursuits by the Kui Bull Heavenly Emperor. On several occasions, he was driven to the brink of annihilation, ultimately fleeing into the desolate expanse of the Chaotic Abyssal Sea in a desperate escape.

From that day forth, no 1 knew what had transpired.

Only after hundreds of tribulation cycles had passed, when the Ant Emperor returned from the Chaotic Desolate Sea, he had already broken through to the realm of Chaos Celestial Emperor.

The newly returned Ant Emperor immediately charged into the Chaotic Heavenly Extremity Domain, where he engaged in a world-shaking battle against the Kui Bull Emperor within the chaotic nests.

That battle shattered the primordial chaos, sending violent tremors that shook all 7 domains of the Southern Abyss.

In the end, the Kui Bull Celestial Emperor was battered until he spat blood across the primordial chaos, fleeing wounded into the desolate sea of chaos, never to return.

From that day forth, this chaotic nest became the cultivation sanctum of the Ant Emperor.