Chapter 1993 : Starry Battlefield
The downfall of the 4 supreme spirit prodigies cast a shadow over the demon race’s heavenly tribulation, ultimately leaving not a single 1 to attain the Great Perfection of the Dao.
At this moment, after Eldrin deduced the entire chain of events, he received Chen Silas in the Li Fire Palace of the Returning Abyss and remarked with a faint smile, "You've done well. This has somewhat crushed the arrogance of the demon race."
Chen Silas (Person Name) nodded, lost in thought for a moment before adding, "During this Tribulation, another old acquaintance has awakened."
The 3 Souls Sovereign awakened from this tribulation, attaining the Great Perfection of the Golden Immortal realm.
Eldrin’s gaze flickered subtly as he gave a noncommittal nod. "Just a pitiable soul," he remarked calmly. "Even if he cultivates back to the realm of the Primordial Chaos Emperor, he can no longer pose a true threat."
With these words, Eldrin turned his gaze to Chen Silas and said, "I shall depart for the Starry Sky Battlefield. You shall remain in the Abyssal Realm to undergo secluded cultivation and consolidate your cultivation base, while also guarding the Abyssal Realm on my behalf."
After seeing off Chen Silas, Eldrin convened the Great Luo Golden Immortals of the Chen Clan. Following deliberations, they resolved to deploy nearly half of their Great Luo Golden Immortals to the battlefield.
The participants in this battle were 9 Great Luo Golden Immortals: Eldrin, Lyra, Qing Ji, Seraphina Qu, Lila, Yan Zi Ji, Jiang Daoxu, Chen Ethan, and Chen Qiyuan.
These 9 individuals were the 9 Great Luo Golden Immortals who now represented the foundational combat strength of the Chen Immortal Clan. Many among them had obtained opportunities from the Xianhuan Treasure Vault, and their cultivation had now reached the 7th level of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.
Most crucially, everyone had cultivated a foundation of True Spirit essence. Thus, even though they had only just stepped into the 7th layer of the Golden Immortal realm, their combat prowess was sufficient to rival that of 9th-layer Golden Immortals.
Among these elites, individuals such as Lyra (Person Name), Qing Ji (Person Name), and Seraphina Qu (Person Name) had combat prowess that verged on the limits of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. They could effortlessly engage 3 ordinary Great Luo Golden Immortal Perfection experts simultaneously.
Eldrin chose them not only because of their formidable strength, but also because they had recently achieved breakthroughs and were unlikely to make further progress for several kalpas to come.
As for the others, their cultivation remained at the early to middle stages of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. It would be better to accumulate more foundational strength and take turns honing their skills in the Starry Sky Battlefield after breaking through to the late stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal.
To return to our story, after selecting the candidates for battle, Eldrin immediately summoned the celestial soldiers and generals to set forth.
This time, aside from the 9 Great Luo who joined the battle, the Abyssal Chen Clan also dispatched 80,000,000 celestial soldiers and generals. These heavenly troops represented the foundation accumulated by the Chen Immortal Clan (Organization) over 10 kalpas' worth of tribulations.
Nurtured by a vast quantity of 9 Revolutions and even 10 Revolutions Elixirs, the celestial soldiers and generals all possessed cultivation bases no lower than the Ninth Heaven of the Celestial Immortal realm, with over 30 percent already rivaling the might of ancient Immortal Elders.
And the most exceptional among the Celestial Generals could even rival 8-tribulation Ancient Immortals, reaching the apex just below the Great Perfection through pure physical strength alone.
It could be said that even judging by these celestial soldiers and generals, the foundation of the Chen Immortal Clan (Organization) was in no way inferior to that of many Imperial Courts.
That day, Eldrin arrived at the Primal Immortal Realm with his celestial soldiers and divine generals in tow. In an instant, they shattered the vast primordial chaos and stepped through the Stargate onto the Celestial Imperial Star.
This was Eldrin's (Person Name) second arrival at the Celestial Mansion Imperial Star. When Eldrin (Person Name) first descended to the mortal realm in the past, his cultivation level had been insufficient, forcing him to utilize the teleportation formation of the Celestial Mansion Imperial Star to traverse the boundless void and reach his home universe.
Back then, Eldrin was but an insignificant figure among the countless immortals of the Celestial Mansion Imperial Star. Yet now, having returned to this very star, his status and position could no longer be spoken of in the same breath as before.
This time arriving at the Celestial Mansion Imperial Star, Eldrin (Person Name) came not only with the distinguished status of a peerless imperial monarch, but was also granted a personal audience with the Celestial Mansion Imperial Lord himself.
"Fellow Daoist Guixu, your timely arrival has truly resolved our most pressing predicament."
Within the grand hall of the Celestial Mansion Imperial Court, the Celestial Mansion Emperor received Eldrin with a warm smile, speaking with exceptional courtesy,
Eldrin, however, showed not the slightest negligence. Within the primordial starry skies governed by humankind, 2 dominant forces held sway: the Celestial Zenith Palace overseen by the Central Heaven Purple Subtlety Emperor, and the Southern Dipper's 6 Stars ruled by the Heavenly Mansion Imperial Lord.
Among the 2 Imperial Lords, the Purple Tenuity Emperor, as 1 of the 5 Great Human Sovereigns, had long since reached the pinnacle of the Primordial Chaos Realm. By all accounts, his status should have been the most exalted.
Unfortunately, as early as the Primordial Era, the Emperor of Ziwei had failed in his contention for the Dao against the Ziwei Divine Sovereign, and all his authority over the Great Dao was seized by the Ziwei Divine Sovereign.
After the Purple Emperor attained the breakthrough into the Chaos God Emperor realm, although he still permitted him to cultivate the Great Way of Purple Emperor, he could expel him from the dominion of the Purple Emperor at any moment.
It could be said that the life and death of Emperor Ziwei rested entirely in the grasp of the Divine Sovereign of Ziwei.
In such circumstances, the status and weight of Emperor Ziwei in the eyes of the countless Great Luo Celestials among humanity across the starry skies might not compare to that of Emperor Tianfu before them.
This Celestial Mansion Emperor Lord had cultivated to the Eighth Heaven of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, and had even forged a Primordial Treasure. Should he advance further into the Great Emperor realm, he might even possess the potential to prove his Dao in the Chaos in the future.
Therefore, Eldrin spoke with utmost courtesy and caution, "You flatter me, Your Majesty. As a member of the Celestial Court, joining this battle is but my duty."
The Celestial Sovereign nodded, then furrowed his brow slightly. "You’ve arrived at the perfect moment. The frontlines are critically short of manpower—we need your strength to lend a hand."
Eldrin nodded slightly and inquired, "Your Majesty, I beseech you to elucidate the current state of affairs."
To this, the Heavenly Palace Emperor naturally agreed and immediately began to elaborate on the overarching situation of this great war.
As he narrated, Eldrin soon gained a basic understanding of the 3 Clans' War for Heaven's Mandate.
The celestial configuration of the Primordial Immortal Realm's cosmic stars was broadly divided into the Lunar Dominion, Solar Dominion, 3 celestial enclaves, the 7 stars of the Northern Dipper, the 6 stars of the Southern Dipper, 3,000 major constellations, and countless billions of celestial bodies.
Among them, the 2 primary stars of Great Yin and Great Yang were formed by the convergence of the primordial Yin and Yang energies from the dawn of the Primordial Immortal Realm. Their status was extraordinarily profound, serving as supreme dao sanctuaries at the Chaos level.
Moreover, the convergence of stars from the 3 Enclosures formed a supreme grand array that drew in boundless astral energy, making it comparable to a Chaos-level cultivation ground.
The Southern Dipper's 6 stars and the Northern Dipper's 7 stars all possess extraordinary status, each serving as a cultivation ground at the Primordial Chaos level. When their primary stars unite, they can even unleash power approaching the Quasi-Sage realm.
The remaining 3,000 great stars served as over 3 1000 cultivation sanctuaries at the Great Luo Golden Immortal level.
Those billions of stars were countless, the lowest among them being ancient stars of immortal rank, while most were Ninth Heaven stars of blessed lands or even grotto-heavens.
Before the outbreak of the 3 Clans' Heaven-Seizing War, the celestial pattern of the Zhou Heavenly Stars originally featured a tripartite balance. The Demonic Clan controlled the 2 paramount stars of Taiyin and Taiyang, dominated 1 of the 3 Enclosures—the Celestial Market Enclosure—commanding nearly 5 100 major stars, and held approximately 20 percent of the entire Zhou Heavenly Stars.
The Divine Clan governed the Ziwei Enclosure and the Big Dipper, comprising approximately 1 1000 5 100 major stars, which accounted for nearly half of all the celestial bodies in the heavens.
The human race held a relatively smaller share of benefits, yet they controlled the Taiwei Enclosure, the 6 stars of the Southern Dipper, over a 1000 major stars, and approximately 30 percent of the celestial bodies in the entire heavens.
From this perspective, although the demon race suffered a crushing defeat in the Second Heaven-Seizing War—losing the South Dipper and North Dipper primary stars, as well as 2 of the 3 Enclosures—they managed to retain their core foundations of the Lunar and Solar Essences. Their fundamental framework within the Zhou Heavenly Stars remained largely intact.
This time when the demonic tribes strike back, their primary objective is to reclaim the 3 1000 Major Stars and the hundreds of millions of celestial bodies within the Zhou Heaven. Should they succeed in recapturing the Southern Dipper's 6 stars and the Northern Dipper's 7 stars as well, they would essentially achieve their heart's desire.
As for the Taiwei Enclave and Ziwei Enclave, both are domains of the Chaos Realm, much like the stars of Supreme Yin and Solar Yang. Divine Sovereigns and Immortal Sages often engage in secluded cultivation within them. Even if the demon race were to ascend a new Celestial Emperor, reclaiming these sanctuaries would prove exceedingly difficult.
This time, from the outset of the war launched by the demon race, they had concentrated their forces on seizing the 3 1000 Major Stars and hundreds of millions of lesser stars. So far, they had already recaptured thousands of major stars and 1-tenth of the celestial constellations.
At this rate, if they continued fighting, they would likely have to take on the 13 Imperial Stars next.
Of course, the human and god races were not without countermeasures. However, as the defending side, the Emperors of humanity and divinity intended to leverage the Cosmic Stars to gradually deplete the demonic forces. They would only launch their counterattack after the demon race's strength had been sufficiently diminished.
In this process, many would inevitably be sacrificed. Yet compared to a full-scale confrontation between both sides, this strategy of relying on the Star Formation undoubtedly minimized casualties.
After all, with the Emperors and Great Luo on both sides locked in mutual restraint, the celestial soldiers and generals, along with countless immortals, were forced into a deadly exchange,
After clarifying the situation, Celestial Mansion Emperor spoke, "Since Emperor Eldrin suffered grave injuries and fled in defeat, the situation at the Celestial Pillar Star has deteriorated considerably. I wish to request your assistance in reinforcing them—would you consider this?"
Eldrin did not answer immediately. Only after observing the star chart for a long while did he finally nod and say, "Since it is the Heavenly Emperor who asks, I shall go and station myself at the Ancient Star of Celestial Pillar."
The Celestial Mansion Emperor chuckled upon hearing this and said, "With you taking action, Fellow Daoist, the safety of the Ancient Tianliang Star is undoubtedly beyond any doubt."
Departing from the Celestial Mansion Imperial Star, Eldrin immediately diverted his path and arrived at the Celestial Pillar Star by means of the Stargate.
The moment he arrived at Tianliang Star, Eldrin’s gaze flickered almost imperceptibly as he instantly sensed several overwhelmingly powerful auras.
He looked up and saw 3 Emperors of unparalleled elegance strolling toward him.
The 3 Emperors consisted of 2 men and 1 woman, all at the early stage of the Primordial Chaos Emperor realm.
The leader possessed the cultivation base of the third level of the Chaos Origin Emperor, none other than the master of the Celestial Pillar Imperial Star—Celestial Pillar Emperor. Having long received the news, he smiled at the sight of Eldrin and said, “So it’s Fellow Daoist Returning Abyss. Come, come, let me make the introductions.”
"This is Emperor Luohe, and this is Emperor Xuanli."
Eldrin returned the courtesy 1 by 1, before finally smiling at Riverflow Emperor and saying, "It has been several kalpas since we last met. I trust you have been well, Your Majesty."
The River Luo Emperor smiled faintly, his peerless eyes sweeping over Eldrin (Person Name) before he nodded in approval. "Merely a few kalpas have passed, yet I never imagined you would already stand as my equal."
It turned out that this River Luo Emperor was none other than the same River Luo Emperor who had traded the Profound Yang Qi with Eldrin during the Treasure Exchange Convention.
When they first met, Emperor Luohe had just broken through to the Primordial Chaos Emperor realm for 3 kalpas. Now, after several kalpas had passed, his cultivation base remained largely unchanged, though he had completely stabilized his foundation at the first layer of the Primordial Chaos Emperor realm.
Eldrin had anticipated this long ago, for cultivation resources at the Chaos Origin Emperor realm were exceedingly rare. Unless 1 received the full support of a top-tier Chaos Origin Emperor or gained the backing of a Dao Ancestor or Celestial Sage, progress at this realm was destined to be painstakingly slow.
Without sufficient resources, relying solely on arduous cultivation bit by bit, 1 might not reach the Second Level of the Primordial Chaos Emperor even after thousands of kalpas.
Fortunately, the Primordial Emperor possessed boundless longevity and was not pressed for immediate advancement. Even if he had to grind through the ages, he would eventually reach the third level of the Primordial Emperor realm.
This point was best proven by the presence of Emperor Xuanli nearby. According to Eldrin (Person Name), Emperor Xuanli had achieved enlightenment over 100,000 kalpas ago, yet his cultivation remained stagnant at the third level of the Primordial Chaos Emperor Realm.
He had relied on the passage of time to grind his way to the third level of the Primordial Chaos Emperor, yet due to insufficient foundation and ill fortune, he failed 7 consecutive attempts to break through to the mid-stage of the Primordial Chaos Emperor. Thus, he remained perpetually stranded at the third level of the Primordial Chaos Emperor.
After the group had finished their introductions, Eldrin entered the main hall with the several Imperial Lords before finally voicing his inquiry: "I must ask you all to enlighten me—what exactly is the current situation regarding the present state of the Ancient Star of Tianlian?"
The 3 of them exchanged glances upon hearing this. After a moment, it was Elder Liang who broke the silence, "Since Fellow Daoist Liyan fell into that ambush, the demonic tribes in the Eldrin Starfield have grown increasingly brazen."
They ceaselessly assaulted the surrounding major stars, and in but a brief span, had already shattered 30 percent of the stellar formation anchors of the Celestial Pillar Imperial Star.
Eldrin’s brow furrowed slightly at these words. As 1 of the 6 stars of the Southern Dipper, the celestial power of the Heavenly Liang Imperial Star was immensely potent. Under normal circumstances, the presence of 3 early-stage Chaos Origin Emperors would suffice to contend against a single late-stage Chaos Origin Emperor.
But the quality of these stars was not solely due to the power of the Celestial Liang Imperial Star. This Celestial Liang Imperial Star was merely an Imperial Star at the lower-grade Primordial Chaos Dao Field level. Even if such a Dao Field were guarded by an early-stage Primordial Chaos Emperor, it should, in theory, only be capable of resisting a mid-stage Primordial Chaos Emperor-level adversary.
The ability to withstand a late-stage Chaos Origin Emperor was primarily due to the cosmic power of the celestial bodies in the Heavenly Beam Constellation.
If these stellar array eyes were lost, the power of the Celestial Pillar Imperial Star would be greatly diminished, and the likelihood of it ultimately being conquered by the demonic tribes would increase significantly.
At this thought, Eldrin (Person Name) furrowed his brow slightly and said, "We cannot let them continue their destruction, or even the Heaven-Pillar Imperial Star will fall sooner or later."
Upon hearing this, everyone's brows furrowed slightly.
The Profound Abyss Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke involuntarily, "With the Blazing Abyss Emperor ambushed ahead, if we were to fall into a trap as well, I fear..."
Seeing this, the River-Spiral Emperor and the Celestial Pillar Emperor couldn't help but feel somewhat concerned.
Seeing this, Eldrin (Person Name) spoke up, "In truth, with our human and god races united, the demonic races hold little advantage in strength on the battlefield."
The reason Emperor Liyan was ambushed was primarily because he never anticipated Emperor Youxuan of the Netherrace would intervene in the war.
"As long as we proceed with caution and join forces as 3 Imperial Lords, we should have more than enough to protect ourselves. At the very least, our chances of retreating if the situation turns unfavorable are not too low."
The 3 of them exchanged glances upon hearing this, yet hesitation still lingered in their hearts.
Yet in the end, Emperor Xuanli shook his head and rejected Eldrin's proposal: "We are currently on the defensive. Launching an attack now could disrupt the plans laid by the several great emperors."
"In my opinion, it would be wiser to proceed with caution."
My recent state has been a bit off, and my thoughts feel somewhat muddled, so the updates will be a little lighter for now. My apologies.