Chapter 2001 : Vermilion Bird Sublime

Eldrin then set aside his thoughts and began to examine the celestial configuration of the Heavenly Liang Imperial Star.

The demon clan did not deploy many powerful experts in this assault on Tianliang Imperial Star. Though they breached the ancient star’s defenses swiftly with aid from collaborators within, it was swiftly reclaimed by humanity’s contingency measures.

Thus, the human race suffered minimal losses. Although many of the Great Luo Golden Immortals from the Chen Immortal Clan who participated in the battle were severely wounded, none fell in combat.

Since the situation wasn't serious, Eldrin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He immediately organized the human race to launch a counteroffensive against the lost stars in the Tianliang Star Domain, aiming to reclaim the lost territories while the demon race focused their main assault on the Vermilion Bird Star Domain.

In truth, this was precisely what the Great Emperor Lords of the Southern Dipper 6 Stars were doing. Aside from a few supreme Emperor Lords like the Black Abyss Emperor who had gone to reinforce the Vermilion Bird Star Domain, the rest were seizing the opportunity to launch counteroffensives.

Having achieved their objective, the demonic tribes had no intention of engaging in a desperate struggle against the human race while their main forces were absent. Thus, they withdrew from the territory of the Southern Dipper's 6 Stars.

Thus, in a mere several 100 1000 years, the human race had completely reclaimed the vast starry domain of the South Dipper's 6 Stars.

At this very moment, news of the Vermilion Bird Star Domain finally arrived from the depths of the starry sky.

"The Divine King of Southern Li has finally fallen?"

Within the Celestial Pillar Imperial Star, Eldrin sat facing the various Imperial Sovereigns. Gazing at the document in his hand, he could not help but let out a slow, deep sigh.

Upon hearing this, the emperors could not help but heave a faint sigh, their expressions tinged with a trace of melancholy.

As for the fall of the Southern Li Divine King, everyone present had long anticipated it in their hearts.

After all, with 3 Great Emperors launching a surprise attack, and the presence of a nemesis of the Great Dao, it was within expectations that the Southern Li Divine King could fall.

But when this matter truly came to pass, they all couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow, like foxes mourning the death of a hare.

You must understand, this was a supreme Eldrin (Cultivation Rank).

For eons, it had become an unshakable truth across the 3 1000 Immortal Domains that the Primordial Chaos Emperor was undying and indestructible—even a direct strike from the Dao Ancestor himself could scarcely annihilate him.

Though it was understood that a foe of the Great Dao could utterly annihilate a Primordial Chaos Emperor, such an occurrence was exceedingly rare across the 3 1000 celestial realms.

After all, the Great Dao is boundless, yet the probability of 2 Emperors ascending through the same Great Dao within the same Primordial Immortal Realm is exceedingly rare and infinitesimal.

Not to mention, the Vermilion Bird Emperor and the Southern Li Divine King were both existences at the Eighth Level of the Primordial Chaos Emperor or above.

That Southern Li Divine King was an ancient deity whose existence dated back to the middle Primordial Era. Even among the numerous divine kings of the god race, he could rank within the top 10.

Such a figure, whose status was on par with the Celestial Mansion Emperor—if not surpassing him by a sliver in strength—

Even so, the God King of Southern Li still fell. His primordial spirit was completely severed by the Vermilion Bird Emperor, with only a wisp of true spirit plunging into the cycle of reincarnation.

Even if he were to attain the Great Dao of the Daluo Realm once more, the Southern Li Divine King, having lost his authority over the Great Dao, would likely find it exceedingly difficult to return to the realm of the Primordial Chaos Emperor.

"Alas—"

Celestial Liang Emperor let out a faint sigh before speaking, "The Southern Li Divine King has fallen. With the acquisition of a supreme Dao authority by the Vermilion Bird Great Emperor, I fear he shall soon tread the realm of Quasi-Sagehood."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions shifted slightly.

Eldrin (Person Name) pondered briefly before inquiring, "I've heard that to break through to the Quasi-Sage Realm, 1 must attain all authorities of the Great Dao."

"The Great Way of Vermilion Heaven's Parting Fire of the Emperor of the Vermilion Bird is also an immensely powerful innate Great Way. Could it be that the Emperor of the Vermilion Bird has already grasped the entirety of this Great Way's authority?"

Beside him, the Meng Huang Emperor shook his head and said, "Among the 10 great immortal fires of chaos, the Southern Bright Blaze ranks in the top 10. It is 1 of the supreme ultimate paths of the Great Dao."

"This Vermilion Heaven Estranged Flame can be considered a variant of the Southern Bright Estranged Flame. Though deeply interconnected, its power is only marginally inferior by half a measure."

It was precisely because this was a mutated flame that practitioners of the Violet Heaven Departing Flame were relatively few. Nor was it considered an Ultimate Flame, thus its wielders would never encounter an insurmountable adversary of the Great Dao.

"As for that," Meng Huang began, his words flowing like a gentle stream, "of course, there are many who cultivate the Vermilion Heaven Li Fire. They are scattered throughout the endless chaos, their numbers far surpassing mere hundreds or thousands."

"Even if the Phoenix Emperor were peerlessly powerful, he could never traverse the boundless chaotic wasteland seas to eradicate all these adversaries of the Great Dao."

However, he could initiate a Contest of Dao Authority, vying for the dominion of the Great Dao against those formidable foes within the boundless Sea of Dao.

"Oh?"

Eldrin (Person Name) froze momentarily, a flicker of astonishment surfacing in his gaze.

Celestial Liang Sovereign also nodded, his expression grave as he affirmed, “Should the day come when your cultivation breaks through to the Great Perfection of Primordial Chaos Sovereign, and the authority of the Great Dao you command ranks first, or if the Great Dao authority you wield exceeds 10 percent, you may then initiate the Contest of Supreme Dao Authority.”

At that moment, you could project your primordial spirit into the Ocean of Dao, refining the future authority of Dao through supreme power. To protect their own Dao authority, those adversaries of the Dao would have no choice but to confront you within the Ocean of Dao in their primordial spirit forms.

Once they retreated, they would have to completely relinquish the authority over the Great Dao.

Eldrin (Person Name) froze momentarily, realizing that whoever held the most authority over the Great Dao could directly initiate a Great Dao War.

This battle took place within the Sea of Grand Dao, a pure contest between primordial spirits that hinged upon the strength of 1’s spiritual power and mastery over the Grand Dao.

At this thought, Eldrin suddenly realized something and exclaimed in astonishment, "If that's the case, wouldn't those who have cultivated a True Spirit Primordial Soul, or those pursuing the path of primordial soul ascension, hold an overwhelming advantage?"

"Precisely so."

Lord Meng Huang nodded, his expression serene as he spoke, "Since ancient times, among those who have attained sainthood by walking the Path of Dao, not a single 1 has possessed a feeble primordial spirit. The Primordial Spirit of True Essence is merely the most fundamental prerequisite."

"Moreover, those who cultivate multiple Chaos Daos simultaneously, or have even stepped into the Second Realm of Chaos, almost invariably possess supreme Chaos Primordial Spirits."

Hearing this, Eldrin (Person Name) felt a faint tremor in his heart.

At this moment, Eldrin finally understood why the Monarch of 10 1000 Souls had met an untimely demise, and why the supreme expert who transformed into the Primordial Soul River had fallen.

Because the potential of achieving the Dao through the primordial spirit was far too terrifying. Such existences not only possessed astonishing combat prowess but also held immense advantages in contending for the authority of the Great Dao.

Imagine if the Sun Emperor were to attain the Dao and become the Soul Dao Emperor, he could directly seize the authority over the Star Dao from the Great Dao itself, with no need for so many intricate schemes and plots.

Even if 1 set their sights upon a Primordial Dao, they need only settle their mind to simultaneously cultivate and comprehend it. Once they ascended to rank first in the authority of that Dao, or grasped over 10% of its sovereign power, they could directly initiate a Contention of the Great Dao.

By that time, with the Soul Emperor's supreme soul cultivation, seizing all authority over the Great Dao would be as effortless as taking candy from a baby.

Thus, by mastering just a few compatible Chaos Daos, 1 could advance to the second realm of Chaos—the Harmony Realm. While not exactly effortless, it would undoubtedly be several times simpler.

"Once 1 attains the Celestial Emperor realm through primordial spirit enlightenment, the success rate of subsequently breaking through to the second realm of Chaos would likely exceed that of ordinary Celestial Emperors by over tenfold."

"Moreover, whether 1 can attain the Heavenly Emperor of Soul Dao through primordial spirit cultivation may very well be 1 of the crucial conditions for breaking through to the second realm of Chaos."

Eldrin murmured inwardly, a trace of solemnity flickering in his eyes.

In that moment, Eldrin felt a faint glimmer of comprehension. Across the 13 realms of Northern and Southern Heavenly Abyss, combined with the primordial domain of the ancient Immortal Cosmos, there existed no fewer than several dozen Chaos Heavenly Emperors.

So many Chaos Emperors, yet not a single 1 has ever reached the second realm of Chaos. This shows how immensely difficult it is to advance even a single step further after attaining the realm of Chaos Emperor.

It is known that in the Great Perfection Realm, among every 10 Great Perfection Golden Immortals, there is essentially 1 at the late-stage Great Perfection Golden Immortal level.

Even at the level of Primordial Chaos Emperor, no fewer than 1 in 10 could reach the late stage of Primordial Chaos Emperor.

However, upon reaching the Chaos Realm, even attaining the second level of Chaos was a rarity—occurring in less than 1 in a 100 cultivators. This demonstrated how exceedingly difficult it became to advance further at such heights.

This was not merely a lack of resources, but also imperfections in the soul, magic power, the Great Dao, and 1’s very foundation. And whether 1 could prove the Dao through the primordial soul might very well be the key to ascending to greater heights.

At this thought, Eldrin felt an even greater resolve to walk the path of proving the Dao through his primordial spirit.

Boom—

Just as Eldrin was lost in thought, he suddenly sensed an indescribable, supreme aura.

He looked up and saw that the aura emanated from the Vermilion Bird Star Domain. Deep within it, an immensely majestic Vermilion Bird Divine Soul soared into the heavens, tearing through the firmament with blazing flames as it charged into an unnamed realm of spacetime.

Yet in that nameless space, endless chains of the Great Dao crisscrossed and intertwined, with hundreds of millions upon trillions of Dao principles spiraling through the vast expanse.

1 of them radiated a blazing light, as resplendent as an eternal divine sun, illuminating this boundless chaotic cosmos.

"As expected, He is about to breakthrough."

Lord of Luo River murmured under his breath, his expression turning grave as he sighed, "Should she succeed in her breakthrough, the demon race would possess 3 Ascendant Saints. I fear this would herald the return of their primordial glory."

The Venerable Sovereign of the Primordial Wilds let out a soft sigh before shaking his head. "Make your preparations. This epochal tribulation is nearing its end."

"Is it coming to an end?"

Upon hearing this, Eldrin (Person Name) momentarily froze, his gaze flickering with surprise, but he swiftly regained his composure.

In this war among the 3 races, the demon clan has already reclaimed the Vermilion Bird Star Field. Most crucially, they are highly likely to gain an additional Quasi-Sage. It can be said they have already secured substantial advantages, and it is improbable they will take any major actions next.

For should the Vermilion Emperor fail in his breakthrough, the demonic races, bereft of a sovereign-level combatant, would surely face defeat.

If the Vermilion Bird Emperor were to break through successfully, it would likely alert the divine and immortal sovereigns of both the human and god races.

With 1 Heavenly Emperor less, if the demonic races failed to know when to stop, they would likely suffer a devastating blow.

From what Eldrin knew, the venerable Elder Taiyuan was somewhat... unconventional.

If you can't stand to lose, then flip the board.

Back in the day, the venerable 1 had already stooped to bullying the weak by shattering the Cosmic Star Formation Array. Now, it was hardly surprising he would cast aside all dignity to strike against juniors.

Getting back to the main story, after a flicker of contemplation, Eldrin soon grasped the pattern of what was to come.

He rose directly to his feet and declared, "In that case, we shall mobilize our forces for a counterattack and see how many of the lost Zhou Tian Stars we can reclaim."

Everyone nodded in agreement and began discussing troop deployments, intent on reclaiming the lost Myriad Heavens Stars.

In the years that followed, the human and deity races began to mobilize their forces, launching relentless counterattacks to reclaim the lost 9 Heavens Stars.

Meanwhile, the main force of the demonic race remained in the Vermilion Bird Star Domain, devoting all their efforts to protecting the physical body of the Vermilion Bird Emperor, paying no heed to the loss of these stars.

Such a great war, in the blink of an eye, more than a kalpa had passed in a daze.

Until this very day, when a world-shattering fissure tore through the depths of the Vermilion Bird Star Domain in the boundless expanse of the starry sky.

Then, endless chains of the Great Dao descended from the Sea of Dao, coalescing into 1 divine form after another, coiling around a supreme primordial spirit as they descended.

That primordial spirit radiated an eternal light, a single wisp of its descending aura capable of annihilating all heavens. Every strand, every filament, carried a presence that made even a Chaos Origin Emperor tremble with dread.

6 Great Dao Manifestations...

Eldrin stood atop the boundless heavens, his snow-white robes fluttering as he gazed upon the primordial spirit enveloped by endless chains of divine dao. His eyes gleamed with profound solemnity.

He understood in his heart that this was the birth of a Demi-Saint, the return of an eternal existence to the mortal realm.

All Arch-Sages are supreme masters of the Dao. Such beings need only obtain a single strand of Primordial Chaos Qi to attempt a breakthrough to the realm of Chaos Heavenly Emperor.

Generally speaking, a perfected innate Great Dao can give birth to up to 9 Great Dao Divine Forms at most.

However, this was merely the theoretical limit. Generally speaking, few Great Daos were capable of nurturing as many as 9 Grand Dao Divine Forms.

The vast majority of perfected Great Paths possess no more than 5 or 6 Great Path divine forms, and many weaker perfected Great Paths of Innate Nature have only 2 or 3.

The Great Way of Vermilion Heaven's Departing Flames, cultivated by the Emperor of the Vermilion Bird, manifests 6 divine forms of the Great Way—proof that it is by no means a feeble Great Way.

With such a divine form of the Great Dao, if 1 were to obtain a wisp of Primordial Chaos Qi, the probability of successfully impacting the Chaos Heavenly Emperor realm...

Lost in contemplation, Eldrin shook his head after a moment and said, "I'm afraid the odds are no more than 20 percent."

To advance a perfected innate Dao into a Chaos-level Dao invariably demands immense tribulation.

Generally speaking, for weaker Great Daos that manifest fewer than 4 Great Dao Divine Forms, the likelihood of a successful breakthrough is virtually 0 due to their inherent fragility and insignificance.

Those capable of manifesting 4 to 6 Divine Forms of the Great Dao were generally considered formidable Great Daos, possessing a 10 to 20 percent likelihood of achieving a breakthrough and successful metamorphosis.

Once more than 7 Great Dao Divine Forms are manifested, the probability of transformation into the Primordial Chaos Dao increases dramatically.

Generally speaking, with 7 Great Dao divine forms supplemented by chaos treasures, there is a 30 percent probability of achieving metamorphosis.

8 Divine Forms of the Great Dao grant a 50 percent chance, while 9 Divine Forms yield over an 80 percent likelihood.

Legend has it that surpassing 9 supreme divine forms leads to the ultimate Limitless Dao. By fully mastering this Dao and refining the Primordial Chaos Origin Qi, 1 is destined to metamorphose into the Chaos Dao.

However, the more profound the Great Dao, the more cultivators would pursue it, making the chance to grasp its authority all the more elusive.

In ages past, the Primordial Phoenix, the Candle Dragon, and others were able to surpass the Chaos Heavenly Emperor because they were all Destined Chaos God-Kings, each mastering supreme Great Daos with 9 manifestations of divine forms. (End of Chapter)

Chapter 1 The wind howled through the desolate mountain pass, carrying with it the scent of decay and a biting chill. A lone figure, clad in robes that had seen better days, knelt beside a gnarled ancient tree. His name was Eldrin (Person Name), and he had been meditating here for 3 days and 3 nights. "Still no breakthrough," he murmured, a faint sigh escaping his lips. He opened his eyes, their depths reflecting a frustration that had been brewing for nearly a decade. "The third layer of the Profound Spirit Art (Cultivation Method) remains as elusive as ever." He reached into his worn spatial pouch and retrieved a small jade vial. Unstopping it, he carefully poured out 5 faintly glowing pellets. "Only 5 more Low-Grade Spirit Condensation Pills (Elixir) left. At this rate, my 32,000 spirit stones will be depleted before I even glimpse the Foundation Establishment stage." Memories, countless and fragmented, surfaced in his mind. He recalled the destruction of his humble sect, the Azure Cloud Sect (Sect Name), a dozen or so years ago. The blazing flames, the chilling laughter of the enemy... over a 100 disciples had fallen that day. He, merely a young boy at the time, had been 1 of the few survivors. "For thousands of years, the path of cultivation has been paved with bones and drenched in blood," a deep, resonant voice spoke suddenly, though no 1 else was visible. It came from the simple, unadorned ring on his finger – the Ring of the Silent Soul (Magic Treasure). Eldrin's gaze hardened. "1 100 years had passed since I first grasped the most basic Qi refinement technique. I will not let it all end here." He stood up, his worn robes fluttering. "The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) thirsts for vengeance. I can feel it." Suddenly, the air crackled with oppressive energy. Dark clouds gathered overhead with unnatural speed, blotting out the pale sun. A profound sense of dread washed over the entire mountain range. "Heavenly Tribulation!" the voice from the ring exclaimed, its tone now sharp with alarm. "But this aura... it's not yours, boy. Someone is attempting a Nascent Soul tribulation nearby! And it feels... corrupted." Eldrin's hand instinctively went to the hilt of the sword strapped to his back. His spiritual sense flared out, probing the turbulent energies. A grim smile touched his lips. "An opportunity, perhaps, amidst the danger. Let's go." His figure blurred, vanishing from the mountain pass in a flicker of movement, leaving only the whispering wind and the promise of impending storm.