Chapter 2009 : The Return of the Great Emperor

The Vermilion Bird Demigod stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression serene as he remarked, "The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss possesses astonishing talent. Should the Sacrificial Dao continue to flourish, it will inevitably become a grave threat to us all."

"However, his cultivation remains stagnant at the Great Realm of Luo. Taking action against him now would be beneath my dignity."

"Very well. When he breaks through to the Primordial Emperor realm, I shall personally apprehend him and seal him for eternity within the Solar Golden Pagoda."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Bifang could not help but remark, "But in that case, the 2 Daozu Immortal Sages of the human race..."

The Vermilion Bird Demi-Saint shook her head and spoke with a cold sneer, "The Daoist of the Returning Abyss possesses transcendent talent, with the potential to reach the Demi-Saint realm or even the Celestial Emperor realm. The various Demi-Saints and Celestial Emperors across the 7 Domains of the Southern Abyss may not be eager to welcome another rival."

"I alone shall make contact with 1 or 2, and those 2 will naturally be dealt with by others."

"Hahaha."

The Emperors of the Demon Race burst into uproarious laughter upon hearing this.

The Great Emperor of the Primordial Thunder Crow, his eyes blazing with overwhelming lightning, spoke with chilling indifference: "With a Demi-Saint taking action, it seems the Solar Golden Pagoda shall soon welcome another peerless prodigy of the human race."

The Pure Yang Emperor also nodded, speaking calmly, "After this matter is accomplished, I shall claim the authority over the Pure Yang Great Dao of the Void-returning Daoist."

Eldrin remained unaware of the schemes brewing among the demonic emperors.

At this moment, Eldrin focused most of his attention on cultivation, striving to accumulate enough power to break through to the realm of the Primordial Chaos Emperor as soon as possible.

In the years that followed, Eldrin continued to refine the 3 core foundations of his cultivation while perfecting his own path of spiritual practice.

Approximately 1 kalpa later, Eldrin further refined the cultivation method of the Primordial Indestructible Body, ultimately pushing it to the absolute pinnacle of the Chaos Origin Emperor realm.

According to Eldrin's (Person Name) estimation, after this refinement, the cultivation method of "Refining My Dao Through Self" at the Mixed Origin Emperor realm had already become no less formidable than the 9 Revolutions Heavenly Art.

After perfecting the Path of Self-Refinement, Eldrin spent another kalpa of time advancing both the Great Dao cultivation method and Soul Dao cultivation method to the realm of Monarch.

Of course, compared to the Path of Self-Refinement, Eldrin's soul cultivation method and Great Dao cultivation method were clearly inferior by more than a margin—merely comparable to cultivation techniques at the Great Emperor level.

Of course, Eldrin was in no hurry about this. He had originally planned to first achieve sainthood through physical cultivation before breaking through to the Soul Dao Celestial Emperor and the Dao Dominion Celestial Emperor. There would be plenty of time to refine his path later.

After perfecting the 3 main cultivation techniques, Eldrin (Person Name) attempted to further evolve the Path of Self-Offering to the Primordial Chaos realm.

Yet this step proved immensely arduous. Eldrin persisted in his deductions for 1 entire kalpa, yet still struggled to refine the primordial chaos method of the Sacrificial Dao.

"It seems the Primordial Chaos technique of the Sacrificial Ascension Path will remain difficult to perfect for some time to come."

After yet another failure, a faint trace of regret surfaced in Eldrin's heart as he murmured inwardly.

At this moment, Eldrin also comprehended the arduous path ahead for the Path of Self-Sacrifice. The fundamental reason why this path could not achieve ascension within the Inner Immortal Realm was its inability to evolve the immortal domain into a Primordial Chaos Immortal Domain.

Without the Chaos Realm within the Inner Immortal Domain, the foundation of the Sacrificial Dao would remain incomplete, rendering it fundamentally impossible to set foot upon the realm of the Chaos Emperor.

A Chaos Primordium-level immortal domain existed only in theoretical postulation; even the Primal Dao Ancestor had never formulated a method to ascend to such a realm.

Moreover, there are no naturally formed Primordial Chaos Domains within the entire chaos.

Under such circumstances, Eldrin had no existing references to draw upon. Relying solely on his own comprehension to create something new proved far more challenging than he had ever anticipated.

"It seems the method to ascend to the Primordial Chaos Immortal Realm will require further refinement in the days to come."

Eldrin's thoughts flickered briefly before he set them aside.

After setting aside his thoughts, Eldrin emerged from seclusion only to find that Chen Qiyuan had been waiting for quite some time.

Seeing Chen Qiyuan, Eldrin (Person Name) first invited him to sit, then personally brewed a pot of tea before finally asking, "How did the Ancestor’s journey fare?"

"This is the information I have gathered."

Chen Qiyuan set down a document before finally picking up the fragrant tea and taking a delicate sip.

Eldrin picked up the resource scroll and glanced at it, giving a slight nod. "If we secure this premium Daluo nest, we’ll already have 3 top-grade Daluo nests in our possession."

"Once we capture him and take down the 2 strongholds under the Liyan Ancient Plains, the 5 elemental earth veins I require will be complete."

Eldrin spoke thus, a faint smile unconsciously glimmering in his eyes.

It turned out that the information Chen Qiyuan was investigating pertained precisely to a top-grade Chaos Nest—the Chaos Gold Barren Nest.

The reason for examining this document was that for Eldrin's Primordial Chaos Immortal Body to reach the Chaos Realm, it required refining the essence of 5 supreme-grade Great Luo Nests.

In truth, over the years, Eldrin had twice unleashed the Chaos War, obtaining 2 superior-grade chaos nests from the depths of chaos—1 a Grand Luo Nest of Water attribute, the other of Wood attribute.

With the addition of this top-grade Metal-attributed Chaos Nest, Eldrin now possessed 3 Chaos Nests simultaneously.

The remaining Fire and Earth attribute Great Luo Nests are in the possession of the Blaze Fiend Deity. 1 only needs to defeat the Blaze Fiend Deity to obtain them.

Seeing this, Chen Qiyuan (Person Name) gave a slight nod. "Are you preparing to launch a Chaotic War against the Fiery Abyss Demon God?"

Eldrin (Person Name) pondered briefly before shaking his head. "After all, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) is a Chaos Origin Emperor. Even while his injuries remain unhealed, he is not an opponent to be taken lightly."

"Moreover, my great Dao adversaries are likely watching with covetous eyes. It would be best to wait until Emperor Black Abyss returns before proceeding."

Chen Qiyuan nodded and could not help but ask, “Then how should we deal with this Chaos Golden Desolate Nest?”

Eldrin did not respond. This Primordial Chaos Golden Desolate Nest was no ordinary foe.

This lineage boasted not only 9 Great Perfected Golden Immortals, but also 3 at the late-stage of Great Perfected Golden Immortal realm. Among them was even a supreme devil god who had reached the Great Perfected Golden Immortal Consummation.

Such a formidable Chaos Nest, once fortified with defensive formations, would likely prove insurmountable even for a newly ascended Primordial Emperor.

After a moment of contemplation, Eldrin (Person Name) summoned Jiang Daoxu and reverted to his Reincarnation Body.

When everyone had gathered, Eldrin recounted the entire sequence of events to the assembly, then declared, "The demon clan is watching me too closely. I'm afraid I cannot venture out."

"May I trouble our Ancestor, Grandfather, and my reincarnated self to journey together and seize this Primordial Golden Chaos Nest."

Hearing this, both of them gave a slight nod.

Within the current Chen Immortal Clan, the earliest group of Great Luo Golden Immortals have already reached the Great Perfection stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

These Great Luo Golden Immortals possessed extraordinary foundations, and their combat prowess was virtually unrivaled even among those at the Great Luo Golden Immortal Perfection realm.

Among the crowd, aside from Eldrin, the most powerful figures were Lyra, Qing Ji, Seraphina Qu, Lila, Yan Zi Ji, Jiang Huang, and Chen Qiyuan.

Among these individuals, Lyra (Person Name), much like Eldrin (Person Name), was a thorn in the eyes of the demon race. Once she ventured beyond the vicinity of the Return-to-Annihilation Immortal Domain, she would inevitably be detected by the demons.

Qingji, Seraphina Qu (Person Name), and other dao companions of Eldrin (Person Name) were also being closely monitored by the demonic tribes. Should they leave the Abyssal Return Immortal Domain, they would likely face obstruction from those Great Path Adversaries.

Thus, Jiang Huang (Person Name), Chen Qiyuan (Person Name), and the others were considered the most suitable candidates for the task.

Both of them had now reached the Great Perfection stage of the Golden Immortal realm, with their combat prowess already brushing against the threshold of the early Chaos Origin Emperor realm.

With them taking action, along with a reincarnation body of immense combat prowess, it was almost equivalent to 3 newly ascended Chaos Origin Emperor Lords joining forces.

At this thought, Jiang Huang spoke, "If only 1 of us acts, the information might still leak. But if all 3 of us strike together, we can seize them in 1 move before they even realize what’s happening."

Eldrin nodded slightly, a faint smile gracing his lips. "Then I shall trouble the 3 of you."

Chen Qiyuan rose to his feet and declared plainly, "Await our favorable tidings."

As the words fell, Chen Qiyuan (Person Name) took the lead and strode beyond the boundaries of the Return to the Abyss Immortal Realm (Location).

Emperor Jiang and his reincarnation double also concealed their auras as they departed, slipping away silently from the Return to Ruins Immortal Domain.

The 3 stepped into the Chaos, yet did not head straight for the Chaos Gold Desolate Nest. They merely feigned a journey of wandering through the primordial expanse.

After roaming aimlessly through the Chaotic Sea for over 30 million years, they suddenly converged outside the Chaotic Golden Desolate Nest, a trace of serene indifference flickering in their eyes.

"This is the Chaos Gold Desolate Nest."

Gazing upon the Chaos Gold Desolate Nest before him, the Samsara Avatar could not help but speak with serene composure.

Chen Qiyuan nodded and then spoke, "This Chaos Golden Desolate Nest is occupied by the Golden-Winged Desolate Apes. The physical strength of this lineage is not to be underestimated."

Even an ordinary early-stage Chaos Emperor would not necessarily be able to subdue and annihilate it with ease.

The Reincarnation Body nodded, then turned to Emperor Jiang and said, "We must trouble you, Grandfather, to break the formation. Once that is done, we shall join forces to defeat our formidable foe."

"Agreed."

Emperor Jiang nodded, his expression serene as he began gathering sword intent.

Among the 3 present, the Reincarnation Body possessed the most balanced and profound foundation. Chen Qiyuan, who had cultivated the Dharma Immunity and Indestructible Golden Body, ranked first in defensive prowess among the trio.

Meanwhile, Jiang Huang, who wielded the True Spirit Treasure 'Primordial Beginning Qi Sword', undoubtedly possessed the most formidable offensive power.

At this moment, as Emperor Jiang unleashed his full power, a world-obliterating sword intent pierced through the vast heavens and earth.

In an instant, the vast Chaos Gold Desolate Nest trembled violently. The formation capable of withstanding the assaults of a Primordial Chaos Emperor immediately began to falter, its surface instantly riddled with countless cracks.

If that were all, once the Golden-Winged Desolate Ape Demon God realized what was happening, he could still activate the formation to hold out for a while.

Almost simultaneously, both the Reincarnation Body and Emperor Jiang made their move, summoning the Donghuang Bell and the Golden Bell of Reincarnation to press down with overwhelming force.

3 Mixed Origin Emperor Lords unleashing their combat prowess simultaneously—how could this mere Upper Great Luo Immortal Array possibly withstand it?

In the blink of an eye, the formation was shattered into oblivion.

Stripped of the formation's protection, the 9 great Chaos Fiend Gods within instantly paled.

The Golden-Winged Desolate Ape King beat its wings and soared into the sky, immediately attempting to tear through the void to flee. Yet, it was already too late.

In the blink of an eye, a revolving golden bell descended with overwhelming force, sealing the life force of the 9 great demon gods in an unyielding grip.

Close behind, the Bell of the Eastern Emperor descended with earth-shattering divine might, annihilating the 2 Chaos Fiends almost instantly.

The 3 mighty Demon Gods roared in fury, ready to fight to the death, but in an instant, the Primordial Beginning Qi Sword pierced through the center of their brows.

The remaining Chaos Fiends had no time to react before they were drawn into the Cycle Golden Bell, sealed and suppressed within the ancient chime.

Having slain the 9 Great Chaos Fiendgods, a subtle gleam flickered in the eyes of the trio.

There was a time when Chaos Fiends were beings beyond their wildest imaginings, yet now the 3 of them joining forces could suppress and slay 9 Chaos Fiends within a handful of moves.

The disparity was simply too vast. They even had a feeling that if they unleashed their full power, the residual force of this strike could traverse the span of a 100 kalpas and suppress these Chaos Godfiends once more in the distant folds of time.

"This... is this the power of the Primordial Chaos Emperor realm?"

Chen Qiyuan murmured inwardly, a trace of emotion surfacing in his heart.

Unbeknownst to them, they had already reached this stage.

Emperor Jiang, however, seemed to have anticipated this all along. He calmly patted Chen Qiyuan’s shoulder and said, “From now on, we shall grow even stronger.”

"Do not dwell on it. Bring back this Great Luo Nest."

As they spoke, the 3 of them investigated the Chaos Nest. They discovered that this Chaos Gold Desolation Nest truly lived up to its reputation as a top-grade Chaos Nest. Within it, not only were there a great many rare treasures, but also a single Primordial Heavenly Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root).

This spiritual root was named the Golden Barren Fruit Tree. Its effects were nearly identical to the Indestructible Golden Fruit Tree of the same tier, yet its grade reached the Upper Grade Heavenly Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root), surpassing the Indestructible Golden Fruit Tree from back in the day by a considerable margin.

With this unexpected gain, the 3 of them were in high spirits.

They traversed the vast Chaotic Sea with the Primordial Chaos Golden Abyssal Nest, taking over a million years to finally reach the Return to Void Celestial Realm.

After arriving at the Return Abyss Immortal Realm, they placed the Chaos Gold Desolate Nest into the core of the Chaos Heavenly Domain, and only then did they find Eldrin (Person Name), who had just emerged from seclusion.

"Excellent, another top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root)."

Gazing upon the Chaos Golden Wilderness Nest and the Golden Wilderness Tree before him, a trace of satisfaction surfaced in Eldrin's expression.

Over the years, Eldrin had cultivated several more premium Heavenly Spiritual Roots to supply the cultivation needs of the alliance's cultivators from his clan.

However, the supreme-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root) demands exceptionally high standards for its cultivation ground. Even a superior-grade immortal realm can only barely sustain the minimum growth conditions for a supreme-grade spiritual root.

The Grand Array of the Void-Return Immortal Alliance, channeling the power of over a dozen upper-grade immortal domains, had only managed to cultivate a mere 9 Supreme-Grade Heavenly Spiritual Roots (Spiritual Root).

Therefore, this Golden Barren Tree was not yet suitable for promotion to a supreme-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root) in the short term.

Even so, a top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root) produced a primordial spirit fruit that could still be considered superior cultivation resources—perfect for the newly ascended Great Luo of the Sacrificial Self Path within the Immortal Alliance to aid their practice.

With this thought in mind, Eldrin approached the Chaos Gold Desolate Nest before speaking, "I appreciate your assistance, both of you."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Eldrin had their contributions recorded.

He then stepped into the Chaos Gold Desolate Nest and began refining the metallic origin power of the Chaos Gold Desolate Nest.

This was Eldrin's third time refining a Supreme Great Luo Nest, and by now he was quite familiar with the process.

The immense essence of a top-grade Great Perfection nest was 10 times more profound than that of a single Great Perfection Golden Immortal at the peak of cultivation.

However, under Eldrin's continuous refinement, its inner essence was gradually integrated into the Chaos Indestructible Body.

Thus time flew by in haste, until tens of millions of years had passed. After the Chaos Nest was fully refined, the metal-attributed primordial power within Eldrin’s Chaos Indestructible Body was at last replenished.

"At last, have I reached perfection?"

As the Great Roost was successfully refined, Eldrin couldn't help but slowly release a sigh of relief.

After refining 3 superior-grade Great Luo Nests in succession, his physical combat prowess had not undergone a qualitative transformation, yet the primordial essence within him had vastly multiplied.

Next, I only need to refine 2 more Supreme Great Luo Nests before attempting to forge the Primordial Chaos Dao Body.

With this thought in mind, a flicker of joy rose in Eldrin's heart.

Emerging from his secluded cultivation, he was about to share the glad tidings with Lyra and the others when he discovered they had already been waiting for a considerable time.

Seeing Eldrin emerge from seclusion, Lyra hastily spoke up, "The Black Abyss Emperor has returned!"

"He requests your presence at the Black Abyss Heaven once you conclude your secluded cultivation."

Upon hearing this, a faint glimmer of surprise and delight sparked in Eldrin's eyes.

Unbeknownst to all, the Black Abyss Emperor had been exploring the Chaotic Desolate Sea for nearly 10 kalpas, and now he had returned from its depths as promised.

At this thought, Eldrin (Person Name) rose directly and declared, "I shall go seek out the Black Abyss Emperor at once."

With these words, he tore through the vast chaos and journeyed toward the location of the Primordial Immortal Realm.

After arriving at the Black Abyss Heaven, Eldrin once again met the Black Abyss Emperor within his imperial palace.

This time, the 2 met once again in the courtyard.

Eldrin discovered that after all these years apart, the aura emanating from the Black Abyss Emperor upon his return seemed increasingly vast and profound, having undergone an indescribable qualitative transformation compared to his former self.

At this thought, Eldrin couldn't help but inquire, "Has Your Majesty achieved what you desired from this journey to the Primordial Chaos Desolate Sea?"

The Black Abyss Emperor nodded with a faint smile. "That is a rare Chaos Forbidden Land. I attempted to explore it multiple times, yet never managed to conquer it."

"With your Indestructible Battle Attire this time, I successfully obtained the opportunity within."

With these words, the Black Abyss Emperor handed the battle armor to Eldrin and said, "I have now refined the opportunity within and successfully cultivated the eighth revolution of the 9 Revolutions Heaven Art."

As the words fell, the aura around Emperor Black Abyss surged violently. A full 6 true spirit manifestations spiraled around him, unleashing world-shaking divine power that shook the heavens and earth.

A flicker of astonishment stirred within Eldrin's heart.

Logically speaking, even if the Black Abyss Emperor had cultivated the eighth revolution of the 9 Revolutions Heaven Art, he could only achieve the Divine Mark of the True Spirit, not the Divine Form of the True Spirit.

The path of physical body sanctification is extremely resource-intensive. Generally speaking, there are only 2 methods to evolve the Divine Soul Patterns into Divine Soul Forms.

That would be to refine and assimilate a Primordial Supreme Treasure, or to refine the complete remains of a Chaos Immortal Emperor at the Great Perfection stage—in other words, a supreme expert who had attained the realm of Great Emperor.

Beyond this, there existed no other method to cultivate a True Spirit Divine Form.

It was precisely for this reason that those who cultivated the 9 True Spirit Divine Forms and achieved physical sanctification could possess invincible combat prowess rivaling the Quasi-Sage Realm, even gaining the qualification to challenge the Chaos Heavenly Emperor.

The Black Abyss Emperor had previously encountered an astonishing opportunity, successfully cultivating the forms of 4 divine true spirits, which already placed him among the pinnacle of great emperors.

Now that he had cultivated 2 more True Spirit Forms, his combat prowess had likely undergone another qualitative transformation. Even if he still could not compare to a Quasi-Sage, he should at least be considered an Invincible Great Emperor.

The Black Abyss Emperor seemed to notice the shift in Eldrin's expression, then said with a light laugh, "On this journey to the Chaotic Desolate Sea, I have slain a Chaos Colossus of the Emperor Realm." (End of Chapter)