Chapter 2015 : Descendants of the Great Wilderness

The Wildfolk.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone aboard the ship shifted subtly.

A flicker of curiosity surfaced in the young girl’s expression as she couldn’t help but ask, “Grand Priest, are the Desolate Ones truly so fearsome?”

The elder's expression shifted slightly, his countenance turning profoundly grave as he declared, "Since time immemorial, any being tainted by the Chaotic Abyssal Sea has inevitably descended into mindless oblivion as 1 of the Abyssal Ones."

"Those barbarians are no different from wild beasts, devoid of all reason. They grow increasingly savage and cruel, even taking pleasure in devouring the souls of us enlightened beings."

"Once 1 becomes a Desolate, it is no different from death itself. Should you be devoured by a Desolate, your very soul will scatter to the winds."

Hearing this, the young maiden was momentarily taken aback. "Why would the Barbarians seek to devour our souls?"

"Because the Wretched, and even the Desolate Race, are mostly formed from the erosion of sentient beings, once they devour a large number of our kind with spiritual awareness, it will allow them to regain a measure of their intellect."

Following the call within their hearts, since time immemorial, they have periodically unleashed the Desolation Calamity upon our Great Desolate Ancient Realm.

"The birth of each Desolate Calamity has always stemmed from this."

The elder spoke unhurriedly, finally striking his staff upon the ground. "The power of the Divine Jade is nearly depleted. This is no place to linger—we must return to the Great Barren Ancient Realm at once."

Upon hearing this, the cultivators aboard the ancient vessel immediately began steering it deeper into the chaos.

Meanwhile, another group began dissecting the Chaos Leviathan, processing their greatest harvest from this expedition.

Though the beast-skin girl was lovely and charming, she picked up a giant axe and began dismembering the colossal whale. After what felt like an eternity of cutting, she suddenly felt her blade strike something unusual and exclaimed in surprise.

"Eldest Brother, come quickly! There's someone here."

A crowd hurried forward, hastily lifting a living creature from the whale's belly. The moment they clearly saw its features, their faces abruptly shifted with shock.

He was a man of unparalleled elegance, tall and straight, clad in golden battle armor. His form was etched with countless scars from blades, spears, and halberds, yet his countenance remained 1 of rare and transcendent grace.

The Wildfolk!

The group of burly men instantly paled, immediately summoning their blades and spears as they sought to cut down the man where he stood.

"Hold it."

But at that very moment, the elder priest stopped them. After examining it with an extremely grave expression for a long while, he spoke solemnly: "This is no wasteland dweller."

He carried no aura of desolation, likely a person from beyond the realms who had inadvertently fallen into the Barren Sea.

"Outsider?"

The young lady was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "The Outer Realms—what kind of place is that?"

The old shaman shook his head and sighed, "Legend tells of other ancient realms beyond the Great Desolate Ancient Realm, adrift within the vast chaotic sea."

Within the Chaotic Barren Sea, ancient realms would occasionally take form, capable of nurturing innate divine beings born with profound spiritual wisdom.

"Alas, the Barren Sea is boundless and infinite, its desolate power treacherous and unfathomable. Once the ancient realm takes form, a single chaotic tidal wave would suffice to shatter such a world into oblivion."

When the world finally shattered and the forces of desolation took hold, these living beings would transform into the Desolate Race and the Chaos Desolate Beasts.

"Yet a rare few possessed a certain resistance to the power of desolation, allowing them to temporarily retain their consciousness."

Hearing this, the young woman couldn't help but look at Eldrin with pity in her eyes. "He's covered in wounds," she said compassionately. "He must have been attacked by countless desolate tribes."

"If he's not from the Barbarian Race, let's save him, Elder Shaman."

The old shaman said nothing more, his gaze lingering on Eldrin for a long while. Yet in the span of a breath, his pupils abruptly contracted.

He seemed to have discerned something, and finally took a deep breath before saying, "Then take it back with us."

It was not long after being rescued that Eldrin gradually awakened from his deep slumber, sensing the changes in the outside world.

"This is..."

The moment Eldrin awoke, his gaze tightened imperceptibly.

He first examined his own condition and found that the Chaos God Form within him had been worn away by more than half, while his injuries had also recovered considerably.

"The Great Dao Divine Form had been mostly eroded, and his injuries had also recovered significantly."

"If I don't agitate the injuries within my body, I should be able to unleash 30 percent of my combat prowess."

Eldrin murmured inwardly, allowing himself a slight sigh of relief.

With his current strength, even if he could only unleash 30 percent of his power, it would be enough to suppress an ordinary early-stage Primordial Chaos Emperor.

Coupled with the defense of the Unbroken Battle Attire, his safety finally gained a modicum of assurance.

After checking his own condition, Eldrin observed his surroundings and discovered he was residing within a chamber.

Yet within this chamber, there were no arrays or seals to be found, suggesting it was not a place of danger.

His gaze flickered slightly as he immediately rose and extended his divine sense outward. After observing the ancient ship’s condition and combining it with his own deductions, he quickly grasped his current situation.

An ancient vessel forged from the bones of a Primordial Chaos Godfiend, crafted through exceedingly crude methods. It appeared to have endured prolonged warfare, leaving the archaic ship severely battered and broken.

"The state of this ancient vessel is likely no more than 30 percent of its prime."

In the flicker of a thought, a glimmer of curiosity stirred within Eldrin.

From his discerning perspective, this vessel forged from the bones of a Chaos Emperor realm expert logically implied the involvement of at least 1 supreme powerhouse of that level.

With such formidable resources, restoring an ancient vessel of the Chaos Immortal Emperor level should pose no significant difficulty.

Yet why did this entire ancient vessel give him a sense of dilapidation, as if it had long fallen into disrepair.

It appeared to be a group of Great Luo Golden Immortals with modest cultivation levels, who had haphazardly pieced together the skeletal frame of a Primordial Chaos Ship, barely managing to assemble a crude version of a Chaos Ancient Vessel.

"To dare cross the Chaotic Desolate Sea in such a dilapidated ancient vessel—these people truly have a death wish."

Eldrin's thoughts wavered, but before he could ponder further, the door creaked open. A young woman clad in beast pelts stepped across the threshold.

The moment she pushed the door open, the young girl saw that Eldrin had awakened. Unable to contain her delight, she exclaimed, "High Priest Grandpa! High Priest Grandpa! He's awake..."

Eldrin (Person Name) froze momentarily, swallowing the questions he wished to ask as he settled into silent anticipation.

Soon, the old man clad in beast-skin robes entered the chamber. After casting a glance at Eldrin, he inquired with a gentle smile, "You’re awake."

Eldrin (Person Name) nodded slightly and rose to his feet, expressing his gratitude, "My sincere thanks for your life-saving grace."

"You should thank me, for I was the first to discover you."

The beast-skin-clad girl’s eyes gleamed as she scrutinized Eldrin and remarked, “Are all outsiders as striking as you?”

"Ah Man, mind your manners."

The old man scolded the young girl before turning to Eldrin (Person Name) and saying, "It’s good that you’ve awakened. I can see you’re still injured—you should sit down first."

Eldrin gave a slight nod, waiting until the old man had taken his seat before settling himself beside him.

He observed them briefly and noted that the young woman’s cultivation seemed to have just entered the Great Luo Realm, while the old man’s cultivation had reached the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal stage.

However, the cultivation methods practiced by the 2 were rather unique, seemingly diverging from the mainstream Path of Palm Dao, instead embodying the approach of attaining sainthood through physical cultivation.

However, this method of achieving sainthood through physical cultivation was rather unique, differing in certain aspects from mainstream approaches to physical sanctification.

Eldrin could faintly sense that the path they cultivated was not the bloodline art of physical ascension to sainthood, but another form of power—cruder and far more domineering.

"A unique path to physical apotheosis?"

Eldrin's thoughts flickered briefly before he suppressed them once more.

Just then, the old man gestured for the young woman to withdraw before turning his gaze solely to Eldrin and inquiring, "How fares your injury?"

"Thanks to your assistance, I have recovered quite a bit."

Eldrin smiled faintly and spoke with serene composure.

The Elder Priest nodded, carefully studying Eldrin for a moment before inquiring, "I observe that your physical form is extraordinary—seemingly far surpassing even that Chaos Leviathan. How is it that you were devoured by such a creature?"

"Could it be that they were attacked by the Chaos Desolate Tribe?"

The Desolate Tribe?

A faint glimmer flickered in Eldrin's (Person Name) eyes before he spoke candidly, "To be frank, the reason I fell into the Chaotic Abyssal Sea was because I was being pursued by enemies."

"I know very little about the Chaos Desolate Race. What exactly is this Desolate Race?"

"And where, pray tell, is this stretch of land we now find ourselves in?"

The Elder Shaman was momentarily taken aback before speaking, "We are all descendants of the Great Wilderness, dwelling within the Ancient Realm of the Great Wilderness."

"This place, the Primordial Chaos Sea, lies approximately 3 Desolate Marches south of the Great Desolate Ancient Realm."

Eldrin listened quietly, quickly grasping some of the information before him.

The Great Desolate Ancient Realm had a long and storied history, having once been a highly prosperous primordial domain. Not only did it host a multitude of innate deities, but it also housed countless Great Luo Golden Immortals and Chaos Origin Emperors.

However, during the ancient times, the Great Barren Ancient Realm suffered a terrible calamity, causing the entire world to fall into decay and its cosmic rank to plummet.

As the Great Barren Ancient Realm's rank declined, rendering it unable to withstand the corrosive power of the Chaotic Desolate Sea, the realm's paramount experts joined forces to forge 2 supreme ancient ships, carrying high-level immortals as they fled far into the Chaotic Sea.

Meanwhile, those Great Luo Golden Immortals whose strength was insufficient or who were reluctant to leave their homeland chose to remain in the Great Wilderness Ancient Realm as its guardians, eventually becoming the present-day Descendants of the Great Wilderness.

The elder shaman before him was 1 of them, having lived through tens of thousands of kalpas and now standing as 1 of the Pillars of Heaven in the Great Desolate Ancient Realm.

Alas, due to the Great Desolate Ancient Realm being fractured and depleted, its resources had long been taken by those who departed in ages past. Thus, even now, his cultivation remained stagnant, perpetually trapped at the Great Perfection stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

As for the wasteland mile mentioned by the old shaman, it was the most commonly used unit of measurement in the Chaotic Abyssal Sea.

And the span of 1 Desolate Path is the distance a Grand Luo Golden Immortal in the early stage could cover, flying at full speed through the chaotic Desolate Sea for 1,000,000 years.

After digesting this information, a trace of bewilderment surfaced on Eldrin's face.

He turned to the old priest and couldn't help but ask, "I'm rather curious—since the Great Barren Ancient Realm has already been shattered, how can it still withstand the erosion of the Chaotic Desolate Sea?"

"Moreover, how were you able to traverse the Primordial Chaos Desolate Sea?"

The elder priest's expression shifted slightly at these words, a trace of frost creeping into his demeanor.

Eldrin realized he had asked something inappropriate and promptly apologized, "My apologies, that was presumptuous of me."

The Elder Priest said no more, rising to his feet as he declared, "The Primordial Chaos Desolation Tribulation approaches. For the next kalpa, the Sea of Primordial Chaos shall be fraught with unparalleled peril."

"Given your injuries, I shall not drive you away. Once the Desolate Calamity has passed, you must leave of your own accord."

With those final words, the old priest rose and vanished from the chamber.

After the old man departed, a faint glimmer stirred in Eldrin’s eyes. He understood, more or less, that in the eyes of these people, the secret to resisting the power of desolation was far more crucial than the history of the Great Barren Ancient Realm.

After all, the Great Desolate Ancient Realm was now broken and dilapidated, holding nothing worthy of others' envy.

An artifact capable of withstanding the Primordial Chaos Sea was their key to survival, so they dared not be the slightest bit negligent.

At this thought, Eldrin withdrew his focus and turned his gaze toward the ancient jade piece at the center of the archaic vessel.

But the ancient jade emanated a profound and mystical power, actually driving the desolate force beyond the ancient ship's boundaries.

"The divine jade capable of repelling the power of desolation... such formidable might..."

Eldrin (Person Name) furrowed his brow slightly, a trace of astonishment in his tone. "Such remarkably pure soul force—could this be some kind of supreme soul treasure?"

After a moment of astonishment, Eldrin suppressed the thought.

Capable of resisting the power of desolation. If this truly is a soul treasure of some kind, then for those who cultivate the Primordial Spirit to prove their Dao, it would likely be an invaluable treasure beyond price.

However, Eldrin had been rescued by these Great Wilderness survivors, so naturally he would not repay their kindness with betrayal.

He set aside his thoughts and remained within the ancient vessel, beginning to restore his injuries.

3 Desolate Roads' distance was considered quite vast among the 7 Domains of the Southern Abyss.

Navigating through the Chaotic Desolate Sea, Eldrin discovered that within such a vast expanse, there were almost no living creatures to be found.

This sent a chill down Eldrin’s spine, making him all the more aware of the terrifying nature of the Chaotic Barren Sea.

The desolate power of the Chaotic Barren Sea was far too terrifying. Here, almost no vegetation could grow, and it was nearly impossible to nurture any living beings.

Only those primordial behemoths whose cultivation has reached the level of Ancient Immortals or Great Luo Golden Immortals can survive within the Primordial Chaos Desolate Sea.

These primordial behemoths all congregated around the Chaos Nest, rarely wandering through the desolate expanse of the primordial chaos.

It was precisely for this reason that these Great Wilderness descendants were so exhilarated after hunting down the Chaos Leviathan.

For if they failed to hunt enough prey, they would be forced to venture into the perilous domains where Chaos Nests lurked.

Deep within the Chaotic Barren Sea, all Chaotic Nests are conceived by the womb of the Chaotic Realm Sea, thus they exist in clustered multitudes.

Often, a single Chaos Nest would harbor tens of thousands of these creatures, among which were even powerful ancient Chaos Beasts at the Chaos Origin Emperor level. For the Great Wilderness survivors, venturing into such places was nothing short of seeking death.

Time slipped swiftly by as Eldrin tended to his wounds and observed his surroundings. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of thousands of years had passed.

"We're home, we're home."

On this day, amid the cheers of the beast-skin clad maiden, the Primordial Chaos Ancient Vessel finally drew near the Great Desolate Ancient Realm.

Eldrin stood at the prow of the ship, watching as the Primordial Chaos Ancient Vessel cut through the vast expanse of the desolate chaotic sea. Before he knew it, they had reached their destination—a fragmented ancient realm at the edge of the void.

It was a vast and boundless ancient realm, its diameter a 100 times greater than any immortal domain Eldrin (Person Name) had ever beheld.

In comparison, the vast expanse of the Abyssal Immortal Realm seemed no larger than a sesame seed beside a watermelon.

Yet Eldrin furrowed his brow slightly, a trace of regret flickering in his expression.

You must understand, a primordial immortal realm’s diameter is not merely a 1000 or 10 1000 times larger than that of an ordinary immortal realm. Yet, this Great Desolate Ancient Realm has been reduced to such a limited expanse—clear evidence that its rank has fallen to an exceedingly feeble state.

"The core essence of this primordial realm appears to have been drained by some external force, causing the world's tier to plummet."

Eldrin's brow furrowed slightly, a trace of frost flashing between his eyebrows.

Whether it be a primordial immortal realm or a common immortal domain, their essence can generally be harnessed.

However, across the 7 realms of the Southern Abyss, all major powers exercise extreme caution regarding the essence of immortal domains and primordial realms. Should excessive essence be extracted, it would inevitably cause the world's tier to degrade.

Generally speaking, even as a ruler of the immortal realm, 1 would at most consume a small portion of the World Origin Essence at once before quietly waiting for it to recover.

The Great Desolate Ancient Realm before them had not only been stripped of all its origin essence, but had also exhausted its future potential, causing its world rank to plummet completely.

"They drained the very essence of an entire primordial realm—what a ruthless method."

Eldrin murmured inwardly, a trace of solemnity flickering deep within his gaze.

The Primordial Domain possesses an exceedingly high level of innate hierarchy. Theoretically, even the weakest Primordial Domain is capable of nurturing a single Chaos Celestial Emperor.

Once a Primal Domain gives birth to a Chaos Heavenly Emperor, that single Chaos Heavenly Emperor, personally wielding the domain's heavenly laws, would fear nothing even when facing several Chaos Heavenly Emperors.

Yet without ascending to the Chaos Heavenly Emperor realm, merely 2 or 3 Chaos Heavenly Emperors joining forces would suffice to breach the World Membrane and extract the Primordial Chaos Qi and myriad opportunities contained within.

Even if he did this, in Eldrin's eyes, it was merely the law of the jungle—nothing more needed to be said.

However, the other party not only took the Chaos Primordial Qi, but also drained the foundational power of a Primal Domain, exhausting all the potential of this primal realm. Their methods were truly ruthless.

"Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs—this hardly befits the righteous path."

Flashes of thought crossed Eldrin's mind as the ancient vessel arrived at the Great Desolate Ancient Realm.

"Alas, A'man is going home."

As soon as the Primordial Chaos Ancient Ship docked, Ah Man let out an exclamation of delight and stepped excitedly into the Great Desolate Ancient Realm.

Eldrin (Person Name) looked up and saw countless denizens of the Great Wastes within the Ancient Realm gazing into the distance with eager anticipation, as if they had been waiting for a long time.

These Great Wilderness descendants were neither numerous nor highly advanced in cultivation. Most were at the Earth Immortal or Celestial Immortal level, all having embarked on that unique path of physical ascension through bodily refinement.

Perhaps because this place was particularly suited for cultivating the Art of Fleshly Sanctification, their physical bodies seemed exceptionally resilient, granting them greater resistance to the Chaos Desolate Sea.

Some cultivators at the Ancient Immortal Realm could directly step into the Primordial Chaos Abyss, enduring the scouring of the Chaos Sea waters.

If not for the Desolate Withering Force corroding their physical bodies, they would likely have been able to wander briefly within the Chaotic Desolate Sea.

"This unique method of achieving sainthood through physical cultivation truly possesses extraordinary merits."

"It seems I must also find a way to earn their trust when the opportunity arises."

Eldrin pondered this as he followed the crowd onto the Great Barren Ancient Realm.

After arriving in the Great Desolate Ancient Realm, Eldrin was arranged by the elder shaman to recuperate within its borders. However, due to his unique identity, he was merely placed at the fringes of the Great Desolate Ancient Realm.

Fortunately, these Great Wilderness descendants were simple and honest by nature, imposing no harsh restrictions upon him. Aside from forbidding him from approaching the core sanctum of the Great Wilderness Ancient Realm, they placed no limitations on his movements elsewhere.

(End of Chapter)