Chapter 2041 : Soul Slave of the Great Emperor

The Blood Sea Divine Sword was forged from a single block of Blood Sea Divine Crystal, an ultimate primordial treasure that treads the line between righteousness and wickedness. As the Blood Sea Emperor swung the blade, its vast sword aura surged forth like an endless crimson tide.

This sword brimmed with boundless bloodlust, capable of devouring flesh, blood, and bones. Its power was exceptionally domineering—even a Great Emperor facing this strike would risk severe injury or annihilation.

Eldrin was already under immense pressure, holding his own against the siege of 5 Emperor Soul Puppets. Now, facing the relentless assaults of the Blood Sea Emperor, he found himself in grave peril.

Fortunately, the Abyssal Divine Runes and the Black Tortoise Shield proved truly extraordinary. Despite the relentless assaults from these formidable foes, Eldrin (Person Name) managed to continuously withstand them, remaining unvanquished throughout.

The Blood Sea Patriarch had been attacking relentlessly for over 10 million years, yet he found himself utterly incapable of suppressing or severely injuring Eldrin (Person Name). He could not even successfully seal him away. Gradually, a sense of desperation began to consume him.

"How is it possible you survived? Just how many divine defense runes have you cultivated?"

Soul-Refining Ancestor was encountering such an opponent for the first time. He repeatedly attempted to suppress Eldrin (Person Name), only to discover a hazy, chaotic light shimmering around Eldrin (Person Name) that inexplicably defied all forms of sealing.

As his thoughts wavered, Soul Refining Elder suddenly recalled something and exclaimed in utter astonishment, "The Divine Spirit Sigils you've cultivated—could they be the Sigils of Primordial Chaos?"

"Hmph."

Eldrin did not reply, merely sneering coldly to buy time.

Everyone present was startled. Though they had never seen a Chaos God Rune, they had heard of the formidable reputation of the Ultimate God Runes.

Observing the situation, the Soul-Refining Ancestor declared with unwavering resolve, "He has mastered the ultimate divine patterns. Even if we join forces, we cannot kill him."

"Leave him be. Let us first break the grand formation and capture Immortal Venerable Eldrin."

The Blood Sea Patriarch was well aware of this. Without hesitation, he summoned a colossal sea of blood that blotted out the heavens, intent on completely obliterating the formation.

At that very moment, 5 figures emerged 1 after another from the grand formation.

The 5 individuals were none other than the Eternal Emperor, the Sword Abyss Emperor, along with the 3 great emperors: Tai Ming, Tribulation Radiance, and Azure Firmament.

Thus, among these 5 great emperors, all but the Emperor of Calamitous Light wielded a Primordial Supreme Treasure.

They rode upon their innate spiritual treasures, cutting through the skies to intercept the Blood Sea Emperor, then said to Eldrin, "Leave Him to us."

Eldrin nodded slightly. Among these 5 individuals, 4 were Great Emperors wielding innate divine treasures. Their combined combat prowess was nearly equivalent to 8 or 9 Great Emperors.

With such strength, dealing with the Blood Sea Emperor would be more than sufficient. However, according to Eldrin's (Person Name) estimation, it would still be difficult for them to truly defeat the Blood Sea Emperor.

Since the Blood Sea Emperor's vitality rivaled that of a Demi-Sage, dealing with him was anything but easy.

Fortunately, with the assistance of the 5, Eldrin could devote himself entirely to confronting the Soul-Refining Emperor.

The Soul-Refining Emperor could simultaneously command 5 soul slaves, his power surpassing even that of the Invincible Emperor by a considerable margin.

At this moment, 5 Emperor-Realm Soul Slaves tore through the heavens 1 after another, seeking to completely breach the grand formation. Yet each was intercepted by Eldrin.

Eldrin rode upon the Returning Abyss Seal, which transformed into a Chaos Heavenly Halberd, the paired Li Fire Swords, a Soaring Immortal Zither, the Earth Dominion Sovereign Bell, the Immortal-Suppressing Cauldron, and other supreme treasures. He battled fiercely against the 5 Soul Puppets, yet found himself unable to subdue them despite the flurry of exchanges.

Amidst the fierce battle, Eldrin keenly observed that the soul slaves possessed remarkably weak primordial spirits—far weaker than those of a Great Emperor-level expert.

In the blink of an eye, Eldrin grasped the full picture—these soul slaves were manifestations of the Chaos Barbarian Emperor, whose primordial spirit had always been significantly weaker than that of humans.

To prevent them from turning against him, the Soul Refining Emperor continuously drained their primordial spirit power, causing these chaotic primordial spirits to become far weaker than emperors of the same realm.

"With such feeble souls, if I were to activate the Book of Human Souls, I could undoubtedly render them combat-ineffective for a period of time."

Eldrin's mind raced, and a plan swiftly took shape.

However, he did not immediately take action. Instead, he assumed a defensive stance, continuously thwarting the 5 soul puppets of the Soul Refining Emperor.

The ensuing great battle, on the whole, descended into a stalemate.

They were forced into constant retreat, yet frequently launched counterattacks against Soul Refining and Blood Sea.

The Blood Sea Emperor and the Soul Refining Emperor held only a modest advantage, yet they managed to divert a portion of their residual strength—even leveraging the shockwaves of the great battle to dismantle the formation.

Overall, the Primordial Undying Realm was steadily losing ground. 1 defensive formation after another was breached and destroyed, the battle lines slowly advancing toward the secluded meditation abode of the Undying Ancient 1.

Yet the Indestructible Primordial Realm was truly extraordinary. Along the way, they encountered numerous killer formations at the Great Emperor level. A single such formation could hold off the 2 of them for several kalpas.

Such a great war, in the blink of an eye, had already lasted for dozens of kalpas.

Until this day, every formation laid by the Primordial Undying Realm had been dismantled, leaving only the final Chaos Slaughter Array shrouding the Undying Celestial Palace.

This was a supreme formation of the Quasi-Sage level, personally arranged by Immortal Venerable Undying using a Quasi-Sage grade formation disk he had procured. It served as the final defensive perimeter guarding his secluded cultivation sanctuary.

Such a quasi-saint-level defensive formation showed not the slightest sign of shattering despite facing the frenzied assaults of 2 invincible Great Emperors.

"Damn it, this old man's turtle shell is truly troublesome."

Seeing that the final Indestructible Grand Formation remained unbreached, the Blood Sea Emperor revealed a look of unparalleled fury.

He turned his gaze toward the Soul-Refining Great Emperor and could not help but utter, "Fellow Daoist, you once claimed to possess the means to break this formation. Now is the time for you to demonstrate."

Soul-Refining Emperor chuckled softly before speaking. "No need to rush. It will be ready in moments."

As the words fell, Soul-Refining Great Emperor continuously formed hand seals, causing heaven and earth to tremble violently. 1 after another, black patterns emerged across the sky.

Countless black patterns spread across the heavens and earth, shrouding the entire Immortal Primordial Domain like grotesque scars.

"Damn, this is the Demonic Path's blood sacrifice ritual!"

Great Emperor Tai Ming’s expression shifted wildly as he couldn’t help but exclaim, “He intends to sacrifice the entire Eternal Primordial Domain in order to break through to the Great Emperor realm.”

Given his current level of cultivation, success remained beyond his grasp.

Eldrin perceived something, his expression calm as he spoke.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Given the stature of the Primordial Domain of Imperishability, even with the Heavenly Dao now fallen into slumber, it was utterly impossible for a mere Great Emperor to sacrifice it.

Even if the Blood Sea Great Emperor sacrificed all living beings, he only offered up the myriad creatures of heaven and earth, not the very fabric of this realm's cosmos.

Of course, the reason Eldrin remained so composed was that he and the Undying Elder had long since detected the demonic array patterns woven throughout heaven and earth, and had already devised countermeasures.

In truth, the moment he discovered these demonic formation patterns, the Blood Sea Great Emperor couldn’t help but feel unsettled.

With a grave expression, he stared at Soul-Refining Emperor and spoke with uncontrollable fury, "So you truly intend to sacrifice all of creation. It seems my decision to banish you back then was indeed justified."

"Fellow Daoist, your words are mistaken."

"Soul-Refining Emperor spoke, a strange smile twisting his features: 'As we agreed—after successfully striking a heavy blow against the Heavenly Dao, we shall jointly offer the blood sacrifice of all living beings.'"

"You take the blood of all living beings, and I refine the souls of all living beings. By then, both of us shall have a chance to reach the quasi-sage realm."

"But after breaking through to the Quasi-Sage realm, do you not wish to advance even further?"

The Soul-Refining Emperor spoke with persuasive guidance, a flicker of greed gleaming in his eyes. "This is a primordial domain. If we can completely sacrifice it, perhaps both of us may glimpse the realm of the Chaos Demon Sovereign."

Chaos Realm.

Upon hearing this, the Blood Sea Emperor’s expression flickered with a trace of greed, his gaze growing increasingly sinister and venomous.

He gazed at the secluded cultivation chamber of Elder Bumie and finally sneered, "Indeed, if we could suppress Elder Bumie and obtain the legacy treasures he has hoarded for countless years..."

"By sacrificing the opportunity of a Primordial Domain, you and I might truly have a chance to reach the Demon Lord realm."

"In that case, let us act swiftly."

As the words fell, the Blood Sea Emperor and the Soul Refining Emperor unleashed their full power, activating the demonic array patterns between heaven and earth.

These demonic array runes continuously corroded the Indestructible Celestial Palace's grand formation, shaking the foundations of this Demi-Saint level array.

"Not good."

Emperor Qingxiao’s face paled drastically, and he could not help but exclaim, “The power of the grand formation has weakened. I fear it can no longer hold them off.”

"Hold out for as long as we can."

Eldrin (Person Name) declared resolutely, his gaze sweeping across the Hall of Eternal Heaven.

By now, over 40 kalpas had passed since the Eternal Elder began his seclusion, and the day of his emergence was drawing near.

With this thought in mind, he immediately channeled all his power into reinforcing the formation, determined to buy as much time as possible.

"Ha ha ha."

As the formation teetered on the verge of collapse, the Blood Sea Emperor let out a sinister chuckle, "Let's see how much longer you can hold out."

As his voice faded, he rode the Blood Sea Divine Sword, tearing through the heavens as he descended with overwhelming divine might upon the grand formation.

Refining Soul Ancestor also unleashed his full power. Not only did he brandish the Banner of 10 1000 Souls to assail the formation, but he also summoned his innate supreme treasure—the Taiheng Cauldron—releasing overwhelming immortal flames to incinerate the defensive arrays.

Thus time flew by, and no 1 knew how long it had passed before the grand formation could ultimately hold out no longer, collapsing with a thunderous crash.

"Charge in and kill them all."

Seeing the formation shattered, Soul Refining Elder immediately activated the 5 Soul Puppets, charging deep into the Eternal Celestial Palace.

Unexpectedly, Eldrin (Person Name) directly ahead showed no intention of intervening whatsoever.

"Not good."

The expressions of the Great Emperors present shifted slightly. Though they wished to intervene, it was already too late.

Just as the Soul Refining Elder was about to succeed, a trace of delight flickered across his face. He was ready to unleash a sinister laugh, but the smile abruptly froze on his lips.

Boom—

But within the Immortal Palace of Eternity, the void abruptly congealed, followed immediately by a violent shockwave that erupted, instantly hurling all 5 Soul Slaves hurtling backward.

Then, a majestic and imposing man clad in armor tore through the firmament, appearing at the very center of the heavens.

The newcomer was none other than Immortal Venerable No-Decay. His gaze swept coldly over the assembled crowd as he spoke, "Foolish disciple, how does it feel to fail at the final moment?"

"Whoosh—"

The Blood Sea Emperor instantly transformed into a crimson streak of light, soaring into the sky as he fled beyond the boundaries of the Primordial Undying Realm.

But Elder Bu Mie smiled, his gaze turning as cold as ice as he said, "Thinking of fleeing now? I'm afraid it's already too late."

As his voice fell, he manifested a colossal hand that blotted out the skies, striking the Blood Sea Emperor with such force that the latter coughed blood and was sent flying—a move that arrived later yet struck first.

At the same time, the Soul Refining Great Emperor also sensed the impending danger and immediately sought to flee beyond the boundaries of the Indestructible Primordial Realm.

But at that very moment, 7 figures emerged before him. Working in unison, they deployed the Threefold 4 Symbols Grand Formation, completely sealing off Soul-Refining Emperor's escape routes.

"Just a few measly Eighth Level Chaos cultivators dare to stand in my way?"

As the words fell, the 5 Soul Slaves of the Soul Refining Emperor soared into the air, charging toward the 5 array masters.

These 5 Soul Puppets were all Great Emperors of the Primordial Tribe. Though the 3 Talents and 4 Symbols Formation deployed by the 3 emperors was extraordinary, their cultivation realms were ultimately insufficient—it was unlikely they could withstand such an assault.

Yet in that very instant, an ancient and weathered scripture unfurled across the heavens and the earth.

It radiated hundreds of millions of golden ancient characters, countless golden lights blotted out the sky and sun, flooding into the minds of the 5 Soul Slaves. Instantly, agonizing wails erupted from the 5 Soul Slaves.

"Ah—"

5 Great Emperor realm experts trembled violently, clutching their heads as they let out agonized wails, instantly rendered completely combat-ineffective.

Deprived of the aid from his 5 Soul Puppets, the Soul-Refining Emperor was caught off guard and trapped within the formation. For a time, he charged left and right, yet found it unexpectedly difficult to break free from the grand array completely.

"Join forces to suppress It."

Eldrin (Person Name) channeled all his power into the Soul Tome to suppress the Soul Puppet, gesturing for the others to subdue the Soul-Refining Great Emperor.

The Immortal Venerable, the Sword Abyss Venerable, along with the 3 Venerables—Tai Ming, Jie Guang, and Qing Xiao—all joined the fray without hesitation, charging into the formation to confront the Soul Refining Venerable.

The Soul-Refining Great Emperor pursued the path of divinity through primordial spirit cultivation, having mastered 5 true spirit apertures. Though revered as 1 of the invincible Great Emperors second only to Paramount Sages, 80 percent of his combat prowess resided in his 5 Soul Puppets.

Now bereft of the Soul Slave's aid, he was quickly overwhelmed under the siege of 5 Great Emperors, forced into relentless retreat. Before long, he suffered successive devastating blows.

"Bzzz—"

Just as the Soul Refining Emperor was severely wounded, the Undying Old Man finally returned from the chaos.

He held a sea of blood in his palm, calmly glanced at the Soul Refining Emperor, then suppressed him completely with a flick of his finger.

Curious.

Eldrin (Person Name) took a deep breath, once again comprehending the formidable power of a Demi-Saint.

Even though the Soul Refining Emperor was severely wounded, suppressing a powerful emperor with a mere snap of his fingers was still an utterly astonishing feat.

In this moment, Eldrin finally understood the vast chasm between a Great Emperor and a Demi-Sage.

Previously, he had believed that cultivating the forms of the 7 great true spirits and achieving the ability to contend against 10 opponents of the same realm would suffice to confront a Demi-Saint. Yet now, it appeared there remained a vast chasm between the 2.

1 who has mastered the forms of the 7 great True Spirit Divinities, though capable of confronting 10 Sage-Ascendants, would likely need to exert their full strength in a decisive battle.

For a Demi-Sage, suppressing a newly-ascended Great Emperor required but a single move. Even if 10 Great Emperors joined forces, it would merely demand slightly more effort.

For there was now a qualitative chasm between them. When a Demi-Saint could defeat an Emperor with a single move, numbers ceased to matter—whether it was 10 Emperors or a 100, the outcome remained unchanged.

Only by reaching the level of Invincible Great Emperor, whose combat prowess surpasses that of ordinary Great Emperors by several tiers and can withstand attacks from Quasi-Sages, would such numbers hold any meaningful significance.

However, for an Invincible Great Emperor to contend against a Quasi-Saint, it would require at least 5 such emperors joining forces to even stand a chance in battle. Only with 10 Invincible Great Emperors united could they hope to ensure their own survival.

The reason why cultivating the 7 great True Spirit manifestations could rival that of a Quasi-Sage was that their power had drawn remarkably close—reaching approximately 60 to 70 percent of a Quasi-Sage’s level.

An existence of this level was already worthy of a full-force battle from a Demi-Saint. If 2 or 3 such beings could be gathered, they might even be able to confront a Demi-Saint head-on.

"The Demi-Sage truly lives up to being 1 who commands the Great Dao, no longer belonging to the same realm as the Great Emperors."

Eldrin murmured inwardly, his gaze finally settling on the Undying Elder. He cupped his hands in a respectful salute and said, "Congratulations, Senior. With this nirvana-like rebirth, you have once again set foot in the Demi-Saint Realm."

"To be reborn through such tribulation—it seems the realm of the Heavenly Emperor is within reach."

The Elder of Immortality shook his head and suppressed 5 more Soul Puppets before finally leading the group into the grand hall.

After everyone was seated, Elder Bukuai looked at Eldrin and said with a bitter smile, "This reflects poorly on our sect. I have failed in my guidance, forcing you to witness such disgrace."

"Every man has his own ambition; this matter cannot be blamed on you, Elder."

Eldrin shook his head and offered words of comfort on behalf of the Undying Elder.

The Eternal Elder nodded slightly before turning to inquire about the status of the 3 great emperors: Tai Ming, Qing Xiao, and Jie Guang.

After confirming that the 3 had only minor injuries, he bestowed upon them a few medicinal pills and said, "I have matters to discuss with our distinguished guest. You may withdraw to tend to your wounds."

Yes.

Upon hearing this, the 3 Great Emperors departed with utmost reverence.

After the 3 had departed, Elder Bumie turned to Eldrin (Person Name) and spoke courteously, "My revival this time is all thanks to your assistance, Fellow Daoist."

"Now I rely entirely on you, fellow Daoist, to fend off my rebellious disciple and that soul-refining scoundrel. 1 could say this old man owes you a celestial favor."

"Such profound gratitude cannot be fully repaid with merely the Indestructible Battle Garb and the Black Tortoise Armor."

"Is there anything else you desire? Speak plainly to this old man. Within my power, I shall spare no effort to assist you."

Eldrin’s heart stirred, and he spoke, “I wish to witness the legacy of the Soul-Refining Emperor before deciding which treasures to exchange.”

"Very well."

The Undying Elder nodded, retrieved the Soul Refining Emperor’s ancient scripture, and handed it to Eldrin.

Eldrin merely observed for a brief moment before calmly declaring, "I desire the 5 soul slaves of the Soul-Refining Emperor."

The Eternal Elder nodded slightly, stroking his long beard with a faint smile. "Since you cultivate the path of primordial spirit enlightenment, you may indeed concurrently practice this soul-refining secret art and command these 5 soul thralls."

With these words, the Undying Elder handed over 5 Soul Servants to Eldrin (Person Name).

After completing all this, Elder Bumie spoke once more: "There are still 3 Primordial Chaos Treasures—the Banner of 10 1000 Souls, the Taiheng Crucible, and the Divine Sword of the Blood Sea."

"Of these 3 supreme treasures, I shall bestow 2 upon you."

As he spoke thus, the Undying Elder tossed the Taiheng Crucible and the Blood Sea Divine Sword to Eldrin (Person Name), then declared, "This Banner of 10 1000 Souls is a supreme treasure of the demonic path, its power ranking first among the 3 treasures."

"This old man intends to keep it, to exchange with an old acquaintance for a supreme treasure of healing."

Eldrin felt a stir in his heart. The power of this 10 1000 Soul Banner was immense—it even contained over a 100 malevolent spirits at the Chaos Origin Emperor realm. Clearly, the Soul Refining Emperor had roamed the chaotic desolate seas for countless years to refine it.

The Elder of Immortality likely took this object not to exchange it for ordinary healing treasures.

However, upon careful reflection, this outcome was to be expected. After all, the injuries sustained by Immortal Venerable Bu Mie were extremely severe. Merely relying on arduous cultivation would never be sufficient for him to return to his peak state.

This process demanded the consumption of vast, immeasurable resources, whose value might very well rival that of a Connate Primordial Treasure.

At this thought, Eldrin said nothing more. After all, the Undying Elder had already given him 2 Primordial Treasures—an exceedingly generous gesture.

(End of Chapter)