Chapter 2046 : Late Nascent Soul Stage, Rivaling Demi-Sage

To return to our story, not long after the 2 made their breakthroughs, chaotic nests began to be towed over 1 after another from beyond the Primordial Wilderness.

This continued for nearly 10 kalpas, until they had gathered a total of 800 Maha Nests and over 30 Hunyuan Nests.

Then, the 2 Demi-Sages personally took action, using these Chaos Nests as formation eyes to set up a super formation at the Demi-Sage level.

After setting up the grand formation, they gradually activated it, leveraging the formation's power to assail the World Membrane and deplete the primordial essence of the Great Desolate Ancient Realm.

Seeing this, Eldrin concealed over half of the World Origin, then gradually diminished the density of immortal spiritual energy across the world, feigning severe depletion of the World Origin.

Thus, after merely a dozen or so kalpas had passed, the primordial qi of the Great Desolate Ancient Realm appeared to have been depleted by more than half.

"It is time to break through."

On this day, Eldrin arrived at the heart of the Great Desolate Ancient Realm, sensing the dense primordial power of heaven and earth before communing with the heavenly will governing this tribulation.

"I wish to break through my cultivation, please lend me a hand."

"Agreed."

The Will of the Heavenly Dao spoke, and a wisp of ethereal consciousness granted its promise to Eldrin.

In an instant, the authority of the Heavenly Dao veiled this expanse of void, whereupon the essence of heaven and earth surged wildly, converging upon Eldrin in a frenzied torrent.

Seeing this, Eldrin hastily consumed a Great Barren Sacred Fruit and began his assault on the seventh layer of the Primordial Chaos Body.

Boom—

The moment he swallowed the Great Barren Sacred Fruit, Eldrin felt the bottleneck of his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Body instantly shattered by the fruit's overwhelming power.

Instantly, Eldrin began frantically devouring the primordial energy, and the power of his Chaos Indestructible Body surged with explosive intensity.

Seizing the opportunity, Eldrin immediately began refining the Primordial Qi.

He refined 6 strands of Primordial Inception Qi in 1 breath, integrating them into his Chaos Indestructible Body to unlock the shackles of his physical form and enhance his innate physical potential.

Then, within each True Spirit Divine Rune, he refined 6 strands of Primordial Beginning Qi.

After refining 50-4 strands of Primordial Qi in 1 breath, Eldrin finally dared to sense that his Divine Soul Sigils and physical strength had reached their limits, completing this ultimate metamorphosis.

It is done.

No 1 knew how much time had passed before Eldrin slowly exhaled, then clenched his fist, sensing the power within himself.

After sensing for just a moment, a faint smile surfaced on Eldrin's face.

This breakthrough brought such immense enhancement that Eldrin's physical strength increased by approximately threefold.

Whether it was defensive power, vitality, physical essence, strength, or speed—all had been comprehensively enhanced by approximately threefold.

Such a tremendous enhancement, coupled with the elevation from the 8 Great True Spirit Divine Patterns, propelled Eldrin's foundational physical combat power directly into the domain of the Great Emperor—and a formidable 1 within that realm at that.

Bolstered by the 3 True Spirit manifestations—the White Tiger Sword, the Black Tortoise Shield, and the Ancient Pearl of Life—which amplified his strength, defense, and vitality, Eldrin’s physical combat prowess now transcended the limits of a Great Emperor.

"A power that rivals a Demi-Sage... So this is the strength to challenge a Demi-Sage?"

Eldrin murmured inwardly, a glimmer of delight surfacing in his gaze.

In that moment, Eldrin felt as though his physical combat prowess had completely stepped into a realm rivaling that of a Quasi-Saint.

Such combat prowess was sufficient to rival a Demi-Saint, and could even defeat a dozen or so Great Emperors joining forces.

A Great Emperor who has achieved sainthood through physical cultivation must master the forms of 7 divine spirits to possess combat prowess at this level.

Yet Eldrin had merely stepped into the seventh level of the Primordial Chaos Emperor realm, and he had already entered this domain. It could be said to be exceptionally formidable and astonishing, even to the point of being inconceivable.

After all, the gap in physical foundations between a Seventh-Level Chaos Emperor and the Great Emperor Realm was more than tenfold.

"The reason I was able to achieve this lies primarily in the amplification from the eighth Divine Soul Rune, as well as the sheer power of the Chaos God Rune."

A thought surfaced in Eldrin's mind, and he was once again astounded by the formidable power of the Chaos God Runes.

By cultivating 7 True Spirit Divine Patterns, 1 could amplify their strength approximately ninefold. As for Eldrin, having cultivated 8 True Spirit Divine Patterns, he amplified his physical power sixteenfold.

But even this, at most, could only grant Eldrin strength at the Emperor-level.

The reason Eldrin (Person Name) could wield combat prowess rivaling the 7 Great True Spirit Divine Forms lay primarily in the amplification provided by the Chaos God Rune.

You must understand, an ordinary True Spirit Manifestation can only amplify 1's combat power by 50 to 1 100 percent at most. Even a top-tier True Spirit Manifestation can merely double 1's combat power.

Eldrin, amplified by the Chaos God Runes, witnessed his 3 True Spirit Forms directly evolve into Half-Step Ultimate Forms. His strength, defense, and vitality were all enhanced threefold.

Such a heaven-defying advancement was far more than just a metamorphosis compared to ordinary True Spirit Divine Forms.

An ordinary Great Emperor cultivating a single True Spirit Divine Form would typically achieve only a 70 to 80 percent enhancement in either defense or strength, with the primary source of power stemming from the amplification of divine pattern arrays.

Eldrin (Person Name) had cultivated a True Spirit Divine Form, which could elevate 1 aspect of his combat prowess to threefold its peak capacity. This demonstrated that the Chaos Divine Pattern truly lived up to its reputation as 1 of the ultimate divine patterns.

"The 4 ultimate divine patterns—the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) offers peerless defense, while the Chaos Divine Pattern truly lives up to its name as the foremost auxiliary divine pattern."

"I wonder what kind of heaven-defying power the Rune of Annihilation and the Rune of Spacetime possess?"

Eldrin murmured inwardly, his resolve to master all 4 ultimate divine runes growing ever more resolute.

He slowly exhaled, then assessed his physical combat prowess once more before finally sighing, "What a pity. Future breakthroughs in cultivation likely won't bring such substantial enhancements again."

Eldrin spoke these words, a trace of regret involuntarily surfacing within him.

The True Spirit Form was, after all, merely a power at the Great Emperor level. Although his Half-Step Ultimate Form was formidable, it could only amplify the power of the Great Emperor level by threefold.

Beyond this point, if physical strength surpasses the Great Emperor level, the Divine Form of the True Spirit can still provide enhancement, but the degree of augmentation will gradually diminish until it becomes an integral part of 1's foundational essence.

From then on, when Eldrin (Person Name) broke through to the eighth level of the Primordial Chaos Emperor and even reached the Great Emperor Realm, the amplification from his True Spirit Divine Form would gradually diminish.

By then, Eldrin's physical combat prowess would no longer experience such significant improvement.

Nevertheless, Eldrin estimated that even if he ceased cultivating the True Spirit Divine Patterns and True Spirit Divine Form, merely by breaking through to the eighth level of the Primordial Chaos Emperor, his physical combat prowess would be sufficient to confront—and even defeat—a Demi-Saint in direct combat.

Alas, after breaking through to the late-stage Chaos Origin Emperor realm, each subsequent cultivation breakthrough would demand increasingly protracted periods of time.

Even with Eldrin's abundant resources, it would still take 2 100 kalpas for him to reach the seventh level of the Primordial Chaos Emperor.

Moreover, the physical body of an Eighth-Level Chaos Emperor was more than 3 times stronger than that of a Seventh-Level Chaos Emperor, and the resources consumed for cultivation grew increasingly vast.

Eldrin found himself with no more Chaos God's Nectar in hand, and even the quasi-sage dragon meat was nearly depleted. Securing sufficient resources for his subsequent cultivation had become a pressing concern.

The path of physical sanctification inherently consumed vast resources. Without sufficient cultivation resources in the days to come, it would likely take thousands, even tens of thousands of kalpas to advance any further.

"Alas, having an overly formidable physical foundation can be rather troublesome at times."

Eldrin murmured softly under his breath, then stepped beyond the core of the Great Desolate Ancient Realm, emerging between heaven and earth.

At this moment, the immortal spiritual energy had diminished by 90-9 percent, and the primordial essence of the Great Barren Ancient Realm appeared to have been largely depleted.

"As expected, they will likely make their move soon."

Eldrin (Person Name) spoke slowly, a flicker of killing intent gleaming in his eyes.

Meanwhile, beyond the Great Desolate Ancient Realm, 2 Quasi-Sages and 6 Great Emperors were continuously activating the grand formation, depleting the power of the Great Desolate Ancient Realm.

Witnessing the spiritual energy density of the Great Wilderness Ancient Realm plummet by 90-9 percent, the Great Wilderness Emperor spoke.

"That should be about right."

Necro-Emperor also gave a slight nod. After glancing at the mixed-origin foundations sustaining the grand formation, he stated bluntly, "Indeed. We can delay no longer."

"Even with this Emperor's Ancient Vessel, which can withstand the erosion of the Desolate Sea to some extent."

"But if they delay any longer, they too will be eroded by the power of desolation, risking complete loss of consciousness."

The Great Wilderness Emperor nodded. Grasping the primordial treasure Great Wilderness Emperor Sword, he forcefully tore open a rift in the Great Wilderness Ancient Realm.

2 Great Sub-Sages charged at the forefront, spearheading the assault into the Great Desolate Ancient Realm.

Upon witnessing this, a group of Great Emperors and Primordial Chaos Emperors also charged into the Great Desolate Ancient Realm 1 after another.

Clang—

The instant he charged into the Great Desolate Ancient Realm, the Great Desolate Emperor let out a resounding roar of laughter.

He discovered Eldrin standing atop Tianyang and immediately maneuvered the Great Barren Emperor Sword to strike at Eldrin. With an icy tone, he then spoke.

"Little 1, the essence of heaven and earth is now depleted. Your death qi has arrived."

"Ding—"

But at that very moment, Eldrin flicked his fingers and caught the Great Barren Emperor Sword between them. Despite the raging fury of this innate slaying sword, it couldn't harm him in the slightest.

All eyes turned to see a figure robed in snow-white garments, enveloped by countless strands of grand dao laws, standing at the celestial center like a primordial deity emperor.

"Bzzz—"

In an instant, heaven and earth trembled violently as endless threads of the Heavenly Dao's essence manifested throughout the firmament.

Throughout the entire Great Barren Ancient Realm, the concentration of immortal spiritual energy instantly surged dozens of times, reaching levels comparable to its most glorious peak era.

"This..."

The Great Wilderness Emperor's face changed dramatically as he finally comprehended the situation. With disbelief coloring his words, he uttered, "You feigned weakness, deliberately luring us into this trap."

"Your Great Barren Emperor Sword possesses remarkable power, yet it cannot harm me in the slightest."

Eldrin spoke slowly, flicking his finger to send the Great Barren Emperor Sword flying. In that instant, he channeled the boundless derivation of the Great Dao's laws, teleporting both of them into an endless void.

This was a vast expanse of void, created by Eldrin wielding the authority of the Heavenly Dao to activate the Pearl of Returning Abyss. It was more than sufficient to withstand an ultimate battle at the Quasi-Sage level.

"Here, undisturbed, we can unleash our full might without reservation."

Having completed all these preparations, Eldrin spoke with serene composure.

The Great Wilderness Emperor's face darkened immeasurably as he spoke with grave solemnity, "It seems we have still underestimated you."

"With such cunning and methods, should you be allowed to mature, you would undoubtedly possess the makings of a Heavenly Emperor."

"However, if you intend to use this against us, I'm afraid it's far from sufficient."

"Today, you shall witness what constitutes the true might of a Demi-Sage."

With those final words, the Great Wilderness Emperor surged forth with boundless killing intent, seeking to unleash the Great Wilderness Emperor Sword to suppress and annihilate Eldrin.

Facing such a strike, Eldrin neither dodged nor evaded. With a single palm, he directly seized the Great Barren Emperor Sword, allowing its lethal sword energy to surge and recede, yet it failed to harm him in the slightest.

"I told you long ago, your Great Barren Emperor Sword could not harm me, yet you stubbornly refused to believe it."

Eldrin shook his head, firmly gripping the Great Barren Emperor Sword as he spoke calmly, "Since you don't want it, this Emperor Sword shall be entrusted to me."

"Ah!"

The Great Wilderness Emperor was nearly driven mad with rage. He channeled all his power into the Great Wilderness Emperor's Sword, struggling to break free, while simultaneously commanding a Heavenly Halberd to descend upon Eldrin (Person Name) with crushing force.

That halberd was known as the Great Barren Heaven Halberd, a supremely powerful Primordial Treasure, yet Eldrin remained utterly unmoved.

After breaking through to the eighth level of the Primordial Chaos Emperor, Eldrin's power had reached a level where he could rival a Demi-Saint. Yet his true strength lay not in offensive prowess, but in his astonishing defensive capabilities that defied all worldly comprehension.

With the Divine Runes of the Returning Abyss absorbing damage, Eldrin was nearly immune to attacks at the sub-saint level.

Although the Great Wilderness Emperor possessed extraordinary combat prowess, only by unleashing his ultimate techniques could he possibly inflict minor injuries upon Eldrin (Person Name).

It could be said that the current Eldrin could now disregard the attacks of the vast majority of quasi-saints.

Only a top-tier quasi-sage like the Kirin Ancestor, unleashing their full power at the utmost limit, could possibly inflict severe injuries upon Eldrin.

"You are exceedingly insolent, sir."

At that very moment, Emperor Nie instantly made his move, soaring into the sky while commanding an ancient cauldron—a peerless Primordial Chaos Treasure of incomparable weight.

At this, Eldrin furrowed his brow slightly. While his physical defense was unparalleled, his strength fell just a fraction short.

The cauldron in Nirvana Emperor's hands was thousands of times heavier than an entire Primordial Chaos Immortal Domain. Yet, it proved to be an extreme counter to Eldrin (Person Name), even possessing the potential to completely suppress him.

Witnessing this, Eldrin acted decisively. He channeled the vast power of the Heavenly Dao, manifesting countless divine chains of the Great Path to forge the colossal cauldron.

Then, Eldrin (Person Name) disregarded the attacks of the 2, charging toward the Great Wilderness Emperor with an aura of pure offense and no defense.

This was an earth-shattering, epoch-defining confrontation where Eldrin single-handedly faced 2 opponents, battling so fiercely that even the Great Dao itself crumbled into oblivion.

Driven to the brink of madness by the slaughter, countless divine chains of the Great Dao shattered, while the Great Wilderness Emperor himself descended into near-total frenzy.

"Die!"

The Great Wilderness Emperor let out a world-shaking roar, pushing the 5 divine manifestations of the Great Dao to their limits. He merged them into a single entity—a sword of the Great Dao—and then fused it completely into his Great Wilderness Emperor Sword.

A world-shaking sword cry rang out as the Great Desolation Emperor Sword erupted with dazzling radiance. Breaking free from Eldrin’s grasp at last, it swept toward him with a devastating slash.

Eldrin (Person Name) furrowed his brow slightly, fusing myriad divine forms of the Great Dao into a single, supreme divine form—a realm typically attainable only by the Chaos Heavenly Emperor.

Those who cultivate the 9 True Spirit Forms and then merge them into 1, achieving sainthood through physical refinement, are also capable of this.

Although a Demi-Saint had also mastered the Dao, their insufficient personal strength allowed them to only briefly merge the divine forms of myriad Daos.

And the brief fusion with the divine forms of the Great Dao—this was the ultimate means of wielding the authority of the Dao, capable of unleashing transcendent combat prowess that surpassed 1’s own limits.

At this moment, the Great Wilderness Emperor merged 5 divine forms of the Great Dao, transforming into a sword of the Great Dao that instantly unleashed earth-shattering, razor-sharp radiance.

This sword strike transcended the ultimate principles of the Great Dao, blossoming into a dazzling radiance of eternity.

Where the sword light passed, chaos was torn asunder, heaven and earth disintegrated, and all existence dissolved into nothingness. It even pierced through the devouring power of the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss's divine patterns, inflicting notable injuries upon Eldrin.

Yet that was all it amounted to. The perfection of these mere 5 Great Dao divine forms in his Primordial Dao was insufficient to inflict serious wounds upon Eldrin. All they left behind was a sword scar upon his flesh—neither shallow nor deep.

"All great daos and divine forms merge into 1, manifesting as a peerless sword of the supreme dao. Is this the power of the Singular True Form?"

Eldrin murmured softly, turning his palm to strike upward. The White Tiger Sword of the Divine Spirit merged into his palm, instantly unleashing its ultimate cutting edge.

He unleashed his unparalleled divine power, engaging the Great Wilderness Emperor in close-quarters combat. Every punch and kick carried a razor-sharp force capable of cleaving all creation.

The sharpness of this force was terrifyingly potent. The Great Wilderness Emperor was forced into continuous retreat, his protective mantle of grand dao manifestations beginning to disintegrate. Even his immortal quasi-sage body started to bleed profusely, flesh and blood scattering through the air.

Kill...

Driven to the brink of annihilation, Eldrin unleashed the Dao of Yin-Yang Sacrifice, elevating his combat prowess to an indescribable realm. At last, his offensive power shattered through an ultimate threshold.

In an instant, Eldrin struck with overwhelming force, brutally tearing off 1 of the Great Barren Emperor's arms and inflicting unimaginable devastation upon him.

"Ah—"

The Great Wilderness Emperor let out a wretched scream, ultimately unable to endure any longer.

Channeling all his power, he unleashed the Great Wilderness Emperor's Sword—now fused with the Dao of the Sword—in a devastating slash toward Eldrin. Then, with a mere flick of his sleeve, he summoned a Chaos Divine Talisman, tearing a rift through the void and vanishing in an instant.

At almost the same moment, realizing he could hardly harm Eldrin, the Nether Emperor instantly produced a divine talisman, tore through the void, and vanished.

Eldrin made no move to pursue the departing pair. Ignoring the wound on his palm, he seized the Great Barren Emperor's Sword, suppressing its fierce struggles with unyielding force until it fell completely still.

After suppressing the Great Barren Emperor's Sword, Eldrin finally turned his gaze toward the direction where the 2 had departed, his eyes involuntarily narrowing slightly.

Chaos-Sundering Talisman (Magic Treasure)

Eldrin (Person Name) spoke slowly, revealing the treasure that had allowed the 2 of them to tear through the void.

What could tear through the seal of the Abyssal Pearl and the authority of the Heavenly Dao was certainly no ordinary spatial treasure.

This Chaos Sundering Void Talisman was a primordial talisman of Chaos rank, capable of tearing through the void by disregarding seals at the level of a Chaos Heavenly Emperor. However, it could only be used 3 times.

This treasure is of extraordinary value, crafted only by the Chaos Heavenly Emperor who has mastered the Great Dao of Space. A single piece is worth nearly as much as an Innate Supreme Treasure.

Even though the Great Barren Emperor and the Nether Sovereign were both Quasi-Saints, escaping at such a tremendous cost would surely make their hearts bleed.

At this thought, Eldrin glanced at the severed arm of the Great Wilderness Emperor he had torn off, a flicker of delight gleaming in his eyes.

The Great Wilderness Emperor's true form is the innate sacred being, the 'Golden Rhino Celestial Bull'. This arm is of extraordinary value; if refined into a treasure elixir, it might be equivalent to 3 100 drops of Chaos Divine Liquid.

"Having squandered a Chaos Void-Shattering Talisman, lost an arm, and sacrificed his innate Primordial Chaos Treasure—the Great Barren Emperor's Sword, this Great Barren Emperor has truly suffered a double defeat, losing both his bride and his army."

Eldrin smiled faintly, storing both the rhinoceros foreleg and the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss before striding back into the Li Fire Ancient Realm.

At this moment, the war in the Great Barren Ancient Realm raged with unparalleled ferocity.

The Emperor-level experts who had followed the Great Barren Emperor roared with earth-shaking fury, already locked in fierce combat against the Eternal Emperor and his allies.