Chapter 2073 : Primordial Spirit Treasure

"Hmph—"

Facing the frenzied onslaught of the blackened skeleton, Eldrin’s expression turned unprecedentedly grave for the first time.

He had no choice but to harness the 5 Divine Forms, elevating his combat prowess to its absolute limit as he engaged in an ultimate battle against the blackened skeleton.

What sent a chill through Eldrin was that even after channeling nearly all of his power, he still struggled to inflict any damage upon the blackened skeleton.

Until 1 day, Eldrin discovered that the Divine Runes of the Returning Abyss had actually devoured the curse power of the black skeleton. Only then did he realize that the Great Dao of the Returning Abyss possessed a startling ability to counter the black skeleton.

"This is..."

Eldrin murmured under his breath, instantly understanding why the blackened skeleton had demanded he wield the power of the Returning Abyss to end its existence.

With this thought in mind, Eldrin hesitated no longer. He immediately summoned the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss and forcefully suppressed and refined the black skeleton.

To his surprise, the moment the black skeleton laid eyes on the Abyssal Pearl of Returning Ruin, it not only refrained from putting up any resistance, but willingly allowed the Dao of Returning Ruin to temper its very being.

Without any resistance, the black skeleton visibly dissipated at a remarkable pace, its curses and baleful aura vanishing like smoke. Even its bones, once akin to divine immortal gold, began to decay.

When it all came to an end, Eldrin discovered that the blackened skeleton had vanished into dust, leaving only a faint, shadowy soul flame hovering in its place.

"Many thanks, I owe you a favor."

The soulfire spoke, a trace of relief rippling through its voice.

As the voice faded, an ancient scroll flew out from the soul fire and landed in Eldrin's hand.

Before Eldrin could say anything, the soul flame vanished without a trace.

"This is..."

Watching the soul fire vanish, a flicker passed through Eldrin’s gaze as he pieced together the truth in his heart.

It turned out that the Soul Dao Heavenly Emperor within the Primordial Soul River had actually utilized his Nihility Devourer power to break free from the corrosion of the curse, seizing the opportunity to deceive heaven and cross the sea—shedding his mortal coil to embark on a path of re-cultivation.

With this thought in mind, Eldrin gazed at the ancient book in his hand, a ripple of emotion shimmering in his eyes.

This was a scroll of the Soul Dao Heavenly Emperor's Ancient Scripture, which had even touched the threshold of the second realm of chaos.

However, Eldrin had no time to examine it closely and could only store it away for the moment. He then turned to the Black Abyss Emperor and inquired, "How are you feeling, Your Majesty?"

"It's nothing."

The Black Abyss Emperor shook his head, gazing at the scattered ashes of the skeleton as he sighed deeply. "Who would have thought that even a Soul Path Celestial Emperor would meet such an end."

Eldrin nodded slightly but said nothing more.

He strode to the end of the Primordial Soul River, arriving at the very source of the ethereal waters. There in the shadowy pool floated 9 portions of extraordinary treasures.

Among them were 3 Shadowdark Divine Stones, 3 seeds brimming with soul force, and 3 pieces of obsidian jade.

9-Aperture Divine Stone, Soul Seed, Myriad Soul Treasure Jade.

Gazing upon the 3 treasures before him, Eldrin felt a faint tremor in his heart as he uttered the origins of these 3 supreme treasures.

These 3 supreme treasures were all Chaos Wonders, among which the 9-Aperture Divine Stone(Chaos Wonder) held the highest value.

This object resembled a Chaos Source Pearl. Though merely a Chaos Marvel, its worth far surpassed even that of Chaos Spiritual Treasures.

The Soul Seed is a supreme-grade chaos treasure. It contains astonishing soul power, and its effects are similar to the Limit-Breaking Immortal Pill, capable of aiding those who seek enlightenment through their primordial soul and increasing their probability of shattering their soul's limits.

For those who seek to prove the Dao through their primordial spirit, this object could be considered a treasure of immeasurable value.

The final Soul Jade of Myriad Spirits was condensed from the purest essence of divine soul power. For those powerful cultivators who pursued the path of apotheosis through primordial spirit cultivation, it remained an exceptionally rare high-grade Chaos Treasure.

"These treasures are of no use to me. You should take them all."

At that very moment, the Black Abyss Emperor shook his head and relinquished all 9 supreme treasures to Eldrin.

Eldrin did not reach for it immediately. Instead, he spoke calmly, "If that were the case, I'm afraid you would be at a severe disadvantage, Senior."

The Black Abyss Emperor smiled faintly before speaking, "Should you come across a suitable chaos-attributed spiritual treasure in the future, you may offer me 1. With it, I shall cultivate the Chaos Divine Form."

"Very well."

Eldrin nodded slightly. The 9-Aperture Divine Stone was far too rare, and considering its connection to the secrets of divine soul ascension, he had no intention of trading it to Supreme Lord Chiyang in exchange for Primordial Chaos Qi.

He collected all 9 treasures, then said with a smile, "With this fortuitous encounter in hand, I now hold some hope of cultivating the 9 True Spirit Acupoints within my primordial spirit in the future."

Observing this, the Black Abyss Emperor spoke up, "Since matters have come to this, there is no need for us to linger. Let us return for now."

"Very well."

Eldrin nodded. Without further delay, he strode toward the lower reaches of the Primordial Soul River.

After journeying all the way to the middle and lower reaches of the Primordial Soul River, Eldrin discovered that Lyra and the others had already left the river, having waited outside its boundaries for a considerable time.

"How is it?"

As Eldrin returned, bearing the marks of a fierce battle, Lyra could not help but ask with concern.

Eldrin shook his head and spoke calmly, "A pack of insignificant vermin—hardly worth our concern."

"Let's head back first and talk later."

With those words, Eldrin directly tore through the void with the group, returning to the Primordial Immortal Realm.

After returning to the Celestial Court, Eldrin presented the remains of the Huntian Demi-Saint along with 3 other Demi-Saint corpses to the Great Emperor of Black Abyss, saying, "Your Majesty's combat prowess can already be deemed truly invincible."

"However, my recent breakthroughs have been too rapid, causing my physical foundation to become somewhat unstable. If I could refine the Demi-Saint's remains, my physical cultivation would undoubtedly advance significantly."

To this, the Black Abyss Emperor did not decline. He took the remains of the 4 Quasi-Saints and said, "For us, the Divine Soul and Spirit Form are but methods, yet the physical body is the true source of power."

"You must also intensify your cultivation of the physical body, striving to reach the Great Emperor's ultimate limit in physical cultivation as soon as possible."

Eldrin nodded slightly. For 1 whose physical body had attained sainthood to break through to the quasi-saint realm, it required not only cultivating all 9 forms of the True Spirit Divine Manifestations, but also pushing the foundation of their physical form to the absolute limit of a Great Emperor.

His physical cultivation had only just stepped into the Great Emperor Realm, still a vast distance from reaching its absolute peak.

Once he sets foot upon the pinnacle of the Great Emperor realm, Eldrin's physical combat prowess should see a significant improvement.

After settling this matter, Eldrin bid farewell to the Black Abyss Emperor, then turned to the emperors of the Chen Immortal Clan and inquired, "What gains have you reaped from this journey?"

"All are gathered here."

Lyra smiled faintly and promptly produced a vast collection of rare treasures, laying them out before Eldrin.

Eldrin glanced over, a faint flicker of movement passing through his gaze.

This time, the treasures seized by the group were remarkably abundant, with hundreds of Primordial Chaos Artifacts alone—each 1 a treasure capable of enhancing the soul.

As for the 1-to-9-aperture divine stones, there were tens of thousands of them. The vast majority were merely 1-to-3-aperture divine stones, yet over 20 of them were 8-aperture divine stones.

Including those in Eldrin's possession, they had obtained over 40 8-aperture divine stones in total this time.

Even a single 8-Aperture Divine Stone meant little to Eldrin, yet obtaining so many at once greatly alleviated the shortage of divine soul resources for the Chen Immortal Clan.

Thinking of this, Eldrin said with a smile, "You've done well. Each of you may select 1 8-Aperture Divine Stone. The remainder shall be recorded as merit points and stored in the vault."

Hearing this, everyone smiled faintly and each selected an 8-Aperture Divine Stone (Cultivation Resource), preparing to fuse it into their primordial spirits to enhance their cultivation.

Given their current cultivation level and status, they naturally lacked no Divine Stones from 1 Orifice to 7 Orifices. After obtaining this 8-Orifice Divine Stone, all they needed was the final 9-Orifice Divine Stone.

Seeing that the treasures had been distributed, Eldrin dismissed the crowd, keeping only Lyra, Qing Ji, Spirit Stream Emperor, and 5 other dao companions behind.

Looking at the few people before him, Eldrin still took out the 3 9-Aperture Divine Stones he had obtained and said, "This time, I've acquired 3 9-Aperture Divine Stones. They are rare and extraordinary treasures of chaos."

"My suggestion is to entrust the remaining 2 to Lyra (Person Name) and Qingji (Person Name) first. What are your thoughts?"

Upon hearing this, none of the women voiced any objections.

As long-time cultivation partners, they understood that Eldrin (Person Name) never hesitated in his actions and always had clear judgment on how to utilize valuable resources.

The decision to entrust these 2 resources to Lyra (Person Name) and Qingji (Person Name) stemmed primarily from their exceptional innate talent, making them the most likely among the women to attain enlightenment through primordial spirit cultivation.

With limited resources at hand, it is naturally the optimal choice to allocate them to those with the greatest potential to attain the Dao.

Seeing that no 1 had any objections, Eldrin immediately handed the 2 9-Aperture Divine Stones to Lyra and Qing Ji.

Afterward, Eldrin spoke, "This time, I obtained a volume of the Celestial Tome of Soul Arts, which happens to be suitable for us to study together."

As the words faded, Eldrin retrieved a scroll of the Celestial Tome of Soul Arts, and together they began to contemplate the ancient text.

There, the Celestial Scroll slowly materialized, bearing 7 grand characters—9 Souls Ancient Tome (Cultivation Scripture).

"9 Souls Ancient Scroll."

Eldrin murmured softly, immediately unrolling the ancient scroll to examine it.

With just a single glance, everyone was instantly captivated by this celestial scroll. After studying it for a few moments, they couldn’t help but reveal expressions of astonishment.

Even by Eldrin's discerning eye, this 9 Souls Ancient Scroll was an exceptionally profound Chaos Ancient Scripture.

The ancient scroll recorded various methods of soul cultivation, yet its most essential content was known as the 'Soul-Splitting Art'.

The so-called Soul Division Art is an exceptionally unique technique.

This art embodies the profound mystery of reincarnation. Once performed, it allows a portion of 1's primordial spirit to undergo samsara and reincarnate.

When the differentiated primordial spirit has been refined to the point where no further progress is possible, it may return to the main body and merge with 1's own primordial spirit.

The Art of Myriad Avatars could simultaneously divide 1's soul into up to 9 separate incarnations for reincarnation cultivation.

However, each act of soul division is an excruciating process of spiritual severance for the practitioner of the Soul Partitioning Art.

Due to the incompleteness of the primordial spirit, the potential and aptitude of the divided soul would be far inferior to the original self. Therefore, it was highly likely that this divided soul would perish prematurely.

If a divided spirit soul perishes in the cycle of reincarnation, it will also cause damage to the original spirit soul.

Yet despite its many flaws, the rewards of the Myriad Souls Division Art were truly staggering.

Because if even a single soul fragment could be cultivated to a level approaching the true self, then all the sacrifices would be worthwhile.

Moreover, once the split soul perishes or is reclaimed after exhausting its potential, 1 can descend a split soul anew to undergo reincarnation and cultivation once more.

The former Soul Path Celestial Emperor was able to ascend to the realm of Chaos Celestial Emperor precisely because he cultivated each of his 9 soul avatars to the absolute pinnacle of the Great Emperor realm.

Moreover, he had each of his 9 split souls focus on cultivating a single divine ability, advancing each to the realm of True Spirit Divine Arts.

In the end, he merged the 9 fragmented souls of the Great Perfection Emperor into 1, combining them with his true self—whose power rivaled that of the Wuji Demi-Saint—and soared directly into the realm of the Soul Dao Celestial Emperor.

After this Soul Emperor broke through to the Chaos Emperor realm, he cultivated 9 clones at the Quasi-Sage realm in a single attempt to charge toward the second stage of Chaos—the Soul Emperor realm.

If he hadn't violated the rule that Soul Path Heavenly Emperors must not tread into the second realm of chaos, and been blocked from his path by some indescribable powerhouse, he might very well have succeeded.

"The 9 Souls Ancient Tome is hailed as a supreme wondrous art, ranking among the mightest celestial techniques even amidst the Dao-Uniting Ancient Tomes."

Eldrin (Person Name) let out a soft sigh before speaking, "Moreover, this method possesses remarkable universality—even you and I can cultivate it."

"I suspect that had he not met his demise, he might very well have harbored the hope of glimpsing the third realm of chaos."

Lyra nodded, sighing with profound emotion. "Every Soul Dao Celestial Emperor qualified to set foot in the second realm of chaos possesses extraordinary prowess."

"Otherwise, why would they be regarded with such apprehension by those at the third level of the Primordial Chaos?"

Eldrin (Person Name) gave a slight nod and said no more.

He pondered for a long while before finally storing away the 9 Souls Ancient Scroll. With a solemn tone, he declared, "From this day forth, the 9 Souls Ancient Scroll shall become 1 of the highest legacies of our Chen Immortal Clan."

"Henceforth, even a mighty sovereign like the Primordial Chaos Emperor must swear a Heavenly Dao Oath before cultivating this celestial scripture, vowing never to divulge its secrets."

Everyone nodded upon hearing this, their expressions turning exceedingly grave.

After dealing with the 9 Souls Ancient Tome, Eldrin said no more, and thus the matters of this place came to an end.

Eldrin then returned to his cave abode, taking out the 9-Aperture Divine Stone as he fell into deep contemplation.

Legend has it that once the 9-Aperture Divine Stone is assembled, 1 can fuse all 9 True Spirit Divine Stones to cultivate the legendary Primordial Spirit Treasure.

The Soul Treasure is the supreme treasure of the Soul Attainment path, capable of greatly amplifying the power of divine abilities. This is precisely why Soul Attainment can rival the path of Physical Sanctification.

However, Eldrin had no clue in his heart on how to refine a Soul Treasure.

"Regardless, let's first refine this 9-Aperture Divine Stone before discussing anything else."

Eldrin murmured under his breath, immediately channeling his True Spirit Primordial Soul to refine the 9-Aperture Divine Stone into his innate apertures.

This time, the true spirit acupoint Eldrin refined was none other than the ninth innate acupoint—the very acupoint housing his innate supernatural ability, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss.

Ever since Eldrin had cultivated the 'Wheel of the Returning Abyss', this innate divine ability had never truly demonstrated its full potential.

This was not because the Wheel of Returning Abyss was not powerful enough, but because Eldrin's physical body was far too formidable.

Compared to a physical body that possessed 9 True Spirit Divine Runes and was further enhanced by 2 Ultimate Divine Runes, Eldrin's soul power was far too weak.

However, the Wheel of the Return to the Void was not a True Spirit Divine Ability, so it naturally could not provide Eldrin (Person Name) with any significant enhancement.

At this moment, with the integration of the 9-Aperture Divine Stone, Eldrin immediately sensed tremendous transformations occurring within the 9 great divine forms.

Within that True Spirit Divine Soul, 9 acupoints blazed with dazzling radiance as the 9 9-Aperture Divine Stones suddenly began to tremble violently.

They shone upon 1 another, giving rise to a breathtaking array pattern. The 9-aperture divine stone then merged of its own accord, ultimately transforming into a simple and ancient 9-story Lyra (Person Name) Pagoda.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the vast chaos trembled violently.

An indescribable heavenly rift was torn open, from which emerged infinite eternal true spirits, descending with countless true spirit imprints.

By the time it all ended, the majority of these true spirit imprints had been absorbed by the pagoda, transforming Lyra's pagoda into an immortal tower shimmering with abundant True Spirit Light.

Soul Treasure — Tower of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure)

Gazing at the 9-story pagoda before him, Eldrin murmured softly, recounting the origins of this Numinous Treasure of the Nascent Soul.

Once the 9 Divine Stones were gathered, the True Spirit would naturally guide them to coalesce into the Pagoda of the True Spirit.

Eldrin did not immediately inspect the True Spirit Pagoda, instead turning his gaze toward a newly emerged spirit imprint within his primordial soul.

Although most of the true spirit imprints were absorbed by the Soul Pagoda during this refinement of the soul artifact, a portion of them were intercepted by Eldrin (Person Name).

At this moment, Eldrin did not hesitate in the slightest as he cast these soul imprints into the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss.

When all had settled, Eldrin’s Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss had transformed into a True Spirit Divine Art.

6 Great Divine Spirit Runes.

Eldrin murmured softly. After cultivating the sixth True Spirit Divine Rune, he felt his soul power had increased by another 60 percent.

Then he lowered his gaze and began to sense the power of the Primordial Spirit Treasure.

After a moment of sensing, Eldrin quickly grasped the profound mysteries of this Soul Treasure.

First, this soul treasure possesses the power to protect the soul. With this treasure safeguarding the true spirit and soul, Eldrin's (Person Name) soul defense will be greatly enhanced.

Even a first-stage Chaos Realm expert skilled in celestial divination and curses would find it nearly impossible to harm Eldrin through curses hereafter.

Secondly, the Tower of Returning Abyss possesses the wondrous ability to amplify divine abilities. This treasure has 9 layers, each capable of housing 1 innate divine ability.

Once a divine ability is placed within the treasure pagoda, it receives the pagoda's empowerment, greatly enhancing its power.

The 9-story pagoda bestowed varying degrees of enhancement upon divine abilities with each level.

Within the 9-story pagoda, the first level could amplify divine abilities by onefold, the second level by twofold, and the third level by threefold.

By the same logic, the final ninth level of the pagoda could amplify the might of divine abilities by a full ninefold.

With such amplification and empowerment, it could elevate an innate divine ability to rival a True Spirit Art, and it could also amplify the power of a True Spirit Art to its absolute limit.

"What a magnificent 9-story pagoda."

Eldrin murmured softly, a trace of astonishment flickering across his expression.

According to the amplification effect of the 9-Layer Pagoda on divine abilities, the power of any technique unleashed from its ninth layer would inevitably be elevated to a truly terrifying level.

This alone elevates the Body Sanctification lineage to a peerless realm.

As expected, if 1 were to cultivate the 9 True Spirit Acupoints, the divine ability contained within the ninth True Spirit Acupoint would inevitably be amplified to an utterly terrifying degree.

In terms of burst power and methods alone, a Soul Dao Heavenly Emperor who attained the Dao through divine sense would likely be even more formidable than those who achieved sainthood through physical cultivation.

However, those who achieve sainthood through physical cultivation, while lacking in explosive power, possess extraordinary baseline combat prowess. They can maintain peak condition at all times, hence each approach has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Legend has it that among the True Spirit Divine Arts, there exist 3 ultimate supernatural powers: Fate, Tribulation, and Karma. Mastering any 1 of them would allow 1 to reign supreme across the vast primordial chaos.

"This Li Fire Wheel of the Returning Abyss is an ability unheard of through the ages. I wonder if it qualifies as an ultimate ability?"

Eldrin (Person Name) murmured inwardly, an inexplicable glimmer rising in his eyes.

Chapter 1 The biting mountain wind whipped across the cliffside, carrying with it the scent of pine and damp earth. Lin Chen gritted his teeth, his knuckles white as he gripped the rough stone ledge. Below him, a sea of clouds churned, obscuring the 1000-zhang abyss. "Just a bit more," he muttered to himself, his breath forming pale plumes in the chill air. "The 7 Celestial Cycles Art must be within reach." For 3 years, he had scaled these treacherous peaks, seeking the legacy of the ancients. Countless disciples had tried and failed, their bones littering the mountain passes. But Lin Chen was different. He could feel the spiritual energy here, thin as gossamer yet potent. His fingers brushed against something cold and smooth amidst the jagged rocks. A jade slip, no larger than his palm, etched with faint, shimmering runes. As he touched it, a flood of knowledge surged into his mind—the complete 7 Celestial Cycles Art, from the First Cycle to the legendary Seventh. A voice, ancient and resonant, echoed in his consciousness. "To master the First Cycle, 1 must gather 10 drops of Dawn Sun Essence and 3 stalks of Moonlit Revelation Grass. The final breakthrough requires consuming a Grade-1 Purification Pill." Lin Chen's heart raced. The resources needed were staggering—each drop of Dawn Sun Essence was worth over 5,000 spirit stones on the market. And the Purification Pill? Even the outer sect elders would hesitate to part with such a treasure. He carefully stored the jade slip in his robes, his mind already calculating. The inner sect competition was in 2 months. If he could reach the Second Cycle by then, he might just stand a chance against that arrogant Young Master Feng. A sudden rustle in the bushes below snapped him from his thoughts. 3 figures in grey robes emerged, their eyes gleaming with malice. The leader, a burly man with a scar across his cheek, grinned. "Well, well. What do we have here? The trash who thinks he can rise above his station." Lin Chen's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword—the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, a legacy from his late master. The blade hummed softly, responding to his spiritual energy. "Brother Zhang," Lin Chen said calmly, though every muscle in his body was taut. "I have no quarrel with you." The scarred man laughed. "But I have 1 with you! Hand over whatever you found up here, and we might let you leave with your life." The air grew heavy with tension. Lin Chen could feel the spiritual pressure emanating from the trio—all at least at the 5th level of Qi Refining, while he was barely at the 3rd. He took a deep breath, recalling the first stance of the 7 Celestial Cycles Art. Spiritual energy began to swirl around him, drawing moisture from the air into shimmering droplets. "So be it," Lin Chen said, his voice barely a whisper. "Let us see who truly deserves the path of immortality." The first move came not from him, but from Brother Zhang, whose hands blurred through incantation seals. A ball of crimson fire materialized, hurtling toward Lin Chen with terrifying speed. But to Lin Chen's surprise, the world seemed to slow down. The fiery sphere moved as if through thick honey, its trajectory clear as day. This was the effect of the 7 Celestial Cycles Art—even unmastered, it enhanced perception beyond ordinary cultivators. With a graceful sidestep that defied his previous clumsiness, Lin Chen evaded the attack. The fireball struck the cliff face behind him, sending shards of rock flying. Before the attackers could react, Lin Chen thrust his sword forward. Not at the men, but at the ground between them. A wave of spiritual energy erupted, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris. In that moment of confusion, he moved. The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss danced in his hands, its blade tracing arcs of pale blue light. He struck not to kill, but to disable—a precise cut to Brother Zhang's wrist that severed the tendon, a gentle tap to the temple of the second assailant that sent him crumpling to the ground, and a sweeping kick that took the third man's legs out from under him. In less than 3 breaths, it was over. The 3 bullies lay moaning on the ground, their weapons scattered around them. Lin Chen stood over them, his chest heaving slightly. The spiritual energy expenditure had been greater than he anticipated. He needed resources, and fast. "Remember this day," he said, his voice cold. "The next time you seek to bully others, think twice." He didn't take their spirit stones or pills. Such petty theft was beneath him now. He had greater goals, higher peaks to conquer. As he descended the mountain, the jade slip felt heavy against his chest. The path ahead was long—thousands of years of cultivation lore to master, countless trials to overcome. But for the first time since arriving at the Verdant Peak Sect, Lin Chen felt a flicker of genuine hope. Somewhere in the distance, a bell tolled, marking the hour of the ox. The night was deepening, but for Lin Chen, a new dawn was just beginning.