Chapter 410 Millennia-Old Tale, Heaven-Snatching Meridian Crafting Art

"Fortunately, I had the spirit talisman you bestowed upon me, which allowed me to defeat and severely wound her. Yet in a moment of weakness, I spared her life."

At this point, she said through gritted teeth, "I thought her vow would keep this secret safe. Yet I never imagined she'd rather violate her Heart Demon Blood Oath than prevent the news from spreading across the realm."

"Gu Qingshu?"

Eldrin’s eyes flickered, and he spoke, “What is this person’s background?”

"The Vast Sea Golden Core immortal clan Gu's direct lineage." Chen Silas spoke, then added: "They possess a Lower Grade, Fourth Rank spirit mountain, along with a Golden Core, Early Stage cultivator."

"Excellent." Eldrin nodded calmly. "I shall go and behead them later."

Chen Silas (Person Name) shook his head, however, and said, "This matter requires no intervention from you. I shall personally handle it from now on."

"Very well."

Hearing her words, Eldrin also revealed a faint smile. Through this trial, her mental fortitude had grown considerably. Breaking through to the Golden Core realm on her own and then slaying Gu Qingshu had become a deeply held conviction of hers.

Chen Silas paused, then continued, "By the way, there is 1 matter I ought to inform you about."

"Our Chen Clan's ancestors have ties to the Vast Sea (Location)'s Chen Immortal Clan (Organization)."

Eldrin's eyes flickered, revealing a trace of astonishment.

Before he could inquire, the ancient, fragmented tripod flew out. It spoke calmly, "Let me explain."

"This matter... is a long story..."

As the broken cauldron narrated, a tale from a 1000 years ago, unfolding in The Vast Sea (Location), gradually spread out.

Long ago, a millennium past, the Chen Immortal Clan (Organization), overlords of The Vast Sea (Location), stood among the top 30 supreme Nascent Soul lineages of the Eastern Wastelands (Location).

In those days, the Chen Immortal Clan (Organization) was incomparably glorious, boasting a dozen or so Elders of Nascent Soul alone. Their clan leader, ‘Azure True Lord’ (Person Name), had even succeeded in summoning the Earth Soul among the 3 Souls, achieving a breakthrough to the Half-Step Primordial Spirit (Cultivation Realm)—making him a peerless Nascent Soul expert.

At that time, the Chen Clan had expended over a 1000 years, continuously nurturing the water elemental veins beneath The Vast Sea, striving to cultivate it into the third ancestral water vein within the Eastern Wastelands.

In fact, they nearly succeeded. The Azure True Monarch, with his unparalleled genius, created the "Heaven-Seizing Vein Forging Art" to plunder the aqueous vein energy of the Boundless Marshes, aiming to elevate The Vast Sea (Location) into a genuine sixth-order Primordial Water Vein in 1 decisive move.

Once this endeavor succeeded, Immortal Qingzhen would be able to harness the ancestral vein’s feedback of creation’s grand momentum, shattering the barriers to the realm of the Primordial Spirit Dao Sovereign in 1 decisive breakthrough.

Yet this move was truly a desperate gamble. If True Lord Qing were to seize the power of the water veins in the Vast Murky Marsh, the Black Dragon True Lord would naturally be unable to tolerate it.

Thus, before his breakthrough, Eldrin had already divined that he was fated to face a calamitous tribulation. Should he transcend it, he would ascend as a Pure Yang Dao Lord—the absolute pinnacle of this realm.

By relying on his groundbreaking Art of Seizing Heaven and Forging Meridians, he might even have a slim chance of attaining immortality. Yet should he fail, the entire Chen Clan would likely be buried with him.

Therefore, before his final ascension to the Ancestral Vein, he dispatched several 100 elite disciples, scattering them across neighboring kingdoms to remain in hiding.

In truth, Azure True Monarch ultimately failed. Black Dragon True Monarch had lived for countless millennia and ranked among the top 10 supreme experts of this realm, perhaps already standing at the threshold of ascension to immortality.

This primordial true dragon's wrath was so immense that even the Dao Lords of Eastern Wastelands (Location) could not restrain it. Several fifth-grade spiritual veins across The Vast Sea (Location) were shattered into the depths, and the Chen Immortal Clan (Organization) was utterly eradicated in a single night.

After the fall of the Chen Clan, most of the scattered elite disciples were purged, with scarcely any surviving.

In truth, by now, all those disciples who had departed back then had already perished. Even tracing back 8 100 years to the founding ancestor of the Chen Clan in the Qi Kingdom, they were merely descendants of the Chen Clan disciples from The Vast Sea in those distant days.

By then, the Chen Clan had already exhausted all its foundations. Apart from a single thread of bloodline, they had preserved almost none of The Vast Sea (Location) Chen Clan's heritage.

In the current generation of Eldrin, the bloodline had grown quite distant. Yet, barring unforeseen circumstances, he remained 1 of the few remaining bearers of the Chen lineage.

Mentioning the former glory of the Chen Clan, the broken cauldron sighed, "The Chen Clan's legacy has spanned nearly 10 1000 years, migrating all the way from the Central Ancestral Domain. At its zenith, it stood as 1 of the foremost powers within the Eastern Wastelands (Location)."

“Who would have thought that the Celestial Vault Isle would now sink into the Vast Sea, never to emerge for all eternity.”

Eldrin's mind was in turmoil. After a long while, he finally asked, "Since this Celestial Vault Isle has sunk into The Vast Sea, is there any way to enter its depths and search for the lost treasures?"

Lyra also showed a flicker of desire. Such relics left by a top-tier immortal clan were bound to be incomparably precious. If they could obtain them, their cultivation journey would likely become smooth for years to come.

But the broken cauldron trembled slightly and after a moment spoke, "Back then, Celestial Vault Isle was struck by the Black Dragon Demon Ancestor and sank into The Vast Sea."

The billions of living beings on that island, along with millions of cultivators, all perished. Their deaths fermented boundless resentment.

Moreover, nourished by the resentment and providence of the severed nascent ancestral leyline, it ultimately caused the earth soul of Qing Zhenjun to undergo a bizarre transformation, turning into an existence neither human nor ghost nor deity.

"Such an existence harbors resentment and killing intent toward all living things. Releasing it would inevitably turn The Vast Sea (Location) into a land of utter desolation."

"Even if you were to enter, you would likely face an attack from It."

An Aberrant Earth Soul?

Eldrin's pupils abruptly contracted. Among the celestial, earthly, and mortal souls of a cultivator, the mortal soul was the essence of self—the very core of all consciousness.

The Celestial Soul wanders at the edge of the Ninth Heaven, while the Earthly Soul sinks into the Netherworld. As a cultivator’s cultivation base continuously grows, these 2 souls ceaselessly draw upon the power of heaven and earth to strengthen themselves.

That Earth Soul drew upon the profound and shadowy powers of the earth, inherently carrying a malevolent nature. If such an existence were to absorb endless resentment along with the grievances and power of a nascent ancestral vein, no 1 could predict what kind of aberrant entity might be born.

Without the control of a life soul, Eldrin could well foresee that it would certainly be deranged. Once unleashed, it might wreak immeasurable carnage.

No wonder after the Chen Clan’s downfall, none of the major immortal families in the Eastern Wastelands (Location) dared to covet the legacy treasures left by the Chen Clan.

With this thought, Eldrin suppressed his desire to explore the ruins of Celestial Vault Isle and could only say, "Our ancestor fell a 1000 years ago, yet remains trapped between realms—neither human nor ghost nor deity, drifting through eternal oblivion."

"If 1 day I attain sufficient cultivation, I too shall guide him through the heavenly tribulation to rebirth."

The broken cauldron remained silent for a long moment before nodding slowly. "You carry the Chen bloodline within you. With your innate talent and foundation, if you succeed in forging a Heavenly Path Nascent Soul, you might truly awaken a sliver of Its will."

"If you can awaken a sliver of His will, perhaps you may retrieve some of the legacy treasures from the island."

The broken cauldron spoke candidly, informing Eldrin that the Azure True Monarch had once prepared a portion of his legacy treasures intended to be transferred to the family’s chosen seeds as their hidden foundation. Among them was even a strand of Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root).

Unfortunately, due to interference from enemies, it ultimately never reached its intended recipient, sinking into the Vast Sea along with Celestial Vault Isle.

If Eldrin (Person Name) were to cultivate a Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul, then by virtue of the Chen bloodline within him, he might evoke a sense of familiarity in that Earth Soul, allowing him to claim the legacy treasure.

This was not a baseless conjecture by the remnant cauldron. High-level cultivators possessed extraordinary means—for an existence like Azure True Lord, who had 1 foot already stepping into the Nascent Soul realm, the revival of a single wisp of residual consciousness could briefly dominate the will of the Earth Soul.

Just as Silas Chen (Person Name) was able to obtain the legacy treasure, it was actually because a wisp of residual consciousness from the Eldrin True Monarch had been awakened by the Chen bloodline flowing through her veins.

Chapter 1 The biting cold wind howled through the mountain pass, carrying with it the scent of blood and decay. A young man in tattered blue robes knelt amidst the snow, his breathing ragged. Before him lay the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure), its blade stained crimson. "Lin Feng (Person Name), hand over the legacy jade slip, and I might grant you a swift death," a voice, cold and sharp as the mountain ice, echoed from the shadows. Lin Feng (Person Name) lifted his head, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes. "Eldrin (Person Name), do you truly believe the legacy of the Fallen Star Pavilion (Sect) is something your Shadow Moon Sect (Sect) can covet?" He had been trapped here for 3 days and 3 nights. His spiritual power was nearly depleted, and the dozen or so Healing Pills (Pill) he possessed had long been consumed. Yet, the profound technique recorded on that jade slip—the 9 Revolutions Profound Art (Cultivation Method)—remained clear in his mind. Suddenly, a surge of spiritual energy erupted from his dantian. The long-dormant bottleneck finally showed signs of loosening. He was breaking through to the next stage! "Impossible!" Eldrin (Person Name) exclaimed, his figure flickering as he emerged from the darkness. "You should have exhausted your spiritual power!" Lin Feng (Person Name) did not respond. He closed his eyes, sensing the frantic convergence of spiritual energy between heaven and earth. Countless motes of starlight descended, enveloping his body in a silvery glow. The memories of a 100 years flooded his mind—the destruction of his sect, the betrayal of his senior brother, the countless nights of solitary cultivation. 1 100 years had passed, yet the hatred and desire for vengeance remained as sharp as ever. "Foundation Establishment realm..." he murmured, a faint smile gracing his lips. He reached into his bosom and retrieved the last Mid-Grade Spirit Stone (Cultivation Resource). Without hesitation, he crushed it in his palm. A tremendous wave of pure spiritual power instantly surged through his meridians. "Eldrin (Person Name)," Lin Feng (Person Name) stood up, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) humming in response. "Let us end this." The sword light blazed, illuminating the entire mountain pass like daylight.