Chapter 508 Contending for the Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root)

At that moment, the Riverward Taoist activated his treasure. The heavy water within the bag roared with turbulence as immense suction forces swelled forth, seeking to draw the paired Demon-Slaying Immortal Swords into the bag for refinement.

"Hmph—"

Witnessing the rampaging Mighty River Pouch, Eldrin let out a cold sneer. The sword radiance of the Li River Water Sword of the Returning Abyss surged violently, like a vast celestial river descending from the highest heavens—overwhelming and unstoppable.

Although the Vast River Pouch possessed extraordinary power, it was completely overwhelmed by the mighty force of this celestial river, unable to gain even the slightest advantage.

Following closely, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) whistled past, tearing a gash in the Cosmic River Sack. Endless streams of Pure Yang Li Fire surged through the opening, setting the sack ablaze.

"Not good!"

Witnessing his life-bound spiritual treasure severely damaged, Guanghe Daoist’s face paled, and he hurriedly withdrew it.

Seizing the opportunity, Eldrin flicked his sleeve, knocking the Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root) from Daoist Guanghe’s sleeve.

That Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root) possessed spiritual awareness, and upon regaining its freedom, it attempted to soar into the heavens. Fortunately, Eldrin reacted with lightning-fast reflexes, capturing it with his 5-Colored Divine Light.

This object could not be contained by ordinary storage pouches, as the slightest mishap would allow it to escape into the void. Fortunately, Eldrin had his own methods. Channeling his spiritual power, he drew it into the Mirror of Yin, Yang, and Void.

"Damn it."

Seeing Eldrin seize the Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root), True Master Changyu and True Master Tianyuan exchanged subtle shifts in expression. Without hesitation, Tianyuan Daoist immediately took action, summoning a radiant Tianyuan Treasure Seal that shot toward Eldrin like a blazing comet.

Elder Changyu was no ordinary man either. With a swift motion, he summoned an ancient treasure vase, directing its oppressive force straight toward Eldrin.

This object is named the Great Cosmos Vase, said to be an imitation of the innate spiritual treasure 'Great Cosmos Vase'. The original Great Cosmos Vase ranks among the 9 Violet Treasures.

And the Purple 9 Treasures were of extraordinary origin; legend held that they were the 9 immortal treasures once wielded by the Purple Immortal Lord, each of them at the rank of Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Alas, since the passing of Eldrin (Person Name), the 9 celestial treasures have also vanished without a trace.

It is said that 1 of the legacy treasures of a Dao Lord's sacred land in the Eastern Wastelands (Location) is the Great Cosmos Vase, which has been refined to the peak of the sixth rank. Its grade approaches that of a legendary immortal artifact, and its power is no less than the Ji Clan's Immortal-Refining Furnace.

Elder Changyu’s Great Cosmos Vase was merely the most rudimentary imitation, yet its power was nothing short of extraordinary. At this moment, it radiated beams of dazzling treasure light, resembling a vast cosmos materializing in the sky as it surged toward Eldrin (Person Name) with overwhelming force.

Faced with such a strike, Lyra's gaze sharpened slightly. With a flick of her sleeve, she summoned the Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword to descend. This legendary blade, renowned for centuries, lived up to its fame—though slightly disadvantaged, it successfully intercepted the Great Cosmos Vase.

Meanwhile, Daoist Zixu on the other flank also made his move, summoning 2 innate spiritual treasures. With relentless assaults, he forced Daoist Tianyuan into continuous retreat throughout the day.

There was no denying that the combined combat prowess of Eldrin (Person Name) and his 2 companions was remarkably formidable.

Among the crowd, Daoist Zixu not only possessed a Pseudo-Nascent Soul cultivation base, but also wielded 2 Lifebound Spiritual Treasures. His strength ranked among the top 5 of all the Golden Core cultivators participating in this battle.

Eldrin and Lyra had forged Great Luo Golden Cores, boasting battle records of slaying Nascent Soul cultivators on multiple occasions. They stood as peerless existences among all Golden Core practitioners.

The 3 of them quickly subdued the crowd by joining forces. However, Eldrin had no intention of prolonging the fight. With a swift command, he declared, "Now that we've seized the Heavenly Dao Qi, let us make haste and depart."

With that, Eldrin (Person Name) urged the Heavenly Li Twin Swords (Magic Treasure) into a sweeping dance of blades, carving a path deep into the void as he charged forth.

With 2 strands of Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root) in their possession, they had undoubtedly become targets in the eyes of countless cultivators. As time went on, more and more would come seeking to seize them. Remaining here as sitting ducks was naturally out of the question.

The 3 of them soared through the heavens, traversing over a million li before finally arriving at a secluded valley.

Arriving at this place, Eldrin let out a slight sigh of relief. Noticing the perplexed expression on Daoist Zixu’s face, he said, “Come with me.”

"As he spoke," Eldrin followed the hidden technique left by Magnus the Virtuous Lord, opening the passage into the heart of the valley.

Upon entering the valley, Daoist Zixu immediately recognized it as a fractured earth vein—more like a severed spinal column.

A faint yet overwhelmingly fierce aura coalesced here, radiating a power capable of tearing heaven and earth asunder.

At this moment, the formation was continuously mending the fractured earth veins, reconnecting these severed earth veins.

At the heart of the formation, a hazy wisp of violet qi danced in swirling motions—this was none other than a strand of Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root).

Noticing his expression, Eldrin nodded and said, "This is the very ridge of Heaven's Spine Mountains."

Legend has it that tens of thousands of years ago, the dragon veins beneath the Heaven's Spine Mountains (Location) had already reached the quasi-sixth-grade realm, merely A Step Away (Time & Distance) from ascending to the full sixth grade.

"Alas, the Black Dragon Demon Ancestor emerged abruptly, severing the Heaven's Spine Mountains (Location) overnight and violently tearing open its spiritual veins to devour their power."

From that day forth, though the Black Dragon Demon Ancestor transformed into a True Dragon of the Heavens and became the Black Dragon Demon Ancestor, the earth veins of the Heaven's Spine Mountains (Location) were forever shattered.

Upon hearing this, Elder Zixu’s face paled with shock. After a long silence, he finally spoke, “Such a ruthless act of benefiting oneself at the expense of others—no wonder demons and fiends are despised by heaven and earth. They are nothing but vermin in this world.”

Eldrin nodded slightly. "The human race, by comparison, likely prefers to nurture earth veins for advancement, then leverage the power of the earth vein's ascension to break through to the Dao Sovereign realm in 1 decisive move."

However, given the demonic race's innate talents, even if they lacked the insight to accomplish such a feat, nurturing a ley line would require tens of thousands of years and generations of unrelenting effort to possibly succeed.

Even on the verge of success, 1 still faces the calamity of demons and monsters. A single misstep could lead to disaster, just as The Vast Sea was sunk by the Black Dragon Demon Clan.

However, no matter the circumstances, such acts that benefit oneself at the expense of others and deplete the world's latent potential—even if performed by righteous human cultivators—would ultimately brand them as demons and monsters in the eyes of humanity.

Eldrin spoke in a measured tone, and after a long while, he gazed at the Heavenly Dao Qi and said, "Magnus the Virtuous Lord has spent thousands of years mending the earth veins, rendering great service to these Heaven's Spine Mountains."

Sensing his will, the Heavenly Dao bestowed a strand of Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root) upon this realm, to be granted to his chosen 1 as a reward.

Hearing this, Daoist Zixu finally understood.

He promptly bowed and cupped his hands toward Eldrin, saying, "It seems this time, I've taken advantage of your generosity, fellow Daoist."

"There's no need for that."

Eldrin shook his head and said, "With the strength of the 2 of them, their chances of seizing 2 strands of Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root) were extremely high. But if they were to obtain 3 strands of Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root) at once, they would likely be besieged by everyone."

With Elder Voidless’s assistance now at hand, this third strand of Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root) seemed like an unexpected boon in his eyes. That it would be obtained by his acquainted Elder Voidless was rather fitting—after all, he still owed the elder a debt of gratitude for the matter of the Primordial Ruins Engraving.

However, Daoist Zixu shook his head and said earnestly, "Without your assistance, my chances of obtaining the Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root) would likely be no more than 20 to 30 percent."

"Since I have received your grace, I shall naturally repay this debt in due time."

"Though I lack the means to repay you now, this debt shall be engraved upon my heart in days to come."

Eldrin listened quietly, a faint smile gracing his lips. "With demons and monsters running rampant now, and the Abyssal Cataclysm less than 400 years away," he said, "I would be content if, when the time comes, I could entrust my back to you without worry."