Chapter 509 A Confrontation

With that said, there was nothing more to be spoken.

Eldrin stored the Heavenly Dao Qi away and remarked, "The formation here was laid by Magnus the Virtuous Lord himself. Even a Nascent Soul True Monarch would find it nearly impossible to breach."

"If they pursue us, this formation will be sufficient to hold off several chosen sons of heaven, significantly alleviating the pressure on us."

"Let us remain here and quietly await the conclusion of this Heaven and Earth Resonance."

The 3 of them each obtained a Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root), thus fulfilling their deepest desires. They made no further attempts to seize the final 2 strands of Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root).

For once such deeds are committed, they would likely offend the top prodigies among you all. Many of these individuals possess the aptitude to form Nascent Souls, and in the future, they may well become fellow cultivators on the same path. To incur their lasting enmity would be an unwise trade.

However, after Eldrin had recuperated for 3 days, someone finally managed to deduce his whereabouts.

This time, over a 100 Golden Core Elders had gathered here, led by 6 prodigies who possessed Dao Bodies. Among them were Daoist Guanghe and Elder Changyu, along with 3 others.

Taoist Guanghe arrived at the mouth of the valley, his expression grave as he cast a glance before cupping his hands in salute. "What serendipity you 3 fellow Daoists possess," he remarked, "to have obtained not 1, but 3 Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root)."

"Yet such a rare opportunity has been entirely claimed by 3 individuals. Is this not excessive?"

The valley fell into a hushed stillness, and moments later, 3 figures emerged from the shadows.

Eldrin emerged, stepping through the void as if strolling on solid ground. His snow-white robes billowed around him, and with but a glance at his noble brow and graceful bearing, any observer would have praised him as an immortal descended to the mortal realm—his elegance truly peerless.

He glanced at the assembly and recognized their identities. Among these over a 100 individuals, the only ones posing any substantial threat to him for now were 6 peerless prodigies who possessed Dao Bodies.

Every 1 of these individuals possessed top-tier Golden Core aptitude. Advancing to the Earth Grade Nascent Soul would be as natural as water flowing downhill, and there was even a possibility of forging the Heaven Grade Nascent Soul.

Among the 6, aside from the 3 he had fought earlier, the remaining trio consisted of a woman in palace attire, a burly man, and finally, a refined scholar.

That palace-attired woman was named Ziyu (Person Name), an elder from the Qingyao Palace (Sect) – a Nascent Soul powerhouse sect spanning the Vast 100 Provinces.

The burly man hailed from the Mountain-Bearing Sect, a Nascent Soul-level institution from Banshan Province. This lineage cultivated body-refining techniques, their physical strength rivaling the power of sea-tossing flood dragons. It was said the sect had once produced a great cultivator who reached the late Nascent Soul stage.

The last scholar was known as Young Master Bai Xu. Though merely a wandering cultivator, he possessed the Solar Dao Body, making him a renowned figure among the unaffiliated practitioners.

After meeting these 3 individuals, Eldrin said calmly, "Since we are all fellow human Daoists, I shall speak frankly."

"Do you believe that with my wife's and my abilities, we could each claim a strand of Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root)?"

The expressions of the several individuals shifted subtly. Violet Jade Immortal finally spoke, "We have long heard of your renowned feat in slaying the Demon Emperor. You are indeed worthy of this Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root)."

"Very well." Eldrin nodded, then continued, "Magnus the Virtuous Lord has spent thousands of years restoring the Heaven's Spine Mountains, earning the Heavenly Dao Qi from the Will of Heaven and Earth. Does he not deserve this Heavenly Dao Qi?"

Everyone then understood that Eldrin had inherited the karma of Magnus the Virtuous Lord.

A flicker of unease crossed Fairy Violetjade’s countenance. Since Magnus the Virtuous Lord (Person Name) had broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage, he had become 1 of the most supreme True Lords among the 3 Veins Ancient Domain. Even her own master, the Palace Lord of Verdant Mirage, would have to treat him with caution—how could she, a junior, dare to speak of him lightly?

However, the Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root) was exceptionally precious, and she couldn't bring herself to simply give it up. Thus she declared, "The Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root) belongs to the capable. Do not think it will be easy to make us retreat from this challenge."

"Oh." Eldrin smiled faintly, shaking his head as he said, "Even if we were to split off 1 strand of Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root), I'm afraid you 6 wouldn't be able to divide it fairly among yourselves. Instead, it would only lead to conflict and torn faces between you."

"Very well. Since we are all fellow practitioners, I have no wish to sever ties with you."

"You may all take turns to challenge me. Should any among you prevail against this seat, you shall naturally claim 1 strand of Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root)."

Everyone's expressions shifted slightly, yet they found Eldrin's words to be reasonable.

They had joined forces out of some past camaraderie, yet such bonds could hardly remain steadfast when faced with the temptation of the Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root).

Even if they were to break all pretense of cordiality and fight Eldrin and the others, and even if they managed to obtain 1 or 2 strands of Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root), they would likely end up turning on each other when it came time to distribute the spoils.

Why not let Eldrin fight alone? If he wins, he will naturally obtain a strand of Heavenly Dao Qi, and no 1 else will be able to object.

With that thought, the burly man was the first to step forward. His knotted muscles rippled with an aura of overwhelming strength as he approached and declared, “Your words are reasonable, sir. I, Yue Lou, shall test your mettle.”

As Yue Lou's voice fell, he summoned a massive, weighty battle-axe. The weapon swelled with the wind, soaring through the air like a colossal mountain crashing down.

"It is the Mountain-Sundering Axe."

Eldrin's gaze flickered slightly. The Mountain-Sundering Axe was 1 of the strongest inherited spirit treasures of the Mountain-Moving Sect.

This axe requires the extraction of high-grade precious metals, fused with vast quantities of Mysterious Iron veins through ritual refinement. Once forged, it becomes as heavy as a mountain range, capable of sinking a 1000-mile stretch of land with a single strike.

This treasure possesses boundless power. It is said that even a demon emperor from the spirit turtle tribe, renowned for their defensive prowess, would be unable to withstand it. If struck, they would face the peril of having their physical form shattered.

As the Mountain-Shattering Axe was unleashed, Eldrin naturally did not take it lightly. With a mere flick of his wrist, he summoned the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss to parry the blow.

However, while this sword was unparalleled in its lethality, with speed and killing power far surpassing the Mountain-Shattering Axe, it still could not match the axe's sheer weight. It actually struggled to hold the weapon at bay.

Seeing this, Eldrin flicked his sleeve once more, sending the Heavenly River Ren Water Sword pressing downward. With the combined force of the Heaven-Severing Twin Swords, the might of the Mountain-Shattering Axe was finally suppressed.

"What a magnificent pair of immortal swords."

Yue Lou gasped in astonishment. The moment he laid eyes on this pair of immortal swords, he knew he was no match for them.

However, he possessed the Mountain Dao Body, making him a first-rate prodigy and exceptional talent, so he would not easily admit defeat.

With a furious roar, he unexpectedly took a step forward and threw a punch directly at Eldrin (Person Name), clearly intending to overwhelm him through sheer physical dominance.

Such a strike could likely force even a True Monarch to retreat, yet Eldrin’s gaze flickered almost imperceptibly as he raised his hand to meet it with a palm strike of his own.

Boom—

In an instant, a thunderous roar erupted.

Facing this palm strike, Yue Lou felt as if struck by a heavy blow, staggering back over a 100 paces.

His arm went numb, and for a moment he could no longer muster any strength. He couldn't help but shoot a surprised glance at Eldrin.

But a moment later, he cupped his hands in a resigned salute and said, "Your divine strength is beyond my grasp. I, Yue Lou, admit defeat."

"You are quite impressive as well."

Eldrin nodded, offering a rare word of praise.

This was no empty boast. Through cultivating the 5 Elements Pure Yang Divine Thunder Art, he had spontaneously derived the 5 Thunder Body Tempering Technique.

This is the supreme body refinement technique in all the heavens and earth, with almost no equal throughout the Violet Realm. Cultivated to its ultimate state, 1’s physical form would rival that of the Primordial True Dragons, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the mythical celestials and demons of the 9 Heavens.