Chapter 535 : Ascension of the Pure Yang Dao

For they were not far from achieving immortality; perhaps in their next life, they could Ascend to Immortal Eternity [to transcend mortality and become an immortal deity], becoming immortal deities who would live forever. Naturally, the judges of the underworld would be pleased to forge a favorable connection.

Recalling the supreme and towering majesty of Pure Yang Dao Lord [a title for a supreme cultivator who has mastered the Pure Yang Dao], everyone hurriedly bowed and saluted, saying, "Congratulations to the Dao Lord [a title for a supreme cultivator] for attaining the Pure Yang Realm [the highest realm of cultivation, representing ultimate purity and yang energy]. May the Dao Lord enjoy eternal immortal blessings and Ascend to Immortal Eternity."

Watching countless cultivators offer their congratulations one after another, Dorian Ji smiled faintly.

With a flick of his sleeve, he scattered tens of millions of spiritual lights, which landed in the hands of each cultivator. In high spirits, he said, "There is no need for such formalities. Keep these small trinkets."

"Our deepest thanks to the Dao Lord."

Everyone received the treasures, their faces lighting up with joy, and they had long been prepared to present generous congratulatory gifts in return.

Eldrin Chen was no exception. He and Lyra Jiang did not have much surplus wealth on hand, so they gifted a precious vial of Fifth Rank Pill [a pill of the fifth rank, extremely potent and rare].

This was already considered a rather valuable gift. One should not think that just because Eldrin Chen had achieved great harvests several times, they were overflowing with riches. They possessed ten Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a spiritual treasure bound to one's life and soul], and the consumption of resources for such treasures was a bottomless pit. Even a wealthy landowner might find his granaries running low.

After Dorian Ji's breakthrough, he held a grand banquet to feast all the guests.

Once the banquet concluded, the Ji Clan Patriarch convened a grand clan assembly. He even invited Eldrin Chen and his companion to attend. The story continues at audi0-n0vel.c0m.

Seeing that everyone had assembled, Dorian Ji spoke forthrightly, "This time, I have incurred significant debts of gratitude. In the future, if the three great Sacred Land or Magnus the Virtuous and others have need, we must also extend our aid."

"We understand," they all replied.

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. Dorian Ji's breakthrough this time had indeed incurred many such obligations.

The Eastern Wilderness's Three Great Sacred Lands had all intervened on his behalf. In the future, if any from these great Sacred Land sought to break through to the Pure Yang realm, Dorian Ji naturally could not stand idly by.

After concluding that topic, Dorian Ji's expression grew solemn once more. "Now that I have just broken through to the Dao Lord Realm," he declared, "my primary focus will be consolidating my cultivation and advancing both my Supreme Treasure of Pure Yang and my Second Nascent Soul."

"However, the resources of our Ji Clan are insufficient to support the advancement of both my Supreme Treasure of Pure Yang and the Violet Radiance Thunder Dragon Nascent Soul."

"Therefore, I have already reached an agreement with several Dao Lord Sacred Land within the Eastern Wastelands. Once my cultivation is consolidated, I will journey to the End of the Demonic Abyss to take my turn guarding it in place of other Dao Lord."

"In exchange, when the time comes for us to reclaim the ancestral vein within the Blood God Sea Region, other Dao Lord will lend me their strength."

After Dorian Ji finished speaking, everyone nodded once more in understanding.

Reclaiming the Blood God Sea Region would be no simple task.

Unlike the Nascent Soul realm, the disparity in combat power among Primordial Spirit cultivators is often minimal. Once a cultivator breaks through to the Primordial Spirit realm, they naturally possess the means to partially compensate for any foundational shortcomings.

Even between cultivators of the Earthly Dao Nascent Soul and the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul paths, the gap in their Mana after breakthrough typically does not exceed a single minor realm.

After all, cultivators who reach this level are the pinnacle of this world. For an Earthly Dao Nascent Soul cultivator to surpass the majority of Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul peers and ascend to the Nascent Soul Dao Lord realm, they must possess extraordinary qualities.

What truly determines the combat prowess of a Nascent Soul Dao Lord are formidable Pure Yang Divine Ability techniques, powerful Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure artifacts, and their comprehension of the esoteric forces of cultivation.

The Blood God Ancient Ancestor possessed cultivation at the third layer of the Primordial Spirit realm and had mastered the Pure Yang Divine Ability known as the Blood God Grand Art, making his strength truly formidable.

Through the Blood God Grand Art alone, the Blood God Ancient Ancestor commanded nine clones at the Half-Step Dao Lord realm—a sight that would give even a mid-stage Primordial Spirit Dao Lord pause. This was without accounting for his other Demonic Treasure artifacts and myriad techniques.

Although the Ji Clan Patriarch wielded the Immortal-Refining Furnace, completely defeating the Blood God Ancient Ancestor would likely still prove insufficient.

With this thought, the Ji Clan Patriarch declared, "I shall take up a post at the End of the Demonic Abyss for some years. Leveraging the connections my Ji Clan has cultivated, I can secure a loan of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements]. Upon my return, I shall be able to advance my Second Nascent Soul [a profound technique to cultivate a second, independent spiritual core]."

"Devote yourselves to cultivation in my absence. When I return, we shall move against the Blood God Sea Region."

"Understood."

Seeing everyone nod in agreement, Ji Clan Patriarch declared, "I shall first enter seclusion to consolidate my realm. Lyra and Eldrin shall remain. The rest of you may withdraw for now."

"As you command!"

After the others had departed, Dorian Ji cast a glance at Eldrin Chen and his companion, a faint smile gracing his lips. "I am indebted to you both for your efforts this time. Had you not shielded the Seclusion Chamber, I fear I could not have focused on my breakthrough with peace of mind."

"It was nothing. Merely our duty,"

replied Eldrin Chen. Their primary role had not been to engage in direct combat, but rather to protect the Seclusion Chamber from the myriad shockwaves and residual energies unleashed during the fierce clashes.

Dorian Ji's smile deepened slightly as he continued, his gaze thoughtful. "Though I have broken through to the Dao Lord Realm [the realm of a Dao Lord, a master who has comprehended a fundamental principle of the cosmos], my prospects for achieving true Immortal Ascension remain slim."

"You two, however, are different. With the foundational potential of the Five Spiritual Roots [a rare and balanced spiritual constitution attuned to all five elemental forces] and your Deep-Seated Foundation [an exceptionally stable and profound cultivation base], it is not impossible that you may yet become the second Granduncle."

"The second Granduncle?"

Eldrin Chen's expression shifted subtly, a flicker of confusion passing through his eyes.

Dorian Ji cast a glance at Eldrin Chen and said with a smile, "The most recent immortal to ascend in the recent ancient era, 'Jiang the Sovereign Emperor,' was Lyra's grandfather."

"This..."

Lyra Jiang nodded and explained, "The 'Immortal Ascension Vein-Forging Art' [a supreme method for reshaping and perfecting one's spiritual roots] I cultivate was created by my grandfather."

Eldrin Chen understood that this Immortal Ascension Vein-Forging Art was the peerless method Lyra Jiang used to complete her Spiritual Root [the innate channels that determine one's affinity for absorbing spiritual energy]. What surprised him was that this profound art was actually created by Jiang the Sovereign Emperor.

As the two of them recounted the tale, Eldrin Chen finally grasped the threads of this karma.

It turned out that Jiang the Sovereign Emperor possessed talent and brilliance rarely seen since antiquity. The reason he could achieve immortality in an era when it was deemed nearly impossible was precisely because of this 'Immortal Ascension Vein-Forging Art'.

Jiang the Sovereign Emperor was originally a cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root [a spiritual root of the highest innate grade]. In his youth, with his world-shaking talent, he seized the Creation [the fundamental creative force of heaven and earth] to pioneer this method for reshaping Spiritual Root, thereby perfecting his own Five Elements Spiritual Root [a spiritual root encompassing all five elemental affinities].

From that moment on, Jiang the Sovereign Emperor soared to the heavens. Not only did he forge a Great Luo Golden Core [the highest grade of Golden Core foundation], but he also expended the Clan-Suppressing Foundation [the accumulated supreme treasures and resources that ensure a clan's longevity] of the Jiang Clan in one fell swoop to successfully condense a Great Luo Nascent Soul [the highest grade of Nascent Soul].

Recalling this past event, Dorian Ji spoke up, "When Jiang the Sovereign Emperor attained his Dao, I was merely at the Golden Core realm. It was then that I truly understood the meaning of Exiled Immortal Bearing [a bearing and potential so extraordinary it seems like that of an immortal banished to the mortal realm]."

"Alas, after the venerable one transcended the Immortal Ascension Tribulation [the final heavenly trial to ascend to immortality], four of his five Lifebound Supreme Treasure [supreme treasures forged with and bound to one's very life essence] were destroyed. Only a single Immortal Sword managed to advance to the realm of an Immortal Treasure [a treasure that has transcended to an immortal grade]."

"Otherwise, it might not have been impossible to quell the calamitous source at the End of the Demonic Abyss..."

Dorian Ji spoke with measured grace, his eyes filled with profound reverence, clearly holding Jiang the Sovereign Emperor in the highest esteem.

Eldrin Chen fell into a deep silence, taking a long moment to gather his thoughts. Jiang the Sovereign Emperor truly lived up to his legend as the one who defied heaven's will to ascend to immortality in the recent ancient era. Merely by creating the Immortal Ascension Vein-Forging Art [a legendary method to forge spiritual veins], his talent was enough to be deemed world-shaking.

Such genius shook the very foundations of history. Perhaps, among all the immortals who have ever ascended to the Purple Realm [a higher plane of existence] throughout the ages, he would rank among the very foremost.

Having finished his tale, Dorian Ji turned his gaze upon the two of them and said, "Seeing you today, I catch a fleeting glimpse of the shadow of the great Jiang the Sovereign Emperor from ages past."

"If one day you can Ascend to Immortal Eternity [achieve immortality and eternal life] and journey forth together, there might truly be a sliver of hope to cleanse the source of that great calamity." Continue reading this story at *audio-novel.com*.