Chapter 542 : The Quest for the Lost Fragment

"The sword tip..."

The Green Abyss Sword [a sentient magical sword of immense power] fell silent for a moment, then laughed. "You have only just broken through to the Nascent Soul [the stage where a cultivator's soul forms an independent infant-like entity] realm. Your strength is still insufficient to retrieve my missing fragment for me."

"My sword tip lies within the Desolate Demon Ridge [a forbidding mountain range infested with powerful demonic cultivators] on the Nine Rivers Continent. Even in the distant past, that place was guarded by three Nascent Soul elder demons, including one at the Nascent Soul Late Stage [the advanced phase of the Nascent Soul realm]. To conquer it would require the combined might of at least two or three cultivators at the Nascent Soul Late Stage."

Eldrin Chen fell silent upon hearing this. The Desolate Demon Ridge was akin to the Black Malignancy Ridge, both being strongholds with Nascent Soul Late Stage elder demons holding dominion.

Within such a Demonic Cultivator Forbidden Land [a territory saturated with demonic energy that empowers its inhabitants], the power of Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who follow a path of demonic arts, often drawing power from chaos and slaughter] is significantly amplified. Merely defeating them is one thing, but to truly eradicate them would require a force of two or three powerhouses of equivalent rank.

"It seems we must advance our cultivation further," Eldrin Chen mused inwardly, "and nurture Clan Patriarch and Kael to the Nascent Soul realm before we can even consider targeting that Desolate Demon Ridge."

Having reached this conclusion, Eldrin Chen spoke again. "This junior has come with another request."

"Oh?"

The Green Abyss Sword fixed its gaze upon Eldrin Chen, awaiting his words.

Seeing this, Lyra Jiang who stood nearby took up the thread of conversation. "We wish to ask you, Senior, to emerge from seclusion and lend us your aid." Dive deeper into the Dao at (audio-novel.com).

"That is precisely the case."

Eldrin Chen nodded and recounted the events at Celestial Vault Isle, informing Green Abyss Sword of the situation.

After listening, Shattered Sword fell silent for a moment before speaking. "That Verdant Daoist was able to create the Heaven-Seizing Vein Creation Art; he truly deserves to be called a Generation's Pinnacle Talent."

"Had the Black Dragon Demon Progenitor not intervened, he might have surpassed my master, Verdant Abyss Daoist, and perhaps our Human Race could have gained another Peerless Dao Lord."

"A pity…"

Green Abyss Sword sighed in admiration, then spoke gravely. "The Earthly Soul [one of the three spiritual souls in Daoist cosmology] of the Verdant Daoist, after fusing with boundless resentment and the spirits of the prematurely severed Earth Vein [a ley line of terrestrial spiritual energy], has transformed into a sinister and aberrant entity."

"Such a being is unfathomably strange and unpredictable. In my prime, I would not have feared it, but my wounds are not yet healed. If I were to exert my full power now, the outcome would likely be mutual destruction."

Pausing here, Green Abyss Sword continued. "However, you bear the bloodline of the Chen Clan and have forged the Great Luo Foundation [a supreme and perfect foundation for cultivation]. As long as a shred of his original consciousness remains within that entity, it most likely will not attack you."

"Very well. I shall accompany you on this journey, but only as a deterrent. I will not intervene directly unless it becomes absolutely necessary."

Hearing this from Green Abyss Sword, Eldrin Chen's face lit up with joy.

With the Green Abyss Sword accompanying them, even in the worst-case scenario where the Earthly Soul of the Purple Daoist had completely lost its sanity, they would still have a final safeguard.

Having settled on this thought, Eldrin Chen once again cupped his hands and said, "Many thanks for your assistance, Senior!"

"No need for such formalities." The Green Abyss Sword hovered in the void, its voice calm. "If your Chen Clan can produce another Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul, I too can recover my sword tip and reforge my body sooner, fully healing my wounds."

Having invited the Green Abyss Sword, the two immediately took a Teleportation Formation to Immortal Apricot Island.

Kael Chen and the others had been waiting for some time. Upon their arrival, the group proceeded together to the sunken sea area where Celestial Vault Isle lay.

Just before entering Celestial Vault Isle, Eldrin Chen looked at Lyra Jiang with concern and said, "You are not of Chen Clan bloodline. Entering might hold unforeseen dangers. Perhaps I should go in alone."

Lyra Jiang shook her head firmly. "Together, we can hold our own for a few exchanges even against a cultivator at the Nascent Soul Great Perfection realm. If you were to go in alone, that is what would truly worry me."

Hearing her words, Eldrin Chen said no more.

Lyra Jiang's combat prowess was formidable in its own right. She had cultivated the Great Vehicle-grade Great Divine Ability known as Twofold Divine Radiance, and her Second Primordial Embryo had already advanced to the Nascent Soul, Mid Stage. Her battle strength was in no way inferior to his own.

Their combined combat prowess was nearly equivalent to more than half of a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator's strength. Within Celestial Vault Isle, aside from Verdant Daoist's Earthly Soul [a powerful spiritual projection or clone], they feared virtually no one else.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen looked at Old Patriarch and the others and declared, "Once we enter, you must seal off this ancient site to prevent any unforeseen incidents."

"Understood."

Seeing their nods of assent, Eldrin Chen retrieved the site's command token. Taking a deep breath, he descended into the ocean's profound depths.

They flew for a long time, guided by the token's resonance, until they finally located Celestial Vault Isle—a colossal island submerged in the seabed's abyss.

This Celestial Vault Isle sprawled for over one hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], a mountainous leviathan resting on the ocean floor. It was once the source of The Vast Sea's Water Vein [a concentrated ley line of water-attributed spiritual energy], but had been violently severed by Black Dragon Demon Progenitor and cast into the endless deep.

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Gazing upon the immense island before them, Eldrin Chen drew a steadying breath and spoke.

He exchanged a glance with Lyra Jiang, then channeled spiritual energy into the token. It parted the grand protective formation surrounding Celestial Vault Isle, allowing them to pass through to its outermost periphery.

"Boom—"

Upon entering Celestial Vault Isle, Eldrin Chen's pupils contracted as a streak of bloody light shot towards him.

With a flick of his sleeve, he extinguished the bloody radiance, only then noticing the one who had attacked.

The attacker was a man drenched in blood, his flesh withered and gaunt, yet his eyes were filled with nothing but crimson.

"Kill, kill, kill! Slaughter all the Demonic Monsters! Protect our Chen Clan!" The blood-soaked man roared, gripping a Shattered Sword as he charged forward for another strike.

"Is this a malevolent spirit born from lingering resentment?"

Eldrin Chen felt an inexplicable pang of heartache. Suppressing his discomfort, he raised his hand and vanquished the blood-robed man.

Only then did he survey his surroundings. He discovered the entire island was saturated with a bloody glow. An immensely evil and pervasive resentment filled the heavens and the earth, its overwhelming hatred and murderous intent almost palpable.

"Conceal your aura," Lyra Jiang reminded him.

Eldrin Chen nodded. They had come to search for treasures; unless absolutely necessary, it was best not to disturb the Earthly Soul [the earthly, mortal aspect of a cultivator's spirit] of the Verdant Daoist.

The two cautiously advanced along the periphery of the Celestial Vault Isle, probing deeper into the ruins. Along the way, they encountered numerous malevolent spirits formed from lingering resentment, but these were all weak, eerie entities that they dispatched with ease.

They had not walked for long before arriving within a dilapidated Spirit Farmland [a field infused with spiritual energy for cultivating spirit plants].

"A Spirit Medicine Garden [a garden dedicated to cultivating medicinal plants imbued with spiritual energy]," he murmured.

Eldrin Chen looked up and saw that the Spirit Farmland was overgrown with numerous Spirit Medicine [plants containing potent spiritual energy used for alchemy and healing].

His initial flicker of hope was quickly extinguished, replaced by a bitter smile. These Spirit Medicine had been tainted by Grudge [a malevolent spiritual residue born from intense hatred or violent death], their medicinal properties warped and mutated, rendering them useless.

After a thorough search, however, their efforts were not entirely in vain. They discovered a single Nascent Soul Transformation Fruit [a rare spiritual fruit that aids in the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm] that had been only lightly touched by the corruption.

"A fine treasure indeed," he breathed.

Eldrin Chen felt a surge of delight. The Grudge clinging to this Nascent Soul Transformation Fruit was minimal and should be possible to purify.

Lyra Jiang, being a Fifth Rank Alchemist [a master alchemist capable of refining fifth-rank pills and elixirs], carefully plucked the fruit. "The Grudge on this Nascent Soul Transformation Fruit is faint. If we could obtain a single drop of Heart-Purifying Spirit Liquid [a rare liquid that cleanses the heart-mind and soul, dispelling foreign energies], we could cleanse the corruption from it."

The Heart-Purifying Spirit Liquid was a Fifth Rank Low Grade [a classification for treasures suitable for cultivators at the early stages of the fifth major realm] treasure, capable of purifying a cultivator's heart-mind and soul, expelling heterodox energies.

Typically, ten drops were required together to have a significant effect on a True Lord [a title for a powerful cultivator who has reached the Golden Core realm]. However, for just one drop, the required quantity was far smaller; it could likely be purchased for around five million Spirit Stone [minerals that store and radiate spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen also said with joy, "With this Nascent Soul Transformation Fruit [a legendary fruit that aids in the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm], combined with the Five Veins Nascent Soul Formation [a powerful formation designed to assist in achieving the Nascent Soul realm] and the Creation Green Lotus Seed [a seed of immense life force and creation energy], Uncle Lior and the others should have a significant chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul [the realm where a cultivator's soul separates from the mortal coil and gains immense power] in the future."

"Indeed, Mingwei can also be said to have gained hope for her own breakthrough to the Nascent Soul [the realm where a cultivator's soul separates from the mortal coil and gains immense power]."

After storing away the Nascent Soul Transformation Fruit [a legendary fruit that aids in the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm], the two continued deeper into the ruins. Before they knew it, they arrived before a Grand Hall [a vast ceremonial or audience hall].

Eldrin Chen glanced at the Grand Hall [a vast ceremonial or audience hall] and immediately furrowed his brow.

The Grand Hall [a vast ceremonial or audience hall] before them was a scene of carnage, littered with corpses. Fallen bodies that had not decayed for a Millennium [a period of one thousand years] lay strewn about, each representing a Human Race [the collective of humankind] cultivator who had once reached at least the Golden Core [the realm where a cultivator condenses their spiritual power into a solid, golden core] realm.

And at the far end of the Grand Hall [a vast ceremonial or audience hall], a figure clad in a cyan robe, with disheveled hair, stood with hands clasped behind its back.

It watched the two of them in silence. That gaze, like a stare from the deepest depths of the Nine Hells, instantly made Eldrin Chen feel a chill run through his entire body.

"You have come!" Original publication: site: audio-novel.com - The source of this chapter.