Chapter 544 : The Ancestral Shield Unveiled

The Divine Ability recorded within that Jade Slip utterly astonished Eldrin Chen, for it was none other than a Supreme Pure Yang Divine Ability.

This Divine Ability was named the 'Twofold Divine Aegis'. This technique could manifest a divine barrier from the dual forces of water and fire. Once activated, it rendered one nearly impervious to all manner of Divine Ability and Spiritual Treasure, a veritable shield against myriad arts.

Speaking of this Pure Yang Divine Ability, the lingering will of Qing sighed with emotion. "The Twofold Divine Aegis was created by an ancestor of our Chen Clan. It stands as one of the supreme defensive Divine Ability under heaven."

"In my time, merely mastering its rudiments allowed me to withstand three strikes from a Nascent Soul Dao Lord. It was my strongest means of confronting Hemlock the Bloodweaver."

"I had believed I could rely on this Divine Ability to survive the Nascent Soul Grand Tribulation... Alas, in the end..."

Eldrin Chen was profoundly shaken. This was his first encounter with a genuine Pure Yang Divine Ability.

Such a treasure represented a true, peerless Deep-Seated Foundation, something even a Nascent Soul Dao Lord would covet intensely.

If a Half-Step Primordial SpiritDao Lord mastered this Pure Yang Divine Ability, their chances of surviving the Primordial Spirit Heavenly Thunder Tribulation would increase by at least thirty percent.

Contemplating the immense value of this Pure Yang Divine Ability, Lyra Jiang drew a deep breath and addressed the green Earthly Soul. "Senior, may I ask what the third treasure is?"

"Follow me." For uninterrupted reading, go to audio-novel[dot]com.

The Verdant Daoist led the two of them deep into the Earth Vein [a powerful, earth-aligned spiritual energy current] within Celestial Vault Isle.

Eldrin Chen followed closely behind, standing with him before the shattered remnants of the Celestial Vault Isle's Earth Vein. His eyes could not help but tremble slightly.

At the very core of the Earth Vein before them, a piece of translucent, crystalline Treasure Metal [a rare, spiritually potent metal] floated in the void. Within it, strands of Pure Yang Dao Patterns [patterns embodying the supreme principle of Pure Yang] pulsed, radiating a power that bordered on the transcendent.

This power was utterly terrifying; even Eldrin Chen felt a profound sense of threat.

He drew a deep breath and asked with hesitation, "This is…"

"Heavenly River Treasure Gold."

The Verdant remnant's words were startling as he continued, "This piece of Heavenly River Treasure Gold was originally a supreme treasure nurtured by the Water Vein [a powerful, water-aligned spiritual energy current] of The Vast Sea. At its birth, its grade had already reached the threshold of a half-step Pure Yang Treasure Gold."

"In those years, I journeyed to the Central Ancestral Domain and beseeched for a wisp of immortal Qi [the supreme energy of immortality], using it to shatter the shackles on this treasure's grade, allowing it to continue its gestation and growth."

"According to my original plan, once it had gestated to the sixth rank, it would be used to forge my life-bound Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure [a cultivator's most powerful, soul-linked magical artifact, imbued with Pure Yang power]."

Listening to the Verdant one's words, Eldrin Chen could not help but furrow his brow.

He hesitated, unable to suppress his question. "What exactly is this Immortal Qi [a supreme, purified energy that transcends the mortal realm, used by true Immortals], that it can elevate a Fifth Rank Treasure Metal to the sixth rank?"

"Immortal Qi [a supreme, purified energy that transcends the mortal realm, used by true Immortals] is a peerless treasure that can only be refined by those who have Ascend to Immortal Eternity [attained the state of a true Immortal]," the Verdant Daoist explained.

Speaking of the profound mysteries of Immortal Qi [a supreme, purified energy that transcends the mortal realm, used by true Immortals], a gleam lit up in the eyes of the Verdant Daoist as he began to recount its wondrous uses.

It turned out that Immortal Qi [a supreme, purified energy that transcends the mortal realm, used by true Immortals] could not only be used to refine Spiritual Treasure [powerful enchanted artifacts], but could also elevate Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root [a cultivator's innate spiritual foundation], and even aid a cultivator in forging a Great Luo Nascent Soul [the pinnacle form of the Nascent Soul, a foundation for the Dao].

This substance was even more precious than Heavenly Dao Qi [the primal energy of Heaven and Earth], a supreme treasure from beyond the red dust of the mortal world. Alas, only an Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality and attained eternal life] could refine Immortal Qi [a supreme, purified energy that transcends the mortal realm, used by true Immortals].

Yet, Immortal Qi [a supreme, purified energy that transcends the mortal realm, used by true Immortals] was also of utmost importance to the Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality and attained eternal life] themselves. Refining too much of it could affect their cultivation and foundational Dao base.

Although the Purple Realm [a legendary cultivation realm] had seen many Immortal [beings who have transcended mortality and attained eternal life] ascend in the past, with the gradual passage of eons, the amount of Immortal Qi [a supreme, purified energy that transcends the mortal realm, used by true Immortals] remaining had become exceedingly rare.

At this point, the Verdant Daoist shook his head once more. "In the world today, the number of powers possessing Immortal Qi [a supreme, purified energy that transcends the mortal realm, used by true Immortals] does not exceed the fingers of one hand. Without exception, those powers are all Dao Lord Sacred Land [sanctuaries founded by supreme Dao Lords] that once produced an Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality and attained eternal life]."

"Even so, the Immortal Qi [a supreme, purified energy that transcends the mortal realm, used by true Immortals] in their hands is a Clan-Suppressing Foundation [a treasure foundational to a clan's survival and legacy]. Back then, to exchange for a wisp of Immortal Qi [a supreme, purified energy that transcends the mortal realm, used by true Immortals], I expended a favor owed to my Chen Immortal Clan [the Chen Clan of Immortal cultivators] within the Central Ancestral Domain [the primordial heartland of the human cultivation world]."

Having spoken this far, the Verdant Daoist [a Daoist master associated with verdant life and growth] said no more. He gazed at the piece of Heavenly River Treasure Gold before him. "By my reckoning, this piece of Heavenly River Treasure Gold still requires a full Millennium [a span of one thousand years] of nurturing before it can advance to the sixth rank."

"When the time comes, return here to retrieve it. If you can forge a Lifebound Pure Yang Immortal Sword [a supreme sword bound to its wielder's life force and refined with the power of the pure sun], your chances of slaying Hemlock the Bloodweaver will increase by several degrees."

The thought of a Pure Yang Treasure Gold [a legendary metal imbued with the essence of the pure sun] on the verge of advancement lying before him caused Eldrin Chen to draw a deep, steadying breath. To obtain this Treasure Metal would mean he could begin crafting a Pure Yang Immortal Sword [an immortal-grade sword forged from Pure Yang Treasure Gold] as soon as he broke through to the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

The might of a Lifebound Pure Yang Immortal Sword was truly staggering. Once forged, its wielder could roam the world unchallenged. Who, save for the lofty and peerless Dao Lord [a supreme title for a cultivator who has comprehended a Great Dao], could possibly restrain such power?

Exchanging a glance with Lyra Jiang, he then cupped his hands respectfully towards the Verdant Earthly Soul [one of the three foundational souls in a cultivator's being, representing the earthly connection] and declared, "Since you, Ancient Ancestor, have bestowed upon me these three supreme treasures, this junior will naturally slay Hemlock the Bloodweaver and resolve your ancient karma on your behalf."

"Then cultivate diligently."

The Verdant remnant nodded, its voice growing faint. "The power of my remnant soul is insufficient; I fear I cannot maintain clarity of consciousness for much longer." This novel is serialized on AUDIO-NOVEL.COM. Visit for updates.

"Soon, I will fall into a deep slumber, entering a state of muddled oblivion. Henceforth, you must not lightly enter the Celestial Vault Isle again."

"We understand."

Eldrin Chen bowed once more with clasped hands, took his leave of the Verdant Daoist, and departed from the Celestial Vault Isle.

Stepping beyond the isle's boundary, he turned for a final look at the land saturated with blood-malignancy and vengeful resentment. A sigh escaped his lips as he murmured:

"If even Qing the Ancient Ancestor [a venerable and powerful senior cultivator], who created the Heaven-Seizing Vein Creation Art [a supreme technique for forging spiritual meridians] and cultivated a Pure Yang Divine Ability [a divine ability of the purest Yang energy], failed with such a profound foundation, perishing before reaching the Nascent Soul Dao Lord [the realm of the Nascent Soul, a powerful spiritual entity]..."

"Could the difficulty of breaking through to Pure Yang Dao Lord [a title for a supreme master of Pure Yang energy] truly be so immense?"

Lyra Jiang grasped his hand and shook her head. "His foundation was among the very pinnacle of those at the Half-Step Primordial Spirit [a transitional state just below the Primordial Spirit realm]. Had it not been for the Black Dragon Demon Progenitor [a primordial and immensely powerful black dragon demon] obstructing his Dao path, his chances of breaking through to the Primordial Spirit realm would have been at least seventy or eighty percent."

"Foundation, the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a cataclysmic heavenly trial of thunder], the Human Tribulation [a tribulation of mortal strife and conflict]..."

Eldrin Chen murmured, his gaze turning grave.

Merely the requirement of a Primordial Spirit-grade foundation barred ninety-nine out of a hundred Nascent Soul Cultivators [practitioners who have formed a Nascent Soul]. The sheer terror of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation made even those Heaven's Chosen [individuals blessed with extraordinary talent and fortune] at the half-step Pure Yang [a realm of supreme, purified Yang energy] pale.

Even if one had the confidence to survive those two calamities, the Human Tribulation was even more dreadful. To incur the wrath of a supreme existence like the Black Dragon Demon Progenitor, few in all the world could withstand it.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen could not help but ask, "Is that Black Dragon Demon Progenitor truly beyond anyone's control?"

Lyra Jiang shook her head. "Not entirely. Within our Human Race [the collective of humanity], there are also peerless powerhouses whose strength is not a whit inferior to the Black Dragon Demon Progenitor."

"Setting aside the Central Ancestral Domain [the central, most ancient and powerful human territory] and the other great domains, even Lin Tianqi, the foremost powerhouse of the Eastern Wastelands [a vast and perilous eastern territory], is likely not much weaker than the Black Dragon Demon Progenitor. Moreover, our numbers of Human Race Dao Lord [human masters who have comprehended a profound Dao] surpass those of the Demonic Tribe [the collective of demonic beings] by severalfold."

"However, it is the Demonic Cultivator and even the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon that are the true, deep-seated threat. The Dao Lord of our Human Race are unwilling to fight to a mutual standstill with the Demonic Tribe at this moment."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen said nothing more. He drew a deep breath and flew towards the water's surface.

The two emerged from the seafloor. Old Patriarch and the others immediately flew over, asking with palpable excitement, "How did it go?"

"This is not the place to speak. Let us return first."

Eldrin Chen's expression was somewhat grim. He immediately led the group back towards Immortal Apricot Island.

After arriving at Immortal Apricot Island, the group gathered within the Grand Hall. Noticing the troubled look on Eldrin Chen's face, Old Patriarch's heart sank. "Was the journey fruitless, or..." Original English translation available at http://www . audio-novel.com.