Chapter 622 : Clash of Swords and Souls

Recalling the location indicated by the tip of the Azure Abyss Sword, Eldrin Chen halted his movements and exchanged a glance with Exquisite Jiang.

With minds in perfect accord, Exquisite Jiang pondered for a moment before nodding. "Five Infant Soul [the third major stage of cultivation where the nascent soul forms] Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who use demonic or unorthodox methods, often sacrificing others for power]. We can give it a try."

"What is your meaning, esteemed one?" The Heavenly Reed Sect Master asked, startled and unable to hide his hesitation.

"*Clang!*"

In that very instant, the Celestial Abyss Twin Swords in Eldrin Chen's hands erupted, transforming into a dazzling arc of sword light that soared into the sky and cleaved towards Desolation Old Demon.

Then he surged forward, meeting Desolation Old Demon with an overwhelming sword intent, daring to challenge a Infant Soul Late Stage [the advanced phase of the Infant Soul realm] Demonic Cultivator alone.

Exquisite Jiang charged forth as well, intercepting two of the Infant Soul old demons. Battle was joined in a flash.

Seeing this, the Heavenly Reed Sect Master could only grit his teeth, summon his Spiritual Treasure [powerful enchanted artifacts used by cultivators], and rush to engage the remaining two fiends.

"How presumptuous!"

Watching Eldrin Chen advance to challenge him, Desolation Old Demon let out a cold sneer and activated a sinister black demonic blade to meet the assault. Experience the full epic at site: audio-novel.com.

This black demonic blade, named the Heavenly Demon Soul Devourer Blade [a supremely evil weapon that consumes souls], was akin to legendary Demonic Treasure [powerful enchanted artifacts forged with demonic energy] such as the Blood-Transforming Demon Saber and the Heavenly Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword. It stood among the most formidable offensive Demonic Treasure in this realm, its malevolence truly extraordinary.

The Heavenly Demon Soul Devourer Blade before them was of the Fifth Rank High-Grade [a pinnacle tier of power for magical artifacts]. It effortlessly parried the Celestial Abyss Twin Swords [a pair of divine swords], even gaining a slight upper hand.

Having suppressed the full-force strike of Eldrin Chen, the Desolation Old Demon sneered coldly, "A mere cultivator at the Infant Soul Early Stage [the initial phase of the Infant Soul cultivation realm] dares to draw a sword against this venerable one? Such overestimation of your own strength."

"*Hummm—*"

As his words faded, he raised his hand and summoned a black-and-red Demonic Banner [a banner imbued with demonic power], hurling it directly at Eldrin Chen.

This treasure was called the Myriad Demons Soul Devourer Banner [a banner capable of unleashing countless demonic spirits], a first-rate Superior Grade Demonic Treasure [a top-tier demonic artifact]. It could unleash a horde of ten thousand demonic entities to assail a foe; even an Infant Soul True Lord [a powerful cultivator at the Infant Soul realm] would find it difficult to withstand easily.

As the myriad demons surged forth, a glacial light flashed in Eldrin Chen's eyes. Boundless sword intent erupted from within him in an instant.

Innumerable Primordial Solar [pertaining to the pure, primordial essence of the sun] sword energies converged, shredding through the demonic horde. This was the Great Vehicle Divine Ability [a supreme cultivation technique of the highest order]—'Solar Light-Splitting Shadow-Condensing Sword Art' [a sword art that splits solar radiance and condenses shadows].

"Disaster."

The moment he witnessed this Great Vehicle Divine Ability, the heart of the Desolation Old Demon sank with a dreadful thud.

Having integrated the Solar True Flame [the purest form of solar fire], the Light-Splitting Shadow-Condensing Sword Art [a sword art that splits light and condenses shadows] was already the natural bane of such Demonic Treasure [an artifact forged with demonic energy and techniques]. This was especially true now that Eldrin Chen had manifested Heavenly Flame Magical Power [magical power imbued with the essence of celestial fire], elevating the destructive potency of his spiritual energy to an even greater level.

In the blink of an eye, an inexhaustible tide of sword intent cascaded down. Tens of thousands of demons and fiends were instantly reduced to ashes beneath its overwhelming force.

"Ah! My treasure!"

Desolation Old Demon let out a pained cry, hurriedly recalling his Myriad Demons Soul Devourer Banner [a banner that devours souls to empower demonic spirits]. However, after that single strike, more than half of the demonic souls within the banner had been Oblivion [utterly annihilated, erased from existence], suffering unprecedented damage.

Watching him withdraw his Demonic Treasure, Eldrin Chen let out a cold laugh. Many Demonic Treasure wielded by Demonic Cultivator [practitioners who cultivate using demonic or malevolent energies] were indeed potent and relatively easy to forge, with lax requirements for materials.

Yet, precisely because of this, most Demonic Treasure were inherently fragile. Once a method to counter them was found, they could be destroyed with surprising ease.

In contrast, the Superior Spiritual Treasure [a high-grade artifact forged with orthodox spiritual techniques and superior materials] of the Human Race were not only powerful but also crafted from extraordinary materials. The difficulty of destroying them far surpassed that of their demonic counterparts.

Returning to the battle, having crippled Desolation Old Demon's prized Demonic Treasure with one move, Eldrin Chen decisively channeled his spiritual energy into both the Bulwark Earth Sovereign Bell [a bell embodying the unyielding defense of the earth] and the Polarity Void Mirror [a mirror that manipulates the void between polarities] to jointly resist the World-Suppressing Demon Bell [a demonic bell of immense weight and power]. Simultaneously, he unleashed the Two Polarities Divine Thunder [divine thunder born from the clash of opposing primal forces] directly at Desolation Old Demon.

With Eldrin Chen's current level of spiritual energy, the power of the Two Polarities Divine Thunder he could unleash was now comparable to that of Extraordinary, rivaling the attacks of ordinary cultivators at the Infant Soul Late Stage [the advanced phase of the Infant Soul realm, where the nascent soul is nearly fully formed].

Not daring to be negligent, Desolation Old Demon immediately activated his Innate Great God Ability [a supreme divine power inherent to a being's nature], 'Desolate Heaven Divine Subjugation Aura' [an aura of divine authority that subdues even the desolate heavens]. To his astonishment, he managed to block this formidable attack with apparent ease.

"Boom—"

Simultaneously, a great battle erupted on another front. Exquisite Jiang [the Immortal Maiden of Exquisite Jade], facing two opponents alone, not only held her ground but seized a significant advantage.

Of her two adversaries, one was merely at the Infant Soul Early Stage [the initial phase of the Infant Soul realm], while the other's cultivation was at the Infant Soul 5th Tier [the fifth tier of the Infant Soul realm]. Against the profound and solid foundation of Exquisite Jiang, they were ultimately no match, barely managing to defend themselves.

The Heavenly Reed Sect Master [the leader of the Heavenly Reed Sect] was also formidable. He simultaneously engaged two Infant Soul [Infant Soul realm] old demons, and in the brief span of thirty exchanges, he grievously wounded one of them, destroying one of their Demonic Treasure [demonic enchanted artifacts].

After another hundred-plus exchanges, Exquisite Jiang's opponents were finally on the verge of collapse. One Demonic Cultivator [practitioner of demonic arts] at the Infant Soul Early Stage roared, "Desolation Old Demon [the Old Demon of Desolation], if you do not slay Returning Abyss [Eldrin of the Returning Abyss] soon, we will have no choice but to retreat!"

"Damnation! This person is only at the Infant Soul Early Stage, how can his spiritual power [the cultivated energy within a practitioner] be so vast and enduring?" The complete novel can be found at audio-novel.com (official site).

At the heart of the great battle, Desolation Old Demon grew more alarmed with each passing moment. He had initially believed that Eldrin Chen's cultivation was merely at the Infant Soul Early Stage, and that even if he could unleash the power of a high-grade Spiritual Treasure [an enchanted artifact of significant power] and Divine Ability [a supreme mystical technique], his combat prowess would at most reach the Infant Soul 7th Tier [seventh tier of the Infant Soul realm], and likely not be sustainable for long.

Yet, he never imagined that Eldrin Chen's reservoir of spiritual power far exceeded his expectations, allowing him to consecutively unleash ultimate techniques like the Great Vehicle Divine Ability [a supreme technique of the Great Vehicle path] in their duel.

If not for the clear knowledge that Eldrin Chen's cultivation was only at the Infant Soul Early Stage, he would have thought he was locked in a desperate struggle with a Human Race [Human race] great power at the Infant Soul Late Stage [late stage of the Infant Soul realm].

Thinking this, he shot an anxious glance at Eldrin Chen and pondered inwardly, "For his spiritual power to be so enduring, he most likely possesses a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a spiritual treasure bound to one's life force that can store vast reserves of energy]."

"Including the four Lifebound Spiritual Treasure he has already revealed publicly, could it be that he is a Great Encompassing Infant Soul?"

This thought struck Desolation Old Demon like a thunderbolt, sending a tremor of dread through his heart, followed by an overwhelming surge of killing intent. "This man must not be allowed to live. Otherwise, wouldn't the Human Race produce another Imperial Sovereign Jiang?"

"Kill him!"

Suddenly, with a furious roar, Desolation Old Demon unleashed his trump card.

It was a sword of dazzling, malevolent brilliance. The moment it appeared, it erupted with an incandescent demonic radiance, its unparalleled sharpness pressing down upon the very fabric of space itself.

"Trouble! It's the Heavenly Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword!"

Eldrin Chen's pupils contracted. In the blink of an eye, he gathered his Heavenly Flame Magical Power. A Crimson Flame Treasure Lotus bloomed above his head, cascading down with torrents of fiery protective energy [a defensive barrier formed from condensed flame essence].

The true Heavenly Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword was a quasi-immortal artifact [a weapon of power just below that of a true immortal treasure], ranking first among the Ten Great Pure Lunar Demonic Treasure of this realm. Forged by melting high-grade Precious Metal into a Sword Embryo [the nascent spiritual form of a sword], it required the soul of a high-level Outer Realm Heavenly Demon to be drawn forth and refined within the blade for eighty-one years to achieve completion.

Its Slaughter power was peerless. Though it lacked the insidious, venomous nature of the Five Poisons Immortal-Slaying Sword, its raw destructive might far surpassed it.

The blade before them now was merely a replica. Though it could not compare to the genuine Heavenly Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword, its grade still reached Fifth Rank High-Grade. The soul of an Infant Soul Late Stage Outer Realm Heavenly Demon had been refined into it, granting it a Slaughter force that far exceeded that of ordinary Superior Grade Demonic Treasure.

Eldrin Chen dared not be careless. He could only channel his spiritual energy into the Crimson Flame Treasure Lotus [a powerful enchanted lotus artifact], his trump card Spiritual Treasure [a high-grade enchanted artifact], to block the strike from Desolation Old Demon.

However, the Heavenly Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword [a legendary sword forged to slay immortals] truly possessed astonishing power. With several consecutive full-force slashes, it actually caused the Crimson Flame Treasure Lotus, a Superior Spiritual Treasure [a top-tier enchanted artifact], to tremble violently, its radiance flickering as if on the verge of being cleaved apart.

"Boom—"

Seeing Eldrin Chen in peril, the other two could no longer afford to conserve their spiritual power and began to unleash their full might.

In an instant, Exquisite Jiang erupted with her Infant Soul Essence [the condensed spiritual core of an Infant Soul realm cultivator]. With a thunderous roar, she unleashed the Two Polarities Divine Thunder [a divine lightning technique harnessing opposing cosmic forces], reducing the physical body of the Infant Soul Early Stage [the initial phase of the Infant Soul cultivation realm] Demonic Cultivator [a practitioner of unorthodox, often malevolent, cultivation arts] to ashes. Only the cultivator's Infant Soul [the spiritual infant form of a high-level cultivator] managed to escape at the critical moment.

The Heavenly Reed Sect Master [the leader of the Heavenly Reed Sect] also cast aside any thought of concealing his hidden cards. In a flash, he summoned forth a blade of dazzling, peerless sword light and cleaved it forward, bisecting an Infant Soul old demon on the spot. This novel is serialized on audio-novel . com. Visit for updates.