Chapter 623 : Flight of the Desolate Demon

"It's a Quasi-Primordial Solar Spiritual Treasure [a treasure of immense power, approaching the legendary level of artifacts forged at the dawn of creation]!"

The faces of the remaining two old demons paled with terror. After a single glance at the Earthfire Profound Crystal Sword [a sword forged from crystalized earth and fire essence] in the hand of the Heavenly Reed Sect Master, they dared not continue the fight. They fled from the battle in a frantic rush.

"You fools have doomed me!"

Watching the two demons escape, Desolation Old Demon revealed a pained expression.

If they had held out for just another half an hour, he was confident he could have severely wounded Eldrin Chen, perhaps even slain this formidable nemesis. Alas, their retreat had come far too soon.

Facing three powerful foes alone, with one of them wielding a Quasi-Primordial Solar Spiritual Treasure, even Desolation Old Demon lacked the audacity to stand his ground.

Thus, with a sigh of resignation, he was forced to disengage. Transforming into a streak of Escape Radiance [a high-speed escape technique], he shot towards the distant horizon.

"You shall not escape!"

With a thunderous roar, Eldrin Chen activated his Two Polarities Divine Light [a divine ability that manipulates the opposing forces of yin and yang], seeking to pin Desolation Old Demon in place.

But Desolation Old Demon merely sneered. He summoned his Desolate Heaven Divine Subjugation Aura [a formidable defensive aura technique] to deflect the assault, and in the blink of an eye, vanished beyond the edge of the sky. Support the author by reading on (audio-novel.com).

"Do not pursue."

Exquisite Jiang halted Eldrin Chen, shaking her head with a grave expression.

Eldrin Chen turned back and only then took a proper look at the Heavenly Reed Sect Master. He noticed the old True Lord [a powerful cultivator who has formed their Primordial Spirit] appeared somewhat pale, his spiritual power clearly significantly depleted.

Although this old sect master possessed formidable spiritual power, his foundation was ultimately that of the Earthly Path Infant Soul [a cultivation art focused on grounding one's Primordial Spirit in earthly energies]. Engaging in successive battles against an Infant Soul Mid Stage [a cultivator in the middle stage of the Primordial Spirit realm] and an Infant Soul Early Stage [a cultivator in the early stage of the Primordial Spirit realm] Demonic Cultivator [a practitioner of unorthodox, often malevolent cultivation methods] naturally consumed a great deal of his energy.

This was especially true for the final act of forcibly activating the Earthfire Profound Crystal Sword [a powerful magical treasure forged from earth and fire elemental crystals]. While it slew the formidable foe, that single sword strike alone had drained twenty percent of his spiritual power.

Realizing this, Eldrin Chen looked at the Heavenly Reed Sect Master and asked, "How are you feeling, Elder Brother?"

"I will manage. It is merely that my spiritual power expenditure was rather substantial," the Heavenly Reed Sect Master replied with a bitter smile. Then he added, "It is a pity my cultivation is insufficient. Forcibly activating the Earthfire Profound Crystal Sword beyond my current stage exacts too heavy a toll."

"If my cultivation were to break through to the Infant Soul Late Stage [the late stage of the Primordial Spirit realm], the spiritual power cost of wielding the Earthfire Profound Crystal Sword would be drastically reduced."

Eldrin Chen nodded, sighing softly. "It is indeed regrettable that we failed to slay Desolation Old Demon this time. He will surely become a dire threat in the future."

"Worry not," Exquisite Jiang said with a light laugh, then continued. "The Desolate Demon Ridge [a mountain stronghold of demonic cultivators] harbors only five or six Demonic Cultivator of the Primordial Spirit realm. This time, we have slain one and destroyed the physical body of another. This has significantly weakened the strength of the Desolate Demon Ridge."

"Indeed," Eldrin Chen's eyes brightened, and he spoke, "Now that the Desolate Demon Ridge has been suddenly and severely wounded, and the Desolation Old Demon has also suffered heavy backlash injuries, this is the perfect moment to strike against them."

"This..."

The Heavenly Reed Sect Master hesitated for a moment, then pondered and said, "Perhaps we should wait a little longer. Let us wait another thirty years. In thirty years, this old man will attempt a breakthrough to the Infant Soul Late Stage [the advanced stage of the Infant Soul cultivation realm]. By then, our chances of success will be significantly greater."

Eldrin Chen furrowed his brow, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind.

The Demonic Abyss Cataclysm [a prophesied great calamity] draws near. Repairing the Azure Abyss Sword will likely require considerable time. Therefore, the sooner we reclaim the Azure Abyss Sword, the better.

Thinking this, he pondered briefly before speaking again, "Now that the Desolate Demon Ridge is grievously wounded, it is precisely the optimal moment for us to act."

"That Desolate Demon Ridge lies within the Nine Rivers Continent. By rights, it should be dealt with by the fellow cultivators of the Nine Rivers Continent. Since we intend to move against the Desolate Demon Ridge, the Nine Rivers Continent certainly cannot stand idly by; they must lend their strength to the effort."

"The Nine Rivers Continent?" The Heavenly Reed Sect Master nodded upon hearing this, contemplated for a moment, and said, "The Nine Rivers Path Master of the Nine Rivers Continent possesses cultivation at the eighth layer of the Infant Soul [the Infant Soul cultivation realm]. Enlisting their aid should indeed be sufficient."

Seeing the Heavenly Reed Sect Master's interest piqued, Eldrin Chen smiled and said, "Since that is the case, after we return, we should prepare to take action."

"Agreed," the Heavenly Reed Sect Master nodded, stroking his long beard. "The Nine Rivers Path Master is an old acquaintance of mine. I shall make a trip to the Nine Rivers Continent to discuss this matter with them. I have no doubt they will be quite willing to participate."

"Then I shall trouble you, Elder Brother."

Eldrin Chen offered a faint smile, cupped his hands in salute towards the Heavenly Reed Sect Master, and then took his leave.

"…"

Not long after, the Desolation Old Demon and the other two Demonic PathTrue Lord [a powerful cultivator who has attained a profound understanding of their chosen path] returned to the Desolate Demon Ridge.

The Desolation Old Demon glanced at the Qian Old Demon and Jin Old Demon flanking him, a flicker of rage passing through his heart. Yet, recalling that both were Demonic Cultivators [cultivators who follow unorthodox and often malevolent paths] of the Infant Soul Mid Stage, he forcibly suppressed his murderous intent.

Having reined in his killing aura, his expression turned grave as he spoke, "Junior Brothers, I fear we have stirred up a hornet's nest today!" Original English translation available at AUDIO-NOVEL.COM.

"Why do you say that, Senior Brother?"

The two demons exchanged a look, uncertainty clouding their features.

"Senior Brother is worried about those three from Returning Abyss?" The Qian Old Demon pondered for a moment before speaking. "I believe you are overthinking this, Senior Brother."

Seeing this, the Jin Old Demon also nodded in agreement. "Though we were defeated today, our cultivation and combat prowess rank among the world's finest. Even if we cannot match those three from Returning Abyss, we should still have ample confidence in our ability to protect ourselves."

"You have stirred up a calamity of immense proportions, yet remain blissfully unaware of it."

Desolation Old Demon let out a bitter laugh, his face etched with worry as he spoke, "Today, when I clashed with Eldrin Chen, do you know why I could not subdue him?"

"Because his Divine Ability [a supernatural power cultivated through esoteric arts] is formidable?" Jin Old Demon ventured hesitantly, then nodded. "To refine a Great Vehicle Divine Ability [a supreme-level supernatural technique] while still at the Infant Soul Early Stage... he is likely the next Vast Righteousness True Lord."

"No, that is not it." Desolation Old Demon shook his head, his expression grave and cautious as he lowered his voice. "I observed that his spiritual power [the cultivated energy that fuels a cultivator's abilities] is profoundly dense, defying all norms. I suspect he is concealing a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a magical artifact fused with its owner's life force, capable of storing vast reserves of power]!"

"Another Lifebound Spiritual Treasure?"

The two Demon God [powerful demonic beings] jolted as if struck by lightning, their faces paling with sudden, profound dread. "A Great Encompassing Infant Soul [a legendary state of cultivation where the nascent soul achieves unparalleled perfection]... Could it be that the Human Race is about to produce another Imperial Sovereign Jiang, another Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality and ascended to immortality]?"

"Disaster! This is a catastrophe, a true catastrophe!"

Jin Old Demon paced frantically, like an ant on a hot skillet. After several agitated circles, he cried out, "When Imperial Sovereign Jiang emerged in the past, he slaughtered eighty-five out of every hundred Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who use wicked, soul-corrupting methods] in the Purple Seal Realm. Not even Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core realm above the Infant Soul stage] Demon Patriarchs could escape his Tribulation [a divine ability often associated with heavenly punishment]."

"I have long heard that Returning Abyss Path Master possesses an exceptionally fierce and ruthless nature. This man likely surpasses even Imperial Sovereign Jiang in that regard."

"If he were to achieve immortality, would it not unleash a cataclysm upon the world, a tempest that would sweep all of us Demonic Cultivator away?"

Both demons were utterly terrified, their courage shattered. Qian Old Demon could not help but look at Desolation Old Demon and say, "This man possesses the makings of an Immortal. Once he rises to power in the future, we will surely be unable to escape his Tribulation [a calamitous retribution or heavenly punishment]. Senior Brother, you must quickly decide on a course of action."

"Huff—"

Desolation Old Demon took a deep breath, pondered for a long while, and then said, "This matter is beyond our authority to decide. I intend to make a trip to Fallen God Ridge and report this to Fallen God Patriarch."

"If Fallen God Patriarch is willing to take action, then Eldrin Chen will surely meet with a sudden and violent calamity. I fear even the Dorian Ji behind him may not be able to protect him."

Having said this, Desolation Old Demon spoke again, "You two should remain at Desolate Demon Ridge for now. Wait for my return."

With those words, Desolation Old Demon departed from Desolate Demon Ridge and headed towards Fallen Deity Ridge, one of the two Primordial Spirit Demonic Cultivator Forbidden Land [a perilous and restricted area] in the Eastern Barrens.

Meanwhile, Eldrin Chen remained completely unaware of Desolation Old Demon's movements. He had just returned to Spirit Isle Lake and was preparing to convene the clan's cultivators to discuss the upcoming campaign against Desolate Demon Ridge. Join our community of readers at audio–novel.com.