Chapter 688 : The Sea's Final Stand

After resting for half a month, Nine Abyss Lu led the grand army forth once more.

Under the leadership of the Primordial Spirit Path Lord [a supreme cultivator whose spirit has transcended mortal limits], the allied forces eventually cornered the Fiend Race Army within the vast sea. A great battle raged for over half a month before the fiendish horde was utterly annihilated.

Thereafter, the alliance spent a full three months more to finally recapture the two Star Palace Archipelago islands of Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise.

As the Formation arrays [magical defensive or offensive constructs] on each island of the Star Palace Archipelago were repaired one by one, the power of the entire Myriad Heavens Star Formation gradually began to recover.

At this time, far beyond the Heavenly Scar, aboard a Fiend Race Treasure Ship [a massive vessel imbued with magical power], Nine Nether Abyssal Saint Venerable stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing silently at the Star Palace Archipelago. Not a ripple of emotion showed upon his brow.

Behind him, a woman spoke with grave concern. "Sacred Venerable [a title of supreme reverence], it appears they have failed."

"It seems we underestimated them after all."

Nine Nether Abyssal Saint Venerable spoke with detached calm. "The Nine Nether Abyssal Demonic Dragon possessed Extraordinary talent. He originally had a fair chance of breaking through to the Primordial Spirit Late Stage [the pinnacle of the Primordial Spirit realm]. But having suffered this calamitous turn, it will be difficult for him to cultivate his way to the Primordial Spirit Late Stage in the future."

Hearing this, the woman's expression darkened slightly. While most who attain the level of Primordial Spirit Great Power are prodigies of exceptional talent, there are still vast differences among them.

Comparatively, those in the early or middle stages of Primordial Spirit cultivation, though Extraordinary, still fall far short of the power possessed by those who have reached the Primordial Spirit Late Stage. Official source: *audio-novel.com*. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Generally speaking, more than seventy to eighty percent of Primordial Spirit Path Lord [cultivators who have condensed their Primordial Spirit] ultimately fail to break through to the Primordial Spirit Late Stage [the final stage of Primordial Spirit cultivation].

Taking the Eastern Region Great Wasteland [a vast, desolate region in the eastern part of the continent] as an example, the Human Race [the collective of human cultivators and mortals] possesses only two beings at the Primordial Spirit Late Stage: Heaven Abandoned Lin and the Gleaming BrillianceStar Lord [a title for a powerful star-aligned cultivator] from the Stellar Palace. Even if we include the Black Dragon Demon Ancestor from the Demon Race [the collective of demonic beasts and spirits] and the Netherworld Patriarch from the Demonic Path [the heretical path of demonic cultivation], that makes a mere four in total.

In comparison, that Nine Nether Abyssal Demonic Dragon Emperor [a supreme dragon emperor born from the deepest nether abyss] was a Nine Heavens True Dragon [a dragon of the highest celestial pedigree] that had undergone a metamorphosis. In terms of bloodline purity, it was only slightly inferior, by perhaps half a step, to the Black Dragon Demon Ancestor.

Such an existence held great promise for eventually breaking through to the Primordial Spirit Late Stage. However, having now been slain, even if it manages to undergo Rebirth [a profound ability to reincarnate or reconstitute one's form], its True Dragon [a dragon of pure and potent lineage] physique will inevitably bear flaws.

Coupled with the outright loss of an entire lifetime's worth of longevity, it can be said that the Nine Nether Abyssal Demonic Dragon Emperor's chances of breaking through to the Primordial Spirit Late Stage have now been drastically diminished.

Suppressing the thoughts in her mind, the woman took a deep breath and asked once more, "Should we tear open the barrier again and send someone to the Four Directions Star Palace [a celestial palace governing the four cardinal directions]?"

"There is no need."

Nine Nether Abyssal Saint Venerable shook his head and spoke, "To breach even a corner of the Heavenly Starry Sky Grand Formation [a grand defensive array that mimics and harnesses the power of the starry heavens] would require expending a precious Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Formation-Breaking Shuttle [a legendary artifact capable of piercing through any formation]. The cost remains prohibitively high."

"Currently, our master's second Demonic Embryo [a sinister artifact cultivated from condensed demonic essence] is at a critical stage of gestation. Once the Demonic Embryo is successfully refined a millennium from now, what concern will a mere Heavenly Starry Sky Grand Formation pose?"

"..."

Time flowed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, ten years had passed since the day the Heavenly Scar opened.

After the Four Directions Star Palace archipelago was reclaimed, the Fiend Race found it difficult to breach the inner ring of islands. Having paid a steep price and suffered heavy losses among their lower ranks, they began a gradual withdrawal beyond the Heavenly Scar.

The Human Race Path Lord [a master of a profound cultivation path] in the inner ring seized the momentum to pursue and harry them for a time, annihilating portions of the Outer Realm Fiend Race army. In the end, they could only watch as the Fiend Race Army retreated, withdrawing back into the depths of the End of the Demonic Abyss.

The Demon God's Hand [a colossal divine construct shaped like a hand] that had propped up heaven and earth began to slowly lower the Heavenly Scar. Before departing, the Outer Realm Demon God scattered billions of motes of starlight, which flew out to fall upon the boundless lands of the Purple Seal Realm.

These were Stellar Fragment [fragments of corrupted celestial essence] left behind by the Outer Realm Demon God. As these fragments, guided by unseen Path Marker [demonic beacons that taint the land], flew forth, one Demonic Cultivator [practitioners of heretical, demonic arts] Forbidden Land [a territory corrupted by demonic energy] after another took shape beneath their fell light. Countless shattered Demonic Spring [a corrupted spiritual spring that breeds demonic creatures] were also reignited.

Eldrin Chen watched the billions of streaking starlights sweep past the Nine Heavens Above, and could not help but draw a sharp breath, his eyes turning cold.

This was the Outer Realm Demon God's method of polluting the will of the world itself. The more Demonic Cultivator Forbidden Land that infested the land, the more severely the fundamental essence of the Purple Seal Realm would be eroded.

Consequently, the Human Race would be forced to expend vast amounts of their strength combating these Demonic Cultivator Forbidden Land. In turn, these demonic strongholds would continuously perform bloody sacrifices upon the Human Race, draining their potential for war.

Contemplating this, Eldrin Chen spoke, "Upon our return, our foremost priority must be to utterly eradicate every Demonic Cultivator Forbidden Land surrounding our clan's territories."

"Agreed," Eternal Profound Chen nodded, then added with a hint of helplessness, "But we must assess the situation. The forces of Vast Sea and Ji Continent were halved in this war. The wounds we have sustained will likely require nearly a century to fully heal."

"Regardless of how we look at it, the Demonic Abyss Cataclysm has concluded," Exquisite Jiang sighed before continuing, "Although the Demonic Cultivator Forbidden Land remains a troublesome matter, in the end, it cannot pose a fatal threat to us."

Eldrin Chen also breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "I estimate that within the next few days, the Eastern Barrens Immortal Alliance will begin calculating the battle merits. Old Granduncle, I must trouble you to expedite the complete tally of the battle merits for all the major Immortal Clan sects, so that we can distribute the rewards promptly."

"I have already begun making the arrangements."

Eternal Profound Chen nodded and spoke thusly.

Due to the vast number of cultivators who participated in the war, the calculation of battle merits was divided into several tiers.

In this conflict, the Purple Seal Immortal Alliance would calculate contributions based on each major domain's efforts. Subsequently, each domain would also compute the battle merits for every Infant Soul Immortal Clan [a clan led by cultivators who have reached the Infant Soul stage]. This novel is serialized on audio-novel.com (official site). Visit for updates.

As for the battle merits below the level of the Infant Soul Immortal Clan sects, these needed to be allocated and distributed by the major Infant Soul Immortal Clan sects themselves.

The Chen Clan had mobilized over two million cultivators from the Vast Sea and Chen Nation, involving tens of thousands of large and small Immortal Clan sects. Distributing compensation and battle merits to all of them was a monumental task that fell upon the Chen Clan.

The scale of this war was so immense and grand that the entire Purple Seal Realm was occupied for a full year, bustling with activity to finalize the tally of achievements.

On this day, Eldrin Chen and the others received a summons and arrived at a Great Hall located at the very heart of the Supreme Subtlety Enclosure Star Archipelago.

Accompanying him were fellow cultivators from the Three Veins Ancient Domain such as Vast Righteousness True Lord and Sea-Calmer Path Master.

Within the Great Hall, four Primordial Spirit Great Power [cultivators who have reached the Primordial Spirit realm, a high level of spiritual cultivation] were seated. They were Long River Path Master, the Star Lord Gleaming Brilliance from the Stellar Palace, Heaven Abandoned Path Lord of the Lin Clan Patriarch, and Dorian Ji.

Seeing that everyone was unharmed, Dorian Ji gave a slight nod. "The achievements of our fellow cultivators from the Three Veins Ancient Domain in this battle have been truly outstanding," he began, his voice filled with warmth. "You have served our Human Race with utmost dedication. This old man's heart is deeply gratified."

"Indeed. I heard the success of this campaign relied entirely on the strategy devised by young friend Returning Abyss," another voice chimed in.

Long River Path Master also smiled, casting an approving glance towards Eldrin Chen as he spoke.

Eldrin Chen clasped his hands in a respectful salute. "The victory belongs entirely to the concerted efforts of everyone present," he said modestly. "This junior merely offered a few suggestions."

Hearing this, Sea-Calmer Path Master and the others nearby exchanged knowing smiles, their regard for Eldrin Chen growing by another measure.

The four Path Lord [a title for a master of a particular cultivation path or school of thought] seated in the Great Hall all nodded in agreement. Long River Path Master looked at Eldrin Chen with evident appreciation.

He did not elaborate further. After a moment of silence, he sighed heavily. "Yet, it is a pity that the Three Veins Ancient Domain also suffered grievous losses. The young master from the Featherflight Pavilion had his physical body destroyed, and Mysterious Void Path Master fell in battle. These are truly significant blows to our Eastern Barrens."

"Hmph."

Heaven Abandoned Lin let out a cold snort, his gaze turning icy as he declared, "That Heavenly Ark is nothing but a useless piece of junk, and Nine Abyss Lu is just a coward who cares more for his own feathers than his duty."

"Entrusting the defense of the Spirit Island to those two is worse than putting a pair of pigs on guard!" Immerse yourself in the complete world at www . audio-novel.com.