Chapter 742 : A Pact of Ten Thousand Years

"Alas."

Feathered Pavilion Master let out a sigh, suppressing the lingering sorrow within.

Although he was merely a Pseudo Nascent Soul [a cultivator who has attained a flawed version of the Nascent Soul realm, lacking the potential for further advancement], with no hope of progressing further, he had nonetheless broken through to the Primordial Spirit Realm [the foundational spiritual core stage preceding the Nascent Soul].

Henceforth, his natural lifespan would extend to ten thousand years. Currently less than six thousand years old, and having previously used Life-Extending Spiritual Object [rare treasures that grant additional lifespan] three times to extend his life by a total of three Millennium [periods of one thousand years], he still had at least another seven thousand plus years ahead of him.

Moreover, he still had one more opportunity to use a Life-Extending Spiritual Object. If he could later obtain a Sixth Rank Nirvana Immortal Apricot [a legendary fruit of the sixth rank said to grant rebirth and immense longevity], he could live another full lifetime, adding ten thousand more years. One could say his remaining years were still vast and lengthy.

After all, to live for over twenty thousand years—though it paled before the heaven-and-earth-spanning longevity of a true Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality and achieved eternal life]—could still be considered a form of longevity when compared to the billions upon billions of mortal beings under the heavens.

Thinking of this, a faint smile touched the lips of the Feathered Pavilion Master.

He invited Eldrin Chen and Ignatius the Violet Flame into the Grand Hall, speaking with exceptional courtesy and a warm smile, "Henceforth, there is no need for you to address this old man as Dao Lord [a title of great respect for a master of the Dao]. You may simply call me Feathered Pavilion Brother."

Eldrin Chen's brow twitched slightly. He understood that the Feathered Pavilion Master felt, in myself his heart, that as a mere pseudo-Nascent Soul Dao Lord [a flawed Nascent Soul realm master], he lacked the face to presume the title of Dao Lord before them.

Nevertheless, Eldrin Chen offered a gentle smile and shook his head. "Pavilion Master, you have still forged your Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator]. You naturally deserve the honorific title of Dao Lord." Discover more cultivation stories at audio‑novel.com.

"Indeed, you have more than earned it."

Ignatius the Violet Flame also nodded, speaking with a warm smile.

Upon hearing this, Feathered Pavilion Master's eyes flickered thoughtfully, yet he still shook his head and said, "Having weathered this tribulation together, the two of you and I can now be considered close confidants. It would be more fitting for us to interact as peers."

"Then I thank you, Feathered Pavilion Brother."

Seeing his insistence, Eldrin Chen and Ignatius the Violet Flame relented, continuing to treat Feathered Pavilion Master as an equal.

Only then did Dao Lord Feathered Pavilion speak again, choosing his words carefully. "You have aided this elder brother in overcoming his external tribulation. By all rights, I owe you a substantial reward."

"However, my Feathered Pavilion is currently impoverished, its coffers echoing with emptiness. I have no treasures worthy of a gift, and can only offer a promise, thick with my own presumption."

At this point, Dao Lord Feathered Pavilion stood up and offered a solemn, cupped-fist salute to the two. "In the future, when you face your own Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation [the cataclysmic trial of lightning and calamity one must endure to ascend to the Nascent Soul realm], this elder brother will surely lend his aid to repay the grace shown to me today."

"Feathered Pavilion Brother, with your word, my heart is at ease."

Hearing this, Ignatius the Violet Flame could not help but reveal a smile as he spoke.

For Eldrin Chen and himself, the reason for braving the enmity of foes to aid Dao Lord Feathered Pavilion through his tribulation was precisely to secure another ally who could assist myself on the path to the Dao in the future.

Although Dao Lord Feathered Pavilion is merely a Pseudo Nascent Soul, he is ultimately a combatant at the Primordial Spirit [the highest spiritual core of a cultivator] level. Even if he cannot match a true Pure Yang Dao Lord [a Dao Lord who has mastered the purest Yang energy], dealing with ordinary Half-Step Primordial Spirit [cultivators on the verge of attaining the Primordial Spirit realm] should be effortless for him.

If he could refine a Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure [a magical artifact imbued with the purest Yang energy] or master a Pure Yang Great Divine Ability [a supreme divine technique of pure Yang essence], his combat power would far surpass that of someone like Maris the Sea Steader, and he should be able to hold his own against a newly ascended Primordial Spirit.

After making his promise, Dao Lord Feathered Pavilion then addressed the two with a smile, "This elder brother has just broken through to the Primordial Spirit realm and must enter seclusion promptly to consolidate his cultivation base. I shall not detain you further."

"Then we shall take our leave."

Eldrin Chen clasped his hands in farewell and departed from the Grand Hall.

Once outside the Grand Hall, Lyra Jiang could not help but ask, "How did it go?"

Eldrin Chen shook his head, glancing back at the Feathered Pavilion behind them. "He is consolidating his realm. It will likely take two to three hundred years."

"Alas," Lyra Jiang sighed, a note of regret in her voice. "The Feathered Pavilion Master's preparations were quite thorough. It is a pity he fell just short, ultimately missing the Pure Yang Great Dao [the supreme path of pure Yang essence]."

"Regardless, attaining the Primordial Spirit realm is an immense fortune for him."

Eldrin Chen spoke with a calm demeanor, then added with a smile, "Once he emerges from seclusion, the strength of the Feathered Pavilion will undoubtedly increase greatly. The Three Veins Ancient Domain will finally have what can be considered a Minor Dao Lord Holy Land."

"That is true,"

Lyra Jiang nodded in agreement, yet continued, "Judging from today's events, in the future, if we wish to transcend the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation [a cataclysmic trial of heavenly lightning faced when advancing to the Nascent Soul realm], we will need to prepare a Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure [a supreme-grade magical artifact imbued with pure Yang energy]."

"A Tribulation Transcendence Spiritual Treasure?"

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen could not help but reveal a trace of vexation.

From the nature of this Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation, it seemed that without a Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure, only cultivators with Four Spiritual Roots [a superior innate spiritual foundation] or Five Spiritual Roots [the pinnacle innate spiritual foundation] would have more than a fifty percent chance of success. Immerse yourself in the complete world at audio–novel.com.

Cultivators with Three Spiritual Roots [a standard innate spiritual foundation] or fewer, due to insufficient Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a magical treasure nurtured and bound to one's very life force] and their Mana [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a practitioner] being less condensed and profound, likely had a mere thirty percent hope of passing.

To truly transcend the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, one would need either a Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure or an exceptionally precious and powerful treasure.

Yet, even a Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure like the Green Abyss Sword, if used to withstand the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, would suffer grievous damage. That Heavenly Thunder Tribulation was overwhelmingly tyrannical, capable of injuring the Treasure Spirit [the sentient consciousness residing within a high-grade magical treasure] of a Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure.

Generally speaking, after a Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure is used to transcend a Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation, it requires many years of careful nurturing to restore its power, and part of the Treasure Spirit's spiritual essence [its innate vitality and sentience] would be permanently depleted.

To consecutively aid three Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator, representing a high stage of cultivation] in withstanding the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a trial of heavenly lightning that tests a cultivator's strength and resolve], a Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure [a supreme-grade artifact of pure yang energy] would need to consume the precious Sixth Rank Supreme Treasure known as 'Spirit-Awakening Sacred Water' [a sacred liquid that can restore and awaken the spiritual intelligence of artifacts] to recover. Otherwise, it would grow progressively weaker, ultimately losing its sentience and the ability to revive autonomously.

For a Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure, losing its sentience is nearly equivalent to the death of its spiritual soul.

The cost is truly immense. Therefore, when the Green Abyss Sword [a legendary sentient sword] initially promised to help Eldrin Chen survive his Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation, it was already an astonishingly significant commitment.

Eldrin Chen understood clearly that unless he himself could procure the 'Spirit-Awakening Sacred Water', the Green Abyss Sword would most likely not risk its very existence to help anyone other than him withstand a Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.

With this thought in mind, Eldrin Chen pondered and then spoke, "It seems that in the future, if our cultivation is sufficient, we must strive to acquire one or two more Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure."

Traveling via Teleportation Formation [magical arrays that allow instantaneous travel over vast distances], the group returned to the Myriad Ruins Continent [a vast continent filled with ancient ruins] not long after.

Eldrin Chen did not return to Spirit Isle Lake [a lake renowned for its spiritual energy]. Instead, he went directly to the Flaming Prison Sea of Fire [a sea of eternal flames, ideal for high-level alchemy] to begin preparing the refinement of the Heavenly Dao Pill [a supreme elixir that aids in comprehending the Heavenly Dao, or the fundamental laws of the universe].

Counting carefully, Eldrin Chen had been cultivating for over one thousand one hundred years. Throughout these years, the high-grade Pill [elixirs or spiritual pills used for cultivation] for the Chen Clan had almost all been personally refined by him and Lyra Jiang, granting him an exceptionally rich wealth of experience.

With his innate comprehension, his current mastery of Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual pills and elixirs] had not yet reached the Sixth Rank [a pinnacle rank in alchemical mastery], but it had already ascended to the level of Quasi-Sixth Rank [a stage just below the Sixth Rank].

Although this was his first attempt at refining the Heavenly Dao Pill, he actually possessed considerable confidence in successfully producing the pill. The key question lay in how many pills he would be able to successfully create.

Considering the preciousness of the Heavenly Dao Qi [a supremely rare spiritual essence embodying the principles of the Heavenly Dao], Eldrin Chen dared not be the slightest bit careless. He even first used the Great Derivation Yin-Yang Stellar Dao [a profound divination art based on stellar and yin-yang principles] to perform a divination, confirming the most auspicious moment before finally beginning the refinement process.

Thus, time flowed swiftly by, consuming a full three years.

On this day, Eldrin Chen wore an expression of utmost solemnity, continuously channeling his incantations to operate the Crimson Phoenix Crucible [a legendary alchemical furnace forged in the shape of a crimson phoenix].

After an unknowable length of time, the Superior Grade Spiritual Treasure [a treasure of the highest quality within the Spiritual Treasure grade] gave a faint tremble. The lid atop the precious crucible silently opened, and three pristine white Treasure Pill [a high-grade pill containing immense spiritual power], wreathed in cloud-like patterns, flew out from within.

"Success."

Eldrin Chen swiftly collected the three Treasure Pill, unable to suppress a look of delight.

Beside him, Lyra Jiang also wiped the sweat from her brow, withdrawing the Samadhi Truefire [a peerless spiritual flame of immense purity and heat] from beneath the Alchemy Furnace she held, then said with pleasant surprise, "Three pills from a single batch. If your Mana [the spiritual energy and power cultivated by an immortal practitioner] were sufficient, you could likely refine a Pure Yang Treasure Pill [a supreme-grade pill of pure yang essence]." This novel is serialized on http://www . audio-novel.com. Visit for updates.