Chapter 765 : Clash of Divine Abilities

This Divine Ability [a supreme supernatural power cultivated by immortals] possessed even greater might than the Abyssal Sea-Converging Sword Qi Slash. Unfortunately, Black Emperor had only recently broken through to the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] realm and had not yet fully mastered this Divine Ability.

By daring to unleash this Pure Yang Divine Ability [a divine ability of the highest, most untainted Yang energy] now, Black Emperor not only could muster only seventy percent of its peak power, but it would also cause the half-completed Divine Ability to collapse utterly. In the future, he would have to expend Ten Sixty-Year Cycles [a period of six hundred years] to cultivate it anew from the beginning.

Nevertheless, Black Emperor was supremely confident. He believed that for the two sides locked in their stalemate, this single Divine Ability would be enough to shatter the balance completely.

"Beware!"

As the Abyssal Serpent Void-Piercing Tribulation Light [a devastating beam of tribulation energy manifesting as a serpent from the abyss] shot towards them, Eldrin Chen's expression changed abruptly.

With a sweep of his sleeve, he conjured forth a Yin-Yang Dual Polarity Taiji Circle [a defensive circle embodying the balance of opposing cosmic forces] and met Black Emperor's attack head-on.

Lyra Jiang and Verdant Consort reacted with lightning speed. They summoned their Dual Polarity Treasure Lotus [a magical lotus artifact of dual polarities] and Orange-Gold Glazed Armor [a suit of armor with an orange-gold, glazed finish], sending these treasures flying out to block what Black Emperor clearly intended as a decisive, finishing blow.

The Abyssal Serpent Void-Piercing Tribulation Light indeed possessed terrifying, boundless power. It shattered Eldrin Chen's Twofold Divine Aegis [a two-layered divine shield] and blasted through the two Quasi-Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure [magical treasures approaching the purity and power of Pure Yang grade] in succession.

Fortunately, it too had its limits and ultimately failed to breach the Mountain Guardian Grand Formation [a grand protective formation that guards a mountain].

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The strike, which seemed destined to succeed, failed to achieve its goal, causing Black Emperor's expression to shift dramatically.

Just as he was about to muster every ounce of his strength to once more block Maris the Sea Steader's path to ascension, the breakthrough at the heart of the Water Vein finally reached its conclusion.

A Heavenly Soul [the celestial component of a cultivator's tripartite soul], radiant as a golden sun, descended and merged into the sea of consciousness within Maris the Sea Steader.

"Hmm—"

As the Heaven, Earth, and Mortal Souls [the three spiritual components that constitute a complete soul in cultivation cosmology] returned to their rightful places, Maris the Sea Steader's Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] was finally reforged and took shape, and a wisp of Pure Yang Qi [the purest, most potent form of masculine cosmic energy] was thus born.

An indescribable, majestic pressure erupted with the shockwave, churning the depths of the Dragon Transformation Pool into a tempest of astonishing turbulence.

"It is done."

The hearts of Eldrin Chen and his two companions surged with joy, and they could not help but release a heavy sigh of relief.

Turning their gazes, they saw Maris the Sea Steader emerge from the Cultivation Cave [a secluded chamber used for meditation and spiritual advancement]. Clad in a long azure robe, he stepped forth.

The present Maris the Sea Steader stood tall and slender, his appearance that of a man in his late twenties. Yet, crowned with a diadem forged of azure-gold, he exuded an aura of incomparably noble and imposing majesty.

"Dao Lord [a title for a supreme master of the Dao], a Dao Lord Realm [the realm of a Dao Lord, a pinnacle existence in the mortal world] cultivator of the mortal world!"

The expressions of the assembled crowd shifted, each face etched with complex emotions.

Once a True Lord [a title for a powerful cultivator], now that his Heavenly Soul [the celestial component of one's soul, tied to destiny and heavenly mandate] had returned to its rightful place, his status had undergone a profound and fundamental transformation.

Even the supremely arrogant Black Emperor, facing Maris the Sea Steader who had now broken through to the Dao Lord Realm, could not help but shed his look of contempt.

Maris the Sea Steader strode through the void, the Sea-Steadying Divine Pearl [a divine pearl artifact with the power to calm seas and oceans] hovering above his head, pacifying the churning, heaven-overturning waters within the Dragon Transformation Pool [a legendary pool where dragons undergo metamorphosis]. He advanced like a supremely noble Daoist Immortal Lord.

His gaze settled upon the Black Emperor, and he asked with detached indifference, "Will you still bar this venerable one's path to the Dao?"

"Hmph!"

The Black Emperor glanced at the Tribulation Clouds [ominous clouds that gather to unleash heavenly punishment] gradually coalescing in the Firmament [the vault of heaven]. The Heavenly Tribulation had already descended; he could no longer intervene, lest he provoke the wrath of the heavens and bring the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation [the cataclysmic heavenly trial required to form a Nascent Soul] upon himself.

With this thought, he cast another look at the Sea-Steadying Divine Pearl above Maris the Sea Steader's head. In the end, he merely snorted coldly, tore open the void with a step, and departed.

Watching the Black Emperor leave, Maris the Sea Steader clasped his hands in salute towards Eldrin Chen and the other two, his expression turning gravely solemn. "It seems I, your elder brother, underestimated the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation [the heavenly trial for forming a Nascent Soul, a pivotal and dangerous fate]," he said.

"Had it not been for the three of you shielding me, this old man would likely have perished here today."

"With eight hundred years of friendship between us, why stand on such ceremony?" Eldrin Chen shook his head, gazing at the Tribulation Clouds [ominous clouds that gather during a cultivator's heavenly trial] in the sky. "Let us first overcome this Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a trial of heavenly lightning that tests a cultivator's strength and resolve]."

"Agreed."

Maris the Sea Steader nodded, a trace of joy coloring his expression as he faced this Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation [the heavenly trial required to advance to the Nascent Soul realm].

Although the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation was formidable, Maris the Sea Steader held the Sea-Steadying Divine Pearl [a legendary pearl artifact renowned for its power to calm turbulent seas and energies], granting him immense confidence in surviving the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.

He sat cross-legged upon the void, consecutively summoning several Superior Grade Spiritual Treasure [high-quality enchanted artifacts] to withstand the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation. The first few bolts of heavenly lightning were weathered with astonishing ease, consuming little of his Mana [the refined spiritual energy cultivated and wielded by practitioners]. This content originates from (audio-novel.com). Please respect copyright.

This was a far cry from the ordeal faced by the Feathered Pavilion Master. Back then, to withstand the initial six bolts of Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, the Feathered Pavilion Master had not only shattered nine Superior Grade Spiritual Treasure, but had also expended a full fifty percent of his Mana.

The primary reason for this disparity was that Maris the Sea Steader had refined his Mana in advance with an Innate Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure [a treasure born of pure Yang energy, excellent for purification and empowerment], further enhanced by the insights into the Sea-Steading Arcane Force [a profound mystical technique for commanding oceanic power] he had gained through contemplating the Enlightenment Blossom [a rare spiritual herb that aids in achieving profound insights].

With these cumulative advantages, the qualitative gap between their Mana was vast. A single unit of Maris the Sea Steader's Mana was equivalent to three units of the Feathered Pavilion Master's. Consequently, the cost of activating his Spiritual Treasure [a general term for enchanted artifacts used by cultivators] was naturally far less than that of his predecessor.

Returning to the present trial, it was only upon the sixth bolt of Heavenly Thunder Tribulation that Maris the Sea Steader finally summoned the Turtle Shell [a protective artifact] of Ancestor Mystic Turtle to serve as his shield.

He was even unwilling to damage this supreme-grade Defensive Spiritual Treasure [a protective enchanted artifact of the highest quality]. He merely used it to block a single strike of Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the divine lightning calamity that tests cultivators during major breakthroughs] before storing it away. Then, he activated the Sea-Steadying Divine Pearl [a divine pearl artifact famed for its power to calm turbulent seas and energies] to withstand the remaining three bolts of Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.

As the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation concluded, a shower of Seven-Colored Immortal Nectar Rain [a miraculous, rainbow-hued rain imbued with potent healing and restorative energies] descended from the Firmament [the vault of heaven, the celestial dome]. This rain restored Maris the Sea Steader to his peak condition.

"Hahaha! This old man has finally weathered the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation!"

After cultivating arduously for thousands of years, Maris the Sea Steader had at last broken through to the Primordial Spirit Realm [the Nascent Soul stage, where a cultivator's spiritual core matures into an independent primordial spirit]. Overcome with emotion, his eyes grew moist.

Eldrin Chen also smiled, offering a congratulatory salute. "My felicitations, Brother. With your breakthrough into the Pure Yang Realm [a refined state within the Nascent Soul stage, where one's spiritual energy attains a pure, yang-aligned quality], your future path is surely boundless."

"You flatter me, you flatter me."

Maris the Sea Steader could not help but stroke his beard with a laugh, his brow alight with joy.

Calculating carefully, Maris the Sea Steader was now merely three thousand five hundred years old. Compared to Daoyan True Lord, who had broken through to the Primordial Spirit stage just past five thousand years of age, he was over a millennium younger.

Achieving the Primordial Spirit Realm at such an age meant Maris the Sea Steader's future prospects were undoubtedly radiant.

He still had three opportunities to extend his lifespan. Given that a Nascent Soul Cultivator [a cultivator who has reached the Nascent Soul stage] possessed a natural lifespan of ten thousand years, and if he used the Nirvana Immortal Apricot [a legendary fruit said to grant rebirth and extend life] for these extensions, he could theoretically live to the absolute limit of forty thousand years.

This was forty thousand years of lifespan [the total potential longevity of a cultivator]! As long as he did not meet an untimely demise, even if he failed to ascend to immortality, he should still have a thirty to forty percent chance of cultivating to the Half-Immortal Realm and becoming a Human Race Clan-Suppressing Foundation [a foundational pillar that ensures a clan's enduring stability and prosperity] like the Master of the Dao Palace.

Of course, the Purple Realm had been plagued by countless calamities over tens of thousands of years. Every Millennium [a cycle of one thousand years], multiple Nascent Soul Dao Lord would fall. Should any unforeseen change occur during a Demonic Abyss Cataclysm, the number of fallen Dao Lord would be even greater.

Thus, a Dao Lord who lived past ten thousand years was already exceedingly rare. A Human Race Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator, representing a high level of cultivation] who lived past twenty thousand years, even if not a Half-Immortal, was at least a pillar of heaven at the Primordial Spirit, Late Stage, their numbers countable on the fingers of both hands.

Regardless, the fact that Maris the Sea Steader had broken through to the Primordial Spirit Realm before the age of four thousand—using two fewer lifespan-extending opportunities than Dorian, the Sage Lord—meant his future path of cultivation would undoubtedly be much smoother.

This was also a testament to the immense fortune carried by Maris the Sea Steader. He possessed a Superior Grade Dao Body [an exceptional innate physique ideal for cultivation] and had successively obtained two legacies from the East Sea Azure Dragon. An ordinary person would never have been able to break through to Primordial Spirit so early.

Suppressing his joy at the breakthrough, Maris the Sea Steader glanced at the Dragon Transformation Pool before him and could not help but sigh, saying:

"Although I have broken through to Primordial Spirit this time, I have severely wounded the vitality of this Dragon Transformation Pool Water Vein, cutting off its chance to advance to the Sixth Rank."

"The karmic weight of this act is immense. In the future, I must restore this Water Vein [a subterranean channel of concentrated spiritual water energy]; otherwise, I will likely face another tribulation." Original English translation available at audio–novel.com.