Chapter 794 : Echoes of a Heavenly Goddess

"Since this venerable one's contingency has manifested, it seems the great calamity has arrived!"

That figure seemed to furrow her brow slightly. After a moment of contemplation, her gaze swept over the assembled crowd. When her eyes fell upon Eldrin Chen, her pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

In the span of a single breath, her expression shifted dramatically: "It's you!"

"This is..."

Eldrin Chen could not discern the woman's expression. In that moment, he perceived her as if she were shrouded in mist, separated from him by the vastness of an infinite cosmos as their gazes met.

A mere glint in her eye held within it visions akin to World Creation—universes being born anew, and scenes of myriad tribulations within Eldrin, the Abyss.

In but a Ksana-time [an infinitesimal unit of time], the woman within the hazy immortal mist withdrew her focus.

"A flower of similar bloom."

"Or has the legendary 'He' finally returned?"

The woman murmured inwardly, yet dared not utter the honorific title of that particular being. Discover more cultivation stories at @udio-novel.com.

Even one as exalted as she, who stood but A Step Away from the Heavenly Immortal Paragon, understood that between heaven and earth existed too many unspeakable taboos.

Certain existences are akin to the Dao [the fundamental principle or path in Chinese philosophy] itself; to speak of them recklessly is to divulge Heavenly Secrets [cosmic truths forbidden to mortals], inviting the agony of ten thousand kalpas [an immense cosmic cycle in Buddhist cosmology, often billions of years] of fiery torment.

Though this might be merely a strand of coincidence, it compelled her to utmost caution.

She drew a deep breath, then cast a glance at the assembly and declared, "This... this humble concubine is the Heavenly Mountain Goddess, who attained the Dao [the fundamental principle or path in Chinese philosophy] in the Purple Realm six hundred seventy thousand years ago."

"Upon my departure, to repay the karmic debt of nurture owed to the Purple Realm, I left behind this Daoist Assembly Ground [a sacred site for cultivation and gathering] as a legacy, to aid the Purple Realm in weathering the tribulations to come."

Here, her words paused briefly. Her gaze swept over the few present before she continued,

"This Lotus Seed was left behind after this humble one's ascension to immortality. Should you rely upon it to comprehend the Frost Soul Esoteric Power [a profound mystical art of ice and soul], you may then receive my inheritance…"

As the Heavenly Mountain Goddess narrated the tale, the profound mysteries of this legacy place became clear to all.

To receive the inheritance of the Heavenly Mountain Goddess and cultivate her techniques, the foremost requirement was to master the Frost Soul Esoteric Power.

According to the Heavenly Mountain Goddess, once the Frost Soul Esoteric Power was comprehended, one could harness the power of this Snow Lotus Seed and the Frost Soul Cold Pool to forge anew the Frost Soul Divine Body [a legendary physique of ice and profound spiritual essence].

Then, by harnessing those Nine Strands of Immortal Qi [nine strands of pure, immortal-grade spiritual energy], one could consolidate the foundation for the Frost Soul Divine Infant [a nascent soul of unparalleled purity and frost-attribute power, representing the pinnacle foundation for a specific immortal path].

With such a foundation, after breaking through to the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator, a higher state of being beyond the Golden Core], one could cultivate the Frost Soul Nascent Soul [a nascent soul imbued with the essence of frost and soul, a unique and powerful advancement]. Only then could one practice the cultivation arts of Heavenly Mountain Goddess.

And having obtained this legacy, left behind by Heavenly Mountain Goddess at great personal cost, the practitioner would face almost no significant bottlenecks on the path to immortality. It could be said that reaching at least the Half-Immortal Realm [a realm halfway to true immortality, a state of immense power and longevity] was virtually assured.

This entire legacy seemed destined to emerge in response to a great calamity. Any cultivator who obtained it would become a Tribulation-Bearer [one fated to shoulder the weight of a world's cataclysm], at the very least a Tribulation-Bearer akin to the legendary figures of old like Eastern Sovereign and Jiang the Sovereign Emperor.

If one failed to dedicate their full strength to averting this realm's impending cataclysm, they would later bear an immense Karmic Burden [a metaphysical debt of cause and effect, a weight upon one's destiny]. Even achieving immortality would not allow escape from the tribulations brought by such a Karmic Burden.

The group exchanged glances. Eldrin Chen drew a deep breath and said, "It seems this legacy is most suited for Lila."

"Indeed."

Lyra Jiang also nodded, agreeing with Eldrin Chen's assessment.

Among them, both Eldrin Chen and Lyra Jiang possessed the Great Luo Foundation [a supreme and rare foundational cultivation realm]. Switching to cultivate the Frost Soul Immortal Scripture [the Frost Soul Immortal Scripture, a profound cultivation manual] would require reforging their very foundations, a trade-off that might not be worthwhile.

Verdant Consort had undergone a thousand lifetimes within her dream-cycle, finally achieving the Verdant Lotus Immortal Embryo [a constitution of pure wood and life essence, symbolized by a verdant lotus]. She had carved her own unique path; turning now to follow another's way might not be for the best.

In contrast, Lila, a cultivator with an Ice Spiritual Root [a spiritual root affinity aligned with the element of ice], found her Mana [the foundational energy used for cultivation] to be in perfect harmony with the Frost Soul Immortal Scripture [a profound cultivation method focused on frost and soul energy]. Switching to this art would not only be simple for her but would undoubtedly yield twice the result with half the effort.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen said to Lila, "Go and try. See if you can comprehend the Frost Soul Esoteric Power [a legendary divine ability born from the principles of frost and soul]."

"Alright."

As this matter concerned her very path of cultivation, Lila did not decline.

She stepped forward, took the Snow Lotus Seed [a seed from a mystical snow lotus], and began a period of secluded contemplation.

This Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus Seed [a seed from a snow lotus grown on a celestial mountain] was a supreme treasure that had only fallen after the Heavenly Mountain Goddess [a divine being residing on a celestial mountain] broke through to the Ascension Immortal Realm [a legendary realm of cultivation signifying ascension to immortality]. The story continues at audio—novel.com.

Its grade had already reached the Supreme Immortal Rank [the pinnacle rank among immortal treasures], making it one of the most precious supreme immortal objects within the Purple Realm [a mystical realm within the cosmology]. Given Lila's current level of cultivation, she was utterly incapable of refining it.

Fortunately, this treasure had been altered by an Ancient Immortal [an immortal from a bygone era]. Although Lila could not yet refine the treasure itself, she was now capable of comprehending a sliver of its profound mysteries.

Within such a supreme treasure was contained the legendary Frost Soul Law Power [the fundamental power of laws governing frost and soul]. For Lila, comprehending even a single thread of this power promised astonishing gains.

After a mere Forty-Nine Days [a period of forty-nine days, often significant in cultivation cycles], Lila had already gleaned insights into the legendary Frost Soul Esoteric Power from it. Her strength and Mana had both advanced by leaps and bounds.

"It is done."

Lila's face lit up with joy. Cultivating the Frost Soul Esoteric Power proved she was now worthy to inherit the legacy of the Heavenly Mountain Goddess [a powerful ancient deity].

The Heavenly Mountain Goddess gave a slight nod. That Lila would receive her inheritance had, in truth, been within the goddess's own calculations all along.

She gazed intently at Lila for a moment, a trace of a smile gracing her features. "Since you have obtained my legacy," she declared, "you may be considered my final disciple."

"Rest well now. I hope that one day, this master shall see you again within the Immortal Realm [the realm of ascended immortals]."

"Remember this: amidst the boundless Primordial Chaos [the formless, primordial state before creation], three thousand six hundred Immortal Domain [domains ruled by powerful immortals] drift and surge. The Immortal Domain where I reside is named the 'Flowing Void Immortal Domain'."

Having spoken these words, the Heavenly Mountain Goddess said no more. In the blink of an eye, her form dissipated into the intangible void.

Watching the Heavenly Mountain Goddess depart, everyone present let out a collective sigh of relief.

Lila, cradling the Snow Lotus Seed [a rare spiritual herb], stepped into the Frost Soul Cold Pool. A note of happiness colored her voice as she said, "I must trouble my husband and my two elder sisters to stand guard for me."

"Of course. You may enter secluded cultivation with peace of mind."

Eldrin Chen gave a solemn nod. From this point, Lila would need to harness the power of the Frost Soul Cold Pool and the Lotus Seed to reconstruct her physical body and Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator]. This process was absolutely not to be disturbed by anyone.

Within the Cultivation Cave, Lila sat in deep meditation. Using the Snow Lotus Seed as a catalyst, she continuously channeled the Frost Soul Divine Water to rebuild her flesh and bone from the ground up.

For Forty-Nine Days she labored, consuming a total of forty-nine portions of the 'Frost Soul Divine Water'. Finally, her mortal frame was reforged into the legendary Frost Soul Immortal Body [a physique of transcendent purity and icy resilience].

Another eighty-one days passed. She drew the Nine Strands of Immortal Qi [ethereal energies of immortality] into her soul, transforming her Nascent Soul [the infantile spiritual form born from a Golden Core] into the far more profound and potent Frost Soul Divine Infant.

At this stage, Lila realized her Mana [the spiritual energy wielded by cultivators] had grown fifty percent more voluminous and significantly more refined.

Furthermore, her cultivation had broken through to the Nascent Soul, 9th Tier realm. She became the second among their group, after Verdant Consort, to reach the Nascent Soul Great Perfection stage—a true Heaven's Chosen [one blessed with exceptional talent and destiny]. Her power had advanced by leaps and bounds.

Witnessing the completion of this process, Eldrin Chen could not help but smile with joy. "This is a great fortune for Lila. Finally, she has a genuine hope of attaining immortality."

"Indeed. Who would have thought this girl would receive such an opportunity?"

Lyra Jiang also watched with a smile in her eyes, feeling a rare surge of heartfelt emotion.

In truth, had Elara Lin possessed greater daring in the past and relied on her own strength to achieve Self-Guided Foundation Establishment [forging one's Foundation Establishment path without external aid], paving the way to a Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul [a Nascent Soul aligned with the Heavenly Dao, representing the pinnacle of potential], she might well have been a suitable candidate for such a transformation herself by now.

It is merely that the differences in one's Deep-Seated Foundation [the quality and stability of a cultivator's spiritual base] during youth are slight, yet as time flows on, the gap inevitably widens into a chasm.

Given the current state of Elara Lin's Deep-Seated Foundation, she is akin to the two Half-Step Primordial Spirit [cultivators who have touched the threshold of the Nascent Soul realm but not fully ascended] experts from the Flying Snow Pavilion. Even if a great opportunity were to manifest right at the foot of her own mountain gate, she would likely be unable to grasp it. Discover more cultivation stories at audio-novel dot com.