Chapter 821. A 100 Years in Seclusion

At this thought, Eldrin inquired, "Breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm with the Primordial Heaven's Endurance Art is truly a joyous occasion."

"However, with the failure of the Jade Balance Star Lord's breakthrough this time, I fear the Jade Balance Star Palace may never recover from this decline.."

"Yes." Lyra (Person Name) also sighed with regret, speaking helplessly, "It's said that the Jade Balance Star Lord had already connected with his Celestial Soul, yet at the critical moment fell prey to inner demons. Rumor has it he perished after having his soul seized and consciousness shattered."

"Oh?" Eldrin's gaze sharpened, a flicker of astonishment crossing his features as he inquired, "The Star Palace is an inheritance from the ancient immortals. How could it possibly lack treasures capable of suppressing inner demons?"

"I don't know either."

Lyra shook her head, her gaze turning solemn as she said, "Perhaps his impatience created cracks in his mental state, allowing that inner demon to seize the opportunity."

However, in recent years, whispers have spread among the Dao Lords of the Eastern Wastelands (Location), suggesting that extraterrestrial demons might have intervened to prevent the revival of the Big Dipper 7-Star Demon Refining Array (Formation), deliberately striking from the shadows.

"The black hand of the Outer Realm Demon God?"

Eldrin (Person Name) furrowed his brow, then took a deep breath and said, "It seems we must remain vigilant, lest we fall prey to the schemes of the Outer Realm Demonic Gods."

"I share the same thought," Lyra spoke, then continued, "I've heard that within the lotus pond of the Western Extremity Serene Spirit Temple lies the supreme demon-subduing treasure—the 'Merit Golden Lotus'. It can suppress all evils and even conquer karmic obstructions."

"I thought if the opportunity arose, I would exchange it to advance my Primordial Golden Lotus Throne (Spiritual Object), as a precaution against the hidden schemes of those Outer Realm Demons."

Eldrin's eyes lit up, and he said without hesitation, "Then why wait for an auspicious day when chance has granted us this moment? With the Abyssal Cataclysm still 60 years away, let us depart at once for the Western Extremity's Eternal Sands Domain."

"Not so fast."

Lyra shook her head and stopped them, saying, "Not long ago, joyous news arrived from the eastern sea cultivation realm—it's said that Freya has successfully broken through to the Nascent Soul stage."

Ziji had now perfected her cultivation cycle, and she intended to make an attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm before the Cataclysm of the Demonic Abyss.

After Lyra (Person Name) finished speaking, Eldrin (Person Name) finally understood the reason.

Unlike Lyra (Person Name), Yan Ziji had inherited the legacy of Daoist Zihuan. Before Jiang the Demon-Slayer's passing, he had long arranged a cultivation path tailored specifically for her.

Aside from her cultivation techniques and the Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root), Yan Ziji actually possessed 1 more Nascent Soul Elixir.

However, the Soul Elixir was exceedingly precious, and given Yan Zijis initial level of cultivation, she was incapable of safeguarding it. Thus, this Soul Elixir was left behind in the Central Ancestral Domain, where it eventually came into the possession of the Zhang Immortal Clan, a long-time allied family of the Jiang Clan.

The Zhang Immortal Clan of the Central Ancestral Domain was also an ancient lineage that had once produced an Ancient Immortal in its glorious past. Though their current strength paled in comparison to their zenith, they remained a revered Dao Lord Sanctuary, housing several Dao Lords within their ranks.

The Jiang Clan entrusted this Soul Elixir to the Zhang Clan for safekeeping, agreeing that it would be retrieved only after Yan Ziji achieved her breakthrough to the Half-Step Primordial Spirit (Cultivation Realm).

It was precisely for this reason that when Lyra (Person Name) retrieved the 2 Soul Restoration Pills, she never considered keeping 1 for herself.

Now that Yan Zi Ji had broken through to the Half-Step Primordial Spirit (Cultivation Realm), it was time to retrieve the Primordial Spirit Elixir and attempt to charge towards that Primordial Spirit Realm.

After Lyra explained the entire situation, she mused thoughtfully, "The Primordial Spirit Elixir is exceedingly precious. Ziji is merely at the Half-Step Primordial Spirit realm—she fears becoming a target of covetous eyes once she obtains it."

"So she sought us out, wanting us to accompany her there."

"Very well."

Eldrin nodded thoughtfully and said, "Our journey to the Western Extremity happens to pass through the Central Ancestral Domain. We might as well pay a visit to the Zhang Family along the way."

"Then I shall send a reply to Ziji."

Seeing this, Lyra (Person Name) couldn't help but reveal a faint smile.

As her close confidante for nearly 2 1000 years, I naturally wished to witness Yan Zijie's breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.

Early the next morning, Lyra sought out Violet Enchantress. After exchanging brief pleasantries, the group wasted no time and headed directly toward the Central Ancestral Domain.

They traveled westward via the teleportation formation and, after several months, arrived within the Central Ancestral Domain.

Before long, they arrived at the Central Ancestral Domain. Lila (Person Name) frowned slightly and remarked, "The spiritual energy here is remarkably thin."

In the Central Ancestral Realm, any land imbued with spiritual energy was already claimed territory, while the remaining unclaimed lands held frighteningly sparse concentrations of qi.

Within the Eastern Wastelands (Location), the desolate mountains and wild ridges were never without demonic beasts, and they were nearly inexhaustible to slay.

And now, within the Central Ancestral Domain, as Eldrin swept his divine sense across the land, not a single demonic beast could be detected for tens of thousands of miles. Everywhere, mortals tilled the land and lived their lives, with even venomous insects and fierce beasts becoming a rare sight.

The primary reason for this was that within the Central Ancestral Domain, all major immortal clans had deployed Spirit Gathering Formations (Formation), continuously draining the spiritual energy from heaven and earth.

For there were far too many cultivators and Immortals gathered here, causing nearly all the spiritual energy between heaven and earth to converge within the sacred mountain dojos. As a result, the wilderness had been left with only the barest trace of spiritual essence.

The spiritual energy here was less than 1-fiftieth of that in the Eastern Wastelands (Location), so sparse it couldn't even nurture demonic beasts.

Eldrin estimated that even a cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, if training in the Central Ancestral Domain without the aid of a spirit mountain, would likely never break through to Qi Refinement, Mid Stage in their entire lifetime.

Seeing this, Qing Ji (Person Name) also shook her head and said, "The number of high-level cultivators in the Central Ancestral Domain (Location) rivals that of several Eastern Wastelands (Location), while lower-level cultivators exceed the Eastern Wastelands (Location) by tenfold. Naturally, the spiritual energy here falls far short of meeting such demand."

"Indeed, who would have thought that across the vast Eastern Wastelands, cultivation conditions would prove so arduous. No wonder all the great immortal clans venture into other territories despite knowing the perils that await."

Eldrin also shook his head and could not help but sigh as he said.

Now he vaguely understood the significance of the Eastern Wastelands (Location) and the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, for the resources of the Central Ancestral Domain had been exploited to their limits, and the number of Primordial Spirit Dao Lords it could sustain had reached its maximum capacity.

Now, the Central Ancestral Domain boasts a full 3 Demigod Ancestors (Cultivation Realm), with dozens of Nascent Soul Dao Lords suppressing the heavens and earth. Though it appears incomparably mighty, it can no longer sustain any more cultivators.

Although the human forces in the Eastern Sea and Eastern Wastelands (Location) were not particularly powerful, this did not mean these regions were incapable of producing Primordial Spirit Dao Lords (Cultivation Realm) and peerless prodigies.

In truth, both lands produced at least 1 or 2 newly ascended Yuanshen (Cultivation Realm) every 1000 years. Yet, the Millennium Cataclysm of the Demonic Abyss occurred with the same frequency, perpetually draining the vitality of these 2 cultivation realms and preventing them from ever restoring their peak strength.

If the Eastern Wastelands (Location) and the Eastern Sea cultivation world were lost, the resources available to the Violet Realm humans for cultivation would shrink by more than half, and their strength would only diminish further with each passing conflict.

Unless a fated immortal like Emperor Jiang is born, what can the increasingly weakened Violet Realm rely on to resist the Outer Realm Demons?

"Judging solely by the rarity of spiritual energy, the competition for resources within this Central Ancestral Domain is likely even more intense than in our Eastern Wastelands."

A thought flickered through Eldrin's mind, but he swiftly suppressed it.

He glanced at Lyra (Person Name) and Lila (Person Name) beside him, then shook his head with a light laugh. "But it's none of our concern. Let's retrieve the Primordial Spirit Pill from the Zhang Immortal Clan first."