Chapter 879 : The Ancestor's Millennial Trial

Not to mention the Millennium [a grand cycle of one thousand years] tribulation that occurs once every thousand years, even the minor tribulations that strike every hundred years have left Qing the Ancient Ancestor utterly exhausted, running himself ragged. The great tribulation that descends once every Millennium is regarded by him as a true life-or-death calamity, one he has almost no confidence in surviving.

Now, sensing that myself might not withstand this impending great tribulation, Qing the Ancient Ancestor spoke with an expression of utmost gravity: "A hundred years from now will be this old man's first Millennium great tribulation."

"With my current strength, I have no confidence in overcoming it. Therefore, I wish to seek your aid."

Eldrin Chen's expression turned equally solemn. He then spoke: "If there is anything this junior can do to assist, Ancient Ancestor, please speak plainly."

"Mm." Qing the Ancient Ancestor nodded and continued, "For this old man to have even a fifty percent chance of surviving the Millennium great tribulation, I would require at least one Sixth Rank High Grade Spiritual Treasure [a powerful enchanted artifact]."

"Oh?"

Eldrin Chen's eyes flickered with thought. The Chen Clan currently possessed two Superior Grade Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure [supreme-grade treasures imbued with pure Yang energy]: 'Ethereal Abyss Vase' belonging to Verdant Consort and 'Frost Soul Immortal Ribbon' wielded by Lila.

Qing the Ancient Ancestor was adept at reading expressions. Seeing Eldrin's contemplative look, he quickly shook his head in clarification. "Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure contain Pure Yang Qi [the pure, masculine cosmic energy]. For ghost cultivators like myself, such energy is harmful rather than helpful."

"What I need is a 'Netherworld Ghost Treasure' [a treasure forged for and used by ghost cultivators], or at the very least, it should be replaced by a 'Pure Yin Demonic Treasure' [a demonic treasure aligned with pure Yin energy]."

"Moreover, the Millennium great tribulation is far too violent and overwhelming. Even if I were to survive it with my current cultivation, that Sixth Rank High Grade Spiritual Treasure would most likely be destroyed in the process. That would be a truly grievous waste." Read the full novel exclusively on (audio-novel.com).

"Oh?"

Upon hearing that magical treasures were mostly destroyed after withstanding a heavenly tribulation, Eldrin Chen immediately dismissed the thought of using the Ethereal Abyss Vase and the Frost Soul Immortal Ribbon for that purpose.

He took a deep breath and then spoke, "Within the Purple Realm, there exists no such thing as a 'Netherworld Ghost Treasure' [a powerful treasure forged from the essence of netherworld ghosts]. However, clues might be found for a top-grade 'Pure Yin Demonic Treasure' [a supreme treasure of pure Yin energy, often wielded by powerful demons]."

"For instance, the Garuda Heavenly Demon [a powerful demonic entity of the Garuda race] residing within the Star Lake Ancient Domain is known to possess at least one such top-grade 'Pure Yin Demonic Treasure'."

At this point, their words trailed off for a moment, and their gazes met.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Qing the Ancient Ancestor inquired, "That Garuda Heavenly Demon broke through to the Primordial Spirit, Late Stage [the late stage of the Primordial Spirit realm, a high level of cultivation] over a thousand years ago. Its strength ranks among the pinnacle even among the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon [Heavenly Demons originating from realms beyond this one]. Are you confident you can succeed?"

"I have no certainty of success."

Eldrin Chen shook his head and stated, "With my current power, I am roughly on par with that GarudaHeaven-Demon. I might hold a slight edge, perhaps half a step ahead. But to speak of slaying it would be nothing short of delusion."

"This..."

Qing the Ancient Ancestor's expression shifted slightly, a trace of anxiety flickering across his features.

Seeing this, Eldrin Chen pondered once more and said, "However, I have obtained a furnace of Pure Yang Fruit this time. If they can be refined into Treasure Pill, Verdant Consort's cultivation can advance another step, breaking through to the second layer of the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] realm."

"By then, her Mana [the spiritual energy used to power spells and techniques] will be no weaker than a Primordial Spirit, Mid Stage cultivator. She will be able to wield the Ethereal Abyss Vase to aid me in battle, perhaps increasing our chances of victory against him by a few degrees."

"Moreover, Lyra has also obtained the Purple Marrow Divine Fruit Tree. She should be able to cultivate the Five-Colored Divine Radiance [a divine ability manifesting as a radiant light of five colors], which will also lend me its strength."

After a series of calculations, Eldrin Chen finally concluded, "If all proceeds smoothly, and with Ancient Ancestor you also lending your aid, perhaps after one Jiazi-time [a cycle of sixty years], we would have a four-tenths chance of slaying him."

"That is still not enough."

Qing the Ancient Ancestor shook his head repeatedly, feeling that a four-tenths chance was still insufficient.

His expression turned profoundly grave. After drawing a deep breath, he said, "Come with me."

So saying, Qing the Ancient Ancestor led Eldrin Chen deeper into the Netherworld Region, and before long brought him to a Spirit Medicine Garden [a garden dedicated to cultivating spiritually potent herbs] where Netherworld Qi [the yin-aligned spiritual energy of the underworld] overflowed.

Upon stepping into the Spirit Medicine Garden, Eldrin Chen sensed an intensely concentrated power of pure Yin [the passive, dark, feminine principle in dualistic cosmology].

Lifting his gaze, he saw that within the Spirit Medicine Garden grew seven magnificent, jet-black flowers.

Among them, six were still tightly closed buds, their chances of survival uncertain, while a single blossom had fully unfurled, wreathed in tendrils of pure Yin energy [the fundamental feminine, dark, and passive force in the cosmos].

"This is…"

Eldrin Chen was momentarily taken aback. With his two Millennium of accumulated experience, he actually could not immediately identify the origin of this object.

Seeing this, Qing the Ancient Ancestor spoke in a measured tone, "This object is named the 'Netherworld Flower', also called the 'Yin-Born Flower'. It is a blossom extinct in the mortal realm, found only within the Netherworld Region."

"It is born from the nurturing power of pure Yin, growing by absorbing boundless ghostly Qi [the spectral energy of spirits and the underworld]."

"To cultivate this flower, I expended a Millennium of effort and consumed a vast sea of Incense Offering Power, yet only succeeded in maturing this single blossom." Support the author by reading on audio-novel .c om.

As Qing the Ancient Ancestor recounted its tale, Eldrin Chen gradually came to understand the origins of this 'Netherworld Flower'.

This 'Netherworld Flower' is a flower of pure Yin. It is said to stand in opposition to the mortal world's 'Pure Yang Fruit', representing the manifestation of two supreme, fundamental forces within the mortal dust.

After introducing the flower, Qing the Ancient Ancestor continued, "The 'Netherworld Flower' and the 'Pure Yang Fruit' embody the two supreme forces of Heaven and Earth."

"My purpose in cultivating this Netherworld Flower was not only to contemplate the power within it but also to attempt, by combining it with the Pure Yang Fruit, to refine a peerless Treasure Pill [an elixir of extraordinary potency and rarity]."

"As a Sixth Rank Alchemist, you must surely understand the profound mysteries within this."

At this point, his words paused briefly before he turned his gaze toward Eldrin Chen and said, "Perhaps this Netherworld Flower [a rare flower that blooms only in the deepest, most yin-aligned realms] could also be of great use to you."

Seeing for the first time this miraculous flower that could only be nurtured within the Netherworld [the underworld, a realm of pure yin energy and departed souls], Eldrin Chen was immediately overcome with excitement.

After observing it carefully for a long while, he could not contain his joy and exclaimed, "This is a force of pure, unadulterated Yin [the passive, dark, and feminine principle in nature]—something almost impossible to find within the mortal world of dust and desire."

"If this flower is combined with the Pure Yang Fruit [a fruit brimming with the essence of pure, active Yang energy], it could at the very least be used to refine a single cauldron of supreme Treasure Pill [a pill of exceptional quality and power] of the Sixth Rank Middle Grade."

Hearing him speak with such conviction, Qing the Ancient Ancestor felt a surge of confidence.

Thus, he let out a heavy sigh of relief and declared, "I entrust this flower to your care. In the future, I shall endeavor to cultivate several more of these Pure Yin Flower [flowers of absolute yin essence]. They may prove to be of immense benefit to us both."

"My deepest gratitude, Ancient Ancestor."

Eldrin Chen carefully harvested the Pure Yin Flower. Without a moment's delay, he cradled the precious bloom and made his way toward the nurturing sea of flames.

Upon arriving at the Flaming Prison Sea of Fire [a legendary sea of eternal, alchemical fire], Eldrin Chen immediately began his study of the Pure Yin Flower. He sought to decipher its medicinal properties and harmonize them with the nature of the Pure Yang Fruit, aiming to formulate the recipe for an entirely new Pure Yang Treasure Pill [a supreme pill balancing pure yin and yang forces].

Yet he had spent a full three years, substituting tens of thousands of different Spirit Medicine as supplementary ingredients in his continuous deductions, only to find the medicinal properties perpetually impossible to balance, failing to create the desired Pure Yang Treasure Pill.

This filled his heart with immense vexation, until one day, as he gazed upon the fiercely blazing Flaming Prison Sea of Fire, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, and he could not help but reveal a smile.

"I was thinking about it all wrong."

"The Pure Yang Fruit and the Pure Yin Flower are both supreme substances of utmost purity within heaven and earth. When refining a Pill by combining them, why would one need to introduce supplementary ingredients, which would only taint their innate spiritual essence?"

"Moreover, aside from the Pure Yin Flower, all the supplementary ingredients I could find were mere Spirit Medicine from the mortal realm. Mixing them with these two supreme treasures would only disrupt the balance of Yin and Yang."

"Only by avoiding any foreign contamination, using solely this Pure Yang Fruit and this Pure Yin Flower, can one refine a furnace of peerless Treasure Pill where Yin and Yang perfectly complement each other." Official source: audi novel.com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.