Chapter 891 : The Demon's Desperate Gambit

As for the Primordial Spirit, Late Stage Heaven-Demon [a powerful demonic being from the higher realms], they had either perished or been left with their physical forms utterly shattered, forced to slowly rebuild them. This Three-Eyes Heaven-Demon was the only reliable pillar the Demon Race [the collective race of demons] could lean upon now.

"With no great power among the Demon Race, the Three-Eyed One leads the vanguard."

"To think our Demon Race would be reduced to such a state,"

the Demon Race Saintess murmured, forcing down the chill that had settled in her heart.

She drew a deep breath before speaking. "The tide of battle has turned against us. We must find a way to break this stalemate, or we will inevitably fail to hold back the Human Race."

The Three-Eyes Heaven-Demon gave a grim nod. "And what of Netherdeep the Sacred Venerable's injuries? How fares his recovery?"

The Demon Race Saintess shook her head, a sigh escaping her lips. "He was but two centuries from a full recovery. Yet now, deprived of the Human Race blood sacrifices, the process will be delayed for many more years."

"We cannot afford to wait,"

the Three-Eyes Heaven-Demon declared after a moment of tense pacing, his expression turning icy. "If Netherdeep the Sacred Venerable can recover even a single step ahead of Lin Tianqi, we may yet seize a chance to reverse our fortunes."

"You mean to..." The Demon Race Saintess's pupils contracted slightly, a flicker of hesitation crossing her features. Read the full novel exclusively on audio-novel .c om.

The Three-Eyes Heaven-Demon nodded, his expression frigid as he declared, "That Abyssal Daoist has become a calamity. If we do not slay him before he breaks through to the Primordial Spirit, Mid Stage [the intermediate stage of the spiritual core cultivation realm], I fear we will never have another chance."

"I understand!"

The Demon Race Saintess [the sacred female leader of the demonic race] inclined her head slightly. After pacing for a few moments, she stated with resolute finality, "Since we lack sufficient Human Race blood for the sacrificial rite, then we shall use the blood of our own Demon Race [the race of demonic beings]."

"Issue the command. Spare no cost. Netherdeep the Sacred Venerable must recover with all haste."

The Three-Eyes Heaven-Demon listened in silence, a faint tremor passing through his heart.

To expedite the recovery of an entity like the Netherdeep Demon Venerable [the revered demon lord of the abyssal depths] was no simple matter. It would demand a price of staggering, horrific magnitude.

With this decree, he knew, seven or eight out of every ten demons within the Cosmic Star Archipelago would be offered upon the sacrificial altar.

Yet the Demon Race had always been ruthless and merciless. The Three-Eyes Heaven-Demon was long accustomed to such brutality. He merely nodded and said, "This subordinate will see it done immediately."

"Wait!"

At that moment, the Demon Race Saintess called him back. "There is one more task," she continued, "for which you must dispatch agents."

"According to the intelligence I possess, the Human Race is preparing to gather the Seven Treasures Gourd."

"By my reckoning, the time for the final treasure gourd to emerge is near. Dispatch your agents to investigate thoroughly. We must not allow it to fall into the hands of the Human Race."

After Eldrin Chen returned to Spirit Lake Isle, he secluded himself in cultivation, beginning to consolidate his gains and refine his understanding of the Dao [the fundamental principle or path in Chinese philosophy].

Time flowed on, swift and relentless.

Within the depths of this secluded cultivation, the years slipped by, and three Jiazi-time [one Jiazi-time equals sixty years] had passed.

On this day, Eldrin Chen opened his eyes from his meditative trance, a profound and distant light flickering within their depths.

Over the course of these three Jiazi-time, Eldrin Chen had finally found the rare opportunity for undisturbed cultivation. While his cultivation base had not seen a dramatic leap, his gains were nonetheless significant.

During the first Jiazi-time, he pored over countless scriptures and classics, advancing all five of his myself cultivation arts to the realm of the Ninth Layer Nascent Soul.

The second Jiazi-time was devoted to the arduous cultivation of the Eastern Sovereign Scripture. Although he did not achieve complete mastery of this art, he successfully advanced it to its sixth layer, progressing a considerable distance along this path.

At this stage, Eldrin Chen's physical strength alone was already on par with a Primordial Spirit, Mid Stage [the middle stage of the Primordial Spirit realm, representing a powerful spiritual core] existence. One more step, and his bodily power alone would be sufficient to contend with a powerhouse at the Primordial Spirit, Late Stage.

The reason for his astonishingly swift progress, apart from his innate comprehension, was primarily due to his formidable physical Deep-Seated Foundation [the profound and stable base of a cultivator's power].

Over the years, the Five Thunders Body Tempering Grand Art [a supreme technique for refining the body with the power of five thunders] had continuously tempered his flesh, making him no weaker than a body-refining cultivator of the same realm who specialized solely in physical prowess.

Even before he began intensively cultivating the Eastern Sovereign Scripture [a legendary scripture of immense power], he could, without mobilizing his Mana [the refined spiritual energy used by cultivators], rely solely on his bodily strength to match a Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure [a powerful enchanted artifact imbued with pure Yang energy]. This was sufficient to contend against an early-stage Primordial Spirit, Early Stage [the spiritual core of a cultivator, representing a high level of cultivation] powerhouse. Now, having obtained the Eastern Sovereign Scripture, his progress naturally surged forward by leaps and bounds.

By now, Eldrin Chen's physical body had gained a trace of indestructible divinity. Relying on bodily strength alone, he could withstand direct blows from a mid-grade Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure. Even a High Grade Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure would find it difficult to inflict serious wounds upon him.

However, upon reaching this stage, the Deep-Seated Foundation accumulated by the Five Thunders Body Tempering Grand Art had been largely depleted. To advance further would require the Millennium [a metaphorical term for a vast span of time, often a thousand years] of accumulated time and effort.

Thus, Eldrin Chen paused his cultivation of the Eastern Sovereign Scripture and turned his focus to comprehending the Three Buddhist Sutras [a set of three profound Buddhist scriptures]. Your portal to cultivation novels: audio_novel.com.

The Three Buddhist Sutras were profoundly mysterious and wondrous. Among them, the Great Wisdom Sutra [the Sutra of Great Wisdom] was particularly adept at enlightening a cultivator's intellect. After Eldrin Chen began contemplating it, he entered a state of sudden enlightenment.

In what seemed like a blur, an entire Jiazi-time [a cycle of sixty years] passed. Only then did Eldrin Chen realize that myself had further perfected his Lifebound Divine Ability [a divine ability intrinsically linked to a cultivator's life and cultivation], 'Primordial Chaos True Qi' [True Qi of Primordial Chaos], and had comprehended it to the Great Perfection Realm [the pinnacle stage of mastery for a technique or ability].

At this point, Eldrin Chen needed only to find the crucial catalytic ingredient to cultivate this Divine Ability [a supernatural power or technique] to the Great Perfection Realm.

Once achieved, the power of both 'Primordial True Aegis' [the Shield of Primordial Truth] and 'Five Elements Primordial Chaos Grasping Hand' [the Hand that Grasps the Primordial Chaos of the Five Elements] would increase dramatically, becoming comparable to the legendary Immortal Rank Divine Abilities [divine abilities of immortal grade] and ranking among Eldrin Chen's most potent trump cards.

With these thoughts, Eldrin Chen decided to end his seclusion and emerged from the Seclusion Chamber.

At that moment, Lyra Jiang and the others were in deep cultivation at Spirit Isle Lake. Seeing him emerge, they inquired, "How were the gains from this endeavor?"

"The accumulation of a Millennium has now been fully digested,"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, recounting the outcomes of his seclusion to them.

During this period of secluded cultivation, he had fully integrated the insights and learnings accumulated over more than two thousand years. While his cultivation base had not seen a dramatic leap, his comprehension of the Dao and its arts had reached the very pinnacle attainable within the mortal realm.

Having reached this stage, he stood at the absolute zenith of the mortal world. Whether it was the Master of the Horizon Sea Pavilion or the master of the Separated Flame Hall, none could surpass his understanding of Divine Ability and Secret Power.

The next step forward would require beginning the Comprehending Laws [the profound process of perceiving and understanding the fundamental principles of reality], or patiently waiting for his physical body and Mana [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by practitioners] to accumulate to perfection before commencing the cultivation of an Immortal Physique [a body tempered and transformed to withstand the energies of immortality]. Alternatively, he could seek to refine the Immortal Ascension Dao Fruit [the metaphysical fruit of enlightenment that leads to ascension] while still walking the mortal world.

However, those who have begun Comprehending Laws, are cultivating an Immortal Physique, or are condensing a Dao Fruit [the crystallized essence of one's cultivated path and enlightenment] are considered truly peerless existences within the Purple Realm.

Within the Purple Realm, only a handful of Demigod Ancestor [cultivators who have transcended the mortal realm but have not yet achieved full divinity] have walked this path, figures such as the Master of the Dao Palace, Peng the Roc Demon Sage, and the Sky-Watching Dao Master.

Such beings, having perceived an Illusory Law [a nascent, not yet fully solidified comprehension of a cosmic principle] or condensed a Pseudo Dao Fruit [an incomplete or preliminary form of the Dao Fruit], have taken a great stride beyond ordinary mortals. They can be considered to have traversed half of the Path to Immortal Ascension.

The path of cultivation is like a journey of a hundred Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters]; ninety are but the halfway point.

For them, only that final, most elusive step remains, yet it is also the most difficult to cross.

Regardless, for Eldrin Chen at this moment, his comprehension of the Dao [the fundamental principle or path in Chinese philosophy] and its arts could already be considered to have reached the pinnacle of the mortal world.

Yet Eldrin Chen felt no pride. He retrieved five wisps of ethereal Qi [the vital energy that flows through all living things] from his Storage Bag and spoke.

"To cultivate the 'Primordial Chaos True Qi' to perfection requires the 'Five Pure Yang Mother Qi' of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth and, most crucially, the 'Primordial Chaos Genesis Qi' as the catalyst."

"Now I have gathered all five types of Pure Yang Mother Qi. Only the final 'Primordial Chaos Genesis Qi' catalyst remains." For uninterrupted reading, go to audio–novel.com.