Chapter 848 : The Last Stand of the Heavenly Demons

By this stage of the great war, the Demonic Cultivator of the Primordial Spirit Realm [the spiritual core cultivation stage] numbered fewer than one hundred survivors.

Among the four Primordial Spirit 9th Tier Heavenly Demons, the Primordial Flame Demon had fallen in battle, and the Netherworld Phoenix's physical body was utterly destroyed, leaving it incapable of fighting again for centuries.

The Nine Nether Abyssal Demon Venerable's corporeal form was shattered, resulting in a mutually devastating clash with Heaven Abandoned Lin. Both had since vanished without a trace, but it was estimated neither would regain combat capability for at least five hundred years.

Only the Purple Blood Heavenly Demon retained most of its fighting strength, yet even it bore grievous wounds, its condition scarcely better than that of the Master of the Horizon Pavilion.

Of the remaining Late Stage Primordial Spirit Late Stage [advanced spiritual core stage] demons, only seven or eight remained. Two had their physical bodies annihilated, and another two were so severely injured they were likely incapable of further combat.

Overall, of the original hundred Outer Realm Heavenly Demon [demons from beyond this world], perhaps only sixty or seventy still possessed any meaningful combat capability.

The rest were either crippled by grievous wounds or had lost their corporeal shells, requiring many years of arduous cultivation to rebuild them.

"This battle... we can take the fight to them!"

The speaker was Vast Abyss Path Lord, disciple of Long River Path Lord and a recent breakthrough to the mid-stage of the Primordial Spirit Path Lord [Path Lord spiritual core] realm.

In this conflict, Long River Path Lord had sacrificed his life to seal the Demonic Abyss [a rift to the demonic realms]. Every cultivator of the Purple Seal Realm [the world known as Purple Seal] owed him a profound debt of gratitude. Experience the full epic at audio-novel`com.

Now that Vast Abyss Path Lord had spoken, the others naturally afforded him a measure of respect and ceased their further discussion.

Seeing this, Master of the Horizon Pavilion nodded and then spoke: "Let us return to the Horizon Sanctuary immediately and summon the fellow Daoists guarding the other continents to join the battle."

"All fellow Daoists, please focus on healing your wounds and prepare for the arduous battle to come."

At this point, Master of the Horizon Pavilion glanced at Eldrin Chen and said, "I have heard your magical power is profoundly wondrous, young friend. We would be grateful if you could treat our injuries somewhat."

"I would not dare to be negligent!"

Eldrin Chen nodded. His Life Force Magic Power [a mystical energy with potent healing and restorative properties] was of boundless utility to himself, and it could also heal many wounds for others. He thus accepted the task.

In the time that followed, Eldrin Chen began treating the injuries of the group with his Life Force Magic Power.

His Life Force Magic Power was profoundly miraculous. Even for cultivators at the Primordial Spirit Late Stage [the advanced stage of spiritual core development], it had significant effect. After a round of treatment, those whose wounds were not especially severe had recovered most of their strength.

Master of Horizon Pavilion, who had also been gravely wounded, recovered seventy to eighty percent of his condition after treatment with the Life Force Magic Power, and his combat power astonishingly returned to ninety-five percent.

This filled him with both joy and sorrow. He said mournfully, "If we had possessed this life-giving Arcane Power [a profound and esoteric form of magical energy], Junior Brother Sea Watcher and Junior Sister Mystery Lake might not have fallen."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen's eyes dimmed slightly, a heavy weight settling in his heart.

This war had been fought with devastating brutality, and far too many of his old comrades had fallen in the conflict.

Take the Horizon Pavilion for example. This lineage once boasted three Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] cultivators, yet now only the Master of Horizon Pavilion remained alive.

And among those Eldrin Chen knew well, many had perished in this war.

The Immortal Maiden Dawnlight had fallen in battle. Among the four Primordial Spirit Path Lord [a cultivator who has reached the Primordial Spirit realm and established their own Path] cultivators of the Stellar Palace, two—including the Master of Stellar Palace—had their physical bodies utterly destroyed, one was forced into Reincarnation [to be reborn into a new life, losing most cultivation progress], leaving only the Celestial Rotating Jade Immortal Maiden with any combat strength remaining.

The Lin Clan, the Premier Immortal Clan of the Eastern Barrens suffered two deaths and one severe injury among their Primordial Spirit cultivators; Heaven Abandoned Lin was missing, and only the Grand Elder Violet Firmament Path Lord was still fit for battle.

Cosmos Heaven's Punishment of the Long River Holy Land, who had broken through to the Primordial Spirit realm a mere two hundred years prior, had his physical body destroyed and likely possessed no further fighting capacity.

Lu, the Nine Abyss Path Lord [a title for a cultivator who has established a Path, often related to their cultivation philosophy] from Southern Desolation, had his form and spirit completely annihilated in battle, slain by the hand of that Garuda Demon Monarch [a powerful demonic being of the Garuda race].

The Solar Fire Path Master had his physical body ruined and was nearly forced to Reincarnation and start his cultivation anew.

Within the Three Veins Immortal Alliance, the Featherflight Path Lord's strength ultimately proved slightly lacking; he was struck down by an Outer Realm Heavenly Demon [a powerful demon from beyond this world], his soul scattered to the winds.

The Vast Righteousness Path Lord was also severely wounded, but fortunately still retained some capacity for battle.

The Sea-Calmer Path Master's physical body was corrupted by the power of the blood demon, nearly forcing him to abandon it. It was only through Eldrin Chen's full-force rescue and the use of the Life Force Magic Power [a profound healing art that channels vital life essence] that his life was preserved.

Exquisite Jiang, Verdant Consort, Lila, and others fought on the periphery. Though Eldrin Chen shielded them with every ounce of his power, they still suffered significant injuries. Only through the nurturing warmth of his magic power were their cultivation foundations spared lasting damage.

"Such is the fate we cultivators are born to."

Seeing the look on Eldrin Chen's face, the Master of the Horizon Pavilion sighed, his voice heavy with emotion. "Contending on the Great Path [the ultimate Dao of cultivation and enlightenment], without the protection of the Nine Heavens Celestial Immortals and Demons [a legendary alliance of supreme beings], how can one's journey ever be smooth?"

"I have lived for over eighteen thousand years. In all that time, my Horizon Pavilion has produced more than ten Path Lord [a master who has comprehended a profound aspect of the Dao] who attained the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] realm. Yet, in the end, each preceded me in departing this world." Official source: site: audio-novel.com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

"The path to immortality is fraught with hardship. See it clearly. Rather than drowning in sorrow, treat these myriad tribulations as the heavens and earth tempering us."

Eldrin Chen listened in silence for a long while before replying calmly, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior. This junior understands."

"…"

The Treasure Ship [a vessel enchanted for travel through the void] traversed the void for several months before finally arriving at the Horizon Pavilion.

The Horizon Pavilion is known as the "Horizon" and the "Sea's End." Situated at the easternmost reaches of the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, it is protected by a Sixth Rank Superior Grade Water Primordial Ancestral Vein [a supreme-grade spiritual energy source of the primordial water element] and further bolstered by a Sixth Rank Superior Grade Spiritual Vein [a vein of earth that channels concentrated spiritual energy].

The Master of the Horizon Pavilion was confident that this single Formation [a complex arrangement of energy channels and nodes for defense or attack] alone would be sufficient to hold back over a dozen Primordial Spirit Path Lord [cultivators who have mastered the Primordial Spirit stage of cultivation].

This greatly bolstered everyone's confidence, lending them a measure of certainty for the impending battle against the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon [powerful demons originating from realms beyond this world].

Furthermore, the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon dared not rashly bypass the Horizon Pavilion, for if they did, the allied forces could immediately launch a counterattack against the Cosmic Stellar Archipelago [a vast cluster of islands imbued with stellar energies].

The Outer Realm Heavenly Demon needed the Cosmic Stellar Archipelago to recover from their injuries and replenish their magical power; they could scarcely do without its protection.

Once they lost the Cosmic Stellar Archipelago, they would forfeit their foothold and foundation within the Purple Seal Realm [this specific cultivation world].

Within the Purple Seal Realm, aside from the Cosmic Stellar Archipelago, there existed no other Spiritual Vein capable of simultaneously supplying nearly a hundred Heavenly Demons with the energy needed for recovery and healing.

Even if they seized several Sixth Rank Spiritual Vein [high-grade spiritual energy sources], these would be insufficient to sustain so many Primordial Spirit Demonic Cultivator [demonic cultivators at the Primordial Spirit stage], and would instead fragment their strength, increasing the risk of being defeated piecemeal.

Thus, their optimal strategy was to start from the Horizon Pavilion and systematically breach the territories of the Human Race, transforming vast swathes of Spirit Mountain [mountains rich with spiritual energy] and Spirit Island [islands rich with spiritual energy] into demonic lands, gradually consuming the entire domain of the Human Race.

After the allied forces arrived at the Horizon Sanctuary [the main sanctuary within the Horizon Pavilion], they rested and recuperated for half a month. During this time, they observed the successive arrival of more Primordial Spirit Path Lord.

In the brief span of just three months, seventeen Primordial Spirit Path Lord [a cultivator who has mastered their Primordial Spirit and begun to comprehend the profound truths of the Great Path] arrived. Among them was even Nyssa Qu.

During this period, Nyssa Qu had been responsible for guarding the clan in Eldrin Chen's stead. However, this was now a critical moment in the great war.

To bolster their forces even slightly, Eldrin Chen had personally written to her, requesting her participation in the battle.

Yet, despite the arrival of seventeen Primordial Spirit Path Lord, the expressions of those gathered were far from cheerful.

On this day, as everyone assembled within the Great Hall, the Master of the Horizon Pavilion cast a grave look over the assembly and sighed. "That Black Dragon has refused our invitation to join the fight!"

"Outrageous!"

A black-robed elder, enraged, immediately slammed his palm on the table.

This elder was named Path Master Rong. His cultivation had reached the Primordial Spirit Late Stage, and he was the patriarch of the Rong Immortal Clan from the Central Continent—a supreme Immortal Clan whose ancestors had once produced an Immortal [a being who has ascended to immortality].

"These damned scions of the Demon Race! The only reason they were spared and allowed to persist until today was for a crucial battle like this. To think that at this most critical juncture, they would dare to shrink back!" For uninterrupted reading, go to @udio-novel.com.