Chapter 897 : Eighty-One Days of Divine Thunder

Fortunately, the Black Dragon was grievously wounded; otherwise, in its prime, the group would likely have had no choice but to flee immediately, barely capable of defending themselves.

Returning to the matter at hand, Eldrin Chen utilized the power of the Immortal Mansion Formation to trap the Black Dragon Demon Progenitor, then summoned his various Spiritual Treasure and unleashed his Divine Ability to begin a relentless assault, seeking to refine and subdue the Black Dragon.

The Grand Five Elements Pure Yang Divine Thunder, the Chaos Grasping Hand, the Five-Colored Divine Radiance—one world-shaking Great Divine Ability after another.

The Ethereal Abyss Vase, the Frost Soul Immortal Ribbon, the Immortal-Refining Furnace—each supreme treasure was unleashed in a continuous, devastating barrage.

This titanic battle raged for eighty-one days. Pushed to their limits, the group's Mana was nearly depleted by seventy to eighty percent, and they sustained significant injuries before finally driving the Black Dragon to the brink of annihilation.

By the eighty-first day, the Black Dragon was critically wounded, its strength all but exhausted, teetering on the edge of utter defeat.

Yet, on that very day, several figures arrived just beyond the Ancient Immortal Ruins.

The three leaders each possessed an extraordinary aura. They were the mightiest of this realm's Demon Race, Netherdeep Demon Venerable, along with the Demon Race Saintess and the Three-Eyes Heaven-Demon.

"The Ancient Immortal Ruins... Hmph..."

Gazing upon the Ancient Immortal Ruins before him, Netherdeep Demon Venerable let out a cold sneer, a glint of profound chill flickering deep within his pupils. Access the full story on audio-novel`com.

Beside him, the Demon Race Saintess [the chosen holy maiden of the demonic races] observed this and, with a slight furrow between her brows, spoke: "This place is a contingency left behind by Human Race [the collective of human cultivators] Ancient Immortals [powerful cultivators from a bygone era]. Is it not too perilous for us to venture within?"

Upon hearing this, the Three-Eyes Heaven-Demon [a powerful demon with a third eye granting profound sight] wore a grave expression. "If the Human Race has mastered the Formation [a complex array of spiritual energy used for defense, attack, or confinement], we could very well become trapped within it."

"Worry not. I have my own methods."

Netherdeep Demon Venerable [a title for a venerable and ancient demon lord] sneered coldly, producing a Treasure Seal [a seal-shaped magical artifact, often used for sealing or unleashing great power]. "With this artifact, it will be sufficient to slay that Abyssal Daoist [a title for a Daoist cultivator associated with profound, abyssal power]."

"This is..."

"The Heaven-Demon God-Shattering Pearl!"

The two demons' faces paled with shock. The Demon Race Saintess drew a deep breath before speaking. "With this object, this Ancient Immortal Cave Abode [the secluded dwelling place of an ancient immortal] will crumble like dust."

This Heaven-Demon God-Shattering Pearl [a pearl of catastrophic power, capable of shattering divine beings] was, in truth, forged by an Extraterrestrial Demon God [a demonic deity from beyond this world] using celestial materials from beyond the heavens. Its grade reached the Quasi-Immortal [a treasure grade just below true Immortal artifacts] realm, and its destructive force was such that even a Demigod Ancestor [a cultivator at the peak of the mortal realm, half-step into divinity] would not dare face it head-on.

Contemplating the might of the Heaven-Demon God-Shattering Pearl, Netherdeep Demon Venerable nodded. "The Demon God Majesty [a supreme title for a demon god sovereign] foresaw all. He long ago divined that a human contingency would manifest here."

"Leaving this treasure behind was precisely for us to obliterate this Cultivation Cave [a cave used for secluded cultivation] and, in one fell swoop, exterminate that whelp, Eldrin, the Abyss."

Upon hearing this, the assembled demons could not help but reveal expressions of delight.

The Three-Eyes Heaven-Demon broke into a smile and immediately declared, "At this moment, the Human Race and the Black Dragon are undoubtedly locked in a life-and-death struggle, with both sides having greatly depleted their Mana [the spiritual energy used to fuel spells and techniques]."

"They would never expect His Excellency to emerge from seclusion ahead of schedule, catching them completely off guard."

"Hmph!"

Netherdeep Demon Venerable let out a cold snort but said nothing more.

With a mere flick of his sleeve, the Heaven-Demon God-Shattering Pearl [a devastating demonic artifact] shot forth, crashing with immense force against the fabric of the void itself.

"BOOM—"

In that instant, heaven shook and earth trembled; it was as if the very foundations of creation were sundering.

This Ancient Immortal Cave Abode [a sanctified dwelling place of ancient cultivators] had been forged in antiquity by Ancient Immortals using supreme-grade materials. Its rank was as high as Sixth Rank High Grade, and it was protected by a Formation [a mystical defensive array] personally laid down by an Immortal [a being who has ascended to immortality]. By all logic, it should not have been so easily destroyed.

Yet, eight hundred thousand years had now passed. Without meticulous maintenance by cultivators, its materials had decayed to a degree under the relentless march of time, and the power it could now unleash was but a pale shadow of its former glory.

At this moment, as the Heaven-Demon God-Shattering Pearl [a legendary artifact of immense destructive power] came crashing down, the Cultivation Cave [a secluded chamber for meditation and energy refinement] was instantly and utterly shattered.

Eldrin Chen was in the midst of refining the Black Dragon [a powerful draconic entity], when he found the Cultivation Cave collapsing in the blink of an eye, the very fabric of space cracking open with fissure after fissure.

The backlash struck him immediately, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Eldrin, the Abyss, prepare to die!"

Simultaneously, a furious roar echoed from the depths of the void.

Eldrin Chen looked up to see a Treasure Furnace [a massive, enchanted cauldron used for forging and containing immense power] blotting out the sky as it soared towards him, its aura firmly locking onto his position. Your portal to cultivation novels: audio-novel.com (official site).

"The Demon-Slaying Crucible,"

Eldrin Chen murmured inwardly, his pupils contracting with profound gravity.

A being whose power neared the Primordial Spirit Realm [the Nascent Soul stage, where one's spiritual core takes a tangible, independent form], wielding a treasure that bordered on the Immortal Treasure [a divine artifact of celestial origin] in a sudden ambush—even a Demigod Ancestor [a Demi-Immortal, the pinnacle of mortal cultivation] would be hard-pressed to avoid a grievous blow.

In that split second, Eldrin Chen knew evasion was impossible. With decisive clarity, he shoved Lyra Jiang and Yvonne the Violet Consort aside, then unleashed a cataclysmic surge of Mana [the refined spiritual energy wielded by cultivators] to meet the oncoming Treasure Furnace head-on.

"Husband!"

Suddenly pushed aside, Lyra Jiang cried out in stunned disbelief.

But Eldrin Chen shook his head and spoke at once, "Do not worry. I am protected by the Seed of Life [a legendary treasure containing the primordial essence of life and vitality]. Unless an Immortal or Demon uses the Laws of the Dao [the fundamental cosmic principles that govern reality] to sever me, no one in the Primordial Spirit Realm [the realm of cultivation where one's spiritual essence becomes one with the cosmos] can truly end my life."

With those words, it was as if a final farewell had been spoken.

The might of the Demon-Slaying Crucible [a supreme artifact forged for the sole purpose of vanquishing demonic beings] was unstoppable. Even a cultivator at the Ninth Layer Nascent Soul [the pinnacle stage of the Nascent Soul realm] could not withstand it, let alone Eldrin Chen.

In the blink of an eye, Eldrin Chen was enveloped by the Demon-Slaying Crucible and drawn inside its confines.

Having successfully ambushed and suppressed Eldrin Chen, the Netherdeep Demon Venerable [a title for a supremely powerful demonic sovereign] was ecstatic. Without a second thought for Lyra Jiang or the others, he immediately channeled power into the Demon-Slaying Crucible and seized the dying Black Dragon as well.

With this done, the Netherdeep Demon Venerable turned and fled, abandoning the chaotic battlefield without a backward glance.

"How dare you!"

At that very moment, roars of fury erupted from all sides.

Behold, Demon-Subduing Divine Monk [a Buddhist monk of immense power who specializes in vanquishing demons], Glazed Palace Master [the ruler of the Glazed Palace], and even Frost Glaze Demon Progenitor [an ancient progenitor of the frost glaze demon race] and Immortal-Refining Furnace [a legendary furnace capable of refining immortals] erupted in unison, launching their assaults towards Netherdeep Demon Venerable [a supremely powerful and ancient demon lord].

"Hahaha!"

Yet, Netherdeep Demon Venerable was utterly rampant. He actually intercepted several strikes from the group with his bare palms, then let out a booming laugh and vanished into the sky.

Dozens of Human Race Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core and highest stage of cultivation before ascension] cultivators gave chase, but they found it difficult to restrain Netherdeep Demon Venerable. They could only watch helplessly as he tore through the void and escaped.

At that very moment, deep within the Purple Realm [a vast and mysterious cultivation realm], from the heart of the Extreme Northern Ice Plains [a frozen wasteland at the northernmost edge of the world] within the Eternal Glacier [an ancient, unmelting glacier], a figure clad in white opened its eyes.

"This slumber... another three Millennium [a period of one thousand years] have passed?"

"A pity. The seventh Nirvana [a process of rebirth and purification to achieve a higher state] remains incomplete. It is not yet time to emerge."

The white-clad figure murmured softly, stretched languidly, and then slowly sank back into a deep slumber.

Meanwhile, within the Eastern Wastelands [a desolate and perilous region in the east], upon the half-shattered Eastern Sovereign Mountain [the legendary mountain of the Eastern Sovereign], a profound bell tolled, resonating with the name Harlan.

An old man sweeping the grounds opened his eyes and sighed, saying, "The Life Arcane Power [a supreme power over the mysteries of life and death] is a peerless Great Dao [the ultimate principle and path of cultivation]. Having comprehended such a supreme Mana [the refined spiritual energy wielded by high-level cultivators], he cannot be slain by anything less than an immortal or a demon of equal stature."

"If you were to emerge now, the plans laid over several Millennium would all come to naught."

As the elder's words faded, the tolling of the bell gradually dissipated into silence, leaving only the sound of an old man sweeping the vast mountain range.

Yet, not far away, a massive mountain range crumbled without a sound, a silent testament that something momentous had transpired.

Netherdeep Demon Venerable returned to the Star Archipelago with the Demon-Slaying Crucible in hand and immediately ordered his forces to fully activate the Mountain Guardian Grand Formation.

Only after confirming their safety did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. Gazing at the Demon-Slaying Crucible in his hand, he chuckled, "This Abyssal Daoist is said to possess the potential of a Great Luo Golden Immortal [the highest attainable state of an immortal being]. It seems he is not so formidable after all."

So saying, Netherdeep Demon Venerable began to channel power into the Demon-Slaying Crucible, seeking to refine and annihilate Eldrin Chen within its depths.

However, his efforts not only failed to kill Eldrin Chen, but instead resulted in the immediate demise of the Black Dragon, a turn of events far beyond his expectations.

Recalling the words of Eldrin Chen, his expression turned grave. "Not even a treasure approaching the level of an Immortal Treasure [a divine artifact of immense power] can refine him. Could it be that the Life Magical Power [a legendary life-preserving divine ability] is truly as profound as the legends say, pointing directly to the realm of a Great Luo Golden Immortal?"

With this thought, Netherdeep Demon Venerable's countenance grew exceedingly solemn. He declared, "Issue the command. I shall use the Cosmic Star Archipelago as our foundation and the Demon-Slaying Crucible as the keystone artifact to deploy the Demon-Slaying Immortal-Refining Grand Formation."

"Let us see if that Life Magical Power truly is so impervious that only an immortal or a supreme demon can slay its wielder!" Official source: audio novel.com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.