Chapter 906 : Ancestral Reunion in the Nether Depths

After forging the Black Dragon Bracelet, Eldrin Chen retrieved the Pure Yang Fruit and Void Profound Jade from the Clan Treasury and prepared to open the alchemical furnace to refine a batch of Pure Yang Great Void Pill [a supreme-grade elixir that harmonizes pure yang energy with the profound void, greatly aiding cultivation].

However, just as he was about to ignite the furnace, Eldrin Chen halted his movements and turned to head towards the vast sea.

Upon reaching The Vast Sea, Eldrin Chen descended deep into the seabed, soon arriving within a region suffused with a Netherworld Region aura [an area permeated with the energies of the underworld or ghostly realm].

After many years apart, when Eldrin Chen saw Qing the Ancient Ancestor again, he discovered that his cultivation had advanced yet further, having stepped into the Nascent Soul Sixth Layer realm.

Although he knew that Qing the Ancient Ancestor, having dedicated himself to the Netherworld Dao [the Path of the Underworld], received offerings from countless cultivators across the Purple Realm, leading to an astonishingly rapid advancement in power.

Nevertheless, the sheer speed of this meteoric rise still left Eldrin Chen utterly astonished.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen remarked with some surprise, "It seems the Ancient Ancestor's cultivation will not be long before it breaks through to the Primordial Spirit, Late Stage [the advanced stage of forming one's spiritual core]."

"Not at all..."

Qing the Ancient Ancestor shook his head and sighed, "This cultivation of mine is built entirely upon the Incense Offering Power [power derived from the faith and worship of devotees]. My Mana [cultivation energy] has not been refined by discarding the dross and preserving the essence; my foundation is likely quite unstable."

"In the future, I may cultivate to the Ninth Layer Nascent Soul realm, but wishing to advance a step beyond that would be nothing but a fool's dream." Original publication: (audio-novel.com) - The source of this chapter.

In that instant, Qing the Ancient Ancestor's expression was a mixture of helplessness and grave solemnity.

The path he had chosen was a true dead end, for the Incense Offering Power [the power derived from mortal worship and belief] was toxic.

While this power offered immense benefits to Ghost Cultivator [a cultivator who has chosen to continue their path as a spirit after death], it was fraught with countless mortal thoughts and desires. One had to meticulously refine and purge these impurities before the power could be safely used to bolster one's cultivation.

In his desperate pursuit of rapid breakthroughs, Qing the Ancient Ancestor had forgone the painstaking process of refining the Incense Offering Power. This reckless approach had indeed accelerated his cultivation progress at a phenomenal rate, but it had also sown the seeds of a catastrophic hidden peril.

Eldrin Chen understood all too well that Qing the Ancient Ancestor's actions were born of utter desperation.

The Purple Realm [the mortal world] was a realm for the living. For a Ghost Cultivator to practice cultivation here was an affront to the natural order of heaven and earth. Such defiance invited retribution: a minor tribulation every century, a major tribulation every Millennium [a cycle of one thousand years], and a mortal tribulation of near-certain death every three Millennium.

The minor tribulations were manageable, but the major and mortal tribulations were trials of unimaginable difficulty. Qing the Ancient Ancestor had only survived his first major tribulation thanks to the unwavering support of Eldrin Chen.

Within the next two Millennium, Qing the Ancient Ancestor would face another major tribulation, followed by the eruption of his mortal tribulation.

While there might have been a sliver of hope for him to survive the major tribulation, his chances of weathering the mortal tribulation were virtually nonexistent unless he attained the Nascent Soul Great Perfection [the pinnacle stage of the Nascent Soul realm] before its arrival.

It was precisely for this reason that Qing the Ancient Ancestor, fully aware of the venom within the worship's power, had chosen to recklessly absorb the Incense Offering Power to forcibly elevate his Mana [the foundational spiritual energy or life force of a cultivator].

At this thought, Eldrin Chen felt a pang of worry and could only sigh, saying, "We cultivators walk a path that defies the heavens from the very beginning."

"The path of cultivation is arduous, Ancient Ancestor. Should you have any requests in the future, I will spare no effort to assist."

"With that sentiment, my heart is at ease."

Qing the Ancient Ancestor smiled slightly before asking, "For what purpose have you sought me out this time?"

Prompted by the question, Eldrin Chen stated his purpose: "I have come for the Netherworld Flower."

"I suspected as much."

Qing the Ancient Ancestor nodded, a genuine smile gracing his features.

The Netherworld Flower is a Flower of Pure Yin [a spiritual herb embodying the essence of pure Yin energy]. It stands as the polar opposite to the Pure Yang Fruit, and when the two are refined together, the resulting Pill transcends the boundaries of Yin and Yang, possessing extraordinary and profound mysteries.

In the past, Eldrin Chen had combined the Pure Yang Fruit with the Netherworld Flower to refine the Yin-Yang Enlightenment Pill. Although its refinement difficulty was only that of a Sixth Rank Low Grade pill, its medicinal efficacy rivaled that of a Sixth Rank High Grade Spirit Medicine.

Now, Eldrin Chen had returned once more, hoping to find another Netherworld Flower to see if he could refine a few more furnaces of these exceedingly rare Pill.

Fortunately, Qing the Ancient Ancestor had anticipated this and spoke, "In the past, I promised you I would cultivate more Netherworld Flower for you. Now, a portion have indeed matured."

Qing the Ancient Ancestor turned and led Eldrin Chen into a Spirit Medicine Garden.

Within that garden, shrouded in a chilling Yin aura [the dark, cold, feminine aspect of cosmic energy], grew over a dozen magnificent blossoms of the Netherworld.

Among these flowers, three had already bloomed, radiating a brilliant Netherworld light. They were enveloped in an aura of utmost Yin purity [the most refined and concentrated form of dark cosmic energy], clearly indicating they had reached full maturity.

"The Netherworld energy consumed to nurture these flowers would have been sufficient to sustain the cultivation of over a dozen Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] Ghost Cultivator [cultivators who follow a path of spiritual or spectral existence]," Qing the Ancient Ancestor remarked.

"It is a pity time was still too short. Only three have fully matured so far." Find thousands of chapters at audio-novel.com.

Qing the Ancient Ancestor explained with a tone of slight helplessness, shaking his head.

Eldrin Chen simply smiled. He plucked the three Netherworld Flower and said, "With these three blossoms, I can attempt to refine three batches of Treasure Pill [a high-grade elixir of immense value]. That is sufficient."

"That is good then," Qing the Ancient Ancestor nodded, yet shook his head again. "It is a pity we Ghost Cultivator can only advance our cultivation by relying on objects of pure Yin essence."

"We are not like you mortal realm cultivators, who encompass all things and can draw upon the vast ocean of energies, harmonizing both Yin and Yang forces to achieve the Dao [the ultimate path or principle of cultivation and existence]."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen merely smiled and then shook his head, saying, "All the myriad methods and the ten thousand paths of heaven and earth have their own reason for existence."

"The path of the mortal world, or the path of the Netherworld [the underworld or realm of the dead]—each road, when walked to its ultimate end, leads to the Great Dao [the supreme, fundamental principle of the cosmos]. In essence, there is no distinction of superiority or inferiority. The Ancient Ancestor need not belittle yourself."

After bidding farewell to Qing the Ancient Ancestor, Eldrin Chen returned to the Flaming Prison Sea of Fire.

He did not immediately enter seclusion. Instead, he sought out Lyra Jiang and said, "I am preparing to enter seclusion to create a Treasure Pill [a pill of exceptional power and rarity] of great use for breaking through to the Primordial Spirit, Mid Stage [the middle stage of the Primordial Spirit realm, the spiritual core of a cultivator]. My lady, please lend me your strength."

"Very well."

Lyra Jiang nodded and accompanied Eldrin Chen into the depths of the Flaming Prison Sea of Fire.

The reason Eldrin sought out Lyra Jiang this time was primarily to utilize the power of her Samadhi Truefire [a profound, spiritually attuned flame of immense purity].

Eldrin's own Pure Yang Celestial Flame was far too domineering; using it to refine the Netherworld Flower would inevitably damage its medicinal potency.

When refining the Yin-Yang Enlightenment Pill last time, Eldrin had been forced to forgo using flames altogether, relying purely on the power of his Spiritual Sense [a cultivator's extended spiritual perception] to decompose the Spirit Medicine [plants imbued with spiritual energy] and form the Treasure Pill.

However, that method consumed far too much time. Thus, this time, Eldrin sought out Lyra Jiang precisely to borrow her Samadhi Truefire for refining the Treasure Pill.

Compared to Eldrin Chen's Pure Yang Celestial Flame, Lyra Jiang's Samadhi Truefire was originally derived from a minuscule fraction of the power of the supreme Daoist True Flame known as the 'Samadhi True Fire'.

In its essence, it is a peerless immortal flame for alchemy and artifact forging, untainted by worldly impurities [the mundane energies of the mortal realm], and thus would not diminish the medicinal efficacy of the Netherworld Flower.

Now, working together to refine the pill, Eldrin Chen was responsible for deducing the Pill Formula and controlling the crucial refining techniques, while Lyra Jiang managed the intensity of the flames.

With husband and wife united in purpose, their pace in refining the Pill indeed accelerated considerably.

Not long after, they successfully combined the three supreme treasures—the Netherworld Flower, the Pure Yang Fruit, and the Void Profound Jade—to refine a peerless Treasure Pill.

"The Yin-Yang Void Pill."

Gazing at the six Treasure Pill before him, Eldrin Chen could not help but reveal a look of delight.

The Pure Yang Great Void Pill was a Sixth Rank Low Grade Pure Yang Treasure Pill. It contained within it the power of Pure Yang [the ultimate masculine, cosmic principle of light and activity] and the Great Void [the primordial emptiness]. For a cultivator, consuming it could increase their chances of a breakthrough to the Primordial Spirit, Mid Stage by approximately thirty percent.

This Yin-Yang Void Pill was deduced by Eldrin Chen based on the Pure Yang Great Void Pill. Compared to its predecessor, this pill's quality and medicinal potency had undergone a monumental enhancement. This chapter is part of a larger work available at audio-novel . com.