Chapter 1058. Purchasing 5 Elements Essence

He knew full well that refining a single immortal treasure required a truly astronomical amount of 5 Elements essence energy—far more than any single clan or family could possibly gather.

When Eldrin (Person Name) attained immortality in ages past, he nearly exhausted the 5 Elements essence of the Violet Realm to refine his celestial treasure.

Though the immortal realm was vaster, it teemed with celestial birds and monstrous beasts everywhere. For mortals to survive and thrive, they had to rely on mountain-protecting formations of at least the Nascent Soul level, or even the Primordial Spirit level.

Therefore, the population was far less dense than in the mortal realm, and the number of cultivators was exceedingly scarce by mortal standards. Beyond the immortal islands where the human race gathered, 1 could often fly for billions of miles without necessarily encountering a single cultivator.

In such circumstances, to gather enough cultivators to amass the 5 Elements' essence, 1 must either offer an exorbitant price for its acquisition.

1 would have to establish their own immortal clan or sect, spending tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years nurturing mortal cultivators to achieve this.

Although the Void-Refining Immortal had already established his immortal clan in the celestial realm, a mere tens of thousands of years had passed. The 5 Elements essence produced was still insufficient for his Void-Refining Divine Furnace to advance to a mid-grade immortal treasure—how could there be any surplus for Eldrin (Person Name)?

At this thought, Lyra couldn't help but ask, "Then what should we do?"

"Pity we lack the manpower, otherwise we could acquire the 5 Elements Essence from those Primordial Immortal clans in the Crimson Dragon Sea."

Eldrin let out a soft sigh. "The Red Dragon Sea is home to quite a few Primordial Immortal clans. When I, Eldrin, first established my sect, over a 100 such clans came to pay their respects at the mountain."

Unfortunately, with several of Eldrin's wives being pregnant, he himself had no energy to deal with such trivial matters.

This filled his heart with immense nostalgia for the Chen Clan of the Violet Realm, back when the clan boasted over a 100 million cultivators.

Apart from cultivation, Eldrin (Person Name) need not trouble himself with such trivial matters. Whatever he desired, a single word from him would bring countless cultivators scrambling to gather it for him.

Though he had attained immortality, he found himself with no 1 to command, forced to handle every matter personally.

Several of his wives were with child, yet they still had to expend considerable effort tending the spirit herb gardens and maintaining the mountain protection array. Eldrin, long accustomed to having such trivial matters handled by others, found this new reality deeply unsettling.

After all, it would truly hinder 1's cultivation to have an immortal—who could spend thousands of years in secluded training with each session—tend to the spirit herb garden every few days.

He sighed inwardly before speaking. "The price of 5 Elements Essence in the immortal market is twice as high as what we procure from minor clans."

"Yet at the moment, we have no energy to deal with these trivial matters. We must purchase the 5 Elements Essence."

"The Qian Family of Greenrock Isle has always been on good terms with us. I shall consult with Qian Xuande to see if we can secure a more favorable price."

"Alright." Lyra nodded and said, "Go early and return early."

Leaving Green Abyss Island, Eldrin (Person Name) flew straight toward the Sea of Setting Sun, arriving at Bluestone Island with practiced ease.

That Greenrock Market was considered the lowest-grade immortal market, rarely visited by true immortals. Most patrons conducting business there were Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing cultivators from the surrounding regions.

At this moment, Eldrin's arrival immediately alerted Qian Xuande.

When Qian Xuande saw Eldrin arrive, he personally poured him a cup of tea and said, "Fellow Daoist, since you've come to my immortal market today, why didn't you inform me in advance? I would have come out of the mountains to welcome you."

"I wouldn't dare trouble you so much."

Eldrin smiled faintly, took a sip of tea, then adopted a solemn expression. "To be frank, the purpose of my visit is to acquire some of the 5 Elements Essence from you, fellow cultivator."

"Oh?"

Qian Xuande was slightly taken aback, exclaiming in astonishment, "You require the essence of the 5 elements? Could it be that you’ve already advanced the immortal treasure to the mid-grade immortal rank so swiftly?"

"Mm." Eldrin nodded slightly before speaking, "Within the Crimson Sun Ruins, I obtained 2 ancient tomes. My alchemy and artifact-crafting have both made modest progress."

"Fellow Daoist, what splendid fortune and remarkable talent you possess!"

Qian Xuande couldn't help but marvel, "Generally speaking, immortals might not advance to the middle stage of Ascendant Immortal realm even within 100,000 years of achieving immortality, let alone refine a mid-grade innate immortal treasure."

Eldrin possessed truly astonishing talent. Having ascended for a mere 1 1000 years, he had already begun refining his Natal Immortal Treasure—a feat that left Xuan De Qian (Person Name) utterly envious.

At this thought, Qian Xuande said, "May I ask how much 5 Elements essence you require this time, fellow Daoist?"

Eldrin (Person Name) pondered briefly before stating, "9 trillion."

"So much?"

Qian Xuande was momentarily taken aback. 1 zhao equated to 10,000,000,000 strands of 5 Elements essence—an astronomical figure by any measure.

Even for an immensely powerful immortal clan, gathering the 5 Elements essence required for a single technique would take at least tens of thousands of years.

Among the immortal clans, the Qian family stood at the pinnacle, yielding a greater abundance of 5 Elements Essence. Though they produced approximately 10,000 units of 5 Elements Essence every 10 1000 years, it would still take them 90 1000 years to accumulate this much.

This amount of 5 Elements essence was sufficient to refine 9 immortal treasures, or advance 3 mid-grade natal immortal treasures—truly an enormous quantity.

Even relying solely on the Qian family's own production, they likely couldn't produce this much 5 Elements essence all at once.

Fortunately, the Qian Immortal Clan wielded immense influence within the Crimson Sunset Sea, and neighboring immortal clans—both major and minor—would sell their 5 Elements Essence to them. Thus, they were able to produce it all in 1 go.

It can certainly be provided, but Qian Xuande was still taken aback. He couldn’t help but ask, “Fellow Daoist, you’re requesting such a large quantity of 5 Elements Essence all at once. Could it be that you intend to advance several Immortal Treasures simultaneously?”

"Not so, not so."

Eldrin did not admit it, merely smiling bitterly as he replied, "My circumstances differ from yours. My 2 wives and I attained immortality not long ago, and each of us has a life-bound spirit treasure requiring advancement."

Moreover, he needed to craft several artifacts and make preparations for his 3 concubines to ascend as immortals.

"So that's how it is."

Qian Xuande shook his head and said with boundless envy, "Fellow Daoist, you have 2 wives who are both immortals, and your 3 concubines also possess the potential to attain immortality. This truly fills this old man with inexpressible admiration."

"Alas, having a family to care for also brings its own difficulties."

Eldrin (Person Name) gave a bitter smile and shook his head before speaking. "I only hope you can offer me a better price for these 5 Elements Essences, fellow Daoist."

"This is easily arranged. I'll charge you the base price."

Qian Xuande pondered briefly before speaking, "9 trillion units of 5 Elements essence shall be counted as 3 sticks of Faith Astral Silver, or 3 100 Immortal Source coins. How about that?"

Eldrin pondered briefly. If it were produced by his own clan or purchased directly from minor families, 1 piece of Faith Silver could likely buy about 5 trillion units of 5 Elements essence.

However, acquiring the 5 Elements Essence from smaller clans required an immense expenditure of manpower and resources, which drove market prices up by double. Thus, the price they offered could indeed be considered quite reasonable.

At this thought, Eldrin took out an immortal elixir and said, "I am short on both Incense Fire Heavenly Silver and Immortal Origin. May I exchange this Pure Yang Immortality-Enhancing Pill instead?"

"Oh?"

Qian Xuande’s eyes glimmered faintly as he gazed at the immortal elixir in Eldrin’s hand. “This elixir is of exceptional quality,” he remarked. “It seems your alchemy skills are truly remarkable, fellow Daoist.”

"In that case, 1 Pure Yang Immortal Ascension Pill for 1 unit of Faith Silver—what say you?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 1: The Reborn Prodigy The biting cold pierced deep into the bones. Ye Chen groaned as he struggled to open his heavy eyelids. The dilapidated temple and the statue of a deity missing half its head felt both familiar and strange. "Have I... truly returned?" He gazed at his youthful yet frail palms, his eyes surging with unprecedented intensity. A 100 years had passed! He, Ye Chen, once the youngest Saint Realm expert of the Divine Continent, had perished body and soul during the Heavenly Tribulation. Yet now, he had returned to his sixteenth year. Memories flooded his mind like tidal waves. In his previous life, he was the most outstanding genius of the Ye Family in Azurecloud City. At merely 16, he had reached the ninth level of the Body Refining Realm, hailed as the most promising youth in a century. But all this changed after that night's ambush. "Ye Wei! Ye Sheng!" Ye Chen's eyes flashed with a chilling light. He remembered clearly how these 2 cousins, driven by jealousy, had lured him to this abandoned temple, shattered his dantian, and left him to die. Although he was later rescued, his cultivation was completely destroyed, reducing him from a genius to a worthless cripple in the eyes of all. His once glorious father was stripped of his position as clan head and exiled to the bitter cold northern lands. His mother, overwhelmed by sorrow, passed away prematurely. Even the girl he loved deeply was forced by her family to marry someone else. "Fate has granted me a second chance." Ye Chen took a deep breath, a trace of determination flashing in his eyes. "In this life, I will not only reclaim everything I've lost but also ascend to the pinnacle of the martial path!" He closed his eyes and focused his mind, beginning to inspect his body. As expected, his dantian was in complete disarray, his meridians severed in multiple places. Such injuries were undoubtedly fatal for any martial artist. But to Ye Chen, this was nothing. In his previous life, after his dantian was shattered, he had coincidentally obtained an ancient cultivation technique—the Heavenly Swallowing Art. This technique defied the heavens, allowing 1 to devour all things in the world to nourish 1's own body. Not only could it repair a shattered dantian, but it could also reshape 1's foundation. "Although the Heavenly Swallowing Art was powerful, it had hidden dangers, ultimately preventing me from transcending the Heavenly Tribulation." Ye Chen murmured to himself, "But now, I possess the Primordial Chaos Formula, a divine technique from the primordial era. It is countless times more profound than the Heavenly Swallowing Art!" The Primordial Chaos Formula was a supreme inheritance he had obtained by chance in a forbidden area of the Divine Continent. It was precisely because of this technique that he had advanced rapidly, reaching the Saint Realm in just a 100 years. "With the Primordial Chaos Formula, I can rebuild my foundation. This time, I will build the most solid foundation!" Ye Chen's eyes shone with confidence. He sat cross-legged, silently reciting the incantation of the Primordial Chaos Formula. Strands of spiritual energy from heaven and earth began to gather toward him. However, the spiritual energy in this abandoned temple was simply too thin. Ye Chen frowned. With such sparse spiritual energy, it would take at least 3 days to repair his dantian. But he couldn't wait that long. Just then, his gaze fell upon a jade pendant at his waist. This was a keepsake left by his mother. In his previous life, after his mother's death, he had kept it with him at all times, never leaving it behind. A thought struck Ye Chen. He remembered that in his previous life, after reaching the Saint Realm, he had discovered that this jade pendant was no ordinary object. It seemed to conceal some secret, but back then, he hadn't paid it much mind. "Let me see what secrets you hold." Ye Chen channeled the last trace of spiritual energy in his body into the jade pendant. Buzz— The jade pendant suddenly emitted a soft glow, then transformed into a stream of light that shot straight between his eyebrows. A vast space appeared before his eyes. "This is... a storage space?" Ye Chen was stunned. He never expected this ordinary-looking jade pendant to actually contain a storage space. Moreover, the space inside was incredibly vast, spanning thousands of feet. Within the space, a small pile of items was neatly arranged. A dozen or so sparkling spirit stones, 2 small porcelain bottles, and a pitch-black ancient sword. Ye Chen's heart raced. He willed it, and the items from the space instantly appeared in his hands. "These are... middle-grade spirit stones!" Ye Chen's breathing quickened. In Azurecloud City, even low-grade spirit stones were extremely rare. A single middle-grade spirit stone was equivalent to 10,000 low-grade spirit stones! These dozen or so middle-grade spirit stones were an astronomical fortune! He then picked up the porcelain bottles and opened them. A rich medicinal fragrance wafted out. "Body Tempering Pill! Meridian Cleansing Pill!" Ye Chen's eyes lit up. The Body Tempering Pill could strengthen the physique, while the Meridian Cleansing Pill could cleanse the meridians. Both were exactly what he needed most right now. Finally, his gaze fell upon the pitch-black ancient sword. The sword was about 3 feet long, its blade pitch-black as if it had weathered countless years. The hilt was engraved with the 3 ancient characters—Heavenly Abyss Sword. "Heavenly Abyss Sword..." Ye Chen gently stroked the sword blade, a trace of doubt in his heart. He had never heard of this sword in his previous life. But since it was stored alongside middle-grade spirit stones and precious pills, it must be no ordinary object. Setting aside his doubts for now, Ye Chen held a middle-grade spirit stone and began to operate the Primordial Chaos Formula. Boom— An immense spiritual energy surged into his body like a tidal wave. The power of the middle-grade spirit stones was far beyond what he had imagined. Under the guidance of the Primordial Chaos Formula, the spiritual energy continuously tempered his body and repaired his damaged dantian. Crack, crack— His joints emitted a series of crisp sounds. The shattered dantian was rapidly healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even his severed meridians were slowly reconnecting. Time passed minute by minute. When dawn broke, Ye Chen suddenly opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed across his pupils. He stood up, his entire body emitting crackling sounds like firecrackers. "The first level of the Body Refining Realm!" A smile finally appeared on Ye Chen's face. Not only had his dantian completely recovered, but he had also officially stepped into the first level of the Body Refining Realm. Most importantly, the foundation he had built with the Primordial Chaos Formula was far more solid than in his previous life. In his previous life, he had relied on the Heavenly Swallowing Art to advance rapidly, but his foundation was unstable. Now, with the Primordial Chaos Formula, every step he took was extremely steady. "With my current strength, even an opponent at the third level of the Body Refining Realm is no match for me." Ye Chen clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within him. This was the benefit of a solid foundation. The same realm, but vastly different combat power. "Ye Wei, Ye Sheng, just you wait. I will soon make you pay the price." A cold gleam flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. He put away the remaining spirit stones and pills, then picked up the Heavenly Abyss Sword. Although he didn't know the origin of this sword, since it was left by his mother, he would naturally keep it well. Just as Ye Chen was about to leave the abandoned temple, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside. "Search carefully! He must be nearby!" "Heaven's favor! That little bastard's dantian has been shattered, so he definitely can't run far!" Hearing these voices, Ye Chen's eyes turned cold. He recognized these voices—they were the lackeys of Ye Wei and Ye Sheng. In his previous life, these people had come to ensure his death. It was only by hiding in a hidden compartment of the divine statue that he had narrowly escaped. But this time, things would be different. Ye Chen gripped the Heavenly Abyss Sword, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. Since they had delivered themselves to his doorstep, he would use them to test the power of the Primordial Chaos Formula.