Chapter 1058 : The Immortal Clan's Ascendant Burden

He understood clearly in his heart that refining a single Immortal Treasure [a supreme enchanted artifact of the Immortal Realm] consumed a truly astronomical amount of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements]. This was not a quantity that a single family or clan could possibly gather on its own.

In the past, when Eldrin Chen ascended to immortality, the effort to elevate his treasures nearly exhausted the entire supply of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] within the Purple Seal Realm [a lower realm world].

Although the Immortal Realm [the higher plane of existence where immortals dwell] was vaster, it was also teeming with immortal birds and Demon Beasts [powerful, often malevolent, spiritual creatures]. For ordinary mortals to survive and thrive here, they required the protection of Mountain Protection Formation [powerful defensive arrays] maintained by cultivators at the Infant Soul [the Nascent Soul stage] or even the Primordial Spirit [the Primordial Spirit stage] level.

Consequently, the population was far less dense than in the mortal world, and the number of cultivators was exceedingly sparse by comparison. Outside of the Immortal Isles [floating islands where the Human Race [the human species] congregated], one could fly for billions of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] without necessarily encountering a single fellow cultivator.

Under such circumstances, to amass enough Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements], one had only two options: either purchase it at an exorbitant price,

or establish one's own Immortal Clan [a clan with immortal ancestors] or sect, investing tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years to nurture mortal cultivators from the ground up.

Although the Void-Refining Immortal [an immortal who refines the void] had already founded an Immortal Clan [a clan with immortal ancestors] in the Immortal Realm [the higher plane of existence where immortals dwell], a mere few tens of thousands of years had passed. The Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] it produced was still insufficient for his Void-Refining Divine Furnace [a divine furnace for refining the void] to advance to the Mid-Grade Immortal Treasure [a mid-tier immortal artifact] level. How could he possibly have any surplus to spare for Eldrin Chen?

Thinking of this, Exquisite Jiang could not help but ask, "Then what should we do?"

"It is a pity we lack the manpower. Otherwise, we could purchase Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] from the various Primordial Spirit Immortal Clan [clans founded by Primordial Spirit stage immortals] within the Crimson Dragon Sea [a vast sea region],"

Eldrin Chen sighed. The Crimson Dragon Sea [a vast sea region] was home to many Primordial Spirit Immortal Clan [clans founded by Primordial Spirit stage immortals]; when Eldrin Chen first established his mountain gate, several hundred such clans had come to pay their respects. Immerse yourself in the complete world at *audio-novel.com*.

It was a pity that with several of Eldrin Chen's wives pregnant, he himself had no energy to spare for such trivial matters.

This filled his heart with immense nostalgia for the Chen Clan back in the Purple Seal Realm. In those days, the Chen Clan boasted hundreds of thousands, even millions, of cultivators.

Beyond his cultivation, Eldrin Chen never had to trouble himself with such minutiae. A single word from him would send countless cultivators scrambling to gather whatever he desired.

Now, despite having ascended to immortality, he found himself in a state of utter helplessness, forced to handle every single matter personally.

With his wives carrying children, they still had to frequently expend effort tending the Spirit Herb Garden [a garden cultivating plants imbued with spiritual energy] and inspecting the Mountain Protection Formation [a defensive array that shields a mountain territory]. Eldrin Chen, accustomed to having others manage such chores, found this new reality quite jarring.

After all, for an Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality through cultivation], whose closed-door meditation sessions could last for millennia, having to personally tend to a Spirit Herb Garden every few days was a significant disruption to his cultivation.

He sighed inwardly before speaking. "The price for Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] at the Immortal Market [a marketplace frequented by cultivators and immortals] is double what we'd pay by procuring it from smaller clans."

"But given our current lack of capacity to handle these trivialities, purchasing the Five Elements Essence is our only option."

"The Qian Clan on Verdant Rock Island has a good relationship with us. I will go discuss with Xander Qian to see if we can secure a better price."

"Very well," Exquisite Jiang nodded. "Go and return swiftly."

"..."

Departing from Green Chariot Island, Eldrin Chen flew directly towards the Lingering Sun Sea, his path familiar as he arrived at Verdant Rock Island.

The Verdant Rock Market was considered a low-tier immortal-grade market, rarely frequented by true Immortal [a being who has ascended to immortality]. Most of its trade came from surrounding Infant Soul [the stage of cultivation where one's nascent soul is formed] and Primordial Spirit Cultivator [a cultivator whose spiritual core, or Primordial Spirit, has been fully solidified] cultivators.

The moment Eldrin Chen arrived, his presence immediately alerted Xander Qian.

Upon seeing Eldrin Chen's arrival, Xander Qian personally poured him a cup of tea, saying, "Fellow Daoist, your visit to my humble market today is an honor. You should have sent word ahead so this old man could have come out to greet you properly."

"I wouldn't dare trouble you so,"

Eldrin Chen replied with a light smile. He took a sip of the tea before his expression turned serious. "To be frank, this visit is to purchase some Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth] from you."

"Oh?"

Xander Qian was momentarily taken aback, a look of surprise crossing his features. "You need Five Elements Essence? Could it be you've already advanced your Immortal Treasure [a powerful artifact used by Immortals] to the Middle Grade Immortal Rank [the middle tier of power for immortal-grade treasures] so quickly?"

"Indeed," Eldrin Chen nodded, then continued, "I acquired two ancient texts within the Crimson Sun Ruins. My skills in both alchemy and artifact forging have seen modest improvements."

"Fellow Daoist, what exceptional fortune and innate talent you possess!"

Xander Qian could not help but exclaim in admiration. Generally speaking, an Immortal might not advance to the Mid Ascendant Immortal Realm even within one hundred thousand years of achieving immortality, let alone refine a mid-grade Lifebound Immortal Treasure [a powerful artifact intrinsically linked to its owner's life force and cultivation].

Eldrin Chen's talent was truly astonishing. Having ascended for just over a thousand years, he was already preparing to elevate his Lifebound Immortal Treasure, a fact that filled Xander Qian with profound envy.

With this thought, Xander Qian inquired, "May I ask, Fellow Daoist, how much Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] you require this time?"

Eldrin Chen pondered briefly before replying, "Nine trillion strands."

"So much?" For more chapters, visit https://audio-novel.com for the complete novel.

Xander Qian was momentarily taken aback. One trillion strands of Five Elements Essence was an astronomical figure.

Even for a vast and mighty Immortal Clan, gathering one trillion strands would require tens of thousands of years at the very least.

The Qian Clan was considered a top-tier Immortal Clan and produced a greater amount of Five Elements Essence, yielding roughly one trillion strands every ten thousand years. Yet, even they would need ninety thousand years to accumulate such a quantity.

This amount of Five Elements Essence was sufficient to forge nine Immortal Treasure [powerful artifacts used by Immortals] or elevate three mid-grade Lifebound Immortal Treasure, representing an immense and staggering sum.

Relying solely on the Qian Clan's own production, it would likely be difficult to produce such a large quantity of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] all at once.

Fortunately, the Qian Immortal Clan held significant influence within the Lingering Sun Sea region. The various large and small Immortal Clan [powerful cultivation families with immortal-level ancestors] in the surrounding areas would also sell their Five Elements Essence to them, allowing the Qian Clan to gather the required amount in one go.

While they could produce it, Xander Qian was still taken aback. He couldn't help but inquire, "Fellow Daoist, you require such a vast quantity of Five Elements Essence all at once. Could it be you intend to advance several Immortal Treasure [a treasure of immortal grade] simultaneously?"

"Not at all, not at all."

Eldrin Chen did not confirm the assumption, merely offering a wry smile as he explained, "My situation differs from yours. Both of my wives have only recently attained immortality, and each possesses a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a treasure bound to a cultivator's life and soul] that requires advancement."

"Furthermore, I must also forge several other treasures to prepare for the immortal ascension of my three concubines."

"I see."

Xander Qian shook his head, his voice filled with undisguised envy. "Fellow Daoist, to have both wives as Immortal [beings who have transcended mortality], and three concubines also showing the potential for immortality... this old man cannot help but feel profound admiration."

"Alas, having a large family to support comes with its own difficulties,"

Eldrin Chen replied with a bitter smile and a shake of his head. Then he continued, "I merely hope, Fellow Daoist, that you can offer me a favorable price for this Five Elements Essence."

"This matter is easily settled. I shall give you the base price."

Xander Qian pondered briefly before speaking, "Nine trillion units of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements], which can be counted as three pieces of Incense Offering Celestial Silver [a high-grade currency used in immortal transactions], or three hundred Immortal Source [a concentrated source of immortal energy]. How does that sound?"

Eldrin Chen contemplated for a moment. If procured from his own clan's production or purchased directly from minor families, one piece of Incense Offering Celestial Silver could typically buy about five trillion units of Five Elements Essence.

However, acquiring Five Elements Essence from minor clans required immense manpower and resources, so the market price was roughly double. The other party's offer was indeed quite reasonable.

With this in mind, Eldrin Chen produced an Immortal Pill [a pill that grants immense benefits to immortals] and said, "I am short on Incense Offering Celestial Silver and also lack sufficient Immortal Source. Could I exchange this Primordial Solar Immortal Augmentation Pill [a pill that augments an immortal's power with primordial solar energy] instead?"

"Oh?"

Xander Qian looked at the Immortal Pill in Eldrin Chen's hand, his eyes gleaming slightly. "This pill has excellent quality. It seems your alchemical skills are formidable, Fellow Daoist."

"In that case, one Primordial Solar Immortal Augmentation Pill can be valued at one piece of Incense Offering Celestial Silver. What do you think?" Visit audio-novel.com to enjoy the complete series.