Chapter 20 : A Bittersweet Return and a Silent Passing

After handling these trivial matters, the subsequent screening for Demonic Cultivator [practitioners who cultivate using malevolent or forbidden methods] proceeded in an orderly fashion.

No further incidents occurred during the subsequent screenings. By the time the inspections concluded over half a month later, not a single Demonic Cultivator had been discovered within Pingyang City.

However, during the monitoring of the five surrounding towns, the group managed to root out three Demonic Cultivator at the early to mid Vital Essence Refinement [the foundational stage of cultivation where one refines the body's vital energy] stage.

These three Demonic Cultivator naturally failed to cause any significant disturbance. The Vital Essence Refinement cultivators of the Chen Family took action, thoroughly eliminating them without much effort.

With this campaign, the Demonic Cultivator within Pingyang City and its six towns were completely purged. The population under the Chen Family's jurisdiction was also re-censused, effectively sweeping away internal hidden dangers for the clan.

Once everything was settled, the group did not linger in Pingyang City and returned to Verdant Chariot Mountain the following day.

After a journey of several days, the moment the group set foot back on Verdant Chariot Mountain, they noticed the Third Elder who had come to greet them wore a troubled expression.

Seeming to sense their confusion, Lior Chen offered a bitter smile, his face etched with sorrow.

"Kylan he..."

In an instant, as if struck by a bolt from the blue, everyone's faces contorted with anguish.

The Sixth Elder, Kylan Chen, entered secluded cultivation in a final, desperate attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one solidifies their spiritual foundation] realm. After a month-long seclusion, he ultimately passed away within his cave abode.

"By the time I sensed something was amiss, Kylan had already perished some time ago."

"Every meridian in his body was shattered, and all the True Qi [the refined spiritual energy cultivated within a practitioner's body] and blood had drained from him. His appearance was... quite horrifying."

The Third Elder spoke with a pained expression. Kylan Chen had staked everything on one final gamble, yet ultimately failed to achieve Heaven-Defying Fate Alteration [a miraculous reversal of destiny against the heavens' will], never grasping that sliver of hope for survival.

Eldrin Chen listened in silence, a sharp pang of grief suddenly gripping his heart.

Since his reincarnation into this world, the elders of the Chen Family had watched him grow up and had genuinely treated him with great kindness.

In just a few short years, the aged Cedric Chen the Seventh Granduncle and the still-vigorous Sixth Elder Kylan Chen—one elder after another had passed away on the path of cultivation, a stark testament to its brutal and unforgiving nature.

"The Immortal Ascension Path [the arduous and perilous journey towards immortality] is long and fraught with hardship. We can only trudge forward, solitary and determined."

"If I fall, and if you have the strength, go see the view at the end of the road in my stead."

Kylan Chen's parting words from that day echoed in his ears as if spoken just moments ago. Perhaps even then, Kylan Chen had foreseen his own fate, yet he still chose to gamble everything on that one-in-ten chance for survival.

Eldrin Chen remained silent for a long while before finally murmuring to himself, "Twenty-sixth Uncle, I will go and see it for you."

"……"

The eradication of the Demonic Cultivators [practitioners who use forbidden, often bloody methods to gain power] this time had removed a hidden danger for the clan. Originally, several Elders had intended to hold a celebration, but the news of Kylan Chen's fall cast a pall over their spirits, leaving them with little inclination for festivities.

The departed had passed on; the living must always look forward.

After the funeral rites were concluded, the several Elders convened a brief meeting with the clan's high-level members at the Vital Essence Refinement Late Stage [the final phase of refining one's life force energy].

"Although the threat of the Demonic Cultivators has been cleared this time, we must remain vigilant in the future," one of them stated.

"We have decided that the inspection for Demonic Cultivators shall henceforth be established as a permanent institution."

Within the Clan Affairs Hall, the Third Elder announced the intentions of the Council of Elders to the assembled group.

They had resolved to formalize the purge of Demonic Cultivators as a standing rule. According to the new regulations, the Chen Family would henceforth mobilize personnel every three years to conduct a sweep for Demonic Cultivators hidden among the mortal populace. This measure was designed to ensure the foundation of the Chen Immortal Clan remained secure and unshaken.

With this matter temporarily settled, Eldrin Chen also decided to return to Spirit Isle Lake, lest he miss the crucial season of spring planting.

However, just as he was about to depart, Third Elder Lior Chen stopped him.

"The clan is currently short of hands everywhere, and your Spirit Isle Lake is no exception. With five new juniors joining the clan this time, I shall assign them to you."

"Caleb Chen, Silas Chen, come here."

From not far away, two children of six or seven years old approached cautiously, their gazes filled with nervousness as they looked at him.

Third Elder looked at the two children, a trace of satisfaction and pride in his expression, and said, "From now on, you two siblings will follow Eighth Elder and learn cultivation under his guidance."

"Go on."

These two were precisely the dragon-phoenix twins, Ember Chen and Leo Chen, whom he had rescued from Pingyuan Town. After their Spiritual Root [the innate talent for cultivating spiritual energy] was confirmed, they had come to Verdant Chariot Mountain, entered the clan's Clan Genealogy [the official registry of clan members], and had their names changed to Silas Chen and Caleb Chen.

Originally, their generation should have been included in the Nian Generation. However, considering that Eldrin Chen was already a clan Elder, and to better highlight and complement his status and position, it was decided to place the two of them into the Xian Generation instead.

This way, if Eldrin Chen were to one day lead the clan, a group of clan juniors would be easier to command than peers or seniors.

Eldrin Chen's eyes flickered, instantly understanding Third Elder's intention.

Though still young, this pair of dragon-phoenix twins were both geniuses with Dual Spiritual Root [a rare and superior spiritual root constitution]. Barring unforeseen circumstances, they would at least reach the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier [the ninth and penultimate stage of the Qi Condensation realm] in the future, and there was even a fair chance they could break through to Foundation Establishment [the realm where a cultivator solidifies their Dao foundation].

Sending these two to his side served a dual purpose: to have him nurture two of the clan's promising young talents, and to bolster Future's influence and voice within the family hierarchy.

Do not underestimate the importance of such influence. If he succeeded in achieving Foundation Establishment, his word would naturally carry the weight of a clan patriarch's decree. However, if he failed, this accrued influence would become critically important.

With this thought in mind, Eldrin Chen did not refuse. Though confident in his own ability to reach Foundation Establishment, he considered guiding the clan's younger generation in his spare time to be a worthwhile and enriching cultivation experience in itself.

Early one morning, he set out with the two siblings in tow, heading towards Spirit Isle Lake.

By the time he returned to Spirit Isle Lake, two months had passed since his departure.

Returning after this two-month absence, the moment he stepped onto Lake Heart Island he was greeted by the honking cries of the Violet-Striped Goose [a type of spirit beast resembling a goose with violet markings]. Having been raised for over two years, these Spirit Goose [spiritually attuned geese] were not yet fully grown, but they had all reached the Vital Essence Refinement Early Stage [the initial stage of Qi Condensation] and had begun to exhibit a rudimentary understanding and sentience.

Gazing at the dozen or so vibrantly feathered, half-grown Violet-Striped Goose, Eldrin Chen could not help but allow a faint smile to touch his lips.

"Violet-Striped Goose reach maturity around five or six years of age," he mused. "That is when they can begin to breed."

"In just three or four more years, they will start laying spirit eggs and producing the next generation."

After being left to roam freely for two months, the Violet-Striped Goose [a type of spiritual goose with distinctive purple markings] had not grown thin despite receiving no direct feeding. Instead, they had grown somewhat larger by foraging on water plants and grasses.

However, the spiritual vegetables, left unprotected by any formation, had been ravaged by them, with roughly seventy to eighty percent consumed clean.

Fortunately, the spiritual vegetables were not particularly valuable, and Eldrin Chen was not angered. Instead, he harvested the remaining vegetables. Aside from keeping a portion for his own consumption, he fed most of them to the Violet-Striped Goose.

Following this came the spring planting season. Having not nourished the Spiritual Field [a field imbued with spiritual energy for growing special crops] for two months, Eldrin Chen spent several extra days, repeatedly casting the Spirit Rain Art [a technique to summon rain infused with spiritual energy] before finally sowing the Spirit Rice [a type of rice that grows by absorbing spiritual energy].

Life then settled back into tranquility. Each day, he inhaled and exhaled the Primordial Mist Violet Aura [a high-grade spiritual energy manifesting as a violet mist], refining his cultivation at the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of refining one's vital life force] to prepare for his future breakthrough to Foundation Establishment [the stage where a cultivator establishes a stable foundation for their core cultivation].

During his leisure time, he instructed the siblings Caleb and Silas in literacy and taught them to recognize the meridians and acupoints within their own bodies. These were essential foundational studies before one could embark on the path of cultivation; attempting to cultivate without this knowledge would inevitably lead to complications.

Fortunately, both siblings were quite intelligent and learned these subjects quickly. Eldrin Chen estimated that, barring unforeseen circumstances, they would grasp the basics by around eight or nine years of age and could then begin to tentatively step onto the path of cultivation.