Chapter 43 : A Pact with Shadow

Seeing him remain unmoved, Lin Taihe grew desperate. He cut straight to the point: "Let me be frank. Before coming here, Zhang Vorgath sought me out."

"If you agree to act, Zhang Vorgath is confident he can persuade his senior brother to join us. Together, we can eradicate the Chen Clan menace once and for all."

"His senior brother, Hong Morgrim, is an inner disciple of the Demon Cave Cavern. His cultivation has already reached the Foundation Establishment, Late Stage."

"You dare collude with Demonic Cultivator [practitioners who use malevolent and often sacrificial methods to gain power]!"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Mingxu paled with horror. Colluding with Demonic Cultivator was a grave transgression. Should this affair be exposed, neither Jiang the Ancient Ancestor nor the Green Sun Sect would suffer them to live.

"Hush." Lin Taihe signaled for silence, his expression icy. "If you and I say nothing, who could possibly know?"

"Our joint assault on Chen Thalion with the Demonic Cultivator would merely be a fortuitous convergence of interests, an unplanned coincidence."

"Besides, I am left with no other choice." He spoke with malicious intent. "If Chen Thalion is not removed, you may hide within your clan's protective formations. But tell me, how will you manage your clan's affairs thereafter?"

"Will you continue the Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] trade from Feng County to Heaven's Ruin Mountain?"

Lin Taihe's words were the final straw that broke the camel's back, utterly tipping the scales within Zuo Mingxu's heart. For more chapters, visit *audio-novel.com* for the complete novel.

He was not a lone individual; behind him stood an entire Cultivation Clan [a family or lineage dedicated to the practice of cultivation arts]. If he were to remain secluded within the clan's Spirit Vein [a natural conduit of concentrated spiritual energy], many of the clan's business ventures would grind to a halt.

Should that happen, the clan's income would be halved. Without that revenue, how could the clan sustain itself? Would his own stipend even be paid?

At this thought, Zuo Mingxu gritted his teeth and declared with resolute finality, "I agree to this plan."

"However," he added, "this old man had no way of knowing the Demonic Cultivator [a practitioner who uses malevolent, often sacrificial, methods to advance their power] would intervene."

"Hah!" Lin Taihe let out a hearty laugh. "Neither of us foresaw the Demonic Cultivator's involvement."

"Pulling off this venture will not only settle our feud with the enemy, but we will also gain Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] worth over ten thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. Why would we hesitate?"

"..."

After Lin Taihe departed, the two Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one solidifies their spiritual foundation] experts of the Zuo Clan flew back toward their family estate, their expressions grave.

Zuo Zhouqi's face was etched with deep displeasure. He could not help but voice his regret: "Had we known it would come to this, why did we ever fight so fiercely for that single Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that significantly aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm]?"

"The blame lies with my own recklessness," Zuo Mingxu admitted, a look of bitter vexation clouding his features. "Who could have predicted that Chen Thalion would be so fortunate? A Verdant Origin Ganoderma [a rare spiritual fungus that aids cultivation] happened to mature for him at just the right time, allowing him to refine it into a pill and achieve a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment, Late Stage [an advanced sub-realm within the Foundation Establishment stage] the very year before we were to purchase our own Foundation Establishment Pill."

"Discussing such matters now is futile. Tomorrow, we shall inventory the Clan Treasury [the central repository of the clan's resources] and withdraw a greater portion of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]."

"In a few days, we shall journey to the Green Sun Market [a trading hub for cultivators] to procure additional magical tools and Spirit Talisman [enchanted slips of paper or parchment that store a single-use spell]. We must prepare for every contingency. When the time comes, we shall also bring the ancestral Talisman [a powerful protective charm passed down through generations]. I refuse to believe we cannot slay that old cur, Chen Thalion."

Zuo Mingxu declared with iron resolve, determined to see this through in one decisive stroke and eradicate the threat to his clan once and for all.

"…"

Time flowed like a swift river, and several more months passed in the blink of an eye.

The Chen Clan finally received the full shipment of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth]. The quantity was so vast that ordinary Storage Bag [a spatial artifact capable of holding items far beyond its apparent size] could not contain it. They were forced to spend two hundred Spirit Stone to rent ten Flame Cloud Horse [a spirit beast resembling a horse wreathed in fiery mist] from the Zhang Clan to transport the cargo.

"It appears our preparations are nearly complete," he observed.

At the summit of Verdant Chariot Mountain, Eldrin Chen stood beside the venerable Clan Patriarch, idly turning a fist-sized, pale azure sphere in his hand. Together, they watched their clansmen below loading the final provisions with a calm, measured gaze.

Chen Thalion shifted his gaze from the scene below and looked at Eldrin Chen with a faint smile. "How fares the tempering of those two magical treasures?"

"Their nurturing is nearly complete," Eldrin Chen replied, nodding as he regarded the faintly glowing sphere in his palm.

This spherical orb was refined from the inner core of a Verdant-Striped Ape [a powerful ape demon with green stripes], making it a Second Rank Middle Grade [a mid-tier magical tool for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage] magical treasure. Once its offensive formation arrays are activated, it expands to the size of one Zhang-length [approximately three point three three meters] and becomes as heavy as ten thousand jun-weights [an immense weight]. Its power is sufficient to shatter a boulder ten zhang-lengths [approximately thirty-three meters] in size.

Since ancient times, pill refinement and artifact forging have been inseparable disciplines, just as formations and artifacts are intertwined. Eldrin Chen's proficiency in the Spirit Farming Art [the art of cultivating spiritually infused plants] was nearly on par with his Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual pills and elixirs]. As for the old Clan Patriarch, though his skill in artifact forging was not his strongest suit, being a Second Rank High Grade Formation Master [a master of setting up defensive and offensive magical formations], he still possessed the level of a Second Rank Middle Grade [mid-tier] artificer.

Chen Thalion spent half a month's effort, infusing a large quantity of Verdant-Striped Iron and a significant amount of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth]. Remarkably, he succeeded in refining this inner core into a Second Rank Middle Grade [mid-tier] magical treasure.

This treasure could not only be used to smash enemies but was also inscribed with a set of defensive shield formation patterns. It could project a cyan light shield to block incoming attacks, making it a versatile tool capable of both offense and defense.

Since obtaining this treasure, Eldrin Chen had grown quite fond of it, finding it hard to put down. He named it the Green Ape Pearl.

In addition, the old Clan Patriarch also re-smelted his Millennium Crimson Iron [a rare iron ore imbued with fiery energy over a millennium] blade embryo, reforging it into a sword embryo. Continue your cultivation journey at audio-novel[dot]com.

Considering that Eldrin Chen would later use this Millennium Crimson Iron to forge the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, and to maintain the purity of the Millennium Crimson Iron, the old Clan Patriarch did not incorporate any other materials or add Five Elements Essence. Consequently, this sword embryo was only of Second Rank Low Grade [a lower-tier] quality.

However, his skills in artifact forging and formation mastery had long surpassed those of Zhang Vorgath. After re-engraving the formation patterns, the power of this sword embryo far exceeded its previous state, reaching the pinnacle level of Second Rank Low Grade [lower-tier] artifacts.

Furthermore, flying swords are inherently much faster than most other magical treasures. Therefore, the effectiveness this sword could unleash was likely not inferior to that of the Green Ape Pearl.

Having acquired two powerful magical treasures, Eldrin Chen was naturally overjoyed. During this period, apart from his cultivation practice, he spent most of his time refining and attuning himself to these two artifacts.

"Since the nurturing is nearly complete, my mind is at ease."

The old Clan Patriarch let out a sigh of relief, then produced an ancient-looking small bell: "Last night, I made a trip to Pingyang City and brought back the Bell of Nine Echoes [a defensive magical treasure that resonates with nine protective echoes]."

"Refine and attune to it once more. With this defensive magical treasure guarding you, your safety should be sufficiently assured."

Eldrin Chen did not reach for it, shaking his head instead. "The Green Ape Pearl [a magical pearl offering both offensive and defensive capabilities] offers both offense and defense. I believe it is enough to protect me."

"It is you who currently lacks a defensive magical treasure. This artifact would be far more useful in your hands."

"Silly child," the old Clan Patriarch laughed heartily. "You underestimate the power of a Second Rank High Grade Formation Master."

"With this set of Separated Flame Soul-Burning Formation Flags in hand, the surging Separated Flame [a potent, purified flame essence] incinerates all in its path. Common spells and magical treasures would exhaust their power before they could even approach me, offering protection no less formidable than a Second Rank High Grade defensive artifact."

"While your Green Ape Pearl balances offense and defense, in terms of pure defensive strength, this Bell of Nine Echoes surpasses it by a fair margin."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen finally accepted the Bell of Nine Echoes. With this defensive treasure now in his possession, he held three second-rank magical artifacts, thoroughly shoring up his previous shortcomings in equipment. At this point, he might truly be able to contend with a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage.

"Clan Patriarch, Eldrin, everything is prepared."

Yet at this very moment, Third Elder sought him out.

Eldrin Chen glanced over with a smile and inquired, "Uncle Lior, has the roster for the Blazing Solar Skyfire Banner [a powerful formation banner that channels solar and skyfire energies] been finalized?"

"Indeed," Lior Chen replied. "This time, six of us—myself, Alistair, Elara, Sylvan, Uncle Changming, and Alaric—will jointly channel the Blazing Solar Skyfire Banner."

The two exchanged a look and gave a firm nod.

Among these six individuals, three were cultivators who had broken through to the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer [the ninth and penultimate stage of Qi Refinement, where one's vital energy is highly refined] within the clan's most recent seven years. For uninterrupted reading, go to site: audio-novel.com.