Chapter 35 : A Pillar of Hope and Hidden Shadows

At present, Verdant Origin Chen is merely thirty-six years of age, yet his cultivation foundation is already solid. If he obtains this Foundation Establishment Pill [a pill that aids in solidifying one's cultivation base to reach the Foundation Establishment realm] and succeeds in his Foundation Establishment [the second major stage of cultivation, where one's spiritual energy condenses into a stable foundation], his future would be truly boundless. Perhaps there is even a possibility he could break through to the Violet Sanctum [the third major stage of cultivation, where one opens a mystical palace within the body] realm in the years to come.

"It seems our Chen Clan fortune has turned these past few years."

Fourth Elder Verdant Destiny Chen laughed heartily and said:

"Now that our external debts are cleared and the clan's deficit is gone, once the Patriarch recovers from his injuries, we can continue the Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] business at Heavenly Ruins Mountain. Then we can gradually repay the money we owe our clansmen."

"If Verdant Origin succeeds in his Foundation Establishment, then in the future, we will have a connection within the Verdant Sun Sect. Perhaps we can even find a way to get a share of the tax revenue and profits from the Sunward Market."

As Verdant Destiny Chen envisioned the clan's future development, Third Elder's expression remained grim.

Eldrin Chen was adept at reading people. Glancing at Third Elder's face, his heart sank slightly, and he asked.

"Uncle Lior, it seems you still have something to say?"

"Alas..."

Third Elder sighed and handed a letter to Eldrin Chen. Original publication: audio-novel-dot-com - The source of this chapter.

"You should read it for yourselves."

Eldrin Chen took the letter and scanned it quickly, his eyes growing heavy with concern.

Seeing his expression, Second Elder sensed trouble and snatched the letter. After it had been passed around, the hot-tempered Fourth Elder erupted in fury.

"That Verdant Sun Sect [a major cultivation sect] pushes us too far! They go too far!"

"Have they truly cast all face and propriety to the wind?"

The faces of all present were grim. No one blamed the Fourth Elder for his outburst, for the Verdant Sun Sect was indeed wielding its power with shameless arrogance.

The letter from Verdant Origin Chen did mention the matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm]. However, it revealed that the Verdant Sun Sect had played another trick on the Chen Immortal Clan.

According to the Verdant Sun Sect's prior promise, they were to compensate the Chen Immortal Clan for half their losses. By that logic, the compensation should have been one Foundation Establishment Pill.

Had that distribution been followed, Verdant Origin Chen should have directly received a Foundation Establishment Pill.

But now, the Elder of Violet Sanctum [a high-ranking elder responsible for sect resources] from the Verdant Sun Sect in charge of distributing the Foundation Establishment Pill had changed his mind. He had converted the value of one pill into ten thousand sect contribution points.

Although the founding Patriarch of the Verdant Sun Sect had long ago fixed the rule that ten thousand sect contribution points could be exchanged for one Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm], there was a significant nuance within this regulation.

That nuance was this: while one Foundation Establishment Pill was indeed valued at ten thousand contribution points, possessing ten thousand contribution points did not guarantee one could actually obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.

A few years prior, in order to purchase a single Foundation Establishment Pill from Heavenly Ruins Mountain, the Chen Clan had paid a steep premium, spending over thirty thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] to outbid numerous competitors at auction.

Yet within the Verdant Sun Sect, one could theoretically buy a Foundation Establishment Pill by simply exchanging ten thousand Spirit Stone for the required contribution points.

While this internal price was far more affordable, its very affordability meant more people could meet the cost. However, the Verdant Sun Sect's supply of Foundation Establishment Pill was finite.

Consequently, to weed out the weaker candidates and select only those cultivators with the highest probability of successful Foundation Establishment, the Verdant Sun Sect had added a prerequisite task to the exchange process for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

That prerequisite was this: anyone wishing to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill must first complete a mission to slay a Foundation Establishment Stage [the cultivation realm following Qi Refining] demonic beast.

"Enough, there's no need for further anger," the Third Elder shook his head, unable to suppress a sigh. "The Verdant Sun Sect is likely acting this way because someone has set their sights on our Chen Clan's Foundation Establishment Pill."

"Do they truly have no regard for reason at all?"

Verdant Grace Chen gnashed her teeth, her eyes blazing with fury. "Perhaps we should take this matter to Heavenly Ruins Mountain and seek justice from Patriarch Jiang."

"Although Patriarch Jiang is a man of principle, in the end, he is merely a Violet Sanctum Cultivator [a cultivator who has opened and refined the Violet Palace, the third major realm of cultivation]."

Second Elder wore a look of distress. "After all, we have no blood ties or deep friendship with her. How can we ask her to stand up for us time and again?"

"Moreover, sixty years have passed since the incident. It's unclear how many even remember it."

"The Verdant Sun Sect is powerful. If we truly make a big fuss, who knows if anyone would intervene? And more importantly, how would Verdant Origin Chen [a cultivator of the Chen Clan] live among them afterward?"

Eldrin Chen listened quietly, a sense of stifling injustice welling up in his heart.

He glanced at the gathered elders, finally suppressing his resentment as he spoke: This content originates from https://audio-novel.com. Please respect copyright.

"They hold the power; we lack the strength to resist. Our most urgent task now is to find a way to help Uncle Verdant Origin complete his mission."

He paused, his gaze shifting to Third Elder. "Can Granduncle intervene?"

Lior Chen shook his head. "After obtaining the Meridian Nourishing Pill [a pill that repairs and strengthens the body's energy channels], the Patriarch entered secluded cultivation to heal his wounds. Disturbing him now would likely undo all his progress."

"Then we shall not disturb him," Eldrin Chen declared, making the decision. "The few of us must devise a plan to help Uncle Verdant Origin fulfill his duty."

The group exchanged glances and finally nodded in agreement.

Although Foundation Establishment [the second major stage of cultivation, where one solidifies their Dao foundation] demonic beasts are powerful, their intelligence is not high, and their methods lack the sharpness and dominance of a Human Race [the collective term for humanity] Foundation Establishment cultivator.

If several Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier [the ninth and final tier of the first major cultivation stage, refining one's vital essence] cultivators join forces and set up a formation, it is not impossible to contend with one.

Furthermore, Eldrin Chen possesses the Crimson Iron Saber Embryo [a nascent magical weapon with the potential to inflict serious wounds]. This item has the power to gravely injure a Foundation Establishment demonic beast and might serve as the decisive blow at a critical moment.

Having made their decision, Third Elder stated bluntly, "Since we are resolved to act, we must plan meticulously to maximize our chances of success."

"To raise funds for spirit stones, I had to sell my magical weapon, the Verdant Spirit Sword, and will need to acquire a new one."

As he spoke, his gaze turned to Eldrin Chen. "I know you are the wealthiest in the clan. I'll need to borrow some from you."

Eldrin Chen nodded and retrieved several magical weapons from his Storage Bag [a spatial artifact for storing items]. They were the Mother-Child Flying Daggers, the Crimson Glow Monastic Ruler, and a verdant Spell Sword [a sword designed to channel and amplify spells].

These three sets of magical weapons were all obtained when he explored the Ancient Cultivator's Cave Abode [the secluded dwelling of a cultivator from ages past] and eliminated those cultivators. Each was a top-grade first-rank magical weapon.

Among these weapons, the Spell Sword was slightly less potent, but the Crimson Glow Monastic Ruler and the Mother-Child Flying Daggers were truly Extraordinary.

It was a pity that Eldrin Chen had already reached his limit in controlling his current few magical treasures [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators]. To manipulate any more would have overwhelmed both his spiritual sense [a cultivator's mental perception and awareness] and his True Essence [the refined energy cultivated within a practitioner's body]. Now was the perfect time to distribute these to the others.

Looking at the magical treasures before them, the Third Elder immediately took the Mother-Child Flying Daggers. This set of artifacts possessed Extraordinary power and aligned perfectly with his primary Metal Spiritual Root [an innate affinity for the Metal element, influencing cultivation aptitude].

The Fourth Elder, Verdant Destiny Chen, then took up the Crimson Glow Monastic Ruler, his expression one of utter delight, unable to put it down. The final Spell Sword [a sword enchanted to cast spells] fell into the hands of Verdant Grace Chen.

As for the Second Elder, he did not take one. He possessed a magical treasure named the Red-Copper Demon-Piercing Shuttle, whose power was quite Extraordinary, so he lacked no offensive artifact.

Each having received their artifacts, the Third Elder said with a smile, "If we take the Blazing Sun Heavenly Flame Formation Flags and also borrow the Ninefold Resonance Bell from the Grand Elder, this venture should hold some promise of success."

Eldrin Chen nodded in agreement. The Blazing Sun Heavenly Flame Banner was a set of Formation Artifact [artifacts designed to work together to create a formation or array] that the clan patriarch had crafted, modeled after the City Defense Grand Formation of Pingyang City.

This was a Second Rank Low-Grade [a classification for the power level of artifacts and formations] killing formation, composed of six Blazing Fire Banners. If six cultivators at the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of body and energy refinement] jointly activated it, they could barely contend with an Foundation Establishment Early Stage [the first major stage of core cultivation] cultivator.

In truth, the patriarch had expended vast resources to craft two sets of Blazing Sun Heavenly Flame Formation Flags. However, one set was destroyed during the battle to escort the Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm].

The Ninefold Resonance Bell was a Second Rank Low-Grade defensive artifact. Once activated, it was sufficient to block an Foundation Establishment Cultivator for a brief moment. Read, share, and discuss at @udio-novel.com.