Chapter 36 : The Verdant Sun's Distant Call

The Grand Elder was responsible for guarding the strategic location of Pingyang County. To avoid being ambushed and decapitated before he could even activate the City Defense Grand Formation [a powerful protective array that shields an entire city], he had kept this magical artifact on his person for many years without fail.

To increase their chances of success on this journey, the group not only retrieved the Blazing Sun Heavenly Flame Banner [a powerful formation banner imbued with solar fire], but also decided to bring forth the Ninefold Resonance Bell [a potent magical bell whose sound resonates with devastating force].

Early the next morning, the party of five departed from Green Chariot Mountain. They made a detour to Pingyang County to retrieve the Ninefold Resonance Bell, and only then did they set their course for the Verdant Sun Sect.

The mountain gate of the Verdant Sun Sect was located deep within the heartland of the Chu Nation, in Qing Province. It was a staggering distance of two hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] from Yu County.

The group traveled without pause, journeying for nearly half a year before they finally arrived before the mountain gate of the Verdant Sun Sect.

At the Verdant Sun Sect, they met Verdant Origin Chen. Having been away from his clan for over two decades, Verdant Origin Chen was initially somewhat reserved. Seeing their weariness, he quickly invited them inside to sit and rest.

Looking at the five travel-worn figures, the youngest Elder of the Verdant Generation [the generation of cultivators bearing the "Verdant" character in their names] offered a bitter smile. "I am truly ashamed that my troubles have forced several Elders to travel thousands of miles to lend their aid."

"Do not speak like that," Third Elder shook his head. "You came from this clan. The clan will always be your roots, your most steadfast support."

Second Elder, who had watched Verdant Origin Chen grow up, asked with concern, "How have you fared these years within the Verdant Sun Sect?"

Hearing their words of care, Verdant Origin Chen felt a sudden sting in his eyes. He swallowed the surge of emotion, holding it back within. This chapter is provided by audio-novel . com. Support the original.

Witnessing this, the group exchanged glances and promptly ceased their inquiries.

The true state of the Verdant Sun Sect was an open secret among them. Ever since the previous sect master of Verdant Sun passed away a century ago, the sect had undergone a profound change.

The current sect master, Patriarch Xu, had ascended to his position by scheming against his own senior brother. This act naturally fostered a corrupt atmosphere where misconduct at the top trickled down, poisoning the entire sect's ethos.

However, after Patriarch Xu took control, he exhausted the Clan Treasury to purchase a Golden Core Formation Pill [a rare and potent elixir that aids in forming a Golden Core], successfully breaking through to the Golden Core Realm [a major realm of cultivation where one's spiritual power condenses into a solid, radiant core]. In doing so, he managed to preserve the foundational legacy of the Verdant Sun Sect, leaving it ambiguous whether his reign was ultimately a boon or a curse.

In such a Verdant Sun Sect, a cultivator like Verdant Origin Chen who lacked powerful backing likely faced a difficult and precarious path.

With this thought, the Second Elder could only offer words of consolation. "Endure it a while longer. Once you achieve your Foundation Establishment [the realm where a cultivator solidifies their spiritual foundation], everything will become much easier."

The group conversed for a time, sharing news of the major events that had transpired within the clan over the years. Before they knew it, an entire Shichen-time [a unit of time equal to two hours] had slipped by.

Seizing an opportune moment, Eldrin Chen inquired, "For this mission to slay a demonic beast, which one have you decided to target?"

Verdant Origin Chen shook his head, a bitter smile touching his lips. "In previous years, we were allowed to choose our target. But this year, Elder Wei, who is in charge of distributing the Foundation Establishment Pill [a vital pill that aids in solidifying one's spiritual foundation], changed the rules. He now directly assigns us specific tasks."

"He claims it's because only three batches of Foundation Establishment Pill were refined this year, yielding fewer pills than usual, so the difficulty has been increased accordingly."

After speaking, he offered a bitter smile and handed over a bamboo scroll. As everyone took it and examined its contents, their expressions turned grim.

The demon beast Verdant Origin Chen was tasked with slaying was a Second Rank creature known as the Verdant-striped Ape. While not the most formidable among Second Rank demon beasts, the Verdant-striped Ape was far from easy prey.

This was because they were pack hunters. Typically, a pack capable of producing a Second Rank Verdant-striped Ape would consist of at least one hundred Green Ape at the Vital Essence Refinement Stage.

For Verdant Origin Chen to slay a single Foundation Establishment Stage Verdant-striped Ape, he would likely face the onslaught of a horde of one hundred Green Chariot. This presented a formidable and troublesome challenge.

"It seems someone within the Verdant Sun Sect has set their sights on Verdant Origin's Foundation Establishment Pill," the Fourth Elder said, his face paling. He couldn't help but suggest, "Perhaps we should wait another ten years. The next allocation might have more pills, and the task might not be so perilous."

"The struggle for a Foundation Establishment Pill is never easy," countered Second Elder Verdant River Chen. "Besides, how many decades does a cultivator truly have? To hesitate now is to risk a lifetime of regret."

After a moment's thought, Verdant Origin Chen spoke up cautiously. "The Verdant-striped Ape truly is too dangerous. Perhaps waiting ten years is the wiser course. The challenge might be lesser then."

Eldrin Chen swept his gaze over the group. "There is no need for indecision," he stated firmly. "While the Verdant-striped Ape is formidable, we are not without recourse. If all else fails, I still possess the Solar Trueflame Talisman."

His words brought a collective sigh of relief. With the Solar Trueflame Talisman as their ultimate safeguard, they dared to consider facing even a Second Rank Mid-Grade demon beast, let alone a mere Second Rank Low-Grade Verdant-striped Ape.

Their resolve solidified, the group set out without further delay, their path leading them toward the demon beast they must slay.

The Verdant Sun Sect was located deep within the heartland of Chu Nation. Here, Second Rank demon beasts were already relatively scarce. Finding a specific Foundation Establishment-level demon beast within Qing Province was no simple task.

However, since this was an assigned mission, the Verdant Sun Sect had naturally already scouted the location. The six of them journeyed forth, and after two months of travel, they finally located the lair of the Verdant-striped Ape.

The Verdant-striped Ape were concealed deep within a remote mountain range, occupying a Spiritual Vein [a subterranean channel of concentrated spiritual energy]. It was clear they had thrived and multiplied there for many years.

Upon reaching the foothills of the mountains, the group first scouted the situation, then gathered to discuss their strategy.

The Third Elder spoke first. "I have taken count. There are one hundred and thirteen of these Verdant-striped Ape in total."

"Aside from the Foundation Establishment Stage alpha, there are nine others at the Vital Essence Refinement Late Stage. The remainder pose little threat." Published by audio . novel . com. All rights reserved.

Eldrin Chen closed his eyes, recalling the terrain. He picked up a branch and sketched a map of the surrounding area on the ground.

"The Verdant-striped Ape are numerous and their strength is not insignificant. A direct confrontation would be unwise."

"However, their intelligence is limited. We can attempt to pick them off one by one."

As he spoke, he used the branch to circle a valley on his makeshift map, a faint smile touching his lips.

"This terrain is treacherous. If we can lure them here and block the escape route, then deploy the Blazing Sun Heavenly Flame Grand Formation [a powerful formation that channels the essence of the blazing sun into a sea of heavenly flames], we can trap them like turtles in a jar."

"A sound plan," the group agreed unanimously. Third Elder declared, "Then let the preparations begin."

To increase their odds of victory, the group began to reshape the landscape.

They arrived at the valley, summoned their flying swords and magical tools to alter the terrain, and then laid down the Formation Flag [a flag used as a key node to anchor and channel the power of a formation]. They labored until utterly exhausted before finally ceasing.

After completing these preparations, they did not act immediately. Instead, they rested for a night to recover their spiritual energy [the vital energy cultivated and used by practitioners of the mystical arts], and only began their operation the following day.

The group entered the territory of the Verdant-striped Ape [a powerful, green-striped simian demon beast] and began covertly slaying any isolated individuals.

However, the Verdant-striped Ape were, after all, pack creatures. The group had only managed to kill three or four before they were discovered by the Demon Ape [a general term for powerful, intelligent ape-like demon beasts] and pursued.

The cultivators hastily retreated. After fleeing for over ten Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], Eldrin Chen noticed that only a dozen or so Demon Ape were giving chase. He immediately turned back.

"Let's finish them off first," he said.

As the words left his lips, he summoned his Verdant Leaf Sword [a flying sword imbued with the essence of verdant life] into the air and cleaved one of the Verdant-striped Ape clean in two.

Several Vital Essence Refinement Peak Stage cultivators [practitioners who have reached the peak of refining their body's vital energy] struck together. In barely more than a dozen breaths [a conventional short duration, roughly fifteen to thirty minutes], they had hacked the dozen or so Verdant-striped Ape [a type of powerful, ape-like demonic beast] into scattered pieces, utterly annihilating them.

"Not bad at all."

With the first battle a decisive victory, Eldrin Chen allowed a smile to touch his lips. "Continue."

The group employed the same tactic once more, returning to the Verdant-striped Ape territory to lure out and slay another group of the beasts. For more chapters, visit audio-novel`com for the complete novel.