Chapter 52 : A Decisive Strike in the Sky

Having lost its Demonic Core [the condensed energy core of a demonic beast], its own mana was diminished by more than half. Coupled with the exhaustion from the bitter battle, it now struggled to even activate the Roc-Slaying Blade [a third-rank magical weapon]. Naturally, it was utterly outmatched by Elara Lin.

By the time Eldrin Chen consumed a Qi Restoration Pill [a pill that restores a cultivator's spiritual energy] and recovered half of his True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a practitioner], then once more summoned the Violet Radiance Mirror [a magical mirror that emits restraining violet light], it became the creature's death knell.

It must be said that Eldrin Chen possessed a keen talent for combat, always seizing the fleeting moment of opportunity at the critical juncture.

The Purple Mansion Demonic Roc [a powerful roc demon at the Purple Mansion cultivation stage] had just expended great mana to break free from the Weak Water Long Silk [an enchanted silk ribbon with restraining properties] and flee. He unleashed the Violet Radiance Mirror to ensnare it, causing a crucial delay—a delay that spelled the difference between life and death.

Elara Lin once again channeled the Frost Jade Spirit-Concentrating Mantra [an incantation that conjures freezing energy to immobilize a target], encasing it in ice. This time, its depleted mana proved insufficient, and it could not break free.

"Hymn—"

The song of the sword rang out. A flicker of terror crossed the Purple Mansion Demonic Roc's eyes, but it was too late to act. Its head was severed cleanly.

After slaying two Purple Mansion Demonic Beast [demonic beasts possessing power equivalent to the Purple Mansion cultivation realm] in succession, Elara Lin spared no time to rest. She hastily swallowed a third-rank pill to restore her mana and immediately urged her magical treasure towards the high-altitude battlefield.

At that very moment, Lyra Jiang seized the opening to break the stalemate. The Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword [a legendary sword capable of slaying immortals] transformed into a sword radiance spanning hundreds of Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters]. With a resonant *clang*, it bisected a Purple Mansion, Mid Stage [the middle phase of the Purple Mansion cultivation realm] demon wolf in the void.

Seeing the tide of battle had turned and fearing for their own survival if they continued, the Purple-Spotted Wolf King [the alpha of the demon wolf tribe, marked with purple spots] let out a mournful, furious howl before turning to flee towards the distant horizon. The two Purple Mansion Realm Thunder Roc [powerful roc demons that command thunder] also seized the chance to escape into the distance. Support the author by reading on http://www . audio-novel.com.

"Hmph—" [a sound of disdain or determination]

Seeing the great demon flee, Lyra Jiang's eyes instantly sharpened. Merging her body with her sword, she transformed into a dazzling streak of sword radiance and gave chase.

Elara Lin was about to pursue as well, but the Old Patriarch could hold on no longer. A swarm of Thunder Roc broke through the Separated Flame Soul-Burning Formation and surged out from within.

In this battle, Chen Thalion had performed a monumental feat. He alone had held off over thirty Thunder Roc, not only for more than two Ke-time [one Ke-time equals fifteen minutes] but had even slain four or five of them, playing a pivotal role in securing this great victory.

By this point, the emergence of these Foundation Establishment Demonic Beast could no longer alter the tide of battle. Elara Lin personally took action, slaying the Second Rank Demonic Beast and swiftly driving them into a complete rout.

The demonic beasts were routed, the demonic tribe scattered and fled, and the cultivators pressed their advantage, pursuing and cutting them down all the way.

Eldrin Chen did not join the pursuit. He hurriedly made his way to the center of the collapsing Separated Flame Soul-Burning Formation to find the Old Patriarch.

He found Chen Thalion covered in blood, his face pale and weak. Clearly, his True Essence [the refined energy cultivated by a Foundation Establishment or higher cultivator] was nearly exhausted. The sight deeply alarmed Eldrin.

"Old Granduncle, are you alright?"

Eldrin Chen swiftly supported the Old Granduncle, hurriedly feeding him several healing elixirs and a One Restoration Pill [a pill that restores a cultivator's spiritual energy].

"I am not dead yet," Old Patriarch finally caught his breath, a weak smile touching his lips. "This Ancient Bronze Pagoda and the Separated Flame Soul-Burning Formation truly are formidable."

"Those wretched beasts sought to surround and overwhelm this old man, yet they could not breach my defensive magical treasures. Had my True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a practitioner] not run dry, I could have slain several more of them."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen finally allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief.

Although Old Patriarch was gravely wounded and his mana [the spiritual power used to cast spells and techniques] was nearly exhausted, he had sustained no truly fatal injuries.

However, from overexerting his power, the meridians [the energy channels within a cultivator's body] of the Old Patriarch had suffered minor damage once more. It would likely take several more years of careful recuperation for him to return to his peak condition.

The demonic beasts fled in a complete rout. The cultivators pursued them relentlessly for half a day, until the wilderness was littered with demonic corpses, and only then did the battle finally conclude.

A little over one shichen-time [one Shichen-time equals two hours] later, a streak of sword-light tore through the sky. Lyra Jiang descended to the ground and tossed down the carcass of a Thunder Demonic Roc.

Elara Lin hurried forward to meet her. "Master, what happened?" she asked urgently.

Lyra Jiang shook her head. "It escaped."

Elara Lin offered a slight smile, her gaze falling upon the remains of the Thunder Roc. "Although we failed to eliminate the Purple-Spotted Wolf King—that persistent thorn in our side—slaying four Purple Mansion Demonic Beast in one battle can still be counted as a decisive victory."

As her words fell, a tinge of regret colored her tone. "Yet, this battle saw the fall of seven Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation] cultivators, and the casualties among Qi Refinement Cultivators [the first major realm of cultivation] exceeded eight hundred."

"Fortunately, we obtained four Purple Mansion Demonic Core [the inner core of a Purple Mansion realm demonic beast] from this engagement. They are sufficient to fire the alchemy furnace for four batches of Foundation Establishment Pill [a pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm]."

Demonic beasts of the Purple Mansion Realm [the third major realm of cultivation] possess profound cultivation, having transformed their True Essence [refined life force energy] into mana. The inner cores of such great demons contain a wisp of creative power, which can be used to substitute for the main ingredient in refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.

With Lyra Jiang's own Alchemy [the art of pill refining] skill, these four batches should yield at least fifteen pills. This is enough to compensate for the fallen Foundation Establishment Cultivator with some to spare.

"Hmm." Lyra Jiang gave a slight nod, but a chill flickered in her eyes. "We were ambushed this time, nearly meeting with disaster."

"It is likely someone within our ranks leaked the information." For uninterrupted reading, go to audio-novel-dot-com.

Hearing this, Elara Lin's gaze also turned sharp. "Upon our return, I will make the arrangements. Every Foundation Establishment Cultivator on Celestial Ruins Mountain will be made to pass over the Heart-Inquiry Platform [a platform that compels truth and reveals deceit]."

The Heart-Inquiry Platform is a Third Rank High Grade [denoting the quality/power level of an item] special magical treasure crafted by Lyra Jiang. It can discern the truth of a cultivator's words. Any individual with treacherous intentions, provided their cultivation has not reached the Purple Mansion Realm, will inevitably reveal their flaws after being questioned upon it.

Lyra Jiang nodded, reining in her sliver of killing intent. Her gaze swept over Eldrin Chen and Chen Thalion, and she remarked with calm finality.

"Those two performed admirably."

Without further discussion, the group began organizing the cleanup of the battlefield.

In this battle, Celestial Ruins Mountain had slain over ten thousand demonic beasts. The number of beasts at the Foundation Establishment Realm alone exceeded seventy. The spoils of war—pelts, bones, flesh, and blood—were beyond counting, making the task of gathering these resources a laborious and time-consuming affair.

While the others were occupied with the cleanup, Lyra Jiang and her companion flew to the summit of Demon Wolf Mountain and located the Spirit Pool [a concentrated pool of liquefied spiritual energy, the highest-grade manifestation of a spirit vein] within this spirit vein.

A first-rank spirit vein gives birth to a Spirit Eye [a focal point where spiritual energy gathers], a Second Rank Spirit Vein can nurture a Spirit Spring, but only within a Third Rank Spirit Vein can the precious Spirit Pool be born, providing for the cultivation of Purple Mansion Cultivator.

Demon Wolf Mountain had been occupied by the Demon Wolf Tribe for many years. The reason it could nurture three Purple Mansion Demonic Wolf was precisely because this Third Rank High Grade spirit vein supplied them with the energy for their cultivation.

Lyra Jiang gazed at the Spirit Pool before her. She saw that the pool was a full three Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] in diameter, its crystal-clear, liquefied spiritual essence radiating pure spiritual energy.

"Although the spiritual energy of this Spirit Pool cannot compare to that of Celestial Ruins Mountain, among all the Third Rank Spirit Vein within the Chu Kingdom, it could likely rank within the top ten," she remarked.

As she spoke, a glimmer of delight appeared in her eyes.

A spirit vein of this caliber, if located in the heartlands of the Chu Kingdom, could perfectly serve as the ancestral land for a top-tier Purple Mansion Immortal Clan, something even a Purple Mansion Ancestor would covet.

Elara Lin, feeling the dense spiritual energy emanating from the Spirit Pool, could not help but suggest, "This spirit vein is immensely valuable. Should we set up a defensive formation and have me garrison here?"

"We cannot hold it." Lyra Jiang shook her head, her tone definitive. "The Celestial Python Demon King lies but three hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] away. If we split our forces between two locations, we only increase the peril of being defeated one by one."

Hearing this, Elara Lin sighed with resignation. "After all the effort to capture this place, we must still yield it back to the demonic tribes."

"Silly girl." Lyra Jiang offered a gentle smile. "So long as our people endure, a place we have conquered once, we can conquer again." For more chapters, visit audi0-n0vel.c0m for the complete novel.