Chapter 43 : A Pact with Demonic Shadows

Seeing him remain unmoved, Peaceful Harmony Lin grew desperate. He cut straight to the point, saying bluntly, "To be frank with you, before coming here, Zhang Old Demon sought me out."

"If you agree to act, Zhang Old Demon is confident he can persuade his senior brother to join the effort, completely eradicating the Chen Clan as a scourge."

"His senior brother, Hong Old Demon, is an inner disciple of the Demon Cave [a notorious demonic sect], and his cultivation has already reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage."

"You dare to collude with Demonic Cultivator [practitioners of forbidden arts who draw power from malevolent sources]!"

Upon hearing this, Bright Void Zuo paled with shock. Colluding with Demonic Cultivator was a grave offense. Should this matter come to light, neither Patriarch Jiang nor the Verdant Sun Sect would tolerate either of them.

"Hush." Peaceful Harmony Lin signaled for him to be silent, his expression icy. "If you and I do not speak of it, who else could possibly know?"

"Our joint assault on Eternal Profound Chen alongside the Demonic Cultivator would merely be a fortuitous convergence of interests, an unplanned alignment of purpose."

"Besides, my hand is forced in this matter." He spoke with ill intent, "If Eternal Profound Chen is not removed, you may hide within your clan's protective formations, but will you then abandon all responsibility for your family's future?"

"Will you continue the Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] trade from Feng County to Heavenly Ruins Mountain or not?"

The words of Peaceful Harmony Lin were the final straw that broke the camel's back, decisively tipping the scales within Bright Void Zuo's heart. Official source: audi0-n0vel.c0m. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

He was not alone; behind him stood an entire cultivation clan. If he remained secluded within the clan's Spiritual Vein [a natural formation that concentrates and radiates spiritual energy], many of the clan's business ventures would grind to a halt.

If the clan's income were to be halved, how could it possibly sustain itself? How would they continue to pay his stipend?

At this thought, Bright Void Zuo gritted his teeth and declared with finality, "I agree to this."

"However, I had no way of knowing the Demonic Cultivator [a practitioner who uses unorthodox, often malevolent methods to advance their cultivation] would intervene."

"Hah!" Peaceful Harmony Lin let out a hearty laugh. "Neither of us could have foreseen the Demonic Cultivator's involvement."

"Pulling off this job will not only settle our grudge but also net us 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 Peaceful Harmony Lin departed, the two Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one solidifies their spiritual foundation] experts of the Zuo Clan flew back to their clan, their expressions grave.

Daylight Wonder Zuo's face was dark with regret. "If we had known it would come to this," he muttered bitterly, "why did we ever seize that Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm] in the first place?"

"The blame lies with my recklessness," Bright Void Zuo admitted, his face etched with worry. "Who could have predicted that Eternal Profound Chen would have such fortune? A Verdant Origin Mushroom [a rare spiritual fungus] matured for him at just the right time, allowing him to refine the pill and achieve a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage [the advanced phase of the Foundation Establishment realm] the very year before we planned to purchase the Foundation Establishment Pill."

"Discussing this now is futile. Tomorrow, we shall inventory the Clan Treasury and withdraw a substantial amount of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]."

"In a few days, we shall go to the Green Sun Market to purchase some magical artifacts and spirit talismans. We must prepare for every contingency. When the time comes, we will also bring the ancestral talisman. I refuse to believe we cannot slay that old cur, Eternal Profound Chen."

Bright Void Zuo declared with iron resolve, determined to settle the matter in one decisive stroke and eradicate the threat to his clan once and for all.

"..."

Time flowed swiftly, 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]. The quantity was so immense that ordinary Storage Bag [a spatial artifact for storing items] could not contain it all. They were forced to spend two hundred Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] to rent ten Fiery Cloud Horse [a spiritual steed known for its speed and endurance] from the Zhang Clan to transport the cargo.

"It seems the preparations are nearly complete."

Atop the peak of Green Chariot Mountain, Eldrin Chen idly turned a fist-sized orb in his hand. Standing beside the Old Patriarch, he gazed down calmly at the clansmen loading the goods below.

Eternal Profound Chen shifted his gaze and looked at Eldrin Chen with a faint smile. "How goes the refinement of those two magical artifacts?"

"Their tempering is nearly complete," Eldrin Chen replied, nodding as he looked at the pale azure orb in his hand.

This spherical orb was refined from the Inner Pill [the condensed life essence core of a demon beast] of a Verdant-striped Ape. It is a Second Rank Mid-Grade magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators]. Once its offensive formation arrays are activated, it expands to a size of one Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters], becoming as heavy as ten thousand Jun-weights [one Jun-weight is a unit of immense weight]. Its power is sufficient to shatter a boulder ten Zhang-lengths in size.

Since ancient times, the arts of alchemy and artifact forging have been intertwined. Eldrin Chen's skill in spiritual plant cultivation is nearly on par with his alchemy. As a Second Rank High-Grade formation master, the Old Patriarch's artifact forging, while not his strongest suit, still reaches the level of Second Rank Mid-Grade.

Over the course of half a month, Eternal Profound Chen infused a large quantity of Verdant-patterned Iron and a significant amount of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] into the Inner Pill. Remarkably, he succeeded in forging it into a Second Rank Mid-Grade magical treasure.

This treasure is not only capable of smashing enemies but is also inscribed with a set of shield formation patterns. It can project a verdant energy shield to block incoming attacks, making it a versatile tool for both offense and defense.

Since obtaining this treasure, Eldrin Chen has been utterly captivated by it, scarcely willing to let it leave his hand. He named it the Green Ape Pearl.

In addition, the Old Patriarch also re-forged Eldrin Chen's Millennial Crimson Iron blade blank, transforming it into a sword embryo. Immerse yourself in the complete world at audio~novel.com.

Considering that Eldrin Chen intended to use this Millennial Crimson Iron to forge the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword in the future, the Old Patriarch refrained from adding any other materials or Five Elements Essence to preserve the purity of the ore. Consequently, this sword embryo remained only at the Second Rank Low-Grade level.

However, his forging and formation skills had long since surpassed those of Zhang Old Demon. After re-engraving the formation patterns, the power of this sword embryo far exceeded its previous state, reaching the pinnacle of the Second Rank Low-Grade tier.

Furthermore, flying swords are inherently much faster than other types of magical treasures. Therefore, the combat 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, I can rest easy."

Old Patriarch let out a sigh of relief, then produced an ancient-looking small bell. "Last night, I went to Pingyang City and brought back the Ninefold Resonance Bell."

"Refine it further. 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 offers both offense and defense; it should be enough to protect me."

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

"Silly child," Old Patriarch chuckled. "You underestimate the power of a Second Rank High-Grade formation master."

"With this set of Solar Fire Soul-Burning Formation Flags in hand, the vast Solar Fire incinerates all. Common spells and magical treasures would exhaust their power before they could even get close to me—it's no less effective than a Second Rank High-Grade defensive treasure."

"While your Green Ape Pearl balances offense and defense, in terms of pure defensive power, this Ninefold Resonance Bell is superior by a fair margin."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen finally accepted the Ninefold Resonance Bell. With this defensive treasure in hand, he now possessed three Second Rank Magical Artifact [enchanted artifacts of the second rank], completely shoring up his previous weakness in equipment. At this point, he might truly be able to contend with a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Mid Stage.

"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, have the personnel for the Blazing Sun Heavenly Flame Banner [a powerful formation banner that channels solar fire] been finalized?"

"Yes," Lior Chen replied. "This time, it will be myself, Verdant Destiny, Verdant Grace, Verdant Wood, Uncle Eternal Brightness, and Remembrance Origin—six of us in total—who will activate the Blazing Sun Heavenly Flame Banner."

The two exchanged a look and nodded in silent agreement.

Among these six individuals, three were cultivators who had only broken through to the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of refining one's foundational life energy] within the clan's most recent seven-year span. Official source: audio–novel.com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.