Chapter 43 Second-Rank Magical Instrument: Green Ape Pearl (Magic Treasure)

Seeing that he remained unmoved, Lin Taihe grew anxious and simply stated bluntly, "To be frank, before coming here, the Elder Fiend Zhang sought me out."

"If you agree to intervene, Old Devil Zhang is confident he can persuade his senior brother to join forces and eradicate the Chen family scourge once and for all."

His senior brother, Elder Hong the Demonic, was an inner disciple of the Demonic Cave Abyss, with his cultivation already reaching Foundation Establishment, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm).

"You dare collude with a demonic cultivator!"

Zuo Mingxu’s face instantly paled with terror at those words. Colluding with demonic cultivators was a grave offense—if this matter were exposed, neither Patriarch Jiang nor the Qingyang Sect would suffer the 2 of them to live.

"Shush." Lin Taihe signaled for silence, his expression frosty as he declared, "If neither of us breathes a word of this, who could ever know?"

"Our joint assault on Chen Changxuan alongside the demonic cultivators was merely a coincidence, an unintended convergence of purposes."

"Besides, I had no choice but to act this way." He spoke with ill intent, "If we don't eliminate Chen Changxuan, you might hide within the clan's protective formation, but will you still be able to manage the clan affairs in the future?"

"Do you still handle the business of 5 Elements Essence from Feng County to Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location)?"

Lin Taihe’s words were like the final straw that broke the camel’s back, completely tipping the scales in Zuo Mingxu’s heart.

He was not alone; behind him stood an entire cultivation clan. If he remained secluded within the clan's spiritual veins, many of their business ventures would grind to a halt.

If the family business shrinks by half, how will the clan sustain itself without income? Will my stipend even be paid?

At this thought, Zuo Mingxu gritted his teeth and declared resolutely, "I agree to this matter."

"However, this old man never expected that demonic cultivators would intervene."

"Ha." Lin Taihe let out a hearty laugh. "Neither of us could have anticipated the demonic cultivators would make a move."

"Once we pull this off, not only will we eliminate our sworn enemy, but we'll also obtain the 5 Elements Essence worth over 10,000 spirit stones. Why wouldn't we seize this opportunity?"

“…”

After Lin Taihe departed, the 2 Zuo family Foundation Establishment cultivators flew back to their clan with grim expressions.

Zuo Zhouqi’s face darkened, and he couldn’t help but grumble, “Had I known it would come to this, why did we ever fight over that Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object)?”

"It is my fault for being too hasty in this matter." Zuo Mingxu revealed a pained expression: "No 1 could have anticipated that Chen Changxuan would be so fortunate, to have a matured Cyan Yuan Mushroom at just the right time, and to successfully refine the elixir and break through to the Foundation Establishment, Late Stage a year before purchasing the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object)."

"Talking about this now is pointless. Tomorrow, we'll take inventory of the clan treasury and withdraw a larger sum of spirit stones."

"In a few days, we shall head to Qingyang Market to acquire some magical artifacts and spirit talismans. We must make absolutely thorough preparations. When the time comes, we'll bring along that ancestral talisman passed down through generations. I refuse to believe we cannot eliminate that old scoundrel Chen Changxuan."

Zuo Mingxu declared with unwavering resolve, determined to stake everything on a single move and eradicate the family’s hidden threat once and for all.

“…”

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, several more months had passed.

The Chen Clan had finally gathered sufficient 5 Elements Essence. In fact, there was so much of it that their storage pouches couldn't possibly contain it all. They had no choice but to spend 200 spirit stones to rent 10 Flamecloud Steeds from the Zhang Clan just to transport the goods.

"It seems the preparations are nearly complete."

At the summit of Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location), Eldrin (Person Name) toyed with a fist-sized sphere while standing beside the elder clan chief, calmly observing their clansmen loading goods at the mountain's base.

Chen Changxuan withdrew his gaze, glanced at Eldrin, and offered a faint smile. "How is the refinement of those 2 magical treasures coming along?"

"It has been nurtured almost to completion." Eldrin gazed at the pale cyan sphere in his hand and gave a slight nod.

This orb was forged from the core elixir of a Verdant-Striped Ape, ranking as a mid-grade Tier-2 magical artifact. When its offensive array was activated, it would expand to a size of 10 feet, weighing as if bearing the burden of 10 1000 jun. With force enough to shatter a 100-foot boulder, its power was devastating.

Since ancient times, alchemy and pill refinement have been inseparable, just as formations and artifact crafting are intertwined. Eldrin's spiritual plant cultivation technique was nearly on par with his alchemy skills. As a peak second-rank formation master, the Old Clan Head's artifact forging abilities, while not quite as exceptional, still reached the mid second-rank level.

Chen Changxuan spent half a month's effort, incorporating vast amounts of Cyan-Patterned Iron and refining substantial 5 Elements essence. Astonishingly, he managed to forge this demon core into a mid-grade, tier-2 magic artifact.

This treasure could not only be used to strike down enemies, but it was also engraved with a set of shield formation patterns capable of projecting a cyan light shield to block incoming attacks. It could truly be described as both offensive and defensive.

Ever since Eldrin obtained this treasure, he had grown so fond of it that he could hardly bear to part with it, naming it the Green Ape Pearl.

In addition, the old clan master had his 1000-year-old crimson iron blade blank reforged, tempering it into a sword embryo.

Considering that Eldrin would later forge the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss with this millennium-old iron, the elder patriarch refrained from incorporating other materials or infusing the essence of the 5 elements to preserve the purity of the millennium-old iron. As a result, this sword embryo remained merely at the second-tier, lower-grade.

However, his skills in artifact forging and arraycraft had long surpassed those of Elder Zhang Mo. After re-engraving the array patterns, the sword embryo's power far exceeded its former state, reaching the pinnacle of lower-second-grade.

Moreover, the speed of a flying sword far surpasses that of a magic treasure, so the effectiveness this sword can unleash is likely no less than that of the Green Ape Pearl (Magic Treasure).

Having obtained 2 powerful magical treasures, Eldrin was naturally overjoyed. Apart from cultivation during this period, he had spent most of his time refining these 2 artifacts.

"Since the nurturing is nearly complete, I can rest easy."

The old clan leader breathed a sigh of relief before producing an ancient-looking small bell. "I went to Pingyang City last night and brought back the Bell of 9 Echoes (Magic Treasure)."

"Refine it further, and with this defensive magical tool protecting you, your safety should be well assured."

Eldrin did not reach for it, shaking his head as he said, "The Green Ape Pearl offers both offense and defense. I trust it shall be sufficient to ensure my safety."

"However, you currently lack a defensive artifact. This treasure would serve you better."

"Silly child." The old clan leader laughed heartily. "You sorely underestimate the might of a Second Order, Upper Grade Formation Master."

"With this set of Li Fire Array Flags in hand, the mighty Li Fire incinerates all that stands before it. Common spells and magical artifacts would exhaust their power long before reaching me—it's every bit as formidable as a second-tier, superior-grade defensive artifact."

"Although your Green Ape Pearl (Magic Treasure) excels in both offense and defense, when it comes to defensive capabilities, this Bell of 9 Echoes (Magic Treasure) holds a 3-point advantage."

Hearing this, Eldrin finally accepted the Bell of 9 Echoes. With this defensive magical treasure in hand, he now possessed 3 second-order artifacts, completely shoring up his previous shortcomings in equipment. At this rate, he might truly be able to contend with a Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage cultivator.

"Patriarch, Eldrin (Person Name), is ready."

Just then, the Third Elder sought him out.

Eldrin glanced over with a faint smile and inquired, "Uncle Lior, have we gathered all the candidates for the Blazing Sun Heavenly Fire Banner?"

"Hmm," Lior said. "This time, the 6 of us—Qing Yuan, Qing Wan, Qing Mu, Uncle Changming, and Nian Yong—will jointly activate the Blazing Sun Heavenly Fire Banner."

The 2 exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison.

Among these 6 individuals, 3 were cultivators who had broken through to the ninth layer of Qi Refinement in the clan over the past 7 years.