Chapter 517 : Selecting Treasures, Fire Vein Share

It was precisely for this reason that Maris the Sea Steader (Person Name) was willing to incur a personal favor to secure an advance reservation with Eldrin (Person Name) for future allocations of A Millennium of Dao Comprehension (Time & Distance) tea.

At this thought, Eldrin felt a slight sense of relief. He had actually been worried that the Heavenly Abode Sect Leader would take away this Fire Source Divine Jade.

Seeing Eldrin take the Fire Source Divine Jade, Lyra gave a slight nod before turning her gaze toward the remaining treasures.

Among the remaining treasures, the 4 superior-grade spirit treasures were the most precious, with the Crimson Flame Shield and the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) Lotus holding the highest value among them.

These 2 treasures were both superior defensive spirit treasures, their value could be said to be on par with each other.

After a moment's contemplation, Lyra (Person Name) recalled the Snow Lotus of the Celestial Mountains she had retrieved from the underground ice veins of the Frost Pavilion. Without hesitation, she exchanged it for the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) treasure lotus.

Eldrin knew her all too well. With a faint smile, he transmitted his voice: "Refining a fifth-grade, superior Snow Lotus of the Celestial Mountains together with this Crimson Flame Qi treasure lotus into a spiritual treasure might just yield something truly extraordinary."

"I share the same sentiment."

Lyra said with a gentle smile, "Let us draw inspiration from the Divine Light of Water and Fire and the Divine Thunder of Water and Fire, while also referencing the Dual-Polar Divine Aura we obtained from Senior Qing. Perhaps we can forge an unparalleled spiritual treasure."

"It's worth pondering a bit."

Eldrin nodded upon hearing this. The Dual-Polarity Divine Aura was a supreme sixth-rank Pure Yang divine art, renowned throughout the world as peerless in defensive power. Despite cultivating it for many years, he had only just begun to grasp its fundamentals and had yet to master it completely.

Yan Ziji was the third to make her choice. After a moment of contemplation, she still selected the Scarlet Gold War Spear. As a fire spirit root cultivator, this treasure would be of immense use to her.

Seeing this, Lingxu Fairy took the last black-red crown, obtaining her first superior-grade spirit treasure in both her past and present life.

When it was Lila's turn and there were no superior spiritual treasures left, she simply took 2 drops of Pure Yang True Blood without hesitation.

The old clan leader has great use for this item. It can help him mend part of his foundation and increase his chances of breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage by 10 percent.

Although this item cannot compare to the Heavenly Dao Pill (Spiritual Object) which increases the probability by 20 percent, its advantage lies in providing permanent enhancement, and it can also stack effects with the Heavenly Dao Pill (Spiritual Object).

Watching 2 drops of Pure Yang True Blood being exchanged, Celestial Xuan immediately traded for 2 drops as well, clearly acquiring these treasures for the Heavenly Abode Sect Master.

Only 3 drops of the Pure Yang True Blood remained, a treasure far rarer than even a mid-grade spirit artifact.

Thus, there was naturally nothing more to be said. Though Chen Changxuan and Elara (Person Name) had contributed fewer merits, they each exchanged for 1 as well, intending to preserve it as a foundation for their clans.

The 3 remaining cultivators of the Heavenly Abode Sect had all formed Mortal-grade Nascent Souls. By the time it was their turn, the high-tier treasures were already depleted, but there were still plenty of fifth-tier spiritual objects. Each of them managed to acquire some valuable artifacts.

Given the unexpected circumstances and the fact that Mo the Ancient 1 and others had contributed significantly to the battle against the Blaze Demon Monarch, the group deliberated and decided to allocate 1 spiritual entity each to Mo the Ancient 1 and Qiu Daoyi.

Both of them were holding a fifth-tier treasure for the first time, and they couldn't contain their excitement, caressing it with unbridled delight before carefully tucking the enlightenment into their robes.

After the treasures were divided, only 3 Eldrin Nascent Souls remained in the arena.

In this battle, they had slain 6 Flame Demon True Monarchs. As for the Flame Demon Emperor and Flame Demon Kings, their power was far too overwhelming. The group had no choice but to unleash their full force, utterly obliterating their Nascent Souls into nothingness.

Of the remaining 4 Nascent Souls, 1 was inadvertently destroyed by the crowd, leaving only 3 Flame Demon Nascent Souls remaining.

The Sect Master of Tianlu cast a glance at Eldrin, then couldn’t resist speaking up, “I’ve heard of your mastery in alchemy, fellow Daoist. Might I trouble you to refine a Nascent Soul Formation Pill?”

"Of course, that is possible."

Eldrin nodded thoughtfully and said, "Although this Flame Demon is not an otherworldly fiend, it was born from exposure to diluted demonic energy. The demonic energy within its Nascent Soul is likely extremely difficult to eradicate."

"The demonic energy, being suppressed by the flames, had long been mostly refined by the earth fire. These flame demons were only tainted by a small amount."

Lingxu Xianzi (Person Name) suddenly spoke up, pausing in contemplation before adding, "If we use the Heart-Cleansing Elixir (Magical Liquid) for purification, each Eldritch Flame Demon (Demon) would require 3 to 4 drops to be completely cleansed."

"Excellent." Eldrin smiled faintly. "Since you mentioned it, Ethereal Mist Fairy happens to be skilled in concocting Serenity Mind Elixir. I shall entrust this matter to your care."

With that said, the group had already divided all their gains cleanly.

At this moment, Eldrin finally spoke, "Let us deliberate on the distribution of shares in this subterranean fire vein."

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions turned serious. Compared to the gains from this venture, shares in the Flaming Prison Fire Sea were the true key to securing long-term benefits for the major factions.

At this thought, the long-bearded True Monarch hastily spoke up, "This place was discovered first by our Tianlu Sect, and with 5 True Monarchs in our ranks, we should claim 50 percent of the proceeds."

"Fellow Daoist, you are far too greedy."

Eldrin frowned slightly before speaking, "Our Chen Clan contributed the most in this great battle. For you to take 50 percent is simply excessive."

Seeing Eldrin frown, the long-bearded Taoist felt an inexplicable panic and promptly fell silent.

The 2 of them, Eldrin and Lyra, possessed formidable combat prowess. Eldrin alone had demonstrated power close to 80 percent of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator's strength in this battle. With Lyra fighting alongside him, even an average late-stage Nascent Soul expert would likely struggle to match them.

The strength of either 1 of them far surpassed that of Daoist Tianlu, and if the 2 joined forces, even the combined might of the 5 True Monarchs of their Tianlu Sect would likely be no match for them.

Not to mention Lila, the Old Patriarch, and Elara—all were individuals of formidable combat prowess, their strength far surpassing that of the True Monarchs of their Tianlu Sect.

Seeing that the Long-Bearded Taoist remained silent, Eldrin spoke again at a leisurely pace. "The emergence of the Flame Demon Monarch as a formidable foe in this battle is, in itself, a failure of your intelligence."

"But I haven't made any fuss, and I've honored our agreement by letting you choose the treasures first. If you still covet more shares of the underground fire vein, I'm afraid your greed would be like a snake trying to swallow an elephant."

Seeing Eldrin frown, the Lord of the Heavenly Abode Sect felt conscious that he had taken advantage by offering the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss. He quickly added with an apologetic smile, "The incident with the Flame Demon Monarch was indeed our fault."

"In this matter, I offer you my sincerest apologies. Let us follow Fellow Daoist Guixu’s suggestion—how do you propose we allocate this round’s share?"

Seeing how smooth-tongued he was, Eldrin finally nodded and declared, "Regarding the shares of this underground fire vein, the Chen Clan shall take 50%, the Heavenly Abode Sect 30%, while Fellow Daoist Purple Ji and Fairy Lingxu shall each receive 10%."

How about it?

Hearing this, the Heavenly Abode Sect Master felt a faint stirring in his heart before nodding in agreement. "This distribution is indeed reasonable. Our Heavenly Abode Sect has no objections."

Yan Zi Ji and Lingxu Fairy had no objections upon hearing this. After all, each of them had come alone this time, and being allotted a 10 percent share was purely out of respect for their formidable combat prowess.

Seeing that no 1 had any objections, Eldrin smiled and said, "Then it's settled."

"Let us pool our resources according to our shares and cultivate a Fifth-Order Spirit Vein here."

"In the days to come, Fellow Daoist Mo and Fellow Daoist Qiu shall be stationed here. Each of our families will then take turns dispatching a True Lord to stand guard."

Chapter 1 The biting mountain wind whipped across the jagged peaks, carrying with it the scent of pine and damp earth. A solitary figure sat cross-legged upon a smooth, weathered boulder, his simple grey robes fluttering around him. This was Lin Feng, a humble outer sect disciple of the Verdant Cloud Sect. For 3 years, he had been stuck at the third level of the Qi Condensation stage. His spiritual root was of the lowest grade, a fact the other disciples never let him forget. "Waste of resources," they would whisper, just loud enough for him to hear. But today felt different. As he guided the faint streams of spiritual energy through his meridians, he felt a strange resonance from the ancient jade pendant hanging against his chest, a keepsake from his long-vanished parents. Suddenly, a sharp, mocking voice cut through his meditation. "Well, if it isn't Brother Lin, still trying to squeeze water from a stone?" Lin Feng's eyes snapped open. Before him stood Zhang Shan, a bulky disciple known for his bullying nature and his fourth-level Qi Condensation cultivation. 2 lackeys flanked him, sneering. "Zhang Shan," Lin Feng said calmly, rising to his feet. "What do you want?" "What do I want?" Zhang Shan laughed, a harsh, unpleasant sound. "I want the 3 Spirit Gathering Pills you received this month. A waste on someone like you. Hand them over, and I might not report you for 'unauthorized loitering' in the senior disciples' meditation grounds." Lin Feng's hand instinctively went to the small porcelain vial in his robe. Those 3 pills were his only hope for a slight increase in cultivation speed this month. "These were allocated to me by the sect. I will not give them to you." Zhang Shan's face darkened. "You dare refuse me?" Without another word, he stepped forward, his right hand glowing with a faint green light as he executed the basic Vine Binding Technique. Spiritual energy coalesced into ethereal green vines that shot towards Lin Feng, aiming to entangle and immobilize him. In that critical moment, time seemed to slow for Lin Feng. The cryptic, swirling characters he had spent countless nights trying to decipher on his jade pendant flashed vividly in his mind's eye. Their meaning, once obscure, suddenly became crystal clear. It was a movement technique—the Phantom Cloud Step. His body moved almost on instinct. With a subtle shift of his weight and a precise circulation of his meager spiritual power, he blurred, leaving a faint afterimage where he stood. The green vines snapped shut on empty air. Zhang Shan and his lackeys stared, dumbfounded. How could a third-level trash evade a fourth-level technique? Lin Feng now stood 3 meters away, his heart pounding not with fear, but with a surge of exhilarating comprehension. The jade pendant was warm against his skin. He looked at the stunned Zhang Shan, a newfound confidence settling within him. His journey was just beginning.