Chapter 109 : Sword of Thunder and Flame

The emergence of the Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword [a formidable flying sword imbued with thunder and flame] took the members of the Chen Clan completely by surprise, causing their faces to pale with shock and a sense of deadly peril to grip their hearts.

"Clang—"

Now, this Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword was of the Third Rank Low Grade [a classification for powerful magical treasures], its might overwhelmingly fierce. As it transformed into a sword radiance spanning eighteen Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] and descended, Eldrin Chen felt a truly lethal sense of danger.

This was only because the Thunder Demonic Roc [a powerful avian demonic beast] was hampered by insufficient mana and had to suppress its injuries, unable to channel its full power. It could only unleash roughly fifty to sixty percent of the sword's true potential. Otherwise, this Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword could have manifested a formidable sword aura over twenty Zhang-length long.

Fortunately, the Old Patriarch reacted swiftly. The instant he saw the Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword, he unleashed his signature trump card, the Blazing Heaven Sword Divine Ability [a powerful family heirloom sword technique].

By now, the Old Patriarch's cultivation had reached the Foundation Establishment, Peak Stage [the pinnacle of the Foundation Establishment realm]. The depth of his True Essence [refined spiritual energy] was even approaching that of the Previous Patriarch. Channeling such profound True Essence into the Blazing Heaven Sword increased its power by a full fifty percent compared to when he was at the Foundation Establishment [a core cultivation stage] seventh layer.

A sword radiance, blazing like the sun itself, descended, intercepting the Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword with astonishing speed. Although this strike was deflected almost instantly by the Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword, it managed to drain forty percent of its destructive force.

Seizing this opening, Eldrin Chen simultaneously unleashed his own Blazing Heaven Sword, further depleting the demonic roc's sword strike by another thirty-five percent of its remaining power.

After weathering these two consecutive blows, the Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword had lost the majority of its might and ultimately failed to breach the defenses of the Bell of Nine Echoes [a defensive magical treasure that resonates with protective chimes].

Having temporarily blocked this lethal assault, Eldrin Chen wasted no time in contemplation. He immediately swallowed a pre-prepared Essence Burst Pill [a potent pill that temporarily surges one's spiritual energy, often with side effects]. For uninterrupted reading, go to audio-novel.com (official site).

This pill truly lived up to its reputation as a life-risking spiritual elixir. The moment it was swallowed, it transformed into a vast sea of True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a practitioner] that surged into Eldrin Chen's meridians, forcibly augmenting his True Essence by nearly fifty percent.

After consuming the pill, Eldrin Chen's True Essence far surpassed that of a typical Foundation Establishment, Late Stage [the advanced phase of the Foundation Establishment realm] cultivator. It even exceeded Old Patriarch's by more than two measures, possessing a depth comparable to fifty percent of the mana of a Purple Mansion First Layer [the first level of the Purple Mansion realm] cultivator.

Empowered by this surge in True Essence, he once again channeled the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss [a powerful magical sword imbued with the essence of returning flames]. This caused the might of his Lifebound Immortal Sword [a cultivator's personally bound and nurtured immortal-grade sword] to skyrocket another fifty percent. Combined with Old Patriarch's Crimson Flame Spirit Blade, they were now barely able to contend with the Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword.

Seeing its Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword fail to break the enemy, the Thunder Demonic Roc grew anxious. Yet, with nearly half its mana dedicated to suppressing its injuries, the power it could unleash was severely limited. Ordinary spells would likely be insufficient to turn the tide.

Left with no choice, it temporarily abandoned its efforts to suppress the internal injuries. With a guttural cry, it spat forth its Demonic Core [the condensed spiritual nucleus of a high-level demonic beast] to bombard the group maintaining the Solar Divine Flame Formation. Its intent was clear: shatter this troublesome formation first.

The Demonic Core's power was boundless, an unstoppable force. If this strike landed true, only the two Foundation Establishment cultivators might cling to half a life; all others would perish on the spot.

"Beware! It's the Demonic Core!"

Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed. In a flash, he raised his hand and unleashed a bolt of Metallic Essence Divine Thunder [a divine thunder technique harnessing the essence of metal] towards the incoming threat.

Simultaneously, Old Patriarch's own Metallic Essence Divine Thunder and the Separated Flame Heart-Locking Spike [a magical spike weapon] launched from the Solar Divine Flame Formation collided with the demonic roc's inner core. The impact was cataclysmic, a collision that seemed capable of shattering heaven and earth.

A deafening roar erupted. Stone shattered, the earth itself collapsed, and the ground for hundreds of Zhang-lengths [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] around them was sundered by the aftershocks, torn open by massive, jagged fissures.

Chen Seraphina channeled the formation tool Green Ape Pearl, causing it to erupt with a radiant curtain of light that blocked the residual shockwave of the strike. Her face still paled uncontrollably, while the others at her side coughed up blood from the corners of their mouths, clearly suffering significant internal injuries.

"This is bad!"

In that very instant, Eldrin Chen's expression shifted to one of stark horror. The Purple Palace Demon Roc's desperate, all-out strike, launched despite its grievous wounds, channeled the power of its Demonic Core [the condensed essence and power source of a high-level demonic beast] with a ferocity not inferior to its peak condition.

The sheer, terrifying force contained within it was overwhelming. Even after being struck by two blasts of Metallic Essence Divine Thunder and the Separated Flame Soul-Burning Formation's attack, it still retained sixty percent of its original power and continued its devastating trajectory toward Chen Seraphina and the others.

At this critical juncture, Eldrin Chen reacted with lightning speed. He summoned forth the Violet Radiance Mirror, and a beam of amethyst light lanced down, striking the Demonic Core squarely.

Although the Violet Radiance Mirror was not a weapon of great destructive power, it was a specialized auxiliary treasure designed to counter Demonic Cores and magical tools. Fueled by Eldrin Chen's current True Essence [the refined spiritual energy of a Foundation Establishment or higher cultivator], its light actually damaged thirty percent of the spiritual sense [the cultivator's conscious will and perception, often extended to control treasures] within the Demonic Core, causing a momentary stagnation in its internal mana flow and forcing it to hesitate.

"Leave this to me!"

Seizing this golden opportunity, Chen Thalion let out a long cry. With a sweeping motion of his hand, he finally unleashed the Separated Flame Soul-Burning Formation Flags.

After the Old Patriarch's cultivation had advanced significantly, the power this set of Formation Flags could unleash had grown accordingly. Now, they transformed into a cataclysmic torrent of Separated Flame [a potent, purified flame essence often used in high-level formations and alchemy] that cascaded downward, instantly engulfing the Third Rank [equivalent to the Purple Mansion Realm] Demonic Core.

Seeing its Demonic Core ensnared by the formation, the Purple Palace Demon Roc finally panicked. It had not long broken through to the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one opens a spiritual palace within the dantian]. If it lost its Demonic Core, it would likely be unable to suppress the Western Pole Metallic Essence Flame raging within its body and would slowly be refined to death.

In its panic, it could no longer afford to care about its severely depleted mana. It forcibly detonated its Demonic Core [the condensed energy core of a powerful demonic beast] to blast open the Separated Flame Soul-Burning Formation [a powerful formation that uses separated flame energy to scorch the soul], then swallowed the core back into its belly.

"Pfft—"

With its signature Separated Flame Soul-Burning Formation shattered, the Old Patriarch immediately suffered a backlash, nearly tumbling from the sky.

After barely suppressing his injuries, he realized that the successive activations of his divine abilities and formations had drained his internal True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a practitioner] by seven or eight parts out of ten. His combat power was now greatly diminished, and his effectiveness in the battle had waned significantly.

However, the Purple Palace Demon Roc [a powerful avian demonic beast associated with the Purple Palace realm] was not faring well either. Though it had broken the Separated Flame Soul-Burning Formation, the price was the near-total depletion of its Demonic Core's power, rendering it unusable again for some time.

Already grievously wounded and with its mana severely depleted, it now found itself pushed to the brink by the combined forces of the Chen Clan. For more chapters, visit *audio-novel.com* for the complete novel.

Now, it could barely contain its internal injuries, and over ninety percent of its mana was spent. It could no longer unleash the true power of the Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword [a sword imbued with the power of thunder and blazing fire], and it was even losing ground against Eldrin Chen's Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss [a magical sword named for its connection to the abyss and a specific type of fire].

Though the Chen Clan forces were also battered, Eldrin Chen, having consumed an Essence Burst Pill [a pill that temporarily surges one's spiritual essence], was at the peak of his strength. He was now subtly gaining the upper hand, beginning to suppress the demonic beast.

Seeing the tide turning against it, the Purple Palace Demon Roc finally thought of retreat. To save its own life, it even abandoned the Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword, commanding the sword to slash at the Old Patriarch as a distraction before turning to flee into the distance.

"Hmph—"

Eldrin Chen let out a cold snort. He had long been prepared and summoned forth the Purple Sun Furnace. The furnace erupted with a torrent of Purple Sun True Flame [a potent, sun-like flame of immense purity and heat], meeting the Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword in a cataclysmic clash.

However, the power of that Third Rank Immortal Sword was indeed extraordinary. Even with only a fraction of its might unleashed, the sword's aura managed to pierce through, leaving a gaping rent in the Purple Sun Furnace.

Fortunately, though the Purple Sun Furnace was breached and grievously wounded, it had also exhausted the remaining power of the Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword.

Simultaneously, Eldrin Chen spurred the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss [a flying sword imbued with the power of Separated Flame] in pursuit.

Having consumed the Essence Burst Pill [a pill that temporarily explodes one's cultivation base for a surge of power], the speed of his Lifebound Immortal Sword [a cultivator's personally forged and soul-bound primary weapon] increased dramatically. Meanwhile, the demonic roc, severely injured and with its mana nearly depleted, could no longer match its former swiftness.

This shift in fortunes slowly closed the distance between them. It seemed only a matter of time before Eldrin Chen would catch his prey.

As the situation grew increasingly dire, the Purple Palace Demon Roc [a third-rank demonic beast of the roc lineage] could endure no longer. With its mana reserves critically low, it spat forth a mouthful of its Lifebound Essence Blood [a cultivator's or demon beast's vital spiritual essence, costly to expend] and activated an Innate Divine Ability [a powerful natural talent or technique inherent to a species or bloodline].

This Innate Divine Ability was called the 'Thunderclap Lightning Flash Escape' [a lightning-attribute escape technique that transforms the user into a bolt of lightning], a thunder-attribute escape technique that allowed the user to transform into a streak of lightning, crossing the sky with speed more than tripled.

It was precisely this technique's blinding speed that had allowed the Purple Palace Demon Roc to escape the pursuit of the Third Rank High Grade Golden Lion Mastiff and flee deep into the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness.

Now, as the Purple Palace Demon Roc once more invoked this divine ability, Eldrin Chen could only watch helplessly as it vanished into the distance, his pursuit utterly outmatched.

"It's over."

Original publication: audio-novel-dot-com - The source of this chapter.