Chapter 126 : Flight from Celestial Ruins

Simultaneously, ten thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] beyond Celestial Ruins Mountain, Wei Chongyang of the Green Sun Sect, his hair disheveled and his appearance utterly wretched, fled desperately into the distance.

Behind him, Elara Lin, gripping her Frost Soul Chilling Radiance Sword, let out a cold, mocking laugh.

"Wei Chongyang, who in the realm does not know that your son, Wei Mingyuan, murdered for treasure, stealing the Li Fire Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with the essence of the Li Fire element] from the Zhang Clan of Cloud Sun County?"

"I executed him to rid the Chu Kingdom cultivation world of a scourge. How dare you have the audacity to pursue me all the way to Celestial Ruins Mountain?"

Wei Chongyang's face paled and flushed with shame. Without uttering a single word in retort, he fled the mountain range of Celestial Ruins Mountain and vanished over the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Elsewhere, Eldrin Chen, having bid farewell to Lyra Jiang, rode his flying sword from Celestial Ruins Mountain back to Yu County.

Upon his return to Yu County, he went directly to Pingyang City. There, he presented both the Li Fire Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with the essence of the Li Fire element] and the Mysterious Origin Pill [a potent pill that aids in stabilizing and enhancing one's foundational cultivation] to the Old Patriarch.

Chen Thalion received the two treasures, his hands trembling with barely contained excitement. He immediately grasped Eldrin Chen's hands, eagerly inquiring about the details of his journey.

After hearing the full and truthful account, the Old Patriarch wiped a cold sweat from his brow and could not help but exclaim.

"Thank the heavens for the Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Boat [a powerful magical vessel capable of unleashing a sword formation to vanquish demons]. Otherwise, that venture would have been far too perilous." This chapter appears courtesy of audio-novel.com (official site).

"I never imagined the cultivators of the Green Sun Sect would be so brazen," Eldrin Chen said, his expression grim and tinged with lingering fear. "To be targeted by them merely for venturing out on a single journey..."

His gaze fell upon the Li Fire Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with the essence of fire and the Li trigram], and he sighed. "To obtain this single crystal, the Zhang Clan, a Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan from Cloud Sun County, sacrificed five of their Foundation Establishment cultivators. The price paid was far too heavy."

"Those who aspire to ascend and become a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan must bear the karmic consequences of that ambition. In the end, it was simply that the Zhang Clan's fortune was lacking and their strength insufficient," Old Patriarch stated, his tone carrying the weight of experience.

The Old Patriarch shook his head, then continued, "However, by committing this act and allowing members of the Zhang Clan to escape, Wei Mingyuan has likely caused the Green Sun Sect to lose the hearts and minds of the people across the entire Yang Province."

"If they can stabilize the situation during the coming Beast Tide Calamity, all might be well. But if the Scorched Sun Mountain defenses fail... a calamity of staggering proportions could unfold. Who knows how many mortals would become mere sustenance for the demonic hordes."

After hearing Chen Thalion's words, a heavy silence settled within Eldrin Chen's heart.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and anger colored his voice as he spoke. "How can Wei Mingyuan act with such disregard for the greater good? Does no one within the Green Sun Sect hold him accountable?"

"You must understand," Chen Thalion said with a sigh, his voice calm yet weary, "while a sect may present a united front, an individual's desires and choices remain their own."

"For Wei Mingyuan, breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm is all that matters. Once he achieves that, the world becomes his oyster. What does it matter to him if billions of souls within the Chu Kingdom suffer tribulation?"

"And in the eyes of Xu the Ancient Ancestor of the Green Sun Sect, the value of a single Purple Mansion cultivator from his own lineage far outweighs that of ten Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan from other families. I fear this matter will be swept under the rug without any proper reckoning."

"It seems this impending Beast Tide Calamity [a periodic surge of demonic beasts that threatens human settlements] may bring unforeseen turmoil to Yang Province."

After hearing this, Eldrin Chen's gaze grew heavy. With the Green Sun Sect having lost the people's trust, the only way to regain it would be to deal with Wei Mingyuan's father, Wei Chongyang, with swift and severe justice.

Given Xu the Ancient Ancestor's character, he was unlikely to take such a drastic step. Thus, relying solely on martial might to compel the major immortal clans of Yang Province would likely fail to secure their genuine cooperation.

Suppressing these thoughts, Eldrin Chen looked at the Li Fire Crystal [a rare crystal containing concentrated fire-attribute spiritual energy, used for breakthroughs] and said, "Regardless, we have obtained this Li Fire Crystal. You can finally attempt your breakthrough into the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one opens a spiritual palace within the dantian]."

"With this Mysterious Origin Pill [a high-grade pill that stabilizes and nourishes one's foundational essence] and the Li Fire Crystal, I indeed have a thirty percent chance of success."

Old Patriarch nodded with fervent hope. With the Beast Tide Calamity imminent, his successful breakthrough into the Purple Mansion Realm would provide a crucial boost to their combat strength and be of immense benefit to the clan.

Chen Thalion was now one hundred and forty-one years old and had only reached the Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer [the peak of the second major cultivation realm] less than ten years prior. His refinement of his meridians and True Essence [the purified spiritual energy condensed by a cultivator] was still somewhat lacking.

Ideally, he should have tempered himself for another ten-plus years to reach an optimal state. With that preparation, using the Li Fire Crystal would have given him close to a forty percent chance of shattering the barrier to the Purple Mansion.

However, the Beast Tide Calamity was upon them, and holding onto the Li Fire Crystal was far too perilous. To avoid repeating the tragic fate that befell the former Clan Patriarch of both the Zhang Clan and the Chen Clan, the Old Patriarch resolved to attempt his breakthrough into the Purple Mansion immediately.

The spiritual energy from Pingyang City's Second Rank Low Grade Spirit Vein [a vein of earth that emits spiritual energy, categorized by rank and quality] was insufficient. To allow the Old Patriarch to focus entirely on his Purple Mansion breakthrough, Eldrin Chen specifically assigned Lior Chen, Chen Elara, and Chen Seraphina to take his place guarding Pingyang City.

Meanwhile, Eldrin Chen followed Old Patriarch to Spirit Lake Isle. In the past two years, the grade of the Spirit Peach tree had ascended by another rank, elevating the Spirit Vein of Spirit Lake Isle to Second Rank High Grade. The ambient spiritual energy had grown significantly more abundant than in previous years.

After Old Patriarch entered seclusion within the Spirit Spring, Eldrin Chen personally took up the vigil at Spirit Lake Isle, standing guard to ensure his ancestor's undisturbed cultivation.

Having consumed the Mysterious Origin Pill, Chen Thalion experienced a surge of True Essence by thirty percent and began his assault on the threshold of the Purple Mansion realm. It was not until three months later that he emerged from the seclusion chamber, his expression tinged with disappointment.

His spirits visibly low, Old Patriarch spoke with a note of frustration, "Alas, in the end, my cultivation base was not sufficiently refined. I failed to breach the gateway to the Purple Mansion realm."

"Great-Uncle, there is no need for despair," Eldrin Chen consoled him gently, a knowing smile gracing his lips. He had anticipated this outcome. "Aside from the true prodigies favored by heaven, it is exceedingly rare for anyone in this world to break through to the Purple Mansion realm in a single attempt."

"That is true enough," the elder conceded. The story continues at audio-novel-dot-com.

Chen Thalion gathered his composure, his mood lifting as he continued, "Although this attempt did not yield a breakthrough, I succeeded in unblocking fifty percent of my Purple Mansion Dao Meridian [the primary spiritual meridian that must be opened to access the Purple Mansion realm]."

"Now that my True Essence has increased by another fifty percent, the next time I challenge the Purple Mansion realm, even without external aids, I should possess a thirty to forty percent chance of success."

Hearing this, a genuine smile of relief spread across Eldrin Chen's face.

Having previously consumed both the Spirit-Concentrating Pill and the Mysterious Jade Pill, and now having cleared half of his Purple Mansion Dao Meridian, the True Essence within Old Patriarch's body likely surpassed that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer cultivator by no less than eighty percent.

Based solely on the profound depth of this True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a Foundation Establishment cultivator], the Old Patriarch's power now rivaled that of a cultivator at the Purple Mansion First Layer [the first stage of the Purple Mansion realm], his strength having surged by more than twofold.

Considering this, Eldrin Chen praised, "With your current cultivation, Old Granduncle, you could rightfully be considered at the Half-Step Purple Mansion Realm [a transitional state where a cultivator's power approaches the Purple Mansion realm but the final breakthrough has not yet been achieved]."

"You still have sixty years of lifespan and two more opportunities to attempt the Purple Mansion [a major cultivation realm where one forms a spiritual mansion within the dantian] breakthrough. In time, even without relying on external aids, your chances of successfully entering the Purple Mansion realm would likely reach sixty percent."

As they spoke these words, the mood between them lightened considerably.

After the Old Patriarch had consolidated his cultivation for a time, Eldrin Chen took out seven Demonic Cores [the condensed spiritual essence and life force of a demonic beast] from the Golden Python Monkeys and handed them over.

"This time we slew seven Foundation Establishment Demonic Beasts. These seven Demonic Cores share the same origin. I believe they can be refined into a set of formation tools, which is why I specifically exchanged for them."

"These items..."

The Old Patriarch received the seven Demonic Cores, examining them carefully for a long moment before exclaiming with delight, "I observe that each of these seven Demonic Cores contains incomplete divine ability formation runes within."

"If they are jointly refined into a set of formation tools, it might be possible to fuse those divine abilities into manifestation."

"I intend to integrate them into the Separated Flame Soul-Burning Formation Flags to enhance the power of the Separated Flame Soul-Burning Formation."

Old Patriarch observed the seven Inner Core [the condensed spiritual essence of a powerful demonic beast] with profound delight. After a long while, he turned to Eldrin Chen, his eyes alight with possibility. "These cores," he said, "can be fused with the Separated Flame Soul-Burning Formation Flags [a set of enchanted banners that channel soul-scorching separated flames]. Together, they could forge an entirely new set of Formation Flags [magical banners used to anchor and power a formation array]." Enjoyed this chapter? Read more at audio-novel.com (official site).