Chapter 135 : Forging the Solar Separated Flame

The few elders within the Chen Clan who were aware of this matter were utterly astounded. After all, they had all cultivated by meticulously following established methods.

To truly comprehend a cultivation art, one had to carefully consult its annotations. For ambiguous passages, they would seek guidance from Old Patriarch or Eldrin Chen to resolve their doubts, proceeding with the utmost caution in their practice. How could anyone reach such a level?

Even across the vast expanse of the Chu Kingdom, no one had ever been heard of who, dissatisfied with a technique's flaws, not only completely reshaped it beyond recognition but also boosted its potency by a full twenty percent.

It was utterly outrageous and bordered on the inconceivable.

Whether it was transcendent comprehension or exceptional talent, Eldrin Chen did not squander his gift.

Over these years, he had even begun to fuse and deduce the principles of his primary cultivation art, the 'Blazing Sun Void-Treading Art', with those of the 'Separated Flame Dao Ruins Art', and had already made significant headway.

A completely new Foundation Establishment-realm cultivation art had been created by him and deduced up to the third layer of the Foundation Establishment realm.

This art fused the domineering nature of the Blazing Sun Void-Treading Art and absorbed the incinerating-all-existence characteristic of the Separated Flame Soul-Burning Art.

Eldrin Chen named this new scripture the 'Solar Separated Flame Scripture'. Its power far surpassed that of the two original superior Foundation Establishment-realm arts, and the True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a practitioner] it produced was exceptionally overbearing.

Furthermore, a pure yang divine ability [a powerful supernatural technique] inherent to this type of True Essence had already been deduced by him to a nascent, embryonic form. For more chapters, visit *audio-novel.com* for the complete novel.

Although he had only deduced it to the third layer of the Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation where one solidifies their foundation] realm, still far from evolving it into a divine ability and even further from the Purple Mansion Cultivation Art [a high-level cultivation method for the Purple Mansion realm] that Eldrin Chen desired, the path forward was clear.

Yet he knew that as his cultivation deepened and he fully mastered the 'Azure Lotus Flood Water Scripture', he would inevitably be able to deduce it to the level of the Purple Mansion [the third major realm, where one opens a mystical mansion within the dantian] realm in time.

After distributing the magical treasures, Eldrin Chen then gave the three Second Rank High Grade Talisman [enchanted paper slips that store a single-use spell or effect] obtained from Wei Mingyuan to Chen Elara and the Third Elder respectively.

With the council concluded, he immediately took to his flying sword and returned to Spirit Isle Lake to begin rearranging its defensive formations.

After more than ten days of meticulous work, he finally integrated the Earth Marsh Treasure Pearl [a treasure pearl imbued with the stabilizing power of earth and marsh] into Spirit Isle Lake's defenses, significantly bolstering its protective capabilities.

Henceforth, with a Second Rank High Grade Spirit Vein [a geological formation that naturally gathers and emits spiritual energy] supporting it and this Second Rank High Grade formation guarding it, a single Foundation Establishment Cultivator stationed here could likely repel three to five Foundation Establishment, Late Stage adversaries, turning any assault into a futile endeavor.

Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

A message arrived from Celestial Ruins Mountain: the Celestial Python Demon King had finally mustered his horde and was advancing with a tide of three hundred thousand Demonic Beast [monstrous creatures that absorb spiritual energy, often hostile to cultivators], marching directly towards Celestial Ruins Mountain.

"They have finally come,"

Eldrin Chen murmured with a soft sigh as he emerged from his secluded cultivation chamber.

Every Beast Tide Calamity [a periodic, devastating invasion by monstrous beasts] is destined to be a cataclysm. The pressure facing Yu County is immense, and it remains unknown what percentage of cultivators will ultimately fall in battle.

Before departing, he summoned Silas Chen and issued a grave instruction.

"For our clan, the most crucial assets are this Spirit Isle Lake [a lake imbued with spiritual energy] and Pingyang City."

"You are tasked with defending Spirit Isle Lake. No matter what transpires, you are forbidden from leaving Lake Heart Island."

Silas Chen hesitated for a moment before asking, unable to hold back, "Not even if Yuyang Market [a major trading hub for cultivators] calls for aid?"

"No." Eldrin Chen shook his head, his expression grave. "If Yuyang Market truly cannot hold, your going would merely be a death sentence."

"Conversely, by remaining at Spirit Isle Lake, you might yet slay several Second Rank Demonic Beast [powerful monsters equivalent to Foundation Establishment cultivators] by leveraging the formation's power."

"Moreover," Eldrin Chen's eyes narrowed, his expression turning cold, "you must guard against a feint—a ploy to lure the tiger from its mountain."

"Understood."

Silas Chen nodded. She understood that the Chen Clan still harbored a mortal enemy within Yu County.

Although the Lin Clan was unlikely to dare directly attack the Chen Clan during the Beast Tide Calamity [a periodic surge of demonic beasts], they might very well dare to scheme against the Chen Clan by using others as their pawns.

After departing from Spirit Isle Lake, Eldrin Chen flew on his sword to Pingyang City. After rendezvousing with the Old Patriarch, they proceeded to the Yuyang Market.

Before leaving, he left the Solar Divine Flame Formation behind, entrusting it to Kael Chen and Caleb Chen as a hidden trump card for the clan.

This Solar Divine Flame Formation had been forged originally to slay the Thunder Demonic Roc. With just two Foundation Establishment Cultivator [cultivators who have solidified their spiritual foundation] and eighteen Qi Refinement Ninth Layer [cultivators at the peak of refining their vital energy] to power it, its offensive power rivaled that of two or three Foundation Establishment, Late Stage experts joining forces, making it a formidable asset.

Upon their arrival at Yuyang Market, they found it had already gathered over twenty Foundation Establishment Cultivator. The two Ancestors, Zhengyuan Yang and Xu Darius, were already stationed there to oversee its defense.

Eldrin Chen also encountered several familiar faces. Among them were Liu Junran, the Matriarch of Feng County's Liu Clan, and Yvonne Yu, the Grand Elder of Ling County's Yu Clan. For uninterrupted reading, go to audio-novel . com.

He had met Liu Junran not long ago, so that was nothing new. As for Yvonne Yu, she was a longtime friend of Meng Aethelstan. When Eldrin first met her thirty years ago, she was already at the Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage, and now her cultivation had broken through to the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer.

The moment she saw Eldrin Chen, Yvonne Yu's eyes lit up. "It has been many years," she said. "Your cultivation, Fellow Daoist Chen, grows ever more profound and unfathomable."

"You flatter me,"

Eldrin Chen replied with a slight smile, then clasped his hands in greeting. "My sincere thanks to all of you for coming to aid our Yu County in its time of need."

Liu Junran [the Grand Elder of the Liu Clan] spoke with a smile gracing her features, "Since Yu County lies closest to Celestial Ruins Mountain [the primary human fortress against the demonic tide], it bears the greatest pressure among the Three Counties. For the sake of our own safety, it is only natural we offer our support."

In truth, Feng County also borders the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness [the vast and perilous demon-infested wilds]. However, being farther away and shielded by the sprawling, twenty-thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] Heaven's Fate Mountain Range, the pressure there is considerably less than that faced by Yu County.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group settled within Yuyang Market to await news from Celestial Ruins Mountain.

Currently, humanity was on the defensive. Determining how to deploy forces to counter the Demonic Tribe [the collective forces of demonic beasts and their rulers] would require waiting to see the enemy's move before formulating a response.

And this wait stretched on for a full three months.

The forces from Celestial Python Lake [a major demonic beast stronghold] besieged Celestial Ruins Mountain and launched relentless assaults for three months. The battles were of a ferocity rarely seen.

Protected by their formidable Mountain Guardian Grand Formation [a powerful defensive array], the cultivators of Celestial Ruins Mountain fought a defensive war for over three months. Their casualties were not severe, but the three hundred thousand Demonic Beast [beasts that have absorbed spiritual energy and gained monstrous power] under Celestial Python Lake's command suffered losses exceeding fifty or sixty thousand.

However, according to a message transmitted via the World's-End Sound-Transmission Mirror [a magical artifact for long-distance communication] by Lyra Jiang, the spiritual liquid within the Spirit Pool [a concentrated reservoir of spiritual energy that powers formations and cultivation] at Celestial Ruins Mountain was nearly depleted.

To continue fighting would require replenishing the pool's energy with Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. Otherwise, the fourth-rank defensive formation of Celestial Ruins Mountain would be unable to activate.

To fully recharge the Spirit Pool for a Third Rank High Grade Spirit Vein [a geological formation that naturally gathers and emits spiritual energy] required eighty to ninety thousand Spirit Stone—a staggeringly high cost.

Fortunately, with the support of the various great clans of Bianzhou, Celestial Ruins Mountain had prepared ample Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. In the end, they managed to replenish the spiritual liquid within the Spirit Pool [a pool concentrated with spiritual energy] of Celestial Ruins Mountain, allowing the defensive formation to hold firm once more.

The Celestial Python Demon King led its forces in another assault for half a month. Seeing that it still could not breach the formation protecting Celestial Ruins Mountain, it finally decided to attack the mountain personally.

Yet, this battle brought it no advantage. Lyra Jiang personally clashed with the beast. Before a victor could be decided, Elara Lin seized the perfect moment to activate the formation's power, wounding the demon king.

With no other choice, the Celestial Python Demon King abandoned its direct assault. Instead, it laid siege to Celestial Ruins Mountain. This was not because it wished to bypass the mountain, but because Celestial Ruins Mountain occupied a position of critical strategic importance.

If it abandoned Celestial Ruins Mountain, its own lair at Celestial Python Lake would be left exposed. Given Lyra Jiang's cultivation level, a fourth-rank Spirit Vein [a natural conduit of concentrated spiritual energy] without a protective formation would be like a ripe fruit waiting to be plucked.

If Lyra Jiang were to then erect a fourth-rank formation at Celestial Python Lake, the demon king might find itself locked out of its own home. Remaining within the Chu Kingdom until the Beast Tide Calamity [a periodic, massive invasion of demonic beasts] ended would only turn it into a turtle trapped in a jar.

However, after besieging Celestial Ruins Mountain, the Celestial Python Demon King was not without a plan.

It summoned the Purple Mansion Demonic Beast [demonic beasts equivalent in power to the Purple Mansion cultivation realm] under its command. Then, it dispatched its right-hand commander, the Purple-Spotted Wolf King, eastward with a horde of one hundred thousand Demonic Beast [monstrous creatures that absorb spiritual energy, often hostile to humans], ordering it to strike deep into the heartlands of the Chu Kingdom.

Once the Three Counties of Bianzhou were transformed into Demonic Beast Territory, Celestial Ruins Mountain would become an isolated spiritual mountain, cut off from all aid. Sooner or later, it would fall into the demon king's grasp.

Upon discovering that the Demonic Tribe [a collective term for sentient demonic races and their societies] had divided its forces, Lyra Jiang immediately relayed this intelligence to the defenders of the Three Counties of Bianzhou.

The moment the message flashed across the World's-End Sound-Transmission Mirror [a mystical artifact capable of sending messages across vast distances], its keeper, Eldrin Chen, knew time was of the essence. Without delay, he urgently notified the two Purple Mansion Ancestors [powerful cultivators who have established their spiritual foundation within the Purple Mansion realm] overseeing Yuyang Market [a bustling trading hub for cultivators], as well as every Foundation Establishment cultivator [a practitioner who has solidified their foundational cultivation base] present within its bounds. Support the author by reading on www . audio-novel.com.