Chapter 125 : A Vow of Vengeance and Ancient Grudges

Exquisite Jiang [the beautiful and powerful female cultivator] nodded and began to recount the tale in a measured tone:

"Ninety years ago, during the Beast Tide [a periodic, massive invasion of demonic beasts], your Chen Immortal Clan [a clan of cultivators] followed Double Sun Wei [a cultivator known by his title] to defend Yu County."

"But that Double Sun Wei coveted a single Purple Sun Jade [a rare and powerful spiritual gem]. First, he dispatched your Chen Immortal Clan to hold the line against the Violet Sanctum Demon Race [a tribe of powerful demons]. Then, under false pretenses, he deliberately delayed sending reinforcements for thirteen days."

"He waited until he saw with his own eyes the elite forces of your Chen Immortal Clan nearly annihilated. Only then did he finally set out, intending to seize the Purple Sun Jade for himself."

"Yet even he did not anticipate the strength of that Violet Sanctum Demon Ape [a formidable ape-like demon]. It managed to escape his grasp, only to meet its end at my hands."

"..."

As Exquisite Jiang finished recounting the events of that bygone era, Eldrin Chen [the protagonist, a cultivator from the Chen Clan] clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles turned white. A surge of murderous intent welled up within him, barely contained.

After a moment, he forced the killing aura down, his expression turning icy cold. "That Double Sun Wei is unworthy of being called a man," he said, his voice like frost. "I will take his head to honor our ancestors. Sooner or later."

"Keep these past grievances close to your heart," she advised.

Exquisite Jiang then handed the Storage Bag [a spatial pouch that can hold many items] to Eldrin Chen, a faint smile touching her lips. "Speaking of which, your gains from this venture are truly substantial." Read, share, and discuss at audio~novel.com.

He took the Storage Bag [a spatial artifact used to store items] and glanced inside, his face instantly transforming into one of ecstatic joy.

In recent days, he had been so busy rushing about that he hadn't had a spare moment to open the Storage Bag. Now that Exquisite Jiang had opened it, he discovered to his astonishment that it contained a Solar Fire Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with concentrated solar and fire essence].

"Such a treasure exists here?"

Eldrin Chen suppressed the excitement in his heart. The value of a single Solar Fire Crystal was simply incalculable.

Even within the Underground Fire Vein [a subterranean channel of concentrated fire energy] beneath Heavenly Ruins Mountain, only one was produced every thirty years. This item was far too precious. It could be used for artifact forging, as a medicinal ingredient, or to assist a cultivator in breaking through to the Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a core of violet spiritual energy]. Demand for it always outstripped supply.

"The Old Patriarch's cultivation has been stuck at the Foundation Establishment 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of the Foundation Establishment realm] for many years. With this, he can likely attempt a breakthrough to the Violet Sanctum Realm."

Forcing down his excitement, Eldrin Chen continued examining the contents of Bright Distance Wei's Storage Bag. True to his status as the son of a Violet Sanctum expert, Bright Distance Wei's bag contained over eight thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

Beyond that, there were several vials of pills for restoring spiritual energy, a cultivation manual scroll, a few Second Rank [a classification for artifacts, pills, and techniques corresponding to the Foundation Establishment realm] mid-to-low grade magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators], and three Second Rank High-Grade spirit talismans.

The cultivation manual was the Verdant Sun Sect's heritage art, the Blazing Third Fire Void-Refining Art [a fire-attribute cultivation technique]. Legend said it could lead one all the way to the Golden Core Early Stage [the initial stage of the fourth major cultivation realm]. Unfortunately, the scroll in Bright Distance Wei's possession only contained the parts for cultivating up to the Foundation Establishment 9th Tier.

Eldrin Chen didn't examine it further. After gathering these items, he remembered his gains from Ink-Splashing Ridge and took out the Mystic Jade Ginseng [a spiritual herb of exceptional quality].

"On this journey, I ventured into the Demon Beast Territories with others and obtained this precious herb. I sought you out to refine it into the Mystic Jade Pill [a potent elixir that refines and strengthens the cultivator's foundation]."

"It seems your fortune has been considerable."

Upon her first glance at the Mystic Jade Ginseng, Exquisite Jiang's eyes lit up with a faint gleam. A smile touched her lips as she added, "The difficulty of refining this pill is not great. I should be able to produce more than five pills from it."

"This elixir will be beneficial for Tea Rose and Like Dream. After it's refined, may I take two of them?"

Eldrin Chen offered a gentle smile. "That is only fair."

Seeing his nod of agreement, Exquisite Jiang gathered a set of supplementary herbs and led Eldrin Chen to the Alchemy Chamber.

Witnessing the refinement of a Third Rank Lower Grade pill was a rare and valuable opportunity, especially when observing a high-level alchemist like Exquisite Jiang perform the process personally.

"The Mysterious Origin Pill [an elixir that aids in comprehending the profound mysteries of one's cultivation path] is a Third Rank Lower Grade elixir," Exquisite Jiang explained as she began to process the herbs. "Apart from the Mysterious Origin Ginseng which is itself Third Rank Lower Grade, it requires two precious Second Rank High-Grade auxiliary Spirit Herb [plants imbued with potent spiritual energy]."

"One of these ingredients was not available here at Heavenly Ruins Mountain. Fortunately, your Mu Clan of Yu County matured a plant some years ago and sent it to me."

As she meticulously refined the Spirit Herb, a trace of amusement lingered in Exquisite Jiang's expression.

Eldrin Chen's eyes flickered slightly as he offered a faint smile. "That Mu Clan is quite shrewd, knowing to place bets on both sides."

"They haven't lost out either," Exquisite Jiang stated calmly. "I frequently need to use their Spirit Herb Garden for my pill concoctions. Over the years, the Mu Clan has also received a share of the Foundation Establishment Pills I've successfully refined."

While they conversed, the supplementary herbs finished their initial refinement. Eldrin Chen, having prepared the Mysterious Origin Ginseng, then placed it into the alchemical cauldron.

Exquisite Jiang channeled the earth-fire energy to refine the Mysterious Origin Ginseng, her expression serene. "Third-Rank Spirit Herbs are already exceptionally difficult to refine," she remarked.

"This ingredient is extraordinarily precious. Separating its medicinal essence from its impurities requires ample patience."

Though she said this, she handled the process with remarkable ease. In merely three days, she had extracted the medicinal liquid essence from the Mysterious Origin Ginseng. For more chapters, visit audio-novel .c om for the complete novel.

She repeatedly refined the liquid from the supplementary herbs together with the spiritual essence of the Mysterious Origin Ginseng, ultimately producing six portions of refined spiritual liquid.

The pill condensation phase proceeded without incident. After nurturing the contents with gentle warmth for another three days, six Mysterious Origin Pills flew forth from the cauldron.

"Success."

Gazing at the six Mysterious Origin Pills, Eldrin Chen's face lit up with delight.

A full six Mysterious Origin Pill [a pill that aids in the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment realm]. Even if Exquisite Jiang took two, four would remain. Splitting them evenly between the Chen Clan and the Wei Clan would still yield two for each.

Having completed the alchemy, the two did not depart. Instead, Eldrin Chen took out the Verdant Origin Mushroom [a rare spiritual fungus], intending to seize this opportunity to elevate his alchemical skill to the Second Rank High-Grade [a high level of proficiency in pill refinement].

Over the years, his mastery of the alchemical arts had grown increasingly profound, and he had long since touched the threshold of the Second Rank High-Grade.

Furthermore, having observed Exquisite Jiang refine pills on numerous occasions, her verbal teachings and personal demonstrations had given him an eighty to ninety percent certainty of advancing his alchemy to the Second Rank High-Grade.

Not to mention, with Exquisite Jiang offering guidance by his side at this very moment, refining the Verdant Origin Pill [a pill that consolidates and purifies one's cultivation foundation] naturally proceeded as smoothly as water flowing into a channel.

It took him a mere seven days to successfully concoct the Verdant Origin Pill. To his delight, he managed to produce two pills in a single batch.

"Your talent for alchemy is not bad either," she remarked.

Observing the two freshly refined Verdant Origin Pill, Exquisite Jiang revealed a faint smile.

Although he had successfully refined the Verdant Origin Pill, Eldrin Chen did not immediately consume it to attempt a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage [the final phase of the Foundation Establishment realm].

Having recently broken through to the Foundation Establishment 6th Tier, he still needed four or five years to accumulate sufficient Vital Energy [the fundamental life force cultivated by practitioners]. Only then would he be qualified to charge the barrier of the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer.

After spending several more days refining two cauldrons of Barrier-Breaking Pill [a pill that aids in breaking through cultivation bottlenecks], each yielding six pills, Eldrin Chen astonishingly obtained a total of twelve Barrier-Breaking Pills.

Having completed all this, Eldrin Chen finally prepared to depart. Before leaving, he pondered for a moment and spoke.

"The Beast Tide [a periodic, massive invasion of demonic beasts] will arrive in eight or nine years."

"The major Immortal Clans [powerful cultivation families] of Yu County have discussed this once. The consensus among the six great Immortal Clans is to bind ourselves together with Heavenly Ruins Mountain and sign a pact to fight side by side."

"Hmm, I originally intended to gather you all to discuss this matter in a few more years."

Exquisite Jiang nodded slightly and continued, "But relying solely on the strength of Yu County and Heavenly Ruins Mountain, surviving this calamity will likely be difficult."

"The Three Counties of Border Province are one entity. If we fight separately, we stand no chance of withstanding the Violet Sanctum Demonic Beasts [powerful demonic beasts of the Violet Sanctum realm]. Anyone with clear eyes can see that the Verdant Sun Sect is no longer reliable."

Eldrin Chen said gravely, then added, "I believe that whether it's the Xu and Yang Violet Sanctum Immortal Clans, or the various Foundation Establishment Immortal Clans [clans whose patriarchs have reached the Foundation Establishment realm] of Feng and Ling Provinces, they will all likely make their stance known."

"Then, after you return, sound out the major Immortal Clans first. In a few years, I will summon you all to Heavenly Ruins Mountain to form the alliance."

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