Chapter 126 : Flight of the Disgraced Sun

Simultaneously, over ten thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] away from Heavenly Ruins Mountain, Double Sun Wei of the Verdant Sun Sect, his hair disheveled and his Violet Sanctum [the third major cultivation realm, representing a profound spiritual foundation] cultivation base in tatters, fled in utter disgrace towards the distant horizon.

Behind him, Elara Lin, gripping the Frost Soul Coldlight Sword, let out a cold, derisive laugh.

"Double Sun Wei, who in the entire realm does not know that your son, Bright Distance Wei, murdered to seize treasure, stealing the Solar Fire Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with potent solar fire energy] from the Zhang Clan of Cloud Sun County?"

"I executed him to rid the Chu Nation Cultivation World [the collective realm of cultivators within the nation of Chu] of a scourge. How dare you have the audacity to pursue me all the way to the Heavenly Ruins Mountain?"

That Double Sun Wei, his face alternating between ashen pallor and livid fury, fled the Heavenly Ruins Mountain Range without uttering a single word in retort, vanishing over the celestial horizon in the blink of an eye.

"..."

Meanwhile, Eldrin Chen, having bid farewell to Exquisite Jiang, soared on his sword from the Heavenly Ruins Mountain back to Yu County.

Upon his return to Yu County, he proceeded directly to Pingyang City, presenting both the Solar Fire Crystal and the Mysterious Origin Pill [a precious elixir that aids in the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment realm] to the Old Patriarch.

Eternal Profound Chen 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. Dive deeper into the Dao at audio—novel.com.

"Fortunately, we had the Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Ship [a powerful enchanted vessel designed for combating demonic forces]; otherwise, this journey would have been far too perilous."

"I never imagined the cultivators from the Verdant Sun Sect [a major cultivation sect] would be so brazen," said Eldrin Chen, his expression dark and tinged with lingering fear. "To be targeted by them merely for venturing out on a single trip..."

His gaze shifted to the Solar Fire Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with concentrated solar and fire essence], and he sighed. "To obtain this single Solar Fire Crystal, the Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan [a clan whose patriarch has reached the Foundation Establishment realm] Zhang Clan lost five of their Foundation Establishment [the third major stage of cultivation] elders. The price paid was far too heavy."

"To strive for the status of a Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan [a clan whose patriarch has reached the Violet Sanctum realm], one must bear the accompanying Karma [the metaphysical consequences of one's actions, influencing fate and tribulations]. In the end, it was simply that the Zhang Clan lacked both fortune and sufficient strength."

Old Patriarch shook his head and continued, "However, by committing this act and allowing members of the Zhang Clan to escape, Bright Distance Wei has likely caused the Verdant Sun Sect to lose the hearts of the people across the entire Solar Province."

"If they can stabilize the situation during the coming Beast Tide [a periodic, massive onslaught of demonic beasts], it might be manageable. But if Scorching Sun Mountain [a major sect stronghold] cannot hold... a calamity of unimaginable scale may erupt. Who knows how many mortals will become fodder for the demonic hordes."

After hearing Eternal Profound Chen's words, a heavy feeling settled in Eldrin Chen's heart.

His eyes turned cold with anger. "How can Bright Distance Wei act with such disregard for the greater good? Does no one in the Verdant Sun Sect hold him accountable?"

"You must understand, while a sect may be a unified entity, an individual remains an individual."

Eternal Profound Chen sighed, speaking with a calm yet weary tone. "For someone like Bright Distance Wei, breaking through to the Violet Sanctum [the fourth major stage of cultivation] is all that matters. Once he achieves that, the entire world lies open to him. What does it matter if hundreds of millions of lives in the Chu Nation are plunged into disaster?"

"And in the eyes of Patriarch Xu, the importance of one of his own clan's Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation, where one opens a mystical palace within the dantian] cultivators far outweighs ten Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan [a clan whose patriarch has reached the Foundation Establishment realm] cultivators from other families. I'm afraid this matter will not be properly addressed."

"It seems this Beast Tide [a periodic, massive invasion of demonic beasts] will likely bring unforeseen changes to Solar Province."

After hearing him, Eldrin Chen's gaze grew heavy and contemplative. Currently, Verdant Sun Sect had lost the hearts of the people. Unless they dealt with Bright Distance Wei's father, Double Sun Wei, with thunderous severity, it would be impossible to regain the lost trust.

Given Patriarch Xu's character, he was unlikely to carry out such an act. Therefore, merely relying on force to constrain the various great Immortal Clan [a clan with cultivators who have achieved immortality] of Solar Province would probably fail to make them contribute their true strength.

Pushing these thoughts aside, Eldrin Chen looked at the Solar Fire Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with pure solar and fire essence] and said, "Regardless, we have obtained this Solar Fire Crystal. You can finally attempt your breakthrough into the Violet Sanctum Realm."

"With this Mysterious Origin Pill [a high-grade elixir that aids in opening the Violet Sanctum] and the Solar Fire Crystal, I indeed have a thirty percent chance of success."

The Old Patriarch nodded excitedly. With the Beast Tide imminent, if he could break through to the Violet Sanctum Realm, he would become a crucial combatant and provide immense support for the clan.

Eternal Profound Chen was now one hundred and forty-one years old and had only reached the Foundation Establishment 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of the Foundation Establishment realm] less than ten years prior. His refinement of his meridians and True Essence [the purified spiritual energy cultivated by a Foundation Establishment cultivator] was still slightly lacking.

In principle, it would be best to refine them for another dozen or so years to reach an optimal state. By then, consuming the Solar Fire Crystal would give him close to a forty percent chance of breaking through the Violet Sanctum barrier.

However, with the Beast Tide upon them and the Solar Fire Crystal being too dangerous to keep, the Old Patriarch decided to attempt the Violet Sanctum Realm breakthrough immediately. He wished to avoid repeating the tragic fate that befell the former patriarchs of the Zhang Clan and the Chen Clan.

The Spiritual Vein [a natural conduit of spiritual energy within the earth] at Pingyang City was of insufficient grade, its ambient energy [the vital energy that flows through all living things] too thin. To allow the Old Patriarch to focus entirely on his attempt to break through to the Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation, where one opens a mystical energy center within the body], Eldrin Chen specifically reassigned Lior Chen, Verdant Grace Chen, and Seraphina Chen to stand guard over Pingyang City in the Old Patriarch's stead.

Meanwhile, Eldrin Chen accompanied the Old Patriarch to Spirit Lake Isle. In the past two years, the Spiritual Peach [a mystical fruit that enhances cultivation] had advanced another grade in quality, causing the Spiritual Vein on Spirit Lake Isle to reach the Second Rank High-Grade [a classification for spiritual veins]. The spiritual energy here was now far more abundant than in previous years.

Once the Old Patriarch entered the Spirit Spring [a spring imbued with concentrated spiritual energy] for secluded cultivation, Eldrin Chen personally took up residence on Spirit Lake Isle to act as his protector.

After consuming the Mysterious Origin Pill [an elixir that profoundly increases one's foundational energy], Eternal Profound Chen's True Essence [the refined, foundational energy cultivated by a practitioner] surged by thirty percent, and he began his assault on the Violet Sanctum Realm. It was not until three months later that he finally emerged from the Seclusion Chamber, his expression tinged with disappointment.

The Old Patriarch's spirits were low, his voice laced with unwilling acceptance. "Alas," he sighed, "in the end, my cultivation base was not sufficiently tempered. I failed to cross the threshold into the Violet Sanctum Realm."

"There is no need for discouragement, Granduncle," Eldrin Chen consoled, a gentle smile on his face as he had anticipated this outcome. "Aside from true heaven-defying prodigies, few in this world succeed in breaking through to the Violet Sanctum Realm on their first attempt." This chapter appears courtesy of site: audio-novel.com.

"That is true enough," the Old Patriarch conceded.

Eternal Profound Chen gathered his composure, and a smile returned to his features. "Although I did not achieve the breakthrough this time, I did manage to open fifty percent of the Violet Sanctum Meridian of the Path [the specific energy channel one must open to enter the Violet Sanctum Realm]."

"Now my True Essence has increased by another fifty percent. The next time I challenge the Violet Sanctum Realm, even without external aids, I should have a thirty to forty percent chance of success."

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

The Old Patriarch had consumed both the Spirit-Concentrating Pill and the Mystic Jade Pill. Now, having unblocked fifty percent of his Violet Sanctum Meridian of the Path, the depth of his True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated within a practitioner's body] likely surpassed that of an ordinary ninth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator by no less than eighty percent.

Based on the sheer profundity of this True Essence alone, the Old Patriarch could already rival a cultivator who was more than halfway to the first tier of the Violet Sanctum Realm. His combat strength had surged by far more than a single fold.

Considering this, Eldrin Chen praised, "With your current cultivation, Granduncle, you could rightfully be called a Half-Step Violet Sanctum Realm cultivator."

"You still have sixty years of lifespan and two more opportunities to attempt a breakthrough into the Violet Sanctum. In the future, even without relying on external aids, your chances of successfully breaking through to the Violet Sanctum Realm would likely be around sixty percent."

As they spoke, the mood between them lightened considerably.

After the Old Patriarch had consolidated his newly advanced cultivation, Eldrin Chen took out seven Demon Cores [the crystallized essence of a demon beast's power] from the Golden Python Monkeys and handed them over.

"This time, we slew seven Foundation Establishment demon beasts. These seven Demon Cores share the same origin. I believe they can be refined into a set of Formation Artifacts [magical treasures designed to work together as part of an array], so I specifically exchanged for them."

"These items..."

The Old Patriarch received the seven Demon Cores and examined them carefully for a moment. A look of pleasant surprise dawned on his face. "I observe that each of these seven Demon Cores contains incomplete divine ability formation patterns within them."

"If they are jointly refined into a set of Formation Artifacts, it might be possible to fuse and manifest that divine ability."

"I wish to fuse them into the Solar Fire Soul-Burning Formation Flags to enhance the power of the Solar Fire Soul-Burning Formation [a powerful formation that channels solar fire to burn the souls of enemies]."

After observing them with great delight for a long while, the Old Patriarch finally told Eldrin Chen that these seven Inner Pill [the condensed core of a demonic beast's cultivation, containing immense spiritual power] could be jointly refined with the Solar Fire Soul-Burning Formation Flags to form an entirely new set of Formation Flag [enchanted banners used to anchor and power a formation]. Find thousands of chapters at audio-novel.com (official site).