Chapter 129 : A Pact Forged in Blood

Hearing her words, Eldrin Chen allowed a faint smile to grace his features.

Unlike those Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan, their own Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan possessed very limited self-preservation capabilities. They truly needed to support one another to increase their chances of weathering the impending Beast Tide [a periodic, massive invasion of demonic beasts].

"Since that is the case, I shall state my purpose directly," Eldrin Chen said, his expression turning serious. "We in Yu County have already discussed it and wish to sign a Mutual Defense and Assistance Pact with the two counties of Fengling Two Counties."

"The disciples of the Verdant Sun Sect recently seized the Solar Fire Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with solar fire energy] belonging to the Zhang Clan of Solar Province. The matter has now caused quite a stir, making them difficult to trust."

"Therefore, we also intend to bypass the Verdant Sun Sect and go to Heavenly Ruins Mountain to swear a new Blood Oath [a magically binding oath sealed with blood]."

After listening, Twin Jade Liu also nodded, speaking earnestly, "The Verdant Sun Sect can no longer be relied upon. If we wish to survive, we truly have no choice but to turn to Heavenly Ruins Mountain."

"In fact, even the Xu Clan, a Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan from our own Feng County, has been active in this matter, preparing to go to Heavenly Ruins Mountain to swear the covenant."

The two of them conversed in the guest pavilion for an entire afternoon, broadly discussing the details of the three-county pact. Only then did Eldrin Chen take his leave.

Regarding Feng County, the Liu Immortal Clan would naturally convey the intentions of Yu County. Once the various great clans had confirmed their stance, a formal pact of mutual defense and assistance would be signed.

For the matter of swearing the alliance, the several dozen Immortal Clan of Border Province negotiated back and forth seven or eight times. After a busy year or two, they finally signed a covenant. Continue your cultivation journey at audio‑novel.com.

According to this covenant, during the Beast Tide [a periodic, massive invasion of demonic beasts], the various Immortal Clan [powerful cultivation families] within the Border Province should unite as one, setting aside past grievances and feuds to jointly combat the Beast Tide.

Furthermore, to prevent Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who use malevolent, forbidden arts] from taking advantage of the chaos to launch attacks, the covenant also established a rule: during the Beast Tide, if any clan is assaulted by demonic beasts or Demonic Cultivator, the neighboring Immortal Clan must provide immediate support.

Thus, time flowed swiftly by, and in the blink of an eye, five years had passed.

"Hah—"

On this day, Eldrin Chen refined the final Spiritual Peach [a fruit imbued with potent spiritual energy] in his hand and slowly opened his eyes.

He drew a soft breath. Years of arduous cultivation had finally allowed him to advance another step, refining the True Essence [the purified, foundational energy within a cultivator's body] within him to perfection and touching the very limits of the Foundation Establishment 6th Tier.

"At last, I can attempt the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage," he murmured to himself.

A flicker of joy passed through Eldrin Chen's heart as he retrieved a Verdant Origin Pill [a high-grade elixir for Foundation Establishment cultivators] from his Storage Bag [a spatial artifact for storing items].

Five years prior, under the guidance of Exquisite Jiang, he had successfully concocted two Verdant Origin Pill in a single batch. With these two Precious Pill [a general term for rare and potent elixirs] in hand, his confidence in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage was virtually assured.

The Old Patriarch had managed to break through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage relatively early in his own time precisely because a Verdant Origin Mushroom [a rare spiritual fungus] matured within the family, allowing them to refine a cauldron of Verdant Origin Pill which he then used to achieve his breakthrough.

Eldrin Chen took a deep breath and swallowed a Verdant Origin Pill. Instantly, a vast torrent of Vital Energy [the fundamental life force used in cultivation] surged into his meridians, detonating the immense True Essence [refined spiritual power cultivated within a practitioner's body] stored within him.

Although he was only at the Foundation Establishment 6th Tier, years of tempering by the Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [a primordial and supreme-grade spiritual energy] had rendered his meridians far more resilient and expansive than those of cultivators at his level.

Coupled with the potent True Essence born from his Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment [a superior method of reaching the Foundation Establishment realm without external aids], both his combat prowess and the efficacy of his body refinement far surpassed his peers.

Thus, by this time, the depth of Eldrin Chen's True Essence was no weaker than that of a Foundation Establishment 9th Tier cultivator. With such profound reserves, the detonation of the Verdant Origin Pill immediately transformed into a mighty deluge that scoured his meridians, shattering the bottleneck to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage with unstoppable force.

"Success," he murmured.

Feeling the True Essence within him swell by fifty percent, a smile spread across Eldrin Chen's face.

Having broken through to the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer, the subsequent process of tempering and consolidating his True Essence would be far simpler. He estimated that merely a few months of dedicated effort would be sufficient to fully refine and stabilize his newfound power.

"First, I shall refine my Lifebound Immortal Sword [a magical sword bound to its wielder's life force and soul]," he decided.

Without pausing to consolidate his True Essence, he directly summoned forth the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword. He then retrieved the essences of Metallic Gold and Solar Fire [a divine flame of pure yang energy] and began the meticulous process of tempering the blade. A Third Rank Lower Grade magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators] typically started at a value of thirty thousand Spirit Stones.

Yet, the Lifebound Immortal Sword required only Five Elements Energy [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] to ascend in grade. For Eldrin Chen's Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword to advance to the Third Rank Lower Grade [the lowest tier within the third major rank of magical artifact quality], it required forty-nine thousand strands of Metallic Gold and Solar Fire Essence [a dual-element spiritual essence combining the sharpness of metal and the purity of solar fire].

Although these Five Elements Energy cost Eldrin Chen over ten thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy], compared to the value of a Third Rank Magical Artifact [a powerful enchanted artifact of the third major rank], the cost was remarkably low.

Refining a flying sword was a laborious task. Eldrin Chen painstakingly infused the Metallic Gold and Solar Fire Dual Energy into the Immortal Sword [a cultivator's bonded sword, often their primary weapon], tempering it bit by bit. The process consumed three full months before success was achieved.

"*Clang—*"

Finally, after three months, a clear sword cry resonated.

The Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword erupted with a sword aura over thirty Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] long. Its dazzling azure radiance illuminated the entire Spirit Isle Lake, and the astonishing phenomenon stirred the surroundings for ten Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters].

In the depths of night, a pillar of azure sword aura shot skyward, piercing the vast cloud layers. A faint blue light shone through the sea of clouds, casting an ethereal glow upon the hazy darkness. Support the author by reading on audio-novel.com (official site).

"What is happening?"

Silas Chen was startled by the extraordinary phenomenon. Gazing up at the majestic blue sword light dancing within the cloud sea, he could not help but exclaim.

At that moment, Eldrin Chen stepped forward. He looked up at the blue sword light crisscrossing the Nine Heavens Above [a poetic term for the highest reaches of the sky], a faint smile gracing his lips.

"Return!"

Lifebound Immortal Sword possesses sentience. Legend has it that the Sixth Rank Lifebound Immortal Sword of the Sword Saint Path Lord could even single-handedly contend against a Primordial Spirit Path Lord.

Truly worthy of being a superior-grade Immortal Sword, the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword possessed extraordinary spiritual awareness after advancing to the third rank, though it was still far from reaching that legendary level.

A brilliant azure sword radiance descended from the Nine Heavens, circled affectionately around Eldrin Chen for a moment, then transformed into a streak of light that flew into the space between his brows.

"Uncle Eldrin."

Silas Chen looked at Eldrin Chen, unable to suppress a flicker of joyful surprise. "Your Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword... could it be that..."

"Indeed."

"I never imagined that advancing a Lifebound Immortal Sword would produce such a spectacular phenomenon."

Eldrin Chen nodded with a faint smile. "Fortunately, Spirit Isle Lake is remote. If this advancement had occurred at Green Chariot Mountain, the news would likely have spread far and wide."

"Keep today's events to yourself. Speak of this to no one."

"I understand, Lila." Silas Chen revealed an expression of ecstatic joy. "Congratulations, Uncle Eldrin! With a third-rank Immortal Sword [a powerful enchanted blade wielded by cultivators] now in your possession, you can likely be counted among the upper echelons of power throughout the entire Chu Nation."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen also allowed a smile to touch his lips. After his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, once he consumed the Mysterious Origin Pill [a rare elixir that refines and augments a cultivator's foundational energy], the True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated within a practitioner's body] within him would rival that of a cultivator halfway to the Violet Sanctum realm.

By then, with both his Lifebound Immortal Sword [a sword forged with a cultivator's life force, granting profound resonance and power] and the Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword in hand, he should be able to hold his own even against an early-stage Violet Sanctum cultivator. Even if he couldn't achieve victory, he would likely be able to rely on the Lifebound Immortal Sword to make his escape.

And across the entire Three Prefectures of the Verdant Sun Sect, the Verdant Sun Sect and the seven or eight Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan [powerful cultivation families with Violet Sanctum realm experts as their pillars] combined numbered merely thirty-some Violet Sanctum Cultivator.

"I shall enter seclusion now. Guard the mountain in my stead and ensure I am not disturbed."

Eldrin Chen instructed, then turned and retreated into his Seclusion Chamber [a specially prepared chamber for undisturbed meditation and cultivation].

Upon returning to the Spirit Spring [a natural spring imbued with concentrated spiritual energy], he first swallowed the Mysterious Origin Pill. Sensing the True Essence within him swell by thirty percent, a genuine smile finally graced his features.

He closed his eyes, focusing his senses inward on the Lifebound Immortal Sword residing within his body. He perceived threads of his True Essence being drawn into the sword, only to be refined and returned to him in a more potent and concentrated form. Published by audio-novel.com (official site). All rights reserved.