Chapter 130 : The Sword's Nourishing Resonance

He knew this was the Lifebound Immortal Sword nourishing him in return. Once a Life-Bound Magical Artifact reached the third rank, it would inherently contain a wisp of Creation substance [the fundamental energy of creation and life].

A Lifebound Immortal Sword of this rank was already capable of nourishing a cultivator in return, aiding them in refining the True Essence [the purified foundational energy of a cultivator] and magical power within their body.

With the assistance of a third-rank Lifebound Immortal Sword, the True Essence within Eldrin Chen's body would gradually be tempered by the Immortal Sword, making its lethality and degree of condensation surpass that of his peers by over thirty percent.

When this was further compounded with the inherently sharp and potent True Essence resulting from his Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment, the condensation of his True Essence was already nearly on par with that of an Violet Sanctum Early Stage cultivator. The sole difference was the lack of the crucial integration of spiritual sense, which would have transformed it into the more profound and mystical magical power.

This True Essence alone, so far surpassing his peers, could increase Eldrin Chen's chances of breaking through to the Violet Sanctum realm by twenty to thirty percent.

Adding to this were his already broad meridians and potent spiritual sense, which had been tempered by the Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [a supreme-grade spiritual energy of immense purity]. In the future, even without relying on external aids like the Solar Fire Crystal, he should have a fifty to sixty percent chance of breaking through to Violet Sanctum in a single attempt.

"Even if I cannot succeed in one attempt, I should at least be able to open over seventy percent of the Violet Sanctum Meridian of the Path [the crucial meridian that must be opened to achieve the Violet Sanctum realm]," he mused.

"If I can successfully refine the Positive Water Verdant Lotus Throne, my chances should increase to at least eighty or ninety percent."

With these thoughts, Eldrin Chen retrieved the Positive Water Verdant Lotus, a flicker of regret passing through his heart.

The Positive Water Verdant Lotus Throne possessed extraordinary utility. As a Lifebound Magical Treasure, it could store True Essence, allowing a cultivator's reserves of True Essence and magical power to double. Naturally, this would also increase one's chances when attempting the breakthrough to Violet Sanctum. This chapter is part of a larger work available at https://audio-novel.com.

Alas, to forge the Positive Water Verdant Lotus Throne [a lotus-shaped throne artifact imbued with pure water energy], one still required a Positive Water Crystal [a crystal of pure, condensed water-element spiritual essence]. Within the Chu Nation, there was only a single third-rank Water Vein [a subterranean spiritual energy flow of the water element], and it was a Final Water Earth Vein [a water vein nearing exhaustion, its energy almost depleted]. There was simply no way to obtain a Positive Water Crystal from it.

"Perhaps after the Beast Tide [a periodic, massive onslaught of demonic beasts] concludes, I should make a journey beyond the Chu Nation," he mused.

"It is said that within the Yan Kingdom, there exists a fourth-rank Water Vein. Occasionally, Positive Water Crystal are offered for sale there."

Eldrin Chen held this thought in his mind for a moment before suppressing it, turning his focus inward to begin a period of secluded cultivation, meticulously refining the True Essence [the purified, foundational spiritual energy within a cultivator's body] circulating within his dantian.

Merely three months later, he emerged from his seclusion. No sooner had he stepped out than he found Lior Chen already waiting for him on Spirit Lake Isle, having been there for some time.

"Word has come from Heavenly Ruins Mountain. The Heavenly Ruins Alliance [a coalition of cultivation forces] is nearly ready to commence," Lior Chen stated.

Upon seeing Eldrin Chen, the Third Elder spoke without preamble. "The Clan Leader cannot easily extricate himself. Your presence is still required over there."

"The Heavenly Ruins Alliance..." Eldrin Chen murmured, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen poured a cup of tea for the Third Elder, a gleam of sharp light flashing deep within his gaze.

For this very Heavenly Ruins Alliance, he had made no small number of journeys over the past few years. He had essentially met with the heads of affairs from every major clan across the entire Border Province, having long since discussed the finer details on multiple occasions.

This journey to Heavenly Ruins Mountain was solely for the purpose of formally finalizing the alliance treaty, to ensure that when the Beast Tide [a periodic, massive invasion of demonic beasts] arrives, all forces could be united as one.

"With the Beast Tide now merely three years away, it is indeed time for the Heavenly Ruins Alliance treaty to be signed,"

Eldrin Chen stated. After sharing a cup of tea with Lior Chen, the two of them took to their swords and flew together towards Heavenly Ruins Mountain.

Their flight speed was considerable. After Eldrin Chen's Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword had advanced, it was capable of traversing thirty thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] in a single day, surpassing the speed of an ordinary Violet Sanctum [a mid-level cultivation realm] cultivator by a fair margin.

Lior Chen had broken through to Foundation Establishment [the second major cultivation stage] over twenty years prior. Finally, a few years ago, with the aid of a Barrier-Breaking Pill [a pill that helps break through cultivation bottlenecks], he progressed further, reaching the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer. Following this breakthrough, his Bright Abyss Ethereal Spirit Sword advanced to the Second Rank Mid-Grade [a mid-tier classification for magical treasures].

Although this was far from matching Eldrin Chen's speed of ten thousand Li-length per day, he could still cover five to six thousand Li-length daily.

Although Heavenly Ruins Mountain lay a hundred thousand Li-length away, the two of them arrived before the Heavenly Ruins Mountain Range in just over twenty days.

"It seems we are among the later arrivals,"

Upon reaching Heavenly Ruins Mountain, Lior Chen looked at the gathered crowd on the mountain and could not help but show a trace of astonishment.

At this moment, atop Heavenly Ruins Mountain, over a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators had assembled, a sight that truly exceeded everyone's expectations.

With a simple sweep of his divine sense [a cultivator's extended spiritual awareness], Eldrin Chen detected over a hundred auras of considerable strength, all belonging to cultivators at or above the Foundation Establishment realm.

"Nearly all sixty-some Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Heavenly Ruins Mountain are present," he noted.

"The close to twenty Foundation Establishment Immortal Clans from the three counties have each sent at least one Foundation Establishment Cultivator."

Eldrin Chen's formidable reputation had grown over the years, and there were few Foundation Establishment Cultivators in Border Province who did not recognize him.

While exchanging greetings with familiar faces, his gaze drifted toward a distant pavilion. There, two figures with deeply restrained auras sat across from each other, engaged in a game of Go.

A subtle flicker passed through his eyes. He lowered his voice, sending a mental message to Lior Chen: "Those two are both Violet Sanctum Patriarchs [patriarchs who have reached the Violet Sanctum cultivation realm]. The one in violet robes is Distant Grain Yang, a Violet Sanctum Patriarch of the Yang Clan. The one in black robes is Path Abyss Xu, the Patriarch of the Xu Clan." Immerse yourself in the complete world at @udio-novel.com.

Upon hearing this, Lior Chen's expression shifted slightly with surprise.

The two great Violet Sanctum Immortal Clans of Border Province each possessed two Violet Sanctum Patriarchs. This Distant Grain Yang was the Violet Sanctum Patriarch of the Yang Clan from Ling County.

Back at the Border Province Barter Convention in Feng County, the Yang Clan had been willing to offer the Verdant Wood Longevity Art in exchange for a Metal-Water attributed Violet Sanctum cultivation art, precisely for this Patriarch Yang's sake.

Patriarch Yang possessed Metal-Water Dual Spiritual Roots [an innate affinity for both Metal and Water elemental energies]. Having broken through to the Violet Sanctum realm less than thirty years ago and lacking a suitable cultivation art, he had surprisingly not yet advanced even to the first layer of the Violet Sanctum.

With such strength, Eldrin Chen reckoned that even if he could not match them, by relying on the might of his Lifebound Immortal Sword and the Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword, he should possess roughly seventy to eighty percent of their power.

At the very least, he could hold his own until his True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a practitioner] was exhausted, ensuring his means of escape remained intact.

The other, Path Abyss Xu, was also at the Violet Sanctum Early Stage [the third major realm of cultivation, where one opens a mystical palace within]. This man was merely one hundred and sixty years old, the most outstanding genius the Shyu Immortal Clan had produced in two centuries.

It was said Path Abyss Xu had broken through to the Violet Sanctum at one hundred and ten years of age. His cultivation had now reached the Violet Sanctum 3rd Tier, he had mastered the Xu Clan's clan-protecting divine ability, the Bulwark Earth Divine Thunder [a mighty thunder technique rooted in the power of the earth], and had successfully refined the Xu Clan's Life-Bound Magical Artifact [a magical treasure bound to a cultivator's life force, growing with them], the 'Void-Refining Bulwark Earth Cauldron'.

That 'Void-Refining Bulwark Earth Cauldron' was a fire-earth dual attribute magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators]. From its Innate [a state of being inherent or natural] form, it carried two divine abilities. One was called Primordial Bulwark Earth Shield, which, when activated, would manifest a protective barrier of energy, its defensive power not inferior to a top-tier defensive magical treasure of the same rank.

The other was called Void-Refining Divine Flame. The might of that Void-Refining Divine Flame was Extraordinary; in terms of destructive power, it surpassed comparable magical treasure abilities by a good margin.

"I might barely be able to contend with that Patriarch Yang," Eldrin mused to himself.

"But if I were to face Path Abyss Xu as an enemy, unless I joined forces with the Old Patriarch, I would have no choice but to flee for my life."

Mentally comparing the combat prowess of these two Violet Sanctum Patriarch [a clan leader who has reached the Violet Sanctum realm], Eldrin Chen gained a somewhat clearer, though still approximate, understanding of his own standing.

Eldrin Chen brought Lior Chen to an inn to rest, then instructed him: "The Heavenly Ruins Alliance assembly will not commence for another half a month. I have some matters to attend to."

After bidding farewell to Lior Chen, he rode his sword and arrived before Exquisite Jiang's Spirit Pool Cave Abode.

His arrival seemed to have been anticipated by Exquisite Jiang. She glanced at Eldrin Chen and said with a faint smile.

"To have broken through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage before the Beast Tide arrives... it seems I can rest assured about your safety."

"That was entirely due to the efficacy of the Verdant Origin Pill," Eldrin Chen replied. His expression then shifted slightly, and he could not help but ask, "The Beast Tide is imminent. Heavenly Ruins Mountain will face the greatest pressure and is in dire need of manpower. Why have I been assigned to Yu County?" Official source: site: audio-novel.com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.