Chapter 132 : A Pact Forged in Spirit Stones

Beyond the mobilization of forces, the covenant also stipulated the method for calculating military merits from this campaign, along with the detailed distribution of spoils after the war.

All demonic beast materials obtained from this battle would be pooled together. They would be refined by Heavenly Ruins Mountain into magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators] and elixirs, which would then be used as rewards. The difference was that the merit rewards for this campaign were more than fifty percent higher than those from the Green Sun Covenant.

According to the terms of the Green Sun Covenant, the reward for slaying a Foundation Establishment Early Stage demonic beast was resources equivalent to eight hundred Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. However, Heavenly Ruins Mountain was offering a reward equivalent to one thousand two hundred Spirit Stones.

The reason for such high rewards was twofold: first, to encourage the various Immortal Clan [powerful cultivation families] to fight wholeheartedly in this war; second, because the value of the materials, once refined into elixirs and magical treasure, would be more than double that of the raw materials.

For example, a Second Rank Low-GradeDemonic Beast Inner Pill [the condensed energy core of a demonic beast] might be worth around five or six hundred Spirit Stones. But if it were fused with Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] and inscribed with formation patterns to refine it into a Second Rank Magical Artifact, its value would more than double. This calculation didn't even include the value of flesh, blood, fur, and other materials.

Therefore, Heavenly Ruins Mountain could still profit from this price, though their margin would be much smaller compared to what the Verdant Sun Sect would have made.

By taking this middle profit, Heavenly Ruins Mountain also agreed to solely bear the responsibility for compensation payments to the families of the fallen.

According to the covenant's stipulations, for any cultivator who died fighting against the Beast Tide [a massive invasion by demonic beasts], compensation was required. A Vital Essence Refinement Stage [the initial stage of body and energy cultivation] cultivator, depending on their specific level, would receive compensation ranging from fifty to one hundred Spirit Stones. A Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a cultivator who has solidified their cultivation foundation] would be compensated with one Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids in solidifying one's cultivation foundation].

Although the compensation for Vital Essence Refinement cultivators might seem small, this would amount to a colossal expenditure. After the Beast Tide concluded, the compensation for Vital Essence Refinement cultivators alone could potentially cost several hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

This was because during every Beast Tide, over twenty percent of the cultivators in Chu Nation would perish in battle. In the event of a rout, casualties could even reach thirty or forty percent. Visit site: audio-novel.com to enjoy the complete series.

This is still organized resistance. Without such unified defense, entire counties, even entire provinces, would fall.

In such a scenario, even Foundation Establishment cultivators and Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan clans would be reduced to ashes of calamity, with only a handful managing to escape with their lives, let alone the lowly Immortal Clan clans and rogue cultivators of lesser cultivation.

After every Beast Tide, the Chu Nation Cultivation World suffers devastating losses. Twenty to thirty percent of its Vital Essence Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators might perish, requiring decades to recover to its former peak.

The compensation for the fallen is not particularly generous, yet cultivators are compelled to fight. For if they do not unite against the demonic beasts, the only outcome is the entire clan, even the entire province, becoming fodder for the beasts' hunger.

The only thing they can do is preserve the young sparks of hope, sending the older cultivators to face the beasts.

Compensation of several dozen to over a hundred Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] per person, when the number of fallen reaches a certain threshold, becomes an astonishingly heavy burden.

As stipulated in this signed covenant, if a disastrous defeat occurs with too many cultivators lost, the profits earned would be utterly insufficient to fill that chasm. Likely, even Exquisite Jiang would have to bleed her own resources dry.

During the Beast Tide a century ago, under the banner of the Verdant Sun Sect, the three provinces lost six or seven Violet Sanctum cultivators. Nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivator cultivators perished, and over thirty thousand Vital Essence Refinement cultivators fell beneath the claws and fangs of the demonic beasts.

The outcome of that battle was too grievous. In the three provinces of Qing Province, Solar Province, and Border Province, over thirty percent of the cultivators perished.

The mortal dead numbered in the tens of millions. Vast territories west of Scorching Sun Mountain in Solar Province were overrun. Tens of millions of mortals were exposed to the beasts' predation, becoming their bloody feast.

In that battle, the Verdant Sun Sect suffered a significant loss. The compensation for fallen Vital Essence Refinement cultivators alone would cost nearly two million Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy]. Even with their substantial profits, they could only cover seventy to eighty percent of that deficit.

Over two million Spirit Stone! That sum was enough to purchase two Five Elements Spirit Fruit [a rare spiritual fruit that can aid in breaking through cultivation bottlenecks]. With a bit of luck, it could have fostered one or two new Golden Core Cultivator [a powerful cultivator who has condensed their spiritual energy into a solid Golden Core].

However, the actual compensation disbursed by the Verdant Sun Sect was less than sixty percent of the total. Many Immortal Clan [a clan or family dedicated to the path of cultivation] had been completely wiped out, leaving no heirs to claim the funds.

It was said that for some annihilated clans, like the Wang Clan of Ink-Splashing Ridge in Scorching Sun County, not a single coin of compensation was paid out. With their entire force of seven or eight Foundation Establishment [the realm where a cultivator establishes their foundational spiritual pillars] experts and over a thousand Vital Essence Refinement [the initial realm of cultivation focused on refining one's vital life force] cultivators slain, the sect saved two to three hundred thousand Spirit Stone.

Given the circumstances, it seemed highly improbable that not a single soul from the Wang Clan's thousand-strong force survived, not even the family's carefully hidden successors who had been sent to Qing Province for safety, who all mysteriously perished.

The other major Immortal Clan had their suspicions about what truly transpired, but without concrete evidence and with no one willing to champion the Wang Clan's cause, the matter was quietly buried.

Furthermore, by deducting promised resources like the Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm] under various pretexts, the Verdant Sun Sect ultimately paid out little more than one million Spirit Stone in compensation. In the end, they actually profited by tens of thousands of coins.

"In comparison, Exquisite Jiang is far more just and honorable,"

Eldrin Chen thought to himself. After confirming the alliance pact contained no hidden clauses, he signed his name and stamped it with the official seal of the Chen Immortal Clan.

Soon, everyone present had reviewed the pact. Each representative signed on behalf of their clan, and every major Immortal Clan affixed their ancestral seal, formalizing the alliance.

After the alliance pact was signed, smiles graced the faces of all present, and a sense of security settled in their hearts.

Such formal pacts carry immense binding power; the price for violating them is severe. Not only would a violator face joint extermination by the major Immortal Clans of Border Province, but they would also be ostracized by the entire Chu Nation Cultivation World.

Furthermore, when establishing the pact, all participants must swear an Inner Demon Oath [a vow that invokes one's inner demons as witnesses]; violating it would inevitably invite the calamity of the Inner Demon [the manifestation of one's inner flaws and heart demons], making future Path cultivation exceedingly difficult.

"Excellent."

Watching everyone sign the pact and swear the Inner Demon Oath, Exquisite Jiang felt a slight easing of tension within.

She turned her gaze to the assembly, raised her hand, and released three beams of treasure light, which landed in the hands of Eldrin Chen, Path Abyss Xu, and Yang Yuanhe. Immerse yourself in the complete world at audi novel.com.

Eldrin Chen caught the radiant object and discovered it was a treasure mirror forged from Mystic Iron. Though merely one Chi-length [one third of a meter] in size, its weight exceeded ten thousand Jin-weight [five thousand kilograms], a truly Extraordinary artifact.

Observing their puzzled expressions, Exquisite Jiang's countenance remained as placid as still water as she began her explanation.

"This is a Horizon Communication Mirror [a set of enchanted mirrors for long-distance communication], comprising one mother mirror and three child mirrors. It is a set of Third Rank Lower Grade magical treasures capable of transmitting messages across three hundred thousand Li-length [one hundred fifty thousand kilometers]."

"The mother mirror resides at Heavenly Ruins Mountain. These three are the child mirrors. Take them to your respective commanderies, place them upon Second Rank High-Grade Spirit Springs [a natural spring imbued with concentrated spiritual energy], and you will be able to exchange messages with the mother mirror."

Upon hearing this, everyone present could not help but reveal expressions of ecstatic joy.

Gripping the treasure mirror, Path Abyss Xu said with palpable excitement, "With this mirror in hand, can we not transmit messages at will? We could coordinate troop movements between Border Province and Heavenly Ruins Mountain, supporting each other as needed, eliminating the danger of being defeated piecemeal."

Eldrin Chen also showed a pleased expression. Although Yu County also possessed Communication Talisman, those talismans could only transmit messages for ten thousand or twenty thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] at most, and could only be used nine times.

Compared to this Third-Rank Magical Treasure capable of sending messages three hundred thousand Li-lengths, the difference was like that between heaven and earth; they were simply incomparable.

"This treasure mirror was forged from Mystic Iron."

"No wonder she asked me for thirty thousand Jin-weight [one Jin-weight equals zero point five kilograms] of Mystic Iron. So it was to refine this set of special Third-Rank Magical Treasure." Discover more cultivation stories at http://www . audio-novel.com.