Chapter 149 : A Desperate Strike of Vital Essence

This was the full-force strike of Exquisite Jiang, a single sword blow forged within a third-rank precious jade and imbued with a wisp of her own Vital Essence Blood [the foundational lifeblood essence of a cultivator, the loss of which weakens their cultivation base].

A blow of such magnitude surpassed the limits of the Violet Sanctum realm. Even a Golden Core Cultivator would have to furrow their brow and treat it with utmost caution.

As the sword radiance cleaved towards it, the Purple-Spotted Wolf King was filled with utter terror.

It had never imagined that Exquisite Jiang would pay such a steep price, consuming her Vital Essence Blood to fuse into this single, devastating strike.

For Vital Essence Blood is exceedingly precious. Even with Exquisite Jiang's cultivation level, the loss of a single wisp would require thirty years to fully recover.

It was precisely because of this that the power of this sword blow was boundless, far exceeding that of Patriarch Yang's Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword Talisman. In fact, its might was equivalent to the all-out, desperate strike of a Golden Core Cultivator who had paid a grievous price.

In its panic, the Purple-Spotted Wolf King sought to activate its Purple-Gold Heavenly Aura Shield to block, only to find its command met with emptiness. It then realized its defensive magical treasure had already been shattered and was temporarily unusable.

Even its other magical treasures and divine abilities were all occupied in dealing with the Patriarchs Xu and Yang. With no treasure left to wield, it could only hastily spit out its Demon Core [the condensed energy core of a demonic beast, analogous to a cultivator's Golden Core] in a desperate attempt to parry the blow.

"*Clang—!*"

This sword strike could slay anything beneath the Golden Core realm in a single blow. How could a mere Demon Core hope to withstand it? Join our community of readers at audio-novel dot com.

With a single, piercing cry of steel, a brilliant sword aura cleaved through the heavens. It struck with a resonant *clang*, sundering everything in its path and splitting the Purple-Spotted Wolf King cleanly in two.

The sheer abruptness of the Purple-Spotted Wolf King's demise left everyone momentarily stunned. None could have anticipated that a beast whose combat power rivaled four or five cultivators at the Violet Sanctum Early Stage would be felled so swiftly.

Patriarch Yang was the first to react. He immediately summoned his Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword and unleashed a devastating slash towards the Crimson Flame Python.

The sudden death of the most powerful foe presented a golden opportunity. The group quickly rallied, their resolve hardening to exterminate the remaining two Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast beasts.

The Golden-Horned Savage Bull and the Crimson Flame Python were filled with disbelief, but by the time they thought to flee, it was already far too late.

With two powerful Human Race cultivators at the Violet Sanctum Mid Stage now freed to join the fray, and with two Second Rank High-Grade Magical Treasure [exceptionally powerful enchanted artifacts] in play, their fate was sealed—there was simply no escape.

Six Violet Sanctum-level combatants from the Human Race joined forces in a merciless encirclement. The two Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast beasts, utterly overwhelmed, had no chance to turn the tide. In the end, they were cornered and slain within the depths of the Great Wasteland.

Patriarch Yang channeled his power into the Mountain-Splitting Soul-Severing Axe, delivering the final blow that ended the Golden-Horned Savage Bull. A collective sigh of profound relief washed over the group. Only then did they have a moment to breathe before turning their attention to slaughtering the remaining lower-tier demonic beasts.

In barely half an hour's time, the demonic beast horde had completely scattered and fled back into the Great Wasteland. After a thorough sweep of the battlefield to collect spoils, the victorious cultivators made their way back to Fengyang Market.

Upon their return to Fengyang Market, Eldrin Chen and the four Violet Sanctum Patriarch did not pause to rest. They immediately set about taking stock of the gains from this hard-fought battle.

Patriarch Yang wore a warm smile as he spoke to Eldrin Chen with great courtesy, "We owe you much gratitude for this battle."

"Had you not slain the Purple-Spotted Wolf King, our victory would likely have been a pyrrhic one at best."

"You honor me too much, Senior," Eldrin Chen replied with humility. "I merely relied on the contingency left by Patriarch Jiang to achieve that result."

Eldrin Chen spoke modestly, keenly aware that the primary reason for this Patriarch's exceptionally friendly demeanor was most likely the white jade bracelet gifted to him by Exquisite Jiang.

Patriarch Yang nodded with a smile, then produced the spoils of the recent battle. "Though we have weathered this crisis," he began, "the Beast Tide [a massive, coordinated assault by demonic beasts] has not yet subsided."

"It is best we distribute these treasures now to bolster our strength. Once the Beast Tide has truly ended, we can then exchange these items amongst ourselves according to each person's accrued Merits [a metaphysical measure of one's virtuous deeds and contributions]."

The assembled cultivators nodded in agreement, their eyes alight with anticipation as they gazed upon the array of treasures.

This great battle had been a resounding victory, with five Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation, where one opens a mystical palace within] demons slain. Naturally, the rewards were substantial.

Setting aside the five Violet Sanctum Demon Core [the condensed energy core of a Violet Sanctum realm demonic beast] for the moment, the number of high-grade magical treasures [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators] captured was considerable. They included: the Solar Fire Heart-Piercing Needle, the Vajra Banner of Suramgama, the Wolf Fang Magical Treasure, the Azure Gold War Spear, the flying sword of the Purple-Spotted Wolf King, and the Purple-Gold Heavenly Aura Shield.

In addition, there were over a dozen mid-grade magical treasures, more than thirty low-grade magical treasures, and a vast quantity of various Spirit Stones [minerals that store and radiate spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation], spiritual herbs [plants imbued with spiritual energy], and cultivation materials [resources used in the cultivation process].

That Crimson Flame Python also possessed two Third-Rank Magical Treasure [enchanted artifacts of significant power]. However, the beast proved utterly unyielding, choosing to self-destruct both treasures during the fierce battle, a sight that pained the hearts of all present.

Among these spoils, the most precious was undoubtedly the Purple-Gold Heavenly Aura Shield, the sole Third Rank Superior Grade magical treasure [powerful enchanted artifact] possessed by the Purple-Spotted Wolf King.

After some deliberation on the distribution of the treasures, the group agreed that the Purple-Gold Heavenly Aura Shield should be allocated to Patriarch Yang, whose spiritual power reserves were the most profound. Only he could unleash the full defensive potential of this artifact.

Patriarch Yang accepted the Purple-Gold Heavenly Aura Shield, his face alight with joy. "The defensive power of this shield is boundless," he said. "Since you are all willing to entrust it to this old man, I shall, with some embarrassment, make use of it for the time being."

"There is no need for such modesty," Xavier Xu interjected, his expression turning grave. "The defensive prowess of this treasure is extraordinary. It was precisely by relying on this artifact that the Purple-Spotted Wolf King managed to barely withstand the techniques of Patriarch Jiang."

"With this shield in your possession, coupled with your Mountain-Splitting Soul-Severing Axe, you should be able to hold your ground, if only briefly, even against a Golden Core Cultivator [a master who has condensed a Golden Core, a core stage of cultivation]. In the battles to come, it falls upon you to stand at the forefront." Your portal to cultivation novels: audio-novel dot com.

Hearing this, solemn expressions settled upon everyone's faces. While the Purple-Spotted Wolf King had been dealt with, the siege of Heavenly Ruins Mountain was far from resolved.

With Patriarch Yang claiming the Purple-Gold Heavenly Aura Shield, Xavier Xu took the sole Second Rank Mid-Grade flying sword.

Already wielding the peerlessly offensive Golden Fire Dragon Shears, he lacked not for means of attack. Now, with this flying sword in hand, his flight speed would increase dramatically, granting him greater fluidity and ease in combat.

Among the remaining treasures, the Wolf Fang Magical Treasure was a specialized artifact of the Wolf Demonic Tribe, requiring the bloodline of a wolf demon to unleash its full power. Thus, it could only be considered a quasi-third-rank treasure.

The material of the Azure Gold War Spear was also of the Third-Rank grade, but the forging technique was crude, and its power could only be considered quasi-Third-Rank. None of these items were of great use.

Only the Solar Fire Heart-Piercing Needle and the Vajra Banner of Suramgama [a powerful banner imbued with the unyielding, diamond-like power of the Suramgama Sutra] could significantly enhance the combat power of the group.

Although the Vajra Banner of Suramgama was immensely powerful, it also consumed a great deal of spiritual energy [the vital power cultivated by practitioners]. Naturally, it ended up in the hands of Path Abyss Xu.

Eldrin Chen's True Essence [the refined, foundational energy of a cultivator] and spiritual sense were insufficient; he had no remaining strength to activate a fourth Third-Rank Magical Treasure. Therefore, he handed the Solar Fire Heart-Piercing Needle to the Old Patriarch Wei.

The Old Patriarch Wei swapped out his own treasure and gave the Supple Wood Verdant Spirit Pearl [a pearl containing the essence of supple wood and verdant spirit energy] to Distant Grain Yang. As the Supple Wood Verdant Spirit Pearl was a magical treasure of the wood and water attributes, it was perfectly suited for Distant Grain Yang to use.

After distributing the treasures, the group suppressed their excitement. Patriarch Yang then spoke.

"Fellow cultivators, although we have now quelled this flanking force led by the Purple-Spotted Wolf King, the Beast Tide [a massive, chaotic onslaught of demonic beasts] is far from over."

"The battle at Heavenly Ruins Mountain remains deadlocked. Now that we have freed up this force, we can reinforce them. Perhaps our support will be enough to turn the tide of this entire conflict."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen nodded repeatedly in agreement.

He understood clearly that their current victory was largely due to the Purple-Spotted Wolf King's reckless haste to achieve a quick triumph.

If the Purple-Spotted Wolf King had not divided its forces and instead launched a full assault on the Sunward Market, the defenders might still be locked in a desperate struggle.

Although the Sunward Market held a reserve of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy], it would have struggled to withstand the Purple-Spotted Wolf King indefinitely. However, reinforcements from the Fengling Two Counties would likely have arrived in time, making it doubtful the beast tide could have breached such a strategically vital stronghold.

The primary reason lies with the low-tier demonic beasts. While they possess a rudimentary spiritual awareness, their intelligence remains only slightly higher than that of wild animals. Many are natural predators of one another, and crucially, a demonic horde lacks any organized supply lines for provisions. Visit audio-novel .c om to enjoy the complete series.