Chapter 165 : A Final Chance at Immortality

"Fellow Daoist Eldrin."

As Eldrin Chen stepped into Lingmiao Pavilion [a pavilion specializing in rare spiritual materials and artifacts], a familiar voice reached his ears.

He looked up and saw it was none other than Varen Wei. The Patriarch Wei approached, taking Eldrin Chen by the arm with evident delight. "To think I would encounter you here, in the Yan Kingdom," he said warmly.

"A rare encounter indeed,"

Eldrin Chen replied, a faint smile gracing his features. "Brother Daoist, have you come for..."

He paused mid-sentence. Varen Wei nodded, his expression turning solemn. "This old man has indeed come for the First Wood Crystal [a rare crystalline essence imbued with potent wood-element spiritual energy, crucial for certain cultivation breakthroughs]," he confirmed, his voice heavy.

"If I fail this time as well, I fear I will have become a burden to the Wei Clan."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen gave an imperceptible nod.

Varen Wei was now nearing one hundred and eighty years of age, with little of his lifespan remaining. Barring the consumption of precious life-extending treasures, he had but one final chance to attempt a breakthrough into the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one's spiritual foundation is solidified into a stable, internal abode].

Should he fail this attempt, the Wei Immortal Clan would likely exhaust its remaining reserves, condemning the clan to a century of austere hardship. Official source: audio-novel*com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen smiled slightly and said, "Brother Daoist, you have already attempted a breakthrough into the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one's spiritual foundation expands into a vast internal mansion] once and have consumed a Mysterious Origin Pill [a rare pill that refines and strengthens one's foundational spiritual essence]. If you were to obtain a First Wood Crystal [a crystalized essence of pure Wood-element spiritual energy, prized for aiding breakthroughs] now, I believe you would certainly succeed in one attempt."

"I certainly hope so."

Hearing this reassurance, Varen Wei felt a slight easing of the tension in his heart. He had already opened three-tenths of his Purple Mansion Dao Meridian [the primary spiritual channel that must be opened to access the Purple Mansion realm] and had taken the Mysterious Origin Pill. His True Essence [the refined, potent spiritual energy cultivated by a cultivator] was far denser and more profound than that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one builds a stable spiritual foundation] cultivator.

Under such favorable conditions, obtaining another First Wood Crystal now would, in his estimation, grant him a fifty percent chance of successfully breaking through to the Purple Mansion.

A fifty percent chance was already considered high, enough to stake everything on a single, all-out attempt. This was precisely why the Wei Immortal Clan was willing to exhaust its accumulated resources and support him with its full strength once more.

Pushing down his lingering anxieties, Varen Wei smiled and said, "This is your first time in the Yan Kingdom, is it not? Allow me, your elder brother, to introduce the scene."

As Varen Wei provided his introductions, Eldrin Chen gained a general understanding of which cultivators among the assembled crowd were best not provoked.

For top-tier experts like them within the Foundation Establishment realm, ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators were no longer a significant concern. The only ones who gave the two of them pause were a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators with astonishingly formidable backgrounds and origins.

Among the many Foundation Establishment Cultivators present, there was hardly anyone who could make Eldrin Chen feel truly challenged. Only one cultivator, named Duncan Deng, made him sense genuine pressure.

That Duncan Deng was a tall, imposing man whose aura was exceptionally powerful. Furthermore, he was accompanied by two beautiful women whose cultivation was at the Foundation Establishment, Late Stage [the advanced phase of the Foundation Establishment realm], clearly indicating his extraordinary origins.

Varen Wei noticed Eldrin Chen's gaze and promptly offered a quiet reminder in a hushed tone.

"That gentleman is a Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a cultivator who has solidified their foundation for the path of immortality] from the Deng Immortal Clan. His name is Duncan Deng and he is a direct-line descendant of the Deng family."

"His background is formidable; you must not provoke him."

With this warning, Eldrin Chen grasped the general identity of this individual.

Duncan Deng was not only a direct descendant of the Deng Clan, but also the beloved grandson of the clan's Golden Core Ancestor [a supreme elder who has formed a Golden Core, the crystallization of immense spiritual power]. He had been born, as the saying goes, with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Bolstered by his grandfather's favor, Duncan Deng had attempted the Purple Mansion [the realm where one opens a spiritual mansion within the dantian] breakthrough three times. Though he never fully succeeded, he had managed to clear over ninety percent of his Purple Mansion Dao Meridian [the crucial spiritual meridian required to access the Purple Mansion realm].

Furthermore, he had consumed rare treasures akin to the Mysterious Origin Pill [a potent elixir that profoundly deepens one's foundational spiritual energy]. Consequently, the density and potency of his True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a practitioner] rivaled that of an ordinary Purple Mansion cultivator, making his combat prowess truly formidable.

After finishing his explanation, Varen Wei covertly transmitted his voice again, adding, "This man possesses only Three Spiritual Roots [an average innate affinity for three of the spiritual elements], yet he has never lacked for resources. Moreover, he practices the Essence Plundering Art [a forbidden technique that steals the cultivation base and life essence of others]."

"Those two Foundation Establishment female cultivators beside him were likely once pillars of their own immortal clans. Now, they serve as his cultivation furnaces, their hard-earned cultivation becoming nothing but a dowry for another."

"Alas, the Deng Clan holds absolute authority within the Yan Kingdom. Even the Yan Nation Purple Mansion Immortal Clans can only form a loose alliance to offer meager resistance. For ordinary cultivators from Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan [a clan whose highest power resides at the Foundation Establishment realm], they are ultimately little more than fish on the chopping block for clans like the Deng."

Hearing this, a flicker of coldness passed through Eldrin Chen's eyes, and a sliver of killing intent stirred within his heart.

Unlike the path of dual cultivation, the art of essence plundering itself originated from and spread through Demonic Path Cultivation Art.

After a cultivator plunders the essence of a cultivation vessel [a person used as a source of energy], their own cultivation speed often increases, saving significant time in their practice. The plundered cultivator, however, suffers severe damage to their cultivation base and may even regress in their realm.

This is fundamentally a cultivation method practiced among Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who follow dark, selfish, and often violent paths]. Demonic Cultivator cultivate without scruple, adhering to the principle of benefiting oneself at the expense of others. This is precisely why Demonic Cultivator often advance faster than their Righteous Path Cultivator [cultivators who follow orthodox, virtuous paths] counterparts.

For a Righteous Path Cultivator to use another person as a cultivation vessel is, to a certain degree, scarcely different from the ways of a Demonic Cultivator. It is a heretical path.

Within the Chu Kingdom, essence plundering is jointly prohibited by the Three Great Sects. It is unthinkable that within the Yan Kingdom someone would dare to practice such an art so openly and brazenly. Visit audio–novel.com to enjoy the complete series.

At this thought, Eldrin Chen's gaze turned icy as he said, "To cultivate the Essence Plundering Art so openly... does no one in the Yan Kingdom dare to intervene?"

"The Chu Kingdom has but five Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a solidified golden core of power] cultivators, while the Deng Clan alone claims three of them," Varen Wei sighed, his voice laced with helplessness. "With the Deng Clan's power overshadowing all, others naturally harbor their anger in silence, not daring to speak out."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen suppressed the murderous impulse rising within him.

Though his nature was sharp and unyielding, intolerant of such corruption, he was a man of measured judgment, not one to act recklessly.

The Yan Kingdom differs from the Chu Kingdom. The Chu Kingdom faces immense pressure from the Demonic Tribe of the Vast and Boundless Marsh and the threats from Demon Cave Cavern. Its Three Great Sects bear the brunt of this burden, necessitating a general policy of stabilizing the major Immortal Clan to unite against the Demonic Cultivator and Demonic Tribe.

In contrast, the environment of the Yan Kingdom is far more favorable. In the past, the Six Kingdoms Hegemon, the Ji Immortal Clan, in their bid to control the fifth-rank Water Vein [a subterranean current of potent water-element spiritual energy] within Yan Kingdom, purged the Yan Lake of all high and mid-tier Demonic Beast.

Furthermore, to safeguard their interests in Yan Kingdom, a fifth-rank Spirit Vein [a concentrated flow of spiritual energy within the earth] has been cultivated upon that very fifth-rank Water Vein. A Nascent Soul True Lord from the Ji Clan is permanently stationed there, deterring ordinary demonic monsters from even approaching.

During the annual Beast Tide Calamity, only the Black Eagle Demon King from the Cerulean Peaks Range can exert any significant pressure on Yan Kingdom, yet even he dares not invade the heart of the Yan Lake Archipelago.

With such minimal external pressure, the high-ranking Immortal Clan of Yan Kingdom naturally flourish more vigorously, and conflicts among cultivators grow fiercer. While Purple Mansion Immortal Clan can still band together for mutual protection, life is considerably more difficult for Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement Immortal Clan.

"Look, the Barter Convention is beginning," someone remarked.

At that very moment, the Barter Convention officially commenced.

As the host of this Barter Convention, a representative from the Yan Nation Immortal Clan Alliance was the first to step forward.

The one who ascended was a woman of graceful and alluring figure. Her cultivation was at the Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer, and her aura was formidably powerful.

Earlier, Varen Wei had introduced this woman. Her name was Vivian Yuan, a cultivator from the Yuan Immortal Clan. This clan is one of the two dominant powers within the Yan Nation Immortal Clan Alliance, boasting a seated Golden Core Ancestor—a force not to be underestimated.

As the representative of the Yuan Immortal Clan, Vivian Yuan ascended the platform and, without any preamble, had three treasure boxes brought forth.

Within those three boxes, the first contained a piece of violet precious jade, the second held an emerald-green treasure crystal, and the final box cradled a single azure-colored precious pill.

"Purple Sun Jade [a rare jade imbued with the essence of the morning sun, prized for cultivation], First Wood Crystal [a crystalline essence of primordial wood energy, vital for refining wood-attributed treasures], and Azure Jade Barrier-Breaking Pill [a precious elixir renowned for helping cultivators break through cultivation bottlenecks]…"