Chapter 156 : A Pact Forged in Shadow

"It seems that in the hearts of the Chen Clan people, this Spirit Isle Lake holds far greater importance than the Sunward Market."

It was only at this moment that the figure in white robes revealed himself. This man had hair and beard as white as snow, his face deeply lined with wrinkles. It was none other than the clan leader of the Lin Immortal Clan, Ink Achievement Lin.

The other figure was wreathed in a palpable aura of malice. It was the long-missing Hong Old Demon. Years ago, Hong Old Demon had performed a bloody sacrifice upon the Zuo Immortal Clan to forge the Blood-Transforming Demon Saber. He had later been grievously wounded by Path Abyss Xu.

Who could have imagined that over these years, not only had Hong Old Demon's injuries fully healed, but his cultivation had advanced a step further, having now pierced through three-tenths of his Violet Sanctum Meridian of the Path [the energy channels associated with the Violet Sanctum cultivation stage].

"Heh heh heh!"

With a few sinister cackles, Hong Old Demon sneered coldly, "Since that girl insists on hiding inside, we shall go to Yu Pingyang City instead. There lies a feast of four to five hundred thousand souls of the Human Race."

"If I devour their flesh and blood in its entirety, this old man will most likely achieve a breakthrough into the Violet Sanctum Realm [a major stage in the cultivation path]."

Hearing the deranged words of Hong Old Demon, Ink Achievement Lin's expression remained as placid as still water. Instead, he replied with icy detachment,

"As per our agreement, you aid me in capturing the Spirit Isle Lake, and I assist you in taking Pingyang City."

"Do you intend to go back on your word?" This chapter is part of a larger work available at *audio-novel.com*.

"Hmph!" The Hong Old Demon sneered coldly. "That Spirit Isle Lake is guarded by a Second Rank High-Grade Spiritual Vein and a Second Rank High-Grade protective formation."

"Even if we combined our strength to breach it, we'd likely be left half-dead. Where would we find the energy to then attack Pingyang City?"

"Let me be blunt. The entire Solar Province is ripe with prey right now. The only reason I agreed to work with you is my old grudge against the Chen Clan. If you won't agree to attack Pingyang City, I'll turn and leave this very moment."

Ink Achievement Lin's expression shifted several times upon hearing this. Finally, his gaze turned icy. "Fine. A blood sacrifice of Pingyang City would indeed be the most devastating blow to the Chen Clan."

Seeing his agreement, the Hong Old Demon let out a derisive snort, his eyes gleaming with a cold light. "You're helping me destroy the Chen Clan. Aren't you worried about those two from the clan seeking revenge later?"

Ink Achievement Lin was momentarily taken aback, then sneered. "Eldrin Chen slaughtered four of my Lin Clan's Foundation Establishment cultivators. That is a blood debt that cannot be shared under the same sky. Besides, the blood sacrifice will be your doing."

"As for revenge... my lifespan is nearly spent. Once I'm dead, let the floods rage—what do I care? Would he dare commit an act of utter extermination, slaughtering the hundreds of thousands of mortals in my Lin Clan?"

As he spoke, he shot a wary glance at the Hong Old Demon.

Compared to the righteous Immortal Clan of the Chen Clan, it was far more likely that a fiend like the Zhang Old Demon would massacre mortals.

The thought brought a flicker of worry, but he quickly suppressed it. "I've given explicit orders for Ink Respect Lin to guard Lin City. Even if something happens to me, he should be enough to hold off this Hong Old Demon."

After suppressing his thoughts, the crimson light in Ink Achievement Lin's eyes grew even more intense, a shadow of madness flooding his pupils.

"The Chen Immortal Clan, this old man will make you pay the price."

"..."

Not long after, Starry River Meng within Pingyang City sensed something amiss.

He saw through the arrangements left by Ink Achievement Lin and discovered that Ink Achievement Lin had already been missing for some time.

Upon receiving this news, he immediately relayed it to Heavenly Ruins Mountain, then transmitted the message to Spirit Isle Lake and Pingyang City via a Communication Talisman [a magical slip of paper or jade used for long-distance communication].

After completing this, he gathered the Foundation Establishment cultivators from Yu County within Sunward Market and spoke with a grave expression.

"At this critical juncture, Ink Achievement Lin has suddenly vanished. I suspect he has likely lost his reason and gone to seek revenge on the Chen Clan."

"How dare he?"

The other several Foundation Establishment Cultivator cultivators nearby, upon hearing this, all had their expressions change drastically and couldn't help but exclaim.

"I have already relayed the message to the Chen Clan." Starry River Meng spoke, his expression grave. "I suspect Ink Achievement Lin might head for Pingyang City, but I cannot be certain."

"In that case, I shall go to Pingyang City first to assess the situation. You all should wait in the city for further news."

"We have signed a pact of mutual offense and defense. Should the Spiritual Vein [a natural conduit of concentrated spiritual energy] of the Chen Clan come under attack, I must implore you all to provide support."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. "Rest assured, the moment we receive a plea for aid from the Chen Clan, we will naturally intervene."

"..."

Meanwhile, after flying for the better part of a day, Ink Achievement Lin and Hong Old Demon soon arrived before the gates of Pingyang City. Official source: audio novel.com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Seeing two streaks of light hurtling towards them, Lior Chen, who had been forewarned, immediately activated the Solar Trueflame Formation [a defensive formation harnessing the power of the true sun's fire]. His face was icy as he roared in fury.

"Ink Achievement Lin, how dare you collude with a Demonic Cultivator [a practitioner who uses malevolent and often sacrificial methods to gain power]? Do you truly not fear that my Chen Clan will settle accounts with you later and utterly annihilate your Lin Clan?"

"Hmph."

Ink Achievement Lin's gaze turned cold, his voice rasping as he spoke. "This old man has long since resigned from the position of Patriarch of the Lin Clan. I am now but a rogue cultivator [an unaffiliated practitioner who wanders the world]."

"Today's matter is one of personal grievance. What does it have to do with the Lin Immortal Clan?"

"Hmph." Lior Chen did not believe a word of it. He let out a cold laugh and said, "Save that story for my nephew, Eldrin."

Upon hearing this, the complexions of both men shifted slightly. Since the Beast Tide [a massive, periodic invasion of demonic beasts], who in the land did not know that Eldrin Chen was a figure of infamous, slaughterous repute?

He had slain several Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast [powerful demonic beasts of the Violet Sanctum realm] in succession. The sheer decisiveness of Eldrin Chen's methods and the sharp edge of his character were tales that would soon spread throughout the entire Chu Nation.

Hong Old Demon's expression turned icy, murderous intent plain on his face. "Why waste words with him? Let us join forces and shatter this formation first."

As he spoke, he summoned his infamous Blood-Transforming Demon Saber, unleashing a torrential blade of Heavenly Blade aura [a supremely sharp and destructive energy] that cleaved downward, crashing directly against the City Defense Grand Formation.

The Blood-Transforming Demon Saber was a Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to its user's life force, growing in power with them] directly inherited from the Demon Cave. This Demon Cave, located in the southeastern borderlands of the Chu Nation, stood as one of the greatest adversaries within the Chu Nation Cultivation World.

Among the three great sects of the Chu Nation, the Purple Abyss Sect and the Verdant Sun Sect focused their main efforts on resisting the Demon Race from the direction of the Vast and Misty Marsh. The mightiest sect, the Firmament Sword Sect, bore the greatest responsibility for confronting the Demon Cave.

The fact that the Demon Cave could force the Firmament Sword Sect to commit its full strength to defense was proof enough that their power was in no way inferior to that of the three great sects of Chu Nation.

The Blood-Transforming Demon Saber was one of the many Demonic Treasure [magical artifacts forged through demonic or malevolent methods] of the Demon Cave, and among them, it possessed one of the most potent Slaughter [killing or destructive] energies. The Demonic Cultivator's Demonic Treasure did not place excessive demands on the quality of materials, but they required utterly vile and cruel methods to forge successfully.

Take this Blood-Transforming Demon Saber [a demonic blade that grows in power by consuming the blood of mortals], for instance. To forge it requires the blood of one hundred thousand ordinary mortals. To elevate it to the Violet Sanctum Realm [the third major realm of cultivation, where one opens the Violet Palace within the dantian] demands the blood of a million.

Though this blade is vile and steeped in blood, one cannot deny its formidable power. It surpasses even a weapon of the same tier, like the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword [a sword imbued with the purifying flames of the sun], by a significant margin.

That Hong Old Demon has now opened three-tenths of his Violet Sanctum Meridian of the Path [the primary meridian channel associated with the Violet Sanctum realm]. His True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a practitioner] is already comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation] grand cultivator like Varen Wei, who has broken through the Violet Sanctum barrier once.

Driven by such profound True Essence, the Blood-Transforming Demon Saber unleashed a terrifying might. It hammered against the Solar Trueflame Formation [a defensive formation powered by the true essence of solar flames], causing its radiant glow to dim and flicker precariously.

"This is bad!"

Witnessing the Blood-Transforming Demon Saber wreak havoc, Lior Chen's expression shifted abruptly. A sense of imminent peril washed over him.

The Blood-Transforming Demon Saber's power was truly horrifying, shaking the very light of the Solar Trueflame Formation. Had the Old Patriarch not upgraded the formation to the Second Rank High-Grade [a high-quality formation artifact of the second rank] before the Beast Tide [a periodic, massive onslaught of demonic beasts], it would have been breached in mere moments. This content originates from audio-novel.com. Please respect copyright.