Chapter 172 : A Vein of Deceit and Flight

After meticulously inspecting it with his divine sense for a long while, confirming no tracking methods remained, he finally stowed it away. Then, he hastily retrieved the legacy of Mo the Daoist and prepared to depart.

Before leaving, he cast a glance at the Great Metallic Sword Formation. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke.

"This Unforgotten Peak is now territory of Black Eagle Ridge, and I likely lack the strength to hold it. Moreover, once the Deng Clan investigates, they might still trace the clues here."

"It would be better to dismantle the Great Metallic Sword Formation and take it back to the clan, leaving this Third Rank Spirit Vein for the Purple Mansion Demonic Tribe of Black Eagle Ridge."

"That way, the Deng Clan might be misled into believing the two were slain by Black Eagle Ridge."

No sooner thought than done. Eldrin Chen dismantled the Great Metallic Sword Formation, taking away the Formation Plate and the formation's core weapon, the Great Metallic Heaven Sword.

After completing this, he reduced the two bodies to ashes with fire. For the sake of utmost caution, he even detoured eastward towards the direction of the Verdant Immortal Sect for over five hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] before finally turning his flight towards the Chu Kingdom.

Not long after his departure, the emergence of the Third Rank High Grade Spirit Vein caught the attention of nearby Black Serpent Demon tribes.

Upon discovering the Third Rank High Grade Spirit Vein, the Black Serpent Demon tribe was overjoyed and immediately occupied the Spirit Mountain, naming it Black Serpent Mountain and establishing it as their demonic lair. Unbeknownst to them, they had unwittingly taken the blame for Eldrin Chen.

Several months later, a Golden Core Ancestor from the Deng Clan, following the faint resonance of the Soul-Tracking Life Plaque, tracked his way all to Black Serpent Mountain. In a furious rage, he slaughtered the entire Black Serpent Demon tribe to the last. Read, share, and discuss at site: audio-novel.com.

Upon discovering his subordinates had been slaughtered, the Black Eagle Demon King [a powerful demonic ruler] was not one to take such an affront lightly. The Black Eagle Ridge [his mountain stronghold] held a dominant position within the Cerulean Peaks Range, and the very fact it could exist as a neighbor to the Verdant Immortal Sect [a major righteous cultivation sect] was testament to its formidable, unyielding strength.

In a single night, all three Demon King [rulers of demonic beast tribes] from the Black Eagle Ridge emerged in pursuit. They chased Deng the Ancient Ancestor [the patriarch of the Deng Clan] for over six hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters]. The conflict escalated until both sides unleashed their True Flame [a potent, purified flame cultivated for combat], igniting a full-scale war between the Deng Clan and the forces of Black Eagle Ridge.

For Eldrin Chen, these events were a tale for later. With Lila by his side, he carefully skirted the territories of the Verdant Immortal Sect. After a journey spanning two million Li-length, they finally crossed back into the borders of Bianzhou.

He did not first return to Yu County, instead flying directly to Celestial Ruins Mountain to seek out Lyra Jiang.

"During my time in the Yan Kingdom, I slew two cultivators from the Deng Clan," he stated.

"I need your counsel on whether this will bring trouble."

Upon seeing her, the tension coiled within Eldrin Chen finally eased. He recounted the entire sequence of events to her in detail.

After listening, Lyra Jiang meticulously examined each of the treasures Eldrin Chen had acquired. She then nodded, her expression calm.

"There are indeed no tracking marks or hidden contingencies on these items," she confirmed.

A faint, reassuring smile touched her lips. "Even if there were, you need not be overly concerned. The Yan Kingdom lies millions of Li-length away from us."

"As long as it is not a treasure like the Soul-Tracking Life Plaque [a magical plaque that can track a person's soul over vast distances], even a divine sense left by a Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a solidified golden core of spiritual power] cultivator would need to be within a thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] to sense anything. It is impossible to detect you across such a vast distance."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen felt a slight wave of relief.

He retrieved several jade slips, copied the alchemy and Formation [a structured arrangement of energy channels and artifacts used to create magical effects or barriers] legacies he had obtained onto them, and handed them to Lyra Jiang before saying.

"This opportunity yielded no small fortune—two legacies were obtained. They may prove useful to you."

Lyra Jiang took the jade slips and glanced at them, offering a rare evaluation: "This Alchemy Tome [a book containing profound knowledge and techniques for pill refinement] is quite decent."

After a long moment, she set down the Alchemy Tome, her gaze settling on Eldrin Chen.

"The matter of mending your Spiritual Root [the innate channels within a person that determine their affinity for and ability to absorb spiritual energy] can be delayed no longer. I intend to assault Celestial Python Lake [a lake domain ruled by a powerful serpentine demonic beast] in ten years' time."

"Ten years."

Eldrin Chen's expression turned grave, yet he nodded in agreement. "Within ten years, I am confident I can achieve a breakthrough into the Purple Mansion [the fourth major realm of cultivation, where one opens and refines a spiritual palace within the dantian]. By then, I should be able to offer some assistance."

"Your breakthrough into the Purple Mansion alone will be aid enough; to fight side by side will be more than sufficient."

She gazed at him as she spoke, a glimmer of amusement spilling into her eyes.

Meeting her limpid, autumn-water gaze, Eldrin Chen felt an inexplicable stir in his heart. He hurriedly changed the subject, saying,

"That little girl possesses an Ice Spiritual Root [a spiritual affinity attuned to the element of ice]. I thought you might have cultivation arts suitable for an Ice Spiritual Root."

"Mm."

Lyra Jiang nodded, her eyes smiling as she looked at Lila. "Elara Lin also has an Ice Spiritual Root. Her cultivation art is ice-attribute. I'll have her transcribe a copy for you later."

"My thanks, then." Original English translation available at http://www . audio-novel.com.

Eldrin Chen nodded. Elara Lin's cultivation art reached the ninth layer of the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual palace within], which would be sufficient for Lila to cultivate for a long time to come.

After resting for three days at Celestial Ruins Mountain, Eldrin Chen bid farewell to Lyra Jiang and flew back to Spirit Isle Lake on his sword.

Returning to Spirit Isle Lake allowed him to finally breathe a sigh of relief. Only then did he have the peace of mind to take stock of the gains from this recent endeavor.

Although the items he had taken after slaying the Deng Brothers were few in number, their value was exceedingly high.

There were merely fifty thousand Spirit Stones [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation], and beyond that, one Divine Ability Jade Slip [a jade slip used to record and transmit divine abilities or profound techniques], several bottles of elixirs with varying effects, one jade slip containing a Lifebound Magical Treasure [an enchanted artifact bound to a cultivator's life force and soul], and three Third Rank Magical Treasures [magical treasures of the third rank, corresponding to the Purple Mansion cultivation realm].

That Divine Ability Jade Slip contained the rare pupil technique divine ability 'Jade Spirit Eye' [a divine ability that grants enhanced perception and insight through the eyes]. Among the elixirs, the most valuable was the Azure Jade Barrier-Breaking Pill [a high-grade pill used to break through cultivation barriers]. This item had been acquired by Duncan Deng through a high-price bid at a Barter Convention [a large-scale gathering where cultivators trade goods and resources].

The Lifebound Magical Treasure jade slip contained the 'Clear Moon Ethereal Void Sword' [a sword named for its clarity, lunar affinity, and ethereal nature]. This sword was a rare universal Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a type of magical treasure that can be bound to any cultivator, regardless of their spiritual affinity], which could be refined by cultivators with any type of Spiritual Root [the innate spiritual foundation that determines a cultivator's elemental affinity and potential].

It was precisely because of this universality that it could command the astronomical price of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. After all, the Chen Clan's heirloom Life-Bound Magical Treasure, the Crimson Flame Spirit Blade [a spirit blade imbued with crimson flame], had only cost twenty thousand Spirit Stones back in the day.

The three Third Rank Magical Treasures were respectively Duncan Jie's Void-Cleaving Boat [a magical boat capable of traversing voids or great distances], and Duncan Deng's law blade and defensive magical treasure. Unfortunately, Duncan Deng had already expended the power of his three key Spirit Stones [likely referring to specific, powerful Spirit Stone artifacts], so they did not fall into Eldrin Chen's hands.

"Truly, a bountiful harvest," he murmured.

Eldrin Chen kept the Jade Spirit Eye for his own cultivation and reserved the Void-Cleaving Boat to replace the Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Boat [a medium-sized treasure boat named for its demon-slaying capabilities]. After all, the Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Boat was a medium treasure boat, considerably slower, making it more suitable for clan use.

The other treasures were not immediately useful to him, so he stored them away to bolster the clan's foundational reserves, to be allocated at a critical moment.

After storing these treasures, Eldrin Chen retrieved the greatest prize of this endeavor.

Lyra Jiang had paid little heed to the treasures of the two Deng Clan cultivators, yet she had spoken favorably of the two legacies left by Daoist Mo [a Daoist cultivator surnamed Mo], a testament to the extraordinary nature of these treasured tomes.

Eldrin Chen carefully opened the treasure tome to examine it, and the more he looked, the greater his astonishment grew.

The treasure tome was titled the Primordial Origin Formation Canon [a foundational text on mystical formations], compiled by an ancient cultivator named Chen Primus. It was a comprehensive treatise on the art of Formation [the practice of creating and utilizing mystical arrays].

This canon recorded one hundred and seven types of First Rank Formation, thirty-one types of Second Rank Formation, and seven types of Third Rank Formation.

Setting aside the Second Rank Formation, among the Third Rank Formation were actually two formations of Third Rank High Grade [a very advanced level of power], one of which was the Great Metallic Sword Formation [a powerful sword array].

"With this formation canon, the Old Patriarch's mastery of Formation will likely advance by leaps and bounds," Eldrin murmured to himself.

Eldrin Chen gazed at the treasure book, unable to suppress a surge of delighted surprise.

The Old Patriarch possessed exceptional talent in Formation, his skill surpassing even Eldrin Chen's by a significant margin. If he could fully comprehend this Formation system, he might one day rank among the top three Formation Master [masters of mystical arrays] in the entire Chu Kingdom.

Setting down the Formation treasure tome, Eldrin Chen picked up the Alchemy Treasure Tome [a precious book of alchemical secrets]. With just a single glance through its contents, his hands trembled with excitement.

This Alchemy Treasure Tome was also authored by Chen Primus and contained records of over one hundred different pill formulas.

Leaving aside the First and Second Rank formulas, there were nine Third Rank [a high level of cultivation] pill formulas alone. Among these nine, five were of Third Rank Low Grade [the lower tier within the Third Rank].

Among these five pill formulas, the recipes for the Purple Aura Pill [a pill that enhances spiritual aura and cultivation], the Mysterious Jade Pill [a pill that refines the body and clears meridians], and the Cloud Vein Creation Pill [a rare pill that aids in spiritual breakthroughs] were all in Lyra Jiang's possession, making them not exceptionally rare finds. Continue reading this story at AUDIO-NOVEL.COM.