Chapter 165 : A Final Chance at the Violet Sanctum

"Fellow Daoist Eldrin."

As Eldrin Chen stepped into the Ethereal Pavilion, a familiar voice reached his ears.

He looked up and saw it was none other than Varen Wei. The Wei Clan Patriarch approached, grasped Eldrin Chen's arm, and said with delight, "I never imagined I would encounter you here in the Yan Kingdom."

"A rare encounter indeed,"

Eldrin Chen replied, a faint smile touching his lips. Then he inquired, "Elder Brother, your presence here... could it be for..."

He trailed off. Varen Wei nodded, his expression turning grave. "This old man has indeed come for the First Wood Crystal [a rare crystalline substance imbued with the pure essence of the Wood element, crucial for certain cultivation breakthroughs]."

"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. Unless he consumed a precious Life-Extending Treasure [a rare artifact or elixir capable of prolonging a cultivator's natural lifespan], this was his final chance to attempt a breakthrough to the Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a mystical core within their dantian].

Should he fail once more, the Wei Immortal Clan would likely exhaust its remaining resources, condemning the clan to a century of austere hardship. For the best reading experience, visit audio . novel . com.

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen smiled faintly and said, "Brother, you have already attempted a breakthrough into the Violet Sanctum once and consumed a Mysterious Origin Pill. If you were to obtain a First Wood Crystal now, I believe you would be certain to 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 Violet Sanctum Meridian of the Path and had taken the Mysterious Origin Pill. The depth and potency of his True Essence far surpassed that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Under such circumstances, obtaining another First Wood Crystal would, in his estimation, give him roughly a fifty percent chance of successfully breaking through to the Violet Sanctum.

A fifty percent chance was already considered quite high, enough to warrant risking everything. 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, isn't it? Allow me, as your elder brother, to introduce you to 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 Foundation Establishment cultivators like them, ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator practitioners were no longer a significant concern. The ones that warranted their caution were the few Foundation Establishment Cultivator cultivators with astonishingly formidable backgrounds and origins.

Among the many Foundation Establishment Cultivator cultivators present, there was hardly anyone who posed a real challenge to Eldrin Chen. Only one cultivator, named Origin Martial Deng, made him feel a sense of pressure.

That Origin Martial Deng was a tall, imposing man whose aura was exceptionally powerful. He was accompanied by two beautiful women whose cultivation had reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, clearly indicating an Extraordinary and significant background.

Varen Wei noticed Eldrin Chen's gaze and quickly offered a quiet reminder in a low voice.

"That man is a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Deng Immortal Clan. His name is Origin Martial Deng, a direct descendant of the Deng Clan."

"His background is formidable. You must not offend him."

With this warning, Eldrin Chen grasped the man's identity.

Origin Martial Deng was not only a direct scion of the Deng Clan, but also the beloved grandson of a Golden Core Patriarch from the clan. He had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so to speak.

Bolstered by his grandfather's favor, Origin Martial Deng had attempted the Violet Sanctum breakthrough three times. Though he failed each time, he had managed to open over ninety percent of his Violet Sanctum Meridian of the Path.

Furthermore, he had consumed rare treasures akin to the Mysterious Origin Pill [a legendary pill that greatly enhances one's foundational cultivation]. As a result, the density of his True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a practitioner] rivaled that of an ordinary Violet Sanctum cultivator, making his combat prowess truly formidable.

After finishing his explanation, Varen Wei secretly transmitted his voice again, "He possesses only Three Spiritual Roots [a mediocre innate talent for cultivation], yet he has never lacked for resources. Moreover, he practices the Essence Plundering Art [a forbidden technique that steals the cultivation base of others]."

"Those two Foundation Establishment female cultivators beside him were likely once pillars of their respective Immortal Clan s. Now, they serve as his cultivation cauldrons [a term for a partner whose cultivation is drained to fuel another's], their hard-earned cultivation becoming nothing but a dowry for another."

"Alas, the Deng Clan holds absolute sway within the Yan Kingdom. Even the Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan s of Yan Kingdom can only form a loose alliance to offer meager resistance. For ordinary cultivators from Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan s, they are ultimately nothing more than fish on the chopping block for 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 Dual Cultivation Path, the Essence Absorption Path itself originated from techniques within the Demonic Path.

After a cultivator plunders a cultivation vessel [a person used as a source of energy], they can often increase their cultivation speed and save significant time in their practice. The plundered cultivator, however, suffers severe damage to their cultivation base, potentially even regressing to a lower realm.

This was originally a cultivation method practiced among Demonic Cultivator. Demonic Cultivator cultivate without scruple, adhering to the principle of benefiting oneself at the expense of others. This is also a key reason why Demonic Cultivator often advance faster than righteous path cultivators.

For a righteous path cultivator to use another as a cultivation vessel is, to a certain extent, little different from the methods of Demonic Cultivator and is considered a heretical path.

Within the Chu Nation, essence plundering is jointly prohibited by the three great sects. It is unexpected that within the Yan Kingdom, someone would dare to practice this art so openly and brazenly. Original publication: audio-novel . com - The source of this chapter.

Thinking this, Eldrin Chen's gaze turned icy as he said, "To cultivate the Essence Plundering Art so openly... and no one in the Yan Kingdom intervenes?"

"The Yan Kingdom has only five Golden Core Cultivator, and the Deng Clan alone possesses three of them," Varen Wei sighed, his voice filled with helplessness. "With the Deng Clan holding such overwhelming power, others naturally dare not voice their anger, even if they feel it."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen suppressed the murderous thoughts rising within him.

Though his nature was sharp and intolerant of injustice, he acted with measured judgment and was not a reckless man.

The Yan Kingdom differs from the Chu Nation. The Chu Nation, facing the threats of the Demon Race from the Vast and Misty Marsh and the Demon Cave, bears immense pressure upon its three great sects. Therefore, the general approach is to stabilize the hearts of the various Immortal Clan [powerful cultivation families] and unite against the Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who use dark, forbidden arts] and the Demon Race.

In contrast, the environment of the Yan Kingdom is far more favorable. In the past, the Ji Immortal Clan, Hegemon of the Six Kingdoms, in order to seize the Fifth Rank Water Vein [a powerful natural conduit of water-attuned spiritual energy] within the Yan Kingdom, slaughtered all the high-tier Demon Beast [monstrous creatures that cultivate demonic energy] within Yan Lake.

Furthermore, to protect their interests in the Yan Kingdom, a Fifth Rank Spiritual Vein [a powerful natural source of spiritual energy] has since been cultivated atop that very Fifth Rank Water Vein. An Infant Soul True Lord [a powerful cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage] from the Ji Clan is permanently stationed there, deterring ordinary demons and monsters from approaching.

During the centennial Beast Tide [a periodic surge of monstrous beasts], only the Black Eagle Demon King from the Verdant Azure Mountains can pose any significant pressure on the Yan Kingdom, yet even it dares not invade the heart of the Yan Lake Archipelago.

With such minimal external pressure, the high-tier Immortal Clan within the Yan Kingdom naturally flourish more vigorously, and conflicts among cultivators grow more intense. Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan [families with cultivators at the Violet Palace stage] can still band together for warmth, but life is considerably more difficult for Foundation Establishment and Vital Essence Refinement [Qi Condensation stage] Immortal Clan.

"Look, the Barter Convention [a grand gathering for cultivators to trade resources] has begun."

At that very moment, the Barter Convention officially commenced.

As the host of this Barter Convention, a representative from the Yan Kingdom 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 9th Tier, and her aura was formidably powerful.

Earlier, Varen Wei had introduced this woman's background. Her name was Tiny Rose Yuan, a cultivator from the Yuan Immortal Clan. This clan was one of the two Sovereign [Golden Core stage] powers within the Yan Kingdom Immortal Clan Alliance, with a Golden Core Patriarch presiding over it—a force not to be underestimated.

As the representative of the Yuan Immortal Clan, Tiny Rose Yuan ascended the platform and, without wasting words, immediately had three Treasure Boxes brought forth.

Within those three Treasure Boxes, the first contained a piece of violet jade, the second held an emerald-green crystalline gem, and the final box housed a single azure Precious Pill.

"Purple Sun Jade [a rare jade imbued with the essence of the rising sun], First Wood Crystal [a crystalline essence of the primordial wood element], Green Jade Barrier-Breaking Pill [a precious elixir that aids in overcoming cultivation bottlenecks]..." Murmurs of recognition swept through the crowd, followed by sharp intakes of breath at the sight of these three treasures.