Chapter 172 : A Calculated Retreat

He meticulously examined it with his spiritual sense for a long while, confirming it contained no tracking methods before finally storing it away. Then, he hastily retrieved the legacy of Path Master Mo and prepared to depart.

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

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

"It would be better to dismantle the Great Geng Sword Formation and take it back to the clan. Let the Violet Sanctum Demon Race of Black Eagle Ridge have this Third-order Spiritual Vein."

"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 Geng Sword Formation, taking away the formation disk, the Formation Artifact, and the Great Geng Heavenly Sword.

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

"..."

Not long after his departure, the emergence of the Third Rank Superior Grade Spiritual Vein attracted the attention of nearby Black Python Demon tribes.

Upon discovering the Third Rank Superior Grade Spiritual Vein, the Black Python Demon tribe was overjoyed and immediately occupied the Spirit Mountain, naming it Black Python Mountain and establishing it as their demonic lair. Unbeknownst to them, they had unwittingly taken the blame for Eldrin Chen. Read, share, and discuss at audio-novel`com.

Several months later, a Golden Core Patriarch from the Deng Clan, guided by the resonance of a Soul-Tracking Life Tablet, tracked his way to Black Python Mountain. In a fury, he slaughtered the Black Python Demon clan to the last beast.

The Black Eagle Demon King, discovering his subordinate had been butchered, was not one to take such an insult lightly. Black Eagle Ridge held a dominant position within the Verdant Azure Mountains; the fact it could exist as a neighbor to the Verdant Azure Immortal Sect spoke volumes of its formidable strength.

In a single night, all three Demon King powerhouses from Black Eagle Ridge emerged in pursuit. They chased the Deng Clan Patriarch for over six hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters]. The ensuing battle unleashed True Flame [a pure, potent form of spiritual fire], which ultimately ignited a full-scale war between the Deng Clan and Black Eagle Ridge.

For Eldrin Chen, these events were tales of a distant aftermath. With Lila in tow, he skirted around the Verdant Azure Immortal Sect and flew for two million Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] before finally crossing back into Border Province.

He did not return directly to Yu County, instead flying straight to Heavenly Ruins Mountain to seek out Exquisite Jiang.

"During my journey to 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 in Eldrin Chen's nerves finally eased. He recounted the entire sequence of events to Exquisite Jiang.

After listening, Exquisite Jiang meticulously examined each of the treasures Eldrin Chen had seized. She then nodded and spoke.

"There are indeed no tracking marks or hidden mechanisms on these items."

She smiled faintly, her composure unshaken as she spoke, "Even if there were any tricks, you need not be anxious. Yan Kingdom lies several million Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] distant from us."

"As long as it is not a treasure like the Soul-Tracking Life Tablet [a magical artifact that can track a person's life force and location], even a divine sense left by a Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has condensed their spiritual energy into a solid Golden Core] would need to be within a thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] to sense you. It is impossible for it 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 [the art of refining spiritual pills and elixirs] and Formation [the art of creating magical arrays and barriers] inheritances he had obtained onto them, and handed them to Exquisite Jiang before saying,

"This opportunity yielded no small gains. I obtained two legacies; perhaps they will be useful to you."

Exquisite Jiang took the jade slips and glanced at them, offering a rare compliment, "This Alchemy Manual [a tome containing profound knowledge of pill refinement] is quite decent."

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

"The matter of Spiritual Root Completion [a profound technique to perfect one's innate spiritual foundation] can be delayed no longer. I intend to assault Heavenly Python Lake in ten years."

"Ten years."

Eldrin Chen's expression turned grave, yet he nodded firmly. "Within ten years, I am confident I can break through to the Violet Sanctum [the realm where one opens a mystical palace within the dantian]. By then, I should be able to offer some assistance."

"Your breakthrough to the Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual core within the dantian] is achievement enough; that we can fight side by side is a great boon."

She spoke these words while looking at him, a trace of a smile spilling into her eyes.

Gazing into her limpid, autumn-water eyes, Eldrin Chen felt an inexplicable stirring in his heart. He quickly changed the subject, saying,

"That little girl possesses an Ice Spiritual Root [an innate affinity for ice and water elemental spiritual energy]. I thought you might have cultivation arts suited for that affinity."

"Mm."

Exquisite Jiang nodded, her brows and eyes smiling as she looked at Lila. "Elara also has an Ice Spiritual Root, and her cultivation art is of the ice attribute. I'll have her transcribe a copy for you later." Original English translation available at www . audio-novel.com.

"My thanks, then."

Eldrin Chen nodded in acknowledgment. Elara Lin's cultivation art reached the Violet Sanctum 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of the Violet Sanctum realm], which would be more than sufficient for Lila to cultivate for a long time to come.

"..."

After resting for three days at Heavenly Ruins Mountain, Eldrin Chen bid farewell to Exquisite Jiang and soared back to Spirit Isle Lake upon his flying sword.

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

After slaying the two brothers of the Deng Clan, the items he had taken, though few in number, were of exceptionally high value.

There were fifty thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] alone. Beyond that, there was one Divine Ability Jade Slip [a jade slip containing the knowledge of a divine ability], several vials of elixirs with varying effects, one jade slip detailing a Life-Bound Magical Artifact [a magical treasure bound to a cultivator's life force], and three Third-Rank Magical Treasure [magical treasures of the third rank].

That Divine Ability Jade Slip contained the rare pupil technique divine ability 'Jade Spirit Eye'. Among the elixirs, the most valuable was the Green Jade Barrier-Breaking Pill [a pill that aids in breaking through cultivation barriers], which Origin Martial Deng had acquired at a high price during the trade fair auction.

The jade slip for the Life-Bound Magical Artifact was for 'Selene's Transcendent Sword'. This sword was a rare universal-type Lifebound Magical Treasure, which could be refined regardless of one's Spiritual Root [the innate spiritual affinity that determines a cultivator's elemental aptitude].

It was precisely for this reason that it could command the astronomical price of one hundred thousand spirit stones. After all, the Chen Clan's heirloom Lifebound Magical Treasure, the Crimson Flame Spirit Blade, had only cost twenty thousand spirit stones back in the day.

The three Third-Rank Magical Treasure were respectively Origin Outstanding Deng's Air-Cleaving Skiff, and Origin Martial Deng's spell blade and defensive magical treasure. Unfortunately, the three Spirit Stone used by Origin Martial Deng were exhausted and did not fall into Eldrin Chen's hands.

"Truly, a bountiful harvest," he murmured.

Eldrin Chen decided to keep the 'Jade Spirit Eye' for his own cultivation practice. The Air-Cleaving Skiff would replace the Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Ship. After all, the Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Ship was a Medium Treasure Ark [a medium-sized treasure-bearing vessel], which was considerably slower and thus more suitable for the clan's collective use.

The other treasures were of little immediate use to him, so he stored them away to bolster the clan's reserves, to be allocated at a critical moment in the future.

After storing away the several treasures, Eldrin Chen retrieved the greatest harvest from this endeavor.

Exquisite Jiang paid little mind to the treasures of the two Deng Clan cultivators, yet she gave a favorable evaluation to the two legacies left by Path Master Mo, which speaks volumes about the extraordinary nature of these precious tomes.

Eldrin Chen carefully opened the precious tome to examine it, and the more he read, the greater his delight grew.

The tome was titled the Qian Yuan Formation Canon [a comprehensive treatise on formation arts], compiled by an ancient cultivator named Heaven Origin Chen.

This canon recorded one hundred and seven First-Rank Formations, thirty-one Second-Rank Formations, and seven Third-Rank Formations.

Leaving aside the Second-Rank Formations, among the seven Third-Rank Formations, there were actually two of Third-Rank Superior Grade. One of these was the Great Geng Sword Formation [a powerful sword-based defensive and offensive formation].

"With this formation canon, Old Patriarch's mastery of the formation arts will likely advance by leaps and bounds," Eldrin Chen mused.

Gazing at the precious tome, Eldrin Chen couldn't help but reveal a look of pleasant surprise.

Old Patriarch possessed extraordinary talent in formation arts, his skill surpassing even Eldrin Chen's by a significant margin. If he could fully comprehend this formation canon, he might one day rank among the top three formation masters in the entire Chu Nation.

Setting down the formation tome, Eldrin Chen picked up the alchemy manual. With just a single glance at its contents, his hands trembled with excitement.

This alchemy tome was also authored by Heaven Origin Chen and records over one hundred different pill formulas.

Setting aside the Second Rank formulas, there are nine Third Rank formulas alone. Among these nine, five are of the Third Rank Lower Grade tier.

Among these five formulas, those for the Purple Essence Pill [a pill that refines and purifies one's spiritual essence], the Mystic Jade Pill [a pill that nourishes the body and spirit with jade-like purity], and the Cloud Vein Creation Pill [a pill that aids in opening and strengthening the body's spiritual meridians] were already in the possession of Exquisite Jiang and thus were not considered exceptionally rare. This novel is serialized on audio-novel.com. Visit for updates.