Chapter 183 Setting Up a Tier 3 Formation

Now, even if the Chen family could only take a share of the profits, thinning out the gains of the other 2 families, they would still add at least 6,000 spirit stones to their annual revenue.

After the Chen family's recent ascension to a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan, the stipends for Eldrin and the old clan head would be substantially increased.

Generally speaking, the annual stipend for Violet Mansion cultivators in most sects and clans exceeds 3,000 spirit stones, with favorable conditions even reaching 5,000 spirit stones.

Without this fixed stipend, a Purple Mansion cultivator would find their cultivation considerably more difficult, and it would be nearly impossible to reach the middle or late stages of the Purple Mansion realm before their lifespan was exhausted.

This stipend of spirit stones was by no means a small sum. 1 must understand that before securing the Gengjin Earth Vein, even as a top-tier Foundation Establishment clan, the Chen Family’s annual income had barely exceeded 9,000 spirit stones.

If they could secure a share of the Bianzhou Spirit Stone Mine and the Xin Gold Earth Vein, the Chen Clan's finances would become far more abundant. Coupled with the advancement of the Spirit Isle Lake (Location) spiritual vein to the third rank, the clan's surplus of spirit stones was certain to increase by a significant margin in the future.

After all, aside from merit rewards and clan missions, the monthly allocation of spirit stones from the family was fixed. Under such circumstances, every additional 1,000 spirit stones earned meant 1,000 extra spirit stones saved—this was pure, unadulterated profit gained without cost.

At this thought, Eldrin also nodded and said, "Then let's schedule the promotion banquet 3 months from now. The Elder Council shall make the preparations."

“The major Foundation Establishment and Zifu clans across Border Province, Kael (Person Name) and Caleb (Person Name)—you 2 shall proceed to Spirit County and Abundance County. Ensure every prominent immortal clan in these 2 counties receives proper notification.”

Sending Kael (Person Name) and Chen Caleb (Person Name) to represent the family in the other 2 prefectures of Border Province was actually a rather suitable choice.

Within the clan, the status of the Patriarch and Eldrin (Person Name) had undergone a profound transformation. For years now, cultivation had become their foremost priority, and they seldom involved themselves in the trivial matters of the family.

All major and minor clan affairs were generally handled by the clan's council of elders. Only matters of significant importance would require the attention of the 2 of them.

In truth, the vast majority of immortal clans in this realm operated precisely this way. The clan leader and ancestral elder stood as the mightiest pillars of their lineage, upholding the clan’s prestige. Yet beyond their cultivation, these leaders seldom involved themselves in the day-to-day affairs of the clan.

Aside from major decisions that required the Patriarch's attention, routine matters were handled by the Hall of Clan Affairs and the Council of Elders. These affairs merely needed to be reported to the Patriarch during the annual conclave.

Moreover, as Eldrin (Person Name) and the Old Patriarch deepened their cultivation, the duration of their secluded meditation could gradually extend. In the future, these reports might only occur once every few years, or even once every few decades.

Thus, many matters were left to the elders' discretion. When they found themselves uncertain, they would convene the Council of Elders for deliberation.

Eldrin and the old clan leader concerned themselves only with critical matters and matters of reward and punishment. Should anyone engage in favoritism and pervert the law, seek personal gain through illicit means, or commit acts that provoked the wrath of both heaven and mankind, the 2 would naturally not let them off easily.

As long as Eldrin (Person Name) and the old clan leader remained as these 2 pillars of stability, the clan would never descend into chaos no matter how severe the crisis. These Foundation Establishment elders would remain united, preventing a recurrence of the tragedy that had befallen the Azure Sun Sect.

This is the power of leading by example. When they dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to the clan and severely punished those who betrayed it, those beneath them naturally followed suit.

Getting back to the story, both Kael and Caleb were quite young—1 being exceptionally youthful while the other had achieved Foundation Establishment through self-cultivation. Now, they had both broken through to the 4th layer of Foundation Establishment.

Although the Chen Family now boasted 13 Foundation Establishment cultivators, only the 2 siblings and Kael (Person Name) truly stood out among them.

Others such as Seraphina (Person Name), Nian Feng, and Nian Zhen fell somewhat short. Their temperament, aptitude, and longevity were not particularly outstanding among Foundation Establishment cultivators, and they lacked the diligence in cultivation demonstrated by Lior (Person Name) and Chen Qingwan of the Qing generation.

Among the many elders of the clan, these 2 held considerable importance and status, having earned the regard of Eldrin (Person Name) and the Old Patriarch. Entrusting them with delivering the invitations demonstrated due respect toward the great families.

"Speaking of hosting banquets, it reminds me of the family’s Foundation Establishment celebration nearly 40 years ago."

"Back then, when our family produced 3 Foundation Establishment cultivators in succession, it was I who ran the errands. Who could have imagined our clan would undergo such tremendous changes in merely 40 years?"

Eldrin smiled and said, "40 years have passed in the blink of an eye. Now, I have become a revered elder."

Given his current status, it was no longer appropriate for him to personally deliver invitations. Even the Violet Mansion immortal clans could not afford such an honor, let alone those at the Foundation Establishment level.

After further discussion, the group took advantage of the opportunity to deliberate on several crucial matters. The proceedings lasted an entire day before concluding.

After arranging all these matters, Eldrin and the old clan leader began setting up formation arrays for the Dark Iron Mountain dojo.

After surveying the terrain, the Old Clan Leader said to Eldrin,

"The spiritual vein of this Dark Iron Mountain (Location) and the Gengjin Earth Vein Necklace would be best paired with a metal-attributed magical treasure to serve as the formation anchor."

"Only then can its full power be unleashed."

Eldrin's eyes flickered slightly as he drew out a third-tier magic treasure.

It was none other than the Vajra Banner of Xuro, a third-tier magical treasure capable of both offense and defense. The divine abilities it contained—the Glazed Vajra Barrier and the Xuro’s Heaven-Striking Seal—were both of the metal element.

The old clan leader glanced at it, hesitated for a moment, then said, "This treasure possesses extraordinary power. You should keep it for yourself to bolster your combat prowess."

"Now that I have broken through to the Violet Mansion realm, this object is merely adding flowers to brocade for me."

"This Dark Iron Mountain (Location) will become 1 of our clan's greatest lifelines in the future. Using it to deploy a third-tier formation to secure the mountain's spiritual veins is truly making the most of its purpose."

Eldrin shook his head and said, "Although this treasure offers both offensive and defensive capabilities, I already possess the Rofu Vajra Seal for defense and have no shortage of offensive methods. While this item still has its uses, its significance is no longer particularly substantial."

Hearing this, the Old Clan Leader concurred with his perspective and began deploying the Mountain Protection Array.

After working together for several days, the 2 finally completed the grand formation. Chen Changxuan gazed at the array with undisguised delight and said,

"With this grand formation guarding us, even if a Core Formation cultivator attacks in the future, we should be able to hold them off for some time."

"Hmm."

Eldrin also nodded, a faint smile gracing his features.

Once this formation was completed, it was already extraordinary. The 2 divine abilities of the Vajra Banner of the Ruling Deity would be greatly amplified, making it difficult even for a Purple Mansion cultivator to breach it in a short time.

However, the spiritual energy from a second-grade, upper-tier earth vein was ultimately somewhat insufficient. In the future, it would need to be upgraded to a third-grade spiritual vein to unleash the full potential of this formation.

However, this would require the consumption of 300,000 spirit stones. Even for the Chen family, which had recently advanced to become a Violet Mansion clan, accumulating such an amount would take 20-some to 30 years.

Fortunately, the Chen Clan had seized a large quantity of second-order Heaven and Earth Spirit Treasures from the Eldrin Gold Vein this time. Once they were sold, they could cover over half of this sum.

With the clan providing a bit of additional support, we'll be able to elevate the Dark Iron Mountain (Location) dojo to the lower third-tier within 5 years.

With the third-order spirit vein now in place, the scale of the spirit fields at Dark Iron Mountain (Location) would expand once more, generating greater harvests for the clan and establishing a self-reinforcing cycle of prosperity.

Of course, the primary reason was that the Chen family possessed the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root), which eliminated the advancement consumption from the 3 spiritual veins of Pingyang City, Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location), and Spirit Isle Lake (Location).

Otherwise, even advancing just 2 or 3 third-order spirit veins would force a newly ascended Zi Mansion immortal clan to tighten their belts, requiring nearly a century of frugal living to possibly accumulate sufficient spirit stones.

After setting up the third-tier grand formation at Dark Iron Mountain (Location), the family's Foundation Establishment cultivators were finally freed up.

The Chen Clan left 5 Foundation Establishment cultivators—Chen Qingwan, Kael (Person Name), Chen Nianzhen, Chen Seraphina (Person Name), and Chen Nianfeng—to guard this place, while the rest returned to Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location) and the various spirit veins.

Chapter 1: The Reborn Eldrin The air in the Nether Abyss trembled as a crimson streak tore across the ashen sky. Upon a jagged cliff stood a figure in azure robes, his sleeves whipping violently in the howling wind. This was Eldrin, reborn after a 100 years of soul refinement. "9 Revolutions of the Heavenly Dao..." he murmured, his voice barely audible above the gale. "This time, I shall not fail." Memories flooded his mind—the celestial tribulation that shattered his nascent soul, the betrayal that cost him his cultivation, and the final glimpse of her sorrowful eyes before his consciousness faded. Now, awakened in this new vessel, he could still feel the lingering power of the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss coursing through his meridians. His spiritual sense detected 3 cultivators approaching rapidly. With a flick of his wrist, 12,000 spirit stones materialized around him, forming the Ancient Star Gathering Array. The stones glowed with ethereal light as they drew upon the world's primordial energy. "Eldrin! Your arrogance ends today!" roared the lead cultivator, his black armor gleaming with malevolent energy. 2 golden-core stage experts flanked him, their auras suffocating. A cold smile touched Eldrin's lips. "3 golden-core ants dare block my path?" He raised his hand, and the temperature plummeted. Frost spread from his feet, crawling up the cliff face like crystalline serpents. The Li Fire Sword hummed in its scabbard, eager for battle. "After I take your core," the black-armored cultivator sneered, "I'll claim your 80,000 spirit stones and that precious sword of yours!" Eldrin's eyes narrowed. "You overestimate yourselves." The first attacker lunged, his blade screaming through the air. But Eldrin was already moving, his form blurring into afterimages. The Li Fire Sword left its scabbard with a dragon's roar, its crimson edge tracing arcs of destruction through the twilight. 2 heartbeats. 2 golden-core cultivators fell, their cores shattered beyond repair. The black-armored leader stared in horror as Eldrin's sword point hovered before his third eye. "H-how... Your cultivation was destroyed!" "Some truths," Eldrin said softly, "are beyond your comprehension." With a thought, he activated the Star Gathering Array. The 12,000 spirit stones exploded into brilliant dust, their energy converging into his palm. The resulting blast vaporized the remaining attacker, leaving only the echo of his final scream. As the energy settled, Eldrin sensed a familiar presence approaching. His expression softened momentarily before hardening again. The path of cultivation was paved with countless trials, and his journey had only just begun. He glanced at the spatial ring on his finger, containing nearly 100,000 spirit stones and dozens of rare elixirs. Enough resources to rebuild everything he'd lost—and more. "The heavens have given me a second chance," he whispered to the wind. "This time, I'll reach the pinnacle none have touched since ancient times." His figure vanished into the gathering mist, leaving only the scent of ozone and destiny behind.