Chapter 212 : The Violet Consort's Gambit

Yvonne the Violet Consort [a powerful cultivator known for her beauty and strength] gave a wry smile, acknowledging the logic in her companion's words.

She was ranked among the top three peerless immortal maidens of the Ji Continent [a vast continent in this cultivation world], confident in her own supreme beauty and figure, yet she felt inferior in the presence of Lyra Jiang.

Shaking her head, she prepared to change the subject, her expression turning grave. "What do you intend to do about the situation with the Green Sun Sect?" she asked.

"There is no need for haste," came the reply.

"Although Xu the Ancient Ancestor [a senior cultivator of the Green Sun Sect] is severely wounded, he still possesses the Mirror of the Vast Heaven [a powerful defensive magical artifact]. Furthermore, he is backed by their Mountain Guardian Grand Formation [a powerful defensive array protecting their mountain stronghold]. A rash assault would likely result in heavy casualties for us."

Lyra Jiang wore a solemn expression as she continued, "The Green Sun Sect has a heritage spanning a millennium. The depth of their accumulated foundation [the hidden resources and profound strength built up over generations] is truly formidable."

"Once I refine my Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact intimately connected to a cultivator's life force] to the Fourth Rank Middle Grade [a high level of power for a magical treasure], and after we make thorough preparations, our chances of success will be significantly greater."

"Very well," the other agreed.

Yvonne the Violet Consort nodded, a hint of a smile touching her lips. "The amount of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] you require is immense. It will likely take another two or three decades to complete that step."

"This gives me the perfect opportunity to procure an Origin-Returning Tribulation-Breaking Pill [a precious pill that aids in overcoming cultivation bottlenecks], to see if I can break through the bottleneck to the Golden Core, Mid Stage [the middle stage of the Golden Core cultivation realm]." Read, share, and discuss at AUDIO-NOVEL.COM.

Hearing her words, Lyra Jiang's eyes flickered slightly. The Origin-Returning Tribulation-Breaking Pill was a pill that assisted in breaking through the bottleneck of the Purple Mansion, Mid Stage [the fourth major realm of cultivation, representing the formation of a spiritual mansion within the dantian].

Refining such a spiritual pill required a 'Five Elements Origin Pearl' [a pearl containing the primordial essence of the five fundamental elements] as its primary ingredient. Although she still possessed one Water Element Treasure Pearl [a precious pearl imbued with the essence of water], she intended to use it to forge her fifth Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's life force and soul, growing in power with them].

An ordinary cultivator might be overwhelmed by the burden of two or three Lifebound Magical Treasure, but she, after all, possessed the Lunar Immortal Physique [a legendary constitution attuned to the moon's essence, granting profound cultivation advantages]. Her cultivation speed far surpassed that of common practitioners. Even cultivating five Lifebound Magical Treasure simultaneously would not lead to a situation where her lifespan expired before she could achieve a breakthrough.

High-grade Lifebound Magical Treasure could temper one's mana, enhance a cultivator's foundational strength and combat prowess, and increase the certainty of surviving the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the devastating lightning tribulation that tests cultivators seeking to ascend to higher realms]. These were benefits even Nascent Soul Dao Lord [powerful cultivators who have formed their Nascent Soul and comprehended profound Dao principles] coveted dearly.

Legend held that the Violet Divine Tree [a mythical tree of immense spiritual power] would shed a single Violet Divine Fruit [a fruit of miraculous properties born from the Violet Divine Tree] every three thousand years. Throughout the ages, numerous Dao Lord [a title for masters who have deeply comprehended a Dao principle] had obtained the Violet Divine Fruit, yet aside from a rare few of exceptional talent and brilliance, the majority met their end beneath the Immortal Ascension Tribulation [the ultimate, cataclysmic trial one must pass to shed mortality and ascend to true immortality].

Among those immortals who successfully ascended, over half were Nascent Soul Dao Lord with Three Spiritual Roots [a cultivator's innate affinity for absorbing spiritual energy of three specific elements] or better, while those with Heavenly Spiritual Root [a pinnacle-grade spiritual root of unparalleled purity and potency] were exceedingly rare.

From this perspective, although possessing too many Lifebound Magical Treasure would significantly hinder one's cultivation speed, the advantages far outweighed the drawbacks.

Lyra Jiang's Lunar Immortal Physique was even more formidable than a Heavenly Spiritual Root. Even if it somewhat affected her cultivation pace, she could barely sustain the burden, unlike ordinary cultivators with Five Spiritual Roots [affinity for all five elements, which often leads to extremely slow cultivation progress], whose cultivation might stagnate for their entire lives.

Eldrin Chen stayed at Heaven's Ruin Mountain for three days before Lyra Jiang finally bid farewell to Yvonne the Violet Consort.

After her intimate friend from the inner chambers departed, Lyra Jiang and Eldrin Chen busied themselves once more. Although they had successfully refined the pills, they still planned to craft several magical treasures.

Lyra Jiang [the cultivator known as Lyra Jiang] and Eldrin Chen [the cultivator known as Eldrin Chen] joined forces to refine the bones of a Violet-Blooded Demonic Serpent [a powerful serpentine demonic beast with violet-tinged blood] into a Third Rank High Grade [a high-quality artifact of the third rank] Purple Blood Skiff [a small, swift boat-like magical vessel].

The Purple Blood Skiff was approximately one Zhang-length [about three point three three meters] in size, capable of carrying only three people, yet it could travel eighty thousand Li-lengths [a distance of eighty thousand times five hundred meters] in a single day.

This skiff retained two of the serpent's innate divine abilities: the Heaven-Devouring Serpent Art [a technique that mimics the serpent's devouring power] and the Crimson Pupil Demon Gaze [a paralyzing or damaging gaze attack]. Furthermore, Lyra Jiang had inscribed two sets of formations upon it: one was the Glazed Diamond Formation [a defensive formation renowned for its diamond-like resilience], and the other was the Star-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Formation [a formation designed for extreme acceleration].

The Glazed Diamond Formation served as a Defensive Formation [a protective magical array], while the Star-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Formation was an acceleration Formation [a magical array]. When activated, it could temporarily triple the speed of the Purple Blood Skiff.

With this Treasure Boat [a valuable magical vessel] in his possession, Eldrin Chen's capabilities for both escape and pursuit would be significantly enhanced from this point forward.

As for the skeleton of the Celestial Python Demon King [the king of the celestial python demon beasts], Lyra Jiang stored it away for the time being. She intended to use the bones of this Demon King [a ruler among demonic beasts] to forge a large Treasure Boat.

After refining the Purple Blood Skiff and crafting several other artifacts from the Third Rank [pertaining to the third cultivation rank] materials, Eldrin Chen received his share: two additional Third Rank Magical Treasure [powerful artifacts of the third rank].

One was a Third Rank Middle Grade [a mid-quality artifact of the third rank] Verdant-Blooded Demonic Sword [a demonic sword forged from the essence of a verdant-blooded serpent], and the other was a Third Rank Middle Grade Verdant Scale Shield [a shield crafted from the resilient scales of the same beast]. Both treasures were forged from the remains of the Verdant-Blooded Demonic Serpent.

With these treasures finally completed, the two cultivators allowed themselves a moment of relief, the tension of their arduous work melting away.

Seizing this rare respite from their constant labors, they exchanged few words, choosing instead to walk side by side in contemplative silence along the paths of Celestial Ruins Mountain [the mountain known as the Celestial Ruins].

The two of them stood atop the mountain peak, gazing silently at the vast, boundless earth stretching into the distance. After an unknowable length of time, Lyra Jiang suddenly spoke.

"Take me to see Spirit Isle Lake."

"Alright." Eldrin Chen nodded in agreement.

The Purple Blood Skiff [a swift, enchanted vessel] chased the stars and pursued the moon, arriving at the shores of Spirit Isle Lake in less than two days.

Lyra Jiang cast a glance over Spirit Isle Lake, her eyes sweeping across the beautiful scenery of the lake, revealing a flicker of surprise.

"The place where you live is so beautiful, far surpassing my Celestial Ruins Mountain." This chapter is provided by audio-novel . com. Support the original.

Eldrin Chen led her down onto Lake Heart Island, smiling faintly as he said, "If you wish to come, you are welcome anytime in the future."

As they were conversing, Silas Chen and Lila approached.

"Uncle..." The words had barely left their mouths when they caught sight of Lyra Jiang. They promptly bowed respectfully and said, "We pay our respects to Jiang the Ancient Ancestor."

"Hmm." Lyra Jiang looked at them, her eyes glinting slightly. She bestowed a treasure upon each of them and said, "You may call me Aunt."

Silas Chen and Lila lowered their gazes, their eyes dimming slightly, and quickly murmured, "Thank you, Aunt."

Without paying further attention to the two girls, Eldrin Chen and Lyra Jiang arrived before the Ten-Mile Peach Blossom Grove.

Lyra Jiang gazed upon the stunning Ten-Mile Peach Blossom Grove, lowered her eyes to breathe in the fragrant scent of the blossoms, and smiled softly. "The scenery here is peerless, a perfect place for secluded cultivation."

"It's a pity the Demon King is so near, and Heaven's Ruin Mountain cannot be left unattended. Moreover, the spiritual energy here is somewhat insufficient."

Eldrin Chen took her hand and led her before the Spirit Peach Tree.

Lyra Jiang glanced at the Spirit Peach Tree and a flash of astonishment crossed her features. "An Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root [a rare spiritual plant that can naturally absorb and refine the energies of heaven and earth]?"

"Yes," he nodded, a smile gracing his lips. "In a little over two more Jiazi-time [a cycle of sixty years], this Spirit Peach Tree should ascend to the fourth rank. By then, Elara Lin will most likely be able to guard Heaven's Ruin Mountain in your stead."

"So eager for me to come here?"

Lyra Jiang looked directly at him, her brows and eyes carrying a unique, playful light.

Eldrin Chen grasped her hand, as if holding the entire world. "You and I... I do not wish to be parted for even a moment."

"Giggle."

Her laughter was like an orchid blooming in a secluded valley, exceptionally pleasing to the ear: "Then you must come visit me at Celestial Ruins Mountain often."

A distance of one hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] would take Qi Refinement Cultivators [cultivators at the initial stage of absorbing spiritual energy] several months of arduous travel. Even a top-tier Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a cultivator who has solidified their spiritual foundation] traveling ten thousand Li-length per day would still require over twenty days for a round trip.

A Purple Mansion Initial Stage Cultivator [a cultivator who has opened the spiritual palace within their dantian] would need three or four days. Yet, with the Purple Blood Skiff [a swift, enchanted vessel] in his possession, Eldrin Chen could traverse even one hundred thousand Li-length in just over a day, making the round trip a mere three days.

Thinking of this, a smile graced Eldrin Chen's features.

Lyra Jiang stayed at Spirit Lake Isle for three days before reluctantly returning to Celestial Ruins Mountain.

Not long after her departure, the Old Patriarch sought him out, a smile on his face as he handed a jade slip to Eldrin Chen.

"Look what I've brought."

"What matter is worth such joy?"

Eldrin Chen took it and extended his spiritual sense into the jade slip [a storage medium for information, used by cultivators], then couldn't suppress a sound of surprise.

It turned out this jade slip was a Divine Ability Jade Slip [a jade slip used to record and transmit profound mystical techniques], and the divine ability it recorded was Yang Fire Divine Thunder [a powerful thunder technique imbued with the essence of pure Yang fire]. Continue your cultivation journey at audio–novel.com.