Chapter 213 : A Clash of Clans and Divine Thunder

Old Patriarch observed his expression and then chuckled, "While at Celestial Ruins Mountain, I encountered Yang Yuanhe. Knowing their Yang Family possessed the Yang Fire Divine Thunder [a divine thunder technique of the Yang Fire element] divine ability, I sought to trade our Metallic Essence Divine Thunder [a divine thunder technique of the Metallic Essence element] for it."

"That Yang Yuanhe is not entirely foolish. Knowing he had already offended the Xu Clan, he was naturally unwilling to provoke us as well, so he readily agreed to the exchange."

"Not necessarily," Eldrin Chen remarked impassively. "That Yang Yuanhe possesses Metal-Water Dual Spiritual Roots [a spiritual root affinity for both Metal and Water elements]. Acquiring the Metallic Essence Divine Thunder was no loss for him." His tone held a subtle disdain for the man.

Eldrin Chen's expression remained unreadable, his inner thoughts casting a shadow of contempt upon Yang Yuanhe.

Three years prior, after the four great immortal clans obtained the Profound Water Crystal [a crystal containing profound water essence], the Pan Family gambled everything. They used one of the crystals, enabling Pan Lingran to penetrate fifty percent of his Purple Mansion Dao Meridian [the foundational spiritual meridian for advancing to the Purple Mansion realm].

The remaining Profound Water Crystal was reserved by Percival Pan for Pan Lingxu. It seemed likely that within two decades, Pan Lingxu would successfully break through to the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual mansion within the dantian].

As for the Xu Clan's Xu Lingxuan, she succeeded in her second attempt to break through to the Purple Mansion a few years ago, aided by Refined Gold Crystal [a crystal of refined metallic essence] mined from Cangkun Mountain. She still has her Profound Water Crystal unused, potentially allowing the clan to cultivate another Purple Mansion cultivator in the future.

Only the Yang Family met with misfortune. Yang Yuanhe split the two Profound Water Crystal between two clan members. The result was that each only managed to penetrate thirty to forty percent of their Purple Mansion Dao Meridian.

Splitting the resource this way might have seemed fair to the clan members, but where in this world does absolute fairness truly exist?

For these Purple Mansion Immortal Clan [immortal clans capable of producing Purple Mansion realm cultivators], cultivating a Purple Mansion Ancestor [a revered elder who has reached the Purple Mansion realm] is a matter of paramount importance. Discover more cultivation stories at audio‑novel.com.

The Yang Clan now has only Yang Yuanhe holding up its facade, yet he possesses two Clan-Suppressing Supreme Treasures [the most powerful artifacts a clan possesses, used to defend its legacy] of Third Rank High Grade [a high level of power for magical treasures], and still occupies the vast resources of Ling County and a Third Rank Underground Fire Vein [a deep subterranean channel of potent fire-aspected spiritual energy]. This is likely to attract covetous eyes from others.

Under such circumstances, the wisest course is to concentrate efforts on major undertakings, pooling resources onto the cultivator with the highest potential for a breakthrough.

Once a second Purple Mansion [a major realm of cultivation where one forms a spiritual palace within] cultivator is nurtured, the two Purple Mansion experts can jointly safeguard the Yang Immortal Clan's assets. In time, they will surely be able to nurture a third.

Eldrin Chen surmised Yang Yuanhe's line of thinking. The Yang Clan had profited greatly from both the Beast Tide Calamity [a periodic invasion of monstrous beasts] and the battle at Celestial Python Lake.

To put it bluntly, the Yang Clan was now overflowing with wealth. The resources in their Clan Treasury [the central repository for a clan's accumulated wealth and artifacts], combined with the annual profits from the Pan Clan, were enough for him to cultivate in peace all the way to the Purple Mansion, Late Stage [the advanced phase of the Purple Mansion realm], and perhaps even grant him a future chance to assault the Golden Core [the realm where a cultivator condenses their spiritual essence into a golden, crystalline core] realm.

Yang Yuanhe was not particularly keen on nurturing more Purple Mansion Cultivators, as it would dilute both his authority and the clan's resources.

However, in Eldrin Chen's view, after Yang Zhengyuan's death, the Yang Clan's strength was now perilously thin. Yang Yuanhe's own combat prowess and methods were ultimately somewhat lacking. Those two Clan-Suppressing Supreme Treasures and that immense hoard of resources might well become the very cause of their downfall.

After all, the combined value of two Clan-Suppressing Supreme Treasures amounted to over four hundred thousand Spirit Stones [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. Even Purple Mansion, Late Stage cultivators, or those at the False Core realm, would likely covet such treasures.

Of course, this had little to do with Eldrin Chen himself. He smiled and said, "With the Yang Fire Divine Thunder [a powerful thunder-based divine ability aligned with the Yang aspect of fire], our Chen Clan has now gathered three of the five types within the Five Elements Pure Yang Divine Thunder [a supreme set of five thunder techniques, each aligned with one of the five elements and the pure Yang principle]."

"I've heard the Xu Immortal Clan still possesses the Earth-Fortress Divine Thunder [the earth-aligned technique from the Five Elements Pure Yang Divine Thunder set]. I wonder if they would be willing to part with it."

"Impossible."

Old Patriarch shook his head, sighing helplessly. "I inquired with Xavier Xu. He informed me that the Earth-Fortress Divine Thunder [a powerful earth-attribute thunder technique] inheritance of the Xu Clan was obtained through an exchange with the Green Sun Sect several centuries ago."

"Now, every cultivator who learns this divine ability must swear a Heart Demon Blood Oath [a binding magical vow where breaking it invites inner demons] never to transmit it to anyone outside their clan."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen nodded in understanding. This was a common method to prevent powerful techniques from becoming commonplace and devalued.

When Old Patriarch exchanged the Metallic Essence Divine Thunder [a powerful metal-attribute thunder technique] for the Yang Fire Divine Thunder [a powerful yang-fire-attribute thunder technique] with Yang Yuanhe, they had likewise sworn mutual Heart Demon Blood Oath. For Eldrin Chen to learn this technique, he too would need to swear such a blood oath.

Watching Eldrin Chen swear the oath and receive the Yang Fire Divine Thunder technique, Old Patriarch offered a slight, knowing smile.

"My visit also concerns a matter where I require your assistance."

Eldrin Chen raised an eyebrow. "What matter?"

"Having witnessed Jiang the Ancient Ancestor undergo his Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the trial of heavenly lightning faced when advancing to the Golden Core realm], I have come to understand my own deficiencies."

Without hesitation, Old Patriarch stated solemnly, his expression grave, "I intend to forge a second Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's life force, growing in power with them]."

As Chen Thalion spoke, Eldrin Chen quickly grasped the Old Patriarch's line of thought.

Ever since witnessing Lyra Jiang undergo her Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the cataclysmic trial of heavenly lightning faced by cultivators at major breakthroughs], Chen Thalion had become acutely aware of his own shortcomings.

Although he possessed the Crimson-Gold Banner of the Three Treasures, its potential was ultimately finite; as his cultivation advanced, it would inevitably fail to keep pace.

His only truly enduring reliance was a single Crimson Flame Spirit Blade. Yet, with merely one Crimson Flame Spirit Blade to his name, he privately conceded that even with immense fortune allowing him to reach the Golden Core Realm [the stage where a cultivator forms a solidified golden core of immense power], he would stand no chance of survival beneath the onslaught of a Golden Core Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.

"My idea is to forge a second Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact intimately connected to a cultivator's life force and soul], and specifically, a set of Formation Flag Magical Treasure [magical banners designed to work together as a formation]," he declared.

"A Formation Tool Magical Treasure?" Official source: audio-novel`com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

A flicker of understanding shone in Eldrin Chen's eyes. A Lifebound Formation Tool was an exceedingly rare choice.

This was because a Lifebound Formation Tool comprised an entire set, relying on numbers and the synergistic power of a Formation [a structured arrangement of energy channels and artifacts to produce specific magical effects] to overwhelm foes. Consequently, its material consumption was immense.

Furthermore, the higher one's cultivation climbed, the scarcer suitable materials became. The demands for both the foundational substance to forge the artifact's body and the Five Elements Essence [refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] required for its empowerment would be substantial.

While lower-grade Heaven and Earth Treasures [rare materials born from the convergence of heaven and earth's spiritual energies] were relatively easier to find, at higher tiers, if the material quality could not be elevated accordingly, the treasure risked catastrophic failure.

Furthermore, to use a Lifebound Formation Tool as a Life-Bound Magical Treasure [an enchanted artifact bound to a cultivator's life force], one also requires profound mastery in the art of Formation [the arrangement of spiritual energy into structured patterns for various effects]. Otherwise, even if successfully forged, it would be utterly impossible to activate.

Even if successfully forged and capable of activation, a Formation Tool Magical Treasure [a magical treasure designed to function as part of a formation] carries a significant drawback: the Formation places a heavy burden on the user's Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator], mana, and even mental focus.

The mental exertion required to operate a set of formation tools is at least equivalent to operating three or four ordinary magical treasures. Additionally, since a Formation can be countered by specialized formation-breaking techniques, Eldrin Chen was disinclined to forge a Formation-type Life-Bound Magical Treasure.

Setting these flaws aside, the power of a Formation is extraordinarily potent, even capable of allowing one to challenge opponents of a higher cultivation realm. It can be considered one of the most effective means to augment one's combat prowess.

Contemplating this, Eldrin Chen inquired, "Old Granduncle, what manner of Life-Bound Magical Treasure do you intend to forge?"

"Observe this."

"We previously divided seven clam pearls. These treasures share the same origin and essence, making them suitable primary materials for a set of Life-Bound Magical Treasure."

As he spoke, the Old Patriarch produced seven Third Rank clam pearls, his expression one of delight.

Eldrin Chen nodded thoughtfully before speaking. "You possess a Metal Spiritual Root [an innate affinity for the Metal element]. Metal and Water nurture each other. You could incorporate White Metal Metallic Essence [a refined essence of pure white metal] into them. This would allow them to be forged into a Life-Bound Magical Treasure."

"That is precisely my intention as well."

Old Patriarch allowed a smile to grace his features. Within the clan's treasury, there remained a piece of Third Rank White Metal Metallic Essence [a rare, highly conductive metal imbued with the essence of the Metal element], which would serve perfectly as the primary material for the other component of his Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a cultivator's personal artifact, bound to their soul and grown in power alongside them].

Furthermore, within the Metallic Essence Earth Vein [a subterranean spiritual vein rich in Metal-element energy], there was a Second Rank Metallic Essence Vein [a secondary, smaller vein branching from the main one]. This vein yielded one or two portions of White Metal Metallic Essence annually. This material could be extracted in quantity and fused into the treasure to significantly augment its potency.

Gazing upon the seven Third Rank shell pearls, Eldrin Chen pondered for a moment before speaking again. Continue reading this story at audio - novel . com.