Chapter 222 : A Blood Sacrifice's Shadow

"Compensation for the fallen."

Percival Pan furrowed his brow. The Pan Family had only recently elevated the Verdant Ink Mountain Spirit Vein [a natural conduit of spiritual energy within the earth] to the Third Rank High Grade [a high-quality spiritual vein suitable for Purple Mansion cultivators] a few years prior; it was clear they could not afford such a sum.

He glanced at Eldrin Chen, preparing to speak, when suddenly a streak of light flew in from outside.

Eldrin Chen caught the light and examined it, his expression instantly darkening.

Seeing his changed demeanor, the Old Patriarch could not help but ask, "What has happened?"

Eldrin Chen passed the Communication Talisman [a magical slip used for sending messages] to the others, a glint of killing intent flashing in his eyes. "Senior Jiang the Ancient Ancestor sends word that the Yan Immortal Clan is also gone."

"What?"

After reading the message, everyone present was so shocked they nearly leapt from their seats, faces etched with disbelief.

According to the message from Lyra Jiang, that fiend Yan Morgrim had been steeped in demonic cultivation for so many years that he had descended into utter madness.

The vast and once-top-tier Purple Mansion Immortal Clan [a powerful cultivation family led by a Purple Mansion realm expert], the Yan Clan, with its thousands of cultivators and millions of mortals, had been utterly exterminated by his hand. Not a single soul remained. The complete novel can be found at audio-novel`com.

Whether they were mortals or cultivators, all had been utterly consumed in the blood sacrifice by Yan Morgrim, not even a whisper of news managing to escape.

That Yan Morgrim was not only a top-tier genius of the Demonic Path [a heretical cultivation path that often employs cruel and forbidden arts], but also possessed a ruthlessness beyond measure. He slaughtered every last mortal and cultivator of those two immortal clans, offering over eight million souls in a horrific blood sacrifice.

Such a monstrous act of bloodletting greatly enhanced the power of Yan Morgrim's Lifebound Demonic Treasure, the Seven-Soul Demonic Banner [a sinister banner that harnesses tormented souls], pushing its might to nearly eighty percent of a Fourth Rank Demonic Treasure.

Most crucially, he had successfully cultivated three Blood Demon Clone [a powerful demonic technique that creates clones with a portion of the user's power]. This 'Blood Demon Clone' was the sole Great Divine Ability [a supreme and exceptionally rare cultivation technique] possessed by the Demon Cave Cavern, with each clone wielding half the combat strength of its master.

Furthermore, at a critical moment, he could sacrifice a Blood Demon Clone to unleash the 'Blood Demon Rebirth Grand Technique' [a desperate escape art that consumes a clone to cheat death], allowing him to flee from powerful pursuers.

However, Great Divine Ability place extremely high demands on one's comprehension and innate talent. A divine ability like Blood Demon Clone requires a profound and unique affinity with the practitioner to be mastered.

Over the past thousand years, the Demon Cave Cavern had produced seven or eight Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a solidified golden core of power] Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who follow the demonic path], yet not a single one had succeeded in mastering this Demonic Path Great Divine Ability.

Even the Withered Bone Elder Demon, who had terrorized the Chu Kingdom over a century ago, failed to cultivate such a pinnacle Great Divine Ability, a testament to the formidable Demonic Path aptitude [innate talent] of Yan Morgrim.

Relying on this legendary Great Divine Ability, Yan Morgrim even managed to evade pursuit by Lyra Jiang, holding out until reinforcements arrived—two Golden Core elder demons from the Demon Cave Cavern.

"This Yan Morgrim is utterly merciless, sparing not even his own clansmen,"

"His talent and cruelty far surpass that of Withered Bone Elder Demon [a notorious ancient demonic cultivator]. I fear he will inevitably become a great calamity for the Chu Kingdom Cultivation World [the world of cultivators within the borders of the Chu Kingdom]."

The Old Patriarch [the venerable leader of the clan] said with a pained expression. A person as ruthless as Yan Morgrim was born to be a seed of demonic cultivation.

With methods such as his, the likelihood of him achieving a Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a solidified core of spiritual power] breakthrough is eight or nine out of ten. Furthermore, once he breaks through, even ordinary cultivators at the Golden Core, Early Stage [the initial phase of the Golden Core realm] may not be his match, unless they possess a Demon-Subduing Treasure [a magical treasure specifically designed to counter demonic energies] to restrain him.

If he were to cultivate to the Golden Core, Late Stage [the advanced phase of the Golden Core realm], the Blood Demons he refines could reach the Golden Core Realm. And theoretically, the Blood Demon Clone [a sinister divine ability that allows one to create clones from blood and demonic essence] technique allows for the forging of up to eight such Blood Demon Clone.

There are even legends of a method to cultivate a ninth Blood Demon Clone. The complete version of that ninth Blood Demon Grand Technique, the Blood Demon God [a supreme entity or ultimate state within demonic cultivation] Art, is even more profound and mysterious, ranking among the top three supreme Demonic Path [the philosophical and practical system of demonic cultivation] Great Divine Ability [a pinnacle-level supernatural power] within the Purple Realm [a vast and ancient cultivation world].

Of course, aside from the legendary Blood Demonic Path Monarch, no one throughout the ages has ever succeeded in refining that ninth Blood Demon Clone.

The Demon Cave Cavern [a notorious stronghold of demonic cultivators] only inherited the methods for forging the first five Blood Demon Clone. Yet, with Yan Morgrim's innate talent for demonic cultivation, it is possible he could refine four or five of them. That would mean four or five combatants with Golden Core level power.

It is foreseeable that, in order to cultivate this Great Divine Ability, Yan Morgrim will certainly plunge the entire Chu Kingdom into a sea of blood and suffering. The scale of the devastation he could wreak would likely far surpass that caused by the Withered Bone Elder Demon in years past.

Xu Darius furrowed his brow, unable to suppress his deep concern. "The Demon Cave Cavern has been a scourge for a millennium. Will the Ji Clan [a powerful and ancient immortal clan] truly do nothing?"

"The thoughts of an Nascent Soul Immortal Clan [an immortal clan possessing cultivators who have reached the Nascent Soul realm, the fourth major realm] are far beyond our ability to fathom or predict."

"Moreover, the Ji Immortal Clan is not without rivals. Our location on the remote frontier of the Ji Continent makes it difficult for them to focus too much attention here."

Xavier Xu shook his head. The others' perspectives were ultimately somewhat limited, unable to reach those higher echelons.

Seeing the group's spirits dampen, Eldrin Chen spoke calmly, "There is no need for such concern. That Yan Morgrim was nearly slain by Lyra Jiang and was forced to expend a Blood Demon Clone [a duplicate body formed from condensed blood essence, used as a decoy or for escape] to save his life."

"Though he escaped with his life using the Blood Demon Rebirth Grand Technique [a forbidden art that allows a demonic cultivator to reconstitute their body from blood essence at a great cost], the injuries he sustained will not heal swiftly."

"Now gravely wounded, recovering will require at least several A Period of Ten Years. Even after his wounds mend, he will need another twenty years to consolidate his cultivation before attempting to undergo the tribulation and break through to the Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one's spiritual energy condenses into a solid, radiant core]."

The group nodded in agreement. For the next five or six decades, Yan Morgrim would have no opportunity to act against the Chu Kingdom. The story continues at *audio-novel.com*.

Setting the matter aside for now, Eldrin Chen glanced at the assembled elders and steered the conversation back to its original course.

"The truly valuable assets of the Yang Family now, aside from this Spirit Vein [a geological formation that naturally gathers and emits spiritual energy] and the Underground Fire Vein, are their shares in the Bianzhou Spirit Stone Mine and the two Earth Vein [a vein of concentrated earthly spiritual energy, often associated with stability and defense] allocations."

"I have a proposal. Consider whether you can accept it."

The others maintained neutral expressions as they turned their attention to Eldrin Chen, awaiting his next words.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Eldrin Chen continued with a calm expression, "Our Chen Clan is willing to take the Yang Clan's Third Rank Middle Grade Underground Fire Vein [a vein of earthfire energy deep underground, valuable for alchemy and artificing]. The compensation for the Yang family's survivors will also be borne solely by our Chen Clan."

"In exchange, the Yang family's shares in the Bianzhou Spirit Stone Mine and the Refined Gold Earth Vein [an earth vein rich in refined gold spiritual essence] will go to the Pan Clan, and their share of the Earth Vein [a vein of concentrated earth-attribute spiritual energy within the land] at Cangkun Mountain will go to the Xu Clan."

The others present revealed smiles upon hearing this, finding the arrangement quite satisfactory.

Currently, Eldrin Chen's combat prowess was nearing the level of a Purple Mansion, Late Stage cultivator. With the Chen Clan now the strongest force, it was only fitting they claimed the largest portion of the interests in Bianzhou.

The Pan Family, being the weakest, would gain immensely by receiving the Yang Family's shares in the Bianzhou Spirit Stone Mine and the Refined Gold Earth Vein.

The Xu Clan was also content. Cangkun Mountain not only possessed a Third Rank Spirit Vein, but its Third Rank High Grade Earth-Fortress Earth Vein could also nurture a piece of Purple Sun Jade [a rare jade imbued with the essence of the purple sun, highly valuable for cultivation] every hundred years.

By taking over the Yang family's share, the Xu Clan would solely possess fifty-five percent of the profits from Cangkun Mountain, significantly increasing their share of the treasures produced there.

Thinking of this, Xavier Xu also nodded and said.

"In that case, the matter of compensating the Yang family's survivors will indeed require your careful attention."

After the others departed, Eldrin Chen summoned the three Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Yang Family.

The cultivation levels of those three individuals were not high. The strongest among them was named Yang Yanxing, whose cultivation had merely reached the Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage [the fourth major stage of cultivation, where one solidifies their foundation for future advancement].

The reason they managed to preserve their lives was that they were stationed within the Cangkun Mountain Earth Vein [a subterranean channel rich with earth-attribute spiritual energy]. This was originally just a routine rotation of garrison duty. Who could have foreseen that this twist of fate would coincidentally spare their lives?

Upon seeing Eldrin Chen, Yang Yanxing immediately fell to his knees, his voice choked with emotion. "Ancient Ancestor Chen," he pleaded, "you must seek justice for us."

"Alas."

Eldrin Chen was also moved. Memories of Yang Zhengyuan gifting him pills and their battles fought side-by-side flashed vividly before his eyes.

Out of respect for Yang Zhengyuan, even when Yang Yuanhe contended with him for the Cloud Vein Creation Pill [a rare pill that aids in spiritual creation and breakthrough], Eldrin had not made things difficult for Yang Yuanhe in the slightest. He had even considered that if Yang Yuanhe ever faced calamity, he would step in to offer aid and look after the Yang Family. Immerse yourself in the complete world at *audio-novel.com*.