Chapter 229 : Forging the Seven Stars Formation

To deploy the grand formation, Eldrin Chen and Old Patriarch spent two months working together to forge seven sets of second-rank Formation Flags [banners inscribed with runes used to anchor and power magical arrays].

These seven sets of Formation Flags totaled forty-nine individual banners. The cost of the materials for these flags alone reached fifty thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

After completing their forging, the two men deployed the seven sets of Formation Flags within seven different Spirit Vein [a natural underground conduit that concentrates and emits spiritual energy]. Using the power of a central Formation Plate [a control disk used to manage and channel the energy of a formation], they linked them together, creating a Defensive Formation [a protective magical array] that spanned eight hundred Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] in all directions.

Viewed from the sky, the Seven Stars Demon-Refining Grand Formation appeared as a vast, translucent dome of light, inverted over the earth and enveloping the plains for eight hundred Li-length around Pingyang City.

Gazing at the transparent light curtain covering eight hundred Li-length of the Great Wilderness, the Old Patriarch said with a smile, "With this formation guarding us, our Pingyang City shall have no more worries."

"Indeed."

Eldrin Chen nodded in agreement. The Seven Stars Demon-Refining Grand Formation was inherently formidable. Augmented by the power of six Second Rank High Grade Spirit Vein and one Third Rank Low Grade Spirit Vein, the might it could unleash was truly staggering.

The spiritual energy these Spirit Vein could provide was nearly equivalent to the combined power of six Purple Palace, Early Stage [the initial stage of the Purple Mansion cultivation realm] cultivators and one Purple Mansion Great Perfection [the pinnacle stage of the Purple Mansion realm]. Furthermore, the Spirit Vein's energy would continuously replenish itself, allowing the Formation [a structured arrangement of energy channels and runes for a specific magical purpose] to sustain its formidable power indefinitely.

Under such conditions, with just a single Purple Mansion [a major cultivation realm focused on building and refining one's spiritual core] cultivator at the helm to direct the Formation, even an ordinary False Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a flawed or incomplete Golden Core] would find it difficult to gain any advantage in an assault.

And once the Spirit Vein beneath Pingyang City was elevated to Third Rank High Grade, it was likely that not even a Golden Core, Early Stage [the initial stage of the Golden Core cultivation realm] cultivator would be able to breach its defenses in a short amount of time. This novel is serialized on audi0-n0vel.c0m. Visit for updates.

At this thought, both Eldrin Chen and Old Patriarch breathed a sigh of relief.

Pingyang City was the lifeblood of the clan. Only if this place was secure enough could the clan nurture a greater population of mortals.

In this world, the probability of a Spiritual Root [the innate talent to cultivate spiritual energy] manifesting among mortals was roughly one in a thousand. The larger the mortal population, the greater the number of cultivators would be.

Low-level cultivators were far too important. The demand for Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] by Eldrin Chen and Old Patriarch grew ever greater. The Five Elements Essence produced by the clan's cultivators each year was almost entirely supplied to the two of them.

Even this was far from sufficient. Each year, the clan spent over ten thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] to purchase Five Elements Essence from various sources.

Beyond that, the clan required a great deal of manpower to guard its Spirit Vein [a natural concentration of spiritual energy within the earth], manage its industries, practice alchemy and artificing, and resist Demonic Beast [monstrous creatures that have absorbed spiritual energy and gained power] incursions.

For Eldrin Chen to refine a single cauldron of Third Rank Pill [a high-grade elixir suitable for Purple Mansion Realm cultivators], he required over a hundred types of supplementary herbs. If he were a Rogue Cultivator [an unaffiliated cultivator without clan or sect backing], having to gather all these materials himself would leave him no time for cultivation at all.

But as a clan cultivator, with the clan's two thousand low-level cultivators and its Spirit Farmland [land infused with spiritual energy for growing special crops], he merely needed to state what Spirit Medicine [plants imbued with spiritual energy, used in alchemy] he required, and someone would naturally gather them for him.

"If we had ten million mortals, the clan would have ten thousand cultivators," he mused.

"By then, our supply of Five Elements Essence would be nearly self-sufficient. Lyra, the Patriarch, and I have been purchasing Five Elements Essence from all over these past years. We've already driven up its price by over forty percent in the Qing, Yang, Bian, and Three Provinces regions. It's truly becoming rather uneconomical."

Eldrin Chen harbored these thoughts, yet he could only instruct the clan to intensify their acquisition of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements].

In order to forge the Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's life force], the White Metal Star Pearl, for the Old Patriarch, the clan's accumulated reserves of Five Elements Qi [the fundamental energies of the five elements] had been depleted by more than half over these years.

Once he broke through to the midstage of the Purple Mansion [a major cultivation realm where the cultivator forms a spiritual mansion within their dantian], four more Lifebound Magical Treasures would require advancement. To elevate a Lifebound Magical Treasure to Third Rank High Grade [the high grade of the third rank], the Five Elements Essence consumed for each would be worth approximately fifty thousand Spirit Stones [minerals that store and radiate spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

With such exorbitant costs, an additional forty percent premium would mean spending twenty thousand more Spirit Stones per treasure. For four treasures, that amounted to an extra eighty thousand Spirit Stones. Even with his considerable wealth, the thought pained him deeply.

Speaking of Spirit Stones, one must mention the spirit geese Eldrin Chen reared. The flock at Spirit Province Lake had now grown to one thousand birds.

Drawing inspiration from the roast duck methods of his previous life, Eldrin Chen had tasked clan cultivators with developing a secret recipe. Not only did it make the spirit geese exceptionally delicious, but it also aided in cultivation, slightly enhancing one's cultivation base.

Now, the Chen Clan's roast goose shops had gradually spread to the major markets across the Three Provinces region, becoming a renowned delicacy throughout the Chu Kingdom. Many cultivators could not resist coming to sample it, and it was said that in recent years, it had begun to generate a not insignificant annual income for the clan.

After completing the deployment of the Formation [a structured arrangement of energy channels and artifacts used to create magical effects], he returned to Spirit Province Lake.

The following days proceeded as usual. Each day, apart from his unwavering cultivation routine, he spent time tempering his magical treasures and refining his mana to elevate his cultivation level.

Five years later, Lior Chen came to him to obtain the Geng Metal Crystal [a crystal imbued with the essence of Geng Metal, one of the heavenly stems], making his first attempt to break through to the Purple Mansion realm.

Lior Chen had consumed treasures such as the Mysterious Jade Pill [a high-grade pill that refines and strengthens a cultivator's foundation], and thus his foundational accumulation was far deeper than that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Great Perfection [the peak stage of the Foundation Establishment realm] cultivator. Consequently, he managed to penetrate fifty percent of his meridians in a single breakthrough.

Given Third Elder's current profound and solid foundation, if he were to obtain another Five Elements Treasure Crystals [a rare crystalline ore containing the balanced essence of the five primal elements], his estimated success rate for attempting a breakthrough to the Purple Mansion [the realm where a cultivator forms a spiritual mansion within their dantian] would likely reach sixty percent.

Another three years passed, and Eldrin Chen finally cultivated his mana to its peak, touching the bottleneck of the Purple Palace, Mid Stage [the middle phase of the Purple Mansion realm].

On the verge of breaking through to the Purple Palace, Mid Stage, he did not delay. He directly consumed the Cloud Vein Creation Pill [a precious pill that aids in realm advancement by harmonizing spiritual energy].

With his mana refined by several Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a cultivator's personally bonded and nurtured enchanted artifact], even without the aid of the Cloud Vein Creation Pill, it would have taken him only twenty years to break through to the Purple Palace, Mid Stage.

Now, with the assistance of the Cloud Vein Creation Pill, the breakthrough to the Purple Palace, Mid Stage was naturally achieved with effortless ease. Discover more cultivation stories at *audio-novel.com*.

After the breakthrough came the process of further refining his mana and advancing his Life-Bound Magical Treasure. By the time all four of his Life-Bound Magical Treasure had been elevated to the Third Rank High Grade [a high-quality grade within the third rank of magical treasures], a full year had slipped by in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Eldrin Chen emerged from seclusion after successfully advancing his final Life-Bound Magical Treasure, only to find Chen Thalion had been waiting outside the Seclusion Chamber [a specially prepared room for undisturbed cultivation] for several days.

Upon seeing him, the Old Patriarch said, "The alliance meeting at Celestial Ruins Mountain [a significant mountain range and cultivation site] is about to begin. If you hadn't emerged, I was prepared to go in your stead."

Eldrin Chen calculated the time and realized, to his surprise, that a year had passed unnoticed, leaving merely one year remaining until the date Lyra Jiang had set for their joint assault on the Green Sun Sect [a major cultivation sect].

Before the war commenced, Celestial Ruins Mountain convened the major Immortal Clans of the Three Provinces to jointly launch a punitive expedition against the Green Sun Sect. Naturally, the Chen Clan also had to dispatch a Purple Mansion [the third major cultivation realm, where one forms a spiritual mansion within the dantian] cultivator to attend.

This alliance meeting at Celestial Ruins Mountain was of critical importance, so the Old Patriarch decided to go together with Eldrin Chen.

Fortunately, Lior Chen's cultivation base had grown significantly by now, allowing him to barely manage guarding Pingyang City temporarily in the Old Patriarch's stead.

The two traveled aboard the Purple Blood Skiff [a swift, enchanted vessel], reaching Celestial Ruins Mountain in just over a day. They were the last two Purple Mansion cultivators to arrive.

Upon landing on Celestial Ruins Mountain, Eldrin Chen also spotted several cultivators from the Meng Clan, led by the female cultivator Celestia Meng.

He recalled that not long after his own Foundation Establishment [the second major cultivation realm, where one lays a solid foundation for the Dao], Meng Aethelstan had even proposed a marriage alliance for them. In the blink of an eye, over seventy years had passed. Eldrin Chen was now a Purple Palace, Mid Stage Ancient Ancestor [a venerable title for a senior, high-realm cultivator], while Celestia Meng's cultivation had only reached the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer.

Celestia Meng glanced at Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch, then promptly lowered her gaze and spoke with deference, "This junior pays her respects to the two Ancient Ancestor."

"Ah, it's you, Celestia."

The Old Patriarch smiled warmly. His own mother had been a female cultivator from the Meng Clan, so he felt a particular closeness to their clan.

Over the years, the two families had intermarried frequently. Several of the Chen Clan's Foundation Establishment Cultivator, such as Chen Nianzhen, had taken cultivators from the Meng Clan as their Dao companions [cultivation partners who share the path to immortality]. This chapter appears courtesy of audio-novel-dot-com.