Chapter 240 : The Mirror's Threefold Pact

Throughout the ages, numerous Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [supreme treasures forged specifically to suppress demonic forces], and even the pinnacle Primordial Solar Supreme Treasure [supreme treasures embodying the purest essence of the primordial sun] of this realm, have met their end, shattered within the Demonic Abyss Cataclysm [a legendary, world-ending calamity of demonic origin].

If it were to fall into slumber now and fail to restore its power after a thousand years, it would have no choice but to forfeit its freedom and seek the protection of an Infant Soul True Lord [a powerful cultivator whose nascent soul has matured into a true spiritual lord].

Yet, for an Infant Soul Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a nascent soul], a magical treasure is ultimately an external tool. Once it fell into the hands of such a cultivator, it would lose its autonomy, compelled to shield its master from calamity and face destruction when the moment demanded.

Finally, the Heaven's Vault Mirror [a supreme treasure mirror said to reflect the vault of heaven itself] made its decision. Its ethereal light swept across heaven and earth before settling upon Exquisite Jiang.

"I may refrain from intervening in this battle," it declared, "but you must agree to three conditions."

"Please state them," Exquisite Jiang replied.

She gave a slight nod. The prestige of a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure was such that it commanded respect nearly equal to half an Infant Soul True Lord, a courtesy she was willing to extend.

The Heaven's Vault Mirror paused briefly, its gentle radiance spilling over the world like water.

"First," it began, "the Verdant Sun Sect [a major cultivation sect] has venerated me for over a millennium. A thread of karmic affinity has formed. You must not commit acts of utter annihilation against them."

"Second, should you supplant the Verdant Sun Sect, you must take up the mantle of safeguarding the peace of all living beings within the Chu Nation [a nation within the cultivation world], making the slaying of demons and monsters your sacred duty." Original English translation available at audio-novel`com.

"Third: You shall venerate me, allowing me to draw upon the energy of the Underground Fire Vein beneath Green Sun Mountain to accumulate sufficient power."

The Heaven's Vault Mirror paused briefly, then continued: "In exchange, I can, when necessary, protect your faction."

"Patriarch, Patriarch..."

Seeing the Heaven's Vault Mirror was about to renege, Patriarch Xu panicked on the spot.

He cried out and moved to plead, but the Heaven's Vault Mirror's light shimmered faintly, sweeping him away.

This Heaven's Vault Mirror was once the Lifebound Supreme Treasure of an Infant Soul True Lord. Its original master was a righteous True Lord who tolerated no evil, and the treasure's character had inherited a measure of that master's unyielding integrity.

Patriarch Xu had schemed against his senior brother to seize his position, an act this Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure had always held in contempt. Now, it had finally resolved to sever its Karma [the web of cause and effect binding all actions] with the Verdant Sun Sect.

At this moment, Exquisite Jiang nodded and said calmly, "These three conditions, I would have fulfilled them even if you had not spoken."

"Having guarded Heavenly Ruins Mountain for over two hundred years, I have heard something of your reputation."

"For now, I shall trust you."

Seeing that Exquisite Jiang had agreed to the three-point covenant and finally decided not to intervene in this matter, the Heaven's Vault Mirror sank into the Underground Fire Vein beneath Green Sun Mountain.

Witnessing this from afar, the Purple Abyss Furnace fell silent for a moment before vanishing from the world amidst a surge of overwhelming violet radiance.

"Trying to flee—"

At that very moment, however, Patriarch Xu sought to seize the chance to escape once more.

Yet how could Exquisite Jiang allow a tiger to return to the mountains? She immediately unleashed the Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword and gave chase.

Eldrin Chen did not pursue. Patriarch Xu was already grievously wounded; facing Exquisite Jiang's pursuit now, escape was nigh impossible.

After swallowing a healing elixir [a pill that mends wounds and restores vitality] to stabilize his injuries, he led the others in hunting down the cultivators of the Verdant Sun Sect. While they would not exterminate every last member of the sect, they absolutely would not spare those who had committed numerous evil deeds.

Over the years, the Verdant Sun Sect had rotted to its very core. The cultivators from the era of the old sect masters, Patriarch Mo and Patriarch Liu, were still somewhat acceptable. The younger the remaining disciples were, however, the more wicked and unrestrained their actions had become.

Long before the battle began, each of the allied clans and families had already compiled lists of targets marked for death, based on years of accumulated grievances and enmity.

As Eldrin Chen advanced, he slew many Verdant Sun Sect cultivators. He secured control over the sect's key resources: the core of the protective Formation [a complex array of energy channels used for defense or confinement], the Treasure Vault, the Spirit Herb Garden [a garden cultivating plants imbued with spiritual energy], the Scripture Pavilion [a library housing cultivation manuals and techniques], the Underground Fire Vein [a subterranean channel of fiery spiritual energy used for forging and alchemy], and other critical sites. He then assigned cultivators to begin clearing the battlefield.

Not long after, Exquisite Jiang returned, soaring back on her flying sword.

She glanced at Eldrin Chen and said with a smile, "We finally slew that beast. It's a great calamity removed for Chu Nation."

Eldrin Chen nodded as well. Seizing the moment while no one was watching, he drew her into an embrace and chuckled, "After this great battle, we can finally say we have a firm foothold in Chu Nation."

"Mm-hmm."

A flicker of joy passed through Exquisite Jiang's eyes. With the Fourth-Rank Spiritual Vein now in their possession, coupled with the fourth-rank Underground Fire Vein, her future cultivation path would be much smoother.

Without lingering in the moment, Eldrin Chen began organizing the spoils from Heavenly Ruins Mountain. Join our community of readers at www . audio-novel.com.

Exquisite Jiang had few capable hands at her disposal. Apart from the few hundred disciples and descendants from Heavenly Ruins Mountain, the only usable force was the thousand or so cultivators from the Chen Clan who had participated in the battle.

The personnel from Heavenly Ruins Mountain and the Chen Clan were dispersed among various squads. They not only had to fight but also use magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators] to record their battle achievements.

These records served both to tally Merits [a metaphysical "currency" representing good karma or virtuous deeds] and to prevent anyone from lining their own pockets.

After all, the number of cultivators who participated in this battle reached tens of thousands. Without magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators] meticulously documenting the details of the conflict, not only would military merits be difficult to calculate, but it was also highly likely that participating cultivators would privately conceal their spoils.

Eldrin Chen was also occupied. The Foundation Establishment Elders of the clan were currently tallying the spoils of war, while others were taking inventory of the resources from the Spirit Herb Garden and the Scripture Pavilion.

All this information needed to be consolidated and presented to him for final review and approval.

Fortunately, cultivators possessed keen eyesight and memory far surpassing that of mortals, allowing them to process such matters with remarkable speed.

After a full half-month of meticulous accounting, the complete tally of the campaign's gains was finally compiled.

"..."

Half a month later.

On this day, after the cultivators of the Chen Clan and those from Heavenly Ruins Mountain had once again verified the resources and meritorious service records...

...and after multiple cross-checks confirmed their accuracy, the account ledgers were presented for review to Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang.

Although both had a general estimate of the resources seized, a flicker of excitement still stirred within them the moment they received the ledgers.

After reviewing them, Exquisite Jiang gathered the Violet Sanctum Cultivators from the various great families and began to speak.

"In this battle, we lost forty-seven Foundation Establishment Cultivators [cultivators who have solidified their cultivation foundation], over five thousand six hundred Vital Essence Refinement [cultivators in the initial stage of refining their life force] practitioners, and one Violet Sanctum Cultivator [a cultivator who has opened their third spiritual center]."

"Given the favorable outcome of the battle, for the bereavement compensation, we shall issue an extra fifty percent in Spirit Stones [minerals that store and radiate spiritual energy] in addition to the original standard."

"Our gratitude, Immortal Maiden Exquisite Jiang."

Upon hearing this, everyone present showed expressions of joy.

Although the disparity in numbers between the two sides' forces was immense, the casualties among the cultivators were not exceptionally severe.

Nevertheless, there were still a full five to six thousand practitioners. Providing half again the standard compensation in Spirit Stones for so many individuals amounted to a staggering sum of several hundred thousand stones.

Exquisite Jiang's eyes flickered slightly as she raised a hand to quiet the murmurs. "All of you contributed significantly to this victory," she stated. "First, review the ledger. It details the spoils of war and the Merits [a metaphysical measure of virtuous deeds and contribution] accrued by each of your great clans."

"Once you have examined it and found no objections, we shall then discuss the distribution of the treasures."

The clan representatives took the ledgers, and one by one, looks of pleasant surprise dawned on their faces.

This battle was a resounding victory. The fall of a major power yielded a truly staggering amount of plundered resources.

The assets of the Verdant Sun Sect were primarily divided into three categories. The first consisted of fixed assets such as Spirit Mountain [mountains rich in spiritual energy], Earth Vein [subterranean currents of earth energy], and Spiritual Field [fields nourished by spiritual energy for growing rare plants]. The second was the collection of scriptures and cultivation manuals housed in the Scripture Pavilion. The final category comprised liquid assets like Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy], magical treasures [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators], and flying swords.

Among these, the Spirit Mountain and Earth Vein held the greatest value. Although the loss of Scorching Sun Mountain had cost the Verdant Sun Sect two or three of its Spirit Mountain and Earth Vein, they still retained thirteen Spiritual Vein [concentrated flows of spiritual energy] and six Earth Vein. These remained their most significant holdings.

This constituted their largest and most valuable industry. Continue reading this story at audio-novel`com.