Chapter 245 : A Lone Sword in Demon Territory

For Eldrin Chen, this was merely a minor interlude.

His purpose for venturing deep into the Demonic Tribe Territory was solely for the [a crystalized essence of profound water energy, highly valuable for water-attribute cultivation] within the Flood Water Earth Vein of [a vast lake domain ruled by serpentine demonic beasts].

Within that Flood Water Earth Vein beneath , a single condensed every ten Annual Assembly. To this day, no new Demon King had yet been born there, and he intended to seize this opportunity to claim the crystals accumulated over the years.

Strictly speaking, this venture still carried some peril, but Eldrin Chen was a man of profound skill and great daring.

So long as he did not face a Demon King directly, he could cleave through even a Great Demonic Monster at the Purple Palace, Late Stage with a swing of his sword. With no Demon King present in , he could naturally move through it with utter freedom.

At such speed, even if the Demonic Tribe wished to send a message, it would be utterly impossible—they lacked treasures like the [a rare artifact capable of instant long-distance communication].

By the time Eldrin Chen slaughtered his way to Heaven-Devouring Serpent Lake Heart Island, the Demonic Beast within the lake had only just reacted, scattering in a frenzy of panic.

"Hmm?"

Eldrin Chen's eyes flickered with a trace of pleasant surprise. He had not expected that, after an absence of forty years, would have birthed several more Purple Mansion Demonic Beast.

Foremost among them was that [a powerful serpentine demonic beast distinguished by its dark, horned crest]. Its aura now swelled with even greater ferocity; its bloodline was extraordinary, and it was on the very cusp of transforming into a flood dragon. This chapter is part of a larger work available at (audio-novel.com).

The regression and transformation of its bloodline allowed the Black-Horned Serpent [a powerful serpentine demonic beast with distinctive black horns] to make a great leap in cultivation, its strength now having stepped into the Purple Mansion Eighth Layer [the eighth stage of the Purple Mansion realm, a significant level of power for a cultivator].

"If this creature were to break through into the Golden Core [the realm where a cultivator forms a solidified core of spiritual energy], it would likely transform into a Black Flood Dragon [a powerful and malevolent dragon associated with floods and destruction]," he thought.

Eldrin Chen's pupils contracted slightly, and he was about to give chase to eliminate this future calamity.

That Black-Horned Serpent possessed extraordinary bloodline, its strength surpassing even a cultivator at the Purple Palace, Perfection Stage [the peak of the Purple Mansion realm]. It actually managed to escape by exploiting the complex underwater terrain.

"Hmph."

Watching the beast flee, Eldrin Chen had no choice but to vent his killing intent upon the other Purple Mansion Demonic Beast [demonic beasts possessing power equivalent to the Purple Mansion realm] in the vicinity.

He slew a Purple Palace, Mid Stage [mid-stage Purple Mansion realm] Demonic Crocodile [a crocodilian demonic beast]. Only after the other Demonic Beast [creatures that cultivate demonic energy, often hostile to humans] had scattered did he abandon his thoughts of wholesale slaughter.

Celestial Python Lake [a vast and treacherous lake, home to powerful serpentine creatures] spanned ten thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters]. Even with his cultivation level, it was difficult to root out all the Demonic Beast hiding within its depths.

After slaying the Purple Mansion [a major cultivation realm where the cultivator opens a spiritual mansion within their dantian] Demonic Crocodile and collecting its Demonic Core [the condensed spiritual essence and life force of a demonic beast, valuable for cultivation and crafting], Eldrin Chen charged into the Flood Water Earth Vein [a geographical formation rich in the spiritual essence of the Flood Water element]. However, within the vein, he found no trace of the Profound Water Crystal [a crystal of concentrated and profound water-element spiritual energy]. Instead, he harvested two water-attribute Heaven and Earth Treasures [rare, naturally formed spiritual materials of exceptional quality].

One portion was Frost Jade Condensed Liquid [a precious, condensed liquid imbued with frost and jade essences], and another was a piece of high-quality Flood Water Treasure Gold [a rare metal ore infused with the power of Flood Water]. He also incidentally gathered two Third Rank Shellfish Pearl [pearls formed by third-rank spirit clams, valuable for cultivation] and over forty Second Rank Shellfish Pearl [pearls from second-rank spirit clams].

The clan also raised some Verdant Spirit Clam [a type of spiritual shellfish], but due to insufficient Flood Water Qi [the vital energy of the Flood Water element] within Spirit Isle Lake, the Verdant Spirit Clam could never truly flourish and multiply. They only produced a few Spirit Clam Pearl every ten years.

Obtaining these pearls now served to replenish the clan's reserves somewhat.

Although he had not found any Profound Water Crystal [a crystalized form of profound water essence] initially, Eldrin Chen was not disheartened. He proceeded directly to the spirit pool and, as expected, found two pieces of Profound Water Crystal within it.

Logically, this Flood Water Earth Vein [an earth vein rich in Flood Water energy] should have nurtured four Profound Water Crystal over forty years. Finding only two likely meant the rest had been consumed by the Black-Horned Serpent. After securing the treasures, Eldrin Chen did not linger. That very day, he mounted his sword and flew back towards Yu County.

The journey took a mere four days. Remarkably, not a single Purple Mansion Demonic Beast [a demonic beast of the Purple Mansion realm] dared to block his path along the way.

Upon returning to Yu County, he finally allowed himself to exhale a deep sigh of relief.

Despite his unstoppable advance, a thread of apprehension had woven itself through his heart. He had ventured deep into the belly of the Demonic Tribe [the territory of demonic tribes]. Had he been delayed and a Golden Core Demon King [a demon king of the Golden Core realm] given chase, he would have faced grave peril.

Yet, everything had proceeded with unexpected smoothness.

With the cultivation of the Purple Palace, Mid Stage [the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm], he, a solitary swordsman, had pierced the heart of the Demonic Tribe. Along his path, he had slain a Purple Mansion Demonic Beast, claimed the unique produce of a Fourth Rank Spirit Vein [a spirit vein of the fourth rank], and returned unscathed.

Throughout his journey, his advance was absolute. Myriad demons and monsters retreated before him; not one Purple Mansion Demonic Beast dared stand in his way.

Before even a Golden Core Demon King [a powerful demonic ruler at the Golden Core realm] could react, he had already achieved his goal and returned to his clan. After this journey, it was likely that the surrounding human, demon, and monstrous tribes would all be shaken by his imposing aura.

The very essence of a Sword Cultivator [a cultivator whose primary path and power is focused on the sword] lies in this unyielding, forward-driving momentum. Having accomplished such a feat, it was probable that even Purple Mansion Late Stage Cultivators [powerful cultivators in the advanced stages of the Purple Mansion realm] would feel a measure of deference upon meeting him henceforth.

For himself, this journey had honed his temperament to be even more decisive and sharp. When channeling his Flying Sword [a sword that can be controlled to fly and attack from a distance], it felt effortless; every casual slash of his immortal sword now carried a sliver of an unstoppable conviction.

This was the very spirit of a sword immortal—the aura and the unflinching, one-way resolve.

Upon Verdant Chariot Mountain, Eldrin Chen handed over the Profound Water Crystal [a crystal imbued with profound water essence] and the Flood Water Treasure Gold [a rare metal refined by flood water energies] to Ethan Chen.

When Ethan Chen heard that he had ventured alone deep into Demonic Tribe Territory [lands controlled by demonic tribes] and returned with these treasures, his eyes practically shone with admiration. For the best reading experience, visit AUDIO-NOVEL.COM.

"Uncle Eldrin, one day, I will become someone like you."

"Then you must cultivate diligently."

Eldrin Chen smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. This lad possessed extraordinary courage and indeed shared a spark of his own spirit.

After entrusting the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation] Inner Core [the condensed energy core of a powerful beast or cultivator] to Lior Chen to be delivered to Green Sun Mountain, Eldrin Chen finally prepared to set out for Heaven's Ruin Mountain.

The Heavenly Abode Continent lies to the southeast of the Ji Continent, while the Chu Kingdom is situated in the northwestern borderlands of that same continent. To reach the Heavenly Abode Continent, one would essentially need to traverse the entire breadth of the Ji Continent.

Eldrin Chen soared on his flying sword, passing over the Chu Kingdom and crossing the Cerulean Peaks Range. After a journey of more than a month, he finally arrived at the Yan Kingdom.

The Yan Kingdom, also known as the Million-Mile Yan Lake, is connected to the Ji Continent River which stretches for nearly ten million Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters]. This great river serves as a natural boundary, separating the Cang Nation, the Ji Nation, and the Yan Kingdom itself.

He flew across the vast expanse of the Ronan River, which was a full one hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] wide at that point, eventually reaching the territory of the Ji Nation. Deciding to rest for a while, he chose to pause his journey there.

The Ji Nation forms the core territory occupied by the Ji Immortal Clan. As a top-tier Golden Core Immortal Clan, the Ji Clan indeed possesses operational Teleportation Formation [magical arrays capable of instantaneously transporting people or objects across vast distances].

Only a Spirit Vein [a natural conduit of concentrated spiritual energy within the earth] of at least the Fourth Rank Golden Core grade can barely support the construction of a short-range Teleportation Formation capable of spanning a million Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters].

To establish a long-distance Teleportation Formation that crosses tens of millions of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], a Fifth Rank Spirit Vein is required.

Legends speak of the Dao Lord Sacred Land [sanctified domains ruled by supreme cultivators], where the Sixth Rank Ancestral Vein [the primordial source veins of spiritual energy for a continent] reside. Within these, it is said that ultra-long-distance Teleportation Formation capable of traversing hundreds of millions of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] through the void can be constructed.

The Ji Clan does not possess many Teleportation Formation, but the ones they do have can span tens of millions of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], reaching into the distant void.

For a great clan like this, a Nascent Soul Immortal Clan [an immortal clan whose patriarch has reached the Nascent Soul realm], there is simply no need to construct short-range Teleportation Formation covering a mere few million Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters].

Nascent Soul True Lord [a supreme cultivator who has condensed their Primordial Spirit] could traverse a million Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] in a single night. In their eyes, the entire Ji Continent could be crossed in a mere handful of days.

Furthermore, they possessed Fifth Rank Treasure Boat [a high-grade magical vessel] and even Sixth Rank Treasure Boat [an even more powerful magical vessel], making a journey of a million Li-lengths across the void not particularly lengthy, and the cost of such travel was, in fact, relatively minor.

Therefore, even the wealthy and powerful Ji Immortal Clan had only established Teleportation Formation [a magical array for instantaneous travel] between a few of their own Fifth Rank Spirit Vein [a location with a fifth-grade concentration of spiritual energy].

After resting for three days in Ji Nation and making inquiries, Eldrin Chen discovered that the Ji Clan's Teleportation Formation network was not connected to the Heavenly Abode Continent.

The reason was simple: the two continents were too close. Crossing the border was a journey of merely five or six million Li-lengths. Deploying a long-distance Teleportation Formation was wasteful, while a short-distance one could not bridge the gap.

Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation] cultivators could not afford the teleportation fees, while Purple Mansion Cultivator [the third major realm of cultivation] were perfectly capable of flying the distance themselves. It was simply more practical to travel by sword-flight.

"It seems I must still cross the Heaven's Spine Mountains," Eldrin murmured to himself.

With a resigned sigh, Eldrin Chen had no choice but to mount his flying sword and continue his journey towards the Heavenly Abode Continent.

Traveling with intermittent stops, Eldrin Chen finally reached the foothills of the Heaven's Spine Mountains after flying over eight hundred thousand Li-lengths.

Gazing upon the vast, imposing mountain range that stretched before him, a shiver of apprehension ran down his spine.

Legends spoke of the Heaven's Spine Mountains as a realm of boundless expanse, a range renowned even within the vastness of the Eastern Wastelands. Yet, only upon witnessing it firsthand did one grasp the true magnitude of its terror.

If the Vast and Boundless Marsh, stretching across hundreds of millions of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], ranks among the top three of the Eastern Wastelands's famed mountains and rivers, then the Heaven's Spine Mountains surely finds its place within the top several dozen.

In comparison, the Cerulean Peaks Range, spanning mere millions of Li-length, seemed but a minor hillock before a true titan.

The Heaven's Spine Mountains lay across the world like the petrified spine of some primordial Demon God, a jagged, unbroken line stretching over thirty million Li-length. It cleaved through several sprawling continents, a monumental barrier dividing the heart of this immense Great Wilderness. The story continues at audio‑novel.com.