Chapter 253 Ruins Treasure Hunt

It turned out that deep within the Flaming Abyss of Infernal Prison, they had discovered the remains of a revered elder.

That senior, clearly gravely wounded before his passing, had laid down a protective formation within the Sea of Flames of the Infernal Prison.

Yet he still passed away in meditation. That man possessed formidable power, at least a Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) cultivator. Even after hundreds of years, his body showed no signs of decay, and even his storage pouch remained completely intact.

A powerful True Master at the Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) like this had typically lived for nearly a 1000 years. The wealth they accumulated was mostly immense fortunes, and their storage bags undoubtedly concealed heavy treasures.

The Clear Word Hermit and his wife coveted the treasure, repeatedly venturing into the formation in search of it. They even enlisted the help of their friend Yu Qingyan (Person Name), yet each attempt ended in failure.

Deep within the Blazing Prison Fire Sea lurked Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) spirits, while the area where the senior resided was a convergence of spiritual veins, inhabited by 6 or 7 Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) spirits at the Purple Mansion realm.

The Zifu Demonic Spirits possessed extraordinary intelligence and were well aware of the immense value of a Golden Core cultivator's flesh, blood, and magical treasures. However, their inability to comprehend formation arrays had thus far prevented them from breaching the protective enchantments.

But as the formation grew increasingly feeble, it would inevitably be breached by the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) demon spirits.

Worried that the treasure might be seized by the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) spirit, Clearword Wanderer sought out Eldrin (Person Name) directly, intending to invite him to jointly subdue the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) spirit.

The treasure of the Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm).

A flicker of delight flashed in Eldrin's eyes. He pondered for a moment before saying, "I can agree to this."

"However, the treasures we obtain must be distributed according to each person's contribution."

"Agreed."

Qingci Sanren nodded slightly. A single cultivator at the Purple Palace, Late Stage could match the combat prowess of 5 or 6 at the Purple Palace, Early Stage. Calculating purely by numbers would indeed put them at a significant disadvantage.

After taking the Heart Demon Blood Oath and signing the contract, the group finally revealed relaxed smiles.

Qingci Sanren’s brow twitched slightly as she said, “I must return to Peach Blossom Mountain to break through to the Purple Palace, Late Stage. The exploration of the ruins shall be postponed for a short while.”

"Mm." Eldrin smiled faintly and said, "Then 1 year from now, we shall meet at the Flaming Sea of the Infernal Prison."

"Very well…"

The group agreed on a time for their expedition before parting ways.

Eldrin (Person Name) journeyed to the renowned rogue cultivator city of Yuan Kingdom, where he rented a third-grade spirit spring cavern abode and began secluded cultivation to refine the Solar True Aura.

Since its successful creation, he had already advanced this defensive divine ability to an exceptionally profound realm.

Now that he had obtained this crucial catalyst, he could finally begin cultivating this divine ability.

In just 1 month, he had already grasped the fundamentals of Solar True Aura through the Sun Treasure Crystal (Spiritual Object), then began refining vast quantities of Metallic Fire Qi, transforming it into Solar Essence to integrate into this divine ability.

1 year passed by in this manner, devoted to cultivation.

It is done.

On this day, Eldrin drew the final wisp of solar essence into his core and slowly exhaled.

After 1 full year of dedication, he finally mastered the Solar True Aura. With this divine ability now at his command, his means of preserving his life would be significantly enhanced.

Emerging from seclusion, he realized the appointed time to explore the ruins together was approaching, and thus hastily rode his sword toward the Blazing Prison Fire Sea.

After a dozen or so days of flight, when he finally reached the Blazing Prison Inferno, he discovered that Clear Verse Scattered Immortal and the other 2 had arrived ahead of him, having already waited for quite some time.

A year had passed, and the Clear Word Wanderer had already broken through to the Purple Palace, Late Stage. His spiritual power had grown 40 percent stronger than before.

He cast a glance at Eldrin (Person Name), a faint smile playing on his lips as he remarked, "So you've finally arrived."

"Congratulations on your breakthrough to the Purple Palace, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm). It seems the Golden Core (Cultivation Realm) may well be within your reach in the future."

Eldrin's eyes flickered slightly as he offered a warm smile and congratulations.

Finally breaking through to the Purple Palace, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm), Elder Qingci was in excellent spirits.

He possessed dual spiritual roots of metal and wood, and in his early years was accepted as the legacy disciple by Daoist Qingyuan, a rogue cultivator at the Purple Palace, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm).

Before his master, Daoist Qingyuan (Person Name), passed away, he held him in high regard and even married his daughter, Fairy Qingyan (Person Name) to him.

Moreover, his diligent cultivation allowed Elder Qingci to progress at a remarkable pace. Barely over a 100 years old, he had already broken through to the Purple Mansion realm.

Moreover, he had refined 2 innate magical treasures to temper his magic power, resulting in exceptionally pure energy that further increased his chances of a breakthrough. For the subsequent bottlenecks at the Purple Palace, Mid Stage and later phases, he broke through using only 1 Cloud-Patterned Creation Pill and 1 Purple Qi Cloud-Patterned Pill.

At just over 2 100 years old, he had already reached the Purple Palace, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm). It appeared he could achieve perfection in this realm before turning 3 100—a rarity even among rogue cultivators.

However, having cultivated to this stage today, the wealth accumulated by Daoist Qingyuan over hundreds of years had been completely depleted. He and Fairy Qingyan would henceforth lead an austere life.

Without the backing of a clan or sect, relying solely on a third-tier, low-grade spirit mountain made it rather challenging to sustain 2 Eldrin Mansion cultivators.

Moreover, for him to break through to the Golden Core realm in the future, the resources required would easily exceed 1,000,000 spirit stones.

It was precisely for this reason that despite being fully aware of the perils lurking within the depths of the Blazing Inferno, Clearword Wanderer remained determined to seize the treasures hidden there.

Seeing that everyone had gathered, Yu Qingyan revealed a faint smile and said, "Everyone, since we're all here, let's head inside first before we continue."

"Hmm."

Eldrin nodded, and the 4 of them soared into the Sea of Blazing Flames on their swords.

Although this Sea of Blazing Prison Fire was an extreme forbidden land where almost no living creatures could survive, it was a perfect manifestation of the principle that things will develop in the opposite direction when they become extreme.

Amidst this sea of devastating flames, a unique form of life had been nurtured—the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) demon spirits.

The Infernal Prison's Sea of Fire spanned millions of miles, nurturing numerous Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) demon spirits. Most of these entities possessed cultivation at the second tier, with only a rare few reaching the Purple Mansion realm.

Legend has it that in the deepest reaches of the Blazing Prison's Sea of Fire, some have even witnessed Golden Core realm Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) spirits of immense power.

Last time, Eldrin had ventured merely 1 100 1000 miles into the Blazing Abyss Inferno—still relatively within its outer periphery—and had not encountered any Purple Mansion Realm Crimson Flame Qi spiritual root wraiths.

But this time was different. The 4 of them were to venture 300,000 li deep into the Inferno Blaze Sea—a distance that could already be considered perilous indeed.

Qingci Sanren led the way ahead, flying for approximately 7 or 8 days before covering nearly 300,000 li.

As they ventured deeper, the group gradually encountered more and more Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) wraiths.

"Up ahead lies the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) Mountain."

"Be careful."

Qingci Sanren summoned his lifebound immortal sword, slaying the second-order yaoling ahead. With a grave expression, he cautioned.

Eldrin's expression turned somewhat more serious, as they were already not far from the ancient cultivation ruins.

Before his passing, the ancient cultivator chose to meditate unto death atop a third-order spirit vein, utilizing its energy to deploy a fourth-order formation.

Now, after several 100 years had passed, that formation had grown somewhat unstable, and numerous Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) wraiths had gathered around it.

The group slowed their flight speed and cautiously traveled several 1000 li more before finally arriving at the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) Mountain.

Upon arriving at Crimson Flame Mountain, Eldrin immediately spotted 8 Purple Mansion demon spirits prowling the slopes, 2 of which had even reached the Late Stage of the Purple Palace.

Chapter 1: The Reborn Eldrin The air in the Nether Abyss trembled as a crimson streak tore across the ashen sky. Upon a jagged cliff stood a figure in azure robes, his eyes burning with the accumulated wisdom of millennia. This was Eldrin, once the revered Heavenly Sword Sovereign, now reborn in the mortal realm after his celestial tribulation failed. "9 Revolutions Profound Art - still stuck at the seventh stage after 3 lifetimes," he murmured, a wry smile touching his lips. His spiritual sense swept across the desolate mountains, detecting the faint energy fluctuations of nearby spirit veins. Suddenly, his expression shifted. 3 figures descended from the clouds, their auras sharp as unsheathed blades. The leader, a man with frost-silver hair, landed gracefully before him. "Eldrin," the silver-haired cultivator spoke, his voice echoing with power. "The Heavenly Dao Alliance has been searching for you. Your Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss caused quite the disturbance when you fell." Eldrin's hand instinctively went to the simple-looking sword at his waist. "Yun Changge," he responded calmly. "It's been what, 8 100 years? Still doing the Alliance's bidding like a faithful hound?" Yun Changge's eyes narrowed. "You possess the Ancient Dragon's Bloodline. The Alliance cannot allow such power to roam free." He gestured, and his 2 companions moved to flank Eldrin. "Come quietly, and we might spare your current incarnation." A cold light flashed in Eldrin's eyes. "You want my bloodline? Try taking it." His fingers danced through intricate seals as he activated his cultivation technique. The air around him distorted, spiritual energy gathering at an alarming rate. The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss hummed, its blade glowing with ethereal flames. "Arrogant as ever!" Yun Changge snorted, drawing his own weapon - the Frostbane Saber. "You're merely at the Golden Core stage now. Did you really think you could hide forever?" The 2 other cultivators simultaneously unleashed their pressure. The mountain beneath them groaned under the tremendous spiritual force. Eldrin smiled bitterly. His current cultivation was indeed far from his previous heights. But he had prepared for this moment. "1000 Illusion Steps!" he shouted, his form blurring into afterimages. Just as Yun Changge's icy blade energy was about to strike, Eldrin vanished from the spot, reappearing hundreds of feet away. He threw out a handful of talismans that exploded into blinding light. "After him!" Yun Changge roared, shielding his eyes. "He can't have gone far!" But when the light faded, Eldrin was nowhere to be seen. All that remained was a small, glowing formation carved into the rock where he'd stood moments before. "Teleportation array!" 1 of the cultivators exclaimed. "Impossible! How could he set 1 up so quickly?" Yun Changge's face darkened. He knelt, examining the intricate patterns. "This isn't ordinary teleportation. This is... spatial shifting. He's heading for the Secret Realms." Meanwhile, Eldrin reappeared in a burst of spatial energy deep within an ancient forest. He leaned against a massive tree, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The forced teleportation had strained his already damaged meridians. "I need spirit herbs," he muttered, wiping the blood away. "And lots of them." His spiritual sense detected something nearby - a faint but familiar energy signature. Following the sensation, he pushed through thick foliage to find a small clearing. There, growing beside a crystalline stream, were 3 stalks of 7 Color Spirit Grass, their leaves shimmering in the dim light. "Finally, some luck," he breathed, a genuine smile gracing his features for the first time in what felt like ages. But his smile faded as he sensed another presence approaching. Multiple presences, in fact. And they weren't human. From the shadows between the ancient trees, pairs of glowing red eyes began to appear. Low growls rumbled through the forest as wolf-like creatures with crystalline fur emerged, surrounding the clearing. Their leader, a massive beast with 6 tails, stepped forward, baring teeth that gleamed like polished jade. Eldrin's hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. It seemed his troubles were far from over.