Chapter 278 : The Cost of a Demon War

After dispatching the messenger, a heavy silence settled over those present.

Eldrin Chen sighed inwardly and passed a ledger to the assembly, then spoke.

"This battle claimed the lives of nineteen Purple Mansion [the third major cultivation realm, where one forms a spiritual mansion within the dantian] cultivators and two hundred and sixty Foundation Establishment [the second major cultivation realm, where one builds a stable foundation for their Dao] cultivators."

"Over a thousand Foundation Establishment Cultivator emerged, but most were tainted by Demonic Qi [a corrupt and malevolent form of spiritual energy]. If it is not purged, I fear these individuals risk falling into demonic corruption."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions turned grim. Although they had slain over half of the Purple Mansion Demonic Cultivator within the Demon Cave Cavern, their own losses were severe.

For this campaign, the Heaven's Ruin Alliance had mobilized over twenty Purple Mansion Cultivator and more than two hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivator. The Violet Abyss Sect had committed a comparable force.

The Verdant Immortal Sect and the Firmament Sword Sect had thrown their full strength into the fray, together deploying eighty Purple Mansion cultivators and over seven hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators.

In total, more than one hundred Purple Mansion cultivators and over a thousand Foundation Establishment Cultivator had entered the caverns. Yet, fewer than nine hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators emerged alive, and of the one hundred and twenty-some Purple Mansion cultivators, only about a hundred survived.

With so many cultivators fallen, the compensation for their families alone would amount to millions of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. The price was unbearably steep.

A look of profound distress was etched on every face in the chamber. Even for any one of the four great Golden Core [the fourth major cultivation realm, where one condenses a golden core of immense power] powers, bearing such an expenditure would cripple their foundations. Access the full story on *audio-novel.com*.

Seeing the grim expressions on everyone's faces, Lyra Jiang could only say, "To avoid chilling the hearts of our people, we must not be lacking in the compensation we provide for the fallen."

"If our four great immortal sects pool the resources from our respective Spirit Medicine Garden [gardens dedicated to cultivating spiritually potent plants], we should be able to refine over a dozen batches of Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids a cultivator in establishing their foundational cultivation base] every ten years."

"With my Pill Success Rate, it would only take twenty years to distribute the compensation owed to the families of the fallen Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one solidifies their spiritual foundation] cultivators."

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. Lyra Jiang's mastery of Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual energy into potent pills and elixirs] was unparalleled in the Chu Kingdom, and having her undertake the refining would indeed save a significant amount of resources.

Having tentatively resolved the issue of compensation for the Foundation Establishment realm, the group began brainstorming further. Taiwu the True Person spoke up, "My Verdant Immortal Sect possesses several Earth-Fortress Earth Vein [geological formations rich in earth-attribute spiritual energy]. Combined, they can produce ten Five Elements Treasure Crystals [crystals containing the refined essence of the five fundamental elements] every Jiazi-time [a cycle of sixty years]."

"We can contribute ten."

He calculated silently. Nineteen Purple Mansion Cultivator [cultivators of the third major realm, where one opens a spiritual mansion within their dantian] had fallen, requiring thirty-eight Five Elements Treasure Crystals as compensation. He intended for his ten to cover a portion.

At that moment, however, the Grand Elder of the Firmament Sword Sect shook his head. "This conflict originated from your Verdant Immortal Sect, and the one who betrayed us was also Taicang the Elder Demon. Furthermore, your sect suffered the heaviest casualties among the fallen."

"The funds we are gathering now will largely go towards compensating *your* losses, and you offer only ten crystals?"

Taiwu the True Person's aged face flushed slightly. Of the nineteen fallen Purple Mansion cultivators, ten had been from his Verdant Immortal Sect.

The primary reason for the heavy losses among the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual mansion within the dantian] and Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Verdant Immortal Sect was the utterly unforeseen betrayal by Taicang the Elder Demon.

Thinking of this, Taiwu the True Person gritted his teeth and declared, "Regarding the compensation for the Five Elements Treasure Crystals [rare crystals containing the purified essence of the five fundamental elements], I shall bear the cost of fifteen pieces."

With Taiwu the True Person covering fifteen pieces, the remaining leaders discussed and agreed that each family would contribute eight Five Elements Treasure Crystals for compensation, thus settling the matter completely.

After handling the compensation, Eldrin Chen then spoke, "Now that a great number of Foundation Establishment cultivators have been tainted by Demonic Qi [the corrupting energy of the demonic path], we must find a way to purge it from them."

Upon hearing this, the others all wore grave expressions. Nearly a thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators—this represented the accumulated strength of the Chu Kingdom and the Verdant Immortal Sect over a century.

Statistically speaking, barring unforeseen events, many among them were destined to advance to become Purple Mansion cultivators, and some might even one day ascend to become Golden Core [the fourth major realm, where one forms a golden spiritual core] Ancestors.

If the Demonic Qi is not purged, it will hinder their cultivation. Worse, many could be corrupted by its influence and fall onto the Demonic Path [the heretical way of cultivation that harnesses malevolent and destructive energies].

Demonic Qi corrodes the very bones. While it can be burned away by True Flame [a cultivator's purified, elemental fire] when external, it is far more difficult to deal with once it has invaded the body.

Using overly aggressive methods risks damaging the physical body and its meridians; by the time the Demonic Qi is expelled, the body itself could be ruined.

Therefore, to purge Demonic Qi, there are typically only two methods. The first is to use one's True Essence [the refined spiritual energy within a cultivator's core] to temper and refine the body day and night, gradually forcing the demonic energy out.

This method often proves to be a protracted process, as the True Essence [the refined energy cultivated by a Foundation Establishment cultivator] of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator is inferior to mana [the raw magical energy used in spellcasting], making it even more arduous.

All Foundation Establishment cultivators who participated in this battle remained within the Demonic Qi [a corrupting energy associated with demonic cultivation] for two Shichen-time [one Shichen-time equals two hours]. Their bodies were essentially permeated by the Demonic Qi, and purging it would require twenty years.

Beyond this, cultivators, having fought demonic practitioners for years, have naturally researched other methods.

Among these methods, the most effective is concocting the Demon-Cleansing Spirit Liquid [a special elixir designed to neutralize demonic energy]. This liquid is used to neutralize the Demonic Qi, washing away its corrupting nature entirely.

At this moment, Lyra Jiang swept her gaze over the assembly and declared, "I possess the formula for the Demon-Cleansing Spirit Liquid."

"What is the approximate cost?" Qian the Elder could not contain his elation and eagerly inquired. Access the full story on audio_novel.com.

"Generally, concocting one portion requires one thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. However, if producing over a thousand portions, the cost per portion can be reduced to around six hundred Spirit Stone."

She paused in thought, then continued, "The number of cultivators from this battle who require the Demon-Cleansing Spirit Liquid is vast. The demand for Spirit Medicine [plants imbued with spiritual energy, used in alchemy] will be immense. I fear the resources within the Chu Kingdom alone will be insufficient to gather all that is needed."

The others made a quick mental calculation. The Foundation Establishment Cultivator in this battle were not exposed to the demonic cavern for more than three Shichen-time. The Demonic Qi within their bodies was not yet excessive; approximately one portion of the Demon-Cleansing Spirit Liquid should suffice to cleanse them completely.

At six hundred Spirit Stone per portion, even producing over a thousand portions would result in a total cost of around six hundred thousand Spirit Stone.

This cost was to be shared equally among the four major Golden Core [the third major stage of cultivation, where one's spiritual energy condenses into a solid, golden core] powers, making the individual expenditure not overly burdensome. Any person present could readily produce such a sum.

Thus, a collective sigh of relief washed over the assembly, and the matter was settled.

After concluding these affairs, the group turned their attention to tallying the spoils of this battle.

Strictly speaking, assaulting Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who follow a malevolent path, harnessing dark and corrupt energies] was often a thankless endeavor, its rewards paling in comparison to campaigns against Demonic Tribe [organized tribes of monstrous beasts and demons].

This was because the Demonic Treasure [enchanted artifacts forged with malevolent energies] wielded by Demonic Cultivator were vile and insidious. Prolonged use would lead to corrosion of the user's spirit soul by the Demonic Qi [the corrupt, malignant energy cultivated by demonic practitioners], warping their temperament and character.

Consequently, when Righteous Path Cultivator [cultivators who follow benevolent and orthodox cultivation methods] seized such demonic artifacts, they most often chose to destroy them.

However, in this engagement, the alliance had slain twenty or thirty thousand Demonic Cultivator, nearly halving the forces within the Demon Cave Cavern.

Though their departure was hasty, they still managed to seize close to ten thousand items, among which were numerous treasures.

Upon inventory, they discovered over five hundred thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] had been captured. The combined value of various Magical Tool [enchanted tools and weapons used by cultivators] and Heaven and Earth Treasures [rare natural materials imbued with potent spiritual energies] exceeded one million Spirit Stone.

This tally did not even include the several million Blood Crystal [crystals condensed from the life essence and blood of living beings, often used in dark rituals], nor the multitude of other sinister and pernicious demonic implements.

In addition to their victory, they also seized the Storage Bag [a spatial pouch used by cultivators to store items] belonging to the Blood-Robed Elder Demon and the black demonic sword, a Demonic Treasure [an enchanted artifact forged with malevolent energy], that had been wielded by Yan Morgrim.

Within the Blood-Robed Elder Demon's Storage Bag, they discovered a Fourth Rank Low Grade [a grade corresponding to the early Golden Core realm] Demonic Treasure, as well as a Fourth Rank Heaven and Earth Treasure [a rare natural treasure born from the convergence of heaven and earth's spiritual essence].

As for the black demonic sword wielded by Yan Morgrim, it was a Fourth Rank Immortal Sword [a powerful sword artifact suitable for Golden Core realm cultivators]. Its entire body was forged from Black Abyss Ancient Gold [a rare, dark metal imbued with abyssal properties] and had been tempered with vast quantities of malignant energy from a demonic cavern.

Lyra Jiang examined the several Demonic Treasures. Taking the black demonic sword, she said, "Although these Demonic Treasures cannot be used by us, their materials can be melted down and repurposed for forging righteous magical treasures."

"I will take this immortal sword. The rest, you may divide amongst yourselves." Visit AUDIO-NOVEL.COM to enjoy the complete series.