Chapter 279 : Forging the Demon-Slaying Blade

This Obsidian Abyss Ancient Gold Sword possesses extraordinary material, making it the most valuable among these treasures.

The Firmament Sword Sect's Elder Qian claimed another Fourth-Rank Magical Treasure. The Firmament Sword Sect's Fourth-Rank Sword Cleansing Pool can purify demonic taint, allowing it to be reforged into a proper magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators].

However, none of the others voiced any objection, for in this battle, Exquisite Jiang and True Person Zhang had contributed the most; it was only right they received the greatest share of the spoils.

"…"

After the group dispersed, Exquisite Jiang and Eldrin Chen boarded the Celestial Python Treasure Ark.

The Treasure Ship soared through the skies, heading towards Green Sun Mountain.

Within the Treasure Ship's Cultivation Room, Exquisite Jiang handed the Obsidian Abyss Ancient Gold Sword to Eldrin Chen.

"This sword's material is imbued with demonic energy [a malevolent spiritual force]," she said. "I believe it would be perfectly suited for forging a Thousand Demons Demon-Slaying Sword."

Her primary reason for acquiring this item was to provide Eldrin Chen with the means to craft a Thousand Demons Demon-Slaying Sword.

Eldrin Chen accepted the demonic sword and stored it away carefully. For Exquisite Jiang, given her current cultivation realm and combat prowess, an additional Thousand Demons Demon-Slaying Sword would not significantly enhance her strength for the time being. Yet for him, it promised a substantial leap in power. Read, share, and discuss at www . audio-novel.com.

When he first laid eyes upon that sword of Yan Old Demon, his heart had stirred with desire for it. Now that it was in his hands, he yearned to immediately refine it into a sword embryo [a nascent form of a cultivator's bonded sword].

Suppressing that impulse, Eldrin Chen said to Exquisite Jiang, "Let us first refine some batches of Demon-Cleansing Spirit Liquid [a potent elixir designed to purge demonic energy from the body]."

The two of them wasted no time, gathering the necessary ingredients for several cauldrons of Spirit Herb [plants infused with spiritual energy] and successfully refining multiple batches of the Demon-Cleansing Spirit Liquid.

Once the spiritual liquid was complete, he immediately rose, intending to seek out the Old Patriarch. Exquisite Jiang, however, gently grasped his arm and handed him a jade vial containing pills.

"Take these Violet Jade Origin Restoration Pill [a high-grade pill for healing severe internal injuries and restoring vital essence] to aid the Old Patriarch in his recovery."

"Mm."

Eldrin Chen gave her hand a firm, grateful squeeze before striding off to find the Old Patriarch.

In that battle, the Old Patriarch had not only been invaded by demonic energy but had also sustained grave internal injuries. The Violet Jade Origin Restoration Pill, being a Third Rank Superior Grade [a classification denoting the third tier of power and the highest quality within that tier] healing elixir, could save the Old Patriarch years of arduous recuperation.

Eternal Profound Chen spent five days using over a dozen portions of Demon-Cleansing Spirit Liquid to purge most of the demonic energy from his system. He then consumed two of the Violet Jade Origin Restoration Pill to mend his wounds.

With this dual-pronged approach, the Old Patriarch's vital essence was largely replenished, and his complexion had improved significantly.

He smiled as he looked at Eldrin Chen and said, "With this pill and the Demon-Cleansing Spirit Liquid [a potent elixir for purging demonic influences], my injuries are no longer a serious concern. All I need now is five years of rest and recuperation to fully recover."

Eldrin Chen nodded. Similar to his past life, cultivation-enhancing pills in this world did not suffer from the legendary issue of building tolerance, unlike the healing elixirs which did develop a degree of resistance over time.

Having taken two Violet Jade Origin Restoration Pill [a high-grade pill that mends foundational injuries and restores vitality] in a short span, the Old Patriarch would find the efficacy of such healing pills greatly diminished for at least the next twenty years.

He had been puzzled by this at first, but upon careful reflection, it made sense. Cultivation pills and Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] were akin to food in his previous life; one could not simply stop feeling hungry from eating too much. Healing elixirs, however, operated on principles much closer to the medicines of his former world.

"Though the injuries are healed, it was still a rather costly endeavor."

Gazing at the Violet Jade Origin Restoration Pill, the Old Patriarch could not help but show a flicker of heartache.

This Violet Jade Origin Restoration Pill was a Third Rank Superior Grade healing pill. A single one was worth over fifty thousand Spirit Stone. Having consumed two, he had spent a full one hundred thousand Spirit Stone to mend his wounds.

"In my view, ensuring your swift recovery is worth any price,"

Eldrin Chen said with a gentle smile. After meeting True Person Great Defense, he had come to understand the paramount importance of lifespan with ever greater clarity.

That True Person Great Defense possessed a Thunder Spiritual Root [an innate spiritual affinity for the element of thunder, granting exceptional talent], marking him as a true genius of his generation. In his prime, he had reached the Great Perfection of Violet Sanctum [the pinnacle of the Violet Sanctum cultivation stage] at the remarkably young age of just over two hundred years.

However, in order to forge a Middle-Tier Golden Core [a core of moderate quality and potential], this individual attempted the breakthrough four consecutive times before finally succeeding in reaching the Golden Core Realm [the third major stage of cultivation where one forms a solidified energy core].

When attempting Forming the Golden Core [the process of condensing one's spiritual energy into a solid core] without external aids, each failure inflicts severe internal damage. Unless one uses an extremely valuable fourth-rank Precious Pill [a high-grade elixir for healing or cultivation] to recover, it requires a full Sixty-Year Cycle [a complete cycle of sixty years] before another attempt can be made.

That True Person Great Defense [a title for a Golden Core stage cultivator] endured four such brutal attempts. As a result, he only managed his breakthrough at the advanced age of nearly five hundred years.

It was precisely because of this ordeal that True Person Great Defense, now over seven hundred years old, possesses a cultivation level of merely the Golden Core 3rd Tier [the third minor stage within the Golden Core realm].

Although he succeeded in forging a Middle-Tier Golden Core, granting him a sliver of potential for the Infant Soul [the fourth major cultivation stage where the spirit forms an infant-like avatar] and combat power rivaling a Golden Core 4th Tier [the fourth minor stage within the Golden Core realm] cultivator, the lifespan he lost is irrecoverable. Henceforth, barring an encounter with heaven-defying Celestial Mechanism [a profound opportunity or fateful encounter], it will be exceedingly difficult for him to ever break through to Infant Soul.

Although Old Patriarch [the venerable leader of the clan] is still relatively young in terms of remaining lifespan, no one can predict with certainty whether he will succeed in breaking through to Golden Core. Even if he does, no one knows how many attempts it might take him. Your portal to cultivation novels: @udio-novel.com.

It was precisely for this reason that Eldrin Chen was unwilling to let Old Patriarch waste even a single moment.

Emerging from Old Patriarch's Seclusion Chamber [a specially prepared room for undisturbed meditation and cultivation], Eldrin found Kael Chen in one of the side chambers.

At this moment, Kael Chen's brow was seething with a palpable, malevolent aura. It was clear that demonic energy [a corrupting, chaotic form of spiritual power] had invaded his body, and the erosion was already severe.

"How could you be so careless?"

Eldrin Chen furrowed his brow and retrieved the Demon-Cleansing Spirit Liquid [a potent elixir designed to purge demonic and fiendish energies from the body] to cleanse the fiendish energy from him.

However, Kael Chen shook his head, his expression calm as he stopped him, speaking with serene detachment.

"This time, the Demonic Fiendish Energy [a malevolent, corrupting energy born from demons and fiends] entering my body was no accident."

"No accident..."

Eldrin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, a crease forming between his brows.

This elder brother nodded, speaking with unsettling calm. "I deliberately drew the Demonic Fiendish Energy into my body."

A flicker of disbelief passed through Eldrin's mind. Had this clan brother truly become addicted to being tainted by fiendish energy?

Then, he heard Kael Chen give a light, detached laugh. His jet-black hair cascaded over his shoulders, his features strikingly handsome yet touched with a faint, unsettling demonic aura.

"I am different from you. My natural talent cannot compare to Ethan's either."

"I have always understood one truth: aside from a tenacious, unyielding will, I am inferior to you in every other aspect."

"I have long pondered a question: with my innate talent, forging a Superior-Tier Golden Core [the highest grade of the Golden Core cultivation stage] would undoubtedly be an immensely difficult task, with perhaps less than a one-in-ten chance of success."

"When I subdued the Fire Fiend [a malevolent spiritual entity born of fire essence] earlier, I discovered that during the struggle against it, both my spiritual sense and my True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a practitioner] grew increasingly pure, even more so than I had anticipated."

"It was precisely because of this that Ethan required two attempts to break through to the Violet Sanctum [the third major cultivation realm], whereas I succeeded on my very first try."

Kael Chen spoke calmly, methodically tempering the Demonic Fiendish Energy [a corrupting spiritual energy that amplifies base desires] within his body with his own magical power.

He was not expelling the Demonic Fiendish Energy, but rather refining it bit by bit, seeking to subdue and conquer it.

The Demonic Fiendish Energy differed from the Fire Fiend. Once this malevolent energy entered the body, it would amplify a person's desires, ceaselessly eroding the cultivator's soul, twisting their character until they ultimately fell into demonic corruption and became a Demonic Cultivator [a practitioner who uses dark, corrupt methods to gain power].

Yet Kael Chen possessed extraordinary willpower. At this moment, he was taking one deliberate step at a time, striving to subdue this Demonic Fiendish Energy and see through the demonic obstacles within his own heart.

He looked calmly at Eldrin Chen and said with a smile, "Refining the Demonic Fiendish Energy with my magical power and spiritual sense can greatly temper and hone both."

"If I can conquer the desires stirred by the Demonic Fiendish Energy, I will be able to see through the Inner Demon [the manifestation of a cultivator's inner flaws and temptations] within my heart. This will also increase my chances of overcoming the Inner Demon when I attempt to break through to the Infant Soul [the fifth major cultivation realm] in the future."

"There is no need for you to dissuade me."

Clad in a robe of deepest black, Kael Chen stood with his three thousand strands of raven hair cascading over his shoulders. His tall, straight frame seemed to merge with the shadows, and an aura of profound and growing demonic nature [a powerful, often corrupting energy associated with demons and dark cultivation] radiated from him.

As if sensing Eldrin Chen's unspoken concern, he offered a smile reminiscent of a Buddha holding a flower—serene and knowing. Yet, in that same moment, the gaze of a youthful Demon Monarch [a ruler or powerful lord among demonkind] fell upon him, its stare heavy and intent.

"Promise me,"

"If the day ever comes that I succumb to the demonic path,"

"Kill me!"

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