Chapter 291 : The Clan's Decisive War

First, for the hundreds of millions of the Human Race [the collective term for humanity in the cultivation world]; second, for the Chen Immortal Clan; and third, for one's own cultivation and destined opportunities.

With these three reasons present, everyone naturally understood the importance of this battle and was resolute in their determination to participate.

Seeing everyone nod in agreement, Eldrin Chen took a sip of tea, set the cup down, and then spoke again.

"Since we are committing fully to this war, we must give it our all."

"I believe, apart from leaving three Purple Mansion [a major cultivation stage above Foundation Establishment] cultivators to garrison Spirit Isle Lake, Pingyang City, and Verdant Chariot Mountain respectively, all other locations can be entrusted to Foundation Establishment Cultivator [the cultivation stage above Qi Refinement] to defend."

Everyone nodded upon hearing this. Lior Chen couldn't help but ask, "If we arrange it this way, then who goes and who stays behind?"

The Old Patriarch stroked his long beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "Pingyang City concerns the foundation of our clan. Lior recently broke through to the Purple Palace, Mid Stage [the middle phase of the Purple Mansion realm]. With him holding the fort in my stead, even an ordinary False Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a flawed, inferior Golden Core] would find it impossible to breach."

Pingyang City possesses a Third Rank High Grade Formation [a structured arrangement of energy for defense or other purposes], and its Spirit Vein [a natural conduit of spiritual energy within the earth] is also of Third Rank High Grade quality.

Combined, and with a Purple Palace, Mid Stage cultivator presiding, even if a Golden Core Cultivator [a powerful cultivator who has formed a solidified core of spiritual energy] were to come, they could be held off for a time. Its level of security, therefore, goes without saying.

Everyone nodded once more, naturally having little objection, thus agreeing to this decision. For uninterrupted reading, go to audio‑novel.com.

Eldrin Chen pondered for a moment before speaking, "Let Silas garrison Spirit Isle Lake. She has overseen the Formation there for me for many years, which is sufficient to ensure Spirit Isle Lake remains secure."

"As for Verdant Chariot Mountain, it can be entrusted to Caleb."

Among the group, Caleb and Silas had not broken through to the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual mansion within the dantian] for very long. Their cultivation was only at the first or second layer of the Purple Mansion.

In truth, within the clan now, there were only three cultivators at the Purple Palace, Mid Stage [the middle phase of the Purple Mansion realm]: Lila, Lior, and Kael.

Within the clan, aside from Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch, Kael Chen was the first cultivator to break through to the Purple Mansion.

He had broken through when he was just over one hundred years old. Now, not yet one hundred and sixty, he had been in the Purple Mansion for over fifty years.

However, after reaching the Purple Mansion, he had forged three Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a cultivator's personally crafted and soul-bound enchanted artifact], which significantly slowed his cultivation progress. Fortunately, his breakthrough without external aids had earned him substantial resource rewards. Not long ago, he had managed to reach the Purple Mansion Fourth Layer by relying on the Violet Qi Cloud-Vein Pill [a high-grade pill that aids in advancing through the Purple Mansion realm].

Lior Chen was the clan's second breakthrough. He had also been in the Purple Mansion for over forty years. His rapid advancement to the Purple Palace, Mid Stage was due to the clan's deliberate nurturing, aiming for him to reach this stage before the impending Beast Tide Calamity [a periodic catastrophe where hordes of demonic beasts rampage].

In fact, he still owed the clan a debt of over one hundred thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. However, Eldrin Chen had decided that Lior should first cultivate to Purple Mansion Great Perfection [the peak of the Purple Mansion realm]. He would repay the debt with his stipend only after his cultivation plateaued and no longer required massive Spirit Stone infusions.

The benefit of this approach was to prevent his cultivation progress from stagnating over the next few decades due to a lack of resources.

The drawback is that an ordinary Purple Mansion Family might not be able to support such a loan. It is only because the Chen Clan now possesses numerous assets and has a substantial annual surplus of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] that they dare to offer such loans to their clan's cultivators.

Another potential issue is that Lior Chen owes the clan a vast sum. Should he meet an untimely demise, the clan would be left with a significant bad debt.

However, in Eldrin Chen's view, when the clan faced dire straits in the past, Lior Chen was generous with his aid. Now that the clan prospers, it is only right to extend a degree of care to these elder members of the family.

With his personal endorsement, no one else raised any objections.

Lila possesses an Anomalous Spiritual Root [a rare spiritual root type that offers advantages in early cultivation but presents challenges later], and she broke through to the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual core] at a remarkably young age. Furthermore, as she only needs to refine a single Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's life force and soul], her advancement to the Purple Mansion, Mid Stage was naturally quite swift.

Yet, the advantage of an Anomalous Spiritual Root is primarily useful only before reaching the Golden Core [the fourth major realm, where one condenses a golden spiritual core]. Beyond that point, it may not necessarily prove superior to Multiple Spiritual Roots [the standard configuration of spiritual roots].

This is because an Anomalous Spiritual Root cultivator refines only one Lifebound Magical Treasure, resulting in spiritual essence that is less pure and a significantly lower chance of surviving the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the trial of heavenly lightning that tests a cultivator's foundation] compared to those with Multiple Spiritual Roots.

While an Anomalous Spiritual Root increases the likelihood of a Golden Core breakthrough by twenty percent—earning such cultivators the title of 'Golden Core Seed'—the situation shifts entirely once that realm is attained.

Their odds of breaking through to the Nascent Soul [the fifth major realm, where one forms an independent spiritual infant] are no different from those of ordinary Spiritual Root holders. In fact, cultivators with Anomalous Spiritual Root face greater difficulties during their tribulations.

Given the formidable difficulty of the Nascent Soul Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, unless one possesses a powerful background or a senior expert willing to lend a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a supreme-grade magical artifact capable of suppressing demonic forces and aiding in tribulation survival] to assist in overcoming the trial, the chances for an Anomalous Spiritual Root cultivator to survive the Nascent Soul Heavenly Thunder Tribulation are exceedingly slim.

Conversely, Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a solidified core of spiritual energy] with Two Spiritual Roots [innate affinity for two of the five spiritual elements] or Three Spiritual Roots [innate affinity for three of the five spiritual elements], if they can procure several Fourth Rank High Grade Magical Treasure [powerful enchanted artifacts of the fourth rank, high grade] to block the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the devastating lightning strikes sent by heaven as a trial for ascension], and are willing to pay the price of severely damaging or even shattering their own Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical treasure bound to a cultivator's life force and soul], still possess a sliver of hope to survive the Nascent Soul Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the heavenly thunder tribulation faced when attempting to form a Nascent Soul].

The legendary Heavenly Thunder Tribulation for the Nascent Soul realm is even more cataclysmic, capable of shattering heaven and earth. Unless one can borrow a Supreme Treasure of Pure Yang [a supreme treasure imbued with the ultimate power of pure Yang energy] to assist in weathering the tribulation, attempting it with a Heavenly Spiritual Root [a perfect, singular spiritual root of supreme quality] or an Anomalous Spiritual Root [a rare and powerful spiritual root that deviates from the standard five elements] is nothing but a sure path to death.

In truth, even with a borrowed Supreme Treasure of Pure Yang, given the inherent limitations of a Heavenly Spiritual Root, unless one forges the legendary Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul [a Nascent Soul perfectly aligned with the Heavenly Dao, representing the pinnacle of foundation], most would still fail to withstand the final one or two strikes of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.

It is precisely for this reason that the Nascent Soul Dao Lord [a lord of the Dao who has achieved the Nascent Soul realm] in this world are almost exclusively cultivators with Multiple Spiritual Roots [innate affinity for multiple spiritual elements].

One brutally honest fact is this: throughout the annals of history, among those who achieved immortal ascension, none have been recorded as possessing a Heavenly Spiritual Root or an Anomalous Spiritual Root. Instead, they were almost universally prodigies of stunning talent with dual Spiritual Root [innate affinity for spiritual elements] or more.

After all, you might be able to borrow a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a supreme treasure specifically designed to suppress demonic forces] to survive the Nascent Soul [the spiritual infant formed from a cultivator's solidified core] tribulation, or even possess a world-shaking background allowing you to borrow a Supreme Treasure of Pure Yang to pass the Nascent Soul tribulation. Continue reading this story at *audio-novel.com*.

Yet, the power of a Dao Body [a rare and powerful physical constitution aligned with the Dao] also has its limits. The vast majority of Dao Body cannot, through feedback, elevate a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a spiritual treasure bound to one's life and soul] across the chasm to become a Supreme Treasure of Pure Yang, let alone nurture a Lifebound Immortal Treasure [an immortal treasure bound to one's life and soul].

Although Eldrin Chen's Life-Bound Magical Treasure had its foundational nature elevated by Primordial Essence [the pure, undifferentiated energy from the dawn of creation], his calculations estimated it would still be bottlenecked before reaching the fifth rank.

In the future, when he reached the Golden Core, Late Stage [the late stage of the Golden Core realm], if he wished for treasures like the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss and others to break through the barrier to the Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure grade, he would require even more Primordial Essence to further elevate their foundational nature.

This is precisely why a Great Luo Golden Core [the supreme, most perfect form of Golden Core] serves as the foundational cornerstone for the ultimate Dao. For a Five Spiritual Roots [innate affinity for all five spiritual elements] cultivator with a Great Luo Golden Core, if they were willing to sacrifice all five of their life-bound Supreme Treasure of Pure Yang, shattering them completely, their chance of surviving the Immortal Ascension Tribulation [the final, most devastating tribulation to ascend to immortality] would be at least thirty percent.

Of course, high-level cultivators possess an endless array of methods, and there are always those of astonishing talent who continuously pioneer new techniques to transcend the heavenly tribulations.

Especially after a cultivator breaks through to the Nascent Soul [the realm where one's spiritual essence condenses into an infant form], attaining the status of a Nascent Soul True Lord [an honored title for a Nascent Soul realm master], it becomes possible to obtain various incomparably precious Great Divine Ability [supreme mystical arts of immense power]. Among these are methods to complete one's Spiritual Root [the innate channels that determine one's affinity for absorbing spiritual energy from the world].

However, the path to completing a Spiritual Root is fraught with immense difficulty. Before the Purple Mansion [the realm where one opens a spiritual palace within the dantian], it is somewhat manageable, as one only needs to complete the Spiritual Root itself.

But upon reaching the Golden Core [the realm where one's essence, energy, and spirit fuse into a golden pellet of power], the challenge becomes far greater. A Golden Core forged from a single Spiritual Root is inherently of a single attribute. At this stage, one must not only complete the missing Spiritual Root, but also pay an astronomical price to refine and complete the Golden Core itself. After the Nascent Soul, one must then complete the Nascent Soul [the spiritual infant] as well.

The higher one's cultivation realm, the more colossal the cost becomes to complete a Spiritual Root.

Upon reaching the realm of the Primordial Spirit [the ultimate spiritual form beyond the Nascent Soul], attempting to complete a Spiritual Root becomes as difficult as scaling the heavens themselves. Unless one encounters a heaven-defying opportunity, even a Nascent Soul Dao Lord [a supreme master who has comprehended profound Dao principles within the Nascent Soul realm] might spend ten thousand years and still fail to complete a single Spiritual Root.

Such knowledge is utterly inaccessible to ordinary people. Eldrin Chen only obtained it after collating the inherited legacy of the Ethereal Void Sect [a sect focused on ethereal and void-based cultivation arts]. Enjoyed this chapter? Read more at audio-novel . com.