Chapter 291 : The Clan's Decisive Stand

First, for the sake of the hundreds of millions of the Human Race; second, for the Chen Immortal Clan; and third, for their own cultivation and opportunities [chances for advancement and acquiring resources].

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

Seeing the nods of agreement from the assembly, Eldrin Chen took a sip of tea, set his cup down, and continued speaking.

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

"I believe we should leave three Violet Sanctum [a mid-level cultivation realm] cultivators behind to guard Spirit Isle Lake, Pingyang City, and Green Chariot Mountain respectively. All other locations can be entrusted to Foundation Establishment Cultivator [the second major cultivation realm] cultivators for defense."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Lior Chen could not help but ask, "If we arrange it this way, then who goes to the front and who stays behind?"

The Old Patriarch stroked his long beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "Pingyang City is the foundation of our clan. Lior recently broke through to the Violet Sanctum Mid Stage. With him holding the city in my stead, not even an ordinary Pseudo-Core Realm Cultivator [a cultivator at the peak of the Violet Sanctum realm, approaching the Golden Core realm] could hope to breach its defenses."

Pingyang City was protected by a Third Rank Superior Grade [a high-grade item of the third rank] defensive Formation [a structured array that channels energy for defense or other effects], and its Spiritual Vein [a natural underground conduit of concentrated spiritual energy] was also of the Third Rank Superior Grade.

Combined, and with a Violet Sanctum Mid Stage cultivator commanding them, they could hold off even a Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator of the fourth major realm] for a time. Its safety was beyond question.

After careful consideration, Eldrin Chen spoke, "Let Silas garrison Spirit Isle Lake [a spiritual lake region]. For years, she has managed the Formation [a complex array of magical defenses] there on my behalf, which is more than sufficient to ensure Spirit Isle Lake remains secure."

"As for Green Chariot Mountain [a verdant mountain stronghold], that can be entrusted to Caleb."

Among the clan members, both Caleb and Silas had broken through to the Violet Sanctum [the third major cultivation realm] not too long ago, their cultivation levels only at the first or second tier of that realm.

In truth, within the clan at present, there were only three cultivators at the Violet Sanctum Mid Stage [the middle phase of the Violet Sanctum realm]: Lila, Lior, and Kael.

Within the clan, aside from Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch, Kael Chen had been the first to break through to the Violet Sanctum realm.

He had achieved his Violet Sanctum breakthrough when he was just over a hundred years old. Now, not yet one hundred and sixty, it had been more than fifty years since he entered the Violet Sanctum Realm.

However, after reaching Violet Sanctum, he had forged three Lifebound Magical Treasure [magical artifacts bound to one's life force], which significantly slowed his cultivation progress. Fortunately, his unaided breakthrough had earned him substantial resource rewards from the clan. Not long ago, he had finally managed to reach the Violet Sanctum 4th Tier [the fourth tier of the Violet Sanctum realm] by consuming a Violet Aura Cloud-Vein Pill [a high-grade elixir that refines spiritual veins].

Lior Chen had been the second in the clan to break through, entering the Violet Sanctum realm over forty years ago. His relatively swift advancement to the Violet Sanctum Mid Stage was also due to the clan's focused investment, aiming to have him reach that stage before the impending Beast Tide [a periodic onslaught of rampaging demonic beasts].

In fact, he still owed the clan a debt exceeding one hundred thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy]. However, Eldrin Chen had made the decision to let him prioritize cultivating to the Great Perfection of Violet Sanctum [the peak of the Violet Sanctum realm]. He would repay the debt with his clan stipend only after his cultivation progress stalled and he no longer required vast amounts of resources.

The benefit of this approach was to prevent his cultivation from stagnating for decades in the Future due to a lack of resources.

The drawback is that the average Violet Sanctum family's Clan Treasury might not be able to support such a loan. It is only because the Chen Clan now possesses numerous enterprises and has a substantial annual surplus of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] that it dares to lend so generously to its clan cultivators.

Another potential issue is that Lior Chen now owes the clan a massive 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 had been generous with his support. Now that the clan prospers, it is only right to extend a degree of care to these senior members.

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

Lila possesses a Variant Spiritual Root [a rare spiritual root type that allows a cultivator to bond with a single magical treasure, increasing their chances of reaching the Golden Core realm]. She broke through to the Violet Sanctum realm 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 and cultivation], her advancement to the Violet Sanctum Mid Stage has been naturally swift.

Yet, the advantage of a Variant Spiritual Root is primarily useful only before reaching the Golden Core realm. Beyond that point, it may not necessarily be superior to Multiple Spiritual Roots [the more common type of spiritual root that allows bonding with multiple magical treasures].

This is because a cultivator with a Variant Spiritual Root refines only one Lifebound Magical Treasure, resulting in less refined spiritual energy [the vital energy that flows through all living things and is harnessed by cultivators] and a far lower chance of surviving the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a trial of heavenly lightning that cultivators must endure to advance to higher realms] compared to those with Multiple Spiritual Roots.

The Variant Spiritual Root is called a Golden Core seed precisely because it increases the chance of a breakthrough by twenty percent. However, once the Golden Core realm is attained, the situation changes entirely.

Their odds of breaking through to the Infant Soul realm are no different from those with ordinary Spiritual Root. In fact, those with Variant Spiritual Root face greater difficulties during their tribulations.

Given the formidable difficulty of the Infant Soul Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, unless one has a powerful background or a senior expert willing to lend a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a top-tier magical artifact capable of suppressing demonic forces and aiding in tribulation survival] to assist, the chance for someone with a Variant Spiritual Root to survive the Infant Soul Heavenly Thunder Tribulation is exceedingly slim.

Conversely, a Golden Core Cultivator with Dual Spiritual Roots or Three Spiritual Roots stands a somewhat better chance. If they can procure several Fourth Rank Superior Grade Magical Treasures to withstand the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a cataclysmic trial of heavenly lightning], and are willing to pay the price of severely damaging or even shattering their own Lifebound Magical Treasure [a cultivator's personally bonded and nurtured enchanted artifact], they possess a measure of confidence in surviving the Infant Soul Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.

The legendary Primordial Spirit Heavenly Thunder Tribulation possesses power capable of sundering heaven and extinguishing earth. Unless one borrows a Primordial Solar Supreme Treasure [a supreme treasure of the highest solar grade] to assist in overcoming the tribulation, attempting it with a Heavenly Spiritual Root [the pinnacle grade of spiritual root aptitude] or a Variant Spiritual Root [a rare, mutated spiritual root] is nothing but a march to certain death.

In truth, even with a borrowed Primordial Solar Supreme Treasure, given the foundational limitations of a Heavenly Spiritual Root, unless one forges the legendary Heavenly Path Infant Soul [an Infant Soul foundation aligned with the Heavenly Dao], most would fail to endure the final one or two strikes of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.

It is precisely for this reason that the Primordial Spirit Path Lords [cultivators who have reached the Primordial Spirit realm and comprehended a Path] in this world are almost exclusively cultivators with Multiple Spiritual Roots.

One brutally harsh reality is this: throughout the annals of history, among those who achieved immortality, none have been recorded as possessing a Heavenly Spiritual Root or a Variant Spiritual Root. Instead, they have almost universally been dazzling prodigies with dual Spiritual Roots or more.

After all, you might be able to borrow a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a supreme treasure specialized for suppressing demons] to survive the Infant Soul tribulation. You might even possess a world-shaking background, allowing you to borrow a Primordial Solar Supreme Treasure to overcome the Primordial Spirit tribulation. Official source: audi0-n0vel.c0m. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

But in this world where true Immortals are extinct, where would one find the legendary Supreme Immortal Treasure [a treasure of immortal grade] needed to survive the Immortal Ascension Tribulation [the final tribulation to ascend to immortality]?

The power of a Path Body [a rare, heaven-defying physical constitution aligned with a specific Dao Path] also has its limits. The vast majority of Path Bodies cannot, through their feedback, elevate a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [the spiritual treasure version of a lifebound artifact] across the chasm to become a Primordial Solar Supreme Treasure, let alone nurture a Lifebound Immortal Treasure [an immortal-grade lifebound treasure].

Although Eldrin Chen's Lifebound Magical Treasure had its foundational nature elevated by the Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [a primordial energy of creation and chaos], his calculations estimated it would still be bottlenecked before reaching Fifth Rank.

In the future, when he reached the Golden Core Late Stage, if he wished for treasures like the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword to break through the barrier to the Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure grade, he would require even more Primordial Chaos Violet Aura to further elevate their foundational nature.

This is precisely why the Great Encompassing Golden Core [the pinnacle Golden Core stage] serves as the foundation of one's path. For a cultivator with Five Spiritual Roots [affinity for all five elemental energies], if their Great Encompassing Golden Core is forged by sacrificing all five of their Primordial Solar Supreme Treasure [life-bound supreme treasures], their chances of surviving the Immortal Ascension Tribulation [the heavenly trial to ascend to immortality] would be at least thirty percent.

Of course, high-level cultivators possess endless methods, and there are always those of exceptional talent who continuously devise new ways to transcend tribulations.

Especially after a cultivator breaks through to the Infant Soul [Nascent Soul] realm, an Infant Soul True Lord [True Lord of the Nascent Soul stage] has the potential to obtain various incredibly precious Great God Ability [supreme divine arts]. Among these are techniques for Spiritual Root Completion [the divine art of perfecting one's spiritual roots].

However, achieving Spiritual Root Completion is exceedingly difficult. Before the Violet Sanctum [Violet Palace] stage, it is somewhat manageable, as one only needs to perform the Spiritual Root Completion process itself.

But after reaching the Golden Core realm, it becomes far more arduous. A Golden Core forged with a single Spiritual Root [spiritual root affinity] is inherently single-attribute. At this stage, not only must one perform Spiritual Root Completion, but one must also pay an immense price to supplement the Golden Core itself. After the Infant Soul stage, one must further supplement the Infant Soul.

The higher one's cultivation, the greater the cost and difficulty of achieving Spiritual Root Completion becomes.

Upon reaching the Primordial Spirit Realm [Primordial Spirit] realm, attempting Spiritual Root Completion becomes as difficult as scaling the heavens. Unless one encounters a heaven-defying opportunity, even a Primordial Spirit Path Lord [Path Lord of the Primordial Spirit stage] might spend ten thousand years without being able to perfect a single Spiritual Root.

Such knowledge is utterly inaccessible to ordinary people. Eldrin Chen only obtained it by compiling the inherited legacies of the Verdant Void Sect. Continue reading this story at audio-novel.com.