Chapter 292 : The Gathering of Immortal Clans

Of course, a Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a solidified core of spiritual power] is one in a hundred million. A Variant Spiritual Root [a rare and superior spiritual aptitude] is a seed for the Golden Core [the solidified core cultivation stage], and for countless people, it is already an unattainable height.

Even if one forges a Great Encompassing Golden Core [the highest grade of Golden Core, representing immense potential], the path to becoming an immortal remains distant and uncertain. It merely offers a sliver of possibility, not a guarantee of ascension.

"The Immortal Ascension Path [the arduous journey to achieve immortality] is long and fraught with obstacles."

"The only thing I can do is to tread firmly upon each step before me."

Eldrin Chen murmured to himself, then finalized the list of participants for the coming battle with the others.

Aside from Silas, Caleb, and Lior who would remain to guard the clan, every single Violet Sanctum Cultivator [a cultivator at the Violet Sanctum stage, the stage after Golden Core] would join the fray, including Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch.

Fifty Foundation Establishment Cultivator [cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage] would be mobilized, along with five thousand cultivators at the Vital Essence Refinement [the Qi Refinement stage] level.

Mobilizing such a large force was not a matter for a single day, but the Council of Elders would handle the arrangements.

Meanwhile, Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch proceeded to Green Sun Mountain. With the Beast Tide [a massive, periodic invasion of demonic beasts] imminent, Exquisite Jiang had summoned the major Immortal Clan [powerful, long-established cultivation families] under the banner of the Heavenly Ruins Alliance to discuss strategies for the coming conflict.

Upon their arrival at the Heavenly Ruins Alliance, they found that the leaders of the various Immortal Clan had already assembled. Continue your cultivation journey at audio-novel dot com.

Upon arriving at the main reception hall of Green Sun Mountain, Eldrin Chen observed that the delegation of Violet Sanctum Cultivator [cultivators who have opened their Violet Palaces, the third major realm] numbered over twenty individuals.

After more than a century of development, the ranks of Violet Sanctum Cultivator under the Heavenly Ruins Alliance had been restored to their former glory. At this point, the dozen or so Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan [powerful cultivation families with Violet Sanctum cultivators as their core] under the Alliance's banner collectively boasted close to fifty Violet Sanctum Cultivator.

Among them, the Chen Clan, with nine Violet Sanctum cultivators, naturally remained the strongest lineage. They were followed by the Fang Clan and the Shyu Clan.

The Xu Clan, having developed steadily over the years and now including Xavier Xu who had reached the Pseudo-Core Realm [a half-step into the Golden Core stage], also fielded four Violet Sanctum Cultivator.

The Fang Clan fared slightly better, now possessing five Violet Sanctum Cultivator. Their leader was Green Plum Fang, also known as Patriarch Fang, who had also attained the Pseudo-Core Realm.

Among the remaining Immortal Clan, the strongest was the Qian Immortal Clan. Their former Patriarch had since passed away from old age, and with the loss of Rising Brightness Qian at the hands of Mordecai Lin, they had lost two Violet Sanctum Late Stage [the final phase of the Violet Sanctum realm] cultivators over the past few decades.

However, a starved camel is still larger than a horse. Relying on compensation and their accumulated foundational resources [the heritage, wealth, and legacy built up over generations], the Qian Clan had managed to nurture three new Violet Sanctum Cultivator.

In terms of sheer numbers, the Qian Clan still possessed six Violet Sanctum Cultivator, second only to the Chen Immortal Clan. Yet, lacking a Pseudo-Core Realm Cultivator to anchor their strength, they ultimately could not match the recently ascendant major Immortal Clan.

After exchanging greetings with Xavier Xu, Patriarch Fang, and the others, Eldrin Chen turned his gaze to Path Abyss Xu with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, congratulations on your advancement to the Violet Sanctum Late Stage. This is truly cause for celebration."

"How could I compare to the rapid progress of you two?"

Path Abyss Xu replied with a courteous smile. He was of similar age to the Old Patriarch, being only around two hundred and fifty years old, yet he had already cultivated to the Violet Sanctum 7th Tier. His future prospects seemed exceedingly bright.

A century ago, when this man was at the Violet Sanctum 3rd Tier, the Old Patriarch was merely at the Foundation Establishment 9th Tier. Yet, after one hundred years, the Old Patriarch had already reached the Violet Sanctum 8th Tier, clearly having caught up and surpassed him.

This was due to the boundless wonders of the Spiritual Peach Tree. The preciousness of a Worldly Spiritual Root [a spiritual plant of immense value that can nourish a clan's foundation] needs no elaboration. Any Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan that obtained one would see its foundational strength surge instantly.

After all, even the lowest-grade fourth-rank Worldly Spiritual Root was a foundational asset typically possessed only by a Golden Core Immortal Clan.

Thanks to the nourishment provided by the Spiritual Peach Tree, the Old Patriarch's cultivation progress was genuinely rapid. At this pace, he would most likely attempt to impact the Golden Core realm around the age of two hundred and seventy or two hundred and eighty.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Eldrin Chen greeted everyone with a smile.

Besides Xavier Xu, Percival Pan from the Pan Clan had also advanced a step in his cultivation, breaking through to the Violet Sanctum 7th Tier.

This man, after all, possessed a Variant Spiritual Root [a rare and superior type of spiritual root that grants exceptional talent]. It was said he had broken through the threshold of the Violet Sanctum 7th Tier after consuming just a single Violet Aura Cloud-Vein Pill.

Aside from these familiar faces from the Border Province, Eldrin Chen also noticed several new, unfamiliar faces and the absence of some old acquaintances.

Time flowed swiftly. Though Violet Sanctum Cultivator [cultivators at the Violet Sanctum realm] possessed extended lifespans, even their years ultimately had an end.

New Violet Sanctum [Violet Sanctum realm] experts emerged, while old Violet Sanctum Cultivator [Violet Sanctum cultivators] passed into memory. Within the lands of Chu Nation [the nation of Chu] in this Great Wasteland [Great Wasteland region], there were always those who rose to prominence and those who faded into obscurity.

Eldrin Chen observed two newly advanced Violet Sanctum Late Stage [Late Stage Violet Sanctum realm] cultivators. One was Verdant Daylily Wang from the Wang Clan [Wang Clan] of Boyang County [Boyang County]. The other was the clan leader of Su Immortal Clan [the Su Immortal Clan] from Qing Province [Qing Province], Shallow Brightness Su.

That Verdant Daylily Wang had already been at the fifth layer of the Violet Sanctum [Violet Sanctum realm] during the celebration banquet for Varen Wei's breakthrough. Now, after seventy or eighty years had passed, she had finally broken through to the Violet Sanctum 7th Tier [seventh tier of the Violet Sanctum realm].

However, her lifespan had already exceeded three hundred and seventy years. Even after consuming a Longevity Pill [a pill that extends one's natural lifespan], her remaining years were few. Her hope of ever breaking through to the Golden Core [Golden Core realm] was now virtually nonexistent.

As for Shallow Brightness Su, he had some connection to Exquisite Jiang's disciple, Tea Rose Su. It was said that Tea Rose Su was originally a rogue cultivator who had emerged from the Su Immortal Clan [Su Immortal Clan], though the two had since drawn a clear line between themselves. Experience the full epic at audio-novel[dot]com.

After exchanging greetings with the assembled cultivators, Eldrin Chen noticed Exquisite Jiang approaching. He stepped forward to stand beside her.

Their eyes met. Exquisite Jiang smiled and said, "It seems your secluded cultivation yielded significant gains."

"Indeed," Eldrin Chen nodded, calmly taking her hand. "My cultivation of the Five Elements Divine Thunder [a divine ability harnessing the power of the five primal elements] was quite fruitful. You might consider cultivating the Pure Lunar Five Elements Divine Thunder [a lunar-aligned variant of the Five Elements Divine Thunder] yourself in the future."

"Is that so?"

Exquisite Jiang's eyes flickered slightly. The Pure Lunar Five Elements Divine Thunder [a divine thunder technique harnessing the power of the moon and the five elements] was even rarer than the Primordial Solar Five Elements Divine Thunder [a divine thunder technique harnessing the power of the sun and the five elements].

Over the years, she had only managed to find three of these divine thunders: the Supple Wood [the divine thunder of the wood element], the Stalwart Fire [the divine thunder of the fire element], and the Acrid Metal [the divine thunder of the metal element]. The remaining two, the Cultivable Earth [the divine thunder of the earth element] and the Final Water Divine Thunder [the divine thunder of the water element], were far more elusive. It was said they might have been lost to time, as they were exceedingly difficult to find, at least within the Ji Continent.

"Take a look at this first."

Suppressing her thoughts, she handed a letter to Eldrin Chen.

Eldrin Chen took the letter and read it, discovering it contained detailed intelligence regarding the strength of the Demon Race [a race of malevolent beings that cultivate demonic arts].

After a brief exchange, the two walked to the head of the hall. Exquisite Jiang swept her gaze over the assembled crowd and began to address the main issue.

"Esteemed friends, now that everyone is present,"

"let us deliberate on our strategy for the impending Beast Tide [a massive, periodic invasion of demonic beasts]."

Upon hearing this, the assembly quickly fell silent, their eyes fixed on the two leaders, awaiting further details.

Frowning, Eldrin Chen folded the letter and casually passed it to the others before speaking.

"Esteemed colleagues, this is the intelligence regarding the Demon Race forces for this campaign. Please review it first."

The group hastily accepted the missive and began reading the intelligence. Soon, grave expressions settled upon each of their faces.

According to the letter, the forces of Heavenly Python Lake and Earth Lion Ridge had received covert support from Azure Wave Lake, causing their strength to surge dramatically compared to previous years.

First, the Earth Lion Demon King of Earth Lion Ridge had experienced a significant increase in cultivation. It was said that after consuming a high-grade demon beast's Inner Pill [the condensed life essence core of a powerful demon beast], his cultivation had reached the Golden Core Late Stage.

Demonic beasts cultivate at a slightly slower pace than the Human Race. The Earth Lion Demon King had broken through to the Golden Core Mid Stage merely a little over a century ago. To advance three minor realms so rapidly and reach the Golden Core Late Stage was clear evidence that Azure Wave Lake had invested considerable effort.

Furthermore, there was the matter of the Golden Lion Mastiff. This creature under the command of Earth Lion Ridge was a rare variant of the Mastiff Demon Race, akin to a Human Race cultivator possessing a Variant Spiritual Root [an exceptionally rare and powerful innate talent for cultivation].

This fiend had broken through to the Pseudo-Core Realm decades ago and had recently survived its Golden Core Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the heavenly trial of lightning required to form a Golden Core], successfully advancing to become a Golden Core Demon King. Continue your cultivation journey at audio-novel*com.