Chapter 376 : The Gathering Storm of True Lords

"This time, the Demonic Tribe have laid down Teleportation Formation across more than a dozen Spirit Vein. It is as if they have concentrated their entire strength into a single, unified force. How should we respond to this?"

Upon learning of this situation, Elara Lin could not help but ask.

A sense of unease settled over the assembly. Chen Thalion also inquired, "What about the Ji Clan? What is their stance?"

"This Conscription Decree from the Ji Clan summons the Golden Core Cultivator from Wei, Yan, Cang, Chu, and Qi, in addition to those from Ji Nation itself,"

Eldrin Chen stated calmly, a flicker of gravity passing through his eyes. "If this battle truly escalates, it could very well rise to the level of True Lord engagement."

"A war of True Lord?"

The Golden Core True Person present felt their spirits tremble. Once forces of that magnitude clashed in earnest, it was certain that Nascent Soul-rank True Lord and Demon Emperor would fall. Regardless of the final victor, the casualties would be immense.

While Azure Wave Lake did not wish for the Ji Clan Patriarch to achieve a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm, they were equally unwilling to engage the Ji Clan in a fight to the death. The memory of the Demon Emperor slain by the Ji Clan four centuries ago remained vivid.

This was precisely why Azure Wave Lake had repeatedly intervened indirectly yet never committed their full strength to the fray. They would not act lightly, for to do so would signal an end to all peace, ensuring that one side must ultimately fall.

For the Demonic Tribe, the optimal moment to strike against the Ji Clan would be the very instant the Ji Clan Patriarch attempted his breakthrough to Nascent Soul True Lord. Yet, the Ji Clan themselves were also scheming, seemingly waiting for a suitable opportunity to clear the path of obstacles for their Patriarch in advance. Official source: audio-novel . com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

However, if the Demon Emperor [the supreme ruler of a demonic tribe] were truly and utterly provoked, triggering a full-scale war involving Nascent Soul [the realm of cultivation where one forms a spiritual infant from their soul] level powers prematurely, then this conflict would transform into a battle of unparalleled ferocity, one severe enough to be inscribed into the annals of Ji Continent's history.

Eldrin Chen and Lyra Jiang exchanged a glance, a shared unease settling in their hearts.

They understood that as the day for Ji Clan Patriarch to guide his Heavenly Soul [one of the three spiritual souls in Daoist cosmology, representing one's connection to heaven] drew ever nearer, the patience of the Demonic Monsters would gradually wear thin.

The Demonic Monsters had schemed first at the Demon Cave Cavern and then in Qi Kingdom, not hesitating to deploy Taicang the Elder Demon and several hidden agents.

Even now, they were willing to expose a trump card as significant as the Void Gemstone Mine [a mine producing rare gems attuned to spatial energies], which truly indicated their growing desperation. These successive, heavy blows were aimed at weakening the strength of Ji Continent.

They also sought, by crippling the Cultivation World [the society and realm inhabited by cultivators] of Qi Kingdom, to force Ji Clan's hidden reserves into the open.

This way, when the time came for Ji Clan Patriarch to attempt his breakthrough into the Nascent Soul realm, their chances of successfully disrupting the process would be far greater.

Regardless, after the Cultivation World of Qi Kingdom had suffered such a grievous blow, the Ji Immortal Clan could not possibly stand idly by. The coming battle promised to be a brutal and hard-fought one.

On the very next day after the Communication Talisman [a talisman used for sending messages over long distances] arrived, a figure clad in black robes reached Chu Kingdom.

The arrival was an avatar of Feiye the Night's Bane. This True Lord [an honorific title for a powerful cultivator, often at the Nascent Soul realm] summoned all the Golden Core Cultivator [cultivators who have condensed their spiritual energy into a solid golden core within their dantian] from Eldrin Chen's forces who were to participate in the battle, gathering them within the great hall of Earth Lion Ridge.

"Greetings, True Lord [a title for a powerful cultivator who has reached the Nascent Soul Realm]."

Upon seeing Feiye the Night's Bane, everyone promptly bowed with reverence.

"There is no need for such formality." Ji Feiye spoke calmly from his seat at the center of the hall. With a single glance that swept over the assembly, his opening words took them all by surprise: "The Demonic Tribe [a collective term for monstrous, sentient beasts that cultivate] has known when to quit. They withdrew their forces yesterday."

"What?"

Eldrin Chen was momentarily taken aback, but comprehension dawned swiftly.

In this conflict, the Demonic Tribe had revealed their hidden cards, slain seven Human Race Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a solidified golden core of power] cultivators, and dealt a heavy blow to the Qi Kingdom Cultivation World [the broader society and realm where cultivators reside]. These were substantial gains.

To press the attack further would risk provoking a thunderous retaliation from the Ji Continent Cultivation World. Such a counterstrike could easily turn their great victory into a minor one, or even a disastrous defeat.

After all, Human Race Golden Core cultivators typically held a slight edge in strength over their Demonic Tribe counterparts of the same realm. Furthermore, the might of the Ji Immortal Clan surpassed that of Azure Wave Lake.

Withdrawing now, while ahead, allowed them to consolidate their current spoils. They could bide their time for another century before clashing again, suffering no loss for their patience.

Turning his gaze to Ji Feiye, Eldrin Chen understood. While the Demonic Tribe sought to quit while they were ahead, the very presence of Feiye the Night's Bane here suggested he had no intention of letting them escape so easily.

As expected, Feiye the Night's Bane continued, "For this battle, we must strike back and reclaim what we have lost."

"But how should this battle be fought?"

Lyra Jiang's eyes flickered slightly as she asked calmly.

Ji Feiye glanced at Lyra Jiang, nodded politely, and then said, "We have already deduced the location of the Demonic Tribe's Void Gemstone Mine vein."

"This time, we will seize the Void Gemstone Mine vein to obtain some Void Gem [a rare gemstone that can stabilize spatial energies], which will be used to link the Cultivation World of the Six Kingdoms of Ji Continent into a unified whole."

The assembled cultivators exchanged uneasy glances. The Fourth Rank Spirit Mountain [a mountain imbued with potent spiritual energy] within the Six Kingdoms of Ji Continent were occupied by various major Immortal Clan [powerful, long-established cultivation families]. Many of these clans harbored internal conflicts amongst themselves. If a Teleportation Formation [a magical array for instantaneous travel over vast distances] were to connect one clan's territory directly to another's, wouldn't that allow enemies to launch a direct assault into the very heart of their Spirit Mountain? Dive deeper into the Dao at audio-novel[dot]com.

In truth, the Demonic Tribe [tribes of sentient, often monstrous, beasts that cultivate demonic arts] themselves were rife with profound contradictions. Many tribes were natural enemies, viewing each other as little more than prey.

The fact that these Demonic Tribe didn't immediately try to slaughter each other upon meeting was astonishing enough. It was baffling how they had agreed to mutually deploy Formation Plate [a portable device used to anchor and activate complex magical formations].

As if understanding their concerns, Ji Feiye shook his head and explained, "The Azure Wave Lake [a powerful demonic territory] is growing impatient. It has forcibly demanded the Demon King [a ruler among demonic beasts, equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator] to deploy the Formation Plate and has made them sign a pact forbidding the use of the Teleportation Formation to attack one another."

"Furthermore, the fall of several Demon King territories in recent years, such as Earth Lion Ridge and Celestial Python Lake [a lake domain ruled by a powerful serpent demon king], has made the Demon King feel the pressure. That is why they agreed to this covenant."

This time, the Demonic Tribe had indeed considered attacking Chu Kingdom first, but after careful deliberation, they ultimately chose Qi Kingdom.

The reasons were twofold. Firstly, Chu Kingdom lacked both a Fifth Rank Spirit Vein [a high-grade spiritual energy source] and a Earth Vein [a concentrated channel of terrestrial spiritual energy]. Secondly, even if they managed to conquer Chu Kingdom, the Yan Kingdom would still have the Cerulean Peaks Range [a formidable mountain range] serving as a natural barrier.

Most crucially, Chu Kingdom possessed three Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [artifacts of immense power specifically designed to counter demonic forces], and its territories were interconnected by Teleportation Formation [magical arrays enabling instantaneous travel over vast distances], allowing for rapid mutual reinforcement.

Under such circumstances, regardless of whether the Demonic Tribe could actually conquer Chu Kingdom, even if they threw their full might into the assault, the defenders could simply evacuate via the Teleportation Formation.

The Demonic Tribe might seize empty Spirit Mountain [mountains rich in spiritual energy], but the core force of Chu Kingdom Cultivation World—all cultivators at the Purple Mansion [a major stage of spiritual advancement] realm and above—would remain largely intact.

If the Demonic Tribe paid such a steep price, even going so far as to reveal their trump card, the Void Gemstone Mine [a rare mine producing gems attuned to spatial energies], and failed to eliminate a significant number of Golden Core Cultivator [powerful cultivators who have condensed their spiritual essence into a golden core], then their campaign would be considered a strategic defeat.

"Within each of the six kingdoms, we will cultivate one Fourth Rank Spirit Vein [a high-grade spiritual energy source] and establish a Cultivation Market [a hub for trade and exchange among cultivators]," declared Ji Feiye.

He continued, "The major Immortal Clan [powerful, long-established cultivation families] from all six kingdoms will jointly hold shares and manage these six markets. Furthermore, we will install Teleportation Formation within them, to be used for mutual reinforcement between the kingdoms in times of critical need."

"That is an excellent plan indeed,"

Qian the Ancient Ancestor agreed with evident satisfaction. According to this method, Chu Kingdom would establish a Fourth Rank-grade Cultivation Market equipped with a Teleportation Formation capable of connecting to the other five kingdoms.

This would provide an additional source of revenue for all the major Immortal Clans within the Chu Kingdom.

However, this was clearly not the moment to dwell on such matters. Eldrin Chen glanced at Feiye the Night's Bane and asked calmly, "Does the True Lord mean for us to launch an assault on the Void Gemstone Mine?" Support the author by reading on @udio-novel.com.