Chapter 382 Wasteland Reclamation Strategy

After all, the Mirror of the Vast Heaven (Magic Treasure) was ultimately a tool forged for subduing demons. Though its explosive combat prowess could briefly rival a Nascent Soul cultivator, replenishing its depleted energy reserves proved exceedingly troublesome.

Since the Demon Abyss Cataclysm over 4 100 years ago, the Mirror of the Vast Heaven (Magic Treasure) had engaged in a great battle nearly every century, incurring no small depletion of its power.

To restore sufficient combat prowess, he would need to wait at least several dozen years. At this thought, Eldrin could only suppress the notion for now.

"Then we shall wait a few more years and make plans after returning from our travels."

Setting aside the matter of dealing with the Demon Cave for now, Eldrin (Person Name) made a trip to Pingyang City.

The old clan leader was contemplating his cultivation technique when he spotted him. "Eldrin, you've come at the perfect time," he said. "Quickly explain to me this Solar Flame Sutra."

The Sunfire Sutra was, after all, a Golden Core realm cultivation method. Its profound depths contained mysteries beyond ordinary comprehension. Chen Changxuan had practiced the Sunfire Sutra for many years, yet certain aspects of the art still held perplexities for him.

Since the creator of the technique was present, the old clan leader could personally question Eldrin (Person Name), saving himself the effort of painstaking deliberation.

The 2 of them discussed cultivation techniques for half an hour, and only after the old clan leader’s doubts were fully resolved did a satisfied smile finally appear on his face.

Chen Changxuan set down the cultivation manual and brewed a pot of tea for Eldrin before speaking, "I've yet to learn what brings you here today?"

"Lyra has already broken through to the Golden Core, Late Stage," Eldrin spoke calmly.

"Truly?"

The old clan leader’s face lit up with astonishment. After pacing back and forth for a moment, he murmured, “With her cultivation speed, bolstered by the aid of the spirit peaches, wouldn’t she be able to attempt the Nascent Soul realm in just a 100 years?”

"Without the Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root), the Nascent Soul Realm would likely remain beyond reach for now."

Eldrin shook his head and said, "For people like Eldrin and Lyra, our ultimate goal is naturally the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul."

Though the Qi of Earthly Veins is precious, it can still be purchased with Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object). However, Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root) requires both fate and influential backing to obtain.

Fortunately, during the rare celestial alignment that occurs once every millennium, the Heavenly Dao Qi (Spiritual Root) would descend. However, the next opportunity for such cosmic resonance would not arrive for nearly 2 100 more years.

Suppressing his thoughts, Eldrin spoke again, "In recent years, the family's supply of 5 Elements Essence has been insufficient. I wish to further expand the scale of our cultivators."

"Recruit more cultivators for the clan?"

The old clan leader’s eyes flickered slightly as he shook his head and said, “We already have over 30 million mortals. Pingyang City has expanded to cover several 1000 li in radius, and the mortal population is nearing its limit.”

"To further increase our population, we must either relocate all the other clans from Yu County or seek out a new family territory."

Eldrin furrowed his brow—this was a significant problem.

Mortals have extremely high requirements for their living environment. Without suitable geographical conditions, the mountains in the Eastern Wastelands (Location) often tower tens of thousands of feet high. While many areas appear vast, they remain fundamentally uninhabitable for ordinary humans.

Moreover, the Eastern Wastelands (Location) teemed with venomous insects and fierce beasts. Taming the primordial plains where weeds had run rampant for hundreds of millions of years would be an immensely challenging endeavor.

"Fetch the map."

Eldrin had someone bring over the Chu Kingdom map. After studying it carefully for a long while, a look of delight spread across his face.

He pointed toward the 100-1000-li barren wilderness, his eyes gleaming as he declared, "These desolate lands span nearly a 100 1000 li, yet the terrain remains predominantly flat. Multiple rivers carve through the expanse, sufficient to irrigate countless fields. Once fully cultivated, this land could sustain billions of mortals."

The 100-1000-Mile Great Barrens?

The old clan leader furrowed his brow. The vast wilderness spanning 100,000 li was immensely ancient, having served as the buffer zone between Border Province and the demon tribes for countless years.

Back when Celestial Python Lake (Location) still existed, every major war would see the demon clans traverse the vast 100-1000-mile Great Wilderness to assault Chu Kingdom (Location). In the aftermath, tens of thousands of demon beasts would inevitably scatter across the endless expanse of the wilderness.

These demonic beasts had thrived in the 100-1000-Mile Great Wastelands, remaining nearly inexhaustible until the situation improved significantly over the past 1 to 2 100 years.

However, the number of demonic creatures remained immense, and the venomous insects and ferocious beasts they spawned were nearly impossible to eradicate completely.

At this thought, the old clan leader pondered for a moment before saying, "Within the 100,000-li expanse of the Great Wastelands, the demon clans can still be continuously hunted down. However, the venomous insects and fierce beasts that breed there are truly troublesome."

"Reclaiming this land would be no small feat. Without 2 to 3 centuries of continuous cultivation, it would be utterly unsuitable for mortal habitation."

"Then burn it."

Eldrin declared resolutely, sweeping his hand across a vast expanse. "This stretch of wilderness spans thousands of miles with boundless terrain and overgrown weeds. We shall set these 10-1000-mile wildlands ablaze."

Deploy 10,000 clan cultivators to take shifts in exterminating the demon beasts and venomous insects across the 100,000-li Great Wilderness.

"When the great wilderness grasses wither each autumn, we shall set ablaze the 100-1000-li wasteland. If we scorch the earth 3 feet deep for dozens of years consecutively, it will surely eradicate the majority of venomous insects and fierce beasts lurking within the wilderness."

The old clan leader's pupils contracted slightly. If they used great flames to burn the venomous insects, supplemented by over 10,000 cultivators taking shifts day and night to exterminate the poisonous insects and demonic beasts—

Day after day, year after year, this was indeed enough to eradicate 90-9 percent of the demonic beasts across the 100-1000-li expanse of the Great Wilderness.

However, this would require mobilizing vast amounts of manpower and resources. The annual stipends for over 10 1000 cultivators alone would cost over a 100 1000 spirit stones. Moreover, setting the mountains ablaze would likely have a significant impact on the environment of the 100-1000-mile wilderness.

At this thought, the old clan leader said, "If we burn them every year, could it turn the Eastern Wastelands (Location) into a desert?"

"Wildfires burn them not to extinction; with the spring breeze, they revive again."

Eldrin shook his head and said with a faint smile, "With sufficient water sources, it would be enough to ensure the prosperity of this 100-1000-mile barren land."

The old clan leader nodded at last, offering a measured suggestion with a faint smile. "We should proceed step by step—first cultivate numerous second- and third-order spirit veins within the Eastern Wastelands (Location) to establish our city foundation."

Each city housed populations ranging from 100,000 to 1,000,000, with Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion cultivators stationed to maintain order.

"When we advance to a Nascent Soul Clan in the future, even the 100,000-li Great Wastelands will likely become habitable for mortals. By then, we can freely expand our population."

The old clan leader spoke, then suddenly furrowed his brow again and said, "But if we do this, we won’t have enough Foundation Establishment cultivators to guard the place."

Foundation Establishment Elixir.

Eldrin frowned. Over the years, most of the family's cultivators had chosen to build their foundations independently, and many among them possessed the potential to form a Purple Mansion.

However, this resulted in the family having quite a few Purple Mansion cultivators, yet far fewer Foundation Establishment cultivators than ordinary Golden Core families.

Generally speaking, a Golden Core immortal clan would have at least 300 Foundation Establishment cultivators to begin with, let alone a top-tier Golden Core clan like the Chen Family.

However, the Chen Clan currently had fewer than 1 100 Foundation Establishment cultivators, far fewer than an ordinary Golden Core immortal family.

Although the clan had passed the phase of fervently pursuing self-initiated Foundation Establishment in recent years, and the number of cultivators opting to use the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) had gradually increased, this proportion remained remarkably high.

At this thought, Eldrin spoke aloud, "Perhaps it's time I seek a method to increase my chances of achieving self-initiated Foundation Establishment."

"It's not that easy."