Chapter 382 : The Patriarch's Enlightenment

The Mirror of the Vast Heaven [a powerful enchanted artifact] was, after all, merely a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a treasure of the highest grade used to suppress demons]. While its combat prowess in a short burst was not inferior to a Nascent Soul [a cultivator who has formed their spiritual infant], the effort required to restore its depleted power was exceedingly troublesome.

Ever since the Demon Chariot Cataclysm [a great calamity involving demonic forces] over four hundred years ago, the Mirror of the Vast Heaven had been engaged in a major battle almost every century, incurring no small depletion of its power.

To restore sufficient combat strength would require at least several decades. Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen could only suppress the thought for now.

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

Having temporarily set aside dealing with the Demon Cave Cavern, Eldrin Chen went to Pingyang City.

The Old Patriarch was pondering a cultivation art. Upon seeing him, he said, "Ah, Eldrin, you've come at the perfect time. Quickly, explain this Solar Separated Flame Scripture [a profound scripture of the solar and flame paths] to me."

The Solar Separated Flame Scripture was, after all, a Golden Core Realm [the realm of the solidified golden core] cultivation art. Its deeper techniques were profoundly arcane. Having cultivated it for many years, Chen Thalion harbored several lingering doubts about this scripture.

Now that its very creator stood before him, the Old Patriarch could ask Eldrin Chen directly, naturally sparing himself the labor of solitary contemplation.

The two discussed the art for half a shichen-time [one shichen-time equals two hours]. Only after the Old Patriarch's doubts were resolved did a look of deep satisfaction settle upon his features.

Chen Thalion set the scripture aside, then brewed a pot of tea for Eldrin Chen before asking, "Now, what brings you here today?" This content originates from audio‑novel.com. Please respect copyright.

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

"Truly?"

Old Patriarch revealed a look of pleasant surprise. Pacing back and forth for a moment, he then added, "With her cultivation speed, aided by the Spirit Peach [a fruit imbued with potent spiritual energy], wouldn't she be able to attempt the Nascent Soul [the realm where a cultivator forms their spiritual core] realm within a century?"

"Without Heavenly Dao Qi [the rarefied energy of the Heavenly Path, essential for the highest breakthroughs], the Nascent Soul realm is likely still far off."

Eldrin Chen shook his head as he spoke. For individuals like Eldrin Chen and Lyra Jiang, their goal was naturally the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul [the most perfect and powerful form of the Nascent Soul realm].

Although Earthly Dao Essence [the foundational energy of the Earthly Path] is precious, it can still be purchased with Heavenly Crystal [a highly purified and potent form of spiritual crystal]. However, Heavenly Dao Qi requires both opportunity and significant backing.

Fortunately, during the once-in-a-millennium event of Heaven and Earth Resonance [a cosmic alignment where the energies of heaven and earth converge], Heavenly Dao Qi also descends. The next occurrence of this Heaven and Earth Resonance opportunity, however, is still roughly over two hundred years away.

Setting aside these thoughts, Eldrin Chen spoke again, "In recent years, the clan's supply of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] has been insufficient. I wish to further expand the scale of our cultivators."

"Increase the number of clan cultivators?"

Old Patriarch's eyes flickered slightly. He shook his head and said, "We govern over thirty million mortals. Pingyang City already encompasses the surrounding area for several thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], and the mortal population is nearing its limit."

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

Eldrin Chen furrowed his brow; this was a significant problem.

Mortals have extremely high demands for their living environment. Without suitable geographical conditions, the mountains within the Eastern Wastelands often soar to heights of ten thousand Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters]. Many areas, while vast, are simply unfit for mortal habitation.

Furthermore, the Eastern Wastelands teem with venomous insects and fierce beasts. Reclaiming the primordial plains, overgrown with weeds for hundreds of millions of years, is an immensely difficult task.

"Bring me the maps."

Eldrin Chen had someone fetch the maps of the Chu Kingdom. After studying them intently for a long while, a look of pleasant surprise dawned on his face.

Pointing at the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness, his eyes gleaming, he declared, "The terrain of this Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness is relatively flat, and it is traversed by multiple rivers, including the Ronan. This is sufficient to irrigate countless fields. Once fully developed, it could sustain billions of mortals."

"The Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness?"

The Old Patriarch frowned. The Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness was ancient beyond measure and had long served as a buffer zone between Bianzhou and the Demonic Tribe.

In the past, when Celestial Python Lake still existed, every major conflict saw the Demonic Tribe cross the vast expanse of the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness to attack the Chu Kingdom. Afterwards, tens of thousands of Demonic Beast would inevitably scatter and remain within the wilderness.

These Demonic Beast [monstrous creatures born from spiritual energy and often possessing supernatural abilities] have thrived and multiplied within the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness, proving nearly impossible to eradicate. It is only in the last century or two that the situation has improved significantly.

However, the sheer number of Demonic Tribe [organized groups of sentient demonic beasts] remains immense, and the venomous insects and ferocious beasts they spawn are almost as inexhaustible.

Pondering this, the Old Patriarch fell into contemplation for a moment before speaking. "Within the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness, the Demonic Tribe can, in theory, be hunted down continuously. But the venomous insects and wild beasts it breeds... that is the true nuisance."

"The difficulty of reclaiming such land would be immense. Without two or three centuries of relentless effort, it would be utterly unfit for mortal habitation."

"Then we burn it."

Eldrin Chen declared with unwavering resolve. He swept his hand in a wide arc, encompassing the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness. "This expanse is vast and choked with wild grasses. We will set the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness ablaze." Original English translation available at audio-novel dot com.

"We will deploy a force of ten thousand clan cultivators, rotating in shifts to hunt down the Demonic Beast and venomous insects within the wilderness."

"Then, each autumn when the grasses of the Great Wilderness wither and die, we will unleash fire upon the land. If we scorch the earth three Chi-lengths deep [approximately one meter] and continue this for decades, we will surely incinerate the majority of the venomous creatures and savage beasts dwelling within the Great Wilderness."

The Old Patriarch's pupils contracted slightly. To purge the pests with raging fire, supported by ten thousand cultivators tirelessly hunting them down day and night...

Such relentless effort, repeated day after day, year after year, would indeed be sufficient to exterminate ninety-nine out of every hundred beasts within the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness.

However, this approach would require mobilizing vast amounts of manpower and resources. The annual stipends for over ten thousand cultivators alone would consume over one hundred thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. Furthermore, setting the mountains ablaze would likely have a significant negative impact on the environment of the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness.

Considering this, the Old Patriarch spoke, "If we burn the land every year, could it turn the Eastern Wastelands into a desert?"

"Wild grasses cannot be burned away entirely; with the spring wind, they grow again."

Eldrin Chen shook his head with a faint smile. "As long as there is sufficient water, the prosperity of the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness can be assured."

Only then did the Old Patriarch nod in agreement, offering his strategic counsel with a smile. "We can proceed step by step. Within the Eastern Wastelands, we can cultivate numerous Third Rank Spirit Vein [a vein of earth that radiates spiritual energy of the third rank] and establish cities upon them."

"Each city would house populations ranging from one hundred thousand to one million people, garrisoned by Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation] and Purple Mansion Cultivator [a cultivator who has opened the third major realm, the Purple Mansion] experts."

"By the time our clan ascends to become a Nascent Soul Immortal Clan [a clan powerful enough to have cultivators in the fifth major realm, the Nascent Soul], the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness should be sufficiently habitable for mortals. Then, we can freely expand the population."

As he spoke, the Old Patriarch suddenly furrowed his brow again. "However, this plan presents a new challenge: we lack sufficient Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a cultivator who has reached the second major realm] personnel to garrison all these locations."

"A shortage of Foundation Establishment personnel."

Eldrin Chen frowned. In recent years, most of the clan's cultivators had chosen the path of self-guided Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and among them, many possessed the potential to reach the Purple Mansion Potential [the innate talent and foundation required to eventually open the Purple Mansion realm].

However, this also resulted in the clan having a considerable number of Purple Mansion Cultivators [cultivators who have opened their spiritual core mansion], yet far fewer Foundation Establishment Cultivators [cultivators who have solidified their spiritual foundation] compared to a typical Golden Core [the stage of forming a solidified golden spiritual core] clan.

Generally speaking, a Golden Core Immortal Clan [a clan powerful enough to have a Golden Core cultivator as its pillar] would have at least three hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators as a minimum, let alone a top-tier Golden Core Immortal Clan like the Chen Clan.

Yet, the current number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Chen Clan was still less than one hundred, which was significantly lower than that of an ordinary Golden Core Immortal Clan.

Although the clan had moved beyond the fervent pursuit of Self-Guided Foundation Establishment [the perilous method of attempting Foundation Establishment without external aids like pills], and the number of cultivators choosing to use a Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that greatly increases the chance of successfully establishing one's spiritual foundation] was gradually increasing, this proportion remained exceptionally high.

Contemplating this, Eldrin Chen spoke, "Perhaps I should seek a method to increase the success rate of Self-Guided Foundation Establishment."

"That is no simple task," came the reply. This chapter is part of a larger work available at audi0-n0vel.c0m.