Chapter 380 : A Victory Forged in Mortal Steel

After a brief tally of the battle's spoils, Heaven Hero Wei turned his gaze to the three practitioners of the Mortal Path [a cultivation art focused on worldly tribulations and mortal experiences], Eldrin Chen and his companions. "The success of this engagement owes much to your swift and unexpected strike," he acknowledged.

"Indeed," another voice chimed in. "Had you three not breached the heart of the Spirit Mountain [a mountain rich with spiritual energy] and shattered its Mountain Protection Formation [a defensive array that shields a location], this would have likely been a protracted and bitter struggle."

The speaker was a man clad in silver robes, named True Pillar Ling. He was a Golden Core True Person [a cultivator who has formed a Golden Core, a solidified mass of spiritual power] from the Ling Clan of Cang Nation.

Following this victory, the reputations of Eldrin Chen and his two comrades had soared. They were now destined to be among the most radiant stars amidst the Golden Core True Person on Ji Continent, and the seated patriarchs could not help but regard them with heightened respect.

The trio offered modest smiles. Violet Consort Yan spoke with calm assurance, "This victory also relied heavily on the Six Heavens Black Prison Pagoda [a powerful enchanted pagoda capable of suppression and imprisonment] lent by the Ji Clan. Without it, we might have been trapped within their formations."

"True," Eldrin Chen agreed. "Had we not possessed the Six Heavens Black Prison Pagoda, we would never have dared to teleport directly into the heart of the Demon Race's Spirit Mountain."

His expression then grew serious. "Although we have driven the Demon Race [a race of beings that cultivate demonic energy] into retreat for now, the Demon King [a powerful ruler among demons, equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator] will likely realize the deception before long."

"The pressing matter now," he continued, his brow furrowed, "is to decide how we should handle this Void Gem Mine Vein [a mineral vein yielding Void Gems, crystals attuned to spatial energies]?"

At his words, the pupils of the assembled Golden Core Patriarch [a clan leader who has attained the Golden Core realm] constricted slightly, and thoughtful silence descended upon the chamber.

The Demon King were no fools. Though startled into flight, they would soon uncover the ruse. The specter of another, potentially greater, confrontation loomed on the horizon. Access the full story on audio‑novel.com.

After all, they were deep within the heartland of the Demon Race [a powerful race of beings often in conflict with cultivators]. If they delayed too long, the Demon King [a powerful ruler among demons] could easily mobilize a large number of Violet Sanctum Great Monster [powerful demonic beasts at the Violet Sanctum cultivation stage] to surround and attack them.

Thinking of this, the Kunxu Child stroked his beard and said, "This Void Gem Mine Vein [a mineral deposit rich in Void Gems, a type of spatial energy-infused crystal] is located deep within the territory of the Demon Race. We simply do not have the capability to occupy it for an extended period."

"Our only course of action now is to gather some treasures from the Spirit Mountain [a mountain imbued with potent spiritual energy] and then make our retreat."

Upon hearing this, the group nodded in agreement. Patriarch Mo-ink then asked, "Then what should be done with this Void Gem Mine Vein here?"

"The mine vein..."

A glint of concern flashed in everyone's eyes. If they left this Void Gem Mine Vein for the Demon Race, then within two hundred years, the demons could re-establish their Teleportation Formation [a magical array capable of instant long-distance travel] network. Furthermore, breaching their defenses next time would likely be far more difficult.

Yet, destroying the mine vein entirely was another matter. Even if it were possible, such an act would be considered a violation of the natural order, a waste of resources that ultimately belonged to the Purple Seal Realm [the name of their home world or realm].

Contemplating this, Exquisite Jiang spoke up, "Let us adopt a middle path. We shall conduct a violent, rapid extraction of this Void Gem Mine Vein."

"In this way, the mine's productivity will be drastically reduced for the next several hundred years, yet the vein itself will not be utterly destroyed."

"That is indeed a sound strategy."

Heaven Hero Wei [a powerful cultivator from the Wei clan] nodded, agreeing to this plan.

The others naturally had no objections, so they simply set about forcibly mining this Void Gem Mine Vein [a subterranean deposit of rare spatial-aligned gems].

With several dozen Golden Core True Person [cultivators who have condensed a Golden Core, a solid foundation of immense power] taking action, they even overturned the massive mountain range. They delved over a thousand Zhang-lengths [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] into the earth, ultimately extracting a total of twelve Void Gem [a rare gemstone that resonates with spatial energies].

By the time they finished, a full month had passed. Seeing that the Demon Race [a powerful and often hostile race of demonic beings] was already mustering a large force for reinforcements, the group finally withdrew.

For this expedition, they had brought a treasure ship of Quasi-Fifth Rank [approaching the power level of a Fifth-Rank artifact]. This vessel could travel over four hundred thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] in a single day, easily shaking off the Demon Race pursuers. In less than a month, they had returned to the Chu Nation [a human nation within the cultivation world].

"..."

Upon returning to the Chu Nation, the group promptly contacted the Ji Clan [a prominent and powerful cultivation clan].

They had acquired many treasures from this battle, but the number of Golden Core Cultivator who had contributed was also large. No single individual among them possessed the authority to distribute the spoils fairly. Only the Ji Clan could handle the matter with the necessary prestige to satisfy everyone.

Not long after, an avatar of Not Night Ji [a high-ranking elder of the Ji Clan] arrived at Earth Lion Ridge [a fortified mountain stronghold].

Within the great hall of Earth Lion Ridge, several dozen Golden Core True Person took their seats. All wore expressions of pleased anticipation as they looked towards the figure at the front, Noctis the True Lord [a title for a powerful Golden Core stage cultivator, implying mastery over darkness or night].

Not Night Ji glanced at the ledger in his hand, a faint smile gracing his features as he remarked, "Your gains from this battle are not insignificant."

"We owe much of it to the support of the True Lord [a title for a powerful cultivator]," Heaven Hero Wei replied with a smile.

Were it not for the Ji Clan holding back the Infant Soul Demon Emperor [a powerful demonic beast at the Infant Soul stage] and lending treasures like the Six Heavens Black Prison Pagoda, achieving such a decisive victory would have been far more difficult.

Noctis the True Lord gave a noncommittal nod and tossed the ledger to the others.

"From this engagement, you have secured twelve Void Gems [a rare spatial mineral] and seven Demonic Beast Inner Pills [the condensed energy core of a powerful demonic beast], along with over twenty Fourth-Rank Magical Treasures [powerful enchanted artifacts]," he stated.

"In addition, there are eleven Teleportation Formation Disks [portable devices for activating teleportation arrays], though a few have not yet been retrieved." Your portal to cultivation novels: AUDIO-NOVEL.COM.

Joy lit up the faces of the group. They had successfully breached the Void Gem Mine Vein, securing fifteen Fourth Rank Formation Artifacts [artifacts specifically designed for powering or controlling formations] alone, not to mention the various other spoils.

Not Night Ji spoke calmly, then shifted the topic. "Let us first discuss compensation for the fallen."

"In this battle, the Qi Nation lost seven Golden Core cultivators [cultivators at the Golden Core stage]. Five others had their physical bodies destroyed, and during the later stages of the conflict, one more suffered the same fate."

"I will personally undertake the alchemy for the Golden Core Formation Pills [pills that aid in forming a Golden Core]. For each fallen Golden Core cultivator, we will compensate their lineage with two Golden Core Formation Pills. For those who lost their bodies, our Ji Clan will arrange for them to use a Nirvana Pool [a mystical pool that can regenerate a cultivator's physical form] to reconstruct their flesh."

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod. Having a Fifth Rank Alchemist of Not Night Ji's caliber refine the Golden Core Formation Pill naturally resulted in a success rate far surpassing that of ordinary alchemists. After distributing the compensation for the fallen, a significant portion of these pills would undoubtedly remain.

The efficacy of the Nirvana Pool was nearly identical to that of the Nirvana Pill. Its creation required a Fifth Rank Spiritual Vein as its core foundation, fused with vast quantities of rare Spirit Herb and immortal-grade minerals through a complex alchemical process.

This treasure could aid a cultivator in reforging their physical body. For those at the Golden Core realm or even the Infant Soul Cultivator level, it was an exceedingly precious treasure. Only a supreme Immortal Clan like the Ji Clan would be willing to grant outsiders access to a Nirvana Pool.

After settling the compensation matters, Not Night Ji spoke again. "Each of your clans shall select a Spirit Mountain within your respective nations, elevate it to the fourth rank, and then use Teleportation Formation Disk to link the Six Kingdoms together."

"We understand," the assembly replied in unison.

The gathered leaders nodded in agreement. Establishing Fourth Rank Teleportation Formation to connect the Six Kingdoms would not only consolidate their combined strength into a unified force but also significantly enhance the prosperity of the entire region.

Furthermore, every Golden Core Cultivator present would hold a stake in this network, a prospect they naturally welcomed.

Seeing no objections from the assembly, Not Night Ji finally proceeded to distribute the spoils of war.

According to Not Night Ji's final allocation, the Chu Nation Cultivation World had contributed the most to the battle's success. Once the Golden Core Formation Pill were fully refined, thirty percent of the remaining surplus would be awarded to Chu Nation.

There were sixteen Void Gem and formation disks remaining. He directly allocated six of them to Chu Nation, and from the remaining magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators], Chu Nation received an additional seven.

After these matters were settled, True Lord Noctis took the Demon King Inner Pill [the condensed life essence core of a powerful demon] to refine Golden Core Formation Pills [elixirs that aid in the formation of a cultivator's Golden Core]. The remaining Golden Core True Persons [cultivators who have reached the Golden Core realm] also dispersed, each preparing to gather resources to nurture a Fourth-Rank Spirit Mountain [a mountain imbued with potent spiritual energy, suitable for high-level cultivation].

However, the Grand Defender [a high-ranking guardian title] from Chu Nation and Verdant Azure Mountain remained. They intended to distribute the spoils of battle within the main hall and also discuss the matter of nurturing a Spirit Mountain [a mountain range rich in spiritual energy, a coveted foundation for any cultivation force].

"Esteemed fellow cultivators, let us deliberate on the division of the treasures," Eldrin Chen proposed.

He produced six Void Gems [rare crystalline stones containing spatial energy], the formation disk, and eight Fourth-Rank Magical Treasures [powerful enchanted artifacts].

Joy lit up the faces of all present. Sect Master Qian gazed at the Void Gems and stated, "Fellow Daoist Chen, my Firmament Sword Sect [a renowned sword cultivation sect] wishes to have priority in exchanging for these Void Gems." This chapter is part of a larger work available at audio-novel dot com.