Chapter 402 War Reparations

Within the spirit vein of the Huo Clan, inside the main family hall.

The 5 Huo Clan Elders gathered with ashen faces, each revealing a trace of terror.

The leading Golden Core elder held a spirit talisman in his hand. After examining it for a long moment, he passed it to the assembled group and declared with a grave expression, "That vile scoundrel has sent a message saying he wants to negotiate peace with us."

"Impossible!"

"Another man roared, his face livid with rage. 'The clan leader has just been slain by them! Such a profound blood feud cannot coexist under the same sky. How could we face our fallen clansmen if we negotiate peace with him now?'"

The man spoke, but noticing the peculiar expressions on the others' faces, he suddenly slammed the table and rose to his feet. "Do you actually intend to pursue peace talks?"

"It's not that we don't wish for vengeance, but the current circumstances are against us." A Golden Core elder let out a bitter laugh as he addressed the assembly. "Given our current strength, continuing to oppose that couple would be nothing but courting death."

"Now we can only barricade ourselves within this ancestral hall to survive. If we don't negotiate peace, all our external assets will be completely divided among the other Golden Core clans across Tianming Continent."

Upon hearing this, the others also revealed bitter smiles. The Huo Clan was 1 of the 2 strongest Golden Core immortal families in Tianming Province, and the resources they controlled had long been coveted by countless individuals.

Once they were confined to the family's training grounds, the Huo Clan would inevitably lose both of their fourth-order spirit veins beyond the stronghold.

At this thought, the elder continued, "We are in the wrong in this conflict. Moreover, with the loss of our clan leader who possessed the aptitude to form a Nascent Soul, I fear we cannot seek assistance from others."

"The only course of action now is to negotiate peace with this individual. We must preserve our clan, even if it means paying a steep price to forge a contract."

The old man smiled bitterly, and the others also showed helpless expressions upon hearing his words.

Even the roaring man suppressed his surging rage and finally fell silent.

Seeing that the man had fallen silent, the elder continued, "According to the letter from Eldrin, we must offer the Dao Pattern Gem, the Magnetic Treasure Bracer, and the 3 treasures including the Emerald Lyra Jade as compensation."

"In addition, you must also provide 20 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object) as compensation for your defeat."

"Why doesn't he just go rob someone?"

The man could not help but roar in fury once more, his face twisting into a savage expression.

The others were also seething with rage. The Dao Pattern Gem (Spiritual Object) and the 2 peerless magic treasures alone were worth over 20,000,000 spirit stones combined.

With the addition of 20 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object), the Huo Clan would now have to produce 40 million spirit stones—and this didn’t even account for the Blue Gold Glazed Armor, the Mountain River Fan, and the 4 Symbols Flag Formation (Formation) that had fallen into Eldrin’s (Person Name) hands.

As a top-tier Nascent Soul immortal clan, the Huo Clan had accumulated a foundation spanning thousands of years. Though the wealth within their clan treasury far exceeded ordinary imagination, even they could not withstand such relentless depletion.

In previous years, the Huo Clan had consumed over 30 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object) to purchase the Nascent Soul Formation Pill (Spiritual Object), yet ultimately failed in their attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.

Currently, the Huo Clan's treasury still held 17 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object), but these had been gathered only by mortgaging vast portions of the clan's assets and through the collective contributions of funds and labor from its hundreds of thousands of cultivators.

Once the compensation of 20 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object) and items like the Dao Pattern Gem (Spiritual Object) were all paid out, the Huo Clan would inevitably have to sell 1 of the 2 fourth-grade spirit mountains they had mortgaged, completely depleting the family's accumulated foundation.

By then, the accumulated foundation of the entire Huo Clan built over thousands of years would be utterly depleted. Their future stipends would become a grave issue, and it might take them nearly a millennium to fully recover.

Moreover, the spirit stones owed to the clan were simply impossible to repay—a significant portion of which had actually been contributed by Golden Core Elders like themselves.

At this thought, the female cultivator at the Golden Core, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm) said with an icy expression, "That Eldrin (Person Name) is simply asking for the moon."

"This Jade Lyra (Person Name) in my hand is an ancient treasure passed down through our family for a 1000 years—how could I possibly surrender it so easily?"

For thousands of years, the Huo Clan had produced nearly 10 Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) experts, among whom 4 even achieved Great Perfection of the Golden Core. It could be said they had accumulated substantial foundational resources, having once possessed no small number of superior-grade, fourth-tier magic treasures.

However, 4 clan members had successively attempted to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm, and each failure consumed a portion of the Huo Clan's accumulated resources. By now, beyond the formation disk of the Mountain Protection Array, the Huo Clan possessed only 2 Supreme-Grade Magic Treasures.

If they were to lose these last 2 peerless treasures, the Huo Clan would likely have to bow their heads to everyone in the future. Even a single Golden Core, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm) cultivator would dare to prey on them without hesitation.

Seeing that the Golden Core realm female cultivator was unwilling to produce the Emerald Lyra (Person Name) Jade, the lead elder could only smile bitterly and say, "I possess a Sound Transmission Treasure Mirror. Let us contact him for discussion."

Not long after, a Zifu cultivator from the Huo Clan emerged from the spirit mountain, his face deathly pale.

He arrived before Eldrin, trembling all over as he said, "This junior... pays respects to the 2 Ancestors."

"Hmm." Eldrin's eyes opened as he inquired calmly, "Has the item arrived?"

"Senior."

That Huo Clan Eldrin was drenched in cold sweat as he produced a treasure mirror and said, "My family's patriarch wishes to negotiate with you."

"World's-End Sound-Transmission Mirror (Magic Treasure)?"

Eldrin's eyes flickered slightly. The World's-End Sound-Transmission Mirror required anchoring atop a second-order spirit vein, relying on its vast spiritual energy to activate.

However, with his level of magic power, such trouble was unnecessary. With a casual flick of his sleeve, he activated the World's-End Sound-Transmission Mirror (Magic Treasure).

Once activated, the treasure mirror revealed the scene unfolding within the great hall opposite.

At the sight of Eldrin, the Golden Core cultivators of the Huo Clan all lowered their gaze. Even the man who had moments earlier shown the most backbone, roaring with righteous fury, bowed his head in silence, suddenly rendered speechless.

After all, his fearsome reputation was carved through bloodshed. When the 5 of them joined forces earlier, they still couldn't match Eldrin. Now, without Hugo holding the front line, they dreaded even more that Eldrin might completely turn against them.

Seeing the odd expressions on their faces, Eldrin sneered mockingly. Compared to Hugo’s boldness and courage, these individuals’ resolve fell far short.

No wonder that Hugo (Person Name) shows promise of reaching the Nascent Soul realm, while these individuals remain stagnated at the Golden Core stage, seemingly destined to never attain the Nascent Soul realm in their lifetime.

It was precisely for this reason that Eldrin was willing to negotiate with the few individuals, as they posed no threat whatsoever.

At this thought, he remarked impassively, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"Sir..."

The expressions on their faces varied, but it was the elder who spoke up after a moment of deliberation, "The compensation you demand is simply too much. Our Huo Clan cannot possibly afford such an amount at present."

"And... both the Magnetic Treasure Bracer (Magic Treasure) and the Emerald Lyra (Person Name) Jade are ancient treasures our Huo Clan has inherited for a 1000 years. If we were to compensate them away, I fear even our ancestors would never forgive us."

"So, you refuse to hand it over?" Lyra (Person Name) narrowed her eyes.

The female Golden Core cultivator mustered her courage and declared, "Even with your current strength, you cannot breach our Huo Clan’s training ground. If you insist on pushing us to the brink, then we have no choice but to remain secluded on this mountain indefinitely."

"Do you truly believe you can stand guard outside my sanctum for the rest of your lives?"

"I understand you all."

Eldrin listened in silence, then gave a nod after a long while.

Chapter 1 The biting cold wind howled across the snowy plains, whipping up flurries of ice crystals that shimmered under the pale moonlight. Amidst this desolate landscape, a lone figure sat cross-legged atop a glacial peak, his robes fluttering violently in the gale. Yun Che's (Person Name) eyes snapped open, twin beams of azure light piercing through the darkness. "After 90-8 1000 years..." he whispered, his voice barely audible yet carrying the weight of eons. "I've finally reconstructed my shattered dantian." A faint, crystalline glow emanated from his lower abdomen where his energy core had been destroyed all those years ago. The Heaven Swallowing Art (Cultivation Method) circulated through his meridians, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy like a vortex. Countless ice particles swirled around him, forming intricate patterns in the air. Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed across the mountains. "Yun Che! Did you truly believe you could hide here forever?" The young master of the Northern Frost Sect, Han Feiyu (Person Name), descended from the sky atop his Snow Feathered Roc (Spiritual Beast). Dozens of disciples followed behind him, their white robes blending with the snowy backdrop. Yun Che remained seated, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Young Master Han. It seems you've brought me quite the welcoming party." "Surrender the 9 Revolutions Ice Soul Art (Cultivation Method), and I might consider letting you die painlessly!" Han Feiyu declared, his hand resting on the hilt of his Frozen Cloud Sword (Magic Treasure). Yun Che's laughter echoed through the valley. "You want my cultivation technique? Very well then - come and take it!" As he spoke, 30-2 1000 spirit stones materialized around him, forming a brilliant constellation of light. The air crackled with power as he unleashed the first layer of his newly restored cultivation base. Han Feiyu's eyes widened in shock. "Impossible! Your dantian was shattered! How could you possibly...?" But Yun Che had already moved. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the young master, his fingers gently pressing against Han Feiyu's forehead. "Some things," Yun Che said softly, "are beyond your comprehension." A devastating energy surged forth, and Han Feiyu's body froze instantly, transforming into a crystalline statue that shattered into countless fragments. The remaining disciples stared in horror, their weapons trembling in their hands. They had come hunting prey, only to find they'd awakened a sleeping dragon. Yun Che glanced at the 20-some terrified cultivators, his expression unreadable. "Tell your sect leader," he said, his voice cutting through the wind like a blade, "that the Ashen Dragon has returned." With those words, he vanished into the swirling snow, leaving behind only the echo of a legend reborn.