Chapter 402 : A Bitter Truce Forged

Within the main hall of the clan, situated upon the Huo Clan Spiritual Vein.

Five Huo Clan Elder were gathered together, their faces ashen and etched with fear.

The leading Golden Core Elder held a spirit talisman [a slip of paper or jade imbued with magical power for communication or storage] in his hand. After studying it for a long moment, he passed it to the others present, his expression grave. "That vile brigand has sent a message," he stated solemnly, "proposing a truce."

"Impossible!"

Another man roared, his face livid. "Our clan leader was just slain by them! Such a blood feud cannot exist under the same sky! How could we face our fallen clansmen if we negotiate a truce now?"

As he spoke, he noticed the conflicted expressions on the others' faces. He slammed the table and stood up. "Do you truly intend to parley?"

"It is not that we do not wish for vengeance, but the situation is against us," a Golden Core Elder uttered with a bitter laugh. He looked around at the group. "With our current strength, continuing to oppose that husband and wife pair is nothing but courting death."

"We can only cling to life by holing up in this clan hall. If we do not negotiate, all our external assets will be carved up by the other major Golden Core Immortal Clan s of Celestial Dawn Province."

Upon hearing this, the others also wore expressions of bitter resignation. The Huo Clan was one of the two strongest Golden Core Immortal Clan s in Celestial Dawn Province, and the resources it controlled had long been coveted by countless others.

Once they were forced to remain confined to their Clan Path-Field, the two Fourth-Rank Spiritual Vein s [spiritually charged land formations of the fourth rank, suitable for high-level cultivation] they held outside would be utterly indefensible. Official source: audio-novel`com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

With this thought, the old man spoke again, "In this conflict, we are in the wrong. Furthermore, with the fall of a Clan Patriarch possessing Infant Soul [the nascent spiritual core of a high-level cultivator] potential, I fear we cannot find any allies to aid us."

"Our only course now is to negotiate peace with this person. We must be prepared to pay a heavy price and sign a binding pact to preserve our clan."

The old man spoke with a bitter smile. Hearing his words, the others also revealed expressions of helpless resignation.

Even the man who had been roaring with rage suppressed his fury and finally fell silent.

Seeing that this man had ceased his objections, the elder continued, "According to the letter from Eldrin Chen, we are to surrender the Path Pattern Gemstone [a mystical stone inscribed with profound natural laws], the Primordial Magnetic Treasure Bracelet [an ancient bracelet imbued with fundamental magnetic forces], and the Jadeite Exquisite Jade [a peerless jade of flawless beauty and power] as compensation."

"In addition, we must provide twenty Heavenly Crystal [a supremely pure and potent form of spiritual crystal] as reparation for our defeat."

"Why doesn't he just rob us outright?"

The man could no longer contain himself and roared once more, his face twisting into a savage grimace.

The others also seethed with indignation. The value of the Path Pattern Gemstone and the two supreme-grade magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators] alone exceeded twenty million Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

Adding the twenty Heavenly Crystal, the Huo Clan would be forced to part with resources worth forty million Spirit Stones! And this calculation did not even include the Azure-Gold Glazed Armor [armor forged from azure-gold and glazed ceramic], the Mountain and River Fan [a fan capable of conjuring the power of mountains and rivers], and the Four Symbols Formation Flags [banner flags used to set up a formation based on the four celestial symbols] that had already fallen into Eldrin Chen's hands.

As a top-tier Golden Core Immortal Clan, the Huo Clan had accumulated a foundation over thousands of years. The wealth within its Clan Treasury far exceeded that of ordinary clans, yet even such reserves could not withstand such relentless depletion.

Just a few years prior, Hugo Huo had failed in his attempt to break through to the Infant Soul Realm, consuming a Nascent Soul Formation Pill purchased with over thirty Heavenly Crystal in the process.

Currently, although the Clan Treasury of the Huo Clan still held seventeen Heavenly Crystal, this sum had been scraped together by mortgaging a vast portion of the clan's assets and pooling contributions from every one of its tens of thousands of cultivators.

If they were to compensate twenty Heavenly Crystal and surrender items like the Path Pattern Gemstone, the clan would undoubtedly have to sell one of the two Fourth-Rank Spirit Mountain they had mortgaged. Their entire accumulated foundation would be utterly drained.

In that event, the entire foundation painstakingly built over millennia by the Huo Clan would be completely exhausted. The stipends for their Future would become a major issue, and it might take a thousand years or more for the clan to fully recover.

Furthermore, the spirit stones owed to their own clansmen would be impossible to repay—a significant portion of that debt had been contributed by these very Golden Core Elder themselves.

At this thought, the female cultivator at the Golden Core Mid Stage said with an icy expression, "That Eldrin Chen is being utterly unreasonable with his demands."

"The Jadeite Exquisite Jade in my possession is an ancient treasure passed down through our clan for a thousand years. How can we simply hand it over?"

Over thousands of years, the Huo Clan had produced nearly ten cultivators who reached the Golden Core Late Stage, including four who attained Golden Core Perfection. Their accumulated foundation was considerable, and they once possessed a fair number of Fourth Rank Superior Grade magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators].

However, with four successive attempts to assault the Infant Soul Realm, each failure consumed a portion of the clan's accumulated wealth. Now, aside from the formation disk of their Mountain Protection Formation, the Huo Clan held only two supreme-grade magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators] in their possession.

If they were to lose these last two supreme-grade magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators], the Huo Clan would likely find themselves bowing their heads to everyone in the future. Any cultivator at the Golden Core Mid Stage [the middle stage of the Golden Core cultivation realm] would dare to prey upon them like an autumn wind stripping leaves from a tree.

Seeing that the Golden Core [Golden Core realm] female cultivator was unwilling to produce the Jadeite Exquisite Jade, the leading elder could only offer a bitter smile. "I possess a communication treasure mirror. Let us speak with him."

"..."

Not long after, a Violet Sanctum Cultivator [a cultivator of the Violet Sanctum realm] from the Huo Clan emerged from the Spirit Mountain [a mountain rich in spiritual energy], his face deathly pale.

He arrived before Eldrin Chen, his entire body trembling as he spoke. "This junior... this junior pays his respects to the two Patriarch [esteemed clan leaders]."

"Hmm." Eldrin Chen opened his eyes, his gaze calm as he inquired, "Have you brought the items?" This content originates from AUDIO-NOVEL.COM. Please respect copyright.

"Senior..."

The Huo Clan Violet Sanctum cultivator broke out in a cold sweat, producing a treasure mirror. "My clan's Patriarch wishes to discuss terms with you."

"A Horizon Communication Mirror [a magical mirror for long-distance communication], is it?"

Eldrin Chen's eyes flickered slightly. A Horizon Communication Mirror required a fixed connection to a Second Rank Spiritual Vein [a vein of concentrated spiritual energy], drawing upon its vast and potent spiritual energy to activate.

However, with his level of cultivation, such effort was unnecessary. With a casual wave of his hand, he channeled his spiritual energy and activated the Horizon Communication Mirror [a magical artifact used for long-distance communication].

Once activated, the treasure mirror revealed the scene within the great hall on the other side.

At the sight of Eldrin Chen, the several Golden Core True Person [cultivators who have formed a Golden Core, the third major stage] from the Huo Clan all lowered their gazes. Even the man who had shown the most backbone earlier, roaring defiantly at the heavens, bowed his head, momentarily rendered speechless and hesitant.

Such was the awe born of slaughter. Earlier, even five against one, they had been no match for Eldrin Chen. Now, without Hugo Huo to bear the brunt, their fear of Eldrin Chen turning completely hostile grew even greater.

Seeing their altered expressions, Eldrin Chen let out a derisive snort. Compared to the mettle and courage of Hugo Huo, the fortitude of these men was truly lacking.

No wonder Hugo Huo held the potential to reach the Infant Soul Realm [the fourth major stage of cultivation, where the nascent soul is formed], while these others remained mired in the Golden Core stage, seemingly destined to never glimpse the Infant Soul Realm in their lifetimes.

It was precisely for this reason that Eldrin Chen was willing to negotiate with them—they simply posed no credible threat.

With this thought, he spoke calmly, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"Honored sir..."

The men exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, the elder spoke, choosing his words carefully, "The reparations you demand are... excessive. Our Huo Clan simply cannot produce such compensation at present."

"Moreover... the Primordial Magnetic Treasure Bracelet and the Jadeite Exquisite Jade are both ancient treasures that have been passed down within our Huo Clan for a thousand years. If we were to surrender them as compensation, I fear our ancestors in the afterlife would never forgive us."

"So, you refuse to hand them over?" Exquisite Jiang's brow furrowed, her gaze sharpening.

The Golden Core female cultivator mustered her courage and replied, "Your Excellency has already breached the Impenetrable defenses of our Huo Clan's Path-Field [a cultivator clan's spiritual territory]. If you truly force us into an impossible corner, then we have no choice but to seal ourselves within our mountain stronghold and never emerge."

"Do you truly believe you can guard the entrance to my Path-Field for the rest of your lives?"

"I understand your position."

Eldrin Chen listened in silence for a long moment before finally giving a slow, deliberate nod. This chapter is part of a larger work available at audio novel.com.