Chapter 424. Cherishing the Legacy

Feeling the wondrous effects of the Glazed Armor of the 3 Treasures (Magic Treasure), Lyra (Person Name) exclaimed with pleasant surprise, "Once I break through to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core realm, the depth and purity of my magic power will approach 70 percent of a Human Path Nascent Soul's."

"By then, if I can obtain the empowerment of this Glazed Armor of the 3 Treasures (Magic Treasure), it might elevate my magical power to surpass even that of a first-layer Nascent Soul cultivator's Mortal Dao Nascent Soul by a narrow margin."

A flicker of delight also surfaced in Eldrin's eyes. If Lyra's magical power was on par with a Humanity Realm Nascent Soul cultivator, then with her great supernatural abilities and the power of the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, she would be sufficient to contend against a Nascent Soul True Lord.

At the very least, it would suffice to maintain the combat prowess of a Nascent Soul True Lord until the energy of the Glazed Armor of the 3 Treasures (Magic Treasure) was depleted.

At this thought, Eldrin said joyfully, "Once this battle pacifies the Demonic Ape Mountain and we obtain the Star Fragment, priority will be given to upgrading your Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword."

With the Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword in hand, your strength will be greatly enhanced. It will no longer be difficult to deal with Crimson Flame the Blazing Lord (Person Name) next time.

"Hmm."

Lyra also nodded in agreement. Back then, with her superior-grade Golden Core and the cultivation level of Great Perfection Golden Core Realm, coupled with the supreme demon-refining treasure—the 9 Firmaments Demon-Subduing Bracelet, Freya had been able to briefly contend against a Nascent Soul cultivator without being at a disadvantage.

Her innate Great Luo Golden Core power far surpassed that of many others. Now, with the Glazed Armor of the 3 Treasures (Magic Treasure) in hand, her strength was already no less than Freya's (Person Name).

If she were to break through to the Golden Core, Great Perfection realm, her magical power would increase by another 30 percent. Once she further refined her life-bound immortal sword—the Heaven-Void Immortal-Slaying Sword—even an Early Stage Nascent Soul cultivator of the Humanity Path would likely find it difficult to contend with her.

Recalling the Star Fragment (Spiritual Object), Lyra (Person Name) suppressed her joy at advancing the Refining Demonic Treasure and immediately rose to her feet. "Time is of the essence," she declared. "Let us first pacify the Demonic Ape Mountain."

"Good."

Taking advantage of the fact that news of the Glazed Armor of the 3 Treasures (Magic Treasure)'s advancement had yet to spread, the 2 directly used the teleportation array to return to Spirit Isle Lake (Location).

Upon arriving at Spirit Isle Lake (Location), Lyra (Person Name) gave a slight flicker of her eyes before speaking, "Judging from this season's spirit peaches, it appears the spirit peach tree will advance to the fourth-rank superior grade within 30 to 50 years."

"Hmm, it's time to make some preparations."

Eldrin nodded slightly. Once the spirit peach tree advanced to the upper fourth grade, its potential would be completely exhausted.

To advance further, he would need to consume 3 wisps of Primordial Purple Qi. Although he had accumulated a considerable amount over the past 3 100 years, he now had only 20-1 wisps remaining—barely enough for 7 more breakthroughs.

And he possessed no fewer than 5 innate magic treasures, yet advancing these innate spiritual treasures would require a full 15 mouthfuls.

Moreover, according to his calculations, if he were to utilize 3 strands of Primordial Purple Qi during his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, it would likely allow his Nascent Soul's grade to shatter the established limits. It could advance beyond the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul and become the legendary Great Luo Nascent Soul.

"This Primordial Purple Qi is also somewhat insufficient."

Eldrin let out a soft sigh. Over the years, he had been deliberately conserving the Primordial Purple Qi, restricting its usage with conscious effort. He understood all too well that advancing his Natal Magic Treasure—and even the Supreme Treasure of Pure Yang—would require vast quantities of Primordial Purple Qi in the future.

Fortunately, he was only at the Golden Core, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm), still some distance away from breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm. There should be enough time to accumulate a bit more, and as long as he didn’t squander the Primordial Purple Qi, it would likely suffice.

Suppressing his thoughts, Eldrin did not linger at Spirit Isle Lake. They immediately mounted their flying swords and soared toward the Demon Ape Mountains.

Yu County was situated near the Ziyuan Sect, while Spirit Isle Lake (Location) lay merely 700,000 li from the Demonic Ape Mountains. Traveling by sword flight at extreme velocity, the pair covered the distance in merely 3 days’ time, arriving at the outskirts of the mountain range.

"You've finally arrived."

Seeing their arrival, Master Qian immediately exclaimed with delight.

Eldrin nodded, stepping forward to gaze at the Demon Ape Mountain with a grave expression. "What's the situation?"

"The demonic cultivators probed twice, but we repelled them both times."

The Old Clan Leader spoke calmly, "This time, the Chu Kingdom has truly gathered a formidable force. The Golden Core cultivators alone number over a dozen."

Such formidable strength was already approaching the zenith of the Chu Kingdom's power from over 5 100 years ago, on the eve of the Abyssal Cataclysm.

Relying solely on the strength of the Demonic Ape Mountain, breaking through so many powerful blockades would not be an easy task.

Not far away in the void, the leader of the Cangqing Immortal Sect, Taiwu Zhenren (Person Name), was directing cultivators in setting up an array formation.

The Demonic Ape Mountain was actually very far from the Cerulean Peaks Range (Location). However, for this battle, the Verdant Azure Sect had volunteered to take the lead. Their patriarch, now over 8 100 years old, had personally brought the Verdant Azure Formation Disk (Magic Treasure) to this place.

Eldrin stepped forward, his expression slightly darkening as he said, "How is your health, True 1?"

"Ahem."

"Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist Chen. This old man's body can still hold on for a few more years."

Grandmaster Taiwu, his beard and hair completely white, coughed intermittently as he spoke to Eldrin.

This sole surviving elder of the Azure Zenith Sect had squandered far too much time in his earlier years striving to break through to the Middle Core Formation realm. In the end, he had to consume a third-grade Longevity Elixir to extend his lifespan before finally achieving success.

Now, with less than 30 years of lifespan remaining, he still forced himself to persevere, striving to accumulate 1 final reserve of strength for the Verdant Azure Immortal Sect.

Now, Grandmaster Taiwu had reached the sixth layer of the Golden Core (Cultivation Realm), yet he refrained from squandering spirit stones on purchasing a Creation-Returning Cloud Elixir to break through to Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm). Instead, he drafted a will bequeathing all his wealth to the immortal sect.

Back when the Cangqing Sect faced a great upheaval, it was he alone who held everything together to bring about the present situation. Almost single-handedly, he dragged the Cangqing Sect back from the brink of destruction to its current state, now guarded by 3 Golden Core experts.

Such a venerable elder cultivator commanded immense prestige throughout the Chu Kingdom, earning respect even from the Golden Core Realm masters present.

At this thought, Eldrin spoke up, "I am also delighted that you could come this time, True 1. Once the great battle concludes, I shall offer your Cangqing Immortal Sect 2 Core Formation treasures as compensation."

"There's no need for this."

Taiwu Zhenren, however, shook his head and spoke with serene composure, "This old man understands your desire for the Star Fragment (Spiritual Object). My visit is merely to extend a gesture of goodwill. Thus, our Cangqing Immortal Sect requires no compensation for joining this campaign."

His voice paused ever so slightly before he continued, "I only hope that after this old man passes into the great beyond, if the future disciples of the Verdant Azure Sect prove unworthy... you might watch over them in my stead."

Hearing this, Eldrin sighed inwardly. The Taiwu True Person’s lifespan was nearing its end, yet he still clung to concerns about the legacy and traditions of the Cangqing Immortal Sect.

This was simply the polar opposite compared to Taicang the Venerable Sage (Person Name), who had turned to demonic cultivation, murdered his beloved dao companion of several 100 years, and betrayed his sect.

Had Grandmaster Taiwu broken through to the Golden Core realm earlier and become the sect master of the Verdant Azure Immortal Sect back then, would things be vastly different today?

Thoughts flickered through Eldrin's mind. With the innate talent of the Taiwu True 1, had he not pursued the Middle-Grade Golden Core, he would surely have reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core realm by now, perhaps even the verge of forming a Nascent Soul.

Had Patriarch Taicang not become the sect leader, without the prioritized allocation of resources from the Azure Heaven Sect, he might never have reached the Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm), nor would the cataclysmic shift in that legendary battle have likely occurred.

Alas, breaking through to the Golden Core realm without external aids came at a grave cost—each failure required a full 60 years of recuperation. The True 1 of Taiwu failed 4 consecutive attempts to form his Golden Core, ultimately forcing him to relinquish the sect leadership that should have been his to the Old Demon of Taicang.