Chapter 421 : A Final Farewell to a Dying Friend

After this Divine Ability was successfully deduced, Lyra Jiang's repertoire of techniques and methods increased by a significant margin. Drawing inspiration from Eldrin Chen's Dual Polarity Divine Thunder, she began to further refine her own offensive capabilities.

Meanwhile, Eldrin Chen settled his mind and focused his efforts. He began the work of perfecting the Triad Divine Thunder, aspiring to create his first true Great Divine Ability [a supreme and profound supernatural power].

On this day, a Spirit Talisman [an inscribed charm imbued with spiritual power] flew into Spirit Isle Lake.

Eldrin Chen took the Spirit Talisman and glanced at it. He let out a helpless sigh and had no choice but to interrupt his cultivation.

Noticing his despondent expression, Lyra Jiang beside him couldn't help but ask, "What is it?"

"A message from the Wei Family. It says Varen Wei's lifespan is nearly exhausted; he is on his deathbed." Sighing as he set down the Spirit Talisman, Eldrin Chen stood up and said, "I shall go to see him one last time."

"Mm."

Lyra Jiang said no more. She understood that Eldrin Chen's heart was heavy at this moment.

Having walked her own path to this day, she had witnessed too many partings in life and death, and she comprehended Eldrin Chen's feelings all too well.

Throughout his journey to the present, Eldrin Chen had never counted many true friends. By now, those cherished companions from bygone days were few and far between. This Varen Wei was counted among those rare, kindred spirits. Access the full story on audio-novel*com.

Now that this dear friend was on the verge of passing away, his heart was naturally heavy with sorrow.

Departing from Spirit Province Lake, Eldrin Chen flew on his sword towards Heavenly Peak Mountain.

After more than two centuries, Heavenly Peak Mountain had undergone immense changes. The Wei Immortal Clan had originally been merely a Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan.

Yet, the present-day Wei Clan now boasted four Purple Mansion Ancestor. Even within the broader Chu Kingdom, they could be considered a powerful Purple Mansion Immortal Clan.

All of this was due to the unwavering support of Varen Wei, their first-generation Purple Mansion Ancestor. After his breakthrough to the Purple Mansion, Mid Stage, Varen Wei realized his hopes of reaching the Golden Core realm were slim. Thus, he poured all his efforts into his clan.

Over the years, his entire stipend had been spent on acquiring assets for the Wei Clan and nurturing the clan's cultivators.

The other three Purple Mansion cultivators of the Wei Clan had practically been raised by his hand. Because of this, Varen Wei held an exceptionally high status within the Wei Family, and the entire clan revered him deeply.

Now, with Varen Wei critically ill, the three Purple Mansion Ancestor and the Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Wei Immortal Clan had all set aside their duties. They had returned to Heavenly Peak Mountain from places like Earth Lion Province and Heaven's Ruin Province, solely to see Varen Wei one last time.

When Eldrin Chen arrived at Heavenly Peak Mountain, he naturally stirred the entire Wei Immortal Clan.

The three Purple Mansion Cultivator personally led the way, their faces etched with grief. "Our Clan Patriarch has been confined to his sickbed for three years now," one of them said sorrowfully. "His vital essence and blood are utterly exhausted. He is clinging to life by the thinnest thread of his final wisp of True Qi [the refined energy cultivated by practitioners of the Dao]."

"His final wish was to see you one last time. That is why I dared to send you the message."

Eldrin Chen listened in silence, walking without a word to the dwelling of Varen Wei.

The residence of Varen Wei was simple and unadorned—a rustic bamboo hut with a few medicinal herbs planted in the courtyard. It looked less like the abode of the master of a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan [a powerful cultivation family whose patriarch has reached the Purple Mansion Realm] who commanded awe across the counties, and more like the home of an elderly mortal farmer.

Stepping into the bamboo hut, Eldrin Chen found Varen Wei upon the bed. At this moment, Varen Wei's hair and beard were completely white, and his body was emaciated to the point where his bones were visible.

He could no longer leave his bed, and had even lost the ability to speak.

A tremor passed through Eldrin Chen's heart. He channeled his mana to dissolve a precious pill [a high-grade cultivation elixir], infusing a wisp of vital energy into Varen Wei.

"Cough! Cough!"

Varen Wei coughed heavily twice, a faint flush of color finally returning to his pallid face, allowing him to speak once more.

He grasped Eldrin Chen's hand, propping himself up from the bed, then waved his other hand, signaling for everyone else to leave.

After they had departed, Varen Wei looked at Eldrin Chen with a bitter smile. "Time spares no one. In the blink of an eye, over two centuries have passed. I am now a withered tree nearing its end, yet you remain as youthful as ever."

"It has already been over two hundred years."

Eldrin Chen also sighed, only now realizing he was approaching three hundred years of age, while Varen Wei had already lived for over four hundred and thirty years.

An ordinary Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual mansion within the dantian] cultivator might have been able to rely on a Longevity Pill [a pill that extends the cultivator's lifespan] to sustain themselves for another Jiazi-time [a sixty-year cycle], but he had consumed a Second Rank Spirit Apricot [a spiritual fruit of the second rank that grants longevity] far too early. Consequently, even if the Wei Clan possessed the wealth, they could no longer extend his lifespan.

This was an unavoidable circumstance. Had it not been for the aid of that Second Rank Spirit Apricot two centuries ago, he would have already passed away in meditation long before.

At this stage, even with Eldrin Chen's extraordinary methods, it was nearly impossible to further prolong his life.

"Do you know, in this life of mine, what I have envied most is you." Support the author by reading on audio - novel . com.

Varen Wei gazed at Eldrin Chen, his eyes holding a complex emotion. After a long silence, he spoke: "The path of cultivation is arduous and fraught with hardship."

"I have reached its end. This life of mine was neither spectacular nor utterly obscure."

"I once believed that leading the Wei Clan to prominence would bring me contentment. Yet, at life's final juncture, I understand: without achieving immortality, one remains but dust within the mortal realm."

"Qi Refinement [the first realm where one refines the body's vital energy], Foundation Establishment [the second realm where one builds a stable foundation for the Dao], even the Purple Mansion—in the end, it all amounts to nothing. All shall return to a handful of yellow earth, merging once more with heaven and earth."

"To be born into a world of cultivation, yet to lack the courage to strive for immortality—this is the greatest regret of my life."

Varen Wei wept bitterly, tears tracing the lines of his aged face. He had long ago set aside his own cultivation, pouring all his energy into the family.

He had believed himself to have found peace with this choice, but only now, at this moment, did he understand that his so-called acceptance was merely a compromise born of helplessness.

A true cultivator, even when faced with odds of one in a hundred million, must never lightly abandon hope.

The path to immortality is arduous. Throughout the ages, countless heaven-favored prodigies have emerged, yet in the end, only a handful have ever ascended.

Those who reach the end are invariably those with an unshakable Dao-heart [the core conviction and will of a cultivator] and immense, unyielding perseverance.

As for innate talent and comprehension, these can still be altered through later effort. It is one's nature and resolve that are truly paramount.

Varen Wei remained silent for a long while. His gaze settled on Eldrin Chen, and he suddenly spoke: "Do you know? I envy you. I despise myself for not being like you."

"You are the person I have met with the greatest potential to achieve immortality. I wanted to become someone like you, but I lacked your courage to stake everything on a single, desperate throw."

"I did not even dare to confront the Mortal Tribulation [a critical trial faced by cultivators to solidify their foundation]. My entire life has been a complete and utter failure."

Varen Wei spoke for a long time, and in the end, he fell silent once more.

He finally let out a sigh and gazed at Eldrin Chen for a long while before handing him a pitch-black Treasure Box. "This is the medium for the Demonic Malignancy Entangling Thread Curse [a sinister curse that binds the victim with threads of demonic energy]."

"Someone from Demonic Ape Mountain found me," he said. "They promised to help me fully convert to the Demonic Path [a cultivation path that harnesses malevolent and destructive energies] and break through to the Golden Core Realm [the third major stage of cultivation, where one's spiritual energy condenses into a solid, radiant core], on the condition that I plant this curse upon you."

"I see."

Eldrin Chen took the dark Treasure Box, his voice calm. "This is precisely the kind of underhanded treachery one expects from Demonic Cultivators [practitioners who follow the Demonic Path]."

"You should know," Varen Wei said, his voice heavy, "I almost decided to use it on you."

He shook his head, his eyes holding a profound, weary loneliness. "Walk your path well. Carry my blessing with you. See for me... what the Immortal Realm... looks like..."

Varen Wei's words grew softer and softer, until his voice faded away completely, and the last wisp of his life force dissipated into the world.

Eldrin Chen stood motionless. He remained before Varen Wei's bed for a long, long time, a silent sentinel in the quiet bamboo hut.

Finally, he turned and stepped out of the dwelling. He paused at the threshold, where sunlight spilled down, casting a long, solitary shadow behind him.

"I will." Original publication: audi0-n0vel.c0m - The source of this chapter.