Chapter 427 : The Star Fragment's Price

"You contributed the most in this battle, and this treasure rightfully belongs to you."

Qian the Sect Master gazed at the Star Fragment [a fragment of a celestial body containing immense cosmic energy] with a hint of reluctance. Setting aside the Star Fragment, the combined value of all treasures from the entire Demonic Ape Mountain did not exceed ten million Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

Yet this single Star Fragment alone would require at least sixty Heavenly Crystal [a purified and high-density form of Spirit Stone, also known as Immortal Crystal] to purchase. To claim he was not tempted by such a precious treasure would be a lie.

However, the Heaven's Ruin Alliance had borne the brunt of this conflict, and the Verdant Immortal Sect had forgone their share of the spoils out of deference to Eldrin Chen. Relying solely on his Firmament Sword Sect, he naturally had no rightful claim to contest for it.

Nevertheless, acquiring the vast trove of treasures from Demonic Ape Mountain left Qian the Sect Master thoroughly satisfied. Even after allocating resources for compensation and rewards, the remainder would leave the Firmament Sword Sect immensely enriched.

"My thanks, then."

Eldrin Chen replied with a faint smile, then turned his gaze towards the shattered Demonic Spring [a corrupted spiritual spring tainted by demonic energy].

After exchanging glances, Chen Thalion spoke up: "As long as the Dao Marker [a metaphysical anchor left by a powerful entity, marking a location or concept] left by the Demon God cannot be eradicated, the Demonic Spring will be nearly impossible to purge completely. It seems the Spirit Vein [a subterranean channel that concentrates and emits spiritual energy] of Demonic Ape Mountain cannot be restored."

"Let us leave it be for now. We can consider eradicating this Dao Marker once the Chu Kingdom produces a Nascent Soul True Lord [a cultivator who has formed their Nascent Soul, a spiritual core representing a higher state of being]."

Taiwu the True Person added his agreement. The Dao Marker left by a Demon God was notoriously difficult to erase entirely. Although they had captured Demonic Ape Mountain, the lingering Demonic Qi [energy tainted by malevolent or corruptive forces] meant the Spirit Vein would remain unsuitable for cultivation for a long time to come, forcing them to abandon the site. Published by AUDIO-NOVEL.COM. All rights reserved.

After handing over the battlefield to the Firmament Sword Sect for cleanup, Eldrin Chen led the Heaven's Ruin Alliance back into the heart of the Chu Kingdom.

Upon their return to the Chu Kingdom, Eldrin Chen allocated a sum of five million Spirit Stones worth of resources. This was designated as compensation and rewards for the various factions within the Heaven's Ruin Alliance. Following this, he and Lyra Jiang made their way back to Spirit Isle Lake.

Upon reaching Spirit Isle Lake, Eldrin Chen could not contain his excitement. "With the Star Fragment," he declared, "your Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword can finally ascend. Once it does, your power will likely rival that of a Nascent Soul Cultivator."

"A Demon-Subduing Immortal Sword," he breathed, the words heavy with significance.

Lyra Jiang's face also lit up with joy. A Demon-Subduing Immortal Sword of Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a cultivator's personally bound artifact, growing in power with them] grade was a treasure that could be counted among the very finest in all the world.

Many Nascent Soul, Early Stage cultivators possessed only one or two Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasures [the pinnacle grade of cultivator artifacts, capable of suppressing demonic forces]. The forging of such a treasure required sublime materials from Fifth Rank Heaven and Earth Treasures [rare natural wonders of immense spiritual potency] and vast quantities of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements].

Furthermore, devising the blueprint for a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure was no simple feat. It demanded exceptional insight and a great deal of time to continuously refine and perfect the intricate Spiritual Treasure Formation Runes [the mystical patterns that empower a spiritual treasure].

In truth, even with the prodigious talent and comprehension of Eldrin Chen and Lyra Jiang, and despite having prior examples of Lifebound Spiritual Treasures to study, it would still take them a full Jiazi-time [a sixty-year cycle] to fully conceptualize a single such treasure.

Regardless, once the Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword successfully ascended, Lyra Jiang's strength would increase dramatically. In all the world, save for a handful of forbidden lands, there would be few places she could not venture.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen spoke. "The clan's stockpile of Five Elements Essence has been accumulating for nearly a century," he said. "We have also been purchasing more consistently. It should be just enough to facilitate the ascension of your Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword."

"If the Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] is sufficient, then I am at ease."

Lyra Jiang nodded. The Chen Clan had accumulated Five Elements Essence for a century; through continuous purchases and their own reserves, their stockpile nearly equaled the output of the entire Chu Kingdom for a Sixty-Year Cycle.

Such a vast quantity of Five Elements Essence was worth over ten million Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy], truly enough for her to advance the Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword.

Thinking of advancing the Demon-Subduing Immortal Sword, Eldrin Chen wasted no more time. That very day, he ordered the clan to gather the ten million Spirit Stone worth of Five Elements Essence.

The Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword required the dual essences of Metallic Essence [the pure spiritual energy of the Metal element] and Refined Gold [a highly purified form of Metal essence]. The other elemental attributes within the Five Elements Essence were incompatible, so it was necessary to exchange the general essence for the specific Metallic Essence and Refined Gold energies.

To this end, several Golden Core [a major cultivation stage where one forms a golden spiritual core] cultivators of the Chen Clan traveled ceaselessly throughout the Six Kingdoms of Ji Continent, utilizing the connections of the Chen Immortal Clan. It took half a year to finally gather the required Metallic Essence and Refined Gold energies.

On this day, Eldrin Chen arrived at Pingyang City and sought out the Old Patriarch.

Upon meeting, the Old Patriarch handed over the Metallic Essence and Refined Gold energies, his expression grave. "With this extraction of Five Elements Essence," he said, "the Clan Treasury is nearly completely drained."

"When the time comes decades from now for you to advance the Mirror of Yin, Yang, and Void, I fear we may face a shortage of Five Elements Essence."

Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly. This was indeed a significant concern, for the production of Five Elements Essence within the Chu Kingdom was ultimately finite.

The resources required to elevate a single Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a cultivator's personally bound and nurtured enchanted artifact] amount to Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] worth tens of millions of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. Accumulating such a quantity would demand decades of effort from the entire Chu Kingdom.

Although the Chu Kingdom Cultivation World [the realm of cultivators within the borders of the Chu Kingdom] has grown more prosperous, both he and Lyra Jiang possess Five Lifebound Magical Treasures [five personally bound enchanted artifacts]. Combined, that makes a total of ten Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a pinnacle-grade artifact specifically designed to suppress and vanquish demonic forces] awaiting advancement. The resources required for this far exceed what Chu Kingdom alone could possibly sustain.

Contemplating this, Eldrin Chen spoke, "Then let the clan establish merchant houses in the other nations of the Ji Continent [the vast continent where the story primarily takes place] and begin purchasing Five Elements Essence."

"That seems the only way forward."

The Old Patriarch [the venerable and experienced leader of the Chen Clan] nodded, then added with a wry smile, "In recent years, the clan exhausted its coffers to procure Heavenly Crystal [a purified and high-density form of spiritual energy crystal] for you. We have only just cleared those debts. To purchase Five Elements Essence on such a massive scale now... the financial strain will be immense."

"Insufficient Spirit Stone?" Eldrin's brow furrowed slightly. "Then we shall sell some of our Fourth Rank Magical Treasure [magical artifacts of the fourth rank, corresponding to the Golden Core Realm], or even items like the Origin-Returning Tribulation-Breaking Pill [a legendary pill that aids in overcoming heavenly tribulations by returning one to their origin state] or Golden Core Formation Pill [a precious pill that significantly increases the chance of forming a Golden Core]. We will buy as much Five Elements Essence as we can with the proceeds." Continue reading this story at www . audio-novel.com.

"That is indeed feasible."

Chen Thalion also understood the paramount importance of Five Elements Essence. Compared to elevating a single Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure, even selling something as precious as Creation Treasure Jade [a jade imbued with the power of creation, a rare heaven-and-earth treasure] was a necessary sacrifice.

With this in mind, the Old Patriarch poured Eldrin another cup of tea and continued, "To engage in the long-term, large-scale purchase of Five Elements Essence in foreign nations involves significant interests. It would be best to have cultivators at the Golden Core Realm [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a solidified golden core of power] oversee such operations."

"Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen also showed a contemplative expression. For them to purchase Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] in other Six Kingdoms of Ji Continent, and in massive quantities at that, would require someone of sufficient stature and capability to oversee and coordinate the entire operation.

With this thought in mind, Eldrin Chen spoke up: "Let us entrust the affairs in Yan Kingdom to Brother Qingci. He has been stationed in Yan Kingdom for many years and has a thorough understanding of the region. For him to oversee the acquisition of Five Elements Essence should not pose too great a difficulty for others."

"As for Qi Kingdom, let us assign Uncle Lior to handle it, with assistance from the branch Chen Clan there. We likely won't need to dispatch too many additional personnel to assist."

"The remaining nations—Cang Nation, Wei Nation, and Ji Nation—also require someone to oversee matters. Furthermore, the situation there may be more complex."

"Lila, Silas, and Kael possess significant potential. It would be a waste to have them bogged down by such mundane affairs. Let us seek assistance from the Qian Clan and the Xu Clan instead."

The Old Patriarch nodded in agreement upon hearing this. The Xu Clan now boasted two Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a solidified golden spiritual core] cultivators: Xavier Xu and Xu Darius. The Qian Clan had also produced a Golden Core Cultivator some twenty years prior.

This individual was named Qian Xinghe. Strictly speaking, he was of the same generation as the former Qian Xingming, though considerably younger in age. Rumor had it he had exhausted the clan's resources to purchase a Golden Core Formation Pill [a rare and precious pill that aids in the formation of the Golden Core] from beyond the Ji Continent to achieve his breakthrough into the Golden Core realm.

"In truth, my thoughts align with yours."

Chen Thalion spoke, then paused briefly before continuing: "I have consulted with the Qian family and the Xu Clan. The two from the Xu Clan raised no objections. Only Qian Xinghe mentioned his intention to embark on a journey of personal cultivation and travel, which I tactfully declined on his behalf." Support the author by reading on (audio-novel.com).