Chapter 414 : The Golden Core Legacy

However, Eldrin Chen pondered for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "This time we have slain three Demon Kings, including the Great Roc Demon King at the Golden Core Late Stage. Once refined into Golden Core Formation Pills, it will be sufficient for Future's needs for a hundred years."

"Aunt Verdant Grace has walked the path from the family's decline all the way here. As long as she lives, we must not, under any circumstances, withhold her rightful share when conditions allow."

Hearing Eldrin Chen's words, the Old Patriarch revealed a warm smile. "Your consideration truly gladdens my heart."

The Old Patriarch paused, then continued with a chuckle, "By the way, your Lila is also outstanding. A few years back, she too forged a Superior-Tier Golden Core."

"Oh."

Eldrin Chen's face lit up with joy. Lila achieving a Superior-Tier Golden Core was within his expectations.

That girl possessed a Variant Spiritual Root [a rare and superior type of spiritual affinity], granting her an Innate twenty percent greater chance of Forming the Golden Core than an ordinary cultivator. Furthermore, she had achieved both Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment and a self-guided breakthrough to the Violet Sanctum [a major cultivation stage]. Her ability to break through to the Golden Core realm without external aids was entirely anticipated.

Thinking of Lila's Superior-Tier Golden Core, Eldrin Chen inquired further, "How has Ethan been these years?"

"Still buried within the Scripture Pavilion. I'm afraid he won't be emerging anytime soon."

The Old Patriarch said with a sigh of resignation. Forging a new cultivation art was no simple feat. For Ethan Chen to carve his own path and discover a method to harmonize the opposing forces of water and fire would likely require a long and arduous journey. Find thousands of chapters at audio-novel dot com.

This process would consume a vast amount of time, and it was uncertain whether the effort would ultimately prove worthwhile.

Seeing the expression on Old Patriarch's face, Eldrin Chen quickly changed the subject. "By the way," he said, "I have used the power of the Ancient Primordial Inscription to devise a new life-preserving technique for those at the Foundation Establishment [the second major stage of cultivation] realm."

"Now that I've returned to the clan, I'd like to find some volunteers to test it, to see if any refinements are needed."

"That can be arranged," Old Patriarch nodded with a smile. "Every year, quite a few clansmen achieve Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment [reaching the Foundation Establishment realm through one's own efforts, without external aids like Foundation Establishment Pills]. I can offer several slots for volunteers."

Eldrin Chen continued, "The Spirit-Gathering Path-Protection Formation [a formation that gathers spiritual energy and protects a designated path or area] is, after all, a Fourth-Rank Formation [a formation of the fourth tier, corresponding to the Golden Core realm]. The clan will need to gather the necessary materials for its construction."

"Leave that matter to me."

"..."

After bidding farewell to the Old Patriarch, Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang returned to Spirit Isle Lake.

Exquisite Jiang retrieved the Three Treasures Glazed Armor [a suit of enchanted armor forged from three precious materials] and submerged it within the Spirit Pond [a pond rich in concentrated spiritual energy], allowing it to absorb spiritual energy and undergo its metamorphosis to advance in rank.

Watching the Three Treasures Glazed Armor voraciously devour spiritual energy, Exquisite Jiang performed a quick calculation with her fingers. "For this treasure to ascend to the level of a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a top-tier magical artifact capable of suppressing powerful demons]," she stated, "it appears it will need to cycle through seven or eight different Fourth-Rank Spiritual Vein [a vein of earth that naturally concentrates spiritual energy to a level suitable for Golden Core cultivators], a process that will take seven or eight years."

Eldrin Chen gave a slow nod. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke, "To purify the Netherworld Stone [a rare ore infused with netherworld energy] and extract its Netherworld Energy [a corrosive spiritual essence from the underworld], I must journey to the Flaming Prison Sea of Fire [a legendary sea of perpetual, scorching flames]."

"Should we wait a while longer?" Exquisite Jiang suggested, her tone measured. "After all, the Crimson Flame True Lord is a genuine Pseudo-True Lord [a cultivator who has partially ascended to the True Lord realm]. His power far surpasses that of a False Infant Soul Realm Cultivator [a cultivator at the peak of the Golden Core realm, mimicking the Infant Soul stage] like the Frigid Stream True Person."

"Would it not be wiser to wait until our Three Treasures Glazed Armor [a legendary suit of armor forged from three supreme treasures] ascends to the rank of a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a top-tier magical artifact capable of suppressing demonic forces]? Our chances of subduing the Crimson Flame True Lord would be significantly greater then."

Eldrin Chen fell into deep thought once more, then shook his head. "Even with the Crimson Flame True Lord's Fifth Rank [the fifth and highest grade of spiritual flame] True Flame, refining the Netherworld Energy from the stone would take nearly one full Sixty-Year Cycle [a complete cycle of sixty years, a significant unit of time in fate and cultivation]."

"Recall the words of Noctis the True Lord [a title meaning 'Lord of the Night']. He foretold that the Ji Clan would make a major move within three Sixty-Year Cycles. One hundred and ten years have already passed since then."

"By that reckoning, we have at most a little over one Sixty-Year Cycle to prepare. Therefore, refining the Netherworld Energy cannot be delayed any further."

"Furthermore, that ancient ruin opens only once every thirty years. It has been nearly ninety years since our last entry. If we miss this opportunity, we would have to wait another thirty."

Hearing his reasoning, Exquisite Jiang could only acquiesce. "Very well. Let us wait three more months. I shall enter seclusion to break through to the eighth layer of the Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where spiritual energy condenses into a solid core]. That should grant us a better chance of confronting the Crimson Flame True Lord."

"Agreed."

Eldrin Chen nodded once more and settled down to guard her during her cultivation breakthrough.

Strictly speaking, Exquisite Jiang's breakthrough this time was not a natural culmination; her accumulation of spiritual power [the refined energy cultivated by practitioners] was still a few years short of the ideal mark.

However, to achieve the breakthrough ahead of schedule, she consumed a fourth-rank elixir [a powerful cultivation pill] that forced rapid growth, significantly accelerating the increase in her cultivation base.

The consequence of taking such a pill was that before her next breakthrough to the Infant Soul realm, she would need to spend an additional decade meticulously tempering and refining her spiritual power to restore it to its former pristine purity.

It was not until three months later that Exquisite Jiang emerged from her secluded cultivation.

After her advancement to the eighth layer of the Golden Core realm, the pair did not linger. They immediately and discreetly took to their swords, flying directly towards the Tianlu Continent.

Speed was of the essence on this journey. In a mere two months, they traversed the Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range and entered the territories of the Tianlu Continent. This content originates from audio novel.com. Please respect copyright.

Once past the mountain range, they wasted no time, heading straight for the Flaming Prison Sea of Fire. Their haste paid off, as they arrived just in time for the opening of this ancient site.

Before entering the ruins, Exquisite Jiang spoke with grave seriousness, "We must not underestimate Crimson Flame True Lord. Caution is paramount."

"Understood," Eldrin Chen nodded, then added reassuringly, "But there is no need for excessive worry. The last time we came here, I was merely at the Golden Core Early Stage, and you were only at the Golden Core Mid Stage."

"Now, our strength has surged tremendously. Even if we cannot defeat Crimson Flame True Lord, we should be able to secure our escape. Furthermore, we have the local Formation [a pre-arranged array of magical power] and the aid of two Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure artifacts on our side."

Hearing his words, Exquisite Jiang felt a slight sense of reassurance settle within her.

The two of them immediately stepped through the opened Formation and entered the ruins.

Perhaps because they had completely eradicated the Golden Core Spirit ninety years prior, this time they encountered no Demon Spirit blocking their path as they ventured in.

"Time is short. Let us finish this swiftly."

With those words, Eldrin Chen merged his body with his sword and shot towards the depths of the ruins.

The two transformed into streaks of sword light, soaring through the air. They had not flown for long before they saw a massive shockwave erupting at the horizon.

A crimson figure, towering a thousand Zhang-lengths [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] high and resembling a Demon God, stood at the edge of the world.

It bore horns upon its head, its body was etched with countless restraining formation patterns, and it held aloft the Sun and Moon with its hands.

A closer look revealed that the great sun cradled in its left hand was a damaged Setting Sun Treasure Wheel, while the Bright Moon it raised with its right hand was none other than the Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure, the Selene's Treasure Wheel.

"This beast…"

Eldrin Chen drew a sharp breath. The Crimson Flame True Lord was truly terrifying.

Even while suppressed by the Formation [a complex arrangement of energy channels and nodes used for defense, confinement, or amplification], it could still contend against two Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [artifacts of supreme power specifically designed to suppress and vanquish demonic entities] on its own. Such divine might was utterly horrifying.

Even more astonishing was the boundless Crimson Flame [a divine-grade flame technique of immense destructive power] boiling within its form. As it clashed head-on with the two Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure, for a moment it actually suppressed them, causing their radiant glows to dim significantly.

"This is bad. That fiend is about to break free!"

Eldrin Chen stated gravely. He understood clearly that this Formation had a flaw; every thirty years of operation, a slight weakness would appear. It was precisely because of this that they had been able to enter.

Now was the period of the Formation's weakness. For the Crimson Flame True Lord, this was the perfect opportunity to escape its confinement.

If allowed to unleash its divine power unchecked, it might truly succeed in breaking free this time. And even if it failed this attempt, it could further damage the Formation, until one day it would inevitably slaughter its way out of the prison.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen summoned his Celestial Abyss Twin Swords and slashed forward. "We must act! We absolutely cannot allow it to break free!" Read the full novel exclusively on audio-novel . com.