Chapter 423 : The Forbidden Infant Soul Ascension

As for the Purple Abyss Sect, they were already unable to participate in this battle. Violet Consort Yan of the Purple Abyss Sect had vanished several decades prior, departing the borders of Chu Nation with the Purple Abyss Furnace. Even Immortal Maiden Spirit Consort and Immortal Maiden Hibiscus and the others had no idea where she had gone.

Eldrin Chen had a fair understanding of the situation. It was highly likely that Violet Consort Yan had left to attempt a breakthrough into the Infant Soul Realm [the realm where a cultivator's nascent soul is formed], and the upper echelons of the Purple Abyss Sect had most likely gone to act as her guardians.

The birth of a single Heavenly Path Infant Soul [an Infant Soul cultivator who has comprehended a trace of the Heavenly Dao] was destined to shake dozens of surrounding continents.

If the breakthrough were attempted within Chu Nation, neither the Azure Flood Dragon Demon Emperor nor the various Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who use unorthodox, often malevolent methods] would stand idly by. A terrifying, large-scale conflict would almost certainly erupt.

And indeed, this was precisely the case. Not only had Violet Consort Yan left the Eastern Region Great Wasteland, she had done so with the covert support of the Ji Clan.

After all, breaking through to Infant Soul consumed a vast amount of spiritual energy and required the assistance of a Fifth Rank Spiritual Vein [a powerful, high-grade ley line of concentrated spiritual energy]. For the Ji Clan to offer such unstinting support meant that Violet Consort Yan would undoubtedly soon become one of the Human Race's hidden aces within Ji Continent.

Returning to the main thread, Eldrin Chen and Sect Master Qian personally led the assault right to the gates of Demonic Ape Mountain. Fighting side by side, they slew over a dozen Violet Sanctum Realm [the realm of the Violet Palace] Demonic Cultivator, forcing the host of fiends from Demonic Ape Mountain to retreat entirely into the mountain's depths.

With the Demonic Cultivator thus trapped, the two simply took up positions outside Demonic Ape Mountain, laying siege to this Demonic Cultivator Forbidden Land [a dangerous, restricted area].

Simultaneously, the war machines of the Heavenly Ruins Alliance and the Firmament Sword Sect began to grind into motion. A great host of cultivators started to gather, boarding treasure ships in vast numbers.

After several centuries of development, the strength of both the Heavenly Ruins Alliance and the Firmament Sword Sect had grown substantially. Discover more cultivation stories at audio–novel.com.

Particularly within the Heavenly Ruins Alliance, the number of Golden Core Cultivators [cultivators who have condensed a Golden Core, representing a major advancement in power] participating in this campaign had already exceeded a dozen. The Chen Clan alone contributed five: Kael Chen, the Old Patriarch, Lior Chen, Lila, and Silas Chen.

The Heavenly Ruins Sect also sent three: Elara Lin, Tea Rose Su, and the recently ascended Like Dream Willow.

Among the affiliated Immortal Clans, the Shyu Clan and the Qian Clan also had Golden Core cultivators arrive. Xavier Qian from the Qian Immortal Clan, a Golden Core Cultivator who had broken through less than a decade prior, was among them. This count did not even include the two Dao companions of Eldrin Chen.

For this campaign to eradicate the Demonic Cultivators [cultivators who use malevolent, soul-devouring methods to advance their power], Eldrin Chen had left Like Dream Willow, Kael Chen, and Lior Chen behind to guard against potential attacks from the Demon Race. Virtually all remaining Golden Core Cultivators had been mobilized, leaving their strongholds nearly undefended.

Cultivators below the Golden Core Realm also participated in significant numbers. From across the entire Chu Nation, the number of Violet Sanctum Cultivators [cultivators who have opened their Violet Palace, a key spiritual center] joining the battle had surpassed three hundred.

This figure was more than three times greater than when Eldrin Chen was young.

The reason was not only the flourishing development of the Chu Nation but also their conquest of the Heavenly Ruins Prefecture and the Earth Lion Prefecture.

The Heavenly Ruins Prefecture alone was half the size of the Chu Nation, while the territory of the Earth Lion Prefecture was nearly as large as the rest of the nation combined.

Such vast territories naturally yielded abundant resources. As they were gradually developed, dozens of small and micro Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] mines had been discovered, not to mention other valuable assets.

Now, the Chen Immortal Clan alone boasted forty-three Violet Sanctum Cultivators and over two hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators [cultivators who have solidified their foundation, the first major step beyond mortal limits].

In truth, over these years, the fervor for Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment within the Chen Clan had gradually cooled. The number of cultivators resorting to Foundation Establishment Pill [a pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm] had steadily increased. Among these two hundred-plus individuals, a not insignificant portion had achieved their breakthrough precisely through the use of such pills.

Returning to the main point, with the mass mobilization of cultivators, it took merely half a year before they had Demonic Ape Mountain surrounded so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.

Eldrin Chen did not act immediately. After handing the Heaven's Vault Mirror over to the Old Patriarch, he directly traveled via a Teleportation Formation [a magical array for instantaneous travel over vast distances] to the Path-Field of the Heavenly Ruins Sect in the Yan Kingdom.

"How is the situation?"

The moment he arrived at the Heavenly Ruins Sect, Eldrin Chen could not help but ask.

Exquisite Jiang stood guard before the Spirit Pond [a pool concentrated with spiritual energy], her expression grave.

The Path-Field of the Heavenly Ruins Sect was the former ancestral land of the Deng Clan. It possessed a Fourth Rank Mid-Grade Spiritual Vein [a subterranean channel of concentrated spiritual energy] and was situated relatively far from the Demon Race Territory. This made it the final location they had chosen for the advancement of the Three Treasures Glazed Armor.

"It should be within the next three months."

As Exquisite Jiang spoke, a flicker of anticipation shone in her eyes.

Eldrin Chen gave a slight nod, his gaze settling on the Spirit Pond before him. Within its depths, a suit of Glazed armor, shimmering with a tri-colored radiance, rotated slowly.

It glowed with an inner light, ceaselessly drawing upon the spiritual energy [the vital energy that flows through all living things and the world] from the Spirit Pond, continuously igniting the Spiritual Treasure Formation Patterns woven into the precious armor's core.

The power contained within those Spiritual Treasure-grade formation patterns was extraordinary. Lighting even a single strand consumed a vast amount of spiritual energy. Despite having drawn upon the energy of eight Fourth-Rank Spiritual Vein, they had only managed to illuminate roughly seven or eight out of ten of the patterns.

The cost, in truth, was immense. Once a Spiritual Vein [a natural conduit of concentrated spiritual energy within the earth] was drained of its spiritual energy, it required a full Sixty-Year Cycle [a complete cycle of sixty years] to recover its peak potency. During that time, the concentration of spiritual energy within the vein would diminish by thirty to fifty percent.

Yet, despite this, their anticipation knew no bounds. The greater the amount of spiritual energy the Three Treasures Glazed Armor absorbed, the more formidable its ultimate power promised to be.

Time seemed to lose meaning. Then, one day, the final formation pattern upon the Three Treasures Glazed Armor ignited with a brilliant, definitive light.

Strand after strand of Spiritual Treasure-grade patterns blazed with dazzling radiance, each thread thrumming with a terrifying, heaven-shaking, earth-quaking divine might. This chapter is provided by audi0-n0vel.c0m. Support the original.

"*Crack-crack-crack—*"

Amidst a series of crisp, crystalline sounds, vast quantities of impurities were expelled from the Three Treasures Glazed Armor. Its very material essence was undergoing a sublime transformation.

Finally, the Three Treasures Glazed Armor disassembled. Individual components flew out and seamlessly assembled themselves upon Exquisite Jiang's form.

Once clad in the armor, Exquisite Jiang discovered that the Glazed treasure armor continuously adapted to her physique. It finally settled into the form of a resplendent, form-fitting gown of articulated plate, perfectly accentuating her graceful, willowy figure.

Eldrin Chen gazed at the exquisite figure before him, a sudden dryness tightening his throat. He took Exquisite Jiang's hand and asked, his voice slightly husky, "How does it feel?"

A faint blush colored Exquisite Jiang's cheeks. With a thought, she willed the treasure armor to transform, its form shifting into an elegant, flowing gown. Only then did she reply, her voice brimming with delight, "This Three Treasures Glazed Armor is truly Extraordinary."

As Exquisite Jiang explained its properties, Eldrin Chen came to understand the profound mysteries of the Three Treasures Glazed Armor's Divine Ability [a powerful supernatural technique inherent to a cultivator or their enchanted artifacts].

As a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a top-tier artifact specifically forged to combat demonic forces], the Three Treasures Glazed Armor possessed three distinct Spiritual Treasure Divine Ability. The first was the Glazed Adamantine Body.

This Divine Ability could protect both the cultivator's Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] and physical form. To a significant degree, it was capable of withstanding heretical curses and Divine Ability of a Great God Ability [a power level associated with major deities] magnitude.

The second was named the Triple Treasure Glazed Aegis. This Divine Ability could manifest a protective barrier of three-colored Glazed energy, constituting a defense of Force Extreme [the pinnacle level of power] strength against the arts of Demon God [powerful, god-like demonic beings].

Furthermore, the inherent defensive power of the Three Treasures Glazed Armor itself was formidable. Once clad in this treasure, even without actively invoking its Divine Ability, Exquisite Jiang's defense would be sufficient to withstand attacks from ordinary top-grade magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators].

The third ability was called the Triple Treasure Glazed Spirit Augmentation Art. This Divine Ability served as the auxiliary power of this Demon-Slaying Treasure, capable of temporarily and dramatically amplifying the cultivator's reserves of spiritual energy [the vital energy cultivated and used by practitioners].

With Exquisite Jiang's current cultivation base, donning the Three Treasures Glazed Armor would grant her a substantial surge in power, elevating her spiritual energy to ninety percent of that possessed by a full Infant Soul Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed their nascent soul, a major advancement].

With such a potent augmentation, her combat prowess might not lag far behind that of the Crimson Flame True Lord.

The sole drawback lies in the limited energy reserves of the Three Treasures Glazed Armor. After each major battle, it requires a full century to naturally replenish its power.

Unless they can advance to the Infant Soul Realm and use their own Infant Soul Essence [the concentrated spiritual core of an Infant Soul cultivator] to directly recharge the armor's energy, it can only be deployed as a final, desperate trump card, reserved for the most dire of circumstances. The complete novel can be found at audio - novel . com.