Chapter 427 : The Stellar Fragment's Claim

"Your contribution to this battle was the greatest; this treasure rightfully belongs to you."

Sect Master Qian gazed at the Stellar Fragment [a fragment of a fallen star, imbued with immense cosmic energy], his voice tinged with reluctance. Setting aside the Stellar Fragment, the combined value of all treasures within 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 Stellar Fragment alone would require at least sixty Heavenly Crystal [a highly purified and potent form of spiritual crystal] to purchase. To claim he felt no stirring of desire for such a precious treasure would be a lie.

However, the Heavenly Ruins Alliance had borne the brunt of the fighting in this conflict. Furthermore, the Verdant Azure Immortal Sect had waived their claim to the spoils out of deference to Eldrin Chen. Relying solely on the strength of his Firmament Sword Sect, he naturally had no rightful claim to contest for it.

Nevertheless, securing the vast trove of treasures from Demonic Ape Mountain left Sect Master Qian quite satisfied. Even after allocating resources for compensating the families of the fallen and rewarding meritorious service, the remainder would be more than enough to 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].

The group exchanged glances. Eternal Profound Chen was the first to speak. "As long as the Path Marker [a mystical anchor left behind by a powerful entity to mark its territory or influence] left by the Demon God [a deity-level entity of the demonic races] cannot be utterly eradicated, the Demonic Spring will be difficult to purge completely. It seems the Spiritual Vein [a subterranean conduit of concentrated spiritual energy] of Demonic Ape Mountain cannot be restored."

"Then let it remain for now. We can consider eradicating this Path Marker in the future, once the Chu Nation produces an Infant Soul True Lord [a cultivator who has formed their Infant Soul, a nascent spiritual form within the Golden Core]."

True Person Great Defense added his agreement. The Path Marker of a Demon God was notoriously difficult to erase completely. Although they had captured Demonic Ape Mountain, the lingering demonic miasma [a corrupting energy associated with demons] would render the place unsuitable for cultivation for a long time to come, forcing them to abandon it. Read, share, and discuss at audi0-n0vel.c0m.

After handing over the battlefield to the Firmament Sword Sect for cleanup, Eldrin Chen led the Heavenly Ruins Alliance back into the territory of the Chu Nation.

Upon returning to the Chu Nation, Eldrin Chen allocated a sum of resources worth five million Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] as compensation and rewards for the various major forces within the Heavenly Ruins Alliance, then returned to Spirit Isle Lake with Exquisite Jiang.

Upon arriving at Spirit Isle Lake, Eldrin Chen said with great excitement, "With the Stellar Fragment, your Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword can advance. Once it does, your strength will likely rival that of an Infant Soul Cultivator [a cultivator who has condensed their nascent soul, a major milestone]."

"A Demon-Slaying Immortal Sword [a sword artifact of immense power, capable of slaying demons and immortals]," he added.

Exquisite Jiang also revealed a look of joy. A Demon-Slaying Immortal Sword of the Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a magical treasure that grows and evolves with its master, bound to their life force] grade would be considered a top-tier treasure anywhere in the world.

Many cultivators at the Infant Soul Early Stage possessed only one or two Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a supreme-grade treasure capable of subduing powerful demons], as forging such treasures required sublimation materials of Fifth Rank Heaven and Earth Treasure [a rare spiritual material of the fifth rank, containing potent heaven and earth energies] grade and vast amounts of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth].

Furthermore, deducing the path to evolve a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure was no simple feat. It demanded exceptional comprehension and a great deal of time to continuously refine and perfect the Spiritual Treasure Formation Patterns [the intricate energy patterns and arrays inscribed within a spiritual treasure].

In truth, even with the prodigious talent and comprehension of Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang, and despite having precedents of other Lifebound Spiritual Treasure to study, it would still take them one full Sixty-Year Cycle [a complete cycle of sixty years, a significant unit of time in fate and cultivation] to deduce the evolution path for a single such treasure.

Regardless, once the Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword successfully advanced, Exquisite Jiang's power would undoubtedly increase dramatically. In all the world, save for a handful of the most perilous Forbidden Land [dangerous, restricted areas fraught with ancient dangers], there would be few places she could not venture.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen spoke up, "The clan's stockpile of Five Elements Essence has been accumulating for nearly a century, and we've been purchasing more consistently over the years. It should be just enough for you to advance the Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword."

"If the Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] is sufficient, then I can rest easy."

Exquisite Jiang nodded. Over a century, the Chen Clan had amassed a stockpile of Five Elements Essence through continuous purchases and their own accumulation. The stored essence nearly matched the total output of the entire Chu Nation over one Sixty-Year Cycle [a sixty-year cycle in the Chinese calendrical system].

Such a vast quantity of Five Elements Essence, valued at over ten million Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy], was indeed enough for her to advance the Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword.

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

The Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword required the dual auras of Metallic Gold [the essence of the Metal element] and Acrid Metal [a specific, potent aspect of Metal energy]. The other elemental properties within the general Five Elements Essence were incompatible. Therefore, the essence needed to be exchanged specifically for Metallic Gold and Acrid Metal energies.

To this end, several of the Chen Clan's Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a solidified golden spiritual core] elders traveled via Teleportation Formation [a magical array for instantaneous travel over vast distances]. For half a year, they journeyed throughout the Six Kingdoms of Ji Continent, leveraging the connections of the Chen Immortal Clan to finally gather the required Metallic Gold and Acrid Metal Dual Auras [the combined spiritual essence of Metallic Gold and Acrid Metal energies].

"..."

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

As soon as they met, the Old Patriarch handed him the Metallic Gold and Acrid Metal Dual Auras, his expression grave. "With this withdrawal of Five Elements Essence," he said solemnly, "the Clan Treasury is nearly completely drained."

"When the time comes decades from now for you to advance the Polarity Void Mirror, I fear our reserves of Five Elements Essence may still fall short."

Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly. This was indeed a significant issue, as the production of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] within Chu Nation was ultimately limited.

The resources required to elevate a single Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's life force] consumed Five Elements Essence worth millions of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy]. Accumulating such an amount would take Chu Nation several decades of dedicated effort.

Although the Chu Nation Cultivation World [the cultivation society of the Chu Nation] had prospered greatly, both he and Exquisite Jiang possessed five Lifebound Magical Treasure each. Combined, that made ten Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a supreme-grade magical treasure capable of subduing demons] in need of advancement. Relying solely on Chu Nation's resources was simply unsustainable.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen stated, "Then let the family establish merchant houses in the other nations of Ji Continent to begin purchasing Five Elements Essence."

"That seems to be the only way," the Old Patriarch conceded.

The Old Patriarch nodded, then added with a wry smile, "In recent years, the family exhausted its funds to purchase Heavenly Crystal [a high-purity crystal containing celestial energy] for you. Our debts in Spirit Stone have only just been cleared. Attempting to purchase large quantities of Five Elements Essence now will place a tremendous strain on our finances." Continue reading this story at audio-novel.com.

"A shortage of Spirit Stone?" Eldrin Chen's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Then we shall sell some of our Fourth-Rank Magical Treasure [magical treasures of the fourth rank], or even items like the Origin Shattering Tribulation Pill [a pill that aids in shattering the limits of one's origin to face tribulation] and the Golden Core Formation Pill [a pill that assists in forming a Golden Core]. We will purchase as much Five Elements Essence as these sales allow."

"That is a viable course," the Old Patriarch agreed.

Eternal Profound Chen also understood the paramount importance of Five Elements Essence. Compared to elevating a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure, even selling something as precious as Creation Jade [a mystical jade with creation properties] was a necessary sacrifice.

Considering this, the Old Patriarch poured Eldrin Chen another cup of tea and continued, "Establishing long-term, large-scale procurement channels for Five Elements Essence in other nations involves significant interests and risks. It would be best to have a cultivator of the Golden Core Realm [the Golden Core stage of cultivation] overseeing the operation."

"Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen also showed a contemplative expression. 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 large quantities at that, would require someone of sufficient stature to oversee and coordinate the effort.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen spoke up: "Let us entrust Yan Kingdom to Elder Brother of the Elegant Verse Path. He has been stationed there for many years and has a thorough understanding of the place. For him, purchasing Five Elements Essence should not be too troublesome."

"Qi Nation can be handled by Uncle Lior, with assistance from the local branch of the Chen Clan. We won't need to dispatch too many additional people to assist."

"The remaining Cang Nation, Wei Nation, and Ji Nation also require someone to oversee them, and the situation there might be more complex."

"Lila, Silas, and Kael possess significant potential. It would be a waste to have them bogged down with these trivial matters. Let the Qian Clan and the Shyu Clan provide assistance."

The Old Patriarch nodded in agreement. The Shyu Clan now had two Golden Core [the third major stage of cultivation where one forms a solidified golden spiritual core] cultivators, Xavier Xu and Path Abyss Xu. The Qian Clan had also produced a Golden Core Cultivator some twenty years prior.

This person was named Rising Harmony Qian. Strictly speaking, he was of the same generation as the late Rising Brightness Qian, though much younger. It was said he had exhausted his family's resources to purchase a Golden Core Formation Pill [a precious elixir that aids in the formation of the Golden Core] from beyond Ji Continent to achieve his breakthrough into the Golden Core Realm.

"Actually, my thoughts align with yours."

Eternal Profound Chen spoke, then paused briefly before continuing, "I have consulted with the Qian Clan and the Shyu Clan. The two from the Xu Clan had no objections. Only Rising Harmony Qian mentioned he wished to travel and gain experience, a request I politely declined." Discover more cultivation stories at audio-novel.com.