Chapter 448 The Seated Remains of an Old Acquaintance

Boom—

At that very moment, the Cloud Clan's Mountain Protection Array trembled violently, unleashing a deafening roar.

Yet it was Eldrin who struck again, summoning the Trinity Divine Thunder to descend. This great supernatural power surged with immense force, actually causing the mountain-protecting formation to tremble on the verge of collapse.

"Damn it."

Yun Mohe’s expression shifted. The spiritual vein of the Yun Immortal Clan was only mid-grade fourth-tier. With Eldrin unleashing the might of a supreme divine ability, the clan’s mountain-protecting formation likely wouldn’t withstand the next strike.

In a panic, Yun Mohe soared into the sky, clutching the Golden Core of the Third Elder as he flew out of the Spirit Mountain Array and shouted, "Show mercy, Fellow Daoist Chen! I am willing to hand over Yun Mokong!"

The thunder in the sky faltered for a moment. Eldrin calmly withdrew his divine ability, his gaze shifting toward Yunmo River.

Yun Mohe placed Yun Mokong’s Golden Core in the void, his face etched with distress. “It was our Yun Clan’s wrongdoing to have acted thus. Today, we shall abide by your wishes and hand him over to Fellow Daoist Chen.”

"If only I had known, I would have acted differently."

Eldrin (Person Name) remained expressionless as a bolt of lightning struck down, reducing Yun Mokong's Golden Core to ashes of calamity.

After slaying Yun Mokong, he turned his gaze toward the Clan Lord of the Yun Clan. Yun Mohe’s decisiveness and ruthless resolve in critical moments truly lived up to the stature of a clan leader.

Such a person, if they held a grudge against them, could very well bring them considerable trouble.

However, if they were to kill this person without any regard for the consequences, it would likely lead the major immortal clans of Ji Province to perceive the Chen Clan as unwilling to show mercy even when holding the moral high ground, and they would instinctively distance themselves from the Chen Immortal Clan.

At this thought, he said with an indifferent expression, "After this journey, our 2 families have become completely hostile. Do you know how I could possibly let you go?"

"This..." A flicker of unease crossed Yun Mohe's face, yet he still replied, "I understand."

To protect the Yun family, Yun Mohe and several elders swore a Heart Demon Oath, vowing never to take action against the Chen family cultivators.

Then, in just half a day, they delivered all the cultivators who had previously taken action against the Chen family.

For these individuals, Eldrin couldn't be bothered to deal with them personally, as the Chen Family's Enforcement Hall would naturally handle the matter.

He returned to Ji Continent Trading Post (Location) and briefly informed Lyra (Person Name) of the situation. "I've already dealt with the Yun Immortal Clan," he continued. "The remaining 6 major immortal clans are hardly worth worrying about. Unless they're utterly foolish, they should dare make no further moves."

"Perfect timing."

Lyra smiled faintly, then continued, "I have delivered Crimson Flame the Blazing Lord's Nascent Soul to the Ji Clan. They've agreed to reserve 1 Nascent Soul Formation Pill for us after the alchemical process is complete."

"Oh?"

A flicker of delight crossed Eldrin's face. The Nascent Soul Formation Pill was incredibly difficult to refine. There were 2 alchemical recipes for crafting this pill: 1 used the Nascent Soul of a demonic beast as the primary ingredient, while the other recipe required the supremely precious Infant-Transformation Fruit as its main component.

The value of a Demonic Beast Nascent Soul cannot be measured by spirit stones or Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object). Yet, that single Fifth-Level Nascent Soul Formation Fruit alone was worth over a 100 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object).

In addition to the main ingredient, refining the Nascent Soul Formation Pill (Spiritual Object) requires 3,000 types of supplementary spiritual herbs. Although these auxiliary ingredients are not of high grade individually, their collective value is exceedingly substantial.

It could be said that the cost of refining a single cauldron of Nascent Soul Formation Pills (Spiritual Object) amounted to over 1 100 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object), rivaling even the price of a supreme demon-refining treasure.

This precious elixir was beyond the capability of ordinary alchemists to refine, as it was destined to be a losing venture.

Only a mid-grade Tier-5 alchemist could break even by maintaining a 30 percent pill refinement success rate. As for high-grade Tier-5 alchemists and above, they typically produced 6 or 7 pills per furnace, ensuring substantial profits.

The Ji Clan naturally possessed high-level alchemists capable of refining fifth-tier superior-grade pills. Thus, even though they were well aware that Crimson Flame the Blazing Lord’s Nascent Soul was of a lower grade and had suffered severe damage to its foundational vitality, they remained confident in producing 2 or 3 pills from a single batch.

Were an ordinary person to attempt this refinement, they would likely only produce a single Nascent Soul Formation Pill (Spiritual Object), leaving no possibility of reserving 1 for them.

At this thought, Eldrin asked joyfully, "When can we refine the Nascent Soul Formation Pill?"

"Most likely within the next few years." Lyra spoke these words, then continued with a grave expression, "They intend to enhance their strength as much as possible before the Beast Tide arrives."

Eldrin nodded, saying no more.

The 2 waited at the Ji Continent Trading Post (Location) for over a month before finally witnessing the commencement of the Grand Barter Assembly.

This trade convention was convened just before the Beast Tide. Many Golden Core cultivators had emerged from seclusion to attend, all seeking to acquire treasures that would help them survive the chaos of the beast invasion.

Eldrin followed Lyra into the venue and discovered that the number of Golden Core cultivators participating already exceeded 1 100. This was an exceptionally rare occurrence even within the millennium-spanning history of trade assemblies throughout the Ji Province.

Now the 6 kingdoms of Ji Province have gradually recovered, and the cultivation world has returned to the prosperity it enjoyed before the Abyssal Cataclysm. Aside from the Ji Immortal Clan, there are already over 1 100 Golden Core cultivators across the 6 kingdoms.

Among the crowd gathered this time, most were familiar faces to Eldrin, though there were some newcomers as well. These included newly formed Golden Core cultivators who had emerged in Ji Province over the past century, as well as members of other immortal clans from beyond Ji Province.

Unlike their previous 2 visits to the Trading Assembly, when all attention had been focused on Wei Tianxiong and a few other Golden Core Perfection cultivators, the center of attention now was instead the 2 of them.

It had been 3 cycles of 60 years since I first set foot in this place.

"In the blink of an eye, I've actually advanced from a Purple Mansion cultivator all the way to the Golden Core realm. How swiftly time has flown by."

Eldrin felt a pang of melancholy as he noticed many familiar faces had vanished, among them the False Infant cultivator Wei Tianxiong.

Before he could inquire about Wei Tianxiong's situation, Liu Rumeng spoke up from the side, "Wei Tianxiong exhausted his lifespan 30 years ago and passed away in meditation within the State of Wei."

"Alas."

Eldrin (Person Name) let out a soft sigh. Wei Tianxiong had consumed 2 Life-Extending Pills as early as 3 60-year cycles ago, and by that time he was already over 1 1000 years old.

Later, he broke through to the Pseudo-Infant Realm and switched to longevity-prolonging cultivation techniques, forcibly sustaining himself for over a 100 years. Against all odds, he lived to be 1,207 years old—an age considered exceptionally long-lived even among Golden Core cultivators.

Alas, what use is the utmost longevity of a Golden Core? Without attaining immortality, all efforts ultimately come to naught.

Just as he was lost in thought, the trading assembly finally commenced. From the distant hall, a blue-robed cultivator of the Ji Clan ascended the platform.

His cultivation had reached the False Infant realm, his aura flowing with innate perfection—clearly a true monarch seed of the Ji Clan.

He cast a glance at the assembly, a subtle flicker in his eyes as he spoke, “I am Ji Xuanming. Greetings, fellow Daoists.”

"Since I am presiding over the exchange assembly today, allow me to cast a humble brick to attract precious jade."

Ji Xuanming spoke as he released several glowing treasures: 5 5 Elements Spirit Fruits (Spiritual Object), an exquisitely beautiful piece of ice-blue jade, and a Demon Refining Treasure Talisman of exceptionally high grade—ranked at Tier 5.