Chapter 448 : A Clan's Desperate Bargain

"Boom—"

At that very moment, the Mountain Guardian Grand Formation of the Yun Clan trembled violently, emitting a deafening roar.

It was Eldrin Chen striking once more, unleashing the Triad Divine Thunder. The power of this Great Divine Ability was immense, shaking the Mountain Guardian Grand Formation to its very foundations.

"Disaster,"

Yun Malachi's expression shifted. The Spirit Vein of the Yun Immortal Clan was only of Fourth Rank Middle Grade. With Eldrin Chen channeling the might of a Great Divine Ability, the Mountain Guardian Grand Formation of the Yun Clan likely could not withstand another blow.

In his panic, Yun Malachi soared into the sky, clutching the Golden Core of the Third Elder as he flew out from the grand formation of the Spirit Mountain and shouted, "Spare us, Fellow Daoist Chen! I am willing to hand over Yun Morgrim."

The thunderous roar in the sky paused for a moment. Eldrin Chen calmly withdrew his Divine Ability, his gaze settling upon Yun Malachi.

Yun Malachi placed Yun Morgrim's Golden Core upon the void, his face etched with misery. "Our actions were wrong. Today, I shall abide by your words, Fellow Daoist, and hand him over to you, Fellow Daoist Chen."

"Had you known this would be the outcome, why did you act as you did in the first place?"

Eldrin Chen's expression remained placid. With a flash of thunderous light, Yun Morgrim's Golden Core was reduced to ashes of tribulation. Experience the full epic at audi novel.com.

After slaying Yun Morgrim, he turned his gaze towards the Yun Clan Clan Lord. This Yun Malachi was decisive and ruthless when the situation demanded it, a temperament befitting the master of a clan.

If such a man held a grudge against them, he could very well bring significant trouble.

However, to kill him outright without consideration would likely make the Various Great Immortal Clans of the Ji Continent view the Chen Clan as unforgiving and overbearing, causing them to unconsciously distance themselves from the Chen Immortal Clan.

With this thought, his expression remained placid as he spoke, "After this affair, our two clans are thoroughly at odds. Do you know how I could possibly let you go?"

"This..." Yun Malachi's face changed, but he still replied, "I understand."

To preserve his clan, Yun Malachi and several Yun Clan elders swore a Heart Demon Oath [a binding vow where breaking it invites a heart demon, a manifestation of inner turmoil that can cripple cultivation], guaranteeing they would not take action against Chen Clan Cultivators.

Then, within half a day, they delivered all the cultivators who had acted against the Chen Clan.

As for these individuals, Eldrin Chen saw no need to deal with them personally. The Chen Clan's Law Enforcement Hall would handle the matter.

He returned to the Ji Continent Trading Post, briefly informed Lyra Jiang of the situation, and said, "I have dealt with the Yun Immortal Clan. The remaining Six Great Immortal Clans are of little concern. If they possess any sense, they should not dare to make another move."

"That is for the best," she replied.

Lyra Jiang [the Immortal Maiden Lyra] offered a faint smile before continuing, "I sent the Nascent Soul [the spiritual core of a cultivator, representing their life force and cultivation essence] of Ignatius the Blazing Lord to the Ji Clan. They have agreed that once the Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a legendary pill that aids in the formation of a cultivator's Nascent Soul] is successfully refined, they will reserve one pill for us."

"Oh?"

Eldrin Chen [the protagonist Eldrin] felt a surge of delight. The Nascent Soul Formation Pill was notoriously difficult to craft. There were two primary formulas for this elixir. One used the Nascent Soul of a Demonic Beast [a monstrous creature that cultivates demonic energy] as the main ingredient. The other formula required the exceedingly rare and precious Nascent Soul Transformation Fruit [a miraculous fruit that can catalyze the formation of a Nascent Soul] as its core component.

The value of a Demonic Beast Nascent Soul [the spiritual core of a powerful demonic beast] was beyond simple measure by Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] or Heavenly Crystal [a purified, high-density form of Spirit Stone used by high-level cultivators]. Yet, even the Fifth Rank [the realm of Nascent Soul cultivators] Nascent Soul Transformation Fruit alone was worth over one hundred Heavenly Crystal.

Beyond the main ingredient, refining the Nascent Soul Formation Pill required three thousand types of auxiliary Spirit Medicine [plants imbued with spiritual energy, used in alchemy]. Although these supplementary herbs were not of the highest grade individually, their combined cost was still astronomically high.

One could say the cost of a single furnace batch of Nascent Soul Formation Pill easily exceeded one hundred Heavenly Crystal, a price comparable to that of a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a top-tier magical artifact specifically designed to suppress and vanquish demons].

Such a precious elixir was beyond the means of most Alchemist [a master of the art of refining spiritual pills]. For them, attempting it was a guaranteed loss.

Only a Fifth Rank Middle Grade Alchemist, capable of maintaining a thirty percent Pill Success Rate [the likelihood of successfully refining a pill from a given batch of ingredients], could hope to break even. A Fifth Rank High Grade or higher Alchemist could refine six or seven pills from one batch, thereby securing a substantial profit.

The Ji Clan naturally possessed high-level Alchemist of Fifth Rank High Grade or above. Therefore, even though they knew the Nascent Soul from Ignatius the Blazing Lord was of a lower grade and had suffered significant damage to its Creation [the fundamental life force and potential of a being] essence, they were confident they could refine two or three pills from the batch.

Had an ordinary alchemist attempted it, they would likely have produced only a single Nascent Soul Formation Pill, making it impossible for them to spare one for us.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen asked with delight, "When might the Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a legendary pill that aids in forming the Nascent Soul] be refined?"

"Likely within the next few years," Lyra Jiang replied, her expression turning grave. "They aim to bolster their strength as much as possible before the Beast Tide Calamity [a periodic, devastating invasion by monstrous beasts] arrives."

Eldrin Chen nodded, offering no further comment.

The two waited at the Ji Continent Trading Post for over a month before the Barter Convention [a grand gathering for cultivators to trade rare treasures] finally commenced.

This session of the Barter Convention was convened just before the Beast Tide Calamity, prompting many Golden Core Cultivators [powerful cultivators who have condensed a Golden Core, the third major realm] to emerge from seclusion. They came seeking treasures to help them survive the impending calamity.

Upon entering the venue with Lyra Jiang, Eldrin Chen observed that the number of Golden Core Cultivators participating had surpassed one hundred. Such a turnout was exceedingly rare for a Barter Convention held over the past Millennium [a period of one thousand years] across the entire Ji Continent. Immerse yourself in the complete world at audio–novel.com.

Now, the Six Kingdoms of Ji Continent were gradually reviving, and the Cultivation World [the hidden society and realms where cultivators dwell] had regained the prosperity it enjoyed before the Demonic Abyss Cataclysm [a great catastrophe involving a rift to a demonic realm]. Excluding the Ji Immortal Clan, the Six Kingdoms alone now boasted over one hundred Golden Core Cultivators.

Among the attendees, most were familiar faces to Eldrin Chen, though some were new. These newcomers included both recently ascended Golden Core Cultivators from within Ji Continent over the past century and representatives from other Immortal Clans [powerful, long-established cultivation families] hailing from beyond the continent.

However, this gathering differed from their previous two visits. Back then, the focus had been on figures like Wei Magnus and other cultivators at the Golden Core Great Perfection [the pinnacle stage of the Golden Core realm]. Now, the center of attention had shifted to the two of them.

"Three full Jiazi-time [a cycle of sixty years] have passed since I first came to this place," he reflected.

"In the blink of an eye, I have actually advanced from a Purple Mansion Cultivator [a cultivator who has opened the mystical energy center within their dantian] all the way to the Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has condensed their spiritual essence into a solid, golden core] realm. How swiftly time has passed."

Eldrin Chen felt a pang of melancholy. He noticed that many familiar faces had vanished, including Wei Magnus, that False Nascent Soul Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a pseudo-nascent soul, a step below the true Nascent Soul realm].

Before he could inquire about Wei Magnus's fate, Liu Seraphina spoke from beside him. "Brother Wei Magnus exhausted his lifespan and peacefully passed away in meditation within Wei Nation over thirty years ago."

"Alas."

Eldrin Chen sighed. That Wei Magnus had already consumed two Longevity Pill [elixirs that extend a cultivator's natural lifespan] more than three Jiazi-time [a sixty-year cycle] ago. By then, his age had already surpassed a thousand years.

Later, he broke through to the False Nascent Soul Realm and forcibly clung to life for another hundred-plus years by cultivating a Longevity Cultivation Art [a specialized technique focused on extending lifespan]. He stubbornly lived to be one thousand two hundred and seven years old—an age that could be considered the Golden Core Ultimate Longevity [the absolute limit of lifespan for a Golden Core cultivator].

Yet, what use is even the Golden Core Ultimate Longevity? Without achieving true immortality, all efforts ultimately return to dust.

As he was lost in these somber reflections, the current Barter Convention [a grand gathering where cultivators trade rare treasures and resources] finally commenced. From the distant Grand Hall, a cultivator from the Ji Clan [one of the great immortal clans], clad in blue robes, stepped forward.

The man's cultivation was at the False Nascent Soul Realm, his aura seamless and naturally formed, clearly marking him as a True Lord [an honorific title for a Nascent Soul realm expert] seed of the Ji Clan.

He swept his gaze over the assembly, a slight flicker in his eyes, and spoke. "I am Ji Aethelred. I greet all esteemed Fellow Daoist [a respectful term used between cultivators, meaning 'fellow seeker of the Dao']."

"Since I have the honor of presiding over today's Barter Convention [a formal gathering for cultivators to trade rare and valuable items], allow me to make the first offering, in hopes of inspiring better ones to follow."

As he spoke, Ji Aethelred revealed several items glowing with treasurelight: five Five Elements Spirit Fruit [rare fruits imbued with the balanced essence of the five primal elements], a piece of stunningly beautiful ice-blue jade, and a Demon-Subduing Treasure Talisman [a powerful enchanted talisman designed to suppress demonic entities] of a grade as high as Fifth Rank [a classification denoting immense power, equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage]. Enjoyed this chapter? Read more at www . audio-novel.com.