Chapter 472 No Sorrow for the Past, No Fear of Aging

"That's not entirely accurate."

Eldrin shook his head, his thoughts running deeper. "All the Golden Core demon kings of the Chen Kingdom have either been slain or fled."

"The remaining Zi Palace demons have lost their backers. Isn’t this precisely the opportunity we’ve left for the Zi Palace families of the Sky Ruins Alliance?"

"We slew the Nascent Soul demon emperor, drove away the high-level demon beasts, and left countless Foundation Establishment and lower-level demon beasts as fish on the chopping block."

"But if he goes to slay a large number of Eldrin beasts now, it would unjustly deprive the cultivators and clans who fought alongside us back then of a massive profit."

Hearing Eldrin speak of worldly affairs, Lila instinctively nodded in agreement.

Seeing that Lila seemed to only partially comprehend, Eldrin continued, "However, in conquering the Chen Kingdom, our contribution far surpassed that of the other immortal clans in the Celestial Ruins Alliance. Therefore, the lion's share of the gains naturally falls to us, and the spirit stones we rightfully deserve must also be claimed."

"Moreover, we are severely short-handed and require Golden Core cultivators to garrison the border spirit veins and share the pressure from the demon tribes. Therefore, this fourth-rank spirit mountain must still be sold, though we must exercise moderation in doing so."

He elaborated that according to his plan, the demonic beasts within a designated radius of Chen Kingdom's spiritual veins would henceforth be managed by the respective cultivation families residing near each spiritual mountain.

For instance, since Sikong Yu had purchased the fourth-order spirit vein of the Barbarian Bull Ancient Plains, all demonic beast resources within a 300,000-li radius of his Spirit Mountain would fall under his jurisdiction.

If the territories of 2 spirit mountains overlap, the allocation of their demon beast resources shall be determined by the Heaven's Ruin Alliance after deliberation.

In this way, the Chen Clan not only profited from selling the spirit mountain, but also distributed the pressure of defending the territory to various immortal families, both large and small, significantly reducing the manpower and material costs of developing the Chen Kingdom.

To ensure their own development and protect their lands of survival and propagation, these immortal clans, both great and small, would undoubtedly spare no effort in purging the demonic beasts.

After carefully considering these matters, Eldrin decided to sell the Ancient Savage Plains territory to Sikong Yu and his cultivation partner.

"You may have the Spirit Mountain, but I must first inform you of the rules."

Eldrin spoke lightly, informing the 2 of Chen Kingdom's rules.

Upon learning that they could only hunt the demonic beasts within a 3-100-1000-mile radius of the Ancient Savage Plains, Sikong Yu (Person Name) nodded in acknowledgment.

Although he couldn't take advantage of the situation or cross borders to slay demon beasts within Chen Territory, the Ancient Bison Plains bordered the demon clan's domain. He could venture deep into the demon territories to attempt hunting demonic creatures.

Although this was somewhat perilous, as long as they didn't encounter a Nascent Soul Demon Emperor, the 2 of them joining forces still had a fair chance of ensuring their survival.

Moreover, the Chen Clan was stationed right here in Green Lotus Province. Unless an earth-shattering battle erupted, even ordinary demon emperors would rarely venture deep into Chen Kingdom. By that calculation, the threat from the Ancient Savage Bull Plains wasn't particularly grave.

At this thought, Sikong Yu produced 2 Grade-4 treasures and said with a smile, "From now on, we shall join the Tianxu Alliance and henceforth abide by the commands of the Alliance Leader."

"Ha ha ha." The old clan chief laughed heartily as he stored away the 2 fourth-order magic treasures. "Since you've joined the cultivation world of Chen Kingdom, we are all 1 family now. In due time, we shall grant you both positions as Elders (Organization) within the Tianxu Alliance (Organization)."

Fairy Qingzhai also smiled and bowed gracefully, saying, "My gratitude..."

That very day, Eldrin and the others boarded the Heavenly Crane Treasure Ship and set off toward the Ji Province cultivation realm.

Sikong Yu and Liuchuan Zhenren traveled together, planning to first settle in the Chen Kingdom and begin taking over 2 fourth-grade spirit veins.

Elder Qing Zhai remained behind, as the mortal descendants of her lineage with Sikong Yu alone numbered over 10,000 individuals, requiring her presence to oversee the relocation efforts.

While passing by Ji Continent Trading Post (Location), the Old Patriarch continued piloting the Heavenly Crane Treasure Ship toward Chen Kingdom, yet Eldrin (Person Name) remained behind with Lila (Person Name).

After comprehending the Ancient Monument of Primordial Times, Lila (Person Name) decided not to delay any further. She intended to use the Ji Clan's long-distance teleportation array to reach the River Sanctuary—1 of the 3 great human holy lands in the Eastern Wastelands (Location).

As Lila was about to depart, a trace of reluctance stirred within Eldrin's heart.

The first time I saw her, she was just a grubby little beggar girl. In the blink of an eye, 3 100 years had passed, and before I knew it, she had become 1 of the top 5 Golden Core female cultivators in Jizhou—a peerless fairy maiden.

Now, who in Jizhou does not know that with her single Ice Soul Frostlight Sword, she has carved out the prestige of the Moon Palace Immortal.

"Across these mountains and rivers spanning hundreds of millions of miles, none can tell what year marks the return. Have you truly considered this with finality?"

Eldrin gazed at her and finally spoke.

To reach the arctic tundra of the far north, 1 must undertake multiple transfers. The first step was to utilize the Ji Clan's teleportation array to arrive at Guyuan City—a journey spanning hundreds of millions of miles.

They would then take the teleportation formation to the Eternal River Sacred Land, where they would wait for the activation of the sixth-tier teleportation array. Only then could they traverse the immeasurable void—spanning hundreds of millions of miles—to reach the distant Northern Glacial Realm of cultivation.

The Arctic Plains of the Extreme North were immeasurably distant, utterly unfamiliar to the cultivators of the Eastern Wastelands. Even many True Monarchs never set foot there in their entire lives. Eldrin had no idea what conditions were like in that remote land.

The thought of her venturing alone into a completely unfamiliar land stirred a ripple of concern in Eldrin’s heart.

He still asked, "Are you truly certain?"

Lila said nothing, merely watching him in silence before giving a solemn nod.

"Alas." Eldrin sighed softly before continuing, "Very well. You've grown now—it's time you journeyed forth on your own."

Eldrin spoke as he retrieved a storage pouch and handed it to her.

These were the spirit stones obtained from the sale of the spirit mountain. Eldrin took out a full 10,000,000 of them to give to her as travel expenses for the journey.

Looking at the spirit stones in the storage pouch, Lila bit her lip, unwilling to accept them. This sum of 32,000 spirit stones represented a considerable fortune even for Eldrin.

But Eldrin resolutely pressed it into his hand, his expression firm as he declared, "Your journey to the Extreme Northern Ice Plains will likely incur astronomical costs for teleportation alone."

"Without the family's spirit mountain from now on, your cultivation will face difficulties. It's never wrong to carry extra spirit stones."

"Uncle Eldrin..."

Lila's pupils flushed faintly crimson, yet she swallowed back the words poised on her lips.

"What's wrong?" Eldrin frowned, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Nothing."

She shook her head again, though her hand gripping the storage pouch unconsciously tightened.

Eldrin glanced at her and sighed inwardly. In the end, he chose not to ask—some things were better left unheard.

With that said, there was nothing left to advise. Before parting, Eldrin (Person Name) simply stated, "If you fail to return within 1 100 years, I shall journey to the Far North Ice Plains after achieving the Nascent Soul stage."

The sky had unknowingly begun to shed heavy snow, and Lila (Person Name) stood motionless in place, quietly watching the snow-white robed figure disappear into the distance.

She stood silently in the wind and snow, remaining still for a long, long time.

"Know you not, I grieve not for the past, fear not the coming of age, nor dread the dissipation of this mortal form."

"Lest you remain as ever while I fade with years, Lest you are born too late to meet me in this life, Lest in the next rebirth, you recall me no more."

Chapter 1 The Azure Cloud Sect's recruitment ceremony had reached its final day. At the foot of the mountain, a young man in blue robes stood silently, gazing at the towering stone steps that seemed to pierce the clouds. His name was Lin Xuan (Person Name), a disciple of the Lin family who had practiced cultivation for over a decade. Today, he carried the hopes of his entire clan. "Next, Lin Xuan!" an elder in a white robe called out, his voice echoing like a clear spring. Lin Xuan took a deep breath and stepped forward. He placed his palm on the Testing Spirit Stone (Magical Artifact), channeling the spiritual energy within his body. Instantly, the stone radiated a brilliant golden light, illuminating the entire square. "Heavens! Golden Spiritual Root (Cultivation Talent)!" "Such pure spiritual energy—this is unprecedented!" Whispers of astonishment rippled through the crowd. The white-robed elder's eyes lit up with approval. "Not bad. From today onward, you shall be an outer sect disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect (Sect Name). Here is your identity token and 1,000 spirit stones (Cultivation Resource)." Lin Xuan accepted the items with both hands, his heart surging with emotion. After so many years of arduous cultivation, he had finally taken this crucial step. Just then, a cold voice interrupted. "Wait." A young man in brocade robes approached, his expression haughty. "I am Zhao Feng (Person Name), son of the Zhao family. I challenge you to a duel. If you lose, hand over your spirit stones." Lin Xuan's gaze sharpened. He knew this was an unavoidable trial. "I accept." The 2 stood facing each other on the martial platform. Zhao Feng drew his Frost Moon Sword (Magic Treasure), its blade shimmering with cold light. "You’re nothing but a country bumpkin. How dare you compete with me?" Lin Xuan remained silent, gathering spiritual energy in his palm. In an instant, the Shadowless Steps (Movement Technique) carried him forward like a phantom. "Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) — unsheathed!" A crimson sword aura erupted, its heat distorting the surrounding air. Clang—! The 2 swords collided, sending shockwaves in all directions. Zhao Feng was forced back 3 steps, his face pale with shock. "Impossible! You’re only at the 5th level of Qi Refinement (Cultivation Realm)!" Lin Xuan stood firm, the sword in his hand glowing even brighter. "Cultivation isn’t just about realm—comprehension matters more." As he spoke, the Li Fire Sword Art (Cultivation Method) erupted with overwhelming force. Flames surged like a raging dragon, swallowing Zhao Feng completely. "Ah—!" A miserable cry echoed as Zhao Feng collapsed, his robes charred. The white-robed elder nodded slightly. "Victory goes to Lin Xuan." He tossed a jade bottle to Lin Xuan. "This Foundation Building Pill (Elixir) is your reward." Lin Xuan caught the bottle, his heart racing. This was a mid-grade Foundation Building Pill, worth at least 5,000 spirit stones. "Remember," the elder said meaningfully, "the cultivation world is vast. Do not be complacent over a minor victory." Lin Xuan bowed deeply. "This disciple will remember your guidance." He lifted his head, gazing at the sea of clouds in the distance. Countless trials awaited him on this path of cultivation, but his determination only grew stronger. Somewhere in the depths of the clouds, an ancient voice murmured, "A golden spiritual root after 10 1000 years... Interesting."