Chapter 503 Return to Jizhou
"Now that we have accumulated sufficient resources, we shall deal with him at our leisure after we both break through to the Nascent Soul stage."
After some discussion, the 2 agreed it was unwise to recklessly court danger and decided to deal with the Liu Clan at a later time.
Considering that the Great Roc Island exchange conference would commence in 10 years, they did not immediately return to the Eastern Wastelands (Location) cultivation world. Instead, they brought Ye Qingfeng to Great Roc Island for secluded cultivation.
In the days that followed, Eldrin began his secluded cultivation in a methodical manner while simultaneously deducing the refinement method for the Earth Fortress Imperial Bell.
Another 10 fleeting years had passed.
On this day, Eldrin drew a breath of spiritual energy into his core, feeling an extraordinary fullness within his dantian—a sensation of cultivation reaching its perfect completion.
At the critical moment, he seized the opportunity and swallowed a Heaven Earth Spirit Peach. Instantly, an immense creative energy surged within him, effortlessly propelling his breakthrough to the 9th layer of the Golden Core.
Golden Core, Ninth Layer.
Having broken through to the 9th layer of the Golden Core, Eldrin's face immediately lit up with joy.
After this breakthrough, his magical power had increased by a full 30 percent, bringing him close to Lyra (Person Name)—no weaker than a Nascent Soul True Lord.
With the aptitude of a 5 Spirit Roots, simultaneously refining 5 personal magical treasures, and reaching the Great Perfection of the Golden Core realm at the tender age of 4 100—this cultivation speed could truly be considered remarkably swift.
"In another 30 years, once my spiritual power has accumulated to its peak, I can attempt to breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm."
Eldrin murmured softly as he emerged from the seclusion chamber.
As he emerged from the seclusion chamber, Lyra (Person Name) smiled faintly and said, "Your cultivation has progressed swiftly over these years—you've finally caught up to me."
"Mm." Eldrin wrapped his arm around her slender waist, a sudden realization dawning upon him: "In my days of weakness, you were always my shelter."
"Now that my cultivation has progressed satisfactorily, I can finally provide you shelter from the storm."
The 2 embraced for a moment, feeling an inexplicable tranquility settle in their hearts.
After a long while, Lyra said with a light laugh, "The Grand Bazaar has already commenced. If you don’t end your secluded cultivation now, we’ll miss it entirely."
"Then let us go and have a look."
Eldrin nodded with a faint smile.
Back at the trade fair in Qingluan Continent (Location), there were numerous treasures on display. Unfortunately, their pockets were light, and in the end, they came away empty-handed.
Yet only a few decades had passed, and they had already accumulated over a 100 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object), enough to purchase some of the treasures they coveted.
The 2 arrived at the venue of the Great Roc Island Exchange Convention, only to discover the event had already been underway for a full day.
Generally, the first day of an exchange gathering featured the most exquisite and rare treasures. However, such items were far too precious for Eldrin to afford, so arriving a day later made little difference.
The 2 observed for an entire day at the exchange fair before finally encountering the Kun Yuan Dao Pattern Stone.
However, this item was exceedingly precious, often requiring 80 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object) to acquire—something they could never have afforded in the past.
Now that they had sufficient Heavenly Crystal (Spiritual Object) in their possession, they naturally would not let this treasure slip through their fingers again.
They bid all the way until finally purchasing this Kunyuan Dao Pattern Stone for a price of 86 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object).
In addition, they also purchased 2 5 Elements Revival Fruits. These fruits served as the primary ingredient for the 5 Elements Recovery Pill (Spiritual Object), with a single pill valued at over 10 million spirit stones, making them perfectly suited for advancing their alchemical skills.
After purchasing a few treasures, the 2 of them did not linger any longer. They headed directly to Sky Spirit Island, then boarded a treasure ship bound for the Offshore Cultivation Realm.
Thus time flew by. Over 7 or 8 years, they journeyed across the coastal cultivation realm and finally arrived at the Eastern Wastelands (Location), where they teleported to the Ji Continent Trading Post (Location).
Returning to Ji Continent, both of them breathed a sigh of relief. Without heading back immediately, he first went to the Chen Clan's shop at Ji Continent Trading Post (Location) and found Liu Rumeng (Person Name).
The moment the 3 met, Eldrin (Person Name) casually inquired, "How has Jizhou fared in the years we've been away?"
"This..."
Liu Rumeng’s expression faltered slightly before she replied, “A few years ago, an Eldrin Lord named Daoist Hanchuan arrived at The Vast Sea (Location), claiming to be its master.”
"This man has a perverse temperament. After a fierce battle with our master's avatar, he found no advantage to be gained. Seizing the moment when our guard was down, he stormed Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location) and made off with the Ancient Spirit Apricot Tree."
Eldrin (Person Name) listened in silence, an involuntary flicker of thunderous fury crossing his expression.
In the past, he had formed a grudge against Elder Hanchuan, but that conflict arose merely over a chance at fortune—it had not yet escalated to a life-or-death struggle.
At this thought, he hastily asked, "Have the spirit peach trees at Spirit Isle Lake (Location) ever been lost?"
"Not at all." Liu Rumeng (Person Name) replied, "There's a teleportation formation at Spirit Isle Lake (Location). Even if he wanted to snatch the spirit peach tree, it would've been utterly impossible for him to make it in time."
Eldrin let out a sigh of relief, his expression turning icy as he said, "How dare this man seize the Spirit Apricot Ancient Tree? Is he truly determined to fight to the death?"
Lyra, standing nearby, contemplated for a moment before speaking. "Alaric, Lord of the Frostbitten Alliance has spent his life in The Vast Sea—a place of utter chaos where only the strong survive. It's no wonder he's grown so accustomed to tyranny."
"Now that I've broken through to form an Earth Path Nascent Soul, I feel I'm no weaker than anyone else and want to reclaim the dignity I lost in the past."
"No matter what, this grudge cannot be laid to rest."
Eldrin (Person Name)咽不下这口气，目光之中闪过了一丝凌厉之色。天才一秒钟就记住：(72文学 这次Alaric, Lord of the Frostbitten Alliance (Person Name)打了个突然袭击，虽然因为姬洲遍布的传送阵他不敢请留太久，仅仅借走了一株灵杏古树，但是这却是Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location)上最珍贵之物。
The Ancient Spirit Apricot Tree had already reached the Upper Grade of Tier 4. Having been nourished by the Primordial Purple Qi, its ascension to Tier 5 in the future was all but assured.
Such a priceless treasure was snatched away by this man, no wonder Eldrin was enraged.
Seeing the look on Eldrin’s face, Lyra spoke thoughtfully, “We didn’t inform anyone before leaving for the Eastern Wastelands. How did Alaric, Lord of the Frostbitten Alliance, know we were away—and dare to come?”
"You mean?"
Eldrin furrowed his brow, then quickly shook his head.
A grave expression crossed his face. Only a few high-ranking members of the Chen Clan knew about their departure, and none of them would possibly leak the information.
Then there was only 1 possibility—it was most likely the work of the Chen family's enemies.
At this thought, Eldrin said, "Allow me to perform a divination."
As his words faded, he activated the divination art from the Great Deduction Ancient Scroll. Yet he detected celestial machinations interfering with his calculations, leaving him with only a chilling sensation—like venomous snakes lurking in the shadows, raising the hairs on his skin.
"How was it?" Lyra (Person Name) couldn't help but ask.
Eldrin shook his head and asked with a furrowed brow, "Do you still remember what Master Zixu said back in Qingluan Continent?"
"You mean..."
Lyra furrowed her brow. When someone had used the Secrets of Heavenly Divination to trace Eldrin's whereabouts, it was clear they harbored murderous intentions.
Now that Elder Hanchuan had risked everything to seize the Ancient Spirit Apricot Tree, if someone else was truly lurking behind this scheme, it could only mean a sliver of lethal intent lay concealed—waiting for them to walk right into retaliation.
At this thought, Lyra personally visited the Ji Clan. She returned shortly after and reported, "I have confirmed that the clan leader of the Qin Clan from the Heavenly Abode Continent has indeed been secretly cultivating a celestial divination art."
"So it's clear now..."
Eldrin said calmly, "There are few Human Sovereigns who hold grudges against them, and among those, 1 who also cultivates the Secrets of Celestial Divination is likely unique."