Chapter 586 : A Bitter Harvest of War

"Hahaha, I was waiting for you to say exactly that."

Everyone shared a hearty laugh, and the banquet concluded with both hosts and guests thoroughly satisfied.

After the guests had departed, Eldrin Chen retrieved two pieces of Five Veins Treasure Jade from the spoils of war and had them delivered to the Ji Immortal Clan to repay the two pieces of Fire Vein Treasure Jade borrowed earlier.

He then transplanted the Purple Marrow Divine Fruit Tree and several stalks of Spirit Medicine into the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness before convening a meeting with several of the Chen Clan's True Lord.

Within the Grand Hall of Immortal Apricot Island, Eldrin Chen looked at the Old Patriarch and inquired, "You oversaw the coordination of this campaign, Old Granduncle. Please tell us how it went."

"This battle..."

Thalion Chen nodded, distributing a ledger to the others before saying with a bitter smile, "The casualties were grievous."

As they examined the ledger, solemn expressions settled upon everyone's faces.

The first decade of this conflict could be described as the most frustrating defensive war in the Chen Clan's history.

For the initial five years, the clashes were confined to those below the Nascent Soul realm, with both sides exercising a degree of restraint. Yet, The Vast Sea still suffered heavy losses, with several Golden Core cultivators perishing one after another. Discover more cultivation stories at www . audio-novel.com.

Kael Chen slew the Verdant Jade Demon Emperor in a fit of righteous fury, driven by the desperate plight of the Human Race who were suffering defeat after defeat, and the tragic fall of even Celestia Meng. It was this dire circumstance that compelled him to strike without restraint.

Thereafter, the conflict escalated to the Nascent Soul level. The Chen Clan could only hold fast within Immortal Apricot Island, while the Vast Sea Cultivation World suffered a complete rout. Nearly half of The Vast Sea fell utterly into enemy hands. Countless Human Race cultivators perished, and innumerable mortals became mere sustenance, blood and flesh for the Demonic Tribe.

To make matters worse, Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who follow demonic or heretical paths] seized the chaos to wreak havoc, turning countless cultivation islands into lifeless wastelands. In total, The Vast Sea lost a staggering four-tenths of its cultivators and mortal populace.

For many regions of the Vast Sea Cultivation World, this was not merely a case of nine houses out of ten being empty; it was the complete extinction of entire Immortal Clan [families dedicated to cultivation and immortality] and whole Spirit Island [islands rich in spiritual energy].

"The cultivators of The Vast Sea suffered over one million three hundred thousand battle deaths. The exact count of those below the Foundation Establishment realm remains unclear, but we lost more than six hundred Purple Mansion Cultivator [cultivators who have opened their spiritual sea, forming a 'Purple Mansion' within] and forty-seven Golden Core Cultivator [cultivators who have condensed their spiritual energy into a solid Golden Core]."

Thalion Chen let out a heavy sigh, his expression etched with pain. "It is the failure of our Chen Clan. We were unable to protect the hundreds of millions of the Human Race within The Vast Sea."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen's heart trembled violently. The Vast Sea had endured the Millennium [a grand cosmological era] of turmoil from the Demonic Monsters, and had only just begun to recover over the past few decades. To think it had now, in a single stroke, reverted to the desperate state of old.

He sighed deeply, and after a long silence, asked, "What of our spoils from this campaign? How many Purple Mansion Demonic Core [the condensed spiritual core of a Purple Mansion-level demonic beast] and Demon King [powerful demonic beasts equivalent to Golden Core cultivators] Golden Core [the solid spiritual core of a Golden Core cultivator or demonic beast] did we obtain?"

"We slew sixty-three Demon King, over eight hundred Purple Mansion Great Demon [powerful demonic beasts equivalent to Purple Mansion cultivators], and the number of lesser Low-Rank Demonic Beast is beyond count."

Mention of their gains finally brought a spark of spirit back to the Old Patriarch, who began recounting them one by one with meticulous detail.

Eldrin Chen listened intently for a long moment before speaking. "This battle also began because of our Chen Clan. We should provide more compensation to the cultivators who fell in battle."

"Let it be this way," he continued. "For each fallen Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a solid golden spiritual core within their dantian], we shall compensate with three Golden Core Formation Pill [a precious elixir that aids in the formation of the Golden Core]. For each fallen Purple Mansion Cultivator [a cultivator who has opened the spiritual sea within their dantian, known as the Purple Mansion], the compensation shall be three Five Elements Treasure Crystals [crystals imbued with the refined essence of the five primal elements]."

The others nodded in agreement. However, Old Patriarch furrowed his brow and said, "If we do that, I fear our own reserves will suffer significant depletion. Moreover, our stock of Heavenly Heart Herb [a rare spiritual herb crucial for high-level pill refinement] is somewhat insufficient."

"I will refine the Golden Core Formation Pill," declared Eldrin Chen. "With my Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual herbs and materials into potent elixirs], the Pill Success Rate [the likelihood of successfully producing a viable pill from a batch of ingredients] for the Golden Core Formation Pill will far surpass that of a typical Fourth Rank Alchemist [an alchemist of the fourth rank, a master of their craft]. Thus, there will be no loss."

"As for the Heavenly Heart Herb, I will send someone to the Feathered Pavilion on the Qingluan Continent," Eldrin stated. "Their Feathered Pavilion possesses a Grotto-Heaven Spiritual Treasure [a portable, self-contained pocket dimension of exceptional spiritual richness] that serves as their Spirit Medicine Garden [a garden dedicated to cultivating spiritual herbs]. They have accumulated a vast quantity of Spirit Medicine [plants imbued with spiritual energy, used in cultivation and alchemy] as part of their Deep-Seated Foundation [a profound and unshakable foundational strength]. Procuring enough for several dozen batches of Golden Core Formation Pill should be well within their capability."

Only then did Thalion Chen nod in assent. Having Eldrin Chen refine the Golden Core Formation Pill with his peerless Alchemy was undoubtedly the optimal choice, though it would require him to sacrifice a portion of his precious time.

After settling the matter of compensation, Eldrin Chen pondered for a moment before speaking again. "In this battle, both The Vast Sea and the Chen Nation Cultivation World [the broader world of cultivators within the Chen Nation's borders] contributed greatly, and all have suffered heavy losses."

"I intend to offer one or two Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a legendary elixir that assists in the perilous formation of the Nascent Soul, the embryonic form of a cultivator's immortal spirit] as a reward. This is akin to buying a thousand-jin-weight horse with a single piece of gold—a gesture to demonstrate our generosity and to bolster the loyalty and willingness of the Various Great Immortal Clans [the numerous powerful cultivation clans] to fight alongside us in future conflicts."

"Do you have any suitable candidates in mind?"

The group exchanged glances. Thalion Chen was the first to speak. "The Clan Lord of the Qiu Family from The Vast Sea, and also Xavier Xu, would be quite suitable candidates."

The others nodded in agreement upon hearing this. Kael Chen spoke up, "The Immortal Clan [a powerful clan with cultivators of great longevity] of the Qiu family boasts eight Golden Core [the third major stage of cultivation where spiritual energy condenses into a solid golden core] cultivators. In this battle, they lost five of them in succession."

"Clan Lord [the ruling patriarch of a cultivation clan] Qiu Daoyi is also a False Nascent Soul Cultivator [a cultivator who has reached a pseudo-Nascent Soul realm, possessing power between Golden Core and true Nascent Soul]. He lent a crucial hand when I slew the Verdant Jade Demon Emperor."

It turned out Qiu Daoyi had cultivated a Great Divine Ability [a supreme and powerful mystical technique], named the Six Directions Space-Sealing Seal [a sealing technique that locks down all six spatial directions]. At the critical moment, it sealed off the retreat path of the Verdant Jade Demon Emperor.

The situation for the Xu Immortal Clan was similar. This battle inflicted heavy casualties on the Xu Clan, with even Xu Darius falling in battle, and Xavier Xu suffering grievous wounds.

After listening, Eldrin Chen let out a sigh. "Then the matter is settled thus," he said simply. "Summon them here later."

He then asked, "Has Brother Qingci not yet returned?" For uninterrupted reading, go to audio—novel.com.

"Hmm." Thalion Chen nodded. After a long pause, he said, "He left Ji Continent to travel over twenty years ago. No word has come back from him since."

Eldrin Chen remained silent for a long while before speaking. "He is a Middle Golden Core [a cultivator at the middle stage of the Golden Core realm] cultivator and a guest elder of our Chen Clan. We shall reserve a Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a legendary elixir that aids in the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm] for him."

Having settled these affairs, Eldrin Chen began to take stock of the gains from this expedition.

After several major battles, he had amassed a considerable fortune in Spiritual Object [items imbued with or used for cultivating spiritual energy]. His wealth was exceptionally vast, even among Nascent Soul True Lord [a cultivator who has formed a Nascent Soul, the fourth major stage of cultivation, granting immense power and longevity].

During their time within Purple Jade Lake, they had successively obtained three Tribulation Transcendence Flower [a rare spiritual herb said to aid in transcending heavenly tribulations], two Myriad Poison Fruit [a fruit containing potent and complex toxins], and several other Fifth Rank Spirit Medicine [spiritual medicines of the fifth rank, denoting high potency].

Only one of the Tribulation Transcendence Flower was mature; the other two he had already transplanted to the family's Spirit Mountain.

Gazing at this particular Tribulation Transcendence Flower, Eldrin Chen pondered for a moment before speaking. "This Tribulation Transcendence Flower is the key component for cultivating the Nirvana Tribulation Transference Art [a profound art that allows one to transfer the calamity of a tribulation]. Old Granduncle, you should take it."

Thalion Chen shook his head, his tone resolute. "I remain within the clan's grounds year-round. This Tribulation Transcendence Flower holds little practical use for me. We can acquire another at the next Barter Convention [a grand gathering for the exchange of rare cultivation resources]. You should keep it for yourself."

Eldrin Chen considered this, finding Thalion Chen's reasoning sound. "The clan has planted several Tribulation Transcendence Flower," he said. "The fastest among them will mature within three hundred years."

"The next Barter Convention is merely a few decades away. I will procure one for you as swiftly as possible."

Even so, he handed this particular Tribulation Transcendence Flower to Lila.

After dealing with the Tribulation Transcendence Flower, Eldrin Chen searched through the several Fifth Rank Spirit Medicine and retrieved a single Fire Element Ginseng [a ginseng imbued with the essence of fire]. A smile touched his lips. "I obtained a Snow Element Ginseng [a ginseng imbued with the essence of ice and snow] in the Extreme Northern Ice Plains. Now, with this Fire Element Ginseng, it seems I can refine the Dual Polarity Ginseng Elixir [an elixir that harmonizes opposing elemental forces]."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions brightened with subdued delight. Consuming the Dual Polarity Ginseng Elixir could enhance the cultivation base of Nascent Soul Cultivators [cultivators who have formed their Nascent Soul, a profound stage of power], making it a greatly beneficial Treasure Pill [a pill of exceptional rarity and value] for all of them. Continue reading this story at audio-novel dot com.