Chapter 658 Eve of the Catastrophe, Deliberating the Dispatch of Troops

Huantian Ji stroked his beard with a chuckle, "Yet fret not—when confronting the Cataclysm of the Demonic Abyss, 1 must contribute either resources or strength."

"At our core, we wish to mobilize more people to contribute. Aside from what will be consumed in the war, the remaining spirit stones will ultimately be distributed as rewards to those who distinguish themselves through meritorious deeds."

"Moreover, these quotas were set specifically for immortals who cling to life and fear death, unwilling to contribute."

At this point, Huantian Ji began explaining the conscription rules for the Abyssal Cataclysm to the 2 of them.

According to the rules set by the Eastern Desolation Immortal Alliance (Organization), contributions to the Abyssal Cataclysm could be fulfilled not only through spirit stones but also by providing manpower and resources to offset the required quota of spirit stones.

For instance, if a cultivator from the Chen family participated in the war, a single Nascent Soul Realm expert could offset 1 100 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object). Figures like Eldrin (Person Name) and Lyra (Person Name), who had reached the Mid Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm (Cultivation Realm), could each offset 2 100 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object).

Moreover, even a fifth-tier treasure vessel like the Crimson Flood Dragon Treasure Ship could offset a quota of 200 Heavenly Crystals (Spiritual Object) if its owner was willing to deploy it in this great war.

Other items such as formation arrays, treasure arks, spirit talismans, and even the essence of the 5 Elements could be contributed. As long as they were useful for the war effort, they could be used to offset the required quota of spirit stones.

After hearing this, Eldrin (Person Name) breathed a slight sigh of relief. As long as most of the Chen family's Nascent Soul True Lords participated in the battle, the required contribution share would not be excessive.

Lyra and Eldrin exchanged a glance before she transmitted her voice: "From this perspective, the Celestial Alliance's imposition of such an enormous war tax serves not only to gather resources, but also to encourage participation in resisting the Cataclysm of the Demon Abyss."

"So it shall be." Eldrin also nodded, then said, "Since that is the case, I have no objections either."

"Then it's settled." Lyra gave a slight nod and said to Huantian Ji, "I am aware of the matter. However, this is of great importance, and our Chen Family still needs to deliberate before we can finalize the exact number of participants."

"As it should be." Huantianji nodded, then continued, "Only 40 years remain until the Cataclysm of the Demon Abyss. We can delay no longer."

"3 years from now, we shall gather at the River Sanctum to sign the War Pact. You must attend without fail."

"Understood," Eldrin said.

Seeing this, Huantian Ji rose and said, "There are quite a few immortal clans in the Eastern Wastelands (Location). I am responsible for notifying the late-stage Nascent Soul immortals of the 3 Ancient Realms. There are still a few families I haven't visited yet, so I shall not linger any longer."

After seeing off Huantian Ji, Eldrin immediately gathered the Chen family’s several Nascent Soul elders together.

Within the grand hall of Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location), 6 individuals gathered together: Eldrin (Person Name), Lyra (Person Name), Lila (Person Name), Chen Changxuan, Chen Silas (Person Name), and Elara (Person Name).

The old clan leader saw things with perfect clarity. Seeing Eldrin gather everyone, he spoke up and asked, “Since you’ve called us here today, could it be about the calamity of the Demonic Abyss?”

"Indeed."

Eldrin nodded and proceeded to brief the group on the situation.

After hearing this, the brows of the group furrowed slightly with concern. Chen Changxuan couldn’t help but speak up, “What are your thoughts on this?”

"The calamity of the demonic abyss is our inescapable duty. We shall naturally intervene with our full power."

Eldrin spoke thus, then declared aloud, "This time, I intend to leave 1 True Lord to guard the clan. All others must join this battle."

Only 1 True Monarch remains?

Elara's expression shifted slightly as she couldn't resist asking, "There are numerous demons and monsters in the Eastern Wastelands. Can a single Nascent Soul cultivator truly hold the family's defenses?"

"Set your mind at ease on that account." Eldrin shook his head before continuing, "The Eastern Desolation Immortal Alliance long ago established a covenant with the demonic soul. When the Abyssal Cataclysm descends, all demonic entities above the Nascent Soul realm are forbidden from intervening."

"If the demons dare to violate this pact, then even at the cost of unimaginable sacrifice, humanity shall first eradicate all Eldrin (Demon Kind) within the Eastern Wastelands."

He paused briefly at this point before continuing, "As for the major forbidden zones of demonic cultivation, the great immortal clans have already eradicated over half of them over the years. The few Nascent Soul stage demonic leaders who managed to escape with their lives are still being monitored by Eastern Desolation Immortal Alliance (Organization), which has stationed personnel to guard against their return."

Hearing this, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Lila glanced at the assembly before inquiring, "Then who should remain to guard the family?"

Eldrin surveyed his surroundings, then after a moment of contemplation said, "Let Silas remain."

"Eldest Uncle, I wish to join the battle."

Chen Silas (Person Name) rose to his feet, biting his lip slightly as he spoke.

However, Eldrin shook his head and declared with unwavering certainty, "The Abyssal Cataclysm is no trivial matter. Having just reached the Nascent Soul stage, it remains far too perilous for you to venture there."

"Moreover, you have established an Earth Grade Foundation. Remaining with the family would serve as an additional safeguard."

Everyone fell silent at these words. Who didn’t know of the dire perils of the Demonic Abyss Cataclysm? Even a Primordial Spirit Dao Lord might fall, and not even Eldrin dared claim he would surely return alive.

Should any mishap occur, Eldrin, Lyra, and Lila—having cultivated the Nirvana Tribulation Transcendence Art—would still possess the possibility of rebirth through tribulation once more. The others, however, had yet to master this supreme divine ability.

"Let us now discuss the clan's preparations for war."

Noticing the atmosphere growing somewhat heavy, Chen Changxuan deftly shifted the conversation.

Eldrin nodded and said, "This battle is not merely our own affair, but a matter for the countless cultivators across the entire Ji Province."

"For this campaign, we have summoned the immortal clans under our banner at the Golden Core and Violet Mansion realms and above, mobilizing 1,000,000 cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refinement or higher."

"As for Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators, the immortal clan does not impose strict demands. Those willing to contribute may offer their service, while those reluctant to provide personnel can instead contribute a sum of spirit stones."

Lyra nodded upon hearing this. That way, the lower-tier immortals wouldn’t be wiped out overnight, and they could share some of the pressure.

After a moment of contemplation, she inquired, "How should the conscription spirit stones be calculated?"

Upon hearing this, Eldrin turned his gaze to the Old Patriarch. Chen Changxuan possessed the deepest understanding of the various immortal clans under his command, making him the most appropriate person to provide the explanation.

Chen Changxuan did not answer immediately. After a moment of deliberation, he said, "Those at the Qi Refinement, Early Stage (Cultivation Realm) shall contribute 5 spirit stones, those at the Qi Refinement, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm) shall contribute 10, and those at the Qi Refinement, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) may contribute 30 spirit stones."

“With the addition of Chen Kingdom, such a Vast Sea (Location) brings together over 30,000,000 clan cultivators in total, collectively able to provide us with approximately 1 billion spirit stones’ worth of wartime supplies.”

Everyone nodded upon hearing this. The quota was indeed substantial, but collecting it would hardly be accomplished overnight.

At this thought, Eldrin said, "If we entrust the collection to the major Golden Core immortal families of the Purple Mansions, we must guard against anyone exploiting this opportunity for personal gain."

"Should anyone be caught with unclean hands, they shall be dealt with most severely."

Chen Changxuan nodded. Relying solely on the Chen Clan’s manpower made it impossible to levy taxes on tens of millions of cultivators. Thus, they had no choice but to subcontract the task layer by layer to various Golden Core and Purple Manor immortal families, entrusting them with the responsibility of collection.

In this process, a single misstep could trigger a chain reaction of escalating demands, leaving low-level cultivators utterly overwhelmed.