Chapter 766 : Alliance of the Ancient Veins

"Brother, there is no need for such concern. This karmic debt can be repaid in the days to come."

Eldrin Chen spoke with a calm demeanor, then proceeded to inform him of the matters concerning the slaying of Xuan Fang and the establishment of the Immortal Alliance.

After listening, MarisDao Lord [a title for a powerful cultivator who has comprehended a profound Dao] furrowed his brow slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "That Xuan Fang has been causing trouble in the Three Veins Ancient Domain in recent years, forcibly seizing the assets of many meritorious Immortal Clan [a clan with a long history of cultivation and immortal heritage]. You did nothing wrong."

"However, the stance of the Fang Clan Ancestral Lineage remains unclear. We must proceed with caution."

"I am well aware," Eldrin Chen nodded and continued, "That is precisely why I wish to invite you, Brother Maris, to join the Immortal Alliance and face the Fang Immortal Clan alongside us."

"Since Eldrin, the Abyssal Junior extends the invitation, I naturally will not decline."

MarisDao Lord offered a faint smile and ultimately agreed to Eldrin Chen's invitation.

For Maris the Sea Steader, although he had now broken through to the Primordial Spirit Realm [the Nascent Soul stage, where a cultivator's spiritual essence condenses into a primordial spirit], several pressing matters still demanded his immediate attention.

The first was his cultivation Daoist Assembly Ground [a sacred site for cultivation, often a cave or chamber rich in spiritual energy]. A Pure Yang Dao Lord's Mana [the spiritual energy or life force cultivated and harnessed by practitioners] was profoundly vast. A single session of cultivation could potentially devour all the spiritual energy within a radius of one hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters].

Without a Sixth Rank Spiritual Vein [a high-grade source of concentrated spiritual energy] to provide a Daoist Assembly Ground with sufficient spiritual energy for cultivation, Maris the Sea Steader's future growth in Mana would inevitably be severely hindered. This chapter is part of a larger work available at audio-novel*com.

Moreover, for his strength to advance further in a short time, he would need to rely on the feedback from his own Superior Grade Dao Body [a supreme-grade innate constitution that enhances cultivation] to elevate the Sea-Steadying Divine Pearl [a divine pearl artifact renowned for its power to calm turbulent seas] ahead of schedule to the mid-grade Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure [a spiritual treasure of the highest purity, imbued with the essence of the purest Yang energy] realm.

Between these two paths, a Sixth Rank [the sixth major tier in the cultivation hierarchy, representing immense power] Daoist Assembly Ground [a sacred site for cultivation and gathering of Daoists] is exceedingly rare. Advancing the Sea-Steadying Divine Pearl also requires Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] worth six thousand Heavenly Crystal [a high-grade crystal containing immense spiritual energy]. With the Deep-Seated Foundation [the profound and stable cultivation base one has accumulated] that Maris the Sea Steader has currently amassed, this is simply impossible to achieve.

Yet, the present moment offers an excellent opportunity. Once the Three Veins Ancient Domain Immortal Alliance [an alliance of immortals spanning three ancient domains] is established, he, as the Nascent Soul Dao Lord [a Dao Lord who has reached the Nascent Soul stage] presiding over the Immortal Alliance, would be able to procure Five Elements Essence at a vastly reduced price.

Furthermore, Eldrin Chen was even willing to grant him the Guyuan Mountain Range [the Ancient Abyss Mountain Range] as a temporary cultivation Daoist Assembly Ground. And that very Guyuan Mountain Range was destined to ascend to the Sixth Rank realm within the next century.

Coupled with their many years of friendship, Maris the Sea Steader naturally had no reason to refuse. Even if it meant confronting the Central Ancestral Domain [the central, most ancient and powerful region of the cultivation world] Fang Clan, he was prepared to do so.

Seeing Maris the Sea Steader agree, Eldrin Chen smiled and cupped his hands in salute. "Since that is settled, let us first return to the Eastern Wilderness [a vast, untamed wilderness region in the east]."

"Agreed."

Maris the Sea Steader tidied up the Dragon Transformation Pool [a mystical pool said to aid in dragon transformation or ascension], laid down protective restrictions to guard it, and then departed the Southern Sea Cultivation World [the cultivation world of the Southern Seas] with the others, heading straight for the Eastern Wastelands.

As they passed by the Southern Ridge Cultivation World [the cultivation world of the Southern Ridges], Eldrin Chen recalled that the Old Patriarch had likely completed his reincarnation tribulation and emerged from seclusion. He remarked, "The Southern Ridge Cultivation World is rich in fire-attribute Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root [a rare spiritual root that connects to the energies of Heaven and Earth]. I'd like to take this opportunity to see if we can find such a fortuitous encounter."

Maris the Sea Steader pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Now that I have broken through to the Dao Lord Realm [the realm of a Dao Lord, a master of the Dao], the Dao Lord [a title for a master who has profoundly comprehended the Dao] figures in this region should grant me some small measure of face."

"Perhaps we should go to the Southern Ridge Lu Clan and inquire if Dao Lord Nine Abysses has any news on this matter?"

"That would be wise."

Eldrin Chen gave a nod. A Pure Yang Dao Lord [a supreme cultivator who has mastered the purest Yang energy] was a hegemon-level existence no matter where they were. Having such a figure personally look into the matter would be far better than them searching blindly like headless flies.

The trio journeyed forth, arriving before the Lu Clan Mountain Gate, one of the four great Dao Lord Sacred Land [sanctuaries ruled by Dao Lords] within the Southern Wilderness Cultivation World.

Before they could even present their visiting cards, laughter echoed from within the Lu Clan's Daoist Assembly Ground. "Just the other day, I heard rumors of a Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator, a realm beyond Nascent Soul] breakthrough phenomenon in the Southern Sea Cultivation World. I wondered which Fellow Daoist [a respectful term for a fellow cultivator] had achieved the Dao. So it was you, Brother Maris, who made the breakthrough."

The speaker was none other than Dao Lord Nine Abysses. He emerged, clad in robes of black and gold, a smile gracing his features as he came forward to greet them.

Following closely behind Jaxian Lu was Xuan Yuan Lu, renowned as the foremost Human Race True Lord [a title for a powerful human cultivator] of the Southern Wilderness Cultivation World, the master of the Pure Yang Spiritual Treasure [a supreme-grade enchanted artifact imbued with pure Yang essence] known as the 'Starlight Calamity-Severing Sword'.

At this moment, a complex expression flickered across Xuan Yuan Lu's face. He and Maris the Sea Steader were of similar age, and their cultivation had long been comparable.

One wielded the Sea-Steadying Divine Pearl, the other had forged the Starlight Calamity-Severing Sword. Both were figures whose might shook entire regions, often compared by cultivators far and wide.

Yet now, Maris the Sea Steader had broken through to the Primordial Spirit realm in a single stride. His status and standing had transformed utterly, to the point where even his own clan's Ancient Ancestor [a venerable progenitor of a clan] now treated him as an equal. Unconsciously, Xuan Yuan Lu found himself looking up from a lower position.

Not long ago, Xuan Yuan Lu also attempted to break through to the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator, representing a major advancement in power and longevity], but ultimately failed and even suffered a slight backlash from the attempt.

In truth, with the full support of Dao Lord Nine Abysses and having refined the Starlight Calamity-Severing Sword [a legendary sword that channels starlight to sever calamities and misfortune], Xuan Yuan Lu's foundation was no longer weak; his chances of a successful breakthrough were at least fifty percent. The reason for this failure lay not in strength, but in a lack of courage.

Dao Lord Nine Abysses had attained his Dao over three thousand years ago. By the time Xuan Yuan Lu was born, he was already a core disciple of a Nascent Soul Immortal Clan [a powerful clan where the patriarch has reached the Nascent Soul realm]. Sheltered under Dao Lord Nine Abysses's protection all these years, Xuan Yuan Lu had engaged in life-or-death battles against formidable foes fewer than five times.

From this perspective, although his combat prowess was considerable, Jaxian Lu [the patriarch who viewed him as the clan's future] had protected him too well, resulting in a significant flaw in his temperament.

In stark contrast, Maris the Sea Steader, born a mere Rogue Cultivator [an unaffiliated cultivator without sect or clan backing], had fought his way to his current standing through constant warfare. He had experienced no fewer than several hundred battles, great and small, and had personally slain over several dozen Nascent Soul Demon [powerful demonic beings equivalent to the Nascent Soul realm]. The gap between them was not even on the same level.

To say nothing of Maris the True Person or Eldrin Chen, even many of the Golden Core True Person [cultivators who have solidified their spiritual power into a Golden Core] within the Chen Clan far surpassed him in this regard. Read the full novel exclusively on www . audio-novel.com.

The Chen Clan's rise had been meteoric, ascending from a mere Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan [a clan whose strength is anchored at the Foundation Establishment realm] to its current heights in just over a thousand years. Such rapid ascent brought both advantages and drawbacks. The drawback was a perpetual scarcity of resources. The advantage was being forged in the fires of constant conflict with powerful enemies.

Over the years, the number of battles, large and small, that the Chen Clan had endured was almost beyond counting. Setting aside minor skirmishes, they had faced all-out, clan-threatening wars of survival on multiple occasions.

Clansmen nurtured in such an environment developed resilient, tenacious characters, seldom given to hesitation or timidity.

Xuan Yuan Lu's courage was slightly deficient, while the external tribulations of the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation [the cataclysmic heavenly trial one must survive to form a Nascent Soul] were exceedingly perilous, and the Nascent Soul Inner Demon [the manifestation of one's deepest fears and flaws during the Nascent Soul tribulation] was equally terrifying. This caused Xuan Yuan Lu to hesitate when attempting to draw in the Heavenly Soul [a celestial soul fragment required for the Nascent Soul breakthrough], leading to his third consecutive failure.

Of course, regarding the situation with Xuan Yuan Lu, Eldrin Chen and the others were unaware.

They exchanged greetings with Dao Lord Nine Abysses, then turned to Xuan Yuan Lu with a smile. "Brother Xuan Yuan, your cultivation has grown ever more profound, approaching the very act of Creation [the divine act of bringing something into existence]. It seems the Primordial Spirit Realm [the realm of the spiritual core, a major stage of cultivation] is not far off for you," they said.

Xuan Yuan Lu's eyes darkened faintly, yet he maintained his smile. "How could I compare to the swift and miraculous progress of Fellow Daoist [a respectful title for a fellow cultivator]," he replied.

The group sat upon Guest-Welcoming Peak, sipping tea. After the customary pleasantries, Maris the Sea Steader prepared to state the purpose of their visit.

With a slight smile, he spoke directly. "Brother Nine Abysses, to speak plainly, we have come seeking a fire-attributed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root [a rare spiritual plant that channels the energies of heaven and earth]."

"Oh?"

As Maris the Sea Steader explained in detail, Xuan Yuan Lu quickly understood their intent.

He nodded thoughtfully. "A fire-attributed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root [a rare spiritual plant that channels the energies of heaven and earth], one that also possesses the effect of regulating mountain and river Earth Vein [the spiritual energy currents that flow through the land]... such a thing is indeed rare," he mused. "My clan does possess one, however..."

"My clan does possess one, however..." Access the full story on (audio-novel.com).