Chapter 760 : Forging Strength in the Face of Titans

Considering the precious nature of these treasures, Eldrin Chen decided to put away the 'Orange-Gold Glazed Armor' and the 'Purple-Gold Tribulation Crossing Treasure Gourd', then handed the 'Void of Taixu Nine Smoke Veil' to Kael Chen.

"Your Heavenly Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword possesses formidable power, Elder Brother, but it lacks a protective treasure of equal stature. Please accept this item."

Kael Chen did not refuse. Taking the Void of Taixu Nine Smoke Veil, his expression turned grave. "We have eradicated the Gu Yuan Mountain Fang Clan. We must be wary of the intentions of the Central Continent Fang Clan Ancestral Vein."

"Having taken this action, if the Fang Clan refuses to let the matter rest, they will likely seek trouble with us."

Hearing this, many of the True Lord [a title for cultivators who have reached the Primordial Spirit realm] present felt a flicker of unease. Their opponent was, after all, a long-established Path Lord Sacred Land [a holy land led by a powerful Path Lord cultivator].

To provoke such a powerful Primordial Spirit Immortal Clan [an immortal clan with Primordial Spirit realm cultivators as its foundation] was enough to make anyone's heart quail.

Elara Lin paled slightly. After a moment of contemplation, she asked, "Should we travel to the Long River Holy Land and the Dorian Sacred Land, to ask the two families to act as mediators on our behalf?"

"Unnecessary," Eldrin Chen shook his head, his voice resolute. "We have slain a Primordial Spirit Seed [a cultivator with the potential to reach the Primordial Spirit realm] from a branch of the Fang Clan. They will certainly not let this go."

"It is not a question of whether they would agree to a truce. Even if they did, the price for peace would be exorbitant, and we would still face their overt and covert suppression."

"To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. Our efforts are better spent gathering like-minded fellow cultivators to share the pressure the Fang Clan will bring upon us." Immerse yourself in the complete world at AUDIO-NOVEL.COM.

Exquisite Jiang's eyes flickered slightly as she inquired, "What do you mean?"

Eldrin Chen rose to his feet. He paced back and forth within the Great Hall for a moment, hands clasped behind his back, before stating, "Form a complete alliance with the Master of Featherflight Pavilion and Sea-Calmer Path Master."

Upon hearing this, Exquisite Jiang's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

She understood Eldrin Chen's intent: to draw Sea-Calmer Path Master and the Featherflight Pavilion into their fold, uniting them to resist the pressure from the Central Continent Fang Clan.

However, persuading these two parties to risk offending the Fang Immortal Clan and stand firmly with them in a full alliance would likely require a significant price.

With this thought, she couldn't help but ask, "How do you plan to achieve this?"

"I have already considered it,"

Eldrin Chen replied after a brief moment of contemplation. "After Sea-Calmer Path Master makes his breakthrough, he will require a Sixth Rank Spiritual Vein to serve as his Path-Field [a cultivator's personal domain for cultivation and enlightenment]."

"If we can lend him our aid in this matter, he will undoubtedly stand with us on the same front."

"The Master of Featherflight Pavilion is merely at the Pseudo-Primordial Spirit [a flawed or incomplete state of the Primordial Spirit, the spiritual core of a high-level cultivator] realm, with no hope for further advancement. He does not need a Sixth Rank Spiritual Vein to enhance his cultivation. However, he requires resources to gather treasures for refining a Sixth Rank Dharma Body [a powerful, energy-condensed physical form]. We can also provide him with substantial support for that endeavor."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of those present turned rather awkward.

These two matters sounded simple in theory, but in practice, they were exceedingly difficult to accomplish.

For Sea-Calmer Path Master to continue his cultivation, he required a Sixth Rank Spiritual Vein [a location where spiritual energy of the sixth rank naturally gathers and flows]. However, elevating a spiritual vein to the sixth rank demanded the consumption of tens of thousands of Heavenly Crystal [a highly purified and potent form of spiritual energy crystal], along with an astoundingly valuable Sixth Rank Spirit-Gathering Formation Array.

The cost was truly astronomical. Even with the ten-thousand-year accumulation of the Featherflight Pavilion, it would be a monumental task, let alone for a newly ascended Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core realm of a cultivator] like Sea-Calmer Path Master.

However, Exquisite Jiang and Verdant Consort understood Eldrin Chen's intention. They realized he planned to harness the power of the Sixth Rank Worldly Spiritual Root [a supreme-grade spiritual root capable of nurturing spiritual veins] to cultivate a Sixth Rank Spiritual Vein for Sea-Calmer Path Master.

As for the Sixth Rank Dharma Body [a refined physical vessel for a cultivator's spirit] for the Master of Featherflight Pavilion, its forging was indeed immensely difficult, likely requiring over ten thousand Heavenly Crystal.

Fortunately, the Featherflight Pavilion possessed profound foundational resources and heritage. If they liquidated all their assets, they could probably gather most of what was needed. Furthermore, the Chen Clan had seized a considerable amount of resources this time. By contributing several dozen Spiritual Treasure [powerful enchanted artifacts], they could assist the Master of Featherflight Pavilion in successfully forging his Dharma Body.

Once the Dharma Body was complete, although the Master of Featherflight Pavilion would still be unable to cultivate further, his combat power would be on par with an ordinary Primordial Spirit 1st Tier cultivator. This would be a significant boon for the Chen Clan as well.

Yet, having just seized vast wealth from the Fang Clan, the thought of using a large portion of it to aid the Master of Featherflight Pavilion caused many hearts to ache with reluctance, as their newfound riches would diminish by more than half.

Seeing the evident pain and hesitation on many faces, Eldrin Chen decisively declared, "You cannot catch a wolf without risking the lamb. This time, we have slain our sworn enemy Mystery Heir Fang and gained three large Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] mines. We should be content."

"..."

Having decided to form an alliance, Eldrin Chen immediately went to the Featherflight Pavilion to request an audience with its Master of Featherflight Pavilion.

As a Path Guardian [a protector who assists a cultivator during a major tribulation] who had aided the Master of Featherflight Pavilion in overcoming his Primordial Spirit Great Tribulation [a major, life-threatening trial faced by cultivators at the Primordial Spirit realm], Eldrin Chen was received with the utmost courtesy by the Featherflight Pavilion.

Although the Master of Featherflight Pavilion was currently in secluded cultivation, he personally met with Eldrin Chen in the reception hall using an avatar formed from a wisp of his divine sense [a projection of one's consciousness].

Upon seeing Eldrin Chen, he smiled and said, "Your cultivation has progressed swiftly in recent years, Eldrin the Worthy Brother. It seems you may attain the Primordial Solar [the Earth Immortal realm] within a millennium."

"You flatter me. It is but a minor achievement," Your portal to cultivation novels: audio-novel.com (official site).

Eldrin Chen replied with a smile, then his expression turned solemn as he continued, "Brother Featherflight, I have come with a presumptuous request."

"Oh?"

Seeing his serious demeanor, the Master of Featherflight Pavilion adopted a focused expression.

After listening, the Pavilion Master paced for a long moment, his face shifting slightly. "That Fang Clan has been stirring up trouble all across the Three Veins Ancient Domain in recent years. This old man has long found them intolerable and wished to suppress them utterly."

"However, Mystery Heir Fang is rather close to a Primordial Spirit Patriarch from the Fang Clan Ancestral Vein. If you kill him now, wouldn't you be thoroughly antagonizing the Central Continent Fang Clan Ancestral Vein?"

As he spoke, Master of Featherflight Pavilion felt a tremor of apprehension. The Central Continent Fang Clan had only two Primordial Spirit cultivators, but one of them had already reached the Primordial Spirit 4th Tier. Such power was far beyond what he, a mere Pseudo-Primordial Spirit, could afford to provoke.

Noticing the Master of Featherflight Pavilion's expression, Eldrin Chen promptly rose to his feet. "You need not worry, Brother Featherflight," he assured. "I am not without connections within the Dorian Sacred Land."

"Should that Primordial Spirit Mid Stage Patriarch of the Fang Clan disregard all decorum and move against me, the Ji Clan would not stand idly by."

"That is true," Master of Featherflight Pavilion conceded with a slight nod.

Observing the Master of Featherflight Pavilion's demeanor, Eldrin Chen continued, "You have only just broken through to the Primordial Spirit realm, Brother Featherflight. Not only must you reforge your Primordial Spirit Art Body [a spiritual body forged upon reaching the Primordial Spirit realm], you must also prepare to refine a Primordial Solar Spiritual Treasure [a treasure imbued with the power of the primordial sun]."

"If you cling to the notion of offending no one, how will you ever seize the opportunities needed to reforge your Primordial Spirit Art Body?"

"I am willing to offer treasures worth three thousand Heavenly Crystal [a high-grade spiritual crystal] to lend my strength to your endeavor of reforgeing your spiritual body."

Hearing this, the Master of Featherflight Pavilion fell into deep contemplation.

"This old man lacks a Primordial Solar True Body [a constitution blessed by the primordial sun], making my combat prowess among the weakest within the Primordial Spirit realm. With such strength, I would be nothing but a soft target in the eyes of the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon [demons from beyond this world] during the Demonic Abyss Cataclysm. The likelihood of perishing in battle would be exceedingly high."

"Rather than meeting my end at the hands of Demonic Cultivator [practitioners who cultivate using malevolent and forbidden methods] at that time, it would be far better to reforge [to undergo a profound and arduous process of physical and spiritual reconstruction] my Primordial Spirit Art Body [a legendary, near-indestructible physical form forged through immense tribulation] sooner. That Patriarch of the Fang Clan is merely at the Primordial Spirit 4th Tier [the fourth stage of Primordial Spirit cultivation]. When the time comes, even he would find it difficult to slay this old man, once I possess the Primordial Spirit Art Body."

Having settled on this thought, the Master of Featherflight Pavilion nodded. After accepting the treasures presented by Eldrin Chen, he said, "With Brother Eldrin contributing this aid, this old man will be able to reforge the Primordial Spirit Art Body within one Sixty-Year Cycle [a complete cycle of sixty years, considered a significant unit of time in fate and cultivation]."

"When the time comes to guard your path [to protect you during your critical cultivation breakthrough], our chances of success will be significantly greater." Original publication: (audio-novel.com) - The source of this chapter.