Chapter 823 Chance Encounter with an Old Acquaintance

A moment later, he said with a smile, "Please wait here, honored guests. I shall inform our clan leader and discuss how to handle this matter before reporting back to you."

The 3 Calamities Daoist spoke, then hastily made his way to a cave abode located at the heart of Sword Lake Island.

Within the cavern abode, a white-haired elder was in secluded cultivation. This man was the patriarch of the Zhang Immortal Clan, a seasoned Dao Lord who had trodden the path of Dao for over 7,000 years, his cultivation having reached the sixth level of the Nascent Soul realm.

At that moment, seeing the 3 Calamities Daoist arrive, the Zhang Clan Leader inquired, "What brings you here?"

"The descendant of the Jiang Clan has arrived."

The 3 Calamities Daoist then recounted the entire sequence of events to the white-haired elder.

After hearing this, the head of the Zhang Clan abruptly changed his expression and said, "Before I went into seclusion, the clan specifically reserved 2 Soul Restoration Pills. How could there not be a single 1 left now?"

"How exactly did the Grand Elder come to preside over the family?"

For nearly a 1000 years, the Zhang Clan Patriarch had been in seclusion, striving to break through to the Primordial Spirit, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm), while the 3 Calamities Daoist was undergoing tribulation rebirth. During this period, the clan had been entirely under the stewardship of the Zhang Clan’s Second Ancestor.

Seeing the Zhang Clan Leader’s anger, the 3 Calamities Taoist let out a bitter laugh and said, “This matter cannot be blamed on him.”

"Of those 2 Soul Elixirs, I consumed 1 myself, while the other was given to Zhang Xuanmu (Person Name)."

"Currently, our clan hasn't produced a new Nascent Soul cultivator in 3 1000 years. It was precisely to prevent a talent drought that he reluctantly brought out the Nascent Soul Elixir to nurture our clansmen."

After listening, the Clan Leader of the Zhang family also revealed a complicated expression.

For nearly 3 1000 years, the Zhang lineage had repeatedly suffered devastating losses during the Abyssal Cataclysm. Apart from Daoist Sanjie, 2 other Primordial Spirit Dao Lords had met their complete demise.

Particularly in recent years, the successive failures of multiple Divine Soul Seeds to achieve breakthroughs had placed the Zhang Family in an increasingly precarious position, facing a real danger of a talent drought.

For this very purpose, Patriarch Zhang did not hesitate to withhold the Soul Elixir originally intended for Yan Ziqi, all to nurture a new Soul Formation cultivator for the Zhang Clan.

At this thought, the Zhang Clan Leader sighed softly before speaking. "No matter what, the Jiang Clan has been our family's sworn allies for generations. Even if our clan faces dire straits, we must not forsake our oath."

"I heard that the Dao Palace Holy Land recently refined a batch of Soul Elixirs. Take this and purchase 1 Soul Elixir for me."

"I shall see to it at once."

The 3 Calamities Daoist nodded, then added with a bitter smile, "Over the years, to assist you in breaking through to the Primordial Spirit, Late Stage, the Grand Elder has repeatedly purchased rare treasures. The clan now has scarcely any Heavenly Crystal remaining."

The Zhang Clan Head was momentarily taken aback before sighing with emotion as he produced several Pure Yang spiritual objects. "The path of cultivation is arduous, more treacherous than scaling the heavens. Without treasures to aid us, it would be utterly impossible."

"Take these few spiritual objects in my possession and sell them to support the clan."

Eldrin waited outside the Zhang Immortal Clan for the better part of an hour before the 3 Calamities Daoist finally arrived.

The 3 Calamities Taoist met Eldrin and, after explaining the situation, said, "I must journey to the Dao Palace Sanctuary to acquire a Soul Elixir. I'm afraid it may take some time before I return."

"Would you prefer to wait for some time, or shall I retrieve it upon my return?"

Eldrin exchanged a glance with Lyra and the others before speaking, "We are preparing to journey to the Western Extremity's Tranquil Spirit Temple. We shall retrieve it upon our return."

"Very well." Daoist 3 Calamities gave a nod and said, "Then I must ask you to excuse me from seeing you off."

Eldrin departed with several companions. As he took his leave, he glanced back at the Zhang Clan Dojo and remarked, "Though the younger generation of the Zhang bloodline are somewhat greedy, it seems their Patriarchs still uphold some measure of impartiality."

"It merely concerns the path of cultivation."

Qing Ji shook her head and said, "The Divine Soul Elixir concerns the vital interests of those True Monarchs, so it’s only natural they’re utterly anxious about it."

"To put it bluntly, we operate on different planes of existence, so naturally our concerns diverge."

Eldrin (Person Name) nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Without another word, the group rode the teleportation arrays all the way to the Western Extremity Lands.

After a journey lasting over half a year, they finally arrived at the Western Extremity Sands Domain via teleportation array.

As the westernmost extremity of the Violet Realm, the Western Expanse of Eternal Sands is a rare and ancient desert land.

This place was rarely visited by humans, surrounded by endless desert in all directions. The land was scorching like a steamer by day, yet bitterly cold at night. Demonic beasts and immortal clans, both great and small, had established their Dao sanctuaries around these scattered oases.

The 3 of them, including Eldrin, soared high in the sky. After glancing at the map, he declared, "Another million li ahead, and we shall reach this land's grandest cultivation marketplace—the Buddha's Providence Pavilion."

"By then, we can ride the teleportation formation to reach the Tranquil Spirit Temple, foremost among the holy lands of the Western Extremity."

Upon hearing this, Lila (Person Name) and the others nearby couldn't help but smile.

The Western Extremity Sands Realm was immeasurably vast, yet its resources were exceedingly scarce. What's more, teleportation arrays were few and far between. They had journeyed arduously for a long while, scarcely able to make use of teleportation arrays along the way.

The Buddha’s Fate Pavilion had a direct teleportation formation to the Tranquil Spirit Temple, which could save them a great deal of time and effort.

With this thought, the group quickened their pace and soon arrived at the Fayuan Workshop.

No sooner had he arrived at the Buddha’s Affinity Market than Eldrin felt a slight tremor between his brows, sensing a rather familiar aura.

"It's her?"

Eldrin's gaze flickered slightly, his eyes settling upon the figure before him.

The woman was a stunning beauty who couldn't help but pause briefly upon seeing Eldrin.

Eldrin smiled faintly at the sight. "Over a 1000 years have passed since we last met. Never did I imagine I would encounter the Fairy again in this place—truly astonishing."

It turned out this person was none other than Yu Qingyan, an old acquaintance Eldrin had known in his early years.

As early as over 1 1000 years ago, shortly after Yu Qingyan (Person Name) had formed her Golden Core (Cultivation Stage), she left the Ji Province (Region) to travel the world.

Over 1 1000 years had passed since then, and there had been no trace of Yu Qingyan. Eldrin had assumed she had long since passed away in meditation, never expecting to see her again now.

"You flatter me, young master."

Yu Qingyan gave a slight nod and invited the group into her residence. With a light laugh, she remarked, "Now that Brother Guixu’s might shakes the world, I can hardly believe it’s truly you."

"Merely a minor achievement, hardly worth mentioning."

Eldrin shook his head, then smiled faintly. "For you to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm, Fairy, is truly beyond all expectations."

In truth, Eldrin was genuinely astonished. Yu Qingyan possessed a Wind Spiritual Root and had only formed an inferior-grade Golden Core. With such aptitude, her chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm were truly slim.

She had actually managed to cultivate to the Nascent Soul Realm, which truly astonished him.

Yu Qingyan smiled faintly at these words and said, "Over the years, I have traversed the Eastern Wastelands, journeyed through the polar ice fields of the far north, and witnessed the splendor of the Central Ancestral Domain. Having walked this mortal world, I carry no regrets."

"When I was attempting to form my Nascent Soul, I truly had no regrets in my heart. From the very beginning, I embraced the mindset that success would be fortunate, while failure would simply be fate. Yet unexpectedly, my breakthrough proceeded with astonishing smoothness."

"I see." Lila (Person Name) remarked with some surprise, then said with a smile, "It seems 1's state of mind—whether it is correct or not—may also determine a cultivator's path to the Dao."