The few breaths of time they had gained were already enough.
In the sky, the Great Elder activated the Sunfire Formation, his snow-white hair and beard dancing wildly as killing intent radiated from his eyes.
"Audacious demons, how dare you act so arrogantly."
"Behold my Sunfire!"
As his words fell, the Sunfire Pearl above the heavens radiated an incomparably brilliant light. A beam of pure Sunfire descended from the sky, illuminating the pitch-black night and enveloping the demonic cultivators.
"Ahhh..."
The screams of the demonic cultivators filled the air. Against this flame, which was specifically lethal to demonic cultivators, even mid- to late-stage Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators dared not touch it, let alone mere Qi Refining stage ones.
In the span of just one breath, the demonic cultivators were reduced to ashes. Even the Blood-Refining Demonic Blade was melted and refined. Its demonic aura was burned away entirely, and its malevolent blood energy melted like snow under the Sunfire, leaving behind only the pure material of thousand-year Crimson Iron.
"Huff..."
Elian panted heavily, his expression solemn as he gazed at the Blood-Refining Demonic Blade, his eyes reflecting a trace of gravity.
"A lower-tier second-level demonic treasure wielding such immense power..."
Although the battle had started and ended quickly, the danger within it was evident.
No one had anticipated that these demonic cultivators would possess a second-level demonic treasure, almost catching them off guard.
"These must be Elder Zhang's people."
After the battle, Chen Changyan stepped forward, picking up the blade's embryo and inspecting it.
"In the entire Eastern Wilderness, only the Demon Lair knows the method to refine a Blood-Refining Demonic Blade."
"Elder Zhang inherited a part of the Demon Lair's techniques. In all of Yu County, he's the only one capable of crafting such a demonic treasure."
The Great Elder's expression turned grave upon hearing this.
"Three years ago, during the escort of the Foundation Establishment Pill, several Foundation Establishment cultivators joined forces to ambush our clan leader."
"Elder Zhang was among them. During that battle, the clan leader destroyed his life-bound demonic treasure. It seems he's preparing to forge another one."
Elian nodded slightly. The clan leader, after all, was one of only three late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators in Yu County and ranked among the top three of its twenty-some Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Even when ambushed by multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators, he had managed to kill one of them. Naturally, Elder Zhang's attempt to exploit the chaos and strike at the clan leader did not end well for him either.
At that time, Elder Zhang's life-bound demonic treasure had been destroyed, and he had barely escaped death at the hands of Chen Changxuan, only surviving by using a blood-escape technique.
It was precisely because of this that Elder Zhang had been frightened out of his wits. Despite knowing that the clan leader was severely injured, he still didn't dare to face the Chen Immortal Clan directly.
"That does seem to be the case."
Chen Changyan stroked his long beard, his gaze tinged with satisfaction as he examined the blade embryo.
"Crafting a demonic treasure like the Blood-Refining Demonic Blade inevitably incurs tremendous karmic backlash."
"This time, Elder Zhang's scheme failed, and he lost this invaluable blade embryo. It's only fitting for him to suffer this calamity."
The others shared his satisfaction.
The Blood-Refining Demonic Blade's material was extraordinary. The thousand-year Crimson Iron used to forge its embryo was a rare and precious natural treasure.
Now that the demonic energy and blood aura had been burned away by the Sunfire Formation, it had become a pure magical weapon. Although its power had diminished significantly, it could still be considered a quasi-second-level magical artifact.
"It's a pity that the clan leader is still gravely injured and unable to act for fear of worsening his condition."
"Otherwise..."
Chen Changyan sighed after speaking.
If this quasi-second-level artifact fell into the hands of a skilled refiner who could inscribe second-level crafting patterns, it could undoubtedly be forged into a proper second-level magical artifact.
After pausing, he looked at Elian and said, "During the battle, your flying sword clashed directly with the demonic treasure and suffered significant damage. It will likely need time to recover."
"In my opinion, this artifact should be given to young Elian."
"This..." Elian quickly declined, saying, "This artifact is too precious. It should be left for the clan leader."
Chen Changyan shook his head.
"To the clan leader, a quasi-second-level artifact is nearly useless. For you, however, it could greatly enhance your combat strength."
"Besides, if you have the opportunity to break through to Foundation Establishment in the future, you can melt it down and use the Crimson Iron to forge a life-bound magical treasure."
As one of the clan's oldest and most respected elders, Chen Changyan's words carried immense weight. The others naturally voiced no objections, and the Great Elder was the first to express support.
"In the clan, you are the most talented. The future of the family depends on you."
"Take it. With this blade in hand, you'll have another tool to deal with demonic cultivators in the future."
"And don't forget, the clan still owes you over two hundred spirit stones. Consider this repayment."
Hearing this, Elian stopped protesting. He accepted the blade embryo, his eyes lighting up with delight.
He gently ran his hand over the blade, clearly fond of it, before putting it away with a smile.
"Then I'll accept it for one thousand five hundred family merit points."
"My spirit peaches just went into the clan's inventory, and I earn plenty of merit points every year with nothing to spend them on."
The clan leader's mid-tier second-level life-bound treasure had only been sold for two thousand spirit stones. Common lower-tier second-level treasures were priced around one thousand spirit stones.
However, this blade embryo was exceptional. The thousand-year Crimson Iron was a top-tier second-level crafting material, so pricing it at one thousand five hundred spirit stones was reasonable.
With the annual yield of his spirit peaches—thirty fruits contributing one hundred and fifty merit points a year—it would take him roughly ten years to pay off this debt.
In just a few words, the group allocated this precious treasure and then turned their attention to the aftermath.
Though the Chen family had slain several demonic cultivators in this battle, they had paid a heavy price, largely due to the Blood-Refining Demonic Blade.
Han Mo's surprise attack had wreaked havoc. The demonic blade had killed three Chen family cultivators in a short amount of time, while another four or five were seriously injured.
The group discussed compensating the injured cultivators based on the severity of their injuries, granting them rewards equivalent to one to ten years of their salaries.
For the three who had died in battle, their families would receive three hundred to five hundred family merit points, depending on their cultivation levels. If their descendants lacked spirit roots, the merit points would be held in reserve. Should any of their descendants develop cultivation potential, the points would be allocated to them.
Elian knew that such measures were essential. If the family failed to care for those who sacrificed themselves, who would be willing to fight for the clan in the future?
A family that neglected such matters would eventually lose cohesion, disintegrating like loose sand and fading from existence.
The Chen Immortal Clan, with its centuries of history, had maintained strong unity and understood the importance of this principle.
Moreover, given the clan's currently depleted resources and the inability to exchange merit points for spirit stones or supplies, Elian and the other elders personally pooled over one hundred spirit stones to provide partial compensation upfront.