Meanwhile, ten thousand miles away from Tianxu Mountain, Wei Chongyang of the Qingyang Sect's Purple Mansion fled in disarray, his hair disheveled and his expression panicked.
Behind him, Lin Qianshu wielded the Frostlight Ice Sword, sneering coldly.
"Wei Chongyang, who doesn't know by now that your son Wei Mingyuan murdered for treasure and seized the Crystal of Blazing Flame from the Zhang Clan of Yunyang County?"
"I killed him to rid the cultivation world of Chu Kingdom of a menace, and yet you still had the audacity to pursue me to Tianxu Mountain?"
Wei Chongyang's face alternated between pale and flushed, but he said nothing as he fled the mountain range, disappearing beyond the horizon in an instant.
…
Elsewhere, Elian bid farewell to Jiang Linglong and flew back to Yu County from Tianxu Mountain on his sword.
Upon returning, his first stop was Pingyang City, where he delivered the Crystal of Blazing Flame and Xuanyu Pills to the old patriarch.
Chen Changxuan accepted the treasures with trembling hands, his excitement evident. He quickly grabbed Elian's hands and inquired about the journey.
After hearing the story, the old patriarch wiped the cold sweat from his brow and couldn't help but say, "It's a good thing you had the Seven-Star Demon-Slaying Boat; otherwise, this trip would have been far too dangerous."
"I also didn't expect the cultivators of Qingyang Sect to be so brazen," Elian said, his expression dark and his tone tinged with lingering fear.
"Just one trip out, and they were already targeting us."
He glanced at the Crystal of Blazing Flame and sighed.
"For this one treasure, five Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Zhang Clan in Yunyang County lost their lives. The price is too heavy."
"If one seeks to become a Purple Mansion clan, they must bear the consequences. In the end, it was the Zhang Clan's misfortune and lack of strength," the old patriarch remarked, shaking his head.
"But for Wei Mingyuan to commit such atrocities and allow some members of the Zhang Clan to escape, the Qingyang Sect has likely lost the hearts of the people throughout Yang Region."
"If the beast chaos can be stabilized, it might be fine. But if Jiaoyang Mountain falls, it will bring catastrophic disaster, and who knows how many mortals will become food for demons," the old patriarch added, leaving Elian feeling heavy-hearted.
Elian's gaze grew cold, and he said angrily, "Wei Mingyuan acted so recklessly. Does no one in the Qingyang Sect hold him accountable?"
"You must understand, a sect may act as one, but individuals are still individuals," Chen Changxuan said with a sigh.
"To Wei Mingyuan, as long as he can break through to the Purple Mansion stage, the fate of the Chu Kingdom's billions of lives means nothing."
"And in the eyes of Sect Leader Xu of the Qingyang Sect, the importance of a Purple Mansion cultivator from their own sect far outweighs ten Foundation Establishment clans of others. I fear this matter will not be addressed."
"It seems that with this beast chaos, Yang Region is bound to face upheaval," he concluded.
Elian's expression turned somber. He realized that unless the Qingyang Sect dealt with Wei Mingyuan's father, Wei Chongyang, with decisive action, it would be impossible to regain the trust of the people.
However, given Sect Leader Xu's character, such a move seemed unlikely. Without the backing of the sect's authority, it would be difficult to compel the clans of Yang Region to truly commit their efforts.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Elian looked at the Crystal of Blazing Flame and said, "No matter what, we have this treasure now. You can finally attempt to break through to the Purple Mansion stage."
"With the Xuanyu Pills and the Crystal of Blazing Flame, I have a thirty percent chance," the old patriarch said, his excitement evident. With the beast chaos on the horizon, breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage would greatly enhance his combat effectiveness and benefit the clan.
Chen Changxuan, now 141 years old, had only reached the ninth level of Foundation Establishment less than ten years ago. Ideally, he would spend another decade refining his meridians and spiritual energy to achieve the best state before attempting a breakthrough. Consuming the Crystal of Blazing Flame at that time would likely give him close to a forty percent chance.
However, with the imminent beast chaos and the Crystal of Blazing Flame being a highly sought-after treasure, the old patriarch decided to attempt the breakthrough immediately to avoid repeating the tragic fate of the Zhang Clan and the previous patriarch of the Chen Clan.
Since the spiritual energy of Pingyang City's mid-grade spiritual vein was insufficient, Elian assigned Chen Qinghao, Chen Qingwan, and Chen Nianfu to oversee the city in the old patriarch's stead. Elian then accompanied the patriarch to Linghu Isle.
Over the past two years, the spiritual vein of Linghu Isle had been upgraded to a high-grade second-tier, significantly increasing the spiritual energy available. Once the old patriarch entered seclusion at the spiritual spring, Elian personally guarded Linghu Isle.
The old patriarch consumed a Xuanyu Pill, increasing his spiritual energy by thirty percent, and began his attempt to break through to the Purple Mansion stage. After three months, he emerged from seclusion, visibly disappointed.
With a hint of frustration, the patriarch said, "Alas, my energy is still insufficiently refined. I couldn't break through the Purple Mansion stage threshold."
"Uncle, don't lose heart," Elian reassured with a smile, having anticipated this outcome.
"Few in this world, apart from true prodigies, can succeed in one attempt."
"That's true," the patriarch said, regaining his composure.
"Although I failed to break through, I managed to open fifty percent of the Purple Mansion Dao Veins."
"My spiritual energy has now increased by fifty percent. The next time I attempt the breakthrough, I should have a thirty to forty percent chance, even without external assistance."
Hearing this, Elian also smiled. The old patriarch had already consumed Condensed Focus Pills and Xuanyu Pills. Now, having opened fifty percent of his Purple Mansion meridians, his spiritual energy was at least eighty percent stronger than that of an ordinary ninth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator.
With such a strong foundation, the old patriarch was nearly comparable to a first-level Purple Mansion cultivator, his strength having increased manifold.
Elian remarked, "With your current cultivation, you are practically at the half-step Purple Mansion stage. With sixty years of lifespan remaining, you still have two more opportunities to break through. By then, even without external aid, you should have a sixty percent chance."
The two felt much better after their conversation.
Once the patriarch had consolidated his cultivation, Elian presented seven demon cores from Golden Python Monkeys.
"We slew seven Foundation Establishment-level beasts this time. These demon cores come from the same source, and I believe they can be refined into a set of formation artifacts."
The old patriarch examined the cores carefully and was overjoyed.
"These demon cores all contain remnants of divine formation patterns. If refined into a set of artifacts, the divine abilities within might be restored."
"I plan to integrate them into the Blazing Fire Divine Flags to enhance the formation's power," Elian explained.
The old patriarch was ecstatic, examining the cores for a long time before concluding that they could indeed be refined into a new set of formation flags when combined with the Blazing Fire Divine Flags.
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D