Tier 2 Artifact: Azure Ape Orb

Seeing that he wouldn't budge no matter what, Lin Taihe grew anxious and simply said outright, "To tell you the truth, Zhang Old Devil came to find me before I came here this time."

"As long as you agree to act, Zhang Old Devil is confident he can persuade his senior brother to act as well and thoroughly eliminate the Chen Clan menace."

"His senior brother, Hong Old Devil, is an inner disciple of Demon Cave, and his cultivation has already reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage."

"You're actually colluding with Demonic Cultivators!"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Mingxu's expression changed drastically in horror. Colluding with Demonic Cultivators was a grave crime. If this matter came to light, neither Patriarch Jiang nor the Azure Sun Sect would spare the two of them.

"Shh." Lin Taihe gestured for him to keep quiet, his face icy as he said, "If you and I don't speak of it, who would know?"

"We're merely joining Demonic Cultivators in besieging Chen Changxuan by coincidence. Our plans simply happen to align."

"Besides, I have no choice." As he spoke, he added with ill intent, "If Chen Changxuan isn't eliminated, you can hide inside your clan's formation and never come out—but will you still manage the clan afterward?"

"Will you still do the Five Elements Essence business from Feng Commandery to Heavenly Ruins Mountain?"

Lin Taihe's words were like the final straw that broke the camel's back, completely tipping the scales in Zuo Mingxu's heart.

He wasn't alone. Behind him stood a cultivation clan. If he remained within the clan's Spirit Vein forever, much of the clan's business would become impossible to continue.

When that time came, with half the clan's business gone and no income coming in, how could the clan continue to survive? Would his stipend still be paid?

At this thought, Zuo Mingxu gritted his teeth and said decisively, "I agree to this."

"However, this old man doesn't know that Demonic Cultivators will also act."

"Haha." Lin Taihe laughed aloud. "Neither you nor I knows that Demonic Cultivators will act."

"Once we finish this job, not only will we settle an enemy, we'll also obtain Five Elements Essence worth over ten thousand Spirit Stones. Why not?"

"..."

After Lin Taihe left, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Zuo Clan flew back toward their clan with grave expressions.

Zuo Zhouqi's face was unsightly, and he couldn't help complaining, "If we'd known this day would come, why did we have to seize that Foundation Establishment Pill in the first place?"

"This matter was my fault for acting too rashly." Zuo Mingxu revealed a pained expression. "No one could have expected Chen Changxuan's fate to be so fortunate. An Azure Origin Ganoderma happened to mature just in time, and he managed to refine the pill and break through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage in the very year before purchasing the Foundation Establishment Pill."

"There's no use saying any of this now. Tomorrow, take stock of the Clan Treasury and draw out more Spirit Stones."

"In a few days, we'll go to Azure Sun Market and purchase some artifacts and spirit talismans. We must make thorough preparations. Then we'll bring that ancestral talisman as well. I refuse to believe we can't kill that old bastard Chen Changxuan."

Zuo Mingxu spoke with iron resolve, having made up his mind to finish everything in one stroke and thoroughly eliminate the clan's hidden danger.

"..."

Time flew by, and several months passed in the blink of an eye.

The Chen Clan finally received enough Five Elements Essence. There was simply too much of it—far too much to fit inside Storage Bags—so they could only spend two hundred Spirit Stones to rent ten Firecloud Horses from the Zhang Clan to haul the goods.

"Looks like the preparations are nearly complete."

At the summit of Qingyuan Mountain, Chen Nianzhi stood beside the Old Clan Leader, calmly watching the clansmen loading cargo below while he toyed with a fist-sized sphere.

Chen Changxuan withdrew his gaze, glanced at Chen Nianzhi, and smiled faintly. "How goes the refinement of those two artifacts?"

"They've been nurtured nearly enough." Chen Nianzhi looked at the pale azure sphere in his hand and nodded.

This sphere had been refined from the inner core of an Azure-Pattern Ape. It was a Tier 2 Mid-grade artifact. Once the offensive array within it was activated, it would transform into a sphere ten feet wide, weighing as much as ten thousand jun. Its power could smash apart a boulder thirty feet across.

Since ancient times, pills and alchemy were inseparable, just as arrays and artifacts were inseparable. Chen Nianzhi's Spirit Plant Art was nearly on par with his Alchemy Art. As a Tier 2 High-grade array master, the Old Clan Leader's artifact refinement was somewhat inferior, but he still possessed Tier 2 Mid-grade skill.

Chen Changxuan had spent half a month incorporating a large amount of Azure-Pattern Iron and refining in considerable Five Elements Essence, somehow turning that inner core into a Tier 2 Mid-grade artifact.

This treasure could not only be used to bombard enemies, but also bore a set of defensive array inscriptions. It could spread open an azure light shield to block others' attacks, making it both offensive and defensive.

Ever since obtaining this treasure, Chen Nianzhi had found it hard to put down. He named it the Azure Ape Orb.

Besides that, the Old Clan Leader had also reforged Chen Nianzhi's Thousand-Year Scarlet Iron saber blank, turning it into a Sword Embryo.

Considering that Chen Nianzhi would eventually use this Thousand-Year Scarlet Iron to forge the Blazing Fire Return-to-Ruins Sword, the Old Clan Leader hadn't incorporated any other materials or added any Five Elements Essence in order to preserve the Thousand-Year Scarlet Iron's purity. Thus, this Sword Embryo was only Tier 2 Low-grade.

However, his artifact-refining and array mastery had long surpassed Zhang Old Devil's. After re-inscribing the array markings, the Sword Embryo's power far exceeded its former self and had reached the pinnacle of Tier 2 Low-grade.

Furthermore, flying swords were far faster than magical treasures, so the effect this sword could unleash would likely be no weaker than that of the Azure Ape Orb.

Having obtained two powerful artifacts, Chen Nianzhi was naturally overjoyed. Apart from cultivation, he had spent most of his time these past days refining the two artifacts.

"Since they've been nurtured nearly enough, I'm relieved."

The Old Clan Leader let out a breath, then took out an ancient little bell. "I went to Peaceful Sun City last night and brought back the Jiuyi Bell."

"Refine it further. With this defensive artifact protecting you, your safety should be sufficiently assured."

Chen Nianzhi didn't take it, shaking his head instead. "The Azure Ape Orb can both attack and defend. It should be enough to keep me safe."

"On the other hand, you currently have no defensive artifact. This artifact will be more useful in your hands."

"Silly child." The Old Clan Leader laughed heartily. "You underestimate the power of a Tier 2 High-grade array master too much."

"With this set of Blazing Fire Soul-Burning Formation Flags in hand, the vast Lihuo burns all things. Ordinary spells and artifacts will exhaust their power before they can even approach me. It's not the slightest bit inferior to a Tier 2 High-grade defensive artifact."

"Though your Azure Ape Orb combines offense and defense, the Jiuyi Bell is still three parts stronger when it comes to defense."

Only after hearing this did Chen Nianzhi accept the Jiuyi Bell. With this defensive artifact in hand and three Tier 2 artifacts on him, he had completely made up for his shortcomings in artifacts. When the time came, he might truly be able to contend with a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator.

"Clan Leader, Nianzhi, everything is ready."

Just then, the Third Elder came over.

Chen Nianzhi smiled at him and asked, "Uncle Qing Hao, have all the candidates for the Blazing Sun Heavenly Flame Banner been assembled?"

"Mm." Chen Qinghao said, "This time, Qingyuan, Qingwan, Qingmu, Uncle Changming, Nianyong, and I will be operating the Blazing Sun Heavenly Flame Banner."

The two exchanged a glance, then nodded.

Of these six, three had broken through to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining within the clan over the past seven years.