Hearing this, the Patriarch nodded, tacitly agreeing to the plan.
After all, if his strength could be enhanced, it would significantly impact the future assault on the Qingyang Sect.
However, the Patriarch considered for a moment and said, "If we can purchase them, we should prioritize the Creation Cloud Pill and Five Elements Crystals at the exchange gathering."
"I'll make sure of it," Elian replied, lifting his teacup. After a brief pause, he continued, "When I left seclusion, Xianyan informed me that Uncle Changlu passed away not long ago."
"Ah."
The Patriarch's fingers trembled slightly, and a trace of melancholy flickered across his face.
Chen Changlu was the youngest elder of the "Chang" generation. When Elian first left Qingyuan Mountain, Chen Changlu was already in his seventies. Despite taking three second-rank Spirit Apricots over the past seventy years, he ultimately succumbed to the exhaustion of his lifespan.
With his passing, the Patriarch was now the only elder remaining from the "Chang" generation in the family.
The Patriarch, who had lived for over 180 years, had watched his peers and even younger generations pass away one by one, leaving him as the last survivor. It was a loneliness and helplessness that was hard to put into words.
"Sigh—"
The Patriarch sighed deeply and said with regret, "If he had held on for a few more years, until the Spirit Apricot Tree advanced to lower-grade third rank, each apricot could extend his life by thirty years. Perhaps he could have stayed with me another two decades."
The Patriarch, wholly dedicated to cultivation, had never taken a wife or concubine, and his parents had long passed away. He regarded Elian as his own son, and Chen Changlu, the younger clan brother, as his own sibling. Now that Changlu had passed, the Patriarch could only sigh in resignation, his emotions too complex for words.
Looking at Elian, the Patriarch said with a hint of sorrow, "I heard that your Uncle Qing Yuan has been bedridden recently. I fear he won't last much longer."
"Before you leave for the exchange gathering, go and see him one last time."
Leaving Pingyang City, Elian flew toward Qingyuan Mountain.
On a cliff at the back of Qingyuan Mountain, a solitary courtyard stood quietly.
An old, gnarled tree grew at the cliff's edge, and beneath it lay a reclined chair occupied by a figure with hair and beard as white as snow.
Landing nearby, Elian gazed at the figure with a calm expression.
"You've come."
Chen Qing Yuan's weak voice carried over. His face, etched with wrinkles, no longer held the vigor of his youth.
Watching the clouds shift before the cliff, his expression was peaceful and resigned.
"I knew you'd come to see me off for the last time."
Elian said nothing. He stepped forward to check Qing Yuan's pulse, only to shake his head helplessly.
The elder's blood and vitality had completely dried up, and he was surviving on a single breath of spiritual energy. Once that breath was exhausted, the end would come.
Frowning, Elian couldn't help but ask, "I remember giving you a few Spirit Apricots. If you'd taken them all, you should still have over a decade of life left."
"There's no need," Chen Qing Yuan replied, shaking his head as he looked at the sea of clouds rolling before the cliff.
Then, turning his gaze to Elian, he saw a figure tall and straight, with jet-black hair and jade-like features. Elian stood there like a celestial being who had descended into the mortal world.
"Time flows endlessly, and the mortal world changes with it."
"I once wore white robes like snow, youthful and carefree, untouched by the passage of endless ages."
Chen Qing Yuan's voice carried a mix of regret and serene acceptance.
Elian's heart grew heavy, but he suppressed his feelings and spoke calmly.
"Do you have any last wishes for me to fulfill?"
"Last wishes..."
Qing Yuan chuckled faintly, raising his gaze to the distant sky. His dimming vision seemed to paint the clouds with images of his youth.
He waved a hand, reminiscent of Chen Qingmeng preparing to challenge Foundation Establishment.
"Qingmeng dared to risk death for a breakthrough. Qingxu gave his Spirit Apricot to Nianzhen. Qinghe refused to use a Foundation Establishment Pill, even at the cost of his life."
"I've come to understand that, though I've lived decades longer than my cousins Qingmeng, Qingxu, and Qinghe, my life has been far less remarkable."
"If there's a next life, I'll charge forward without hesitation. Even dying in an attempt to break through is better than waiting decades to meet my end..."
The end of the majority of elders in the cultivation families who survived to old age rarely changed: having missed their chance in their youthful prime, they passed into the shadows of time, burdened by regret as they succumbed to the inevitability of old age.
Chen Qing Yuan passed away soon after, refusing to take the Spirit Apricots and dispersing his last breath of spiritual energy.
With his death, only a handful of the "Qing" generation cultivators remained. Within the clan, there were now only two or three people whom Elian regarded with true courtesy.
The funeral was organized by Chen Qinghao, and most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators returned to pay their respects.
Elian stayed at Qingyuan Mountain for three days. Only after Chen Qing Yuan was buried in the back mountain did he leave.
After leaving Qingyuan Mountain, Elian did not return to Linghu Isle but instead flew directly toward Cang Region.
The Purple Mansion Exchange Gathering of the Chu Kingdom was being held in Cang Region, the foremost of the Chu Kingdom's nine regions and the domain of the Celestial Sky Sword Sect.
Traveling on the Violet Blood Boat, Elian covered over 400,000 miles before arriving at the largest market in the Chu Kingdom—Cangqiong Market.
As he landed outside the market, a familiar voice called out, "Brother Elian, I knew you'd come!"
It was Wei Xuyuan, the patriarch of the Wei Clan, who approached Elian with a broad smile.
Elian returned the smile and stepped forward.
"Brother Wei, what brings you here? Are you looking to buy something?"
"Sigh," Wei Xuyuan said, shaking his head.
"A few years ago, my breakthrough to the Purple Mansion left the family deeply in debt."
"I'm here to sell two treasures and see if I can gather enough spirit stones to settle our debts."
Elian nodded. Since the Wei Clan's ascension to a Purple Mansion lineage, they had gained access to resources from Yang Region. However, the clan still carried a significant debt. With their spiritual veins at the upper second rank, it would likely take decades or even a century of frugality to upgrade to the third rank.
This was the typical reality for newly ascended Purple Mansion clans. The rapid rise of the Chen family, with its unique circumstances, was nearly impossible to replicate.
Both Chen Purple Mansion elders had advanced without using family resources, and only Black Iron Mountain's spiritual vein had been upgraded with spirit stones. Such advantages were rare.
As these thoughts passed through Elian's mind, he suddenly recalled the existence of a third-rank underground fire vein in Yang Region.
Smiling, he asked, "What treasures are you selling?"
"What else could it be? Two portions of Liquid of Blazing Flame," Wei Xuyuan replied with a shake of his head. The Wei Clan's weakness left them with little access to Yang Region's resources.
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D