The message was sent out, leaving everyone in silence.
Elian sighed inwardly, handed a ledger to the others, and said,
"This time, we've lost nineteen Purple Mansion cultivators and 260 Foundation Establishment cultivators."
"Over a thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators made it out, but most have been infiltrated by demonic energy. If it isn't purged, they're at risk of falling into demonic cultivation."
The crowd's expressions turned grim. Although they had managed to kill over half of the Demon Lair's Purple Mansion cultivators, their side had suffered greatly as well.
The Tianxu Alliance sent over twenty Purple Mansion cultivators and more than 200 Foundation Establishment cultivators, with the Purple Abyss Sect deploying a similar number.
Meanwhile, the Azuregreen Sect and Celestial Sky Sword Sect had mobilized nearly all their forces, sending a combined total of eighty Purple Mansion cultivators and over 700 Foundation Establishment cultivators.
In total, over a hundred Purple Mansion cultivators and more than a thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators joined the battle. However, fewer than 900 Foundation Establishment cultivators returned alive, and only about a hundred Purple Mansion cultivators survived.
The loss of so many cultivators came with a financial toll—compensation alone would amount to several million spirit stones, a cost that was unbearably heavy.
Everyone wore pained expressions; even one of the four major Golden Core powers would struggle to bear such a financial blow.
Seeing their somber faces, Jiang Linglong finally said,
"We cannot allow despair to spread. The compensations owed must not be withheld."
"With the spirit herb gardens of our four great sects pooling resources, we should be able to refine a dozen batches of Foundation Establishment pills every ten years."
"With my pill refinement success rate, it will take just twenty years to provide compensation to the Foundation Establishment cultivators."
Hearing this, everyone nodded. Jiang Linglong's alchemy skills were the best in the Chu Kingdom, and with her refining the pills, costs could be significantly reduced.
With the compensation for the Foundation Establishment cultivators addressed, they began to brainstorm for the Purple Mansion cultivators.
Elder Taigu of the Azuregreen Sect said,
"Our Azuregreen Sect has several Earth veins that produce ten Five Element Crystals every sixty years."
"We will contribute ten crystals."
After calculating, they determined that compensating the nineteen Purple Mansion cultivators would require thirty-eight Five Element Crystals. Elder Taigu's offer covered a portion but fell short.
At this, Celestial Sky Sword Sect's Grand Elder shook his head,
"This battle started because of your Azuregreen Sect, and it was Daoist Taicang who betrayed us. Your sect also suffered the most casualties in the battle."
"Now, as we pool funds, nearly half will go toward compensating your sect. Yet, you offer only ten crystals?"
Elder Taigu's face reddened in shame. Of the nineteen Purple Mansion cultivators who perished, ten were from the Azuregreen Sect.
Daoist Taicang's betrayal had caught everyone off guard, leading to heavy losses for the Azuregreen Sect.
Gritting his teeth, Elder Taigu said, "We will provide fifteen crystals."
With the Azuregreen Sect shouldering fifteen crystals, the remaining sects agreed to contribute eight crystals each, resolving the compensation issue.
Afterward, Elian spoke, "With so many Foundation Establishment cultivators infiltrated by demonic energy, we must find a way to purge it."
Everyone's expressions grew heavy. Nearly a thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators represented a century of effort by the Chu Kingdom and the Azuregreen Sect.
From such a pool, it was inevitable that many would rise to become Purple Mansion cultivators, and some might even ascend to the Golden Core stage in the future.
If the demonic energy wasn't removed, it would hinder their cultivation and possibly lead some to fall into demonic paths.
Demonic energy was corrosive. While external contamination could be burned away with pure fire, internal demonic energy was far more difficult to handle. Using overly aggressive methods could damage the cultivators' bodies and meridians, leaving them crippled even if the demonic energy was expelled.
There were two common methods for purging demonic energy. The first involved using pure spiritual energy to slowly refine and expel the energy over time—a long and arduous process. Foundation Establishment cultivators, in particular, would struggle due to their less potent spiritual energy.
Having been exposed to demonic energy for two hours, these cultivators would require twenty years to fully expel it.
The second method, developed after extensive research against demon cultivators, was to use Demon Purification Spirit Liquid to neutralize and wash away the demonic energy.
At this, Jiang Linglong looked around and said, "I have the formula for the Demon Purification Spirit Liquid."
"What are the costs?" Grand Elder Qian's eyes lit up with hope.
"To produce a single elixir typically costs 1,000 spirit stones. However, if we mass-produce over a thousand, the cost per elixir can be reduced to 600 spirit stones."
She added, "Given the number of cultivators needing the elixir, the demand for spiritual herbs will be immense. I fear the Chu Kingdom alone may not have enough resources."
After calculating, they determined that the level of contamination required only one elixir per Foundation Establishment cultivator, amounting to around 600,000 spirit stones for 1,000 elixirs.
Divided among the four Golden Core powers, the cost was manageable. Each sect could afford their share, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the matter was settled.
With compensation and the purification issue addressed, they turned to tallying the spoils of war.
Strictly speaking, fighting demon cultivators was often unprofitable compared to battling monster clans.
Demonic treasures were often malicious and cursed. Extended use could corrupt the user's soul and alter their character. As a result, righteous cultivators would often destroy such items outright.
Nonetheless, the battle yielded significant spoils. They had killed 20,000 to 30,000 demon cultivators, nearly half of the Demon Lair's forces.
Despite the hasty retreat, they collected nearly 10,000 storage bags containing valuable items.
A tally revealed over 500,000 spirit stones and various treasures worth over 1 million spirit stones, not including several million blood crystals and numerous malicious demonic artifacts.
Among the spoils were the storage bags of the Blood Robe Elder and the black demon sword of Demon Yan.
The Blood Robe Elder's storage bag contained a low-tier fourth-rank demonic treasure and a fourth-rank spiritual material. Demon Yan's black demon sword was a fourth-rank celestial sword forged from Black Abyss Ancient Gold and infused with potent demonic energy.
Examining the demonic treasures, Jiang Linglong picked up the black demon sword and said, "These treasures may be unusable, but we can melt them down for materials to forge new artifacts."
"I will take this celestial sword. The rest can be distributed among you."
...
100+ chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D