Chapter 386: Golden Core 3

Wherever the energy passed, cracks spiderwebbed across the walls of his Meridians. Blood seeped from his pores, instantly turning him into a bloody figure!

But Liang Cheng grit his teeth and endured. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his jaw was clenched so tight his teeth ground together.

Ice Soul Scripture, activate!

Heaven-Burning Scripture, activate!

Two completely different streams of Pill Qi erupted simultaneously! One ice-blue and one fiery-red, they flanked him on the left and right. Like two roaring dragons, they pounced on the influx of energy!

Devour!

Refine!

Fuse!

The aura around Liang Cheng began to skyrocket. Ice-blue and fiery-red light flickered in alternation, forming a massive halo around his body.

The halo pulsed erratically, each flicker accompanied by a violent tremor.

Time flowed on.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

Seven hours later—

BOOM!!!

A roar resounded from within his body!

The ice-blue and fiery-red Pill Qi roared through his Meridians, weaving together to form a massive vortex!

The vortex spun faster and faster, threatening to devour everything in its path!

At the center of the vortex, the fist-sized True Pill spun slowly.

Half ice-blue and half fiery-red, it was far more solid and brilliant than before!

[Ice Soul Scripture First Layer: Great Success (326,758/400,000)]

[Heaven-Burning Scripture First Layer: Great Success (324,566/400,000)]

‘What a pleasant surprise!’

A wave of ecstasy surged through Liang Cheng.

He had never imagined that the Human-faced Spider Demon Core would allow him to progress so much. In just seven hours, the progress of both Cultivation Techniques had surged by over a hundred thousand!

‘In that case, I should strike while the iron is hot!’

‘The Mayfly Life Chart has no bottlenecks. Success is guaranteed.’

The Tier Eight Demon Cores he’d saved now had a purpose.

At this thought, Liang Cheng took out the Tier Eight Demon Cores.

Each was the size of a fist and they came in various colors: some were black as ink, others red as blood, and some a deep, icy blue.

Every single one contained a tremendous amount of energy.

He took a deep breath and grasped a Tier Eight Demon Core.

The Crossing the Sea True Intent activated once more!

…

Liang Cheng sat motionless, like an old monk deep in meditation.

One by one, the Demon Cores in his hand shrank. They went from the size of a fist to the size of a thumb, their vibrant colors fading to a dull, grayish-white before they finally crumbled to dust and slipped through his fingers.

He had already lost count of how many he had refined.

Ten?

Twenty?

Or thirty?

All he could remember was that with each refinement, the berserk energy rampaged through his body, tearing his Meridians apart time and time again, only for them to be healed by his circulating Cultivation Techniques.

Over and over, the cycle repeated.

Finally, as the last Tier Eight Demon Core crumbled to dust, Liang Cheng could feel it—he was just a hair’s breadth away from the tipping point.

He took a deep breath and pushed his Crossing the Sea True Intent to its absolute limit!

BOOM!

The final surge of energy, like a flood from a broken dam, rushed madly into his body!

His Meridians bulged instantly, throbbing with a dull ache as if they might burst at any moment!

The Ice Soul Scripture and Heaven-Burning Scripture simultaneously activated to their absolute limits!

The two-colored Pill Qi intertwined like two great dragons, opening their gaping maws to clamp down hard on the surge of energy!

Devour!

Refine!

Fuse!

The True Pill trembled violently. The ice-blue and fiery-red lights flickered in alternation, growing faster and brighter—

HUMMM!!!

A soft chime rang out.

The True Pill abruptly went still.

Then, a profound and mystical ripple emanated from deep within the True Pill.

The ripple spread outward in concentric circles, causing his entire Dantian to tremble slightly wherever it passed!

Understanding dawned on Liang Cheng.

He closed his eyes, his Divine Sense turning inward.

An invisible power rose from the depths of his Sea of Consciousness. Like a trickling stream, it flowed slowly along his Meridians, finally converging in his Dantian to envelop the True Pill, layer by layer.

And then—

It ignited.

BOOM!!!

An invisible flame ignited within his Dantian!

This was no ordinary flame. It was the Heart Fire—the fire of one’s own Dao Heart, ignited by one’s spirit!

The moment the Heart Fire ignited, the True Pill turned crimson!

Excruciating pain!

A pain so intense it felt like being torn apart!

Ten times more painful than refining the Demon Cores!

A hundred times!

The True Pill was a Martial Artist’s foundation, yet now it was being scorched by the Heart Fire.

The pain was like having his own heart roasted over a fire or deep-fried in boiling oil!

Each searing pulse felt like ten thousand steel needles piercing him at once!

But Liang Cheng remained utterly still.

He knew this was a path he had to walk.

After Core Formation, to advance further, one had to ignite the Heart Fire. By scorching the Golden Core day and night, one could temper away all impurities and forge a whole, flawless Golden Core.

This was a Martial Artist’s second metamorphosis after Core Formation and Breaking Mortality.

Survive this, and the Golden Core would become indestructible, the bones would become like Jade Bone, and the body would be untouched by the ravages of time.

Liang Cheng clenched his jaw and desperately held his focus.

Sweat had long since soaked his entire body, only to be evaporated by his body heat, forming a faint white mist that swirled around him.

Within his Dantian, the Heart Fire burned ever more intensely.

The True Pill tumbled in the flames as a web of fine cracks appeared on its surface—traces of impurities being burned away.

The appearance of every new crack was accompanied by a piercing wave of pain.

And yet, the cracks would then heal in the flames, leaving the pill even more solid and brilliant than before.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

…

Ten times.

…

A hundred times.

…

A thousand times.

…

Each searing burn was a new tempering.

Each healing was a new rebirth.

An unknown amount of time passed.

The Heart Fire gradually subsided.

Within his Dantian, a fist-sized Golden Core floated silently.

It was perfectly spherical and radiated a brilliant golden light, without a single flaw.

A perfect whole.

Flawless Perfection.

[Ice Soul Scripture Second Layer: Beginner Level (1/500,000)]

[Heaven-Burning Scripture Second Layer: Beginner Level (1/500,000)]

Liang Cheng opened his eyes, a golden light flashing within them before vanishing.

For a brief moment, his gaze seemed to pierce through the void, directly perceiving the origin of all things.

But in that same instant, a sudden change occurred deep within his Sea of Consciousness!

BOOM!!!

The drop of Divine Soul Liquid that had been floating silently in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly exploded!

The drop of Divine Soul Liquid had lain dormant in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness, but now it exploded into countless golden motes of light. Like a sky full of stars, they scattered to every corner of his Sea of Consciousness!

Wherever the golden motes of light fell, the Sea of Consciousness itself expanded.

The Sea of Consciousness, originally a hundred zhang across, expanded outward at a visible rate, surging like a tide into the endless void.

One hundred zhang.

Two hundred zhang.

Five hundred zhang.

One thousand zhang!

It only came to a halt after expanding to ten times its original size!

In the center of the Sea of Consciousness, a turquoise short sword floated silently.

It was the Ling Frost Short Sword, which had previously merged into his Sea of Consciousness. Now, it too was bathed in the golden light, its blade trembling faintly as it let out a clear, crisp ring.

With a mere thought from Liang Cheng.

The short sword instantly transformed into a streak of cyan light, darting and weaving through his Sea of Consciousness!

It moved with the speed of lightning, circling the entire edge of his Sea of Consciousness in a single instant!

It could cross a thousand miles in the blink of an eye!

Only now had the Ling Frost Short Sword truly become his Spirit Soldier!

Wherever his thought went, the sword would follow!

He took a deep breath, suppressing the elation in his heart.

He looked down at his hands and slowly clenched his fists.

BOOM!

An unprecedented sense of power surged from within him!

It felt as if a single punch could shatter mountains, a single kick could cleave rivers!

An indestructible Golden Core!

Now, even if his physical body were grievously wounded, he could slowly recover as long as his Golden Core remained intact. He could even regrow a shattered heart.

As long as the Golden Core remained!

But more importantly—

His lifespan.

He closed his eyes and silently perceived it.

His own lifespan now extended to a thousand years—the mark of a Golden Core Realm expert!

A thousand years was enough time to witness empires rise and fall, enough time to travel to the farthest corners of the world!

Liang Cheng opened his eyes, a faint smile touching his lips.

He stood up and stretched his limbs.

A series of pops and cracks echoed as a feeling of immense relief washed over him. His previously broken ribs and torn muscles were now completely healed, as if they had never been injured in the first place.

He sent out his Divine Sense.

One thousand zhang!

Two thousand zhang!

Three thousand zhang!

Within a radius of three thousand zhang, not even the slightest stir could escape his perception!

He could even “see” the rise and fall of the Three-Eyed Demon Ape’s chest outside the hall and “hear” the low roars of distant Fierce Beasts!

The sense of crisis he’d felt from the Tier Nine Three-Eyed Demon Ape outside the hall had faded considerably.

It wasn’t that the danger had vanished. Rather, with his newfound strength, he was now qualified to investigate it himself.

‘Now that my Golden Core is formed, where in this world can I not go?’

‘Today, I have forged my Golden Core; from now on, my fate is mine and not for the heavens to decide!’

Liang Cheng clenched his fists, a golden light glinting in his eyes.

Just as he was about to leave the hall, suddenly—