SFS Chapter 186: The Strange Phenomenon of Core Formation
Chapter 186: The Strange Phenomenon of Core Formation
The next day, early in the morning.
Li Yourong, Huang Cheng, and Liu Hu awoke in a cave 600 miles away.
Upon waking up, they saw Yang Jiuli standing beside them.
"Ninth Brother...where are we?" Huang Cheng scratched his head, looked around, and asked.
The cave we're in now is clearly not the same one as before!
Li Yourong also looked suspicious, and then looked at Yang Jiuli.
"We've changed locations!" Yang Jiuli said.
"Changed location?" Huang Cheng and Liu Hu were taken aback upon hearing this.
"What happened to those Qi Refining cultivators?" Huang Cheng asked.
"I've already taken care of it!" Yang Jiuli said.
"Is it resolved?" Huang Cheng scratched his head.
"Ninth Brother, didn't I take the antidote and barrier-avoidance pills you gave me? How come I still seem to have been affected?"
Huang Cheng asked.
Li Yourong also looked puzzled, blinking her beautiful eyes as she looked at Yang Jiuli.
"The venom of that demonic serpent was too potent, and the antidote failed to completely eliminate it; it was my carelessness!"
Yang Jiuli said.
"That's true. That's a late-stage first-order demonic serpent, not to be underestimated. However, apart from feeling dizzy and like I'm drunk, I don't seem to be in any serious condition. Ninth Brother, the antidote pills you made are truly effective."
Huang Cheng said casually.
As long as he is physically unharmed, he has nothing more to say!
After all, if it weren't for Ninth Brother right now, he really wouldn't have a good way to deal with it.
Li Yourong blinked her beautiful eyes and looked at Yang Jiuli, feeling a strange, indescribable feeling in her heart.
"Why am I always unconscious whenever Master Yang makes a move?" Li Yourong murmured.
"Is it a coincidence?"
"Or..." Her thoughts were racing.
However, she quickly came to terms with it!
If it weren't a coincidence, asking for clarification would only hurt feelings.
As things stand, this is actually the best situation.
"Master Yang, do you know which faction these people belong to?" Li Yourong asked.
"I found the Golden Cloud Sect's waist token on one of them..." Yang Jiuli said.
As he spoke, he moved his hand.
A waist tag flew towards Li Yourong.
That was Ding Moling's waist tag.
"Jinxia Gate... As expected, the beast tide is related to them!" Li Yourong took the waist token and glanced at it, her expression changing drastically.
Her face was solemn.
"It seems they're going to make a move against the Li family!"
Li Yourong was also a clever person.
In the past few months, she had heard some rumors that the Li family patriarch of the Azure Flame Immortal Sect had already collected all the "Replenishing Vitality Pills".
Jinxiamen's move was entirely expected.
"Don't worry, this is ultimately under the jurisdiction of the Azure Flame Immortal Sect, and even the cultivators of the Golden Glow Sect wouldn't dare to linger for too long!"
Yang Jiuli said.
"Yes!" Li Yourong nodded.
Afterwards, the group stayed in the cave for two days before Yang Jiuli sent Xiao Bing and the two ferrets to scout out the way towards Black Wind City.
After confirming that no one was following them, they began to slowly make their way back to Blackwind City.
……
April 19th, sunny.
Azure Flame Immortal Sect.
At the summit of Hongyan Peak.
The location of Li Hongtai's Taoist temple.
At the summit of the mountain, there is an elegant villa. By the stream, spirit deer drink water, and in the spirit pool, mist rises and spirit fish leap up, bite off a lotus petal, swallow it, and then disappear into the water. There is also a spirit fox lying lazily under a maple tree.
It appeared peaceful and serene.
Suddenly, a powerful wave swept out.
The spirit fish and deer all looked alarmed and gazed toward the cave dwelling hidden in the back wall of the villa.
That was the place where Li Hongtai was in seclusion, protected by a third-order array.
At that moment, flames burst forth from the cave.
High in the sky, the clouds churned and evolved into a huge vortex.
The vortex was frantically devouring the fire elemental energy within a radius of a thousand miles.
"Great-grandfather, it's time to form your core!" Li Zhanfei's gaze sharpened as he stood on Hongyan Peak.
He looked up, his heart surging with emotion.
There was still a bit of tension.
On the four side peaks of Hongyan Peak.
Each of them had a member of the Li family who established a foundation and took charge.
For example: Li Wenchang, Li Huacheng, Li Jianfeng, Li Zhengyang.
They all looked towards the main peak with expectant expressions.
At the same time, they released their divine senses to monitor the fluctuations around them.
Clearly, they were protecting Li Hongtai, fearing that someone might disturb his Core Formation.
After all, Li Hongtai's formation of the Golden Core stage is related to the future rise and fall of the Li family, and they cannot afford to make any mistakes.
As for the two remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Li clan, they had duties to perform and were dispatched to other areas, so they were unable to guard this place.
The immense fire elemental energy was drawn in, roaring like rivers of fire, and converging high above Hongyan Peak.
These flames painted the horizon with patches of fiery clouds.
The enormous vortex grew larger and larger, completely obscuring Hongyan Peak.
Along with this came a spiritual pressure comparable to that of a pseudo-Dan cultivator, which descended and frightened away the birds and beasts in all directions.
In the distance, Qingyun Peak.
Mu Jinchuan stood atop the mountain, looking towards Hongyan Peak.
Beside him stood Makimori.
"Grandpa, Peak Master Li is preparing to form his core. Judging from his unusual appearance, he seems to be on the verge of forming a pseudo-core!" Mu Shoushan said.
"This Li Hongtai cultivates the third-tier technique 'Separating Fire and Gathering Sea Technique'... and possesses a mid-to-high-grade spiritual root, so condensing a pseudo-core shouldn't be difficult for him." Mu Jinchuan stroked his long beard, looked at Hongyan Peak, and said calmly, "Now, the only uncertainty is whether the 'Replenishing Essence and Correcting Self Pill' he refined can help him condense a nascent core and step into the ranks of Core Formation True Persons!"
"If Peak Master Li successfully condenses his Void Core, our Azure Flame Immortal Sect's ranking in the Chu Kingdom can be raised by several places!" Mu Shoushan's eyes lit up. Most of the seven third-tier immortal sects in the Chu Kingdom only have three Core Formation True Persons. If there were four, not only could they improve their ranking, but they could also get more of the secret realm slots that the Chu Kingdom's immortal sects share.
This is of great significance for improving the overall strength of the third-tier immortal sects.
For example, the upcoming "Mysterious Netherworld" will only have thirty slots available to the Azure Flame Immortal Sect, according to the previous quota.
If Li Hongtai successfully forms his core, ten more spots will be added.
If even one or two of these ten people obtain some important spiritual items in the secret realm, they can advance further.
The overall strength of the sect will naturally continue to improve over the years.
Mu Jinchuan nodded slightly.
As the leader of the Azure Flame Immortal Sect, and being one of his men, Li Hongtai naturally hoped that the latter could successfully form his core.
……
At the Azure Flame Immortal Sect.
Yunmiao Peak.
A tall, elegant woman dressed in palace attire stood amidst the clouds.
The corners of her eyes were already showing crow's feet, making her look quite old.
However, as her clothes fluttered in the wind, she exuded an aura of transcendence and dominance.
This woman was Yun Zhanyu, another Core Formation True Person from the Azure Flame Immortal Sect.
He is now over 398 years old.
Even after taking anti-aging pills, it's still difficult to resist the signs of aging.
Beside her stood a woman of exceptional beauty and grace.
It was Yun Xiaoyue, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who had gone to Black Wind City in the past.
Both of them looked towards Hongyan Peak.
"The strange phenomenon has enveloped an area of six miles. Li Hongtai is most likely about to successfully form his core!" Yun Xiaoyue said solemnly.
The strength of the Core Formation phenomenon is determined by the weakness of the cultivator's foundation, thus representing the cultivator's potential.
If the unusual phenomenon can only cover an area of four miles, it indicates that the person's foundation is weak and it will be difficult for them to successfully condense the elixir.
Once you reach a distance of four miles or more, you can hope to obtain the elixir.
The strange phenomenon triggered by Li Hongtai is now nearly six miles long, and condensing a false core is no longer a problem.
If you travel more than ten miles, you will have a chance to obtain the Void Core.
"He is indeed a remarkable person. He obtained the 'Replenishing Essence and Correcting Self Pill Formula' early on, but he took it one step at a time, planning for more than thirty years before finally forming his core..." Yun Zhanyu said calmly, her eyes revealing no emotion as she looked ahead.
It's unclear whether Li Hongtai's formation of the Golden Core stage is a cause for joy or sorrow.
"Grand Uncle... Yunmeng Lake... failed!" Yun Xiaoyue looked at Yun Zhanyu with a hint of probing.
Yun Zhanyu remained silent, still looking at Hongyan Peak, seemingly oblivious to the words spoken by the young man beside him.
Seeing this, Yun Xiaoyue breathed a slight sigh of relief.
……
"It's a phenomenon indicating the formation of the Golden Core..."
"Li Feng is about to form his Core!"
"With this kind of momentum... condensing a fake core shouldn't be a problem!"
"Excellent! If our Azure Flame Immortal Sect gains another Pseudo-Core Formation cultivator... we can obtain even more resources."
At the Azure Flame Immortal Sect, countless cultivators flew into the sky, looking towards the Red Flame Peak.
Many cultivators who were not from the Mu or Yun clans were filled with excitement.
……
Hongyan Peak.
Inside the cave.
Li Hongtai was sitting cross-legged on a piece of fire jade.
There are nine fire crystal pillars around him, covered with mysterious runes.
At this moment, flames rose from the pillar, gathered above his head, and evolved into a huge vortex three zhang wide.
This vortex, churning and swirling, seemed to connect to the outside world, frantically drawing in the fire elemental energy from there.
The dense fire elemental energy poured down like a silver river, showering down on Li Hongtai.
However, in an instant, it was completely absorbed and refined by a vortex that evolved from Li Hongtai's dantian.
At this moment, Li Hongtai appeared extremely calm, and he had a clear understanding of the steps involved in forming the Golden Core.
At this time, he was already 150 years old!
Among Foundation Establishment cultivators, he is considered to be in his prime.
As early as fifty-one years ago, he obtained a great deal of information about the cave dwelling of Master Liuyun.
He prepared for nineteen years in order to obtain the inheritance of Master Liuyun.
Thirty-two years ago, after reaching the late stage of Foundation Establishment and learning many methods to break restrictions, he finally made his move.
With his solid foundation and numerous prepared methods, he finally broke through Liu Yun Zhenren's restriction.
And after the news leaked out, he defeated Kuang Guang and obtained the inheritance of Master Liuyun.
After receiving the inheritance, he immediately returned to the Azure Flame Immortal Sect and secluded himself to avoid being ambushed.
They also tried to curry favor with Makichikawa in exchange for protection.
Thirty-two years later, he solidified his foundation and completely improved his alchemy skills to the third level before he was able to refine the "Replenishing Essence and Rectifying Self Pill".
Now that he has begun to form his core, he is surprisingly calm.
At this moment, the liquid mana within his body was being continuously compressed and condensed.
There are signs of crystallization.
Within his dantian, three Dao flowers swayed.
Originally, beneath the three Dao flowers lay a vast expanse of fire spirit power, like a boundless ocean.
There is also a rich fire elemental energy maintaining the normal operation of the Dao Flower.
This time, the immense fire spirit power was condensed into crystals, affecting the normal operation of the dantian immortal foundation phenomenon.
These three Daoist flowers—Heaven, Earth, and Man—were like rootless duckweed, their momentum somewhat diminished.
If this continues, it will decline, thereby damaging the foundation of the Dao, and naturally it will be unable to condense into a pill!
Therefore...
Under these circumstances, a large amount of fire elemental energy is needed.
Li Hongtai is from a third-tier immortal sect and possesses a third-tier fire vein. He is also surrounded by a third-tier 'Spirit Gathering Array,' which draws in not only abundant and rich fire spirit energy, but also a purity far exceeding that of a second-tier spirit vein. Under the operation of his cultivation technique...
The powerful fire elemental energy was drawn into his dantian.
The three Dao flowers swayed, each evolving into a vortex, absorbing and refining everything.
Thus, Daohua's momentum was restored, showing no signs of decline.
Seeing this, Li Hongtai also breathed a sigh of relief.
"With the assistance of a third-tier spirit-gathering array... I don't need to worry about not having enough spiritual energy... I can focus on condensing my core."
Li Hongtai whispered, then continued to compress and condense the liquid magic power within his body.
This is an extremely long process that requires countless trials and tribulations.
He condensed the magical power within his dantian, the entire Immortal Foundation Dao Sea, into a crystalline form.
Finally, it condenses into a pill.