The Western Extreme Sea is what it's called in the Western Wasteland Domain. No one knows how vast it is…

It's boundlessly vast and is rumored to connect to other seas, with no known boundaries.

Rumors constantly circulated on the Qunxing Archipelago that beyond the sea lay… a much larger Cultivation World.

Nascent Soul Cultivators have been known to fly for years without sighting the shores of the Western Extreme Sea, returning without success.

Others have steered massive Flying Boats to explore the sea, never to return.

No one knows whether they met with misfortune or if they discovered a vast Cultivation World beyond the sea.

Jia Ren had no interest in exploring the Western Extreme Sea. Flying around for eight or ten years with no result, while encountering powerful Magical Beasts and Bizarre Demons hidden in the sea, seemed less appealing than finding a safe place to quietly develop.

His Insect External Incarnation, having transformed into the Sonic-Thief Mosquito King, scattered its numerous forms. Each form carried an Evil Warding Talisman to scout for Bizarre Demons.

His true self activated a Demon-Spotting Talisman to sense demonic aura, while the Eye of Potential searched for areas where Spirit Veins converged.

The nest of the Golden-eyed Sea Lion Beast isn't bad… Abundant in Spiritual Energy, far from the Qunxing Archipelago; the phenomena from Golden Core formation would hardly be detectable there.

Jia Ren recalled the Golden-eyed Sea Lion Beast's nest he had seen not long after arriving at the Qunxing Archipelago; it was indeed a treasure trove of Spiritual Energy.

He changed direction, flying towards the area he remembered.

Is this creature still around?

Never mind, I won't bother it.

Late Golden Core Stage Magical Beasts are difficult to handle. One might be able to fight and win, but ensuring a killing blow is not guaranteed.

A tiger that isn't killed when beaten will inevitably cause trouble later.

Jia Ren didn't want the Golden-eyed Sea Lion Beast retaliating against him during the critical moment of his Golden Core formation.

Using a large quantity of Bizarre Sound Talismans could kill the Golden-eyed Sea Lion Beast, but doing so would contaminate the area with bizarre power.

The disturbance caused by the Bizarre Sound Talismans might be too great, potentially attracting unwarranted disasters.

He continued to fly onward, unknowingly putting ten thousand li between himself and the Qunxing Archipelago.

Along the way, he encountered several fine locations abundant in Spiritual Energy; unfortunately, all of them were occupied by sea beasts, with no easy pickings available.

If I don't find one soon, I'll have to take one by force.

After flying another thousand li or so, he found a place rich in Spiritual Energy occupied by an early Third-order octopus-like monster.

I'll just randomly pick an unlucky Magical Beast. You're it!

With a flick of his hand, a golden finger beam shot towards the Octopus Sea Demon, but the Metal Finger Technique was too weak to harm a Golden Core Level Magical Beast.

The strike infuriated the Octopus Sea Demon, which launched its tentacles in an attack.

The Sea Demon's Law Domain manifested first, exerting a powerful suction force that pulled Jia Ren involuntarily towards the attacking tentacles.

"Come out!"

A huge Mysterious Turtle Shell appeared before him, with no limbs or head visible.

The Thousand-Year-Old Black Turtle had long become accustomed to its master's quirks; every time it left the Mountain and River Pearl, it instinctively retracted its vulnerable parts into its shell.

As it turned out, this practice was correct; the attack followed immediately, striking hard against the turtle shell.

Sure enough, the thickest armor takes the hardest hits...

The Octopus Sea Demon, upon seeing Jia Ren summon a Turtle Demon stronger than itself, quickly conceded defeat and beat a hasty retreat.

However, it hadn't fled far before five Flying Corpse Demons, exuding a dense deathly aura and as tough as refined metal, appeared out of nowhere, blocking its path.

None of the Flying Corpse Demons were to be trifled with; each was stronger than the Sea Demon itself.

A large cloud of ink spewed forth, spreading through the seawater with astonishing speed.

The five Flying Corpse Demons lost their bearings in the ink, flailing about like headless flies, unable to sense the fleeing Octopus Sea Demon.

"Fall!"

A drop of Seven Xuan Yuan Heavy Water gathered at his fingertips, lightning flickering within it. It shot out at an alarming speed, smashing right onto the Octopus Sea Demon's head.

BOOM!

The Seven Xuan Yuan Heavy Water seemed small, but it was actually compressed from a large amount of Profound Water; a single drop weighed as much as a small hill.

The Octopus Sea Demon's head was nearly crushed, and it sank deep into the seabed, immobilized.

The five Flying Corpse Demons burst out of the ink cloud and, giving the resilient Sea Demon no chance to retaliate, decisively slaughtered it.

That's settled!

Expertly slaying the demon to extract its core, he collected the Monster Beast Meat and Demonic Beast Materials from the Octopus Sea Demon—treasures used in Artifact Refining and Talisman Crafting.

The main prize was the spirit-rich area occupied by the Octopus Sea Demon.

"You all look for any Bizarre Demons around."

Soon, the scattered forms of the Sonic-Thief Mosquito King returned with good news: there were no Third-order Monster Beasts within a thousand-li radius, and no Bizarre Demons within a three-thousand-li radius.

"Guard the home well."

The Insect External Incarnation, along with the five Flying Corpse Demons, stood guard outside the Cave, responsible for his safety.

Jia Ren entered the coral reef previously occupied by the octopus and began to modify its interior, eventually creating a barely usable Cave.

He activated a water-repelling barrier, dispersing the water and leaving the Cave clean and dry.

Jia Ren cultivated the Seven Revolutions Mysterious Primordial Secret Technique, aiming to raise its Proficiency Level as high as possible.

He also practiced the Star God Art and several other secret techniques during the rest of his time, making steady progress.

Half a year passed unnoticed, and his Proficiency Level in the Seven Revolutions Mysterious Primordial Secret Technique reached Great Grandmaster Level. Combined with the Five-patterned Golden Core Pill, his Golden Core formation would be assured.

I can begin now!

Jia Ren wore a suit of Evil-Warding Full Body Armor, leaving no vulnerabilities exposed.

He donned a garment made of a thousand Evil Warding Talismans, with thousands of Mind-Guarding Talismans set aside. Additionally, he had twelve Suppressing Fiend Holy Fire Commands and a large number of Banishing Evil Talisman Pills.

Outside the Cave, various Formations, including the Suoling Formation and the Thousand Illusion Cloud Net Formation, were activated.

The Insect External Incarnation, along with the five Flying Corpse Demons, stood guard. This defensive lineup was far stronger than when he had achieved Foundation Establishment Completion.

Jia Ren sat cross-legged, adjusting his state, his Essence, Energy, and Spirit perfectly harmonious and unified.

Begin!

All Formations sprang to life as Jia Ren decisively took out a Five-patterned Golden Core Pill and swallowed it.

The immense medicinal power unfolded, coursing through his limbs and bones.

This medicinal power seemed nearly endless. Under its permeation, his Spiritual Power, meridians, flesh, and bones were all imbued with a golden radiance.

He appeared like a figure crafted from pure gold, with every pore exuding golden motes of light.

The medicinal power of the Five-patterned Golden Core Pill was too astonishing; an ordinary Cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment could hardly withstand such immense potency.

"Refine!"

The Cang Hai Jue technique operated, absorbing the medicinal power. His Spiritual Power circulated at a shocking rate, transforming it for his own use.

After being compressed by the Seven Revolutions Mysterious Primordial Secret Technique and absorbing the medicinal power of the Five-patterned Golden Core Pill, the golden hue within his Spiritual Power became even more concentrated, like molten gold, swiftly converging towards his lower Dantian.

"Gather!"

His Spiritual Power completed a Grand Circulation. Countless streams of Spiritual Power gradually compressed, outlining a phantom Core shadow.

A False Core!

Many Cultivators were stuck at this step, becoming False Core Cultivators. Only when the phantom Core shadow solidified into reality could it become a true Golden Core.

Turning illusion into reality, condensing the liquid spiritual power into a Golden Core—countless Cultivators failed at this step, unable to form their Core.

This was not challenging for Jia Ren, with his substantial accumulation.

The golden Spiritual Power, as dense as liquid mercury, rapidly gathered. It filled the phantom of the False Core until all the Spiritual Power had poured in, forming a perfectly round, golden Pill.

Is it done?

But Golden Core formation was far from this simple. This Pill was unstable, merely Spiritual Power forcibly compressed, not yet truly firm and secure.

It would be fine to maintain it normally, but as soon as one took action, it would revert to its original form.

A False Core is false, after all, and not real.

The first stage, the Core Condensation trial, was overcome. Next was the second stage, the most perilous one.

Fire Refinement of the Golden Core!

True gold is not afraid of the forge, and a Golden Core is not afraid of True Fire. Gold represents immortality; only by undergoing True Fire refining and forging an immortal golden nature can it truly be called a Golden Core.

Innate True Fire surged upwards, using oneself as the crucible, forging a dazzling Golden Core.

Should the internal refinement of the Golden Core fail, resulting in a 'furnace explosion,' the Cultivator attempting Golden Core formation would face almost certain death.

This was also the most perilous stage for Cultivators attempting Golden Core formation; not the slightest carelessness could be afforded.

Jia Ren had ingested the Five-patterned Golden Core Pill. His Spiritual Power had turned a pure gold color, free of impurities, presenting no obstruction to forging the immortal golden nature.

Strands of soul power flowed into the Golden Core, tempering Spiritual Power and soul together.

With the infusion of soul power, akin to adding the finishing touch to a painted dragon's eyes, the Golden Core gained a semblance of consciousness, spinning ceaselessly.

With the body as the furnace! Refine the True Core with fire!

Alchemy was his forte. Though refining a Core within his body was his first attempt, he handled it with ease, his actions incredibly proficient.

Under his Extraordinary Saint Level fire control technique, Innate True Fire gradually tempered the Golden Core. As the Golden Core circulated, the Innate True Fire, empowered by the golden Spiritual Power, also grew stronger, slowly transforming towards Elixir Fire.

The True Fire was vigorous, its flames becoming increasingly scorching, endlessly thriving.

The flames were exceedingly persistent and stable, burning away impurities from within the Golden Core. The golden Pill within the flames gradually shrank, becoming exquisitely translucent.

The fire refinement of the True Core continued for half a year. By the time it concluded, the golden Pill had shrunk to the size of his little fingertip.

The Golden Core was stable, unlike before when it needed to be maintained to preserve its form.

It would now remain permanently stable in this state.

It seems I over-refined it a bit; the Golden Core is a little small…

Others' freshly formed Golden Cores, depending on their accumulation, were about the size of a pigeon's egg.

After mastering the Seven Revolutions Mysterious Primordial Secret Technique, Jia Ren's accumulation far surpassed those of the same rank. Under normal circumstances, he could have refined a Golden Core the size of a chicken egg.

However, driven by his superior alchemy and fire control skills, he had striven to refine the Golden Core to utter perfection, leaving no trace of impurity. This resulted in the condensed Golden Core being slightly smaller.

The second stage was complete. The last was the third stage: the Heart Demon Pass.

"I've finally found you!"

Jia Ren felt wisps of chilling air assail him. The space around his Cave coalesced into an immense, boundless darkness.

Looking up, he saw the Western Extreme Sea. Everything within sight was enshrouded in an enormous shadow of darkness—vast and mysterious, exuding a demonic nature.

The Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre?!

Has what I feared most actually happened?

Even hiding here, I still couldn't escape the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre's influence?!

My Evil-Warding Full Body Armor and numerous other Evil-Warding Treasures… can none of them stop its invasion?

What level of strength has the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre reached now?

Jia Ren's strength was improving, but the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre hadn't stopped growing stronger either.

No, its growth far outpaced Jia Ren's by too much.

"I will send you to your death!"

Jia Ren's face showed no fear; he would meet force with force, adapt to any situation. The Wings of Annihilation materialized behind him. Just as he was about to strike, the illusion before him suddenly shattered.

The thousand Mind-Guarding Talismans radiated a white light, protecting his mind and spirit, smoothly guiding him out of the Heart Demon's influence.

The Evil-Warding Full Body Armor and Evil-Warding Talisman robes were intact, showing no signs of having been triggered by any Bizarre Demons.

This was the Heart Demon Pass? Not the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre?

A false alarm!

A typical Heart Demon Pass indeed fell far short compared to the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre.

A Golden Core swallowed, my lifespan will henceforth rival the immortals.

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