Chapter 129: Manifesting a demonic portent, purple qi arrives from the east, blessing the land

And the qi of heaven and earth acted like a medium, melting together the visualized objects and all this incense and thought power.

Three different powers produced a strange effect within Ye Qin's body, continually merging and interacting.

As time passed, the three forces finally showed a tendency to fuse, and at the very center a golden speck the size of a grain of rice appeared.

This represented the hope of life and the location of the purest essence.

Countless golden threads intertwined, gathering like mist and sea, wrapping the golden speck within, with power continually feeding back, forming a virtuous cycle.

Ye Qin carefully manipulated his mental power, condensing all the heaven-and-earth qi together and moving toward the golden speck; in a moment the speck grew considerably larger.

As the golden speck continually grew, a prototype of a golden core could be vaguely seen, as if filled with supreme mystery and power.

Unlike the earlier illusory qi pellet, a golden radiance enveloped the interior of the body, nourishing every organ and bringing about a qualitative change and improvement.

This is the effect of forging a golden core using oneself as the crucible.

Meanwhile, outside, unnoticed, the surrounding mist grew thicker and thicker, as if drawn by something, gathering toward this side.

In an instant, wind rose and clouds surged, the sea of clouds roiled, the mountain's silhouette like a faint ink painting projected onto the horizon, and brilliant rosy light pierced the cloud layers.

The entire mountain peak was enveloped in a faint, almost imperceptible splendor, as if an extra layer of hazy halo had been added.

Countless animals in the mountains and forests sensed this glint of light; their pupils burst with unmatched brilliance, like devout saints, they ran toward this side.

For a time, several streams of animals gathered together appeared in the forest, thickly packed as they continually rushed toward the southeast.

And outside the formation, a strange, exaggerated grin kept prowling, never giving up on trying to break in.

In the air there seemed to appear an invisible wall, blocking his approach.

That layer of hazy mist made things inscrutable, obstructing Ye Qin's form and aura, preventing the monk from accurately locating his position.

Although his smile remained unchanged, even the curve of his lips unaltered, one inexplicably felt that the monk seemed somewhat impatient.

Those black eyes revealed a chilling light, staring fixedly at the formation.

That chilly feeling again descended upon these mountains and rivers, the temperature in the air continually dropping, and the surrounding magnetic field seemed to undergo a strange change.

The small animals that had rushed over from nearby seemed to sense something, they all stopped in their tracks, and for a moment their fur stood on end, their eyes filled with wary light.

Animals are innately spiritual, close to nature, with keen perception; although they likewise could not detect the monk's presence, they could faintly sense the drop in temperature and the change in the surrounding magnetic field.

Animals possess an instinct for danger, and besides having followed Ye Qin for so long, they did not continue forward but silently gazed into the distance.

The sky darkened at some unknown time, giving the impression of an impending mountain rain with wind filling the tower; this spring rain would surely not be light, also foretelling that summer was not far off.

Towering mountain peaks rose straight from the ground, standing upright, with clouds and mist surging above the peaks, vague and indistinct.

At first glance, a huge phantom seemed to envelop the entire mountains and rivers, the clouds on the horizon all gathering together, vaguely revealing an ancient beast summoning wind and rain here, appearing grand and mighty.

The giant beast left only fleeting traces in the air, swift enough to be elusive, yet as if nothing were there—merely staring too long at the heavy clouds produced an illusion.

Ye Qin released a thread of mental power; although the golden core was still gestating and being refined, the weighty power emanating from it was incomparable.

At this moment he no longer felt the previous pain; instead, an indescribable comfort took its place.

At first it was merely a wisp of gas; day by day it accumulated into a mass, finally condensing and compressing into a qi pellet, which must be continually polished to become the later golden core.

All along the way, Ye Qin has endured so much that it feels as if it happened just yesterday; in fact, unnoticed, so much time has already passed.

Surging, mighty power wandered through his whole body, as if he had gained the ability to pierce heaven and earth; it seemed that as long as he wished now, even altering heaven and earth could be done.

Although the golden core has not yet been fully successfully forged, there is something more important before him that needs to be resolved.

Ye Qin has sensed that the formation is tottering on the brink of collapse; he estimates it won't hold much longer before the monk can break in.

He slowly opened his eyes; even his serpentine pupils seemed to have a golden light flash across, and wherever his gaze fell, the exaggerated grin became distinct.

The dark yellow kasaya fluttered in the wind with a rustling sound; the monk stood not far away, sizing up Ye Qin, and the corners of his mouth actually showed a faint tendency to sag.

That strange grin, in an instant, seemed to turn into a crying face.

The monk also perceived that Ye Qin at this moment was no longer what he used to be, as if he had crossed a major threshold in life.

For a moment, Ye Qin simply stared at the monk, and the monk likewise looked back at Ye Qin with that neither-crying-nor-smiling expression.

The two gazed at each other from afar, neither taking the first action, both waiting for an opportunity.

The feeling of the monk's unfathomable depth has largely dissipated; although it's still hard to say what kind of monster this is, after all it's merely a metaphysical AI, so the former fear is gone.

"Speaking of which, I still have to thank you."

If it weren't for the existence of this AI monk, which produced an unprecedented sense of danger, stimulating my own potential, and from the wild temple learning the use of incense and thought power, I would probably still not have found a way to break through to the golden core.

The process was somewhat tortuous, but the outcome is clearly not bad.

"But now it's also time to settle you, old monk."

Keeping this serious trouble is ultimately not a good thing.

Formerly Ye Qin would still have some apprehension when facing the monk, but now that he has touched the threshold of the golden core, the monk's threat to him has greatly diminished.

"Go!"

Instantly, the heaven-and-earth qi surged forth from within Ye Qin's body, mingled with specks of golden light, like a river of stars carrying constellations, enveloping the monk and forming a vast net that covered heaven and earth, leaving him nowhere to escape.

The purple scales at the center of his forehead also began to emit a sacred purple light, with the power of thunder and lightning intertwined within, standing ready at any moment.

Although Ye Qin's golden core has not yet fully formed, he can already draw upon the golden core power contained within, and combined with his own Thunder Divine Ability, utterly crush the monk!

"Boom!"

But at this moment, the winds and clouds changed color, the sky resounded with noise, and muffled thunder rumbled from within.

This heavenly phenomenon was not summoned by Ye Qin; it was merely the accumulated spring rain that had long been stored, finally about to fall.

The heavy cloud layer pressed the sky lower, as if it were about to meet the mountains and rivers; it seemed that in the next second the firmament could no longer bear such great pressure.

Layer upon layer of overlapping peaks, the mountain range of dark bluish-green feathers retained only a dark outline and sharp peaks.

Thick bolts of lightning tore through the heavy cloud layer, carrying a destructive, withering force as they struck the human world; the forest's small animals were startled, they all scrambled for cover, gazing at the nearby hilltop.

Ye Qin possessed the golden core's blessing, and was precisely at the moment of breakthrough amidst the changes of heaven and earth; the surging power within invisibly gave him a further boost.

Under the combined support of these factors, the present effect came about, its might greater than before.

Since it was daytime, the changes in the mountains were especially conspicuous.

Dark clouds gathered on the other side of the mountain; the once lush green mountains fell into darkness, looking somber and dark, even their outlines becoming blurry.

Many farmers working the fields were drawn to the commotion on the mountain.

「How did the sky suddenly turn black? 」

「The weather forecast said there would be rain; it really is 'saying rain and it rains'. 」

Dark clouds gathered on the other side of the mountain; the once lush green mountains fell into darkness, looking somber and dark, even their outlines becoming blurry.

Looking at the distant dark sky, it seemed even the mountains and rivers could not withstand such power; the villagers inexplicably felt a little panicked.

「It looks like the Mountain God is angry. 」

「But we haven't offended the Mountain God, and no outsiders have entered the mountain. 」

「Could it be because of the earlier project development? 」

「It's been so long; the Mountain God wouldn't be so petty, and that matter was already resolved. 」

The villagers discussed endlessly, inexplicably feeling that the weather was off.

The village chief stood at his doorstep, his gaze toward the sky becoming somewhat uneasy, his mind unsettled, yet he didn't know why.

Hu Xiaocao came back on break to visit the village chief; he had planned to leave today and return to school, but he didn't expect the spring rain to come as soon as it was said, and now he can't leave.

「Village chief, what's going on? Nothing will happen on the mountain, right? I keep feeling uneasy; should we send someone to check? 」

Some villagers running home from the fields couldn't help but ask when they passed the village chief's house.

The village chief was surprised, not expecting others to feel the same as him.

The palpitations were inexplicable, but he somehow felt they were related to the mountain.

「Going there wouldn't help; let's just pray. 」

On the Winding Mountain Road, many vehicles were traveling, also noticing the weather changes around.

「I thought it wouldn't rain today; it really is 'saying rain and it rains'. 」

「Over there, thunder suddenly boomed. 」

The thunder was deafening; even from that far away it could be heard, as if the heavens were angry.

「Strange, have you noticed that the dark clouds are heaviest above that mountain peak, while elsewhere it's fine? 」

Many people noticed the dark clouds gathering over the nearby mountain peak, almost completely obscuring the summit, as if the clouds had been drawn halfway there.

Many people parked their cars by the roadside to watch this peculiar weather phenomenon, even taking out their phones to record it.

Meanwhile, the scene inside the mountain was far more shocking than what could be seen from outside.

Purple lightning spread through the forest, intertwining with the formation; that pressure was like that of a primordial giant.

Ye Qin was in the midst of it, his whole body enveloped in purple light, the scale on his forehead shining brightly, his eyes like lightning as he gazed toward the monk's direction.

Now, Ye Qin is about to reach the Golden Core Realm; his life level is about to undergo a qualitative change, so the power of all his divine abilities has begun to increase significantly!

As for this weather change, although it has nothing to do with Ye Qin, his breakthrough and the absorption of Heaven and Earth Qi have caused the dark clouds to be drawn in accordingly.

That is why the celestial phenomena on this mountain peak look rather special.

Although it's unclear whether the ghost monk has consciousness, he may also have sensed the danger; his dark yellow robe trembled violently, as if trying to vanish into mid-air as before.

However, Ye Qin had already used Heaven and Earth Qi to seal off this place, isolating it from the world, and furthermore, the formation he set up prevented the monk from moving at all; he could only be confined in place.

That face, neither crying nor smiling, sensed the danger's arrival, finally showing a faint crack, and the monk's mouth corners kept drooping.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, murmuring something, not knowing what he was chanting.

This was the first time Ye Qin saw the monk speak, but the words that came out of his mouth were completely incomprehensible, truly puzzling.

There was no pattern at all, like disorganized syllables, not resembling any language of this world.

It was just like AI reading the big data of sentient will.

As the monk continued chanting, the temperature around him dropped further; darkness spread outward from him, as if the air itself were distorted.

An ancient aura spread, as if a dust‑sealed door had been pushed open.

It felt somewhat like the sensation in the wild temple before, but different; this force was more dangerous and uncontrollable, like AI big data overloaded and about to crash, far lacking the conservation of the wild temple's magnetic field energy.

Ye Qin's expression grew somewhat solemn; the faint, fluctuating aura gave him a feeling of unease.

We must deal with this monk quickly, or else something bad is likely to happen.

Ye Qin suddenly had an urgent thought—his body's instinct warning of potential danger—and he has always trusted his sixth sense.

The spreading darkness was like an unfathomable abyss, silently observing everything happening outside; the ghost monk's face again showed the faces of sentient beings.

Incense aura spewed from the mouth of one of those faces; Ye Qin faintly saw that the incense pillar in the throat seemed about to extend outward.

「Truly strange, and not afraid of burning the mouth. 」

Ye Qin felt a tremor in his heart; instantly his eyes flashed, and at the critical moment, with the boost of Golden Core power, the color of the scale at the center of his forehead grew ever richer.

He focused completely; thick bolts of lightning burst forth, their scale now incomparable to before, like genuine Daoist thunder methods, dazzling and eye‑catching.

【Crack!】

This strike poured all of Ye Qin's strength into it.

「Bang! 」

Only a loud bang was heard; in an instant the earth shook and mountains trembled, lightning fell with the power of judgment, and soon engulfed the monk's figure.

His murmuring voice was also cut off, the rumbling thunder covering everything.

This time he probably couldn't escape!

After all, this is the Thunder Divine Ability of half‑step Golden Core strength, already showing the might of an immortal technique!

「This Guardian of Sentient Will is truly extraordinary; if we encounter it again, we must destroy it outright to avoid being entangled. 」

Gazing at the expanse of purple lightning intertwined like an ocean, the monk's figure grew ever more blurred, until only a dark yellow robe remained floating in mid‑air.

Soon, that robe was also completely split apart by the lightning.

Under the lightning's devouring, the darkness that had gathered around the monk gradually dissipated, everything swallowed by the thunder.

「This is only half-step Golden Core, yet his strength has already reached this point; if he were to formally condense a demon core, he could probably be called a Great Demon! 」

Even Ye Qin himself didn't expect such great power.

The ghost monk that had previously been impossible to deal with was actually wiped out by a single strike of his own!

The surrounding temperature gradually returned to normal, without that previous icy feeling.

Ye Qin couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

「Huh? 」

But the next second, an extremely icy feeling of being watched suddenly surged, as if something hidden in an unknown place, through the cracks of time, far away, silently glanced at him.

「Who! 」

However, such a feeling was fleeting, soon disappearing without a trace.

Ye Qin turned his head to look around, but saw no suspicious figure.

「What just happened? 」

Ye Qin was somewhat puzzled; the monk had clearly been annihilated by him, dead beyond death, so he couldn't possibly have crawled out of the ashes.

「Could it be that the Guardian of All Beings is not just one, and this monk still has other companions? 」

Ye Qin held his breath and focused, releasing all his mental power to cover the entire mountain peak, yet he felt no fluctuations of any other strange power.

He kept searching, but amidst the mountains and fields, that monk never appeared again; it seemed Ye Qin was just being overly cautious.

This mountain peak no longer had any special energy; he wouldn't mistake his perception, so where exactly did this feeling of being watched come from?

Could it possibly be another dimension?

「Strange, maybe it's just an illusion from being entangled with this monk for too long. 」

「It also feels a bit like that Heavenly Tribulation that lingers without falling, yet constantly threatens me; perhaps the earlier illusion was related to heaven and earth. 」

Ye Qin shook his head, simply deciding not to think more; right now he needs to seize the time to raise his realm.

Only cultivation level is the foundation for establishing oneself; even if similar situations arise later, he won't be left without a response.

Although the monk was eliminated, the lingering sense of danger remains; it's hard to guarantee that next time when searching for the fragmented mottled years, similar strange creatures won't appear, making it difficult to re-enter those fragments then.

Fortunately, the current major internal trouble has been resolved; Ye Qin once again calms his mind and continues to refine the golden core within his body.

At some point, the sky also returned to its original clear transparency; the rain cleared, sunlight pierced the mist, and the sea of clouds shimmered with rippling light, spreading wave after wave of halo.

This breakthrough took an entire night.

The next day, early morning.

Between the mountains, bird songs and floral fragrance filled the air, fresh and cool; the sun had not yet risen, but from the eastern horizon a faint purple glow spread.

Moments later, purple qi came from the east!

The sun seemed suppressed by the purple qi, daring not to show itself; that purple qi was like mist, like rosy light, dyeing the entire eastern horizon!

The purple qi seemed attracted to something, and after coming from the east it all gathered among the mountains and rivers.

On all sides rose azure peaks and jade ridges; on both sides hills stood tall; the mountains were covered in verdant trees; gazing far into the misty sea of clouds, green waves rippled, stirring countless purple billows.

Heaven-sent omens herald the extraordinary!

Unbeknownst to him, the origin of White Bone re-emerged in illusory form.

In an instant, blinding golden light to the extreme illuminated the surroundings!

White Bone's entire body was enveloped in golden light, appearing holy and solemn, as if it had grown golden flesh and blood; even the small Shangqing Temple in his hand shone with brilliant colors.

The heaven and earth qi in the air was extremely rich, even mixed with specks of purple, almost able to form substance, wrapping around Ye Qin's serpent body and White Bone.

Hum!

Suddenly, the golden radiance on White Bone surged; within his body it was as if a sun rose slowly, a complete golden core phantom appeared above White Bone's head, then traveled down along the spine.

Finally it settled at the location of White Bone's dantian, as if finding its home, it finally sank and hovered there, like a star floating in the universe.

This golden core is naturally a contemplated object, not real, but on the spiritual level it is indistinguishable from an actual golden core.

As the contemplated golden core within the origin White Bone stabilized, a weighty, mighty power flowed back from White Bone to Ye Qin.

For a moment, the outline of Ye Qin's own golden core became clearer, and the golden light finally reached a critical value.

Hum!

Suddenly, a blade of golden light shot up between heaven and earth, piercing through, rising from the mountaintop straight into the cloud layer.

That golden light resembled the rising sun in the east, illuminating half the mountain peak, yet it was fleeting and hard to catch with the naked eye; only Ye Qin, focused on the spiritual level, could see it with his own eyes.

This is 'elixir radiance', also called 'Five Colors of the Elixir Path' in Daoist doctrine, belonging to a kind of ascension omen in Daoist teaching, similar to 'feather ascension'.

But of course, Ye Qin will not ascend because of this; it is merely the manifestation of his successful golden core condensation, yet it also unintentionally fulfills a Daoist doctrinal legend.

「Finally done? 」

Ye Qin was overjoyed, releasing a thread of mental power to sense the round, full golden core within his body, like a vast ocean containing endless power.

He could clearly feel the difference in life level; because this golden core exists, Ye Qin can unleash greater potential and energy.

This is a change in the essence of life!

From then on,

One golden core formed, and here emerges a Great Demon!

Before the golden core, Ye Qin could only be considered a minor demon, or more appropriately called a demon beast.

But now, after cultivating the golden core, Ye Qin can confidently call himself a 'Great Demon' or 'Demon King'!

And only now does Ye Qin truly count as a being distinct from all earthly life—a demon!!

「Does the condensation of the golden core trigger heavenly omens, thus drawing the purple qi from the east? 」

「This purple qi from the east, in records, is ranked alongside the 'Imperial Flowing Juice' as heaven and earth qi! 」

「We must absorb more, store it together with the Imperial Flowing Juice; opportunity must not be lost. 」

Gazing at the purple mist not far in the sky, after stabilizing his realm Ye Qin felt some delight; he hadn't expected that breaking through to the golden core would also bring such good fortune.

He first stabilized his Realm, letting the monster core take root inside his body, then examined the primal White Bone, confirming everything was fine, only then began to absorb this east-coming purple qi.

After a moment, Ye Qin seemed to sense something, slightly raising his gaze toward the Mountain Base.

"The east-coming purple qi is a rare celestial phenomenon; the vicinity of Longyuan Mountain will all receive its blessing, and if ordinary people absorb this purple qi, they are likely to undergo great change!"

"Never mind, even if I am using the incense and mental power recoil from this Mountain God shrine!"

"You make offerings to me, and I will naturally bestow a little."

Ye Qin lifted his head to the heavens, his pupils flashing with strange light, emitting a hissing serpentine speech, as if heaven and earth heard the command, instantly the floating clouds rolled, and the purple qi surged three thousand li.

"I am the mountain demon lord, commanding the east-coming purple qi, bestowing blessings upon the people!"

(End of chapter)