Chapter 693: Double Cores

Twenty years later.

Yaowang Sect, Hou Shan.

On a jade bed, Aaron was sitting cross-legged, silently circulating his profound cultivation art.

Even though he had been stuck in a bottleneck for over a hundred years, he still insisted on practicing every day.

This day.

Just like usual, he familiarized himself with the Mingyu Art once more.

Aaron suddenly frowned, feeling the Spirit Qi in the surroundings surge into his body; the fourteenth layer of the Mingyu Art circulated crazily, and he suddenly broke through to a brand-new realm!

"The Thousand-Year Covenant... Disciple only saw a mention of it by the author in an ancient book; I never expected Master to know it so clearly!" Bai Caiwei was filled with admiration.

Bai Caiwei frowned, but could not say anything.

This momentum was not far off from the former number one sect of the Extreme West—the Haoran Sect.

"Back then... the Black Demon Sect branch invaded the Extreme West, their aggression spreading like fire, and the Extreme West Alliance could not resist... they sent cultivators to Great Gan to plead, and finally got the Shushan Sword Pavilion to intervene, forcing the Black Demon Sect to withdraw their forces and swear a great oath not to send high-level cultivators for a thousand years..."

His gaze lingered on the cultivation art column for a moment, then he sighed: "With Three Spirit Roots aptitude, reaching the Golden Core stage is truly a burden... 20,000 points of Proficiency; according to experience, without the aid of other Spirit Pills, I fear it will take five or six hundred years to reach Great Success!"

"What?"

The situation was stronger than the person; Shen Le immediately swallowed his broken teeth along with the blood and forced out a smile.

【Spells:...】

And what they saw was the Yaowang Sect producing two Golden Core Cultivators in a row, now having three Golden Core Cultivators sitting in command!

A Golden Core Cultivator in the early stage would, in all likelihood, not be able to defeat two cultivators of the same rank working together!

Aaron rolled his eyes in his heart.

'Fortunately, I am immortal...'

"Haha... good, very good!"

But now, two against one, he was the one falling into a disadvantage!

"What? Junior Brother Shen, what did you just say? Senior Sister did not hear clearly..."

Originally, he had carried the momentum of a Golden Core Cultivator, wanting to force the Master's hand and gain more power in the sect.

Hou Shan.

"In that case... Junior Brother Shen is a spy for the Demonic Dao!" A hint of murderous intent appeared on Bai Caiwei's face: "This person cannot be kept!"

Bai Caiwei suddenly said.

"This..."

Breaking through only at the moment of death?

Although there was such a probability, it was already low enough to be ignored.

"Sigh... after all, they are both my disciples; we are only guessing, there is no evidence... once we do this, it will not be conducive to the unity of the sect."

'Presumably, after the third-tier Jade Bone reaches Great Success, my bones will be comparable to the hardness of an ordinary Dharma Treasure, right?'

Aaron took the lead and entered the Yaowang Main Hall: "Who rang the Startling God Bell? Eh?"

At the same time, his powerful Divine Sense swept over Shen Le, yet he still felt something was wrong: 'Disguised and replaced by someone? No... the Bloodline Talisman reacted, it is indeed the Shen Le from before... but he was actually able to form a Golden Core at the moment of his death? There is something strange... there seems to be Demon Qi on this person!'

"It is good that you are back, it is good that you are back..." Aaron acted like an old father and laughed: "What happened during this trip to Great Gan? Tell Master all about it..."

'Of course... the most critical thing is that I have hidden my strength. Even if Bai Caiwei and Shen Le join forces, they can hardly block the power of my Invisible Needle Art! Naturally, I can sit firmly on the fishing platform...'

'My thousand-year birthday, and it also coincides with the joy of a breakthrough; I must celebrate it properly...'

"We must hold a celebration... invite all the sects of the Extreme West, and celebrate for a month!"

"This is a great joy sent from heaven!"

Dong Wenying was startled.

Back then, he was inferior to Li Jianjie in every way, but the one who successfully formed a Golden Core in the end was him!!

Furthermore, he had to firmly grasp that opportunity to gain more:

"Returning this time, I must strengthen our Yaowang Sect and share the burden for Master!"

"Reporting to Master... at the moment of my death, I fought with all my might and finally succeeded by luck," Shen Le said with a faint smile.

'As your Master, I have not only heard of it, but I am a personal witness from beginning to end...'

And life-extending spiritual items in the Extreme West were far rarer than in Great Gan; being able to extend one's life by a few or a dozen years was enough to make cultivators fight to the death.

He seemed to think of Li Jianjie, and his heart was filled with deep emotion.

"Did something happen to the sect again? The last time the Startling God Bell was rung was when Lin Ye passed away, right? This time... is it probably Shen Le's turn?"

When in doubt, delay first!

Aaron could roughly guess that the Black Demon Sect paid such a huge price to support Shen Le in forming a Golden Core because they wanted to use him to control the Yaowang Sect, and then wait five hundred years to launch their move.

Just at this moment, his expression changed, and he looked outside the sect again.

A streak of white Light, like an ice phoenix, entered the sect with an arrogant posture, and it was not repelled by the Great Array!

In the short term, the conflict would not erupt!

【Age: 1000】

Amidst the many disturbances, Shen Le still had a smile on his lips, looking at Aaron.

Bai Caiwei drank it all in one gulp, and then heard Master say: "These past hundred years, it has been hard on you..."

Within the Yaowang Sect, Aaron controlled all the Great Arrays; with two Golden Core Cultivators besieging one weak, hastily-formed Golden Core, Shen Le would surely die!

"Master!" After finishing the account of his experiences in Great Gan, Bai Caiwei's expression was grave: "Junior Brother Shen being able to form a Golden Core has serious problems behind it!"

Aaron silently calculated Shen Le's combat power.

In the Yaowang Main Hall, there was dead silence.

Compared to his loud laughter, Shen Le's expression was extremely ugly.

"I will strictly obey Master's orders!"

Originally, he should have been the one to sit in this Sect Master's seat!

……

Furthermore, possession cannot increase one's lifespan; only reincarnation and living a second life can!

'From this, it is evident that Qingdan is indeed the child of Heavenly Mandate, the favorite of the version; he has gathered both... It is a pity he met me!'

'Hmm... I will go travel to Yuanchen Country later; the Demoness there inherits the orthodoxy of Great Gan... Her techniques are far stronger than the Joyous lineage of Wu Country...'

Bai Caiwei did not even look at him, bowing to Aaron: "Disciple greets Master... I have been in Great Gan for a hundred years, fortunately, I did not fail the mission... and have finally succeeded in forming a Golden Core and returned!"

【Skills:... Third-tier Jade Bone (3400/10000), Third-tier Talisman Making (6730/10000), Third-tier Artifact Refining (7799/10000), Third-tier Alchemy (9000/10000), Third-tier Array Formation (6661/10000)】

What virtue or ability does Shen Le have?

"Yes..." Bai Caiwei steadied herself and began to recount...

【Name: Fang Yu (Aaron)】

Shen Le lost his composure for the first time, exclaiming: "You... you have actually formed a Golden Core?"

And a pressure far exceeding Foundation Establishment was continuously radiating from his body!

Aaron clapped his hands and laughed: "Today, our Yaowang Sect has gained two more Golden Core Cultivators; it truly makes this Ancestor feel great joy!"

"Huh... I broke through?!"

"I obey Master's order!" Shen Le's expression was ugly, but he still agreed.

The faction of the Master and Disciple had eyes turning red, and one was about to shout about a "palace coup."

Once these words were spoken, Dong Wenying's expression changed: "Senior Brother... you have overstepped!"

Clang!

Clang, clang!

Many Disciples were clamoring to expand their influence and plunder more cultivation resources, each lost in daydreams of the future, their faces flushed with excitement.

Seeing Aaron, they bowed one after another: "Greetings, Sect Master!"

Such dark thoughts could naturally not be spoken aloud; Aaron could only act as if he were very sentimental and righteous, unable to bear taking action against his disciple.

Because he saw Shen Le, whom he thought had exhausted his lifespan!

Not only that... the other party was standing beside the Sect Master's throne, smiling, his appearance having become much younger, and his whole person appeared full of vitality...

"Audacious!"

Five or six hundred years!

This is the entire life of an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator, yet it is only enough for Aaron to cultivate one layer of a technique to perfection, and that's not even counting the bottlenecks!

'With a Spirit Root of inferior aptitude, it is truly desperate to want to cultivate immortality...'

The Family Cultivators who vaguely understood what was happening clenched their fists in secret, their expressions inexplicably excited, yet carrying a hint of anticipation.

【Talent: Longevity】

Around Bai Caiwei, there was a faint circle of precious light; she was actually a Golden Core Cultivator who had refined a Natal Magical Treasure!

"Junior Brother didn't say anything; Senior Sister must have misheard..."

"Shen Le... greets Master!"

She deeply understood the difficulty of forming a Golden Core, and Shen Le had previously been half-buried in the ground with failing Qi and Blood; how could he have forcibly broken through?

This was simply an incredible thing!

But those Family Cultivators' eyes lit up: "Congratulations to Junior Uncle Shen for forming a Golden Core..."

Shen Le bowed slightly, performing a salute, his smile appearing somewhat evil and charming.

"Bai Caiwei!?"

They immediately cleared a path.

Aaron arrived at the Sect Master's throne, sat down steadily, waved his hand to stop the commotion below, and smiled: "Our Yaowang Sect has produced another Golden Core Cultivator; it is truly a great joy for the whole world to celebrate, and we should celebrate it properly..."

"When Disciple was traveling in Great Gan, I did hear that among the major sects of the Demonic Dao, there are some Secret methods of quick success and blood sacrifice that can force Foundation Establishment cultivators to form a Golden Core... but such Golden Cores often have great defects, for instance, although they possess the lifespan of a Golden Core Cultivator, their cultivation realm can never progress in their lifetime, or they lose their sanity, or their combat power is generally weaker than that of an early-stage Golden Core Cultivator..."

Aaron sat on the ground and poured a cup of Peach Blossom Wine for Bai Caiwei opposite him: "I brewed this wine myself, have more!"

Aaron thought for a moment, performed the Qi Restraining Technique, suppressed his realm to the early stage of Golden Core, and only then walked out of the Cave Abode, turning into a streak of Light to arrive at the Yaowang Main Hall.

For any Foundation Establishment cultivator to form a Golden Core, they must experience thousands of hardships; Bai Caiwei thought to herself that if she hadn't had a bit of luck, she would have fallen before the gates of the Golden Core.

Bai Caiwei immediately accepted the order.

Coupled with Aaron's order to prepare a celebration for two Golden Core Cultivators, the entire Yaowang Sect suddenly became extremely lively...

While lost in thought, Aaron suddenly heard the 'Startling God Bell', which represented major sect events, being rung.

Thinking of this, Aaron coughed, preparing to let Shen Le know the principle that even if he had formed a Golden Core, his Master was still his Master.

For ordinary Yaowang Sect Disciples, they could only hear a hint of the wind regarding the treacherous waves in the upper echelons.

"Hmm... since everyone is here today, I will announce one thing."

Aaron brought up that old case from back then and spoke about it: "Counting the days, five hundred years have passed since the agreement was made... although the Black Demon Sect cannot send high-level cultivators, it didn't say they couldn't corrode, win over, and infiltrate our side... The Black Demon Sect has such wolfish ambitions; when five hundred years have passed, it will be the beginning of another great catastrophe!"

……

This Ice Phoenix arrived at the Yaowang Main Hall, transformed into a woman in white clothes whiter than snow, her beautiful eyes filled with malice: "Junior Brother Shen... is what I, the Senior Sister, said enough?"

"Disciple... you have already formed a Golden Core?"

Aaron said in surprise.

Her eyes couldn't help but turn red, but after all, she was a Golden Core Cultivator, and she quickly returned to calm: "Without tempering, how can one achieve Great Success in the Golden Core? It was just that some matters in Great Gan held me back, otherwise, Disciple could have returned several decades earlier..."

Isn't it a good thing that Master values emotions?

In the end, she could only sigh helplessly: "Since that is the case, please rest assured, Master. I will definitely keep a close eye on Junior Brother Shen and won't let him act recklessly!"

Bai Caiwei's sudden Golden Core formation had disrupted all of his plans.

Cultivators at the middle or late stages of Golden Core are extremely rare in the Extreme West, and since they are both at the early stage of Golden Core, their combat power is about the same... comparing them is quite simple.

'This type of Golden Core Cultivator is naturally a notch weaker than a proper Golden Core... and to rush over in such a hurry... have they even refined a Natal Magical Treasure?'

"Five hundred years later?"

【Realm: Golden Core Middle Stage】

Bai Caiwei expressed her confusion.

He swept his Divine Sense across and was slightly taken aback.

"Such a Secret Demonic Dao technique does not exist in our Extreme West, except for one place... the branch of the Black Demon Sect in Yuanchen Country!" Aaron sighed and said: "Hearing you say this, my disciple, I have a rough idea... all of this is likely a layout by the Black Demon Sect, preparing for the termination of the contract five hundred years from now!"

'It seems... pretty useless, I'm not a body cultivator, I don't need to engage in close-quarters combat...'

At this moment, Foundation Establishment cultivators were arriving one by one, piloting their Magic Tools, each with a grave expression.

Aaron began to smooth things over again: "Besides... the two of us are watching him, and the Black Demon Sect branch is still bound by the oath and cannot provide support, so he won't be able to turn the tables for now!"

A look of surprise and joy appeared on his face as he felt the thick Dharma Power of the Golden Core middle stage: "It only trapped me for over a hundred years, this bottleneck of the early Golden Core stage... was really nothing much!"

Since that's the case... then let's just drag it out for now!

To be even darker about it, if Shen Le were killed, and Bai Caiwei became too powerful to control, what should be done then?

For those in power, Balance is the royal road.

The result was...

A flash of black and red Light shone in Shen Le's eyes, and the Divine Sense belonging to a Golden Core Cultivator was released, causing Dong Wenying's face to turn pale as she retreated several steps: "This is a matter between me and Master, when is it your turn, a mere Foundation Establishment, to speak?"

'This Shen Le... I'm afraid he received help from outsiders and reached the Golden Core stage by walking the Evil Path...'

'It's just a matter of one needle!'

The Spirit Medicine Garden remained lonely, and under the ten-mile Peach Blossom Forest, a desk was set up.

This Disciple was also over two hundred years old, decrepit and elderly; the last time they met was when he came to resign and return to his family to wait for death.

"Thank you, Master!"

Aaron touched his bones again, feeling that they seemed to have become even harder.

Aaron cleared his throat and looked at the two Golden Core Cultivators and the many Foundation Establishment cultivators below: "I have held the position of Sect Master for a long time and it is time to step down and yield to the worthy... Now that my eldest disciple Bai Caiwei has successfully formed her Golden Core, this position of Sect Master shall be handed to you, and I will step down to become a Supreme Elder... At the same time, the sect will establish the position of Law Enforcement Elder, to be held by Shen Le!"

The Dharma Power unique to a Golden Core Cultivator spread wantonly from the Ice Phoenix!

【Cultivation Method: Mingyu Art 15th Layer (1/20000)】

"Caiwei..."

Aaron was almost moved to tears, grabbing Bai Caiwei's hands: "This Yaowang Sect... I leave it to you!"

(End of this chapter)