Chapter 207: Golden Core Formation

If Zhang Nuo were to see the old man in mid-air, he would surely cry out in surprise; this person was none other than Zuo Mutang of Guyan City. He had gone out for some business and, passing by this place by chance, had stopped to watch upon seeing the celestial phenomenon of a Golden Core formation.

With his Divine Sense fully unleashed, Zuo Mutang searched the surrounding area carefully, but he did not discover any cultivator's Cave Abode, which left him even more puzzled.

The celestial phenomenon of a Golden Core formation was right here, which meant the cultivator about to form a Golden Core was also nearby, but why was there no Cave Abode to be found?

Looking up at the giant white patch in the sky, he saw it growing larger and larger; the originally azure sky was covered by the white patch, and it kept pressing downward. The Spiritual Qi in the surroundings was gathering toward a certain spot within the great mountains.

Supporting his chin with one hand, Zuo Mutang observed the terrain beneath his feet for a long time, only to see that after the Spiritual Qi gathered at a place within the great mountains, it suddenly vanished into it.

"Could it be that there is an Illusion Array set up around the Cave Abode?"

After a moment of contemplation, Zuo Mutang's figure flickered as he landed on the ground. Sensing the flow of Spiritual Qi around him, he stepped forward to search.

Arriving before a great mountain, he found that this was where the Spiritual Qi had disappeared. After probing the mountain with his Divine Sense, he discovered no abnormalities.

"How strange! Could this cultivator forming a Golden Core be a master of Arrays?"

Knowing full well that there was something peculiar inside this mountain, Zuo Mutang simply could not discover it. As his thoughts turned, he muttered to himself.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, Zuo Mutang suddenly flipped one hand, and a Sound Transmission Talisman appeared in his palm. After whispering a few words to it and infusing it with Spirit Power, he raised his hand, and the talisman turned into a streak of firelight, charging into the interior of the mountain.

After doing all this, he sneered and drove his escape light to leave the area. Judging by the sophistication of the Illusion Array here, Zuo Mutang guessed that this cultivator currently forming a Golden Core must have a significant background; if he could get on good terms with them, it would save him a lot of effort if he needed their help in the future.

Yet, he never dreamed that the one forming a Golden Core this time was Zhang Nuo; otherwise, Zuo Mutang would never have left a Sound Transmission Talisman even if it killed him!

When the white patch in the sky persisted until the third day, the Spiritual Qi within a radius of a thousand miles, centered on the valley where Zhang Nuo was, became agitated and surged toward this place in unison.

A funnel-shaped vortex of Spiritual Qi formed slowly and silently. On the day it fully formed, the sky changed abruptly, accompanied by peals of thunder.

The funnel-shaped vortex slowly sank. Its momentum was so terrifying that even the surrounding grass and trees were uprooted; trees as thick as several people could embrace were turned into powder in an instant under the wild swirling of the endless Spiritual Qi.

At the center of the Spiritual Qi vortex, nine dragon-shaped air currents rolled incessantly, while a black butterfly shadow stood quietly at the very top of the vortex, as if overlooking everything.

Bursts of dragon roars resounded through the sky, and the entire valley shook along with them! Zhang Nuo sat cross-legged inside the Cave Abode, his eyes tightly shut, his body wrapped in a layer of white spirit light.

No expression could be seen on his face; his expression was serene and his face glowed with a ruddy hue, his skin as fair and tender as a newborn infant.

"Hah!"

Suddenly, a low roar escaped his lips. Following this sound, the Spiritual Qi vortex above the sky sank rapidly, and the Spiritual Qi passed through the mountain and poured directly into Zhang Nuo's body.

The myriad strands of Spirit Power, like rampaging wild horses, surged through his body into the False Core at Zhang Nuo's dantian. His originally calm face suddenly became ferocious, and Zhang Nuo let out a long, drawn-out roar that shook enough rocks from the entire Cave Abode to make them fall.

At this moment, he felt as if he were in a Wujian purgatory, with the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth pouring into his body without regard for whether it would cause him harm.

Zhang Nuo's roars were continuous; the tragic sound chilled the hearts of those who heard it and moved those who saw it to tears! His mind was completely empty; now, the pain felt to him like a piece of his own flesh that could not be cut away!

This situation lasted for nearly two cups of tea's time, until finally, the Spiritual Qi vortex in mid-air had entirely entered Zhang Nuo's body.

"Cough!"

Coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood, Zhang Nuo let out a long breath as if relieved of a heavy burden, and then he fainted!

By the time he woke up again, ten days had already passed. He saw Chunyangzi standing by his side, looking at him with a smile on his face.

"Hehe! Little Zhang, how did it feel to absorb the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth at the end?"

Seeing Zhang Nuo wake up, Chunyangzi did not immediately check on him, but instead began to tease him.

"Myriad strands of Spirit Power entering the body! That feeling was no better than being skinned alive!"

With a light leap of his body, Zhang Nuo stood up, a bitter smile mixed with a bit more excitement.

"As long as you can form a Golden Core, this suffering is worth it! You should hurry and take a look at your own Golden Core!"

Chunyangzi had also come through the Golden Core Stage in the past, so he was naturally very clear about everything Zhang Nuo had experienced.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Nuo nodded slightly. After looking inward, a more fanatical joy appeared on his face. He saw that at his dantian, a thumb-sized golden round core was floating above the Four Spirit Seas.

He had officially entered the Golden Core Stage, breaking through the barrier of Golden Core formation. The fourth Spirit Sea within his body had also been directly activated. At this moment, within his body, the four Spirit Seas were blooming with white light, continuously releasing Spiritual Qi to nourish the Golden Core above them!

"Golden Core! Four Spirit Seas!"

Even though Zhang Nuo was usually calm, he jumped for joy when he saw the scene inside his body. Possessing four Spirit Seas at the Golden Core Initial Stage was likely extremely rare on the Tianyuan Continent, or one could even say it simply did not exist!

"Truly a talent created by heaven! When this old man was in the Immortal World, I rarely heard of anyone possessing four Spirit Seas at the Golden Core Initial Stage!"

Looking at Zhang Nuo, a smile also appeared on Chunyangzi's face. He felt very fortunate that his choice of the youth before him had been correct, though he never expected that the little fellow who was at the Spirit Sect back then would have grown to this point after only a few years.

"This is all thanks to you, Senior!"

Never forgetting the one who dug the well when drinking the water, Zhang Nuo understood in his heart that he was not some heaven-gifted genius; if not for Chunyangzi's guidance on the side, he likely would have needed at least several decades to form a Golden Core.

"Hehe! This old man only did his part and left the rest to fate! Ultimately, it still depends on your own fortune!"

Although he said this, Chunyangzi was very satisfied with Zhang Nuo's grateful attitude.

"Senior, why is there no sign of Pill Fire?"

After looking inward for a long time, Zhang Nuo still could not find any trace of Pill Fire, so he asked with some worry.

"What are you rushing for, kid? You have just succeeded in forming a Golden Core, and your cultivation base has not yet stabilized, so naturally, the Pill Fire will not appear. You should meditate for a few months first; once your cultivation base is stable, the Pill Fire will naturally appear."

Zhang Nuo smiled slightly; perhaps he really was being too impatient.

"After the Pill Fire comes out, you can refine the Magic Treasures in your hands into your body. By that time, you will understand the essential difference between the Golden Core Stage and the Foundation Establishment Stage!"

"Senior, how long will it take for the Pill Fire to appear?"

"It won't be too long, just a few months!"

After hearing this, Zhang Nuo took out various Magic Treasures from his Storage Bag with a grin. Looking at the Magic Treasures in his hands, his heart was set on the moment he would refine them into his body.

At this moment, a small ruler about twenty-some inches long appeared in Zhang Nuo's line of sight. The small ruler shimmered with silver light, and its surface was engraved with many patterns, looking not very aesthetically pleasing!

"Senior, there must be some mystery inside this ruler; otherwise, Zhong Yan would not have gone to such great lengths to obtain it back then!"

Reaching out from among the many Magic Treasures, he took out the Measuring Heaven Ruler. After examining it carefully, he handed it to Chunyangzi.

Taking the small ruler, Chunyangzi was also puzzled. Looking at the fanatical expression Zhong Yan had when he obtained the ruler back then, the secret inside it should be quite significant.

However, after looking at it in his hand for a long time, Chunyangzi did not discover anything special, only feeling that this Magic Treasure had immense power.

"This old man cannot see anything special about it either. If we are talking about power, it is not enough to make Zhong Yan want it so badly!"

Since even Chunyangzi could not see the trick to it, Zhang Nuo became discouraged. He lowered his head and pondered incessantly; perhaps he should have asked for the truth before killing Zhong Yan, but the situation at the time was very complicated, and he had been forced to destroy that Remnant Soul.

At this moment, Chunyangzi unleashed his Divine Sense, slowly sinking it into the Measuring Heaven Ruler. After a moment, he suddenly let out a loud laugh and then returned the ruler to Zhang Nuo.

"Kid Zhang! Take a look quickly! I finally understand now!"

Even with Chunyangzi's composure, seeing him in such a state made Zhang Nuo even more curious; he took the small ruler and sank his Divine Sense into it, only to see that, like a Jade Slip, it recorded a map, and the map was even marked with various signs, extremely detailed!

"What place is this?"

Withdrawing his Divine Sense, Zhang Nuo looked at Chunyangzi in surprise.

"If I am not mistaken, the place recorded in the map should be the 'Xianhuan Continent', and what is marked on it are the legendary Thirty-Six Immortal Mountains and Seventy-Two Purple Mansion Grotto-Heavens!"

With blue light gleaming in his eyes, Chunyangzi was so excited that his voice was trembling. Upon hearing it was the 'Xianhuan Continent', Zhang Nuo sank his Divine Sense into the small ruler again, looked at it for a long while, and only then said:

"The area of the Xianhuan Continent is so vast, how could there only be thirty-six Xian Mountains?"

"You do not know, these Thirty-Six Immortal Mountains are the places where Spiritual Qi is most abundant, which is why they are specially marked; as for those Seventy-Two Purple Mansion Grotto-Heavens, they are places that even some Cave Abodes in the Immortal World cannot compare to!"

Listening to Chunyangzi's explanation, Zhang Nuo's heart became restless; who wouldn't be tempted by such a treasure land?

"It is just a pity that the Xianhuan Continent has already vanished from the human world; if it could be found, your cultivation would progress even more rapidly."

Shaking his head and sighing, Chunyangzi said helplessly.

"Even if I cannot go to the Xianhuan Continent, this ruler is still a fine Magic Treasure!"

Zhang Nuo was not greedy; he toyed with the Measuring Heaven Ruler in his hand, and not a trace of disappointment could be seen in his expression.