Chapter 238: Heart Demon (Requesting Monthly Votes)

"Heart Demon Trial?"

"Come then... I am a swordsman; one sword cuts through all arts. What heart demon trial? Just kill, kill, kill!"

Fang Xing was full of vigor.

Not to mention his martial will—even the sword intent of his cultivation avatar alone should easily handle a mere Jin Dan heart demon trial.

Moreover... there was the backup artifact, the 'Guardian Heart Seal.'

But just as he calmed his mind, preparing to face the heart demon trial, he realized...

"Nothing?"

"Where did the heart demon trial go?"

"Has it already ended?"

"Could it be... I'm already inside the heart demon illusion?"

Fang Xing found this strange, but after testing several secret techniques, he confirmed he had already passed the heart demon trial and had truly achieved the immortal Jin Dan cultivator realm!

It seemed... that slight moment of confusion had been the heart demon trial.

"Is the heart demon trial this weak?"

"No... could it be... that I'm just too strong?"

Fang Xing sat cross-legged; the 'Guardian Heart Seal' floated in his mind sea, and as he thoroughly inspected his mind sea once more, he roughly guessed the reason.

"Of course... it's because I share the same consciousness as my true body, with my martial will suppressing it?"

He had now condensed the Great Sun Sutra, his martial will piercing heaven and earth, and possessed the 'Great Sun Divinity'—his rank was exceedingly high; even facing an outer realm demon god face-to-face, he would swing his blade without hesitation!

And a mere Jin Dan-level heart demon—no matter how powerful—could it rival the corruption of an outer realm demon god?

Thus the result was... the Jin Dan heart demon trial could only make him slightly dazed, then pass...

"Is this what they call... a rage so slight, you just... got angry?"

"Boring. Truly boring... I was actually looking forward to testing my own weakness."

Fang Xing stood up, silently sensing his Jin Dan true energy.

The immortal sword core stirred slightly, and immediately streams of Jin Dan true energy transformed forth.

"In terms of power intensity, Jin Dan true energy far surpasses the liquid cultivation energy of Foundation Establishment... and even the Jin Dan energy of ordinary True Dan cultivators is at least two tiers weaker than mine..."

"I won't boast, but now, even against a mid-stage True Dan cultivator, without using other methods, I might easily defeat them..."

"As for False Dan cultivators? False Dan doesn't count as Jin Dan..."

"Besides, I have my super-tier primordial flying sword!"

Fang Xing's spiritual sense entered his Lower Dantian, probed briefly, then flicked his finger at random.

A blade of light appeared; the Rusty Sword materialized, its blade slightly ethereal.

"Now my primordial flying sword has fused with the immortal Jin Dan, becoming the Immortal Sword Core! The primordial flying sword hasn't vanished—it's merely transformed into another form... intimately tied to my cultivation level. Currently, it's a low-grade artifact; when I advance to mid-stage Jin Dan, it will naturally rise to mid-grade artifact; when I reach late-stage Jin Dan, it becomes high-grade artifact; when I reach Jin Dan perfection, it becomes top-grade artifact!"

"But the sword and the core are forever one; to separate them, wait until I'm dead..."

"Currently, the sword has two methods of use. The first is this: the sword body remains in the Lower Dantian; what I use is merely a sword shadow, similar to the 'Sword Light Division' technique..."

With this method, Fang Xing could instantly condense nine such sword shadows, each as sharp as his previous Foundation Establishment-era flying sword body.

With a bit of sword array training, he could make ordinary Jin Dan cultivators despair.

"Besides this, the second method is to go all out... directly summoning the sword from the Lower Dantian to attack the enemy with its true form."

Since the Jin Dan and the sword are one, any damage to the Rusty Sword would also damage the Jin Dan.

A single misstep could easily shatter the Jin Dan.

"This attack is like a beast spitting out its core—pure last-ditch desperation, with unimaginable power..."

Fang Xing estimated that even a late-stage Jin Dan cultivator with a low-grade True Dan core, if faced with this kind of desperation, might well be pierced through the skull and killed!

"Overall, the improvement is immense... compared to before, when I relied on external pills and could barely kill early-stage True Dan cultivators, I'm now far stronger..."

Fang Xing's cultivation avatar smiled faintly, stepped out of seclusion, and saw his true body.

"The Three Serpent Mountains are perfectly safe now—the strongest cultivator is merely a False Dan."

Luo Tian of the Great Luo Alliance thought his movements were hidden, but in truth, his every move was under Fang Xing's true body's notice.

One wonders what expression he'd wear if he learned of this.

"Perfect timing to assimilate the 'Wan Fa Ghost Infant'... then no matter what schemes or tricks arise, I can crush them with brute force."

In the Wild Wastelands, Nascent Soul True Lords are the pinnacle!

Even in major Nascent Soul sects, there is only one Nascent Soul Great Zhenjun.

Moreover, during the current holy-dark war, a Great Zhenjun would never be summoned by a cultivator's Jin Dan breakthrough to come personally.

Fang Xing's cultivation avatar nodded and took out a box.

After tearing off the sealing, he saw a palm-sized infant lying inside, its skin black-blue, a crimson ' Wan ' glyph slowly rotating at its third eye.

Its face vaguely resembled that of the Wan Fa Elder.

It was the spoils he had obtained—the Wan Fa Ghost Infant!

"After assimilating this infant, I'll gain False Nascent Soul combat power... in the Jin Dan realm, I'll be invincible!"

"Combined with my sword realm, even against an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, I might still fight..."

Fang Xing smiled faintly.

After acquiring this spoils, he had also checked the archives in the Si Si Tian Jian Sect's scripture library.

As one of the seven swordsmen who fought Nascent Soul True Lords, interest in False Nascent Soul was natural.

From those texts, Fang Xing learned that assimilating the Wan Fa Ghost Infant required the unique method of the Ten Thousand Forms Sect.

This technique was recorded in the sect's supreme demonic scripture, known only to a handful.

When he killed the Wind Tribe Lord, he had no chance to hold back, let alone capture and extract his soul.

Fortunately, after using the 'Great Sun Tathagata Palm' to seal the Wan Fa Ghost Infant, Fang Xing had already conceived another approach.

"The Ten Thousand Forms Sect's refinement method is surely possessed only by that Nascent Soul elder—impossible to obtain..."

"For now, let me try the 'Great Sun Tathagata Mantra'... wash away all seals within this Ghost Infant, then re-refine it."

Fang Xing's true body took the Wan Fa Ghost Infant, formed the 'Sun Wheel Seal' with both hands, held the infant in his palms, and chanted the 'Great Sun Tathagata Mantra.'

Oddly enough, the 'Great Sun Tathagata Mantra'—like the attribute panel—could only be activated by his true body; even his cultivation avatar could not harness its power.

Fang Xing did not know this.

While his true body and avatar jointly refined the Wan Fa Ghost Infant, the outside world had already erupted in turmoil.

Snake Head Peak.

Yun Family Council Chamber.

"The Jin Dan heavenly signs have vanished—were the message talismans sent?"

Several Foundation Establishment elders paced like ants on a hot pan.

"They've been sent..."

The short woman of the third branch sighed: "I sent several—each sank without a trace. In the heart demon trial, one relives a thousand lifetimes; outside, only an instant has passed. The trial should be over by now—could it be... that elder failed the heart demon trial and perished?"

At this, the other Foundation Establishment cultivators breathed heavily.

If that Jin Dan elder perished, his legacy...

A Jin Dan cultivator's legacy—even after much had been used—could still propel the Yun family forward by a great leap, allowing several elders to resume their Dao paths.

Even... enable the Yun family to produce a True Dan cultivator and achieve revival!

"Alas... this is only speculation. Dare we attack his cave? What if he's unharmed, merely in seclusion consolidating his energy, and emerges to obliterate us?"

The middle-aged Foundation Establishment elder sighed: "After successfully achieving Jin Dan, isn't it common for a cultivator to seclude himself for years to stabilize his realm?"

"Indeed!"

The other Foundation Establishment cultivators nodded.

"Unless... we find a scapegoat."

The ninth branch elder spoke coldly: "In my view, those Great Luo Alliance hermits are perfect. Let them test it—if they succeed, we strike like the bird behind the hunter; if they fail, they'll anger the elder, and we'll use their deaths to eliminate our family's threat."

"That's a good idea—will those hermits listen?"

The third branch elder pondered.

Though hermits were often reckless and would do anything for profit, this was still absurd.

"We have a mole in the Great Luo Alliance—now is the time to use him."

The ninth branch elder's face hardened.

Such moles were utterly loyal to the family.

This was the ultimate death-sacrifice stratagem!

Almost simultaneously.

Snake Trail Peak.

Great Luo Alliance.

Luo Tian had recovered from his shock and returned to his usual sharp, capable self as alliance leader.

"It's normal for a Jin Dan cultivator to seclude himself for years to consolidate his cultivation—we won't interfere..."

His hawk-like gaze swept the room, then fixed on one Foundation Establishment elder: "Elder Shui, what do you say?"

"Of course, we follow the leader's lead!"

Elder Shui smiled amiably—he was always the agreeable type, a second-rank talisman master, and a pillar of the alliance.

"If that's the case, why did you contact the Yun family, planning to leak my whereabouts?"

Luo Tian let out a cold snort; a black-backed heavy cleaver artifact materialized and slammed down through the air.

Elder Shui let out a shriek and was crushed flat onto the ground.

"Don't even think of sending a message—this hall is sealed by the 'Heavenly Gang Barrier.' If you manage to send out a single word, I'll spare your life today."

Luo Tian sneered.

"What? Elder Shui, you're a spy?"

"I will sever ties with you—cut this robe and end our bond!"

The Foundation Establishment cultivators in attendance were stunned, each scrambling to distance themselves.

"I have always trusted you all."

After swiftly dealing with Elder Shui, Luo Tian smiled warmly at the Foundation Establishment elders: "Though we cultivators of the wilderness sometimes let greed cloud our judgment, we still know what's important... Remember to keep today's matter secret. We must press forward with one final push—ignore this newly risen Jin Dan for now; first, we wipe out the Yun family."