Chapter 239

Dongxuan Immortal City.

This immortal city is closest to Three Serpents Mountain and the largest cultivation city in the region.

Yunxiang Tower.

A cultivator dressed in ink-green robes, at Foundation Establishment, with handsome features, slowly sipped his tea.

He was none other than Huo Huo Moqing, one of the Six Demonic Heroes of the Jiuying Sect, disguised and risking everything to infiltrate the orthodox lands!

"Did you hear? A hermit has formed a Golden Core on Three Serpents Mountain!"

"Not just any Golden Core—it's an Immortal Golden Core, with heavenly signs spanning ten miles. Who could fake that?"

……

At that moment, a few words reached his ears and caught his attention.

"Brothers…"

He walked over and looked at the two Foundation Establishment cultivators: "You just said… someone formed a Golden Core?"

"Yes, it's unbelievable… Can a hermit even form an Immortal Golden Core? Sigh, if I could ever get a False Golden Core in this life, I'd thank heaven and earth."

One of the older Foundation Establishment cultivators sighed deeply.

"Waiter, my treat for these two's spirit tea…"

Huo Huo Moqing bowed politely: "I beg you, tell me everything about this newly formed Golden Core cultivator!"

"Haha, of course! We're brothers at first sight…"

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged glances, feeling they'd struck gold: "Waiter—bring another plate of your famous Golden Silk Spirit Cake!"

"Let me tell you, this Golden Core must be a hermit—anyone with even a shred of lineage would never rent a cave to form a Golden Core…"

The other Foundation Establishment cultivator launched into his tale.

"That's true…"

Huo Huo Moqing nodded.

Back in his day, when he formed his Golden Core, every condition was perfect.

Worse, his sect had imposed total lockdown, with formation arrays constantly active, fearing random attacks.

Naturally, he lived up to expectations, forming an Immortal Golden Core and becoming his sect's strongest Nascent Soul seed.

Now, if he captures the killer of Brother Shi, the Supreme Elder himself has promised him entry into the Jiuying Blood Pool—a ten percent boost to his Nascent Soul formation chance!

Such a heavenly opportunity must not be missed!

That's why he followed every faint clue, traveling countless miles into orthodox territory using a rare treasure.

He even dared to enter the territory of the Profound Heaven Sect—the very heartland of orthodox power.

Though surrounded by danger, Huo Huo Moqing paid it no mind.

Demonic cultivators thrive on risk.

Besides, as a late-stage Golden Core with Immortal quality, he stands atop all Golden Core cultivators, capable of effortlessly killing any Golden Core true cultivator.

Even if the target possesses one or two fourth-rank techniques as a last resort, it's useless!

Unless he directly encounters a Nascent Soul true sovereign, he can't imagine anyone who could capture him.

Even rumors say that truly extraordinary Immortal Golden Core cultivators, at peak Golden Core, have escaped from Nascent Soul true sovereigns.

The three chatted a while longer, then bowed and parted.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators seemed to enjoy taking advantage, but were sharply cautious—they wouldn't follow Huo Huo Moqing anywhere.

Huo Huo Moqing made no such invitation; he merely watched them with his spiritual sense, smiling faintly once he confirmed their cave residence.

Night fell.

A shadow arrived outside the cave. A faint, illusory glow cloaked him; with a simple hand seal, he merged directly into the formation's barriers.

The cave formation in this immortal city couldn't stop him at all!

Moments later.

Inside the cave, two corpses lay on the ground.

"It's real… not a trap?"

"I checked elsewhere today—same story everywhere…"

Huo Huo Moqing's lips curled into a smile: "A hermit Golden Core… truly exceptional talent… If this boy isn't eliminated, he'll become a great threat later!"

The potential of an Immortal Golden Core is unmistakable.

If he joins the orthodox, it won't bode well for the demonic path.

Especially since he's been active solely in orthodox territory—his allegiance is obvious.

As long as the orthodox leaders aren't blind, they'll offer him great rewards to win him over.

"Persuade him to defect to the demonic path? I'm no diplomat… Better to kill him. Perfect—my 'Jiuying Pearl' still lacks one promising main soul. An Immortal Golden Core is more than qualified…"

Huo Huo Moqing left the cave, exited the immortal city, and immediately flew toward Three Serpents Mountain.

Both are Immortal Golden Core, but he is a true disciple of a Nascent Soul sect, while the other is a hermit.

Moreover, he is late-stage Golden Core; the other is only early-stage.

This is a mountain crushing an egg!

……

Three Serpents Mountain.

Fang Xing's true body silently ceased chanting the "Great Sun Tathagata Mantra," gazing at a Nascent Soul in his hand.

The original Ten-Thousand Methods Ghost Infant had changed completely.

Its former dark-green hue had faded, revealing pale, tender skin; its features now bore a faint resemblance to Fang Xing.

The " Wan " character on its forehead had vanished, replaced by a Great Sun seal.

Yet its eyes remained tightly shut, as if in a coma.

"Who cares how the Wanshang Sect refined it? This Ghost Infant is now entirely different—everything reset. Even if a Wanshang Nascent Soul elder saw it, he couldn't recall or activate any of its old restrictions…"

It was only while "formatting" the Ghost Infant that Fang Xing realized Wanshang Sect, as a major demonic sect, had embedded many vicious restrictions within the Ten-Thousand Methods Ghost Infant.

Anyone forcibly assimilating it would suffer grievously.

"Fortunately, it had been sealed all this time by my Great Sun Tathagata Palm—otherwise, it might have been remotely sensed… Wait, I'm now in the Heavenly Sword Sect—could Wanshang really storm the mountain?"

"Besides, if someone came close to the Ghost Infant, a Wanshang demon master controlling its restrictions could make it instantly betray or self-destruct…"

"But now, all those restrictions are gone—replaced by my 'Great Sun Tathagata Mantra'…"

"If any other Golden Core cultivator dares to assimilate this Ghost Infant, let him learn why the corruption of an Outer Realm Demon God is so devastating…"

"Now, this Ghost Infant has no connection to its past. Should I rename it 'Great Sun Divine Infant'? Nah… just a name."

Fang Xing's cultivation avatar nodded and returned with the Ghost Infant to continue his seclusion.

This seclusion will be brief—it's merely equivalent to assimilating an external pill at Foundation Establishment.

"And… this isn't a breakthrough to a major realm—I don't need to guard him."

"Outside… something interesting seems to be happening."

Fang Xing's true body raised an eyebrow, as if noticing something amusing.

His "Purple Vein Ten-Thousand Year Golden Core" stirred slightly, releasing a Golden Core-level spiritual pressure.

Then, a token appeared in his hand; with a slight shake, the formation barrier opened effortlessly, and he stepped out.

Outside the cave, several cultivators had already gathered.

Seeing Fang Xing emerge and sensing his terrifying spiritual pressure, they immediately bowed: "We pay homage to the True Cultivator! Congratulations on your Golden Core formation! May you attain eternal life!"

"Heh, you misunderstand—the one who formed the Golden Core is my junior. I'm just here to guard him."

Fang Xing waved his hand.

At this, several cultivators' eyes widened in shock.

Their calculations, no matter how precise, assumed only one Golden Core hermit existed.

If he had a guardian, all their schemes became jokes.

But think again—no one is born from a rock.

Even the most reclusive cultivator has relatives.

When breaking through a major realm, one always seeks guardians.

"Today's Snake Tail Peak is quite lively."

Fang Xing smiled, his voice rumbling like distant thunder: "Brothers on Snake Head Peak, come join me!"

On Snake Head Peak, several Foundation Establishment elders frowned: "Why did the Golden Core True Cultivator call only Snake Tail Peak and not us? We're the rightful hosts…"

No sooner had the words left their lips than several light trails rose from Snake Tail Peak, heading toward Snake Tail Peak.

The weakest among them were already False Golden Core spiritual pressure!

"What?"

"Is that Luo Tian?"

"And the Gu Clan Ancestor, the Li Clan Ancestor?"

The clan elders exchanged glances, cold sweat dripping from their brows.

Without that Immortal Golden Core's interference, would the Yun Clan even still exist?

……

Snake Tail Peak.

The Gu Clan Ancestor, Li Clan Ancestor, and Luo Tian landed their light trails, and upon seeing Fang Xing, froze in surprise.

They had already seen the cultivation avatar's portrait.

This was naturally leaked by a traitor within the Yun family.

And this one, clearly, is different from the one in seclusion.

"Hah! I never expected my junior's formation of a Golden Core would draw so much attention…"

Fang Xing laughed heartily, his demeanor rough and unrestrained.

"Congratulations on your junior's formation of an Imperishable Golden Core—your future Nascent Soul is within reach."

Luo Tian paused slightly, then smiled and offered his congratulations, tapping his storage bag to produce a jade box: "Luo Tian of the Luo Tian Alliance, here to extend my felicitations!"

"Excellent, excellent… When did our orthodox sects produce such a pair of outstanding talents?"

The ancestral elders of the Guo and Li families both smiled warmly and handed over two gift boxes: "These third-rank 'Dragon Flame Fruit' and 'Three-Star Weak Water' are our gifts…"

"Thank you."

Fang Xing, though unimpressed, accepted them all with a cheerful grin: "My nephew and I have always loved wandering the four seas; by sheer chance, when my nephew was traveling nearby, he suddenly received divine inspiration for Golden Core formation—forced to immediately seek a secluded place to cultivate, lest the inspiration fade… We apologize for the disturbance."

He added with subtle implication: "He is currently in seclusion, consolidating his spiritual energy. Once matters settle, we shall depart immediately…"

This plainly signaled their refusal to interfere in the affairs of the Three Serpents Mountain.

Fang Xing had little interest in a third-rank spiritual vein.

"I see…"

A flicker of delight passed through Luo Tian's eyes.

As long as this outsider doesn't meddle, the Three Serpents Mountain won't turn upside down!

"Won't you wait a while longer? The local cultivation families have surely already reported to their sect—soon, envoys from the Profound Heaven Sect will arrive."

The Guo family's ancestral elder looked surprised.

This is the best opportunity to join a Nascent Soul sect! While cultivators without sects enjoy freedom, they lack many things—such as Nascent Soul cultivation techniques!

"This… had it been ordinary times, perhaps. But now, we are at war." Fang Xing shook his head, feigning reluctance.

"I understand…"

A look of comprehension surfaced on the Guo family's ancestral elder's face.