Chapter 293: Sudden Attack (Requesting Subscriptions)

A moment earlier.

Inside a fourth-rank spiritual energy cave.

"Finally… Golden Core completion."

Fang Xing slowly concluded his cultivation, his spiritual sense turning inward to his Lower Dantian, where the white-gold immortal Golden Core had swollen to its absolute limit, and his life-sword, "Ran Tie," had ascended to the rank of supreme-grade artifact!

He entered the alchemy chamber beside him and casually cast a sealing hand sign.

The Wan Hua Ding roared, ejecting a green pill wrapped in milky-white crystal—the "Ning Ying Dan"!

At this moment, the "Ning Ying Dan" was as clear as azure water, its infant form vividly detailed, even its facial features lifelike.

It was the enhanced supreme-grade "Ning Ying Dan"!

"Sword cultivators must press forward with boldness… Golden Core is complete, I hold a supreme-grade Ning Ying Dan and supreme-grade spiritual stones—what am I waiting for? Break through to Nascent Soul now!"

A flash of silver light, and Fang Xing's true body, clad in casual attire, appeared inside the cave.

Though he cultivated with fierce determination, he was no fool.

During the critical moment of Nascent Soul formation, he needed someone to guard him.

With his true body present, even if an actual Nascent Soul True Lord happened to be wandering nearby—or even launched a direct attack—he could crush them with a single palm strike!

Inside the cave.

Fang Xing's cultivation avatar sat cross-legged, silently adjusting his state.

When his essence, energy, and spirit reached their peak in the unseen depths, he unhesitatingly swallowed the "Ning Ying Dan."

Then, holding a Metal-element supreme-grade spiritual stone, he began silently activating the "Shui Dan Cheng Ying" method from the "Da Zizai Xuan Jin Gu Jian Dian"!

Crack!

Crack!

As the secret technique activated, Fang Xing immediately felt his internal energy reverse and surge toward his Lower Dantian…

Excruciating pain surged forth, followed by twisted meridians, nearly as if he were entering demonic deviation.

"Shui Dan Cheng Ying… if you don't succeed, you die!"

"If you fail, the Golden Core shatters—ninety-nine point nine nine percent of cultivators perish!"

A mad smile curled on Fang Xing's lips: "So this is the true essence of Shui Dan Cheng Ying? All internal energy reverses, meridians twist, Lower Dantian collapses… reversing the cultivation method causes the Golden Core to fracture… then, the Nascent Soul is gestated?"

"Indeed, this step demands immense physical strength… slightly weaker, and you'd die instantly…"

"Generally, one needs at least third-rank body refinement to barely endure it… though one may also rely on external aids—certain Ning Ying spiritual substances can temporarily make a cultivator's blood and qi surge like a dragon, rendering them immune to such backlash!"

"My cultivator body, however, has never been seriously refined… it still retains only the physique granted during my Golden Core formation's Qi transformation and bone marrow cleansing—even after several realm breakthroughs, it's merely equivalent to high-grade second-rank body refinement."

This wasn't because Fang Xing didn't know the benefits of body refinement—it was because he needed to focus entirely on cultivation to increase his spiritual energy.

If he also practiced a body refinement art, it would inevitably consume precious cultivation time—how could he reach Golden Core completion by age fifty?

Moreover, insufficient physical strength is a common flaw among sword cultivators, easily compensated by other means.

"Within the Tian Gu Jian Sect, there's said to be a secret talisman called the fourth-rank 'Mu Sheng Fu'… even if the body is grievously wounded, heart torn out, or head severed—it can restore the cultivator to perfect condition in an instant!"

"I left in haste earlier and never had time to plan for it."

"But it doesn't matter."

Sitting cross-legged, Fang Xing suddenly felt a gentle force surge through his limbs and bones—soft yet relentless, brimming with emerald vitality and vigor, spreading throughout every inch of his body.

The terrible backlash from the reversed cultivation method was calmed by the immense medicinal power of the "Ning Ying Dan."

Moreover, under the catalytic effect of the Ning Ying Dan's power, his body underwent repeated cycles of destruction and restoration—breaking down, then rebuilding—gradually ascending to third-rank body refinement!

Shiiii!

Outside, celestial phenomena manifested: spiritual energy within a hundred li was drawn in, flooding into the fourth-rank spiritual vein cave.

Thick fourth-rank spiritual energy rose from the vein, condensing into multicolored crystals, all absorbed by Fang Xing.

Within him, on the limit-attained white-gold Golden Core, a crack suddenly appeared.

A strange vitality began gestating inside the immortal Golden Core.

Zing!

Ran Tie roared, its clear, piercing sword cry echoing through heaven and earth.

"As the 'Da Zizai Xuan Jin Gu Jian Dian' states… sword cultivators forge a Sword Golden Core; at the Nascent Soul stage, they naturally forge a 'Sword Nascent Soul'!"

My spiritual energy is immortal Golden Core energy, already fully cultivated, infused with sharp sword qi, plus that supreme-grade metal-element spiritual stone... the spiritual energy barrier will shatter in an instant!

"As for spiritual sense… without the false infant's enhancement, it's somewhat lacking—but I can use the residual medicinal power of the Ning Ying Dan to compensate…"

Fang Xing began drawing pure spiritual energy from the supreme-grade spiritual stone, directing the Ning Ying Dan's residual power into his mind palace.

His original purple palace instantly expanded; his spiritual sense limit broke past the ten-li boundary of Golden Core cultivators, barely sufficient to control the reversed energy and surge into the immortal Sword Golden Core.

Crack!

Crack!

On the Sword Golden Core, more and more cracks appeared.

Then!

Amid another sword cry, the white-gold immortal Golden Core shattered completely, revealing a faint infant silhouette within.

The infant was pale and plump, bearing seven or eight tenths resemblance to Fang Xing's true body, with a sword scar on its forehead.

Smaller than the Wan Fa Ghost Infant, yet radiating an inexplicable pressure—the true spiritual pressure of a Nascent Soul beginner!

The Sword Nascent Soul opened its eyes, gaze pure as a newborn's, reaching out with both hands to grasp a fragment of the shattered Golden Core, instantly refining it.

Instantly, it shifted from ethereal to solid, growing slightly larger in size.

Then, the Sword Nascent Soul repeatedly reached out, capturing and refining fragments of the immortal Golden Core.

The Wan Fa Ghost Infant watched with a grin, occasionally lending a hand to help fully refine the Golden Core fragments. After feasting, the Sword Nascent Soul yawned, sat cross-legged at the center of the Lower Dantian sea, and formed a hand seal.

A Nascent Soul-level spiritual energy emerged, carrying the unmatched sharpness of a sword cultivator, beginning to circulate slowly.

This Nascent Soul beginner-level energy was even stronger than the Wan Fa Ghost Infant's.

More crucially, as the Nascent Soul beginner-level energy circulated, Fang Xing's body and spiritual sense simultaneously entered a new phase of transformation!

A Nascent Soul True Lord's physique must at least rival third-rank body refinement; his spiritual sense range reaches a hundred li!

As the transformation occurred, dark clouds gathered in the heavens above, thunder rumbling faintly.

Achieving Nascent Soul inevitably invites tribulation!

The Heart Demon Tribulation and Thunder Tribulation arrived almost instantly—a great trial bestowed by heaven upon new Nascent Soul cultivators.

Many have painstakingly forged a Nascent Soul, only to perish in the Heart Demon or Thunder Tribulation!

"Heart Demon Tribulation… come!"

Fang Xing was confident: "With my sword intent, what Heart Demon tribulation can stand? I'll cut it down with one sword!"

…

Outside.

Fang Xing's true body, sitting cross-legged, smiled faintly, then gazed outward.

Beyond the fourth-rank cave.

Beneath the overwhelming Nascent Soul spiritual pressure, Foundation Establishment cultivators could not even approach.

At this moment, two False Golden Core experts arrived, unable to fly, forced to walk slowly—Mu Wanzhang and Mu Mu Qingshi!

"Lord… at this point, are you still hiding the truth from me?"

Mu Mu Qingshi stared at Mu Wanzhang, his expression tinged with resentment: "The Supreme Elder hasn't been injured at all—he secretly broke through to late Golden Core, and is now attempting Nascent Soul formation, isn't he?"

After confirming the Nascent Soul formation site was Mu Mu Wulong's cave, he'd suspected this.

The boy had been deceived too many times.

Even if Mu Wanzhang swore by heaven, he wouldn't believe him.

"This… this…"

Mu Wanzhang looked utterly innocent: "Old man… I'm innocent!"

Heaven knows, he'd only just checked Mu Mu Wulong's soul lamp—it still flickered like a candle in the wind.

How could he suddenly be breaking through to Nascent Soul?

Yet in his heart, a sliver of hope lingered: "Could it be… the Supreme Elder deceived even me? Even the soul lamp is fake? … It's plausible—breaking through to Nascent Soul demands extreme caution."

"If the Supreme Elder succeeds, what of our Mu Clan?"

Mu Mu Qingshi's face lit with excitement—then he heard a piercing crane cry and turned pale: "No!"

Mu Wanzhang barely looked up to see a late Golden Core expert riding a jade flute artifact, charging toward them with murderous intent!

"It's the Supreme Elder of the Bai He Sect! Damn it! How is he right here?!"

Mu Wanzhang, furious, summoned the great array token and slashed it downward!

In the air, countless petals appeared, adorned with multicolored runes, forming a storm that swept toward the Bai He Supreme Elder.

But due to Fang Xing's Nascent Soul formation, the spiritual veins trembled and too much energy had been drained—the Wan Hua Zheng Qian Huan Great Array was now vastly weakened.

The Bai He Elder raised his hand, and three silver talismans flew out—third-rank Break-Seal Talismans!

One of them glowed with silver radiance, seemingly reaching third-rank supreme grade!

Countless silver lights flashed, colliding with the rune storm of the Wan Hua Zheng Qian Huan Great Array.

In the next instant, the rune storm shattered completely.

"Hahahaha… Kill him! Die!"

The Bai He Elder's eyes burned with madness and delight; he formed a hand seal, summoning a spectral crane.

Amid a shrill crane cry, countless white crane feathers fell like a torrential rain.

His goal was clear—he didn't seek to kill Mu Mu Wulong, only to slightly disrupt him.

Back then, Mu Mu Qingshi was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and after being influenced by external forces, one misstep caused him to fall from a True Golden Core to a False Golden Core.

If one is disturbed during the formation of a Nascent Soul, one might not even survive—body destroyed, Dao extinguished!

"Damn it!"

Mu Wanzhang and Mu Mu Qingshi each hurled forth a small mirror and a flying sword artifact.

Unfortunately, their strength was too weak; facing a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, they could not even resist a single strike.

The mysterious light emitted by the small mirror could barely immobilize two crane-feather flying swords.

Mu Mu Qingshi fared even worse—his flying sword artifact was destroyed along with the crane feathers, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of essence blood.

Then, the two False Golden Core cultivators helplessly watched as countless crane-feather flying swords descended toward the fourth-rank cave dwelling.

At that moment, a massive magical hand appeared out of thin air.

It radiated an indescribable immortal golden light, one palm raised to the heavens, suppressing all directions!

With a mere casual grasp, the countless crane-feather flying swords were crushed within the giant hand, reduced to worthless scrap metal.

——Immortal Martial One-Qi Great Hand Seal!

(End of Chapter)