On the outskirts of the ruined city, a nauseating stench of blood permeated the crumbling walls and shattered stones.
Xiao Wuchen walked on the soft, scorched earth, his crimson robe standing out starkly against the desolate landscape. Beside a translucent 'Spirit-Transforming Herb' glowing faintly purple, two men in blue-grey Taoist robes stood facing each other. Their swords hung low, their tips radiating a faint yet pure spiritual energy aura.
That was spiritual energy.
"You're just a mere mortal, and yet you've made it this far?"
A sharp-featured cultivator turned his head and cast a contemptuous glance at Xiao Wuchen, then glanced at the group of black-robed guards behind him who were armed only with mundane iron weapons. This cultivator was named Zhao Zhi and was a formidable figure, even in the outer reaches of this ancient ruin, as he was a Ninth-Tier Qi Cultivation practitioner.
Another cultivator sneered. 'Senior Brother Zhao, that eunuch's robe is rather fine. He must be a high-ranking official from the mortal world. Hey, you rootless bastard! This spirit herb isn't something a mere mortal like you can covet. Get lost, or else... I'll treat you to a Fireball Talisman and turn you to ashes.'
Xiao Wuchen remained silent, his gaze fixed on the Spirit-Transforming Herb. A fleeting glint of greed in his eyes was swiftly replaced by utter coldness.
"Begin." Xiao Wuchen uttered two words.
Zhao Zhi snorted coldly, forming his fingers into a sword seal and chanting incantations. A pale blue streak of light erupted from his fingertips and sliced through the sky towards Xiao Wuchen.
Xiao Wuchen stood utterly still. He opened his right hand and the 'True Qi of Birth and Death' surged forth like a black dragon, colliding head-on with the streak of light.
'Boom!'
A dull thud echoed. Xiao Wuchen's brow furrowed slightly. He felt an unprecedented pressure. His once-invincible True Qi melted away as swiftly as snow meeting boiling water upon contact with that pale blue streak.
This was the innate suppression of Spirit Qi over True Qi. If True Qi was earth and stone, then Spirit Qi was refined iron.
"Interesting," Xiao Wuchen chuckled softly, his form abruptly vanishing.
"What incredible speed!" Zhao Zhi exclaimed in shock.
Although he possessed spiritual energy, his reliance on spells meant that his physical combat skills were severely lacking. Xiao Wuchen, however, had perfected mortal martial arts, almost reaching the threshold of Pulse-Building Perfection.
He materialised behind Zhao Zhi like a ghostly apparition. Without drawing the Sword of Birth and Death, he struck Zhao Zhi's back with the hilt of the sword alone.
"Mountain Cleaver!"
This was the most powerful strike in mortal martial arts. Coupled with Xiao Wuchen's sinister and ruthless true qi, it caused Zhao Zhi's protective spiritual light to tremble violently. His entire body flew out like a cannonball, shattering a stone pillar.
"Seeking death!" Seeing this, another cultivator hastily summoned an earth-yellow talisman.
However, Xiao Wuchen was faster.
With a flick of his fingertip, he channelled the residual red lightning he had sensed earlier through the 'array fragment', directing it straight into the cultivator's wrist.
A piercing scream erupted.
Xiao Wuchen closed the distance, pressing his palm against the opponent's forehead. True qi surged in like a tidal wave, forcibly severing the flow of his spiritual energy.
[Cruel Awakening: System Analysis]
Two cultivators, both at the peak of the Qi Refining stage, now knelt at Xiao Wuchen's feet like stray dogs.
[Ding! Real-time data comparison complete.
True Qi Quality: 1
Spiritual Qi Quality: 10
System valuation: The host overpowered opponents with supreme martial arts techniques and a Yin-dominant destiny. Note: against Foundation Establishment cultivators, Spiritual Qi generates a tangible 'rank pressure' that True Qi alone cannot defend against.
Xiao Wuchen stepped on Zhao Zhi's finger, applying slight pressure.
"Is this what you call 'immortals'?" His voice was low and tinged with indescribable sarcasm. 'Apart from that layer of Spirit Qi that is more durable than True Qi, you're no different to those cowardly, life-obsessed mortal politicians.'
He bent down to pluck the 'Spirit-Transforming Herb'.
Rich spiritual energy surged into his fingertips, igniting a fierce craving within his True Qi.
"Want to live?" Xiao Wuchen stared at the trembling pair.
"We... we want to live! Spare us, Senior!" Zhao Zhi shed all previous arrogance, kowtowing frantically.
"Lead the way. Lead us to the place where your Yan Palace Master seeks to form his Core." Xiao Wuchen tucked the spirit herb into his robe and turned his gaze towards the depths of the ruins. 'I shall see for myself the kind of madman that emerges when true qi is assimilated by spiritual energy.'
In the deepest recesses of the ruins, the air seemed to solidify into a tangible substance, with each breath carrying with it an ancient, decaying spiritual pressure.
Xiao Wuchen pushed past the group of Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators he had overpowered and entered a side hall made of white bones and bronze. Suspended in the centre of the hall was a crystal stone the size of an infant's fist, emitting a cold blue glow that warped the surrounding space slightly.
[System Alert: Stepping stone to Core Formation detected.]
[Ding! Earth-grade rare treasure detected—Soul-Condensing Stone.]
[System Notice: This object contains extremely pure innate soul energy. It can serve as a 'lightning rod' and 'ballast stone' to help mortal bodies bear spiritual energy and break through to the Golden Core realm.
[Warning: This item is within the coverage of the high-tier array, the 'Evil-Repelling Spirit-Sealing Array'. Forcibly seizing it will trigger the array's self-destruction.
Xiao Wuchen narrowed his eyes. The faint blue glow reflecting off his pale face made him appear even more sinister. He desperately needed this stone — his initial clash with the cultivator had made him realise that, no matter how pure one's true qi, it remained mortal power. Only by forming the Golden Core could one truly alter their destiny.
'Chief Steward Xiao, it's been a long time. Your ambition has finally grown legs."
A hoarse, high-pitched voice echoed through the vast hall.
Xiao Wuchen's expression hardened as a faint silhouette, dressed in deep purple eunuch robes, slowly materialised in the void surrounding the Soul-Coalescing Stone. It was the former Grand Chamberlain of the Great Qian Dynasty — and Xiao Wuchen's nominal guide — the Demon-Repelling Chamberlain.
This ancient monster, who had lived for almost two hundred years, had pretended to die years ago in order to infiltrate the cultivation realm and safeguard this ancient ruin.
'Pixie,' said Xiao Wuchen, gripping the hilt of his Birth-and-Death Sword. Its aura was concealed yet palpable. 'Since you entered the Immortal Gate, why cling to guarding this mortal realm's broken array?'
'This old servant guards not an array, but a rule,' the phantom of Pixie laughed, a sound like dry wood scraping. "Mortals who seek to steal the secrets of immortality must first sever all mortal desires. Xiao Wuchen, this formation is called 'Evil-Repelling' — it also repels the mundane. If you desire the Soul-Condensing Stone, enter the formation and withstand three of this old servant's strikes. If you endure, the stone is yours. If you fail, you will remain in this Hall of White Bones as a true living corpse."
In the first move, 'Severing Worldly Bonds', the Demon-Repelling Shadow's sleeves whipped through the air. A torrent of shadow fingers descended like a downpour of pear blossom, striking with pinpoint accuracy at Xiao Wuchen's vital points. This was not just martial artistry, but also involved mind-distorting illusions. Xiao Wuchen closed his eyes, relying on his 'Yin-Yang True Qi' to sense the air's fluctuations. His form twisted like a ghostly apparition, his crimson robe weaving through the shadows. He forced his way forward, clinging to the force at the fingertips in a posture bordering on self-mutilation.
Second Strike: Life Extinction. Residual shadows merged into translucent spirit energy blades that swept through the air, completely draining its spiritual essence and forming a vacuum of death.
"Sword Intent of Birth and Death — Silent Extinction!" Xiao Wuchen finally drew his sword. The black blade collided with the transparent blade aura, emitting a shrill, grinding sound. He grunted and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, but he did not take a single step back. With his meridians shattered, he forcibly withstood the impact of the spiritual energy.
Third Move: Questioning Immortality. The Demon-Repelling Residual Image suddenly materialised before Xiao Wuchen and struck towards his crown with a palm devoid of physical force, yet carrying a soul-piercing pressure. "A castrated wretch's broken form — the Heavenly Dao will not tolerate it. Why do you seek immortality?"
Xiao Wuchen's eyes widened, blazing with an unprecedented ferocity. "If Heaven accepts me, I shall be its subject. If it does not, then I shall become... Heaven itself!"
[Harvest: Soul-Condensing Stone Acquired.
Amidst Xiao Wuchen's roar, the hidden array set by Pixie collapsed with a thunderous crash, and the purple afterimage gradually faded away. Before leaving, Pixie cast a deep, lingering glance at Xiao Wuchen and sighed.
Amidst Xiao Wuchen's roar, the hidden array set by Pixie collapsed with a thunderous crash, and the purple afterimage gradually faded away. Before leaving, Pixie cast Xiao Wuchen a deep, lingering glance and sighed, "Since you've chosen this path, fight to the bitter end, my child."
Xiao Wuchen strode forward and snatched the Soul-Coalescing Stone.
Bone-chilling soul energy surged through his fingertips and into his sea of consciousness. His meridians, which had been throbbing due to qi depletion, received unprecedented nourishment and reinforcement in that instant.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on acquiring the critical item: Soul-Condensing Stone.
[System Assessment: Prerequisites for Core Formation 50% complete.]
[Current Task: Track Yan Kuangtu and intercept the 'Earth Vein Spirit Essence' gathering within his body. Merge the two to initiate the unprecedented 'Divine-Demon Core Formation'.
Xiao Wuchen clenched the Soul-Condensing Stone in his palm and sensed the yin-infused true energy within him gradually transforming into spiritual power.
He turned his gaze towards the violent crimson lightning at the deepest core of the ruins. Yan Kuangtu raved there in frantic pursuit, unaware that the true reaper had already seized the key to the Immortal Gate.