159: Chapter 118 Saving Xiao Muting! Golden Core True Person!

Deep within the Nanming Volcano, the glow of lava dyed the entire sky a dark red.

Chen Xuan walked alone on the charred ridge, his feet crunching on the cooled lava rock with every step.

He fully expanded his Divine Sense, covering a radius of ten thousand zhang.

There was Demonic Qi ahead.

More than one trace.

He stopped, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, and looked toward the end of the ridge.

A Fire Lion was crouching there.

Its body was over two zhang long, covered in dark red scales, and its mane consisted of burning flames that crackled in the glow of the lava.

The aura of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage emanated from it, pressing down so heavily that the surrounding air distorted.

The Fire Lion saw him too.

Its golden vertical pupils stared at Chen Xuan, and saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth, hitting the charred ground with a hiss of white smoke.

Chen Xuan did not retreat.

He raised his hand and pointed his sword finger toward the sky.

Meteor.

The power of the stars poured down from the high sky, condensing into a tiny cluster of starlight at his fingertip.

The starlight grew brighter and heavier, like a small star about to fall.

The Fire Lion felt the threat.

It opened its mouth, and a pillar of fire erupted from the depths of its throat, heading straight for Chen Xuan's chest.

Chen Xuan dodged to the side; the pillar of fire grazed his robes and struck the rock behind him.

The rock melted, and lava flowed.

The starlight at his fingertip had already condensed into shape.

A fist-sized star core, gleaming with cold light, was particularly striking amidst the dark red lava glow.

Chen Xuan flicked his sword finger.

The star core flew out, trailing a long tail of flame as it smashed toward the Fire Lion.

The Fire Lion wanted to dodge.

But the speed of the star core was too fast.

It was so fast that it only had time to tilt its head slightly.

The star core struck its left shoulder, shattering the scales and sending flesh and blood flying.

The Fire Lion let out a shrill shriek, its body flipped by the impact of the star core, and it rolled on the ground several times.

It struggled to stand up, but its front left leg was already ruined; the power of the stars was corroding the wound, and dark red blood flowed out uncontrollably.

Chen Xuan did not give it a chance to catch its breath.

Mountain Lifting.

He communicated with the earth beneath his feet, drawing upon the power of the earth veins to condense into the phantom of a mountain.

The mountain phantom suppressed it from above, smashing down onto the Fire Lion.

The sound of shattering bones exploded in the air.

The Fire Lion's body was crushed into a pulp of flesh, and dark red blood seeped from the cracks in its scales, flowing all over the ground.

Chen Xuan retracted his Divine Ability and walked to the corpse of the Fire Lion.

A Foundation Establishment Late Stage Yao Beast—its whole body was a treasure.

The scales could be used to refine defensive Magical Artifacts, the mane to refine fire-attribute Talismans, and the inner core to refine Tier 3 Medicinal Pills.

But he had no time to process it.

He placed the Fire Lion's corpse into his Storage Pouch and continued forward.

—

The deeper he went, the more Yao Beasts there were.

Chen Xuan could not remember how many he had killed.

Fire Wolves, Fire Pythons, Fire Scorpions, Fire Bats.

Each one was above the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, and each one had been entrenched in this scorched earth for five years.

They had adapted to the miasma, to the lava, and to this land of death.

But they could not adapt to Chen Xuan's sword.

The Sword Dao Thunder Sound exploded deep within the volcano, the thunderous sword light particularly piercing in the dark red glow.

Every strike of sword light accurately slashed at the vital points of the Yao Beasts.

Eyes, throat, abdomen, joints.

Not a single sword strike was superfluous.

Chen Xuan's mana was consuming rapidly.

But he could not stop.

To stop was to die.

He swallowed a Qi Gathering Pill; the medicinal power dissolved in his abdomen and flowed into his limbs and bones.

The five-colored light in his Purple Mansion flowed, the four imageries of City Wall Earth trembled slightly, and the four imageries of Heavenly Fire flickered with light.

He continued forward.

At the end of the ridge ahead, there was a pyramid.

Chen Xuan stopped.

He recognized this pyramid.

He had seen it in the prophetic visions of the heavenly book golden decree.

When the Nanming Volcano first erupted, this pyramid was among the images shown in the third Jade Slip of the heavenly book golden decree.

The pyramid was entirely golden, over ten li high, several li long and wide, standing like a small mountain beside the crater.

The surface of the pyramid was carved with runes; the runes glowed faintly under the lava light, as if they were alive.

But the Fire Phoenix true spirit was gone.

There was no aura of the true spirit around the pyramid, only residual spiritual power fluctuations, proving that a terrifying existence had once slept here.

Chen Xuan walked up to the pyramid and pressed his hand against the tower body.

The runes lit up for a moment, then dimmed.

The true spirit had left a long time ago.

He withdrew his hand and continued forward.

Lava churned, and the second crater in that lava was right behind the pyramid.

The crater was over a thousand zhang in diameter, bottomless, with dark red lava churning in the depths, emitting a dull roar.

The smell of sulfur was choking; Chen Xuan circulated his mana to protect his whole body and walked to the edge of the crater, entering the pyramid.

He looked down.

The lava lake churned in the depths like a dark red ocean.

And above the lava lake, a fire cocoon was suspended.

The fire cocoon was huge, over three zhang in diameter, entirely crimson, with golden patterns flowing on its surface.

A human figure could be vaguely seen inside the fire cocoon.

Xiao Muting.

Chen Xuan's breathing hitched slightly.

Five years.

He had finally found him.

He leaped down into the crater and landed on a rock above the lava lake.

The rock was scorching hot from the lava; Chen Xuan protected his feet with his mana so he wouldn't get burned.

He looked up at the fire cocoon.

Xiao Muting inside the fire cocoon had his eyes closed, his face calm, but his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he were enduring some pain.

His aura was very unstable.

It was strong at times, approaching the Golden Core, and weak at others, dropping to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Chen Xuan's Divine Sense probed into the fire cocoon.

He saw the situation inside Xiao Muting's body.

There was a ball of strange fire in his Dantian.

Nanming Li Fire.

It was not an imagery, but a real strange fire, already condensed into a fledgling core.

But the fledgling core was unstable.

The gold nature was not solid, and the strange fire was rampaging in the Dantian, trying to break through Xiao Muting's control.

If he failed, Xiao Muting would be consumed by the strange fire and turned into ashes.

If he succeeded, he would prove his Golden Core.

Not a False Core, not a pseudo-core, but a Great Dao Golden Core based on the strange fire.

But in Xiao Muting's current state, the probability of success was less than thirty percent.

Chen Xuan was silent for a moment.

Then he took the fire seed out of his Storage Pouch.

The fire seed left behind by the Fire Phoenix true spirit, containing a complete fragment of gold nature.

Heavenly Fire.

He had not refined this fragment of gold nature because he wanted to save it until he could fish for the complete gold nature.

But now, Xiao Muting needed it more.

"What is a brother, if not for times like this?"

Xiao Muting needed this fragment of gold nature more than he did.

Chen Xuan held the fire seed in his palm and injected his mana into it.

The fire seed lit up, the golden light particularly dazzling amidst the dark red lava glow.

He pushed the fire seed toward the fire cocoon.

The golden patterns on the surface of the fire cocoon flickered violently, as if responding to the call of the fire seed.

The fire seed passed through the fire cocoon and merged into Xiao Muting's body.

Chen Xuan's Divine Sense followed the fire seed closely.

He saw the fire seed enter Xiao Muting's Dantian and merge with the strange fire.

The strange fire rolled violently, wanting to devour the fire seed.

But the gold nature fragment contained within the fire seed was purer and more condensed.

The gold nature fragment merged into the strange fire, and the Impurities in the strange fire were cleared away bit by bit.

The fledgling core began to condense.

Golden patterns appeared on the surface of the fledgling core, like the light of the sun.

Xiao Muting's aura began to climb.

Foundation Establishment Peak.

False Core.

Golden Core.

The moment the fire seed merged into Xiao Muting's Dantian, his body trembled violently.

That fragment of gold nature was like a sun, exploding in his Dantian.

Golden light shone from within his body, making his skin transparent; one could see the outline of his bones, the mana flowing through his Meridians, and the rolling strange fire in his Dantian.

The strange fire had originally been like an unruly beast, rampaging in the Dantian, trying to break through Xiao Muting's control.

The moment the gold nature fragment entered his body, the strange fire went quiet.

It was not suppressed; it was tamed.

The golden light and crimson flames intertwined, slowly rotating in the Dantian like a tiny nebula.

Xiao Muting kept his eyes closed, his brows tightly knitted, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.

Sweat slid down his cheeks, dripped onto the inner wall of the fire cocoon, and evaporated instantly.

His Divine Sense probed into his Dantian, guiding the gold nature fragment to merge with the strange fire.

This was an extremely delicate process.

A fraction too fast, and the strange fire would explode.

A fraction too slow, and the gold nature fragment would dissipate.

It could not be fast, it could not be slow, it could not be too much, it could not be too little.

Xiao Muting's Divine Sense was like a pair of invisible hands, holding that cluster of golden flames, letting it evenly wrap every inch of the strange fire.

Under the wrapping of the gold nature fragment, the strange fire began to transform.

Impurities were cleared away bit by bit.

The earth fire Impurities absorbed over those years, the mana turbidity left by hasty cultivation, the miasma stained while struggling to survive in the depths of the volcano—all were burned away by the gold nature fragment.

The color of the strange fire changed from dark red to crimson, and from crimson to gold.

The golden flames burned in the Dantian, illuminating the entire Dantian.

Xiao Muting's aura began to climb.

Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer.

Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer.

Foundation Establishment Perfection.

The aura stopped at Foundation Establishment Perfection.

It was not that it could not rise further, but that it had encountered a barrier.

The Golden Core barrier.

Essence, Qi, and Spirit—the three flowers.

The so-called Golden Core is to comprehend the Laws of Heaven and Earth, combine the three flowers into one, and condense it into an immortal gold nature.

Essence is the Foundation of the Physical Body.

Qi is the source of mana.

Spirit is the root of the Divine Soul.

Only by gathering the three flowers and returning the five elements to their origin can one condense the Golden Core.

Xiao Muting's Essence was already sufficient.

Through five years of struggling in the depths of the volcano, his Physical Body had been tempered by lava countless times; every inch of muscle and every bone contained terrifying power.

Golden patterns flowed beneath his skin—traces left by the tempering of the strange fire, making his Physical Body comparable to a Tier 2 Spiritual Artifact.

Ordinary blades and swords striking it could not even leave a white mark.

His Qi was also sufficient.

The Nanming Li Fire strange fire had been gestating in his Dantian for five years and had long since merged with him as one.

That golden flame contained terrifying mana; once released, it would be enough to move mountains and drain seas.

But it was not enough.

The mana needed to be transformed.

From Acquired Qi to Innate Qi.

The mana of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator is Acquired Qi, which needs to be drawn from Spiritual Veins, replenished from Spirit Stones, and recovered from Medicinal Pills.

The mana of a Golden Core Master is Innate Qi, which circulates on its own, endless and ceaseless; as long as the Golden Nature is not extinguished, the mana will not run dry.

What Xiao Muting needed to do was to transform that golden flame in his Dantian from Acquired to Innate.

This was a process of qualitative change.

His Divine Sense probed into the golden flame, imprinting his own spiritual mark within it.

The moment the mark was imprinted, the flame trembled violently.

Then it began to circulate on its own.

It did not need Xiao Muting to drive it; it was swallowing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi on its own, condensing on its own, and transforming on its own.

The Acquired Qi began to transform into Innate Qi.

A purple light shone from the flame; that was the color of Innate Qi.

A wisp, two wisps, three wisps.

The purple Innate Qi circulated in the Dantian, intertwining with the golden flame to form a light never seen before.

Xiao Muting's aura climbed once again.

This time, it was not a slow climb, but a gush.

Like a volcanic eruption, like a river bursting its banks, like a star falling.

His aura suddenly broke through the barrier from Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Golden Core.

Not a False Core, not a pseudo-core, but a true Great Dao Golden Core.

A Great Dao Golden Core based on the Heavenly Fire Golden Nature.

Golden light gushed out from his body, illuminating the entire volcanic crater as bright as day.

The magma lake rolled violently, the magma illuminated to transparency by the golden light, allowing one to see the rocks at the bottom of the lake, the mineral veins flowing within the magma, and the sleeping true spirit of the Fire Phoenix deep underground.

The true spirit of the Fire Phoenix opened its eyes.

They were a pair of golden vertical pupils, cold as frost, staring at Xiao Muting for a long time.

Then it closed its eyes.

It approved.

Xiao Muting's Divine Sense underwent a transformation the moment the Golden Core condensed.

The Divine Sense of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator is but ten thousand zhang.

The Divine Sense of a Golden Core Master can cover a hundred miles.

Xiao Muting's Divine Sense spread outwards.

Ten miles, fifty miles, one hundred miles.

His Divine Sense covered the entire volcanic group, covered Nanming Port, and covered a corner of the Long Sea.

He saw Chen Xuan standing at the edge of the volcanic crater, watching him.

He saw Liu Lili and Senior Sister Wen Yao in a stone house in Nanming Port; Liu Lili had her hand on her lower abdomen, her face filled with worry.

He saw Zhou Yuan and the Alliance Cultivators returning to Nanming Port; some were silent, some were crying, and some were looking back towards the direction of the volcano.

He saw the miasma of the Southern Border slowly dissipating, and sunlight filtering down from the clouds, falling onto the charred ground.

He saw the silhouette of Wanyao Immortal City, and saw Master Liu Yun standing before the window of his Immortal Cave, his white hair disheveled, his left sleeve empty, looking towards the southern sky.

He saw the Immortal Master Kumu sitting cross-legged beneath the main altar of the White Lotus Sect, before him a broken statue of Maitreya; the statue's eyes were closed, but the corners of its mouth carried a hint of an eerie smile.

Xiao Muting withdrew his Divine Sense.

His body also underwent a transformation the moment the Golden Core condensed.

His bones were tempered by the Golden Nature, becoming as hard as iron yet as supple as silk.

Ordinary blades and swords could not even leave a mark when striking it.

Magical Artifacts of Golden Core Masters could only leave shallow white marks when striking it.

His flesh and blood were nourished by the Golden Nature, becoming as dense as steel yet full of elasticity.

Every inch of muscle contained terrifying power; a single punch could shatter a small mountain.

His Meridians were widened by the Golden Nature, becoming as broad as rivers.

Mana surged through his Meridians, moving as fast as lightning; circulating one cycle only required ten percent of the time it took during Foundation Establishment.

The Purple Mansion in his Dantian was reinforced by the Golden Nature, becoming indestructible.

The City Wall Earth imagery and Heavenly Fire imagery in his Purple Mansion began to slowly fuse under the illumination of the Golden Nature.

It was not disappearing, but evolving.

The imagery was transforming into Golden Nature fragments.

This was the privilege of a Golden Core Master.

Only a Golden Core Master could transform imagery into Golden Nature fragments.

Only when there were enough Golden Nature fragments could one fish for complete Golden Nature.

Only complete Golden Nature could forge a Blessed Land.

Only a Blessed Land could attain the Nascent Soul.

Xiao Muting's path was still very long.

But he had already taken the most important step.

Golden Core.

A true Great Dao Golden Core.

"Once the Golden Core is swallowed into the belly, my fate is determined by me, not by Heaven."

Xiao Muting opened his eyes, the golden light in them flashing and then fading away.

He walked out of the fire cocoon, stood above the magma lake, and looked down at his hands.

A golden flame was dancing in his palm.

That was his Golden Core.

It was not a pill, but a ball of fire.

An undying fire.

The Heavenly Fire Golden Nature, eternal and undying, existing through the ages.

As long as the Golden Nature remained, he would not die.

If his Physical Body was destroyed, it could be recast.

If his mana dispersed, it could be gathered again.

If his Divine Soul was extinguished, the Golden Nature could pull his consciousness back from the void.

This was the Golden Core.

This was immortality.

Xiao Muting clenched his fist, and the flame extinguished.

He raised his head and looked at Chen Xuan.

"Brother Yun, I have succeeded."

Chen Xuan looked at him and nodded.

"Congratulations."

Xiao Muting walked over and stood in front of Chen Xuan.

The aura of the Middle Stage of the Golden Core radiated from him, causing the surrounding air to tremble.

But Chen Xuan's expression did not change.

His Foundation Establishment seventh-level cultivation remained unmoved under the pressure of the Middle Stage of the Golden Core.

Xiao Muting looked at Chen Xuan for a long time.

Then he smiled.

"Brother Yun, you are still so steady."

Chen Xuan shook his head.

"It's not steadiness, it's just habit."

He looked at Xiao Muting and introduced the situation briefly.

"With your current strength, can you defeat the Immortal Master Kumu?"

Xiao Muting thought for a moment.

"I cannot defeat him. Immortal Master Kumu is at the Late Stage of the Golden Core, has cultivated for eight hundred years, and his Divine Abilities are at Major Achievement. I have just broken through, my Foundation is not yet stable; if I were to fight him head-on, I would surely be defeated within three moves."

He paused.

"But with you, with the Fire Phoenix true spirit, and with your Revered Master, we might not lose."

Chen Xuan nodded.

"That is enough."

Being able to deal with him, this was a brilliant move.

He turned around and walked towards the top of the volcanic crater.

Xiao Muting followed behind him.

The two walked out of the volcanic crater and stood on the charred ridge.

The miasma of the Southern Border was slowly dissipating, and sunlight filtered down from the clouds, falling upon the two of them.

Xiao Muting looked up at the sun and narrowed his eyes.

It had been five years.

He hadn't seen the sun in five years.

Deep in the volcano, there was only the light of magma, dark red, like blood.

Now he finally saw the real sunlight.

Golden, warm, shining on his body, like a mother's hand.

Xiao Muting took a deep breath.

"Brother Yun, when I was deep in the volcano, I thought about one thing every day."

"What thing?"

"Thinking about what to do after getting out."

Xiao Muting turned his head to look at Chen Xuan.

"I have decided."

"What will you do?"

"Help you."

Chen Xuan looked at him.

"Help me?"

"Yes." Xiao Muting nodded. "Help you fight Immortal Master Kumu, help you stabilize the Southern Region, help you attain the Golden Core."

He looked into Chen Xuan's eyes.

"You gave me the Golden Nature fragments, allowing me to attain the Golden Core. This debt of gratitude, I, Xiao Muting, will repay with my whole life."

Chen Xuan was silent for a moment.

"No need to repay. You are my brother."

Xiao Muting shook his head.

"Brotherhood is brotherhood, gratitude is gratitude. You saved my life and gave me the Dao. From today on, your affairs are my affairs."

He raised his hand, and a golden flame flew out from his palm, rushing towards the sky.

The flame exploded in the high sky, turning into a golden Fire Phoenix, circling in the sky.

The cry of the Fire Phoenix resounded through the clouds, spreading throughout the entire Southern Border.

The Cultivators of Nanming Port looked up at that golden Fire Phoenix; some knelt down, some cried, some laughed.

They knew that was a Golden Core.

The Southern Border finally had a Golden Core Master again.

Not a Golden Core of The Three Sects, but the Southern Border's own Golden Core.

Zhou Yuan stood on the flying boat, looking at that golden Fire Phoenix, his eyes reddening.

"Xiao Muting, you have succeeded."

He turned to look at the Cultivators behind him.

"Brothers, the Southern Border has a Golden Core. We have a backer."

The Cultivators cheered.

Some hugged each other, some knelt on the deck, some roared at the sky.

Five years of waiting, five years of struggle, five years of despair.

Finally, this day had come.

Xiao Muting withdrew the flame and looked at Chen Xuan.

"Brother Yun, what should we do next?"

Chen Xuan looked at the southern horizon.

That was the direction of the main altar of the White Lotus Sect.

Immortal Master Kumu was there.

"Let's go back first. Your Foundation is not yet stable, and you need time to consolidate your cultivation. I also need time to collect two more City Wall Earth imageries to meet the conditions for fishing."

He paused.

"Three years later, there will be a competition in Wanyao Immortal City. The geniuses of the younger generation of the Buddhist Sect will face off against the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Southern Region. I will fight."

Xiao Muting looked at him.

"Are you confident?"

"I am."

Chen Xuan's tone was very calm.

"But if you are there, the chance of success is even greater."

Xiao Muting smiled.

"Good. Three years later, I will go to Wanyao Immortal City with you."

The two turned around and walked towards Nanming Port.

Behind them, the magma in the volcanic crater was still rolling, and the dark red light gradually dimmed in the setting sun.

Ahead, the silhouette of Nanming Port appeared on the horizon; there were figures walking on the pier, and flying boats were taking off and landing.

Chen Xuan walked in front, and Xiao Muting followed behind.

The shadows of the two were stretched long on the charred ground, overlapping together.

Like brothers.

Like comrades-in-arms.

This bond of peeling garlic! How intense!