557: Chapter 557 Initial Formation of the Golden Core

Inside the grayish-white space.

Under Su Ming's questioning, the figure of "Heart Demon · Lin Yu" began to blur slightly.

The edges of that body, which was as solid as an Immortal Master, were like a sand painting being blown away by the wind, rippling with fine waves. But he quickly stabilized his form, his originally indifferent face beginning to twist, and his voice became sharp and piercing.

"Foolish!"

"Heart Demon · Lin Yu" violently waved his sleeve, and the thick grayish-white mist rolled violently with his movement.

"Do you think those inferior states, like scrap metal, could catch this old man's eye?

What is the greatest taboo of Possession? It is the repulsion between the Physical Body and the Divine Soul!

When you first entered cultivation, your Physical Body was as weak as paper; at Iron Wall Pass, your Meridians were completely destroyed; even when you reached the Central State, your dao foundation was full of cracks, like a leaky, broken bucket!"

"Heart Demon · Lin Yu" stared fixedly at Su Ming, a malicious light flashing in his eyes.

"This old man spent countless efforts to teach you Formations and guide you to find the heaven-mending pill, all to repair this vessel to its most perfect state!

At the moment the Golden Core forms, your old Divine Sense will be reshaped and reorganized. That is the moment when your Soul is most defenseless and your Physical Body's vitality is most vigorous!

How do you know he isn't waiting for this one and only, best opportunity?!"

This speech was logically rigorous and impeccable.

It perfectly fit the dark Law of the Cultivation World where everything is a calculation.

Su Ming stood where he was and fell silent.

The grayish-white space was so quiet that only the rustling sound of the rolling mist could be heard.

"Heart Demon · Lin Yu" looked at the silent Su Ming, and a sneer of victory resurfaced on that twisted face.

But in the next breath, Su Ming slowly shook his head.

"Your calculations are perfect."

There was no despair in Su Ming's eyes; instead, they revealed a clarity that saw through all falsehoods.

"You have insight into all my memories and have magnified all my fears of this cruel world. But in the end, you are merely a Heart Demon evolved from the Law of heaven and earth."

Su Ming looked at that familiar face, his voice becoming soft.

"The Law of heaven and earth only understands pros and cons, only the calculations of Possession and being possessed. But you simply do not understand him."

In Su Ming's mind, the image of that old man with the dim soul body surfaced once again.

"He doesn't need to wait for any 'best opportunity'.

Not because this Physical Body isn't perfect enough, and not because he lacks the means for Possession.

It's because he is my Master."

The corners of Su Ming's mouth turned up slightly in a smile that was truly from the heart, carrying a hint of relief.

"I don't call him Master because I need him.

It's because outside that ruined temple, when I was waiting for death like a stray dog, when I was at my most wretched and had absolutely nothing..."

He didn't mention any conditions, nor did he make me swear any malicious oaths."

Su Ming looked at the illusion before him, his voice becoming more resolute.

"That weak voice only said to me, 'This old man will teach you a way to live.'"

From beginning to end, behind that teaching was the pity of a Soul from another world for another struggling life, not a long-premeditated Possession.

Heaven and earth are heartless, treating all things as straw dogs.

But beyond those cold calculations, there is always a kind of warmth that a Heart Demon can never understand, nor simulate.

Boom!

The moment Su Ming's words fell, the entire grayish-white space began to tremble violently.

"Heart Demon · Lin Yu" showed a look of extreme terror and disbelief on his face. He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to utter some malicious curse.

But before his voice could come out, that face began to twist and collapse frantically.

That originally incredibly solid soul body was like dust swept up by a gale, starting to disintegrate inch by inch from the edges.

There were no screams, no resistance.

Before an absolutely flawless Dao Heart, an illusion woven from fear was as fragile as it was vulnerable.

Su Ming stood quietly in place, watching the illusion that was rapidly dissipating into nothingness.

He was in no hurry to leave; instead, facing that cloud of gray mist about to completely collapse, he lowered his head slightly and solemnly spoke the final words.

"You are my Master."

"You were never my tribulation."

Crack—

A crisp sound of shattering rang out in the deepest part of the grayish-white space.

Immediately following, countless dazzling cracks spread across the entire void like a Spider Web.

Bang!

Accompanied by a loud crash like shattering glass, the hazy gray space collapsed and shattered, turning into countless spots of light and dissipating.

That suffocating dead silence instantly receded.

The faint orange light in the Immortal Cave, the cold touch of the Cold Jade Bed, and the surging Spiritual Qi in his Meridians all rushed back into Su Ming's perception at the same time.

His consciousness had completely returned to his Physical Body.

Buzz—

Su Ming snapped his eyes open.

Inside the Immortal Cave, the originally calmly flowing Spiritual Qi seemed to be pulled by some terrifying force at this moment, madly pouring back into his body.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately sank his internal Divine Sense into his Dantian.

On top of that translucent cyan-jade dao foundation, the former deep blue lake of spiritual power had completely vanished.

In its place was a round pellet that was pure golden yellow throughout.

It floated quietly in the very center of the Dantian, rotating according to a mysterious and slow rhythm, emitting a warm yet unfathomable light.

Su Ming looked closer.

This Golden Core was completely different from the ordinary Golden Cores recorded in the ancient texts.

On its smooth and flawless surface, it was densely covered with fine lines. These lines were not carved on afterward but seemed to be naturally generated Formation principles.

This was the Cultivation Technique brand of the Ruoshui Art, as well as the physical manifestation of Su Ming's understanding of the Dao of Formations over his life.

The softness of water, the hardness of water, the defense of Formations, the killing power of Formations.

Everything was perfectly fused into this Golden Core at this moment.

Su Ming slowly withdrew his Divine Sense and turned his attention to the changes in his Physical Body.

He casually raised his right hand and clenched his fist firmly.

There was no empty sense of bloating that often came after suddenly obtaining great power. The spiritual power flowing in his Meridians was more than ten times more concentrated than it had been at the Peak of the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

Every drop of spiritual power was as heavy as mercury, yet it moved as he wished, as naturally as his own limbs.

It was a solid sense of fulfillment, like having one's feet planted firmly on the ground.

He closed his eyes again and spread his Divine Sense outward.

Swish—

His Divine Sense, like an invisible great net, instantly penetrated the five layers of defensive Formations outside the Immortal Cave and spread toward the surroundings of Star Gazing Cliff.

One hundred zhang, two hundred zhang, three hundred zhang...

It expanded all the way to the limit distance of exactly nine hundred zhang before the edge of his Divine Sense felt a hint of obvious resistance.

The range had doubled.

Moreover, within nine hundred zhang, even the trajectory of a falling leaf or the crawling of an ant in a rock crevice was clearly visible in his perception.