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Chapter 256: Striving Through Adversity, Golden Core's Aspirations
Chapter 256: Striving Through Adversity, Golden Core's Aspirations
In ancient times, this world was known as Shan Hai.
The mountains stretched endlessly, and the rivers and seas were boundless, home to countless demons, beasts, and spirits.
The powerful ones soared through the skies and moved mountains and seas with their might.
The weak ones frolicked in the forests, living freely.
Although human cultivators existed, they were few and far between, barely surviving.
However, since ancient times, the human race had thrived.
Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators emerged in great numbers, and even more advanced cultivators transcended tribulations and ascended.
With this momentum, the human territories expanded continuously.
After thousands of years, the human race finally established their dominance in the Central Continent, solidifying their great undertaking in the Shan Hai realm.
With the Central Continent as the center, the realm was divided into four major regions: East Wasteland, South Frontier, West Desert, and North Sea.
As the five regions were initially established, the powerful human cultivators of the Shan Hai realm changed the era's name to Shan Hai, marking the first year of the Shan Hai calendar.
From that first year, time passed, and the years flew by.
Three thousand years went by in a flash.
During these three millennia, the human cultivators of the Shan Hai realm, following the principles of the powerful cultivators, continuously launched wars to expand their territories.
As a result, the East Wasteland expanded to thirty-five regions, the South Frontier had one hundred and eighty-seven mountain ranges, and the North Sea stretched endlessly, reaching the Arctic Night Mo Heaven.
Four hundred years ago, in the Harmony Domain of the East Wasteland, a major Golden Core sect produced a Nascent Soul cultivator. Feeling that they couldn't grow further within the Harmony Domain, they applied to launch a war of expansion.
This sect was named the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
Under the sponsorship of the East Wasteland's sacred ground and with the support of the Harmony Sect, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect quickly gained the joint support of the Medicine King Sect, the Divine Talisman Sect, the Five Elements Divine Sect, Celestial Sails City, and other Nascent Soul sects.
Thus, there were now six major Nascent Soul sects.
Moreover, within the territories of these major sects, there were also Golden Core sects seeking new opportunities, and they joined the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's war of expansion.
The Falling Cloud Sect, the Vast Sky Sect, the Bright Emperor Sect, the Ice Fortress, the Green Pill Valley... a total of ten Golden Core sects.
Together with the six major sects, four hundred years ago, a grand war of expansion began.
Their target was the Lian Xia Mountain Range.
This war was also known as the Sixteen Sects United Assault on Lian Xia.
The result was, of course, a success.
The human territories expanded from thirty-five regions in the East Wasteland to thirty-six.
The Jade Peak Region, along with the other five regions, became known as the Eastern Six Domains.
However, success came at a cost.
Among the ten Golden Core sects from the various major regions, four major sects were nearly annihilated.
One of them was the Ghost Valley.
If one were to rank the ten Golden Core sects, the Ghost Valley would be among the top contenders.
Their Grand Elder was at the ninth layer of the Golden Core stage, just one step away from condensing a Nascent Soul, making him an incredibly powerful existence.
The Ghost Valley was renowned for their array formations, and several of their sect's treasures were famous throughout the realm.
The Demon Sealing Pagoda, the Worn Chess Piece, the Unmatched Sword...
Among these treasures, there was one that wasn't widely known but was greatly envied by the Golden Core sects.
The Ghost God Soul Mirror.
This treasure wasn't of high rank, only of inferior grade.
It had no defensive capabilities, nor offensive power, and even in the Ghost Valley's specialty, Array Dao, it provided no enhancement or amplification effects.
However, this treasure had an extraordinary effect on helping cultivators condense their Golden Core.
The reason for this effect was unknown to outsiders.
After the Ghost Valley's destruction, the remaining survivors became affiliated with the Xianqiong Kang family, and this treasure seemed to have disappeared without a trace.
The saying, "The Golden Core is the aspiration of all, asking not for the world but for the soul," became a lost legend.
But today, someone attempted to take advantage of a hidden opportunity and entered the Ghost God Soul Mirror.
...
Opening his eyes, Luo Chen disappointedly put down the bronze mirror in his hand.
"What a loss! I've lost so much!"
After experimenting, he found that this broken bronze mirror treasure had only a slight mesmerizing function and no other use.
And even that mesmerizing function could now only affect lower Qi Condensation stage cultivators.
Thirty thousand spirit stones, just like that, were gone.
Luo Chen was heartbroken and decided to stop taking such risks.
"I should take this opportunity to refine more pills and earn more spirit stones!"
Although he usually refined enough pills for half a year's supply for the Luo Tianhui, earning him more than enough spirit stones, who wouldn't want more?
Luo Chen immediately immersed himself in pill refinement.
Six days later, Luo Chen took a break from his busy pill refinement and attended an auction held in the Heavenly Wave Immortal City.
This auction was extraordinary! It was jointly hosted by the Green Pill Valley and the Ice Fortress, and the auctioneer was a Golden Core Master from the Ice Fortress.
Luo Chen made exceptional bids!
He consecutively secured the Foundation Establishment Pill, the mid-grade Essence Fusion Pill, and the Sprite Pill.
He also helped Kang Xianqiong obtain the third-grade healing spirit herbs she needed, thus securing the golden jade liquid agency business between the Kang family and the Luo Tianhui.
After the auction ended, Luo Chen personally supervised Min Longyu's Foundation Establishment attempt.
Outside the cave mansion, Luo Chen was full of anticipation.
"If Min Longyu succeeds, then the Luo Tianhui will have another Foundation Establishment cultivator, and one who is proficient in Array Dao!"
However, the result left him greatly disappointed.
Min Longyu had failed and was severely injured, collapsing in the cave mansion.
Regarding the reason for his failure, Min Longyu's face was filled with bitterness.
"I hesitated."
Luo Chen opened his mouth but could only sigh helplessly.
There was never a guarantee in Foundation Establishment.
Fu Xiu Xiu failed, and Duan Rui also failed twice in a row when consuming the Foundation Establishment Pill. Even a powerful cultivator like Wang Yuan only succeeded on his second attempt.
Even he himself had endured numerous failures before barely succeeding.
Min Longyu had dragged things out for too long! After sighing, he didn't sink into despair.
It was just a joke, not his own failure, and Min Longyu wasn't that close to him, so why would he feel dejected?
On the contrary, with a Foundation Establishment Pill from Wang Haidao still in his possession, he bestowed it upon Sima Huiwang two years later.
She succeeded in one go!
From then on, Luo Tianhui had a Foundation Establishment Stage president!
Under Sima Huiwang's diligent leadership, Luo Tianhui continued to thrive.
The pills refined by Luo Chen day and night were sold far and wide in the Heavenly Wave Immortal City.
He even started selling Jade Marrow Pills, Jade Dew Pills, and Spirit Gate Pills.
With the profits from these pills, he accumulated an unimaginable number of Spirit Stones.
He wasn't a stingy person.
With his vast wealth, he not only advanced his cultivation but also supported his old friends.
Friends like Gu Caiyi and Murong Qinglian were also fortunate enough to reach Foundation Establishment.
Even Zhou Yuanli, who didn't have exceptional talent, was helped by Luo Chen due to his long-time companionship. Luo Chen bought three Foundation Establishment Pills for him, allowing him to reach Foundation Establishment and successfully extend his lifespan.
As for Qin Liangchen, after failing twice in his attempts to reach Foundation Establishment, his Qi and blood became severely depleted, and he chose to give up.
If he continued to push himself, there was no guarantee of success, and his life was at stake.
The situation in the Jade Peak Region was ever-changing, with twists and turns occurring daily.
The battle between the two Nascent Soul High Lords finally erupted in full scale.
Even though Luo Tianhui had accumulated several Foundation Establishment Cultivators over decades, both openly and secretly, their numbers exceeded a dozen.
However, in the face of such a powerful force, they were still unable to control their destiny and were swept up in the conflict.
What followed was a decades-long war.
During this period, Luo Tianhui lost many cultivators.
Even Wang Yuan, Luo Chen's closest companion, was hunted down and killed by a Golden Core Master due to his ruthless actions.
Not to mention the other friends.
Luo Chen was born cautious and quick-witted.
He had hovered on the edge of life and death numerous times but managed to survive.
The war ended when the Nascent Soul Master from Jade Cauldron Sword Sect stormed the Falling Cloud Sect's mountain gate, resulting in the mutual destruction of both Nascent Soul Cultivators.
The war was over.
The battered Luo Tianhui returned to the Heavenly Wave Immortal City.
A long period of recovery and development began anew.
Luo Chen's cultivation finally advanced to the eighth level of Foundation Establishment at the age of 170.
At this moment, he was considered a major figure in the Heavenly Wave Immortal City.
Even when the rotating sect changed to the Flame Alliance, which was close to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, Luo Chen managed to establish a subordinate relationship with them through his pill business.
However, the eighth level of Foundation Establishment made Luo Chen feel almost hopeless.
Even with the wealth he had accumulated over a century, allowing him access to countless resources, his progress was hindered by his limited talent.
He had the resources but couldn't quickly enhance his strength.
And this was just the eighth level of Foundation Establishment! There were still the more challenging ninth level and the perilous Core Formation stage ahead.
It could be said that his path to immortality was nearly hopeless.
Luo Chen refused to give up!
He frequently attended auctions, even venturing into other immortal cities in the Jade Peak Region, and joined a Great Golden Core Sect as an external Offering to obtain higher-level and more efficient cultivation resources.
However, his cultivation progress remained slow.
At the age of 200, he sat atop Crimson Peak, gazing at the magnificent cloud sea, but his heart was filled with confusion.
Behind him, footsteps approached.
It was Gu Caiyi.
She had luckily reached Foundation Establishment and survived the war between the high lords. Two hundred years had passed, and she still maintained her youthful appearance.
The passage of time even added a touch of plumpness to her charm.
"Luo Chen, do you want to take a break?"
"With the Dao ahead, how can I rest?" Luo Chen replied resolutely without turning back.
However, his resoluteness was tinged with despair.
Gu Caiyi walked to his side and looked at him with pity.
"I've known you since you were at the fourth level of Qi Condensation."
"For nearly two hundred years, you've either been refining pills or cultivating."
"Even when you're not cultivating, you're maneuvering among various major powers, creating opportunities for Luo Tianhui."
"You've never rested for these two hundred years."
"Aren't you tired?"
As she asked, "Aren't you tired?" Luo Chen, sitting atop the peak, felt a wave of dizziness.
An overwhelming sense of fatigue surged from the depths of his soul, like a gushing spring that turned into a rushing stream and finally roared like a mighty river.
He was truly exhausted.
Two hundred years had passed, and he had abstained from women and power, never ceasing his cultivation!
No one in the world had worked as hard as him.
With his master-level pill refinement technique, he accumulated wealth at a rate far surpassing his peers.
Even Golden Core Cultivators weren't half as wealthy as him.
But even so, the Golden Core realm remained a distant dream.
Despair spread from his resolute determination...
A gentle mountain breeze blew, but his figure seemed to sway unsteadily.
The voluptuous waist of a woman leaned against him, propping up his face, now adorned with streaks of white hair.
Gu Caiyi caressed his white hair tenderly and murmured, "Let's not fight anymore, shall we?"
No more fighting?
Three days later.
On Crimson Peak, a grand wedding ceremony unfolded.
A late-stage Foundation Establishment Master and a Tier 2 Alchemy Grand Master, Luo Chen, and the Elder of Luo Tianhui, Gu Caiyi, formed a Daoist couple.
The wedding was attended by numerous guests bearing gifts.
Among the guests were Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and even three Golden Core Cultivators who came specifically to celebrate with Luo Chen.
This wedding, hastily arranged, had a profound impact that lasted for decades.
Even twenty years later, it was still widely talked about in the Jade Peak Region.
It was said that even the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect sent a gift to Luo Chen on that day.
The Divine Talisman Sect, located thousands of miles away, dispatched Foundation Establishment Disciples to congratulate him, including Fu Xiu Xiu and Chen Shuyi.
Twenty years later.
Still atop Crimson Peak.
Luo Chen watched as the dim yellow setting sun gradually disappeared beneath the boundless sea of clouds. In his embrace, Gu Caiyi lay silent and lifeless.
Her life had come to an end.
Luo Chen sat there, desolate.
Ten days later, a purple aura emerged from the east, and a proud sun rose from the sea of clouds.
Under the radiance of the newborn sun, the aged heart of Luo Chen stirred once more.
"I've rested enough."
After burying Gu Caiyi, Luo Chen embarked on the path of cultivation once more.
This time, he no longer sought stability but pursued an unprecedented level of madness.
With his cultivation progress slowing down, he craved more efficient cultivation resources.
However, the major sects would not provide them to him, even though he was nominally an Offering within their ranks.
"If you won't give it to me, I'll take it myself!"
Luo Chen began to frantically refine the Imperial Flow Paste he had kept hidden, disregarding all else to enhance the strength of Luo Tianhui.
The number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators under his command increased from a handful to many.
Later, when word spread to various Loose Cultivators who had lost hope in Foundation Establishment, they too joined his cause.
Ten, twenty, thirty, fifty...
During this process, he also spent a significant amount of resources to recruit several Golden Core Cultivators.
These Golden Core Cultivators were not ordinary cultivators.
Most of them were powerful survivors of the Nascent Soul War, whose sects had been destroyed.
"Join the Luo Tian Sect!"
"Attack the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, and there will be an opportunity to condense the Nascent Soul within!"
"Don't worry about the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's foundation. They suffered significant losses in that war a hundred years ago."
"I've been planning this battle for a long time. Not only the Luo Tian Sect but also the Flame Alliance, Green Pill Valley, and Hundred Flowers Palace will join forces!"
No one knew how much effort Luo Chen had put into forming this alliance of four sects.
He sought Core Formation, while others sought revenge.
The Golden Core Cultivators aimed for Nascent Soul Condensation.
A great war erupted in the Jade Peak Region after a hundred years of peace, with the five major Golden Core Sects leaderless.
The war began ferociously.
However, it ended abruptly.
Because a Nascent Soul Master from another realm had intervened.
In a vast realm, a Golden Core Grand Sect had produced a Nascent Soul Master, who came to the Jade Peak Region in search of development.
The war among the five Golden Core Sects was laughable in the face of the Nascent Soul Master.
With a mere flick of his hand, he easily suppressed them.
After the war, the aftermath continued to spread.
As the mastermind behind the war, Luo Chen found himself on the kill list.
The newly established Luo Tian Sect faced a devastating blow almost immediately.
Luo Chen's friends, his disciples, his descendants, and the descendants of his friends were all annihilated, with no one escaping alive. Only Luo Chen survived.
He became a wandering vagabond in the cultivation world, like a stray dog.
By then, he was already aged.
His lifespan had exceeded the Foundation Establishment limit, reaching two hundred and eighty years.
It was Wang Yuan's legacy that made him who he was.
During the war between the Sword Sect and the Falling Cloud Sect, Wang Yuan perfected the second and third levels of the Body Cultivation Technique.
This technique integrated the Immortal Dao and the Force Dao, with a focus on the Blood Dao.
Luo Chen, with his innate talent and comprehension, integrated the Soul Dao into this foundation.
Subsequently, he relied on devouring the essence blood and spirits of other cultivators to barely survive.
Even when confronted by senior cultivators he had killed, he defeated them without hesitation.
Most Golden Core Masters returned empty-handed.
The name Blood Demon gradually spread throughout the Eastern Six Domains.
At the age of three hundred and thirty, Luo Chen returned to the Heavenly Wave Immortal City.
With the improved Spirit Breath Control Art at its peak and a substantial amount of resources, he temporarily acquired a third-grade lower-grade Cave Mansion on Celestial Wave Peak.
By then, he had already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment.
Moreover, he possessed several Core Formation Secret Techniques.
The rush to the Golden Core stage began that day.
A massive vortex raged within his Dantian, spinning wildly.
An immense amount of spiritual energy from heaven and earth surged towards him.
His snow-white hair fluttered without a breeze, billowing behind him.
Beneath his weathered eyes, there was an unwavering determination.
"Amidst hardships and bitterness, my white hair turns frosty, but my ambition remains, striving for the Golden Core."
"How can I stop here in this life?"
Boom!
(End of Chapter)
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