Shangyuque

Chapter 197 The distance from the mundane to transcendence is more than ten thousand years (too tiring).

As a member force of the Immortal Kingdom, Jialing has sufficient resources to support the birth of a third Golden Core cultivator.

The only reason why no third Golden Core cultivator appeared in the long past was that the two above did not need anyone to compete with them for the pie.

But times have changed, though it's hard to say exactly when.

Perhaps things will change when a drop of water is trapped, or when great cultivators join forces to push the limits of heaven and earth on the cultivation speed of Qi-inducing cultivators.

Perhaps things changed when the Immortal Kingdom supported the Divine Light's Golden Core attainment. Because at a certain point, a Golden Core-level fuse was needed to be placed on the edge of the two major powers to play a sufficiently obvious severing role.

When Mangxiang and Qingrui forced Shenguang to submit and took over the Western Sea, did they ever consider the price they would pay?

Many things have multiple facets, just as Bai Li once told Wang Yulou. The cultivation world is so complex that even the Golden Core Immortals who are high above the Nine Heavens may not be able to see it all clearly.

In short, Jia Lingxiao, who was the first to jump out and seize the Mangxiang Dao Fruit, certainly had the ambition to conquer all.

The phrase "swallowing and spitting out thousands of miles" here refers to the literal meaning of the phrase.

Marquis Cheshan and Marquis Minjiang were standing in the void above the capital of Lingwai Kingdom when their master suddenly appeared beside them.

With Jia Dongwei's tacit approval, Jia Lingxiao no longer delayed.

"let's start."

Che Shanhou's expression was somewhat tense, not from nervousness, but from fear—fear that he too would die at his master's hands.

In addition, there was some reluctance, after all, a small portion of the cultivators in the capital were from his Cheshan Kingdom, and now they had been relegated to being used as consumables.

Nevertheless, this prince of the immortal kingdom still raised his hand and activated the great array laid beneath the capital.

Marquis Minjiang dared not hesitate in the slightest and cooperated in providing support for the great formation.

A faint black barrier, starting from the ground, gradually grows upward, stretching and expanding.

Silently watching the dark array rise, King Lingxiao's brows furrowed with longing.

This formation has no name; it was personally set up by King Lingxiao.

If he had to give it a name, Jia Lingxiao would call it the Dao Attainment Array.

There is always a price to pay for enlightenment. If you don't want to be the price, you need to make others bear the price for you.

Thousands of years of accumulation were reduced to ashes in a single day.

There is no other way but to attain enlightenment or to die.

Even if he manages to survive temporarily, in the chaos following the collapse of the stable relationship between the top powers, Jia Lingxiao, having lost all his accumulated resources, will find it difficult to live to the end.

Those who pursue the Way, though they die nine times, will not regret it. This is not just a pretty saying, but a fact.

High-ranking monks are unwilling to gamble easily, because if they lose, their opponents will not give them a chance.

Those people can't just jump in and tear apart the losers right away, but when everyone is developing at a relatively high speed, individuals whose development slows down will inevitably face a decline in their relative status within the group.

For ordinary people, this decline is nothing more than a collapse in their standard of living and social value. But for cultivators whose great power belongs to the individual, this decline increases the probability of sudden death in the game.

The higher one's cultivation level, the more terrifying the fall becomes.

The fact that a drop of water could free him from his predicament and allow him to return to his immortal status is truly thanks to Wang Yulou.

"Master, everything is normal."

Noticing that the mortals and cultivators in the Dao Attainment Formation were beginning to fall, Marquis Cheshan finally let out a long sigh of relief.

There's no need to dwell on it anymore. Things have already come to this point. Either you and Jia Lingxiao ascend to heaven together, or your thousand years of arduous cultivation will be completely destroyed. There is no third option.

All Cheshanhou could do was pray, pray that his master would be alright, and pray that he would not be killed by his master.

The first to collapse were the children who were being held in their mothers' arms during the prayer ceremony.

The young mother wanted her child to share in the blessings of the Lingxiao King, and indeed he did, but perhaps a little too much.

Next to fall were the ordinary people, weary from the burdens of life.

"I feel a little dizzy, what's wrong with my head?"

The sugar-blowing vendor didn't even realize what was happening before he collapsed straight down.

At this point, some people began to realize that something was wrong.

"It's getting dark."

A burly young man realized it was getting dark, but by the time he noticed the passersby falling to the ground, it was too late.

Actually, it was too late at first. Just before he closed his eyes, he saw the senior Foundation Establishment cultivators heading out of the capital from the palace.

However, how could Lingxiao King's Dao-attaining Formation possibly let go of these real consumables?
All mortals perished, and then they breathed out their last breath.

After the Qi-inducing stage ends, the Qi-cultivating stage begins to collapse.

When death spread to the Foundation Establishment cultivator level, those senior Foundation Establishment cultivators who realized they could not break through the black barrier began to pray.

"Master, Master, it is I... Ah, I am useful, please!"

"Master, save me! Master!"

"You beasts, you not only deny us the opportunity to attain enlightenment, but you also demand..."

The phrase "a heart as firm as iron" is no longer sufficient to describe King Lingxiao.

He looked at the cultivators wailing in the Dao Attainment Formation, but his heart remained unmoved. He was focused on sensing the changes in the restrictions of heaven and earth.

Before long, the once bustling capital city, stretching for miles, finally fell silent.

The joyous paradise and celestial dynasty were transformed into a ghostly realm under the array.

Above the quiet, ghostly realm lies the burial ground of the Lingnan Kingdom and its two vassal states, encompassing an area of ​​over a thousand miles.

How can this not be a grand and majestic spirit that can conquer all?

"It's still a bit short," King Lingxiao said in a low voice.

The hairs on the backs of Marquis Cheshan and Marquis Minjiang stood on end, but their master ultimately spared them.

These two disciples cannot be killed. All the people below are already dead. If these two disciples are also killed, I will be all alone after I attain enlightenment, and it will be difficult for me to get along.

So be it. After thousands of years of cultivation, when is there ever a time when one is completely certain of success?

It's just another gamble.

King Lingxiao looked up at the sky and released the cultivation he had been struggling to suppress.

The heavenly tribulation began to gather at a dazzling speed.

After cultivating for thousands of years, Jia Lingxiao, the Marquis of the Immortal Kingdom, the King of Jialing, and a peak cultivator of the Purple Mansion, finally embarked on the path to attaining the Golden Core stage.

There's no turning back on this path; once you start, you can't stop.

Black armor appeared on Lingxiao King's body, and his skin turned into a restrained, mysterious, and ancient silver.

He walked toward the clouds of calamity, and he could sense that an extraordinary path was being opened for him by heaven and earth.

At the end of the road lies the Golden Elixir Dao Fruit.

The Golden Core is the Dao Fruit achieved by cultivators in ancient times. What Lingxiao King cultivated was not the Golden Core, but the Cave Heaven.

When his grotto-heaven transforms from an ordinary grotto-heaven into a blessed grotto-heaven, he will reach the level of Golden Core power.

The strength of the new law lies in drawing quality from the vast universe and embracing the universe within oneself, thus gaining more composure at all times.

However, the new method also incurred the extreme disgust of heaven and earth towards cultivators who practiced the new method.

The restrictions imposed on the new Purple Mansion cultivators when they attain the Golden Core stage, as well as their Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation, are extremely terrifying.

However, King Lingxiao was confident that he could pull through.

There's an 80% chance there isn't, but there's a 60% chance there is.

He attained enlightenment in the Purple Mansion before the last great war of the immortals, not through the chaos of war. Therefore, he was able to become the third ridge master of Jialing and the Lingxiao King of the lineage with three Purple Mansions.

A black, giant tiger image flapped its wings in the sky, and the Dharma body of Qiongqi was manifesting.

The true form of Lingxiao King is Qiongqi.

His demonic body was incredibly strong, which was why he was confident he could withstand the tribulation lightning.

When the first lightning tribulation struck, Jia Dongwei, the Lord of Jialing, who was observing from a distance, was slightly surprised.

This new method of tribulation for the Golden Core cultivator in the Purple Mansion is even more terrifying than he expected!
However, Jia Lingxiao's preparations were ultimately effective. The reduction of the restrictions imposed by heaven and earth not only decreased the power of the lightning tribulation but also enhanced Jia Lingxiao's various techniques.

When severely restricted by heaven and earth, Jia Lingxiao may exert ten parts of his strength but only achieve nine parts of the desired effect in the end.

When the limitations imposed by heaven and earth are reduced, Jia Lingxiao can achieve 95% of the effect by exerting only 10% of his strength.

A difference of half a percent is already enormous for a great cultivator of Lingxiao King's level, possibly equivalent to several hundred years of cultivation.

After all, it's always difficult to take another step forward.

He passed the first lightning tribulation smoothly, and the second lightning tribulation smoothly as well. After the seventeenth lightning tribulation struck, Jia Dongwei clearly felt that the power of the tribulation began to weaken.

Even a small opportunity is still an opportunity.

The king of Jialing did not use telepathy, but instead gave a direct reminder.

"Ling Xiao, hold on!"

The wrecked Qiongqi blinked in response, understanding that his beastly master truly meant well this time.

Jia Dongwei spoke up to remind not only Jia Lingxiao, but also those who coveted it—I'm watching!
In this era, if one tries to attain the Golden Core stage without anyone protecting them, the result will only be that before the tribulation is over, they will be devoured by other great cultivators.

Another lightning bolt struck down, and Jia Lingxiao, who had revealed the form of Qiongqi, slightly flapped his wings, causing his broken body to spin in the air and face the direction of the lightning bolt.

The method of spinning around to be struck by lightning has now returned to the buttocks.

However, what greeted Jia Lingxiao was not heavenly lightning, but the gigantic maw of Bifang.

The beak that appeared suddenly, with a strange presence, didn't look particularly special, but its owner was Bifang.

The orange beak shielded Qiongqi from the heavenly calamity; the terrifying, world-destroying lightning couldn't even leave a trace on Bifang's beak.

Without any warning, the Celestial King suddenly appeared in the world.

Bifang's enormous mouth kissed Qiongqi's buttocks, adding a touch of laughable absurdity and eeriness to this terrible cruelty.

Bifang was so fast that it didn't even have time to react before it bumped into Qiongqi's rump with its mouth.

Bifang kissed Qiongqi's buttocks.

It's absurd, but it's not a joke; it's a horror story.

Bifang swallowed Jia Lingxiao, who had transformed into Qiongqi, as if he were casually eating a small insect—and refined him in an instant.

Just like eating a snack, the Immortal King devoured Qiongqi, who was standing at the entrance to the Golden Core stage.

The so-called spirit, all the preparations, all the calculations, all the painstaking efforts, all the thousands of years of relentless pursuit, all the ineffable longing and unwavering ideals.

At that moment, everything vanished.

"You dare!"

Bifang was too fast; Jia Dongwei's harsh words were even slower than the speed at which it refined Jia Lingxiao.

"Within the Immortal Kingdom, no one is allowed to seize Mangxiang's Dao Fruit!"

The Immortal King ignored the old man Jia Dongwei, controlled the spread of his message, and after conveying his meaning within the Immortal Kingdom, he once again concealed himself.

It didn't even bother to give an explanation.

The Immortal Alliance is a limited democracy for great cultivators, while the Immortal Kingdom is a system centered on the Immortal King.

Bifang cannot control everything, but with its immense power, it can disrupt whatever it wants to disrupt—that's its confidence.

After a brief moment of astonishment, the onlookers who had witnessed Lingxiao King's attainment of the Golden Core stage quickly exchanged information.

No one cares about King Lingxiao anymore.

Unwavering even in the face of death?

One time is enough to make you never regret it!
Once you die and your life is over, you have no chance to regret it, so isn't that what it means to have no regrets?
No matter how great one's ambition and aspirations, how much power, how strong one's abilities, or how many possibilities one has in life, they will all vanish like fleeting clouds with a single breath.
-
"Ok?"

The Valley God Technique Master and the Melon Master, who were discussing how to reclaim the northern frontier, were both taken aback.

They weren't the only ones stunned.

From the Immortal Kingdom to the Holy Land of the Demonic Monk, then to the Six Provinces of the Immortal Alliance, and finally to all the places in the Four Extremes, Five Regions, and Eight Desolations.

Those with slightly stronger Purple Mansions realized something was wrong.

After a brief period of dramatic change, the world had begun to stabilize, but just now, the changes suddenly intensified.

The constraints of heaven and earth have loosened considerably, even more so than before the change.

So, the existence of the Golden Elixir failed?
At the Jade Palace, Wang Yulou finally relaxed a little.

Even with the greatest faith in the patriarch, one will eventually feel anxious.

After all, the patriarch had been preparing this difficult-to-prove golden elixir for nearly a hundred years.

Throughout the entire process, from the Wang family to Wang Yulou, they were all tightly bound to the patriarch. If the patriarch failed and his Dao fruit was stolen, how could Wang Yulou possibly have a good outcome?

However, although the situation has improved, Wang Yulou still dares not let his guard down.

He pondered for a moment, then sent out another batch of command tokens to all the relevant people—always be prepared, never let your guard down.

The war had reached this point with no possibility of stopping. With the patriarch's golden elixir unfulfilled, Wang Yulou had nowhere left to retreat.

"Mang Xiang is so lucky. Damn it, could he really achieve the Golden Core stage?"

Gu Shenshu spoke with a gloomy expression.

During this period, Gu Shen Shu Fang's mood was like being on a roller coaster. The northern route was bombed—it's all over!
If the war doesn't reach the Purple Mansion level, and the northern front is destroyed, taking it back will require even more lives.

Yes, the life of consumables is worthless, but Gu Shen Shu Fang still has to pay some. After learning that the northern route had been torn apart by Miao Feng Mountain, Gu Shen Shu Fang's heart was bleeding.

The monstrous elephant is about to attain the Golden Elixir—that's even worse!

Miaofeng Mountain is an ally of Mangxiang. Now that Mangxiang has become a Golden Core cultivator, it will be even more difficult to take back the northern territory that Miaofeng Mountain has swallowed.

It's not that Mang Xiang is proving the Golden Core; someone is stealing Mang Xiang's Dao Fruit—good!

The two major battles allowed information to flow between each other at an extremely fast pace.

Upon learning that someone had stolen the Dao Fruit, Gu Shenshu's mood shifted dramatically, from gloomy clouds to clear skies.

But now, the person who tried to steal the Dao Fruit has actually failed!
Is there no law? Is there no justice? Are we really going to let Mang Xiang obtain the Golden Elixir for nothing?

"Of course you can! Don't you understand?"

Gua Zhenren glanced at Gu Shen Shu Fang and sighed.

"The Serpent Ancestor and the Wild Elephant have long been entangled. I was in charge of the great battle, but the Serpent Ancestor ordered his men to launch a strong attack, and I couldn't stop him."

After fifty years of relentless attacks, the Heavenly Serpent Sect's accumulated strength and numerous disciples were all lost on the front lines.

I think there might be big problems with the Red Light's counterattack on the northern front!

Gua Zhenren and Gu Shen Shufang are both disciples of the Frog King, so of course they dare to say these things.

However, Gu Shen Shu Fang's position in the Frog King's camp was clearly somewhat marginalized, and he was somewhat astonished when he heard Gua Zhenren's analysis.

Real information is just that scarce.

After fighting for fifty years, it turns out that the Heavenly Serpent and the Wild Elephant had long since joined forces. Who could have imagined this?
But it's not surprising that Gu Shenshu couldn't guess this.

Wang Yulou was able to guess these things because the Water Immortal had taught him everything he knew.

Since Gu Shenshu Fang doesn't have a celestial wife, why would he shamelessly inquire about her?

"The Snake Ancestor supports the Wild Elephant! The Snake Ancestor supports the Wild Elephant! How is this possible? This is impossible!"

"When Mang Xiang entered the valley, he killed so many people and even fought with the Serpent Ancestor."

Gua Zhenren stuck out his tongue, grabbed a piece of dried boy meat, and said while chewing.

"It's just for show! Shufang, I will help you with the matter in the northern border region, I will do my best to help you, but whether we can take it back is hard to say."

Gu Shenshu felt a little dizzy and thought of many things.

"If the Serpent Ancestor and the Savage Elephant had joined forces long ago, the fall of the Northern Frontier would have been aimed at the Immortal Venerable. You should have been prepared long ago!"

The surgeon said breathlessly.

The northern border region has now lost thousands of miles of territory due to being outmaneuvered, and yet he, who has fought against Miaofeng Mountain for nearly a century, is now being blamed. What kind of nonsense is this?
Gua Zhenren swallowed the bone and its fragments from his mouth and asked in return.

"You think I don't want to help you?"
Before the fall of northern Xinjiang, I hadn't considered this possibility.

As you said, both the Serpent Ancestor and the Wild Elephant have made their move.

All I can say is that they fooled everyone.

From Wang Yulou's perspective, it's not too far-fetched for Tianshe and Mangxiang to join forces, because his interests lie with Mangxiang.

However, for those within the Heavenly Serpent Sect, from Gua Zhenren to Frog King, none of them could be certain that Heavenly Serpent Zhenren and Mang Xiang had hit it off before the fall of the Northern Frontier.

The Frog King's piece controlling the war situation was Gua Zhenren. Gua Zhenren did indeed fight bravely, even losing a leg, but overall, he handled the situation quite well.

But things took an unexpected turn. The Heavenly Serpent Sect launched a fierce attack for fifty years, and Master Gua personally took part in the attack. The land they swallowed was about the same size as the land swallowed by the Red Lanterns in this counterattack.

All I can say is, it's all Wang Yulou's fault!

"You mean, even the Immortal Venerable didn't guess it?"

Gu Shen finally understood why the Frog King was so angry.

So even demon gods can be fooled.
There's a reason why Mangxiang was able to climb step by step to the pinnacle of the Purple Mansion realm in the cruel world of cultivation, and gain the support of veteran Golden Core Immortal Venerables like Tianshe, Bifang, and Qingrui, thus obtaining the true permission to attain the Golden Core fruit position.

"That's not what I meant at all, don't talk nonsense!"

Gua Zhenren, dissatisfied, reminded Shu Fangdao.

"What I mean is that the situation is complicated and the situation is quite tense. It doesn't matter if we make mistakes, as long as we can take back the northern border, everything will be fine."

The way the surgeon looked at Gua Zhenren was strange.

In the end, I'm still the one who has to take the blame?
"What if we can't get it back?"

Gua Zhenren licked his lips with his frog tongue and shook his head.

"do not know."

Since it already has a broken leg, it has at least put in some effort, so of course it's not in a hurry.

"However, you don't need to worry too much. I guess that with the nature of that beast Mangxiang, once he truly achieves the Golden Core, he won't just sit idly by and watch the Snake Ancestor and Miaofeng Mountain live so leisurely."

Shu Fang was taken aback at first, but then he remembered that Shen Guang had been betrayed by Mang Xiang.
It seems that this is indeed possible.

"Hopefully, but that old thief Kong from Miaofeng Mountain is also... not right!"

Miaofeng Mountain is, after all, an ally of Mangxiang, a semi-independent vassal force. Master Kongkong of Miaofeng Mountain is quite capable, so of course he wouldn't want to become a stepping stone for Mangxiang.

But halfway through the explanation, that familiar feeling returned.

Gua Zhenren was stunned for a moment, and even subconsciously let out a "quack".

The feedback from Heaven and Earth told them that someone else was trying to steal the Dao Fruit from the Wild Elephant!

"Quack, that's the second one."

A question suddenly arose in the mind of Gua Zhenren, who was sitting cross-legged on the withered Jianmu tree.

A question that I can't suppress, a question that I know I shouldn't think about, but I still can't help but think about.

If my leg hadn't been torn off by the savage elephant, would I have had a chance to steal his Dao Fruit?
There might be some, but the chances of success are slim.

However, if the second person to try and seize the Mangxiang Dao Fruit also dies, and I try to seize it in the third position, the restrictions imposed by Heaven and Earth will be further reduced, and I should still have a chance of winning.

Its frog-like eyes stealthily glanced at Shu Fang, its thoughts darting around. If it could stall Shu Fang until the second person to try and seize the Mang Xiang Dao Fruit failed, it would then suddenly attack and kill Shu Fang, before directly taking the Dao Fruit.
No, no, is this the allure of the Golden Elixir? It has actually made me so flustered.
Gua Zhenren's delusional thoughts only rose for a moment before they were suppressed.

His path to the Golden Core stage is still long. His cultivation level seems sufficient, but it's far from enough. As for other things, he hasn't prepared anything at all.

Putting everything else aside, if it dared to kill the sorcerer and try to attain the Golden Core stage with its still-recovering Dao body, the Frog King would be the first to kill it.

"It hasn't been long, not even half an incense stick's time, and one just died and another one has come."

Hopefully, this will be a little better; if Mangxiang's position is taken, all our problems can be solved immediately.

For some reason, Gua Zhenren hoped that the second person to seize the Dao Fruit would die.

"I hope so," it casually echoed, and continued.

“I’m worried that morale is low, so I need to make a round. Brother Shufang, I will support you in the Northern Frontier, but you also need to pay close attention to it.”

After giving his instructions, Gua Zhenren left.

It dared not stay by the surgeon's side; it was afraid that it would not be able to resist.

The allure of the Golden Elixir Realm is simply too great.

Of course, the surgeons can't put all their eggs in one basket. The Frog King's threat might just be a spur, but what if it's real?

If the Northern Frontier cannot be reclaimed, and the Frog King really wants to kill him, Shu Fang will have no way to resist.

Unlike the Heavenly Serpent, which was targeted and killed by the Heavenly Tribulation, the Frog King was a relatively young Golden Core cultivator. Of course, it did not dare to stay in the Great World for long, but the restrictions it faced were much smaller.

The surgeon is terrified!

So he came up with a solution that was hardly a solution at all.

It's difficult to win a fight.

If we can't win the war, it will be difficult to recover the lost territory in northern Xinjiang.

But there is another strategy that can be used – buying.

However, who to buy from, how to buy from, and at what price are all big questions.
After much deliberation, the surgeon had a preliminary plan in mind.

Without hesitation, he entered his own cave and used his cave-heaven telepathic ability.

The telepathic communication ability of cultivators in the Purple Mansion, when used with the power of the Purple Mansion, can not contact anyone at will, but can contact anyone who has had some contact with them.

For example, Gu Qiyuan, the "Qiyuan Zhenren" of the Red Lantern Society!
Twelve thousand miles east of the Immortal Alliance, the Immortal Realm was destroyed.

The Immortal Extinction Domain is different from the Immortal Kingdom; it is an absolute demon beast force with very few human cultivators. Those with cultivation are all demons.

As a top-tier power on par with the Immortal Alliance, Immortal Kingdom, and Holy Land (Demon Monk), the Immortal Extinction Domain is also known as the Demon Domain.

The Demon Realm lacks beings like Bifang, but it has no shortage of powerful figures like Qingrui and Tianshe. The overall structure consists of 'thirteen gods and ninety-five emperors' standing side by side.

Stronger Golden Core Demon Kings are Demon Gods, while weaker ones are Demon Emperors. In short, everyone is respectable, but there are slight differences between them.

Within the Immortal Extinction Domain, over a hundred Golden Core Demon Gods stood side by side, operating under a loose alliance system with an even more disorganized structure than the Immortal Alliance.

When top external forces attack, we all work together to defend ourselves. Otherwise, we just focus on our own repairs.

In the distant Immortal Extinction Domain, the Purple Mansion Demon King who snatched the Mangxiang Dao Fruit from 120,000 miles away was named Shaoyang Gong, and was a sheep demon.

Desolate mountains and rivers, a bright moon, and endless roars of beasts.

Excited, angry, or just there for the spectacle.

The monsters were of different species, and their roars were also different. When they gathered together, it sounded as terrifying as the vengeful spirits of hell calling out.

The fact that Shaoyang notarized the Demon God's testimony was, of course, a major event for all the demons in the Immortal Extinction Domain.

Some demons support it, some oppose it, and the majority remain neutral.

Most neutrality is the norm.

Blocking is not worthwhile, supporting is even less worthwhile, opposing is worthwhile but not necessarily useful, so the remaining option is to remain neutral.

The limited democracy of the Immortal Alliance's Assembly Platform will create opposing factions in the process, which is why there are clearly defined conservative and reformist factions.

However, if the rule that everyone must vote is abolished, the majority of people in Sendai will remain neutral on the vast majority of issues.

However, this model of setting aside conflicts is even more difficult to sustain.

Although the Immortal Alliance seems to quarrel every day, this kind of dispute is actually a process of rebalancing interests. As long as the dynamic conflict clearing mechanism is not too bad, it is difficult for it to accumulate in the long term and cause a big one.

Of course, the dynamic contradiction clearing under this ideal configuration will always encounter various unexpected events, such as the inability to pass the Five Discussions of the Golden Elixir. It is not invincible or omnipotent.

In short, the internal governance frameworks of different top-tier forces such as the Immortal Extinction Domain and the Immortal Alliance have their own advantages and disadvantages, and there is no such thing as perfection or permanence.

In the darkness, a golden goat leaps up from a high cliff.

Its four hooves resembled four shimmering shooting stars, tracing graceful paths through the air.

Its wool seems to possess some kind of magic, radiating a glow that rivals that of the sun.

'Shaoyang, go back. You are not worthy to sit on the throne of the Demon God.'

A majestic voice resounded in Shaoyang Gong's mind.

She is the demon god Rakshasa, one of the thirteen demon gods in the Immortal Extinction Domain, possessing strength close to that of Qingrui before she shattered her Nascent Soul.

As for now, Qingrui might be slightly weaker than the Rakshasa Demon God, since Qingrui's condition has not fully recovered.

Even when facing the demon god, Shaoyang Gong showed no intention of backing down.

'I can't go back. My grotto-heaven has malfunctioned. If I don't take another step forward, I'll die.'

The voice of Shaoyang Gong was filled with deep weariness; he was about to die.

Who could have imagined that the intense, golden radiance was on the verge of fading at any moment?

Is it really that hard to choose between dying now or dying in a few years?

Besides, with so many longevity-extending elixirs, extending your lifespan shouldn't be that difficult for an old cultivator like you, right?

The weary Duke Shaoyang smiled, but his tone was firm.

'Rakshasa, further words are useless. Don't stop me; my mind is made up.'

Duke Shaoyang has allies, including a Purple Mansion Demon King who is nearing the end of his life and has known at least a thousand, if not ten thousand, cultivators throughout his life.

The term "cultivator" here includes both practitioners and demon beasts. The demon kings and demon gods that Shaoyang Gong invited to support him were the best among the demon beasts.

However, what Shaoyang Gong did not expect was that the first one to betray him was the demon god he had invited to be his protector.

After it resolved to attain the Golden Elixir, the heavens and earth were suddenly torn open on the path the golden goat was on, and the Rakshasa's arm emerged from it.

Just as Shao Yang Gong braced himself and prepared to deal with the situation, an unstoppable unicorn dragon struck him in the back.

Shao Yang Gong, who was making every effort to prepare to resist the Rakshasa Demon God, never expected that the protector he had invited would betray him in this way.

Rakshasa blocked the way, and a close friend betrayed him.

In the blink of an eye, the golden glow that had been running through the long, dark night vanished.

"Within the Immortal Extinction Domain, it is forbidden to seize the Mangxiang Dao Fruit. Violators will be punished like Lord Shaoyang!"

The threat of the Rakshasa was like an icy river, waking up the demon kings of the Immortal Extinction Domain who coveted the Golden Core position.

How could Mang Xiang not have foreseen that someone would try to steal his Golden Core Dao Fruit?
Without most people knowing, he had already done everything within his capabilities and preparations.

Ultimately, the distance between the mundane and the transcendent is far more than ten thousand years.

Ten thousand years of cultivation is merely one of the many conditions for attaining enlightenment.

(End of this chapter)