Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 221 Third-Order Great Demon
a few days later.

An aura appeared in the spiritual land of Xuanyin Pavilion, causing a cold glint to flash in the eyes of the Fairy of Rainbow Robes.

"Haha, I heard that a fellow Daoist came here to break through, but I didn't expect that I was still a step too late."

"Master Li is joking."

When the Venerable Master Li, the worshipper of Five Dragons Island, arrived, Fairy Ni Chang also smiled and pretended to welcome him.

Despite their feigned politeness, Master Li made no attempt to conceal his arrogance, showing no deference whatsoever to the True Core cultivator, Fairy Ni Chang.

He is indeed a pseudo-core cultivator, but besides the Five Dragons Island behind him, he also relies on a third-tier spirit pet, which gives him the confidence to stand on equal footing with cultivators in the early stage of core formation.

However, at this moment, inside the Earth Fire Cave, Lin Chang'an was completely unaware of the conflict between the Xuan Yin Pavilion and Five Dragons Island.

At this moment, he was intently watching the Phoenix Bird break through.

First, it consumed the third-tier Yin Spirit Demon Core it had obtained earlier. For the Phoenix Cry Bird, which was at a critical juncture in its breakthrough, such a nourishing substance directly accelerated its evolution.

Lin Chang'an sat upright several feet away from the phoenix, protecting it.

The Phoenix Bird was surrounded by flames, making it impossible to get close. The violent aura it exuded, especially that wisp of golden flame, was so intense that even Lin Chang'an could feel the threat of death.

"hope everything is fine!"

Amidst the pervasive sense of terror, the phoenix uttered a painful cry, yet it persevered.

……

a few days later.

Above the cave dwellings in the outside world, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was restless, and the phenomenon of Core Formation began to appear.

The rolling dark clouds, under the convergence of fire-attribute spiritual energy, were actually dyed fiery red.

A powerful aura of demonic energy emanated from the area, causing the cultivators guarding the Xuan Yin Pavilion to gasp in astonishment.

"here we go."

Inside a side hall outside the cave, True Person Li and True Person Ni Chang were enjoying tea and discussing the Dao when they suddenly sensed this aura and couldn't help but look up at it.

"Judging from the aura of this Core Formation stage, that fellow Daoist's spirit pet has a very strong fire attribute, and it seems that its bloodline grade is not low."

This Master Li spoke seemingly casually, yet a hint of jealousy shone deep in his eyes.

This is quite a show of power. This rogue cultivator doesn't even deserve to have a third-tier spirit pet. He should just become food for his bronze-armored corpse.

There were even fake Core Formation cultivators; if they were blind, he wouldn't mind feeding them all to the bronze-armored corpse.

The aura in the sky grew increasingly terrifying, and after several days, it condensed into a terrifying cloud of fire, making Master Li's expression even more grim.

Could this person's spirit pet be of Earth-grade bloodline?
As for this person possessing superior or even top-grade Core Formation spiritual objects, he absolutely did not believe it.

How could a fake Core Formation cultivator, who hasn't even broken through to the True Core stage himself, possibly prepare such a luxurious Core Formation item for his spirit pet?

Meanwhile, the fairy in colorful robes frowned secretly.

"This True Person He's spirit pet has a powerful aura. If it can successfully advance, it would be no less powerful than a True Core True Person if we recruit it."

It seems that the treatment offered to this Master He should be mentioned; at the very least, it should be equivalent to that of a True Core Master.

In the world of cultivation, it is common for people to rely on favor and privilege.

……

Meanwhile, inside the cave...

After the Phoenix Bird consumed the Core Formation spiritual item, it emitted a fiery red flame that enveloped itself.

In the end, it actually coalesced into a giant egg that was ten feet tall.

The egg is the color of fiery red lava, with fine golden lines on its surface, like veins constantly pulsating and shimmering.

"Something's wrong!"

Lin Chang'an, who was protecting the Dharma from the side, could clearly sense the current condition of the Phoenix Bird.

The phoenix inside the egg was constantly emitting signs of pain and weakness, as if its transformation and evolution process was not going smoothly.

"Oh no, it seems the Phoenix Bird is unable to complete its transformation."

Lin Chang'an's face was extremely ugly. Although he had prepared enough, if he had used a spirit pet with normal bloodline, he would have at least a 60-70% chance of success.

But considering the bloodline of this phoenix, although he raised it well, it was still not good enough compared to others.

This is especially true of the extremely rare Golden Flame Divine Phoenix, whose evolution is a perilous journey with a slim chance of survival.

"The Phoenix Crying Bird's Core Formation is more importantly an evolution from its bloodline, which is equivalent to being reborn from the ashes."

With double the difficulty, it is naturally extremely challenging.

At this moment, the painful screams coming from inside the egg, and the pleading spirit of the Phoenix Bird, made Lin Chang'an frown.

"This rebirth from the ashes can only rely on oneself; external factors..."

Just then, Lin Chang'an seemed to think of something and hurriedly stepped forward, placing his palm on the bird egg.

In an instant, the bird egg's terrifyingly high temperature caused Lin Chang'an's palm to sizzle and steam.

However, at this moment, with the infusion of life-giving magical power from Lin Chang'an's body, the phoenix inside the egg suddenly emitted a yearning consciousness.

"Sure enough!"

Lin Chang'an secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If it were targeting a Core Formation cultivator, his life-giving magical power wouldn't be very effective.

But for a demon beast undergoing a metamorphosis and evolution through rebirth from the ashes, it is a powerful stimulant.

With the infusion of magical power brimming with vitality, the phoenix inside the egg experienced a surge of life force and began to endure the torment of being reborn in flames.

"In that case, I'll give it my all!"

Upon realizing this, Lin Chang'an's expression hardened, and he immediately retreated several feet away.

Faced with the yearning consciousness of the phoenix inside the egg, he first set up an array barrier.

Then he sat down cross-legged and began to circulate his internal energy. The next moment, the Mysterious Heavenly Vine slowly appeared in his dantian.

As Lin Chang'an urged, his magical power, emanating a blue light, began to flow into the bird egg through the Xuan Tian Immortal Vine.

This life force is even purer and more intense.

Even the array barrier set up by Lin Chang'an has the effect of gathering spiritual energy.

Spirit stones appeared in his palm, accelerating the recovery of his magical power.

In this way, the life force of the phoenix inside the egg grew stronger and stronger.

You can even vaguely see a bird being reborn in the fire inside the egg.

As time went by, the aura of the Core Formation cultivator became increasingly terrifying.

At this moment, Lin Chang'an could clearly sense that the Phoenix Bird inside the eggshell had reached the most crucial moment: condensing its demon core!

"Demon power crystallizes! The next step is the quality of the resulting pill."

The Phoenix Bird, a mythical beast, possesses a noble bloodline, equivalent to a spiritual being among human cultivators.

As it turned out, this bird was an extremely rare Golden Flame Divine Phoenix, and its bloodline had been upgraded to a higher level.

God is fair; if He gives you extraordinary talent, He will naturally give you corresponding tribulations.

The moment the magical power within his body crystallized, Lin Chang'an sensed this terrifying aura.

"This is no ordinary demon core!"

Lin Chang'an took a deep breath; thankfully, he was prepared.

He patted his storage bag, and several high-grade spirit stones spun and appeared on the spirit-gathering array around the bird eggs.

In an instant, the pure magical power of the superior spirit stone began to be extracted, slowly transforming into wisps of spiritual light that were absorbed by the bird egg.

High-grade spirit stones are extremely precious even for Core Formation cultivators; otherwise, this late-stage Core Formation cultivator, Blood Fiend True Person, wouldn't have only a little over a hundred high-grade spirit stones left.

He received forty-three high-grade spirit stones when he explored the secret realm, and he can use them this time.

With the infusion of incredibly pure magical power, the absorption of external spiritual energy will naturally decrease.

Even so, this extraordinary phenomenon of Core Formation still made the beautiful eyes of the Fairy of Rainbow Robes sparkle with admiration, while the True Man Li was filled with jealousy and resentment.

With this aura, could it be that this person's spirit pet is about to form a mid-grade true core?

Just as human cultivators have different grades for forming their cores, so too do demonic beasts.

However, those outside would not know the situation inside.

……

Inside the egg, a shimmering light appeared, and the evolved form of the Phoenix Bird was beginning to emerge.

At the same time, the demon core began to take shape.

"A high-grade Golden Core! No! This is a top-grade... Immortal Golden Core!"

In Lin Chang'an's perception, the quality of the nascent golden core was steadily improving amidst the sea of ​​fire. At this moment, Lin Chang'an was numb, yet filled with envy.

He was actually envious of the bloodline of a spirit pet.

However, it's understandable when you think about it. The bloodline of the Golden Flame Divine Phoenix would only have a problem if it condensed into a low-level Golden Core.

"However, the greater the potential of the spirit pet, the more advantageous it is for me."

Lin Chang'an was filled with excitement and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

Although it wasn't him who achieved core formation, the higher the pet's core formation rate, the greater its future assistance to him.

"But my high-grade spirit stones!"

Seeing that he had spent nearly twenty high-grade spirit stones, Lin Chang'an felt a pang of heartache.

Just then, a phoenix's cry came from inside the egg, which startled Lin Chang'an, who knew that the phoenix was about to hatch.

This is the final step!
Rise from the ashes!

The crisp metallic clanging sound echoed continuously, and the eggshell remained completely intact.

At the same time, a pleading, weak feeling came to him, making him realize that the Phoenix Bird was too weak.

"Work harder!"

Lin Chang'an gritted his teeth and took out a high-grade spirit stone to restore his magic power.

At the same time, he frantically poured his magical power into it.

With the infusion of this surging life force and magical power, the phoenix inside the egg, weakened by its rebirth from the ashes, is rapidly recovering.

Whether it's physical strength or magical power.

Time passed day by day, and finally, half a month later...

With a crisp sound echoing, Lin Chang'an's eyes widened as he saw that the bird egg had finally cracked open.

In an instant, a faint golden flame swirled out, and in that instant, a gap was burned into the barrier around the bird egg.

Lin Chang'an's pupils contracted, revealing a hint of lingering fear.

Fortunately, he was far away and did not try to help the phoenix bird, otherwise, if he had been touched by even a trace of it, he would probably have turned to ashes.

Immediately afterward, the cracks in the egg grew larger and larger, and the golden flames raging through the cracks burned through the surrounding barrier, frightening Lin Chang'an so much that he hurriedly withdrew his natal spiritual plant.

However, they retreated to a distance of ten zhang.

at last!

With a crisp sound and a melodious phoenix cry echoing, a dazzling golden fire phoenix flew out of the pill.

The next moment, the temperature inside the cave suddenly rose, but the phoenix that had just hatched seemed to have regained its life and soared directly into the lava below.

……

Outside, the terrifying aura of Core Formation emitted billowing rays of light, clearly indicating that Core Formation had been successful.

Countless cultivators from the Xuan Yin Pavilion were filled with envy upon witnessing this scene.

Even if a demon beast has formed its core, it is still enough to make them envious.

When Master Li saw this, he revealed a look of jealousy.

"This aura... even if it's not a high-grade Golden Core, it's definitely a mid-to-high-grade Golden Core!"

At this moment, Master Li became envious. Although his copper-armored corpse was not bad, it was only a low-grade Golden Core cultivator with limited potential.

Even so, his status as a bronze-armored corpse still elevated his social standing.

All these years, they've sided with Five Dragons Island, engaging in shady dealings, all for the promised secret alchemy technique from Five Dragons Island.

Now, why is it that everyone is a fake Core cultivator, yet your spirit pet's Core Formation is only of medium to high grade, while mine is only of low grade?

"damn it!"

Meanwhile, Fairy Ni Chang abandoned all her previous thoughts. She had to win over this True Man He, or at least befriend him.

If they could be recruited into their ranks, it would be equivalent to gaining two more Core Formation cultivators in combat power.

Even demonic beasts have very long lifespans. Although this True Person He has just formed his core, the cultivation world is ever-changing, and he might die one day.

That spirit pet stayed in the Xuan Yin Pavilion.

……

Meanwhile, inside the cave...

"Haha, I finally succeeded."

Lin Chang'an smiled broadly, and the Phoenix Bird, after advancing to the third tier, looked completely different from its previous form.

With its wings spread, it was a full three zhang tall, and its magnificent golden feathers shimmered with golden light.

Compared to the tiny bird that was only the size of a palm before, it's like heaven and earth.

The third-tier demon already possessed basic supernatural abilities. After the phoenix bird let out a long cry, its body shrank back to its previous size and landed on his shoulder.

"Squeak!"

After evolving, the Phoenix Bird excitedly rubbed against its master, its fawning expression undiminished.

If it had other thoughts before, this rebirth has taught it something.

Master! We absolutely cannot let them get away!
After all, every evolution is a matter of life and death, and it understood a principle when it was reborn from the ashes.

That means it knows how to choose between a full meal and a full stomach.

"You bird, I have a feeling you have ulterior motives."

The man and the bird were of one mind, and he could naturally sense the phoenix's emotions.

Therefore, Lin Chang'an said with a smile, "But you know what?"

The evolved bird feathers are indeed much softer than before.

Even after the phoenix shrank in size, it looked much more beautiful than before.

"What a waste of money! These are all good stuff."

However, Lin Chang'an felt a pang of regret and hurriedly went forward to collect the broken eggshells.

These bright red eggshells with gold patterns are all treasures.

This quality is probably top-grade among third-tier spiritual items. It is an excellent material for refining weapons or other purposes.

"Fortunately, we have high-grade spirit stones. Otherwise, this Core Formation phenomenon would not have been able to be concealed. At that time, a top-grade Golden Core spirit pet would definitely be targeted by others."

Having avoided a risk, Lin Chang'an secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Compared to losing twenty high-grade spirit stones, it was all worth it.

Afterwards, the man and the bird recuperated and restored their magical power in the cave.

Lin Chang'an even hesitated for a moment and took out the Blood Fiend Magic Treasure.

"Thanks to good luck, I can't use this magic weapon right now."

Third-tier spirit pets can also use magic weapons, just like human cultivators; they can use them after refining them.

However, magical treasures are extremely precious, and even human cultivators don't have enough for their own use, so few are willing to equip their spirit pets with magical treasures.

Then, the man and the bird adjusted themselves to their best condition before leaving the cave.

……

"Congratulations, Master He, your spirit beast has advanced to the third rank."

As soon as they stepped out of the cave, they were greeted by Fairy Ni Chang and several disciples of Xuan Yin Pavilion offering their congratulations.

Lin Chang'an, pretending to be He Zhenren, nodded with a smile on his face.

"Congratulations, Master He!" The young and beautiful disciples of Mi Xuanyin Pavilion also bowed respectfully.

Even with his eyes closed, Lin Chang'an understood what was happening: the sugar-coated bullet was about to be delivered.

This fairy in colorful robes clearly wanted to win him over.

As for the practice of offering women as concubines, there is no need to force them; all it takes is asking, and there are plenty of female cultivators in the sect eager to do so.

A fake Core Formation cultivator, plus a third-tier demon beast—regardless of their identities, getting involved with either of them would be considered a great honor.

"Hehe, this must be Master He."

Seeing Xuan Yin Pavilion's methods of winning people over, Master Li revealed a calm and arrogant smile, and began to try to win them over as well.

But his words conveyed a sense of superiority.

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(End of this chapter)