Immortality and cultivation: Heaven rewards diligence, and success is inevitable.

The five-colored lotus flew out from Jiang Shi's body and bloomed in mid-air.

Five colors of light—gold, cyan, blue, red, and brown—illuminated the entire Misty Mansion, causing the nine demonic puppet statues to tremble in unison.

A five-colored golden pill rose from the Dao Lotus and slowly rotated.

As the light shimmered, a rich concentration of the five elements' true essence spread out.

The entire space was filled with this five-colored light, and even the demonic puppet statues emitted a low hum under this light.

Sect Leader Lu's face was deathly pale, and the veins on his hand, which was gripping the Mountain and Sea Flag, bulged.

He schemed and plotted, sacrificed his own nephew, and exhausted the resources of the Liang and Ma families, but in the end, this earth-elemental golden elixir fell into the mouths of others.

He stared intently at the five-colored golden pill, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The demonic ape puppet, possessed by the Joyful Immortal, stared intently at the five-colored golden pill with its crimson eyes, muttering, "A first-grade golden pill..."

He had lived for 1,900 years and seen countless geniuses, but he had never personally witnessed anyone forming a five-colored golden elixir.

Such talent is extremely rare, even among the top ten sects.

It should be noted that the Joyful Immortal is only a lower-grade Golden Core cultivator.

These five-colored golden pills, once completed, are of the highest grade, ranking in the top tier among the three grades of golden pills.

Hua Luoyu smiled and quietly slipped the third-grade spirit talisman from her fingertips into her sleeve.

Jiang Shi closed his eyes and looked inward.

The golden elixir slowly rotates in the dantian, resonating with the five internal organs.

The five refining techniques of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth have all been perfected and are now integrated into one, forming the foundation of the golden elixir.

Within the five internal organs, the essence of the five elements no longer operates independently, but forms a complete cycle.

His meridians were expanded by more than double by the true energy, his blood flowed faster, and his heartbeat became stronger.

His five senses also became more acute. He could hear the subtle flow of spiritual energy inside the distant demonic puppet statue and feel the fluctuations of every bit of spiritual energy in the air.

Auspicious destiny: Golden Core stage, supernatural powers are within reach.

He opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning. His aura surged, and the transformation from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core was completed in just a few breaths.

This transformation might take others years or even decades, but he only needed a trigger.

Just then, Happy Man moved.

The demonic ape puppet took a step forward, causing the ground to crack. It had finally completed the possession and fusion. The demonic ape's body was more solid than before, and the red light in its eye sockets was even stronger.

"A body of a first-grade Golden Core cultivator is a hundred times stronger than that of a demonic puppet!" The hoarse voice of the Happy Immortal rang out.

"However, you have just broken through, and your foundation is unstable! I, on the other hand, have lived for nineteen hundred years!"

He threw a punch, the air exploded, and it went straight for Jiang Shi.

This punch carried the power of a Golden Core stage cultivator's divine soul, making it unstoppable. Wherever the fist's force passed, it plowed a deep trench in the ground, scattering gravel everywhere.

Before Sect Leader Lu could react, the Mountain and Sea Flag flew up on its own.

The woman in white reappeared, standing in front of Jiang Shi. With a wave of her water sleeves, she deflected the demonic ape's attack.

The water sleeves collided with the fist, producing a muffled thud, and the shockwave spread outwards.

The demonic ape was forced back two steps, its scarlet eyes turning towards the woman in white.

Sect Leader Lu roared, "Mountain and Sea Flag! You!"

The woman in white ignored him, protecting Jiang Shi instead. Her gaze was fixed on Jiang Shi, as if she were looking at something, or perhaps confirming something.

Jiang Shi opened his eyes and was no longer passive.

His Golden Core stage true essence surged within his body, more than ten times stronger than that of the Foundation Establishment stage. He raised his hand and pointed out—the Divine Light of Earth.

This is an attack technique from the "Earth-Based Mountain-Suppressing Technique." Under the stimulation of the Golden Core True Essence, it has already begun to take shape as a form of supernatural power. It is no longer simple earth-based spiritual energy, but carries the weighty feeling of the power of the earth.

A brownish-brown light shot out and struck the demonic ape in the chest.

The demonic ape was knocked back three steps, several cracks exploding in its chest. Fragments of the demonic puppet's body fell from the cracks, revealing the grayish-white inner layer beneath.

Jiang Shi said in a deep voice, "Master Kuaihuo, you are now nothing more than a demonic puppet. What makes you think you can fight me?"

The demonic ape glanced down at the crack in its chest and suddenly burst into laughter.

"You think you've won?" Happy Master's laughter was hoarse and grating. "This Misty Mansion is my territory!"

He slapped the ground with both hands.

The nine demonic puppet statues trembled simultaneously, the ground cracked open, revealing a massive altar beneath. The altar was several feet in circumference, its edges covered with densely packed runes. He had never seen these runes before, yet they vaguely resembled certain markings from the "True Scripture of Universal Transformation of the Demonic Source."

Golden light emanated from the center of the altar.

Hua Luoyu's expression changed: "This is... a teleportation array?"

The Joyful Immortal stood at the edge of the altar, his scarlet eyes sweeping over the three men: "Nineteen hundred years ago, the Five Elements Master left his legacy here. Did you think I came here to wait for death? No, I'm here to take the legacy."

His words caused both Sect Leader Lu and Hua Luoyu to change their expressions.

The inheritance of the Five Elements Master is something even more precious than the Golden Elixir.

The demonic ape leaped and jumped into the altar.

The golden light engulfed it.

Jiang Shi's gaze sharpened: "Chase!"

Without hesitation, he leaped onto the altar. Hua Luoyu followed closely behind. Sect Leader Lu gritted his teeth and followed as well.

The three were enveloped in golden light, and the world seemed to be upside down. The feeling of weightlessness lasted for a few breaths, and when they opened their eyes again, they were in an unfamiliar space.

The space was greyish-white, devoid of sky and earth. Nine stone platforms floated in a zigzag pattern. On each platform stood a miniature demonic puppet statue: a demonic wolf, a demonic bird, a demonic snake, a demonic centipede, a demonic eagle, a demonic python, a demonic tortoise, a demonic scorpion, and the largest demonic ape in the center.

The air was filled with a rich spiritual energy of the five elements, far surpassing that of the outside world. Jiang Shi took a deep breath and felt his golden core circulating faster.

Kuaihuo Zhenren stood on the central stone platform, his demonic ape body suppressed by some force, unable to move.

He struggled a few times, but remained motionless. The runes rose from the stone platform and bound his limbs and torso like chains.

The space trembled, and a phantom rose from the central stone platform.

It was a middle-aged man dressed in a five-colored Taoist robe, with deep eyes and an imposing aura. Although it was a phantom, it gave people a sense of oppression like a mountain. He looked down at the four people below, his face expressionless.

"Nineteen hundred years... Finally, someone has come."

The illusory figure claimed to be the Five Elements Master, but it was not the real body; it was a divine thought left behind from back then.

This misty mansion is the place where the Five Elements Master left behind his legacy!

The illusory figure of the Five Elements Master scanned the three people, finally looking at Jiang Shi: "Five spiritual roots, first-grade golden core... you are the one I have been waiting for."

Hua Luoyu and Sect Leader Lu both changed their expressions.

Master Wuxing ignored them and continued, "There is only one inheritance. If you want to obtain it, you must pass the test."

He pointed to nine stone platforms.

"Nine stone platforms, nine demonic puppets, corresponding to nine chapters of the 'True Scripture of Universal Transformation of the Demonic Source.' Defeating each demonic puppet yields one chapter of the scripture. Defeating all nine puppets and combining the nine chapters grants the complete inheritance."

Jiang Shi pondered to himself. He had already obtained five chapters from the Misty Mansion and the Stone Tower Secret Realm, and he still needed four more.

For Ju Jiuping's die-hard fans, the latest chapter of "Cultivating Immortality: Heaven Rewards Diligence, Success is Surely Within Reach" has been released!