Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

Master Xuanguang was greatly alarmed and forcibly steadied his almost collapsing mind.

He didn't hesitate to burn his life essence and frantically activated his cultivation technique, trying to squeeze out the last bit of spiritual energy from this small, sealed-off world.

However, the Lesser Heavenly Cloud Thunder-Suppressing Array set up by Chen Jiao was like a malignant tumor, not only isolating it from the outside world, but also constantly eroding it inward.

Beset by internal and external troubles, Master Xuanguang found the process of condensing the Golden Elixir to be extremely difficult.

The golden core, which should have been perfectly smooth and flawless, showed signs of instability due to insufficient spiritual energy. Its surface was dull and lacked luster, and the Dao patterns were slightly scattered.

"Damn it, who on earth is blocking my path?!"

Master Xuanguang forcibly suppressed his shock and anger, knowing that the arrow was already on the bowstring and had no choice but to be released.

He had no choice but to grit his teeth and persevere, using all his life's cultivation to forcibly stabilize the golden core that was about to take shape.

I dare not pursue the flawless Golden Elixir any longer, but only seek to first form the elixir, and then plan for its subsequent nurturing and stabilization.

Outside the cave, at the core of the formation.

Master Changhe also noticed the anomaly. As the one who presided over the grand formation, he was most sensitive to changes in spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy required to maintain the sword formation was being consumed rapidly, while the spiritual energy replenished from the outside was negligible. The entire sword formation seemed to have become water without a source and a tree without roots.

The operation of the grand formation is extremely dependent on the replenishment of the surrounding spiritual energy.

At this moment, his inspiration suddenly dried up, the array's light screen swayed violently, flickering and showing signs of collapse.

"Someone's sabotaging this!!"

Master Changhe's eyes widened in fury, and he roared in a hoarse voice:

"Who dares to obstruct the important affairs of my Sword Pavilion? Show yourself now!"

The elders and disciples of the Sword Pavilion also panicked. The backlash from the formation caused many of them to groan and bleed from the corners of their mouths.

Master Changhe frantically scanned the surroundings with his divine sense, but all he saw was a vast sea of ​​clouds and a deep night; he could not find any trace of the culprit.

The method of sealing off spiritual energy was extremely sophisticated, so subtle and silent that even he, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, could hardly detect its origin.

He was suddenly startled, his hair stood on end, and a thick shadow fell over his heart.

"How is that possible?!"

A chilling, bone-deep fear shot from the soles of my feet to the top of my head:

"It was that rogue cultivator who stole Jianxinlan... How dare he... How dare he come to my Sword Pavilion Mountain Gate?"

How could he have such audacity? And how could he possess such skill to silently set up such a massive formation?

Before he could think further, a deep, thunderous roar suddenly echoed from the cave at the summit.

That was Master Xuanguang forcibly extracting the last bit of usable spiritual energy to complete the final condensation of the Golden Core.

"not good!"

Master Changhe was terrified and could no longer care about finding the culprit. He roared in a hoarse voice:

"All elders and disciples, heed my command! Spare no effort, pour your spiritual energy into the sword formation to help the Pavilion Master gather spiritual energy!"

He was the first to spit out a mouthful of blood essence, which was sprinkled onto the array's core sword. The sword hummed and its light surged, attempting to forcibly tear a gap in the imprisoned void and gather spiritual energy.

The other elders and disciples also knew that the Pavilion Master had reached a critical moment, so they all followed suit, gritting their teeth and burning their blood and cultivation, pouring streams of pure spiritual power into the great formation without regard for the consequences.

For a moment, the sword formation shone brightly, barely stabilizing itself before beginning to counterattack the external restrictive formation.

Inside the cave at the summit, Master Xuanguang's complexion changed from gold to white, and then from white to blue.

He exhausted all his cultivation, even damaging his foundation, to forcibly condense the nascent golden core into a complete form!

Boom—

A deep, muffled thud came from inside the cave. After a burst of flickering golden light, the aura of the Golden Core cultivator within the cave finally settled down.

The golden light was still dazzling, and the pressure was still immense, far surpassing the Foundation Establishment stage, indicating that he had indeed stepped into the Golden Core stage.

However, it was not as brilliant and solid as described in the ancient texts; instead, it appeared somewhat scattered and weak.

Although Master Xuanguang's aura leaped to the Golden Core stage, it fluctuated, clearly indicating that his foundation was damaged and his Golden Core was flawed.

Inside the cave, Master Xuanguang was pale and weak. Looking at the golden core in his dantian, whose light was unstable and whose Dao patterns were slightly scattered, there was no joy in his eyes, only endless fear and gloom.

Although I have managed to enter the Golden Core realm by chance, my foundation is damaged and my Golden Core is flawed. If I do not immediately go into seclusion to nurture and stabilize it, I am in danger of falling out of my realm, let alone looking forward to a higher path.

"Who exactly is it...?"

He gritted his teeth and frantically scanned his surroundings with his divine sense, but found nothing.

That mysterious disruptive force came abruptly and left without a trace.

He had no choice but to immediately seal off his cave and focus all his efforts on stabilizing his precarious Golden Core realm, leaving him with no energy to spare for anything else.

The invisible constraints that had enveloped all directions vanished instantly, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth began to flow slowly anew.

Master Changhe and the others felt a lightness around their bodies as the strange binding force suddenly disappeared, and spiritual energy from the outside world surged back in.

However, it was all too late.

Master Changhe's face was ashen, his body swayed slightly, and a mouthful of blood welled up in his throat, which he then forced down.

He gazed at the cave dwelling, whose aura was gradually receding, his eyes filled with endless anger, fear, and a trace of...despair.

He knew that the Pavilion Master had finally taken that step and achieved the Golden Core.

Although the golden elixir was formed, it... turned out like this.

Who exactly is that rogue cultivator who is proficient in formations? Who has such means to interrupt the Pavilion Master's Golden Core cultivation without him even realizing it?!

An unprecedented chill enveloped the heart of the Sword Pavilion's Grand Elder.

Outside the great formation, Chen Jiao sensed a faint aura of a Golden Core cultivator. His eyes flashed slightly, and without any hesitation, he rolled up his sleeves and retrieved the three thunder banners.

It then transformed into a wisp of barely perceptible water vapor, merging into the night breeze and drifting away without leaving a trace.

……

Outside Xuanqing Cave, the mountain wind seemed to have subsided somewhat, only making a soft rustling sound as it brushed against the newly sprouted branches and leaves of the spirit trees.

Black Fat and Big Shrimp, each wielding a weapon, stood guard at the entrance to the cave, one on the left and one on the right.

His posture was as straight as a pine tree, his eyes sharp, scanning the mountain path and the sea of ​​clouds, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

The three flower fairy maids also stood quietly to one side. Wisteria gently pressed her sachet at her waist, Mountain Peach stood warily with her hand on her sword, and Pear Blossom opened her watery eyes wide.

Each of the commanders performed their duties diligently and conducted rigorous inspections without any slackening.

Inside the Xuanqing Cave, water vapor rises and spiritual energy surges like a tide.

Chen Jiao sat cross-legged on the futon, his aura as deep and profound as the sea.

He has been back from Jiange for more than half a month, and the turmoil outside has not yet affected Yunmang Mountain.

Within his dantian, the sword pellet, Azure Frost, slowly rotated, resonating and merging with his pure dragon essence. His aura had reached the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, and the barrier to perfection was faintly perceptible.

Once he made up his mind, he no longer hesitated.

With his hands forming a mudra, he silently circulated the [Vast Ocean Whale Dragon Mystic Chapter]. The abundant water elemental energy accumulated within the cave was drawn to it, flowing like a hundred rivers into the sea, surging into his meridians and dantian.

Within the dantian and dantian, the demonic energy surged like a vast ocean, with a black dragon dharma form rising and falling in the waves, its scales and claws flying, exhaling and exhaling boundless spiritual energy.

The immense spiritual pressure rose and fell like breath, causing the spiritual energy of the entire Yunmang Mountain to slowly gather. The clouds and mist in the mountains grew thicker, and the faint sounds of wind and thunder could be heard coming from the heavens.

The demons in the mountains all sensed something and stopped, looking in awe toward the direction of the main peak.

However, how could such a drastic change in the spiritual energy of Yunmang Mountain be concealed from the bloodshot eyes of a pair of snakes deep within Qingchi Lake?