Mortal: Starting with the Golden Jade Book

"Xuan'er, your father has prepared an opportunity for you that can help you advance to the Core Formation stage within ten years."

"Core Formation? But... but Xuan'er has only just reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, how could this be..."

"It's alright. As long as you have enough Xuanhuang Qi, you can use a secret method to refine it into a Xuanhuang Creation True Qi. As long as you fully absorb this True Qi, even if your aptitude is poor, you can increase your chances of forming a core by more than 50% out of thin air."

"The Qi of Xuanhuang? Does Father want Xuan'er to go to the secret realm and slaughter those rogue cultivators?"

"I know you are kind-hearted and unwilling to do such a thing, so I specially found the Illusionary Fragrance Butterfly for you from the Spirit Control Sect. Although this butterfly is not a demon beast, its fragrance can combine with the Purple Moon Flower that can be found everywhere in the secret realm to produce a poison that can make people lose their nature. At that time, you will not need to take action; they will naturally start fighting each other wildly."

"Father, but it's like this..."

"Xuan'er, remember, you are my daughter, Yunlu's daughter. You must be prepared to do great things. It is their honor that these low-level rogue cultivators, like ants, can become stepping stones for your advancement!"

"..."

As Dong Xuan'er watched the fragrant butterflies fluttering in all directions, her thoughts drifted back to the day before she set off.

When Yunlu uttered that last sentence with absolute certainty, she was shocked to find that she had nothing to refute, or rather...

She felt that what the other person said was right!

She didn't know when she changed.

Ever since her abnormality was discovered during the battle between the Seven Sects and the Six Demonic Paths, and was reported to the Old Demon Yunlu, this mid-Nascent Soul stage monster secretly took action and captured her.

She thought she was going to die, but unexpectedly, her true identity was revealed, and this old devil was actually her biological father.

From initial surprise and disbelief to gradual acceptance, Dong Xuan'er herself was unaware of the changes her mind underwent.

In short, with the full support of her Nascent Soul father, her cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. With the aptitude of three spiritual roots, she cultivated to the late Foundation Establishment stage in just twenty years.

As her cultivation level increased, her status also rose accordingly. She was respected within the sect, and a large number of guards and attendants accompanied her whenever she went out. Even Core Formation cultivators had to treat her with utmost respect.

All of this was something she had never experienced in Yellow Maple Valley before. Although she was a little unaccustomed to it at first, that's how people are; as long as they don't resist, they will gradually get used to it.

However, before this, she always felt that she was different from the people of the demonic path. Although she was spoiled and willful, she would never become someone like the demonic path who regarded human life as worthless.

But only now did she realize that she was no longer the Dong Xuan'er she once was.

"It's an honor for those low-level rogue cultivators, like ants, to become stepping stones for your advancement!"

"It's their honor...!"

Yunlu's words echoed in her mind, constantly questioning her heart, and through repeated questioning, Dong Xuan'er gradually began to confront her own desires!

"That's right, I'm different from those ant-like rogue cultivators!"

"I want to form my core, I want to become a true powerhouse, I want to seize every opportunity, I want to control my own destiny!"

Dong Xuan'er's resolve gradually strengthened, and her goal became clearer. By the time she finally released the Illusionary Fragrance Butterfly, she had no more wavering.

Gazing at the boundless secret realm, Dong Xuan'er's eyes revealed a chilling intent.

"Kill! Kill to your heart's content! For my grand ambition of forming my core, all of you will die here and become my nourishment!"

……

three days later.

Looking at the group of unfamiliar cultivators in the distance who were fighting each other without warning, Lin Zui's brows furrowed more and more.

"Something's not right, it's getting more and more wrong."

If it were truly a battle for some rare and precious treasure, then fighting to the death would be understandable.

But the fact that this group of people started arguing over something as trivial as killing a monster, and it escalated into a life-or-death battle is truly outrageous.

How did you cultivate to this level, getting so easily excited?

Moreover, it would be one thing if only one or two people were like this, but he has seen four or five similar cases in the past two days. It would be strange if there were no problems with so many people going insane at the same time.

"It's most likely that the demonic cultivators did something to it, but how did they do it?"

Lin Zui was completely clueless.

Hiding quietly in the woods, Lin Zui waited until the group of cultivators had fought their way through and only one person remained. He then decisively charged out, killing the last person with a single blow. He swept away the battlefield like a whirlwind and drifted away.

As evening fell, the fighting became even more brutal.

Especially near the central area, fighting groups could be seen everywhere. Lin Zui hid in a flower bush, frowning as he watched the battle not far away, feeling somewhat irritated.

"They've all gone mad! Aren't we here to find rare and precious treasures? Don't they have any business to attend to?"

Lin Zui had been calculating the time, thinking it was time to go to the Xuanhuang Pool to check on the situation. With the fighting in the secret realm reaching this level, the accumulated Xuanhuang power must be considerable. If he didn't go to check soon, he might miss the opportunity.

However, the constant fighting along the way slowed him down. After all, once they fought to the end, he could easily reap the benefits. How many people would be willing to give up such an opportunity to make a profit?

Lin Zui waited quietly, when suddenly, several small butterflies flew past him.

Lin Zui was using the Returning Origin Technique, his aura merging with the surroundings. The butterfly was completely unaware of Lin Zui's presence, circling in front of him a few times before landing on a small purplish-red flower.

"Ha, while they're fighting to the death over there, you kids seem to be having a pretty good time."

Lin Zui didn't disturb them. Instead, he watched them with great interest for a while, seeing them stay on one flower for a while and then stop on another.

The faint fragrance of flowers wafting around me brought a rare sense of warmth to my heart. However, in this warm and tranquil atmosphere, for some reason, the sounds of fighting coming from afar seemed even more jarring.

Looking at the battlefield in the distance, Lin Zui gradually began to have other thoughts in his mind...

"Damn it, this fighting is never going to end."

"Why isn't a winner decided yet?... It's taking too long..."

"Or... I could just charge out and take them all out; it probably wouldn't take much effort..."

"And those groups of people in the distance... taking them out together will yield more loot..."

"At most it will waste a little time, but it shouldn't delay what I was originally going to do..."

"I...I was originally going to do something..."

"Why can't I remember some of it clearly..."

"Hmm...?...I can't remember!"

"Wait...no, that's not right!"

Lin Zui was startled and realized that, without knowing when, his mind had become a complete mess, and even his consciousness had been affected by some inexplicable force.

Lin Zui quickly circulated his cultivation technique and simultaneously activated the Soul-Suppressing Bell artifact within his body to suppress his soul. After a moment, he felt his sea of ​​consciousness regain its clarity.

Lin Zui looked around, but there was no one in sight. The battle in the distance was still raging, and no one had come near him.

"Who on earth is it that has silently and subtly influenced my consciousness?"

"No, it wasn't just me. Hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators throughout the entire secret realm were affected silently. How did they manage to do that?"

Lin Zui carefully recalled the scenes he had seen along the way, and then recalled what he had seen before his consciousness blurred.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he looked toward the butterflies that were still fluttering freely to the side.

"Could it be...?"