Chapter 404 - 3: Stabilizing the Realm, Another Breakthrough

"The Tang Family Patriarch, Tang Wenyan, congratulates Fellow Daoist Zhu on his advancement to the Golden Core Realm, presenting two stalks of Thousand-Year Spirit Elixir and ten Foundation Establishment Pills..."

"The Cyan Jade Sect’s Cangliang Monarch congratulates Fellow Daoist Zhu on his advancement to the Golden Core Realm, presenting Flood Dragon Essence Blood, Black Gold Spiritual Ore..."

"The Seeking Immortal Sect’s Leader, Xu Canglan..."

Shui Qianning, dressed in a Seven-Colored Magic Robe, served as the Guest Receptionist, welcoming the arriving guests in the plaza.

"Patriarch Tang!"

"Sect Leader Xu..."

Inside the grand hall.

Zhu Ju and Pei Jingque stood side by side, bowing to the guests with clasped hands and instructing the stewards to arrange seating.

Today was the grand ceremony to celebrate Zhu Ju’s ascension to the Golden Core Realm, and the Bright Void Sect was decorated with lanterns and streamers.

The major powers of the Immortal Alliance all came to visit, bearing congratulatory gifts, just as they had when Pei Jingque advanced to the Golden Core Realm many years ago.

For a single sect to produce two new Golden Core cultivators in the span of a few decades was a rare feat indeed.

The sounds of compliments and congratulations were endless.

"Husband."

Pei Jingque asked in a low voice,

"What did you trade for at the Immortal Alliance?"

"Some of the array materials for the Twelve Celestial Star Array, as well as some spiritual elixirs and medicines to stabilize my cultivation and realm," Zhu Ju said.

"I’ll need to enter seclusion for a while after the ceremony."

The Twelve Celestial Star Array on The Investiture of the Gods was a Tier Two High Grade Array; if it could be completed, it would become a Tier Three Array.

「At that time.」

It would be able to trap and kill a Golden Core Grandmaster.

This item alone had used up nearly all his merits. The spiritual elixirs and medicines that followed were exchanged for other resources he had on hand.

"..." Hearing that Zhu Ju was going into seclusion, a reluctant look appeared in Pei Jingque’s eyes, but she still nodded.

"That’s to be expected. With my husband’s talent and comprehension, reaching the Late-Stage Golden Core Realm is only a matter of time."

"Late-Stage Golden Core?" Zhu Ju shook his head gently.

"How much longer can you hold on?"

"I’m fine." A flicker of daze crossed Pei Jingque’s face, so fleeting it was nearly impossible to notice.

"My husband just needs to focus on his cultivation."

Zhu Ju turned his head to look at her.

In his eyes, a three-colored feathered fan was spinning gently right between Pei Jingque’s brows.

The Three-Flame Simurgh Fan!

This treasure was the true body; Pei Jingque was merely its Artifact Spirit.

And as time went on, Pei Jingque’s consciousness would be worn away by the Magical Treasure until it vanished completely.

That momentary daze was a sign of her consciousness stuttering, a phenomenon that would only become more common in the future.

Their auras were intertwined, so Pei Jingque’s abnormality naturally couldn’t be hidden from Zhu Ju. He spoke slowly, "My wife’s condition probably can’t last a hundred years."

"The Primordial Heart Technique has the wondrous effect of nourishing the Divine Soul."

Pei Jingque said,

"The stronger my Primordial Spirit, the greater my resistance to the Magical Treasure’s erosion of my consciousness. A hundred years won’t be a problem."

"Ultimately, it’s not a long-term solution," Zhu Ju said, shaking his head.

"We need to find Innate Origin Qi to allow the Three-Flame Simurgh Fan to advance into a Spiritual Artifact. Only then can your Primordial Spirit be stabilized."

Only Spiritual Artifacts can possess an Artifact Spirit.

The Three-Flame Simurgh Fan was merely a High Grade Magical Treasure, which was why it was constantly eroding Pei Jingque’s Divine Soul Power.

"Innate Origin Qi..."

Pei Jingque sighed.

"It’s debatable whether such a thing even exists in the world. And even if it does, how could people like us ever hope to obtain it?"

"Why be so discouraged, my wife?" Zhu Ju said with a faint smile.

"We have both advanced to the Golden Core Realm. Besides those three Nascent Soul cultivators, there are few in this world who can stand against us when we join forces."

The number of Golden Core Grandmasters in both the Righteous and Evil Dao combined was only a few hundred. Even accounting for some hidden Golden Cores, the total was no more than a thousand.

The vast majority of them were in the Early-Stage Golden Core Realm, with only about a hundred in the Mid-Stage Golden Core Realm.

As for Late-Stage Golden Core...

According to Zhu Ju’s knowledge, there were no more than twenty or so.

With their combined abilities, as long as he stabilized his cultivation and realm, they would have no need to fear a Mid-Stage Golden Core Cultivator.

By that calculation, while the two of them might not be at the absolute peak of the current era, they were still top-tier experts. They might not be without a chance to contend for the Innate Origin Qi.

The premise was, did Innate Origin Qi still exist in the world?

If it did,

where was it hidden?

"Gongyang Yu of the Jade Void Cave Heaven greets Fellow Daoist Zhu. It is a joyous occasion to hear of your advancement to the Golden Core Realm. I have been sent by the Master of the Grotto Heaven to deliver a congratulatory gift."

A man walked slowly into the grand hall, clasping his fist in greeting.

"The Jade Void Cave Heaven and the Bright Void Sect are both offshoots of the original Jade Void Sect. In a way, our origins are deeply connected."

"Gongyang Yu!" Zhu Ju’s eyes twitched slightly.

"Fellow Daoist, you are a renowned Golden Core of the Three Cultivators from the Ten Thousand Mountains. When did you join the Jade Void Cave Heaven?"

"Not long ago." Gongyang Yu was thin, with a three-inch beard and dressed like a scholar. Hearing the question, he stroked his beard and chuckled lightly.

"My master is Yuan Zanfeng. Surely you know of him, Fellow Daoist?"

’Yuan Zanfeng?’

’The Loose Cultivator from the Ten Thousand Mountains, a Dao Foundation Perfection Cultivator... he actually became the master of the Jade Void Cave Heaven?’

Zhu Ju and Pei Jingque exchanged a look, surprise showing in their eyes.

Hearing this, the expressions of the others in the hall changed as they began to whisper and murmur among themselves.

"Unbelievable,"

Zhu Ju praised.

"To think that the Jade Void Cave Heaven, the world’s greatest treasure fought over by both the Righteous and Evil Dao, would fall into the hands of Fellow Daoist Yuan."

"Has Fellow Daoist Yuan already advanced to the Golden Core Realm?"

"Of course," Gongyang Yu nodded.

"By a stroke of incredible luck, Cave Master Yuan received a gift from a predecessor and is now a Late-Stage Golden Core Cultivator."

?

Zhu Ju’s eye twitched.

To go from the Late-Stage Dao Foundation directly to a Late-Stage Golden Core... such a leap in power was simply inconceivable.

Compared to him, his own achievement of reaching the Golden Core Realm at over a hundred years old seemed like nothing.

An uproar instantly swept through the hall.

Late-Stage Golden Core!

Besides the three Nascent Soul cultivators, he could be considered the strongest in the world.

Moreover, Yuan Zanfeng now possessed the Jade Void Cave Heaven. Due to its unique properties, he could appear anywhere in this world at any time. This ability alone was enough to make even a Nascent Soul True Man envious.

It seemed that aside from the Righteous and Evil Dao, the Jade Void Cave Heaven was now another rising power in the world.

For ordinary cultivators...

...this seemed like a good thing?

*

*

*

The ceremony lasted for a total of ten days.

「Ten days later.」

Citing the need to enter seclusion to stabilize his cultivation, Zhu Ju declined all visitors and once again entered the Quiet Chamber.

With a flick of his wrist, a scroll appeared in his palm.

The Investiture of the Gods!

The scroll slowly unfurled, revealing the Twelve Celestial Star Array within.

After taking out all the necessary materials, Zhu Ju did not rush to complete the array. Instead, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing.

「Several days later.」

He finally opened his eyes and began to cast magic to repair the array.

At the same time, he consumed the various spiritual elixirs and medicines he had traded for from the Immortal Alliance to stabilize his cultivation and realm.

In the blink of an eye, nine years passed.

Thanks to the various elixirs, Zhu Ju’s cultivation and realm had been thoroughly solidified and stabilized. His Divine Soul Power, in particular, had progressed by leaps and bounds.

Without the spiritual medicine from the Immortal Alliance, achieving this step would have taken him forty to fifty years at the very least.

’Next...’

’The Celestial Wisdom Spirit of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits!’

Zhu Ju cultivated a total of two cultivation techniques. One was the Primordial Heart Technique, passed down through generations in the Bright Void Sect.

This technique originated from the Primordial Heart Seal, one of the Primordial Nine Seals from the ancient Jade Void Immortal Sect.

Cultivating this technique allowed one’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit to advance in tandem. If not for the collapse of the Great Dao, this technique could even lead directly to the Immortal Dao.

The other technique was one he had created himself, originating from the Divine Treasure World and born from the essence of that world’s Martial Arts. It was a method for linking the Three Souls and Seven Spirits.

When the Three Souls and Seven Spirits entered the body, the physical body would be completely transformed.

Back when he was at Dao Foundation Perfection, he had possessed a physical body no weaker than that of an Early-Stage Golden Core cultivator, all because he practiced this technique.

Currently, Zhu Ju had already linked five of the spirits: the Power Spirit for increasing strength, the Heroic Spirit representing speed, the Essence Spirit for Infinite Essence Energy, the Qi Spirit for abundant Primordial Energy, and the Central Spirit, the core of the Seven Spirits.

Next,

was the Celestial Wisdom Spirit, which represented intelligence!

A Divine Treasure Martial Saint who had linked this spirit could master almost any martial skill just by seeing it once or practicing it once.

Magic was different from martial skills, but he imagined the principle was much the same.

「Six months later.」

Sitting on his meditation cushion, Zhu Ju let out a long breath of turbid air. He slowly opened his eyes and stretched his tendons and bones, feeling a sense of comfort spread through his entire body.

Moreover,

countless methods flashed through his mind. Passages that were once incomprehensible or unclear were now completely transparent to him.

Even some extremely complex magic and divine techniques now felt effortless to perform.

Such comprehension,

was simply inconceivable!

Besides the huge increase in his comprehension, his physical body had also taken another great leap forward, undergoing a total transformation.

A simple clench of his fist could create an explosion in the air.

It felt as if a single punch at full power could shatter a great mountain.

’With six spirits entering the body, my physical body has reached the Body Refining Sixth Realm. My raw physical power is now on par with a Mid-Stage Golden Core cultivator. It would be difficult for even a Dao Foundation Cultivator wielding a Magical Treasure to harm me in the slightest.’

’It’s time to go explore the Otherworld!’

The moment he had advanced to the Golden Core Realm, Zhu Ju had already sensed a new world he could enter.

However, his realm was unstable at the time, so he hadn’t attempted to go. Now that his foundation was solid and his cultivation had greatly advanced, he could finally take a look.