Chapter 680: The Return of a Golden Core After Many Years

Murky Ice Crystals and the transparent Sword Spirit ground against one another, a violent friction that led to their mutual annihilation.

The sinking chill of eternal night madly eroded the Sword Intent within the Sword Spirit, attempting to freeze it solid and rot it away.

True Monarch Tong Xuan let out a stifled grunt, his face instantly paling. The backlash from his Sword Spirit, combined with that will of sinking despair, nearly shattered his Heart and Spirit.

His opponent commanded the power of heaven and earth, summoning infinite darkness.

He was facing an attack from a Great Realm, one whose stature was by no means low.

But he was, after all, a supreme expert on the path of the Sword Spirit. His Dao Fruit existed apart, transcending the One Hundred and Eight Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends Dao Fruits, for it had been personally nurtured by the Daoist Lord of the Wansheng Sword Sect.

His Sword Intent was exceptionally refined. The giant sword forcibly ripped through the shadowy claw of eternal night.

However, before he could even catch his breath, the ground beneath him suddenly and inexplicably collapsed. A surge of Dirt Qi from an Earth Vein shot toward the heavens, straight at his Protective Sword Spirit. Caught off guard, he crashed headfirst into it, nearly having his Magical Power corrupted.

This was one of the strokes of bad luck triggered by the Celestial Dao.

As the saying goes: when fortune smiles, heaven and earth align; when it wanes, even heroes are bound by fate.

In this realm, now that the two of them were exposed, every move they made was met with calamity.

Red Sun and Tongxuan stood back-to-back. The light of the Burning Silence Sword and the Formless Sword Spirit resonated with each other—one blazing hot, the other chillingly cold. They struggled to hold on amidst the storm unleashed by the Three Great Main Gods and the suppression of the Celestial Dao.

Red Sun True Monarch’s Sword Momentum was grand and sweeping. Molten sword-rainbows crisscrossed the battlefield, incinerating swaths of Divine Art radiance.

True Monarch Tong Xuan, on the other hand, took an unorthodox approach. His Sword Spirit was like a viper striking, aiming exclusively for weaknesses and severing the connections between Laws.

As veteran Golden Core Sword Cultivators, their killing power was truly unmatched among their peers. Even at an absolute disadvantage, they could still clash with the Three Great Main Gods for a short time without being overwhelmed. They even managed to counterattack from time to time, leaving scorching sword marks on the Main God of Nature’s massive body and slashing dark fissures into the Main God of Light’s Holy Light Shield.

But the Celestial Dao’s suppression was like a maggot gnawing at their bones. It caused their Magical Power to drain far faster than usual, and unexpected obstacles hindered their every move. After a prolonged battle, their Daoist robes were tattered and their auras had grown chaotic. It was only a matter of time before they were defeated.

In the distant void, Xu Yunfan’s figure quietly materialized. He was shrouded in faint Starlight and the subtle fluctuations of the Cause and Effect Secret Technique.

He had already withdrawn from the Lin Character State. The human-like light had returned to his eyes, and he now stared coldly at the chaotic battlefield filled with divine light, sword light, molten lava, darkness, and Gang Wind.

Red Sun and Tongxuan were like wild beasts trapped in a mire, hopelessly entangled by the Three Great Main Gods. Caught in a tight encirclement, their every attack and defense was exceptionally strenuous.

‘A mighty dragon is no match for a local snake. The old saying really is true.’

Xu Yunfan wasn’t in a hurry. The five of them were locked in a fierce struggle; it would be some time before a victor emerged.

Ignoring the earth-shattering battle behind him, his figure transformed into a subtle streak of violet-gold lightning and silently sped away toward the Wilderness West Field.

The Wilderness West Field, once a barren land with few Divine Spirits and a backward civilization, had now undergone a world-altering transformation.

Decades ago, Xu Yunfan had frantically hunted weak Divine Spirits here, seizing their divinity to refine his Immortal Golden Nature. He had all but wiped out the native deities, creating a massive vacuum of divine presence.

And this vacuum was the very stage he had left for Zhang Ziyang.

Xu Yunfan flew past, gazing down at the land below.

The once-desolate Gobi Desert, sparse jungles, and scattered tribal settlements had been replaced by neatly planned farmlands, wide stone-paved roads, and Daoist temples that dotted the landscape, all built in a uniform style.

Crops thrived in the fields, pedestrians thronged the roads, and merchant caravans came and went.

Majestic and simple Daoist temples were built against the mountainsides, with white walls, green tiles, and soaring eaves. Wisps of incense smoke curled into the air, and the faint sound of Scripture chanting could be heard.

On the plazas before the temples, Daoists in blue robes often led followers through strengthening Fist Technique exercises. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, seeming to contain a certain profound rhythm.

It was just that their unusual eye and hair colors looked somewhat out of place.

Inside the main hall of the Daoist temples, the one enshrined was not any of the original Divine Spirits of the Aitira Realm, but a statue of a blue-robed Daoist. He had a compassionate face, held a Duster, and sat upon a nine-colored Lotus Platform.

It was none other than Zhang Ziyang, who had taken the title “Taiyi the Celestial Lord of Salvation and Relief.”

‘Well, I’ll be damned.’

The incense before the statues was thriving. A dense and pure Incense Fire Wish Power, carrying boundless reverence and devotion for Taiyi the Celestial Lord of Salvation and Relief, rose and gathered like a golden mist, ultimately flowing toward the most magnificent Daoist Palace of the Celestial Lord Taiyi at the center of the region.

Xu Yunfan concealed his aura and landed quietly in a secluded courtyard deep within the Daoist Palace.

Ancient trees towered within the courtyard, and the Spiritual Qi was thick and misty, far surpassing that of the outside world.

A figure in a simple blue robe was sitting cross-legged on a cattail hassock, eyes closed in deep concentration.

His aura was profound and deep; he had actually reached the Realm of Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. A silver star, condensed from the Authority of Investigation, shone brightly between his brows. He was surrounded by dense Incense Fire Divine Power and a Dao Rhyme that perceived the most subtle of things. It was Zhang Ziyang.

Zhang Ziyang seemed to sense something. He slowly opened his eyes, a silver glint flashing within them, and looked at Xu Yunfan with a smile full of wisdom and understanding.

“Divine Sky True Monarch, your presence graces us. This humble Daoist has failed to welcome you from afar.”

He stood up, looking at Xu Yunfan with immense gratification.

“You’ve really attained the Daoist Golden Core!”

“It was just a stroke of luck.”

Xu Yunfan dispelled the concealment of the Star Spirit Banner, revealing his form. He smiled and said, “Sect Leader, it seems your esteemed position as ‘Taiyi the Celestial Lord of Salvation and Relief’ is well-established. The flourishing incense, the devotion of the people… it’s truly worthy of celebration.

In terms of the purity and vastness of this Incense Fire Wish Power alone, I fear even an ordinary Upper-Rank God would be no match for you, Sect Leader.”

Zhang Ziyang stroked his beard and smiled.

“It is all thanks to you, Yunfan. If you hadn’t cleared out the ghouls and demons of this world and left me this purified land and the Authority of Investigation, this humble Daoist could never have achieved what I have today.

The Human Race in this land suffered greatly from the harsh wilderness and exploitation by the Divine Spirits. Spreading the Dao, teaching them the ways of survival, and gathering incense to strengthen our path was simply going with the flow—a natural course of events. This place has now become the foundation of our Daoist nation.”

His tone was full of emotion, quite satisfied with the results of the past few decades. Then, his expression shifted as he looked at Xu Yunfan. “I can see your aura is as steady as a mountain, and your Divine Sky Dao Fruit is stable and profound. The path to the Golden Core must have been a smooth one for you.

However, I sense a hidden Thunderbolt between your brows, and the aura of the Boundary Sea has not yet dispersed. Was your journey fraught with trouble?”

Xu Yunfan’s smile faded, and his expression grew serious.

“Sect Leader, your perception is as clear as fire. There were indeed some uninvited guests. Those two old fools from the Wansheng Sword Sect, Red Sun and Tongxuan, hunted me all the way to the Boundary Sea and even followed me into the Aitira Realm.”

Hearing this, Zhang Ziyang showed no sign of alarm. Instead, an astonishing light erupted in his eyes. The Authority of Investigation between his brows pulsed continuously as he pushed it to its absolute limit, as if deducing countless possibilities in an instant.

After a long moment, he suddenly clapped his hands and burst into laughter.

“Excellent! Excellent! Ah, Yunfan, your fortune truly reaches the heavens! This is a godsent opportunity!”

“Oh? What makes you say that, Sect Leader?”

Xu Yunfan asked, feigning ignorance, but he couldn’t hide the joy on his face.

‘Zhang Ziyang has most likely come to the same conclusion as me.’

Zhang Ziyang’s eyes gleamed as his speech quickened.

“Have you forgotten? In this realm, you possess the Divine Format of Thunderous Authority! That is a title recognized by the Celestial Dao itself—it makes you a native Deity!”