My Golden Core is a Star, do you call this cultivating?

Chapter 96: Blood of the Soul from the Void

The Black Chicken Old Demon's soul had just entered the body he had prepared long ago. His eyes showed a trace of astonishment.

Where's the Golden Core? It's gone.

He glanced around and saw a Foundation Establishment cultivator seemingly looking at him.

Hearing the Foundation Establishment cultivator's words, the Black Chicken Old Demon's eyes flashed with suspicion.

"My final soul attack didn't affect you, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator? It seems you possess a soul-protecting treasure of high grade!"

With that thought, his eyes lit up with joy.

"Heaven favors me! A great disaster avoided must bring fortune!"

Surrounded by nine Nascent Soul cultivators, he had faked his death to escape, already gravely injured.

But he hadn't expected to encounter a Foundation Establishment cultivator immune to his soul attack.

His final soul attack was indiscriminate, affecting the nine Nascent Soul cultivators most, then the nearby cultivators like Zuyuan Zhenren.

The mid-stage Core Formation cultivator was unconscious, but the Foundation Establishment cultivator was lively.

This indicated the cultivator must have a high-level soul-protecting treasure.

Judging by the level, it was extremely high.

If he obtained it, he could find a secluded place to cultivate steadily. With this treasure, his chances of overcoming the Purple Mansion tribulation would greatly increase.

How could he not be excited? He looked at Qi Yuan as if he were a prized possession.

Qi Yuan also looked at him with a puzzled expression, "People woken up by farts really do have something wrong with their heads."

Holding his cleaver, he was about to strike.

"Hmph, even injured, I'm not someone a mere Foundation Establishment can humiliate." The Black Chicken Old Demon's eyes showed disdain as he instantly cast a spell to trap Qi Yuan.

However, Qi Yuan wielded his cleaver, slashing directly at the Black Chicken Old Demon's soul.

Crack.

The cleaver seemed to slice through the soul, landing on the Black Chicken Old Demon's soul.

"Impossible!" The Black Chicken Old Demon felt an excruciating pain, the smug and excited look on his face completely vanished.

This wasn't a treasure, this was a devil! With no time to think, the cleaver shattered his remnant soul.

Zuyuan Zhenren's body fell to the ground again.

"Hopefully, no one farts again and wakes him up," Qi Yuan muttered, looking around suspiciously.

Then his gaze fell beside Zuyuan Zhenren's body.

A drop of blood-red liquid hovered in the air.

Qi Yuan looked at it and saw the information.

[Soul Blood, from the Void, accidentally fell into the Great Shang, obtained by the Black Chicken Old Demon. If this blood merges with a soul, it can cultivate a seed, eventually becoming a soul weapon. The stronger the seed, the stronger the soul weapon. After death, one can also be resurrected from the seed.]

"So, the Black Chicken Old Demon was the seed, and the Zuyuan Zhenren I just killed was the Black Chicken Old Demon?"

Qi Yuan's eyes showed greed as he looked at the drop of blood.

"This drop of blood is really something!"

"The Black Chicken Old Demon is truly my wealth-spreading fairy!"

"Old Demon, I misjudged you. You're not my enemy; you're my white moonlight, brighter than the Broken Wolf!"

"This is soul blood from the Void, a truly valuable item!"

Soul weapons were extremely rare.

The entire Great Shang probably didn't have a single soul weapon.

Moreover, the soul blood's soul weapon seemed to be of the growth type, which was even more terrifying.

Qi Yuan immediately swallowed the drop of soul blood.

Instantly, he felt the drop of fresh blood integrate into his soul.

This blood could deprive and parasitize at any time.

"If I parasitize a Yang God, wouldn't that Yang God become my soul weapon?"

Qi Yuan had wild thoughts but felt this idea wasn't feasible.

"I need to find a suitable object to parasitize, to create my soul weapon!"

With that thought, Qi Yuan decided to leave.

He looked at the unconscious Liu Guan.

"For letting me go first, I'll take you out."

With a wave of his hand, Liu Guan's body floated behind him like a controlled corpse.

At that moment, Kumu Zhenjun's transmission came through his jade slip.

"The Black Chicken Old Demon has been killed. We nine will heal in the Ten Thousand Demon Cave for four days.

How are things on your end?"

Qi Yuan replied, "Already settled, killed a Core Formation."

Kumu Zhenjun on the other end was silent for a moment before responding, "Four days later, I'll come to the Seven-Colored Peak to find you."

"Okay."

Qi Yuan left the cave with Liu Guan.

Outside the cave, the thirteen Core Formation cultivators who had entered earlier were now eleven, with two bodies among them.

The leader looked at Qi Yuan with surprise, even more so seeing the unconscious Liu Guan.

"The matter is settled; we'll each return home.

But during this time, no one is to disclose the death of the Black Chicken Old Demon."

With that, the leader turned into a stream of light and disappeared.

The other cultivators also left.

Qi Yuan looked at Liu Guan.

"Sigh, it seems I'll have to take you home. Wuxue City... Liu Guan, right?"

He remembered visiting Wuxue City.

When he went to destroy the Black Mountain Sect, he had taken a spirit boat that landed in Wuxue City.

On that spirit boat, he had sat next to a chatty and beautiful young woman.

…

Half a day later.

Qi Yuan sat in a courtyard, his eyes showing a trace of surprise.

He hadn't expected to see the beautiful woman from the spirit boat again.

She turned out to be Liu Guan's daughter.

"I've brought him back; it's time for me to go." Qi Yuan's voice was hoarse, changing his tone effortlessly.

"Thank you, Senior, for saving my father," Liu Piao said gratefully.

Her father, injured and unconscious, would be in grave danger if found by ill-intentioned cultivators.

An unconscious Core Formation cultivator was a prized target.

She was deeply moved that someone had brought her father back.

Just then, hurried footsteps approached, "Grandfather, Grandfather."

Duan Qianrou, in a white dress, with delicate sweat on her forehead, looked anxious.

"Your grandfather hasn't woken up yet," Liu Piao said, relieved to see her daughter, "This senior brought him back."

Duan Qianrou then carefully studied Qi Yuan.

But his face was hidden by a mask, so she couldn't see his features.

"Senior saved my grandfather; I have no way to repay you but have prepared a small gift. I hope you don't mind." Duan Qianrou said, handing over a storage bag.

The storage bag was filled with blood crystals.

Qi Yuan didn't refuse, taking the blood crystals. Suddenly, he felt the tattoo of Xiao Jia on his chest heat up.

He was thoughtful.

Could these blood crystals be useful for Xiao Jia?

"Nothing, just a small favor. Now that he's here, I should leave."

Eager to find out how these blood crystals could help Xiao Jia, Qi Yuan turned into a stream of light and disappeared before Duan Qianrou could speak.

Soon after, in a secluded place, Qi Yuan summoned Xiao Jia.

He took out a blood crystal.

The blood crystal was small, translucent, like a pomegranate seed but bloodier.

Seeing the blood crystal, Xiao Jia's sleeve dropped a wooden plaque.

A happy expression.

"You like it? Here you go."

Xiao Jia took a blood crystal with her sleeve.

After a while, the blood crystal disappeared.

Xiao Jia looked very pleased.

Seeing Xiao Jia happy, Qi Yuan's mood improved too.

"Did she eat it?" Qi Yuan thought Xiao Jia didn't eat, but it seemed she did.

"I have more, enough for you." Qi Yuan gave her more blood crystals, watching her slowly consume them.

Looking at the blood crystals, he saw more information.

[Blood Crystal, comparable to a low-grade spirit stone.]

The information was random and didn't always show the key points instantly.

"If you like it, I'll ask the sect leader to take over Wuxue City's blood crystal mine, enough for you to eat."

Qi Yuan preferred to seize the mine rather than buy blood crystals.

Let Wuxue City's people work for him.

After all, the current emperor, Dong Xian, was his junior brother.

…

"Grandfather, you're awake?" Duan Qianrou, at his bedside, was thrilled to see Liu Guan awake.

"I?" Liu Guan was confused, then recalled seeing the Foundation Establishment cultivator shatter Zuyuan Zhenren's Golden Core before fainting.

He didn't remember what happened after.

"Who brought me back?" Liu Guan asked.

"A masked cultivator, looking young, maybe not very strong," Duan Qianrou said.

"He brought me back? Where is he?" Liu Guan was excited.

"Grandfather, he left four days ago."

"He left?" Liu Guan looked disappointed.

"Grandfather, who is he?" Duan Qianrou noticed her grandfather's interest.

"He's a... true supreme prodigy!

Even the Great Shang Ten Heroes are nothing compared to him! Just a Foundation Establishment, but I saw him shatter a late-stage Core Formation's Golden Core."

"What?" Duan Qianrou was shocked, covering her mouth in disbelief, "Do we have such a Foundation Establishment in Great Shang?"

Foundation Establishment battling Core Formation was unimaginable.

Especially a late-stage Core Formation.

"Yes, your grandfather... " Liu Guan explained the events, "I tried to connect, but he feared revealing his identity, not telling me his name.

Piao, Qianrou, his deed mustn't be disclosed, understand?"

"Father, I won't tell."

"Don't worry, Grandfather, I understand the importance."

"Who is he? Could he be the one who destroyed the Black Mountain Sect?" Liu Guan wondered, "If so, it all makes sense."

"Foundation Establishment?" Duan Qianrou recalled the young man on the spirit boat.

Her mother had chatted with him, intending to introduce him to her. She had been unhappy.

Later, she saw him asking for directions near Black Mountain Sect.

Hearing her grandfather, she guessed.

"Mother, didn't you find the man who brought Grandfather familiar?"

"Ah?" Liu Piao was puzzled.

"Remember the young man you chatted with on the way back from Nanshan, who you wanted to introduce to me?

That day, the Black Mountain Sect was destroyed!" Duan Qianrou said eagerly.

"You think they're the same person?" Liu Piao understood her daughter's meaning.

Perhaps wrongly, or preconceived.

Hearing her daughter, she felt the man and the one who brought her father back were alike.

Their conversation, at times, was wild.

…

Four days after Qi Yuan returned to Seven-Colored Peak.

Most blood crystals were consumed by Xiao Jia.

Qi Yuan noticed no change in Xiao Jia's body.

But their combined form's blood armor seemed stronger in attack and defense.

He was surprised.

Regardless, it was a good thing for him.

And Xiao Jia seemed to enjoy blood crystals as snacks.

Qi Yuan decided to ask the sect leader to buy Wuxue City and its mines.

For Xiao Jia, just one word: spoil! Though not a domineering CEO, he would spoil his wife.

Especially a wife like Xiao Jia.

"Qi Yuan." A voice came from outside.

True Lord Kumu stood outside.

His expression complex, with a trace of expectation.

"Sect Master, please come in," Qi Yuan said.

True Lord Kumu entered the wooden house.

He glanced at Xiao Jia, then said, "Since you killed a Core Formation, you've passed my test."

"Sect Master, what is the matter, and what is the opportunity?" Qi Yuan asked eagerly.

"I'm not from Great Shang, but from East Earth," Kumu Zhenjun said, "I want you to represent me in the East Earth Prodigy Battle!"