The Demonic Core Beckons; Failure Behind, Success Ahead

Before taking the Heavenfire Liquid, Han Li first sat in meditation in the secret chamber for several days. He adjusted his entire true yuan and vital energy to their peak condition before finally pulling out the small bottle containing the medicine.

He tilted his head back and carefully dripped a few drops into his mouth, then hurriedly put the bottle away and closed his eyes, waiting for the medicinal power to take effect.

Not long after, the meridians inside Han Li's body began to burn hot. The true yuan within him seemed to boil like scalding water, flowing rapidly along his meridians.

Alarmed, Han Li quickly felt out a pack of unknown supplemental medicines from his body and, without a second thought, poured them into his mouth. He then began to quietly cultivate the Azure Origin Sword Art, assaulting the bottleneck.

The moment the seventh layer of the sword art was perfected would be the day Han Li succeeded in forming his Core.

Of course, before this, Han Li had already instructed Qu Hun in the adjacent chamber, via his spiritual sense, to also take the Heavenfire Liquid and the other supplementary medicines.

Qu Hun cultivated the “Blood Refining Divine Light,” a type of rapid-progress demonic technique. Under normal circumstances, there was no possibility of Core Formation at all. But with the “Blood Coagulation Five Elements Pill,” the situation was naturally different. Thus, his process of Core Formation was vastly unlike Han Li's.

Qu Hun did not use a specific technique to condense a Golden Core. Instead, he first took the “Blood Coagulation Five Elements Pill” and directly refined the pill's power to form a Demonic Core.

Relatively speaking, his journey to Core Formation was far simpler.

Therefore, after giving some specific orders, Han Li left Qu Hun in the other room and ceased to be distracted by him.

Although Han Li's own chance of forming a Core this time was extremely slim, he still had to seriously try.

Even if he could not succeed, it would accumulate experience for his next attempt at Core Formation.

Thinking this way, Han Li gradually shut off all external sensations and completely entered the state of bitter, secluded cultivation.

At this time, the passage of the outside world became meaningless for Han Li.

Day after day passed.

Spring went, winter came…

One day, four years later, Sea Ape Island was still as chaotic as ever. The dock and the single city on the island were in a state of mild excitement.

Because this was the season when the numerous Sea Apes emerged from the water to mate. Many low-grade cultivators were busily coming and going from the island, capturing these demonic beasts that were usually hard to find.

While the cultivators were grinning from ear to ear from earning spirit stones, the merchants were also beaming with joy, buying up the catch endlessly.

But at noon, on a certain remote, barren mountain on the island, something occurred that left nearby secluded cultivators utterly dumbfounded.

The originally cloudless, blue sky suddenly changed color!

A massive patch of dark, oppressive black clouds had appeared, no one knew from when, covering the sky above the barren mountain. Silver lightning and thunder that shook the heavens cracked like mad serpents dancing wildly.

At the same time, the world's spiritual Qi from all directions began to revolve and sing, converging on the barren mountain. Under the black clouds, it formed a gigantic vortex several li in diameter, sucking dry all the spiritual Qi within dozens of li. The rogue cultivators were utterly shocked and astonished.

They all, without prior agreement, left their cultivation dwellings and hastily flew towards the barren mountain where the anomaly was occurring.

Even the most ignorant cultivator now understood. This astonishing natural phenomenon was clearly a sign that a senior cultivator was about to perfect their Core Formation.

The Chaotic Star Sea was about to gain a new Core Formation cultivator!

However, for someone to form a Core in a place so lacking in spiritual Qi was completely beyond the expectations of the rogue cultivators.

Their hearts full of envy and astonishment, they naturally wanted to come and see for themselves.

If they could even form a connection with this high-level cultivator, or even become their disciple, wouldn't that be wonderful?

But before these people could reach the location, the distant vortex of spiritual Qi seemed to have absorbed enough energy. With a clear, resonant cry like a phoenix, it completely collapsed and dispersed.

Within the chaotic spiritual Qi, a faint reflection of multicolored clouds appeared, looking exceptionally beautiful.

Then, the clouds parted, the mist cleared, the thunder and lightning vanished, and everything returned to normal. It was still a fine, sunny day.

By this time, those rogue cultivators had only just flown to the vicinity of the barren mountain. But before they could approach it, a voice, incredibly cold and biting, simultaneously resounded in their ears.

“Anyone who approaches this mountain without permission shall be killed!”

This utterly merciless, emotionless statement made the faces of the dozen-odd low-grade cultivators drastically change. Without prior agreement, they halted their figures and looked at one another in dismay.

It seemed this new Core Formation senior did not appreciate being disturbed.

After exchanging glances for a while, they naturally wouldn't knowingly defy the warning. They all turned around and silently returned.

But soon after, news that a cultivator had recently succeeded in forming their Core on Sea Ape Island quickly spread.

This left the other cultivators on the island, who were not yet aware of the matter, stunned for a long time.

For someone to choose to form their Core on Sea Ape Island was truly beyond comprehension!

Immediately, with the barren mountain as the center, many new cave dwellings were dug by low-grade cultivators.

Although this Core Formation cultivator's warning prevented these rogue cultivators with various intentions from daring to approach the mountain, they all harbored the thought that if they lived and cultivated nearby, they might still have a chance to see this high-level cultivator.

For a time, the place became a hub of activity.

But no one knew that within a certain cave dwelling on that barren mountain, its occupants had long since departed. The person who had actually formed a Core was flying through the high sky thousands of li away.

With him was a youth with a calm expression—it was Han Li, the one who had failed to form his Core.

Han Li looked at Qu Hun, who was sitting cross-legged beside him. Although his expression was as calm as ever, a feeling of relief showed in his heart.

In reality, he had stopped his secluded cultivation a full year ago.

After three years of consuming medicinal pills and practicing meditation, he had to admit that this attempt at Core Formation was completely hopeless. There wasn't even a single trace of his true yuan beginning to congeal.

So he simply stopped cultivating and focused entirely on assisting Qu Hun's Core Formation.

As a result, with the forceful assistance of numerous medicinal pills, Qu Hun lived up to Han Li's expectations. A few days ago, with the convergence of dragon and tiger, he succeeded in forming his Demonic Core after all.

The entire process went so smoothly that even Han Li was a bit surprised!

In his joy, Han Li drove away the rogue cultivators who had come to spy on him.

He then immediately abandoned the cave dwelling and secretly fled Sea Ape Island with Qu Hun.

He now planned to return to Little Huan Island and see if his true cave dwelling there was still intact.

He believed that after these four years, no matter how patient those people were, it was impossible for a Core Formation cultivator to still be watching Little Huan Island.

If it was safe, he would naturally take the strange insects inside the dwelling with him, then fly far away, completely leaving this southwestern sea region.

The Chaotic Star Sea was so vast. With Qu Hun's early Core Formation cultivation, how could there be no place for Han Li to shelter himself?

Furthermore, although Qu Hun, due to his incompatible spiritual root attribute, could not use the “Green煌 Sword,” he could barely control the ancient elder's magic treasure, the “Chaotic Yuan Bowl.”

Even if he couldn't completely refine this treasure and fully unleash its power, he could at least barely fight other Core Formation cultivators with a magic treasure.

What's more, Han Li had handed over both the golden small sword talisman treasure and the golden skull talisman treasure he had obtained earlier to Qu Hun, keeping only the small dagger talisman treasure for himself.

With Qu Hun's Core Formation cultivation, activating a talisman treasure would not require a long period of channeling energy. He could do it instantly to attack and distract the enemy, compensating for the weakness of his magic treasure.

With these thoughts, Han Li fully urged the Divine Wind Boat, turning it into a streak of white light, flying towards the direction of Stargaze Island.

…

A month later, the figures of Han Li and Qu Hun appeared in the sky above Little Huan Island.

Han Li first used his spiritual sense to sweep across the entire area around Little Huan Island. There was no sign of any other cultivators. Only then did he and Qu Hun safely activate their magic tools, enter the island from the dock, and fly towards the mountain peak where his cave dwelling was located.

They were still far from the high and low twin peaks, but Han Li's spiritual sense had already scanned both mountains in advance.

Han Li, riding his magic tool, was stunned!

Not only were both the true and false cave dwellings completely unharmed, but even the three external magical formations seemed perfectly undamaged.

This was completely beyond his expectations!

However, the appearance of such an eerie scene made Han Li instead become highly vigilant.

About a li away from the peaks, the Divine Wind Boat came to a halt.

He did not rush directly into the formation but, with a gloomy expression, looked around cautiously.

He could find nothing unusual inside, outside, or around the peaks. Han Li lowered his head in thought for a moment, then suddenly raised his eyebrows and stamping his foot on the Divine Wind Boat below him, finally flew into the great formation.

The formation indeed looked exactly as it had when Han Li left four years ago, with no signs of any alteration.

After a brief inspection, Han Li no longer hesitated and entered the cave dwelling.

He naturally did not care about the false cave dwelling on the low peak. He went directly through the hidden passage into the true cave dwelling.

Then, he strode towards the secret chambers where he raised the strange insects.

But when Han Li arrived in front of the secret chamber, he was startled, his mouth slightly agape.

The sight before him left him utterly bewildered.