Chapter 621: Formation of the Core

The Mortal World

“Junior Brother Tong, summon your Natal Gu-worms and join me in forming the array. You must give it your all; remember not to hold back. This demon possesses high intelligence and is extremely cunning. If it senses danger, it will surely consume the spirit fruit before it fully matures and then flee for its life. The other disciples should follow from a distance and observe the battle. Once the great demon is slain, the remaining lesser demons will be yours to handle. Any spirit herbs or materials you gather will also belong to you…”

More than thirty cultivators stood on the mountaintop.

Among them, six were Foundation Establishment cultivators, while the rest were only at the Qi Condensation stage.

The Qi Condensation cultivators all wore similar-style robes, with a strange pattern woven into the back forming the character ‘insect’.

If Qin Sang were here, he would recognize Yuan Hu among them, who had joined him in hunting the Blood-Winged Ghost Head Wasps that day.

The speaker was a gaunt old man with white hair and kind eyes. He held a black wooden staff, its surface etched with strange patterns using a blue insect blood.

The old man was in the middle of speaking when he was suddenly interrupted by a clap of thunder.

Everyone's expressions changed drastically. They quickly ascended into the sky to gaze towards the depths of the mountains.

In the southwest direction, the peak of a tall mountain had, at some unknown point, gathered thick masses of dark clouds. Within these clouds, lightning flashed and thunder roared, with bolts of electricity streaking across.

After that initial thunderclap, a continuous roar of thunder began, the dark clouds grew heavier, and silver lightning danced wildly.

Strangely, these dark clouds and lightning only enveloped the mountaintop and an area less than a zhang in circumference. Elsewhere, the sky was clear, with no trace of clouds or any sign of a thunderstorm.

That area appeared as if it had encountered doomsday; terrifying lightning bolts were incredibly close to the mountaintop, seemingly capable of destroying the peak at any moment.

The thunder was deafening, striking fear into all living creatures.

Around the tall mountain, the frightened roars of birds and beasts could be heard. Both ordinary animals and various sizes of demonic beasts were startled, daring not to remain nearby, and scattered in all directions.

As the dark clouds accumulated, becoming a dense, oppressive mass, and fierce winds howled, yet no torrential rain fell.

Witnessing this scene, the cultivators of the Five-Insect Sect exchanged glances. Although they had never seen it firsthand, they had read in their sect's ancient texts that such an anomaly bore a strong resemblance to a particular phenomenon.

Especially the gaunt old man, whose face was as calm as still water.

Boom!

Suddenly, with a dull thud, the spiritual energy around the mountain peak seemed to be drawn by something, frantically converging beneath the dark clouds, completely drained away.

Beneath the dark clouds, it almost solidified, faintly forming the outline of a funnel.

Witnessing this, all doubt vanished from everyone's minds: someone was truly forming a Golden Core there!

“Sect Leader Brother, I remember that mountain is the nest of the Dark-Winged Eagle. Could it be it…?”

Junior Brother Tong flew to the gaunt old man's side, his voice trembling slightly.

If a demonic beast were to form a demonic core, the entire Bear Mountain region, including their Five-Insect Sect, would be powerless to resist, unless they intended to remain holed up within their sect.

If it were a bloodthirsty demon, the entire Bear Mountain region would suffer immense devastation.

The gaunt old man had clearly considered this as well. The veins on his hand gripping the wooden staff bulged as he said in a deep voice, “It shouldn’t be that beast. I saw it once three years ago; it was only at the mid-stage Demonic Core realm, and its potential was almost at its peak. Even if it had consumed some rare heavenly treasure, the Dark-Winged Eagle couldn’t possibly have advanced from the late Demonic Spirit stage to directly forming a Golden Core in just three years. Besides, demonic beasts forming cores seem to differ from cultivators doing so…”

Junior Brother Tong was startled. “Brother, are you suspecting…?”

The gaunt old man nodded, his expression grave.

He was already suspecting that a passing cultivator, or one who had been cultivating in seclusion, had seized the Dark-Winged Eagle’s cave dwelling to form a Golden Core there.

The arrival of such a powerful figure was not good news for their Five-Insect Sect.

Seeing that the anomaly in the distance was still ongoing, the gaunt old man made a decision. “Junior Brother Tong, immediately take everyone back to the sect. Activate the mountain-protecting array, and do not allow anyone to enter the mountain without my command! As for those large strongholds, we cannot manage them for now.”

Junior Brother Tong’s expression grew anxious. “Brother, aren't you returning?”

The gaunt old man shook his head. “I cannot leave. We’ve caused such a stir here; it certainly won’t escape that person’s notice. Leaving now would invite resentment. If that person is merely passing through, then it’s best to respectfully send them off. If they intend to stay here, our Five-Insect Sect will have to face them sooner or later, so we might as well ascertain their purpose early. If I should unfortunately be killed, Junior Brother Tong will be in charge of the sect from then on, and you must immediately send out a distress signal for help.”

Junior Brother Tong’s face showed great urgency. “Brother, you return, I will stay…”

“You don’t carry enough weight!”

The gaunt old man said in a deep voice, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. The entire Western Frontier is very barren, and our Bear Mountain is no exception. A high-level Golden Core cultivator, capable of soaring through the nine heavens, would hardly want to confine themselves to such a small place. It’s most likely they are just passing through. My previous arrangements were merely a precaution.”

As he spoke, the sound of thunder in the distance gradually weakened, and the dark clouds began to dissipate.

The spiritual energy funnel became increasingly distinct.

Around the funnel, streaks of colorful light began to appear. For a moment, the clouds and mists above the mountain peak surged, filling the horizon, a truly beautiful sight.

“This is bad! The colorful mists have appeared, the core is about to form. Hurry and leave!”

The gaunt old man urged his disciples to leave, then straightened his robes and flew on the wind towards the anomaly.

By the time he arrived nearby, the entire mountain peak was already enveloped in the radiant light.

After a little while longer, the radiant light dispersed, and the surrounding spiritual energy gradually calmed down, returning to normal.

The gaunt old man stood in place, waiting for a moment. Seeing no movement from the cave dwelling on the mountain, he pondered for a short while, then flew directly towards the peak.

Unexpectedly, just as he reached the entrance of the cave dwelling, a dark shadow suddenly flashed before him.

“Hiss…”

The gaunt old man was startled by the fierce and menacing flying yaksha. Feeling its powerful aura, he gasped, utterly horrified.

“Not only has he successfully formed a Golden Core, but he also possesses a corpse puppet that has transformed into a flying yaksha…”

The gaunt old man groaned inwardly, filled with extreme envy for the person inside the cave dwelling.

He wondered what his Natal Gu-worm was. Since he could successfully form a Golden Core, it meant his Natal Gu-worm had very likely also completed its transformation.

After forming a Golden Core, this person would immediately be able to stand out among peers, perhaps even capable of challenging those of a higher cultivation stage.

Such an individual was exceedingly rare, even among the venerable great sects outside the Western Frontier. They might even be a disciple of a mighty expert. The old man felt powerless to even feel jealousy.

However, upon seeing all this, the gaunt old man felt reassured instead.

The other party's origins were mysterious, and they possessed a great heritage; they certainly wouldn't value the resources of Bear Mountain.

The gaunt old man, with the flying yaksha between them, bowed remotely towards the cave dwelling, then lightly coughed and said, “Cui Xuanzi, Sect Leader of the Five-Insect Sect, greets Senior.”

Bang!

The stone in front of the cave dwelling suddenly burst apart.

Cui Xuanzi’s pupils contracted. He then saw an exceptionally young man emerge from the darkness.

Sunlight streamed onto him, making him appear vibrant and full of vigor.

The young man looked at him with a smile and said amiably, “You must be the Sect Leader of the Five-Insect Sect? I happened to pass through this area, sensed the aura of Golden Core formation, and found a place to cultivate my core. By sheer luck, I succeeded, but I inadvertently disturbed you.”