Chapter 556: You, You Are Nascent Soul Old Monsters

The White Sandalwood Patriarch was a legendary figure, a half-step Essence Core stage cultivator, a goal countless demons could only dream of reaching. Even the market's master was only at the Void Core stage and would respectfully address the White Sandalwood Patriarch as "Senior."

During his breakthrough to the Essence Core stage, the White Sandalwood Patriarch met with an unknown accident, resulting in his death and the destruction of his storage ring, leaving behind only a single token. The White Sandalwood Patriarch was meticulous in his affairs, dividing his wealth into two parts: one in his storage ring, and the other hidden away, accessible only with the token.

This token was highly coveted and passed through many tribes, finally ending up buried in the Hydroxyl Worm Tribe for unknown reasons. Rumor had it that the hidden treasure included the White Sandalwood Patriarch's cultivation insights and descriptions of his mental state before his breakthrough. For Golden Core stage demons, these were priceless treasures, worth giving everything to obtain. These tribes had frantically searched for the token for a period, but finding no clues, their efforts eventually fizzled out.

The pawnshop owner was drenched in cold sweat, utterly surprised to see the token appear here. Initially, he had considered selling it to the market master for protection. But upon calming down and thinking it through, he wondered if the market master would protect him, or simply kill him to silence him once the token was acquired. Wealth corrupts even demons. Even if the market master had a good reputation, there was no guarantee he wouldn't commit evil acts when driven by profit. If he didn't sell it to the market master, he certainly wouldn't dare sell it to anyone else.

"Owner, how many spirit stones is this worth?" Lu Yang waited and waited, but the only response he got was the owner's increasing cold sweat, with no answer.

Hearing Lu Yang's voice, the owner seemed to snap out of a trance. He quickly returned the token: "It's worthless, worthless! We don't accept it!" This was a hot potato; holding onto it meant death.

Lu Yang and the other person felt baffled. Such an extreme reaction... was the White Sandalwood Patriarch truly a half-step Essence Core stage cultivator?

After the two left, the owner frowned deeply, making a difficult decision.

"Owner, what are you doing?" shouted the buffalo tribe attendant.

"Selling information to the market master."

The two left the market and traveled for most of the day. As larger Golden Core tribes emerged, more markets appeared. Without exception, these markets understood the rules of the demon realm and dared not lay claim to anything belonging to Golden Core Patriarchs. As the token frequently appeared in various markets, more and more people began to notice Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, these two rather nonchalant individuals.

However, none of them made a move; they weren't qualified. Several Golden Core Patriarchs had already set their sights on the pair, just waiting for the opportune moment to kill them and seize the token.

"You two youngsters, it seems you've acquired something good." Finally, a Golden Core Patriarch couldn't hold back. He revealed his true form: a green-faced fierce tiger. He hovered in the sky, coldly staring down at them. These two little guys who couldn't even fly were, at best, Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. Foundation Establishment cultivators were merely playthings before a Void Core stage expert.

"Fellow Daoist, it's not good to hog everything. How immense is Senior White Sandalwood's treasure? Can one person consume it all?" Three more Golden Core cultivators appeared, planning to jointly seize the token and then divide the spoils.

"It's the Three Snake Bandit Tribes!" A Foundation Establishment cultivator in the shadows gasped. These three Golden Core cultivators were infamous, committing murder and robbery openly without concealing their identities. Yet, they were absurdly strong, all at the Void Core stage, and together they could contend with a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

"Three colorful snakes dare to touch what I have my eyes on!" A fierce blaze erupted in the jungle. Several Foundation Establishment cultivators screamed as they were burned alive. A majestic lion with fiery mane appeared, the local lord and patriarch of the Blazing Lion tribe. Immediately, Golden Core cultivators appeared one after another. The Foundation Establishment cultivators below watched, stunned, not daring to even breathe. All the Golden Core cultivators from nearby had arrived.

"Does that old lion truly believe he controls everything?"

"We'll see about that!"

The Golden Core Patriarchs eyed each other hostilely, exchanging verbal threats, releasing their auras to compete in cultivation level, trying to overwhelm one another with their presence. They completely ignored the two Golden Core Eighth Layer Patriarchs below.

"They really don't put us in their eyes," Lu Yang sighed. Not to mention they were currently Golden Core Eighth Layer; even if they were late-stage Foundation Establishment, these old geezers wouldn't be worth their time.

"No more talk, let's see what you've got!" Completely disregarding Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou below, the old cultivators fought among themselves in the sky.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou yawned. The old cultivators' foundations were severely lacking, riddled with flaws, making their fight utterly uninteresting. Even two random Golden Core participants from their previous final competition would have fought more impressively. In fact, any two of those participants could have defeated this entire group.

"Want one?" Since they were idle anyway, Lu Yang took out two fruits from his identity jade token. He had bought them in the market; they looked unusual and were said to be a specialty of the demon realm, with a very short shelf life and prone to spoiling quickly, but their taste was exquisite.

Meng Jingzhou bit into a fruit, and its juice squirted ten meters away. "Wow, you know, this tastes really good! It's juicy and sweet enough!" Meng Jingzhou praised the unknown fruit lavishly.

Lu Yang held his fruit, thought for a moment, and used a water-separation technique, instantly turning the fruit into a dried fruit. He took a bite; though it lost its juiciness, it gained an even sweeter flavor. The two ate their fruits and dried fruits while waiting for the battle above to conclude. As Golden Core Eighth Layer Patriarchs, they couldn't just casually make a move; true experts always made their move last.

After finishing several fruits, the battle was nearing its end.

"Conjure some water for me to wash my hands," Lu Yang said, his hands sticky from the fruit.

Meng Jingzhou conjured two water spheres. The two washed their hands, stood up, and prepared to act.

"Heh heh, I never thought so many people would set their sights on this old man's token." Before the two could make their move, an ancient voice echoed through the jungle, startling the Blazing Lion and the others. None of them had sensed the other party's presence!

"Who's there!" The Blazing Lion roared in anger, just as he was about to win.

"You set your sights on this old man's possession, and then you ask who this old man is?" A hundred-meter long old white snake appeared, its eyes cloudy, hissing and flicking its tongue.

"This old man is White Sandalwood."

"What?!"

"How is this possible!"

"The White Sandalwood Patriarch who died eighty years ago?!"

Exclamations of shock rose one after another. Both the Golden Core Patriarchs in the sky and the Foundation Establishment cultivators on the ground gazed at the White Sandalwood Patriarch with disbelief and uncertainty. The White Sandalwood Patriarch had been hidden in a separate space, which meant he could rudimentary control spatial power. This was a hallmark of the Essence Core stage! The White Sandalwood Patriarch was already an old monster at the Essence Core stage!

"The Essence Core stage isn't quite enough; it's just that eighty years ago, I failed in my advancement and gained a trivial benefit," the White Sandalwood Patriarch chuckled modestly, but no one dared to truly believe he was being humble. To gain spatial power from a failed advancement—what terrifying talent!

"So many Golden Core cultivators, enough for me to refine a furnace of Infant Transformation Pills! Coupled with the treasures opened by the token, there's a seventy percent chance of advancing to the Essence Core stage." The White Sandalwood Patriarch flicked his tongue, his eyes filled with greed.

Eighty years ago, when his advancement failed, his situation was dire. Fearing that his enemies would take advantage of his weakened state, he faked his death to preserve his life, even leaving behind the token to make his feigned demise more convincing. Unfortunately, the token changed hands too frequently, and in its back-and-forth circulation, he lost track of it, filled with deep regret. That token represented his hope for a second attempt at breaking through to the Essence Core stage.

Thankfully, there's always a way out. Yesterday, he heard that two young demons had obtained the token and were inquiring about its price everywhere. A heaven-sent opportunity. The token's appearance was sure to attract many Golden Core cultivators. Since their numbers would be too great for even him to handle, he had to wait until their battle ended, when their auras were depleted, to make a powerful entrance and finish things off.

"What a scheme! Lying dormant for eighty years, using these two youngsters as bait to provoke us into fighting, leaving both sides wounded, and then you profit from it." The Blazing Lion stared intently at the White Sandalwood Patriarch, deliberately stalling for time, secretly preparing a trump card: activating a talisman treasure that could briefly jump through space to escape.

The White Sandalwood Patriarch paid no mind to the Blazing Lion's actions. In his eyes, these Golden Core cultivators were already dead. He had disrupted space; these Golden Core cultivators couldn't escape. This was the gap between a half-step Essence Core stage and the Golden Core stage.

It was time to reclaim what was his. The White Sandalwood Patriarch opened his gaping maw and lunged towards Lu Yang and the other person.

"You two little ones, obediently hand over this old patriarch's token! In return, I will ensure you die without feeling any pain."

Lu Yang remained silent, quietly extended a finger, and an imperceptible sword qi condensed at its tip. Then, he lightly flicked it towards the White Sandalwood Patriarch. An extremely thin line appeared on the snake's tongue. *Plop.* A section of the snake's tongue fell to the ground, sizzling and smoking with potent venom. An equally fine line appeared across the White Sandalwood Patriarch's lower jaw. It also fell to the ground.

"It's tiring to fly around up there. Come down, everyone." Meng Jingzhou chuckled lightly and activated the Six Heaven-Shaking Forms, unleashing a powerful wave. Space vibrated, and the Golden Core cultivators fell like dumplings, utterly terrified. The White Sandalwood Patriarch, in particular, crashed to the ground with a thunderous sound, knocking down countless trees.

He ignored his body's pain; the situation before him filled him with even greater panic. As Lu Yang and the other person grew larger in the White Sandalwood Patriarch's pupils, he screamed in terror, his voice trembling, shivering uncontrollably, a chill emanating from the depths of his soul.

"Gathering qi into a sword, a single punch to shatter the sky... you, you are Essence Core old monsters!!!" He had thought he was the mantis stalking the cicada, with the oriole behind, believing himself to be the hunter. He never imagined that these two young demons were actually Essence Core old monsters!

"What, they're actually Essence Core old monsters!"

"How could Essence Core old monsters be so leisurely!"

"Silence! Do you want to anger an Essence Core old monster?!"

Everyone was terrified. Essence Core old monsters were capricious, with power to blot out the sky; which one wasn't a renowned mighty demon of their region!

Lu Yang: "..." Although he knew it was easy to show off in the demon realm, he hadn't expected it to be *this* easy. Is this the cultivation world in Senior Sister's eyes?