Chapter 242: Double Alchemy Pill

Angry Squid

A sense of tyranny and madness emanated from the gigantic, pitch-black hand, identical to that of the Heaven-Fiend Sword previously suppressed. However, before this malevolent hand could make a move, an immeasurable blue light suddenly shone forth from behind the Taiyi Hall, deep within the Cloudwater Celestial Palace. It was like an endless ocean suspended upside down in the sky.

Enveloped and illuminated by the blue light, the hand appeared to be ceaselessly washed by endless seawater. The pitch-black color on the giant hand slowly faded, returning to its original hue.

The blue light abruptly receded, and the Cloudwater Celestial Palace returned to silence. Many cultivators who witnessed this anomaly believed some rare treasure had appeared there. Mustering their courage, they approached to investigate. However, what they first saw were over a dozen headless corpses sprawled across the ground. Their expressions immediately changed.

Recalling the gigantic sword radiating an ominous black aura they had seen earlier, everyone dared not make any unnecessary moves and hastily retreated. News of the anomaly and extreme danger deep within the Cloudwater Celestial Palace quickly spread throughout the Cloudsea via constant communication among cultivators.

“It seems it won't be as easy to trick someone into activating the Heaven-Fiend Sword's body next time.” “However, with the Divine Transformation Dao One Secret Art, there's no practical difference for me between observing it once or multiple times.”

Having achieved his objective for this trip, Li Fan quietly returned to Myriad Immortals Island. Within the Heavenly Profound Mirror, he continuously replayed the scene of the Heaven-Fiend Sword being unsheathed, reaping the lives of over a dozen cultivators with just a slight tremor and hum.

From a celestial perspective, Li Fan saw that the originally peaceful spiritual energy around the cultivators instantly turned violent when the sound arrived. It seemed to transform into sharp yet flexible strings, vibrating continuously, causing the cultivators' heads to explode.

“Fiend…” After repeatedly experiencing and contemplating it hundreds of times, Li Fan slowly gained some insight.

Shifting his focus, Li Fan then concentrated on what happened afterward. The immeasurable blue light surged into the sky, like an inverted ocean. It was vast and magnificent.

Li Fan carefully sensed it. “This blue energy feels very familiar to me,” he thought. “It seems very similar to the Cloudsea. But for some reason, the oceanic imagery represented by this blue light seems much vaster than the Cloudsea itself… Vast Ocean…”

He had originally intended to first form his Golden Core using the Heaven-Fiend and Ink-Kill methods. However, after unexpectedly witnessing the Vast Ocean blue light, Li Fan hesitated. This Vast Ocean blue light seemed to share the same origin as the Cloudsea. Li Fan was extremely familiar with the Cloudsea, and had even personally used the Azure Sea Pearl to establish his Dao Foundation. Clearly, using the Vast Ocean method to form his Golden Core offered greater advantages.

“From the scene where the Heaven-Fiend was able to infect and transform the blue light, it's clear,” he mused. “Perhaps the pure Heaven-Fiend method alone might slightly affect one's mental state, making it difficult to suppress tyrannical killing intent. The Vast Ocean blue light, however, could serve as a buffer. Adding the Ink-Kill method, and if the Vast Ocean method falls short, it could be supplemented with the Azure Flame method… This way, I could form a Four-Symbol Golden Core in one go.”

Having set a preliminary direction, Li Fan temporarily put other matters aside and immersed himself in secluded cultivation. The duration of the Golden Core formation process varied depending on an individual's aptitude and the cultivation methods practiced.

Previously, Zhang Haobo, with the Cloudsea's will aiding him, had formed a pseudo-core using the Water-Wind method in just over a month. However, for Li Fan, it would likely not be so easy.

The Foundation-building marvel quietly transformed into the Azure Sea Pearl. Fine threads of blue light, representing the power of water-attribute laws, emerged from the Azure Sea Pearl. Like silkworm threads, they wove and encircled, with the Foundation-building marvel at their core.

Li Fan visualized the scene of the Vast Ocean unleashing its power. He incorporated his own insights into the laws within it. The blue light emerging from the Azure Sea Pearl seemed to change instantaneously, becoming deeper and more ancient.

Because his current Dao Foundation, the Azure Sea Pearl, shared many commonalities with the Vast Ocean method, this process was much faster than Li Fan had anticipated. Gradually, a deep blue halo enveloped the Azure Sea Pearl. A rudimentary “Golden Core” began to take shape.

“If I continue like this, a Golden Core purely based on the Vast Ocean method might form very soon,” he thought. “However, this is not my goal. Next, I will add the Heaven-Fiend method.”

The moment the Heaven-Fiend Sword was unsheathed continuously flashed in his sea of consciousness. Strands of pitch-black light suddenly surged from the core of the marvel. Like ink, they spread out within the blue light.

However, what made Li Fan frown slightly was that this pitch-black color, representing the Heaven-Fiend method, could not last for long. It persisted only for a moment within the embrace of the blue light before dissipating without a trace. Having already read many cultivators' experiences with forming Golden Cores, Li Fan immediately understood. This was because the Heaven-Fiend method lacked a foundation within Li Fan's body. Like water without a source or a tree without roots, it could only appear briefly, not endure.

The Vast Ocean method, having the Azure Sea Pearl as its Dao Foundation, naturally had an endless supply. This was also why cultivators often could not simultaneously cultivate multiple methods when forming their Golden Cores. Without one's own Dao Foundation as a basis, how could one easily consolidate multiple methods into a core?

Li Fan tried for a long time, but the speed at which he condensed the Heaven-Fiend method could never catch up to its rate of dissipation. After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan temporarily gave up on the attempt. Instead, he began to recall the scene of Zhang Haobo forming his Golden Core.

A phantom of black sword intent, magnified countless times, stood between heaven and earth. Azure wind blew from the sword's tip above, entering its body. Blue water flowed from the sword's hilt below, entering its body. As the azure, blue, and black colors intermingled, the sword's body slowly solidified.

Li Fan's eyes lit up, lost in thought. “Zhang Haobo used the Water-Wind methods naturally present between heaven and earth, combined with his own Heaven-Fiend sword intent, to form his Golden Core,” he mused. “The laws of heaven and earth are boundless. Naturally, there's no need to worry about dissipation. This might also be why many cultivators travel far and wide, personally experiencing and absorbing the laws of heaven and earth when forming their Golden Cores. I, however, cannot follow suit. The Heaven-Fiend method, the Vast Ocean method, and the Ink-Kill method are each more dangerous than the last. If I were to observe them firsthand at their source, I might not succeed in forming a core and instead lose my life. However, fortunately, I have Revert True.”

With a thought, the Foundation-building marvel instantly transformed into the Heaven-Fiend sword intent. The blue Vast Ocean method, which had been consolidated, instantly lost its foundation and began to dissipate. However, having already formed its own momentum, its dissipation speed was much slower. This period was enough for Li Fan to condense the Heaven-Fiend method.

The blackness gradually intensified. It was as if layers of pitch-black shackles were placed upon the blue water sphere. Time slowly passed. After the preliminary form of the Heaven-Fiend method was established, Li Fan immediately switched the Foundation-building marvel back to the Azure Sea Pearl. He then resumed maintaining the blue Vast Ocean method. Through such continuous repetition, a phantom Golden Core, with Revert True at its core, slowly materialized within Li Fan's dantian.