Golden Core Cultivator

As Fang Chen spun, he rose through the heart of the storm. The Sword Qi storm swelled around him, growing more powerful by the moment.

"What kind of sword technique is that? It's so powerful!"

The guards were stunned by Fang Chen's display.

Even a cultivator at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining would have struggled to withstand a sword move of such power.

The Floating Immortal Sword trembled without cease, and the currents pouring into Fang Chen's body suddenly turned scalding hot.

When Fang Chen rose fifteen meters above the ground, he burst out of the storm.

The instant he emerged, the Sword Qi storm dissipated.

The bodies of Bloodthirsty Evil Crows began falling from the sky.

Fang Chen dropped toward the ground as well. Just before he landed, he used the Misty Turtle Step and touched down lightly on his toes. A faint ripple spread across the earth, dispersing the force of his fall.

With that single move, Fang Chen had killed nearly three hundred Bloodthirsty Evil Crows.

The Golden Flame in Fang Chen's dantian went out, and the swelling sensation in his body vanished with it.

After its second transformation, his True Qi was purer and more powerful.

Fang Chen felt as though he had shed his old skin and been remade. He looked at the Bloodthirsty Evil Crows around him, his eyes burning with eagerness, ready to begin slaughtering them again.

Just then, a streak of golden light tore through the air and stopped above their heads. Fang Chen looked closely and saw a young man bathed in golden light. He stood upon empty air, with red Cloud Patterns on his collar and cuffs. A terrifying aura radiated from him. Fang Chen and the others felt as though the air around them had solidified, making even breathing difficult.

"Standing on empty air... a Golden Core Cultivator?"

Fang Chen's eyes narrowed. Golden Core Cultivators could hover without relying on anything else, but he had never expected one to appear here.

The young man waved his hand, and a Golden Gourd flew out of his sleeve.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

The gourd hovered in the air, vibrating as it rapidly grew. A terrifying suction force erupted from it, drawing the Bloodthirsty Evil Crows inside.

"Caw, caw..."

Sensing the Golden Gourd's terrifying aura, the Bloodthirsty Evil Crows beat their wings desperately in an attempt to flee. Not one escaped.

In fewer than ten breaths, every Bloodthirsty Evil Crow had been sucked into the Golden Gourd.

The young man waved his hand again, and the Golden Gourd shrank at once. He capped it and tucked it back into his sleeve.

"So powerful! Is this what a Golden Core Cultivator can do?"

The young man's strength stunned Fang Chen. Before him, Fang Chen felt no more significant than an ant.

"It's Senior Brother Bai Yu!"

The guards recognized the young man at once. His name was Bai Yu, a Direct Disciple of the senior grand elder of Azure Cloud Peak's inner sect. He possessed a Third Grade Gold Spiritual Root, and though he was only twenty, his cultivation had already reached the Sixth Turn of the Golden Core. His future held limitless promise.

The guards immediately cupped their fists toward the young man in the sky and said with respect, "Greetings, Senior Brother Bai Yu!"

Fang Chen promptly put away the Floating Immortal Sword and gave the young man a slight fist salute.

The other surviving Outer Sect Disciples saluted him as well.

Bai Yu swept his gaze across the grounds. Blood ran like a river, and cries of suffering rose everywhere. His face darkened. "No need for formalities, junior brothers. Hurry and save them!"

"Yes!"

The guards and Outer Sect Disciples answered and immediately began rescuing people. Fang Chen joined them.

"Please, save me!"

An Outer Sect Disciple lying in a pool of blood called out to Fang Chen. He was weak and covered in blood. The Bloodthirsty Evil Crows had torn out and eaten his intestines. He could not survive.

Fang Chen drew a deep breath at the sight. He did not stop for the man, knowing there was no time to spare on someone beyond saving.

Half an hour later, people from the Medicine Hall arrived on a Flying Shuttle. Five more Flying Shuttles came with them, all carrying rescuers.

Flying Shuttles were extremely fast. Unlike the Spirit Boat Fang Chen had ridden before, they had no Spirit Sails. Shaped like olive pits, they were extraordinarily expensive to build, and even the Glazed Sword Sect owned few of them.

Fang Chen and the others worked until dawn before they had pulled out everyone they could.

More than three thousand people had been at the Stronghold, including the servants stationed there, but fewer than two hundred survived. Most of them were injured.

Some were so badly hurt that even if they survived, they would be crippled. The people from the Medicine Hall still gave them precious pills.

Fang Chen and Wang Zheng sat together on a large Stone. Both were covered in blood and looked utterly exhausted.

Looking at the Stronghold, now reduced to ruins, Fang Chen finally understood the cruelty of the path to immortality. More than two thousand lives had been lost in a single night. Among them were many Outer Sect Disciples whose cultivation had already reached the Qi Refining Realm.

Cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm were far stronger than ordinary people, yet before a bird swarm of Demonic Beasts that blotted out the sky, they had seemed terribly fragile.

Spirit Flame Valley was territory of the Glazed Sword Sect. Fang Chen had thought it would be safe, but a bird swarm had attacked. If he had been any weaker, he might not have survived.

The path to immortality was fraught with danger, yet people still surged toward it like schools of carp crossing a river, each following those who fell before them.

Though the road to immortality was distant and uncertain, Fang Chen had no intention of retreating. He was alone in the world, with no one to rely on. Now that he had set foot on this path, he would never turn back.

Wang Zheng took out a water flask and handed it to Fang Chen. "Have some water."

"Thanks."

Fang Chen took the flask and tipped his head back for a drink.

Wang Zheng said, "Fang Chen, I had no idea you were so strong. Especially that sword move where you turned into a Wind Origin tornado. It was incredible!"

Wang Zheng had seen Fang Chen killing Bloodthirsty Evil Crows the night before.

"I'm nothing special. Compared with Senior Brother Bai Yu, I'm far behind."

Fang Chen sounded modest. The night before, they had fought for their lives just to kill a fraction of the Bloodthirsty Evil Crows. Bai Yu had appeared and, with a single gourd, swept up the entire swarm that filled the sky.

Fang Chen had often heard how powerful cultivators could be, but he had never truly seen a powerful one in action. Watching Bai Yu collect every Bloodthirsty Evil Crow with a single Golden Gourd had shaken him to the core.

At the same time, Fang Chen could not help feeling it was a pity. If Bai Yu had arrived a little later, his cultivation might have risen another level or two.

But Fang Chen now knew that killing Demonic Beasts could make his cultivation rise faster. He resolved that once he finished his task here, he would find a way to go out and hunt them.

"You're too modest. Senior Brother Bai Yu is a Golden Core Cultivator, while you're only in the Qi Refining Realm. You killed that many Bloodthirsty Evil Crows at just the Third Layer of Qi Refining. With strength like that, you're definitely among the best of the Outer Sect Disciples!"

Wang Zheng looked at Fang Chen with open admiration.

Fang Chen surveyed the wrecked Stronghold and sighed. "What a shame. The Stronghold is destroyed. I don't even know if I can continue my task."

Wang Zheng could not help laughing. "Brother, you're almost endearingly naive. You're still worrying about your task? Don't you understand what happened last night means for you?"

Fang Chen's eyes narrowed as he looked at Wang Zheng. "Is the sect going to punish me? The Bloodthirsty Evil Crows destroyed the Stronghold!"

Fang Chen now knew that the Red Birds that had attacked the Stronghold last night were called Bloodthirsty Evil Crows. They were fearsome Demonic Beasts that usually appeared in flocks. Wherever they passed, living things suffered, and they were exceedingly difficult to deal with.

Wang Zheng shook his head helplessly. "You really don't understand a thing. You killed so many Bloodthirsty Evil Crows last night and helped with the rescue. Why would the sect punish you? It'll reward you! You and I both earned merit this time, and no small amount, either. What we receive will depend on how the Merit Hall evaluates our contributions."

"A reward?"

Fang Chen froze. If Wang Zheng had not mentioned it, the thought would never have occurred to him. Perhaps he had grown too used to being oppressed and bullied. Even though he was now an Outer Sect Disciple, he could not change his habits of thought overnight.

Wang Zheng nodded. "Yes. We'll definitely be rewarded this time. The sect has rules: do wrong and you're punished; earn merit and you're rewarded."

Just then, two enormous Spirit Boats arrived above the Stronghold and slowly descended.

A guard approached the Spirit Boats and called out, "All Outer Sect Disciples, listen up! Gather immediately, then board the Spirit Boats and leave this place!"

"Come on! We're heading back!"

Wang Zheng stood, patted the dust from his backside, and walked toward the Spirit Boats.

Fang Chen got up and followed him.