The True Golden Core Path

Otsutsuki Yuhao's eyes shifted to the Tenseigan, and a sky-blue light shone from his pupils.

[Yin-Yang Release]

Yin Release governed the spiritual energy of imagination, allowing it to create "form" from "formlessness."

Yang Release governed vitality and physical energy, allowing it to breathe life into the forms created by Yin Release.

The all-encompassing Six Paths Yin-Yang Power flowed into the remains of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

The statue's incomplete body slowly began to form into a small Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, ten meters tall.

"Now, all that's left is the Tailed Beasts' chakra."

A look of intense curiosity flickered in Otsutsuki Yuhao's eyes.

Otsutsuki Yuhao extended his left hand. A light of nine blended colors appeared in his palm.

It was the Tailed Beasts' chakra.

The chakra of the nine Tailed Beasts slowly rose from Otsutsuki Yuhao's palm, then flew into the body of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

The statue's body began to evolve. Its original prone form became a weak-looking figure that could stand upright. The tails on its back transformed into claws, and an eye and an ear appeared on its head. Soon, its skin-and-bones frame grew muscular.

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path ultimately evolved into a true Ten-Tails. Its body grew to fifty meters tall. Though smaller than the original Ten-Tails, it was still a Ten-Tails.

"Being a Ten-Tails Jinchūriki would be nice, but I'll pass on becoming the Jinchūriki of this little Ten-Tails."

Otsutsuki Yuhao looked at the little Ten-Tails before him and thought to himself.

[Sage Art: Four Divine Beasts Separation Technique]

Next, Otsutsuki Yuhao began forming Hand Seals. His Tenseigan shifted, one eye becoming a Rinne Sharingan and the other remaining a Tenseigan.

An invisible, mysterious power flowed into the Ten-Tails' body.

Feeling its body about to be separated,

the Ten-Tails roared toward the sky.

Its body began to struggle as it was slowly divided into four parts.

[Sage Art: Yin-Yang Release]

Otsutsuki Yuhao unleashed another powerful technique.

Natural Energy and the power to create all things flowed into the four parts of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path that he had separated.

Four natural Tailed Beasts, each ten meters tall, appeared before Otsutsuki Yuhao.

The first Tailed Beast: Its body was like a long snake, with the head of a Kirin, the tail of a carp, long whiskers, and deer-like antlers. It had five claws. This ferocious-looking dragon had a dragon's head and a snake's body, with scales covering it from head to toe. Its long, flexible tail was a deep azure, embodying boundless power and life. Its dragon eyes were four-tomoe Mangekyō Sharingan, and its appearance was imposing.

Azure Dragon.

The second Tailed Beast: A tiger with snow-white fur all over its body. The character for "king" was marked on its forehead, and it radiated a powerful killing intent. It also had four-tomoe Mangekyō Sharingan.

White Tiger.

The third Tailed Beast: It had the head of a chicken, the jaw of a swallow, the neck of a snake, the tail of a fish, and five-colored markings.

Vermilion Bird.

The fourth Tailed Beast: A dragon's head, and a body covered in a hard shell that gleamed like black jade.

Its tail was covered in scales, and at its tip was a head that was neither quite a dragon nor quite a snake.

Black Tortoise.

They were Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.

These were the Tailed Beasts Otsutsuki Yuhao had created based on the appearance of the Four Divine Beasts.

"The shinobi world has Tailed Beasts, so my Sea Realm can't go without them either. Hehe!"

A smile spread across Otsutsuki Yuhao's face.

Although the chakra of Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise couldn't compare to the Nine-Tails', all four possessed Senjutsu Chakra. Their combat strength was only a little behind the Nine-Tails', and they were considerably stronger than the Eight-Tails.

Each of them was comparable to half the Nine-Tails inside Naruto.

"Master!"

"Master!"

After Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise opened their eyes, they turned their gazes toward Otsutsuki Yuhao.

The memories Otsutsuki Yuhao had left in their minds told them that he was their creator—and their master.

"Good. From now on, your name is Long Aotian, Azure Dragon.

"You, White Tiger, are Di Shitian; you, Vermilion Bird, are Phoenix Maiden; and you, Black Tortoise, are Xuantian."

And so the Four Great Senjutsu Tailed Beasts, who would later become famous throughout the Sea Realm, were born.

A month later, after a month of training the four great Tailed Beasts, Otsutsuki Yuhao let them roam freely and play in other parts of the Sea Realm.

Otsutsuki Yuhao began cultivating the Golden Core Path.

Natural Energy from all around the sea slowly flowed toward Otsutsuki Yuhao.

Otsutsuki Yuhao formed Hand Seals with both hands. Natural Energy slowly flowed into his body, where he absorbed and refined it.

At first, Otsutsuki Yuhao looked utterly content.

Suddenly, his expression changed slightly. His brow furrowed, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

His Golden Core had never broken through to the Nascent Soul stage. Instead, it had changed from a Golden Core to a White Golden Core, and now from white gold to black gold.

Golden Core Realm: Lifespan increased by 300 years.

White Golden Core Realm: Lifespan increased by 300 years.

Purple Golden Core Realm: Lifespan increased by 300 years.

Feeling the Natural Energy accumulating inside his Black Golden Core, while the cells in his body grew more and more active,

Otsutsuki Yuhao could now live to the age of 1,100.

"Still, I can't break through to the Nascent Soul stage?

"I went from the Golden Core Realm to the White Golden Core Realm, and then to the Purple Golden Core Realm. So is the next realm the Black Golden Core Realm?"

At this thought, Otsutsuki Yuhao's Rinnegan began to turn, its six purple tomoe glowing with violet light.

[Heavenly Mechanism Technique]

Otsutsuki Yuhao saw his future self. As his cultivation broke through the Purple Golden Core Realm, his Golden Core had turned black.

Otsutsuki Yuhao forced the corners of his mouth upward, but his eyes revealed deep helplessness—and joy.

He was helpless because he couldn't break through to the Nascent Soul stage, but glad that he could still reach the next realm.

"So I really am cultivating the Golden Core Path—and the true Golden Core Path."

Otsutsuki Yuhao thought with some resignation.

He had also passed the Golden Core Path on to his wife and children, as well as his disciples.

But Otsutsuki Yuhao found that only his children, Wantuluo and Wanhualuo, had cultivated it to the Golden Core Realm.

As for Qinshou, Zi Tianming, Hatake, and the others, they had reached the Golden Core Realm with his help, but that was their limit. Without his help, they probably wouldn't progress beyond it.

Their lifespans had only increased by a hundred years, far short of his own three hundred.

The siblings Wanhualuo and Wantuluo still had room to improve, perhaps because they had inherited his genes.

As for his other disciples, very few could cultivate the Golden Core Path. Instead, they had turned it into Sage Mode.

Twelve of them had mastered Sage Mode, raising their strength from Elite Jonin to Kage Level.

In this era, no one possessed Kekkei Genkai—the Otsutsuki genes found in abilities such as the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan, the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan, and the Shikotsumyaku of the Kaguya Clan.

Reaching Elite Jonin could be considered their limit.