Late at night, deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains.
In the pitch-black night, a mountain a hundred zhang tall was speeding along, an exceedingly bizarre sight. Looking closely, someone was carrying the mountain through the air.
The Ten Thousand Mountains were a place of danger, yet someone was actually moving about here?
Looking closer still, it was none other than Azure Cloud Master.
"Hehe, with this mountain as the foundation, this secret realm will finally have some substance to it."
Azure Cloud Master carried the massive mountain as though he were holding a toy.
The vast Laws of Heaven and Earth wrapped around the mountain in his hands. The hundred-zhang mountain gradually shrank beneath those laws, until it was only around a tenth of its original size, becoming a small mountain ten zhang tall.
Then, Azure Cloud Master placed the compressed mountain into a scroll in his hand.
Amid the thunderous roar of the Laws of Heaven and Earth, the small mountain was forcibly embedded into the scroll.
"The prototype of the secret realm is ready." Azure Cloud Master looked at the scroll that had absorbed the mountain. "This secret realm is too monotonous... I heard there is a Spirit Lake deep within Cloud Dream Marsh, filled with the rare Rainbow Fish. I might as well move that lake over too. One mountain and one body of water will look much more balanced. Right, how can a secret realm lack monsters? I should catch some monsters as well..."
Azure Cloud Master's figure flashed away. When he reappeared, he was already far, far away from the Ten Thousand Mountains.
He traveled all the way to the depths of Cloud Dream Marsh in the south and arrived before that Spirit Lake. With a grasp of both hands toward the lake, he seized a lake spanning ten li out of thin air, leaving behind an enormous pit. Then, under the pressure of the Laws of Heaven and Earth, the Spirit Lake gradually shrank into a "pond" and merged into the scroll.
Immediately afterward, the monsters deep within Cloud Dream Marsh flew into the air one after another and vanished into Azure Cloud Master's scroll.
Two days later, an old Daoist arrived at Cloud Dream Marsh.
"It has been so long since I last ate Rainbow Fish. I've missed them terribly. Since I'm passing through Cloud Dream Marsh this time, I have to catch a couple to satisfy my craving... Holy shit, where's the Spirit Lake?"
The old Daoist stared at the enormous pit, speechless for a long while.
"This... which fellow Daoist was so bored that he moved away the entire Spirit Lake?" The old Daoist stamped his feet and beat his chest. "This is simply going too far! Things nurtured by Heaven and Earth—how could someone steal them home?
Without the nourishment of the Laws of Heaven and Earth in Cloud Dream Marsh, these Rainbow Fish will lose their flavor. What a monstrous waste of Heaven's gifts.
Fellow Daoist, what you have done is truly excessive."
The old Daoist cursed indignantly for a while, then performed a divination, but obtained no result at all.
In the end, he could only mutter to himself as he left.
He simply could not understand who could be so bored as to come to a dangerous place like Cloud Dream Marsh and carry off the Spirit Lake.
Meanwhile, Azure Cloud Master had already returned to Azure Cloud Sect.
He opened the scroll and began sketching upon it like a master painter at the pinnacle of his craft.
"Done! It's only a secret realm for Golden Core Realm cultivators to explore—how could it possibly stump me?" Azure Cloud Master clapped his hands smugly. Then he studied the scroll for a long while before finally saying, "That brat Zhang Yang is also in the Golden Core Realm. If he explores the secret realm, he may enter it too.
This Chaos Golden Core... I need to add a little something to this secret realm, something special.
Old Devils, don't blame me for not giving you an opportunity. Why don't you split off a few of your Demon Seeds, so you can experience the outside world?"
"Do you dare?" An ethereal voice emerged from deep underground.
Azure Cloud Master smiled faintly. "Didn't I invite you? I want Demon Seeds that you have earnestly formed, preferably carrying a little of your Demonic Dao Laws. If they're too weak, there will be no fun in it."
"Jiejiejie, as you wish!"
Several hazy figures radiating an incomparably cold aura emerged from the ground, then Azure Cloud Master stuffed them into the scroll.
Azure Cloud Master patted his hands. "Good, now the secret realm is truly complete."
He arrived at a canyon behind Azure Cloud Sect and opened the scroll.
Amid the thunderous roar of the Laws of Heaven and Earth, the scroll merged into the earth and vanished.
Azure Cloud Master returned to the sect, found Zhang Yang, and tossed something into his hand. "The secret realm you wanted! This is the key. Use it to open the secret realm!"
"Master?" Zhang Yang looked at Azure Cloud Master in astonishment. "Azure Cloud Sect really has a secret realm?"
If they had a secret realm, how had they ended up poor as dirt?
Azure Cloud Master said earnestly, "These are all part of Azure Cloud Sect's foundation. I originally did not intend to hand them over to you this soon. But from recent events, I have seen that you possess some ability. I can rest assured leaving the secret realm to you."
He glanced at Zhang Yang and continued, "Azure Cloud Sect has existed for thousands of years, yet we have never had a 'Blank Golden Core' become School Leader. You are the true disciple I selected with great care, and you are destined to become School Leader in the future. I hope you put more thought into this. Do not merely wear yourself out over these affairs; cultivating as soon as possible is what truly matters."
With a guilty conscience, he continued hoodwinking Zhang Yang about the Blank Golden Core.
Zhang Yang nodded. "Rest assured, Master. I will definitely achieve results in my cultivation."
His comprehension had already been tested. There was absolutely no problem with it.
It was just that his Golden Core required too many resources. As long as he earned more money and kept feeding it, he would definitely be able to enter the Nascent Soul Realm.
Azure Cloud Master shook his head with a sigh. "I have a Primordial Golden Core, while your martial uncles all possess Great Dao Golden Cores. None of us has any experience with a Blank Golden Core. Still, we have cultivated for many years. If you need our help during cultivation, we will do our best to assist you."
He truly did not know how to cultivate a Chaos Golden Core, lest Zhang Yang ask questions later that he could not answer.
Zhang Yang said with a smile, "During this period, I absorbed a great many Spirit Stones and finally made my Golden Core... a little thicker-skinned. I believe that if I keep stuffing it full, I will definitely be able to fill the Golden Core."
Azure Cloud Master fell into thought. "Why don't you try filling it with other Great Dao powers? There is nothing inside your Golden Core anyway. Perhaps if you stuff in some Great Dao power, it will gain other Great Dao powers?"
Based on the characteristics of the Chaos Golden Core, he proposed a possible method.
"Why not give it a try?" Zhang Yang looked at Azure Cloud Master, somewhat stirred. "Master, give me some of your Great Dao power."
Azure Cloud Master nodded fiercely. "I'll give you just a little. Try it. Don't worry, I'll control my Great Dao power."
Then, he controlled his Power of the Great Dao and sent it probing toward Zhang Yang's Golden Core.
Letting one's Golden Core endure another person's Power of the Great Dao was practically handing one's life over to someone else. It was an extremely dangerous act.
But Zhang Yang was certain Azure Cloud Master would not harm him, so he calmly allowed his Golden Core to receive Azure Cloud Master's Power of the Great Dao.
"Get ready. I'm going in."
"Rest assured, Master. I'm ready."
A moment later, Zhang Yang asked in surprise, "Master, did you go in?"
"I went in long ago!" Azure Cloud Master said irritably. "Didn't you feel anything?"
Zhang Yang stared at Azure Cloud Master in bewilderment, while Azure Cloud Master also stared back at Zhang Yang in bewilderment.
Why had he not felt any Power of the Great Dao at all?
At that moment, Azure Cloud Master was equally puzzled.
His Power of the Great Dao had passed through Zhang Yang's Golden Core and explored inward, only for the connection to suddenly be severed.
A portion of his Power of the Great Dao had vanished as well.
To him, that tiny amount of Power of the Great Dao was nothing.
But what was his realm, and what was Zhang Yang's realm? How could there be no reaction whatsoever?
This Chaos Golden Core truly was an absurdly monstrous thing!
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