Equipping Three Demon Cores, Perfecting the Core Illumination Mid-Stage!
Golden Thorn!
Yang Xiao raised his right hand, his thoughts focused on the new entry.
A slight warmth spread through my palm, and a wisp of golden energy materialized out of thin air, coiling around my fingers.
As soon as he had a thought, the golden energy rapidly stretched and elongated, condensing into a thin, elongated golden ray.
The golden light continued to grow, and in just two breaths, it transformed into a golden spear over ten feet long.
The spearhead was sharp, gleaming with a cold, metallic light, yet the spear itself was not heavy. It felt light and airy in the palm of one's hand, like holding a sculpted golden bamboo spear.
Yang Xiao weighed it in his hand and then lightly flicked the spear shaft with his fingertip.
Buzz--!
The spear trembled slightly, and a sharp intent seeped into the fingertips, so solid it didn't seem like something conjured by Spiritual Power.
This golden light is not only easy to condense, but it also has a slight penetrating effect on armor and defense, making it much stronger than the prisms I used to conjure with pure Spiritual Power.
Yang Xiao stood up and raised his hand with a shake.
The golden spear left his hand, transforming into a streak of golden light that shot straight towards a green rock protruding from the ground, about seven or eight zhang away.
Puff.
With a soft click, it proceeded almost without pause.
The golden spear pierced the rock, disappearing smoothly in an instant, drilling a small circular hole in the rock, leaving a section of the spearhead sticking out.
Yang Xiao walked over, pinched the spearhead with two fingers, and pulled it out.
The spearhead kicked up a cloud of stone dust, but the blade remained intact.
He quickly went through the calculations in his mind.
The Hundred-Footed Golden Centipede King in the Weapon-Forging Valley projected its own leg segments, while the Golden-Mane Boar also sprayed out a part of its body.
This golden spear of his own avatar materialized out of thin air, without the need to remove a single hair from it.
With a single pull of golden energy, the spear takes shape, can be thrown to pierce armor and pierce rocks, and when retrieved, it dissipates into golden energy, ready to be used at any time.
In the future, when encountering Demon who are accustomed to keeping their distance, this can be considered a supplementary ranged weapon, replacing the crystal spear that was previously condensed solely from Spiritual Power.
Yang Xiao focused his mind, and the golden spear dissipated into a wisp of golden energy, retracting back into his palm.
He sat back down on the Bluestone, his gaze falling on the second one.
The pure Demon Core still lay quietly in its original spot, and even from half a foot away, wisps of its sweet and sticky aroma could be felt in one's nose.
Even with Core Illumination near-perfect quality, Yang Xiao's expression still showed slight disdain.
This aura reminded him of a scene in that cave.
Curtains, soft couch, incense burner, and that "Empress" who sized him up like prey from beginning to end.
He instinctively disliked such feminine methods.
But despite my dislike for it...
If it's useful, then it's useful.
He picked up the Demon Core with two fingers, stretched out his arm, and placed it directly into the Equipment Slot from a distance.
[Core Illumination Realm - Musk Deer Demon Core (One-time consumption)]
[Effect 1: Replenishes a massive amount of demonic energy.]
[Effect 2: Gain the attribute (blue) Musk: Emits a faint, exotic fragrance that can mask one's original aura; those who inhale it become captivated, the effect depending on the difference in cultivation level.]
The Demon Core shattered, and demonic energy flowed into the Mystic Core.
This surge of demonic energy was soft and sticky, unlike the crisp, golden liquid of the porcupine; instead, it was like a pool of sweet, thick paste, slowly seeping into the dantian.
Yang Xiao frowned slightly, Circuit Spirit Refining activated on its own, quickly refining it.
As the Demon Core disappeared into the Equipment Slot, a faint fragrance emanated from his body.
The aroma wasn't strong; it was almost imperceptible in the wind.
The mountain breeze swept across the withered grass, causing it to ripple like waves, and the fragrance was dispersed, mingling with the scent of the grass and trees.
Yang Xiao quietly sensed the changes within himself.
The first thing was that the breath became weaker.
He exuded a strong aura of blood, coupled with the metallic smell of his Cold Iron Mystic Armor, which he usually suppressed with the help of the Breath Concealment spell.
Now, the scent that belonged to "humanity" was shrouded in this fragrance, and the smell of blood and iron was somewhat concealed.
If Breath Concealment means completely gathering one's own aura, then Musk is like a cover, actively releasing an aura to cover one's original self.
The act of covering and concealing complements each other perfectly.
As for the effect of inhaling it and becoming mentally captivated, as described later in the entry, ultimately it depends on the individual's level of understanding.
Those of vastly different cultivation levels can be stunned in place by a mere wisp of fragrance; those of similar cultivation levels may only be momentarily dazed; and those of even greater cultivation levels may not even be able to achieve that moment.
Against enemies of similar or higher skill levels, this thing cannot provide stable control, nor can it replace direct confrontation.
Lady Musk has already tested this for him.
That day, her fragrance intensified in the cave, but his mind remained clear and unaffected from beginning to end.
Now that he's using this method against Demon King of similar power, he'll likely meet the same fate.
Yang Xiao reached out to take the last Demon Core from the Flame-Tailed Lion King.
The crimson Demon Core was scalding hot to the touch, with flickering flames inside. The violent aura clattered into my palm, like holding a piece of burning coal.
Yang Xiao held it in his palm and weighed it in his hand.
Of the three, this one has the deepest cultivation and the most abundant demonic energy.
[Dan Zhao Jing - Flame-Tailed Lion King Demon Core (One-time consumption)]
[Effect 1: Replenishes a massive amount of demonic energy.]
[Effect 2: Gain the purple affix "Flame-Burning": Attacks are imbued with crimson Lion Flame, inflicting continuous burning damage upon hitting an enemy; the flames spread along the wound, constantly depleting health over a short period.]
Purple entry!
Yang Xiao's face lit up with joy.
The moment the Demon Core shattered, an unprecedentedly abundant surge of demonic energy rushed into his body.
The aura of the Mystic Core within his body rapidly expanded, and the five Pill Pattern were simultaneously activated, swirling faster and faster around the Dan body, crushing, swallowing, and refining the violent demonic energy layer by layer.
Yang Xiao sat cross-legged on the Bluestone, his robes fluttering without wind, and a faint reddish halo emanating from beneath his skin.
It took a full incense stick's time for that demonic energy to be completely refined and settled.
The original Mystic Core aura was as deep and profound as an abyss.
Yang Xiao opened his eyes.
Within the sea of consciousness, the entry for "Flame-Burning" glowed silently.
He stood up, gripped the Army-Breaking Spear, and casually swung it forward.
This thrust didn't use the Army-Breaker, the Gold Pattern, or the Golden Astral Force; it was just a very ordinary straight thrust.
The tip of the spear had not yet touched the rock.
A crimson flame suddenly blazed up along the spearhead!
Lion Flame erupted from the tip of the spear, distorting the air as the spear passed, producing a series of crackling sounds.
Seven or eight zhang away, a protruding rock on the cliff was swept by the flames.
A crimson glow rose from the rock's surface, the flames spreading half a foot along the rock, leaving a scorched black mark that lingered for a moment.
Yang Xiao stopped thrusting and glanced down at the tip of his spear.
A wisp of crimson flame still clung to the spearhead, flickering like a streak of sunset.
With a slight thought, the flames subsided.
Nice one.
The Solar Flame, which Evil-Splitting, Defilement-Burning, burns away spirits and evil spirits, and overcomes evil when it encounters it.
The Lion Flame burns away vital energy and blood. Once it hits, it clings to the wound and spreads inward, continuously depleting vital energy and blood in a short period of time.
Against those Demon Kings with thick skin, thick flesh, and long life force, this spear thrust would surely burn them to the core.
The longer the Demon King's blood runs, the longer this fire will burn.
These two fires burn independently, without conflicting with each other.
Yang Xiao sat down again, closed his eyes and looked inward, reviewing the entire harvest from beginning to end.
His physical strength has reached the Core Illumination Perfected Stage; the next step will be the next major realm.
The Demon Core at the Core Illumination Realm is no longer sufficient to allow this body to undergo further transformation.
I want to feed the Ten-Thousand-Forged Demon Body again to obtain something that will allow me to advance to the next major realm.
Dao Infant...
The thought flashed through Yang Xiao's mind, but he quickly suppressed it.
That's thinking a bit too far ahead.
But there was another gain, one that was very real.
Within his inner vision, the Black-Gold Mystic Core swirled gracefully, its Core Illumination Light layer upon layer pressing down upon each other, more than twice as thick as when he arrived.
After refining all the demonic essence from the three Demon Core that were close to the Core Illumination Perfected Stage realm into the Mystic Core, he greatly advanced his original Core Illumination Mid-Stage realm to the late stage, and had already reached perfection.
With just one more Demon Core of the Core Illumination level, I can reliably break through to the later stage!