Core Formation

Chaos engulfed the peak of the Kunwu Mountain.

A violent storm swept across the mountain like a raging dragon, swooping powerful Qi Energy up above the clouds.

Many Earth Level Deities who were close to the mountain peak were terrified by the power, and they looked to the godly man inside the golden flame in fear.

Meanwhile, those who remained at the foothill were also shocked by the incredible sight. Although their sight was blocked by clouds and mists, some cultivators had cast spells to reveal the battle.

“How come Chen Beixuan is so powerful?”

Everyone was shocked.

Prior to the battle, no one thought that he would win. They were convinced that Chen Fan would be lucky if he could walk away alive.

No youngsters in their twenties could have held out against Azure Mystic Sect Master’s mighty sword art.

However, as they watched on, they were shocked to reckon that Chen Fan had the upper hand during the entire battle. Try as he might, Azure Mystic Sect Master couldn’t harm a hair on Chen Fan.

“I had no idea he was this strong,” Qi Qingwei murmured.

A wry smile surfaced on the Goddess’s face.

Chen Fan had pulled the rug from under her again and again. His power never ceased to surprise her.

“Master, you are a beast!”

Qi Xiu’er jumped out of her seat. Her face was flushed red with excitement, contrasting the dark faces of the Seven Exalted Sects.

The battle continued.

“Boom!”

Chen Fan no longer held back and attacked the Azure Mystic Sect Master with a hypersonic punch. His fist traveled at ten times the speed of sound, leaving a trail of white turbulence.

“Invisible Sword Art!”

Living up to his reputation, the Azure Mystic Sect Master acted calm and steadfast.

His body turned into a translucent shadow. His movement had an otherworldly quality to it, seemingly able to pass through the fabric of space without even moving.

This was the Azure Mystic Sect’s final life-saving ability that would grant him invincibility.

“Shake!”

Chen Fan was the incarnation of a Celestial Lord, and he would not be affected by such a small trick.

Chen Fan chopped time and space around the mountain out of reality and turned it into a flat painting, with him being a nail that pegged the surface to the vast backdrop of the primordial void. He then sent a shockwave throughout the surface, peeling the paint off.

“Void Dimension Shockwave!”

Boom.

The Azure Mystic Sect Master fell from the sky like a flake of paint that slipped off the flat alternate reality.

The Azure Mystic Sect Master’s life-saving spell, the Invisible Sword Art was countered by Chen Fan with ease. However, even that couldn’t distress him. He extended two fingers and sliced the air before him, creating two streaks of Sword Aura that charged at Chen Fan.

“Azure Arcane Finger Sword!”

This attack transformed his own fingers into blades; he used them as a medium to carry and unleash a powerful Blade Aura that crackled in the air.

The Azure Mystic Sect Master had used 100 percent of his power in the attack, making it as powerful as a full blow from the Azure Dawn blade. His fingers moved faster than lightning in the beginning, but they slowed down significantly as an enormous weight was gained and got close to Chen Fan. The Azure Arcane Finger Sword was a secret art of the Azure Mystic Sect and was much more powerful than the Arcane Finger Arts from the mortal world.

“Child’s play.”

Chen Fan snorted.

Chen Fan bent his fingers to form a sign, then he spread them open like a blooming lotus flower before he closed them again to form a fist seal. With a gentle push, Chen Fan’s fist simply passed the incoming attack and miraculously landed on the chest of the Azure Mystic Sect Master.

“A Thousand Lotuses!”

Boom!

The Azure Mystic Sect Master backed away in a hurry.

Each time he thought he was out of harm’s way, an intense pressure would thrust into his chest, forcing him to retreat further. He couldn’t stop backing away until he was a thousand steps away from where he had been.

Everyone was shocked.

Taiyin Fairy was seized by anxiety and stress. She straightened up her body, back taut with fear and worry.

Even the Azure Mystic Sect Master pulled a dark face. The punch had left a glowing dent in the shape of a lotus flower. If he hadn’t reached such a high level of attainment and was not wearing a numinous treasure shirt, he would have already died.

“Try to counter this!”

Chen Fan charged at him again.

His body arced across the sky like a rainbow as his fist let out a blinding flash of light. The light was so bright and intense that it shone through the clouds and basked the audience at the foothill in all its glory.

The ground trembled as the force of the punch surpassed that of the Thousand Lotuses.

“Blade!”

Azure Mystic Sect Master suddenly shouted. His face was severe and hard.

Clang!

Two Heavenly Swords shot out of his eyes.

Those Heavenly Swords were over three meters long, made out of Divine Light. Their glowing bodies were translucent like crystals. The two blades let out a droning sound as they surged into the sky before plunging toward Chen Fan.

Many people shouted, “Divine Sword of Heavenly Eyes!”

“Grandpa, what is that?”

The girl in a black outfit was taken aback by the unfamiliar name.

“It is allegedly a legendary art used by the Azure Mystic Sect Master. No one had seen it in real life. Not even the Cloud Heaven Thearch could have forced him to unleash this art. I had never thought that Chen Beixuan could make him use it,” the elder from the Black Water Sect exclaimed.

Many Earth Level Deities were also taken by surprise.

Divine Power was the stuff of legends. Rumor had it that no one, other than the Ancestral Master of the Azure Mystic Sect had completed the art. Ther user could turn a gaze into a blade and it was powerful enough to slay gods or demons.

“Clank, clank.”

Chen Fan’s fists clashed with the Heavenly Swords, making clear and cloud clanks.

The flaming golden armor had protected him from the deadly Heavenly Swords, but it could’t fully negate the impact. For a while, Chen Fan was mired in a stand off with the two blades.

Even as the Azure Mystic Sect Master was about to heave a sigh of relief, Chen Fan threw his head back and roared, “Watch me!”

Crack.

Chen Fan’s eyes shot out two jets of fire, one gold and the other black. Within the two conflagrations were the outlines of two weapons.

A golden halberd appeared in the golden flame while a coal-black Divine Blade came out of the dark flame. It was the Divine Blade called Etheric Black Fire.

The two Divine Weapons swooped down onto their target, ripping open the air.

Li Fire Golden Eyes, the second form:

“Divine Weapon Transform!”

This Divine Power would transform fire into Divine Weapons based on the fire’s attribute. When used with as much level of attainment as Chen Fan had, those Divine Weapons were more powerful than Quasi-Spirit Treasures and each came with their unique abilities.

“Clang, clang, clang.”

The Heavenly Swords collided with the Battle Halberd and the Divine Sword.

One tenth of a second later, the Battle Halberd let out a flash of golden light that shattered the Heavenly Sword. Meanwhile, the Divine Sword had also cut through the other Heavenly Sword. Under the Azure Mystic Sect Master’s surprised eyes, the Battle Halberd and the Divine Sword charged forward and landed blows on him.

Boom!

A puff of mist came up behind the Azure Mystic Sect Master as his body fell from the sky and splashed into the river, causing a series of giant waves.

The waves engulfed boats and killed many innocent bystanders.

“Clank!”

The two Divine Weapons didn’t give up their chase.

The golden Battle Halberd turned into a fiery dragon while the Divine Blade turned into a Black Kylin. They descended from the sky, and were hot on the Azure Mystic Sect Master’s heel.

“Sizzle, sizzle.”

The water in the Fury Dragon River sizzled as the two divine beasts dived in.

Many people scrambled to safety.

Meanwhile, many Earth Level Deities wore troubled looks. Is Chen Beixuan going to claim victory? Is he going to dominate Kunxu?

Suddenly, a roar came up from under the river.

“Chen Beixuan, you are dead!”

Boom!

Thousands of water spouts erupted from the river and from one of them came out a man in an azure outfit. The Azure Mystic Sect Master’s clothes were tattered, and his hair was messy. His body was covered with burn marks.

However, with each step he took, his energy increased.

“Boom, boom, boom!”

After nine wide strides, the Azure Mystic Sect Master seemed to have surpassed the bottleneck that had been restricting his energy as his power surged in the sky, stirring the clouds. A giant tornado formed around him, linking his energy with the firmament.

His sleeves flapped against the gale around him as a divine light came up in his eyes.

The Azure Mystic Sect Master’s presence exuded an immense pressure that permeated in the air, squeezing energy out of any living being. Even the Earth Level Deities around him felt the strain on their system unbearable.

“This is...”

Elephant God Master’s eyes were wide open in disbelief.

“Sky Immortal! He finally made it!” the Dashi Sect Master said in a bitter and dry voice.

However powerful the Azure Mystic Sect Master was, he was an Earth Level Deity just like his peers. There and then, his level of attainment had reached a point beyond that of an Earth Level Deity, to a state that no one had ever seen before.

“Chen Beixuan, it’s all your fault! You forced me to undo my work. I will use your blood to avenge the humiliation!”

The Azure Mystic Sect Master’s impassive voice drifted down from above the clouds.

His Essence Qi surged even as he spoke, devouring as much energy from nature as possible. In a few seconds, his power had surged by at least tenfold.

“Core Formation State?”

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and asked, “You have already started forming an Essence Core?”

In order to enter the Golden Core state, one should first form an Essence Core and go through Thunder Tribulation and nine transformations. Once the Essence Core was formed, its energy had to be guarded at all times since depleting it meant undoing hundreds of years of hard work.

It was apparent that the Azure Mystic Sect Master was on his last leg, otherwise he would have never tapped into the force of the Essence Core.

Although its energy could only be used once, an Essence Core could be as powerful as a Golden Core. Once the energy was depleted, the cultivator would need to recharge the Essence Core again, and it would take another lifetime to do that. Therefore, depleting an Essence Core basically meant the end of one’s journey in cultivation.

“No big deal, watch me break your Essence Core!”

Chen Fan snorted and flew into the sky as the fire around him burned more furiously.

Boom!

The battle continued as the two crashed into each other once again.