Chapter 286 : Divine Fire Casts the Shadow
Chapter 286: Divine Fire Casts the Shadow
Inside the Three-Peak Cave Residence.
“It’s about time,” Chen Beiwu reminded Golden Egg.
He had asked Golden Egg to reenact the transformation to leave traces of evolution—so as not to raise suspicion from prying eyes—not to recklessly unleash the flood dragon’s might.
Upon hearing this, the three dragon heads of Golden Egg paused briefly, somewhat dissatisfied, but the rampaging aura of the mystic beast that had engulfed the entire cave came to a sudden halt.
Chen Beiwu nodded, his gaze shifting to Iron Egg. A jade bottle appeared in his hand.
“Woof.”
Iron Egg let out a low growl, eyes filled with anticipation.
“If you sense a chance for a bloodline breakthrough, follow it through. If not, don’t force yourself.”
Chen Beiwu crouched down, gently patted Iron Egg’s head, and took out a round pill woven with three intertwining colors from the jade bottle.
Iron Egg’s congenital disability was more severe than he had anticipated.
Senior Sister Wan’er had once said that whether it was breaking through to Foundation Establishment or taking spiritual pills, either method would solve the problem of Iron Egg’s hind leg deformity.
But the outcome was clear—Senior Sister Wan’er had misjudged.
Even now, with Iron Egg at the peak of the Second Realm, just a step away from becoming a Third-Realm Beast General, the congenital defect from birth had yet to be cured.
“Woof.”
Iron Egg lowered his head, and as soon as his tongue touched the pill, the Threefold Nirvana Pill transformed into a streak of flowing light that slid into his throat.
“Crack! Crack!”
Iron Egg’s body stiffened. Under the immense medicinal power, the bones of his hind limbs shattered and began to reform.
“Whimper.”
Though the intense pain made his pupils contract, Iron Egg stubbornly raised his head, letting himself be bathed in the crimson blaze without uttering a single cry. He allowed the full force of the Threefold Nirvana Pill to erupt, forming a three-colored flame cocoon that enveloped his entire body.
“Did it work?”
As Iron Egg’s voice sounded, a cool and delicate sensation touched Chen Beiwu’s right shoulder.
Chen Beiwu turned his head to see Golden Egg, who had activated his Ruyi Mystic Power and shrunk his flood dragon form to a miniature size.
Compared to its original size, the pocket-sized Three-Aspects Mystic Flood Dragon looked far less imposing but much cuter, its appearance significantly more appealing.
“Should be fine.”
Chen Beiwu multitasked—while watching the changes in Iron Egg’s flame cocoon, he also sorted through the cultivation method of the Nascent Core stage.
In the Southern Wastes, there were neither orthodox beast-borrowing cultivation arts nor flawless Foundation Establishment cultivators. Forming a Nascent Core was incredibly difficult.
However, Chen Beiwu only needed to lower the requirements of nurturing the five elements in the qi sea and reverse-cultivating the innate Dao Foundation. Combined with the principles of the Yuqing Nine Revolutions Yuanshi Pill Canon, he could create a simplified version of the Nascent Core method.
This way, the Nascent Core method would no longer be the exclusive domain of peerless prodigies, but something that ordinary genius cultivators could comprehend—a Dao of Core Formation.
Of course, the price of this simplified method was that the true essence it contained was less than half of the original.
But one shouldn’t underestimate this less-than-half of Nascent Core essence. If a Southern Wastes cultivator could successfully comprehend it, they could gain immortal metal-attribute mana during the Foundation Establishment stage, thus increasing both the success rate and grade of their future Golden Core.
Buzz—
At that moment, the flame cocoon shattered and radiated brilliance.
A lithe figure, standing nearly five feet tall at the shoulder, entirely ink-black with snow-treading hooves—a black hound—appeared before Chen Beiwu.
‘Not bad!’ With a sweep of his divine sense, Chen Beiwu’s eyes lit up slightly.
After consuming the Threefold Nirvana Pill, Iron Egg’s majesty began to emerge.
The previously deformed hind legs were now fully healed. His four limbs were as straight as spears, and beneath the skin, one could faintly see knotted muscles brimming with explosive power.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Iron Egg walked slowly toward Chen Beiwu, his form steady as a mountain. The previous limp was gone. He now resembled a beast that howled at the moon and swallowed fire—possessing the presence of a Black-Cloud Snow-Treading Hound.
Seeing this, Golden Egg’s eyes flickered, and a sense of pressure surged in his heart.
Something was off. How could a single pill make Iron Egg look this majestic?
Chen Beiwu, on the other hand, put down the jade slip in his hand and looked at Iron Egg with a gaze full of pride and satisfaction.
That once-overlooked pup had now become a mighty fire beast under his care.
As for whether the recovery of Iron Egg’s hind limbs would affect his talent in alchemy, Chen Beiwu wasn’t concerned at all.
He now had the authority to establish a new lineage for the sect. Whatever spiritual or treasure-grade pills he needed could be requested directly from the Hall of Mysteries.
“Woof.”
Iron Egg walked up to Chen Beiwu, lowered his head, and rubbed against his leg, looking a little guilty.
After consuming a Third-Tier Superior Treasure Pill, his cultivation remained stuck at four hundred and ninety-nine years. He had not found the chance to break through to a Beast General.
“No worries.”
Chen Beiwu’s lips curled into a smile as he activated his divine sense to examine Iron Egg’s law meridians.
A lack of breakthrough didn’t mean that the benefits of the Threefold Nirvana Pill were lacking.
[Flame-Escaping Form]: A Third-Tier Superior Treasure Art. It leaves no trace when stepping through flames and hides one's form within fire. Iron Egg could merge into any flame and become undetectable even to the divine sense of a Golden Core cultivator.
[Sun-Swallowing Fire Refinement]: A Third-Tier Superior Treasure Art. It allows devouring all fires under heaven. Ordinary fire-type treasure arts could not harm Iron Egg and would instead be absorbed to strengthen him, refining a personal Sun-Swallowing Divine Fire.
[Star-Shattering Moon-Bite]: A Third-Tier Superior Treasure Art. Its fangs can break magical defenses. Iron Egg’s bite could ignore defensive light, talismans, and protective treasures (though it would be ineffective if the gap in cultivation was too vast).
[Divine Fire Casts the Shadow]: A Third-Tier Superior Treasure Art. An enemy locked by the Sun-Swallowing Divine Fire could have their heart and soul scorched, their location marked for pursuit over ten thousand miles.
‘Four innate treasure arts awakened all at once!’ Chen Beiwu raised his brows slightly, eyeing the Sky-Shading Cloak on Iron Egg’s body.
It wasn’t mere paranoia—these innate treasure arts were rare and exceeded the norm for a Third-Tier Treasure Beast. They even seemed to hint at a connection with the legendary Sun-Swallowing Divine Lord.
Noticing Chen Beiwu’s reaction, Golden Egg’s three heads leaned in curiously.
Chen Beiwu cast him a glance and shared Iron Egg’s newly awakened treasure arts.
‘That’s it?’ Golden Egg relaxed visibly.
Compared to his own awakened innate mystic powers, Iron Egg’s treasure arts were clearly miniaturized and simplified versions of the Three-Aspects Furnace and Threefold True Gang.
Only that Divine Fire Casts the Shadow was somewhat noteworthy—the rest weren’t worth mentioning.
Chen Beiwu, however, thought differently.
In terms of bloodline, Golden Egg was a Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast. At best, Iron Egg currently ranked among the Treasure Beasts.
The fact that Iron Egg was able to awaken an innate treasure art with a mechanism akin to a Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast indicated that there was still much untapped potential within him. In the future, he might not necessarily be inferior to Golden Egg.
Moreover, the innate treasure art Divine Flame Reflecting Shadow was immensely useful. Perhaps it could help him locate the Five Qi Vine within the Yuqing Mountains.
“Bzz bzz bzz...!”
Just as Chen Beiwu expected, as Golden Egg’s aura gradually dissipated, his phone screen popped up with a slew of congratulatory messages. Even Senior Brother Jiang Chuan sent one in to inquire about the situation.
“Get ready. Control your emotional fluctuations—don’t let anything slip.”
Chen Beiwu’s gaze landed on Golden Egg.
Golden Egg patted his chest and nodded, indicating that he was an Oscar-worthy actor.
...
Second floor of the Wuji Tower, Admissions Department.
Knock knock knock. Chen Beiwu gently knocked three times.
“Come in,” came Senior Brother Jiang Chuan’s voice.
Chen Beiwu pushed open the door and entered, greeting him familiarly before finding a seat to sit down.
True Monarch Jiang Chuan subconsciously lifted his eyes and was just about to nod in acknowledgment when, the moment his gaze landed on Chen Beiwu, his pupils abruptly contracted and the jade pen in his hand froze in mid-air.
“Senior Brother?”
Noticing Jiang Chuan’s dazed state, Chen Beiwu raised an eyebrow slightly and reminded him.
“You...” True Monarch Jiang Chuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice a bit hoarse and tone complicated. “You’ve formed your core?”
In the Yuqing Immortal Sect, immortal students who achieved Core Formation within a hundred years were eligible to become true disciples.
Those who formed an upper third-grade core could become Divine Transformation true disciples.
And those who formed a First-Grade Golden Core could compete for the position of Sect’s First Disciple and become the face of the Yuqing Immortal Sect.
And now... Chen Beiwu had succeeded in Core Formation in just three years!
Although the time it took to form a core didn’t necessarily equate to potential—some noble heirs of True Venerable families could easily consume pills to save the long accumulation process of mana—Chen Beiwu was a Flawless Foundation Establishment cultivator.
A Flawless Foundation cultivator who absorbed top-grade Earthly Sha Essence was destined to form a First-Grade Golden Core!
However, even though First-Grade Golden Cores were extremely rare, in the eyes of True Monarch Jiang Chuan, Junior Brother Chen’s comprehension was astonishingly high. He had the potential to sprint toward a Title-Bearing Golden Core. To stop now at a mere First-Grade would be a real pity.
After all, not all First-Grade Golden Cores were equal.
If Junior Brother Chen aimed for a Yuanshi Golden Core, even if he failed, the foundation gained from cultivating the Yuqing Nine Revolutions Yuanshi Pill Canon would substantially enhance his core’s quality.
Otherwise, the Five Great Grotto-Heavens and Thirteen Immortal Sects wouldn’t mandate that immortal students form their core within a century.
A hundred years was enough for a peak Foundation Establishment genius to understand the upper limits of their aptitude and the grade of core they could form.
Chen Beiwu lightly shook his head and corrected, “Senior Brother, I haven’t formed my core yet. I merely broke through with the help of my Companion Beast, cultivated the Yuqing Nine Revolutions Yuanshi Pill Canon successfully, and gained some understanding of the Dao of Core Formation.”
Upon hearing this, True Monarch Jiang Chuan was even more shocked.
Not formed his core?
How could that be!
Out of respect for privacy, he didn’t use his divine sense to peer into Junior Brother’s dantian and qi sea.
But as a Nascent Soul True Monarch, his perception was incredibly sharp. With a single glance, he could tell just how pure the undying metal attribute flowing around Chen Beiwu was—far deeper than an average Immortal Alliance golden core.
Yet, his keen intuition told him that Junior Brother Chen wasn’t lying.
“Junior Brother, are you saying... you’ve already grasped the basics of the Yuanshi Pill Canon?” True Monarch Jiang Chuan chose his words carefully.
This was a matter of great importance—he had to be certain.
Chen Beiwu nodded, not being modest in the slightest. “That’s right. I’ve already reached minor achievement in the Yuanshi Pill Canon. If I can successfully contract the Five Qi Vine, I’m confident I can advance it to the great accomplishment stage.”
Hearing this, True Monarch Jiang Chuan couldn’t sit still anymore.
The Yuqing Nine Revolutions Yuanshi Pill Canon was one of the supreme legacies of the Yuqing Immortal Sect. Even those with a Flawless Foundation or Innate Dao Body found it difficult to comprehend.
Compared to such a supreme inheritance, even a Golden Core cultivator—let alone one—was insignificant, and even a Nascent Soul True Monarch was not worth mentioning.
If Junior Brother Chen could successfully condense a Yuanshi Golden Core, and catch the eye of the sect’s upper echelons, not to mention securing the position of First Disciple, he would receive all the cultivation resources needed to break through to the Divine Transformation True Venerable stage.
“How’s that mutated Golden-Scaled Beast of yours progressing?”
Understanding the purpose of Junior Brother’s visit, True Monarch Jiang Chuan asked solemnly.
In his view, with the Dragon Vein Pill and Twin-Polar Mystic Flood Dragon Essence Blood granted by the master, plus the Landscape Diagram of Heaven-Reaching Tree, All-Encompassing River, Ascending Profundity, and Five Elements Unified Dragon Transformation, evolving a mutated Golden-Scaled Beast into a Gold-Horned Flood Dragon should be no issue.
If luck was on their side, the Golden Scale might even awaken latent dragon blood within its lineage and resonate with the Twin-Polar Mystic Flood Dragon blood, transforming into a Treasure Beast of Earthly Sha: Twin-Headed Treasure Flood Dragon.
With the help of such a beast, Junior Brother Chen would have a much easier time venturing into the depths of the Yuqing Mountains and gaining the recognition of the Five Qi Vine.
Upon hearing this, Chen Beiwu lightly patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist and summoned Golden Egg.
The next moment, the Three-Aspect Mystic Flood Dragon appeared.
Golden Egg’s gold, emerald, and blue three ferocious dragon heads rose proudly. Each emitted a distinct yet perfectly integrated pressure unique to a Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast.
“What kind of Mystic Beast is this?”
Even True Monarch Jiang Chuan, with all his vast knowledge, couldn’t help his mind trembling upon seeing the Three-Aspect Mystic Flood Dragon for the first time.
Mutated beasts were already rare—let alone one with three heads and three aspects.
This inevitably reminded him of a legendary Primordial Dao Beast recorded in ancient Immortal Alliance texts: the Three Calamities Dragon Lord.
“I named it the Three-Aspect Mystic Flood Dragon. With the power of its three meridians, it should rank among the Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beasts,” Chen Beiwu introduced.
Though Golden Egg’s evolution had exceeded expectations, with the excuse of his master bestowing treasures, it was still somewhat explainable.
“Just one Dragon Vein Pill and a drop of Twin-Polar Mystic Flood Dragon Essence Blood, and it evolved into a mutated Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast?” True Monarch Jiang Chuan found it hard to believe.
If Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beasts were that easy to create, the True Venerable clans of the Immortal Alliance wouldn’t treat them as legacy treasures.
“Not just that—I also used several good items from the random blind boxes from the pinball site, and Golden Egg’s bloodline is rather special,” Chen Beiwu replied with a calm smile.
Even he felt Golden Egg’s evolution was a bit exaggerated, but he had to give an explanation.
After all, there were many cases in the Immortal Alliance where Companion Beasts underwent unpredictable bloodline mutations. Adding Golden Egg as one more example wouldn’t hurt.
True Monarch Jiang Chuan fell silent.
The rumors from the Dongxuan Immortal Sect weren’t unfounded after all.
For Junior Brother Chen to possess such fortune and opportunity, he was clearly a once-in-a-generation Hidden Dragon born of the Fallen Dragon Manor.
But that raised a problem—True Monarch Jing Yuan was already the most terrifying of the twenty-four recorded Hidden Dragons from the Fallen Dragon Manor, to the point of exhausting the very foundations of Dragonfall.
Yet Junior Brother Chen’s current fortune and comprehension far surpassed even True Monarch Jing Yuan.
This defied the adage: “True dragons do not emerge from shallow waters.”
It wasn’t that True Monarch Jiang Chuan looked down on his junior’s hometown, but to be frank—
A small, desolate place like Fallen Dragon Manor, where spiritual opportunities were sparse, producing even a few Hidden Dragons was already miraculous. How could it possibly nurture a true dragon like Junior Brother Chen?
Seeing Senior Brother Jiang silent, Chen Beiwu flipped his palm and took out a jade-white token from his storage ring—precisely the Yuqing Token bestowed upon him by Minister He.
“Senior Brother, I intend to use the Yuqing Token to enter the Yuqing Mountains and contract the Five Qi Vine,” Chen Beiwu stated his purpose outright.
The Yuanshi Golden Core was difficult to achieve.
And when striving for perfection, even though Chen Beiwu had the ability to sort the Five Elements’ divine light himself, he still wouldn’t pass up the assistance of the Five Qi Vine.
True Monarch Jiang Chuan nodded. “Since you hold the Yuqing Token and have reached minor success in the Yuanshi Pill Canon, I have no reason to stop you.”
Then, his tone shifted: “However, the Five Qi Vine’s evasion arts are unparalleled. Even Nascent Soul cultivators find it hard to capture. Only those possessing all five elements have the chance to catch a glimpse of its true form.”
“Would you be willing to wait a few days while I report to our master? Perhaps I can request the sect’s Fortune-Origin Artifact—the Five Elements Heaven-Penetrating Mirror—to assist you.”
“The Five Elements Heaven-Penetrating Mirror can simulate the five elements and cloak you in their aura, disguising you as one possessing all five, to draw the vine’s attention. That way, you wouldn’t enter the mountains only to fail to even see it.”
“Of course, there’s a downside. In close contact, the vine can see through the mirror’s disguise. Its vigilance would surge, making a contract even harder. You’ll need to consider this carefully.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Beiwu hesitated for a moment, conflicted inside.
But he quickly made up his mind and politely declined his senior brother’s offer.
Those who deceive beasts with techniques will eventually be deceived by them; those who subdue beasts with the Dao will be followed willingly.
Besides, with Nine-Breath Chaos bolstering his fate, he didn’t believe he couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the Five Qi Vine. There was no need to increase the difficulty of forming a contract.