The Grey Rat's Demon Path

At this point, the Inner Core served as the heart of Demon Power storage, circulating it endlessly throughout the body.

In this stage, the Inner Core that had been formed was not yet stable; it had only just taken shape.

This pass stops a great many Top-tier Great Demons.

The gradual solidification of liquid Demon Power was manageable, but gathering the solidified essence of that power to form an Inner Core was extremely difficult.

Therefore, during this stage, Top-tier Great Demons would all prepare Crystal Condensation Pills in advance to use as Spiritual Items for the breakthrough.

With the aid of a Crystal Condensation Pill, as long as the user's Demon Power wasn't too impure and their foundation was decent, they could generally pass through safely.

Since Xu Chang'an had his panel, he also passed this stage with ease.

The third pass: the Heart Demon Pass!

Although it was called the Heart Demon Pass, it wasn't some kind of Heart Demon Illusion Realm.

The Heart Demon Pass simply referred to the distracting thoughts that would arise during the breakthrough process.

Past events and memories would surface from time to time!

A single moment of carelessness could cause one to become completely immersed in them.

The breakthrough process required intense mental focus and complete concentration.

If one became lost in these distracting thoughts, the consequences were easy to imagine!

The newly formed Inner Core, the focal point of their Demon Power, would immediately collapse and disperse.

Aside from Demons with a firm Dao Heart and an extremely strong will, many a Top-tier Great Demon would meet their downfall at this stage.

Thus, some well-prepared Top-tier Great Demons would take a Clear Heart Pill beforehand to cope with this pass.

Xu Chang'an's Dao Heart was firm enough that he could have passed this stage even without his panel's help.

The panel's assistance wasn't a shortcut that spoiled his foundation.

Instead, it allowed him to be tempered by the Heart Demon and assailed by distracting thoughts, making his Dao Heart even more resolute.

After overcoming the Heart Demon Pass, the newly formed Inner Core became completely stable!

At this point, a Top-tier Great Demon attempting Core Formation was considered to have successfully broken through the Realm.

At the very least, they would form a Gray Pill!

The fourth pass: the Transformation Pass!

In a sense, there was no such thing as failure in the Transformation Pass.

Anyone who reached this stage could achieve a Transformed Form.

However, this pass determined the quality of the resulting Inner Core.

The stronger the condensed essence of Demon Power, the higher the quality of the Inner Core formed.

However, the process of continuously refining this essence from Demon Power required a sufficiently powerful Demon Body and Spirit to endure it.

Demon Power was continuously refined from within the body and gathered into the Inner Core, undergoing constant compression.

Once this reached a limit, it would have an extremely powerful effect on the Demon Body.

During this process, the Demon Body would also undergo a metamorphosis!

However, if either the refinement process or the body's endurance lagged behind and hit its limit, the pass would officially end!

If the two were in balance, they would reinforce each other, allowing for continuous improvement.

This pass placed extremely high demands on the cultivator's foundation, reserves, accumulation, and Bloodline aptitude!

Once the Inner Core was officially formed, a member of the Demon Race could successfully take on their Transformed Form!

The Human Race is favored by heaven and earth, born with the Innate Dao Body!

Their physical form, meridians, and acupoints... all contain Dao Rhyme.

Therefore, when the Demon Race transforms, they all take on a human form!

Once a member of the Demon Race successfully transformed, they could switch freely between their human form and their true form.

They could also choose to retain some of their demonic features while in human form.

The Demon Bodies of the Ancient Demon Race were formidable, so their combat power was generally hindered in their human form.

Only by returning to their true form could they unleash their full combat potential.

But the bodies of the modern Demon Race are frail, far inferior to those of the Ancient Demon Race.

For most of the modern Demon Race, there is little difference in combat power between their human and true forms.

Their combat styles, relying on Magical Artifacts, Demon Talismans, and other such tools, were more similar to those of the Human Race.

Thus, engaging in Magical Combat in human form was also a common practice.

For some exceptionally talented Demons with powerful Bloodlines, their combat strength would still be greater in their true form.

However, such Demons were a tiny minority!

The Ancient Demon Race possessed formidable Demon Bodies and were accompanied by Talent Divine Techniques, making their might unparalleled.

They were once the foremost race in the world, the overlords of the myriad realms.

But they gradually declined, their Demon Bodies growing ever weaker, and their Talent Divine Techniques becoming a rare sight.

Even when they did appear, they were very ordinary Talent Divine Techniques that offered no significant advantage.

According to legend, the decline of the Ancient Demon Race was related to a curse from heaven and earth!

The Demon Power constantly condensed into essence, pouring endlessly into the Inner Core.

The Demon Power flowing into the Inner Core was compressed again and again.

The essence of Demon Power steadily accumulated.

If the Inner Core lacked sufficient Demon Power essence, one could only form the most inferior of cores: the Gray Pill.

From then on, their Demon Path would be cut off. Unless they shattered their core and formed a new one, further advancement would be impossible!

This was because a Gray Pill could not store more Demon Power, providing an insufficient foundation to break through to higher Realms!

If the Demon Power essence was sufficient, one could form a True Core.

Even among True Cores, there were various grades and ranks.

However, they were not officially distinguished and were all referred to as True Cores.

The higher the quality of the True Core, the stronger one's foundational combat power!

If the Demon Power essence gathered within the Inner Core reached the absolute limit, one could form a Golden Core!

This was the highest grade of Inner Core. Those who formed a Golden Core would possess combat power far surpassing their peers, and could even fight and defeat those in higher realms!

BOOM!

A violent aura erupted, soaring into the sky.

The surrounding Spiritual Qi churned violently, forming a vortex with Xu Chang'an at its center.

A dazzling, incomparably brilliant Golden Core gradually took shape within his body.

At the same time, Xu Chang'an's Demon Body and Spirit underwent a constant transformation.

His original fur grew tougher, while the scales on his back, his sharp claws, and his teeth all began to change!

...

A full four hours later, the violent aura finally began to dissipate.

Name: Xu Chang'an

Bloodline: Purple-striped Earth Rock Rat (Middle-class Bloodline)

Lifespan: 852 years

Realm: Early-stage Core Formation (Golden Core)

Skills: Alchemy (Tier Two High Grade)

Energy: (1887/50000)

...

'Forming a Golden Core extended my life by four hundred and eighty years!'

Xu Chang'an slowly opened his eyes, his expression one of excitement.

In this life, after forty-two years of cultivation, he had finally stepped into the Core Formation Realm and become a Demon King!

Xu Chang'an stood up and observed his body.

He had successfully transformed and now had the appearance of a member of the Human Race.

He could perceive his condition with his Demon Sense.

Still...

'It feels like something is missing!'

With a thought, he cast a spell of Magic.

A mirror with a surface like water appeared before him.

This place was hundreds of yards below the surface, and there was almost no light.

He cast another spell of Magic.

Instantly, light filled the bottom of the pit.

The watery mirror reflected the image of a young boy with rosy lips and pearly teeth.

He had fair skin, a slender build, and handsome features.

Xu Chang'an smiled faintly.

The young boy in the mirror also smiled faintly.

He had a naive expression, looking rather endearing.

'Not bad at all!'

His human form was that of a young boy, but if he were to revert to his true form, his body could reach a height of a hundred zhang!

A body of this size was not considered small, even among Demon Kings.

As he thought this, Xu Chang'an took a Top-Grade Magic Sword from his Storage Bag.

He channeled his Demon Power into it and swung it at his own arm.

CLANG!

The sound of metal striking metal rang out.

Xu Chang'an's seemingly fair and slender arm was completely unscathed.

Xu Chang'an then channeled his Demon Power and tested a few other spots.

'My body is comparable to a Quasi-Magical Treasure, and my vital spots are on par with an ordinary Magical Treasure!'

'My physique is incredibly tough and formidable.'

'Even the Ancient Demon Race probably wasn't much tougher than this!'

An ordinary Core Formation Demon King or True Man would only have a common Magical Treasure as their Guarding Methods.

But Xu Chang'an's own vital spots were already comparable to an ordinary Magical Treasure.

Such power was beyond words!

This meant that he could clash head-on with a Demon King of the same realm who was using every trick up their sleeve, relying on nothing but his physical body!

And when factoring in his Golden Core and profound foundation...

His combat power was firmly within the range of the Mid-stage Core Formation!

He was in no way inferior to some veteran Demon Kings with deep reserves!

In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say he could fight and defeat them!

'Now that I've broken through to Core Formation and become a Demon King, ordinary Quasi-Magical Treasures, and even common Magical Treasures, have become useless to me!'

'With my current foundation and reserves, I've officially embarked on the path of the Ancient Demon Race. I don't need to rely on Magical Treasures; I can fight those of a higher rank using only my physique and Demon Power! My power lies within myself. As for Magical Treasures, I have no urgent need for them.'

'If I'm to choose Guarding Methods, ordinary Attack or Defense Magical Treasures are useless to me! I only need to find some Support Class Magical Treasures, or perhaps some other special items!'

'As I am now, I wouldn't be at a disadvantage in a direct confrontation with a Mid-stage Core Formation expert; I could even suppress them to some extent.'

'And I could even hold my own against a Late-stage Core Formation expert, as long as they haven't formed a Golden Core!'

'In the Red Cloud Mountain Range, I'm now considered one of the top experts! As far as anyone knows, the number of Demon Kings who can pose a threat to me can be counted on one hand!'

Xu Chang'an felt a surge of exhilaration.

After all this time cultivating, he finally had the power to establish himself.

'But even so, I must not let my guard down. The Demon Path is fraught with peril, a truth that words can barely capture.'

'I must remember what I've encountered before.'

'Always be vigilant! Always stay vigilant!'