The Foundation Establishment realm of the humans. The Great Spirit stage of the demon races. The names are different, but the goal for those who have reached the second stage of the Immortal Path is the same.
The third stage of the Immortal Path.
Core Formation.
Core Formation is the process of ceaselessly nurturing and condensing a single strand of hard-earned energy to form a spiritual embryo, a Core. No one could possibly fathom how many cultivators have despaired before that hopeless wall, cursing the heavens as they faded away. Moreover, the cultivators who perished were not novices who had just stepped onto the Immortal Path.
They were true cultivators who had proudly entered the genuine path of Immortals. Even the prodigies of the cultivation world, those who could walk through backwater lands claiming to be chosen by the heavens and have everyone nod in agreement, were nothing more than mere ants before the wall of Core Formation. Shin Baek-rim was no different.
He was the leader of a sect and a proud late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, but even for him, the wall of Core Formation was far too distant and despairing. He looked at the Old Mountain-Picking Demon, who was being consumed by a storm of ghostly energy, and opened his mouth.
"A Yin Ghost Core, is it?"
At the stage of Core Formation, humans form a Golden Core, and the demon races form a Demon Core. This was the most suitable 'Core' for each race, derived from a long history and accumulated experience over countless years. But exceptions always and everywhere exist.
There are, and have been, many paths on the Immortal Path. Even in the current cultivation world, there were not a few Immortal Paths whose lineages had been severed, and among them was one called the Ghost Path. Literally, the Dao of ghosts.
A branch of the Immortal Path for the dead.
“Unexpected.
You recognized it at a glance?" The Old Mountain-Picking Demon's eyes widened in surprise. In his eyes, curiosity was replaced by vigilance.
"What's so surprising? Besides a Demon Core, what else would a yin spirit like you choose but a Ghost Core, specifically a Yin Ghost Core?"
Shin Baek-rim spoke as if it were nothing, but the vigilance in the Old Mountain-Picking Demon's eyes only deepened. In the current cultivation world, it was hard to find anyone who knew about the cultivation system or characteristic elements of the Ghost Path.
The Old Mountain-Picking Demon was of the demon races, and thanks to being a rare yin spirit among them, he had miraculously been able to encounter the legacy of the Ghost Path. His Cultivation had started that way, and since then, he had ceaselessly absorbed all sorts of knowledge about the Ghost Path.
After such long years of effort, he had learned of the existence of the Yin Ghost Core and the method to form it. But Shin Baek-rim knew about the Yin Ghost Core? Was it that vaunted human legacy knowledge again?
Perhaps that was it, but the Old Mountain-Picking Demon's intuition screamed that it wasn't so simple.
“Shin Baek-rim, whatever scheme you're harboring, it's already too late. The Ghost Pillar has already connected heaven and earth, so the Unification through a single Qi is only a matter of time. If you want to live, retreat now.”
“You seem afraid.”
“What?”
Shin Baek-rim glanced at the pillar of ghostly energy surrounding the Old Mountain-Picking Demon, then turned his gaze to the sky. He had poured his spiritual power into striking it several times, and had even attacked by channeling the River-Crossing Scroll with all his might, but that black sky still let out an ominous cry.
“Ghost Net Shrouding the Heavens. The curse arts of the Ghost Path are truly difficult to face. Without preparing in advance, it would be difficult for an opponent of the same level to contend with them.”
“You... you bastard...!”
The Old Mountain-Picking Demon's eyes widened in disbelief.
"A yin spirit who has lived for over a thousand years is too naive. No, that's not it. The opportunity for Core Formation must have clouded your eyes. Yes. That must be it. I can fully understand. Who among those kneeling before the wall of Core Formation would not be the same?"
Shin Baek-rim gestured lightly, and a simple talisman appeared before him. Compared to the River-Crossing Scroll, which announced its presence with a wondrous light each time it appeared, this single talisman looked almost shabby. But the moment it appeared, the Old Mountain-Picking Demon was gripped by an instinctive anxiety.
An anxiety that bordered on fear. The instincts of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, one on the verge of Core Formation, were in themselves a reliable basis for judgment.
"The Illusion-Sealing Talisman?!"
The Old Mountain-Picking Demon cried out in disbelief.
“So you recognize it.”
Shin Baek-rim gave a faint smile.
“Old Mountain Demon. Did you really think no one knew your intentions?”
Shin Baek-rim's calm gaze and the Old Mountain-Picking Demon's trembling gaze met in mid-air.
“A Core Formation cultivator. If a Core Formation cultivator were born, the entire political landscape of the Crimson Spine Mountain Range would be overturned. The Crimson Spine Mountain Range is only important to us; what value would it have for the Upper Sects above us? They wouldn't be stingy if giving up a mountain range like this could save face for a newly born Core Formation cultivator.”
“But that's the Upper Sects' business. As for people like us, who would want to place another burden on an already heavy head? I'll say it again, Old Mountain Demon, you were too naive.”
The ghostly energy swirling around the Old Mountain-Picking Demon churned violently. As if he now understood everything, he glared at Shin Baek-rim with eyes full of agitation and fury, not delusion.
"It was a trap? You knew I was trying to form a Yin Ghost Core? How in the world...!”
“I didn't know. Until a short while ago.” The Old Mountain-Picking Demon's eyes widened.
If he couldn't figure it out after hearing this much, his position as an Elder of the Upper Demon Forest would be a sham.
“...
Those damn bastards dared!” “Don't feel too wronged. In a way, this was inevitable.”
Having said that, Shin Baek-rim gestured toward the Illusion-Sealing Talisman. At that, mystical symbols began to be drawn on the Illusion-Sealing Talisman. The symbols started from a single dot, slowly completing themselves as if someone were writing them with a brush from the very beginning.
The Old Mountain-Picking Demon watched the scene filled with rage, but there was nothing he could do. The ghostly energy and the Ghost Pillar surrounding him were a sturdy shield that protected him, but at the same time, they were shackles that imprisoned him.
Once he had entered the Unification through a single Qi, he could not act until the process of Core Formation was complete. “The success or failure of Cultivation depends on oneself, on the heavens, and on others. You must have known this as well.”
"Hahahaha!"
Seeing the symbols nearly fill the talisman, the Old Mountain-Picking Demon laughed maniacally.
"I know.
Of course, I know! Before, it was Gwak So, and now I follow in Gwak So's footsteps!"
"..."
“Come to think of it, it's hilarious. The one who stabbed Gwak So in the back is now cornering me with his Lifebound Talisman.” Shin Baek-rim did not reply.
Instead, he shot the nearly completed talisman high into the sky.
Hwaaaak-!
When the final stroke was drawn on the Illusion-Sealing Talisman that had soared high, the small talisman erupted with a massive light, piercing through the dark sky. The sky, filled with demonic energy, ghostly energy, and dead spirits, trembled, and cracks appeared in the Ghost Pillar that connected to the ground. “An object is just an object.
Having lost its master, it cannot unleash its full power, but it is still more than enough to break a single curse art of yours.” To Shin Baek-rim's declaration-like words, the Old Mountain-Picking Demon did not reply, as if in resignation.
“Since when?”
“From the beginning."
The Old Mountain-Picking Demon let out a hollow laugh. His empty gaze turned toward the dark sky.
"Heh heh. From the beginning..."
"Who would welcome another sky above their head? No one desires it.” The light that pierced the heavens burned away the darkness, and the cracks covered the Ghost Pillar.
Inside the collapsing Ghost Pillar, the Old Mountain-Picking Demon laughed like a madman, then shouted as black tears streamed down his face. “I do not feel wronged, for it was my own inadequacy that led to failure! But what a shame!
Just one more step! It was only a single step!” The collapse of the Ghost Pillar accelerated.
It was because the Old Mountain-Picking Demon had given up and let go. Within the crumbling Ghost Pillar, the Old Mountain-Picking Demon began to be mercilessly devoured by the ghostly energy he had controlled like his own limbs just moments before.
Even as a yin spirit, he was not a complete ghostly creature, so the ghostly energy, freed from his control, judged him as a target to be devoured and corrupted. If he had successfully completed his Core Formation, the situation would have been different.
Having formed the Yin Ghost Core, he would no longer have been an ordinary yin spirit, but an existence like a Ghost King. But it was a futile assumption. The brilliant future that could have been his had now completely lost its light.
“What a shame! Such a shame!"
He could have held on for a while longer if he tried, but the Old Mountain-Picking Demon did not bother to make the effort. The Immortal Path before him was already severed, so if he had to stop, he wanted to stop on his own terms rather than collapsing unsightly. And he wanted to shout.
That it was a shame, but he had no regrets.
“Shin Baek-rim! What was Gwak So's end like?”
“I do not know. I did not see his end.”
“Is that so? To escape from your hands even after being stabbed in the back, he was better than I.” The Old Mountain-Picking Demon remembered the old man who always had a bitter smile whenever they met.
A strange fellow who would sigh watching his dying disciples, and sometimes retreat too early. To think that the face that came to mind in the final moments of his life was that of the prematurely old fellow. Was it because his work was ruined thanks to that fellow's Lifebound Talisman?
'How amusing.'
Jjeojeok- Finally, the Ghost Pillar crumbled, and his thoughts were cut off. He also slapped the dazed Mook-soo a few times to wake it up.
“We have to run! Now!”
At that moment, Jaekyung's sense of crisis reached its peak. No, in fact, his sense of crisis had already been at its peak for quite some time, and what had just happened made him feel something that transcended even that.
“Jaekyung. The Immortal... it's the energy of an Immortal.”
“Snap out of it! That Immortal is dead! Didn't you say you saw it yourself?”
"Huh? Right. The Immortal is dead... but... the Immortal? No, is it something similar? The energy of an Immortal? Is it similar?"
Cheong-o was still spouting nonsense as if not fully awake. Unable to bear it any longer, Jaekyung snatched him up in his mouth and started running with Mook-soo.
"Aaaargh!”
Another Foundation Establishment cultivator, or a Great Spirit Beast, had died. An unbearably uncomfortable thought brushed past his mind. Even as he fled frantically, Jaekyung tried his best to savor the lingering spiritual power.
He even collided with a rampaging corpse, but thanks to his sturdy body, he was able to avoid injury. Uuu- Cheong-o seemed to have turned into an idiot, but Mook-soo's condition was not good either. It seemed to be at its mental limit, but its physical condition was also visibly severe.
From its roots to its trunk, not a single spot was unscathed. No matter how you looked at it, the situation desperately called for rest, but Jaekyung had no choice but to keep pushing. Every time they paused to catch their breath here, the chance of survival would decrease by ten percent.
Thinking that, he couldn't stop even if he felt like he was about to collapse. With that mindset, Jaekyung somehow managed to move his body, but Mook-soo could not. It wasn't that Mook-soo's will was weak, but that its physical condition was too poor to move on survival instinct alone.
Uuuuu- Letting out a cry that was either a groan or a sigh, Mook-soo stopped moving. Only then could Jaekyung see Mook-soo's condition in more detail. Its body had always been black, so he hadn't noticed at first, but looking again now, a significant portion of its body was pitch black and dead.
Not only was it withered, but a fluid-like substance continuously seeped out with a foul stench. In that fluid, Jaekyung could sense the dreadful ghostly energy, the smell of death.
“Mook-soo. You..…”
Mook-soo let its roots and branches droop as if in resignation, then, as if remembering something, it lifted a relatively intact branch. Uu- After a short cry whose meaning he couldn't guess, Mook-soo's entire body slowly shriveled. It looked as if it were squeezing out all of its remaining life force.
As its whole body withered, the lifted branch, in contrast, became as verdant as a new sprout and soon bore a small fruit. Jaekyung's eyes widened, and he stared blankly as the small fruit grew to a large size in an instant. U- Mook-soo's faint cry was heard like an auditory hallucination.
When Jaekyung snapped back to his senses, the now lifeless branch was before him, along with a single fruit hanging precariously. Tuk- The fruit fell. Jaekyung hurriedly opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.
The fruit hit the head of the still-unwell Cheong-o and landed on his tongue.
'This is..…’
The moment the fruit touched his tongue, Jaekyung realized that this fruit was completely different from the ones he had been steadily consuming. Psss- Just then, Mook-soo's branch crumbled into dust. And soon after, its roots and trunk followed, turning to dust and vanishing.
The time it took for the massive Mook-soo to turn to dust was shorter than the blink of an eye.
'Mook-soo. You……….’
A thought crossed Jaekyung's mind. It could be hope, or it could be a delusion, but Jaekyung tilted the scales of his heart toward the former. In any case, there was nothing else he could do.
“You monster! Where do you think you're running!”
A human cultivator, looking as if he had bathed in blood, blocked his path, shouting incomprehensible words. Jaekyung ignored him and charged. He ignored the incoming attack, believing he could somehow endure an attack from a weakened Qi Refining cultivator.
Kwang!
His body did not fail him this time either. Jaekyung crushed the human cultivator blocking his path in a single blow. Unfortunately, with Cheong-o and Mook-soo's fruit in his mouth, he couldn't swallow the cultivator he had killed.
'Get out of the way, you bastards!' He pushed and crushed everything that blocked his path, whether human cultivators or demon races. The human cultivators who rushed at him like they'd found cornered prey were annoying, but the demon races, who were now starting to come to their senses and milling about in confusion, were just as bothersome.
This was especially true since his powerful weapon, his teeth—or more accurately, his bite—was sealed. If Cheong-o's signal from inside his mouth hadn't come in time, the situation would have become more complicated.
"Jaekyung! I'm okay now! Let me out!"
The moment he heard Cheong-o's voice, Jaekyung opened his mouth. As if he had been waiting, Cheong-o shot out, shaking his damp wings, and before the bird could speak again, Jaekyung handed him Mook-soo's fruit.
“Keep it safe! Don't lose it, no matter what!”
“Huh? Jaekyung. This is…….”
Cheong-o reflexively snatched the fruit with his two feet, then his expression changed strangely as if he felt something.
“No time to explain. We have to escape from here!”
The black pillar that had connected heaven and earth was gone, but the eerie ghostly energy and demonic energy had actually grown thicker. It was even spreading over an increasingly wider area. The wails of ghosts still heard from all directions, even though they seemed to have moved quite a distance, was proof of that.
“Jaekyung. Mook-soo is..." "Move!”
At Jaekyung's urging, Cheong-o shut his mouth and flew up vigorously.
“We're going to the spiritual spring! Get our bearings!”
"Got it!"
Cheong-o immediately set their direction, and Jaekyung followed the bird flying ahead. * “Damn it! That bastard deserves to be torn to shreds!”
“Quiet. Don't shout.
My head is ringing." Covered in wounds, Sagye-wan staggered as it landed. Normally, it would have planted its four feet on the ground majestically, but now, despite not having jumped very far, it stumbled and nearly collapsed as it came down.
“I can't see."
“Because your eyes are all torn up." “I see. This is inconvenient.” “It's fine. I can see.” Of the two heads, one had both eyes slashed as if they'd been minced, and the flesh of its face was gouged out in several places. The other head was in relatively better shape, but it was far from unharmed. Its nose was completely smashed, and one of its ears was torn off. "It's a mess. A total mess.”
“It's because of the Old Mountain Demon.”
"Right! That son of a bitch, the Old Mountain Demon!"
"I told you not to shout."
Unable to cool its anger, one of Sagye-wan's two heads—the one that had lost its eyes—muttered weakly.
“What do we do now?”
"It's fine. Neither of us is in good shape, but we just need to get one more. We've already got one in our sights, right?"
“Ah, right. That snake.”
“Yes.”
The head with two healthy eyes licked the blood from the corner of its mouth, its eyes gleaming. “That one, it's no ordinary snake. Intelligence aside, the mere fact that it survived that chaos proves there's something special about it.
It might even possess a very precious bloodline.
Either way…………."
“It's enough to become our third head.”
“Exactly.”
Sticky saliva dripped from their two mouths. With both body and mind pushed to their limits, the reins on the greed they had painstakingly suppressed had been released.
“Keu-eung!" “Kkeung!"
Sagye-wan groaned and threw its body forward. Compared to before, it was moving at a turtle's pace, but its direction was clearly aimed toward the Gold River Plains.