Chapter 125: False Core Realm

Although the sword light was fast, Wang Lin's Earth Evasion Spell was even more profound. He trailed far behind the hundred people, watching as the hundred-plus Cultivators shot through the sky, instantly covering a great distance, and arriving at the location of the Spiritual Vein.

The spiritual power fluctuations here were immense, and the ground was riddled with pits, strewn with severed limbs and remnants. A strong scent of blood wafted over with the light breeze.

The moment the hundred Cultivators arrived, countless Cultivators from the Fire Scorching Nation suddenly appeared from all directions, and the battle began.

At the same time, eight sword lights, several meters thick, flew from a distance. A formidable aura immediately enveloped the surroundings. Wang Lin narrowed his eyes; these eight individuals were all Nascent Soul Stage Masters.

As soon as they approached, they were targeted by the patrolling Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators of the Fire Scorching Nation. The Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators from both sides immediately engaged in battle, with Magic Treasures and Flying Swords emerging endlessly, and roars of轰鸣 sound reverberating continuously. At this moment, heaven and earth shook, and the winds and clouds changed color.

Following closely, several more hundred-person Cultivator teams from the Xuanwu Nation appeared in waves from a distance, quickly flying over to join the chaotic battle.

Wang Lin's gaze was cold. After observing for a moment, his extreme realm Divine Sense transformed into a red lightning bolt, suddenly leaping out from the ground and flashing towards the warring factions.

A Foundation Establishment Stage Disciple of the Xuanwu Nation, who was currently wielding a Flying Sword to kill enemies, had just slain a Qi Condensation Stage fifteenth-layer enemy and was about to continue swinging his sword when a red light suddenly flashed before his eyes. It felt as if his mind had been violently struck by a huge hammer. His eyes dimmed, his Divine Sense shattered without any obstruction, and his body plummeted from mid-air.

Eight Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators from the Xuanwu Nation formed a sword Formation, trapping a Core Formation Stage Master. But after the red light flashed, all eight of them trembled slightly, their expressions frozen. Their Divine Sense seemed to be stirred by a large hand, dissipating completely. Their soulless bodies fell from mid-air.

The trapped Core Formation Stage Master was startled, but the opportune moment before him did not allow for much thought, so he quickly rushed towards the enemy not far away.

A Cultivator at the False Core Realm from the Xuanwu Nation, relying on a Nascent Soul-level Flying Sword, continuously killed several Masters of the same rank. With a sinister laugh, he grabbed a female Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage by the neck. His right hand violently tore downwards, and the female Cultivator's clothes on her chest immediately turned into rags, revealing a pink bellyband. The female Cultivator screamed in terror, appearing weak and helpless on this battlefield.

The False Core Cultivator licked his lips, a lecherous glint in his eyes. He quickly retreated, dragging the female Cultivator. However, before he could take a few steps, a red light flashed before his eyes. His body trembled a few times, and he weakly released the female Cultivator in his hands, his body falling from the sky like a lump of mud.

His Flying Sword, having lost its Master's control, not only didn't stop flying but instead rushed even faster towards the ground. The moment it neared the ground, it was grabbed by a suddenly appearing arm, then retracted back into the ground and vanished.

As more and more Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators from the Xuanwu Nation inexplicably fell from the sky, this scene drew the attention of the Xuanwu Nation. A Core Formation Stage Cultivator in a purple robe stared at a certain spot on the ground, pointed with his right hand, and though it was unclear how the information was conveyed, ten Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivators immediately rushed out of the battlefield and flew towards the indicated spot.

Wang Lin's expression was calm. He turned around and left, his Earth Evasion Spell neither fast nor slow as he fled into the distance. One of the ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators held a Compass in his hand and pursued Wang Lin closely according to the pointer on the Compass.

After traveling more than ten li, Wang Lin stopped. His extreme realm Divine Sense suddenly spread out. Before Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators, Wang Lin was a monarch; life and death were at his whim. The ten individuals didn't even have time to make a warning gesture before they all fell dead one by one without any warning, their Divine Sense shattered, and their eyes lifeless.

The current Wang Lin no longer possessed the simple innocence of the mountain village youth, nor did he have compassion. Anyone who obstructed his path was killable.

There is no right or wrong on the battlefield, only life and death. If there were even a trace of compassion, he would surely be the one to die. The attributes of the extreme realm, while granting Wang Lin power, also subtly and silently changed his personality. The extreme realm, using all means to the extreme. If one walks the Righteous Path, they could be called a generation's Xianxia, a great hero who hates evil as if it were a personal enemy, slaying demons and eradicating devils.

If one walks the Demonic Path, they would absolutely be the King of Ten Thousand Devils. When pushed to extremes, even those in the Demonic Path would fear them by three points, earning them the title of a generation's Demonic Lord.

Under the limitations of the extreme realm's attributes, such a style of acting both righteous and evil could not exist.

Wang Lin's once simple personality dictated that he wanted to become a generation's Xianxia, a Righteous Path Cultivator revered by thousands, to bring glory to his ancestors. Unfortunately, the world is unpredictable. The appearance of Situ Nan caused subtle changes in his personality. These changes grew larger and larger, eventually leading to monstrous trouble.

Bringing glory to his ancestors… the clan is broken, the ancestors are extinct, what glory is there to speak of? The attributes of the extreme realm immediately reversed his personality. Since he couldn't become a generation's Xianxia revered by thousands, then he would become a generation's Slaughter Demonic Lord feared by thousands!

Wang Lin's eyes revealed a ruthless expression. After collecting the Storage Pouches of these people, he didn't even glance at the corpses beneath his feet. His body swayed, and he burrowed back into the ground, changing his position to re-enter the battlefield.

But immediately, he re-emerged, gazing at the battlefield and pondering for a moment. He then took out several Spirit Stones and arranged a Formation on the ground. Afterward, he threw the ten corpses into the Formation one by one. Each corpse, upon being thrown in, would immediately explode, turning into bursts of blood mist that were absorbed by the Formation.

When the last corpse self-destructed, Wang Lin bit his fingertip and flicked a drop of fresh blood onto the Formation's Spirit Stones.

Instantly, a wisp of purple Qi rose from the Formation. After circling several times, the purple Qi slowly dissipated, and the Spirit Stones on the ground also vanished. If one didn't look closely, they wouldn't notice any clues.

After doing all this, Wang Lin's body sank into the ground and he headed towards the battlefield.

At this time, the battle between the two sides had intensified to a white-hot stage. The fighting among Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators grew fiercer, affecting an increasingly wider area, forcing other Cultivators to avoid it.

Just then, all the Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators from the Xuanwu Nation began falling from mid-air one after another without any apparent reason, splattering into a bloody mess upon impact.

As more and more Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators died mysteriously, the Xuanwu Nation's fighting forces showed a hint of disarray. The Fire Scorching Nation Cultivators immediately seized the opportunity and quickly pursued them.

The purple-robed middle-aged man from the Xuanwu Nation who had previously sent people to kill Wang Lin frowned deeply, his gaze like lightning. He swept his eyes downwards, finally fixing on a spot on the ground. He pointed with his right hand again, and immediately, a Core Formation Early Stage Cultivator beside him rushed over without a word.

The moment that Core Formation Stage Cultivator rushed over, Wang Lin immediately fled. The Core Formation Stage Cultivator sneered, let out a low growl, and pressed his right hand downwards. Immediately, a hand-shaped mark appeared on the entire ground, sinking in with rumbling sounds. Wang Lin quickly broke out of the earth, lightly tapped his feet, and leaped towards the location where he had set up the Formation.

A trace of mockery appeared in the Core Formation Stage Cultivator's eyes. In his opinion, the opponent could only kill so many Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators by relying on a powerful Magic Treasure. As long as he was careful, he would surely capture him easily.

Thinking this, he flipped his hands, and a golden awl appeared rotating between them. After a slight pause, it shot out like an arrow from a bowstring, breaking through the air. The awl was so fast that ripples appeared in circles around it.

Wang Lin didn't look back, throwing out the tasteless Elixir Treasure given by the Fire Scorching Nation, not even checking the result, and quickly leaped forward. As soon as the Elixir Treasure appeared, it instantly transformed into a silver fist, which slammed towards the awl.

At the moment of impact, the awl spun even more intensely, forcefully breaking through the fist and drilling out. Its luster dimmed slightly, but its speed did not decrease, and it pressed straight towards Wang Lin.

Wang Lin's expression remained normal. The moment the awl stabbed from behind, he burrowed into the ground again. The Earth Evasion Spell immediately unfolded. After evading dozens of meters away, he broke out of the earth again. Repeating this cycle several times, he had already arrived at the Formation.

The Core Formation Stage Cultivator followed unhurriedly, the mockery in his eyes growing deeper. He said loudly,

Wang Lin said nothing. He passed through the Formation without any pause, flashing past. After rushing far away, he suddenly stopped and sharply turned his head. At this moment, the Core Formation Stage Cultivator had already flown above the Formation.

"Open!" Wang Lin's eyes were cold as he murmured.

As his voice left his mouth, the Formation beneath the Cultivator's feet suddenly activated, emitting a large amount of purple Qi. This purple Qi instantly enveloped the Cultivator. From a distance, one could only see a dense purple mist spreading out, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.

Wang Lin sneered and sat down cross-legged, quickly activating the Nascent Soul Stage Magic Treasure Jade Talisman given by Zhou Jin. Immediately, a circular ripple spread out from the Jade Talisman, covering Wang Lin's surroundings. At this moment, the awl had already rushed over, violently striking the ripple, but the ripple only swayed a few times, showing no signs of shattering.

He didn't even look at the awl, staring at the purple mist. He took out his Flying Sword from his Storage Pouch, and with a swipe of his right hand, the Devil Head's red shadow immediately flew out, staring excitedly at the purple mist, revealing a look of wanting to devour it but also hesitating.

Wang Lin took a deep breath, closed his eyes without a word. Within his Sea of Consciousness, raging winds and waves surged. Streaks of red lightning continuously burst out from his Sea of Consciousness, converging to form a red cloud, which then violently rushed out of his Sea of Consciousness.

The extreme realm Divine Sense, for the first time, completely left his body, pouring out. The moment the red cloud floated out from Wang Lin's head, the Devil Head immediately showed fear and terror, its body trembling as it retreated to the side.

As soon as the red cloud appeared, it instantly transformed into a sharp sword, circled around the Devil Head, and carried the Devil Head into the purple mist. Inside the mist, the Core Formation Stage Cultivator sat cross-legged, his face gloomy. A Gourd rotated around him, and wherever it passed, the purple mist slowly faded, being absorbed by it.

This Formation was a highly sinister array mastered by Wang Lin, called the Blood Devouring Sky Devil Formation. The structure of this Formation was not complex; the key was that it required the Cultivator's flesh and blood as a Sky Devil引. Wang Lin used the physical bodies of ten Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators as the引 to set up this Formation, and it had no major problem trapping a Core Formation Stage Cultivator for a short period.

If he could use the physical bodies of Core Formation Stage Cultivators to set up the Formation, then only five would be needed to kill Core Formation Cultivators below the Middle Stage. However, this Formation had extremely high requirements for the Physical Body; it had to be killed by the user, which limited the Formation's application.

Wang Lin's extreme realm Divine Sense rushed into the purple mist. The Core Formation Early Stage Cultivator immediately sensed it and suddenly opened his eyes. Without hesitation, Wang Lin swiftly pounced with the Devil Head, ignoring the Gourd and the opponent's Physical Body, and immediately rushed into the opponent's body, entering his Sea of Consciousness.

Inside the opponent's Sea of Consciousness, the Cultivator's Divine Sense formed a giant glaring angrily at Wang Lin. Wang Lin's Divine Sense, utilizing the attribute of the extreme realm Divine Sense which slays same-stage Cultivators to its limit, coiled up. The red cloud immediately scattered countless bolts of red lightning, accompanied by rumbling thunder, striking the giant's body from all angles.

The giant revealed a pained expression and rapidly shrank. He roared and swung his arms, immediately severing large swathes of red lightning, splitting them in two.

Immediately afterward, the red cloud suddenly dissipated, transforming into even more lightning bolts that rushed toward the opponent again. The giant's body became smaller and smaller, but his fists struck with increasing ferocity. With every swing, large amounts of lightning were interrupted and vanished as red streaks of light.

With Wang Lin's current cultivation, killing an Early Stage Core Formation Cultivator was still somewhat strenuous. If he could reach the Late Stage Foundation Establishment and enter the False Core Realm, dealing with Core Formation Stage Cultivators would be much easier.

However, Wang Lin was not a reckless person; he would absolutely not do anything he wasn't confident in. Just as the two sides were locked in a fierce struggle, the Devil Head seemed to receive Wang Lin's command and, with a look of hesitation, lunged at the giant.

The giant looked alarmed and swung his arm at the Devil Head, immediately shattering the Devil Head's body. The giant had just let out a sigh of relief, but then the panic on his face intensified. The Devil Head's form suddenly reappeared on his arm, biting down fiercely and devouring in large gulps.

No matter how the giant roared and swung, the Devil Head was like something that had grown onto his body and could not be shaken off. Eventually, the giant even gave up battling the red lightning, continuously smashing the Devil Head with his other arm. Each strike weakened the Devil Head's body slightly, but the Devil Head not only refused to let go but devoured even faster.

In truth, the Devil Head was suffering inwardly. If he let go now, Wang Lin would certainly slay him without hesitation. Letting go meant death, but holding on offered a sliver of hope. Moreover, if he could swallow the Divine Sense of this Core Formation Stage Cultivator, his Divine Ability might instantly increase greatly, and then he could swallow that hateful guy too, allowing him to roam freely across the vast world afterward.

With such expectations, ruthlessness surged in the Devil Head's heart, and he immediately began devouring even faster, putting all his energy into this task.

The giant showed a look of despair, and his arm movements grew weaker and weaker. Eventually, his entire body rapidly shrank, turning into a strand of golden Divine Sense which was instantly sucked dry by the Devil Head.

A look of ecstasy flashed across the Devil Head's face. Just as he was about to quickly digest it, the red cloud formed by Wang Lin's Divine Sense suddenly swarmed forward and completely enveloped the Devil Head. The Devil Head repeatedly let out unwilling roars, but finally, resignedly spat out the Core Formation Divine Sense bit by bit.

After being processed within the Devil Head, the spat-out Divine Sense had turned into an ownerless Divine Sense. Wang Lin's mind stirred slightly. The red cloud coiled up, immediately carrying the Core Formation Cultivator's Divine Sense out of the collapsing Sea of Consciousness, breaking through the Physical Body to leave the purple mist and return to his Physical Body.

Wang Lin abruptly opened his eyes, a cold smile playing on his lips. Inside his Sea of Consciousness, the Core Formation Cultivator's Divine Sense floated, being slowly consumed by the extreme realm Divine Sense.

At this moment, the golden Awl surrounding them dimmed in color and fell to the ground. Wang Lin retrieved the Jade Talisman, grabbed the Awl with a large hand, glanced at it, and put it into his Storage Pouch.

He then strode forward, squatted down in a corner outside the Formation, grabbed a Spirit Stone from the ground, and crushed it. The purple mist immediately dissipated completely, revealing the Physical Body of the Core Formation Cultivator sitting cross-legged inside, who was already dead.

Standing next to the Physical Body, Wang Lin pointed his right hand at the Cultivator's glabella and shouted, "Get out, or I will destroy you immediately."

A streak of red light unwillingly drilled out of the Cultivator's heavenly spirit, transforming into the appearance of the Devil Head. His eyes held hatred, but he immediately sighed, resignedly returning to the Flying Sword Wang Lin held, which was then put back into the Storage Pouch.

Wang Lin stared at the Cultivator, his gaze flickering continuously. He then removed the opponent's Storage Pouch, and with a wave of his right hand, the Cultivator's Physical Body quickly began to burn, eventually turning into a pile of charcoal. However, within the charcoal was a glittering Golden Core. The size of this Golden Core was rapidly shrinking, its color growing dimmer, showing signs of dissipation.

Wang Lin grabbed the Golden Core and, without hesitation, tossed it into his mouth. He then lightly tapped his foot, disappearing from the spot and sinking underground.

He sank for a thousand zhang. Deep underground, far from the surface, Wang Lin sat cross-legged, digesting the Golden Core in his stomach. The Golden Core instantly shattered inside him, and a massive surge of Spiritual Qi suddenly spread out, filling Wang Lin's entire body.

This Spiritual Qi was too vast, so much so that Wang Lin's body couldn't bear it, and blood continuously flowed from his nose and mouth. Without a word, Wang Lin pointed at his glabella, and the Heaven Defying Bead immediately appeared. His body flashed, and he entered the Heaven Defying space while holding the Bead.

Inside the Heaven Defying space, Wang Lin immediately flew to Situ Nan's Nascent Soul location, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to breathe. Gradually, countless blood spots appeared on his body, and the Meridians within him emerged under his skin.

Wang Lin performed Hand Seals in a strange manner, pressing one hand on his forehead and the other on his abdomen, forming a circulation. At the same time, he silently chanted an Incantation in his mind.

The immense Spiritual Qi brought by the Golden Core quickly circulated. His entire body's muscles and bones were constantly baptized by the Spiritual Qi, becoming increasingly resilient.

Two months later in the Heaven Defying space, Wang Lin abruptly opened his eyes. Clouds of mist rolled within them, slowly dissipating after a long time until they regained clarity.

"The Heretic Sect Jade Slip once said that consuming a Golden Core can increase cultivation, and this is indeed true. Following the Incantation and Hand Seals on the Jade Slip, I can absorb the Spiritual Qi within the Golden Core. Unfortunately, this was only an Early Stage Golden Core, and only after Cultivating the Great Freedom Asura Technique can I absorb more than twenty percent. If I hadn't Cultivated the Great Freedom Asura Technique, I could only absorb one percent at most."

Wang Lin muttered to himself, stood up, and slightly clenched his fist. A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes, and he thought inwardly, "Just absorbing ten percent of the Golden Core's Spiritual Qi allowed me to Breakthrough the Middle Stage and reach the False Core Realm, the Great Perfection of the Late Stage Foundation Establishment. Now, if I encounter an Early Stage Core Formation Cultivator again, even without the Devil Head's help, I am confident I can fight!"

Two months in the Heaven Defying space was equivalent to ten days in the outside world. After leaving the Heaven Defying space, Wang Lin used the Earth Evasion Technique to burst out of the ground. It was late at night outside, and everything was silent.

Wang Lin arrived at the location of the battle that day. He saw corpses scattered everywhere on the ground, and the entire Spiritual Vein had been forcibly pulled out of the earth by a great Spell, revealing a bottomless abyss.

After inspecting the area, he quickly left, heading toward the mountain peak occupied by the Fire Burning State. Several hours later, Wang Lin arrived at the base of the mountain. He drilled out from underground, paused his steps, and rushed straight up using his Flying Sword.

Along the way, numerous Cultivators conducted strict inspections, but upon seeing Wang Lin produce the Jade Talisman recording the number of enemies slain, none of them stopped him. Continuing straight up, Wang Lin reached the outside of the side hall on the mountaintop, the place where Feng Luan had summoned him that day.

Outside the side hall, two female Core Formation Cultivators sat cross-legged in meditation. When Wang Lin arrived, they opened their eyes, but seeing that it was Wang Lin, they closed them again and ignored him.

Wang Lin stood outside the hall and loudly said, "Disciple greets Master."

"Come in." Feng Luan's gentle and pleasant voice slowly drifted from inside the hall.

Wang Lin immediately walked in without hesitation. He saw Feng Luan sitting on a stone chair, and beside her was another person, the middle-aged scholar Zhou Jin. Zhou Jin nodded slightly at Wang Lin, then looked out the window, his brow tightly furrowed.

Feng Luan also looked slightly fatigued. She glanced at Wang Lin and asked, "What is it?"

Wang Lin did not speak but tossed out the Jade Talisman in his hand. Feng Luan was startled. She took it, but instead of checking it immediately, she scrutinized Wang Lin for a few moments before calmly probing the Jade Talisman with her Divine Sense. Her expression instantly turned strange.

Zhou Jin turned his head, took the Jade Talisman from Feng Luan's hand, and scanned it with his Divine Sense. His brow relaxed slightly, and he chuckled, "Not bad. Sixty-one Foundation Establishment Cultivators killed, and one Core Formation Cultivator. If you can keep this up, you have a chance to earn the Heavenly Separation Pill. However, I am very curious. You were only in the Middle Stage Foundation Establishment before. Why did you reach the False Core Realm of Foundation Establishment Perfection so quickly? Moreover, even at that level, killing a Core Formation Cultivator is virtually impossible. How did you manage it?" By the end of his speech, his tone had become severe.

Wang Lin had anticipated this question before coming. His expression was calm as he plainly explained, "That Core Formation Cultivator was besieged by others and fled severely injured. When I caught up, he was already on the verge of death. I seized his Golden Core and consumed it using the Heretic Sect's Devouring Great Technique, causing my cultivation to soar from Middle Stage Foundation Establishment to the False Core Realm."

"Devouring Great Technique…" Zhou Jin's gaze was like lightning as he fixed it upon Wang Lin's body. Finding residual Golden Core Spiritual Qi fluctuations within him, he believed him somewhat and stopped speaking.

Feng Luan shot Wang Lin a meaningful look, took out a Jade Slip from her Storage Pouch, tossed it out, and said, "This is the second map. I will count the Core Formation Cultivator as ten people for you. If you eventually kill a total of one hundred and fifty people, come here to get the third one."

Wang Lin nodded, took the Jade Slip, and scanned it with his Divine Sense. It was indeed a map. If the two maps were combined, Wang Lin would have a clear understanding of the terrain surrounding the Fire Burning State.

The Fire Burning State was located on the edge of the Cultivation Devil Sea. Looking at the map, the continent where the Fire Burning State was located did not contain the State of Zhao. According to the map's description, there was another continent on the other side of the Cultivation Devil Sea. As for the name of that continent, it wasn't displayed on the map, suggesting it would likely be introduced on the final map.

This second map contained a detailed introduction to the Cultivation Devil Sea, but Wang Lin did not examine it closely and withdrew his Divine Sense.

"The Cultivators of Xuanwu State have united, and a major battle is imminent. If you wish to accumulate military merit, these few days are the best opportunity." Yang Yi looked at Wang Lin with appreciation and said with a smile.

Wang Lin was about to speak when a panicked scream suddenly came from outside. Zhou Jin and Feng Luan's expressions immediately turned grim, and their bodies instantly vanished from the spot.

Wang Lin quickly walked out of the side hall. In mid-air, a damaged Nascent Soul, whose body was covered in countless wounds and constantly leaking Spiritual Qi, cried out in alarm, "Fellow Daoists, the State-Locking Grand Formation has been breached… the Fire Beasts are coming to kill us…"