Chapter 137: Unremarkable Core Formation

Chapter 137: An Unremarkable Golden Core

The starry sky blazed, the Milky Way stretched across the heavens.

The universe was vast and profound, desolate yet boundless.

Endless to the eye, countless stars.

A star burned with infinite fire, radiating infinite heat, as if it were within arm's reach of Qi Yuan.

Scorching, searing—fine beads of sweat glistened on Ning Tao’s fair little face. Her black dress clung tightly to her petite frame, accentuating her graceful, delicate figure. Even as a Great Sovereign, she now felt the heat.

She gazed at this universe, her expression one of wonder, tinged with a hint of fear of the unknown.

The so-called stars were all tied to the legendary gods.

And this universe held so many stars…

Qi Yuan held Ning Tao close. His body burned hotter than hers, and his voice trembled as he spoke: “This is a brand-new universe…”

If one were to define it by the concept of a universe, then Canglan Realm, Wangyue Continent, and Liufeng Realm all existed within the same cosmos.

Above the firmament, there was the same starry sky, the same divine projection—or rather, reflection.

Of course, the situation in Liufeng Realm might be somewhat unique.

Through the Gate of Ten Thousand Differences, Qi Yuan had arrived in a brand-new universe.

This universe was utterly silent.

Qi Yuan sensed no living beings.

Or perhaps there were beings, but he could not perceive them.

At any rate, the sun, moon, and stars here were real—true celestial bodies.

Not divine reflections, not false projections.

Qi Yuan held Ning Tao, the Great Sun Golden Lotus within him burning everything. His consciousness began to waver.

Having left Liufeng Realm, he seemed to have broken away from the game, no longer needing to return immediately to Canglan Realm.

But his current physical condition demanded resolution.

The Great Sun Golden Lotus blazed on.

He looked at Ning Tao, a flicker of emotion in his eyes: “I have to go.”

Otherwise, the Great Sun Golden Lotus would harm her.

Ning Tao stood in the vast void, staring at the familiar figure so close. Her gaze was resolute. She clutched tightly at Qi Yuan’s sleeve, her long, black-stockinged legs wrapping firmly around his waist, as if terrified he would vanish again, as he once had.

Seeing her timid demeanor, Qi Yuan forced a faint smile into his eyes: “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

As he spoke, he looked ahead at the star that seemed so close, appearing not very large.

He said, “See that little sun? It’s about to become my Golden Core.”

A flicker of confusion passed through Ning Tao’s eyes.

She didn’t understand, but she listened quietly.

“I’m going there to swallow it,” Qi Yuan said, a resolute look in his eyes.

“Don’t worry about me. I… I built my foundation through the Heavenly Dao. Swallowing a star is nothing!

I once heard of a powerful being who swallowed an entire universe in one gulp.

Swallowing a star is no big deal.”

“Blood Pearl… you’d better not lie to me!” A mist of tears gathered in Ning Tao’s starry eyes.

She was afraid Qi Yuan was deceiving her.

That he meant to leave her here alone, to face the all-consuming Great Sun Golden Lotus by himself.

“When have I ever lied to you?” Qi Yuan’s thoughts were tangled. He took her soft hand, his expression tender.

The bond between them ran deep, very deep.

At that moment, the burning of the Great Sun Golden Lotus grew even more terrifying. In an instant, it incinerated Ning Tao’s clothes, as if she deliberately offered no resistance to the flames.

Qi Yuan’s hand rested on her smooth, pale back. Her jade-white body was laid bare before him.

Her petite form twisted slightly, an inverted jade bowl brushing against his arm. Qi Yuan suppressed the greed rising in his heart.

Ning Tao leaned close to his ear, her voice soft yet imperious: “Blood Pearl, you’ve seen every inch of this lady’s body. Even if I’m the ugliest, you can’t despise me!

If you leave without saying goodbye, I… I will bind you to me, life after life!”

At that moment, Qi Yuan couldn’t tell whether the coquettish girl in his arms was the Golden Canary or Ning Tao.

He only knew that her eyes were extraordinarily captivating.

“I won’t,” Qi Yuan said, looking at her with a firm gaze, though a note of hesitation crept into his voice. “It’s just… after I refine the star into my Golden Core, I might… leave this place. Only the Golden Core will likely remain.

If the Golden Core is formed, don’t stare at it too long—it might make you forgetful.”

A part of him would stay here.

Ning Tao seemed to understand, though not fully. She tilted her head, her moist red lips drawing close to Qi Yuan. Her teeth gently bit down, and a triumphant smile spread across her face: “I’ve left my mark, husband. From now on, you belong to me.”

But then her smile vanished, replaced by a timid expression: “Blood Pearl, you bite me too. I… I want to be yours!”

The bold and seductive one was Ning Tao; the shy, proud one was the Golden Canary.

Qi Yuan lowered his head and leaned in. A faint, delicate fragrance wafted over him. He said, “Our mental ages combined aren’t even as big as someone else’s shoe size.

Little Ning Tao, I have to go.”

Such childishness, simplicity, and purity dispelled the melancholy in Qi Yuan’s heart.

Ning Tao held his head, her snow-white cheeks flushing crimson. A black dress once again materialized on her body, and her slender, fair calves were once again wrapped in black stockings.

At their level, conjuring clothes from cosmic dust was the simplest thing—or they could use spiritual power.

She looked at him, her voice carrying a hint of willfulness: “You know.”

Qi Yuan nodded. He gave Ning Tao one last, deep look, then turned his gaze to the countless stars in the vast universe.

Finally, his eyes settled on the nearest and smallest little sun.

He charged toward it without hesitation.

Ning Tao watched from afar, across the boundless cosmos.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment.

No one knew how long passed, but suddenly a brilliant flash of light erupted from that star.

Then the light died out again.

At that moment, countless thoughts raced through Qi Yuan’s eyes.

He had already entered the interior of that star.

Endless pressure and heat crushed and incinerated his body.

Within him, the Great Sun Golden Lotus burned everything in its path.

The two burned ceaselessly, reaching a delicate equilibrium.

Qi Yuan's body suffered agony beyond anything before.

Especially the Great Sun Golden Lotus—its terror of incinerating all made his flesh unbearable.

Death Radiance!

Great skills were unleashed without pause, Qi Yuan's power climbing ever higher.

He fought against the Great Sun Golden Lotus.

The Great Sun Golden Lotus was the relic left after the Great Sun Radiant Buddha's nirvana, terrifying beyond measure.

After being tainted by dust, it sought to burn away all in the world.

"Forget!"

In that moment, Qi Yuan invoked his primal divine ability, the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra.

Now, only the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra could change the tide.

In that instant, he pushed the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra to its utmost.

This primal divine ability, so mighty it had left a symbol upon the Gate of Ten Thousand Differences, now revealed its true power.

In the Flowing Wind Realm, Qi Yuan had seldom used the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra.

Previously, he rarely employed it, for overuse would also affect himself.

Thus, even when he did, he exercised great restraint.

A primal divine ability was, after all, his own path.

How could a player allow his own path to influence him?

Even forgetting was his choice to forget, not something imposed by the ability.

When he had condensed the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra to break free from the plight of the Ten Thousand Demons Gate turning into a great demon, he had already planned.

Just as he had inscribed the Void Realm Dominator's Heart Demon Guide—a primal divine ability—onto a soul artifact born from a drop of his blood.

His plan was to engrave the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra onto his golden core.

Thus, now he wielded it without restraint.

"Forgetting is the truth."

"Forgetting is the path."

"You are the Great Sun Golden Lotus; you have not been tainted by dust."

"I am the Great Sun Radiant Buddha; you are part of my body!"

The Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra influenced all.

Qi Yuan's body burned hot, crimson, flames raging without cease.

Yet from him radiated a pervasive Buddhahood.

The Great Sun Golden Lotus, as if sentient, truly slowed its burning—but then, sensing the greed, arrogance, lust, and other auras from the blood-colored longsword, it blazed anew, fiercer than before.

Qi Yuan, holding the sword, cast it away in disgust.

"It is my Three Corpses, already severed!"

"I am the Great Sun Radiant Buddha!"

"You are the relic within my belly!"

"You have not been tainted by dust!"

Qi Yuan continuously invoked his primal divine ability, soothing the Great Sun Golden Lotus.

Words of lotus bloomed from his mouth, his voice dripping with enchantment.

Within the star, the burning of the Great Sun Golden Lotus finally subsided.

Qi Yuan breathed a sigh of relief: "Two great treasures—one finally pacified, the other still to be coaxed."

The Great Sun Golden Lotus was calmed, but this star had yet to be soothed.

"Thanks to White Marsh, otherwise it wouldn't have been so easy," Qi Yuan mused.

Before leaving the Flowing Wind Realm, White Marsh had helped Qi Yuan, swallowing all the world's heart demons onto the Heart Demon Guide sword.

White Marsh had also bestowed upon Qi Yuan countless Buddhist teachings and some gifts from the Great Sun Radiant Buddha.

Thus, Qi Yuan could better use the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra to appease the Great Sun Golden Lotus.

"Great Sun Golden Lotus, forge my supreme flawless crystal-clear golden body!"

Qi Yuan roared.

The flawless crystal-clear golden body had to be cultivated.

He needed to create the hardest stomach in the world—otherwise, how could he swallow the golden core?

With his roar, the Great Sun Golden Lotus blazed once more.

But this time, it did not burn all—it burned Qi Yuan's soul, his flesh.

The immense energy of the Great Sun Golden Lotus ground against Qi Yuan's body, inch by inch, strand by strand.

The pain was unbearable. Yet in Qi Yuan's eyes blazed ambition: "No pain, no gain. I, Qi Yuan, will sweep through high school cultivation in the future!"

The Great Sun Golden Lotus burned on; his body was reshaped again and again.

After an unknown span, Qi Yuan opened his eyes, as if eons had passed. His skin was porcelain-white, radiating a faint luster like fine white china.

Just one glance inspired holiness, a desire to bow in worship.

"The flawless crystal-clear golden body... is finally complete."

With such a mighty golden body, swallowing a star should be no problem, right?

His gaze finally fell upon the star he inhabited.

He looked through this star, seeing countless points of light.

Other stars were all larger than this one.

This whetted Qi Yuan's appetite greatly.

Yet he was easily satisfied, gazing at the small sun he occupied: "Small, but still lovely."

As he spoke, his entire mana radiated forth in that moment.

For a cultivator to step from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, three things were needed: first, mana must be perfected; second, a suitable vessel for the golden core must be found; third, mana must be condensed into solid form, assimilating the vessel to forge one's own golden core.

How much mana did Qi Yuan have? He himself did not know.

Enough, and more than enough.

"Even ordinary Foundation Establishment can form an immortal-grade golden core!"

"I, with Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment and a perfected Zifu's mana—forming a stellar golden core should be no problem, right?"

Mighty mana spread without end.

Just a few dozen breaths passed, and Qi Yuan’s face fell with disappointment: “I was wrong—you’re not small at all, not even a little cute.”

This star was already the smallest Qi Yuan could see.

But its volume, he estimated, was still thousands, tens of thousands of times larger than the Blue Star of his past life.

His magical power simply couldn’t condense enough solid matter, nor could it wrap around this star to refine it into his golden core.

Qi Yuan gazed at this little sun and used the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra again.

“You’re not a sun—you’re a chocolate ball.”

The little sun showed no reaction at all.

“You’re not a star, nor a sun—you’re the golden core I left behind here!”

With Qi Yuan’s voice, this time his Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra reached its peak.

Now, he would inscribe the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra onto this star.

His primal divine ability was finally about to attain the legendary realm of inscription.

As he spoke, he shouted: “Great Sun Golden Lotus, explode for me!”

Qi Yuan worked on two fronts.

On one hand, he strove to inscribe the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra onto the star.

On the other, he directly shattered his own Glazed Immaculate Golden Body, spreading his entire form across the whole star, enveloping it to refine it into his golden core.

At this moment, Qi Yuan shattered into countless particles.

He preserved only his final consciousness.

“This is not my flesh—this is my magical power.”

“You are my golden core!”

The supreme primal divine ability, the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra, kept inscribing itself on the star.

The star, which had seemed somewhat “quiet,” erupted in violent explosions.

The shattered flesh and blood of the Glazed Immaculate Golden Body floated above the star.

“Every world in the mortal realm must have a Heavenly Dao to be complete!

You have no Heavenly Dao above you—you’re a perfect match for me!”

“You’re a chocolate ball!”

“You’re an egg!”

“You’re a kidney stone!”

“You’re my golden core!”

Qi Yuan kept inscribing.

The potential of the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra clearly surpassed the Void Realm Overlord’s Heart Demon Guide by far.

With this powerful primal force continuously inscribing, and no Heavenly Dao on this star, no one could stop Qi Yuan.

As long as Qi Yuan’s appetite was big enough, he could swallow this star in one gulp.

The star fell step by step.

The Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra kept inscribing, and the star slowly took on Qi Yuan’s shape.

Qi Yuan no longer had a physical body; his Glazed Immaculate Golden Body had turned into solid magical power, thinly wrapping the star.

Of course, this wrapping was more like a sham than a true encasement.

It was just a tiny bit here and there.

Too big!

The star was truly too big!

It was no little cutie at all!

The Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra inscribed without any hindrance.

The “Daydream Fantasy Art” that the Great Sun had failed to achieve was now realized by Qi Yuan.

This universe held far more than just this one star!

Endless rivers of stars, countless suns and planets.

No Heavenly Dao, no other living beings.

This universe was entirely virgin territory.

Qi Yuan, with a bite in his bowl, kept an eye on the pot.

“Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra, inscribe!”

“Golden core… begins to form!”

Qi Yuan gave a great shout.

The Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra was finally inscribed onto this star.

This star had finally become Qi Yuan’s shape.

“Condense!”

A terrifying aura swept through; the star suddenly burst with intense light, forming a golden core, then the light faded, and the star returned to its original form.

No matter who came to this realm, they would likely take this star for an ordinary one, not a cultivator’s golden core.

The aura of the Forgetfulness Realm spread over the star-golden-core, suspended in the vast cosmos.

A single golden core swallowed into the belly—today I finally know who I am!

Qi Yuan had finally formed his golden core and become a Golden Core True Man!

In the Divine Light Sect, aside from a few peak masters, that was a rarity!

Qi Yuan’s consciousness slowly returned.

His eyes looked toward the black silhouette deep in the cosmos, a trace of reluctance in his gaze.

At that moment, the star’s light turned into a river of stars, breathtakingly beautiful, like auspicious clouds.

The river of stars cut through the endless universe and landed before Ning Tao.

Ning Tao, as the Great Supreme, saw this with surprise and confusion in her eyes.

The terrifying aura ahead spread, surpassing everything, all things.

Even the Venerable One, even the White Emperor, seemed as insignificant as children before this terrifying presence.

“Blood bead…” Ning Tao’s lips trembled.

She looked through the river of stars but did not see the figure she knew best.

At that moment, the star itself let out its final voice.

“It is here, so I am here.”

The white Milky Way swept across, and Ning Tao's body was baptized in that moment.

It could be said that Qi Yuan's golden core possessed boundless might.

The star was him, and the Heavenly Dao was also him.

Now this golden core was comparable to a deity, or even... more terrifying than a deity.

After all, how could an ordinary Yin God contend with a star?

Ning Tao stepped onto the galaxy formed by starlight. She looked up at the star that seemed within arm's reach, a faint smile curving at the corners of her lips: "This is far better than the ends of the earth."

In the lonely universe, the maiden kept company with the star.

...

Canglan Realm.

"It hurts!"

"It hurts so much!"

"So bloated?"

Inside the wooden cabin, Qi Yuan clutched his stomach in agony.

"Am I pregnant?"

He looked at his belly—it was no different from usual.

Yet he felt both bloated and utterly empty, a stark contradiction.

He glanced at the wooden cat puppet on the bedside.

A helpless look flickered in his eyes.

"I have too little spiritual power now. When I have enough, I wonder if I can summon the projection of the stellar golden core and see... her."

The time difference in that universe was immense.

Because of the Great Forgetfulness Sutra, would the canary's memory... remain as it was before he left?

Qi Yuan could not be certain.

"Where is my golden core?"

Qi Yuan looked inward at his dantian, only to find it empty—nothing at all.

"Is my golden core still... in that universe?"

At that moment, Qi Yuan, sensing something, stepped out of his wooden cabin.

He looked up at the starry sky. In the broad daylight, faint specks of stars were visible, stars everywhere.

Qi Yuan saw at once that beside the blazing sun, there was an additional... small sun.

The small sun was not as dazzling as the great sun, but it was still a sun radiating light.

He gazed at the sun in the sky.

[The projection of the stellar golden core—on it, a woman has always been accompanying you.

Because of the Great Forgetfulness Sutra, her memory might linger on the moment before you left, or she might comprehend something formidable.]

"When I grow a bit older, I should be able to devour more stars..."

(ps1: Before leaving, Qi Yuan blessed Ning Tao, enhancing her strength.

ps2: Ning Tao, situated on the stellar golden core, is in a special state. This will be mentioned when she appears later, and it is also related to Ning Tao's future path.

So... this is truly not for the sake of angst, or rather, it is not actually angsty, because the canary is not Qi Yuan and cannot casually follow the protagonist back to Canglan Realm.)

(The end of this chapter)