Chapter 345 - 320: Golden Core
The highest level of the Taixu Mirror Heaven.
The strange forest scenery of Red Mountain Green Leaves remained unchanged.
But this time, as Qi Yun stepped inside, the atmosphere he felt was completely different from before.
The Spiritual Mechanism suffusing the air was no longer lazy and casual. Instead, it carried a heavy, formless pressure, as if the entire Dao Domain was holding its breath in concentration.
Beneath the sky-piercing, colossal tree, the figure seated cross-legged upon the Dark Red Jade Platform had also changed his attire.
The Desolate Halberd Splitting Sky True Monarch had uncharacteristically shed his signature loose-fitting robes, donning a Civil and Military Robe of black fabric with gold patterns.
The robe was perfectly tailored, its black color as deep as an eternal night. Embroidered upon it with Dark Gold Thread were miniature Dao Patterns of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers. They rose and fell faintly with the True Monarch’s breath, as if containing a miniature universe within.
He wore no crown. His long hair was tied up with a simple Ebony Hairpin, revealing a sharp, angular face that commanded respect without a trace of anger.
His fractured-gold eyes now lacked their usual laziness and playfulness, replaced by a deep, abyss-like tranquility.
His quiet gaze felt almost tangible.
The Sky-Splitting Halberd, which had once clashed head-on with the will of the Profound Yellow Heaven, stood upright in the void beside the jade platform. It complemented the magnificent authority of the True Monarch’s Civil and Military Robe, together creating an unprecedented sense of solemnity and... pressure.
Qi Yun’s heart tightened, but his expression remained impassive. He stepped forward according to etiquette and bowed.
"Disciple Qi Yun pays his respects to the True Monarch.
I was fortunate not to fail my mission and have retrieved the [Fruit Position]."
The Desolate Halberd True Monarch nodded slightly but did not immediately bid him to rise. Instead, his gaze lingered on Qi Yun for a moment, as if inspecting a sharp weapon that had just finished being forged.
After a long moment, he finally spoke slowly. His voice, exceptionally clear in the silent Dao Domain, carried a rare note of praise.
"Regarding your trip to [Cang Que], you did well."
He was not casually lounging as he usually did, but sitting upright on a throne of dark gold cloud patterns that had appeared at some unknown time.
His back was straight, and though he did not intentionally release any pressure, he naturally possessed the supreme bearing of a deep abyss or a towering mountain.
"You have courage and boldness." A faint smile touched the True Monarch’s lips, and a look of reminiscence and appreciation flashed in his fractured-gold eyes.
"Using the Great Cang Dynasty as your chessboard, using the karma of hundreds of millions of living beings as fuel, you concocted the strange poison known as [End of Dharma].
You even dared to use your own body to feign control of the Power of Heaven and Earth and clash head-on with the Other Realm’s celestial will...
That decisiveness to find life in death, those calculations to turn the world upside down from a desperate situation... even I, in my younger days, might not have handled it better than you."
He paused, his gaze falling upon Qi Yun’s calm yet bottomless eyes. A rare trace of regret entered his tone.
"Unfortunately, the path you walk is completely incompatible with my own."
He shook his head gently, and the upright Great Halberd seemed to sense its master’s mood, letting out a low hum.
"Our Dao paths are opposed, like water and fire.
If not for this... with the disposition and ability you’ve displayed this time...
I just so happen to be missing a final, personal disciple to inherit my legacy."
Coming from a True Monarch who dominated myriad realms and awed the Profound Yellow, these words carried immense weight.
If an ordinary Cultivator were to hear this, they would likely be overcome with emotion, wringing their hands in regret.
Yet, upon hearing this, Qi Yun’s heart was as calm and cold as ice and snow.
He maintained his bowing posture, his voice clear and composed.
"You flatter me, True Monarch.
On the trip to Cang Que, although I had my plans, if the True Monarch had not granted me the [Six Realms Heaven] to open a path home, and if the True Monarch’s incarnation had not descended at the final moment to block the backlash from the [True Celestial Will]...
...then no matter how many schemes I had, this disciple would never have broken through that celestial will’s final barrier, let alone retrieve the [Fruit Position].
The credit for my success largely relies on the True Monarch’s far-reaching arrangements and thorough safety nets."
His words were half truth, half placation.
Ever since returning to the Profound Yellow, he had repeatedly analyzed and reviewed every detail of his trip to Cang Que.
The Desolate Halberd True Monarch’s choice to send him was no accident.
It was a decision made after learning that he had mastered a pure Thunder Skill.
Without the [Thunder Skill] to break the monopoly of the ’false celestial will’ and become a Rapidly Cultivated Yang God to fight the Other Realm’s army of Cultivators, the subsequent series of arrangements would have been impossible.
After the Desolate Halberd True Monarch listened, the smile on his lips deepened slightly, and light flowed within his fractured-gold eyes.
"Heh, you certainly know how to talk."
Although he knew Qi Yun’s words were tinged with flattery, he was clearly quite pleased.
At his Realm, there was no longer any need for false pleasantries.
A little flattery, as long as it was well-placed, instead revealed the speaker’s cleverness and tact.
"Alright. Merit is rewarded, and mistakes are punished. This is common sense." The True Monarch said no more. He casually raised his right hand and gave a light wave in Qi Yun’s direction.
"This is the [Golden Core] I promised you. Take it and keep it safe."
Before his voice had even faded, a stream of molten gold divine light—incredibly condensed and containing infinite vitality of Creation—shot out from the True Monarch’s sleeve. It traced a profound trajectory, spiraling neither too fast nor too slow before coming to a quiet halt in front of Qi Yun.
As the glow gradually faded, its true form was revealed.
It was a perfectly round and flawless Elixir Pill, about the size of a longan fruit.
Its color was not uniform, but an indescribable, glazed Chaos Color, as if a wisp of primordial Dao Rhyme from the dawn of Heaven and Earth had been solidified within it.
The surface of the pill was not smooth, but naturally formed with nine apertures and eight holes. Within these openings, purple mist swirled and golden light flowed. With an almost imperceptible, breath-like rhythm, it slowly breathed in the purest surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism.
And deep within the core of the Elixir Pill, a flickering point of light eternally bobbed. Each flicker caused countless natural Dao Patterns—as fine as the wings of a gnat and complex to the extreme—to appear on the pill’s surface.
These Dao Patterns slowly drifted and recombined, manifesting Supreme images of the birth and death of the Great Dao, the Reincarnation of Yin Yang, and the evolution of the five elements.
This point of light was precisely the [immortal golden nature] that only a True Monarch could possess.
An Imperishable Golden Core!
It required no external support, sustained its own cycle, and its Dao Rhyme was naturally formed.
Qi Yun’s gaze fell upon the Golden Core. Even with a mind tempered by trials in two realms, his Heart Lake couldn’t help but ripple at this moment as a burning sensation rose from the bottom of his heart.
However, just as his emotions stirred and he was about to reach out for the pill—
The Desolate Halberd True Monarch’s calm, wave-less voice sounded again, causing Qi Yun’s outstretched hand to freeze for an imperceptible instant.
"The [Golden Core]’s medicinal power is immense and tugs upon the Great Dao. Taking it for the first time can easily trigger internal and external tribulations, breeding Heart Demons and external evils."
The True Monarch sat upright on his golden throne, his fractured-gold eyes calmly watching Qi Yun.
"You will consume it here. I will personally act as your guardian, guide the medicinal power, and suppress any disturbances. This will ensure that nothing goes wrong."
’Consume it here?’
’The True Monarch will personally act as my guardian?’
At these words, the joy and burning excitement that had risen in Qi Yun from seeing the Golden Core were instantly frozen and cooled, as if a basin of ice water had been poured over his head.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze meeting the True Monarch’s deep, tranquil, fractured-gold eyes—eyes that seemed to see through everything yet held neither joy nor sorrow.
The True Monarch’s face still held a faint look of praise. The upright Great Halberd remained silent. The Dao Patterns of the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers on his Civil and Military Robe still flowed with magnificent light.
’Everything seemed so natural, so matter-of-fact.’
’So "for my own good."’
However, uncontrollably and with utmost clarity, the Elder Master’s final instructions before his departure echoed in Qi Yun’s mind.
That murky gaze that had pierced through time, life, and death; those instructions so heavy they had nearly crushed his Dao Heart—every single word was seared like a brand into the deepest part of his Divine Soul:
"Don’t trust anyone, including a True Monarch!"
The Golden Core was before him, the path of the Dao within his grasp.
The True Monarch acting as a guardian seemed like a monumental opportunity and a gracious favor.
’But why... why insist that I consume it here, right now?’
’With the True Monarch’s power, after bestowing the Golden Core, he surely has countless perfect methods to help with its Refinement. Why the rush?’
Qi Yun’s heart slowly sank.
Yet he dared not show the slightest change in expression; he even forcefully suppressed the subtle contraction of his pupils with his powerful will.
In his mind, however, thoughts flashed like lightning.
’Take it, or not take it?’
’Swallow it, or not swallow it?’
’Consume the pill here, with the True Monarch as my guardian.’
’It seems like a supreme grace, a great tree offering its shade.’
The Elder Master’s last words rang like an alarm bell, frantically shaking the depths of his Divine Soul.
’Refuse?’
The thought had barely formed before he extinguished it himself.
Faced with a True Monarch who had made his stance clear and had just lavished him with praise, refusing this "kindness" was tantamount to tearing off all pretense and laying his suspicions bare.
’Swallowing it might be a trap.’
’Not swallowing it means immediate disaster.’
’Choosing between two evils...’
In that instant, as his thoughts raced and his heart felt as if it had plunged into an icy abyss...
HUMMM...
A familiar thrum spread through his Heart Lake without any warning.
"Hm?"
Qi Yun’s eyes suddenly focused!
’This feeling... it’s...’
His Heart and Spirit subconsciously sank into his Purple Mansion. In the next instant, a flicker of incredulous shock, a rare sight, crossed his usually calm face.
The long-dormant [Magic Technique Panel] was unfurling on its own within his mind, glowing with circulating light.
In a flash of inspiration, Qi Yun made his decision.
He took a deep breath, as if to force all the doubt, the chill, and even the last shred of hesitation in his chest down into the deepest part of his Dantian.
"This disciple kowtows in thanks for the True Monarch’s immense heavenly grace!"
Then, under the watchful gaze of the Desolate Halberd True Monarch’s fractured-gold eyes, Qi Yun reached out his right hand, his fingers steady and strong, and grasped the Golden Core!
The Golden Core felt strangely heavy in his hand, as if he were holding a small, solidified piece of Heaven and Earth.
Without the slightest hesitation, Qi Yun tilted his head back, opened his mouth, and brought the Golden Core to his lips.
Just as the Golden Core was about to enter his mouth...
...out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to glimpse the faint, almost imperceptible smile on the Desolate Halberd True Monarch’s lips—a smile that suggested everything was under his control—deepen by a fraction.
GULP.
The Golden Core went down his throat.
...