"This pill furnace has been burning for ten thousand years, yet the Golden Core remains elusive, lacking only the Celestial Immortal Peony. Once you place the Celestial Immortal Peony into the furnace, the Golden Core will form instantly. Consuming the Golden Core will allow you to change your destiny, rebuild your body, alter your talent, acquire the body of an immortal spirit, and forge the physique of a deity. You will soar to the heavens, and breaking through the void will be a mere trifle one day..." the bronze ox droned on.

Chen Guan thought to himself, "So that's it. All the preferential treatment I've received along the way is because of this Celestial Immortal Peony."

Xiu Jie Ming gave chase with all his might, yet he felt himself growing more distant. The fog ahead thickened, obscuring the figures of the bronze ox and Chen Guan.

The Celestial Slayer Profound-Hoofed White Tiger exerted its full strength, only to be drawn further away.

Just as Xiu Jie Ming was about to lose sight of Chen Guan, he suddenly sensed the surrounding clouds rolling outward, and his vision gradually cleared.

Xiu Jie Ming turned to look at Button Brother, seeing an ethereal breath emitting from him, dispersing the nearby fog.

"Button, well done." Xiu Jie Ming knew it was the Guardian talent of Button at work, and his spirits soared as he urged the Celestial Slayer Profound-Hoofed White Tiger to chase fiercely.

Before long, the bronze ox and Chen Guan stopped; they had reached the mountain peak.

Xiu Jie Ming and Button Brother caught up, witnessing the enormous alchemy furnace, and were no less shocked than Chen Guan.

But Xiu Jie Ming quickly noticed something peculiar. Though they were near, the Celestial Slayer Profound-Hoofed White Tiger couldn't draw any closer to the bronze ox and Chen Guan, as if a vast distance lay between, stopped by the enveloping fog.

Xiu Jie Ming was about to dismount the White Tiger to find a way closer when he heard the bronze ox's words and sensed something amiss.

"Is the opportunity I painstakingly obtained going to clothe Chen Guan in glory?" Xiu Jie Ming thought bitterly, not expecting events to unfold this way, nor realizing Chen Guan held the final ingredient needed for the Golden Core.

Now, Xiu Jie Ming regretted not acting at Chunyang Temple when he had many chances and had noted something odd about Chen Guan.

He hadn't acted, due to self-importance and a reluctance to kill Chen Guan in front of others, and because, after Chunyang Temple, he hesitated about killing Chen Guan.

Chen Guan removed the Celestial Immortal Peony from his back, cradling the flower pot in his arms, yet he didn't throw it into the furnace.

"How do I know if the Golden Core, once formed, will still be mine?" Chen Guan inquired.

"The Golden Core has its own spirit. Not anyone can claim it; it hasn't formed in ten thousand years. You've brought the Celestial Immortal Peony to help it take form. When the core is complete, it will be yours to use, and no one else can take it," the bronze ox replied.

"Don't you have any thoughts on the Golden Core?" Chen Guan asked indifferently.

"Haha... the Golden Core might be a Supreme Immortal Pill to you... but it's useless to me..." the bronze ox laughed aloud.

"Why should I trust you?" Chen Guan frowned.

"It doesn't matter if you trust me. Can you throw away this opportunity?" The bronze ox mocked, "I've seen humans, you can't possibly let this chance pass; no matter what, you'll end up putting the Celestial Immortal Peony in."

"You make a point," Chen Guan smiled. "So can you tell me, if I put the Celestial Immortal Peony in, what will happen to Beimang Mountain Secret Realm? Will there be adverse effects?"

"The Celestial Immortal Peony suppresses the Earthly Evil Elemental Energy of Beimang Mountain. Without it, no one can suppress it. From then on, all Secret Spirits and human cultivators will be subject to pervasive Earthly Evil Elemental Energy erosion, leading to physical damage or various mutations, at worst death."

"As they say, survival of the fittest. This is the fate Beimang Mountain must bear. Those who adapt can continue living here; those who cannot will become soil, nurturing new life with their nutrients."

"Can't the Earthly Evil Elemental Energy be restrained?" Chen Guan continued to ask unhurriedly.

"Unless possessing the Pure Yang Skill, even a Third Awakening Secret Spirit can't fully resist the Earthly Evil Elemental Energy. Besides this, only the power of the Flower Fairy can negate its effects."

The bronze ox sighed and continued, "But the Flower Fairy clan absorbed too much Hell Elemental Energy from helping the Celestial Immortal Peony suppress the Earthly Evil Elemental Energy, wearing down their bodies, leading to their continuous degradation in rank until they became lowly Flower Demons entirely corroded by Evil Energy."

"Even so, they continued aiding the Celestial Immortal Peony in suppressing the Earthly Evil Elemental Energy. With bodies now entirely influenced by Evil Energy, if the Celestial Immortal Peony disappears, causing a full outbreak of Earthly Evil Elemental Energy, all Flower Demons will transform into Evil Demons under its influence, becoming spreaders of Evil Energy."

"So, if I throw the Celestial Immortal Peony into the furnace to make the Golden Core, many people and Secret Spirits will die in this Beimang Mountain Secret Realm?" Chen Guan asked.

"Whether people will die, I don't know. Most Secret Spirits won't die; they'll mostly be eroded by Earthly Evil Elemental Energy and gradually become Evil Demons. Evil Demons are also a kind of Secret Spirit, considered a different rebirth," the bronze ox said indifferently.

"In that case, there's no need to consume the Golden Core," Chen Guan said calmly.

He truly didn't want to consume it, because, as the bronze ox had said, consuming it would reshape his body and alter his talent. For others, it might be a dream come true, but for Chen Guan, he absolutely could not allow his talent to be altered.

The deeper he delved, the more he sensed the inherent power of his Lifebound Talent. He preferred not to take a shortcut to immortality, rather than abandon his talent.

Upon hearing this, both the bronze ox and Xiu Jie Ming, trying to approach from behind, froze.

Xiu Jie Ming could hardly believe his ears, staring blankly at Chen Guan perched on the bronze ox, holding the Celestial Immortal Peony.

"This is simply a false pretense. He can't possibly forsake the Immortal Pill," thought Xiu Jie Ming.

"It seems you didn't understand what I said. You don't know what consuming the Golden Core signifies," said the bronze ox, curling its lips. "I must have used too elegant terms before, confusing you. Let me put it plainly: after consuming the Golden Core, your body will reborn into that akin to a Secret God. You may not know what a Secret God is..."

"I know," Chen Guan interrupted the bronze ox.

"Since you know of Secret Gods, you should understand they are mighty beings. After consuming the Golden Core, your body will become comparable to a Secret God. The Golden Core will reset your Lifebound Talent, granting you a Secret God-level Lifebound Talent..."

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