Thirty years passed like a fleeting moment.

Above the Cloud Sea of Pill Furnace Peak, a massive Spiritual Qi tide surged for a long time.

Within a hundred-mile radius, the Spiritual Mist converged like rivers to the ocean towards the Danxin Cave Mansion midway up the mountain, forming a visible Spiritual Energy Vortex, the center of which was so dense with Spirit Light it almost turned liquid.

Outside the cave mansion on the observation platform, several Master Fake Pills from the Qinghua Sect stood side by side.

Hua Taixuan had a five-colored canopy suspended above his head, exuding an aura of authority. Having presided over the mountain gate for many years and led the entire sect, his mind had long been honed to be as deep and still as an ancient well.

At this moment, however, his gaze was fixed firmly in the direction of the cave mansion, his eyes filled with intense anticipation.

Lin Xian held the Eight Trigrams Mirror, occasionally scanning the Spiritual Qi tide, seemingly calculating the progress of the breakthrough.

Chen Xin and Li Weiyang held their breath and focused their attention, their eyes filled with anticipation—Chen Sheng was attempting to breakthrough to the Seventh Layer of Body Refining and condense his Golden Core.

If successful, the Qinghua Sect would gain another Golden Core combatant, which would undoubtedly be a powerful boost amidst the chaos of the ongoing struggle between the righteous and the demonic.

"It's been two days; by now, the Pill Domain should've formed…"

As soon as the words were spoken, the Spiritual Energy Vortex suddenly trembled violently. The previously gathered Spiritual Mist receded like a tide, leaving only a thin layer of Spiritual Qi swirling above the cave mansion, eventually dispersing completely.

Disappointment flashed in Hua Taixuan's eyes. He raised his hand to rub his brow, muttering to himself:

"Condensing a Body Cultivation Golden Core is difficult indeed; even with the Tier Three Flood Dragon Essence Blood and the Gathering Pearl Secret Skill, it's still not enough."

He turned to look at the other Elders, who, though equally disappointed, said nothing more.

Breaking through to the Golden Core in the Cultivation Realm is, after all, a life-or-death endeavor, and being able to retreat unscathed is already a blessing.

Just then, with a loud "boom," the stone gate of the cave mansion exploded, and a stream of red light shot into the sky.

The light stretched out in the air, transforming into a twelve-zhang-long red Flood Dragon!

The dragon's head was raised high, its whiskers flowing with hot air currents, roaring as it twisted and turned within the Cloud Sea, clearly venting the frustration of the failed breakthrough.

The scales of the Flood Dragon glimmered golden, surrounded by Blood Gang like red flames. Although it did not break through to Golden Core, it showed no signs of injury.

"Luckily, it didn't suffer any serious harm."

Hua Taixuan sighed with relief, exchanging a glance with the other Elders before they nodded in mutual understanding and dispersed.

Now was not the time to disturb Chen Sheng; better to discuss the next steps once he calms down.

The Cloud Sea churned for a long time before the red Flood Dragon gradually withdrew its aura, transforming back into human form.

Chen Sheng stood atop the cliff of ten thousand zhang, his robes flapping in the mountain breeze. He raised his hand to capture a wisp of Spiritual Qi before him, feeling the faint sense of solidification in the Blood Gang around him slowly dissipate, sighing softly.

"Even with the Gathering Pearl Secret Skill and Tier Three Flood Dragon Essence Blood, I failed to push into the Seventh Layer of Body Refining or achieve the Body Cultivation Golden Core."

He muttered to himself, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

At the age of 135, he had reached the peak of Body Refining, spending years honing his mana and comprehending the Gathering Pearl Secret Skill, believing this would increase his chances of a breakthrough, yet it was not to be.

"Tier Three Flood Dragon Essence Blood is hard to find; it's been years since there's been any news of a Tier Three Flood Dragon. It's unlikely I'll have another opportunity to try this path."

Chen Sheng sighed softly, sinking his mind into his Dantian.

Within his Dantian, 220 drops of crimson liquid mana slowly rotated, each drop emanating a rich glow of Spirit Light—a hallmark of the Late-stage Foundation Establishment.

Twenty years ago, he attempted to simplify the Pill Formula for the Profound Essence Barrier-Breaking Pill, crafting two modified Realm-Breaking Pills for himself that allowed him to smoothly break through the mid-stage Foundation Establishment bottleneck and advance to late-stage.

During that breakthrough, his mana surged from 120 drops to 180 drops.

Subsequently, seizing the opportunity provided by the war between the righteous and the demonic, he acquired a vast amount of Tier Three Spiritual Materials, accelerating his cultivation speed. In just twenty years, he consolidated another 40 drops of mana.

According to the 'Pure Yang Qi Technique,' reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection allows for the condensation of up to 240 drops of mana—he was not far off.

"I am 140 years old now. Within ten years, I should achieve Foundation Establishment Perfection, and perhaps be able to attempt a Fake Pill breakthrough."

Chen Sheng lightly shook his head, though there was not much expectation in his eyes—with his Spiritual Root aptitude, the probability of refining a Demon Pill to achieve a Fake Pill was even lower than breaking into Body Cultivation Golden Core.

Yet, the path of cultivation requires a glimmer of hope, so he decided to give it a try:

"With my current status, obtaining the Tier Three Demon Pill—the most challenging acquisition for a Foundation Establishment Perfection Cultivator—isn't difficult. I must at least make an attempt."

...

In thirty years, countless lives were lost in the war between the righteous and the demonic.

At first, the demonic flames raged, with Blood Refining Dharma King, White Bone Dharma King, and Fire Phoenix King, three powerful late-stage Golden Core cultivators, advancing on separate fronts, conquering Immortal Cities and sects, and reestablishing the Demon Sect banner.

During that time, the Qinghua and Li Xiao Sects could only rely on the Sect Protection Array to barely hold on.

Hua Taixuan even prepared for the worst.

If the three late-stage Golden Core powerhouses joined forces to attack the mountain, exhausting the Treasury's reserves of Tier Three Talismans and Talisman Treasures...

He would resort to the most extreme measures, including detonating the Tier Three Blood Corpses resting in the Secret Realm tomb of the main peak...

Those Blood Corpses, all former Golden Core Sect Leaders of Qinghua Sect, had each practiced Secret Techniques to prepare themselves to be refined into corpses after death as they approached the end of their lives.

This was a last resort of the sect, known only to each generation's Sect Leader.

Fortunately, such dire circumstances did not transpire!

After narrowly escaping the Qinghua Grand Array, Blood Refining Dharma King's injuries were more severe than anticipated, and he has not been seen again, presumably recuperating in hiding for years.

Instead, his subordinate, Venerable Black Demon, advanced to mid-stage Golden Core, under the banner of "Blood Refining Hall," took control of the Western Border, turning it into a purgatory of human blood sacrifice.

To the east, White Bone Dharma King established the 'White Bone Demon Sect' on the ruins of Yue Ling Sect, recruiting troops and establishing demonic laws with an apparent aim to take root in the Chu Country!

Over the years, as intelligence gradually accumulated, the cultivators of the Qinghua and Li Xiao Sects finally mapped out the origins of these demonic cultivators!

They originated from the Yue Kingdom Cultivation Realm on the other side of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, belonging to the "Four Symbols Demon Sect."

Originally, it had four major halls: White Bone, Blood Refining, Skin Painting, and Myriad Souls, with the Four Symbols Demon Lord being a formidable early-stage Nascent Soul figure.

Unfortunately, the Four Symbols Demon Sect encountered formidable enemies, leading to the Demon Lord's demise, with two Dharma Kings killed and two escaping.

It was White Bone and Blood Refining who, with the remnants, crossed the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, enshrouded the Chu Country in secret for decades, collecting blood sacrifice and healing, eventually colluding with the Demon Race to initiate this war.

...

For thirty years, countless battles erupted between the righteous and demonic.

For the Qinghua Sect, aside from the initial onslaught by demonic cultivators, the subsequent battles were mostly a series of skirmishes.

With White Bone Dharma King carving out his domain and Blood Refining Dharma King absent, the pressure on Qinghua significantly reduced!

The fiercest battlefield constantly lay between the Li Xiao Sect and the Fire Phoenix King's demon army.

The Linglong Immortal City under Li Xiao Sect was near the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, where countless demons were hunted, resulting in numerous large-scale battles.

In past demon invasions, the Three Sects always united in resistance!

This time, with the involvement of external demonic cultivators, the other two sects were too preoccupied to assist.

The Demon Race's onslaught overwhelmed Linglong, their army ravaging countless markets and repeatedly assaulting Li Xiao Sect's mountain gate, creating a massive force!

Fortunately, the Li Xiao Sect held steadfastly with their defensive turtle strategy, their Sect Protection Array standing as firm as a tortoise shell. They even managed to slay several Demon Kings within the array, barely securing their foundation.

As high-level confrontations continued, the main forces involved shifted downwards, with Tier Two Great Demons and Foundation Establishment cultivators clashing, resulting in numerous casualties!

As the situation grew increasingly intense.

The fate of one impacts the other; if Li Xiao Sect were to truly fall, Qinghua Sect would certainly meet a dire end!

As a result, Qinghua Sect dispatched Master Fake Pills and many Foundation Establishment cultivators in batches to participate in the battle against the Demon Race.

This included several of Chen Sheng's descendants, such as Wu Guang, Li Yang, and Chen Yuquan.

Among them, Wu Guang and Li Yang possessed Earth Grade Spiritual Roots, but their backgrounds were slightly lacking.

The Wu Clan had no Core Formation cultivators, and the only Fake Pill cultivator of the Li Clan, Li Yuan, died in battle at the West River.

Therefore, the two had to strive harder, volunteering for the battlefield to accumulate battle merits, hoping to obtain Core Formation Spiritual Objects.

With Chen Sheng as their Tier Three Alchemist father providing them with Tier Three healing and recovery Elixir Pills from time to time,

Their survival abilities on the battlefield increased significantly, and they frequently achieved battle merits!

The most outstanding one was Chen Yuquan.

Though his Spiritual Root aptitude didn't match his brothers, his magical combat skills were unparalleled, making him quite dazzling among Foundation Establishment cultivators in this war...

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