Eastern Region.
Dragon Yuan Province
The skies above the ruined mountains churned endlessly with blood colored clouds.
Spiritual light exploded across the horizon while violent shockwaves continuously swept through the air.
A battle between cultivators was currently taking place.
No—
A massacre.
The once infamous Blood River Demonic Sect had finally fallen.
Across the ruined mountain range, shattered palaces burned beneath crimson flames while broken formation pillars collapsed one after another. Rivers of blood flowed through cracked valleys, carrying broken corpses alongside fragments of magical artifacts and shattered bones.
Above the battlefield, streaks of light shot through the sky like meteors.
Sword cultivators.
Spell cultivators.
Artifact masters.
Loose cultivators.
Even rogue factions had joined the extermination.
Because the enemy this time—
Were demonic cultivators.
In the cultivation world, there existed countless types of cultivators.
Loose cultivators wandered without sects or families to support them.
Family cultivators inherited cultivation from powerful clans and bloodlines.
Tribulation cultivators survived through robbery, ambushes, and killing.
Righteous cultivators followed orthodox cultivation paths, avoiding forbidden methods that harmed heaven and earth.
And then—
There were demonic cultivators.
The most hated among them all.
Unlike orthodox cultivators who absorbed heaven and earth spiritual qi naturally, demonic cultivators used living blood, resentment, death qi, and slaughter to increase their cultivation speed.
Especially human blood.
Human essence carried spirituality far more compatible with cultivation than ordinary beasts.
For cultivators with poor spiritual roots and little talent, demonic cultivation offered something irresistible.
Speed.
Power.
Freedom from bottlenecks.
But the price—
Was mountains of corpses.
Entire mortal cities drained dry.
Villages reduced to blood pools.
Children refined into cultivation materials.
That was why righteous sects, noble families, and even many loose cultivators would temporarily unite whenever large demonic sects appeared.
Not because the cultivation world was righteous by nature.
But because demonic cultivators crossed a line that threatened everyone.
After all—
Once someone became accustomed to using human blood for cultivation, there was no longer any distinction between mortals and cultivators.
Everyone became prey.
BOOM!!
A massive explosion shook the mountains.
Far above the battlefield, a blood colored river suddenly exploded apart under countless sword lights.
A furious scream echoed through the sky.
"You righteous hypocrites!!"
"You think destroying us will end demonic cultivation?!"
"Hahaha—"
"As long as greed exists…"
"Demonic cultivation will never disappear!!"
A gigantic crimson hand attempted to escape into the distance.
But before it could flee—
A golden sword descended from the heavens.
Slash!
The blood hand split apart instantly.
The remaining aura dispersed completely.
Silence briefly descended over the battlefield.
Then—
Cheers erupted from the righteous alliance cultivators.
"The Blood River Sect Master is dead!"
"We won!"
"Hahaha! Finally destroyed those monsters!"
"Search the ruins!"
"Capture any survivors!"
But beneath the excitement, many experienced cultivators merely narrowed their eyes quietly.
Because they understood something.
Destroying a demonic sect did not end demonic cultivation.
In fact—
It often spread it further.
Whenever a demonic sect collapsed, countless forbidden cultivation methods, jade slips, pills, and inheritances scattered into nearby cultivation regions.
Some were stolen.
Some hidden.
Some sold secretly.
And eventually—
Someone desperate enough would cultivate them again.
Thus beginning the cycle anew.
…
Several hundred miles away from the battlefield.
Within a quiet mountain range untouched by the war.
The atmosphere here was completely different.
The mountain peak was peaceful.
Ancient pine trees swayed beneath the wind while dense spiritual qi drifted naturally through the surroundings like mist.
At the center of the mountain sat two women.
One appeared older, possessing a graceful mature beauty.
She wore elegant azure robes embroidered with silver cloud patterns. Her presence was calm yet unfathomably deep, like an endless ocean hidden beneath still water.
Even the surrounding spiritual qi unconsciously avoided her existence.
Clearly—
A terrifying expert.
Beside her sat a younger girl around sixteen or seventeen years old.
Her appearance was breathtakingly beautiful.
Skin like white jade.
Long black hair cascading behind her.
Eyes clear as autumn water.
She wore an azure luan dress that fluttered gently beneath the mountain winds, making her appear almost unreal.
The surrounding spiritual qi naturally gathered around her body without needing guidance.
As if heaven and earth themselves favored her existence.
At this moment—
The girl sat cross legged while circulating spiritual qi continuously.
The older woman observed silently for a while before speaking calmly.
"You may begin your breakthrough."
"I will guard the surroundings."
The young girl nodded respectfully.
"Yes, Master."
The older woman raised one hand lightly.
Instantly—
BOOM!
A massive formation spread outward across the entire mountain range.
Countless runic patterns appeared in the sky before vanishing into the environment.
The spiritual qi density within the mountains immediately rose several times higher.
Even birds and spirit beasts fled instinctively from the terrifying pressure.
Only after finishing the formation did the older woman finally close her eyes calmly.
With her personally guarding the breakthrough—
Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would not dare intrude carelessly.
…
Meanwhile—
The young girl slowly entered deep meditation.
The spiritual qi surrounding her body rapidly intensified.
Streams of spiritual light continuously flowed into her meridians.
Beside her rested two precious spiritual medicines.
One was a deep green spirit herb radiating dense wood attribute aura.
The other—
A crimson spirit fruit covered in flame-like patterns.
Both possessed astonishing spiritual fluctuations.
Treasures capable of supporting a Foundation Establishment breakthrough.
Because unlike the Qi Refinement Realm—
Foundation Establishment was a true transformation.
A transition from mortal cultivation into genuine immortality.
And this breakthrough possessed three major trials.
The first—
The physical body trial.
A cultivator's body needed sufficient vitality and strength to withstand the transformation process.
That was why cultivators above sixty years old rarely attempted Foundation Establishment unless absolutely confident.
Once qi and blood declined—
The body could no longer support the breakthrough.
The second—
The magic power trial.
The gaseous spiritual qi within the dantian needed to compress and liquefy completely into liquid magic power.
Without sufficient cultivation method proficiency, the dantian could collapse during compression.
The third—
The divine sense trial.
A cultivator required strong spiritual sense to maintain control throughout the entire process.
Those possessing powerful divine sense beforehand naturally possessed much higher success rates.
Thus—
Body.
Magic power.
Spirit.
All three needed balance.
Only then could one establish the true foundation of immortality.
At this moment, the young girl had already completed most prerequisites.
Her body had been refined through years of cultivation resources.
Her spiritual qi was already partially liquefied.
And most importantly—
Her divine sense had already reached nearly ten li.
Far beyond ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators.
Meaning—
She possessed qualifications for high grade Foundation Establishment.
The surrounding spiritual qi suddenly surged violently.
The young girl immediately consumed both spiritual medicines.
Boom!
A terrifying wave of energy erupted from her body instantly.
The wood attribute medicinal power stabilized her meridians and vitality while the fire attribute fruit rapidly increased spiritual qi transformation speed.
Her body trembled slightly.
The surrounding spiritual qi rushed toward her like a tidal wave.
Inside her dantian—
The liquefaction process began.
The originally gaseous spiritual qi rapidly compressed inward.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Until eventually—
Droplets of liquid magic power formed.
The pressure inside her body increased enormously.
But her expression remained calm.
Cold.
Focused.
The cultivation method inside her body circulated rapidly.
As the liquid spiritual power increased—
A strange phenomenon gradually appeared within her dantian.
A foundation platform slowly began forming.
At first, it looked illusory.
Then gradually—
It solidified.
Layer by layer.
The platform glowed faintly beneath countless runic patterns as spiritual qi continuously poured into it.
Outside the mountain—
The surrounding heaven and earth spiritual qi suddenly fluctuated violently.
A spiritual disturbance spread several miles outward.
The older woman observing nearby slowly smiled.
"Excellent."
"She succeeded…"
The formation of the spiritual platform represented the first true step toward future Golden Core potential.
Not everyone who reached Foundation Establishment possessed such a stable foundation.
Yet her disciple had succeeded almost flawlessly.
Time continued passing.
Eventually—
The surrounding spiritual qi finally stabilized.
The spiritual disturbance gradually disappeared.
The young girl slowly opened her eyes.
A faint azure glow flashed within them briefly before fading.
Compared to before—
Her aura had transformed completely.
Deeper.
More stable.
More connected to heaven and earth.
Foundation Establishment Realm.
Success.
The older woman finally stood up and smiled faintly.
"Lin Yan."
"Congratulations on your breakthrough."
The young girl immediately rose respectfully and bowed.
"It is all thanks to Master's guidance."
Hearing that, the older woman merely shook her head lightly.
"Talent, temperament, and opportunity."
"All three belonged to you already."
"I merely pushed you slightly."
Lin Yan smiled softly.
The mountain wind drifted gently past her azure robes.
At that moment—
Her appearance seemed almost immortal beneath the clouds.
Yet neither master nor disciple noticed—
Far away toward the western horizon—
A faint invisible karmic fluctuation trembled briefly.
As if destiny itself had quietly begun moving once more.