Chapter 71: Out of the Forest with Spirit Grass, Accidental Discovery of a Golden Core Skeleton
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Yu Xian’s gaze immediately sharpened. Without hesitation, he turned back around and continued his desperate sprint forward!
Just from its aura—and especially from its ten-zhang-tall body—that duck-headed, toad-bodied demonic beast was at least comparable to a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, maybe even peak Foundation Establishment!
GAA! GAA!
The monstrous beast let out thunderous roars as it chased after him, moving at twice the speed of the wolf-like creature from earlier.
Even though it was initially over a thousand meters away, the distance was closing at an alarming rate.
Yu Xian gripped the talisman infused with the power of a Golden Core perfection cultivator tightly in his hand.
Even though the beast vastly overpowered him, and even though this was essentially a one-sided hunt, he felt no fear.
Remaining calm, fearless, and composed under crisis and despair had become a habit for Yu Xian.
Besides, this wasn’t truly a dead-end yet. With a well-timed strike using the talisman, he could absolutely turn the tide.
The distance rapidly decreased.
900 meters, 800, 700… until finally—100 meters!
GAA!!
The beast leaped high into the air, opening its grotesque duck-like beak, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth, dripping with thick, disgusting saliva, and lunged straight for Yu Xian!
Yu Xian’s face twisted into a ferocious expression. At the perfect moment, he turned and roared:
“DIE!!”
He hurled the talisman with perfect precision—
A flash of brilliant golden light exploded as it activated midair, landing directly inside the beast’s gaping maw!
BOOM!!
Golden light erupted like a miniature sun. The lethal energy of a perfected Golden Core cultivator’s strike surged out in all directions.
Though it was a sealed technique and had lost 30% of its original power, it was still a terrifying force!
Sealed talismans of this level—at the limit of what talisman magic could contain—were extremely rare. Beyond this level, Nascent Soul–grade talismans were virtually nonexistent due to the immense difficulty in sealing such powerful magic.
Creating a Nascent Soul talisman might take years of effort, tens of thousands of casting repetitions, rare materials, and even then could only seal an early Nascent Soul spell.
Mid-stage, late-stage, or perfected Nascent Soul? Completely impossible to seal.
True Nascent Soul experts wouldn’t even bother. They’d just give their disciples powerful fourth or fifth-tier magical treasures instead.
Talisman spells were mostly used by Foundation Establishment and lower-realm cultivators. They were consumables, after all.
But the power of this Golden Core talisman was absolutely beyond anything Yu Xian had seen!
A muffled blast sounded as the light and energy shredded the duck-toad beast’s head into mist.
Then, a shockwave burst forth and sent Yu Xian flying dozens of meters back. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he hit the ground hard.
Thud!
His internal organs felt like they had been jumbled up—
If not for the body-refining cultivation he’d practiced, he might have died from the backlash alone.
No wonder low-stage cultivators rarely used high-level talismans—
They’re indiscriminate weapons. One mistake and you might be the one who dies!
Cough… cough…
Yu Xian spat out blood and jumped up, jostling his body to realign his organs, then ignored his injuries and rushed forward.
That duck-toad demon beast was very, very dead.
Its skull had been obliterated, body covered in gaping wounds, with flesh and blood strewn across the blackened ground.
Yu Xian dashed up to it and quickly sliced open its belly.
Inside, he spotted a fist-sized, fourth-tier demon core next to its heart—
An incredibly valuable resource, whether consumed for cultivation or refined into a high-grade fourth-tier pill.
Without wasting time, he grabbed the core and sped away.
The beast’s blood and meat would inevitably attract other predators.
He had to leave this area—now.
As he ran, he used a cleansing spell to wash off the blood, changed into clothes from one of the looted storage bags, and did his best to suppress his presence.
Wrapped in dried bones and tree branches, Yu Xian resembled a walking bush—
He passed many spirit beasts, but they were all too focused on rushing toward the fallen beast’s corpse to notice him.
More than ten Foundation Establishment–level beasts passed by, all ignoring the disguised “moving tree.”
Finally, after half an hour of stealthy fleeing—
He made it out of the forest!
The world outside was much brighter, and the mountain he had set as his goal now loomed before him.
He had no idea what dangers awaited on or inside the mountain—
But one thing was certain: he had to keep moving forward.
Stopping now was death.
Just like the time he got lost in the woods when he was younger—
Survival required walking, searching, struggling.
Waiting for rescue was nothing but slow suicide.
Gazing up at the massive mountain, a faint glow of determination rose in his eyes.
First goal: reach the mountain. Completed.
Next goal: reach its summit!
Set a plan.
Execute step by step.
Yu Xian believed in himself—he would find a way out!
But right now, he was exhausted.
It was getting dark again.
Climbing the mountain today was impossible. He needed a safe place to rest, recover his stamina, and restore his spiritual energy.
So, he began to search for shelter near the mountain’s base.
Though outside the forest, the mountain’s lower regions were still full of trees, rocks, and thick underbrush—
Finding a secure place wouldn’t be easy.
Luckily, there were still about two hours of daylight left.
Plenty of time.
Cautiously, Yu Xian moved forward, body covered in camouflage, looking just like a moving little shrub.
He stayed on high alert.
Beasts on the mountain were likely no less dangerous than those in the forest—possibly even more savage.
He soon encountered an abundance of thorny vines and aggressive plants—
Mountain flora corrupted by demonic energy.
One wrong step could mean torn flesh and death.
As he cautiously navigated the terrain, a glimmer caught his eye.
Something unusual…
Ahead, among the thorns, grew a deep-blue herb with a single silver thread running through it—
The thorns didn’t smother it; instead, they grew around it protectively.
Blue-Silver Grass!
A fifth-tier spirit herb!
In the outside world, such a herb could sell for hundreds of thousands of spirit stones—
Even Golden Core cultivators would covet it!
Any disciple from the Medicine King Valley would consider their mission complete just by finding this herb.
Golden Core elders would even help them break through Foundation Establishment in gratitude!
Yu Xian’s face lit up.
He checked the surroundings carefully, then slowly approached.
Using his Jade Spirit Sword to part the thorns, he confirmed no beasts were guarding the herb.
Quickly and carefully, he plucked it and stored it in his spatial bag.
Even though he knew he couldn’t leave this place yet, Yu Xian couldn’t help but smile—
Finding treasure always brings joy. It’s human nature.
Just as he was about to turn around, he froze.
His brow furrowed.
Removing the herb had revealed a small hole in the ground.
And inside that hole… was a white leg bone.
The herb had grown atop a corpse.
That wasn’t unusual. Plants absorb nutrients from the dead.
What was unusual, however, was the state of the bone.
This leg bone… glowed faintly.
Ordinary bones—whether mortal or Foundation Establishment cultivators—decompose over time into dust.
Only very fresh corpses leave intact skeletons.
But this bone…
Was as smooth and translucent as jade.
Yu Xian’s eyes widened.
He immediately understood what he was looking at.
When a cultivator breaks through to a higher major realm, they undergo a baptism from Heaven and Earth.
Their flesh and bones are reforged, and their lifespan extended.
A seventy-year-old cultivator who breaks through to Foundation Establishment becomes youthful again and gains a lifespan of over two hundred years.
Likewise, a Foundation Establishment cultivator breaking through to Golden Core undergoes another transformation.
Heavenly law fuses with the body—
The flesh becomes divine. The bones become jade. Lifespan stretches to a thousand years.
This was a mark of an immortal.
So this jade-like bone…
Belonged to a Golden Core cultivator.
Even though time would eventually erode it, such a bone could remain intact for at least five hundred years.
Yu Xian had just discovered—
The remains of a Golden Core cultivator.
