After reaching the Connate Golden Core realm and condensing the legendary purplish-gold Golden Core, Qin Yun spent most of his time over the following days practicing various flying sword arts on the mirror lake.
Soon, it was the 29th of March.
“Haha…” Qin Yun stood above the lake’s waters and retrieved his flying sword. “Back when I comprehended the second Paramount realm of my Misty Rain Sword Intent, decimation, it was to make my flying sword art more perfect and balanced. The defensive enhancement against enemies was negligible but the offensive aspect was greatly improved. My Intrinsic Flying Sword went from the third-grade to the second-grade. Its strength increased by about sixty to seventy percent.”
“However, none of that could be considered a qualitative change,” said Qin Yun with a laugh. “Now, having formed the purplish-gold Golden Core, my strength has truly undergone a qualitative change.”
Previously, Qin Yun’s flying sword was barely a mosquito bite on those with extremely powerful bodies, such as Patriarch Crocdragon.
But in fact, Buddhist and Daoist cultivation held an advantage over other schools of thought. Their advantage stemmed from the Intrinsic Dharma Treasure or Intrinsic Talisman Amulet! This was different from the imperial government’s Godfiend lineage, which cultivated the body, or the fiendcelestial lineage, the demonic cultivation, and the Water race’s cultivation… none of them had an Intrinsic Dharma Treasure. Between mighty figures at the same Paramount realm, one side would have an Intrinsic Dharma Treasure. A second-grade Intrinsic Dharma Treasure could produce strength equalling that of a transcendent-grade Dharma treasure.
As for other Paramount realm experts, they were in a good place if they could obtain a first-grade Dharma treasure. As such, they were the weaker ones when it came to the Dharma treasures.
Consider the Primordial Chaos Sect which followed the Physical Establishing Sage. Although it did not have Intrinsic Dharma Treasures, the bodies of its disciples were equivalent to one! Their bodies’ strength was superior to the Godfiend, Fiendcelestial, Dragon race and other lineages. They had the strongest bodies in the world.
As a sword immortal that could destroy all Dharma with a single sword, Qin Yun was at the same level as the others at the Paramount realm.
“But now, the Golden Core Dharma powered by my purplish-gold Golden Core matches the Dharmic powers of an immortal of fiendcelestial! Powered by such Dharmic powers, the same flying sword art would reach a whole new level of strength. Even strength, my weakest trait, is now much higher than Patriarch Crocdragon’s.” Qin Yun gasped in surprise. “My strength can probably now match typical existences that have stepped into the Dao.”
Many of the existences that had stepped into the Dao did not have purplish-gold Golden Cores.
The advantage of a Golden Core’s Dharmic powers could perhaps make up for the difference in their understanding of the Dao.
Of course—
It also depended on what Dao one had stepped into!
For example, the Dao Elder Sword comprehended had once defeated many immortals and fiendcelestials. He had even slain a fiendcelestial before. Such an existence that had stepped into the Dao was horrifying.
“Swoosh.”
As he strode across the lake’s waters, he reached the bank where the garden was. His wife, Yi Xiao, was drawing a talisman serenely in the idyllic garden.
“Xiaoxiao, I’ll be going out. I will probably be gone a day or two,” said Qin Yun.
“I was drawing a talisman but you startled me by suddenly speaking. Now my talisman is ruined. Alright, alright. What did you say? Are you going out? Come back quickly.” Yi Xiao helplessly threw the ruined talisman paper into a bamboo wastebasket beside her.
Qin Yun had often left to rid the world of evil over the past three years. Yi Xiao was already accustomed to it.
“It’s my fault. Sorry.” Qin Yun smiled as he transformed into a beam of light and streaked across the sky towards the west.
Yi Xiao looked up before smiling. She lowered her head to continue drawing her talisman.
After Qin Yun condensed a purplish-gold Golden Core, Yi Xiao felt increasingly more at ease. There were two existences that had stepped into the Dao other than the immortals and fiendcelestials. One of them was a human at Mahākāśyapa Monastery and the other was a fiendish demon. However, both of them were on extended seclusion in a bid to attain immortality. Besides, their Dao… was something that Qin Yun could match with his present strength. It made preserving his life against them a non-question.
After all, existences that had stepped into the Dao had strength a grade lower than the true immortals and fiendcelestials. As immortals and fiendcelestials had long stepped into the Dao and had cultivated for longer, their Dharmic powers were even stronger.
There were a few existences that could match immortals and fiendcelestials after stepping into the Dao.
As for defeating immortals and even killing them? That was extremely rare. Very few sword immortals that had stepped into the Dao could achieve that. Of course, Elder Sword was at that level.
******
Boom!
A beam of light tore through the sky as it headed for the West Sea.
“My strength has improved drastically. It’s time to enter the Ancient Skydragon Palace again. If I can succeed, I’ll obtain the Skydragon Blood Crystals and can tell Xiaoxiao the truth,” thought Qin Yun.
If he could not obtain the Skydragon Blood Crystals, he could not save his mother-in-law. Qin Yun would then have to continue hiding the truth from his wife.
Whoosh.
He flew extremely fast, much faster than in the past. After he entered the West Sea, it did not take long for him to enter the vicinity of the Ancient Skydragon Palace.
He charged straight to the seabed and followed the path he was familiar with to the entrance of the array formation he had found back then.
“This array formation entrance has not been discovered by others,” thought Qin Yun. “The Divine Firmament Chapter must have trusted my warning, so no one has been sent.”
The Divine Firmament Chapter had also realized that Qin Yun could have silenced Yi Fenglai and Yi Fengqi to ensure the array formation entrance stayed a secret. However, he did not do so. Clearly, Qin Yun had a pride in him that made him abhor the thought of doing something so despicable. The Divine Firmament Chapter also believed that Qin Yun’s warning was likely genuine. Besides, the only Paramount realm existence in the Divine Firmament Chapter was busying himself with stepping into the Dao.
To him, obtaining the Skydragon Blood Crystal was meaningless. As the only Paramount realm of the Divine Firmament Chapter’s present generation, he had no lack of treasures. Why should he take the risk?
…
Qin Yun entered the Ancient Skydragon Palace and was still familiar with the area. However, he still released his sword intent domain and used it to probe carefully as he headed straight for the ruined hall.
“Oh?”
When he saw the golden door ahead of him, there was a black-scaled monster clinging to the wall above the door.
“Fiendmonster.” Qin Yun waved his hand.
Shoo!
His Intrinsic Flying Sword instantly flew out from his fingertip. Although more than a hundred sword flashes were generated, they fused with the Intrinsic Flying Sword entirely, transforming into a sword beam that resembled a swimming dragon! The more sword flashes the Sword Flash Dissociation produced, the more powerful it was. However, if all the sword flashes converged into one, the offensive might could be further enhanced.
After Qin Yun comprehended the second Paramount realm of decimation, he was capable of doing this.
“Kill.” The fiendmonster opened its eyes and immediately pounced toward Qin Yun.
“Boom!”
The swimming dragon-like beam was unassailable as it brushed past the fiendmonster, pulverizing it to pieces. It died right on the spot.
Qin Yun took a few huge strides and walked through the golden door into the passage. He instantly saw another fiendmonster clinging to the wall of the passage. Far inside the ruined hall, there were more than ten fiendmonsters. They were either prostrating above shattered rocks or collapsed columns. They were motionless but, once he entered, all of them had opened their eyes and turned their heads towards him.
Qin Yun’s gaze swept across the treasures in the ruined hall.
The pool of red-colored blood that suffused golden light continued emitting a suppressive might. The five fingertip-sized blood crystals remained. The 390-foot-long gigantic arm that was covered with red scales was equally terrifying in strength. It even produced a domain! Qin Yun’s sword intent domain was repressed, as it was the last time.
A black mist began rising from the gigantic arm and instantly, hundreds of fiendmonsters materialized.
“Very good. All the treasures are still here.” Qin Yun showed no fear.
“Time to take action.”
Qin Yun instantly attacked. The swimming dragon-like sword beam flew out and headed straight for the pool of blood.
“Roar! Roar!”
“Kill!”
These fiendmonsters had low intelligence but they were terrifying when in a frenzy. They crawled out from crevices and many of them tried to block the blinding sword flash. Three fiendmonster leaders tried to hinder Qin Yun’s Intrinsic Flying Sword.
“Bam!” The Intrinsic Flying Sword flew around unpredictably like a swimming dragon. It was unfathomable as it easily dodged the fiendmonsters. Only the fiendmonster leaders were able to have any effect on it. After one of the leaders was killed, the flying sword’s momentum decreased drastically. The other two fiendmonster leaders rapidly came to put up a struggle. Furthermore, another fiendmonster leader materialized from the mist that arose from the gigantic arm.
With time, more flying swords surrounded the pool of blood. With more than a hundred fiendmonsters surrounding the pool, they made it difficult for the flying sword to dodge.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
On the other side, more than three hundred fiendmonsters had surrounded Qin Yun.
The Seven Kills Sword cast Cyclic Sword Flash as it circled around Qin Yun. Now, Qin Yun could control the Seven Kills Sword easily with his Golden Core Dharmic powers. It was as though he was an adult brandishing a wooden stick. It put no pressure on him and the expenditure of Dharmic powers was very low.
“Return.” Qin Yun ordered the Intrinsic Flying Sword to fly back to him.
“Haha, my Dharmic powers have increased greatly. Three hundred fiendmonsters are unable to crack my Cyclic Sword Flash.” Qin Yun was overjoyed.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
More fiendmonsters swarmed over.
The fiendmonsters could change in size. At that moment, they rapidly shrunk, allowing more fiendmonsters to surround Qin Yun’s Cyclic Sword Flash barrier. When more than six hundred fiendmonsters surrounded it, the Cyclic Sword Flash began to quake.
“That’s the limit. I can’t hold on any longer.” With a thought, the Intrinsic Flying Sword cast another Cyclic Sword Flash barrier. The Seven Kills Sword was put away.
Hum!
The Cyclic Sword Flash barrier cast by the Intrinsic Flying Sword was a lot stronger. Even when Qin Yun deliberately expanded the Cyclic Sword Flash barrier, the fiendmonster horde still failed to crack it.
“Great, my Cyclic Sword Flash can currently withstand immortals and fiendcelestials at the moment.” Qin Yun rejoiced. With more than six hundred fiendmonsters attacking the barrier, he forcibly walked straight towards the blood pool. With a wave of his hand, five sword beams flew out. They were extremely gentle as they lifted up the five blood crystals in the pool.
Qin Yun held a bottle in hand as he opened the stopper. “Store.”
The five Skydragon Blood Crystals flew into the bottle under the guidance of the sword beam.
“I have the Skydragon Blood Crystals in hand. When I’m out, I can tell Xiaoxiao.” Qin Yun placed the stopper back on the bottle and was delighted. Following that, he looked at the large pool of blood that was suffusing golden light. “This blood must be the ancient Skydragon’s blood. After so long, it still contains infinite vibrancy. Well, I should take some of that too.”