Demonic Cultivator: Immune To Common Side Effects - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: False Core Realm! Crushing Xuanwang!

Hidden in the shadows, Li Yan watched the One-Eyed Old Ghost Xuanwang clash with Martial Uncle Xuansha.

Martial Uncle Xuansha wielded a bone-cleaving blade, its surface saturated with Blood Qi. Each swing crackled with crimson killing intent, tearing through the air with an ear-splitting whistle.

Old Ghost Xuanwang, ill-suited for close combat, repeatedly launched his Flying Bone Sword, desperately trying to maintain distance from Martial Uncle Xuansha.

As they fought, the One-Eyed Old Daoist roared, “Senior Brother! There must be an assassin lurking in the mist, plotting to ambush us!”

“We’ve fallen victim to their divisive schemes!”

Xuansha spat back contemptuously, “Do you take me for a three-year-old fool?”

“There’s only one entrance to Broken Sword Valley! How could outsiders possibly infiltrate?”

With that, Martial Uncle Xuansha unleashed a devastating slash.

The terrifying Blood Qi sent Old Ghost Xuanwang flying back hundreds of steps, his internal organs churning violently. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

“Wait, Senior Brother!” Xuanwang cried out. “The one meddling in this must be my traitorous disciple, Li Yan!”

Xuansha threw back his head and laughed heartily. “Ha! We both witnessed Li Yan’s Soul Lamp extinguish! Are you still clinging to this flimsy excuse?”

“It seems your ambush failed, and you’re terrified after being counterattacked!”

With only one entrance to Broken Sword Valley and Li Yan having seemingly died from poisoning earlier, Martial Uncle Xuansha saw through Xuanwang’s flimsy excuses immediately.

Old Ghost Xuanwang gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury.

He had suffered minor internal injuries from Li Yan’s sneak attack with his Golden Body Dharma Idol.

Normally, the difference in strength between him and his Senior Brother Xuansha wasn’t significant; both were at the peak of the Blood Shifting Realm.

But the internal injuries Li Yan had inflicted had put Xuanwang at a distinct disadvantage in his fight against Xuansha.

As any cultivator knows, even the slightest disparity between two experts of equal standing can exponentially widen the gap between victory and defeat.

Martial Uncle Xuansha was determined to kill Xuanwang, and the old ghost gritted his teeth.

“Whether I fight or flee, death awaits!”

Martial Uncle Xuansha’s thick eyebrows arched, his bushy beard lending his face a savage, menacing appearance.

“What’s this? Begging for mercy?”

“Not entirely out of the question, Junior Brother. If you obediently become my Corpse Puppet, I might consider leaving you an intact corpse.”

Xuansha’s loud laughter revealed the truth to the old ghost.

The so-called revenge for his Junior Sister was just a pretext! Xuansha merely wanted an excuse to kill him and refine his corpse!

Without hesitation, Old Ghost Xuanwang formed hand seals and bit the tip of his tongue.

His yellowed teeth tore through his tongue, staining his mouth crimson with blood.

A feverish flush surged across his weathered face as he rasped hoarsely, blood and saliva mingling in his voice: “Nine Yin Blood Gu! Devour my flesh and blood! Sacrifice my true spirit!”

The next moment, the horrifying truth became vividly clear.

Beneath Old Ghost Xuanwang’s livid, greenish-gray skin, countless insects writhed and squirmed.

The Insect Gu within Xuanwang’s body was devouring his flesh, using his own body as nourishment! He was feeding the insects with his own flesh and blood!

Hidden in the shadows, Li Yan’s eyelids twitched violently. “That old ghost is refining himself into a Gu! He’s a ruthless bastard!”

To willingly sacrifice one’s own flesh and blood to become an Insect Gu… Li Yan couldn’t fathom what the old ghost hoped to gain.

Immortal Cultivation was supposed to grant eternal life, but what was the point of such longevity if it meant turning your body into a nesting ground for Yin Insects? Could such an existence truly be called eternal?

As he watched Old Ghost Xuanwang nourish the Yin Insects within his body with his own flesh, granting himself a temporary surge in his cultivation base, Li Yan murmured, “The old ghost’s aura is skyrocketing. He’s about to break through to the False Core Realm.”

A False Core cultivator possessed the power of the Blood Core Realm without actually having the Blood Core Realm’s Dantian.

With a thunderous roar, Old Ghost Xuanwang seized a power that wasn’t rightfully his.

He pointed two fingers at Xuansha, and over a hundred flying swords erupted from behind him.

Martial Uncle Xuansha’s eyes twitched uncontrollably as he shrieked, his voice cracking into a near-silent scream. “Junior Brother, you’ve gone mad!”

“The Yin Gu will devour your body! One misstep, and your soul will shatter into oblivion, condemned to eternal torment!”

Bloodshot and deranged, Old Ghost Xuanwang cackled maniacally. “Lose fifty years of cultivation and be reborn as a mere mortal? I’d rather fight to the death, be obliterated, and vanish into ashes!”

“Reincarnation? Never! Absolutely not!!!”

The old ghost had truly lost his mind.

He would rather be reduced to ashes, his soul scattered to the winds, than be reborn into this world.

Only Xuanwang understood that in this era, even after ten lifetimes of reincarnation, ninety-nine percent of mortals would never achieve Immortal Cultivation.

Abandon his current Cultivation Base? He’d rather die!

“I’m gambling it all!”

“Get out of here, Senior Brother!”

Old Ghost Xuanwang mobilized all his flying swords, blasting the brute Xuansha away.

Then, he made a decision that almost everyone would find inconceivable: he plunged deep into Broken Sword Valley.

“Li Yan, you traitorous disciple!”

“This old ghost knows you’re still alive! Reveal yourself at once!”

Having driven off Xuansha, Old Ghost Xuanwang no longer feared the toxic mists deep within Broken Sword Valley. He charged straight into them, determined to take the ultimate gamble!

If he succeeded, he would seize Li Yan’s body through spirit possession, restoring his youthful form.

If he failed, the Old Ghost would perish utterly, his soul devoured by the Yin Insects.

In the next instant, Old Ghost Xuanwang grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth stained crimson with blood.

“My dear disciple, your master has found you.”

He locked onto Li Yan’s position and instantly materialized before the shadowy figure.

At the cost of devouring flesh and souls, he had attained the terrifying cultivation base of the False Core Realm.

Just seize Li Yan!

Just grab that little brat!

Then I can possess his youthful body!

But in the next instant, the smile on Old Ghost Xuanwang’s face froze.

The figure he had seized with his bare hands wasn’t Li Yan’s true form, but a Golden Body Dharma Idol.

Before Xuanwang could react, a second Shadow silently materialized behind him.

Li Yan formed a hand seal with two fingers. “Rise!”

The Golden Body Dharma Idol erupted from the ground, its golden arm bulging with muscles like tree trunks, and its fist the size of a water vat smashed into the Old Ghost’s back.

Old Ghost Xuanwang spewed a mouthful of blood, his body sent flying like a kicked leather ball, crashing heavily into the muddy ground.

He struggled painfully to his feet, his face contorted in disbelief.

“Impossible! I’ve reached the False Core Realm! Why?! Why?!”

Why?

The dense fog obscured his Divine Sense, rendering even Ascension Realm experts helpless.

Because the Old Ghost only possessed the power of the False Core Realm; his physical body remained at the Blood Shifting Realm.

A fake is ultimately a fake.

He could temporarily boost his power by sacrificing flesh and soul.

But his physical body had become even more fragile, easier to kill than before.

Old Ghost lay on the ground, watching Li Yan’s two Shadows steadily close in.

At this sight, Old Ghost threw back his head and laughed miserably, “Ha… haha!”

“The sages say that Immortal Cultivation can defy heaven and alter fate!”

“But heaven’s way is unjust! After fifty years of bitter cultivation, I’m still no match for you, a mere novice!”

“Unfair… this is unfair…”

Before Xuanwang could finish speaking, Li Yan commanded his two Shadows to stomp down with force!

The two Golden Body Dharma Idols raised their massive legs and brought them down like squashing a cockroach.

Xuanwang’s Insect Gu-hollowed body exploded into a bloody pulp.

Even now, Li Yan felt dazed.

He never imagined that through careful planning, he could exploit the mists of Broken Sword Valley to reverse the situation and kill Old Ghost despite the overwhelming power disparity.

Just then, a notification appeared:

Detected an Insect Gu Inner Core with extremely potent side effects. It can assist the host in breaking through to the Blood Shifting Realm!