Chapter 617: White Core

Fang Chen was a little surprised. “Little White, Little Black, is there something wrong with my core?”

The black and white paper figures’ reactions indicated they had noticed something.

Did they recognize the sword core?

The white paper figure’s expression stiffened. “Lord... this isn’t right....”

It circled around the Golden Core, looking increasingly perplexed.

“This Golden Core... seems to be a ‘White Core’....” said the black paper figure, its gaze flickering.

The black paper figure seemed hesitant to say more.

“Please say it directly,” Fang Chen urged.

The white paper figure sighed softly. “A White Core is the most ordinary type of Golden Cores, and the easiest to refine. Typically, only those lacking in talent or nearing the end of their lifespan would choose to refine a White Core....”

The black paper figure continued, “A cultivator who refines a White Core will have their path to cultivation largely cut off. They might only reach the Nascent Soul Realm at most. Moreover, a White Core cultivator's strength is merely one-third of a normal Golden Core cultivator's. This type of core was referred to as a ‘Pseudo-Golden Core’ in the past....”

After a pause, the black paper figure shifted its tone. “Of course, with your talents and qualifications, my lord, it is impossible to refine a White Core. Since the lord employs the Three Thousand Dao's method, it should not result in a White Core. There must be another reason why this core resembles a White Core...”

The white paper figure nodded in agreement. However, it was clear that both of them were worried.

If this Golden Core truly was a White Core... what should they do?

A White Core was the polar opposite of the Nine-Revolution Golden Core. This type of core would only be seen on the most casual of Golden Core cultivators.

They knew there was no way this could be a White Core.

Fang Chen’s face showed a hint of a smile as he inquired Mirror of the Universe about the difference between the Sword Core and the Nine-Revolution Golden Core.

“The Nine Revolution Golden Core is reputed as the most powerful Golden Core in the lower realms. In reality, there are a few other cores with comparable power. However, the Nine Revolution Golden Core certainly holds a high status even in the Immortal Realm, and it is roughly at the same level as the Sword Core,” replied Mirror of the Universe.

Fang Chen felt relieved. Since the Sword Core's power was not weaker than that of the Nine Revolution Golden Core, then his foundation was solid. That’s all that mattered.

***

A few days later, Fang Chen arrived near the Parting Fiery Dao Sect.

In the past few days, he had witnessed thirteen battles between cultivators. Among them, one was particularly large-scale, involving several Golden Core Realm cultivators, dozens of Foundation Building Realm cultivators, and hundreds of Qi Refining cultivators.

The remaining twelve battles were smaller in scale, with only seven or eight cultivators fighting at a time. On one side were the cultivators of the Immortal Qin clan, and on the other side were the cultivators of the Langya clan.

It was clear that this was the territory of the Immortal Qin clan. The fact that the enemy had already breached their defenses indicated that the plans of the Qin Family ancestor had been thoroughly disrupted.

Initially, it was thought that the war would only affect cultivators. However, as Fang Chen got closer to the Parting Fiery Dao Sect, he realized that even mortals and martial artists were being dragged into the conflict.

Both the Immortal Qin and Langya Clans were using their own local martial artists to replace the enemy's local martial artists, aiming to achieve territorial expansion. By doing so, they hoped to completely sever the possibility of a counterattack.

Calculating the time, the war had been ongoing for over three months. During this period, the Spirit Blood Sect cultivators lurking in the shadows had likely acquired many Blood Spirit Pills.

Fang Chen glanced at the ravaged landscape with a sigh. At times, the Spirit Blood Sect’s methods could be seen as a form of open conspiracy. Even if the participants were aware of their schemes, they couldn't do anything to stop it unless a powerful, irresistible external force intervened.

"Who are you? Are you a spy from the Langya Clan?"

Suddenly, dozens of cultivators flew in from the air, surrounding Fang Chen. The leader among them looked quite disheveled. He had several wounds still seeping with lingering spiritual energy, preventing him from healing quickly.

Their eyes were clouded with nothing but killing intent, possibly due to the madness caused by the ongoing conflict.

“Fang Chen of the Grand Thousand Dao Sect. Are you cultivators from the Parting Fiery Dao Sect?” Fang Chen asked calmly.

The group of cultivators' expressions softened slightly. “Grand Thousand Dao Sect?”

The leader, whose voice was hoarse, responded, “We are from the Purple Mist Association. We are not affiliated with the Dao Sects, but like the Grand Thousand Dao Sect, we are working to defend this territory.”

This was Fang Chen’s first time hearing of the Purple Mist Association. Seeing that they were aware of the Grand Thousand Dao Sect's cooperation with the Parting Fiery Dao Sect, he inquired about the whereabouts of Pei Qingfeng and others.

“Senior Pei... He might have already perished unless the Langya Clan decided to leave some survivors,” the leader said with a strange expression, his eyes flickering.

Fang Chen frowned slightly. “What do you mean by that?”

“Just a few days ago, along with Senior Pei and several Golden Core Realm experts, we were coordinating with the Parting Fiery Dao Sect’s young master to ambush a particularly important Golden Core Realm cultivator from the Langya Clan.

“The enemy was already aware of our plans and had prepared in advance. As a result, we lost one Golden Core Realm cultivator in that battle. When the young master led us in retreat, Senior Pei stayed behind to hold off the enemy. We are unsure of his fate.”

The man paused, staring at Fang Chen curiously. “Are you Senior Pei’s disciple? His disciple surnamed Li is also in a difficult situation. The young master claimed he was a spy. If you wish to see him, you should hurry to the Parting Fiery Dao Sect.”

“Daoist Li will be executed in a few days,” the leader added.

“We absolutely do not believe he is a spy. However, it was indeed strange that Daoist Li seemed to know that the young master’s ambush would fail,” the leader remarked.

“How about the other cultivators from the Grand Thousand Dao Sect? Are they also at the Parting Fiery Dao Sect?” Fang Chen inquired.

“They have scattered. After all, military orders are strict,” the leader said with a hint of dissatisfaction. “If you must head to the Parting Fiery Dao Sect, you should hurry. We have other tasks so we will take our leave.”

Fang Chen nodded slightly and continued toward the Parting Fiery Dao Sect. Along the way, he encountered several checkpoints. These checkpoints were manned by Golden Core cultivators. The situation seemed quite severe.

Several days later, an immortal mountain appeared on the horizon. This was the property of the Parting Fiery Dao Sect, enveloped in a dense spiritual mist that nearly shrouded the entire mountain. The Parting Fiery Dao Sect was not weak in the Azure Dao Manor; they had an Enlightenment Realm ancestor stationed here. It was quite normal for them to possess such a blessed land.

At the foot of the mountain, a few cultivators conducted routine questioning of Fang Chen. Upon learning that Fang Chen was from the Grand Thousand Dao Sect, they promptly summoned a Qi Refining cultivator. This Qi Refining cultivator was an inner disciple of the Grand Thousand Dao Sect and seemed to be one of Guan’e’s disciples.

Upon seeing Fang Chen’s face, he was immediately surprised and called out “Ancestor.”

The cultivators stationed looked at Fang Chen.

“An ancestor? It turns out he’s not an ordinary person.”

However, their eyes held no respect—only a hint of derision.

Fang Chen observed the Qi Refining Realm cultivator kneeling in front of him. The cultivator's left arm was severed and roughly bandaged. He also had several injuries that couldn’t heal, with residual spiritual energy indicating that these wounds were from a fight with Foundation Building Realm cultivators.

“Why are you in such a state? Why haven’t you treated your injuries?” Fang Chen asked lightly.

This was not the front line; the injured should have received proper medical attention to prevent their condition from worsening.

Liu Dong’s eyes were red.

Before he could speak, one of the disciples guarding the mountain lazily responded, “These minor injuries don’t need treatment. The entire Parting Fiery Dao Sect is very busy right now. There are no Foundation Building Realm cultivators available to help.”

“Ancestor, Martial Uncle is in trouble,” Liu Dong said in a low voice.