Chapter 137.2: Ordinary Golden Core

The Great Sun Golden Lotus continued to burn him, reshaping his body again and again.

After an unknown span of time, Qi Yuan finally opened his eyes. It felt as if he had lived through endless ages. His skin was crystal-white, shining faintly like porcelain.

Just glancing at him stirred a sense of reverence, one could not help but feel the urge to bow in worship.

"The golden physique is finally complete."

With a body this strong, swallowing a star shouldn't be a problem, right?

At last, his gaze turned toward the star he stood within. Looking through it, he saw countless other stars, larger than this one. This sight only made his appetite grow, but he was easily satisfied.

Glancing at the small sun he occupied, he murmured, "This little one is pretty cute too."

He radiated his entire mana.

To advance from Foundation Establishment into Core Formation, a cultivator must fulfill three requirements. First, their mana had to be full. Second, they had to find a suitable object to serve as their Golden Core’s carrier. Lastly, they had to compress their mana into solid essence, and fuse it with the carrier, refining it into a core.

Qi Yuan didn’t even know how much mana he had. He just knew it was a lot—a

whole

lot!

His immense mana continued to spread outward. "An ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators can already form an Immortal Core! With my Heavenly Dao class and mana at the peak of the Violet Palace realm, forming a core from a star shouldn’t be a problem!"

After only a few dozen breaths, Qi Yuan’s face darkened with disappointment. "I was wrong. You’re not small at all. And you’re definitely not cute."

Even though it was the smallest star Qi Yuan could find, it was still a thousand, or even ten thousand times larger than the Blue Planet. His mana simply couldn’t form enough solid essence to wrap around it. There was no way he could cover this entire star and refine it.

Qi Yuan stared at the little sun and activated the Great Forgetfulness Sutra again. "You're not a sun. You're a chocolate ball."

The little sun didn't react at all.

"You're not a star and you're not a sun. You're the Golden Core I left behind!"

The Great Forgetfulness Sutra was pushed to its absolute limit. This time, he sought to engrave the Great Forgetfulness Sutra directly onto the surface of the star itself. His Origin Divine Technique was finally reaching the legendary Engraving stage.

He shouted, stretching both hands, "Great Sun Golden Lotus, explode!"

With one hand, he engraved the Great Forgetfulness Sutra onto the star. With the other, he directly detonated his own golden physique, shattering it and scattering it throughout the star. After fully wrapping it, he refined it into his Golden Core.

Qi Yuan had been shattered into countless particles, with only a sliver of consciousness remaining. "This isn’t my flesh, this is my mana. You are my Golden Core!"

His second divine technique continued engraving itself onto the star.

The once silent star suddenly erupted violently. Fragments of his shattered golden physique floated above the star.

Qi Yuan engraved the divine technique relentlessly. "In the mortal worlds, a realm is only complete when it has its own Heavenly Dao! You do not have one above you, so you are the perfect match for me! You're a chocolate ball! You're an egg! You're a kidney stone! You're my Golden Core!"

The potential of the Great Forgetfulness Sutra clearly surpassed the Inner Demon Lure.

As the powerful technique engraved itself onto a star with no Heavenly Dao, Qi Yuan became unstoppable. He could swallow the entire star as long as he was hungry enough. Bit by bit, the star fell completely under his control. The entire star gradually began to take on Qi Yuan’s shape.

Qi Yuan no longer had a physical body, his golden physique had turned into solidified mana, barely wrapping around the star. Of course, "wrapping" was an exaggeration, it was more like he was plastering tiny fragments onto parts of the surface.

This star is simply too enormous. It isn’t a "little cutie" at all!

The Great Forgetfulness Sutra continued engraving itself without the slightest resistance.

The previously impossible Daydream Art was now being realized by Qi Yuan. Moreover, there wasn't just one star! There were endless galaxies, with countless stars and planets.

No Heavenly Dao, no living beings. This entire universe was a completely uncharted land.

Qi Yuan was eating what was in the bowl, but still thinking about what was in the pot. [1]

He roared. "Engrave the Great Forgetfulness Sutra! Golden Core, take form!"

At last, the technique was fully engraved onto the star. The star finally assumed Qi Yuan’s full shape.

"Condense!"

A terrifying aura surged out. The star burst into radiant light, forming a Golden Core. When the brilliant light faded, the star looked exactly as it had before. No one would ever guess it was actually a cultivator’s Golden Core. The Great Forgetfulness Sutra's aura spread across the star, suspended in the boundless universe.

Only by swallowing the Golden Core do I truly know myself!

He was now a True Lord at the Core Formation realm. In the Divine Radiance Sect, aside from a few Peak Masters, Core Formation cultivators were extremely rare!

Qi Yuan’s consciousness slowly returned. His gaze drifted toward the black, slender silhouette in the universe. Reluctance and longing filled his eyes.

In that moment, the starlight transformed into a flowing river of silver. It was beautiful beyond words, akin to clouds of auspicious omen. Tearing across the universe, it fell before Ning Tao

Even as a Great Supreme, Ning Tao felt shocked and bewildered. The aura before her was terrifying, far beyond anything she had ever known. Even the Supreme One and the White Supreme were like small children in comparison.

Ning Tao’s lips quivered. "Blood Drop..."

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

She looked through the streaming starlight, but could not find the figure she knew so well.

The star itself let out its final sound. "As long as it exists, I exist."

The white river of light washed over Ning Tao’s, purifying her completely. Qi Yuan’s Golden Core power was infinite. He was the star, and he was also its Heavenly Dao. This Golden Core was comparable to a god, perhaps even more terrifying. After all, how could an ordinary Yin Spirit compete with an actual star?

Ning Tao stepped onto the starry river. She lifted her head toward the star that seemed close enough to touch.

Smiling faintly, she murmured, "This is so much better than the Ends of the Earth."

In the lonely universe, the girl and the star kept each other company.

***

In Canglan World, at the wooden hut.

"

Ouch, ouch, ouch

! It hurts! Why does it feel so swollen?!" Qi Yuan clutched his stomach in agony. "Am I pregnant?"

He looked down at his belly, but it appeared completely normal. Yet he felt bloated and empty at the same time, two opposite sensations crashing violently.

He gazed helplessly at the wooden cat puppet by the bedside. "My spiritual power is too low right now. When I recover enough power, I wonder if I can summon the projection of my star core just to see her."

The time difference between that universe and this one was huge. Due to the Great Forgetfulness Sutra, would Ning Tao’s memories remain frozen at the moment he left? Qi Yuan wasn't sure.

"Where’s my Golden Core?" He looked into his abdomen, but it was empty. There was nothing there at all. "My Golden Core, is it still in that universe?"

Sensing something, Qi Yuan walked out of his wooden hut. He lifted his head toward the sky. Even in broad daylight, faint stars shimmered everywhere.

He found it right away. A small sun had appeared beside the blazing great sun. Although it wasn’t as dazzling, it still shone with the radiance of a true star.

Qi Yuan stared up at the suns in the sky.

[Star core’s projection. On the star is a girl accompanying you. Because of the Great Forgetfulness Sutra, her memories may remain frozen at the time you left. She may even comprehend something great.]

"When I get stronger, I should be able to swallow more stars..."

[2]

1. this Chinese idiom means a person is not satisfied with what he has and wants more. ☜

2. Author’s Note:

(ps1: Before leaving, Qi Yuan blessed Ning Tao, increasing her strength.)

(ps2: Ning Tao residing in the star is a special condition. It will be explained later when she appears again, and it ties directly to her future path.)

So in fact, this isn’t tragic at all. After all, she is not Qi Yuan, so she cannot simply follow the protagonist back to the Canglan World.

☜