Chapter 332 - Eighth Level Yuanfu

Up on the mountainside, the few fortunate souls were still reeling from the ordeal, venting their anger loudly.

“Damn it, Qiu Beihai, that fiend. He couldn’t get the Heartmoon Sacred Fruit, so he is venting his anger on us. What nonsense is this.”

“That’s right, he’s too much!”

“Damn, luckily, I ran fast when I saw that things were looking bad, or I would have become another victim of his sword.”

“Serves him right! I would’ve completely lost trust in this world if he had gotten the fruit.”

“......”

Down at the mountain foot, Qiu Beihai’s eyes returned to normal after the massacre. His cold killing intent diminished, and his anger had largely subsided. He regained his composure.

The young woman, Lin Sihan, carefully approached him and asked timidly, “Are you alright, Senior Brother Qiu?”

“Mmm, I’m fine,” Qiu Beihai answered.

Lin Sihan let out a sigh of relief.

Even though they were fellow disciples, witnessing Qiu Beihai's terrifying bloodbath moments ago had rattled her nerves. She could have been among the casualties if she hadn't been from the Cloud Heaven Palace.

“What do we do now, Senior Brother Qiu?” Lin Sihan asked.

An icy light flashed across Qiu Beihai’s eyes. He said ruthlessly, “That little bastard better not run into me again. Otherwise, I will cut him down even if I have to ignite my illusory core’s powers! Damn it!”

“That little bastard deserves every bit of it!” Lin Sihan's expression turned cold as she said, “How dare he steal your sacred fruit? He deserves to die a thousand deaths!”

“Alright, let’s not talk about him. Tell me, are there any other treasures on this bizarre mountain?” Qiu Beihai asked.

Though the Heartmoon Sacred Fruit was lost, obtaining a treasure of a similar nature could still push him into the Core Formation realm.

......

“Very good. With my current strength, I can compete with Illusory Core realm experts like Zhao Tianjue and Qiu Beihai. Although I can’t gain the upper hand, they can’t hurt me,” Chen Fan said as he landed on a mountaintop, his gaze scanning the distance.

“The Heartmoon Sacred Fruit should push my cultivation to the eighth level. That will give me enough strength to suppress experts at Zhao Tianjue and Qiu Beihai’s level. However, it would be troublesome if they ignored everything and ignited their illusory core...” Chen Fan muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Although the Illusory Core realm was still part of the ninth level, martial artists at that level were stronger than ordinary Yuanfu realm cultivators and possessed techniques akin to those of Core Formation realm masters.

If pushed into a corner and driven to ignore the consequences and ignite the power of their illusory core, their strength would skyrocket. They would become as strong as true Core Formation realm experts for a short while.

“What’s most important is that I raise my cultivation level first. At my current level, I can’t get better treasures and opportunities.”

A sharp light shot out from Chen Fan’s eyes. His figure flashed and swooped down, disappearing.

Chen Fan landed by a waterfall.

Sitting cross-legged on a limestone, Chen Fan swallowed the Heartmoon Sacred Fruit, shut his eyes, and began attempting a breakthrough.

The Heartmoon Sacred Fruit dissolved into a cool fluid when it entered Chen Fan’s mouth. It cascaded down his throat, then erupted violently within his stomach, akin to raging flames—an eerie phenomenon.

Maintaining his composure, Chen Fan focused his thoughts, utilizing the Heaven Seizing Art to refine the medicinal essence of the fruit.

In his dantian, his main primeval vessel flashed with an immortal light, encircled by lightning, resembling a palace inhabited by the god of thunder, inviolable by all evil.

Closer inspections would reveal that Chen Fan’s main vessel had seven eaves, and the shadow of the eighth one had already appeared.

As the Heartmoon Sacred Fruit’s medicinal powers erupted, streaks of primeval force flashing with glittering light started weaving the eighth floor of the primeval vessel like silk threads and bricks, gradually solidifying the illusory eighth level.

Rumble!

A thousand-foot-tall silver water dragon plummeted from the heavens, crashing and sending myriad water droplets flying. Under the sunlight's refraction, a rainbow emerged; it was a splendid and beautiful sight.

However, amidst the deafening roar and stunning scenery, Chen Fan remained unaffected, his mind wholly absorbed in cultivation.

He constantly refined the Heartmoon Sacred Fruit, solidifying the pagoda’s eighth floor further. It flashed with layers of immortal light.

Building one's primeval vessel was a gradual process, requiring patience until each floor was fully formed. Chen Fan's primeval force flowed like a steady stream, his aura growing stronger with each passing moment. Whirlwinds stirred around him, tossing nearby rocks in all directions.

Soon, a day and night passed. Suddenly, Chen Fan’s aura boiled fiercely, whipping the surrounding air into a frenzy akin to a category twelve hurricane. The wind sent hundred-jin rocks tumbling.

Buzz!

A beam of light erupted from Chen Fan's head, unveiling a primeval vessel resembling a thunderous immortal palace—majestic, boundless, and impervious to the laws of nature.

The primeval vessel resembled a pagoda with eight floors. Every floor was connected and glowed with immortal light, completely in harmony with heaven and earth.

Chen Fan opened his eyes, parted his lips, and exhaled a long breath.

“Phew.”

He concentrated a bit of his qi into the shape of a pillar as thin as a hair strand and threw it at a limestone column towering a hundred feet away with a roar. The entire structure erupted with a deafening bang, shattering into countless small rocks that scattered in all directions.

“Good! I’ve finally reached the eighth level. If I were to face Qiu Beihai now, he wouldn't stand a chance against me, even if he unleashed the powers of his illusory core!”

Chen Fan's eyes narrowed slightly, gleaming with determination. He was in a good mood now and felt confident as his strength had skyrocketed.

While he was at the seventh level, he could be considered first-rate among all those who had entered Nebulous Mysterious Realm. However, he fell short of being elite, as he couldn't match individuals like Xue Tianhe.

But now, even if he were to face Xue Tianhe, he wouldn't be as helpless as he was in the Foggy Swamp.

At the very least, Xue Tianhe could forget about taking him down if he did not ignite the powers of his illusory core.

Illusory Core realm experts didn’t ignite their illusory core unless faced with a life-threatening situation. Doing so equated to squandering years, if not decades, of bitter cultivation.

“Northern Star Reaper Hand, go!” Suddenly, Chen Fan raised his hand and thrust his palm. The waterfall at the side bore the brunt of the strike, its waters recoiling and gushing skyward.

Crack!

Cracks formed on the hard mountain body behind the waterfall. Fissures branched out like a spider's web, threatening to destroy the entire mountainside.

“Good. Since my cultivation has improved greatly, executing the Northern Star Reaper Hand is easier. Its powers have increased considerably.”

Chen Fan smiled faintly.

“It’s time to go look for more opportunities and treasures!”

A sharp light flashed in Chen Fan’s eyes.

He rose to the skies like a roc spreading its wings, gliding across the air; soon, he disappeared from sight.