Chapter 178: Peak Core Formation, Seven-Lotus Pedestal, Giant Jiang City''s Prefecture Office


    Ji Shilong listened to Luo Shuanghan''s report on the battle, his face brimming with joy.


    He was more delighted and excited than ever before.


    "Good! Very good!"


    "Qingxuan Sect has truly exceeded my expectations. Not only did they find the third earthfire furnace, but they also used the refined crystal spiritual artifacts produced from it to counterattack Thunderfire Sect,pletely annexing them!"


    "As for Divine Sword Sect, their actions were predictable. Rising Sun Sect was never as strong as Divine Sword Sect, but that feint tactic they pulled off was well-executed. It must have been Luo Chaotian''s n."


    Ji Shilong smiled faintly, casually analyzing the events.


    Luo Shuanghan respectfully handed over a storage ring. "By the way, the sect master of Liejiang Sect has already surrendered to us. This is what he offered."


    "It contains intelligence about Divine Sword Sect and Qingxuan Sect."


    "There''s also a list of the people he managed to turn against their factions."


    Ji Shilong epted the ring, nodding slightly. "Not bad."


    His gaze shifted to Luo Shuanghan. "There''s something I need to tell you."


    Luo Shuanghan was startled. "What is it, my lord?"


    "Your father sent you something," Ji Shilong said, his hands behind his back.


    Luo Shuanghan froze, his body trembling slightly.


    He knew he had a father, and he knew that this father, who had never appeared in his life, was extraordinarily powerful.


    Powerful enough to ce him directly in Ji Shilong''s service.


    But he had never known who his true father was.


    "My lord, could you tell me who my father is?" Luo Shuanghan took a deep breath and asked.


    Ji Shilong smiled. "You''ve already guessed, haven''t you? You just don''t dare to believe it."


    "Your father is none other than Luo Chaotian, the sect master of Divine Sword Sect."


    "He sent you to me, hoping you would gain experience under my guidance. I''m happy to oblige him."


    "Luo Chaotian is a clever man. Sending you here is nothing more than hedging his bets."


    Luo Shuanghan was stunned and instinctively responded, "He wants topete with you for the credit of uniting Xuanjiang Prefecture."@@novelbin@@


    Ji Shilong nodded approvingly. "Exactly. If, through my strategy of dividing and inciting the sects, all the factions in Xuanjiang Prefecture tear each other apart, leaving them no choice but to submit to the imperial court…"


    "Then the credit will be all mine, allowing me to rise in rank and fame, entering the imperial court."


    "If Luo Chaotian manages to unify Xuanjiang Prefecture and hand over control to the court, the greatest credit will fall to him."


    "And I, having offended too many sects, would likely be sacrificed to appease their anger."


    "Both oues have their advantages and drawbacks."


    "Luo Chaotian sent you here hoping that if I seed, I''ll spare his life."


    Luo Shuanghan remained silent.


    Noticing his reaction, Ji Shilong casually handed him a box.


    "Here, your father sent you something inside."


    Luo Shuanghan remained speechless, hesitating to open it.


    Ji Shilong chuckled. "Aren''t you curious to see what''s inside? It''s quite a valuable item—something many people spend a lifetime trying to acquire. Your father gave it to you so easily."


    "To be honest, even I''m tempted to kill you and take it for myself."


    Luo Shuanghan shuddered.


    Ji Shilongughed heartily. "What are you afraid of? I''m just joking. Do you really think I, Ji Shilong, am the kind of man with no bottom line?"


    Taking a deep breath, Luo Shuanghan slowly opened the jade box.


    Inside, lying quietly, was a golden core and a pill.


    The golden core had a metallic, blood-streaked hue, exuding a domineering and lethal aura.


    "This is…" Luo Shuanghan was astonished.


    Ji Shilong smiled. "This is the Seven-ughter Golden Core, condensed by Zhou Qingcang. Your father extracted it from Zhou Qingcang''s dantian and gifted it to you."


    "With the apanying pill, you have a sixty percent chance of transforming your own golden core into a Seven-ughter Golden Core."


    "Though it''s only a sixty percent chance, it''s still something most cultivators seek their entire lives."


    "After all, the Seven-ughter Golden Coreis the most formidable in terms of offensive power among all golden cores."


    Luo Shuanghan''s hands trembled uncontrobly.


    He carefully put away the jade box, then suddenly knelt, facing west, and kowtowed deeply.


    In that directiony the Divine Sword Sect''s mountain gate.


    Luo Shuanghan kowtowed nine times before standing up again.


    "My lord, what do you think will be of Xuanjiang Prefecture?" he asked.


    Ji Shilong''s gaze grew profound, as though he could see into the future.


    "Rising Sun Sect and Thunderfire Sect have already been destroyed. Xuanjiang Prefecture is now in a three-way stalemate between Divine Sword Sect, Qingxuan Sect, and Verdant Vine Sect. The remaining factions no longer pose any threat."


    "At most, only Liejiang Sect has the strength to fight, but only because of the support from my army."


    "However, Verdant Vine Secthas been heavily infiltrated by Divine Sword Sect. The next to fall will be Verdant Vine Sect."


    "To survive, Verdant Vine Sect will have no choice but to ally with Qingxuan Sect."


    "At first, they may gain some advantage and put pressure on Divine Sword Sect."


    "But in the end, they won''t be able to defeat Divine Sword Sect."


    Luo Shuanghan frowned in confusion. "Why?"


    He couldn''t understand why Ji Shilong was so certain that Divine Sword Sectwould emerge victorious.


    Ji Shilong shook his head. "You''ll see soon enough."


    ...Three monthster, in the Qingcang Mountains.


    Shen Mo sat cross-legged on a small rocky peak.


    The spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged from all directions, flowing into his dantian and gradually transforming into pure spiritual power, strengthening the sea within his dantian.


    The Inferno Golden Core inside him spun rapidly, and as more spiritual energy fused with it, the core continued to expand.


    Shen Mo''s aura gradually intensified.


    Above the Qingcang Mountains, dark clouds had gathered.


    Yet Shen Mo''s aura, sharp like a sword, pierced straight through the clouds!


    At a certain moment, his aura reached its peak.


    But it was not yet the limit.


    An invisible and solid barrier blocked his path, preventing his aura from rising further.


    Without hesitation, Shen Mo took out a bottle of Great Vitality Elixir and gulped it down.


    This was one of the spoils collected after the destruction of Thunderfire Sect.


    He had ten bottles in total.


    During this period of cultivation, he had already consumed nine of them.


    Unexpectedly, he had still not managed to break through to the pinnacle of the Core Formation stage.


    "Break through!"


    Shen Mo growled softly. The spiritual power within the sea of his dantian surged upward, swirling around the Inferno Golden Core.


    At that moment, the rotation of the Inferno Golden Core reached its maximum speed!


    Droplets of liquid spiritual energy gathered toward the core.


    One drop, two drops, three drops…


    <em>Buzz!</em>


    Suddenly, the Inferno Golden Core produced a tremendous gravitational pull, absorbing all the surrounding spiritual energy droplets.


    In an instant, the Inferno Golden Core swelled to its maximum size!


    This was the pinnacle of the Core Formation stage!


    Shen Mo abruptly opened his eyes.


    His gaze gleamed with an overwhelming intensity!


    The surrounding temperature soared, bing scorching hot.


    Even the rocky mountain beneath him could no longer withstand the heat, cracking and splintering apart with loud pops.


    Shen Mo looked up toward the sky.


    The dark clouds, which had just been gathering strength, scattered as if encountering a natural enemy.


    In the blink of an eye, the sky cleared, and the dark clouds vanished without a trace.


    Shen Mo''s expression brightened.


    The pinnacle of the Core Formation stage!


    He took several deep breaths, then directed his consciousness inward to inspect his dantian.


    On the Dao tform, beneath the golden core, severalyers of lotus pedestals slowly rotated.


    The firstyer, Thousand-Hand Lotus.


    The secondyer, Crimson Sun Lotus.


    The thirdyer, Antler Orchid.


    The fourthyer, zing Cherry Lotus.


    The fifthyer, Heavy Iron Flower.


    The sixthyer, Blood-Drinking Nightshade.


    The seventhyer, Dark Frost Chrysanthemum.


    Shen Mo smiled with satisfaction.


    The Blood-Drinking Nightshadewas found in the Thunderfire Sect''s treasure vault after the sect was annihted.


    The Dark Frost Chrysanthemumwas a gift from Yang Tianxing, sect master of Purple Star Sect, after Thunderfire Sect''s fall. He had offered it in exchange for the peaceful merger of Purple Star Sect into Qingxuan Sect.


    "I''m only twoyers away from reaching the Nine-Lotus Pedestalgoal."


    "That day is not far away!"


    Shen Mo exhaled deeply, then swiftly activated his movement technique, disappearing before nearby cultivators could detect the strange phenomena in the area.


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