Little Gold Advances!

Chapter 141 Little Gold Advances!

Xiao Mei successfully formed her core and became "Xiao Mei Zhenren," which was originally a joyous occasion for the "Yunwu Dongtian" sect.

However, on the day he formed his core, Zhou Ding's powerful divine sense, which far surpassed that of an ordinary mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, and his undisguised and forceful warning, were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up considerable ripples on the forty-seventh floor of the Holy Mountain and even in the surrounding area.

What does it mean to possess such terrifying divine consciousness?

They either cultivated a rare divine sense technique, or they were exceptionally talented, or they were—masters who concealed their cultivation!

Either way, it's enough to attract the attention and speculation of other cultivators.

In addition, "Cloud Mist Cave Heaven" is located on the 47th floor of the Holy Mountain, an area where mid-to-high-level cultivators gather, and the rent is quite high. Now, with the addition of a Core Formation cultivator, the family has three Core Formation cultivators, making it a small group that should not be underestimated.

As a result, Zhou Ding was quite "annoyed" in the following months.

First, neighbors from several nearby cave dwellings either sent disciples to deliver invitations, earnestly inviting "Fellow Daoist Zhou," "Madam Xin," and "Master Xiaomei" to come over for tea and discussions, or personally visited, bringing valuable spiritual items as "congratulatory" gifts, but in reality, they were probing the truth and trying to build relationships.

Following suit, some small and medium-sized forces and chambers of commerce operating in Tianxing City, as well as some affiliated families that depended on major sects, also took action.

They either relayed messages through Xia Yuanyuan of the Miaoyin Sect, or directly sent people to guard outside the "Cloud Mist Cave" to "accidentally" meet Zhou Ding when he went out, their words revealing their intention to recruit him.

Some promised generous offerings and the status of a guest minister, some hinted at the availability of rare cultivation resources and techniques, and some even subtly indicated that they had powerful figures, even those at the Nascent Soul stage, backing them up and that their future was limitless.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, your cultivation is profound and your demeanor extraordinary. Why remain aloof? Join my Four Seas Chamber of Commerce," and serve as its chief guest elder. You will receive an annual tribute of ten thousand spirit stones, and all the Chamber's resources will be at your disposal. What do you say?

"Senior Zhou, my ancestor is a steward of the Star Palace's External Affairs Hall, and he greatly values ​​talent. If you are interested, my ancestor can personally recommend you to join the Star Palace's peripheral organizations. With your abilities, your future prospects are limitless!"

"Elder Zhou, I've heard you have a good relationship with the Miaoyin Sect? My Tianxiang Pavilion is related to the Miaoyin Sect by marriage, and we are currently lacking a highly skilled elder to oversee our affairs. Please name your price—"

Faced with these overt or covert, sincere or ulterior motives, Zhou Ding's attitude remained consistent: he politely declined, making his stance clear.

"I, Zhou, am devoted to the Dao and dislike being entangled in worldly affairs. I appreciate the kindness of my fellow Daoists."

"I am used to being idle and cannot stand being restrained. Although the astrological palace is good, it is not what I want."

"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of joining any faction at the moment. Please leave."

He was polite in his words, but his refusal was firm and left no room for negotiation.

After several attempts, the recruiters realized that Zhou Ding was "unyielding" and "aloof and arrogant," and knew that forcing him would be futile. In addition, the divine pressure that Zhou Ding displayed was indeed intimidating, so most of the forces wisely stopped pursuing him and turned their attention to other targets.

After all, Tianxing City is full of talented people. Although Core Formation cultivators are considered experts, they are not unique.

However, after this incident, Zhou Ding and the reputation of "Cloud and Mist Cave Heaven" quietly spread throughout the area.

Many cultivators know that a Core Formation cultivator with powerful spiritual sense, unknown strength, and a somewhat aloof personality lives at No. 7 East in Liuyun District. His Daoist partner and a newly promoted Core Formation sister are also extraordinary. It's best not to provoke them easily.

Zhou Ding was quite pleased with this outcome.

He had no desire to get involved in the complex power struggles of Tianxing City; he only wanted to find a quiet place to cultivate peacefully with Xin Ruyin and Xiao Mei and explore opportunities.

This "appearance," though somewhat troublesome, has also drawn an invisible line, making those with ill intentions or a penchant for causing trouble think twice.

Tianxing City is a melting pot of all sorts of people, and sometimes, taking a decisive step can actually reduce a lot of unnecessary trouble.

After another six months, the disturbances gradually subsided, and "Cloud and Mist Cave" returned to its former tranquility.

Inside the cave, after stabilizing her early Core Formation stage and becoming familiar with the use of the "Canglan Sword" and the "Five Elements Qiankun Formation," Xiaomei cultivated even more diligently.

Perhaps out of gratitude for Zhou Ding and Xin Ruyin's kindness and a desire to repay them, she devoted a great deal of energy to making talismans.

She has cultivated the "Heavenly Talisman Scripture" to a certain level, and her understanding of the Dao of Talismans is becoming increasingly profound.

Now that he has advanced to the Core Formation stage, his spiritual sense and magical power have greatly increased, making him even more adept at drawing talismans.

No longer satisfied with drawing ordinary intermediate-level talismans, she began to study and draw some more powerful intermediate-level talismans. She even tried to integrate some of the water-attribute sword energy of the "Canglan Sword" into the talisman, creating a unique "Canglan Sword Energy Talisman" containing sharp sword intent, which was quite powerful.

She gave most of the exquisite talismans she made to Zhou Ding and Xin Ruyin, hoping they would be helpful to their cultivation or in combat.

"Miss, Master, look, this is my newly developed Wood Rejuvenation Talisman," its healing effect is 30% better than similar talismans on the market!

"Young master, please take these 'Golden Armor-Piercing Talismans' with you; they might come in handy in a critical moment."

"Miss, this little teleportation talisman can only teleport you a hundred feet, but it activates extremely quickly. You can carry it with you for self-defense when you're studying the formation—"

Whenever she proudly presented her newly made talismans, Zhou Ding and Xin Ruyin would always accept them with smiles and shower her with praise, which gave her even more motivation.

The cave was often filled with the faint scent of cinnabar and spiritual ink, as well as the adorable sight of Xiaomei intently making talismans.

On this day, Zhou Ding and Xin Ruyin were sitting on either side of the jade table in the front hall, discussing Xin Ruyin's new idea of ​​applying the concept of "spatial folding" to a short-distance directional teleportation array, which she had recently comprehended from the "Tian Yuan Array Canon".

Xin Ruyin used her fingers as a brush to outline intricate array patterns in the air, explaining the key difficulties involved in the stability of spatial nodes and the construction of energy channels.

Zhou Ding listened attentively, occasionally offering his own insights. The two exchanged ideas, sparking inspiration, and both felt they benefited greatly.

Just then, Zhou Ding's expression suddenly changed. He abruptly turned his head, his gaze like lightning, shooting towards the direction of the secret chamber deep within the cave, which he had specially opened up and set up with many restrictions to house the sleeping Xiao Jin!

An indescribable, familiar yet much more violent aura was faintly emanating from the sealed chamber!

That aura belonged to Xiao Jin!

But unlike the calm and restrained state he was in when he swallowed the top-grade demon blood stone and fell into a deep sleep half a year ago, this aura was now full of restlessness, unease, and a kind of suppression and rage like a volcano about to erupt!

It was as if a ferocious beast, which had been imprisoned for too long, was awakening and—eagerly wanting to break free of its restraints and release the overwhelming power within its body!

"It's Xiao Jin!"

Zhou Ding's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he instantly stood up: "It's waking up! No—no, it's not just waking up, this aura—it's the essence of the demon bloodstone accumulated within its body about to be completely refined and absorbed, causing its own bloodline and demonic power to boil over! It's—it's about to break through the bottleneck of a level six demon beast!"

Xin Ruyin also sensed the chilling aura of the demonic beast, and a hint of surprise and understanding flashed in her beautiful eyes: "Little Jin is about to advance? So quickly? That top-grade demonic blood stone is indeed extraordinary."

"Yes, and judging from the commotion, once she begins her advancement, the resulting celestial phenomena and spiritual energy fluctuations will likely be even more intense than when Xiao Mei formed her core!"

Zhou Ding frowned slightly and quickly said, "This place is on a sacred mountain, with many cultivators and a lot of eyes and ears. Xiao Mei only formed her core half a year ago, which has already attracted attention. If Xiao Jin advances to a level six demon beast here, it will inevitably attract even more attention, and may even bring unnecessary trouble and covetousness."

The value of a level six demon beast, especially a demon beast like Little Gold that is clearly a different species with great potential, is enough to tempt many Core Formation cultivators and even Nascent Soul old monsters.

Although Zhou Ding was not afraid, he did not want to cause trouble for no reason and expose more of his trump cards.

"We must take it away from Tianxing City immediately and find a remote, deserted place to advance!" Zhou Ding made a decisive decision.

"What Zhou Lang says is true. I've prepared some materials for formations for you; you might need them on the road."

Xin Ruyin, knowing the gravity of the situation, immediately stood up, took out several sets of portable array flags and array plates from her storage bag, as well as some high-grade spirit stones and protective and concealment talismans, and handed them to Zhou Ding.

"Okay, I'll be right back. You and the girl guard the cave and activate all the protective formations. Don't go out unless necessary." Zhou Ding took the things, quickly gave instructions, and his figure disappeared like a ghost, appearing at the door of the secret room the next moment.

He waved his hand to remove the outer barriers and pushed open the stone door.

Inside the secret chamber, the thick, dark red blood shield that enveloped Xiao Jin was now fluctuating violently, its light flickering. The dark golden demonic runes on its surface moved wildly as if they were alive, radiating scorching heat and a suffocating pressure.

Inside the blood shield, the outline of Xiao Jin's massive body was faintly visible, writhing restlessly and emitting low, suppressed roars filled with pain and violence, as if it were enduring immense pressure and the pain of transformation.

Zhou Ding communicated with his mind and waved his hand, taking Xiao Jin and its blood shield into a specially made, spatially stable spirit beast bag.

The blood shield seemed to have the effect of isolating space, but Zhou Ding's spirit beast pouch was also extraordinary and could barely hold it.

After putting away the spirit beast pouch, Zhou Ding didn't linger any longer. With a flicker of his figure, he appeared outside the cave.

He quickly told Xiaomei, who had rushed out of the talisman-making room upon hearing the news, "Girl, watch the house and stay with your young lady. I'll be right back!"

"Huh? Young master, what happened?" Xiaomei looked bewildered.

"Little Gold is about to advance. It's inconvenient here, so I'll take it out of the city." Zhou Ding said succinctly. The ancient treasure "Star Chasing Shuttle" under his feet had already appeared, turning into a silver-gray streak, carrying him into the sky. Like lightning tearing through the sky, it sped away at an astonishing speed towards the outside of the Holy Mountain, away from Tianxing City!

He didn't even take the usual route out of the city, but headed directly towards the desolate sea area outside the sacred mountain.

Xin Ruyin and Xiao Mei stood at the entrance of the cave, watching Zhou Ding's disappearing light, their eyes filled with a mixture of worry and anticipation.

"Miss, will Xiao Jin succeed?" Xiao Mei asked softly.

"With Zhou Lang here, he will surely protect it. With the top-grade demon blood stone and Xiao Jin's own strength, the chances of success are very high." Xin Ruyin held Xiao Mei's hand and comforted her softly, but her eyes kept following the silver-gray light that disappeared into the distant sea of ​​clouds.

Zhou Ding piloted the "flying boat" to its maximum speed, moving at breakneck speed.

He did not fly towards the bustling areas of the inland sea, but instead chose to fly over the sea areas marked as "barren", "dangerous" or "rare routes" on the nautical chart.

Throughout the journey, he fully activated his powerful divine sense, which acted like the most sophisticated radar, avoiding all islands, flight paths, and even other escape lights that might occasionally pass by in the sky where he might encounter cultivators.

They flew at full speed for a full day and night, crossing countless miles of sea.

Only when the surrounding scenery became extremely desolate, the seawater turned an ominous deep black, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and the sea wind was biting cold, with almost no trace of human cultivators' activities, and only some low-level sea beasts swimming in the deep sea, did Zhou Ding slowly reduce his speed.

His gaze was fixed on a solitary black island standing amidst raging waves, hundreds of miles ahead.

The island was small, with jagged rocks and no vegetation. It was covered with thick, weathered black reefs that looked as if they had been weathered over countless years, exuding an aura of deathly stillness, desolation, yet strangely stable stability.

The island is shrouded in a strange, gray mist all year round, which seems to isolate one's senses, making it an excellent natural hiding place.

"This is it." Zhou Ding controlled the Star Chaser, and with a dive, landed in the center of the deserted island.

There is nothing on the island except for cold, hard black rocks and howling sea winds.

He first used his powerful divine sense to carefully scan the entire island, and even went deep into the seabed to investigate, confirming that there were no hidden dangers, monster lairs or ancient ruins with any remaining restrictions, before he was slightly relieved.

Without hesitation, he immediately began to set up the formation.

With a wave of his hand, dozens of array flags, like birds emerging from their nests, were inserted one by one into the depths of the hard black reef according to mysterious directions. He placed the array plate on a relatively flat rock platform in the center of the island, embedding several high-grade spirit stones.

His hands moved like butterflies flitting among flowers, forming hand seals, and streams of spiritual light entered the array flags and array plates.

Soon, a complex array covering the entire deserted island, possessing functions of "concealment," "isolation of aura," "gathering of spirits," and "protection," quietly took shape!

As the formation activated, the gray fog on the island seemed to thicken, reducing its presence to a minimum from the outside, as if it had blended into the surrounding sea and sky.

The spiritual energy inside was forcibly gathered by the formation and surged towards the center of the island.

After setting up the formation, Zhou Ding carefully released Xiao Jin from the spirit beast pouch.

"boom!"

Xiao Jin's enormous body, over twenty feet long, landed heavily on the rocks in the center of the deserted island, making a dull thud.

The dark red blood shield on its body was now as thin as a cicada's wing, and the surging blood and demonic power inside were almost about to burst out of its body!

Little Gold's eyes were bloodshot, filled with rage and pain. It looked up and let out a long-suppressed, deafening roar!

"roar--!!!"

The sound waves were so real that they made the island tremble slightly, and huge waves exploded on the surrounding sea!

The terrifying pressure of a level six demonic beast before its advancement was released without reservation. If it weren't for the array that blocked it, it could probably be clearly sensed from a hundred miles away.

Zhou Ding flipped his hand and took out several jade bottles, pouring out a number of rare pills of different colors, all of which were filled with spiritual energy. These pills were specially used to stabilize the demonic power, enhance blood and qi, and protect the meridians of demonic beasts when they reached the common level. He wrapped them in his magic power and precisely put them into the huge mouth of the little gold beast, which was slightly open due to its roar.

The pill entered his stomach and transformed into several streams of pure, gentle yet powerful medicinal energy, which quickly merged into Xiao Jin's torrent of demonic energy, which was like boiling magma. This slightly relieved the swelling and pain in his meridians and provided additional assistance for him to break through the bottleneck.

Xiao Jin no longer suppressed his power and completely released the restraints on the terrifying power that had accumulated within his body for half a year and was then completely detonated by the top-grade demon blood stone!

"Roar—!!!"

Another roar, even louder, more violent, and full of wildness and indomitable spirit, soared straight into the sky!

Xiao Jin's body was covered in dark golden scales, each scale standing upside down, with blinding dark golden light shooting out from the gaps!

A primordial ferocity, several times stronger than before, erupted like a volcano and swept across the entire deserted island!

Its enormous body began to expand and contract violently, its muscles writhing like a dragon, and its bones making a teeth-grinding "pop" sound, as if it were undergoing the deepest reshaping and evolution!

In the sky, the gray mist gathering above the deserted island was churned wildly by an unseen force, forming a massive vortex. Deep within the vortex, the faint sounds of wind and thunder could be heard, and strange, dark red lightning, carrying an aura of destruction, began to flicker!

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a radius of dozens of miles surged toward the deserted island like a madman, its scale and speed far exceeding that of Xiao Mei when she formed her core!

On the sea surface, towering waves surged, as if a giant sea monster was turning over.

Zhou Ding retreated rapidly, hovering in mid-air at the edge of the deserted island. His eyes were like torches as he stared intently at the massive figure in the center of the island, completely engulfed by dark golden light and chaotic spiritual energy. His expression was solemn, yet filled with anticipation.

"It has begun—the real advancement has begun."

He was completely focused, maintaining the operation of the formation to ensure that the advancement phenomenon and aura were not leaked, while constantly sensing Xiao Jin's condition, ready to deal with any possible accidents at any time.