Chapter 220: Being Hoodwinked

Elder FusionSpirit’s aura continued to ascend.

Having made this choice, he was prepared for any potential outcome. Either he would successfully form his core, becoming a lofty Core Formation Ancestor, or he would perish in the attempt, turning to ash. Regardless of which fate awaited him, he no longer feared the Blackstone Ancestor.

Finally, the third bolt of tribulation lightning descended.

Zzzt!

Cracks spread across the formation’s shield. With a deafening explosion, it collapsed. For the first time, Elder FusionSpirit met the heavenly tribulation head-on. He swiftly produced a jet-black paper umbrella, unfurling it to face the tribulation force. The thunderbolt struck with devastating force. The paper umbrella held for barely an instant before disintegrating, allowing the residual power to surge down the handle and directly into his body.

The force of the heavenly tribulation drove him into the ground, carving out a deep pit.

As the cracks spread and the rupture widened, Blackstone City’s great array ground to a complete halt.

Just as many had predicted, the great array exploded into smithereens. Explosions rocked several areas within the city as the buried array foundations blew up. The massive blasts instantly triggered widespread chaos. In the realm of demonic cultivation, no shortage of fearless desperados eager to throw away their lives could be found. Many rogue cultivators, lacking resources, saw an opportunity to cash in on the ensuing turmoil. Some Foundation Establishment powerhouses stirred up trouble alongside them, plunging the situation into utter disarray in mere moments.

“Time to strike.”

Among the five observing the calamity, two soared into the sky, transforming into streaks of light that shot towards the Blackstone Mountain’s peak. The Blackstone Ancestor practiced secluded meditation atop the mountain, and these two villains intended to pillage his treasures.

The remaining two headed off in different directions. These old demons were cultivators who had long been hiding in Blackstone City, ready to seize this opportunity to snatch their coveted loot.

Chen Luo was no different. He turned and charged towards the Puppet Pavilion.

He had tried to enter the last time but was unable to gain access. After acquiring some Bascilisk Slaves, he realized they were all at the Foundation Establishment stage, without a single one reaching Core Formation. Madam Hua had claimed there were no Core Formation level corpses in the Puppet Pavilion, but Chen Luo refused to believe it. The only way to know for sure was to see for himself.

Now that the grand array was offline, Chen Luo could fly unhindered. In moments, he arrived at the underground river. Along the way, he encountered numerous other cultivators taking advantage of the chaos. He paid them no heed as long as they didn’t block his path, content to let everyone loot their own targets.

As Chen Luo burst onto the platform, he was immediately struck by a surge of black light hurtling directly towards him. The black light was blisteringly swift; there was no time to dodge. All he could do was raise his hand, rapidly invoking the ‘Demon Bone Array Sigil Art’ as he slammed it straight into the black light.

BOOM!

Ripples spread out as Chen Luo finally got a clear look at what had attacked him—a pair of pitch-black scissors. Under the force of his strike, the scissors flew back and slammed into the earth below. The black light on their surface dimmed dramatically, its spiritual essence clearly damaged.

“Huh?”

A surprised voice rang out. Even the attacker hadn’t expected Chen Luo to not only block his assault but also destroy his magical artifact with a mere punch.

“You?” Chen Luo recognized the attacker at once.

It was the same mysterious demonic cultivator he’d seen during his last visit—the one emanating Lady Bai Gu’s aura. Last time, Chen Luo had planned to divine this stranger’s identity while exploring the Outer City, but his plans were thwarted by an unexpected encounter with the Four Great Tribulation Cultivators. That incident led to the whole Madam Hua affair.

Dividing the area, he declared, “Half of that side is yours, all of this side is mine.”

The unfamiliar demonic cultivator waved his hand, summoning the pitch-black scissors from the ground into his possession. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured five cultivated corpses to circle around him, showcasing his prowess to deter any unnecessary conflict.

Chaos reigned in Blackstone City—a perfect opportunity for these rogue elements to loot during the turmoil. Such a rare chance demanded seizing resources rather than wasting time on combat. The earlier ambush on Chen Luo was merely to eliminate a potential claimant to their spoils. Now that Chen Luo had demonstrated his strength, there was no need to persist with the fight.

“Are you Black Carapace Daoist?” Chen Luo suddenly asked, glancing at the cultivated corpse beside the newcomer.

“I am indeed,” Black Carapace Daoist replied without concealment. A aura of full Foundation Establishment radiated from his body. With Elder FusionSpirit away, undergoing his Transcendence outside the city, Black Carapace Daoist stood here. The remaining Demonseed Sect Leader was likely capitalizing on the chaos as well. Only Blackstone Ancestor, with his Core Formation might, could potentially stabilize the situation, but he had yet to return.

Once Chen Luo confirmed the identity of Black Carapace Daoist, he wasted no more breath. Dividing the area as previously agreed, he swiftly charged inward.

Upon entering, Chen Luo immediately spotted the bald cultivator who had blocked his path before. The curse script twisted across the man’s face as he attempted to make his move.

“You—”

SNIPE!

Before Chen Luo could utter another word, his hand had clamped around the guard’s neck and twisted. His late Foundation Establishment spiritual power surged forth, brutally wrenching off the man’s head with brute force. In a practiced motion, he then stored the head in his holding pouch for safekeeping, along with everything else on the corpse.

He’d already collected over a hundred Foundation Establishment brains, having reached the current capacity limit of his storage device. For now, he’d have to keep this particular brain in his holding pouch and absorb it later once he upgraded its storage capabilities.

The Black Carapace Daoist on the other side moved even faster. Dozens of iron jiang sent from his Corpse-Raising Sack charged forth, embarking on a killing spree. He rang his copper bell incessantly; under the influence of the bell’s toll, these iron corpses fought with fierce vigor. In moments, they had annihilated everyone on the right side.

This control over cultivated corpses is far superior to Old Mummy Ghost’s methods, Chen Luo thought, his eyes flickering. His own corpse cultivation techniques were still very crude; the only method he knew was that corpse-raising technique he’d acquired from the Old Mummy Ghost in Longshan City.

After all, the Old Mummy Ghost was merely a Qi Refining realm corpse cultivator, so his magical techniques were hardly impressive.

No wonder why Chen Luo’s attempts at cultivating the Core Formation corpses from the Yinwood Forest had failed all this time.

Chen Luo charged to the leftmost interior of the area. With a flourish of his sleeve, nine magic swords materialized, annihilating the cultivators within Black Stone City in an instant. Such a grandiose move naturally caught the attention of Daoist Black Carapace. Just like Chen Luo, a sense of wariness arose within him.

A second-rank formation master is not someone anyone would want to provoke.

Having slaughtered the cultivators, Chen Luo breached a nearby pit of corpses. He swiftly found over twenty caskets, each containing refined corpses from Black Stone City—intended for sale. Most had already been bought, but as the delivery date hadn’t arrived, they remained stored here.

With a sweep of his sleeve, Chen Luo’s Corpse-Raising Sack opened wide, engulfing all twenty-plus refined corpses.

After collecting these corpses, Chen Luo dispersed his divine sense to search for the Core Formation cadavers he desired. Alas, after scouring the area, he found none. It seemed Madam Hua’s words were true—Black Stone City truly possessed no Core Formation refined corpses.

On the other side, Daoist Black Carapace was equally dissatisfied. Like Chen Luo, he had only acquired some Foundation Establishment stage iron corpses. While these corpses would be priceless to those outside, for both of them, this yield was woefully insufficient.

Without warning, another earth-shattering tremor struck. A long, resounding laugh suddenly echoed from outside.

“Hahahaha!”

The laughter resonated with joy, mixed with an infinite surge of vital energy from the cosmos. Chen Luo and the Black Carapace Daoist’s faces paled at the sight. Without uttering a single word, they turned and fled in a flash.

“The thunder tribulation has passed. The Golden Core is now complete.”

Elder FusionSpirit took flight, and vital energy from the cosmos rushed madly into his body. The injuries he had suffered while crossing the tribulation mended at a speed visible to the naked eye. The power of Core Formation radiated outwards, swiftly enveloping the entire Blackstone City. This old fellow intended to use the opportunity presented by his Core Formation to plunder the entire city, his appetite far exceeding that of Chen Luo and all his men combined.

Circles of vital energy rippled outward like waves. After just one rotation, the vital energy abruptly stalled.

Demonic Heart Tribulation!

The expression of Elder FusionSpirit, suspended midair, underwent a dramatic transformation. He had believed that by vanquishing his Demonic Heart, he would no longer need to cross the Demonic Heart Tribulation. It now appeared that the heavenly tribulation and secret magic were two entirely different matters.

“How could my tribulation avoidance technique fail?!”

Elder FusionSpirit was gripped by an equal mix of shock and fury. Two hundred years ago, within a vast ancient tomb, he had discovered a secretive cultivation technique said to reveal a way to bypass the Demonic Heart Tribulation—a trial faced by every cultivator when reaching certain realms of spiritual mastery.

This secret art contained nine truths and one falsehood. While the methods for the Foundation Establishment realm were accurate, the final section about transcending the tribulation proved to be mere conjecture. Elder FusionSpirit had dedicated over two centuries to mastering this art, his presence in Blackstone City covert throughout those years. Shortly before dismembering his blood bonds, he believed he had met the conditions to successfully bypass the tribulation.

How could he ever have anticipated that even the secretive arts within the ancient tombs could be forgeries?!

Aghast, he realized that ancient practitioners sometimes left false cultivation techniques in their graves, and it was precisely such a deceptive art, albeit one with fatal consequences, that had truly entrapped the Elder FusionSpirit.

Alas, the heavenly tribulation cared not for his thoughts. An invisible force materialized instantly, piercing directly into his mind.

As Elder FusionSpirit descended from the sky, hovering amidst the ruins, his expression a canvas of shock and anger. The aura of his Demonic Heart pulsed menacingly around him—he had fully succumbed to the Demonic Heart Tribulation.

Upon witnessing this spectacle, other cultivators swiftly dispersed, not a single one daring to approach. Compared to the heavenly tribulation, the Demonic Heart Tribulation was far more terrifying. Before Core Formation, no one dared to confront their inner demons head-on.

For every individual living in this world, there exists something they value deeply.

During the Demonic Heart Tribulation, these cherished sentiments become infinitely amplified, reaching a point where they cannot be relinquished. Take, for instance, a certain eminent figure from the Immortal Tales who, due to his love for wealth, endured the Demonic Heart Tribulation through nine lifetimes. In each existence, he experienced opulence and grandeur, being either an emperor, a prince, or at the very least, an imperial uncle.

This eminent figure, blinded by his infatuation with riches, nearly couldn’t break free from the tribulation. It was only with the assistance of a friend that he managed to emerge triumphant.

“Is this the Demonic Heart Tribulation?”

Having just burst out of the passage, Chen Luo immediately sensed a familiar presence. The Demonic Heart Art within him surged to its limit, and faintly, he could hear a beckoning call.

This was the first time Chen Luo’s true self had been so close to someone undergoing the transcending process!