Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

"Thank you both for your help. If it weren't for your divine power, my sister and I would have been in danger."

Feng Yuan's eyes were bright, and she smiled gently as she expressed her gratitude.

Seeing Lin Changsheng casually put away his Nine-Toothed Rake, his blood and qi power, though restrained, still had some residual strength, his heroic demeanor attracted the attention of the two women.

"Fellow Daoists, there's no need to be so polite. We just happened to arrive here and took action by chance."

Lin Changsheng spoke calmly.

Next, Su Qin examined the injuries of the blue giant tortoise.

The group took the opportunity to exchange pleasantries.

During the conversation, Lin Changsheng learned the two women's names and backgrounds.

It has been confirmed that both Feng Yuan and Shang Shunan are Golden Core cultivators of the Qingxin Sect in Fengyuan Kingdom.

In its early years, Qingxin Sect was one of the Nascent Soul level sects in Fengyuan Kingdom.

However, hundreds of years ago, a Nascent Soul True Monarch from the sect went out and did not return for many years.

Since then, Qingxin Sect has gradually declined, its assets have been gradually devoured by other forces, and it has even lost its fourth-order spiritual vein.

Now, after moving to a new location, it is just an ordinary Golden Core level force.

Of the two women, Feng Yuan is not only older, but also has a slightly higher cultivation level, having advanced to the early stage of the Golden Core realm for many years.

Shang Shunan is a newly promoted Golden Core cultivator in recent years. She came to the 'Mountain of Mourning' to find a third-tier material to refine magic weapons.

However, they accidentally entered a forbidden area and provoked this third-tier demon crocodile.

On the other side, after Su Qin finished treating the third-tier demon crocodile, he also gave the blue giant tortoise a simple treatment.

Monsters have extremely strong self-healing abilities; minor injuries can heal on their own after a period of rest.

"Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any third-tier demonic crocodiles of this level in the outer area of ​​the Mourning Mountains. You two are really unlucky."

Su Qin looked somewhat curious.

Although the Aiwang Mountains are dangerous, they are far less dangerous than the inner abyss. It is quite abnormal that there are third-tier monsters lurking on the outer perimeter alone.

"Well... to be honest, my sister and I stumbled upon an opportunity while we were there, and there were quite a few third-tier spiritual items."

"There are a lot of third-tier demonic crocodiles around the forbidden area. My sister and I were just about to investigate carefully when one of the demonic crocodiles spotted us and chased us here. That's when we met you two fellow Daoists."

Feng Yuan and Shang Shunan exchanged a glance, and after a moment's thought, Feng Yuan spoke frankly.

"A third-tier spiritual item?"

"What exactly does Fairy Feng mean by the third-tier spiritual item?"

Upon hearing this, Su Qin showed an interested expression.

Originally, he had a significant advantage among cultivators of the same level, and he always harbored a faint sense of superiority.

Even after learning that Lin Changsheng also had a fourth-tier demon infant behind him, he still felt that he was stronger than Uncle Lin.

In his view, the guidance of an experienced Nascent Soul senior was an advantage that would allow him to surpass Lin Changsheng.

Unfortunately, after advancing to the Golden Core stage, he suddenly realized that while guidance from Nascent Soul cultivators was important, gaining an advantage among cultivators of the same level required substantial resource support.

In short, after advancing to the Golden Core stage, Su Qin became 'just another ordinary person,' especially after being nearly driven to the brink of despair by Xu Qinghuan. He then placed great importance on resources.

"Our sister and I haven't been in the forbidden area for long and haven't observed it carefully, but even with just a fleeting glance, we could feel the rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth, as well as the third-tier spiritual herbs, spiritual fruits, minerals and other resources that could be seen everywhere. Obviously, that forbidden area has not been developed by anyone."

After listening to Su Qin's words, Feng Yuan pondered for a moment and then recalled them.

"A multitude of Tier 3 opportunities!"

"Uncle Lin..."

Su Qin's eyes lit up, and he looked at Lin Changsheng, as if seeking the other's opinion.

Upon hearing this title, Shang Shunan and Feng Yuan, who were standing nearby, both looked surprised and exchanged glances.

Lin Changsheng and Su Qin are two people, but judging from their appearance, the former looks younger, like a handsome young man. However, his calm and indifferent temperament contrasts sharply with his appearance, making it difficult to guess his true age.

In comparison, Su Qin appeared much more mature.

But Su Qin, who clearly looked older than his age, referred to the young-looking boy as 'Uncle Lin'.

"As long as we don't encounter a late-stage Tier 3 demon, there shouldn't be too much trouble."

After a moment's hesitation, Lin Changsheng spoke first.

Upon hearing this, both Su Qin and the two women beside him, Shang Shunan, showed joy on their faces.

Clearly, the two women could also see that Lin Changsheng had the highest cultivation level and extraordinary skills among them.

Soon, the group reached a final decision.

Originally, Shang Shunan and Feng Yuan planned to bring this news back to Qingxin Sect, gather enough Golden Core cultivators, and jointly explore the forbidden area.

In gratitude for Lin Changsheng and his companion's act of saving them, they decided to reveal the location of the forbidden area.

Next, Feng Yuan took out a sketch and briefly depicted the location of the forbidden area before handing the sketch to Su Qin.

At this moment, a hint of hesitation seemed to flash in Shang Shunan's clear eyes, as if she was somewhat reluctant.

After thanking them politely again, Feng Yuan pulled Shang Shunan aside, and the two said goodbye, citing their lack of ability.

Before their departure, Feng Yuan warmly invited them to visit the Qingxin Sect after their treasure hunt, so that they could express their gratitude for what had happened that day.

Before long, the two women disappeared into the distance.

"Uncle Lin, this is the inner core of that third-tier demon crocodile."

At this moment, Su Qin took out a pale yellow demon core, about the size of an infant's fist, radiating a rich demonic power, and handed it to Lin Changsheng.

The demon core of a third-tier great demon is equivalent to the golden core in the body of a Golden Core cultivator. It is the crystallization of the demonic power gathered in the body and is considered one of the most precious items on a demon beast.

Although Master promised Uncle Lin a generous reward for this trip, killing this third-tier demon crocodile was not on the itinerary.

Since Lin Changsheng chose to lend a helping hand, Su Qin naturally had to reciprocate in kind.

Lin Changsheng accepted it without hesitation.

The inner core of a third-tier great demon contains rich demonic power and is a precious material for alchemy.

It has a significant effect on increasing the cultivation level of Golden Core cultivators or accelerating the growth of demonic beasts.

For Lin Changsheng, it is also a resource that is in high demand.

After accepting the demon core, Lin Changsheng seemed to sense something, his gaze fixed on the direction where the two women from Qingxin Sect had left, his expression strange.

The wood element was abundant within the Mourning Mountain Range, and Lin Changsheng's perception was astonishing after activating the Everlasting Spring Technique.

According to his perception, Shang Shunan and Feng Yuan did not leave the place as they had said, but stopped after flying out of the Golden Core cultivator's perception range.

Such inconsistency between words and actions caused Lin Changsheng to frown inwardly.

……

the other side.

"Why didn't Senior Sister Feng truthfully inform Fellow Daoists Lin and Su about the situation inside the forbidden area?"

"There is a suspected fourth-order 'Demon Crocodile King' in the ruins. Even if it is not fourth-order, it is at least a third-order peak demon, which is far beyond what ordinary Golden Core cultivators can deal with."

Shang Shunan frowned slightly, staring blankly at her senior sister.

He seemed puzzled, but he had a vague idea of ​​what his senior sister was up to.

"Junior Sister Shang, you and I only strayed into the forbidden area for a moment, how could we possibly see the whole picture?"

"Senior sister, I simply told you everything about the forbidden area to repay fellow Daoists Lin and Su. I also hope that they can gain abundant opportunities in the forbidden area."

"But if the two of them unfortunately perish in the process, how can we just stand by and watch our benefactors lie dead in the wilderness? We must collect their bodies and arrange their funerals."

"Our Qingxin Sect is beset by internal and external troubles. Including you, Junior Sister, we only have three Golden Core cultivators, which is far from enough to deter the restless forces around us. If we can inherit the relics of these two fellow Daoists, it will at least give us the opportunity to advance to the mid-stage."

Feng Yuan raised her eyes and gazed at the distant mountains. A fleeting look of guilt crossed her eyes, which quickly turned into a cold expression.

Upon hearing this, Shang Shunan looked worried and her expression was complicated.

……

The Mourning Mountains, a deep abyss over a thousand feet wide and unfathomably deep, sits between the mountains, like a natural crack, serene and mysterious.

On both sides of the abyss, sheer cliffs rise straight up, their surfaces covered with a layer of vegetation.

Even sunlight struggles to penetrate completely, forming beams of light in narrow gaps.

Such a stunning and magnificent scene caused Lin Changsheng and Su Qin, who had just arrived at this place, to be slightly taken aback.

Below the abyss, everything was shrouded in a gray haze, the view was slightly distorted, and there were faint spatial fluctuations.

The two of them each used their divine senses to explore their surroundings.

“That’s right, according to the location Fellow Daoist Feng described, the forbidden area is located here.”

Su Qin compared the blueprints in his hand with the blueprints several times, looked around to confirm that they were correct, and then looked quite excited and full of anticipation.

According to Feng Daoyou, this forbidden area is rich in resources. If they could plunder it, it would be enough for him and Uncle Lin to make a small fortune. It might not be much for Uncle Lin, but it would greatly alleviate his current urgent need to make money from his meager assets.

Unlike Lin Changsheng, who possesses many skills, he has always focused on the cultivation level since he began cultivating, and does not have any skills to earn resources.

In fact, when he was still in the Foundation Establishment stage, he saw Lin Changsheng making a fortune by researching talismans, and he was very envious. So he also tried to pass on the skills of talisman making and puppet making in private.

Unfortunately, Su Qin had no obvious talent in the transmission of these skills. Even if he studied diligently for several years, he might not have achieved anything and had to give up as soon as possible.

"Fellow Daoist Su, the forbidden areas in the Aiwang Mountains are mostly infamous, so you must not be careless."

Seeing this, Lin Changsheng offered a reminder.

Based on the inconsistent words and actions of the two female cultivators from the Qingxin Sect, Lin Changsheng vaguely sensed that there seemed to be some problem.

Generally speaking, regardless of whether there is a problem or not, it is best to stay away from this place to avoid unnecessary complications.

But since Su Qin wanted to explore, Lin Changsheng did not try to stop him.

Perhaps Feng Yuan was hiding something, but for Lin Changsheng now, as long as he is not targeted by a fourth-tier demon king, ordinary Golden Core cultivators or late-stage third-tier demons pose almost no threat to him.

Even if a fourth-tier demon king were to make a move, as long as he didn't use his most powerful abilities right away to subdue Lin Changsheng, with his many life-saving methods, it wouldn't be difficult for him to leave safely.

"Uncle Lin, don't worry. If we encounter a late-stage Tier 3 demon, we will leave immediately and will not linger."

Upon hearing this, Su Qin's excited expression subsided somewhat.

He still held Lin Changsheng in high regard, as Lin had provided him with protection since childhood.

The next moment, their magical power surged, and after activating their defensive techniques, they transformed into two streaks of light and plunged into the abyss.

In an instant, Lin Changsheng and Su Qin's figures blurred and disappeared.

Wow!

When they reappeared, the two were already above a gray swamp.

A desolate and decaying atmosphere enveloped the entire swamp.

Lin Changsheng looked around and saw that there seemed to be dozens of huge pieces of driftwood floating in the swamp below.

Upon closer inspection, one will discover that those floating objects are not driftwood at all, but rather ferocious crocodiles coiled in the swamp.

Fortunately, although these demonic crocodiles seem numerous, their demonic power varies, mostly at the first or second level.

Only two demons possessed demonic energy fluctuations that reached the level of a third-tier great demon, and both were at the early stage of the third tier.

Clearly, the third-tier demonic crocodile that chased the two women from the Qingxin Sect was not commonly seen in the forbidden area.

Perhaps sensing the presence of living beings, the demonic crocodile below slowly swam towards Lin Changsheng and Su Qin.

Lin Changsheng released a trace of Dan power, his mid-stage Golden Core level magic power instantly frightening away most of the first and second-tier demon crocodiles.

Only two early-stage third-tier demon crocodiles remained, still unwilling to give up, but were deterred by Lin Changsheng's aura and lingered not far away.

The aura of a Golden Core cultivator is intimidating not only to low-level cultivators but also to demonic beasts of higher realms.

With Lin Changsheng's mid-stage Golden Core aura intimidating them, the two avoided the demonic crocodile and began searching within the forbidden area.

This place is a completely natural swamp, with no trace of human cultivators.

Many rare medicinal herbs and minerals are almost entirely exposed to the elements.

Lin Changsheng and Su Qin didn't stand on ceremony and collected all the Tier 3 resources they could see.

About six or seven days later.

The two worked day and night, killing about seven or eight demonic crocodiles, one of which was close to the mid-stage of the third rank, and they obtained a lot of resources.

In particular, Lin Changsheng also discovered several rare spiritual herbs that are hard to find elsewhere, which are excellent materials for refining materials to aid in cultivation growth, making the trip worthwhile.

"Hmm, this aura... seems a bit unusual."

As he flew away, Lin Changsheng suddenly stopped, as if sensing something, and turned to look into the depths of the swamp.

In his perception, a terrifying aura that made his heart tremble was faintly emanating from the depths of the distant swamp.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away.

Suddenly, bubbles rose from the tranquil swamp.

Suddenly, the vegetation and soil in the swamp surged, and a huge, jet-black body abruptly flew out from it.

A powerful aura of demonic energy erupted and burst forth; upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a gigantic demonic crocodile with a body length exceeding ten zhang!

Unlike other crocodiles, this one was noticeably larger, with its skin gleaming black. Emerging from the mud, its entire body was spotless, without a speck of dust.

"A fourth-tier demon king!"

"Come on!"

Lin Changsheng's expression changed drastically in an instant!

He suddenly produced a high-quality third-tier escape talisman in his hand, and his powerful aura burst forth instantly!

But in that instant, the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to solidify, as if it had become extremely heavy at this moment, followed by an overwhelming and despair-inducing demonic power that swept in!

Dozens of feet away, a huge black crocodile suddenly appeared, hovering in mid-air, its dark eyes coldly looking over.

"I never expected that after so many years, I would be able to feel the presence of old friends again."

A human-like glint appeared in the black crocodile's cold eyes, and it actually spoke in human language, its voice slightly deep.

At the same time, a flash of light appeared on Su Qin's body.

A phantom image of a Nascent Soul-level old man appeared.