Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

"I never imagined that a Nascent Soul Fruit like the 'Earth Infant Fruit' would be so alluring to ordinary Golden Core cultivators, attracting so many covetous eyes. Fortunately, it arrived safely in Yan Kingdom. I'm sure those Tribulation Cultivators wouldn't dare to pursue it into our Yan Kingdom. Elder Chen can rest assured."

Although he was secretly anxious, Sect Master Huang Jia spoke with a relieved tone, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief, and his vigilant expression relaxed considerably.

However, this behavior, when observed by Chen Xingzhou, caused a strange look to flash across the latter's face, which then relaxed his brows and eyes, seemingly lightening the atmosphere.

"Sect Leader Huang is right. After all, the territory of Yan Kingdom is under the jurisdiction of my Liu Yan Sect. If we fight here, it is tantamount to declaring war on the Liu Yan Sect."

"The success of this auction for the 'Earth Infant Fruit' is entirely due to the great help of Sect Master Huang. When I return to the sect, I will certainly offer my gratitude."

Upon entering the territory of Yanguo, Chen Xingzhou felt emboldened and, while expressing his gratitude, did not forget his promise.

But just as the two were talking, another surge of magical power came from the sky behind them.

Three figures approached from afar at an extremely fast speed.

The two sensed the presence, and a strange light flickered in their eyes.

"These cultivators are truly persistent. In their pursuit of nascent souls, they have become so ruthless that they dare to set foot in the Yan Kingdom, which is guarded by a Nascent Soul True Monarch."

"But I have some doubts. We were being extremely careful, so why were we still able to be tracked down by these cultivators?"

Not far away, Chen Xingzhou feigned a sullen expression, but his gaze subtly swept over the woman beside him.

"Unless there are some special tracking methods, it's probably just a coincidence."

"After all, although we are concealing our whereabouts, we will eventually return to the Willow Smoke Sect mountain range. If these Tribulation Cultivators insist on lying in wait, the probability of encountering them is still very high."

Sect Master Huang Jia looked calmly at the three Golden Core cultivators approaching and speculated.

However, she was very suspicious. Her gaze swept over the first two people, and after a brief, subtle exchange of glances, she turned to stare at the last unfamiliar Golden Core cultivator and scrutinized him.

"Could this person be a true Tribulation Cultivator?"

After examining the person, Huang Jia seemed certain that he was not the one she was thinking of, and she began to have doubts.

In fact, along the way, the two of them encountered many ambushes and attacks from other cultivators, most of which were deliberately arranged by Huang Jia, who even secretly left traces.

Their purpose was to create trouble for Chen Xingzhou.

"Fine, we can't let them return to the sect smoothly with the Nascent Soul artifact."

In an instant, Huang Jia exchanged glances with two of the three tribulation cultivators opposite him, their eyes subtly revealing a chill.

"This person possesses a Nascent Soul Spiritual Item; whoever manages to snatch it will depend entirely on luck!"

One of the three cultivators shouted, his words filled with excitement, and his entire body erupted with magical power as he flew towards Chen Xingzhou!

The remaining two were not to be outdone, and they rushed forward to attack.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

Three consecutive bombardments rang out. Chen Xingzhou raised his hand and summoned the Azure Bowl magic weapon, tightly protecting himself within it and blocking the bombardments from three different directions.

"Sect Leader Huang, my mana has not yet recovered, and I cannot hold off these people for too long."

Although he managed to defend against the combined attack of the three, the surface of the Azure Bowl magic weapon that Chen Xingzhou was controlling was constantly vibrating, making it difficult for him to control and only able to barely suppress it.

At the same time, Sect Master Huang Jia's eyes narrowed, and his gaze fell on the unfamiliar Tribulation Cultivator.

"The first two were people I secretly contacted to ambush Chen Xingzhou, but this person's appearance is a bit strange. He seems to be working together, but he doesn't put in much effort. Instead, he interferes with the other two's attacks. There's something strange about this. Could it be that this person wants to reap the benefits without lifting a finger?"

After a flash of light in her eyes, Sect Leader Huang Jia raised her hand slightly, and a short incense stick was gently twirled between her slender fingers. Then, she parted her lips slightly and blew gently, and a wisp of green smoke accompanied by the fragrant breeze came over, instantly surrounding and trapping the third person.

Ultimately, the situation on the field became extremely complicated.

Huang Jia and Chen Xingzhou fought separately, each dealing with the tribulation cultivators in front of them.

Boom boom boom...

A surge of intense magical pressure swept across the area, accompanied by deafening roars, stirring up massive amounts of yellow sand that blotted out the sky.

"Hmph, you lowly rats, how dare you covet the treasures in my possession!"

Chen Xingzhou's figure was barely visible amidst the sandstorm, but his voice, filled with anger, emanated from it.

The next moment, a pale red pill appeared in his hand, and he tilted his head back and swallowed it.

A few breaths later, a magical aura far surpassing that of ordinary late-stage Golden Core cultivators emanated from Chen Xingzhou's body.

Such an aura far surpassed that of the several Golden Core cultivators around him. Even Huang Jia, the sect leader, felt a faint sense of pressure.

"A 'secret medicine' that can dramatically increase magical power in a short period of time?"

The two cultivators around him were slightly taken aback, but immediately recognized the method.

"Hehe, this is a unique 'secret medicine' that I, the alchemist, possess. However, you two fellow Daoists do not seem to be curious about it. It seems that you already know about it."

Chen Xingzhou's robes swayed constantly amidst the surging magical energy, but his expression held a hint of mockery.

With the added benefit of the 'secret medicine,' he amplified the power of his Azure Bowl magic weapon, holding his own against the two tribulation cultivators before him, and temporarily avoiding being at a disadvantage.

Seeing this, the two cultivators also activated their respective natal magic treasures to resist Chen Xingzhou's Azure Bowl magic treasure.

The three were locked in a fierce battle, unable to break apart for a time.

Seeing this, the cultivator who was fighting with Sect Master Huang Jia frowned slightly, and a look of anxiety flashed across his face. He then activated his defensive magic shield, attempting to forcefully break through the green smoke surrounding him.

Unexpectedly, the green smoke emitted from the 'short incense' in Huang Jia's hand seemed to be tangible, following him like a shadow, and causing his magical shield to dissolve at a visible speed.

Upon seeing this, the unfamiliar cultivator finally showed a look of fear, repeatedly activating his protective techniques to defend himself, and even attempting to use his movement techniques to try and escape the azure smoke.

Just then, a strange noise suddenly came from the desert below.

The ground bulges slightly, forming a small sand dune.

'Boom!'

With a loud bang, yellow sand flew everywhere, and a black, ancient nine-toothed rake took advantage of the situation to rise up, accompanied by a heavy whooshing sound, and crashed into the green bowl magic weapon in mid-air.

"What? They even have a backup plan!"

In mid-air, Chen Xingzhou felt a chill when he noticed the commotion below. The nine-toothed rake magnified in his eyes, and he subconsciously glanced at the figure trapped in the green smoke. He couldn't help but frown slightly.

'boom! ’

A deafening, heavy thud resounded. Under the immense force of the nine-foot rake, Chen Xingzhou, along with his green alms bowl magic weapon, staggered several feet away before finally regaining his footing. However, the surface of the green alms bowl magic weapon was still trembling.

"What... what kind of treasure is this? It doesn't have much spiritual energy fluctuation, yet it has such power!"

Chen Xingzhou looked surprised and circulated his internal energy to alleviate the side effects of the previous shock.

This sudden turn of events not only shocked Chen Xingzhou, but also the two cultivators around him.

'Shuh! '

Before the others could react, various colored talismans suddenly appeared around Chen Xingzhou, each emanating a dangerous aura and hovering around him.

The colorful runes of various attributes intertwined and merged with the power of the five elements, eventually forming a rune array cage with a diameter of tens of feet.

"A rune array? Or a third-tier rune array composed entirely of third-tier runes!"

Chen Xingzhou's voice trembled slightly.

At the same time, a burly and muscular thug appeared out of nowhere in the yellow sand below, grinning and looking over with malicious eyes.

On the other side, Huang Jia, her delicate hand gently twirling the 'short incense,' looked at the burly, ruthless man amidst the yellow sand with a strange gleam in her eyes.

"It wasn't him?"

Upon seeing the person's appearance clearly, he was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but feel surprised.

Then the burly, thuggish man carried the nine-toothed rake on his shoulder, looking as if he were lifting a heavy object with ease.

He then made a few hand gestures, and a series of violent spiritual energy fluctuations instantly erupted within the talisman array.

One after another, mid-to-high-grade third-tier spells were activated, bombarding the palm-sized space within the rune array.

Faced with this overwhelming array of spells, Chen Xingzhou's eyelids twitched wildly, but he could only passively endure it, pushing his defensive measures to their limits, and even burrowing his entire body into the Green Bowl magic treasure.

In an instant, the crackling sounds of magic explosions echoed within the rune array. Within a short time, a large number of spiritual explosions condensed into a gale, spreading outwards from the rune array.

"To activate such a large number of third-tier talismans in such a short and orderly manner is something that only a mid-grade third-tier talisman master could accomplish. There aren't many high-level talisman masters around Yan Kingdom, and I, the alchemist, am somewhat familiar with them, but I have never seen you before. May I ask why you ambushed me today?"

Inside the talisman array, Chen Xingzhou activated his defensive techniques, cowering within the Green Bowl magic treasure, which actually managed to withstand the repeated bombardments of the third-tier talisman array.

"Hehe, I heard that you have a Nascent Soul Fruit, a spiritual treasure for condensing Nascent Souls, and I am very curious about it. That's why I wanted to take it to broaden my horizons. I hope you will be lenient with me."

Faced with his question, the burly, thuggish man's face contorted with greed. As he grinned maliciously, he methodically activated the power of the talisman array, eroding the magical power contained within the green alms bowl.

"Hmph, so you've come for my treasures too. No wonder you're willing to pay such a price. However, while you're willing to go to great lengths with your array, it might not be able to break through my defenses in a short time. Aren't you afraid of offending my sect's Nascent Soul True Monarch?"

Within the array of runes, beneath the blue alms bowl, came Chen Xingzhou's resentful voice.

"Hehe, we're just passing through, not some local cultivator. Attacking you is just killing two birds with one stone. Whether it succeeds or not, we'll be long gone. What can a Nascent Soul True Monarch do?"

The burly, thuggish man grinned, slowly activating the magic seal in his hands.

'boom! ’

'boom! ’

'boom! ’

Five-colored light flashed, and the five elements spells bombarded each other without regard to consumption, causing the power of the talisman array to gradually weaken, but Chen Xingzhou's internal magic power was also rapidly depleted.

Upon seeing this, the two cultivators standing nearby exchanged a glance, tacitly stopped fighting, each swallowed a pill to restore their mana, and began to meditate.

But the gaze directed at the blue bowl magic weapon within the talisman array revealed a murderous intent.

However, Lin Changsheng, who had transformed into the appearance of a burly and wicked man, did not act rashly.

Given that Chen Xingzhou was about to break through to the Nascent Soul stage and had been planning for a long time, he should have been prepared for this risky trip, as it was inevitable that he would be spied on.

Lin Changsheng didn't believe that a late-stage Golden Core cultivator who was poised to break through to the Nascent Soul stage wouldn't have some special means of survival.

Until things are clear, the safest approach is to take things slowly and gradually wear them down.

After all, when it comes to expending energy, there are probably very few Golden Core cultivators who can compare to Lin Changsheng, who cultivates the Everlasting Spring Technique.

As Lin Changsheng had predicted, as time went on and Chen Xingzhou continued to resist the attacks of the talisman array, his mana was depleted to the point that even taking recovery pills could not sustain him, and he was on the verge of collapse.

Similarly, the power of the talisman array activated by Lin Changsheng was gradually exhausted.

Chen Xingzhou couldn't be happy, as three Golden Core cultivators were still waiting outside, eyeing him menacingly.

"So be it, so be it. It seems this alchemist is destined to be without the 'Earth Infant Fruit.' Since you want it, then each of you must rely on your own abilities!"

Chen Xingzhou, inside the Azure Bowl magic treasure, sighed deeply. Filled with resentment and anger, he quickly took out a semi-transparent jade box from his storage bag. Through it, he could vaguely see a fruit that looked like a tender white baby lying inside.

The next moment, the translucent jade box, enveloped by a magical aura, transformed into a stream of light and flew in the opposite direction from where Lin Changsheng and the other two were.

It landed precisely near the unfamiliar cultivator who was entangled with Huang Jia.

This person seemed to have anticipated this, and immediately activated his flying artifact to soar into the sky, steadily catching the semi-transparent jade box, and even opening it on the spot.

In an instant, a sweet fruity aroma wafted out. Even from dozens of feet away, Lin Changsheng could still feel it. The lifelike infant-shaped spiritual fruit seemed to have a natural attraction for Golden Core cultivators.

Immediately afterward, the cultivator closed the jade box, instantly stopping the sweet fragrance. He then tucked the jade box under his arm and hurriedly flew away.

Whether this person was stupid or not, he actually checked the authenticity of the 'Earth Infant Fruit' on the spot. Seeing this, the other two Tribulation Cultivators chased after him almost without thinking.

Lin Changsheng seemed to sense something, and with a strange look on his face, he looked at Chen Xingzhou with a half-smile, seemingly having no intention of pursuing the 'Earth Infant Fruit'.

"I have already released the 'Earth Infant Fruit,' are you still not tempted?"

Chen Xingzhou's expression was rather unpleasant, and his tone was unfriendly.

"Hehe, fellow Daoist, as a Golden Core cultivator, besides that 'Earth Infant Fruit,' you probably have other Core Formation spiritual objects, right?"

Seeing the unmoved, burly man in front of him and hearing what he said, Chen Xingzhou was immediately enraged.

"The 'Earth Infant Fruit' is one of the main ingredients for refining the Nascent Soul Pill. This alchemist has already given up on this fruit, and has no hope of advancement for at least the next few decades. Yet you are still greedy. Then don't blame this alchemist!"

Chen Xingzhou seemed somewhat exasperated, and immediately took out a seemingly flimsy talisman, glaring angrily at Lin Changsheng.

"This is... a Spirit-Nourishing Talisman?"

Lin Changsheng's gaze swept over the talisman in the other person's hand, his expression suddenly hardened, and his heart trembled.

He sensed a faint threat emanating from the talisman; it was the aura of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.