Chapter 14: Forming the Core

The giant beast's eyes were murky and clouded, yet upon closer inspection, its gaze was remarkably pure, unmistakably that of one untainted by the world's cruelties.

The beast turned its head aside, as if pondering the trustworthiness of Fang Zhiyi’s words, wondering if she truly could rescue it.

“You should feel that my strength surpasses yours; clashing head-on with me will do you no good.”

The beast stared at Fang Zhiyi with a bewildered look. After a long moment, it turned aside and made way for her.

Fang Zhiyi exhaled in relief. Perhaps it was because she had been raised by a tiger and grew up among fierce beasts in the jungle, her bond with them was deeper than with humans.

In truth, humans were the most complex and ruthless creatures. Compared to them, wild beasts were simpler—they dared to love and hate openly. Once they considered you part of their territory, they would find ways to protect you.

Humans, however, were different; no matter how close the relationship, they could still stab you in the back.

Fang Zhiyi bore no guard against the beast. She sheathed her long sword and walked directly in front of the creature.

This unexpected gesture stunned the beast. All young creatures shared a similar innocence; it watched her with unblinking eyes.

As she neared the box, her brows furrowed tighter. The power contained within it was enough to make her heart tremble.

Finally, she stood before the box and placed her hand on it. As it opened, the contents were revealed.

Inside lay a pendant crafted from a transparent crystal stone, shrouded in swirling mist. The edges were inlaid with silver-white metal, resembling the tree of life, shimmering with radiant light.

The Celestial Maiden descended from the Nine Heavens, wielding heavenly craftsmanship to forge keys and bind spirits.

This was the legendary Spirit-Locking Pendant created by the Celestial Maiden of the Nine Heavens. Fang Zhiyi knew the legend but had never imagined such an artifact truly existed.

Holding it in her hand, the power stirred restlessly within her. This was no illusion—the pendant seemed to have actively drawn her here.

Legend held that its wielder could influence their own fate or that of others. This was exactly what Fang Zhiyi needed most at the moment.

She wanted to see if, with this pendant, she could escape divine punishment.

She carefully placed the pendant inside her treasure artifact—a relic from ancient times, best kept hidden lest it attract envy.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, concealing it was only prudent.

Drawing her long sword, Fang Zhiyi swiftly severed the iron chains binding the beast. The creature struggled briefly but was taken aback when all the chains snapped at once.

In that instant, the beast joyfully ran several circles in the cave where it had been confined for who knew how long.

At last, it approached Fang Zhiyi, nuzzling her face with its head. The pungent odor made her instinctively turn away.

After a moment, she pulled out the half slab of pork and tossed it to the beast.

The poor creature, starved for who knew how long, devoured the meat in just a few bites, leaving Fang Zhiyi wide-eyed in astonishment. Resigned, she threw the remaining half slab of beef to the beast as well.

Without surprise, it was gone in a single gulp.

Fang Zhiyi briskly exited the cave, mindful that her apprentice and the young woman she had rescued were still waiting above.

As she prepared to ascend, the beast hurried after her. It ran up to her and, in a flash of white light, shrank down to a small size, then hung motionless from her waist like a pendant.

Fang Zhiyi was unsure of its intent. “You want to follow me?” she asked.

No answer came, but the pendant-like beast remained silently attached at her waist.

Not wanting to dwell on it, Fang Zhiyi took flight upwards.

In an instant, she was before Wang Lin and Li Muwan, but she quickly noticed something was wrong with Li Muwan.

Her face was pale, her eyes darted nervously away from Wang Lin’s gaze, and upon closer look, fear lingered within them.

This was strange—Fang Zhiyi had only been away a short while. What could have happened to cause such a change?

“What happened?” she asked.

Wang Lin, knowing Fang Zhiyi had already spoken, realized concealment was futile. He replied, “The Cult of Evil sent reinforcements just now. I killed them.”

Fang Zhiyi nodded, assuming Li Muwan had been frightened by Wang Lin’s ruthlessness.

What she did not know was that Wang Lin had been urging Li Muwan not to tell her anything before she arrived.

Xu Liguo’s eyes immediately caught sight of the pendant at Fang Zhiyi’s waist. Startled, he prepared to hide. As a great demon lord, he was naturally fearful of anyone nearing the Divine Transformation stage, which Wang Lin was close to reaching.

His gaze returned to Fang Zhiyi, uncertain of her true strength or the origin of the beast accompanying her.

Yet Xu Liguo dared not speak further. As a fellow demon, the wild beast was highly sensitive to his presence. He feared revealing himself and being crushed without a trace.

After all, Wang Lin seemed to heed his master Fang Zhiyi’s words above all.

A flicker of disdain crossed Fang Zhiyi’s eyes. “Let’s go meet the Cult of Evil.”

Though not one to seek trouble, given the current situation outside, she might as well bring Wang Lin and Li Muwan along for some training.

And the fastest way to train was undoubtedly through real combat.

Halfway there, Fang Zhiyi stopped and said, “I won’t intervene this time. You’ll have to handle things yourselves. The treasure I took earlier—you can use it now.”

“I’ll give you two hours.”

“Thank you, Master.”

Wang Lin understood perfectly—this was time to consume and absorb the elixirs.

They sat down and began meditation. Wang Lin produced all the pills he had. In this situation, he no longer needed the Heavenly Departure Pill; these relics from ancient times were far more potent.

Soon, Wang Lin felt a burning sensation surge from within, almost overwhelming him.

...

When he opened his eyes again, Wang Lin was astonished to find he had successfully formed his Core.

He had finally entered the Foundation Establishment stage. Yet thinking of Teng Huayuan, Wang Lin felt this was still insufficient. Avenging the Wang family demanded more.

At that moment, Fang Zhiyi spoke calmly, “Hold onto your true heart. Do not let hatred blind you; it will hinder your cultivation.”

“Thank you for your guidance, Master. I understand.”

Wang Lin stood respectfully and saluted Fang Zhiyi.