Extracting all things: My attributes grow infinitely.

Chang Yuexian led the way. She walked very slowly, her face deathly pale. She would stop every few steps, as if she were enduring immense pain.

To distract herself from the pain, she took the initiative to bring up the topic, saying, "Let me make this clear first. My foundation is currently in disarray, and I can't use any magic power at all. When we get there, I can only tell you about that beast's weaknesses and habits. As for the actual fighting, you'll have to do it yourself."

"OK."

"Are you sure you can handle it?" She turned to look at him, her brows furrowed slightly. "That's a Qi Refining Stage 1 demon beast. You're only at the Body Tempering Perfection stage right now. Facing it head-on is no different from suicide."

Jiang Chuan glanced at her sideways: "If you can beat him, why can't I?"

"snort!"

Chang Yuexian sneered and was about to speak when she saw a demon beast's inner core appear in Jiang Chuan's hand.

"A demon core?" Chang Yuexian frowned even more as she looked at the object in his hand. "A demon core cannot be refined by cultivators. If you have such a thought, you should give it up as soon as possible, lest I have to collect your corpse."

"If you want to live, just lead the way and stop talking nonsense."

Jiang Chuan retorted without hesitation.

"you……!"

Chang Yuexian gritted her teeth, her face flushing red and then turning pale, but she ultimately held back her words and watched coldly as Jiang Chuan tried to break the deadlock.

Jiang Chuan withdrew his gaze from her expressionlessly.

I thought to myself.

If this person didn't actually have a real person standing behind her, he would have grabbed her and refined her long ago, instead of wasting so much time talking nonsense to her.

A wisp of warm true fire suddenly rose from his palm, lifting the inner core.

Then, his ten fingers flew, casting incantations into the inner core. The inner core slowly rotated in the fire, and the impurities on the surface were peeled away layer by layer, revealing a ball of pure demonic power inside, which was then compressed back in little by little.

"You also know alchemy?"

Chang Yuexian's tone carried a hint of surprise.

"I know a little."

"At your age, you're still practicing alchemy?"

Jiang Chuan stopped answering and continued refining the demon core.

Just a moment later.

He had refined the demon core into a bead the size of a pigeon egg.

Its surface is covered with cracks, but its interior exudes a violent and chilling aura.

"It's done." He weighed it in his hand, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction. "With this, dealing with a Qi Refining Stage 1 demon beast will be more than enough."

Chang Yuexian looked at the refined demon core with a strange expression.

Born in Crimson Moon Mountain, she had seen many geniuses, including one who could forcibly refine a demon beast's inner core into a thunder pearl that could explode.

Such methods.

Even a master alchemist specializing in earth-fire alchemy would have to admit to his brilliance.

"Where is that monster?"

Jiang Chuan then asked.

Chang Yuexian suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and pointed to a rocky shallow beach in front of her: "That is a crab demon at the first level of Qi Refining. It is hiding deep in the stone cave. It is greedy for water and extremely protective of its food. The blood on your body is enough to lure it out."

Without any hesitation, Jiang Chuan went to the water's edge and deliberately let his breath out.

In just a few breaths.

From deep within the cave came a series of dense and intense footsteps.

A giant, dark blue crab, about ten feet in diameter, burst out of the water, its massive claws gleaming coldly, and lunged straight at him.

"Now!"

Chang Yuexian whispered.

Almost simultaneously, Jiang Chuan released the demon core lightning, which traced a crimson-gold arc and precisely struck the crab demon's mouth.

The crab demon instinctively opened its massive maw, covered in sharp teeth, and swallowed it whole.

boom!!

A muffled thud exploded, and water from the shallows, mixed with the stench of blood, shot skyward!

The crab demon let out a mournful screech, its massive body was tossed high into the air, then crashed back into the water, its white belly turned up, clearly indicating that it was taking in more air than it was exhaling.

Jiang Chuan sprang up, lunging forward and pressing a palm down on its abdomen.

Starry Sky Mirror, activate!

A ray of starlight entered the python's body.

In a short while, its scattered vertical pupils refocused, and its massive body curled up obediently, losing all its ferocity.

[Successful enslavement!]

At the same time, a warm current flowed into Jiang Chuan's limbs and bones along the mark of the Starry Sky Mirror.

Qi Refining Stage 1.

The invisible shackles that had been pressing down on him were forcibly torn open.

"call……"

Jiang Chuan exhaled a breath of stale air, clenched his fist, and felt the long-lost true energy within his body. A glint of light flashed in his eyes.

Chang Yuexian watched this scene without saying a word for a long time.

She looked at the crab demon lying obediently beside Jiang Chuan, then at the young man in front of her whose cultivation had just returned to the first level of Qi Refining, and a rare, genuine shock appeared on her face.

"You..." She opened her mouth, "How did you do that?"

"Some tricks."

Jiang Chuan smiled at her, a rare occurrence, but still offered no explanation.

The subsequent operations went increasingly smoothly.

Chang Yuexian led the way.

Jiang Chuan continued to search for the monsters that inhabited this secret realm.

After killing them one by one, refining their demon cores to purify them of impurities, they were then fed to the crab demons.

The crab demon's strength increased steadily!

What Chang Yuexian couldn't understand the most was that every time the crab demon's strength increased, Jiang Chuan's aura would also break through!

This kind of unbelievable method of advancement was something she had never heard of before, even with her extensive knowledge!

Qi Refining Stage 2.

Qi Refining Stage 3.

Qi Refining Stage 5...

The crab demon, which had been about ten feet in diameter, was forcibly fed into a giant beast the size of a small mountain, its scales covered with dark red patterns, exuding a ferocious aura.

Jiang Chuan's cultivation level also rose steadily, eventually settling at the seventh level of Qi Refining!

"Seventh rank."

Jiang Chuan slowly clenched his fist, feeling the vast true energy surging within his body, and narrowed his eyes.

With a Qi Refining Stage 7, the Starry Sky Mirror in hand, and the second-grade, second-level Origin Divine Artifact [Mingtian Zhou], he might not be unable to put up a fight against a Qi Refining Stage 9!

But... it's still not enough to guarantee safety!

He turned to Chang Yuexian: "Fairy Chang, where is the strongest demonic beast in this secret realm?"

Chang Yuexian paused, slowly turned around, and looked at Jiang Chuan for a long time before saying:

"Are you sure you want to go find it?"

"The sooner the better."

Chang Yuexian said solemnly, "That's a demon king at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and it's very likely that it has already touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment. It could break through at any time, and you're still two levels away!"

"There's no time. Bai Qiuhan could notice something amiss here at any moment."

Jiang Chuan interrupted her, his eyes chillingly calm. "It's only a two-level difference; it's not necessarily unbeatable. Besides... Fairy Chang, surely you're not completely without any tricks up your sleeve?"

Chang Yuexian remained silent.

The confidence she had in daring to step into Bai Qiuhan's trap was naturally not just based on the trump card left to her by her master, True Person Chiyue.

But at this moment, her foundation was taken away, and her cultivation was as if 99% of it had been destroyed, so she could not use even the most miraculous techniques.

Under Jiang Chuan's scrutinizing gaze.

She said in a deep voice, "I can help you hold off that demon king once, but the rest is up to you."

"That's enough."

Jiang Chuanping said.

……

Beneath the barren mountain, a demonic aura surged like a tide.

The demon king was a jet-black Xuanlin python, which resembled a small mountain when coiled up, with only its vertical pupils half-open, radiating a cold light.

As soon as Jiang Chuan approached, it opened its eyes.

"roar……!"

With a roar, the mountain rocks shattered, and the demonic energy surged into a fierce wind, crashing down on the two of them.

Instead of retreating, Jiang Chuan advanced. The Starry Sky Mirror suddenly lit up behind his head, and the Heavenly Wall Light Barrier withstood the attack. However, he was forced back several steps, and his chest felt tight.

Such powerful demonic energy!

Half-step Foundation Establishment, it really is not just an empty phrase!

The Xuanlin Python gave him no chance to breathe, its massive tail sweeping across, and wherever the gale passed, all the rocks turned to dust.

Jiang Chuan dared not take the attack head-on. He dodged repeatedly, using the Azure Emperor form of the Star Treasure Mirror to push his speed to the limit, barely managing to avoid it.

boom!

The snake's tail slammed heavily onto the ground, instantly splitting the earth open into a deep abyss hundreds of feet long.

"Damn it..."

Jiang Chuan's heart sank. A seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator was indeed too much of a stretch against a half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Just as he was about to take another step back and create some distance.

"Get out of the way."

A clear, cold voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

Jiang Chuan turned his head and saw that Chang Yuexian had walked up to him at some point. Her face was so pale it was almost transparent, but her eyes were surprisingly bright.

Without saying a word, she took a step forward and forcefully activated the conflicting true energy of water and fire within her body.

puff!

A mouthful of blood spilled from her lips.

But at that moment, a layer of bright, dazzling moonlight shone around her.

Buzz...!

A bright moon suddenly rose from behind her!

The moonlight, like a waterfall, instantly covered the entire barren mountain.

When the moonlight shone on the Xuanlin Python, its massive body seemed to be pressed down by an invisible mountain, and it suddenly froze in mid-air!

"quick!"

Chang Yuexian shouted sharply, her hands gripping the magic seal tightly, the moonlight around her trembling violently, as if it would shatter at any moment.

Jiang Chuan took a light breath, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

He was indeed a Qi Refining Perfection cultivator.

Even in this state, he can still unleash such powerful magic. Faced with this move, let alone the Demon King, even he himself might not be able to deal with it easily!

But this is not the time to marvel.

Tomorrow at noon!

He suddenly raised his hand, and a point of blazing white light appeared in his palm, instantly transforming into a dazzling sun, which blasted towards the suppressed Xuanlin Python!

boom!!!

The blazing sun crashed into the python's body, causing demonic energy to scatter. The black-scaled python let out a mournful hiss, but it was still firmly pinned to the spot by the moonlight, unable to move.

Jiang Chuan, having gained power, was ruthless.

Measuring the light of the sky!

Three-colored light traversed the sky, enveloping the python's head. The Xuanlin Python's innate divine power had just begun to activate when it was forcefully suppressed by the celestial light, even its demonic power was sluggish by more than half.

Nine suns under one sky!

The twelve light prisms of the Starry Sky Mirror behind his head rotated in unison, and rounds of blazing suns condensed and merged into one, transforming into a crimson-gold divine rainbow that pierced through the heavens and earth, slashing down towards the head of the Xuanlin Python!

boom!!!

The Xuanlin Python let out a deafening wail, its massive body crashing to the ground. A charred gash pierced through its head, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Chuan lunged forward and placed a palm on its broken head.

Starry Sky Mirror, activate!

[Successful enslavement!]

boom……!!

A terrifying surge of true energy, like a burst dam, poured wildly into his body along the mark of enslavement.

Qi Refining Stage 8

Qi Refining Stage Nine!

Jiang Chuan raised his head, his meridians creaking under the immense power of his cultivation. His aura surged all the way up, finally settling steadily at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining!

Jiang Chuan suddenly looked up and felt as if his divine sense had touched a thin barrier.

The barrier was invisible and intangible, yet it stood between him and the higher places.

indestructible.

He subconsciously extended a wisp of his divine sense and glanced behind the barrier.

With just one glance, his soul trembled violently.

Beyond the barrier lies an endless, ethereal void.

Endless thoughts surged in the void.

There was joy and anger.

There is both infatuation and resentment.

It was as if a thousand voices were whispering in his ear, making his mind sway, as if he were about to be dragged in and fall into eternal damnation.

Deeper still, lurked a vast terror he couldn't even see clearly, silently watching him.

"hiss……"

Jiang Chuan gasped, his face paling instantly. He quickly withdrew his divine sense and dared not look at it again.

"You felt it?"

Chang Yuexian's voice came from behind.

She had recovered and was leaning against the boulder, her face still deathly pale, but her tone carried the calm of someone who had been through it all.

"That's the Foundation Establishment Realm."

Jiang Chuan turned around, his brows furrowed: "Foundation Establishment... Realm!?"

"That's right."

Chang Yuexian nodded.

"People only know that the next step after Qi Refining is Foundation Establishment, but those who have actually reached this stage know that the two words 'Foundation Establishment' are a thousand times more dangerous than they imagine."

"The so-called foundation building is to use your physical foundation as the basis to support your sea of ​​consciousness and refine your form for ascension."

"The soul leaves the body, passes through numerous heavenly barriers, and enters the ethereal and boundless Foundation Establishment Realm."

"This step depends on the quality of your original Qi. If the quality is insufficient, you will either be unable to lift your sea of ​​consciousness, or you will run out of energy halfway through and fall from the sky, ending up shattered to pieces."

Jiang Chuan listened intently: "So, once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, you've succeeded?"

"become?"

Chang Yuexian shook her head, a bitter smile appearing on her lips. "Ascension is just the simplest first step."

"Once you reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, you still need to personally build your own Immortal Foundation there in order to gain a firm foothold."

"But just as you are building your immortal foundation, endless demonic thoughts will suddenly arise in the Foundation Establishment stage, stirring up your deepest obsessions and inner demons. If your Dao heart is not firm enough, your immortal foundation will be riddled with holes and collapse with a bang."

"If the immortal foundation collapses, death is certain."

"Therefore, the Foundation Establishment Realm is less of a realm and more of a graveyard that devours cultivators."

Jiang Chuan fell silent.

He then realized what the "great terror" he had felt behind the barrier was.

Those are the resentments and inner demons left behind by countless cultivators who perished on the path to Foundation Establishment.

"But the most important hurdle is not demonic thoughts."

Chang Yuexian paused, her gaze falling on Jiang Chuan, becoming deep and unfathomable. "If a Foundation Establisher wants to stabilize their Immortal Foundation and remain in the Foundation Establishment realm for a long time, they must forge an ultimate object that is opposite to their own attribute."

"The Five Elements are divided into Yin and Yang."

Chang Yuexian slowly said, "You cultivate Bing Fire, which belongs to Yang Fire. To build the foundation of Bing Fire, you need to forge an extremely Yin Ding Fire object and use that moment of Yin and Yang fusion to comprehend the Primordial Chaos Realm."

"Only in this way can your immortal foundation avoid becoming a rootless duckweed and truly gain a foothold in the Foundation Establishment Realm."

"Otherwise, even if you successfully ascend, you will not escape the fate of your immortal foundation collapsing."

Jiang Chuan's heart sank little by little.

When he cultivates the Bing Fire and establishes his foundation, he needs to refine an extremely Yin Ding Fire item. Moreover, the grade of this treasure cannot be lower than his second-grade, second-level [Furnace Qi]!

This……

It's incredibly difficult!

No wonder, even a prodigy like Chang Yuexian only refined her primordial qi to the third level before giving up.

It's not that they can't get what they want.

Rather, it's because...

They didn't want to create unnecessary trouble for the future difficulties of foundation building!

Jiang Chuan gave a bitter smile and sighed inwardly, "So, it turns out that my insistence on the second-grade, second-level [Furnace Qi] was a mistake? ... The path of cultivation is full of complexities; a single misstep can lead to utter ruin."