The path to refining the Golden Core Pill was now within reach!
Just obtaining that single stalk of the Transformed Spirit Root had made the entire trip worthwhile for Li Ye, despite the risks of getting caught in a large-scale battle.
The only regret was that the herb had already lost its vitality. It had been processed and preserved its medicinal power sealed as much as possible for long-term storage.
Which meant he couldn't replant it and grow it again to create another third-level trait for himself.
"Well… considering Jiudingzi's stingy nature, the fact that I even got my hands on this Transformed Spirit Root is already a stroke of luck. Best not to get greedy."
Shaking his head and comforting himself with that thought, Li Ye's expression gradually turned excited.
Now that he had the key main ingredient, he could cut off a small portion to start his final experiments perfecting the Golden Core Pill formula completely.
If he wanted to play it safe, he could even take the time to refine his pill-refining skills a bit more before attempting the final concoction. That way, success would be all but guaranteed.
"Once this pill is complete, I can attempt to form my core with no fear of failure…
Even if there's nothing in that ruined structure underground, I can go straight into core formation without having to take any unnecessary risks."
With a fallback plan secured, Li Ye's confidence had never been higher.
.....
Jiuding Valley - Annihilated!
In a relentless act of vengeance, Thousand Island Water City launched an all-out assault, holding nothing back. The entire Jiuding Sect was wiped out.
Such a decisive and brutal act of retribution was meant to make a statement to prove to the cultivation world of the Four Nations that even without Bihu Sanren, Thousand Island Water City remained as fearsome as ever.
But there was one flaw in their show of power introduced by a single furious roar from the third-rank black flood dragon.
What became the hot topic of discussion afterward was not just the fall of Jiuding Valley, but this baffling mystery:
Who was the powerful figure that managed to sneak into Jiuding Valley in the middle of that massive battle, loot its entire treasure vault, and escape without a trace?
Even more shocking, the sect master and elders of Jiuding Valley were found dead inside the vault, with no signs of resistance!
Such an extraordinary feat led many to wonder if a Golden Core expert had personally made a move.
And Thousand Island Water City? They stayed silent. Completely silent. Which only fueled more speculation.
Could it have been a Golden Core cultivator?
They had no choice others might not recognize the power behind the transformed Blackwater Pearl, but the third-rank black flood dragon certainly did.
After all, it was this same person who had saved Thousand Island Water City at their most desperate moment. Now that he had quietly taken the treasure vault, who among them would dare say a word?
Hadn't they seen how the man could move freely through their sect-protection formation as if he outranked their authority?
If he ever came knocking, could they even hope to resist?
Naturally, they could only swallow their losses.
Since they had missed out on that share of benefits, they set their sights on Wu Kingdom to make up for it.
From that moment on, the balance of power across the Four Nations' cultivation world shifted dramatically.
After exacting their revenge and wiping out Jiuding Valley, Thousand Island Water City surprisingly showed no interest in directly ruling over Wu Kingdom.
They simply took control of several high-value resource points, plundered what they needed, and began to gradually withdraw.
In the end, they supported a few local powers within the Wu Kingdom, planting their trusted forces in the spiritual lands left vacant by annihilated factions.
Thus, a loosely formed alliance emerged designed to tap Wu Kingdom's resources without getting too entangled in its internal affairs.
It was a hands-off approach: they reaped the rewards without assuming the risks.
If any Golden Core power ever cast covetous eyes on the region, Thousand Island Water City could simply pull out and make peace.
After all, with only a single third-rank black flood dragon propping them up and no true Golden Core cultivator in charge, they had no realistic way of holding two countries on their own.
If they attracted the interest of the Flying Feather Sect or Purple Profound Sect, they might end up losing even their footing so they dared not be too greedy.
As expected, both Flying Feather Sect and Purple Profound Sect soon sent envoys and forces of their own, each carving out a piece of the Wu Kingdom's spoils.
But neither side showed any intention of full occupation.
Their own Golden Core cultivators weren't in great condition either.
If one tried to seize everything, the others would surely unite against them.
And if that happened?
No one could withstand such a coalition assault.
Sects like the Purple Profound Sect were at an even greater disadvantage when it came to influencing Wu Kingdom they were separated by the entire Yue Kingdom. Their ability to mobilize forces was severely limited. Even though their own territory housed a demonic secret realm that badly needed relocating, they had no choice but to remain restrained, settling for carving out a portion of the available resources.
With this situation, even with Jiuding Valley gone and only three major Golden Core sects remaining, the balance of power among the Four Nations was just barely holding together.
However, things had become far more complicated within the Wu Kingdom itself.
You now had:
The direct forces of the three foreign Golden Core sects,
Local powers are no longer under the thumb of any Golden Core-level authority,
The surviving remnants of Jiuding Valley,
And a surge of opportunistic cultivators from across the nations looking to seize a piece of the post-war chaos.
Among them were no small number of demon cultivators who had risen to prominence over the past decades thanks to the presence of the demonic secret realm.
It had become a mixed bag of saints and scoundrels a boiling cauldron of chaos.
In a single night, Wu Kingdom had practically turned into an oversized version of the Chidi Mountain Range!
No scratch that!
The Chidi Mountains now had Li Ye overseeing them, along with four Foundation Establishment cultivators assisting him.
After the disturbance caused by the lava palace back then, many cultivators had been scared off, and now the region was peaceful and orderly.
Even the visiting cultivators had to play by Li Ye's rules.
The Wu Kingdom, on the other hand, was a different story.
If it weren't for the residual deterrent power of the three sect names, keeping things marginally in check, the whole country would've already descended into total anarchy.
Even now, it was not far from that point.
Still, at least it hadn't fully turned into a haven for demonic cultivators yet.
To restore true order, only one thing would suffice:
The rise of a new Golden Core cultivator to suppress the chaos and unify the region.
But to Li Ye, this wasn't bad news at all. He was quite pleased with the situation.
With the Wu Kingdom in disarray and more welcoming to outside cultivators, most opportunists wouldn't even bother with the Chidi Mountains anymore.
All the potential threats to his peaceful cultivation had been conveniently drawn away toward the Wu Kingdom.
Even the one real draw the Chidi Mountains had the lava palace had become a nightmare for most thanks to the fire beast that guarded it.
Though some still came to buy entry tokens and venture inside, they mostly aimed to hunt fire beasts and rarely dared delve deeper.
After all, the tragic fate of the brave cultivators from the three sects back then had served as a grim warning to the rest.
Later adventurers mostly found their losses outweighing their gains many even lost their lives.
As a result, even those who profited from fire beast hunting didn't linger long in the Chidi Mountains.
Thus, the chaos of the Wu Kingdom brought peace to the Chidi Mountains.
Li Ye was more than happy with this outcome. He remained within his sect, continuing to cultivate in seclusion.
He watched as his liquid mana steadily accumulated, and year by year, with each cleansing surge of spiritual energy from the Void Realm, his mana gradually solidified.
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