Gazing at the forest shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by the faint glow of bioluminescent plants, the two felt a surge of emotion.
On the surface alone, they could sense the presence of seven cultivators at the third realm. This implied at least three to five more were lurking in the shadows, and potentially far more.
Despite their prior expectations, both couldn't help but marvel, wondering if a Golden Core great cultivator would appear.
Whoosh~~~
Just as Ji Yuan and Li Buwei were attempting to perceive their surroundings as best as they could, a gentle breeze suddenly swept past them.
Within the cool, refreshing breeze, a rich, pure spiritual energy was contained, imbued with a vibrant vitality.
Within two to three breaths, countless gazes fell upon them. Then, a gap silently opened in the luminous barrier.
Ji Yuan immediately employed his Dharma Eye. He then saw, beyond the gap, a space resplendent with spiritual light. Golden halos illuminated the heavens and earth. Amidst the dense spiritual energy, spiritual medicines brimming with vitality were scattered everywhere.
With a single glance, he spotted over a dozen spiritual medicines, each with decades of cultivation, growing without pattern across the land.
As his gaze swept into the distance, he saw two figures meditating on a small hill. These were, as rumored, the remains of Golden Core great cultivators.
The two skeletons emanated spiritual light, appearing as jade all over, covered with golden patterns, perfectly fitting the description "golden branches and jade leaves."
Following his gaze downwards, Ji Yuan soon saw, suspended over the chests of the two "golden branches and jade leaves" bones, two Golden Cores, each about the size of an egg, radiating a kaleidoscope of colors.
"They've begun to move!"
Li Buwei spoke in a low voice, his eyes following the figures streaking out.
At this moment, not only the three great sects but also the cultivators lurking around revealed themselves, darting towards the opening in the luminous barrier with all haste.
However, among the many cultivators, the third realm experts were nowhere to be seen. They remained calmly observing, seemingly not intending to act too soon.
"What is it?"
Seeing the frown on his companion's brow, Li Buwei immediately inquired.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan withdrew his gaze, pondered for a moment, and then asked with a hint of confusion, "Did a cultivator not enter the formation by chance before, and obtain a token from a skeleton?"
The token obtained was confirmed to be a credential only directly-taught disciples of Daoist Master Chixin could possess.
Upon hearing this, Li Buwei instinctively nodded. This was no longer a secret; even cultivators at the Enlightenment Realm had heard of it. It was a confirmed matter.
"But do you think a direct disciple of Daoist Master Chixin would form a seven-colored Golden Core?"
Ji Yuan raised his eyebrows, his expression rather peculiar.
Upon hearing this, Li Buwei's gaze darkened, and he fell into thought.
The reason why great cultivators of the carefree path were divided into levels, aside from their respective cultivation techniques and external treasures, was primarily the Golden Core within them.
This was not a secret. Even cultivators at the first or second realm, if they possessed sufficient knowledge, could come into contact with it.
For such beings, the Golden Cores they formed were generally divided into several tiers. Mixed colors were the lowest, seven colors were slightly higher, five colors were considered quite good, and three colors were the highest achievable under normal circumstances.
Generally speaking, Golden Cores formed by rogue cultivators who chanced upon them were mostly of mixed colors, indistinguishable in purity. They might even only extend life by thirty to fifty years at most.
As for those from sects with established lineages, they typically started with at least seven colors. Whether they could achieve five colors depended on the sect's foundation and individual fortune.
Only in sects like the Nine Xuan Gate or other powerful establishments did they have the foundation to nurture cultivators with three-colored Golden Cores.
The type of Golden Core formed, besides being related to the cultivation technique, was most importantly dependent on the heavenly and earthly treasures consumed during its formation.
Given Daoist Master Chixin's profound cultivation, even if the technique passed down was not his own 'Lesser Xuanhuang Scripture,' he could still find disciples low-grade cultivation techniques.
Furthermore, as his direct disciple, the heavenly and earthly treasures provided should not be few. Even if one didn't mention legendary pure-colored Golden Cores, they should at least be five-colored as a starting point.
A Golden Core radiating seven colors of light was already quite difficult for a rogue cultivator, enough to exhaust the accumulation of a sect for decades or even a century.
But the resources required were merely a drop in the ocean for Daoist Master Chixin, who once shook the region.
With his cultivation level capable of confronting great abilities, it would not be a significant burden to support several direct disciples with five-colored, or even three-colored, Golden Cores.
"We know nothing of what happened thousands of years ago. Perhaps there were certain circumstances back then."
Li Buwei sighed and replied casually, then refocused his attention on the unfolding situation around them.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan could only put away his doubts and also turn his gaze towards the opening in the luminous barrier tens of feet away.
The cultivators of the three great sects had all entered after the gap opened. They ignored the spiritual medicines scattered everywhere, rushing towards the distant small hill at the fastest speed.
The gathered cultivators followed closely behind the three great sects. However, as soon as they entered the gap in the luminous barrier, twenty to thirty people quickly dispersed.
These individuals, with only Enlightenment Realm cultivation, had come for the abundant spiritual medicines. They did not harbor any other ambitions.
Whether it was the remains of a Golden Core great cultivator, their遗留 wealth, or the two most valuable Golden Cores, any item falling into their hands would inevitably bring about utter ruin.
Even cultivators at the peak of the second realm could not withstand the killing intent of several, or even more than ten, third-realm experts!
Ji Yuan had not expected that after the formation's gap was opened, the first to engage in battle would be these Enlightenment Realm cultivators.
In order to compete for as many spiritual medicines as possible, the Enlightenment Realm cultivators began to fight amongst themselves, with no one holding back. They immediately employed their most potent techniques, without any form of probing.
Within just a few dozen breaths, cultivators had already perished, their blood staining the earth.
"The gap is closing!"
Ji Yuan's gaze sharpened, and his brow slowly furrowed.
Gazing at the gap in the luminous barrier, he initially thought it was his illusion. But after careful observation, he realized it was indeed recovering at a slow pace.
Judging by its current state, it would likely take less than half an hour for the gap, which was three to four feet wide, to return to its original appearance.
Seeing this, the cultivators still observing from the shadows could no longer hold back and revealed themselves, rushing towards the gap with all speed.
Among them were several third-realm cultivators who briefly used their mana to fly, charging into the gap with whistling winds, heading straight for the distant hill.
Sensing the powerful auras behind them, figures from the three great sects took to the air and turned back, fiercely colliding with the other third-realm cultivators.
Even from dozens of feet away, the deafening sounds of collision echoed, causing countless people's ears to ache and their heads to buzz.
"The situation has changed. It seems we need to go in too!"
Li Buwei's eyes flickered, and he then said solemnly.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan nodded slowly and then, with his companion, leaped down from the giant tree, heading towards the gap tens of feet away.
Around them, there were many other cultivators, roughly forty to fifty in number, clearly unable to hold back any longer and watch from the sidelines.
It was likely that many of them, like Ji Yuan and Li Buwei, had initially intended to wait outside the formation and see if they could pick up any scraps.
However, no one knew if anyone could successfully escape before the formation's gap closed. If no one left by the time the gap completely sealed, then the situation would be quite dire.
The best course of action now was to enter the formation first. Even if they didn't participate in the competition, they could wait and observe, looking for opportunities.
As soon as he neared the gap, Ji Yuan felt the dense spiritual energy emanating from within. With a thought, the Xuan Tian Soul Devouring Pagoda within his body quietly began to operate, gradually absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.
This spiritual energy primarily came from the two Golden Cores and contained the vitality of many spiritual medicines. If he could inhale and refine it, the benefits would be even greater than consuming ordinary pills.
However, he dared not be too obvious, for fear of attracting the attention of the surrounding cultivators. Thus, at this moment, he could only absorb a small amount.
"You truly don't miss any opportunity!"
Sensing the movement beside him, Li Buwei sighed with helplessness.
But despite his words, after crossing the gap in the formation, he too began to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy as much as possible, accumulating it in his dantian to refine bit by bit later.
In fact, it wasn't just them. Many cultivators who hadn't intended to compete for spiritual medicines, and had planned to wait for an opportunity, also began to absorb the spiritual energy from this place.
Some even took out specially made containers to gather the spiritual energy within the formation. If they could condense one or two spiritual crystals, their quality would undoubtedly be higher.
Boom!!!
A thunderous roar suddenly echoed, and a terrifying aura pressed down from mid-air.
Ji Yuan and Li Buwei simultaneously looked up and saw, in the sky filled with surging mana, eight third-realm cultivators had truly entered into a heated battle.
The two sides no longer engaged in probing. Each strike contained intense killing intent, aimed directly at the opponent's vital points. They were willing to deplete their mana to repel or even kill their opponents within a short period.
Otherwise, if any more third-realm cultivators appeared, they would be unable to cope and might very well have their opportunities snatched away.
After watching for a while, Ji Yuan and Li Buwei kept their distance and, along with the many surrounding cultivators, headed towards the distant small hill.
However, after traveling less than half the distance, they discovered that the three great sect cultivators, who had seized the initiative, were blocked by a thick luminous barrier at the foot of the small hill. No matter how many spells and magical artifacts fell upon it, they could not shake it in the slightest.
Even three formation masters working together could not forcibly break through for a time, as countless formation patterns emerged, and infinite runes flowed across the heavy luminous barrier.
Ji Yuan and Li Buwei quickly stopped, leaping to a nearby high ground to observe from afar, fearing that getting too close would lead them to be treated as a defensive or even offensive target.
They exchanged glances, neither of them having expected that the hill would be covered by over a dozen layers of dense formations.
For a cultivator who had died of natural causes, such a situation wouldn't be unusual. But these two Golden Core realm cultivators from thousands of years ago, who had clearly perished here after a fierce battle, would not have had the energy to leave behind more than a dozen layers of formations after setting up one powerful formation.
Without any warning, an ominous feeling quietly arose in the hearts of Ji Yuan and Li Buwei...