Golden Core is a Star, and You Call This Cultivation?
Chapter 118: Origin Divine Ability

The withered corpse was not a physical entity. Even the cassock it wore was formed from its spirit.

The monk before Qi Yuan was actually a conglomeration of heart demons.

When it attacked, it mobilized countless heart demons from the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, also known as the Grand Portal, gnawing at Qi Yuan.

"You and I are alike, harboring the world's greatest evils."

"Greed, arrogance, lust... so many sins, let us sink into this bliss together!"

Qi Yuan's body surged with blood energy, and his blood-red robe billowed without wind.

A broken sword condensed in his hand, its blade emanating various sinister auras.

After slaying countless demons, Qi Yuan’s source of sin had reached its peak.

"Sink?" Qi Yuan's aura was even more menacing than these thousands of demons, making him appear as a demon lord. "You’re just a bunch of experience points, yet you think you can drag me down!"

The blood-red sword in his hand was condensed from the source of sin.

Its evil aura was no weaker than these heart demons.

"Become my sustenance!"

Qi Yuan's sword shook, and any heart demon that bit him turned to fragments.

He observed the Grand Portal, gaining mutation abilities. The sin sources he extracted from slaying demons were somewhat akin to these heart demons.

Slaying heart demons added to his source of sin.

Step by step, he advanced, cutting down heart demons, which became part of his sin source.

"No wonder all techniques in the Canglan Realm have flaws, making practitioners sustenance.

Extracting sustenance feels fantastic!"

Qi Yuan ignored the heart demons, continuously slaying them.

The sin source grew rapidly.

[You have comprehended the origin, mutation ability +9999.]

[You have comprehended the origin, charisma +1.]

[You have comprehended the origin, laziness ability +1.]

Qi Yuan climbed the stairs, the withered corpse clinging to his back, whispering in his ear.

"One step forward is a bottomless abyss, a world of extreme evil.

One step back is an endless demonic realm, a world of bliss.

Sink into the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, and become one with me!"

As Qi Yuan stepped on the stairs, countless pale hands reached out from the bottomless abyss, grabbing his ankles and pulling at his clothes.

The corpse on his back kept whispering in his ear.

Everywhere he looked, there were endless demons.

Qi Yuan suddenly recalled a line.

"I am the sun!"

With his words, his body suddenly radiated a brilliant light.

Qi Yuan intended to use his great sunlight to purify this demonic realm.

The brilliant light swept through.

Qi Yuan thought he could clear this Grand Portal and slay these heart demons!

But... things didn’t go as he expected; there was a small twist.

The heart demons, seeing his brilliant light, were not afraid but instead rushed towards it like moths to a flame, faces filled with fanaticism.

"Hey, I’m not your dad!"

Despite their fervor, Qi Yuan showed no mercy.

The brilliant light swept through, turning all heart demons into his sin source.

"I am like a blazing sun in the sky. Why aren’t the heart demons afraid of me?"

"Is it just because my light... is blood red?"

"Are you color discriminating?"

Qi Yuan was furious.

These heart demons had no eyes, yet they still discriminated by color.

The endless light devoured the demons.

Qi Yuan, like a demon lord, walked on the endless corridor of stairs, slowly ascending.

Countless insights and evils filled his body.

If he wanted, he could even directly condense his origin divine ability.

Gluttony - The Maw of Taotie.

Arrogance - The Eye of Heaven.

Lust - The Fire of Red Lotus.

...

The Seven Deadly Sins, forming seven origin divine abilities, then combining into one.

Once the origin divine ability emerged, it would capture everyone’s mind, dragging them into the endless demonic realm.

...

Shinguang Sect, Five Light Peak.

Kang Fulu stood outside the cave mansion, respectfully listening through a water curtain.

Inside the cave was the peak master of Five Light Peak, Kang Fulu’s master, the True Monarch Taiguang.

A hoarse voice came from within, as True Monarch Taiguang taught Kang Fulu the key to forming a golden core.

"To condense a golden core, you must first overcome the heart demon tribulation, then the heavenly tribulation, using the treasured object as the core, and solidifying spiritual energy to form the golden core."

"Nowadays, the world has changed, and heavenly tribulations do not appear. You only need to overcome the heart demon tribulation to achieve the golden core."

"The heart demon tribulation is difficult... but not impossible.

The stronger the obsession, the firmer the heart, the stronger the heart demon tribulation.

Being natural and sincere, on the contrary, may mean no heart demon, making it easier to overcome.

Just like that Qi Yuan of the Seven Colors Peak, obsessed with one thing, without other distractions, making it easier to pass."

"Remember, do not be bewitched by the heart demon, you must slay it!"

"Disciple understands." Kang Fulu stood before the cave mansion, pondering his master’s words.

The heart demon tribulation...

...

In the Grand Portal, also known as the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, heart demons abounded.

Qi Yuan emitted a dense red light, with endless heart demons piled on him.

He was like a man carrying a mountain of heart demons, climbing towards the topmost door.

Every moment, thousands of heart demons fell from the mountain, turning to ashes.

But more heart demons kept climbing onto Qi Yuan’s back, as if he were the most delicious food, the demon lord!

"Now I look like a giant heart demon."

Qi Yuan chuckled.

The Seven Deadly Sins formed countless emotions, flashing red in his eyes.

Bearing endless heart demons, he ascended step by step.

These heart demons were his nourishment, becoming his sin source.

Suddenly, Qi Yuan felt something and shouted loudly.

"All heart demons should become my sustenance. If I want you to live, you live. If I want you to die, you die!"

[You have comprehended the origin, reincarnation power +1.]

The prompt startled Qi Yuan.

He had been comprehending the origin in the Grand Portal for so long, but this was the first time he had encountered such a high-level ability.

Could it be that talking big could lead to comprehension?

Thinking this, he quickly said.

"I control the void, omniscient and omnipotent, the origin of all things.

When I close my eyes for an era, all things perish, the universe collapses; when I open my eyes for an era, all things revive, the universe is reborn!

Time is a strand of my hair; space is the gap between my hair; the way of heaven is my meditation while dozing off; matter and spirit are my fantasies!"

Qi Yuan exhausted his vocabulary, describing himself as grandiose.

He was excited.

If he could comprehend such powerful abilities, it would be a huge gain.

[You have comprehended the origin, bragging ability +1.]

Qi Yuan: "…Is that it?"

Qi Yuan regretted wasting so much time.

All he got was a useless bragging ability.

The withered corpse’s voice still echoed in his ear, "Turn back now. Go any further, and you’ll fall into a place of eternal damnation, completely sinking into the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons!"

The voice caused a flicker of hesitation in Qi Yuan’s eyes.

"Endless heart demons, all are my sustenance. What is there to fear?"

"No being can withstand the sin power of an entire world!

Even an Arhat or Buddha cannot!" the withered corpse roared.

Endless heart demons climbed from the steps, endlessly.

Qi Yuan’s eyes turned completely red.

Even his skin turned red.

He looked up at the Grand Portal.

Is my path... the sin source?

Should I condense the sin source into my origin divine ability?

The origin divine ability is unique; once chosen, there’s no turning back.

Should he follow this path?

The endless heart demons pressed on, and Qi Yuan felt immense pressure.

Even he struggled to bear it, needing to release it.

This was a thousand, ten thousand times more terrifying than the past divine reflections.

He took a step forward, pondering his essence.

But he couldn’t recall, couldn’t remember.

Suddenly, he understood, smiling.

"Since you worship me so much, I will be merciful and make you part of my divine ability!"

Qi Yuan made up his mind, moving forward relentlessly.

The stairs behind him began to break.

The withered corpse showed a sinister smile, "The way back is cut off, hahaha, you will be like me, forever sinking into the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, becoming a heart demon!"

The withered corpse’s voice was ignored by Qi Yuan.

An imposing aura emanated from him.

He took a step forward, and seven-tenths of the demons on the mountain dissipated.

"Arrogance - The Eye of Heaven!"

In an instant, he condensed the divine ability of arrogance.

In Qi Yuan’s mind, images of his junior sister Jiang Lingsu’s curvaceous figure, his master’s cold and lonely silhouette, Ning Tao’s enchanting long legs wrapped in black silk, and Canary’s petite and charming body flashed by.

He took another step forward, reducing the demons on him again.

"Lust - The Fire of Red Lotus!"

Countless images flashed in his mind as Qi Yuan moved forward step by step.

The demons on him gradually disappeared.

The withered corpse’s voice was filled with endless allure.

"You think turning heart demons into divine abilities will make them disappear?"

"Wrong, completely wrong. They will only get closer to you!"

"They will become you, and you will become them!"

"I walked the same path, haha... this is the path to becoming a demon!"

Qi Yuan paid no heed.

He continued to condense his divine abilities.

One after another, blood-red lotuses bloomed under his feet.

On his back, the blood-red light spread like a blood demon Buddha!

"Gluttony - The Maw of Taotie!"

"Envy - The Endless Blood Sea!"

"Sloth - The Dream of Inaction!"

"Greed - The Soul Devourer!"

"Wrath - The Thunder of Nine Heavens!"

The Seven Deadly Sins condensed into seven divine abilities.

All the heart demons on Qi Yuan’s shoulders vanished.

The withered corpse’s eyes showed a sinister smile, "Hahaha, you have become... a heart demon!"

It roared and became part of the divine abilities.

Endless heart demons filled Qi Yuan’s being.

Qi Yuan’s face remained expressionless as the seven divine abilities merged into one.

"Void Realm Sovereign Heart Demon Induction!"

Endless heart demons merged into Qi Yuan’s body.

His body began to mutate.

The withered corpse’s voice echoed in Qi Yuan’s mind.

"From the moment you slew the first heart demon, you were on a path of no return!"

"Arrogance fills your mind, greed makes you irrational, lust makes you aroused by all females!"

"Haha, perhaps at first, you suppressed yourself, forcibly controlling your desires!"

"But once you enter the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, all desires flood like a torrent from the heavens!"

"Your body and soul are becoming heart demons. Even the supreme Buddha cannot pull you from the abyss!"

"You will be one of us!"

As the voice echoed, Qi Yuan felt as if his feet were nailed to the steps.

The withered corpse’s words were indeed true.

After extracting the sin source by slaying demons, Qi Yuan’s mind had subtly changed.

Unbidden images would appear in his mind, things he had never thought of before.

He isolated himself, rarely interacting with others, partly to guard the city and partly to prevent heart demons from growing.

He killed and killed, using slaughter to dissolve desires.

Re-entering this world, he continued to kill and kill.

Seeing Canary again, he felt a new allure from her.

Was it from his heart, or was it the heart demon?

It didn’t matter; to Qi Yuan, the deed was the thought.

Suppressing desire, liberating nature?

Nonsense!

Kill and kill, kill until rivers of blood flow, crush everything with one sword!

"Become a heart demon, merge with us!"

The withered corpse’s voice spread in his mind.

"You have no way back!"

Qi Yuan sat motionless on the steps, his whole body blood-red, constantly transforming into a heart demon, inch by inch.

In the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, a terrifying giant demon seemed to be forming.

Qi Yuan remained silent, unable to recall what he was thinking.

...

At the ends of the earth, the sea was blood-red.

Canary stared blankly at the Grand Portal, "Blood Bead... when will you come out?"

Blood Bead had entered the Grand Portal eleven years ago.

For eleven years, she had waited outside.

Five years ago, the Grand Portal underwent a strange change, dyeing all the surrounding seawater red.

Now, the red had spread to Canary’s feet.

Shang Yanran appeared beside Canary, worry etched on her face. "He will come out someday."

They didn’t know what was happening inside the Grand Portal.

But Shang Yanran had felt a terrifying demon brewing within.

Once formed, the demon would plunge the world into an irreparable disaster.

And this demon... was likely the Blood Lord.

"Sister Yanran, you don’t need to comfort me." Canary’s face remained radiant, her makeup exquisite. "Entering the Grand Portal, he will become... a demon."

Shang Yanran sighed.

Entering the Grand Portal sealed the Blood Lord’s fate.

He entered to save the world, sealing the Grand Portal and feeding the demons with his body.

... and became a demon.

"If he comes out, I will be here waiting for him." Canary smiled brightly, "Just like on Jiupan Mountain, I want him to see me first when he comes out."

Shang Yanran said nothing.

The Blood Palace was already retreating from the ends of the earth.

People were migrating away from the area.

"If he becomes a demon, I hope he still looks good." Canary mused.

At this moment, Bai Ze appeared, his face exhausted. "We’ve found the Destiny Tablet."

He extended his hand, revealing the Destiny Tablet.

Seeing it, Shang Yanran showed no excitement. "Too late."

Now... the Blood Lord was clearly a demon. Even the Destiny Tablet couldn’t save him.

If they had found it when he first entered, they might have had a chance.

But now, the Destiny Tablet could only show a way to slay the demon.

Bai Ze was silent, his eyes filled with guilt.

Shang Yanran then said, "Canary, in a few days, we will leave here."

"Yes." Canary’s voice was firm, "Don’t try to persuade me to leave or knock me out and take me away. Understood?"

Shang Yanran looked at the Grand Portal, finally nodding, "Alright."

Shang Yanran and Bai Ze left, leaving the empty ends of the earth to Canary.

She sat on the stone she once shared with Blood Bead, watching the Grand Portal.

Her voice was tinged with sobs, "Blood Bead, everyone else isn’t waiting for you, but I am!"

Everyone said a demon would emerge.

But it was still her childhood friend, her Blood Bead.

She watched the Grand Portal, just as she had waited on Jiupan Mountain for her childhood friend to reappear.

Time passed, and now the Blood Palace and the surrounding cities were nearly empty.

The ends of the earth grew cold, blood-red frost forming on the ground.

The seawater turned into blood-red ice.

Only a dozen people remained in the Blood Palace.

They were all that was left.

The old man had traveled from Jiupan Mountain but hadn’t seen the Blood Lord. He looked at the Grand Portal, his eyes filled with loss.

"Did master never mention my name? Is it too ugly?"

The Foolish Daoist shook his head, "Nangong Dagou, master is concerned with the world, he has no time to mention you."

Nangong Dagou felt dejected.

They stood there, looking at Canary not far away, moved.

Tomorrow, they would leave this place for good.

Only Canary would remain.

"Sigh, master cares for the world, yet Zitian Xuannü slandered him.

Just as she was slain, master entered the Grand Portal to feed the demons with his body." Bai Ze’s eyes were filled with admiration.

Everyone was moved by their master’s sacrifice.

They looked at the Grand Portal, hoping for a final glimpse.

Suddenly, a change occurred.

"What’s happening?"

Everyone was shocked.

The endless blood sea and frost vanished, turning back into seawater.

The blood-red frost on the ground disappeared.

Canary felt a warm sensation in her frozen hands, but her face showed fear. "Blood Bead... his aura... it’s gone!"

The dozen people flew to Canary, looking at the Grand Portal with complex, terrified expressions.

Now, the blood-red frost was gone, the world seemed to clear up.

The terrifying demonic aura from the Grand Portal was rapidly fading, as if the demon was disappearing forever.

Shang Yanran’s face turned sorrowful, "The Blood Lord... he transformed into the supreme heart demon but still awakened a trace of humanity, ending his own life."

The Buddha, who became a great demon, entered the Grand Portal.

The Buddha couldn’t awaken his humanity and perished.

The Blood Lord managed this, how could they not be moved?