Chapter 535

Chapter 535: Both Real and Fake

Boom!

Ye Yun felt an immense power surge toward him, yet it didn’t destabilize him. The moment the force made contact, it dissolved into countless delicate streams that seeped into his body.

Instantly, warmth flooded his being. Countless gentle currents swirled within, bringing indescribable comfort. His prepared defenses seemed unnecessary—the invasive spiritual energy and hidden energy caused no agony. Instead, his lingering pain faded rapidly, injuries healing at startling speed.

Exotic spiritual energy poured in, scouring his flesh. Ye Yun sensed his body hardening, growing sturdier. His Soul Willpower swelled under the nurturing warmth. Most crucially, the invading energy carried rich Fire Spirit Qi that pooled in his dantian. There, flames flickered, coalescing into a hazy pill-like form.

Was this the birth of a Fire Spirit False Pill?

He could scarcely believe it. False Pills demanded grueling effort to condense—he’d steeled himself for immense sacrifice to form one before attempting the Golden Core stage. Yet here it materialized effortlessly! Once the light and shadow solidified, Dan Fluid would reverse its flow, marking true formation. Then, all False Pills would fuse, paving the Golden Pill Dao.

Fire Spirit Qi kept streaming in, the soothing currents intensifying. Injuries vanished; his cultivation level surged.

Cracking his eyes open, Ye Yun found Shu Anshi and others gaping. Even Kuang Wuwei had barely endured the thirteen zhang pressure, standing mute with strain. Yet Ye Yun remained steady after mere tremors.

Ignoring their stares, Ye Yun focused inward. Condensing the Fire Spirit False Pill took priority. True qi churned as spiritual energy roared through him. The fiery pill solidified rapidly, its glow pulsing—a crimson orb the size of a dove’s egg.

A hairline fissure split its surface. Dan Fluid oozed forth, trickling across the False Pill in the firelight. Ecstasy gripped Ye Yun—this marked true success! Merging other False Pills would follow naturally.

But why was this so easy?

Doubt prickled. In Thunder Falls Valley, he’d needed two Thunder Woods and a seed of the mysteries of thunder, tempered under Lightning Element Law, to barely form an incomplete Thunder Spirit False Pill. The Ice Spirit False Pill had required weeks absorbing North Sea Xuan Ice’s essence. Yet this Fire Spirit False Pill condensed in under an hour? Impossible, even with the Spiritual Pond’s abundant spiritual energy.

Worse—the Heart of Immortals and Demons, his relentless energy sink, had vanished!

Boom!

A deafening crash erupted in his mind, shattering the illusion. Agony exploded through every fiber. Spiritual energy and hidden energy raged unchecked—only the Heart of Immortals and Demons’ frenzied absorption spared him from being torn apart.

Mental Demons.

The revelation struck. That ease, that triumph—all illusions! No Fire Spirit False Pill existed. The Heart of Immortals and Demons had devoured every wisp of energy.

Ye Yun lifted heavy eyelids to meet Shu Anshi’s relieved grin. “Junior brother! To withstand Mental Demons at thirteen zhang—remarkable!”

“Mental Demons?!” Kun Huazi and Zhuge Chong blurted in unison.

As Divine Grace Palace elites, they knew the legends—Mental Demons tested ascendants from Nascent Soul stage to Earth Immortal realm. Victims languished in delusion, drained of will or life. That such terrors lurked in the Spiritual Pond’s depths explained why even Kuang Wuwei dared not speak there.

“Master’s judgment holds,” Shu Anshi laughed. “Your potential eclipses mine. Forging the Golden Core today will be child’s play!”

Ye Yun inhaled deeply, pain receding. He resumed the Little Absorption Technique, funneling energies into the Heart of Immortals and Demons. Once sated, it would repay him with pure spiritual power—the final key.

Hours bled into days. Motionless, he tempered flesh and will through suffering.

At last, the Heart of Immortals and Demons stilled. A gentle wave sealed his pores against further energy intake. From its depths flowed liquid gold—radiant, tangible—the refined essence of thirteen zhang’s spiritual energy.

The Golden Pill Dao awaited.