I Have An Infinite Cultivation Resource
Chapter 84: Foundation Establishment
At the summit of the black mountain.
Huo Chuan held the tracking compass and carefully confirmed the position outside Lu You's cave once more before quietly retreating to where the ten of them lay in ambush. Throughout the process, he restrained his aura completely, not making the slightest sound.
"Elder Huo, how is it? We weren't wrong, right?"
Following the traces, the Golden Core elders had found the cave where Lu You was in seclusion. But after twenty full days, there hadn't been the slightest movement inside. Many had begun to suspect that Dongfang Bubai had deliberately thrown the vial into the cave to mislead them and had already gone elsewhere to break the formation core.
Huo Chuan made a silencing gesture, then activated a soundproof talisman. "There's no mistake. I didn't dare use my spiritual sense in case I alerted her, but I can confirm there are fluctuations of spiritual energy inside that cave. Dongfang Bubai is in there."
Hearing this, all the elders let out a breath of relief. As long as Dongfang Bubai was there, their suffering these past days hadn't been in vain.
. . .
Lu Xiao'e, who was lurking behind them, quietly circled around and approached Lu You's hiding place from another direction. "These elders are watching this place so closely, could there be something special here?"
Softly, she drew the flexible sword at her waist.
Her sword's tip was as thin as a strand of hair. Driven by sword control techniques, it silently pierced into the mountain wall—but in the next moment, the supposedly unstoppable blade was blocked by a hard layer of stone. Lu Xiao'e raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Strange… this cave is just as hard as Lu You's window?"
"This place is so extraordinary, and the elders from the Deep Literary Pavilion are specifically lying in ambush here. There must be a treasure about to emerge—perhaps even the ancient map!"
Concealing her aura, Lu Xiao'e carefully scraped out a hiding spot in the stone wall with her sword, then covered herself with rocks. Noticing that the elders didn't dare use their spiritual sense, she boldly hid near the cave, waiting to seize the treasure the moment something changed.
Just as she settled in, Lu Xiao'e suddenly sensed a shift within the cave. The spiritual energy inside abruptly grew denser. At the same time, the ten Golden Core elders also detected the anomaly.
. . .
Inside the cave, Lu You sat cross-legged, his body floating in midair. All the spirit stones in the cave suddenly crumbled into powder, and vast amounts of spiritual energy surged into his dantian.
Soon, his dantian was completely filled. Yet the excess energy did not dissipate—instead, it began to swirl around him. Gradually, a layer of mist formed around his body. The spiritual energy released from countless spirit stones condensed into vapor, enveloping him in a hazy aura.
Drip
Spiritual energy condensed into liquid.
Within Lu You's dantian, the surging energy calmed and slowly formed a droplet. Then the surrounding mist rushed wildly into it. The droplet grew larger and larger—from a steady dripping sound to the gentle flow of a stream.
"Foundation Establishment… is the foundation of becoming immortal."
Lu You suddenly opened his eyes. He felt an intense hunger within his body, as if he could devour limitless spiritual energy in a single gulp. Without hesitation, he frantically activated his small cauldron. The cave was instantly filled with spirit stones, which shattered in an instant, turning into dense spiritual mist. Then more spirit stones appeared, only to be transformed again.
Cycle after cycle, the spiritual energy in the cave grew increasingly dense. Even the black mountain beneath seemed to greedily absorb it. Gradually, the energy overflowed from the cave and spread outward.
. . .
"The formation core—Dongfang Bubai must have found the formation core!"
Huo Chuan could no longer conceal himself. He sprang up and dashed to the cave entrance in a flash. The other nine elders followed closely, staring at the cave in shock.
"Exactly! This must be the formation core! In a secret realm devoid of spiritual energy, such a completely opposite paradise suddenly appearing—it must be that Dongfang Bubai has broken the core!"
"Hurry! We can't let Dongfang Bubai take the treasure!"
Huo Chuan acted decisively. A golden flying sword shot out and slammed into the cave with a loud clang.
The flying sword of a Golden Core cultivator failed to split open the cave in a single strike. Instead, half of the blade embedded itself into the stone wall.
"Everyone, together!" Huo Chuan sensed how tough the wall was and recalled his sword. The other nine Golden Core elders also turned serious—it was time for the decisive battle with Dongfang Bubai.
Ten flying swords were unleashed, converging in the air before plunging down like a falling meteor, smashing violently into the rock face.
. . .
Inside the cave, Lu You slowly opened his eyes and stretched comfortably. Even before his breakthrough, he had sensed that his Foundation Establishment would trigger unusual phenomena—and sure enough, it had turned the cave into a miniature blessed land. Fortunately, the secret realm constantly absorbed spiritual energy. Before long, this temporary paradise would be drained dry, and no one would notice anything unusual. If he had broken through outside, such a sudden concentration of spiritual energy near the Verdant Cloud Sect would have surely attracted investigation.
In the next moment, Lu You heard a loud clang. The copper-wall-like defense formed by tens of thousands of Hard Metal Talismans had been pierced. And that wasn't all—a terrifying pressure emanated from outside the cave.
"Not good—the Hard Metal Talismans can't hold!"
His thoughts raced. He activated tens of thousands of Golden Light Talismans, wrapping himself in protective energy like a golden figure. Now at the Foundation Establishment realm, his spiritual energy had multiplied several times, allowing him to use far more talismans. Stuffing a few Qi-Nourishing Pills into his mouth, he also took out a Mount Tai Talisman from his small cauldron.
"What kind of monster is outside? Could that giant serpent have revived? No— it's a flying sword!"
A streak of golden light tore through the rock wall. Seeing its source clearly, Lu You immediately changed tactics, swapping out the Mount Tai Talisman.
A flying sword—Golden Core level—so it was human!
If it had been the massive black serpent, he would have used the Mount Tai Talisman to crush it instantly. But against human opponents, he feared the talisman would be too slow, so he switched to a Light Talisman instead.
His black robe concealed his appearance. Relying on the Golden Light Talismans for defense, Lu You deflected the flying sword and leapt out of the cave. At the same time, he activated several thousand more Golden Light Talismans.
"Hmph. Hand over the formation core and the ancient map, and I—" Huo Chuan's eyes were wide with fury. The other nine elders also fixed their gaze tightly on Lu You. Afraid that Dongfang Bubai might attempt a desperate mutual-destruction move, none of them dared blink, staring unflinchingly at him.
. . .
Meanwhile, Lu Xiao'e remained hidden within a crevice, secretly watching. There was actually someone inside the cave—good, she would let them fight it out and reap the benefits afterward. But before she could enjoy the spectacle, she sensed something familiar about the black-clad figure.
In the next instant, her eyes widened. That person… seemed to be Lu You?
. . .
Boom!
At the very moment everyone's attention was fixed on Lu You, he had already closed his eyes and used his spiritual energy to seal off his senses.
Then it came.
A terrifying burst of blazing white light exploded behind him. Though it was only light, thousands of Light Talismans drawn from the ancient map had undergone a qualitative change through sheer quantity. The horrifying brilliance was like a silent explosion—each ray as sharp as a flying sword, stabbing into the eyes and spiritual senses of everyone present.
"Ah!"
Huo Chuan, who had been staring intently, suddenly clutched his eyes. Having directly witnessed the detonation of nearly a thousand Light Talismans, he felt as though his eyes—and even his mind—no longer belonged to him. His entire world turned into a blank, blinding white.
The other nine Golden Core elders suffered the same fate. Because they had been so focused on Lu You, they bore the full force of the talismans. Not only could they see nothing, even their spiritual senses were thrown into chaos. At that moment, their minds were filled with nothing but light.
Lu Xiao'e, on the other side, was not spared either.
"What the hell!"
Fortunately, Lu Xiao'e had been peeking from hiding and was tucked inside a crack in the rocks, so she was only partially affected by the Light Talismans. Even so, she felt completely blinded. Great, I can't see anything now. No way to grab the treasure—better lie low. She shrank back, just about to give up on seizing anything and hide properly, when her mouth suddenly fell open.
"Ninth-Heaven Fall Technique… it's Lu You!?"
. . .
Only after the Light Talismans finished taking effect did Lu You open his eyes, perfectly avoiding their damage. When he saw that ten Golden Core elders from the Deep Literary Pavilion were standing before him, his heart skipped a beat.
Damn. My impersonation of Dongfang Bubai must have been exposed. Strike first!
The treasured artifact Lu Xiao'e had given him appeared in his hand, silently covered with hundreds of Mount Tai Talismans.
"Ninth-Heaven Fall Technique!"
Lu You roared, calling out his sword technique as he slashed directly at the nearest Golden Core elder.
"Elder Wang—he's on your side! Activate your defense!"
Huo Chuan kept his eyes tightly shut, listening intently. Even blinded and with his spiritual sense in chaos, he still pinpointed Lu You's attack. He immediately recalled his flying sword, and the other elders followed suit, directing their swords toward Elder Wang.
"Golden Light Talismans, rise!"
Knowing Lu You was targeting him, Elder Wang's lips curled into a slight smile. As a Deep Literary Pavilion elder, he was never lacking in talismans. Without hesitation, he activated hundreds of high-grade Golden Light Talismans, then formed hand seals.
"Black Tortoise Shield!"
Not only did he deploy talismans, he also used a Golden Core–level technique. His spiritual energy fused with the talismans, instantly forming a massive turtle-shell barrier. This move combined talismans, cultivation techniques, and formations. If he focused purely on defense, even a Golden Core flying sword could strike it dozens of times without breaking it. With talismans arranged as reinforcement, Elder Wang was confident his "shell" could withstand countless attacks!
Clang!
Lu You sword struck the shell without leaving the slightest mark and was instead rebounded by the heavy barrier.
"Haha, is that all?" Elder Wang couldn't see, but he could sense the attack. "So that's it—you must have exhausted your spiritual energy breaking the formation core these past twenty days! Elder Huo, excellent plan. Watch me capture Dongfang Bubai!"
With a loud laugh, the turtle shell suddenly generated a powerful suction force, tightly locking onto Lu You's treasured artifact. At the same time, Huo Chuan and the other elders' flying swords shot toward Lu You.
. . .
Seeing his treasured artifact—covered in Mount Tai Talismans—captured by Elder Wang, Lu You decisively let go. He was just about to activate the teleportation talisman to escape the lock of the nine flying swords—but suddenly paused.
. . .
Sea-Returning Hundred River Technique!
Recognizing the Ninth-Heaven Fall Technique sword technique, Lu Xiao'e instantly realized it was Lu You. Forcing her eyes open, she saw the scene: her gifted treasured artifact trapped by the turtle-shell defense, and nine flying swords streaking toward him.
"So tough… I should've guessed. It's that idiot Lu You. He actually found the formation core."
In the next instant, Lu Xiao'e shot out. Her Golden Core cultivation erupted fully. The soft sword at her waist flowed like countless streams—winding, continuous, merging like rivers returning to the sea before bursting forth.
Only at the Golden Core stage could her sword technique show its true power. Though it was a flexible blade, at this moment, it appeared like a tidal wave. In the blink of an eye, it swallowed all nine flying swords.
Ninth-Heaven Fall Technique!
Immediately after, she drew the sword force back and slashed toward Elder Wang within the turtle-shell defense.
At the same time, the countdown on the Mount Tai Talismans ended. The artifact, covered in talismans, suddenly shattered with a crack—breaking into countless pieces.
A single fully charged Mount Tai Talisman could suppress a Golden Core cultivator. With hundreds of them stacked together, even a real Mount Tai could be crushed into powder.
Elder Wang had been laughing as he drew the talismans toward himself—but in less than a second, his laughter turned into a terrified cry:
"Ahh! My shell is breaking—Elder Huo, save me!"
The turtle-shell defense that Lu You couldn't even scratch just moments ago deflated like a punctured balloon. In the illusion, it was as if countless mountains descended from the heavens, freezing the very space around Elder Wang.
He couldn't escape!
In desperation, Elder Wang grabbed a handful of Qi-Nourishing Pills and stuffed them into his mouth. "I refuse to believe that you can kill me instantly—explode for me!" Facing death, he decisively detonated his Golden Core.
Boom!
The Mount Tai Talismans came crashing down. Even with a self-detonation, it was useless against hundreds of such talismans. If he had relied on movement techniques, he might have avoided them—but his attempt to restrain Lu You and buy time for his companions had instead turned him into a perfect target.
The massive peak of the black mountain was instantly reduced by half. Elder Wang and the surrounding black stone were obliterated into dust—his Golden Core crushed into nothingness.
. . .
Lu Xiao'e, who had just deflected the attacks of nine elders and even struck Elder Wang once, fell into Lu You's arms. With no time to think, she grabbed his collar and whispered:
"Idiot Lu You, remember this—the one saving you now is your junior sister, not some senior sister."
As she spoke, the soft sword at her waist turned supple like a rope, wrapping around Lu You. It transformed into a flying sword and carried them both into the air. The effect of the Light Talismans was about to fade. Seeing the nine Golden Core elders below already beginning to open their eyes, Lu Xiao'e gritted her teeth.
Lu Xiao'e struck the soft sword hard. It carried Lu You away into the sky, while she remained behind alone.
At some point, her black robe had changed into a red one. Looking down at the nine Golden Core elders, Lu Xiao'e smiled disdainfully.
"The Deep Literary Pavilion is nothing special. That old turtle just now couldn't even withstand a single strike from me. Now let me—Dongfang Bubai—see how many strikes you can endure."
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