The old immortal crane turned and transformed into a middle-aged redheaded beauty. She had blushed fair skin and looked to be in her early thirties.

Waving her arm casually, her robes extended thousands of feet away and brought Su Zimo before her instantly.

“Congratulations, senior,”

Su Zimo was truly elated when he saw that the old immortal crane was able to break free from the shackles of heaven and earth and extend her lifespan.

With the addition of a new Dharma Characteristic expert, itinerant cultivators in the territory of Great Zhou would definitely want to join Ethereal Peak in the future and the rise of the sect was certain.

“I should be the one thanking you,”

The old immortal crane smiled and looked towards a spot in the forest outside of Ethereal Peak. “Someone from the fiend sects must have sent a message for Little Chen to arrive in time. I suppose that has something to do with you?”

Su Zimo remained silent.

“I don’t have any biasness towards the fiend sects. Head over there and take a look, someone has been waiting for you for a long time,” THe old immortal crane pointed to a deep portion of the forest and said with a smile.

“Alright.”

Su Zimo smiled and spread his spirit wings, speeding towards the forest.

In the depths of the forest, a pink figure stood upright with black hair that fell like a waterfall. Her long dress accentuated her curvy figure to its best.

The veil on the girl’s face had already been removed and she was smiling towards his direction with a peerlessly flawless face.

“Thank you,”

Su Zimo was silent for a long time after arriving before finally speaking.

“Pfft!”

Demoness Ji could not help but stifle a laugh.

Blinking her eyes, she skipped around gently and closed in to Su Zimo playfully.

A fragrance wafted over.

Their cheeks were extremely close together and Demoness Ji asked with a sweet breath, “How are you going to thank me?”

With that said, she bit her cherry lips in a seemingly dissatisfied manner and looked at Su Zimo expectantly.

He lowered his gaze with the calmness of an old monk. Not daring to meet with her gaze, he took a step back instead.

After not seeing her for half a year, Demoness Ji’s charm techniques had gotten even more terrifying.

Su Zimo lamented to himself, “Seems like she has gotten quite a few opportunities in the Human Emperor’s Palace back then as well.”

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore,”

Demoness Ji returned to normal and chuckled before remarking with a relaxed tone, “You don’t have to thank me since you’ve saved me before as well.”

Su Zimo heaved out a sigh of relief.

After a brief silence, Demoness Ji whispered, “You offended so many people in the ancient battlefield, why didn’t you join the fiend sects together with Senior Asura? Although he is cold, indifferent and doesn’t care about relationships, I can tell that he seems to treat you rather specially.”

Su Zimo shook his head.

Demoness Ji continued, “There’s another 20 years to go before the intermediate ancient battlefield opens up. Ethereal Peak doesn’t have the strength and isn’t able to break through the barriers to enter the intermediate ancient battlefield as well. At that time, remember to come look for me. I’ll bring you in.”

“We’ll discuss it again. In any case, there’s 20 more years to go. There’s no hurry.”

“I’ll… make a move first?”

“Yes.”

Seeing that Su Zimo had no intention of asking her to stay, Demoness Ji was secretly frustrated and harrumphed gently in a begrudging manner.

She had just turned around when his voice sounded, somewhat hesitantly.

“What’s the meaning of the Pure Maiden Sect’s tripod?”

Demoness Ji’s back was facing Su Zimo and a hint of shyness flickered through her eyes. Hiding it swiftly, she turned around with a fake smile. “What do you think it means?”

There was a saying in the cultivation world that tripods were members of the opposite sex captured and used by evil cultivators to increase their cultivation realms. They would use the tripods to do a double cultivation method by using the tripod’s Yin to replenish their Yang or vice versa.

Tripods were akin to slaves and most of them ended up in miserable states, dying from a complete exhaustion of their Yin or Yang essences.

Naturally, Su Zimo had heard of that saying before. However, he did not believe that the Pure Maiden Sect’s tripod was the same thing.

“I don’t know,” He shook his head.

Demoness Ji smiled. “Tripods are naturally used for cultivation!”

When he saw that Demoness Ji clearly did not wish to elaborate, Su Zimo did not question further.

“I’m going!”

She waved to Su Zimo with her back facing him. “I’ll tease you again next time.”

Gazing at Demoness Ji’s departing back view, Su Zimo took a deep breath of air and turned to leave as well, heading towards Ethereal Peak.

This time round, he intended to enter seclusion to try and form his core upon returning!

Su Zimo wanted to form his cores for both his immortality and demonic cultivations!

…

Nighttime.

Ethereal Peak, a cave abode.

Su Zimo assumed a lotus position and his eyes were shut.

He had already sat there for an entire day without budging like a statue.

Although it seemed like he did not make any progress, Su Zimo was making preparations to ensure that nothing went wrong.

There were only 12 words to the first sentence of the Core Formation section.

Calm the monkey mind, control the prancing horse, subdue dragons and tigers!

That was the first and most important step to core formation.

An active mind was like a monkey, unable to keep still.

The fluctuations of emotions was like a prancing horse, running wildly.

One had to conquer the monkey mind and prancing horse with unparalleled determination and even subdue dragons or tigers if necessary!

All things were connected.

In the immortal sects, one would achieve a pure mind by adhering to the extremities of silence. In the Buddhist monasteries, one would chant Buddhist proclamations and refrain from speaking. In reality, all of those were guiding one towards calming the monkey mind and the prancing horse of one’s intents!

For young people, they were in experienced and emotional. As such, it was the most difficult for them to calm the monkey mind and prancing horse while cultivating.

Older cultivators have been through endless events and are jaded towards the world. As such, it becomes comparatively easy for them instead.

Although Su Zimo was not old and he had cultivated for less than 30 years by now, he had been through endless ups and downs in life and wandered around the boundaries of death as well.

His mind was resolute and could not be moved.

Often, he treated things with humbleness and took care of the overall picture, paying keen attention to things.

He took things in his stride and did not overly meddle. Subconsciously, he was already suppressing his monkey mind and the prancing horse while subduing dragons and tigers with supreme determination!

After entering meditation, the first six sections of the Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness revolved through his mind in an unhurried motion thoroughly.

It went from the beginning, Body Tempering, to Tendons Transformation, Bones Strengthening, Marrow Cleansing, Organs Refinement, then to the Orifice Cleansing section…

There was a remark in the Core Formation section: “Cultivate the qi of the five organs and consume the seven lights!”

The seven lights referred to the seven orifices.

As time flowed, countless nights passed by in the blink of an eye.

Within the cave abode, the demonic qi that was surrounding Su Zimo intensified and his seven orifices shone with a divine radiance.

His skin, flesh, tendons, bones, marrow, organs and seven orifices formed a perfect Major Heavenly Cycle, circulating endlessly.

Gradually, the demonic qi outside his body started converging towards the center of his chest.

After Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment, cultivators would enter core formation and their Golden Cores would be created an inch beneath their naval, located at where the spirit qi sea and dantian was at.

But now, the location of Su Zimo’s demonic cultivation for his Inner Core was clearly different!

It was at the center of his chest, extremely close to his heart.

The scarlet demon qi was limitless and boundless, converging towards his chest repeatedly while swirling, as if a massive vortex was about to materialize!

Be it for demons or humans, core formation was always the most critical step of their cultivation path!

This was a sort of finale towards their earlier path of cultivation.

After forming a core, it would be the first time they truly broke free of the shackles of heaven and earth, increasing their lifespans.

If they failed, everything would come to an end!

Su Zimo was motionless and his black hair swayed without any wind. A series of ancient demons were conjured around him, baring their claws and fangs with a menacing ferocity as their eyes shimmered with a red gleam.

All of those ancient demons paused for a brief moment before being sucked into Su Zimo’s chest by that scarlet vortex!

Su Zimo’s aura was turning increasingly terrifying!

Under the shroud of the scarlet vortex, his body underwent another baptism and transformed once more.

His flesh started expanding and his bones and veins shook and buzzed, as though metal was clashing.

Twitching violently, his major tendons gave off snapping sounds like thunder and it was shuddering!