“It's actually true fire? Which sect are you from? How dare you collude with beasts to attack this immortal elder?” Surrounded and attacked from three sides, the man suffered wound after wound, spitting blood miserably as he shouted.

Brian Carter had fought countless battles, big and small, over the past ten years. He naturally understood the importance of never giving the enemy a chance to catch their breath. Especially for a Golden Core expert like him, any slip could allow the opponent to turn the tables. If that happened, it would spell utter disaster. So he didn’t bother to reply, instead intensifying his assault. Blake Carter and Ruby Carter had fought side by side for years and had developed a tacit understanding. Seeing Brian Carter exert his full strength, they too fought with everything they had. The collision of their energies created wave after wave of cyclonic winds, almost completely destroying the surrounding trees and weeds.

Chapter 15: The Power of Self-Destruction

Under such intense pressure, the man suffered repeated heavy blows. At last, he could no longer hold on. Despair appeared on his face as he realized he could not escape this calamity. His face turned from deathly pale to crimson as he shouted furiously, “You junior beasts have gone too far! This immortal master will fight you to the end!” As he spoke, his aura suddenly swelled. He opened his mouth, and a golden core the size of a pigeon egg flew out from his body.

“Scatter!” Brian Carter narrowed his eyes, sensing danger. He shouted and desperately retreated, gathering all his power to shield himself. Blake Carter and Ruby Carter were no fools; as soon as Brian Carter shouted, they let out a tiger’s roar and a luan’s cry, fleeing for their lives.

Boom! A massive surge of energy exploded from the golden core, sending invisible shockwaves violently outward in all directions. Brian Carter couldn’t withstand the force; his face flushed bright red. At last, he spat out a mouthful of blood, letting the shockwave toss him away like a dead leaf in a hurricane. In the final moment of consciousness, he saw the man turn into a rain of blood.

The tremendous force flung Brian Carter over two li before he crashed down onto the grass, motionless.

No one knew how much time passed before Brian Carter’s consciousness slowly returned. But now, his body felt as if it no longer belonged to him—he couldn’t even move a pinky finger. Brian Carter couldn’t even manage a bitter smile. That man was so fierce; Brian Carter had only intended to injure him and let him escape, not to take his life. The Golden Core Dao—how many cultivators dreamed of reaching that realm? How much effort and how many years did it take? To self-destruct the golden core like that, everything was lost in an instant. At the same time, Brian Carter deeply felt the terror of a self-detonating golden core. Even an innate expert, no matter how desperate, had no such method. Only a golden core, with its highly condensed energy, could explode with such power. Sigh. That man, seeing himself in a hopeless situation and unwilling to surrender, chose self-destruction to preserve his dignity.

The only comfort for Brian Carter was that, though he couldn’t move, he could clearly sense the innate true qi within his body had completely dispersed through his limbs and bones, slowly but steadily repairing his injuries. In his chest, a strange force was faintly connected to the true qi, transmitting energy in that direction. But Brian Carter was not optimistic. Not only were nearly all his bones shattered, but even his internal organs had shifted. To survive such a powerful explosion was already a miracle. Fortunately, Brian Carter had reacted quickly, fleeing at the first sign of danger and covering several hundred meters in just a few breaths. Only then did he barely escape the center of the blast. Who knew what had become of Blake Carter and Ruby Carter?

At this point, Brian Carter could only leave his fate to the heavens. He watched the sun rise and set, again and again. If not for his consciousness occasionally entering the jade slip after several attempts, he would have gone mad even if he didn’t die. During this time, Brian Carter reviewed the main contents, especially the cultivation methods of the Golden Core Dao, as well as artifact refining and alchemy techniques. However, the mental techniques above the Golden Core Dao were still inaccessible. Clearly, as before, only after reaching the Golden Core Dao could he see the next realm’s cultivation methods.

Brian Carter couldn’t help but sigh. According to the descriptions of the Golden Core Dao, breaking through the innate realm and reaching the Golden Core Dao meant truly stepping into the world of cultivation. At this point, not only could one cultivate Samadhi True Fire, but also master various techniques for crafting magical treasures, as well as formations and restrictions. Even more exciting, after reaching the Golden Core Dao, one could truly fly by riding the qi. With the golden core’s power to harness the forces of nature, it was entirely possible to sustain continuous flight. Flying—how many years had that been humanity’s dream? And then there were magical treasures: the power of that golden core expert’s flying sword and the flexible spirit net had opened Brian Carter’s eyes. Brian Carter couldn’t help but start imagining, at the golden core level, what kinds of magical treasures he might craft in the future.

However, the Golden Core realm was still far out of reach for Brian Carter. The innate true qi he had now could only serve as a laborer, slowly nurturing his broken bones and protecting his internal organs. Days passed, winter gave way to spring, and the cycle repeated. Brian Carter lay on that patch of grass, feeling the grass by his face grow tall and then wither away. Herds of deer and antelope came and went in succession. Even the ferocious beasts began to thrive, hunting the herbivores around him with impunity.