The Demonic Core just keeps moving, and that prevents the Core sea from entering Foundation Establishment. It just can’t form the Dao Pillar…. I must form the Dao Pillar! I must reach Foundation Establishment! I must stop the Demonic Core from moving. And that requires more Spiritual Energy!”
The three Foundation Establishment Pills dissolved in his mouth, and a shocking amount of spiritual power erupted. It poured into Meng Hao’s Core sea, which moments ago had been in the midst of condensing, but was then interrupted by the Demonic Core.
The lashing power caused the Core sea to shine with blinding golden light. The Demonic Core, which seemed as if it would never stop spinning, suddenly began to slow. The spiritual energy within the Core sea seemed endless. A roaring sound could be heard which suppressed any indication that the Demonic Core would begin to spin furiously again.
It stopped, unmoving. Popping sounds rang out from within the Core sea and echoed throughout Meng Hao’s body. His entire Core sea seemed as if it were freezing over. In the space of a few breaths, it suddenly became completely solid.
At that moment, it seemed almost as if Meng Hao’s life had ended. His breathing slowed, and his body began to shake. His eyes shined, and he took a deep breath as the Qi Condensation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture appeared in his mind. The solidified Core sea began to slowly shrink.
It grew smaller and smaller, changing into a diamond-shaped crystalline rock which contained the Demonic Core. More spiritual energy from the Foundation Establishment Pills poured down, and slowly the Core sea emerged again.
Even as it replenished itself, it began to shrink again upon itself to form an additional diamond-shaped lump of crystalline rock. Then, more spiritual energy poured in, and the process began again.
Meng Hao knew the process would take a long time, and would require a lot of spiritual energy, which was why he had selected this valley. He smacked his bag of holding and began to consume more medicinal pills.
Over and over again, his Core sea replenished itself and then solidified into the diamond-shaped crystalline rock. Meng Hao lost track of time.
One month. Two months. Three months… six months….
Spring passed and autumn arrived, then the cold of winter. A year had passed since Meng Hao entered the Immortal’s Cave to practice secluded meditation. Every full moon during that year, the seven Cultivators would come to pull on the red rope.
Their best effort resulted in pulling out fourteen-hundred ninety-nine meters. They were never able to pull out the final one meter. As time passed, the seven men noticed that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the area seemed to have been reduced.