Once that was accomplished, the merged pill would continue descending into the dantian, where it would merge with the final Cold Pill. When the three pills became one, there was a chance to break through to the Core Formation stage, forming a true Golden Core.
Yun Che sat quietly inside the underground chamber. The small space was now filled with dense yin-cold energy. His eyes were closed, his divine sense withdrawn into his body as his mind focused on the ancestral aperture.
His first task was to break the ancestral aperture so the Cold Pill could descend.
Only now did Yun Che truly understand the difficulty of the Three-Pill Fusion. Calling it “very difficult” would be a gross understatement—the challenge was almost unimaginable.
For an entire month he had attempted to break the ancestral aperture. Around it was an invisible barrier. No matter how he struck at it, the barrier refused to budge.
Cultivating the Nine Nether Cold Prison Art required the ancestral aperture, Qi sea, and dantian to be shattered three separate times in order to form the Cold Pills, each time more difficult than the last.
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The first shattering was merely difficult.
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The second was extremely difficult.
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The third was nearly impossible.
Now Yun Che was effectively attempting to shatter the ancestral aperture a fourth time.
The difficulty was beyond words.
After countless failed attempts, Yun Che changed strategies. Instead of forcefully breaking the barrier, he wore it down slowly. Over time, the invisible obstruction began to thin.
But the pain caused by this continuous friction of spiritual energy was beyond imagination. Every grinding contact made Yun Che’s body tremble violently. Sweat poured from him like rain, soaking his clothes constantly.
Without incredible willpower, Three-Pill Fusion would be impossible.
Fortunately, willpower was something Yun Che possessed in abundance. Years ago, during the Hengyue Sect trials, his determination had shocked many. On the stone steps of Hengyue Mountain, he had left two long streaks of blood.
If not for his poor talent, that determination alone would have secured him a promising future within the sect.
Now the Hengyue Sect was long gone, reduced to history.
Yet Yun Che endured.
After three months, the ancestral aperture finally shattered.
The fist-sized blue Cold Pill slowly sank downward from the ancestral aperture. As it descended, countless threadlike strands spread from it throughout Yun Che’s body.
Eventually it stopped outside the Qi sea, separated from the second Cold Pill by a single acupoint.
Without hesitation, Yun Che began the second stage of erosion.
Three more months passed.
With a series of cracking sounds, the Qi sea barrier collapsed.
The two Cold Pills slammed into each other.
A terrifying surge of destructive cold energy exploded within Yun Che’s body.
His face instantly turned deathly pale. Blood surged up his throat, and he spat out a cloud of blood mist. The mist froze immediately into crimson frost crystals across the cave walls.
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Yun Che swayed.
Eight spirit stones flew from his storage bag, colliding and shattering into powder. The powder formed a strange symbol around him—a defensive formation.
At the same time, a black flying sword emerged from his bag. It circled Yun Che once before hovering in the air.
A shadowy demonic spirit emerged from the sword.
The demon glanced at Yun Che with hesitation and struggle. But Yun Che’s hidden divine sense within its body suppressed any rebellious thoughts, forcing it to obediently guard the surroundings.
Having completed these preparations, Yun Che collapsed unconscious.
The demon wandered nearby, glancing at Yun Che repeatedly.
“Should I fight him now? This might be my only chance… But what if it’s a trap? That guy is too cunning… What if I lose?”
The demon shuddered and abandoned the idea.
A day later, the thought returned.
“This is the perfect opportunity… But no, Yun Che must have prepared something…”
Another day passed.
Finally the demon roared internally:
“To hell with it! I’m going for it!”
It lunged toward Yun Che.
The defensive formation did nothing to stop it. The demon passed through it and pounced onto Yun Che—
Only to scream in agony.
Smoke rose from its body as it began to dissipate.
Retreating in panic, it wailed:
“Damn it! I knew he was too crafty! When did he plant his divine sense inside me?! How am I supposed to live like this?!”
After that experience, the demon gave up resistance and sulked miserably in the corner.
Three days later, Yun Che woke up.
He sat up with a bitter smile.
He had underestimated the difficulty of Three-Pill Fusion.
The destructive cold energy created during the pill collision was essential for fusion. But if it escaped the body, the fusion would fail. If it remained inside, his body could not withstand it.
The root of the problem was simple:
His body wasn’t strong enough to endure the cold energy.
But this left Yun Che confused.
How had previous cultivators succeeded?
Even Li Han, who also practiced the Nine Nether Cold Prison Art—how had he completed the fusion?
Li Han had never explained this step.
Yun Che sighed deeply.
“How can I make my body withstand that cold energy?”
His gaze fell on the flood dragon skull in the adjacent chamber.
Su Wanqing soon awoke and walked out of her room, still sleepy.
Seeing Yun Che, she was startled.
During these months her thoughts had often wandered. She feared Yun Che might one day demand something improper from her, since cultivators of dark arts often absorbed yin essence from women.
But Yun Che had spent nearly all his time in seclusion, cultivating relentlessly.
Even compared to her diligent brother, Yun Che’s dedication was frightening.
When she saw Yun Che staring intensely at the dragon skull, she spoke coldly:
“The flood dragon’s entire body was poisonous when alive. Its bones turning purple isn’t surprising.”
“Poisonous?” Yun Che asked.
“Yes. Ancient texts say: ‘When alive, the dragon is poison; when dead, the dragon is treasure.’”
Her words struck Yun Che like lightning.
A spark flashed through his mind.
The flood dragon’s body had been filled with poison, yet it had never been harmed by it.
Suddenly Yun Che burst into laughter.
“I understand!”
“If my body cannot endure the cold energy… then I will transform my body into cold energy itself.”
With that, he grabbed the dragon skull and strode toward the exit.
As he passed Su Wanqing, he said:
“The day I form my Core… will be the day I send you back to the Luohe Sect.”
Then he left.
Using Earth Escape at full speed, Yun Che returned to Corpse Valley.
Three days later he entered the Fourteenth Valley and sank deep underground.
At 100 zhang, his body nearly froze solid.
But he continued.
Finally he settled into meditation.
“I will not leave this valley until the Three Pills fuse.”
Time passed.
Yun Che’s body slowly transformed under the endless yin energy.
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6 months: limbs turned blue, beginning to crystallize
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1 year: organs frozen, body partially crystalized
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1.5 years: limbs completely blue crystal
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2 years: body fully crystal except head
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3 years: even his head crystallized
At that moment, Yun Che reached the state described in the technique:
The Yellow Springs Realm.
He had sunk nearly 8,000 zhang underground, surrounded by an endless sea of blue crystal bones—the remains of countless ancient spirit beasts.
After six more months:
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His heartbeat returned
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His divine sense awakened
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The three Cold Pills responded
The ancestral and Qi sea pills fused effortlessly.
Then the merged pill descended into the dantian.
The final collision occurred.
Cold energy surged—yet compared to the immense yin energy filling Yun Che’s body, it was insignificant.
The Three Pills fused completely.
But instead of gold…
The new core was ashen gray, filled with deathly stillness.
Yun Che had unknowingly altered the Nine Nether Cold Prison Art due to the Heavenly Dark Pearl and his extreme cultivation state.
Now he possessed a Core embryo.
Only one final step remained:
The spiritual energy breakthrough.
But if the attempt failed—
The embryo would shatter, forcing him to start everything again.