Chapter 121: Success

The golden staff in Sun Wukong’s hand responded to the Buddha.

“Clang!”

The golden staff slipped from Sun Wukong’s grasp, sent flying hundreds of feet away by a strike from the Buddha.

Without his staff, Sun Wukong instantly sobered. He tried to flee, but the Buddha gave him no chance.

The Buddha’s massive palm came crashing down on Sun Wukong’s body. Deprived of his staff, Sun Wukong could only block with both hands. Yet the Buddha’s palm was several times larger than Sun Wukong’s own body. Without a trace of struggle, Sun Wukong was slammed down to the mortal realm by the overwhelming force.

“Boom!”

A tremendous sound echoed. The giant palm vanished, replaced by a towering mountain pressing tightly against Sun Wukong’s body.

“Om Mani Padme Hum.”

Six great characters descended from the heavens, imprinted upon the mountain, completely pinning down the struggling Sun Wukong. This mountain, now engraved with the six sacred words, would later be known as the Five Elements Mountain—the prison of Sun Wukong.

At that moment, the fury in Sun Wukong’s eyes was gone, replaced by boundless remorse—remorse for his mother.

“Dong!”

A loud noise erupted before Sun Wukong. The golden staff, which had been flung away by the Buddha, was now struck back to stand erect directly in front of him.

Confined beneath the Five Elements Mountain, Sun Wukong was not only restricted in his powers but also lost control over the golden staff. Though it stood right before him, he was powerless to wield it.

Meanwhile, Yuan Wuji remained completely unaware of these events. Still immersed in his secluded cultivation, he had advanced the Geng Metal Golden Core to the third stage. From this breakthrough, Yuan Wuji had grasped many secrets of the Ninefold Profound Technique. Beyond the Geng Metal Golden Core’s third stage, Yuan Wuji was also attempting to imprint the third stage upon the Myriad Demon Golden Core and the Heavenly Gang Golden Core, seeking a qualitative transformation in their cultivation.

Previously, Yuan Wuji could only perform the second stage of the Ninefold Profound Technique. Now, he could effortlessly execute the third stage, thanks to the imprints on the Geng Metal Golden Core.

Similarly, Yuan Wuji wished to engrave the third stage on the other two Golden Cores. Though both the Myriad Demon Golden Core and the Heavenly Gang Golden Core had reached the second stage imprint, the third stage remained elusive, leaving Yuan Wuji perplexed.

---

Just as the Geng Metal Golden Core revealed the essence of the third stage, the others stubbornly refused to accept it. Something was missing, yet Yuan Wuji could not discern what.

“My master once told me to cultivate the third stage of the Ninefold Profound Technique before seeking her for the primordial soul cultivation method. Could the third stage be related to the primordial soul?”

Yuan Wuji seemed to grasp an idea and refocused his mind on the two Golden Cores.

Carefully controlling his primordial soul, he employed the Ninefold Profound Technique and the mysteries of the third stage to stimulate the two Golden Cores. Yet the primordial soul could never penetrate into their depths, leaving the cores unmoved.

“Why can’t it enter?”

The imprints were bestowed by the Ninefold Golden Core upon the Geng Metal Golden Core. Yuan Wuji had learned the third stage secrets from the Geng Metal Golden Core’s imprints, but the Ninefold Golden Core’s essence was forged by the Supreme Elder Lord’s alchemy…

Alchemy…

The word resonated deeply with Yuan Wuji. Alchemy required not only materials but also fiery refinement, culminating in fusion.

Yuan Wuji’s third stage demanded both primordial soul and Golden Core. Since he already possessed the materials, the next step was fiery refinement. Yet he could not sacrifice all his primordial soul to the flames—any misstep would mean death, a fate Yuan Wuji refused.

Splitting the primordial soul was nearly impossible for ordinary beings but effortless for Yuan Wuji.

The Devouring Demon Heart granted him the ability to consume others’ primordial souls—and to divide his own with ease. Previously, Yuan Wuji had underestimated this power’s significance. Now, he realized its profound importance.

Extracting a fragment of his primordial soul, Yuan Wuji prepared to inscribe the third-stage imprint upon the Heavenly Gang Golden Core. The Samadhi True Flame within his dantian was the perfect fire source. Constantly residing there, its embers seemed to resonate with the Geng Metal Golden Core, making its control effortless. Though Yuan Wuji could not yet tell if this was good or bad, it was not a concern for now.

Directing the Samadhi True Flame into the Devouring Demon Heart, despite it being his own body, the searing heat took Yuan Wuji by surprise.

Having endured burning before, he knew the procedure well. Following the third stage secrets from the Geng Metal Golden Core, Yuan Wuji controlled the flame’s burning method while continuously practicing the Ninefold Profound Technique.

Sure enough, the fragment of primordial soul began to merge with the Heavenly Gang Golden Core. Yet within the Devouring Demon Heart, the constant burning of the Samadhi True Flame inflicted immense pain and prolonged suffering on Yuan Wuji. This trial tested his endurance to the utmost.

But he had to persist. Since arriving in this primordial world, Yuan Wuji’s desire for power had been insatiable. To obtain greater strength, he was willing to endure any hardship.

---

One day.

Three days.

Seven days.

On the seventh day, the fragment of primordial soul finally fused with the Heavenly Gang Golden Core. The third-stage imprint appeared, and the core seemed to become an extension of Yuan Wuji’s own arm, far more responsive than before.

Yuan Wuji could clearly feel every flow within the Heavenly Gang Golden Core. It had become like a second primordial soul.

If this was how the third-stage imprint was forged, then the Geng Metal Golden Core in his dantian needed to be retrained to the third stage. But for now, his priority was to refine the third-stage imprint on the Myriad Demon Golden Core.

Using the same method as with the Heavenly Gang Golden Core, Yuan Wuji attempted to forge the third-stage imprint on the Myriad Demon Golden Core. However, after enduring the Samadhi True Flame’s burning, no change occurred. At first, he thought it was just a matter of time, but prolonged trials proved otherwise.

“Could something unexpected have happened?”

Yuan Wuji could not understand why the Heavenly Gang Golden Core succeeded while the Myriad Demon Golden Core did not. Moreover, the impressions on the Geng Metal and Heavenly Gang Golden Cores felt completely different to him.

Was there another factor at play?

The Geng Metal Golden Core resided in the dantian, the Heavenly Gang Golden Core in the Devouring Demon Heart, and the Myriad Demon Golden Core in the Myriad Demon Heart. Perhaps forging the third-stage imprint on the Myriad Demon Heart required the soul rather than the primordial soul. If so, then the imprint on the Heavenly Gang Golden Core might have been a lucky guess after all.

With this hypothesis, Yuan Wuji extracted a fragment of his soul—distinct from the primordial soul, embodying the seven emotions and six desires—and prepared to forge the third-stage imprint on the Myriad Demon Heart. The difference between soul and primordial soul was immense, but for Yuan Wuji, possessing both the Myriad Demon Heart and the Devouring Demon Heart, splitting them was effortless.