The cave was the usual dwelling place for Jiufeng and Xiyang; outwardly, it was unremarkable, yet inside, it was decorated with extreme beauty and warmth. No one knew where they had acquired so many fiery-red feathers to cover the entire stone wall, and the ground was padded with a thick layer of animal hides, comfortable enough for even the deepest sleep. In Ye Jingyu’s words, any corner in this place was suitable for the grand act of propagating future generations.

The thought of ending his period of abstinence here soon sent a jolt of excitement through Ye Jingyu. After so much toil, it was time to relax, and perhaps it was also time he gave Jiufeng a proper status.

His right arm, looped around Xiyang’s slender waist, moved upward of its own accord, brushing against that soft mound of flesh. Xiyang’s body trembled slightly, and she shot him a glance filled with delicate reproach, radiating an indescribable, captivating charm.

It was at this moment that the trio finally walked deep inside the cave, and Ye Jingyu noticed, to his surprise, a massive stone bed large enough to sleep seven or eight people. The bed was covered with an even thicker layer of purple mink fur, appearing incredibly soft and smooth. Ye Jingyu was consumed by the urge to drag the two women onto it immediately and consummate their union, but he was, after all, a Zhou-level master; surely he wasn't so bereft of self-control?

Just as Ye Jingyu was contemplating which woman to claim first, Jiufeng suddenly waved a hand. The purple mink fur on the stone bed rose up, landing neatly to one side, while the stone bed itself split down the middle, sending a beam of white light shooting directly toward Ye Jingyu.

Before Ye Jingyu could fully react, Xiyang and Jiufeng pushed him hard, sending him onto the stone bed. In that instant, Ye Jingyu felt torrents of White Tiger True Gold Qi continuously scour his body.

Countless sharp blade energies slashed across his skin, drawing lines of wounds, and an indescribable, piercing pain flooded his entire being.

“I said this was punishment, not compensation, alright?” Feeling the platinum energy relentlessly forcing its way into him, Ye Jingyu let out a pig-like screech of agony. If he hadn't known that Jiufeng and Xiyang wouldn't harm him, he would have already begun to fight back.

“A’Yu, that is a White Tiger Inner Core that Xiyang painstakingly found. She gave up consuming it herself and has kept it until now. By absorbing the Gold power from this Inner Core, you should be able to condense your Gold Pill, right?” Jiufeng finally spoke up.

Hearing this, Ye Jingyu’s heart seized. A White Tiger Inner Core? Where on earth did they find such a thing? But then, considering Xiyang’s Vermilion Bird bloodline, finding the White Tiger, one of the four corresponding Divine Beasts, might not be impossible. However, the power of this Inner Core was so immense; how did they slay that White Tiger? Could it have been Dugu Bacheng? From the sharp platinum energy, Ye Jingyu sensed those subtle traces of ruthless blade energy.

The thought struck him: if Xiyang, as a descendant of the Vermilion Bird, could absorb the Inner Core of a fellow Divine Beast like the White Tiger, her cultivation would surely advance by leaps and bounds; she might even cultivate the Gold power. Then, her destructive capability would increase manifold. Yet, she had saved such a treasure for him. This realization moved Ye Jingyu deeply.

Was this compensation not enough?

He suppressed all impure thoughts and focused entirely on the white radiance erupting from the center of the stone bed. He reached out with one hand and directly grasped the Inner Core, saturated with Gold power, swallowing it without hesitation.

The White Tiger belongs to Metal, governing slaughter. As soon as the Inner Core merged with his body, it exploded with boundless White Gold Qi. That gold energy was so piercing, it felt as if a person had swallowed ten thousand swords, threatening to pierce his body into a sieve.

Yet, Ye Jingyu endured the excruciating pain, continuously circulating his Ba Yuan Power to fully absorb the White Tiger Inner Core. He understood that once he successfully condensed the Gold Pill, he would have forged the eighth Golden Core within him. For the final one, the Wood Golden Core, he only needed time. After all, the space where Jianmu resided possessed immensely dense Wood power; if he cultivated there wholeheartedly, it wouldn't take ten years to condense the Wood Golden Core. Then, with nine Golden Cores forged and subsequently shattered, the Battle Technique chapter would reach completion, and what level of strength would he achieve?

The true Chaos Physique, the perfect Chaos Physique…

Thinking this, Ye Jingyu unconsciously entered a state of total absorption of the White Tiger Inner Core. The White Tiger’s divine soul had been completely erased; this Inner Core was entirely masterless, so there was no need to worry about backlash or anything similar.

While Ye Jingyu was wholly absorbed in harnessing the power of the White Tiger Inner Core to condense his Gold Acupoint, Dugu Bacheng returned. Seeing Ye Jingyu completely immersed in increasing his power, a look of gratification spread across his face. He had no intention of disturbing him, instead learning about the events that had just transpired from Jiufeng and Xiyang.

Contemplating the terrifying potential consequences, Dugu Bacheng’s expression turned grim. If Ye Jingyu hadn't arrived in time, he wouldn't have been able to face him ever again?

As Ye Jingyu intensely absorbed the White Tiger Inner Core’s power to forge his Gold Acupoint, the war waged by the Heaven Alliance against the Dark Alliance did not cease just because the Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag was found. More and more Heaven Alliance armies joined the fray, and the major City Lords of the Earth Alliance also led their forces to the edge of the Savage Forest. Relying on their formidable individual combat prowess, they managed to push the Heaven Alliance armies into the forest. Thus, the Savage Forest became the battlefield between the two great alliances…

Countless birds and beasts were slaughtered, and numerous Divine Beasts and strange beasts were forced to migrate north and south, fleeing the conflict between the two alliances.

Vast stretches of the Savage Forest were destroyed; the enormous woods were hammered until they were riddled with holes, and no one truly understood the reason behind this war.

Meanwhile, in the Far West, in a region where even common demons dared not tread, stood a colossal mountain, constructed entirely of Nether Iron. The mountain soared millions of zhang high, truly piercing the clouds. Even the massive Desolate Beasts, a hundred or a thousand zhang tall, appeared as minuscule as ants before this peak, illustrating the sheer immensity of the structure.

Furthermore, the Nether Iron was incredibly heavy and dense, making the entire mountain look impregnable. Even peak Zhou-level masters could barely leave a mark on this black mountain, let alone destroy the Iron Mountain. Yet, at this very moment, within this black iron mountain that had stood undisturbed for countless years, crackling sounds began to emerge, as if something was shattering it from within…