Atop the dark night, a faint golden light illuminated the forest. It emitted a terrifying energy, but something was off — every second, the energy shifted between violence, madness, sorrow, and joy. It was as if many individuals lived within the light, all struggling and fighting for dominance.
That faint light was Meng Meng. He was in soul form, having buried his body beneath the ground with protective seals. His soul was about to fade, but it remained motionless, unconcerned with its surroundings. Since he had slaughtered the entire forest, no danger remained — only the scent of blood and scenes of carnage. It was hard to believe that a forest had stood there just moments ago.
Meng Meng absorbed spiritual energy wildly. During this time, he discovered the root of his problem — he would die without his remaining half brain. Desperate, he searched Teng Xuwan's memories for hope, and found it — but the success rate was less than 0.1%.
This was the forbidden technique: a method where one condenses their Dao, soul, and mind into one core.
This method could greatly boost cultivation and replace the weak brain, soul, and Dao by creating a single core. If that core remained intact, one could resurrect countless times, granting Meng Meng infinite lives and opportunities. But if it was destroyed, death would be absolute.
He resolved to refine his Dao, soul, and mind to survive. He absorbed spiritual energy relentlessly, caring little if it was chaotic or pure — his only thought was: "Survive!"
Slowly, his soul orb shrank. His two stars orbited wildly. During the slaughter, he regained his second star. With this surge of energy, a dim third star formed and began orbiting as well.
Waves of energy filled Meng Meng's soul, refining it and nourishing his spirit. While executing the method, he focused intensely, ignoring the sounds around him. A first-stage beast lurked in the bushes nearby. It smelled fresh blood, but upon seeing the river of blood and the single golden light, its body trembled with fear. It sensed multiple presences within the light, entities that had wrought terror and death. Frozen with dread, it fled — not toward Meng Meng, but far away, running for its life.
This was the true terror of Meng Meng's unstable condition.
Boom!
A tremor shook the ground, shockwaves spreading across the forest. Every beast within a thousand feet sensed it and fled wildly.
One year later...
The golden light grew brighter. His soul orb was now taller and slowly being refined. After a year, his stars orbited less wildly; his third star had reached completion, and a dim fourth star began orbiting.
His Dao was rotting steadily every month, solidifying into form. His mind was half-damaged, which wouldn't trouble the process but caused some backlash.
He had sacrificed his Dao to live. His meridians were intact — almost all open — though the soul energy within them drained. He chose to condense and refine everything: Dao, soul, mind, and meridians.
Each cycle tripled his soul's strength but forced him to endure brutal pain. The dim fourth star brightened to match the others, completing his progress. Boom! Meng Meng reached mid-stage Foundation Establishment. His suction force increased wildly, sucking in spiritual energy from the earth.
To reach Golden Core, one must gain 13 stars total —
1-4 stars for Early stage,
4-8 stars for Mid stage,
8-12 stars for High stage,
1 star for Extreme stage,infinite near the next realm Golden Core.
When luck struck, Meng Meng absorbed thousands of souls rapidly — so fast he couldn't condense energy properly. His soul orb mutated, reaching a dangerous golden state. In this form, he would be weaker than true Extreme Foundation cultivators.
His soul glowed. His Dao had rotted 14 times — only eight more cycles to completion. No beast dared approach.
Almost all his energy was spent, but he used every source he could find — death energy, Yin from the moon, Yang from the sun, and death energy from beast corpses. Only this allowed him to endure.
A lone wolf roamed the forest, sensing something dim in the golden light. The soul orb had shrunk to the size of a palm, and the dao had rotated 18 times. Meng Meng had formed a dim star, and his mind, Dao, and meridians had fused — only his soul remained separate.
He took nourishment pills and energy restoratives from his bag of holding. From his buried body beneath the earth, a huge wave of energy erupted. He did something few dared: he used his soul blood and essence blood to refine Dao, mind, soul, and meridians — despite the risk of weakening himself.
While refining, he focused on a single drop of Nirvana blood deep within his sea of consciousness. It radiated a nourishing, defying aura that filled Meng Meng with hope and joy. He absorbed it to hasten his refinement. The Dao rotated 24 times in a second.
But the Dao's rapid rotation destabilized it. Even Meng Meng froze with shock. He quickly withdrew the blood.
Closer inspection revealed that the drop had not even been 1% absorbed. Meng Meng was both terrified and excited. Possessing such power would shock even ancient masters — many would attempt to steal it from him.
He realized something critical: to complete the method, he needed a core — a "bet" — and his Dao and the Nirvana blood were the best candidates.
His decision made, the Nirvana blood slowly moved toward his Dao. Both rotated rapidly, and his soul condensed at a breathtaking speed.
"Shake the heavens, clear the sky! With these words, I shall defy Heaven!"
As he spoke, Teng Xuwan's forbidden method activated. His soul, mind, Dao, and meridians rotated furiously until their size shrank to a water droplet. Slowly, Meng Meng's flesh body burst forth from the ground, floating around the condensed core — all entering inside Meng Meng.
His wounds healed, and his body nourished. His face shone brightly, and his star increased — now one star of mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
This method, perfected with the help of Nirvana blood, had changed him.
Two years later…
Meng Meng adjusted to the new power within his body and soul. He named it the Luminous Core — now the center of his life and power. A symbol appeared on his forehead glowing like a sun.The tattoo he previously gained from teng xuawn also shined.
He moved his body carefully, finding nothing wrong. Now, he could survive. He could ascend, resist Heaven.
"Teng Xuwan, I will never forget your kindness — saving me three times: once by accident with a drop of your blood, once in that cave, and now from death itself. I am forever in your debt!"
He clasped his hands and bowed thrice, gratitude gripping his heart.
The next day…
Meng Meng faced his Dao, stronger than before.
"I lost one, but now I can have as many as I want!"
He laughed madly. His energy radiated madness. The air within a hundred feet changed color, and divine retribution appeared.
During his recovery, he had gained partial control over his fractured personality — one aspect being madness.
Laughing maniacally, he stared at the retribution around him.
"I shall bear the might of Heaven! Who dares stop me?"
Madness filled his eyes. He had decided: his next Dao would be Madness — the Dao of Madness.
He charged at the retribution with his mid-stage body.
Both collided. Thunder and madness energy erupted, surging everywhere. The shockwaves spread beyond the forest.
Two individuals walked nearby — an old man and a young girl with piercing blue eyes and irresistible charm.
The old man was silent but intensely focused. Even the young girl felt fear — they sensed something terrifying.
Meng Meng was at the storm's center, conning his Dao. His half body had integrated, but his mind still wavered wildly.
The glowing red madness overtook him. Boom! His Dao condensed, his body recovered, and his upper and lower clothes shattered.
He took a deep breath. The tattoo and symbol on his forehead and hand shone brightly.
Meng Meng had gained the Dao of Madness and reached the third star of mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
The retribution was not over. As it fell, Meng Meng opened his palms, waiting for the rotation — laughing all the while.
When the vibration neared, he cast a spell:
"Painless Death of Madness!"
A deadly surge of death and madness filled Meng Meng's eyes.
Boom!
A beam burst forth, shattering the retribution instantly.
Dust covered the forest. A massive hole remained — 500 feet deep and 100 feet wide.
At its center lay Meng Meng — completely naked but alive, fainting as his face touched the ground.
When he fell, the two individuals emerged from hiding. They had felt his immense energy and rushed over.
Their minds held a single word"Madman!"
They looked at the unconscious Meng Meng, then at each other, nodding silently.