459 The Dark Core! (2/2)
In his lost state and in his need for answers, he decided to leave for a while. He decided he needed to think this through carefully. He needed to find an answer. After becoming a silent and solitary shade of his past self, he then decided to leave.
Wang Baole had mixed feelings regarding this matter as well, but he was powerless to solve it or his doubts. He had thought about what he would do if this had happened to him instead.
Wang Baole set the question aside. As he continued to muse quietly on the matter, his training went ahead without pause. Another month passed, and the Dark Fires inside his body multiplied to eighty-one Dark Fires!
When his Dark Fires reached as many as eighty-one, his entire body shuddered. He could feel the eighty-one Dark Fires layering atop one another, burning brightly inside his body. With each intense eruption, they began to shrink and compress themselves. They compressed further and further, gradually forming a Core!
During the entire process, waves of spirit energy that surpassed the Foundation Establishment realm erupted from this ever-compressing Core made of Dark Fire. It felt as if millions of rivers were surging through the meridians throughout Wang Baole's entire body. They flooded all major and minor meridians in a blink of an eye. Power permeated his entire body and surged outward into the physical world.
At that moment, as Wang Baole sat cross-legged, invisible hurricanes seemed to appear around him. They roared and spiraled around him. The power was insignificant to the truly powerful. After all, this was only a breakthrough from the Foundation Establishment realm to the Core Formation realm. However, this was Wang Baole's first time experiencing this. His entire body shuddered, and he felt his cultivation erupting and increasing without pause!
Thunderous booms erupted inside his body. The hurricanes around him turned into an ocean of fire as icy flames spread outward. There was no end to its increasing power, and it continued to rise.
The meridians inside his body shuddered, his flesh and blood shook, his cultivation churned, and the Dark Fires inside his body compressed further and further inward. Under the compression, his Core became more and more distinct. It was going to take physical form any time now!
It was then that Ming Kunzi appeared soundlessly before Wang Baole inside the Ten Thousand Art Pavilion. His eyes were soft as he gazed at Wang Baole with kindness. His form wasn't clear, appearing to be slightly indistinct. It looked like his finger and his hand that Wang Baole had seen previously. At present, the gradual disintegration had spread to Ming Kunzi's entire body.
Even so, he still lifted his hand and pointed at Wang Baole's forehead!
As soon as the finger landed, Wang Baole shuddered violently. Thunder-like crashes rumbled inside his body. The formation of his Core inside his body sped up suddenly, and within a blink of an eye, it transformed and became… a Dark Core!
As soon as the Dark Core was formed, a power that belonged to the Core Formation realm erupted from Wang Baole's body and filled the air. Wang Baole opened his eyes.
His breathing was quick and uneven, and there was a lost look in his eyes. Memories of the Federation—what he had thought was merely a dream—surfaced in his mind again. They grew increasingly distinct. He remembered in his dream that he had been pursued by three extraterrestrial cultivators. He had entered the Dark Artifact and entered a cave in the underground city. He had sat on a lone black boat…
He remembered before he had fallen into a deep sleep that an old, familiar voice had sounded beside his ear. It had said two words…
”Dark Dream…”
Wang Baole was silent. After a long moment, he lifted his head and stared at his master Ming Kunzi, who had appeared before him.
”Master… I…” Wang Baole murmured to himself. Before he could finish speaking, he noticed his master's form fading away. It faded away more quickly as he spoke.
Wang Baole shuddered. He had only been dazed at the sight. Now, however, an answer was gradually forming inside his heart. Perhaps… everything happening around him now was also a dream.
It was an indescribable feeling. It felt as if he was hovering between sleep and wakefulness. It was as if he knew that he was dreaming. The Dark Dream Mystic Art surfaced in his mind then. After running through his thoughts and confirming his guesses, he finally arrived at an answer.
There were still too many questions and doubts in his mind. He was silent for a while. Then, Wang Baole got to his feet and cupped his fists towards Ming Kunzi. He bowed deeply!
”Senior…” Wang Baole froze as he said the word. He fell silent. Then, after taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth and called out again. He used a different form of address this time.
”Master!”