Cheat God
29. Half Spirit Core Realm

Liu Chen stood at the edge of the hundred-foot pit, his cloak fluttering gently as he gazed down at the massive corpse lying beneath the earth. Even dead, the beast radiated a sense of devouring hunger—one that tugged at the very soul.

"Taotie..." he muttered softly.

One of the ancient mythical beasts spoken of only in legends. A being that devoured anything—beast, spirit, treasure, or man. Said to be born from the primal chaos, it existed with only one instinct: consume.

But this one had long perished. Perhaps sealed here in the forgotten past, buried under cursed land, its death nourishing the lotus above.

“So that’s how the Blood Spirit Nirvana Lotus was born…” Liu Chen whispered. “A mythical beast’s decay… feeding life into a flower.”

As he activated his Ghost Eye, spiritual light flickered in his third brow. His vision pierced beyond the surface, sweeping over the Taotie’s broken body. What he saw inside made him narrow his eyes.

“…Its internal organs are gone,” he murmured. “Devoured? Dissolved? No—reabsorbed.”

Only the bones remained—large, thick, and tinged faintly with a black-red gleam. The skin that covered it had hardened into something closer to black metal, marked by ancient engravings and twisted veins.

With a wave of his hand, Liu Chen floated down and landed softly atop the beast’s ribcage. The air here was heavy, thick with ancient death.

He slowly moved to the beast’s spine. There—buried under broken flesh and collapsed bone—was something different.

A long object. Faintly glowing. Radiating beast intent.

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes and drew his golden aura into his limbs. His hands glowed with divine light, black veins crawling across his arms as the God and Demon Leader Body activated. With a low grunt, he raised his hand—

Boom!

He struck downward, cracking the blackened skin apart. The impact echoed through the pit.

Again. And again. Until finally—

Clang!

Something sharp rang out.

Liu Chen’s eyes gleamed as he reached in, brushing aside bone fragments.

A long object slowly emerged from within the corpse, glowing faintly beneath shattered bone and cursed skin.

Liu Chen’s eyes sharpened. With another punch, the last of the hardened hide shattered—revealing the weapon fully.

A spear. Nearly six feet long.Its shaft was deep crimson, streaked with molten gold lines that pulsed like veins. The entire weapon looked as though it had been born in fire and quenched in blood. Faint flames coiled around it, not burning, but dancing—alive, eager.

The spearhead was jagged, carved like a dragon’s fang, but polished to a mirror-like edge. Blazing red-orange runes etched down the spine glowed with an aura of rage and hunger.

This wasn’t a simple beastbone weapon.

It was a true divine relic, forged from the spine of a Taotie and tempered by its lifeblood.

“…Heavenly Devourer Spear, a good name for good weapon,” Liu Chen murmured, his voice soft with awe.

He reached out and gripped the weapon.

The moment his fingers closed around it, the air trembled. Flames coiled up his arm. The spear let out a low hum—like a beast’s growl trapped in metal.

Despite its violent aura, the weapon obeyed his touch.

In ancient times, when a beast reached a certain level of cultivation and intelligence, it would refine its own strongest bone into a weapon—an extension of its own will. That weapon would often carry its spirit, aura, and a sliver of its soul.

“And this Taotie… made this from its spine,” Liu Chen whispered, admiring the weapon. “This is no ordinary spear. It’s a Beastbone Artifact.”

He spun it once in his hand. Despite its size, it felt weightless to him. Perfectly balanced. Brutal, yet elegant.

“This spear… was made for war,” Liu Chen whispered. “And now—it’s mine.”

Liu Chen smirked.

“This alone… is worth more than every herb in the valley.”

He raised the spear lightly, letting its aura flare briefly.

Liu Chen stood in silence for a long moment, the Heavenly Devourer Spear resting across his back. The air around him was still thick with the lingering energy of death and battle, but now… something else surged beneath the surface—power. Opportunity.

He turned his gaze to the jade box within his spatial ring.

Inside it—the Blood Spirit Nirvana Lotus. A treasure nurtured by a mythical beast’s corpse and soaked in cursed heaven-defying aura. Even without refining it, it had already caused his blood to boil just from a faint scent.

"If I wait too long, someone might come. But refining it now… will be dangerous," Liu Chen murmured.

He slowly exhaled and sat down cross-legged atop the Taotie’s skull.

With a flick of his finger, the jade box appeared before him. The moment the lid opened, a red-gold glow bathed the entire pit. The lotus trembled faintly, as if sensing it had found its destined master.

Without hesitation, Liu Chen lifted the lotus and gently swallowed the shimmering petals one by one. As soon as they entered his mouth, the lotus melted into energy—wild, burning energy.

BOOM!

His chest thudded violently. His blood raced like a raging river.

“Urgh…!” Liu Chen clenched his fists as searing heat exploded through his meridians. It felt like swallowing the sun.

His golden soul shivered. His skin flushed red. His veins bulged black. Every inch of his flesh was screaming—no, celebrating—as unimaginable vitality surged through his limbs.

His muscles trembled, stretching and strengthening. His bones rang with a humming sound, vibrating as if being forged anew by divine hammers. His Qi Sea expanded. His Dantian swirled.

The Nirvana Lotus’s energy wasn’t gentle—it was tyrannical. But Liu Chen’s God and Demon Leader Body absorbed it greedily, taking in the raw chaos and refining it with his unique constitution.

Streams of energy coiled around him—crimson, gold, black. They danced in the air like serpents, forming burning rings that circled his body.

His cultivation surged rapidly....Peak Soul Foundation!

BOOM!

His aura shattered the threshold. The air cracked, golden light bursting from his pores.

Liu Chen’s eyes flew open. A golden flame flashed across his pupils.

“Half-step… Spirit Core Realm…” he muttered, his voice deeper, layered with a faint echo of power.

His body now radiated supreme vitality, every breath pulling in spiritual energy from the surroundings like a black hole. The earth beneath him glowed faintly, unable to contain the overwhelming might being released.

His cloak fluttered madly, even without wind.

He looked at his palms—his skin was glowing faintly golden, the black veins throbbing with power. His blood now burned with a Nirvana-like energy, giving him rebirth from within.

“I’ve taken a half-step into the next realm… just one more push,” he whispered.

And he could feel it.

It wouldn’t be long before he crossed fully into the Spirit Core Realm—a realm where one's essence began to transcend mortality.