Chapter 239: Chapter 212: The Remains of This World’s Only One
Lu Yan’s voice seemed to carry the majestic might of the heavens, like a thunderclap that exploded within Ji Xingyao’s heart.
Ji Xingyao’s mind was shaken, and the fatigue that had enveloped her Divine Soul instantly dissipated.
"It’s the Heart Demon Tribulation!"
Ji Xingyao, before facing the erosion of the Muddy Spiritual Qi, was already close to the Golden Core Realm.
After undergoing the baptism of hundreds of Sunstones, not only did she mend her damaged foundation, but she also further advanced her cultivation, directly beginning to challenge the Golden Core Realm, during which the heart demon tribulation silently descended.
Recovering her cultivation was the moment when Ji Xingyao was most relaxed, and the Heart Demon Tribulation arrived at this time, leaving her completely unprepared.
With Ji Xingyao’s profound foundation, if the Heart Demon Tribulation’s purpose was to make her fail in her advancement, she would undoubtedly react immediately and fight back.
However, this time the Heart Demon Tribulation did not aim to make Ji Xingyao’s advancement fail, but to delay the timing of her Golden Core condensation. Missing the optimal timing would inevitably affect the grade of her Golden Core.
Having understood the causes and effects, a bigger question arose from the depths of Ji Xingyao’s heart.
"The Heart Demon Tribulation is unaffected by external forces, so how could Lu Yan provide a verbal reminder?"
Ji Xingyao was unaware that the seemingly simple words earlier contained a heavenly virtue that is hard to find in the Cultivation Realm.
Heavenly virtue most effectively restrains demonic influences from outside paths, and such virtue from the Celestial Dao is the nemesis of all sinister demons. A mere Golden Core heart demon could not stir up any waves in the presence of heavenly virtue.
Even before Ji Xingyao could counterattack, the true words spoken by Lu Yan, imbued with heavenly virtue, had already exterminated the heart demon.
Dispelling the doubts in her mind, a Heart Sword emerged above Ji Xingyao’s Spirit Platform, severing all worldly distractions.
With her mind once again stable, the nearly liquid Magical Power within Ji Xingyao gathered upon her Dao Foundation.
Having just undergone the baptism of hundreds of Sunstones, the purity of Ji Xingyao’s Magical Power was beyond imagination, and she successfully condensed the Golden Core prototype with almost no obstacles.
In an instant, rainbow light descended from the heavens, and golden lotuses surged from the earth, as an Immortal City of white clouds appeared above the sky. Above it were immortals traveling together, dragons and phoenixes singing in harmony, with the sun and moon shining together, as six layers of phenomenon manifested above the sky.
Within the Qingwu Blessed Land, each Nascent Soul True Monarch and True Disciple opened their eyes from seclusion, looking toward the direction of Ji Xingyao’s Cave Mansion.
"Six layers of phenomenon, a fourth-grade Golden Core!"
"It seems this newly promoted true disciple has extraordinary talent, able to rebuild the foundation and advance to the Golden Core after having been tainted by Muddy Spiritual Qi, making a fourth-grade Golden Core and showing promise for Nascent Soul."
"A fourth-grade Golden Core, something our Cyan Simurgh Sect has not seen for two hundred years."
"A pity that she is ultimately of humble origin, limiting the Divine Power Position nurtured within her Golden Core. If she could form a third-grade Golden Core, she might have hope of glimpsing the Divinity Transformation Realm."
Just as the many Nascent Soul True Monarchs and True Disciples were conversing, a change occurred once more in Ji Xingyao’s advancement.
The heavenly virtue contained within Lu Yan’s earlier true words, after exterminating the heart demon, was not entirely consumed, and the remaining virtue actively integrated into the Earth Dao Dao Foundation within Ji Xingyao.
Ji Xingyao was established on the Sword Dao Foundation, with her original Earth Dao Foundation having only five layers, considered mid-level among Earth Dao Foundations.
Yet, with the integration of that portion of heavenly virtue into her Dao Foundation, an illusory layer of Dao Foundation manifested upon the original five layers.
This change in the Dao Foundation fed back into the forming Golden Core, where the Seed of Divine Power, sourced from the Dao Foundation, silently sprouted within the core.
The next moment, her Lifebound Divine Technique forming within the Golden Core erupted, with Sword Intent soaring skyward to slay the six-layer Core Formation phenomenon above the sky.
Under the domineering Sword Intent, the already illusory phenomenon shattered dramatically, leaving only a massive sword mark between heaven and earth.
The many Nascent Soul True Monarchs and True Disciples, who had been previously discussing, suddenly froze, and then their faces showed expressions of disbelief.
"This is... the Seventh Layer of Phenomenon?"
"To interfere with the phenomenon with an incompletely formed Divine Technique, could she cleave out the Seventh Layer of Phenomenon with one sword strike?"
"What kind of fortune is this, even dreamt by the Celestial Dao?"
"Seven layers of phenomenon, third-grade core, hopeful for Divinity Transformation!"
In just an instant, from within dozens of cave mansions in the blessed land, golden Communication Sword Talismans shot toward Ji Xingyao’s Cave Mansion.
Within one of the caves, True Monarch Wu, who had previously met Lu Yan, gently stroked his beard with his right hand, gazing in amazement toward Ji Xingyao’s Cave Mansion.
"Could Ji Xingyao’s advancement be related to that Lu Yan of the Taiyi Sect?"
"To be recognized by Mu Chunqiu, truly blessed with deep fortunes."
Muttering softly, True Monarch Wu lightly waved his right hand, sending a cyan decree toward the various faction forces that had moved with the wind within the Qingwu Blessed Land.
"True Disciple Ji Xingyao is stabilizing her realm, you must not disturb her. Faction alignment will be discussed again in a year."
...
Within Ji Xingyao’s Cave Mansion, with the manifestation of the Seventh Layer of Phenomenon, the condensed Golden Core finally stabilized completely.
As Ji Xingyao opened her eyes, it was as if a sword light cleaved through the void, and the second-tier array protecting the Cave Mansion shattered instantly.
Even Lu Yan felt a trace of lethal threat at that moment.
Though Ji Xingyao was only at the Early Stage of Golden Core at this moment, the threat Lu Yan felt was only slightly weaker than Master Xiao at the Golden Core Peak.
The disparity in Golden Core grade and Lifebound Divine Techniques was vividly demonstrated at this moment.
Rising slowly from the meditation cushion, the sword light in Ji Xingyao’s eyes gradually retracted, then she glanced at Lu Yan with a relieved expression.