24: Shattering the elixir to form an infant

Su Lin's head was spinning; he held his forehead as the wild images from last night surged into his mind like a tide, leaving him parched.

He knew very well that the culprit behind all this was that mischievous System!

"System! Come out now! What exactly was that secret medicine?!"

Su Lin roared in his mind.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, for achieving the 'Phoenix and Dragon Intertwined' bond with your Disciples Mu Qingxue and Luo Ximei! The bond Rank has reached an unprecedented new height!"

"Affected by this bond, the bond resonance effect is x100!"

"host's bond value with Mu Qingxue +1000! Current bond value: 1170!"

"host's bond value with Luo Ximei +1000! Current bond value: 1130!"

"Detecting an extreme abundance of Yin and Yang Qi within the host's body, the System will now convert it into cultivation!"

The Bottleneck of the Golden Core Late Stage was as thin as a cicada's wing before this torrent, instantly broken through!

Golden Core Peak!

The vast energy continued to pour in, and Su Lin could clearly feel that the Golden Core in his Dantian had reached its limit, with cracks beginning to appear on its surface, as if it could explode at any moment!

This was a sign of the Golden Core shattering to form a Nascent Soul!

Su Lin's heart tightened, and he instantly realized the gravity of the situation.

From Golden Core to Nascent Soul was a qualitative leap in the path of cultivation, and also one of the most perilous stages; a slight misstep could lead to the complete destruction of one's cultivation, or worse, the destruction of the Core and death.

There must be no external interference!

"Stop arguing!"

His shout, imbued with the pressure of an impending Breakthrough, instantly silenced the two women.

"Revered Master?" Mu Qingxue and Luo Ximei were both stunned at the same time.

"I am about to Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage; this stage is crucial!"

Su Lin's voice was beyond doubt, carrying an unprecedented seriousness, "You two, immediately go to the entrance of Qingxue Hall to act as my Protectors! Before I come out, no one is allowed to step half a foot into this place!"

Breakthrough to Nascent Soul!

Hearing these four words, Mu Qingxue and Luo Ximei's expressions instantly changed.

They immediately understood the seriousness of the matter; all romantic feelings and rivalries were cast to the Nine Heavens at this moment.

"Yes, Revered Master!"

The two no longer hesitated, exchanging glances, both seeing solemnity in the other's eyes.

Their figures flickered, instantly appearing at the entrance of the main hall, one on the left and one on the right, like two beautiful door gods, exuding terrifying pressure, firmly guarding the entire Qingxue Hall.

Seeing that the two were in position, Su Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief, immediately composed himself, sat cross-legged, and fully guided the violent energy within his body.

He completely immersed his mind in his Dantian Qi Sea.

At this moment, within his Qi Sea, the Golden Core was already at its limit, and brilliant golden light burst forth from countless cracks.

A crisp sound of shattering, originating from the depths of his Soul, echoed.

Within the Dantian Qi Sea, the Golden Core, which had been rotating for several hours and had long reached its limit, finally could not bear the burden and completely shattered!

But this was not destruction, but rebirth!

Countless brilliant golden lights emerged from the shattered Golden Core, illuminating Su Lin's entire Qi Sea with a pure golden hue.

The vast energy did not scatter, but under the guidance of an invisible will, began to frantically condense towards the center.

A blurry outline of an infant, identical to Su Lin's face, was slowly forming within that golden light.

This was the shattering of the Golden Core to form a Nascent Soul!

However, at the same moment that earth-shattering changes were occurring within Su Lin's body.

Outside Qingxue Hall, and even above the sky of the entire Qingyao Sect, a terrifying Heavenly Tribulation, far beyond anyone's imagination, descended.

The originally clear and cloudless sky, thousands of miles high, had unknowingly turned dark.

All sounds between heaven and earth disappeared at this moment, falling into dead silence.

Within the Qingyao Sect, all Disciples and Elders, no matter what they were doing, felt an inexplicable oppression in their hearts, as if an invisible pair of eyes were coldly watching this land from above the Nine Heavens.

"What's going on?"

Mu Qingxue and Luo Ximei, guarding the hall entrance, were the first to notice something was wrong.

They suddenly looked up, their expressions instantly becoming incomparably solemn.

They saw that directly above the Qingyao Sect, the original sky had disappeared, replaced by a pitch-black Tribulation Cloud that was rapidly gathering at a visible speed!

The scope of the Tribulation Cloud was so vast that it almost covered the entire Qingyao Mountain Range, and it was still expanding outwards!

Within the clouds, a destructive will, powerful enough to crush Divine Souls, slowly flowed, causing the space to emit a buzzing, sorrowful groan of unbearable strain.

"Forming a Nascent Soul... also has a Heavenly Tribulation?"

Mu Qingxue's voice trembled.

It was common knowledge in the Cultivation world that only when a Cultivator Breakthrough from Soul Transformation to Void Refining would they attract the Heavenly Dao's test and the descent of a Lightning Tribulation.

And forming a Nascent Soul was merely the sublimation of the Golden Core; although there was a Heart Demon Tribulation, it should never trigger a Heaven and Earth anomaly, let alone such a terrifying Heavenly Tribulation!

"This... this is not an ordinary Heavenly Tribulation!"

"When an ordinary Cultivator forms a Nascent Soul, it attracts a Spiritual Qi tide and tests the Heart Demon.

But what Revered Master has attracted... is the Heavenly Dao's will! This is an apocalypse Tribulation!"

As a Body Integration Stage Cultivator, her knowledge was naturally greater than Mu Qingxue's.

The Heavenly Dao would not allow an existence like Su Lin to return to his Peak!

It wanted to completely obliterate Su Lin when he was at his weakest!

"Quick!" Luo Ximei instantly reacted, sharply calling out to Mu Qingxue, who was also startled and lost her composure, "Activate the Mountain Protection Formation! Quick!"

Mu Qingxue was jolted awake by her sharp cry, instantly understanding the seriousness of the situation.

She dared not hesitate in the slightest, immediately forming hand seals and frantically pouring her vast Spiritual Qi into the core of the Formation, which she had just mastered.

A wave of fear and relief surged in her heart; she hadn't expected the Taiyi Liangyi Formation that Revered Master had just bestowed upon her to be put to use so quickly!

If they had still used the old, stagnant Formation, it probably wouldn't have lasted even a single breath against this Heavenly Tribulation!

"Buzz!"

Amidst a booming sound that echoed through heaven and earth, the giant light barrier, woven from swirling black and white Qi, rose again!

The Yin and Yang Qi circulated wildly within the Formation, evolving into a Taiji Dao diagram, slowly rotating, and a vast Dao charm, endless and coeval with heaven and earth, permeated the air.

The moment the Grand Formation was activated, all the Disciples within the Qingyao Sect felt a loosening in their hearts; the suffocating pressure they had felt slightly weakened, but looking at the apocalyptic scene in the sky, everyone's faces were still pale, and they were filled with dread.

"The Grand Formation alone is probably not enough."

Luo Ximei's voice was incomparably solemn, "The power of this Heavenly Tribulation has already exceeded our imagination.

The Grand Formation can block the first few waves, but the subsequent Lightning Tribulations will multiply in power, and once the Grand Formation is broken..."

She did not finish, but the consequences were self-evident.

Mu Qingxue's face also turned incomparably pale.

"No matter what, we cannot let anyone... disturb Revered Master!"