172: Xuan Yuan Light Curtain

Yao Delong ignored the Disciples gathered at the entrance, his gaze falling calmly upon the "Xuanyuan Barrier" light screen, which emitted a soft white light and had flowing runes.

The light screen rippled like water, isolating the space.

At this moment, one person in front of the light screen was attracting everyone's attention.

It was a burly youth wearing a crimson Core Disciple robe; he was none other than Zhao Lie from Chiyan Peak!

His expression was resolute, his aura fierce, and crimson flame Yuan Power faintly swirled around his body—he was clearly at the Golden Core Perfection cultivation stage!

In the previous Inner Sect Core Disciple ranking tournament, he was ranked fiftieth, and his strength could not be underestimated.

Zhao Lie had evidently tried several times; he was currently standing before the light screen with a grave expression, beads of sweat faintly visible on his forehead.

He took a deep breath, and the Yuan Power within his body surged like molten lava, gathering upon his right fist!

Crimson flames instantly flared, enveloping his fist and emitting a scorching high temperature!

"Chiyan Mountain-Breaking Fist!"

Zhao Lie let out a low roar, his punch, having gathered power to its Peak, carried violent flame Yuan Power as it smashed fiercely toward the center of the light screen!

Boom! A dull, thunderous sound rang out!

The light screen fluctuated violently, like the surface of a lake into which a giant rock had been thrown, with ripples spreading crazily!

At the point of impact, several tiny, hair-like white cracks instantly appeared!

"It cracked! Senior Brother Zhao cracked it!"

"So strong! He truly deserves to be a top-fifty expert!"

"Just a little bit more! Just a tiny bit more and he would have broken it!"

The surrounding Disciples exclaimed, filled with excitement and anticipation.

Being able to witness someone attempting to charge the Xuanyuan Barrier was in itself an inspiration.

However, the fluctuations of the light screen quickly subsided, and those tiny cracks, amidst the flowing runes, healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, disappearing in the blink of an eye; the light screen returned to its original state, as if it had never been attacked.

"Hoo... hoo..." Zhao Lie gasped heavily, his face slightly pale; clearly, those few punches just now had consumed most of his Yuan Power.

He looked at the restored light screen, a trace of unwillingness and helplessness flashing in his eyes.

Just that tiny bit! He could feel that his explosive power was infinitely close to the Nascent Soul threshold, but ultimately, it was still lacking just a fraction!

"Sigh, what a pity!"

"Even Senior Brother Zhao was just a little short; it seems no one will be able to go up today."

"The Nascent Soul threshold is indeed not that easy to break. Among the Inner Sect Core Disciples, only those top three Prodigies are capable of going up."

The surrounding discussions were filled with regret, yet the gazes directed at Zhao Lie remained filled with awe.

Being able to leave cracks on the Xuanyuan Barrier already proved that Zhao Lie's strength far exceeded that of an ordinary Golden Core Perfection Cultivator.

Zhao Lie sat cross-legged and began to regulate his breathing to recover. He held a determination in his heart; he would definitely try one more time today to break this barrier!

Just at this moment, Yao Delong walked calmly to the front of the light screen, no more than a few zhang away from Zhao Lie.

His arrival immediately attracted the attention of several other Core Disciples at the entrance.

These people all had cultivation between the Late Golden Core Stage and Golden Core Perfection, but their rankings were clearly not as high as Zhao Lie's.

"Eh? Who is this person? He looks very unfamiliar."

"I haven't seen him before; it seems there is no such person among the Core Disciples?"

"His aura... it feels a bit restrained; did he Cultivate a technique to conceal his aura?"

"I reckon he's a Junior Brother ranked near the bottom, recently promoted? He hasn't seen much of the world, and he also wants to try the Xuanyuan Barrier?"

A Golden Core Late Stage Disciple with a haughty expression, dressed in a green robe, sneered with an obviously disdainful tone.

In his view, since even Zhao Lie had failed, a guy who was unknown and had an unremarkable aura was purely asking for humiliation.

Seeing that Yao Delong ignored their discussion and continued to focus intently on the light screen, the green-robed Disciple felt even more displeased.

He stepped forward, and with a tone of "well-meaning" advice, pointed at Zhao Lie, who was regulating his breathing, and said loudly:

"Hey, newcomer! Stop looking! Do you know who this Senior Brother is? It's Senior Brother Zhao Lie from Chiyan Peak! An expert ranked fiftieth in the previous Inner Sect Core ranking! Senior Brother Zhao just used his full strength and only left cracks on the Xuanyuan Barrier, still half a step away from breaking it! Do you think you are stronger than Senior Brother Zhao? Listen to my advice, don't waste time here and embarrass yourself; get down quickly!"

"Exactly, Senior Brother Zhao's strength is obvious to all; if he was lacking a bit, you shouldn't try to be a hero."

"That's right, Junior Brother, this Xuanyuan Barrier is not a toy; forcing a charge might even cause a backlash."

The others also chimed in one after another; although their words carried "advice," the condescending contempt and disapproval were undisguised.

In their view, the weak should have the self-awareness of the weak and not vainly attempt to challenge a Domain that only the strong could touch.

Hearing these flatteries and the proclamation of his "battle record," Zhao Lie was naturally pleased, and a hint of pride appeared on his face.

He opened his eyes slightly and glanced at Yao Delong. The other party's aura was deep and restrained, which did indeed make it difficult for him to gauge his depth for a moment, but among the Inner Sect Core Disciples, which of the top-ranked Prodigies wasn't famous? Since this person was so unfamiliar, he must be someone ranked near the bottom. A trace of disapproval also rose in his heart, and he did not speak to stop his companions' "advice."

Yao Delong turned a deaf ear to the clamor beside his ears. His Divine Sense, under the enhancement of the "yanshen fetus," had long since grasped the mysteries of this Xuanyuan Barrier. A Nascent Soul Cultivator could easily penetrate it with the power of space, while a Golden Core Cultivator could only break it by using absolute power, exploding instantaneously to exceed its limit of endurance!

"Just right, let me test this Physical Body power after being reborn!" A sharp glint flashed in Yao Delong's eyes.

After he broke through to Golden Core Perfection, especially after cultivating the "Great Sun Body Forging Art," his Physical Body had been repeatedly tempered by Pure Yang Yuan Power and Essence Fire, already becoming unimaginably strong, far exceeding that of Cultivators of the same rank!

He took a deep breath, and the Qi and blood within his body suddenly awakened like a sleeping Dragon! His muscles and bones resonated together, emitting a low, thunderous sound!

He did not use a shred of Yuan Power; pure strength surged and roared through his limbs and bones!

Hum! An invisible pressure, purely formed by surging Qi and blood, boomed and spread with Yao Delong as the center!

The few Disciples standing slightly closer felt their breathing choke, as if they had been targeted by a primordial beast, and their hearts palpitated inexplicably!

The next moment, Yao Delong moved! There were no fancy Moves, no brilliance of Yuan Power, just the simplest, most direct straight punch!

The punch went out like a Dragon! Fast as lightning! The moment he threw the punch, behind him in the Void Realm, it seemed as if a phantom of a mottled fierce tiger, condensed from pure Qi and blood, was roaring at the sky!

The tiger's roar was silent, yet it shook the minds of everyone present!

Boom—rumble—!!! The fist struck solidly in the center of the Xuanyuan Barrier light screen!

A terrifying, thunderous sound, far duller and heavier than Zhao Lie's punch just now, as if striking a giant drum, suddenly erupted!

The entire first floor of the Scripture Pavilion seemed to tremble slightly with this punch! The Jade Slips on the bookshelves shook slightly, and dust fell with a rustling sound!