334: Chapter 334 Refining the Core: Achieving Late-Stage Saint King

Inside the throne hall, a complex atmosphere of battle and Dual Cultivation lingered.

Xu Chen ignored Helian Yue, who lay on the throne like soft mud. He stood up, casually tidied his moon-white brocade robe, and fixed his gaze on the obsidian floor at the center of the hall, carved with a Nine Nether Totem.

That extremely pure power of Origin came from beneath this floor.

Xu Chen raised his right foot and stomped down heavily with apparent nonchalance.

Boom!

With a dull, heavy thud, the obsidian floor—strong enough to withstand a full-strength strike from a Saint—cracked like a fragile biscuit under Xu Chen's foot, instantly covered in web-like fractures before collapsing.

A bottomless underground passage emitting a blinding light appeared before Xu Chen.

There were no stairs in the passage, only a swirling Spiritual Qi storm.

Without hesitation, Xu Chen leaped directly into the brilliant light.

Whoosh!

The sound of wind whistled past his ears.

After falling for only a few breaths, Xu Chen felt the surrounding scenery change drastically.

There was no coldness or darkness of the Royal Court here, only a golden ocean composed of pure energy.

In the center of the golden ocean floated a millstone-sized bead with a transparent, glazed texture. This bead was like a beating heart; with every pulsation, it spewed out a massive amount of Law power, nourishing the Foreign Domain world above.

This was the Plane Core of the Foreign Domain.

"Such pure energy. Even if it can't compare to my hundred thousand units of top-grade divine source, it's enough for me to break through this final barrier."

Xu Chen hovered above the golden ocean and took a deep breath.

As he breathed, the dense surrounding energy surged into his body through his pores like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

"Come."

Xu Chen sat cross-legged, meditating in mid-air directly above the Plane Core.

Hongmeng Creation Art, activate!

Purple-gold True Qi, like two hungry True Dragons, roared out from Xu Chen's Dantian and reached directly into the transparent Plane Core below through his hands.

Buzz!

The Plane Core seemed to sense the invasion of external force and let out a violent buzzing sound. Layers of complex ancient protective Formation runes surfaced on the core's exterior, attempting to resist Xu Chen's refining.

"A mere ownerless object dares to resist me?"

Xu Chen snorted coldly and snapped his eyes open.

The golden Formation runes of the Heavenly Dao Divine Pupils spun wildly in his eyes, instantly seeing through all the nodes and flaws of the Plane Core's external defensive Formation runes.

"Break!"

Xu Chen's hands rapidly changed hand seals. Guided by the divine pupils, the purple-gold Creation True Qi acted like all-pervading blades, instantly shredding the core's external defenses.

Rumble!

With the defenses dismantled, nothing stood in the way of the Plane Core.

A massive surge of spiritual power, like a galaxy pouring down and carrying the purest Laws of Heaven and Earth, frantically rushed through Xu Chen's Meridians into his Dantian.

This power was so immense that even a true Quasi-Emperor would need to refine it slowly and cautiously.

"Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art, absorb it all!"

To speed up the refining process, Xu Chen simultaneously operated the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art within his body.

A pitch-black miniature black hole formed deep within his Dantian, like a bottomless abyss greedily devouring the Plane Core's power surging into his body.

"Crackle!"

Under the infusion of such terrifying energy, a series of popping sounds like roasting beans erupted from within Xu Chen.

His Meridians widened, his bones were reshaped, and every inch of his flesh underwent a qualitative sublimation.

The pressure radiating from the inside out became increasingly terrifying, even causing violent fluctuations in the surrounding golden energy ocean.

Meanwhile, at the Foreign Domain Royal Court.

As Xu Chen began refining the Plane Core, the entire Foreign Domain world started to vibrate violently.

The dark red clouds in the sky were torn apart, deep bottomless chasms appeared on the ground, and the once-roiling lava rivers began to dry up.

With the world's core being extracted, this broken plane finally headed toward its ultimate collapse.

Inside the throne hall.

Helian Yue was already fully dressed. Feeling the violent tremors beneath her feet, she wasn't afraid; instead, she walked quickly to the edge of the hall, her eyes filled with fanaticism as she watched the collapsing Foreign Domain.

"Master... You truly are the most powerful man in this world."

She murmured, her body trembling involuntarily as she felt the terrifying pressure rising from deep within the earth.

The Grand Elder felt this pressure, his wrinkled face flushing red with excitement, even his beard trembling.

"The Young Lord is refining the Foreign Domain's Plane Core! The Young Lord is about to have a Breakthrough!"

The Grand Elder roared excitedly, "All troops, take the warships into the air and move away from the Royal Court! All Pojun Imperial Guards, form a Formation to act as Protectors! Not a single shred of power must be allowed to disturb the Young Lord!"

"Understood!"

Ten thousand Pojun Imperial Guards answered in unison.

The warships quickly ascended, creating distance from the collapsing Royal Court. The soldiers formed a tight defensive Formation, surrounding the space above the Royal Court completely.

Nangong Waner and Lin Qingxue stood at the bow of the ship. The two had stopped their previous jealousy and were focused entirely on the shaking black palace below.

"Sister Qingxue, Husband's commotion is actually this immense." Nangong Waner gripped her sword hilt, her voice tinged with shock.

Lin Qingxue nodded, her cold eyes reflecting the golden pillar of light rising from below.

"The Cultivation Technique and Physique the Young Master practices are beyond our imagination. With this Breakthrough, his strength will likely undergo a true transformation."

Deep in the earth's core.

The refining had reached its most critical moment.

The Plane Core, originally the size of a millstone, had been absorbed by Xu Chen until only a fist-sized portion remained. The core-most wisp of world Origin within it was forcibly wrapped by Xu Chen's Hongmeng Creation Qi and violently pulled into his Dantian.

"Now! Break!"

Xu Chen roared in his heart.

Boom!

That wisp of world Origin exploded within his Dantian, turning into the purest energy and slamming into the long-stagnant cultivation barrier.

Crack!

The sound of something shattering echoed in Xu Chen's mind.

The next second.

A terrifying aura capable of destroying heaven and earth erupted from Xu Chen like a volcanic eruption!

This aura broke through the core passage, turning into a brilliant purple-gold pillar of light that pierced through the roof of the throne hall and shot straight into the clouds!

"Roar!"

Faintly, within that purple-gold pillar of light, an ancient True Dragon and a Nine Nether Divine Phoenix seemed to be circling and dancing, letting out earth-shaking roars.

Saint King Late Stage, achieved!

Xu Chen slowly opened his eyes; in his deep gaze, the golden Formation runes had completely stabilized.

He clenched his fist, feeling the terrifying power within him—more than ten times stronger than before—and a satisfied curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"The taste of this Foreign Domain's core is quite good. Unfortunately, there was a bit too little of it."

Xu Chen stood up and brushed off non-existent dust from his clothes.

As he absorbed the last bit of energy, the surrounding golden ocean completely dried up. The entire underground space began to collapse violently.

Xu Chen did not stay any longer; his body turned into a purple-gold streak of light, rushing out of the earth's core through the passage he came in.

"Bang!"

Xu Chen landed steadily within the already teetering throne hall.

Outside the hall, the entire Foreign Domain Royal Court was rapidly disintegrating, with massive obsidian blocks falling from the sky.

"Master!"

Seeing Xu Chen emerge, Helian Yue, who had been guarding the edge of the hall, immediately went to meet him.

She looked at the man before her whose aura had undergone a world-shaking change—as if he could destroy the world with a casual gesture—and the fanaticism in her eyes almost overflowed.

Xu Chen didn't speak; he naturally reached out to put his arm around Helian Yue's waist and took her soaring into the sky, landing steadily on the Xu Family Main Ship hovering in mid-air.

"Congratulations, Young Lord! Great congratulations, Young Lord!"

Seeing Xu Chen return safe and sound with his cultivation greatly advanced, the Grand Elder immediately led the kneeling and shouting.

"Congratulations, Young Lord!"

Ten thousand soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the clouds.

Xu Chen stood at the bow, feeling in high spirits as he watched the dark red world below begin to fall apart.

"All of you, rise."

Xu Chen raised his hand, his tone carrying the composure and dominance of the Young Master of the Imperial Clan.

"Cleaning up the battlefield is menial work; This Young Master shouldn't need to do it personally, right?" Xu Chen turned his head to look at several logistics deacons standing beside the Grand Elder.

Before those deacons could speak, Helian Yue, who was held in Xu Chen's arms, suddenly took a step forward on her own initiative.

A shrewd light sparkled in her narrow fox-like eyes.

"Master, the secret chamber of the Foreign Domain's national treasury is extremely well-hidden. Although the Formations on it failed with the death of that Old thing, there are still many self-destruct mechanisms inside."

Helian Yue naturally took over the task, a flattering smile on her face. "The work of cleaning up the battlefield and inventorying resources is best left to Yue'er. I promise not to leave even a single night pearl for them."