196: Chapter 196 Core Formation Tribulation

"You mean the Demonic Cult that gathered at the border of Yunzhou and slaughtered innocents?"

The Black-robed man's expression changed slightly as he spoke.

"That was forced by Ling Cang!"

"If it weren't for him pressing us at every step, why would we have come to this?"

Li Changsheng gave a cold laugh.

"Were those Mortals you slaughtered at the border also forced by Ling Cang?"

The Black-robed man was left speechless.

Li Changsheng stood up, walked to the edge of the Immortal Cave, and looked at him through the Restriction.

"I don't need your 'truth'."

The Black-robed man's face darkened.

"Li Changsheng, don't be ungrateful!"

"Without us, you have no hope of contending against Ling Cang!"

Li Changsheng looked at him and said word by word,

"I would rather die standing than associate with those who slaughter the innocent."

The Black-robed man's face turned ashen, and he shot a fierce glare at Li Changsheng.

"You will regret this."

He threw a command medallion onto the ground and turned to leave.

Li Changsheng looked at the medallion, his brow furrowed.

The medallion was engraved with dense, intricate runes.

He had seen those runes before.

On the Jade Slips of the Blood Fiend Sect, on the blade of the qingshuang sword, on the stone tablet of Jingxin Cliff, and on the stone tablet deep within the mining tunnels.

They were exactly the same.

He bent down to pick up the medallion and examined it closely.

Was the Demonic Cult also related to the Blood Fiend Sect incident from back then?

He didn't know.

But he knew that this matter was becoming increasingly complicated.

He put away the medallion and sat back down cross-legged.

The Core Formation was not yet complete.

He took a deep breath, cast aside those distracting thoughts, and immersed himself back into Core Formation.

Regardless of what the Demonic Cult intended to do, he had to become stronger first.

Strong enough to have the power to face everything.

After the news of the Core Formation spread, the entire Qingxin Pavilion was filled with excitement.

But Li Changsheng knew that the true trial had only just begun.

The Golden Core Tribulation.

Every Cultivator stepping from Foundation Establishment into the Golden Core Stage must undergo the baptism of heavenly lightning.

That is the trial of the laws of heaven and earth upon the Cultivator.

Endure it, and one is reborn, stepping into a new Realm; fail to endure it, and one is turned to ash, their body and Dao extinguished.

Li Changsheng sat cross-legged in the Immortal Cave on the back mountain, looking up at the ceiling.

There, the sky was changing color.

The originally clear sky was now covered in dark clouds, layers upon layers of black clouds churning like ink.

Li Changsheng focused his entire mind into his Dantian, where the spiritual energy vortex spun frantically, becoming faster and denser.

That pressure made his entire Dantian begin to tremble.

Li Changsheng swallowed the barrier breaking pill in one gulp and looked up at the sky.

Deep within the dark clouds, lightning was faintly brewing, letting out low rumbles.

The first bolt of heavenly lightning was about to fall.

Li Changsheng took a deep breath and gripped the qingshuang sword tightly.

"Come."

BOOM!!!

A bolt of lightning as thick as a water bucket struck down from the dark clouds, crashing straight toward the Immortal Cave!

Li Changsheng met it with a sword strike!

Sword light collided with lightning, erupting in a blinding radiance!

The entire Immortal Cave shook, and gravel rained down!

The first bolt of lightning was held off.

But Li Changsheng's face also turned a shade paler.

This was only the beginning.

The subsequent heavenly lightning would grow stronger with each bolt.

He gritted his teeth and continued to wait.

Meanwhile, outside the Qingxin Pavilion's mountain gate.

Chu Feng stood at the foot of the mountain, with three hundred elite Qinglan Disciples behind him.

He looked up at the sky filled with dark clouds, a flash of complex emotion in his eyes.

Li Changsheng was undergoing Core Formation.

His gaze pierced through the layers of mist, as if he could see that figure he once fought alongside.

They were once comrades-in-arms.

Now, they had to face each other with blades drawn.

He took a deep breath and waved his hand.

"Attack."

Three hundred Disciples surged toward the mountain gate like a tide!

Before the mountain gate, Su Qianxue had already been waiting for a long time.

The previous injury had allowed her to suddenly touch the opportunity for a Breakthrough; after more than a year of accumulation, she had naturally reached the Foundation Establishment Peak.

She stood at the very front, holding a long sword, her gaze cold.

Behind her were the Disciples mobilized from the Qingxin Pavilion.

Though there were only a little over two hundred people, every single one was prepared to die.

Qin Hao stood on her other side, his muscles tense, his eyes filled with Battle Intent.

"Stop them."

Su Qianxue spoke, her voice clear and cold.

"Buy time for Li Changsheng."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Qinglan Disciples had already charged in front of them!

The two torrents crashed violently into each other!

The sounds of slaughter, screams, and the booming of Spells instantly echoed through the valley!

Su Qianxue killed three Foundation Establishment Disciples with one sword strike and turned to face Chu Feng.

Chu Feng looked at her with a complicated gaze.

"Su Qianxue, move aside. I only want to kill Li Changsheng."

Su Qianxue gave a cold laugh.

"If you want to kill him, you'll have to get past me first."

She lunged forward with her sword!

Chu Feng dodged to the side and countered with a sword strike!

The two were locked in combat!

Originally, Su Qianxue at the Foundation Establishment Late-Stage was no match for Chu Feng at the Foundation Establishment Peak.

With her cultivation Breakthrough, she was now able to trade blows with Chu Feng evenly.

One fought with a desperate mindset, while the other was merely carrying out orders.

Unknowingly, the two had exchanged twenty or thirty moves!

Su Qianxue's brow furrowed slightly as she noticed a faint, eerie aura within Chu Feng's sword techniques.

Was that... a Cultivation Technique of the Blood Fiend Sect?

She was startled, and her swordplay became even more fierce.

Chu Feng fought while retreating, yet he found it difficult to gain the upper hand.

On the other side, Qin Hao was also resisting with all his might.

Qin Hao was only at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage; facing those Qinglan Disciples at the Late Stage or Peak of Foundation Establishment, he could only rely on brute strength and a fearless courage to stubbornly block their advance.

There were at least a dozen wounds on his body, and blood dyed him red, yet he remained standing, refusing to retreat a single step.

"Qin Hao!"

Su Qianxue cried out in alarm.

Qin Hao turned back and grinned, revealing a mouthful of Blood Fang.

"I'm fine! I won't die!"

He turned and engaged another enemy.

Su Qianxue's eyes reddened, and she gritted her teeth, continuing her attack.

They had to hold the line.

Because behind them was Li Changsheng, who was currently Undergoing Tribulation.

In the back mountain Immortal Cave, the third bolt of heavenly lightning was brewing.

Li Changsheng was on one knee, gasping for air.

His body bore several charred scars from the lightning strikes, and he was covered in blood.

But his gaze remained resolute.

He had endured the first two bolts.

The third would be even stronger.

He looked up toward the ceiling.

Within the dark clouds, a bolt of lightning even thicker than before was slowly taking shape.

BOOM!!!

The third bolt of lightning struck down!

Li Changsheng used all his strength to meet it with his sword!

The collision of sword light and lightning erupted with a world-shaking roar!

The qingshuang sword let out a mournful cry, and several cracks faintly appeared on its blade!

Li Changsheng was blasted backward by the lightning, crashing heavily against the cave wall!

He slid down, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

But he was still alive.

He struggled to climb back up and looked toward the sky.

The dark clouds were dispersing.

The third bolt had been endured.

The Golden Core Tribulation was over.

He looked down at his Dantian.

There, a thumb-sized Golden Core was slowly rotating, emitting a soft golden light.

Golden Core Stage.

He had finally stepped into this Realm.

In the distance, on the Main Peak of the Qinglan Sword Sect, Ling Cang stood by the window, looking in the direction of the Qingxin Pavilion.

His expression was terrifyingly dark.

Just as he was preparing to take action personally, an old voice came from behind him.

"Sect Master, why the need to intervene personally?"

Ling Cang turned back and saw True Lord Three Swords standing at the door, hands behind his back.

True Lord Three Swords looked at him and said calmly,

"Li Changsheng has already formed his core. It's too late for you to go now."

Ling Cang's expression became even more unsightly.

"True Lord, you are..."

True Lord Three Swords interrupted him, saying,

"I am only here to remind you that some things cannot be rushed."

He turned and left, leaving Ling Cang standing there alone.

Ling Cang clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

"Li Changsheng..."

He said word by word,

"You won't escape."

Outside the window, the dark clouds had dispersed, and sunlight spilled down.

But that sunlight could not reach into Ling Cang's heart.