75: Chapter 75 Golden Core - Success

Lu Manman, perched on the Yinxing King's shoulder, also stopped struggling and stared at the scene in shock, with only one thought in her mind: Just who is this man, and where did he come from?

The corners of Xiao Ye's mouth slowly curled into a grin beneath his mask, revealing a row of white teeth: "You'll find out in a moment."

After saying that, he swallowed the dust-descending pill in one gulp, while simultaneously circulating the spirit energy within his body to frantically absorb the medicinal power.

The next moment—

Dark clouds pressed down from above, lightning surged within the roiling clouds, and electric snakes darted wildly about as a world-destroying pressure descended from the heavens, enveloping the entire forest.

The Lustful Apes grew restlessly agitated, and even the Yinxing King stopped in its tracks and looked up at the sky, a trace of fear flashing through its large, bell-like eyes.

Mu Wanqing covered her mouth, her eyes turning red—this man, who was always laughing and playing around, his mind filled with nothing but Spirit Stones and beautiful women, was actually going to attempt a Core Formation Breakthrough in such a place and at such a moment.

Was it to save them?

As she looked at Xiao Ye's tall and straight back, a certain place in her heart suddenly softened.

The lightning clouds pressed lower and lower, and the first bolt of heavenly lightning was already gathering strength within the cloud layer, ready to strike.

Xiao Ye took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the seven dragons chasing stars sword.

Come on.

The Lightning Tribulation strikes crashed down one after another, each more vicious and thicker than the last.

The first wave—Cyan Core Lightning Tribulation.

Xiao Ye stood beneath the lightning clouds, looking up at the bowl-thick purple heavenly lightning, his mouth curling into a sneer: "That's it?"

He didn't even draw his sword, instead using a single hand to prop up a Spirit Energy Shield to endure three strikes of heavenly lightning. The shield didn't budge an inch, and even his hair wasn't mussed.

After the lightning strikes finished, only the hem of his clothes was slightly soiled.

"The Cyan Core Lightning Tribulation is nothing special." Xiao Ye patted the dust off his robes with a calm and composed air, as if he had just been caught in a light drizzle.

In the distance, Mu Wanqing and Lu Manman watched in wide-eyed shock—this was the heavenly lightning for a Foundation Establishment to Core Formation Breakthrough! When others were Undergoing Tribulation, they were always cautious and acted as if treading on thin ice, wishing they could wear every single defensive Magic Treasure their Sect owned.

But this guy acted as if he were taking a bath, even complaining that the water wasn't hot enough.

The second wave—Red Core Lightning Tribulation.

This time, the heavenly lightning was twice as thick, its color changing from purple to deep red and carrying a scorching aura. As it struck, the very air seemed to burn, and even the grass on the ground was ignited.

Xiao Ye no longer dared to be careless; his right hand gripped his sword hilt as his Sword Intent erupted.

Coordinating with the Heaven-Slaying Draw-Sword Technique, he split the heavenly lightning strikes one by one.

Each strike was incredibly precise; the lightning was sliced in half by the Sword Qi and slid past his sides, slamming into the ground and blasting out large craters as shattered stones flew everywhere.

He used his sword to forcefully split all six strikes of the Red Core heavenly lightning.

But when the final strike was over, his arm felt slightly numb, blood seeped from the web of his thumb, and he almost lost his grip on the sword.

"Not bad, I can barely hold on." Xiao Ye shook his numb hand and took a deep breath, but in his heart, he was cursing up a storm—this was only the second wave and his hand was already numb, how was he supposed to handle what came next?

The third wave—Scarlet Core Lightning Tribulation.

The lightning clouds roiled even more violently, and a blood-red light faintly shimmered within the black cloud layers, as if the Heavens themselves were bleeding, staining the entire sky a strange, dark red.

When the first bolt of scarlet lightning struck, Xiao Ye's pupils constricted—the power of this lightning was twice as strong as the Red Core Lightning Tribulation!

He pushed his Sword Intent to the limit and swung his sword—the Sword Qi and lightning collided in mid-air, erupting in a blinding light that illuminated half the sky.

Xiao Ye was knocked back seven or eight steps, his feet plowing two deep grooves into the ground; the web of his thumb split open, and blood dripped down the sword hilt.

The second strike, the third... by the fifth strike, Xiao Ye was charred black all over, his robes were in tatters, and his hair stood on end, looking exactly like someone who had just crawled out of a fire, or like a charred roast chicken.

"Dammit... is this lightning for real?" He panted heavily, feeling as if every bone in his body was aching, and even his gums felt loose.

When the sixth scarlet lightning bolt struck, Xiao Ye finally couldn't hold on any longer. He gritted his teeth and activated the Crimson Flame Blood-Burning Technique—his Lifespan burned and his blood boiled as his combat power instantly surged, and crimson-gold flames ignited around him.

"Break—for—me!" He swung his sword, and the Sword Qi, carrying the power exchanged for his very life, shattered the sixth scarlet lightning bolt into pieces that turned into a shower of sparks.

Then came the seventh, the eighth... a total of nine Scarlet Core heavenly lightning strikes. With the augmentation of the Crimson Flame Blood-Burning Technique, he finally endured them all.

But the price was heavy—he had burned a full thirty years of his Lifespan; a few strands of white hair appeared at his temples, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened.

"It's not over yet..." Xiao Ye looked up at the sky, a trace of solemnity flashing in his eyes.

Instead of dispersing, the lightning clouds roiled even more violently.

Within the cloud layers, a golden lightning light was faintly gathering, like a golden Dragon swimming through the clouds, bringing with it a suffocating pressure.

The fourth wave—Golden Core Lightning Tribulation.

When the first bolt of golden heavenly lightning struck, the entire world changed color.

That lightning was as thick as a bucket and carried a world-destroying pressure, as if the Heavens themselves were truly enraged and intended to completely erase this Mortal who dared to form a Golden Core, leaving not even a speck of ash behind.

"Holy shit—this thing is trying to kill me!" Xiao Ye let out a strange cry and frantically activated the Crimson Flame Blood-Burning Technique, the blood and Qi in his body draining out like a reservoir with its floodgates opened.

Ten years. Twenty years. Fifty years. A hundred years.

His Lifespan burned away like flowing water; his hair turned from pitch black to gray, and from gray to snow-white.

The skin on his face aged at a speed visible to the naked eye; wrinkles crawled onto the corners of his eyes and forehead, and his originally straight back became slightly hunched.

But his combat power was soaring frantically—the first level of Core Formation, the second level, the third... soaring all the way to the fifth level of Core Formation!

"Heav—en—Slay—ing—Draw—Sword—Tech—nique—!"

Xiao Ye poured out all his strength and delivered the strongest sword strike of his life.

The Sword Qi tore through the air with a dragon-like roar and collided violently with the Golden Core heavenly lightning in mid-air, erupting with a light even more blinding than the sun.

The entire Secret Realm trembled, and Yao Beasts within a hundred-mile radius fled in all directions in terror; even the Yinxing King retreated dozens of steps while clutching Lu Manman, its eyes filled with fear.

The first bolt of Golden Core heavenly lightning shattered.

But the second one followed immediately, giving him no chance to catch his breath.

Xiao Ye had already burned a full hundred years of his Lifespan, making him look more than thirty years older, but his eyes still burned with the flames of defiance. He tightened his grip on the seven dragons chasing stars sword and swung once more—

The second strike, the third... all the way to the ninth Golden Core heavenly lightning strike.

When the final bolt of heavenly lightning shattered under his Sword Qi, Xiao Ye stood in place, charred black and panting heavily. The sword in his hand fell to the ground with a "clang," embedding itself into the soil.

He looked down at his hands—withered, shriveled, and full of wrinkles, like those of a man in his seventies or eighties, or like a dried-out orange peel.

"Dammit... a hundred years of my Lifespan..." Xiao Ye wanted to cry but had no tears, his voice carrying a hint of ancient weariness, "This is a massive loss. If I'd known, I wouldn't have tried to show off. Wouldn't it have been better to just run?"

But in the sky above him, the lightning clouds slowly dispersed, and a pillar of golden light descended from the heavens, enveloping his body. That was the Gift of Heaven and Earth, the sign of a successful Core Formation.

And, it was a Golden Core.

Not a Green Core, not a Red Core, but a genuine Golden Core!