35: The power of the Golden Elixir! An unkillable lump of iron!

Deep within the Ancient Burning Heaven Cave, magma tumbled.

Gu Yang burped and picked his teeth, looking satisfied as if he had just finished a grand feast.

Across from him, Ancestor Blazing Fire's face had turned from a liverish purple to an ashen blue; he was trembling all over, his beard crooked with rage.

"You ate it... You actually ate it!"

"That was the Dao-attaining item I prepared for my Nascent Soul condensation! That was a Heavenly Earthly Odd Fire!"

Ancestor Blazing Fire roared at the sky, the sound waves causing stalactites to fall from the cave ceiling.

"You little beast! I will extract your soul and refine your spirit, then use you as a sky lantern!!!"

Boom!

A terrifying pressure belonging to the Golden Core Stage erupted instantly.

If the pressure of the Foundation Establishment Stage was like a gust of wind, then the pressure of the Golden Core Stage was like a mountain!

The surrounding air solidified instantly, as if it had turned into cement.

Gu Yang felt his breath hitch; his body felt as if it were bound by countless invisible chains, making even moving a finger difficult.

This was the "Magic Power Force Field" unique to the Golden Core Stage, a prototype of a Domain.

"So this is a Golden Core old monster?"

Gu Yang wiped the smirk off his face, his gaze turning solemn.

He tried to activate his Extreme Dao Force Field to counter it, but that usually invincible gravity field was compressed to within three inches of his body by the other's vast, sea-like magic power, unable to spread at all!

Level suppression!

This was a pure crushing of Realm and energy levels!

"Die!"

Ancestor Blazing Fire’s killing intent was set as he pointed a finger.

Buzz—

A streak of crimson-gold light flew from his mouth, expanding rapidly into a massive golden wheel three meters in diameter.

The edge of the golden wheel was covered in serrations, spinning rapidly and emitting a tooth-aching grinding sound.

Lifebound Treasure — lihuo golden wheel!

This was a Low Grade Magic Treasure, its power far exceeding a Top Grade Magical Artifact by a hundred times!

"ten thousand soldiers sphere! Block it!"

Gu Yang roared, his muscles tensing as he swung the massive iron ball weighing a hundred thousand catties to meet the attack.

Clang—!!!

An earth-shattering boom echoed.

A terrifying shockwave swept out, instantly kicking up a massive wave from the surrounding magma pool.

Crack!

The ten thousand soldiers sphere, forged from hundreds of Magical Artifacts, actually had a large gash cut into it and was covered in cracks under the impact of the lihuo golden wheel!

Gu Yang felt as if a high-speed train had slammed into him.

"Pfft!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying like a cannonball, slamming heavily into the hard rock wall, embedded so deep he couldn't be pulled out.

"So strong..."

Gu Yang struggled to crawl out of the rock wall, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Although the Primordial Indestructible Golden Body helped him deflect most of the damage and his bones weren't broken, the feeling of his internal organs being displaced was truly unpleasant.

This was the first time since entering the cultivation world that he had been knocked flying in a direct confrontation.

"Eh? Not dead?"

Ancestor Blazing Fire was even more surprised than Gu Yang.

This strike of his golden wheel was enough to level a mountain peak; even a Golden Core Cultivator of the same Rank wouldn't dare take it head-on.

This kid, a mere Foundation Establishment Body Cultivator, had actually only spat out some blood?

"What a hard turtle shell! I want to see just how many hits you can take!"

Ancestor Blazing Fire tapped his fingers repeatedly.

The lihuo golden wheel turned into a streak of golden lightning, tracing countless afterimages in the air as it slashed frantically at Gu Yang.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Gu Yang fell into an extremely passive situation.

He could only wave the damaged ten thousand soldiers sphere, parrying desperately like a blacksmith striking iron.

With every impact, he was knocked back, and the wounds on his body increased.

What frustrated him most was that Ancestor Blazing Fire remained suspended a hundred meters in the air, controlling his Magic Treasure for long-range attacks, giving him no chance to get close.

I want to hit him, but I can't reach.

He hits me, and I just have to take it.

This was the greatest sorrow of a Body Cultivator facing a high-level Spell Cultivator—no air superiority, forced to be a sitting duck!

"You little beast! Die!"

Seeing that his long-term assault was failing, Ancestor Blazing Fire changed his hand seal.

"Burning Heaven Fire Rain!"

He mobilized the power of the earth fire within the cave, turning it into a sky full of fireballs that fell like a torrential rain, completely submerging Gu Yang.

However, this time, Gu Yang smiled.

He stood tall in the sea of fire, letting the flames—capable of melting gold and iron—burn his body.

Blazing Fire Golden Body — Immune!

Not only did those flames not harm him, but they felt like a hot oil massage, so comfortable he wanted to hum.

"Old man, have you not eaten? This little fire isn't even as hot as that lotus from earlier!"

"You!"

Ancestor Blazing Fire was so angry he nearly fell from the sky.

Fire Spells are ineffective? Physical attacks can't kill him?

This is a damn copper pea! You can't steam it, boil it, or flatten it!

Although Gu Yang talked tough, he knew in his heart that if this continued, he would eventually be vibrated to death.

The ten thousand soldiers sphere was on the verge of shattering, and his stamina wasn't infinite.

"Can't win, time to bolt!"

Gu Yang's eyes flickered as he looked toward the bottomless river of magma.

Although Ancestor Blazing Fire was a fire-attribute Cultivator, his Physical Body was weak, and he definitely wouldn't dare go deep into the magma.

"Old man, I didn't eat my fill today. Let's fight again another day!"

Gu Yang suddenly laughed loudly, turned around, and ran.

As he passed the stone platform where Ancestor Blazing Fire had previously meditated, he reached out and uprooted a crimson Spiritual Plant—a companion Spirit Medicine Ancestor Blazing Fire had grown for fifty years—and stuffed it into his robe.

"This grass looks decent; I'll take it back to pick my teeth!"

"My Crimson Blood Ginseng!!!"

Ancestor Blazing Fire let out a cry of anguish like a cuckoo weeping blood.

The Odd Fire was eaten, the Spirit Medicine was stolen—this guy is a damn bandit!

Splash!

Gu Yang clutched the ten thousand soldiers sphere and dove headfirst into the scalding magma river.

With the Blazing Fire Golden Body protecting him, being in the magma felt like returning to his mother's embrace.

He dove rapidly, using the weight of the ten thousand soldiers sphere to instantly sink hundreds of meters deep into the ground.

"Come out! Come out for this old man!"

Ancestor Blazing Fire stood on the shore, frantically bombarding the magma with his golden wheel, kicking up waves a thousand layers high.

But he truly didn't dare go down.

The high temperature and pressure deep within the magma were enough to shatter his protective spiritual light.

He could only watch helplessly as Gu Yang's aura vanished into the underground river... at the bottom of the magma river.

Gu Yang sat cross-legged on a massive rock, surrounded by dark red fluid.

He glanced at the Crimson Blood Ginseng in his hand and threw it straight into his mouth to chew.

[Ingested Grade 2 Top Grade Spirit Medicine... energy points +5,000!]

"The Golden Core Stage... is truly powerful."

Gu Yang touched the bruise on his chest that was still faintly throbbing with pain.

"Currently, my defense is sufficient, but my attack methods are too singular; I can't reach people."

"Furthermore, the gap in Realm is too large."

He glanced at the System panel.

To Breakthrough from Foundation Establishment Perfection to a Flesh Body Golden Core (a Core Formation Stage Body Cultivator), the energy points required to deduce the Cultivation Technique had jumped from thousands or tens of thousands to a despair-inducing number—

Deduction Requirement: 1,000,000 points (One Million)!

"One million..."

Gu Yang sighed.

That battle made him realize: relying solely on these scattered "buffets," how long would it take to save up enough?

"I must find a bigger backer, or... a bigger mine."

"I heard that deep within the Chaotic Star Sea, there's a Body Cultivation Sect called the 'Giant Spirit Sect'? They seem to be very wealthy..."

Gu Yang closed his eyes and began to sleep within the magma, digesting the massive Odd Fire energy within his body.

This sleep lasted for three months.