40: Reaching the summit! The opportunity to form a golden core in the physical body!

The Heaven Ascending Ladder, 900th step.

The gravity here had already reached five hundred times that of the outside world!

The air became as thick as mercury, and every step felt like carrying a massive mountain.

Even the surrounding space was slightly distorted under this terrifying gravity.

Upon reaching this point, Gu Yang's jog finally ceased.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from his naked upper body. His glazed, crimson muscles were strained to the limit under the immense pressure, emitting twanging sounds like a fully drawn bowstring.

“Five hundred times... now this is interesting.”

Gu Yang took a deep breath, and his eyes revealed a sense of excitement instead.

This feeling of every cell in his body being squeezed and Body Tempered caused the Primordial Indestructible Golden Body inside him to automatically operate at its peak.

But he didn't want to walk slowly anymore.

“The final hundred steps, sprint!”

Divine Ability—Extreme Dao Force Field! Reverse Repulsion!

Buzz!

With a thought from Gu Yang, the gravity field around him instantly reversed.

The five hundred times gravity originally applied to him was forcibly neutralized by half using his own repulsive force!

His body instantly felt lighter.

Boom!

The stone steps beneath Gu Yang's feet directly shattered, and he accelerated once again at the height of the 900th step, like a cannonball leaving the barrel!

Nine hundred fifty... nine hundred eighty... nine hundred ninety-nine!

Thud!

Following a dull landing sound.

Gu Yang's feet stood firmly at the end of the Heaven Ascending Ladder—a massive plaza suspended in the clouds.

The gravity here was a thousand times that of the outside world!

Even Golden Core Stage Cultivators would instantly be crushed into paste if they didn't activate Magic Treasures for protection.

But Gu Yang merely shook his shoulders, causing his bones to crackle loudly, and he immediately adapted to the pressure.

The center of the plaza was extremely open.

Only a ten-zhang tall cyan stone stele stood there, covered in ancient script—it was precisely the Giant Spirit Mountain Moving Art that the Old Blacksmith had dreamed of.

Below the stele was a stone pool three zhang in diameter.

Golden-red liquid churned in the pool, emitting a suffocating, majestic blood Qi and an ancient aura.

[High-energy reaction detected! Ancient Giant Spirit God Blood (Diluted Version)!]

[Note: This is the core Legacy item of the Giant Spirit Sect, used for Disciple Foundation Establishment Body Tempering, containing massive amounts of vital essence!]

“God Blood?”

Gu Yang walked to the edge of the pool and took a deep breath of the dense blood Qi, feeling all his cells cheering excitedly and letting out roars of desire.

“Although it's the diluted version, it's enough for me right now!”

He glanced back at the steps below.

Clouds and mist swirled around; those so-called “Prodigies” were still crawling like snails hundreds of steps below, with not a single figure visible.

“Since no one is coming, I won't be polite.”

“This whole pool is mine!”

Without another word, Gu Yang immediately jumped in.

Plop!

Water splashed everywhere.

He jumped into the boiling God Blood Pool.

“Hiss—! Bliss!”

The scalding God Blood instantly enveloped his entire body, frantically drilling into him through his pores.

Gu Yang felt as if he had been thrown into the Pill Furnace of the Grand Supreme Elder, where every inch of his flesh and blood was burning and restructuring.

[Devouring Giant Spirit God Blood... energy conversion in progress...+5000...+10000...]

The number of energy points on the System panel began to skyrocket at a frantic pace!

One million... one million five hundred thousand... two million!

“Enough! That's plenty!”

Gu Yang's eyes widened, and he roared:

“System! Add points for me!”

“Push the Primordial Indestructible Golden Body to the third level of the Cultivation Version! I want Flesh Body Core Formation!”

[Command accepted! Cultivation Technique deduction and Breakthrough in progress...]

[Consuming energy points: 1,500,000 points!]

Rumble—

Above the plaza, the winds and clouds changed color.

Endless Spiritual Qi formed a funnel shape, frantically pouring into Gu Yang's body.

At his Dantian (although he lacked a Qi Sea, he possessed a Physical Body Core), the originally scattered blood Qi power began to collapse and condense under immense pressure and energy.

A golden, round “Blood Core,” entirely condensed from blood Qi essence, was slowly taking shape!

This was the Body Cultivator's “Flesh Body Golden Core”!

Once condensed, the Physical Body would be immortal, possessing the strength to pull mountains and rivers!

...Two hours later.

“Hoo... hoo... finally... I've arrived...”

A pale hand grasped the edge of the nine hundred ninety-ninth step.

The Heavenly Sword Saint was trembling all over, blood flowing from his seven orifices. Having exhausted all his Magic Treasures and Medicinal Pills, he finally crawled up.

Closely following him were the True Disciples from the other two great Sects, all looking wretched, like dead dogs.

“Opportunity! My Opportunity!”

The Heavenly Sword Saint's eyes erupted with a greedy light as he struggled to crawl toward the center of the plaza.

However, when he raised his head, his entire body froze.

He saw that the legendary pool filled with “God Blood” was now... dry.

Not even a drop of broth remained.

At the bottom of the pool, a naked, muscular man with skin as clear and translucent as a ruby was sitting cross-legged, holding a huge bone (no one knew where it came from) and picking his teeth.

“Hic—”

Gu Yang let out an earth-shattering burp, spitting out a mouthful of golden blood Qi.

He looked at the circle of dumbfounded Geniuses around him and scratched his head sheepishly:

“Uh... sorry about that.”

“I was a little thirsty just now and couldn't help but drink it all.”

“It tasted a bit fishy, honestly just average.”

Silence.

Deathly silence.

Following that was a volcanic eruption of fury.

“Drank... drank it all?!”

The Heavenly Sword Saint's mentality completely collapsed.

They risked life and limb to climb up here, only to not even get a sip of the foot-washing water?

“Bastard! That was our Opportunity!”

“Kill him! Refine him! The God Blood is still inside him!”

Over a dozen Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Prodigies turned red-eyed, summoning their trump card Magic Treasures and wildly blasting toward Gu Yang.

“Want to fight?”

Gu Yang slowly stood up.

Following his movement, an aura terrifying enough to make space itself tremble slightly burst forth from his body.

That was not the aura of the Foundation Establishment Stage.

That was... terrifying pressure comparable to a Golden Core Old Ancestor!

Flesh Body Golden Core—Success!

“I'll just use you guys to test my new strength.”

Facing the Magic Treasures and Flying Swords assaulting him from all directions, Gu Yang did not dodge, nor did he use a weapon.

He simply and plainly threw a punch forward.

“Disperse... for me!”

Boom————!!!

The terrifying punch force instantly exploded, transforming into a golden storm that swept across the entire plaza.

What Supreme-Grade Magical Artifacts, what Protective Spiritual Shields—in front of this punch, they were like paper, instantly shattering!

“Ah—!!!”

Those dozen or so high and mighty Prodigies were blown away by this punch like leaves in a gale, each spitting blood as they crashed onto the edge of the plaza, their life or death unknown.

Gu Yang retracted his fist, looked at his palm, and nodded in satisfaction.

“Right now, fighting you guys is no different from hitting babies.”

“Who else?”