92: The Ninefold Tribulation of Thunder Refines the Golden Elixir, and the Golden Body of Merit Begins to Manifest as Sainthood.

Inside the stone chamber, time seemed to have frozen.

Li Muchen sat cross-legged upon the earth vein suppression talisman, his eyes slightly closed and his breathing nearly nonexistent. His entire being seemed to have become part of the mountain rock, merging with the breath of the earth beneath him and the entirety of Yuntai Mountain.

The majestic yet gentle medicinal power of the "Crimson Jade Profound Heart Pill" had long since completely dissolved, merging into his limbs, bones, Meridians, and acupoints. It transformed into the purest Origin energy, nourishing his Physical Body and tempering his True Yuan. The earth vein suppression talisman acted like a steady hub, continuously drawing the most pure and thick portions of Yuntai Mountain's earth Qi and injecting them into his body, serving as both a supplement and a means of suppression and harmony.

The Dantian Qi Sea had now turned into a pale golden, viscous, nearly solid "Lake of Spiritual Liquid." At the center of the lake, the originally rotating True Yuan vortex had disappeared, replaced by a "seed" only the size of a grain of rice, yet radiating a dazzling, almost tangible golden light!

This "seed" was round and flawless, its entire body a pure pale gold, with mysterious cloud patterns naturally flowing across its surface. It floated quietly in the center of the Lake of Spiritual Liquid, rotating slowly and steadily. With every rotation, it drew a trace of the most refined energy from the lake; its own light solidified a bit more, and its volume grew by an imperceptible margin.

The Golden Core Seed had initially condensed!

But this was only the beginning. Condensing the Golden Core Seed was merely the first step across the threshold of the Golden Core. Next, he needed to use his own Dao Foundation, True Yuan, and Divine Soul as fuel, and the rules of Heaven and Earth as the furnace fire, to temper this newborn "seed" thousands of times. Only when it was completely stable, with the mysteries of the Great Dao contained within and an immortal golden light manifesting without, could it truly be called achieving the Great Dao of the Golden Core.

And the rules of Heaven and Earth naturally held a test for those who practiced Heaven-Defying cultivation to condense an immortal Golden Core—that was the Lightning Tribulation!

For a Cultivator to undergo Core Formation is to steal the creation of Heaven and Earth, to reverse one's Innate state and condense an immortal foundation. Such an act goes against the natural logic of "birth, aging, illness, and death; cycles and repetitions." Therefore, the Heavenly Dao sends down a tribulation to temper them with lightning, removing the false and preserving the true. If one passes, the Golden Core is stabilized, Lifespan is greatly increased, and Divine Abilities begin to manifest; if one fails, their body dies and their Dao vanishes, their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, or their Realm is knocked down, never to advance again.

Li Muchen had long been prepared for this. His mind was clear and his Dao Heart was firm. As he looked inward at the slowly rotating Golden Core Seed in his Dantian, its light growing ever brighter, he knew the most critical moment was about to arrive.

Sure enough, at the very instant the Golden Core Seed's light reached a certain threshold—

An indescribable throbbing and sense of pressure, originating from the depths of his Soul, descended without warning!

It did not come from the stone chamber, nor from Yuntai Mountain, but from... the mysterious Heavenly Dao that hung high above all things, operating without end!

"It's here."

Li Muchen realized this in his heart and suddenly opened his eyes! Two streaks of golden light, as solid as substance, flashed through his pupils and vanished, piercing through the thick walls of the stone chamber as if looking out at the changing sky outside.

At the same time, outside the stone chamber, above Qingfeng Temple.

The originally clear autumn sky darkened without warning. It wasn't the gathering of dark clouds, but a deeper, more oppressive gloom, as if the light were being swallowed by some invisible force. A wild wind rose out of nowhere, blowing the branches and leaves of the ancient cypress tree into a mad dance and sending sand and stones flying. The remaining pilgrims in the temple and villagers like Zhao Desheng all looked up at the sky in horror, not knowing what had happened.

Immediately after, the low, muffled sound of thunder, like countless giant drums beating simultaneously, came faintly from the depths of the high and distant firmament, growing louder and closer! That sound was no ordinary thunder; it carried a cold, majestic will that seemed intent on purging all "disorder" in the world!

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within dozens of miles of Yuntai Mountain began to stir frantically, like boiling water, surging toward the direction of Qingfeng Temple at the mountain peak! In the air, faint traces of electric snakes could be seen slithering across the dark sky, making subtle crackling sounds.

A terrifying pressure, like an impending disaster or the majesty of a heavenly prison, enveloped the entire mountaintop! The pilgrims fled in terror, and villagers like Zhao Desheng were also scared pale. Had it not been for their nearly blind trust in the Temple Master and their final reliance on the temple's protective light shield, they would likely have collapsed to the ground.

"It's... it's a Heavenly Tribulation! The Temple Master... the Temple Master is Undergoing Tribulation!" Zhao Xiaowen's face was white, yet she forced herself to hold up her camera, trying to record this terrifying scene that transcended Mortal understanding. Li Shiyu gripped her arm tightly, her nails almost digging into the flesh, her eyes filled with worry and shock.

Inside the stone chamber, Li Muchen was exceptionally calm. He slowly stood up and put away the thunder-struck wood on his knees and the earth vein suppression talisman on the ground. When Undergoing Tribulation, the effect of external help was limited and might even attract a stronger heavenly punishment; one mainly had to rely on their own Dao Foundation to endure it.

He walked to the door of the stone chamber and reached out to push open the heavy stone door.

"BOOM—!!"

The moment the stone door swung open, as if completely triggered by his aura, the long-brewing lightning in the firmament finally crashed down!

The first bolt of heavenly lightning was as thick as a water bucket and deep purple in color, like a roaring Purple Lightning Dragon. It tore through the dark sky and, carrying an aura that could destroy everything, struck straight toward Li Muchen as he stepped out of the stone chamber!

Li Muchen did not dodge, looking up at the sky. He did not immediately use True Yuan or a Magic Treasure to defend; instead, he sank his mind into his Dantian and fully activated that newborn Golden Core Seed!

"Hum—!"

The Golden Core Seed radiated a great light, and a surge of pure, condensed, and vibrant pale Golden Core Qi erupted from his pores. Above his head, it naturally formed a thin yet exceptionally tough golden light shield.

"CRACK!!"

The Purple Lightning Dragon slammed violently into the golden light shield! Blinding thunder-light and golden light exploded simultaneously, the roar echoing through the clouds and shaking the entire Qingfeng Temple! The golden light shield fluctuated violently, flickering uncertainly, but in the end, it did not break, blocking most of that violent lightning power. The remaining small portion of lightning power passed through the shield and dispersed into Li Muchen's limbs and bones.

"Ugh!" Li Muchen groaned, his body swaying slightly. Though the lightning power that entered his body had been weakened, it was still incredibly overbearing, like countless tiny steel needles rampaging through his Meridians and flesh, bringing intense numbness and stinging pain. But at the same time, he also felt that under the tempering of this pure heavenly lightning majesty, his Physical Body, Meridians, and even the Golden Core Seed had become a bit more solid and pure!

"The first strike is just so-so." Li Muchen wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth caused by the shock, the golden light in his eyes growing even stronger.

The Heavenly Tribulation seemed provoked by his composure, and the second and third bolts of heavenly lightning followed in quick succession! One was red as fire, carrying a heat that could incinerate all things; the other was black as ink, containing a coldness that eroded the Divine Soul! Two bolts of lightning with diametrically opposed attributes actually struck simultaneously, their power far exceeding the first!

Li Muchen no longer dared to rely solely on Core Qi to endure it. With a thought, the Golden Core Seed in his Dantian rotated rapidly, and a massive amount of pale golden True Yuan surged out, weaving into a thicker golden light shield in front of him. At the same time, his hands formed a seal, drawing a trace of Golden Light of Merit to merge into the shield.

"BOOM! BOOM!"

The red and black lightning bolts struck the golden light shield one after another! The shield vibrated violently, cracks appearing on its surface before it finally shattered! However, seventy percent of the power of the two lightning bolts was also neutralized. The remaining lightning power invaded Li Muchen's body again, bringing even more intense pain and tempering.

More blood seeped from the corner of Li Muchen's mouth, and scorched marks appeared on his green robes, but his gaze remained steady, even carrying a hint of madness. He could feel that with every instance of lightning Body Tempering, the Golden Core Seed solidified a bit more, and its connection with himself became even closer.

The fourth, fifth, sixth... each bolt of heavenly lightning was thicker and more bizarre than the last! There was a cold lightning as blue as ice, a heavy mountain lightning as yellow as earth, and even a green wind-lightning that seemed composed of countless tiny wind blades!

Li Muchen used all his methods. Sometimes he struck back with pure Core Qi, sometimes he used the Thunder-Startling Staff to deflect part of the lightning's power, and sometimes he used the earth vein suppression talisman to instantly draw a trace of earth power to reinforce his own defense. He utilized his movement techniques, shifting and dodging within the limited space of the courtyard to avoid the core impact points of the lightning.

Every collision shook the earth and mountains, golden light and thunder-light weaving and flashing, illuminating Qingfeng Temple like daylight before being instantly swallowed by a deeper darkness. Several scorched pits were blasted into the open ground in front of the temple, and countless branches and leaves were swept from the ancient cypress tree by the aftershocks.

Li Muchen's injuries grew heavier and heavier; his green robes were shredded, his flesh was torn open, and in many places, even scorched bone was visible. However, the aura within his body did not weaken; instead, under the continuous tempering of the lightning, it became purer and more powerful, like refined gold from which all Impurities had been polished away! The Golden Core Seed in his Dantian had already expanded to the size of a pigeon egg, its golden light dazzling as it rotated like a wheel, emitting a faint, stable, and immortal pressure!

Finally, the eighth bolt of heavenly lightning fell! This bolt was a bizarre grey-white, silent and soundless, yet it carried a terrifying aura that made all things wither and return to nothingness! It seemed capable of directly erasing life and eroding one's Dao Foundation!

Li Muchen's pupils shrank! He felt his very Divine Soul waver slightly under this single strike! This was an attack targeted at the very Origin of life!

Without hesitation, he forced the last and purest surge of Core Qi from his body, along with the most condensed Golden Light of Merit he had accumulated over the years, forming a small yet incredibly solid Golden Lotus Pedestal above his head!

The grey-white lightning landed on the Golden Lotus Pedestal. There was no world-shaking explosion, only a heart-wrenching "melting" sound. The golden light of the pedestal dimmed rapidly, and its volume continued to shrink, as if it were being "eaten" by that grey-white lightning! Blood seeped from Li Muchen's seven orifices simultaneously, and his Divine Soul was in agony, as if it were about to shatter!

But he gritted his teeth and persisted, frantically activating the Golden Core Seed to extract all remaining energy from the Lake of Spiritual Liquid to replenish the pedestal. At the same time, his Dao Heart was clear, holding onto a single point of clarity on his spiritual terrace to resist the erosion of that power of nothingness.

An unknown amount of time passed—it felt like an instant, yet also like ten thousand years. That grey-white lightning was finally exhausted, and the Golden Lotus Pedestal above Li Muchen's head was left as only a tiny glimmer of light the size of a fingernail, yet it stubbornly refused to be extinguished!

The eighth tribulation had been passed, though by a hair's breadth!

Li Muchen was nearly exhausted, kneeling on one knee and supporting his body with the thunder-struck wood, gasping for breath as blood continuously poured from his mouth. But in his eyes, a burning light of unprecedented intensity blazed! Only one more left!

In the firmament, the churning thunderclouds seemed to be brewing the final and most terrifying judgment. All the gloom, all the thunder-light, and all the majesty of Heaven and Earth were frantically converging and compressing toward a single point at the center!

Finally, the ninth bolt of heavenly lightning descended!

It was not as thick or terrifying as imagined; it was merely a thin bolt of lightning, only about the thickness of a finger, yet it was a pure to the extreme... dark-gold lightning! It was silent, as if it had merged into the Void Realm, yet it carried an ultimate majesty that surpassed the sum of the previous eight bolts, seeming capable of both creating the world and returning all things to the void!

The final strike of the nine tribulations of the Heavenly Dao—the Primordial One Qi Doutian Divine Lightning!

Li Muchen watched that slowly descending dark-gold lightning with a heart full of peace, even feeling a strange sense of liberation. He knew this was the final test. If he endured it, the world would be wide open; if he did not, everything would come to nothing.

He no longer made any defenses, even dispersing the remaining glimmer of the lotus pedestal above his head.

He simply stood there quietly, looking up at the lightning that represented the ultimate test of the Heavenly Dao.

Then, he threw his entire mind, without reservation, into the Golden Core Seed in his Dantian, which was rotating and radiating golden light to the absolute limit!

"Come!"

The dark-gold lightning fell upon Li Muchen's head without hindrance, instantly sinking into his body!

There was no explosion, no light, and even sound had disappeared.

Li Muchen's body suddenly stiffened! All life seemed to be frozen and stripped away in this instant! His skin rapidly lost its luster, becoming like parched earth, covered in cracks. His hair turned grey-white at a speed visible to the naked eye.

But his consciousness was clearer than ever before. He could "see" that dark-gold lightning, like the most precise surgical knife, instantly piercing through every inch of his flesh, every Meridian, and every acupoint, finally striking the Golden Core Seed in his Dantian with a heavy blow!

"Crack..."

An extremely faint sound, like the shattering of glass, echoed in the depths of his Soul.

The Golden Core Seed... had it cracked?

No!

That was not shattering, but... transformation!

Under the strike of the Primordial One Qi Doutian Divine Lightning, which contained the dual ultimate dao rhyme of "destruction" and "rebirth," the shell of that pigeon-egg-sized, dazzling golden "seed" was suddenly covered in fine cracks, and then it exploded!

What exploded were not fragments, but immeasurable golden light!

Within the golden light, a true Golden Core, only the size of a soybean yet perfectly round and flawless, as translucent as the purest glass, with what seemed like galaxies rotating and Dao talismans appearing within, slowly emerged!

The Golden Core is formed!

At the same time, a vast, pure surge of pale golden Core Yuan Qi, filled with infinite life and mysterious dao rhyme, poured out from the newborn Golden Core like a bursting flood, instantly washing through Li Muchen's riddled and nearly collapsing Physical Body and Divine Soul!

Everywhere it passed, the scorched flesh rapidly fell away, and newborn skin as lustrous as jade appeared; broken bones automatically reconnected, becoming more dense and tough; parched Meridians were widened and nourished, glowing with vibrant life; his grey-white hair became black and shiny once more; even the trauma and fatigue on his Divine Soul were rapidly smoothed and nourished by this newborn power originating from the Golden Core's Origin!

In the firmament, the churning thunderclouds began to dissipate rapidly, and that suffocating majesty of Heaven and Earth also receded like a tide. The dark sky once again revealed its original azure color, and sunlight pierced through the thin layers of clouds, spilling over Qingfeng Temple and onto that proudly standing figure.

Li Muchen slowly opened his eyes.

A golden light flashed in his eyes and vanished, returning to a deep and peaceful state, yet it was brighter and more distant than before, as if it could see through all falsehood and behold the truth.

He looked down at his hands; his skin was as white as jade, yet it contained a majestic power capable of splitting mountains. Within him, the newborn Golden Core floated quietly in the center of his Dantian, rotating slowly. With every rotation, it drew in a massive amount of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, transforming it into incredibly pure Golden Core Yuan Power to nourish his entire body.

An unprecedented feeling of strength, control, and a closer connection with Heaven and Earth filled his body and mind.

The Golden Core Realm was achieved!

Not only that, because his Dao Foundation was thick and his accumulation profound, and he had further harmonized his Core Qi with Golden Light of Merit and endured the tempering of the nine-fold Lightning Tribulation, the Golden Core he had formed was of extremely high quality and held infinite potential.

He raised his head, looking at the sky as blue as if it had been washed, a faint, relieved smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

The immortal path is vast, but today he had finally taken a truly solid first step.

Outside Qingfeng Temple, all those who had witnessed or felt this world-shaking Lightning Tribulation, whether believers or villagers, now looked at the young Temple Master bathed in sunlight—who seemed to have been reborn, his aura ethereal and otherworldly—and only one thought remained in their hearts:

Immortals... they really exist.