Pain, incomparable pain. Li Yan's skin was torn and his flesh was gaping. The last strike of the Heavenly Tribulation had caused a strange change in his Dantian lake.
The five Spirit Power great cauldrons, whether due to the excessive impact or other reasons, had all shattered.
The five-colored spirit python that had been circling rapidly above had also lost its luster, shrinking into a gray speck, drifting everywhere on the Dantian lake.
Li Yan's consciousness had become blurry. His current state was only instinctively maintaining the circulation of Spirit Power in his body.
This period of time was the most dangerous for Li Yan. Although he had been supplemented by "Rongsun" before, he still had about sixty percent of his Spirit Power in his body, but it had become uncontrollable.
His Divine Sense and physical condition had both declined to the extreme. He could even only feel a faint, almost non-existent connection with his Natal Magical Treasure.
After he was knocked into the mud, the red and blue lightning that had been pouring down suddenly turned a golden yellow after the disappearance of the single eye in the sky, covering the bottom of the pit.
The golden-yellow electric arcs were like spirit snakes. The moment they landed at the bottom of the deep pit, they immediately converged towards a spot below the mud, which was the location of the semi-conscious Li Yan.
The moment these golden-yellow electric arcs came into contact with Li Yan's body, they seeped into his body without any hindrance, continuously gathering towards his Dantian's Purple Mansion along his meridians.
And at this time, Li Yan was completely unaware, letting these golden-yellow electric arcs enter his body and gather in his Dantian.
Golden light gathered from his limbs and bones like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea. The gray speck, only the size of a bean, actually remained motionless, suspended above the Dantian lake.
The moment the golden light entered his Dantian, the gray speck slowly began to rotate again.
All that golden light was actually coming for it. The moment it touched the small gray speck, it immediately melted and disappeared. Then, more golden-yellow electric arcs rushed into the small gray speck.
The small gray speck, carrying the golden light, spun faster and faster. As the small gray speck rotated again, it drove the originally chaotic Spirit Power and the fragments of the five great cauldrons in his Dantian.
Soon, a tornado column formed below the small gray speck.
And even more unexpectedly, wherever this golden light passed, the injuries on Li Yan's body were healing at an incredible speed.
Outside the deep pit, the dark clouds in the sky were rapidly retreating, revealing a blue sky and white clouds.
The ground below was left with only hundreds of li of crisscrossing gullies, and the courtyards that still existed like isolated islands in the sea, protected by formations.
The original scenery of clear water, green mountains, and lush vegetation within hundreds of li was long gone. The courtyards at this time, like a toothless old man in his twilight years, were devoid of life.
On some of the remaining rocks and trees, there were dense, fine holes, left by the stones and vegetation that had been directly pierced by the strong airwave.
This wave of air lasted for nearly thirty breaths before it slowly dissipated.
Under a vast blue sky, Tianxingzi and Xing Ming quickly turned into two phantoms and flew towards the center of where Zhang Ming had just been.
Behind them were only a group of still dazed disciples, who had not yet recovered from the final explosion.
In less than a breath, Tianxingzi and the other had already flown over the large pit. They quickly looked down. At this moment, only a few scattered specks of the golden-yellow electric arcs that had originally covered the bottom of the large pit were left.
"Hmm? Where is he?"
In their Divine Senses, there was no trace of Zhang Ming's aura. Xing Ming had a look of doubt on his face, his Divine Sense constantly scanning the surroundings.
"He was probably struck by the Heavenly Tribulation until his soul was scattered and annihilated!"
Tianxingzi also frowned. The two of them had rushed over the first moment the aftershocks of the Heavenly Tribulation had just dissipated.
Just looking at the tiny appearance of the "Tribulation Essence Qi" formed at the bottom of the pit, this was simply not a sign of Core Formation, but just the remnant of Zhang Ming's final confrontation with the Heavenly Tribulation.
Tianxingzi and Xing Ming looked at each other. Although there was a look of regret in their eyes, they still stretched out a palm in unison and grabbed towards the last of the golden-yellow electric arcs at the bottom of the large pit.
This was good stuff. Although the quantity was pitifully small, every wisp was of great benefit to Golden Core cultivators.
Especially since that Zhang Ming was very likely to have the "Hidden Dragon Blood" bloodline, these golden-yellow electric arcs were even more precious.
And just as the two of them conjured large palms out of thin air and grabbed towards the bottom of the large pit, a faint voice suddenly sounded in their ears.
"Fellow Daoists, are you trying to plunder my 'Tribulation Essence Qi'?"
This voice came very suddenly, which greatly shocked Tianxingzi and Xing Ming, who had originally thought there was no one else around.
Instinctively, with a flash of their figures, they had already rapidly retreated.
At the same time, the last dozen or so golden-yellow electric arcs at the bottom of the large pit were all sucked into the ground with a "whoosh" and disappeared.
Then, a phantom flashed from the bottom of the pit and appeared in the air, quickly solidifying in the eyes of the two rapidly retreating figures into a black-robed youth.
"It's... you!"
"Zhang Ming!"
Tianxingzi and Xing Ming, on guard, exclaimed in shock when they saw the person's appearance, and their rapidly retreating figures also stopped in the distance.
Then the two of them once again carefully scanned Zhang Ming with their Divine Senses. The black-robed youth opposite them stood motionless, letting the two of them scan him with their Divine Senses, just looking at them with a calm expression.
"It's only been a little over twenty breaths, the Tribulation Essence Qi... how is that possible?"
"Could this person's physical body have already entered the Golden Core stage, while his magical power is still at the Foundation Establishment? But I've never heard of such a strange realm. Otherwise, how could he have... in such a short time..."
Huge waves surged in the hearts of Tianxingzi and Xing Ming. Under their Divine Senses, the Zhang Ming that appeared before them was not a soul body at all. But the more it was like this, the more they couldn't believe it.
The look of doubt on their faces changed more and more.
Li Yan looked at the two with a calm expression. He of course knew the purpose of Tianxingzi and the other coming over so quickly.
One was to confirm whether he was dead; the other was of course for that "Tribulation Essence Qi."
The "Tribulation Essence Qi" was the greatest opportunity bestowed upon a cultivator after a Heavenly Tribulation.
It could not only greatly increase a cultivator's cultivation, but even the serious injuries formed in the Heavenly Tribulation could be quickly repaired with its help. The most crucial point was that this was the key to Core Formation and Nascent Soul Condensation.
After a cultivator had passed through a Heavenly Tribulation, they had to use this substance to form a core or condense a Nascent Soul, and at the same time repair their injuries.
If a cultivator were to perish in a Heavenly Tribulation, then the final formed "Tribulation Essence Qi" would be very little, and could only be considered a remnant. However, these things were no less than heavenly materials and earthly treasures for high-level cultivators.
Imagine, this was an opportunity that a cultivator had exchanged their life for to help them form a core and condense a Nascent Soul. One could imagine how precious it was.
Therefore, when some cultivators were forming a core or condensing a Nascent Soul, they would find people to act as guardians. One reason was to use defensive magical treasures to help them at a critical moment. The other was to prevent others from plundering their "Tribulation Essence Qi," causing them to fail at the last moment.
But what Tianxingzi and the others couldn't believe was that once someone successfully transcended a tribulation, the speed of absorbing the "Tribulation Essence Qi" would take at least three or four hours, or even longer.
During this period, the cultivator was at their weakest and most vulnerable to be killed.
They calculated that the Heavenly Tribulation had completely dissipated for no more than thirty-odd breaths, forty breaths at most.
How did this Zhang Ming absorb it so strangely? Could he have absorbed the power contained in the "Tribulation Essence Qi" in a few dozen breaths?
His physical body should have originally had the strength of the Golden Core stage, and at least the kind that a Mid-stage Golden Core cultivator possessed.
"Didn't his physical body at most only be able to barely contend with an ordinary Initial-stage Golden Core? If his physical body was already as strong as a Mid- to Late-stage Golden Core, why was his realm still maintained at the Foundation Establishment stage..."
This series of unbelievable thoughts made Tianxingzi and the others unable to understand.
They had also seen many prodigies who could fight across levels, or Body Cultivators with powerful physical bodies. But they could at most cross one small realm, which was already very good.
For a Pseudo-Core physical body like Zhang Ming's to be comparable to that of an Initial-stage Golden Core was even rarer. They had only heard of it. So for Zhang Ming's previous performance, they had mostly attributed it to Yu Rong being seriously injured under the self-detonation of several magical treasures.
Until later, when Xing Ming personally tested him, he also felt that it was roughly so.
But the aura on Zhang Ming now was undoubtedly that of a Golden Core, and the Tribulation Essence Qi at the bottom of the pit was gone.
"Oh, oh... I must first congratulate Fellow... Fellow Daoist Zhang. Fellow Daoist has achieved Great Perfection of the Golden Core, truly a joyous occasion. As a cultivator of my Falling Star Valley, how could the two of us have any ill intentions? I imagine you also sensed it. From beginning to end, we were only watching from a distance and acting as your guardians at the same time. Now, of course, we just came over to see the situation. Fellow Daoist's cultivation method is exquisite and unparalleled. We were actually unable to discover Fellow Daoist's existence. It is truly shameful!"
When Xing Ming saw his Martial Uncle speak, he chose to remain silent. Since Xing Ming had not sent him a voice transmission to attack, he was also observing the situation.
This Zhang Ming before him was too strange. His whole body exuded a kind of strangeness that he couldn't fathom, and he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy in his heart.
When Tianxingzi first called out the three words "Fellow Daoist Zhang," he still felt a little unfamiliar. The Foundation Establishment kid from back then had already become his peer. But later, he spoke more and more fluently.
At the same time, his Divine Sense swept over Li Yan's body unceremoniously a few more times, as if just to confirm whether the other party had truly successfully formed a core.
But at the same time, he was more and more shocked in his heart. "Not only has this kid achieved Great Perfection of the Golden Core, but the injuries on his body are also gone. What kind of body refining cultivation method did he cultivate... and also, what rank of Core Formation did he achieve?"
Thinking of this, a wave of regret rose in Tianxingzi's heart. If he had known that this kid's body refining cultivation method was so powerful, he would have had to get his hands on it no matter what back then.
But this thought flashed by and was forcibly expelled from his mind.
After asking his question, Li Yan just quietly listened to the other party's words. Seeing that the other party had finished speaking, he suddenly smiled and then clasped his fists.
"Thank you, both of you Fellow Daoists!"
At the same time, a powerful aura also spread from his body. The expressions of Tianxingzi and Xing Ming did not change, but this time, they also clas-ped their fists in return.
However, they each spoke their own names as if it were superfluous.
"Tianxingzi!"
"Xing Ming!"
Li Yan nodded slightly.
"Zhang Ming!"
The few of them seemed to have a tacit understanding, or it was as if they were meeting for the first time.
After Li Yan released his aura, Tianxingzi and Xing Ming understood that although this person's realm was not yet consolidated, he was definitely not to be trifled with. And the strange way the other party absorbed the Tribulation Essence Qi made them even more wary.
They could feel that just based on this person's current aura, Xing Ming alone might not be able to capture him.
And Tianxingzi's old injuries were still mostly unhealed. Even if they joined forces and used the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation to kill Zhang Ming, the two of them might not be able to get away with it.
All of this had become subtle at this time. This Zhang Ming also had no intention of harming Falling Star Valley, so they quickly gave up some of their thoughts.
Both sides were intelligent people. When Li Yan saw that the other party's aura was no longer locked on him, the heart he had been holding in his throat finally relaxed.
He had seen Falling Star Valley's Sect-Protecting Grand Formation. It was best not to provoke it.
As for the thoughts of the two opposite him before, Li Yan was of course also very clear.
Although his realm was not yet stable now, after successfully forming his core, he could already see the strength and weakness of the two of them's aura fluctuations. It was no longer a fog in his Divine Sense when he swept over them like before.
Tianxingzi's aura was not as good as Xing Ming's. He was seventy percent sure that the other party was not faking it.
'Tianxingzi was really not lightly injured in the great sect battle as the rumors said!'