A mountain phantom, a resonance of heaven and earth!
As Qi Ping's Golden Core Dao-fruit gradually took shape and the mountain phantom began to slowly appear, a tremendously heavy pressure radiated from him.
This pressure was like that of a vast mountain range that far exceeded ten thousand tons, added to Qi Ping's being. In this moment, countless creatures facing the pressure on Qi Ping felt as though they were facing the vast power of heaven and earth itself—an irresistible sense of oppression came rushing at them!
Even Yaya and the Little Stone Spirit, who had already reached the Golden Core stage, had eyes full of gravity and shock.
'Gaga... (Boss's pressure and oppression are so strong!)'
'Ding-ding... (Yeah, this pressure is much stronger than my Phenomenon of Ten Thousand Weapons!)'
The two beasts truly realized at this moment that the foundation of their boss, Qi Ping, was much stronger than theirs—and one of them was a primordial Stone Spirit while the other possessed the Golden Crow bloodline!
However, after the mountain phantom appeared, the changes in Qi Ping's phenomenon did not stop. Instead, it began to continuously evolve, turning from a blurry mountain shadow into something increasingly clear.
During this process, Qi Ping's Yin-Yang and Five Elements spiritual energy surged, continuously flowing into the Golden Core Dao-fruit. The Yin-Yang and Five Elements rules of the world also began to resonate at this moment, as threads of special rule-power completed their connection with Qi Ping's mountain phantom!
Qi Ping's physical body also erupted with various special lights at this time. Multiple special Five Elements physiques broke out with full force: the Solar True Fire, the Golden Stone Physique, the Earth-Vein Spirit Body, and the Monarch of Waters all activated their special powers. The Solar power and Leyline power surged frantically, helping Qi Ping condense his Golden Core Dao-fruit.
Any one of these powers, if placed within a normal Foundation Establishment or even an early Golden Core cultivator, would have caused them to lose control and explode. But within Qi Ping's body, they were incredibly stable!
Under Qi Ping's second-stage Dao-heart, the Farming Domain, and his powerful soul-strength, all the forces were firmly under control!
Different and even conflicting powers achieved a state of perfect mutual fusion and growth. Gathered together, they transformed into a matchlessly powerful Yin-Yang Five Elements force.
Under these various special powers and with Qi Ping's Dao-heart as the core, the mountain phantom gradually solidified. Trees even began to appear within it. Anyone familiar with the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range would discover that this was exactly that range!
Next, even clearer images appeared: high mountains, rivers, trees, insects, and beasts...
Once the mountain range had finished condensing, under the guidance of Qi Ping's Homeland Domain talent, the phantom gradually expanded, turning into a vast land of mountains and rivers!
Even here, the transformation of the phenomenon did not stop. Faint silhouettes of people and cities began to appear...
For example, Starfall City, where the massacre had occurred, appeared along with the silhouettes of the cultivators who provided Qi Ping with the power of living beings. Even as some silhouettes fell, their descendants continued to produce that same power.
Besides these, blurry images of the subterranean world appeared, featuring the busy Earth-Vein Ants and the Lava Beasts who considered Qi Ping their most loyal friend.
As time passed and the phantom grew richer, the pressure and sense of oppression from the Golden Core phenomenon grew heavier and heavier!
Even in the Qingtian Domain, far from the Desolate Domain, subtle and untraceable changes began to occur. These changes were detected by the Nascent Soul expert, Supreme Grand Elder Ling Qianjue.
However, when he investigated carefully, he could not find exactly where the change was happening. This caused a faint sense of foreboding to rise in his heart.
He then glanced toward the sect and saw that Qi Ping was still there, which caused his brow to furrow even tighter.
In contrast, Lin Wuji, the Envoy who was also at the Nascent Soul stage, did not seem to notice these changes like Ling Qianjue had...
Amidst this powerful phenomenon and the rolling thunder, several days passed, and Qi Ping's Golden Core finally finished condensing!
During this time, such a grand sight of tribulation naturally attracted many cultivators from the Desolate Domain to investigate. However, once they sensed the terrifying scene and the pressure of two other Golden Cores, they completely abandoned any thought of approaching.
They only dared to hide far away, watching the apocalyptic scene from a distance, focusing on the figure surrounded by the terrifying phenomenon. Their eyes were filled with disbelief.
Was this the kind of scene a Foundation Establishment cultivator should cause when breaking through to the Golden Core stage?
Let alone in the Desolate Domain, they had never even heard of such a thing in any records!
Only a few cultivators who had seen relevant records understood what such a powerful Golden Core phenomenon represented, and for that reason, they were even more shocked.
Could such a terrifying genius truly be born in the Desolate Domain? They did not know that, even more tragically, many of them had already forgotten that their home was once called the Verdant Stream Domain, not the Desolate Domain...
But regardless, this event would surely be recorded in the annals of the Desolate Domain...
A few among them with high comprehension even began to use the Dao-residue produced by Qi Ping's breakthrough to contemplate the Dao. For them, this was a once-in-a-ten-thousand-year opportunity! If they did not seize it, it would be the regret of a lifetime!
...
Soon after, the lightning tribulation began to descend. The descent of the very first bolt caused the entire world to fall silent...
"Is this really a Golden Core tribulation?"
"Why is it so terrifying?"
"Even a Nascent Soul tribulation is only at this level, isn't it?"
...
In truth, the power of this lightning bolt would make even an ordinary Golden Core cultivator's scalp tingle!
However, to everyone's shock, when such terrifying lightning fell upon Qi Ping's head, it was completely swallowed by a Yin-Yang Five Elements vortex. It was then evenly distributed into Qi Ping's body and spiritual energy, serving as a resource for his tempering and advancement...
This vortex was a defensive spell created by Qi Ping. It could use the power of the vortex to dissolve an enemy's attack to the greatest extent. Using it now to evenly distribute the lightning across his body was not difficult for him.
Such an easy and relaxed way of facing the tribulation naturally stunned both humans and beasts alike...
But Qi Ping did not care. He was only concerned with the matters related to the breakthrough. He believed his animal companions would handle any external issues for him.
Besides a portion of his energy focused on the tribulation, Qi Ping was entirely immersed in the special insights of the breakthrough. His current understanding of power and rules was incomparable to when he was at the Foundation Establishment stage.
He was particularly entranced by the Golden Core Dao-fruit condensed from his entire foundation and the resulting phenomenon. The level of power and the mysteries within them made Qi Ping deeply obsessed.
This state was more captivating than anything else Qi Ping had experienced, especially as every bit of further understanding increased his power and his comprehension of the immortal path...
But Qi Ping also knew that this state only occurred during a breakthrough, so he cherished the opportunity immensely...
In this way, as bolt after bolt of terrifying lightning fell, Qi Ping seemed completely unaware. The tribulation lasted for an unknown amount of time until the final bolt struck, after which Qi Ping opened his eyes with a face full of regret.
"I really wish that state could have lasted a bit longer..." Qi Ping sighed in his heart.
However, the look on Qi Ping's face—as if the lightning wasn't enough—was a critical hit to everyone else. Were you crossing a tribulation or on vacation?
Could a tribulation be faced like this?
Qi Ping's breakthrough today proved one thing: as long as your foundation is deep enough, crossing a tribulation is not a difficult task—at least not for the Golden Core stage.
In fact, there was supposed to be a Heart-Demon tribulation as well, but before it could have any effect, Qi Ping ground it into nothingness. Besides his firm Dao-heart, the Demon-Eye Magic Realm already contained a portion of the power of heart-demons. Having understood that, Qi Ping was naturally not disturbed by the tribulation.
There was another reason: the Heaven-Earth Favor on him. During his tribulation, it would bring down the lightning most suited for his tempering and allow him to receive more feedback from the world...
Unlike demonic cultivators or those laden with bad karma, the lightning they faced would be much stronger, and the feedback they received would be significantly reduced...
...
In any case, Qi Ping's lightning tribulation was completely over!
Having been tempered by the lightning, Qi Ping's aura was now thoroughly stabilized at the Golden Core stage! His presence was terrifyingly powerful!
"It is time to harvest the final results!"
As the lightning dissipated, threads of rare and special Dao-residue energy began to drill into Qi Ping's body. This world-feedback was something produced after every tribulation a cultivator faced. The deeper the foundation and the stronger the tribulation crossed, the more feedback they would receive!
As this feedback entered Qi Ping's body, it continuously perfected and enhanced his Golden Core Dao-fruit...
However, at the final moment, an anomaly occurred!
A mountain-river power containing a special spirituality surged into Qi Ping's body along with the world-feedback! Under this special power, the already terrifying mountain-river phenomenon around Qi Ping began to change once more!
Qi Ping had already evolved a phenomenon similar to the Qingtian Domain—vast, heavy, and majestic... it already far surpassed that of the Little Stone Spirit and Yaya!
But now, under this new power, Qi Ping's mountain-river phenomenon became even more lifelike! It was as if it had been injected with a soul!
"This is... the power of a Spirit of the Land?"
"The Desolate Domain actually has a Spirit of the Land?"
After identifying the source of this power, Qi Ping was thoroughly shocked!
The reason he was so surprised was because a Spirit of the Land had a grand background! According to the records Qi Ping had read, such spirits were rare even in the wider cultivation world. Only in a place with supreme fortune, opportunity, and a history of producing countless geniuses was there a tiny possibility of a Spirit of the Land being born!
A Spirit of the Land was not a living creature, but a special type of spirituality. A place that possessed one would surely enter a true age of prosperity! For example, it had a strong promotional effect on the continuous growth of leylines, spiritual veins, and the land itself, as well as the birth of natural treasures.
Thus, if a place birthed a Spirit of the Land, it was the luckiest thing for the beings of that domain. But fortune and disaster were twins; the birth of such a spirit could also attract unknown calamities!
"Perhaps the reason this place went from the prosperity of the Verdant Stream Domain to what it is today—a savage and backward land—is due to the exposure of the Spirit of the Land."
However, this was just Qi Ping's speculation. The information he had searched for did not reveal any related news; perhaps there was some formidable secret hidden here.
But an even more shocking thing happened!
As Qi Ping refined a portion of the power of the Spirit of the Land, he discovered that its spirituality followed the world-feedback into his body, intending to merge with his Golden Core phenomenon!
"Does the Spirit of the Land want to recognize me as its master?"
Qi Ping felt the spirit's spirituality actively being brought under his control, and he was stunned beyond belief. This truly caught him off guard!
If the Spirit of the Land could merge with his phenomenon, it would undoubtedly raise his Golden Core manifestation to a terrifying level, and its future potential would be drastically increased. Furthermore, it might have inconceivable benefits for the future development of the Qingtian Domain.
However, faced with this sudden event and given his personality, Qi Ping instinctively used Natural Perception to test the auspiciousness and omen of the situation.
"Great Luck! But within that luck, there is a very faint thread of calamity!"
Fortunately, the malice was not strong and could be dealt with. Moreover, that thread of calamity did not come from the Spirit of the Land itself, but from the outside...
"I expect this is the Great Luck the Little Immortal Tiger predicted!"
At this moment, due to Qi Ping's obstruction, the Spirit of the Land transmitted two emotions: one of plea for help, and one of danger...
'A plea? Danger? Is something threatening the Spirit of the Land?' A question flashed in Qi Ping's mind.
At this time, he no longer blocked it. After confirming the Spirit of the Land was fine, Qi Ping immediately released his restrictions. As long as the spirit itself was okay, this would provide an irreplaceable and massive benefit for his future growth!
But Qi Ping was not blinded by the surprise. He was incredibly cautious as he carefully sensed the power entering his body and the wind and grass around him. Simultaneously, he immediately used the connection between a Druid and his animal companions to notify them to be on high alert.
In this way, Qi Ping sensed his Golden Core Dao-fruit and phenomenon being gradually perfected while preparing for a battle that could occur at any time. He had now basically finished his transformation and could fight with full strength.
After about fifteen minutes, a surge of sinister evil and filth emerged from the world-power, subsequently forming a most wicked and polluted figure.
When this figure appeared in the world, a layer of darkness was draped over the eyes of all the nearby cultivators, and the spiritual energy in their bodies surged out of control!
Some cultivators' souls and consciousnesses were even rapidly demonized and corrupted in this moment...
"A Foul-Blood Demon Spirit? So it is this filthy thing!"
The moment he saw the Foul-Blood Demon Spirit, Qi Ping understood everything. No wonder the Spirit of the Land was willing to actively merge with his Golden Core phenomenon...