Chapter 113: The Golden Core Stage (Part II)

A thick bolt of lightning crashed directly onto the Heaven-Shaking Sword. As Lin Yanghao had anticipated, the sword successfully withstood the strike.

"Crack!" Suddenly, four more bolts of lightning descended simultaneously. How could a single Heaven-Shaking Sword possibly block them all? It was like trying to fight off four foes with only two fists; no matter how powerful the sword was, it could not stop all four strikes at once.

"Ah!" As expected, the sword only deflected one, and the remaining three struck Lin Yanghao. Fortunately, he had already deployed the Demon Blood Vine, or else he would have been in real trouble.

"Bing Xiao, it's your turn!" Lin Yanghao, enduring intense pain, remembered the beast. Bing Xiao was tough-skinned and thick-fleshed; he would surely survive this pill tribulation easily.

"How could you do this! You can't just pit a beast like that!" The situation had escalated too quickly, and before Bing Xiao could react, several bolts of lightning hit him.

"Crack! Crack!"
"Boom! Boom!"

Though extremely unwilling, what else could Bing Xiao do? He could only blame himself for having such a shameless master! He would definitely make him compensate for this later.

As expected, once Bing Xiao stepped in, he was worth two. After several more lightning strikes, the clouds in the sky finally began to break, revealing a ray of red light as the weather gradually cleared.

After the tribulation, Lin Yanghao felt his cultivation level had improved significantly; it was incomparable to before. He knew he had successfully entered the Golden Core stage! He was now a bona fide Golden Core cultivator!

Lin Yanghao estimated he had endured at least seventy bolts of lightning. Advancing to the Golden Core stage had taken about seven days, and the tribulation had lasted just as long.

Damn it! That was the Six-Nine Lightning Tribulation! Wasn't that supposed to appear only during ascension? And it was one of the most powerful types of heavenly tribulations! He had actually survived it! It was simply incredible! Lin Yanghao felt his mind reeling; it was too absurd!

He, a mere Golden Core cultivator, had encountered the Great Tribulation of Ascension! He couldn't even imagine what his actual ascension tribulation would be like.

"Bing Xiao, let's go!" Although the Tianwu Sect no longer had Le Hao as their boss, the remaining Nascent Soul elders were not to be trifled with. It was best to leave. After all, he had ransacked the sect and even cost them their leader, so the venture was a profitable one.

"Bing Xiao, why have you changed like this?" Lin Yanghao asked with feigned innocence. Bing Xiao’s coat had transformed from snow-white to carbon black, making Lin Yanghao feel a bit guilty.

Bing Xiao, long accustomed to Lin Yanghao's shamelessness, ignored him. He gave his body a shake, and his fur returned to its original snow-white color. This display made Lin Yanghao’s eyes light up. He hadn't realized Bing Xiao’s fur was almost as durable as a turtle shell. Had Bing Xiao known he was being compared to a turtle, he would have abandoned Lin Yanghao without a second thought.

Lin Yanghao leaped onto Bing Xiao’s back and fled, leaving the elders and disciples of the Tianwu Sect in a daze. It had all been too dramatic.

"Big Brother, I'm here!" Zeng Quan shouted excitedly. He thought his Big Brother was truly something else—even his mount was monstrously powerful. He had clearly seen Bing Xiao’s display of might during the tribulation. A lightning strike that even a Spirit Severing stage expert couldn't block had been easily handled by Bing Xiao. Did this not prove that Bing Xiao was stronger than Le Hao? Truly, follow Brother Hao, and gain eternal life! To be able to subdue such a powerful spirit beast—Zeng Quan was in awe.

Seeing Lin Yanghao riding on Bing Xiao’s back, Zeng Quan was filled with envy. He had never ridden a spirit beast before. Thinking to take advantage of the situation, he prepared to jump onto Bing Xiao’s back.

"Hmph, what are you? Is the back of Lord Beast something you can ride?" Bing Xiao was already reluctant to let Lin Yanghao ride him; how could he allow anyone else? Even in the Immortal Realm, no one had ever dared to ride him. Meeting Lin Yanghao was already the worst stroke of bad luck in eight lifetimes.

"You... you are... a High-Grade Spirit Beast!" After a struggle, Zeng Quan finally managed to stammer out the words. Bing Xiao could actually speak! How? This meant Bing Xiao had at least the strength of the Body Integration stage. Recalling that he had intended to ride a High-Grade Spirit Beast, a cold sweat broke out on his brow. He admired Lin Yanghao even more; as expected of his boss, even a High-Grade Spirit Beast was willing to be his mount.

By the time he turned back, Bing Xiao had already carried Lin Yanghao far away. Zeng Quan hurriedly chased after them.

...

"Sect Leader, what should we do now?" Within the Tianwu Sect, several elders and protectors gathered around a ghostly-green infant. Indeed, this was Le Hao’s Nascent Soul. Under the heavenly tribulation, Le Hao had lost his physical body, but his Nascent Soul had escaped.

"After the chaos caused by Lin Yanghao, our sect exists in name only. From today, the Tianwu Sect will close its gates. Once our cultivation is restored, we will wash away this shame!" Le Hao sighed, unable to let go of the incident.

"Sect Leader, who exactly is that boy? To trigger the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation while only in the Golden Core stage..." one of the elders asked about the culprit.

"Remember, do not seek revenge on Lin Yanghao for now. To trigger and survive the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation at the Golden Core stage—his name will surely become legendary from this day forward."

"Yes, Sect Leader."

...

Two days later, Lin Yanghao stopped in an unknown mountain range. The spiritual energy was abundant, and the scenery was pleasant; he truly liked it here. He decided it would be best to consolidate his cultivation. Expanding his divine sense, he was surprised to find it had reached a range of two thousand meters.

"Big Brother, I finally caught up to you. I'm exhausted!" Lin Yanghao’s thoughts were interrupted by Zeng Quan.

"I need to consolidate my cultivation. You should also step up your training and strive to reach the Golden Core stage soon." With that, Lin Yanghao began to stabilize his inner energy.