At the very moment her Golden Core finally crystallized—
Crack… crack…
Xie Zhaolin's charred, cracked body began to emit faint sounds of splintering,
Pieces of scorched, dead skin fell away, revealing the jade-like, faintly radiant flesh beneath. Beneath that skin, dark-golden patterns swirled subtly, echoing the veins of her Golden Core, exuding a mysterious and powerful Dao resonance.
Her shattered body, nourished by the overwhelming power of the Rebirth Flower and the life force fed back from her Golden Core, was visibly reconstructing before their eyes.
Broken bones fused, shattered meridians regenerated, even growing wider and tougher. Her dried-up blood flowed again, carrying immense strength.
A magnificent aura, hundreds of times stronger than that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, erupted from her newly reborn body, stirring the lingering spiritual energy in the area into an invisible wave that spread outward,
Golden Core!
She'd finally stepped into the Golden Core stage,
And not just any early-stage Golden Core.
With the unique Annihilation Yinsha Core and the extreme refinement of her previous Thunder Tribulation, her foundation was unshakably strong. The moment her core formed, her cultivation stabilized at the peak of early-stage Golden Core, just a step away from mid-stage.
The thunderclouds above, after the seventh bolt of her tribulation struck, sensed the Golden Core's completion and her stabilized aura. They finally began to dissipate slowly.
The suffocating pressure of heaven and earth withdrew along with it.
A sliver of sunlight pierced the thinning clouds, falling into the bottom of the deep pit.
The Tribulation… was over.
Xie Zhaolin slowly opened her eyes. They were no longer pitch-black but as deep as the starry sky. Her gaze, calm and measured, carried an aura of natural authority.
She felt the overwhelming power coursing through her body, felt the unique Dao resonance of the Annihilation Yinsha Core in her dantian, and a cold arc curved at the corner of her lips.
"Death and rebirth… the Annihilation Yinsha Core…
This path… I've mastered it!"
She clenched her fist lightly, sensing the terrifying force within her new body.
At her thought, a thread of pure black yinsha swirled around her fingertips. This yinsha was no longer just cold and corrosive, but carried an aura that seemed capable of returning all things to silence.
"Master… Master!"
You You finally couldn't contain herself, breaking free from the jade slip. Her voice trembled with disbelief and post-tribulation euphoria, shattering the brief calm.
"You did it! You really did it! Wuuu… it's amazing! It's amazing!"
Her semi-transparent soul floated excitedly in the air, her gaze toward Xie Zhaolin full of reverence and indescribable relief.
Thank goodness! She survived!
Not only did she survive, she forged an unprecedented Golden Core!
The unease and anxiety she had felt due to their master-servant bond vanished almost entirely.
Following someone capable of carving a path through the deadly Ninefold Purple Heaven Thunder Tribulation, and still successfully forging a Golden Core, her future was limitless!
This was a deal that couldn't possibly fail!
Clinging to this ally meant that once her soul returned or even her body was reforged, nothing would be impossible!
Yet, beneath the joy, a faint unease stirred in You You's heart, like an undercurrent in deep water.
There was something off about this Tribulation. The seventh bolt—the pitch-black scar born purely to annihilate—didn't feel like a trial at all. Trials always leave a glimmer of life, a seed of rebirth amid destruction. But this black scar… felt like pure, untainted extinction.
It was clearly aimed at erasing her Master completely, body and Primordial Soul, leaving no trace behind. This went beyond a heavenly tribulation, more like… divine punishment.
A punishment that would never cease until death.
The thought flashed through You You's mind, scaring her enough that she buried it deep in her heart.
Impossible! She must be overthinking!
The Heavenly Dao is supreme, it wouldn't act like this!
She forced herself not to dwell on it and turned her attention back, speaking with sincere admiration:
"Master! With your body strengthened and refined by the Tribulation and reconstructed by the Rebirth Flower, you might now rival a physical cultivator at Golden Core stage! Combined with the mysteries of the Annihilation Yinsha Core… you likely have no equal among your peers!"
Xie Zhaolin listened, her gaze still calm, even carrying a hint of cold contemplation. She nodded lightly, acknowledging You You's praise, though her thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
That subtle unease You You felt? She felt it too.
And she felt it far more keenly.
The final black lightning scar… was too strange!
"Seven bolts of Tribulation…" she murmured, her eyes sharp as knives.
Since ancient records, cultivators crossing tribulations follow the Three-Nine Rule.
Small Tribulations come in threes, major Tribulations in sixes, and the Ninefold in nines… there's never been a "seven"!
Three, six, nine, twelve… these are the numbers dictated by the Laws of Heaven and Earth.
Seven…
This number was abrupt.
It was as if, after the predetermined six thunder bolts, one was forcibly… added. And the seventh bolt's power, with its intent to annihilate, was fundamentally different from the first six. It didn't feel like a natural test of the heavens, more like… interference from some external force.
Its goal was clear: leave her no chance to survive.
It wasn't a trial, it was aimed at her life itself, willing to break all rules to destroy her completely.
"If it weren't for the Rebirth Flower activating at the last moment, protecting my undying true spirit and reconstructing my body with the life force of reincarnation…" Xie Zhaolin's eyes flickered with both fear and cold resolve.
The consequences were unimaginable. She even had a faint sense that, as the Rebirth Flower neutralized the seventh bolt and the clouds finally dispersed…
There was a subtle trace of resentment from the heavens. It was as if some existence felt disappointed and angry that they couldn't wipe her out completely.
The thought was horrifying, absurd even, but the feeling was vivid, lingering in her mind.
Sunlight warmed her reborn skin, but it couldn't chase away the chill that the seventh, bizarre bolt had cast over her heart.
The Heavenly Dao, or perhaps some hidden force… seemed to not want her alive.
This realization instantly washed away the brief relief from her breakthrough. In its place rose sharper vigilance and a stronger defiant resolve.
No matter what lurked behind this, Xie Zhaolin would never be manipulated!