The Inner Demon Tribulation broken, the Dao Heart illuminated. Xiao Qi stood in the center of the valley like ruins, his breath seemingly pathetic, but his spirit soared to an unprecedented peak. That Golden Core embryo within his body, having undergone eight layers of heavenly thunder tempering and inner demon interrogation, had condensed to the extreme, just lacking one final thread of guidance to completely form and emerge!
However, the Heavenly Dao's test had not yet concluded!
Those jet-black tribulation clouds, enraged by the breaking of the Inner Demon Tribulation, no longer contained any strange changes, retaining only the purest, most extreme destructive will! All darkness frantically contracted inward and condensed, ultimately forming a thunder light of extinction, merely the thickness of an arm, yet seeming able to penetrate the Nine Abysses and annihilate stars!
This thunder light, chaotic in color, soundless and still, even not emitting much energy fluctuation, but as it crossed the sky, space twisted and collapsed around it, leaving a black mark! Where it passed, all things returned to silence. Even light and sound were devoured!
This was Heaven's final judgment on those who defied the heavens, allowing no trace of life to exist!
Facing this ultimate destructive strike that transcended attributes and energy levels, Xiao Qi knew deeply that any defense, any resistance, would be futile! Four Symbols Protection could not withstand it, and even the Purification Origin could not completely resolve this pure "extinction" true intent!
The only hope lay not outside but within! It lay in that Golden Core about to form, in the World-Purifying Ling Yan that matched his origin!
Just as that ultimate Extinction Thunder Light was about to touch his body, at that critical moment, Xiao Qi made a decision both extremely resolute and perfectly matching his illuminated Dao Heart at this moment!
He not only did not defend but completely opened his body and mind! He poured all his essence, qi, and spirit—all his intention without any reservation—into his dantian, into that Golden Core embryo about to completely form!
"World-Purifying Ling Yan, fuse!"
He drank softly in his heart. The World-Purifying Ling Yan that had been gently flowing through his meridians and nourishing his physical body, as if hearing the final call, transformed into a milky-white torrent, instantly flooding into the dantian, completely enveloping that dazzling Golden Core embryo that still lacked that final step!
The milky-white flames gently burned, no longer merely opposing the destructive aura within the Thunder Tribulation but proactively meeting that descending ultimate Extinction Thunder Light with an accommodating, supreme intent!
"Om—!"
There was no expected catastrophic explosion, nor intense confrontation of energy.
When that chaotic-colored ultimate Extinction Thunder Light touched the Golden Core enveloped by the World-Purifying Ling Yan, a strange transformation occurred!
Destruction and creation, two completely opposite yet both belonging to the origin of heaven and earth, at this moment underwent a profound collision and blending!
The Extinction Thunder Light's will to annihilate everything frantically impacted the World-Purifying Ling Yan's creation barrier, attempting to thoroughly turn that heaven-defying Golden Core into nothingness. And the World-Purifying Ling Yan, with its boundless accommodation and purification true intent, like the most resilient mother, endured this extreme destruction, and with that thread of "creation" origin, tenaciously maintained the Golden Core embryo undispersed, even. guiding that destructive force to in turn temper the Golden Core!
This was no longer simple resistance but a higher level of—tempering!
Using Heavenly Dao's ultimate destructive force as the hammer, using the World-Purifying Ling Yan's creation-protection intent as the anvil, using Xiao Qi's illuminated and steadfast Guardian Dao Heart as the guide!
That Golden Core embryo, under this unprecedented tempering, underwent essential transformation!
The light on its surface was no longer merely the condensation of spiritual power and Dao rhythm but began to internalize, presenting a color as if chaos was first opening, accommodating all things, like a miniature containing infinite possibilities and vitality—the seed of a world!
Within the Golden Core, the originally distinct essence, qi, and spirit, under the coordination of the World-Purifying Ling Yan and the pressure of the Extinction Thunder Light, thoroughly blended like water and milk, no longer distinguishable! Purification Origin, Four Symbols Power, Guardian Sword Heart, the qi-blood true intent of the Adamantine Body. everything was perfectly fused within this small Golden Core!
How much time passed? Perhaps only an instant, perhaps eternity.
That chaotic-colored ultimate Extinction Thunder Light finally exhausted its last thread of energy, slowly dissipating.
Within Xiao Qi's dantian, that light cluster enveloped by the World-Purifying Ling Yan also sharply contracted inward!
The next moment—
"BOOM!!!"
A boundless vitality and vast Dao rhythm impossible to describe in words, like the first roar of the universe's creation, erupted from within Xiao Qi!
The milky-white World-Purifying Ling Yan, as if having completed its mission, happily flowed outward, re-integrating into his four limbs and hundred meridians, nourishing his damaged physical body. Its own light seemed even more condensed.
And at the very center of that dantian qi sea, a Golden Core the size of a dragon's eye, perfectly round, presenting a chaotic color, yet flowing with pure milky-white glow and seven-colored auspicious light, quietly floated, rotating slowly.
Each rotation drew the and of the surrounding heavenly spiritual energy, emanating a momentum of completeness, freedom, and eternity!
On the Golden Core, profound Dao patterns naturally formed. Those patterns seemed to contain the true intents of purification, protection, creation, Four Symbols. all kinds of perfect harmony integrated into one.
This was no longer an ordinary Nine-Turn Golden Core but a supreme Golden Core fused with the World-Purifying Ling Yan origin, having undergone Nine Heavens authority and inner demon trials, with protection as its core, accommodating all things—the Supreme Golden Core!
"It formed! The Golden Core formed!" In the distance, Chieftain Mu Yan was moved to tears. He had witnessed the birth of a legend!
Zhao Tiezhu even waved his fists excitedly, nearly jumping up, his wide mouth nearly splitting to his ears.
In the sky, those terrifying tribulation clouds covering a hundred li, after the ultimate Extinction Thunder Light dissipated, finally began to slowly disperse. Replacing them was auspicious seven-colored auspicious light covering the valley like a canopy! Divine rain descended, golden lotuses rose from the earth. Pure heavenly spiritual energy like a tide surged toward Xiao Qi, nourishing his depleted meridians and damaged physical body, celebrating the official birth of a Golden Core True Lord!
Xiao Qi felt that boundless power seemingly able to control one direction of heaven and earth radiating from that chaotic Golden Core within him, and that clearer resonance with heaven and earth. He slowly opened his eyes.
Divine light hidden within his eyes, profound as the starry sky.
He had succeeded.
After countless hardships and trials crossing life and death, he had finally stepped onto the Golden Core Dao that countless cultivators dreamed of!
From now on, the sea is wide for fish to leap and the sky is high for birds to fly!
Tang Xiaoqi's Golden Core era had officially begun!