readsfreenovel Chapter 23 Late Stage of Golden Core
Chapter 23 Late Stage of Golden Core
A year has passed since Zhao Chen devoured that mid-stage Golden Core void creature.
Throughout the past year, Zhao Chen's cultivation had never ceased. He would capture purple energy at dawn, draw upon the essence of the sun at noon, and absorb the moonlight at night. His Qi Refining cultivation steadily improved from the early stage of the Golden Core realm to the middle stage.
"Almost there." Zhao Chen stood on the mountaintop, looking towards the direction of the withered bone forest.
There were also hundreds of giant beast skeletons there, each containing a vast amount of life essence. He had devoured many over the years, but he had left the largest skeletons—those ancient behemoths over a thousand feet tall—untouched.
It's not that I don't want to swallow it, it's that I can't swallow it.
The bones were too hard; even with his previous physical strength, they were too difficult to chew and digest. It might take him a year to fully refine a thousand-foot-tall skeleton.
But now is the time.
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Zhao Chen used the Golden Crow Escape Light to rush towards the deepest part of the Bone Forest.
Here lies the skeleton of a colossal beast, over three thousand feet long, the largest in this forest of withered bones. It is half-buried in the rock strata, with only a section of its spine and a few ribs exposed. Each rib is a hundred feet tall, resembling archways.
Zhao Chen landed on a rib and gently tapped it with the God-Slaying Spear.
The bones emitted a dull thud, sounding incredibly hard. Yet, under his mid-stage Golden Core realm power, he was finally able to leave deep marks on them.
Zhao Chen began to devour.
He devoured bone after bone, the essence of his marrow transforming into a torrent of heat that surged into his limbs and bones. That energy was more refined and ancient than any energy crystal, as if carrying the oppressive aura of an ancient behemoth in its lifetime.
His Qi cultivation increased at a slow but steady pace.
Three months later, he devoured most of the three-thousand-foot-tall skeleton.
His Qi cultivation has already touched the threshold of the late Golden Core stage, only one step away.
"One more, please."
-
The second body, two thousand feet long. It took two months to complete the absorption.
The third body, 1,500 feet long. It was completely devoured within a month.
A year later, after Zhao Chen refined the essence of the last skeleton, a roar suddenly came from his body.
Within his dantian, the Nine-Turn Golden Core began to tremble violently. The originally condensed power of the Golden Core was continuously compressed and purified. The barrier of the mid-stage Golden Core stage emitted a faint cracking sound under the scouring of massive energy. Zhao Chen held his breath and concentrated, circulating the "Great Sun Golden Crow True Explanation," guiding the Profound Yang True Fire to merge with the power of the Golden Core. The Profound Yang True Fire slowly burned within his dantian, tempering the impurities of the Golden Core, making the core increasingly condensed and substantial.
After an unknown amount of time, a clear buzzing sound came from within the dantian.
The Nine-Turn Golden Core suddenly contracted, then expanded abruptly, its purple-gold light shooting straight to his head. The divine patterns on the core solidified completely, and its power increased several times over! The barrier of the late-stage Golden Core realm shattered instantly, and the aura of the late-stage Golden Core realm erupted from Zhao Chen, sweeping across the entire mountain peak. The surrounding rocks trembled from the force of this aura, and subtle ripples appeared in the void.
As time passed, Zhao Chen's spiritual energy gradually calmed down. He slowly opened his eyes, his pupils bursting with golden light, which instantly became as deep and restrained as a pool. The magical power within his body surged like a vast ocean, perfectly merging with the power of his physical body. His strength was more than three times greater than before, and his divine sense covered a range of millions of feet. Every blade of grass, every tree, and every energy fluctuation around him was clearly imprinted in his mind.
"Late stage of Golden Core, achieved."
Within his dantian, the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir floated silently, its color deepening to a purplish-gold. As it rotated, extremely pure magical power was generated spontaneously, nourishing his physical body and soul. The three natal magic treasures seemed to be summoned by his cultivation level, humming in unison. The God-Slaying Spear shone even brighter, the runes on the Chaos Bell shone even brighter, and the Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife's stealth capabilities increased further. The power of the magic treasures surged along with their masters' cultivation levels.
Zhao Chen raised his hand and waved it. A wisp of purple-gold magic power flowed through his fingertips. With a gentle tap, a crack more than ten feet long was torn open in the void, which was then smoothed out by the magic power in an instant.
Zhao Chen stood up, his aura calm and restrained, no longer displaying his previous sharpness, but appearing even more unfathomable.
But he did not become arrogant.
He used the Golden Crow Escape Technique and flew away into the distance.
Under the moonlight, his figure grew farther and farther away.
Within his dantian, three magical treasures were slowly rotating.
They will grow and fight alongside their owners in the future.