534: Chapter 535 What is a Nascent Soul?

Just as the Formation shattered, the central control token also exploded in Sect Master Yi Qing's hand.

The scattered fragments sliced his palm, and fresh blood dripped through his fingers, but he was completely unaware of it, standing there in a daze, his eyes filled with disbelief.

This grand sect-protecting Formation, which was touted as being able to withstand a Late Stage Golden Core Great True Person and which he regarded as his bargaining chip for being in an invincible position, had simply shattered just like that?

There was no evenly matched stalemate, not even a decent confrontation.

It was just a casual slap, and everything had come to naught!

Sect Master Yi Qing froze in place, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

He suddenly realized one thing: the strength of this person was definitely not that of a Late Stage Golden Core Great True Person!

Although he had never seen a Late Stage Golden Core Cultivator take action until now, he could estimate it by calculating his own strength, and it was absolutely impossible for a Golden Core True Person to possess such power.

But what made him feel even more desperate was that such a powerful Cultivator was actually just someone else's subordinate.

And just how strong must that person be?

He was afraid that he was doomed this time!

"No, I cannot just sit here and wait for death!"

The instinct for survival overcame fear at this moment.

"I haven't lost yet, I still have a bargaining chip!"

Sect Master Yi Qing violently pulled Zhou Yang in front of him, clamped his right hand onto Zhou Yang's crown, and shouted sharply at Great Elder Lu Chenyuan, who had shattered the Formation with a palm strike and was now walking through the Void Realm.

"Take one more step forward, and I will crush his skull immediately!"

At this moment, Sect Master Yi Qing only felt his hands and feet turn cold, and his voice trembled uncontrollably, but he still shielded himself with Zhou Yang.

"Heh..."

When a person is speechless, they really might laugh.

Great Elder Lu Chenyuan looked at the fierce-looking but cowardly Sect Master Yi Qing as if he were looking at a clown.

Sure enough, a Golden Core Cultivator who had cultivated in such a small place seemed to have no idea what the consequences of facing a False Nascent Soul were.

And he still dared to threaten him so brazenly? He still wanted to perish together?

He really did not know that when the gap in strength reached a certain point, the fish would die, but the net would not break.

So, the next moment, Great Elder Lu Chenyuan's figure suddenly disappeared from where he stood.

This was not some escape technique, but rather erasing his own existence from this patch of the Void Realm, and then reappearing in another location.

When he appeared again, he was already standing behind Sect Master Yi Qing.

"What!"

Sect Master Yi Qing was horrified; he had never expected the opponent to have such a method, to the point where he couldn't react at all.

A strong sense of alarm rose in his heart, and a fatal sense of crisis struck him, giving him a feeling of suffocation.

His wrist, which was clamped onto Zhou Yang's crown, subconsciously wanted to exert force, but Sect Master Yi Qing was stunned to find at this moment that he could no longer move.

"You... you..."

Sect Master Yi Qing's voice swirled in his throat.

At this moment, he could not move, could not speak, and could not even turn his eyeballs.

That feeling was as if he were as small as an ant, his Physical Body and Divine Soul suppressed by a divine mountain, every inch of him tightly restrained.

"What kind of Realm is this person at!"

Sect Master Yi Qing found it hard to accept this fact.

He had spent years of painstaking effort and planning to finally achieve the Golden Core.

He had thought he could be carefree, but he did not expect that someone who just happened to appear would beat him back to his original form; how could he be willing to accept this?

He desperately tried to mobilize his Golden Core power, attempting to break free from the restraints, but it was to no avail.

What made him even more desperate was that his own Golden Core began to gradually sink into silence, as if its sense of existence had been stripped away.

Great Elder Lu Chenyuan ignored Sect Master Yi Qing's struggle and walked in front of Zhou Yang, moving the hand that was clamped on his head away, rescuing him from the imprisonment.

"Many thanks to you, Senior, for the rescue!"

As soon as he was free, Zhou Yang hurriedly bowed deeply to Great Elder Lu Chenyuan.

He was still lingering in fear; at that moment, he had felt as if he were about to meet his ancestors.

But he did not expect that this Senior would be so full of Divine Ability, suppressing Sect Master Yi Qing, who was a Golden Core True Person, in just a short moment, and saving him without any harm.

"It is nothing."

Regarding this, Great Elder Lu Chenyuan waved his hand indifferently, his tone calm.

To him, suppressing a mere Early Stage Golden Core was just a casual matter.

Immediately, Great Elder Lu Chenyuan looked at Zhou Yang, then turned to look at Sect Master Yi Qing, who was suppressed in place, and asked.

"How do you intend to deal with this person?"

Hearing this, Zhou Yang looked at Sect Master Yi Qing.

Although Sect Master Yi Qing could not even turn his eyes at this moment, Zhou Yang could read the unwillingness in those eyes, as well as a trace of pleading.

A flash of hesitation appeared on Zhou Yang's face, but it quickly disappeared.

He was not an indecisive person to begin with, and his initial hesitation was only out of consideration for their fellowship as fellow Disciples.

But on second thought, Sect Master Yi Qing wanted to kill him without any regard for their fellowship, so he naturally did not need to hold back against the other party.

If this Senior had not arrived today, he would probably not only have been humiliated but would also have found it difficult to escape death.

Thinking of this, the coldness in Zhou Yang's eyes grew stronger.

So he cupped his hands toward Great Elder Lu Chenyuan.

"Senior, I would like to do it myself."

Great Elder Lu Chenyuan was noncommittal about this; he was quite satisfied that Zhou Yang could make such a decisive decision, though the other party's request made his expression a bit strange.

However, he did not say anything, just nodded slightly, and then stepped aside.

"Good!"

Zhou Yang took a deep breath, raised his hand to take out a second-tier top-grade Dharma sword from the Storage Pouch at his waist, and then poured his spiritual power into it.

In an instant, the spiritual light on the Dharma sword flourished, and the sound of the sword ringing echoed across the fields.

"Slash!"

Zhou Yang roared, and a sharp sword light was swung towards Sect Master Yi Qing with his full-strength strike.

The sword light was sharp and unparalleled, carrying the sound of tearing through the air, and instantly slashed onto Sect Master Yi Qing.

However, the scene of the head being separated from the body and blood splattering in the air as expected did not appear.

With only a soft "chi" sound, this sword light, which carried Zhou Yang's decisive strike, only cut off a corner of Sect Master Yi Qing's clothes, and his Physical Body was not harmed in the slightest.

In an instant, there was a moment of silence in the field.

Zhou Yang was a bit dazed; he looked down at the Dharma sword in his hand, and then at the unscathed Sect Master Yi Qing.

For a moment, he began to doubt whether the Dharma sword he was holding was a fake.

Immediately realizing something, a trace of embarrassment flashed across his face.

Don't look at how Sect Master Yi Qing was kneaded and flattened in Great Elder Lu Chenyuan's hands without any ability to fight back; that was because he was facing a False Nascent Soul Cultivator.

But for a Golden Core True Person, Foundation Establishment was a complete crushing.

For a Late Stage Foundation Establishment like Zhou Yang to want to break the defense of a Golden Core True Person was simply wishful thinking.

Even if the current Sect Master Yi Qing had no ability to fight back!

The field was silent for a moment, and only then did Zhou Yang turn his head, looking at Great Elder Lu Chenyuan with some embarrassment, his eyes full of requests for help.

Great Elder Lu Chenyuan pressed the corner of his mouth; he had expected this result, but he didn't say much, just raised his hand and grasped the air towards Sect Master Yi Qing.

The Dantian position of the Golden Core Dharma body, which even Zhou Yang's full-strength strike could not injure in the slightest, suddenly cracked open.

Inside, that Golden Core that was spinning around violently shook at this moment, and then uncontrollably flew out of Sect Master Yi Qing's body.

During this whole process, Sect Master Yi Qing just stared with those despairing eyes, but could do nothing.

And at the moment the Golden Core left his body, Sect Master Yi Qing's body trembled violently, and his aura began to plummet at this moment.

The Golden Core Dharma power, which had been like an abyss and like a sea, instantly dropped.

Early Golden Core Stage, Foundation Establishment Perfection, Late Stage Foundation Establishment, Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, Early Foundation Establishment Stage... Late Stage Qi Refining, Early Stage Qi Refining... back to zero!!

His hair began to turn white from the roots, like frost and snow, spreading from the top of his head to his temples.

His originally handsome face also became withered, his eye sockets deeply sunken, his cheekbones protruding, and his skin wrinkled like the bark of an old tree.

His body hunched over, like a piece of dried dead wood.

His eyes turned from terror to despair, and from despair to emptiness.

He knew that from the moment his Golden Core was stripped away, he was finished.

Great Elder Lu Chenyuan did not look at Sect Master Yi Qing again.

He looked down at the Golden Core spinning in his palm; the Golden Core was crystal clear, emitting a warm cyan light.

What made him frown, however, was that the vitality of the Dao of Green Wood was circulating within it, mixed with wisps of dark red blood evil Qi.

"Why is it so impure?"

Muttering along the way, Great Elder Lu Chenyuan immediately pointed a finger at the Golden Core.

In an instant, the dark red blood evil Qi lingering on it dissipated rapidly like snow meeting the scorching sun.

Not long after, this Golden Core became pure and transparent, obviously having its blood evil Qi purified clean.

Only then did he lift the Golden Core in front of Zhou Yang, while explaining in his mouth.

"I observe that your Aptitude is mediocre. If you Cultivate step by step, Foundation Establishment Perfection will be your limit in this life, and it is impossible for you to survive the Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation."

Great Elder Lu Chenyuan's tone was flat, as if stating a fact.

Hearing this blunt remark, Zhou Yang's face dimmed, and he nodded silently.

These words sounded very harsh, but he knew clearly that his Aptitude was indeed not good.

Otherwise, the resources left by the Senior back then would have been enough to pile him up to Foundation Establishment Perfection or even break through to the Golden Core.

But now that he had only reached the Late Stage Foundation Establishment, he was already lacking in follow-up power.

If there was no great Opportunity and great fortune, he would probably really be destined not to have a Golden Core in this life.

However, it was also at this moment that he heard Great Elder Lu Chenyuan continue.

"This Golden Core was stripped out by me using a secret method. Although the energy was mixed, after purification, it can barely be used."

"Moreover, this is the essence of a Golden Core True Person. If you refine it, your Aptitude will inevitably be greatly improved, and your future impact on the Golden Core barrier will be twice the result with half the effort."

Zhou Yang looked at the Golden Core spinning in Great Elder Lu Chenyuan's palm, listening to the news he was telling, and his heartbeat accelerated violently.

Golden Core!

This was the condensation of a Golden Core True Person's entire cultivation and insights into the Dao, all sealed in this small pill.

If he refined it, it seemed he would have a chance to break through to the Golden Core and jump to become a top existence in the Southern Wilderness Region.

But soon, Zhou Yang took a deep breath and suppressed the excitement in his heart.

He looked down at Dong Pingan and Zhang Li and the others below.

At this time, they were standing not far away, looking over here, their eyes full of concern.

If he refined this Golden Core, what would they do?

Their Aptitude was also average; if there was no Opportunity, their lives would just be like this.

He could not enjoy the Opportunity alone!

Zhou Yang withdrew his gaze and shook his head at Great Elder Lu Chenyuan.

"Senior, I appreciate your kindness, but I cannot accept this Golden Core."

Great Elder Lu Chenyuan looked at him and suddenly smiled.

He saw through what Zhou Yang was thinking and understood the reason for his refusal.

However, he did not care about this, and waved his hand, his tone relaxed.

"Rest assured, I came here this time ordered by my Lord to bring you good fortune. My Lord has already taken the improvement of your Aptitude into account in advance."

Saying this, he took out a jet-black ancient ring from his sleeve and handed it to Zhou Yang.

"This storage ring contains not only secret Cultivation Techniques that lead directly to the Golden Core Stage, but also many spiritual resources and treasures."

"Among them, the Dust-Cleansing Precious Pill, the Heaven-Mending Creation Pill, and the Heaven-Clearing Jade Marrow Pill are all fourth-tier Medicinal Pills, specifically used to improve Aptitude."

"Even if placed in the Cave Heaven, they are extremely precious items; even ordinary Disciples and Elders are not qualified to take them!"

"You all should divide them up; I think it should be enough."

Zhou Yang stared blankly at the ancient ring in his hand, listening to the items introduced by Great Elder Lu Chenyuan, his heart already churning with stormy waves.

He had never even heard of these Medicinal Pills.

And those so-called fourth-tier Medicinal Pills, what concept was that?

The entire Southern Wilderness Region might not even be able to find many third-tier Medicinal Pills.

If this Senior made a move, it was several fourth-tier Medicinal Pills!

As for the words like "my Lord" and "Cave Heaven" that he spoke, he was even more confused and could not understand at all.

However, Zhou Yang was also a straightforward person. Seeing that this Senior also held great goodwill towards them, he did not beat around the bush and asked directly.

"Senior, who exactly is your Lord?"

Zhou Yang's voice was a bit puzzled.

"And why come to give us resources?"

This was the key. He did not believe in hatred without reason, nor did he believe in love without reason.

If there was no reasonable reason, who would be willing to give such valuable resources?

At least in Zhou Yang's view, the few of them were not worth the other party paying these.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Zhou Yang's mind.

A figure appeared before his eyes.

It was the person who killed through the Golden Cores in the Southern Wilderness Region, changed the pattern of the Southern Wilderness Region with his own strength, entrusted them to True Person Tianxing, and then drifted away.

Among the Great Cultivators Zhou Yang knew, if one were to talk about the most mysterious, the most unfathomable, and the one with the deepest connection, it was only that person!

But didn't he only leave for a few decades?

If he remembered correctly, wasn't he only at the Early Golden Core Stage? How did he become an existence that even Late Stage Golden Cores had to bow down to in the blink of an eye?

"Dare I ask Senior, was it bestowed by a Senior surnamed Han?" Zhou Yang's voice was a bit dry, carrying an indescribable nervousness and expectation.

And upon hearing this question, Great Elder Lu Chenyuan was obviously stunned for a moment, then shook his head.

"No."

Hearing this result, Zhou Yang felt a bit lost in his heart, and his eyes dimmed.

Was it really wishful thinking?

"However..."

At this time, Great Elder Lu Chenyuan added.

"My Lord has used countless aliases. I indeed do not know the Senior Han you mentioned."

"However, before leaving, my Lord once told me that he once used the alias 'Daoist Wu'."

As soon as the three words "Daoist Wu" entered his ears, Zhou Yang's whole body shook.

It was him! It really was him! Everything matched!

In an instant, countless emotions surged in his heart.

Shock, excitement, realization, and a trace of indescribable melancholy.

He had always felt that that Senior was very mysterious, and it had been like that since he was in the Southern Wilderness Region.

But he did not expect that that Senior had already become so powerful.

A False Nascent Soul Cultivator who could knead and flatten a Golden Core True Person like an ant was actually willing to serve him as Lord.

Then how terrifying must his strength be?

Zhou Yang did not dare to think, but could not help but think about it.

"Senior, that... Senior Wu, how is he now, and what Realm has he reached?"