277: Chapter 277 Late-Stage Golden Core! Pretending to be Blind and Deaf!

...

Cold winters and hot summers came and went, spring departed and autumn arrived.

In the blink of an eye, several years of time had hurried past...

Cultivation is just like this; the more one focuses on the cultivation at hand, ignoring external disturbances, the more one year feels like a single day.

A mere few years of time is but a few insignificant days on that long journey of cultivation, yet it can also be the most agonizing years for the common masses.

The joys and sorrows of the Human Race and the Yao Race are never the same.

The Human Race suffers, while the Yao Race revels; the Yao Race serves as food for humans, while the Human Race ascends to seek the Dao.

The sky above Zixiao Peak gradually changed color.

Heavy black clouds constantly pressed down, almost touching the mountain peak.

Within the clouds, purple-gold electric arcs wandered frantically like coiled dragons, weaving into a heart-palpitating sea of thunder!

Violent winds howled, whipping up sand and stones across the sky; only the Way of Thunder dominated the firmament.

"Boom!"

Bolts of purple thunder struck down, smashing into various places on Zixiao Peak; instantly, rocks shattered, scorched earth splattered, and thunder descended upon the world.

Deep within the Thunder Pool, that terrifying aura, suppressed for years, finally erupted; thousands of thunderbolts exploded in unison at this moment.

A heaven-shocking divine thunder roared, illuminating the world, resembling a tree of thunder, venting the fury of thunder...

On Zixiao Peak, many thunder-attribute spiritual plants grew.

Purple Thunder Bamboo grew joint by joint, with electric sparks dancing on the bamboo leaves; Thunder-Struck Wood sprouted new buds, and natural thunder patterns appeared on the surface of the trunks.

There were Thunder-Attracting Flowers, constantly growing and blooming; there were Thunder Vines, growing wildly, swallowing thunder and exhaling qi, causing thunder to rumble incessantly!

Nourished by the violent thunder-attribute Spiritual Qi, these spiritual plants were not destroyed but instead underwent a wild transformation.

Countless thunderbolts descended from the sky, turning the entire Zixiao Peak into a boiling sea of thunder; countless thunder-attribute creatures benefited from this.

Some leveled up, while others underwent transformation.

Outside the Main Peak hall, Old Daoist Yundu looked up, watching the doomsday-like scene, and twisted off a few whiskers from his chin.

"It is just a Breakthrough of a small Realm, so why is this commotion several times more terrifying than an ordinary Cultivator's Core Formation? Fellow Daoist Shi, to what extent exactly does your foundation run deep?"

"It truly is unprecedented and will likely never be surpassed."

"Strange, how strange!"

On Panshi Peak, Shi Pan manifested his ten-zhang true form, letting the violent wind blow through his fur.

He stared at Zixiao Peak, his eyes filled with fanaticism and awe; this was the Old Ancestor they revered, gathering the mighty power of heaven and earth into one body.

In the center of the thunder sea, purple-gold thunder liquid churned violently.

At the bottom of the pool, a massive bear body slowly stood up.

Shi Jian opened his eyes; his left eye flickered with wild azure thunder, while his right eye contained purple-gold thunder; a storm gathered at his feet, lifting him to the clouds!

The Level 7 Poison Flood Dragon Yao Beast core had been completely refined by the Zixiao Golden Thunder, turning into the purest power of Origin, merging into his limbs and bones.

In his Dantian, the Yao Beast core spun rapidly, its volume more than a circle larger than before, and the Dao of Thunder patterns engraved on its surface became increasingly complex and profound.

"Break!"

Shi Jian roared at the sky, and a phantom of a primeval giant bear gathered in the clouds, reflecting onto the earth.

The violent thunder roar turned into tangible sound waves, carrying endless thunder, breaking through the heavy clouds, and tearing the firmament!

It was as if this sky had been torn open, and sunlight poured down.

It illuminated the entire Zixiao Peak, just as if the Yao Race were about to tear through this dark era and walk under the sunlight once more.

Golden Core Late Stage, achieved!

Shi Jian stepped out of the thunder pool, and the purple-gold Thunder Armor automatically attached to his body.

He clenched his claws, feeling the power within his body capable of destroying heaven and earth; his Golden Core Late Stage cultivation, combined with his Nascent Soul-level Divine Sense.

Now, even if he were to face a true Nascent Soul Early Stage Cultivator.

Perhaps he would still be lacking, but at least he should have a one or two-tenths chance of escaping; at the very least, he would not be completely powerless.

Shi Jian stepped on the clouds and ascended to the sky; his towering figure made countless humans and Yao bow in worship.

The Disciples of the Sect and thousands of Yao Beasts all knelt and kowtowed at this moment, shouting together:

"Congratulations to the Old Ancestor for breaking through the Realm!"

"Congratulations to the Old Ancestor for breaking through the Realm!!"

The shouts rose and fell, like mountains and seas, vast and boundless.

Old Daoist Yundu rode a cloud up and offered congratulations: "Congratulations to Brother Shi for your great advancement in cultivation; you are one step closer to the Nascent Soul Dao."

Shi Jian restrained his aura, his figure shrinking to the size of an ordinary bear beast.

He smiled, waved his hand, and then the man and the bear descended onto Zixiao Peak; Shi Pan was also there, having waited for a long time...

"In these few years, have there been any changes in the Sect?"

Shi Jian spoke, his voice deep, as he looked at Daoist Yun Du to ask:

"There has been nothing much these years; one thing is that Immortal Master Mountain Clearing of the Qingguang Sect has passed away, and his Sect has presented their Alchemy Legacy, attaching themselves to our White Cloud Temple."

"Additionally, the Xuanshui Pure Clear Qi that Fellow Daoist Shi Pan gave me has been negotiated with the Baicao Pavilion of Hua Prefecture; I have exchanged it for a wisp of Wood Dao heaven and earth qi, 'Azure Wood Longevity Spiritual Qi,' which has already been delivered to Fellow Daoist Shi Pan."

"Furthermore, it is nothing more than the four Sects of the Righteous Path in the Liang Kingdom engaging in infighting; the weakest, the Qingfeng Sect, was destroyed, and True Monarch Tongming has been reduced to a Loose Cultivator..."

"As for the rest, there is nothing major."

Shi Jian nodded slightly; Daoist Yun Du always handled matters reliably.

"Please continue to trouble yourself with the affairs of the Sect, Temple Master Yun."

"The defense lines in the northern part of Feng Prefecture and the homeland of Ming Prefecture still need to be reinforced; the situation in the Liang Kingdom is turbulent, so do not get involved in it."

"As for other matters, I will not say much more; Brother Yun, please feel free to do as you please."

"This Yun understands."

Daoist Yun Du had wanted to chat a bit more to build rapport with Shi Jian, but seeing that Shi Jian had no intention of chatting more, he took the initiative to leave.

Back then, they were collaborators.

He was the principal, and Shi Jian was the auxiliary, but as time passed, although he remained the apparent person in charge of White Cloud Temple.

In reality, he had gradually become a slightly more Advanced facade.

The power of speech within White Cloud Temple had also tilted with Shi Jian's continuous Breakthroughs; if it were not for the fact that Shi Jian was of the Yao Race and not of the orthodox Human Race.

I fear that this White Cloud Temple would have long been hollowed out by the other party.

But Daoist Yun Du was also helpless.

As it stood now, he was powerless to stop the changes in the situation and had completely lost the ability to control the situation...

Now, there were only two choices before him: one, to continue to associate with Shi Jian and act as his protective umbrella.

His Yun Clan could also ride this east wind and rise.

But this would mean that for the sake of his own Family's interests, he had abandoned the interests of the Human Race; to put it bluntly, he would be a traitor to humanity.

In doing so, he would be reviled by thousands.

Two, he could actively sever ties and report truthfully to the Shangqing Sect to extricate himself, but in return, his Yun Clan and he himself would inevitably suffer Shi Jian's crazy retaliation...

At that point, his Yun Clan would be completely wiped out!

For the greater cause, or for his small Family.

This was a dilemma where both ends were blocked; Daoist Yun Du could no longer stop the car, and could only continue as he was now, pretending to be blind and deaf every day.

Everything was already too late.