CHAPTER 506: THE GAP IN STRENGTH, JOURNEY TO THE SACRED MOUNTAIN

Boom!

High in the sky, two massive figures, each as large as a small mountain, were relentlessly attacking a lone human cultivator.

These two colossal beasts fought purely with their physical might—slashing with claws, biting with fangs, or lashing with tails.

Each movement stirred up fierce gales, unleashing unparalleled power. The clouds within a radius of dozens of miles had already been shredded and scattered, leaving the sky completely clear.

Yet, despite facing such terrifying assaults, Lu Qing, standing at the eye of the storm, remained utterly calm. His expression didn’t change in the slightest.

For although Xiaoli and Wuxing's attacks were indeed formidable—powerful enough to shatter mountains with ease—not a single one could harm Lu Qing in the slightest. Be it their claws or tails, none could reach him.

The moment their attacks came into contact with the force field he had set up, their movements would slow drastically.

The devastating force capable of breaking mountains and rivers was swiftly neutralized, unable to penetrate within three zhang of Lu Qing.

“No more, no more!”

After another fruitless attempt at breaking through Lu Qing’s force field, Xiaoli abruptly retreated, dismissing its Size Manipulation ability and reverting to its original form.

Wuxing, momentarily stunned, soon followed suit, ceasing its attacks and returning to its normal size.

“What’s this? Giving up?” Lu Qing withdrew his force field, smiling.

“No more, Ah Qing, you’re cheating! This force field of yours is too unreasonable—it completely restrains spirit beasts like us who rely on physical attacks,” Xiaoli said, somewhat dejected.

After achieving the Golden Core Realm, it had been full of confidence in its newfound strength.

Yet now, it found that it couldn’t even break through Lu Qing’s force field.

And Xiaoli knew that this force field was merely one of the many divine abilities Lu Qing possessed—one of the more unremarkable ones, at that.

Yet even this was enough to render both itself and Wuxing utterly helpless.

“You two are already quite impressive,” Lu Qing chuckled. “You just broke through to the Golden Core Realm, yet you managed to get within three zhang of my force field.

A regular Golden Core cultivator wouldn’t even be able to withstand the force field’s pressure before being ground to pieces.”

This force field Lu Qing had deployed was no ordinary one.

It was a Earth Vein Magnetism Field, derived from the Earth Spirit Pearl, one of the Five Elements Pearls.

It was a technique he had perfected after years of secluded cultivation.

Now that he had gathered all Five Elements Pearls, they had fused into a single treasure, no weaker than a spiritual artifact.

Among them, the Earth Spirit Pearl had the most solid power, and its Earth Vein Magnetism Field was tremendously formidable.

Lu Qing had completely refined and mastered it, turning it into a powerful Dao Art—one of his strongest defensive techniques.

Not only would ordinary Golden Core cultivators stand no chance against it, but even Superior Golden Core experts at the Third Transformation Stage would struggle to break through.

For Xiaoli and Wuxing to have pushed their way within three zhang of his force field using only their raw physical strength was already a remarkable feat.

And he knew that both of them still had trump cards they hadn’t used.

Had they gone all out, they might have been able to advance another zhang or two.

Of course, truly breaking through his Earth Vein Magnetism Field was still impossible.

Even a Superior Golden Core at the Third Transformation Stage might not be able to do so.

Hearing Lu Qing’s praise, Xiaoli and Wuxing did not feel pleased. Instead, they were even more aware of the immense gap between them and Lu Qing.

Before they had reached the Golden Core Realm, they had always known Lu Qing was powerful, but they had never truly grasped just how powerful.

They had assumed that his overwhelming strength came from his superior cultivation realm.

Yet now that they, too, had entered the Golden Core Realm, they finally realized that Lu Qing’s power far surpassed their imagination.

What they had seen of his abilities so far was merely the tip of the iceberg, yet even that was enough to utterly crush them.

However, Wuxing responded to this realization with admiration and awe.

Xiaoli, on the other hand, felt a sense of loss.

Once, it had fought alongside Lu Qing, battling formidable enemies together.

But as Lu Qing’s cultivation deepened, the chances of it being able to help him had dwindled.

And now, even after reaching the Golden Core Realm, nothing had changed.

With these complicated emotions in their hearts, Xiaoli and Wuxing followed Lu Qing back to the Jade Transformation Chamber.

Inside, Xiao Yan had been waiting eagerly and immediately rushed up to them.

Excitedly, she asked, “Xiaoli, how was it? Did you two manage to beat my brother?”

“No way. Ah Qing is way too strong—we couldn’t even touch the hem of his robe,” Xiaoli said dejectedly.

“Well, of course not,” Xiao Yan said matter-of-factly. “You two only just reached the Golden Core Realm, but my brother has been at that level for over a decade! How could you possibly beat him?”

Her words, though simple, made Xiaoli feel much better.

She was right—Lu Qing had been in the Golden Core Realm for more than ten years.

It was only natural that his strength was on a whole different level.

As long as Xiaoli and Wuxing continued to work hard, perhaps one day, they would be able to catch up—at least a little.

“Alright,” Lu Qing said at that moment. “Now that you’ve not only reached the Golden Core Realm but have also gotten used to your newfound power, it’s time for us to leave.”

“Brother, where are we going next? Back to the village?” Xiao Yan asked.

Lu Qing nodded. “Yes, we’ll stay in the village for a few days. After that, I’ll take you all to the Sacred Mountain.”

“The Sacred Mountain?”

Both Xiao Yan and Xiaoli looked over in surprise, as did Wuxing.

“That’s right. We’re going to the Sacred Mountain,” Lu Qing confirmed. “Now that Xiaoli and Wuxing have reached the Golden Core Realm, they need to cultivate in a place with stronger spiritual energy to progress faster.

The Sacred Mountain is an excellent place for this—it will help them consolidate their cultivation.

And as for you, Xiao Yan, you’ve already reached the Foundation Establishment Perfection. You can finally come with me to train there.”

The formation Lu Qing had set up in Jiuli Village could only gather enough spiritual energy for one Golden Core Realm cultivator at most.

After all, the area was rather remote, and its spiritual energy density was nowhere near as abundant as in Zhongzhou.

Now that his Master was traveling outside, Jiuli Village was no longer the ideal place for Xiaoli and Wuxing to cultivate.

Going with him to the Sacred Mountain was the best choice.

“That’s great! I can finally go to the Sacred Mountain with you!” Xiao Yan exclaimed joyfully.

She had been waiting for this moment for so long.

For the past ten years, she had dedicated herself to cultivation, striving to become strong enough to endure the Sacred Mountain’s pressure and train alongside her brother.

Now, at last, she could fulfill that dream.

“Alright, let’s head back to the village first,” Lu Qing said.

Over the next few days, Lu Qing and the others returned to Jiuli Village.

Unfortunately, their Master was still away on his journey and was not in the village.

So after staying for a few days, Lu Qing took Xiao Yan, Xiaoli, and Wuxing aboard a Flying Boat and departed for the Sacred Mountain.