CHAPTER 363: CHAPTER 363: GOLDEN CORE REALM

The ground around them fractured into deep craters. Smoke billowed. Blood soaked Chu Miao’s robes, and Little White’s once-pristine fur was scorched black in patches. But both still stood.

As it to mock the heavenly dao for his failure to eliminate them.

Everyone watching was struck speechless.

It felt as if facing the tribulation together with her contract beasts had given Chu Miao more strength.

Her shaky legs were now firmly planted on the ground. She looked up to the sky and even mocked the heavenly dao.

"Is that all you’ve got?" It felt as if she was seeking death.

Those standing at a distance heard her and were shocked. Wasn’t she afraid of getting blasted into ashes if she did that?

As if to respond to her mockery, the dark clouds in the sky rolled even faster and grew darker.

Chu Hao’s lips trembled. "She’s... she’s going to survive this, right?" He was really beginning to worry about his little sister.

Gu Fan let out a shaky laugh. "If she doesn’t, I think the heavens themselves will be humiliated."

With each bolt, Chu Miao’s golden core inside her dantian grew more defined, glowing brighter.

When the twenty-first bolt of lightning fell, everyone heaved a sigh of relief thinking that it was over.

Chu Miao herself was blasted to the ground by the thick bolt of lightning as thick as the arm of a child.

Her clothes were in tatters and her skin was completely charred. Her hair was almost completely burned and her head left bald.

Her skin had burst open in various places and blood soaked her skin and rags on her body.

In fact, everyone would have thought that she was dead if not for the slight rising and falling of her chest.

However, what surprised everyone was that the clouds didn’t disperse after the twenty-first lightning bolt. Instead more clouds gathered and only then did the people around understand that she was facing a thirty-nine bolts tribulation.

Ye Xuan was almost going crazy watching this. He swore that if anything happened to Chu Miao, then even if he had to content with the heavenly dao, then he would wipe it off the face of the earth.

It was as if the heavenly dao felt the threat from Ye Xuan because for some reason, the next eighteen bolts of lightning were similar to teasing.

They were thinner than the pinky finger and didn’t have much power. Soon, they ended and the clouds left as if the devil was on its tail.

The skies slowly cleared, the thunderclouds dissipating into shreds of gray mist. The heavy, oppressive atmosphere lifted, replaced by a serene clarity as though the world itself had been cleansed.

Then, a slight golden rain started to fall. However, it only fell in the area where Chu Miao and her contract beasts was.

Upon seeing this, Chu Hao encouraged the others to go and get some of the rain falling at the edges, then he was the first to run there.

The others didn’t know its meaning, but they knew it must be beneficial.

Ye Xuan also followed suit but he wasn’t interested in the rain as much as he wanted to see how his girlfriend was doing.

So, he stood a little closer and watched as the rain fell on Chu Miao and Little White. He didn’t even feel the changes happening in his body due to the golden rain.

He witnessed as Chu Miao’s body that was covered in wounds started to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Her burnt hair grew back the same as Little White’s fur.

Her internal injuries also healed completely and her cultivation base rose to the golden core early stage.

By the time the rain stopped, the golden core in her dantian had solidified completely and she could be said to be a powerhouse of the golden core realm.

A faint golden glow lingered around her body, an aura that resonated with stability and immense power.

Ye Xuan was the first to rush forward. He had been restraining himself during the tribulation, afraid that his interference might disrupt her process, but now his expression was tight with both pride and worry.

"Miao’er!" His hand pressed against her shoulder, his spiritual sense sweeping her body to check for injuries. Relief softened his features when he found her core stable, though her meridians bore the strain of the thunder strikes, they were healing faster due to the golden rain.

Behind Ye Xuan, the others let out long-held breaths. Chu Hao’s knees nearly buckled as the tension drained from him. "Bunny, you scared us half to death. I thought that..." His words broke off, replaced with a shaky laugh.

Gu Fan and Lei Ying exchanged glances, their expressions complex.

They had never thought that the path of cultivation was so risky. But feeling the power coming from Chu Miao, they understood why people would still choose to endure.

But they still thought that Chu Miao’s tribulation had been on a level that surpassed ordinary Golden Core breakthroughs.

Even the battle-hardened brothers of Ye Xuan couldn’t hide their awe. They had fought life-and-death struggles countless times, but none compared to standing under the heavenly wrath Chu Miao had endured alone.

Little White padded forward, the snowy tiger cub’s fur that had been burnt had also grown back. Its golden eyes gleamed with pride as it circled Chu Miao, nuzzling her leg before letting out a sharp, victorious roar.

"Miao’er, you’ll need time to stabilize your realm," Ye Xuan said after a pause, his voice low but with concern. "We cannot rush forward recklessly."

"I know." Chu Miao sat cross-legged where she had been lying, ignoring the charred earth beneath her.

She began circulating her qi, letting the fresh golden core within her dantian stabilize and align with her meridians.

Threads of spiritual energy from the dense battlefield surroundings rushed into her body, drawn like rivers to the sea.

She had to take advantage of the energy given by the golden rain and also the lightning.

Moreover, her meridians had expanded and now absorbing spiritual energy was twice as fast as before.

The others instinctively gave her space, forming a protective circle around her.

Hours passed. By the time Chu Miao opened her eyes again, the golden glow around her had dimmed, hidden deep within her. Her aura no longer fluctuated wildly but pulsed with quiet strength, the very air around her responding to her will.

She stood, dusted the ashes from her tattered robes, and nodded. "Let’s prepare. We should find another place to rest before it gets dark."

After she was done speaking, she teleported to the back of a tree and changed into clean clothes and combed her newly grown hair.

When she appeared again, she didn’t look like the same person who had been in a sorry state a few while ago.

She stood in front of everyone and adviced, "We should gather as much knowledge as we can about this ancient battlefield, that way, we will have better chances of surviving the danger ahead." Chu Miao could feel that they were still in the periphery of the ancient battlefield. They still hadn’t reached the core yet.

Chu Hao clenched his fists. "If we can find ancient relics or even divine treasures, our chances in the coming dangers will improve."

Lei Ying added grimly, "And we’ll need them. That fire lizard was only a guardian beast at the entrance. The deeper we go, the greater the threats will be."

The Li family members who had accompanied them also straightened, their earlier awe transforming into determination.

Having witnessed Chu Miao’s advancement, they were keenly aware they were standing alongside someone extraordinary.

And if they wanted to continue being a part of the team and not drag the others down, then they had to work harder and grab more opportunities in this battlefield.

As they spoke, Little White who had shrunk back to its original size, was sniffing the area where the lightning had struck huge craters and burned the earth.

Suddenly, it called out to its master. Chu Miao walked over and found it sniffing a certain spot.

Chu Miao crouched and unearthed a small patch of blackened soil, discovering Thunderfire Grass, a rare herb born from heavenly lightning.

"Even the tribulation left gifts," she murmured, carefully storing it in her space.

Little White wagged its tail, clearly proud of its find.

After a while, the group set off and went deeper into the forest, but they didn’t follow the same path that they found the seven colored fruits in. They were fearful that the beast who had gathered in that direction hadn’t left yet.

Even though Chu Miao had broken through to the golden core, she still couldn’t fight the large beasts in the ancient battlefield.

"I wonder if our experience when advancing to the golden core realm will also be like Chu Miao and endure so many lightning bolts.?" Lei Ying was still thinking about this issue.