Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 286 - 208: Heaven and Earth Treasures of the Second Trial (Part 2)

The Three Evils Daoist was shocked at this sight:

"How much faster is he than me? Is his Divine Soul really this strong?!"

He had thought that even if Elder Qingxu was faster, it should be limited because, after all, he was only at the early stage of the Golden Core Realm.

But he never expected that just the reward of this milky white glow was over twice the size of his, indicating that their Divine Soul strength was worlds apart.

"..."

As everyone looked at each other in amazement, the head-sized milky white glow had already penetrated into Zhang Yao's body.

In an instant, Zhang Yao felt his Sea of Consciousness tremble, and a cool, soothing sensation arose in his Divine Soul, like lying in a cool creek on a hot summer day.

In this state, the power of the milky white glow continued to permeate, giving Zhang Yao a clear feeling that the strength of his Divine Soul and Divine Thought was continuously increasing.

After just a few breaths:

He emerged from this state, his spirit rejuvenated, and realized that the power of his Divine Soul had surprisingly increased by at least one-tenth!

"What an amazing effect!"

Zhang Yao couldn't help but marvel in his heart.

The strength of the Divine Soul and Divine Thought becomes increasingly difficult to improve as one progresses, often with ten times the effort yielding little initial effect.

For someone with his level of Divine Soul strength, a total increase of one-tenth was equivalent to half a complete Divine Soul of an early-stage Golden Core cultivator, which was a tremendous boost.

"Truly worthy of an Ancient Era relic site."

Zhang Yao was thrilled and looked forward even more to the subsequent rewards.

"Boom!"

After everyone had absorbed their rewards, the ancient green jade gate finally opened with a bang.

Through the wide doorway, one could see the interior of the second hall, almost identical to the first, but much larger in size.

The only difference was that the floor of this second hall was densely covered with black stones of various sizes, nearly filling the entire hall.

"The second trial won't be easy to pass..."

The group filed in and arrived at the second trial.

"Don't waste any more time, let's move on!"

Man Tian Sheng couldn't wait any longer, grinning broadly, and took a step forward.

In an instant, it seemed a colossal pressure descended upon him, but he merely swayed slightly and continued forward nonchalantly, moving only slightly slower than a normal walk.

"As expected of a Body Refining Cultivator!"

The Three Evils Daoist, Elder Yuanxu, and others couldn't help but be impressed.

The first trial tested Divine Soul and Divine Thought, while the second trial tested physical prowess, where Man Tian Sheng naturally had the upper hand.

"Let's go as well."

The others also stepped forward to face the challenge of the second hall.

"Buzz!"

The moment Zhang Yao steadied himself, he felt an intense and invisible gravitational pressure descend upon him, pulling at his limbs, bones, and five viscera.

At the same time, the powerful magical power circulating around him was sealed by an invisible force, unable to radiate outward or affect his body in any way.

"The gravity here has changed!"

He instantly understood the principle of this array.

By rough estimation, the gravity here was at least thirty to forty times that of the outside world, an extremely frightening number.

Ordinary mortals and beasts would be crushed into thin pancakes in an instant here; even cultivators at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages could be crushed to death.

Only Golden Core cultivators who have undergone multiple washings of marrow and cutting of veins, whose bodies have been strengthened by spiritual Qi for centuries, could move with difficulty and slowly pass the trial here.

"But for me, this little change in gravity is nothing."

Zhang Yao smiled slightly, his body didn't even flinch, and he began to walk forward.

His every step was steady, and surprisingly, his speed was even faster than Man Tian Sheng's. After only a few steps, he had already passed him.

Under such a terrifying gravitational field, he still maintained agility, occasionally avoiding larger black stones along the path, and quickly traversed a third of the path.

"What?!"

This scene not only shocked the Three Evils Daoist and Fairy Xia Guang, but even Man Tian Sheng was dumbfounded.

"How is this possible?!"

He knew Zhang Yao's body was strong. Once during the Foundation Establishment Stage, he could fight evenly against him using the Yellow Talisman Armor Technique.

But he had already refined a Golden Core and reached the level of a high-grade Body Refining Cultivator. How could his pure bodily strength be inferior to that of a cultivator not on the Path of Body Refining?

During the battle at the Water Mansion, Zhang Yao's pure bodily strength was not even close to his!

"Impossible! This is impossible!!"

Man Tian Sheng couldn't accept this outcome, his eyes reddened, and he desperately dragged his heavy legs, trying to catch up.

But with sealed magical power and unable to activate Body Refining Divine Techniques, he could only watch as the distance between them widened, a profound sense of defeat rising in his heart.

"How could it be like this..."

Man Tian Sheng was momentarily at a loss, his fighting spirit drenched like it was doused with cold water.

If even his most skilled and strongest aspect was not a match for the opponent, then persisting in the challenge would be nothing short of self-inflicted humiliation.

"This! This..."

The Three Evils Daoist and others, struggling to move in the rear, looked at each other, their hearts filled with indescribable shock.

A Divine Soul supremely powerful, a body even surpassing that of fellow Body Refining cultivators of the same level, not to mention the abundant magical power known to the Array Refining Body path of a cultivator.

This all-encompassing, dominating strength created a sense of unattainable magnificence for others.

"This person is truly terrifying!"

The hearts of the Three Evils Daoist and others were also filled with a trace of unease:

"I hope the combined efforts of us here, plus Man Tian Sheng and the Sword Swinger, can hold him back..."

Meanwhile:

At the forefront, Zhang Yao's mood was incredibly pleasant.

"Seventy years of hard work are finally paying off..."

During the Foundation Establishment Stage, his prowess was not comparable to that of fellow Body Refining cultivators of the same level.

But over seventy years of devouring and refining, constantly strengthened under the 'Array of the Six Harmonies and the Profound Abyss', his body gradually surpassed its previous limits, becoming increasingly powerful.

Before achieving the Golden Core, he wasn't far from the peak level of Yu Wen Tai of bygone days.

After refining the Golden Core, thanks to the baptism of Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Qi and the transformation into a Golden Core, his body's strength underwent a significant qualitative change, allowing him to contend with ordinary magical treasures barehanded, surpassing the early-stage Golden Core Man Tian Sheng by a head.

Of course:

Man Tian Sheng seemed to have not refined his Golden Core for many years, many Body Refining Divine Techniques and Enhancing Secret Techniques not yet learned, not representing a true high-level Body Refining cultivator.

But Zhang Yao was the same; he hadn't yet refined the 'Supreme Profound Golden Body' or used the 'Five Elements Divine Wheel' to turn his body into a Lifebound Magical Treasure, leaving much room for growth.

"Huh?"

As Zhang Yao was about to reach the ancient green jade gate before the second hall, his heart moved, and he looked at the black stones on the ground.

Fairy Xia Guang had once said that in the various checkpoints of the Jade Divine Palace, it is possible to obtain treasures within the checkpoints, which exist independently of the rewards of each one.

So could these unremarkable black stones be the treasures of the second trial?

"Why not give it a try..."

With this thought in mind, Zhang Yao bent down to try lifting a black stone.

The seemingly inconspicuous black stone, only half the size of a copper basin, was incredibly heavy.

"Argh!"

Rooting his feet into the ground and exerting force with his waist and hips, his whole body rippled with energy, blue veins bulging on his forehead, but he only managed to slightly shake the black stone, unable to lift it off the ground.

"This weight is absurd!"

He felt a trace of horror in his heart.

With today's strength, he could lift a small hill dozens of meters high, splitting mountains and cracking the ground barehanded, yet couldn't lift a small stone.

By rough estimation:

Even disregarding the gravitational field's influence, these black stones were exceedingly heavy, hundreds of times heavier than the same volume of steel, the heaviest substance he'd ever encountered or heard of!

After figuring this out, Zhang Yao immediately realized:

"This must be an incredible Heaven and Earth Treasure!"