Chapter 377: Black Sacred Monument

The earth's core with the sea of lava existed at the very bottom. It could dissolve rocks and melt metals with its exceedingly high temperature. No humans could exist there so it was very mysterious with many unbelievable things.

Just like the space above, there were probably some strange and unknown creatures.

The Earth Tribulation originated from this sea of lava with a mysterious power. Some cultivators believed it came from the mythical hell. Others surmised that the earth's core was actually a ruler, the same existence as the heavenly dao.

A human's body had unchangeable physical limitation. For example, a mortal couldn't run one hundred miles in one minute or live longer than two hundred years.

The goal of cultivation was to break this limit!

One the body reached a certain level, it would bring about a tribulation. Only by surpassing this test would one be able to break through the limit and undergo an essential transformation.

Cultivators called this process "transcending from the mortal boundaries".

After the Earth Tribulation, the body would be able to accept the earthly energy and utilize earthly images. This was a physical metamorphosis allowing them to live for five hundred years, much longer than an ordinary person.

Cultivation alone wasn't enough; surpassing the tribulation was required.

In the eyes of mortals, a cultivator who could live for five hundred years was already an immortal.

Feng Feiyun stood on top of the vessel with the Dragon-Horse Diagram floating above. All of his energy flown into the vessel and created a domain to stop the power of the lava.

His body continued to sink towards the bottom.

The destructive power of the thirteenth wave was astonishing. It has destroyed 1,345 beast souls and grievously wounded another 3,482. Just how frightening would the fourteenth wave be then?

Feiyun held two True Mysterious Spirit Stones with his eyes closed while absorbing their energy in order to replenish his own at a rapid pace.

The fourteenth wave was certainly the last one. No way a fifteenth would come out. Only mythical geniuses would be able to call for the fifteenth.

Feiyun had a clear understanding of his own constitution. The fourteenth wave was possible but he still had a while to go before reaching the mythical level.

His body wasn't suitable for cultivation at the start. The Immortal Phoenix Physique strengthened his bloodline then the blood of the phoenix refined his skeleton.

Moreover, the souls of more than nine thousand beasts increased its power. This allowed him to reach his current innate talents.

For example, Su Yun and Dongfang Jingshui were natural geniuses. Feiyun used his own effort to change his talents so he had a much harder time in comparison.

He wasn't sure of surpassing this fourteenth wave but he must fight fearlessly.

"Boom!" The spirit vessel finally stopped and floated on top of the thick lava with a glow surrounding it like a pulsing lamp in an ocean of fire.

He put away the stones that haven't been fully absorbed just yet and got ready for the next challenge.

"My God Base is evolving into a crystal clear color just like an immortal jade. The spirit in the dantian has recovered by seventy percent; the beast souls are in top form too. It's up to this one final blow then."

He stood straight like a pillar with a sharp aura like a divine stone that has been buried underground. He was about to break through the shackles and illuminate the heaven and earth.

The last lava wave finally came unexpectedly inside Feiyun's dantian. It was ignited by an unknown force and began to erupt. Energy like the tide churned inside his body and a new power has emerged.

It was a crimson fire inside his dantian.

"Shit, the fourteenth wave doesn't come from the outside, it attacks from within!" Feiyun was startled.

The dantian was the most important yet weakest spot of a cultivator. Once damaged, they would become a cripple, no longer able to cultivate in the future. Because of this, most people prepared many plans to protect the dantian.

However, this power came from the dantian itself in a bizarre manner and caught him off guard. His spirit treasures and beast souls couldn't enter there so they were completely useless.

He had to rely on his own power.

Though this was outside of his expectation, he calmed his mind to face it.

The God Base in his dantian was the first cornerstone on the path towards immortality. It was fortified now and directly attacked the newly born wisp of flame in order to destroy it before the lava comes out.

"Boom!" This impact not only failed to destroy the flame but made it grow ten times bigger. It took liquid form now like a small lava serpent.

It grew stronger and stronger in spite of Feiyun's different types of attack.

"Can't let it continue on like this or my dantian will explode to this lava. I'll become nothing but ashes here underground."

The spirit vessel could enter the dantian. Its mysterious power might be able to suppress this lava but once he called it inside, he would have to face the sea of lava outside. That was a dead end as well.

"Boom!" The fourteenth wave has matured and began to slam into his dantian. Even the God Base couldn't stop its surging power. Feiyun's body started to tremble as blood oozed out of his mouth.

"Boom!"

Cracks appeared in his dantian with the second impact. Energy began to scatter outward.

He couldn't sit and wait since his dantian would be destroyed in another three slams at best. His cultivation would then be gone with the wind.

But what could he do? The fourteenth wave was completely immune to any offense and only grew stronger.

Not resisting will be death; resisting will result in a swifter death.

No wonder why so many supreme geniuses have died under the Earth Tribulation. The greater the talents, the more insane these tribulations would be.

This fourteenth wave was simply insuperable.

With a more severe impact, the cracks became more numerous. Feiyun's spirit energy was leaving his body. Even the light on the spirit vessel turned dimmer and could falter to the lava at any moment.

"It's not impossible. Others people have done it before so why can't I?!"

"I can't give up now. If the heaven wants to destroy me, I shall break the heaven. If the earth wishes to end me, I will crush the earth!" His body was breaking down as well with long drips of blood oozing down.

Everything flew out from his spatial stone including other spirit stones, spirit treasures, and bones...

He wanted to try everything in this perilous situation in order to see if something would work.

"Oh? This is..." Feiyun probed around and grabbed a black item. This was the divine plaque from the coffin of the first generation Feng Clan Master.

It was quite cold and has changed massively after being stimulated by the power of the sacred monument. There was a black glow on it now with indecipherable words carved on top as well as humanoid figures.

They were the saints on the tablet: Fo Canzi, Zi Wu, Long Jiangling, Princess Luofu... Their souls seemed to be jumping on this plaque.

"Whatever, let's do it!" Feiyun gripped it and forcefully assimilate it into his body towards his dantian.

A spirit treasure could change in size. A gigantic weapon could be hidden in one's ears, shirt sleeves, or even the pores in the skin. For example, the Thunderfire Jewel was inside his palm's pore but it couldn't enter his body.

Only a saint artifact would be able to do it, such as the Azure Spirit Vessel.

This black plaque was naturally not a saint vessel. After entering the host's body, its overwhelming power resulted in an explosion but Feiyun had no other option. He felt the bone-piercing chill on this tablet and wanted to use it to stop the lava wave.

He didn't have time to think. Just a blink late and the lava wave would break his dantian.

"Maybe I'll just take it directly..." Feiyun knew that this course of action was rash but it wasn't without logic. After all, this was at the very end of the Earth Tribulation and Heaven's Mandate was next.

He would be able to refine a soulbound artifact at first level.

If he was fast and precise enough, after the plaque came into his dantian and destroy the lava, he could refine it into his soulbound artifact before it broke his body.

Swift was the keyword!

The divine plaque turned into a black ray and fell into the sea in the dantian. It suddenly became huge and majestic like a monument floating in the air.

The three words only it became demonic with blood dripping down. The wise sages became animated with devotion in their eyes. They were humble like servants looking at a master.

This change took him by surprise as well.

"Boom!" The cold energy rushed out and filled his dantian before suppressing the lava wave. The wave didn't let up and became ferocious like a serpent slamming into the monument.