Chen Mo tensed, readying himself as the elders formed a loose semi-circle around him.
Chen Mo materialized a recovery pill in his hand and swallowed it. He thought that although his spiritual energy could recover automatically, it could not restore his stamina loss and thus his attacks would become sloppy.
He had managed to defeat the previous elder through a combination of superior skill and the fact that the elder underestimated him. But now he faced eleven elders who had all reached the Golden Core stage - far beyond his current Core Formation realm.
Even though he was invincible at the Core Formation ream, the Golden Core realm was on a whole different level. When one's core transforms and becomes a golden core, not only do they get massive amounts of spiritual energy, but their overall strength increases by almost a hundred-fold. The jump to the Golden Core realm is said to be even greater than the jump to the Nascent Soul realm.
[Simulating] – [Early Golden Core - Time left: 5mins]
And the simulation time wasn't looking good. Although five minutes sounded like a short amount of time, it was enough for those elders to kill him a couple of times over.
This would not be easy.
He glanced at Mei Ling, who looked on with concern etched on her face. "Don't worry," he said with an assuring nod.
The elders attacked as one. Heaven-shaking roars echoed as they unleashed a barrage of devastating techniques. Waves of searing fire, lashing whips of water, blasts of compressed wind - all converged on Chen Mo's position in a multicolored torrent of annihilating power.
"This is what happens to those who go against my Mei Clan" the patriarch bellowed.
"Space Release!" Chen Mo bellowed, gathering every ounce of his residual energy.
He thought to himself that he wanted to use this technique against the expert cultivating in seclusion but it seemed that he'd have to use it early.
Space Release is a technique that he and Rasiel had developed to help him handle the law of space more easily by wrapping it around his body like an enchantment.
Although it was easy to handle space when using this technique, it still took a huge toll on his body. But that didn't matter since his body would recover every time he broke through to a major realm so he'd be able to use it against the hidden expert later on when he broke through.
He moved with blinding, almost imperceptible speed, his form blurring into a dozen phantasmal afterimages. Each strike, block, and dodge was a masterful display of skill and technique. Impacts that would have obliterated buildings were deflected with contemptuous ease.
Yet the elders kept up their barrage relentlessly. A fiery blast singed his robes, singing his flesh. He gritted his teeth, pushing past the pain. A water whip caught him in the leg, the pressurized stream of liquid cutting deep. His counterattacks shattered rock and sent elders reeling, but they recovered and pressed the attack once more.
It became a grueling battle of attrition. Chen Mo was a blur of motion, constantly forced to evade and block as the sheer volume of attacks from eleven elite Golden Core elders overwhelmed him. Slowly but surely, injuries began stacking up and his movements slowed, each dodge and strike costing him more of his waning stamina.
Finally, with a harsh cry of exertion, a burst of directed force slammed into him, lifting him off his feet. His body smashed through a cracked stone pillar, collapsing in a heap. His Space Release technique flickered and faded as he gasped for breath, blood trickling from his mouth. Every inch of his body felt like it had been pulverized.
The elders closed in, circling him like sharks scenting blood in the water. Chen Mo struggled to rise, forcing himself to his knees through sheer indomitable will. But he knew it was futile - his spiritual energy was depleted, his body battered and broken. He had reached his limit.
Mei Ling was frozen in shock and horror. How could this unbelievable talent, this prodigy who had decimated so many with ease, have been beaten so soundly?
The Patriarch watched with a grim expression. "You fought well, but this was always the inevitable outcome." He turned to the elders. "Take him to the dungeons and have the healers tend to his injuries. I want him al-"
With a flick of Chen Mo's wrist, five recovery pills materialized in his palms. He swallowed them like drinking water and abruptly rose to his feet, pointing his sword at the Patriarch.
"If you're a real man, then fight me one-on-one!" Chen Mo yelled, his voice echoing through the hall. "Or are you too cowardly?"
The Patriarch's eyes narrowed, but he did not take the bait. "Do not be foolish. Finish him off," he ordered the elders.
Chen Mo allowed himself a slight smile. I didn't really need him to accept my challenge. I was just buying time.
As the elders charged at him once more, Chen Mo took a deep breath and centered himself. The recovery pills had swiftly replenished his depleted stamina and spiritual energy. Within seconds, he could feel the power coursing through his meridians.
[Simulating] – [Early Golden Core - Time left: 3secs]
[Simulating] – [Early Golden Core - Time left: 2secs]
[Simulating] – [Early Golden Core - Time left: 1sec]
[Report] – [Early Golden Core simulation complete]
He smiled widely as he heard Rasiel's voice in his mind.
'Integrate'
Just before the elders could reach him, they were pushed back by the immense amounts of spiritual energy converging around Chen Mo.
Chen Mo's body became enveloped in radiant golden spiritual energy, lifting him off the ground as more and more power was sucked into his meridians. Space itself began to warp and distort with crackling rifts opening around him. His core was transforming, condensing into a brilliant golden sun at his dantian.
"He's breaking through to the Golden Core!" one of the elders shouted in alarm. "Quick, stop him!"
The elder rushed towards Chen Mo recklessly, but was immediately dismembered by a spatial rift that tore his body apart in a spray of gore. The other elders recoiled in shock and horror.
"Don't rush in, you fools!" the Patriarch warned. "He is a rare Space elemental cultivator. His core transformation will undoubtedly cause upheaval in the fabric of space itself."
More rents in space-time opened, with chunks of stone and debris being violently pulled in towards the maelstrom surrounding Chen Mo's levitating form.
"No matter," the Patriarch continued. "Even if he ascends to the Golden Core realm, there's no way he can best all of you together!"
The remaining elders nodded, regaining their nerve. Working in unison, they began unleashing their strongest techniques, trying to disrupt Chen Mo's breakthrough.
But their efforts proved futile. Chen Mo was now completely immersed in the crucible of his core condensation. His eyes glowed like twin suns as the spatial distortions intensified with deafening rumbles that shook the very foundations of the Mei Clan compound.
With one final burst of power that cracked the floor and ceiling, Chen Mo's golden core stabilized. The spatial rifts snapped shut and the flow of energy ceased as a hush fell over the devastated hall.
Chen Mo slowly descended, touching down on the floor with a look of supreme focus and control. He had transcended his limitations, reaching a whole new level of power and cultivation. The aura of his Golden Core radiated an overwhelming pressure that made the elders shrink back.
"You fools never had a chance against me to begin with," Chen Mo said, his voice laced with steel. "I allowed you to push me to this breakthrough so I could demonstrate the futility of your actions. Now you will bear witness to the consequences of defying me."