The thin blue Spiritual Energy Shield covering the lake wasn’t there to keep people out. It was there to keep the incredibly dense spiritual energy inside from leaking out.
Most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had reached the top of the cliff couldn’t enter the inner zone.
Their foundations and physical body weren’t strong enough to withstand the intense spiritual pressure. So they reluctantly chose to settle on the outer zone of the lake, trying to break through.
As for Fifth and Seventh Prince, they barely managed to enter the inner zone. Their royal bloodlines and superior cultivation techniques had granted them stronger foundations than most.
Even so, their faces turned pale and their bodies trembled. The dense spiritual pressure pressed down on them like a vast mountain. They struggled to take each step, their robes drenched in sweat.
“This… this pressure is too much!” Fifth Prince gasped, his legs shaking.
Seventh Prince also gritted his teeth, “We can’t… go any further. I’m afraid that our Dao Platform may be damaged. So let’s stop here… and cultivate.”
In the end, they had to settle for a spot near the edge of the inner zone. Even there, the spiritual energy was far more concentrated than outside.
They sat down with difficulty and began to meditate, hoping to break through to Golden Core.
…
Meanwhile, Lucian and Iris emerged from the spiritual mists.
Lucian had a satisfied smile on his handsome face as he watched Iris. She had difficulty walking, her legs unsteady.
“Iris, you should heal your body first,” Lucian teased.
“And whose fault is that?” she snorted, but her voice didn’t have any real anger.
SPANK!
Lucian suddenly slapped Iris’s plump asscheek.
“Kyaa!” she cried out in pain and pleasure.
Lucian chuckled and hugged her from behind and kissed her slender neck gently.
Kiss~ Slurp~
“Let’s calm our minds and then enter the lake,” he whispered.
After that, both of them chose a spot near the lake to sit down. They began circulating their Cultivation Techniques to calm their spirits and focus their minds.
An incense stick of time passed.
Lucian opened his eyes first. He gazed at Iris, admiring her beauty.
Seeing her still meditating, he stood up and began to walk towards the lake.
As soon as he passed through the energy shield, a powerful Spiritual Pressure hit him. But he didn’t even frown as he moved deeper into the lake.
As a Cultivator who could fly, walking on water was as easy as strolling on solid ground. When his feet touched the surface, they left only faint ripples.
The crystal-clear water reflected his figure like a mirror, creating a beautiful scene. Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire
The more he moved deeper into the lake, the pressure slowly increased, but it wasn’t unbearable for Lucian.
His blood-red eyes gleamed with excitement as he felt the dense spiritual energy seeping into his body through every pore.
Within thirty heartbeats, he had crossed the outer zone and entered the inner zone of the lake.
As Lucian entered the inner zone, the pressure was at least ten times stronger than when he first entered the lake.
But he still didn’t feel any significant discomfort. His Dao Lotus rotated faster and seemed to relish the intense spiritual energy.
From this distance, he could see the temple more clearly. It was an ancient structure, its walls made of some unknown material.
At this moment, he only needed no more than twenty-five steps to reach the temple’s closed door. Excitement coursed through his veins as he began to walk again, but with each step the pressure increased twofold.
By the fifteenth steps, Lucian’s step finally paused as he felt his body sink slightly into the lake’s surface.
His blood-red eyes glinted as, in the next instant, crimson flames slowly engulfed his whole body.
The crimson flames covered his skin, clothing, and hair, bathing him in an eerie red glow.
Strangely, the flames did not do anything to the lake water! The surface remained undisturbed, not a drop evaporating from the heat.
Not only that, but behind Lucian’s head, a faint image of a burning lotus slowly emerged!
The lotus behind Lucian’s head was indeed the same as the one rooted on his Dao Platform. This was the true manifestation of Dao Lotus.
Its nine burning petals rotated slowly. The lotus was still faint and translucent, as Lucian had only reached the 8th level in his comprehension of his Cultivation Technique.
Yet even in this semi-transparent form, it radiated a profound aura.
His paused step lasted only a moment. With the appearance of the lotus, Lucian felt a surge of strength course through his body. The pressure that had momentarily halted him now seemed insignificant.
With a deep breath, he pushed forward.
However, after another seven steps, at the twenty-second step, Lucian finally felt another resistance!
The water beneath his feet no longer felt solid, and he sank ankle-deep into the lake. The pressure was now so intense that even his powerful body began to tremble slightly!
The lotus behind him flickered, as if struggling to maintain its form against the overwhelming spiritual pressure.
No matter what he did, he couldn’t move anymore. His body trembled against the intense pressure. He had a feeling that if he tried to forcefully continue, his Dao Platform might crack.
“I wonder how many steps Iris’s mother completed before breaking through,” he thought inwardly, “Or, is it possible that she touched the door even before reaching Golden Core?”
Lucian sighed as he looked at the ancient temple in front of him, then chose to sit cross-legged to meditate.
At the same time, Iris also entered the lake. She effortlessly crossed the outer zone, reaching the inner zone within moments.
The moment she entered, her eyes widened in shock and astonishment as she saw where Lucian was sitting.
“What!? Just how strong is his body?” she thought to herself, looking at Lucian’s position deep within the inner zone, “He’s actually at the same spot as where mother reached before breaking through! Does he have a unique bloodline?”
Taking a deep breath, Iris calmed her mind. Then her body began to change as she entered her hybrid form.
Within ten heartbeats, she crossed twenty steps into the inner zone. The spiritual pressure here was immense, but her Dragon body allowed her to withstand it.
However, here she needed to stop. As even with her unique cultivation technique and Dragon physique, she could not go any further.
Looking at Lucian sitting cross-legged in front of her, Iris felt curiosity.
Feeling that she had reached her limit, Iris sighed, “Because of that damn old man’s worthless lineage, my Bloodline got a bit impure. If it wasn’t for mom’s Dragon lineage, I’m afraid reaching this far would’ve been impossible.”
Then she silently chose a position some distance from Lucian and sat down cross-legged, beginning her meditation.
Meanwhile, Lucian had already entered a deep meditative state.
The Golden Core stage wasn’t about just forming one’s Core and break through to a higher stage.
Just as in the Qi Gathering Stage, a Cultivator’s Dantian was fragile; if destroyed, it could leave a person crippled, regardless of how rare their Elemental affinity might be.
Additionally, in the Foundation Establishment stage, excessive damage to the Dao Foundation could hinder one future breakthroughs.
But Golden Core stage didn’t have these flaws. As a part of the Dao Platform would transform into a Heavenly Palace!
Inside this Heavenly Palace, the core would be protected. So to destroy one’s Core, they needed to first destroy the Heavenly Palace.
In addition, a Cultivator could use special Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to merge when breaking through to Golden Core, making their Heavenly Palace unique in nature!
However, there were many higher grade Cultivation Techniques where the technique’s manifestation could evolve into a core, allowing the entire Dao platform to transform into a Heavenly Palace, making it as big as their Dao Platform, just like Lucian’s own Cultivation Technique!
As Lucian meditated, he slowly chanted the Golden Core section of his Cultivation Technique.
As he chanted, wisps of Spiritual Energy seeped from the lake into his body.
Inside Lucian’s Dantian area, his Dao Platform trembled. Cracks appeared on its surface as crimson light shone through.
The platform’s edges slowly disintegrated, slowly reforming into the shape of a grand palace!
At this very moment, with a thought, Lucian pulled out the Space Dao bone he had found from Alisa.
Before, he had not known how to use this unique treasure. Even when he used his Qi Sense to scan it, he could not comprehend its mysteries.
So he decided to use this as his Heavenly Palace’s foundation.
Currently, this was the best use for it. Also he did not have any better option.
As Lucian’s Dao Platform continued to transform, he guided the bone towards the forming palace.
As soon as it touched his yet-to-form Heavenly Palace, the bone shattered into countless fragments. These fragments swirled around the forming palace, slowly merging with its structure!