"You alright?" Feng Yao asked, her eyes fixed on Yun Xiao, who seemed caught between worlds.
During his first tribulation, she had stood vigil by his side. One moment, he was drenched in sweat, teetering on the brink of death; the next, he was shouting for money and women, making her so embarrassed she felt she could dig three floors underground with her toes.
Others faced their tribulations with fierce energies tearing through their bodies, plunging them into a hellish landscape where they became mere battlegrounds for clashing celestial energies.
Yun Xiao, on the other hand, seemed to be caught in a nightmare, yelling and thrashing about to no consequence. Most astonishing was his disappearance during the ordeal! Could this even be called a tribulation?
Unbeknownst to Feng Yao, Yun Xiao had skirted closer to death than ever before, pulling back from the precipice at the last moment.
When Yun Xiao reemerged, Feng Yao was astounded to find that he had harnessed the power of a tribulation. This new power was subtle and elusive, hard to gauge in strength, shrouded in mystery, utterly lacking the brutal, bloodthirsty savagery of the Sanguine Spirit Dragon.
"It suits him," Feng Yao thought bitterly, "Always acting mysterious, masking his true self." Was his earlier display of panic just another act to toy with her?
Frustrated and feeling foolish for her concern, she couldn't help but pinch his face hard.
Yun Xiao's eyes snapped open, his voice tinged with incredulity, "What are you doing? I was literally on the brink of life and death."
"And yet you're not dead," Feng Yao retorted dryly.
Stumped, Yun Xiao had no answer. He ignored her, focusing instead on integrating his newfound power while absorbing the Heavenly Dao Sariras to bolster his celestial power.
Inside him, the Three Lives Samsara Calamity spurred transformations with the Primordial Void merging thoroughly and boosting his celestial power tremendously. His Nine Suns Dantian and the Nine Heavens Star Meridians strained under the pressure.
It was a precursor to the formation of a Corona.
Sure enough, in the next moment, the forces of the Three Lives Samsara Calamity converged explosively, erupting like a volcano. His power surged through his crown, manifesting above him.
A Corona shimmering white with hints of gold slowly emerged above his head.
"The Corona is born from both celestial and tribulation power, but mostly celestial power. And my celestial power is forged from the Primordial Void Technique," Yun Xiao mused as he gazed upward.
Composed of three rings—inner, middle, and outer—each pulsing with tribulation power, the Corona was simple yet complete. It enhanced Yun Xiao's aura and stature, a perfect embodiment of his transcendent spirit.
As for why there were three rings, it was clearly tied to the Three Lives Samsara. The outer ring represented the past, the middle ring the present, and the inner ring the future.
A radiant light, like a white thread, wound around the Corona.
"This must be the Boundless Light," Yun Xiao observed.
The Corona was complete! But what use was it?
"It's too white, almost like a wreath. One might think you'd already passed away." Feng Yao chuckled, covering her mouth.
"Presumptuous." Yun Xiao shot her a stern glance before he slowly levitated. He closed his eyes, feeling the power of the Corona.
This Corona was essentially a new type of power source, yet distinct from the Dantian, though their essences were aligned.
About half of Yun Xiao's celestial and tribulation power resided within the Corona, the three rings endlessly cycling.
So, the Corona had become a part of his body! It was a new part, like a new limb, and he was gradually learning to open and close it...
"Do you think you could defeat someone in the Late stage of the Second Baptism Realm right now?" Yun Xiao asked seriously.
"With the Sanguine Spirit Dragon Corona, and after learning some celestial techniques, I should be able to," Feng Yao replied.
That meant she could also potentially defeat enemies a full realm above her—previously, she could only take on people two or three stages above her.
Meanwhile, Yun Xiao, with his Sword Soul, Life Sigil, and Buddha's Treasure Spirit, was already capable of challenging opponents an entire realm above him.
That said, only a portion of that capability to transcend realms was supported by the Primordial Void Technique.
Now, it appeared the Primordial Sphere and Corona represented the vast majority of his combat prowess.
"With the support of this Primordial Sphere, I feel I could even take on someone in the Third Baptism Realm," Yun Xiao said, his eyes shining.
"How is that possible? I just managed to barely be able to take on someone one realm above me, and you're doing two?" Feng Yao said incredulously.
Yet, if that flying fist was truly just 30% of his power, then it might indeed be possible.
"This Primordial Sphere Corona acts as an external, wide-area Primordial Void, amplifying my base power and compensating for my deficiencies in cultivation and total strength," Yun Xiao explained deeply.
"That exaggerated, huh?" Feng Yao was astounded.
"Yes. My Three Lifetimes Samsara Calamity is already Upper Burying Heaven grade. When combined with the Primordial Void, it also grants destructive power," Yun Xiao continued.
This was why he could potentially make such a terrifying leap in power, even in the Early stage of the First Baptism Realm.
After all, for most cultivators, a difference of ten stages potentially represented hundreds of years of arduous cultivation!
With just his Corona and the Burying Heaven grade tribulation power, Yun Xiao had nearly bridged that gap.
"The most terrifying part is, as your cultivation continues to rise indefinitely, this Corona's enhancement will always be with you. Are you saying you'll always have a supercharged power source?" Feng Yao was just beginning to grasp the nature of the Corona.
She had read some about Coronas but hadn't found any as formidable as Yun Xiao's.
"That's right, but it seems there's a slight drawback..." Yun Xiao frowned.
"What's the drawback?" Feng Yao asked.
Yun Xiao, harnessing the tribulation power of the Primordial Sphere, said, "After the recent expenditure, I've realized that the Corona doesn't replenish energy as quickly as the Dantian. So, this supercharged state is not sustainable for prolonged combat, only for short bursts..."
"I see. So, you're a quickshot," Feng Xiao said, almost laughing.
Yun Xiao was so perfect it was refreshing for her to see a flaw in his combat capabilities, and naturally, she couldn't resist a bit of scorn.
"Oh? Wait!"
Suddenly, Yun Xiao burst out into laughter.
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