Ordinary immortals had two golden cores after becoming immortals. Dan Star, however, had only eighteen, and they were staggered. If they were separated, the rate at which they converted power into Immortal Yuan Power would drop sharply, weakening their strength and ability to sustain a fight. That was why cultivators never separated their golden cores and merged them into their clones when facing opponents of equal or greater strength.
But the heart Old Man Ling cultivated was different. After he passed the Tribulation Crossing Stage and became an immortal, ten Dan Stars appeared around his heart. To his great surprise, as his cultivation improved, ten Dan Stars appeared around his clone's heart as well. Though these Dan Stars were smaller than when fused together, the clone's strength did not diminish by much.
As his cultivation rose, the number of Dan Stars around his heart increased. After passing the Earth Immortal tribulation, Old Man Ling had eleven Dan Stars around his heart. After more than a century of cultivation, his clone's heart also had eleven, so the clone's strength had reached the Earth Immortal level too. With so many Dan Stars, he absorbed spiritual energy and converted it into Immortal Yuan Power very quickly, and could naturally fight for much longer. That was why Dugu Ye and the others were so shocked.
Old Man Ling couldn't care less whether Dugu Ye and the others were shocked. His attacks grew fiercer and fiercer. This put even more pressure on Dugu Ye and his companions, forcing them to respond with greater care. They were growing increasingly anxious, secretly praying for their reinforcements to arrive soon.
Let's set aside Old Man Ling's battle with Dugu Ye for now and turn to Ling Tian, who began putting his plan into action once the fighting started.