This was a real mess.
Having wandered the cultivation world for nearly a thousand years and cultivated to the late Nascent Soul stage as a lone cultivator, Old Donkey Ma might not have the highest cultivation, but his knowledge was undoubtedly unparalleled in Yunzhong. He had seen all sorts of strange things. But the scene before him now—not only had he never seen it, he dared to swear that it was the first time in tens of thousands of years!
Heavenly Tribulation was an exceedingly rare thing. Even among Nascent Soul cultivators, few had ever witnessed one.
It was said that in ancient times, when cultivators advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, a minor Heavenly Tribulation would descend. But for cultivators advancing nowadays, there was no tribulation anymore, only the sound of wind and thunder left over from the tribulation era to set the scene. No one knew the reason for this, though many believed that the strength of modern Nascent Soul cultivators was far inferior to that of ancient cultivators, failing to meet the conditions to trigger a tribulation, and thus none descended.
Nowadays, Heavenly Tribulation only appeared under two circumstances. First, when a demon beast underwent Human Transformation to become a demon cultivator. Second, when a cultivator underwent God Transformation to become a pinnacle existence in the mortal world.
Demon beasts capable of Human Transformation generally lived in the deep sea or remote mountains, places ordinary cultivators rarely visited. Even if one encountered them, it was unlikely to be by chance during their tribulation. Those who had witnessed a Heavenly Tribulation were only Nascent Soul cultivators like Old Donkey Ma, who had traveled all over Yunzhong and had exceptionally good luck.
Saying they had good luck was because although the Heavenly Tribulation was terrifying, a demon beast that had just undergone it would be extremely weak—a perfect opportunity to strike. Whether to subdue it as a spirit beast or kill it to take its inner core and corpse, there were immense benefits. Old Donkey Ma's eighth-rank spirit beast had likely been acquired this way.
But right now, they were not only witnessing a Heavenly Tribulation on Yiye Island, but four and a half of them at once! This was more absurd than the wildest tales in mortal storybooks! If not for the evidence before their eyes, they would never have believed it.
"Fellow Daoist Ma, you're not pulling our leg, are you?"
Faced with the doubt, Old Donkey Ma lifted his eyelids slightly. "This old man is just stating the facts. Whether you believe it or not, that's not my concern."
His attitude of 'take it or leave it' made the others hesitate to press further.
Only Perfected One Ruyi asked seriously, "Fellow Daoist Ma, four tribulations we can accept, but what do you mean by half a tribulation?"
"That, this old man doesn't know either!" Old Donkey Ma was also puzzled. He raised his whip, pointing at four points on the sea surface. "Perfected One Ruyi, look. These four thunder pillars are extremely thick. Their power is as one can imagine. They must undoubtedly be the centers of the tribulations. But this thunder pillar over here is weaker than the other four, yet stronger than the peripheral heavenly lightning. That's why this old man said it's four and a half tribulations!"
The others looked carefully and saw it was indeed so.
Someone immediately thought of something. "Fellow Daoists, regardless of the situation, it's certain that demon beasts are undergoing their Human Transformation Tribulation. Isn't this a great opportunity for us?"
"Well said." The others grew restless upon hearing this. These Nascent Soul cultivators weren't like low-level cultivators who could afford pills and buy top-tier treasures as long as they had money. At the Nascent Soul realm, anything that aided cultivation was a rare treasure of heaven and earth. In the current world, such treasures were exceedingly rare. It wasn't just a matter of whether they still existed; even if they did, any Nascent Soul cultivator who found one would use it themselves, rarely trading it.
And now, near Yiye Island, several demon beasts were undergoing tribulation! If they succeeded, they would become eighth-rank demon beasts. The inner cores of eighth-rank demon beasts could refine pills for Nascent Soul cultivators, and their corpses could craft top-tier magical treasures! Finding an eighth-rank demon beast on an ordinary day was no easy task!
"Heh!" Though Old Donkey Ma wore a smile, his tone held a trace of disdain as he said leisurely, "Fellow Daoists, don't think too simply. One tribulation is one thing, but four and a half tribulations, and so close to our Yiye Island... Heh heh, I'm afraid even Yiye Island's defensive formations might be impacted!"
"This... surely not?" Mentioning formations, Perfected One Ruyi was skeptical. "Fellow Daoist Ma, Yiye Island's formation restrictions have been continuously perfected and repaired by generations of formation masters. They are no inferior to the great sects' mountain-protecting grand formations. For tens of thousands of years, there have been no accidents."
"And in those tens of thousands of years, has there ever been a situation where four and a half tribulations appeared together?" Old Donkey Ma spoke slowly, his tone growing increasingly grave. "This tribulation has only just begun. As time passes, its range will expand, and its power will increase. Whether Yiye Island can escape unscathed is hard to say."
On Yiye Island, the Nascent Soul cultivators chattered, speculating about the truth of the matter. Meanwhile, on the sea surface near the small island, countless heavenly bolts had turned the surrounding waters into a slaughterhouse.
The sky was a roiling mass of dark clouds, lightning unceasing, a biting Gang Wind howling. Thick pillars of thunder continuously descended from the heavens, the rumbling never-ending. The sea beasts living nearby were utterly unlucky; under such heavenly lightning, there was no possibility of survival. For a time, countless sea beast corpses floated on the sea surface, their blood dyeing the water red.
Nan Guitian, in a wretched state, formed a hand seal, braving the Gang Wind and heavenly lightning to summon his defensive treasure once more, his regret so deep it turned his guts green.
Thirty years ago, seeing the Danxia Sect's gradual decline, himself stuck at mid-Nascent Soul for hundreds of years without advancement, and no outstanding talents rising within the sect, he had no choice but to seclude himself in a secret location in the Guixu Sea to cultivate in isolation. He hoped that the dense spiritual qi and abundant resources of that ancient land would allow him to break through to the late stage in one go, restoring the Danxia Sect to its former glory.
For these thirty years, he had taken great risks, needing to guard against cultivators with similar intentions while also being wary of the high-level demon beasts originally living within the space. He had been on tenterhooks, every step fraught with difficulty.
Fortunately, his efforts had paid off. The bottleneck that had stuck for so long finally showed signs of loosening.
Right at this critical moment, the Immortal Palace suddenly collapsed. Seeing the space about to be destroyed, he had no choice but to flee for his life.
That Human-Form Demon Cultivator chasing him had long had its eyes on him. Only because he was cautious and careful, having laid down layer upon layer of formation restrictions in his temporary cave dwelling, had the demon cultivator been unable to do anything to him. When the Immortal Palace collapsed, the demon cultivator intended to kill him in one fell swoop, to seize his Nascent Soul and aid its own cultivation.
Nan Guitian knew there were other demon cultivators in the space and couldn't afford to get entangled. Therefore, the moment he saw there were other people in the space, he immediately called for help.
Whoever they were, as long as they were human cultivators, negotiations were possible. But if they were demon cultivators, it would be a fight to the death with no discussion.
He thought his luck was good. These people had saved him and showed no intention of killing him for his treasures.
But now he regretted it. What good luck? Getting involved with these people was downright disastrous!
Those Human-Form Demon Cultivators were one thing; demon beasts undergoing Human Transformation naturally had to face the Human Transformation Heavenly Tribulation. But what was going on with them now? That girl who had luckily obtained Perfected One Fuyao's legacy actually had a Nascent Soul Tribulation!
A Nascent Soul Tribulation! That was something unheard of for over a hundred thousand years!
One would have been enough, but because of this girl's Nascent Soul Tribulation, that dead ghost Ghostfang Demon Lord's disciple had actually triggered half a tribulation as well!
If he had stayed out of this, after the tribulation, he would certainly have come to win them over.
He wasn't one of those ignorant fools. He knew what a Nascent Soul Tribulation that hadn't appeared for over a hundred thousand years represented. If one could safely pass through the tribulation, that Nascent Soul-forming cultivator would possess immense potential. But unfortunately, he was also trapped within the tribulation, facing heavenly thunder crashing down upon his head—Heavens above! Thinking of how he, Nan Guitian, had schemed and planned tirelessly for the Danxia Sect's legacy, pouring his heart and soul into it, only to see his very life about to be lost... How could he be so unlucky?!
But now, even if he wanted to run, it was too late. The tribulation had already descended. He was at the center of it. Even if he turned tail and fled, he had no confidence of escaping unscathed from so many heavenly bolts. So he could only fight. If luck was on his side, perhaps he could still preserve his life.
It was just that among these people, apart from that Fellow Daoist Qin, they were all early Nascent Soul stage, with two having just formed their Nascent Souls. Trying to withstand the tribulation head-on probably wouldn't go well... Thinking this, Nan Guitian glanced over and found the situation contrary to his expectations.
Mo Tiange was resisting the tribulation. The Primordial Chaos Qi Art, the White Silk Kerchief, the Heaven and Earth Fan, the Taiji Bagua Diagram, and other treasures were all deployed, along with rare Nascent Soul-grade defensive armor talismans. Moreover, the clothes she wore seemed to be some kind of treasure as well. Sometimes when weaker heavenly lightning struck her body, she withstood it directly—back when she and Qin Xi had obtained a white robe from that God Transformation ancient cultivator, it had remained intact for over a hundred thousand years, indicating it was a top-tier defensive magical treasure. Qin Xi, having undergone Vermilion Bird Body Tempering, didn't need it, so he had refined it again and given it to her for protection.
Beside her, a cultivator with fluttering white sleeves and an indistinct face occasionally stepped forward to block some heavenly lightning for her. This figure wore the sect robes of that ancient great sect from the space, with incredibly powerful defenses.
At first, Nan Guitian thought this was a cultivator who didn't wish to reveal their identity. Only later did he realize that although this figure was agile and quite strong, it carried not a trace of human aura. It wasn't human—it was a puppet!
An early Nascent Soul stage puppet! He could guess at once that this must be an opportunity obtained from the Immortal Palace! He could barely control his jealousy. This girl, how could her luck be so good? Trapped in the Immortal Palace, not only did she form her Nascent Soul and escape smoothly, she even obtained such a treasure!
On the other side, Yang Chengji was unleashing his Primordial Demon Qi, resisting the heavenly lightning. Just now, when he realized part of the heavenly lightning was targeting him, he was shocked, not understanding how he could have triggered a tribulation.
Subsequently, Jing Xingzhi analyzed that upon exiting the independent space, he should have triggered the Nascent Soul Formation celestial phenomenon. But Mo Tiange had triggered a tribulation. Compared to the Nascent Soul Formation phenomenon, a tribulation was a level higher. Being within the tribulation range, he was also sensed by it. Thus, his Nascent Soul Formation phenomenon was upgraded into a tribulation. But because he was only implicated, the tribulation's power was greatly reduced, counting as only half.
Since it was half a tribulation, he handled it much more easily. After all, he cultivated the Primordial Demon Great Method, and he had absorbed all the Primordial Demon Qi in the Immortal Palace. His body was filled with demonic energy. Even against the thunder-based spells that demonic cultivators feared most, he could still withstand them.
As for Jing Xingzhi and Qin Xi, though they weren't having an easy time either, they weren't in too wretched a state. This made Nan Guitian secretly wonder: were these people's strengths actually this formidable? As the Chief Supreme Elder of one of Yunzhong's five great righteous cultivation sects, when had his vision become so narrow?