The thunder in the sky gradually subsided, marking a pause in the Heavenly Tribulation. Mo Tiange, looking utterly exhausted, hovered in a seated position, using the brief respite to recover some of her Spiritual Qi.
She had never expected her Nascent Soul Formation to trigger this ordeal. Previously, she had assumed it would be like Qin Xi's experience, where the Nascent Soul phenomenon would appear after emerging from seclusion. But now, faced with the reality, she found it unavoidable—there was no choice but to endure it. The Heavenly Tribulation wouldn't spare you just because you didn't want to face it.
She could only be grateful that within the Immortal Palace, she had obtained a defensive treasure robe from a God Transformation Stage cultivator and had also crafted a Nascent Soul Stage puppet. Otherwise, this tribulation would have been far more difficult.
"Ancient texts record that the minor Heavenly Tribulation at the Nascent Soul Stage has nine layers, with each layer's power progressively increasing. If one passes the tribulation, the might of the heavenly lightning will reshape the physical body, and cultivation will advance further. If one fails... then it's utter annihilation. Tian Ge, you must hold on!"
Qin Xi's voice reached her ears. She opened her eyes and looked toward him.
The sea wind howled fiercely, and lightning occasionally slashed across the sky. Qin Xi gazed at her, his eyes firm yet gentle.
She offered a faint smile, giving him a slight nod. Then, taking a deep breath, she rose to her feet and summoned her numerous magical treasures once more.
Her path of cultivation could be described as both arduous and fortunate, or fortunate yet always fraught with variables. Every advancement in rank was accompanied by unexpected twists.
During her Foundation Establishment, not only did a phenomenon appear, but it also lasted for over a year. During her Core Formation, her fellow disciples at the Xuanqing Sect had almost mistaken it for Nascent Soul Formation. And now, for her Nascent Soul Formation, she had actually triggered a Heavenly Tribulation that had long since ceased to exist in the present era.
Why this was, she did not know, though it likely had something to do with her physique and cultivation technique.
She wasn't sure if this was misfortune or luck. Perhaps, having endured more trials, she would travel further than others.
"Boom!" A tremendous roar signaled the imminent descent of the fourth layer of the Heavenly Tribulation.
Mo Tiange pointed a finger, and the white silk handkerchief transformed into an intangible mist, firmly protecting her. Simultaneously, she circulated all the Spiritual Qi within her body, readying herself.
In the sky, white lightning gathered increasingly, illuminating the dark sea surface as bright as day. Moments later, the pillar of lightning finally formed and descended—utterly silent.
Mo Tiange raised her hand, unfurling the Heaven and Earth Fan. Countless flowers and plants flew out from within, colliding with the heavenly lightning.
"Boom!" Unsurprisingly, all the Spiritual Qi-imbued flora were scattered by the lightning. However, after the collision, the heavenly lightning also dissipated into nothingness.
Mo Tiange's figure swayed slightly, but she ultimately stood firm.
Besides the central lightning pillar at the tribulation's core, there were numerous smaller bolts of heavenly lightning around. These struck the sea surface, stirring up monstrous waves.
She grabbed a handful of pills and stuffed them into her mouth, catching her breath.
Looking up, she saw lightning everywhere on the sea surface, casting a ghastly white light upon the blood-red waters, creating an eerie and terrifying scene.
"Boom!" Another tremendous roar, this time from the Human Transformation Tribulation of a demonic beast not far away. For demon beasts to transform into demonic cultivators, they also faced a nine-layer Heavenly Tribulation. Their tribulations had started around the same time; this should be the fifth layer now.
"Roar!" An ear-splitting roar erupted. On the sea surface a bit further away, an Azure-Winged Giant Beast appeared—the cyan demonic beast had revealed its true form to meet the heavenly lightning.
"Boom! Boom!" The heavenly lightning struck mercilessly, hitting the massive body of the Azure-Winged Giant Beast. The beast was blasted back several dozen feet, swaying before finally stabilizing.
Thunder-based techniques were inherently powerful, let alone heavenly lightning, which embodied the might of heaven and earth. This Azure-Winged Giant Beast radiated a profound wood-element aura; it undoubtedly practiced wood-element techniques. Wood was precisely countered by thunder. If this demonic beast hadn't already advanced to the eighth rank, it likely wouldn't have been able to withstand the heavenly lightning's power at all.
However, whether it was this one or the other two demonic beasts, they were undoubtedly ancient demonic beasts. Having cultivated for so long in the ancient environment, they were far more powerful than today's demonic beasts. Presumably, their chances of surviving the Human Transformation Tribulation were higher.
After a cursory glance, Mo Tiange didn't waste time worrying about these demonic beasts. She had her own tribulation to face—why bother about others? Moreover, her situation was worse than theirs. She had just advanced, hadn't had time to re-refine her magical treasures, and lacked their formidable physical bodies. Whether she could endure all nine layers of this tribulation was completely uncertain in her heart.
In this short time, the fifth layer of the tribulation arrived.
The heavenly lightning, carrying immense force, crashed down upon her. She felt a numbness in her head, and a surge of blood and Qi rushed to her throat. Struggling to hold on, she suppressed the restless Spiritual Qi within.
When this wave of heavenly lightning finally dispersed, Qin Xi helped her up. "Hold on for two more layers. I will intervene for the final two!"
Mo Tiange swallowed another handful of pills—she was practically treating them like candy, consuming them without regard for cost. Once her breathing stabilized, she asked, "What about you?"
Qin Xi was right beside her. When the heavenly lightning descended, he was also within the tribulation's range and had to defend himself.
"I know my limits," he said.
Mo Tiange nodded, trusting him without a doubt.
Then came the sixth layer of the tribulation—"Boom!" This thunderclap was even louder, and the heavenly lightning was twice as thick as before as it crashed down.
Mo Tiange didn't know if she could withstand it, but the Heavenly Tribulation was unavoidable. It wouldn't count unless it struck the person undergoing it.
With a twist of her wrist, she unfurled the Heaven and Earth Fan, pouring all her Spiritual Qi into it. A crane's cry was heard as an immortal crane flew out from the fan to meet the heavenly lightning.
The lightning struck the crane, which dissipated into Spiritual Qi almost effortlessly.
Then, it struck Mo Tiange squarely.
A soft "hiss" sounded as the mist formed by the white silk handkerchief was hit by the lightning, nearly dispersing. Mo Tiange herself was thrown off balance in the air by the tremendous force, sent flying back several dozen feet before she managed to steady herself, swaying.
Seeing the white silk handkerchief, now half-ruined, her expression changed slightly. This magical treasure, obtained from Zhong Muliang, had been refined by her since her Foundation Establishment stage. Its defenses were incredibly robust and had never failed before. Today, it had actually been pierced! If the sixth layer possessed such power, how would she handle the seventh?
She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and looked up at the sky.
The tribulation clouds were gathering once more. The next would be the seventh layer.
She swallowed more pills, seizing the moment to recover a bit of Spiritual Qi. She had few powerful defensive magical treasures left aside from the white robe she wore. If that failed, she would have to endure by sheer force. She could only hope this defensive treasure robe, obtained from an ancient God Transformation Stage cultivator, would at least preserve her life.
"Boom!" The heavenly lightning appeared again, but its color was deeper than before, tinged with a faint gold.
Mo Tiange took a deep breath and commanded the Jade Bone Puppet to meet it head-on!
A light "crack" sounded as the heavenly lightning struck the Jade Bone Puppet entirely. Light smoke rose from the puppet's body, its Spiritual Qi protective shield shattered instantly, and its Nascent Soul Stage aura vanished completely. Fortunately, the puppet's framework was made from the crystal bones of an ancient God Transformation Stage cultivator, and the white robe it wore was also a powerful defensive treasure. It wasn't destroyed.
Mo Tiange stored the temporarily power-depleted Jade Bone Puppet into her Qiankun Ring.
To render a Nascent Soul Stage puppet powerless, this seventh layer of the tribulation was at least twice as powerful as the sixth.
Two layers remained. After dispersing some of the smaller heavenly lightning nearby, Qin Xi forced out several drops of essence blood. He smeared it onto the Three Yang True Fire Sword, and the blade instantly blazed with a dazzling red light.
"Senior Brother?" Mo Tiange, seeing this, was startled and suspicious. What was he planning, using his essence blood?
"Recover your Spiritual Qi!" Qin Xi shouted at her.
Mo Tiange paused, then obediently swallowed pills and hovered in a seated position. Regardless of his intentions, she currently lacked the confidence to pass the tribulation alone. Her best choice was to cooperate fully with him.
Moments later, the tribulation clouds grew denser. The heavenly lightning finished gathering and struck down once more.
This time, the power of the heavenly lightning was several times more formidable than the last. Even before it fell, the sea surface was already churning with waves dozens of feet high, the roaring sound deafening.
Qin Xi pushed forward with his right hand. The Three Yang True Fire Sword transformed into streaks of red light. Then, man and sword together surged upward to meet the heavenly lightning.
He had refrained from intervening earlier, letting Mo Tiange endure the tribulation alone, for two reasons. First, only by personally withstanding the tribulation's power would her strength increase significantly. Second, he needed to conserve his combat power to help her through the final two layers. Otherwise, unable to face the truly perilous moment at his peak, they would both perish beneath the Heavenly Tribulation!
As the tribulation escalated, the cultivators within Yiye Island gradually noticed the anomaly.
"Look!" someone shouted. "Such huge waves!"
Outside Yiye Island's defensive formation, massive waves surged forth, crashing viciously against the protective shield.
At first, the shield merely trembled. But as the waves grew higher and the impacts more frequent, the protective shield began to shake unsteadily.
"A tsunami!" A well-traveled cultivator paled in alarm. Such force was undoubtedly a tsunami. If any cultivators hadn't managed to take refuge on Yiye Island in time, they likely had no chance of survival.
"Everyone, don't panic," the Yiye Island market management, composed of representatives from major powers, immediately stepped forward to reassure the crowd. "Yiye Island has Nascent Soul Seniors overseeing it. Nothing will happen. Stay calm, everyone return to your places!"
"That's right! In all of Yiye Island's history, nothing has ever gone wrong!" someone chimed in, then looked up at the sky. "Look, those Nascent Soul Seniors are still there!"
The cultivators all looked up. Seeing several Nascent Soul cultivators still standing beneath the protective shield high above, they felt somewhat reassured and returned to their shops or teahouses to sit down.
If the sky fell, these Nascent Soul Seniors would hold it up! That's what they thought.
At this moment, however, these Nascent Soul Seniors were far from as relaxed as imagined.
"The tribulation's power is actually this great..." Daoist Ruyi murmured to himself.
Someone said, "What is Daoist Ruyi afraid of? Could it be that Yiye Island's restrictions won't hold? That shouldn't be the case, right? In my opinion, the tribulation is almost over. It's time for us to go out and assess the situation."
Daoist Ruyi glanced at the speaker and snorted coldly. "Fellow Daoist Song thinks too simply. The later the stage, the greater the tribulation's power. If it were just one tribulation, Yiye Island's restrictions should handle it without issue. But four and a half tribulations... I truly cannot guarantee Yiye Island will remain completely unscathed!"
The Five Elements Valley established its sect based on formations. Daoist Ruyi was the highest cultivation-level cultivator in the Five Elements Valley and one of the era's most outstanding formation masters. When he spoke these words, no one dared to take them lightly.
"It can't be, right? Could Yiye Island's restrictions really fail?" the previously speaking cultivator asked anxiously.
Daoist Ruyi softened his expression. "It's only a possibility." The exact magnitude of the tribulation's power was mere speculation; he couldn't say for certain.
Seeing that Ma Laolv had been silently watching the distance without speaking, Daoist Ruyi couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist Ma, what do you think?"
After a moment, Ma Laolv slowly shook his head, gazing at the lightning-streaked sea surface. "This bargain... won't be easy to claim..."