Time slipped away like sand through fingers; in an instant, a month had passed.
During this month, Xuanya’s heart grew increasingly restless. Sitting cross-legged in her quiet chamber, she found it difficult to enter meditation.
She sighed, gazing at the sky with a hint of worry in her heart. Had it really come to this?
It seemed the Heavenly Tribulation was not far off.
“Enough. I’ll go out for a walk, clear my mind.”
Perhaps, it would be the last time…
Xuanya’s emotions were tangled as she stepped out of the Grass Hut.
But just then—
Boom.
An oppressive pressure descended suddenly from the void.
Xuanya’s steps halted abruptly; her expression hardened like frost. She swiftly raised her head, her gaze piercing like a blade into the leaden gray sky roiling overhead.
“Sigh…”
Xuanya stood with her hands behind her back, her moon-white Daoist robe billowing. Her voice carried a finality tinged with dust settling: “The Heavenly Tribulation… in the end, it still comes.”
In one swift movement, Xuanya glanced back, her eyes sweeping over the two simple Grass Huts atop the peak—companions to each other for decades.
A faint yet gentle smile blossomed in her calm eyes, as if penetrating through the thick mists of time.
“So many years have passed in the blink of an eye.”
Closing her eyes, Xuanya couldn’t help but recall the little one she had once brought up the mountain, destitute and ragged, yet with a spark of cunning in their eyes.
After all these years, she had watched these two little ones grow into capable talents.
In this life, there were no regrets.
Before her thoughts could wander further, the wild Ling Power of the world surged like converging rivers.
Between breaths, a vast tribulation cloud, as deep and dark as ink and faintly crackling with lightning, had already formed a hundred feet above her head, fierce and formidable.
The rolling vortex resembled a giant beast’s devouring eye, firmly locking onto the small figure below.
At this moment, the other peaks had also noticed the tribulation cloud.
Several figures transformed into streams of light, soaring into the high sky, gazing distantly at the destructive energy saturating the sky above Tianquanfeng.
Xuanya looked up at the tribulation cloud, her slender fingers rapidly weaving seals inside her sleeves. Suddenly, her heart sank.
“Nine Thunders…… Heavenly Tribulation?!”
She bitterly smiled, “Such a grand funeral? The Heavenly Dao… seems to regard my broken body with some respect after all……”
Everyone knew: the immortal lightning tribulations ranged from three at the least to nine at the most.
The heavier the tribulation, the more extraordinary the talent, and the deeper the boundless potential granted by Heaven. But it also meant… a deadly game of life and death.
To defy Heaven and ascend to immortality, one must first face this overwhelming celestial might.
Boom—
The tribulation lightning reached its peak. A scorching white spot deep within the clouds flared brightly like the furious, glaring eye of a creator deity.
At the moment the light reached its zenith—
Crack—crash—
A terrifying pillar of light tore through the sky, carrying the world-destroying force to shatter all beneath it.
The entire realm dimmed in an instant.
The world-shaking fluctuation containing the ultimate principles of the Dao descended alongside the tribulation lightning.
Xuanya’s mind moved like lightning; her Ling Power erupted all around her as she prepared fully to face the earth-flattening first strike…
Huh?
Why is the lightning striking off course?
Xuanya blinked in confusion as she watched the lightning column fall—its target was the back mountain of Tianquanfeng, where a small courtyard had been built at some unknown time.
Could there still be someone on Tianquanfeng undergoing tribulation?!
While Xuanya was still puzzled, inside that courtyard’s newly constructed alchemy chamber—
A fair, jade-like hand wrapped in surging immortal energy firmly caught the blindingly white lightning pillar capable of leveling mountains.
The destructive electric snakes crackled wildly against the barrier of immortal power, releasing harsh, ear-piercing screeches.
Xuanmo stood before a massive alchemy cauldron, the corner of her eye twitching sharply.
Amidst the roaring tribulation lightning, she couldn’t help but roar at the figure next to her who was completely focused on controlling the fire: “Lu Qiancha—!! What exactly are you refining?!”
Originally, she had only thought it was a simple pill refinement, at worst the alchemy furnace exploding and protecting her Shizhi’s life.
Who would have thought it would actually attract such devastating heavenly lightning?
Dan Yin Tian Lei—the alchemy drawing of heavenly lightning—was a forbidden act against the Heavenly Dao.
Only divine objects with power strong enough to shake the laws of Heaven could summon such a tribulation.
Boom boom boom—
The second and third bolts of tribulation lightning struck one after another, all stopped by Xuanmo’s powerful immortal energy barriers.
Yet her expression turned from surprise to grave seriousness.
Her eyes locked onto the mysterious radiant glow emanating from the alchemy cauldron, stirring a turbulent storm in her heart.
That little brat… actually managed to refine a divine artifact that could summon triple Dan Jie?!
But she was clearly only a Daoist in the Nascent Soul stage!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three bolts of lightning, thicker and tinged with a wild ancient aura, descended like colossal axes cleaving through the sky, ignoring spatial distance to strike down hard.
The three thunders combined as one; Xuanmo’s layered immortal energy shields shattered like glass.
The last trace of tribulation lightning pierced through the defenses, heading straight for the core of the cauldron.
“Don’t think so!”
Xuanmo’s gaze sharpened fiercely.
“Hum—”
A vast, pure immortal might soared into the sky.
A grand domain of swirling immortal energy instantly appeared, blocking the final incoming tribulation lightning two meters from the cauldron.
Xuanmo looked up at the destructive whirlpool still swirling deep inside the tribulation cloud, her delicate face as cold as frost: “Looks like it’s time to show some real skill.”
She formed heavenly seals with her hands and chanted an incantation:
“Zi Kan Tian Yuan Ning! Xu Qian Di Yuan Ju! Yi Zhen Ren Yuan Yin! Three Powers in Place, Immortal Domain Protective!”
Her voice rolled like thunder.
Behind her, the radiant domain of the Xian Zhi Jieyu blazed with ten thousand rays of light.
Nine brilliant suns broke through the clouds and slowly rose within the domain’s celestial sky.
The San Zu Jinwu hovered silently, awaiting the heavenly punishment.
The tribulation cloud seemed to sense the threat of the Nine Suns; the thunder rumbled deeply but held back, as if gathering its final, world-ending strength.
A moment of deathly silence—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three bolts of tribulation lightning as thick as water barrels, dark as primeval cold iron, descended together, determined to erase the pill daring to steal heavenly secrets along with the entire region.
“Impudent!”
Xuanmo’s beautiful eyes brimmed with killing intent as she shouted fiercely.
The nine blazing suns behind her suddenly transformed into nine unparalleled, divine San Zu Jinwu.
Their cries shattered the sky as they charged to meet the cataclysmic thunder.
The Golden Crows flapped their wings, igniting a blaze that spread like wildfire.
The tribulation lightning roared, the heavenly laws leaning down.
Two supreme powers collided violently.
At that moment—
Light shattered, thunder died.
The entire space seemed on the verge of collapse under the extreme heat and impact.
The flood of destruction swept over.
The light faded.
The tribulation cloud thrashed in reluctant defeat, then burst like a giant bubble, quickly dissipating to reveal a clear sky once again.
Sunlight shone on Xuanmo’s pale but unbowed silhouette.
A few strands of her hair, singed at the front, fluttered softly as her chest rose and fell.
“…This Ling Stone…”
She collapsed onto the ground without dignity, gasping for breath, “Earning it… was really no easy task!”
Beside her, the small blue figure that had exhausted all the power supporting the alchemy furnace was even more pitiful.
Her disguised Ling Power long since drained, she lay sprawled on the ground with unfocused blue eyes.
Her entire body soaked in sweat, her small chest heaving violently as if on the verge of fainting.
“Xuan………mo Shi…gu…”
She struggled to move her lips, her weak voice barely audible.
“Hm?” Xuanmo adjusted her breathing, barely suppressing the surging blood, and moved beside the little ball.
“Help me…”
Lu Qiancha used her last ounce of strength, her small claw trembling as she pointed to the alchemy cauldron, then to a certain direction on the mountain.
“Ta…ke… it… to… Shifu…”
She panted hastily, seeming moments from losing consciousness.
“Tell… her… I can’t hold on… need… more medicine…”
***
With the last syllable spoken, those blue eyes that had held on for so long lost their light, and her small body went limp, sinking into a deep unconsciousness.
Xuanmo’s gaze turned sharp; she did not hesitate.
She swiftly retrieved three dragon-eye-sized Lingdan floating inside the cauldron, carefully sealing them inside a Jade Bottle.
At the same time, she grabbed the pale purple bottle that Lu Qiancha had indicated.
Her immortal perception swept like a tide across the entire mountain — and found it.
In the next moment, her figure vanished from the courtyard.
When she reappeared, she was before Xuanya.
Without wasting words, Xuanmo quickly shoved the bottles into Xuanya’s hands, urgently relaying Lu Qiancha’s instructions at a rapid pace.
Xuanya looked down at the heavy vessels in her palms, her expression complex beyond words.
“So foolish…… Why… go this far?”
That gentle question, unclear whether it was pity for her beloved disciple or a self-reproach…………
“Xuanya Sister! Take them!”
Seeing Xuanya’s almost resigned calmness, Xuanmo urged anxiously, “These were bought with your disciple’s life. Don’t waste her sincere heart!”
After a moment of silence, Xuanya finally raised her hand and slowly but solemnly accepted the two precious bottles carrying life itself.
She lifted her gaze toward the boundless tribulation cloud that had just dispersed but was now re-gathering high above the heavens.
A faint, desolate yet crystal-clear understanding curled at the corners of her lips:
“Haha… I’m foolish… and he’s foolish too… still clinging to the delusion that this tribulation can be overcome.”
She took a deep breath—an inhale filled with the acceptance of life and death, mingled with self-mockery.
“In the end… fate plays tricks on us all.”
Before she could finish speaking—
Boom——!!!
The celestial sound returned.
The immense heavenly might suddenly locked onto the world below.
The destined Heavenly Tribulation of Xuanya finally—
After a brief interlude—
Descended.
This time, at the very center of the destructive whirlpool, the resolute silhouette of Xuanya standing alone was clearly reflected.
The Heavenly Dao was ruthless; calamity was reborn.
But this time, there would be no chance for luck.