When the master of the Mud Pill Palace saw Xu Ying manifesting the Heavenly Dao runes and tearing away seventy percent of the heavenly tribulation's power in one fell swoop, he could not help but show shock, crying out, "Ascension is within reach!"
Nearby, several potent auras surged with astonishing fluctuations—fellow fishermen, unable to conceal themselves upon seeing this, had inadvertently exposed their hiding spots.
Xu Ying reaching into the sky and dragging down the tribulation cloud to turn it into a Heavenly Dao cloak was truly staggering. For old monsters like them who dreaded the heavenly tribulation, Xu Ying's ability to dismantle its might brought them hope of ascension as well!
They had come looking for an opportunity to harvest the Qi Refiners of Haojing and the Son of Heaven of Zhou, yet never expected to witness such a spectacle. Their hearts surged with turmoil.
"Our hope of transcending tribulation and ascending lies with him!"
"He also possesses a Nuo ancestor cave-heaven. Obtaining that cave-heaven could help me completely refine the immortal medicine!"
"Immortality, like the Heavenly Dao cloak, hangs upon a single person."
Xu Ying stepped down from the Dengxian Platform. The cloak behind him still fluttered incessantly. With every ripple, terrifying tribulation might erupted beneath it, yet none leaked out; instead, it was drawn back into the cloak.
Leaving Haojing, Xu Ying arrived at Chu Xiangxiang's side, unfastened the Heavenly Dao cloak, and draped it over the goddess's shoulders, smiling. "The Heavenly Dao cloak is yours. I promised to write a few more Heavenly Dao runes for you, but since you were afraid of me getting handsy with you, giving you this cloak was my only choice."
Chu Xiangxiang hurriedly demurred. "How can I accept this? Uncle Xu risked his life to obtain it. How could I take something from my uncle?"
Xu Ying feigned a stern expression. "This is a gift from an uncle to his niece. How can a junior decline? Come, let me fasten it over your shoulders."
One of the Heavenly Dao runes was called the Heavenly Ring. Linked ring upon ring, it secured the Heavenly Dao cloak firmly onto Chu Xiangxiang's shoulders.
Chu Xiangxiang had never been so close to him before. Feeling his breath wash over her, tender feelings could not help but stir within her. The waters of the Xiang River rippled faintly as her silken, alluring gaze lingered deep in his eyes, murmuring softly, "Uncle is so good to me."
Gazing into her eyes, which were limpid as autumnal pools, Xu Ying felt somewhat flustered. He quickly reminded himself that she was the daughter of his Dao Brother Cangwu, his eldest niece; Cangwu had entrusted her to him, so how could he act like a beast?
Still... his eldest niece was truly exceedingly beautiful.
Suddenly, Dao might erupted. A bolt of heavenly lightning plummeted straight from the heavens, blasting toward the Son of Heaven of Zhou!
The Son of Heaven of Zhou had finally begun his tribulation.
"On guard—!"
The soldiers of Great Zhou activated their magic treasures one after another, guarding the four quarters to protect the Son of Heaven of Zhou during his tribulation.
The heavenly tribulation's power was down to only thirty percent, yet it was still earth-shaking. As the first strike landed, it tore open the Son of Heaven of Zhou's flesh and damaged his Primordial Spirit!
In a super heavenly tribulation, no one had ever directly resisted it with pure flesh and Primordial Spirit. Zhou Qiyun had abducted heavenly gods to take the tribulation for him; Xu Fu had used Xu Ying's divine abilities alongside three thousand counterfeit immortal artifacts to oppose it. Neither had dared to face it with their bare body and Primordial Spirit.
Yet the Son of Heaven of Zhou bathed in the heavenly tribulation, allowing the thunderbolts to strike him directly!
The explosion of tribulation might shredded his skin and flesh, nearly scattering his Primordial Spirit. His vital qi and Dao visions were battered until countless fissures spread across them, and his divine consciousness came close to shattering.
Yet in the next moment, the Son of Heaven of Zhou circulated his cultivation technique. Torn flesh began to regenerate, his Primordial Spirit repaired itself, his vital qi grew even more condensed, and through renewed visualization, he fortified his Dao visions and tempered his divine consciousness.
Whether Zhou Qiyun or Xu Fu, both had fought the heavenly tribulation, but his strategy was different.
He was using the heavenly tribulation to undergo an unprecedented tempering and metamorphosis!
The heavenly road was severed; he could no longer ascend or enter the Immortal Realm to harvest immortal qi, cultivate reality, and complete his transformation. Thus, he was borrowing the might of the heavenly tribulation to achieve that transformation during the ordeal.
This was exceptionally perilous. Without actively warding off the tribulation, he could perish under its wrath at any second!
Xu Ying had initially planned to leave the tribulation's center with Chu Xiangxiang and find a secluded spot to explain the Heavenly Dao runes on the cloak and help her comprehend them. After all, he had already slashed seventy percent of the tribulation's power—ten percent more than estimated. The Son of Heaven of Zhou would surely survive; there was no need for him to worry any further.
However, the manner in which the Son of Heaven of Zhou faced his tribulation brought him to a halt, a look of astonishment dawning on his face.
"Ji Man, I originally thought your stature, tolerance, and wisdom fell short of Zulong's. I never expected you could still surprise me," Xu Ying murmured.
The Son of Heaven of Zhou possessed ambition, methods, and sheer resolve; he dared to take terrifying risks!
Upon Mount Jiuyi, Foolish Ah Fu gazed at the scene from afar, equally surprised. Yet what surprised him was not that the Son of Heaven of Zhou was using the heavenly tribulation to temper himself and undergo a mortal metamorphosis, but something else entirely.
"Your original sixty percent chance of victory turned into seventy percent when executed. I originally had a hundred percent chance, yet when the moment came, not even one percent remained. Is luck truly a form of strength?"
He lay back, feeling a tinge of reluctance and bitterness.
When the master of the Mud Pill Palace and the other fishermen saw Xu Ying shave off seventy percent of the tribulation's power, they knew they had lost the chance to reap Haojing. Just as they were about to disperse, they noticed how the Son of Heaven of Zhou was handling his tribulation, and their hearts stirred.
"The Son of Heaven of Zhou's method is certainly inventive, conceiving what others dared not imagine. Yet by doing this, he has inflicted heavy injuries upon himself, handing us an opportunity."
The master of the Mud Pill Palace and the others stopped and continued watching.
Sickles had already been sharpened, awaiting the harvest.
The Son of Heaven of Zhou was ownerless, like wild chives planted by no one. Thus, whether fishermen or leek-reapers, anyone could harvest him.
Lurking in the shadows, pair after pair of eyes fixed on Haojing, waiting at every moment to strike.
Yet as the heavenly lightning struck continuously, the Son of Heaven of Zhou's cultivation and strength actually advanced instead of regressing. Strike after strike came crashing down upon the crown of his head, detonating within his body and inside his Realm of Xiyi. Reason dictated that this should compound injury upon injury.
However, as the thunderbolts crashed down and their power detonated within him, they unexpectedly refined a large portion of the immortal medicine in his body. The medicine's potency surged in all directions, nourishing his flesh, Primordial Spirit, vital qi, divine consciousness, physical strength, and the two qi of yin and yang.
At the same time, the heavenly thunder's tempering of his flesh, Primordial Spirit, vital qi, divine consciousness, physical strength, and yin-yang qi continually elevated his strength and cultivation!
"The Son of Heaven of Zhou's method of transcending tribulation is an ancient method."
Seeing this, the master of the Mud Pill Palace turned and departed quietly. Trying to ambush a peerless expert whose cultivation and power were advancing by leaps and bounds with every moment in the tribulation was definitely not a wise choice.
*Behind the Son of Heaven of Zhou, there must be an ancient heritage, someone who told him that this is the true method of tempering through tribulation,* he thought quietly. *Though I know of this method as well, I lack someone who can shave off seventy percent of the tribulation's power for me.*
Around the tribulation cloud, the figures lurking in the dark slipped away one after another.
Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi bore the Tianzhu Sword on his back, constantly sensing his surroundings. Earlier, when Xu Ying ripped away the tribulation to form the cloak, those hidden masters had inadvertently exposed themselves, and he had secretly noted their positions. Now, as they departed one by one, he breathed a sigh of relief.
*During this tribulation, Fellow Daoist Xu weakened the tribulation, and His Majesty proved himself worthy, sparing us from human calamities. Now heaven's timing, earth's advantage, and human harmony are all on our side; the advantage is entirely ours. I can rest easy...*
Yet at the very instant his aura relaxed, an invisible thread whipped across. A fishhook hung upon the line, and with a swift whoosh, it hooked the back of the Son of Heaven of Zhou's head!
This sight caught Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi, the other Qi Refiners of Great Zhou, and the Son of Heaven of Zhou completely unawares.
The fishing line twitched, and with a rush of wind, the Son of Heaven of Zhou was yanked upward into the air, flying straight toward the tribulation cloud above!
Without a second thought, Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi unleashed the Tianzhu Sword. With a sharp slash, murderous aura sliced across heaven and earth, severing the fishing line!
An immensely thick bolt of lightning crashed down, striking the crown of the Son of Heaven of Zhou's head and blasting him down from midair to smash heavily onto Haojing's Dengxian Platform.
Seeing this, the other Great Zhou Qi Refiners activated their magic treasures. Long bridges rose into the air, bearing down toward a solitary skiff beneath the tribulation cloud.
"Chanchan, your junior brother is here to take your and the Son of Heaven of Zhou's dog heads!" Xu Ying called out toward Feilai Peak.
Atop Feilai Peak, Zhu Chanchan glared furiously. "You're the dog head!"
Even as they spoke, the Great Zhou Qi Refiners' magic treasures had already closed in on the skiff. Zhu Chanchan's expression changed abruptly. "Not good! They shouldn't have used magic treasures!"
The man in the bamboo hat stood upon the small boat. It was tiny, shorter even than his body, making him look truly as if he were treading upon a large leaf.
The man met the long bridge resting across the waves. Upon the bridge, bronze flood dragons had revived and bronze qilin had awakened, large and small, roaring incessantly and radiating terrifying ferocity comparable to mature archaic behemoths!
Yet in the next moment, the man threw a punch. With a sharp clack, whether the bronze qilin and flood dragons, the long bridge, or the river flowing beneath it, none remained under the control of the Great Zhou Qi Refiners!
Their imprints were directly wiped clean!
Be it the qilin, the flood dragons, the long bridge, or the river, they turned and assaulted their former masters instead, erupting with terrifying might even greater than when wielded in their own hands!
Clack!
The skiff carrying the man in the bamboo hat soared under the long bridge. He threw another punch, striking the descending multistory building. The Great Zhou Qi Refiners within were immediately struck by the divine tower's backlash!
The divine tower was a heavy weapon, yet it turned around to suppress them instead, sealing them inside and leaving them unable to break free!
The skiff flew out from behind the tower to meet a great cauldron. With another clack, the cauldron smashed the Qi Refiner who had unleashed it, sending him vomiting blood and tumbling down!
A Great Zhou general clad head to toe in golden armor charged forward. From his weapon rack, eighteen types of weapons flew out, slashing toward the man in the bamboo hat. In the next breath, several clacks rang out, and those very weapons impaled the golden-armored general.
Even the golden armor upon the general's body became a weapon that sealed him, trapping him within his own suit and leaving him unable to budge.
Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack!
The man in the bamboo hat fought his way forward. The three thousand Great Zhou Qi Refiners proved entirely unable to stop him. The magic treasures under their control turned traitor the instant contact was made; their imprints vanished and were replaced by his, sending them reeling in total disarray!
The man in the bamboo hat's target was none other than the Son of Heaven of Zhou. Sweeping forward like dry weeds before a gale and driving back three thousand Qi Refiners, he genuinely stunned all who watched.
Even Xu Ying, who had clashed with him before, watched in dazzled awe, silently praising his formidable skill.
Back on the waters of the Nai River, the man in the bamboo hat had never displayed such astonishing craft!
Just then, a beam of chilled sword light struck, Heavenly Dao might erupting from the blade as it pointed straight between the man's eyebrows. It was Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi, wielding the Tianzhu Sword as he charged head-on!
The man in the bamboo hat casually struck at the Tianzhu Sword, yet this time no crisp clack rang out, giving him a sudden shock.
What he did not know was that Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi had asked Zhu Chanchan to personally erase the Immortal Realm's imprint from this sword and place his own imprint upon it.
Zhu Chanchan had refined it with meticulous care. Although the man in the bamboo hat erased the imprint in a single blow, he was unable to place his own imprint on the Tianzhu Sword.
His heart sank; he instantly realized he had lost the upper hand.
Losing the initiative before a wise master like Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi was a terrifying error. The Tianzhu Sword's might surged, severing the man's wrist, while the sharp tip of the blade thrust straight for the point between his brows!
Just as the man in the bamboo hat was about to perish under the Tianzhu Sword, Feilai Peak swept through with a whistling gust, sending Grand Preceptor Jiang, the Tianzhu Sword, and the man in the bamboo hat flying all together!
Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi grunted, his aura unsettled by the crushing weight of Feilai Peak. Taking advantage of the opening, the man flicked his finger, sending the Tianzhu Sword flying out of Jiang Qi's grasp!
Grand Preceptor Jiang hurriedly gave chase to the Tianzhu Sword, lest the man seize it and turn it against them, brewing a disaster.
Catching up to the Tianzhu Sword, he tested it briefly before breathing a sigh of relief.
The heavenly tribulation raged on.
Thunderbolts plummeted from the heavens one after another, illuminating the world.
On one side of the lightning, the man's bamboo hat had shattered, and the small boat beneath his feet had been crushed by Feilai Peak, revealing a youthful, boyish face. It bore a touch of childishness, yet also a somber, gloomy desolation.
On the other side of the lightning, Zhu Chanchan stood as a young woman—alluring, beautiful, wild, and fierce as a leopardess.
"Xiao Hui, look at you now, grown capable enough to reap leeks like everyone else!"
Zhu Chanchan chided him in reprimand, "How did I teach you when I left? I told you to live as a good human being, and now you won't even be human! You became a demon, eating people!"
The man laughed wildly, his laughter sounding like weeping and lamentation. "How did you teach me? You threw me aside and ran away—how could you still teach me? I thought that in our sect, once Master was gone, I at least still had you, Senior Sister! I never imagined even you would abandon me! You fled to the other shore for eternal life and longevity, while I was left behind in the Tiangong Sect, thinking I could achieve success in cultivation and go to the other shore to find you. But without you, I couldn't understand the ancient scrolls in the sect at all! I couldn't become a Tiangong! Senior Sister, I was merely an orphan you abandoned! No..."
He glanced around at the Great Zhou Qi Refiners in Haojing and laughed heartily. "No! I am an orphan abandoned by you dignitaries and nobles! Senior Sister and I helped you build the Divine Boat of the Other Shore, yet there was no place on that boat for the two of us! You abandoned both of us first, and then Senior Sister abandoned me! And in the end..."
He threw back his head and looked at the tribulation clouds in the sky, smiling faintly. "Even this world abandoned all living beings. Haha, they ate every Qi Refiner, and only by sheer luck did I survive. If I did not eat people, I would die; if I did not eat people, I would be eaten by others! Senior Sister, only by harvesting the mortals of this world could I survive to this day."
He opened his arms wide. Six great cave-heavens emerged behind him, and the magic treasures he had struck down earlier all fell under his control, floating into midair.
Half of Haojing was already in his grasp.
"Senior Sister, I will bury you all with the City of Haojing that you forged!"
His figure moved, and all the magic treasures around him erupted with their full might simultaneously, assaulting everyone!
Chapter 301