Hearing his master's words from afar, Lu Yang suddenly recalled what the Immortal Fairy had said when she first saw him: his master could have broken through to the Tribulation Transcendence stage long ago, but had kept his cultivation suppressed for some unknown reason.
So it was all for today?
Su Moran's expression hardened as he glared at Daoist Buyu, but then his tension abruptly relaxed.
As a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator himself, no one knew better than he how difficult it was to break through to that realm. Mindset, cultivation base, physical condition, comprehension, and medicinal pills—not a single one could be missing.
Back when Su Moran had sought to advance to Tribulation Transcendence, he had stopped at nothing, going so far as to blood-sacrifice an entire small city and use heavenly materials and earthly treasures to temper his body. Even so, he had failed. Crippled with grievous injuries from the failed breakthrough, he had been hunted down by Great Xia and forced to flee all the way to the Demon Domain. There, he nursed his wounds for over a century before finally succeeding after blood-sacrificing an entire demon tribe. The journey had been fraught with endless hardship and setbacks.
For more than a thousand years, he had kept close watch on Daoist Buyu's movements. For instance, over a decade ago, the Dao Seeking Sect had announced that Daoist Buyu was missing. Only ten years later did Daoist Buyu reappear before the world.
Those ten missing years had undoubtedly been spent in hiding, nursing injuries from a failed tribulation!
If he had failed and been injured just ten years ago, there was no way he could attempt another tribulation in such a short time!
Advancing to Tribulation Transcendence? Nothing more than a bluff.
"Whether it's a bluff or not, try it and find out, you old bastard!"
Daoist Buyu bellowed. He stopped suppressing himself, and his aura shifted from a steady climb to a meteoric surge. While not as terrifying as Su Moran's crushing pressure, it possessed an intensity no Body Integration cultivator could ever muster.
That was an aura unique to the early Tribulation Transcendence stage. Before Daoist Buyu had even crossed his tribulation, he already radiated the presence of a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator!
*Rumble!*
Releasing his aura in its entirety, Daoist Buyu summoned a sky-spanning lightning tribulation that instantly tore through Su Moran's oppressive presence. Winding arcs of purple-gold lightning tore across the world, connecting heaven and earth in a display of raw power that made the very ground tremble. Mortals and cultivators of Ye City alike were seized by terror, none daring to lift their heads toward the fearsome heavenly tribulation.
"Oho, Purple Firmament Destruction Lightning! Your master's talent isn't half bad," the Immortal Fairy said with a mere glance at the sky, immediately identifying the lightning tribulation's variety. She bragged proudly to Lu Yang, "Of course, it still can't hold a candle to the tribulation this Immortal faced back in the day."
Lightning tribulations had existed long before Immortal Ying Tian attained immortality. His Tribulation Responding Dao fruit granted him dominion over the original lightning tribulations and the power to create new ones. According to the Immortal Fairy, after Immortal Ying Tian became an immortal, the varieties of lightning tribulation multiplied more than tenfold. They grew vastly complex and numerous, capable of satisfying every single need of a cultivator—except the desire to avoid tribulations altogether.
*There really is a lightning tribulation.* Su Moran realized matters were slipping out of his control. Unfortunately, no one could interfere with a tribulation; whoever meddled would be forced to undergo it as well.
Thoughts of retreat rose in his mind, and he began inching toward the edge of Ye City. There was no need to gamble his life on whether Daoist Buyu would successfully reach the Tribulation Transcendence stage.
Yet Daoist Buyu clearly had no intention of letting him go. As Su Moran moved toward the city's perimeter, Buyu dragged the lightning tribulation right behind him. If Su Moran dared step outside Ye City, Buyu was fully prepared to close the distance before he could escape, dragging both of them into the tribulation together!
Daoist Buyu was willing to bet he could survive the tribulation, but Su Moran did not dare take that chance.
Faced with this impasse, Su Moran had no choice but to abandon his escape.
Confronting the tens of thousands of purple-gold lightning serpents raging across the sky, Daoist Buyu slowly exhaled a breath of clear qi. With a single thought, countless spirit swords surged forth from the earth.
One Sword Into Ten Thousand Swords!
He pointed two fingers toward the heavens. Like carps leaping through the Dragon Gate, the spirit swords sprang from the ground, their blades flickering with agile grace as they met the onslaught of lightning serpents.
Sword and lightning collided once more. The brilliant burst instantly illuminated Ye City as bright as day, far surpassing the intensity of the earlier battle against Wu Lei!
Wave after wave of increasingly ferocious lightning followed, each strike more savage than the last. Daoist Buyu held a spirit sword horizontally before him, its gleaming surface reflecting his tranquil gaze.
Beneath Daoist Buyu's feet, a broad road of the Sword Dao unrolled. With every step he took, a spirit sword materialized beneath him. These were the weapons of sword cultivators he had defeated throughout his life; using his sword heart, he had imprinted their swords into his own Sword Dao, making them part of his path.
Some of these spirit sword phantoms came from opponents at the Foundation Establishment stage, others from the Soul Formation stage, and there was even an entire wall from the Sword Tower! Empowered by Daoist Buyu, every single phantom was elevated to a level capable of withstanding the heavenly tribulation.
Facing the endless onslaught, Daoist Buyu casually picked up a sword from underfoot. After blocking a lightning strike, the blade snapped in the middle. He tossed it back down, where it was absorbed and restored by his Sword Dao. He then picked up another sword and repeated the process.
Amidst the terrifying heavenly tribulation, the space within three feet of Daoist Buyu seemed to become a pure land, entirely undisturbed by the lightning strikes. Yet he did not rely solely on his Sword Dao for defense. In truth, no single spirit sword could completely halt the tribulation's power; a portion of the lightning traveled through the blades into Daoist Buyu's body, which he used to temper both his spirit and his physical form. Through this process, his cultivation rose continuously while his aura became increasingly restrained, appearing weak and exhausted to outside observers.
When the final, most devastating bolt of lightning descended, Daoist Buyu willingly dispelled the Sword Dao beneath his feet.
*Crack! Boom!*
Daoist Buyu seemed to become a sword himself, a vast and boundless sword intent concealed within his body like a sheathed immortal sword held in reserve. Just as the final bolt of lightning tribulation was about to crash upon his crown, the immortal sword leaped from its scabbard, severing the strike in two!
The lightning tribulation split down the middle and dissolved into nothingness, revealing a clear night sky once more.
"So this is what the Tribulation Transcendence stage feels like. It truly is far more comfortable than Body Integration," Daoist Buyu remarked, feeling the transformation coursing through him, a smile spreading across his face.
An ordinary cultivator who had just advanced to Tribulation Transcendence would still need to consolidate their foundation, but he had deliberately suppressed his cultivation at late Body Integration for decades; he had no need for closed-door meditation to stabilize it.
Snapping his head up, he looked toward the cold, expressionless Su Moran and said at an unhurried pace, "Great Cult Master Su, you've probably waited over a thousand years for a chance to kill me.
"What a coincidence. I've been waiting over a thousand years for today's chance as well.
"Until I kill you, I won't be able to sleep or eat in peace."
"Arrogant fool. Do you think advancing to Tribulation Transcendence qualifies you to trade blows with me?" Su Moran's tone remained as flat as ever. Having just broken through, Daoist Buyu lacked combat experience at this level, and the gap in cultivation was plainly evident. How did he expect to contend with him?
Daoist Buyu gave a sneer of contempt and abruptly slashed out with his sword. The strike caught Su Moran completely off guard, piercing his defenses and carving a bloody gash across his face.
Pressing his advantage instantly, Daoist Buyu bore down on him, staring straight into Su Moran's eyes.
"In my sect, I had my master to spar with. Outside the sect, I had Senior Jiesha to fight against. What on earth made you think I have no experience fighting Tribulation Transcendence cultivators?"
Chapter 898