Chapter 32 (1/2)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

At midday, on the back mountain of the Little Qiong Peak, in the forest plain, which had been selected a few years ago…

His horsetail whisk in hand, the old Daoist priest stood in the extremely stable wooden cage.

Beams of light were s.h.i.+ning around him. His brand new cyan, silk Dao robe, was a pretty good defensive Dharma treasure. It also made Qi Yuan look a few years younger than he was.

Qi Yuan was approaching the Heavenly Tribulation. Naturally, his expression was somber.

A few wisps of inexplicable aura revolved around Qi Yuan. From time to time, a petal would appear and fly past him, before disappearing with the breeze on the mountain.

Qi Yuan’s pair of disciples stood on treetops, 1,000 feet from him.

Lan Ling’e looked nervously at her master, as she fiddled with a lock of her fine black hair, which hung down her forehead.

Lan Ling’e’s body had matured even more during these few years. It looked like her slender waist, wrapped with a belt, could be held in one hand. Her long, ta.s.seled skirt outlined the curves on her lower body, making her look flawless from every angle.

Compared to two years ago, her beautiful face looked even gentler. However, she still looked very delicate and quick-witted.

Li Changshou stood on another treetop, not far from Lan Ling’e, dressed in his regular, long robe as he normally was. In his left hand, he held a bamboo slip. In his right hand, he held a carving knife. His spiritual awareness was focused on his master and his surroundings, as he waited for the signs of the approaching Heavenly Tribulation.

There was nothing else to say.

He had already finished what needed to be done. He just needed his master to make it through the first tribulation next. Then, it would be up to him to decide when he would use the ‘precious pill’.

Now, Li Changshou’s primary task was to observe and record the process of his master enduring the Heavenly Tribulation.

This was because the Immortal Du Sect only recruited disciples once every 200 years. When Li Changshou entered the sect, the previous generation of disciples had just completed their ascension to immortality.

Most of the disciples that were limited by their potential and comprehension, and who were fated not to become immortals, had already left the sect and returned to their hometowns. In these 100 years, the Immortal Du Sect had been focusing on nurturing the youngest generation of disciples. There were very few people from the previous generation who were still ascending to immortality.

His master’s Heavenly Tribulation would be the sixth time Li Changshou witnessed a cultivator from the Immortal Du Sect enduring the Heavenly Tribulation. What’s more, it was rare for him to be able to observe the entire process up-close. He had to record every detail down and a.n.a.lyze it later.

Hu…

A breeze blew past the forest. Qi Yuan, who was in the wooden cage, looked up at the sky as rays of light lit up around him.

In the blink of an eye, these rays congealed into pillars of light, which shot into the sky!

‘It’s here. This is the sign of Immortal Ascension!’

Li Changshou gripped his carving knife tightly, lifted up his bamboo slip, and began to write at tremendous speed. He began to record every detail that he was observing.

‘The pillars of light remained for ten minutes. The sky above the Little Qiong Peak changed color!’

Li Changshou could sense that the Heaven and Earth’s spiritual energy was gathering at the Little Qiong Peak from all directions. The energy stopped 1,000 feet above his master’s head. Instantly, they turned into gray clouds of the tribulation.

At that moment, figures flew out from various peaks in the mountain-protecting array formation. They flew into the sky and looked towards the Little Qiong Peak.

Below the clouds of the tribulation, there was a silvery-white lightning spot. Small electric arcs also appeared around Qi Yuan’s body.

Li Changshou squeezed his fingers together to calculate. Almost immediately, he raised his head and sent a voice transmission to his master.

“Master, according to the surface area and thickness of the Tribulation Cloud, I guess this would be the common Heavenly Tribulation with five bolts of heavenly lightning.”

Qi Yuan’s eyebrows furrowed. He thought that it would be the weakest Heavenly Tribulation, with three bolts of lightning. He did not think that he would have to endure five bolts of lightning.

The maximum number of bolts was nine, but Heavenly Tribulations with four, five, or six lightning bolts were common.

There was a saying that the number of lightning bolts in one’s Heavenly Tribulation would depend on the cultivator’s potential before and after ascending to immortality.

The more bolts of lightning, the broader one’s path would be, and the more potential one would have after ascending to immortality. This also meant that it would be harder for that person to make it through the Heavenly Tribulation.

After sending the voice transmission, Li Changshou lowered his head and continued writing with his carving knife.

Boom! Boom!

The Tribulation Cloud began to tremble continuously as the lightning spot became more obvious. When the lightning spot reached its critical state, it turned into a blinding pillar of lightning, which struck the old Daoist priest directly on his head!

The moment the lightning struck, the earth seemed to change color!

The bolt of lightning was accompanied by a wave of the Great Dao, which carried all the power of nature in Heaven and Earth.

However, to the astonishment of the immortals and cultivators observing this Heavenly Tribulation, the power of the lightning was completely absorbed by the wooden cage, which contained Qi Yuan! Logically, no Dharma treasure should have been able to fend against the Heavenly Tribulation.

Flashes of lightning appeared in various parts of the wooden cage, but Qi Yuan remained unaffected inside. No sparks appeared on any part of his body, except in his gray hair, which was dancing around in all directions.

Lan Ling’e immediately shouted excitedly, “Senior Brother! The birdcage works!”

Li Changshou began to grin as well, but before his grin fully spread across his face, the unfathomable wave of the Great Dao appeared. The cage, which had been lit up by the flashes of lightning, suddenly exploded into pieces.

‘Alright, the Heavenly Dao does not tolerate tricks indeed. That’s fine. At the very least, Master has made it through the first bolt of lightning.’

However, at that moment, Li Changshou realized a problem. Since his master did not personally withstand the first bolt of lightning, there was no hint of immortal energy in his body.

The Faraday Cage helped to divert the first bolt of lightning, but it also took away the benefits that were to come with it.

‘You win some, and you lose some. That’s a common principle of the Great Dao. It’s a good thing that Master did not swallow that Immortal-Melting Pill. Otherwise, I would have personally killed him…’

A bigger lightning spot appeared on top of the Tribulation Cloud. It contained even more power than the one before.

Qi Yuan’s expression darkened. He adjusted his Dharmic powers in his body and slowly floated into the air.

‘I have to endure the Immortal Ascension Tribulation with brute force!’

Crack!

Ss—

The second bolt of lightning struck harshly. The lightning pillar, which was formed by the electric arcs, seemed to swallow Qi Yuan’s body whole!

Beads of sweat formed on Li Changshou and Lan Ling’e’s foreheads. They watched as their master endured the force of the lightning pillar for a split second, before collapsing onto the ground. Lan Ling’e immediately squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to watch any longer.

It was only when the sound of thunder dissipated, and her senior brother heaved a sigh of relief that Lan Ling’e finally opened her eyes.

The old Daoist priest Qi Yuan looked battered and exhausted as he slowly sat up inside a shallow pit in the ground. He turned to the side and coughed out blood. Then, he ate several pills and sat upright once again.