Chapter 23: The Arrival of the Heavenly Tribulation

“That's the sword aura that slew the Golden Plume Eagle King! That young man truly has some skill! All disciples, heed the order and depart immediately!”

Tang Mingchen could barely contain his excitement as he swiftly gathered his disciples to set out. Anyone who managed to escape from the Ancient Sacred Hall must possess extraordinary abilities. If the youth surrendered the source crystal of the Golden Plume Eagle King obediently, that would be fine—no need to make enemies. Otherwise, he would certainly be slain.

Wang Youming also caught sight of the dazzling sword aura and naturally would not lag behind. Under his oppressive command, he hastened forward. The source crystal that had allowed a Transcendent realm warrior to live through two lifetimes was right before them. After long scheming, the major clans finally had a lead. There was no time for etiquette—whoever seized the advantage first would become the king.

Since ancient times, it has always been the victor who claims the throne and the defeated who become outlaws. No one dared to blame the strong or oppose them.

Kong Linghui trembled with excitement as he spoke shakily, “Sheng’er, inform the disciples to break camp and depart at once!”

“Reporting, Elder Sir, Lord Kong Sheng has gone out on patrol and has not yet returned!”

Kong Linghui rubbed his hands nervously, pacing back and forth. “Then send a message to him—head toward that sword aura’s direction, dare to go... huh...”

Suddenly, Kong Linghui’s eyes widened in shock. “The sword aura has vanished abruptly, replaced by a shroud of calamity clouds. What on earth has happened there?”

Yet the most urgent matter was to rush to the location of the calamity clouds. Even if they couldn’t confront the threat openly, they could still claim a share of the spoils. The major clans had contributed greatly and lost tens of thousands of disciples; they could not return empty-handed.

“Yes!”

The three great clans mustered all their strength and set out for the place shrouded by the calamity clouds.

“Sheng’er, why are you here?”

Kong Linghui saw Kong Sheng beaming with a smile and grabbed his hand. “Quick, tell me what exactly has happened here?”

Kong Sheng knew full well what had transpired, especially after witnessing Li Xuan repeatedly cornering Xiao Ning with inexorable tactics. He was genuinely impressed. Through that “One Sword Across the Sky” sword aura, he was certain Li Xuan was the one who slain the Golden Plume Eagle King. Yet he could not reveal this to the elders—Li Xuan’s identity must remain secret.

Firstly, for the clan’s benefit, no one could guarantee the elders wouldn’t forcibly seize the source crystal. Secondly, the Wang and Tang clans were also watching closely, ready to trap Li Xuan at any moment.

So Kong Sheng spoke of trivial matters, never mentioning Li Xuan.

“By the way, where is that Li family boy? He left without even bidding farewell to this old man!”

Kong Linghui had some grievances. As a guest, he had not even received a proper farewell, as if he were disregarded.

Kong Sheng hastily made an excuse, “The young master of the Li family has been neglecting his studies for three years and must hunt some wild beasts to make up his credits, so he left in a hurry.”

As Kong Sheng spoke, his gaze briefly flickered toward his companions, silently thinking, “Li Xuan, I hope you’re smart enough not to let the elders see your true face!”

“Right, what’s going on with that calamity cloud?”

Kong Linghui kept pestering about the calamity clouds. Kong Sheng replied, “It’s most likely someone undergoing a tribulation here!”

“Tribulation?”

Kong Linghui’s eyes rolled wildly. “Sheng’er, you can’t be deceiving me! That lunatic is undergoing tribulation on Mist Shadow Mountain? Isn’t that suicide?”

Seeing he could not hide the truth, Kong Sheng said, “Elder, look!”

Kong Linghui looked in that direction just in time to see a thunderbolt tearing through the dark clouds, crashing down with a tremendous roar. The ground trembled violently, and the disturbance would affect hundreds of miles around, threatening disaster.

Without hesitation, Kong Linghui ordered, “Fall back a hundred miles! Someone is undergoing a major tribulation at the Transcendent Spirit realm here. Retreat immediately!”

“What the hell is going on? These recent events are utterly baffling. Fall back quickly!”

Tang Mingchen and Wang Youming also sensed the danger and commanded their disciples to retreat, holding their ground around the calamity clouds.

—

Boom!

A bolt of lightning crashed from the rolling black clouds, obliterating a hillside, leaving only rubble scattered around. Tremendous thunderclaps followed as massive energy clashed within the clouds, exploding violently.

Within hundreds of miles, the land was instantly devastated and desolate.

“Hahaha, I told you you couldn’t hide!”

Li Xuan, having recovered his wounds by activating the “Blue Pouch Codex,” caught up to Xiao Ning and said, “Such a magnificent heavenly tribulation must be the Transcendent Spirit realm’s trial. You have already reached the peak of the Profound realm but still have a way to ascend to Transcendent Spirit. You cannot withstand this tribulation, so I am prepared to perish alongside you.”

Xiao Ning’s eagle-like eyes blazed with fury as she roared, “Despicable!”

Li Xuan dodged a lightning strike with a swift movement and said, “Unless you use secret arts to suppress your cultivation to the peak of the Awakening realm, such a tribulation will scatter your soul to the winds.”

Xiao Ning moved gracefully to his side. “As you wish. Even at the same realm, I will crush you, ant!”

She immediately employed secret techniques, forcibly suppressing her powerful cultivation to the peak of the Awakening realm. Suddenly, Li Xuan surged forward, enveloped in thunderfire, lunging at the exposed skin of Xiao Ning.

Xiao Ning raised a foot and kicked Li Xuan away. She leapt to avoid the thunder’s wrath, wrenching Li Xuan out of the calamity clouds, coldly sneering, “Aren’t you so capable?”

Li Xuan smiled faintly as a lightning bolt tore the sky and struck him. Xiao Ning felt the shock too, convulsing as they both activated their source power to resist the thunder tribulation.

Li Xuan’s recovery speed with the “Blue Pouch Codex” was extraordinary. Dragging his charred body, he crawled behind Xiao Ning, snatched up a stone, and smashed it fiercely into her chest.

In haste, Xiao Ning grabbed Li Xuan’s hair and flung him away.

Wherever Li Xuan passed, lightning remnants scorched the ground, leaving blackened trails smoking.

The sky roared with thunder, black clouds swirling as immense power gathered. Lightning crackled ceaselessly within the clouds.

In an instant, countless bolts shot forth simultaneously, like a terrifying electric sea pouring from the heavens.

Xiao Ning summoned source power, her silver armor radiating gentle divine light, forming a protective circle around her.

Li Xuan, however, struggled to rise through the deluge of lightning, slowly approaching Xiao Ning with clawed fingers outstretched.

“You fool, you’re asking for death!”

Xiao Ning cursed loudly. The electric torrent surged like a breached dam, instantly shattering her protective light barrier.

Li Xuan tackled her to the ground mercilessly, straddling her and pounding with fists.

Xiao Ning met his blows with her jade hands, tightly gripping his fists, then kicked him away with a jade leg.

She knew Li Xuan was desperate, dragging her into this madness. Truly a lunatic.

So she stopped holding back, resisting the thunder tribulation while landing fierce blows whenever Li Xuan faltered.

When they touched, the thunder tribulation’s power overlapped, unleashing terrifying shockwaves that left both bloodied and battered.

Li Xuan had the “Blue Pouch Codex” to protect him, and Xiao Ning had her silver armor. Their strength was evenly matched.

Li Xuan refused to relent, recovering again despite the thunder tribulation, and tangled with Xiao Ning once more. Their mingling blood somehow summoned a rare cosmic phenomenon.

Countless beams of light shone down onto Mist Shadow Mountain, where a lotus-shaped auspicious petal slowly blossomed under the radiance.

Everyone was stunned by such a rare celestial sign.

—

Within the tribulation, Li Xuan found himself pinned beneath Xiao Ning, who retaliated fiercely with hands and feet.

Her nails were stained with Li Xuan’s blood and flesh.

“Damn it, you monkey!”

Li Xuan was nearly overwhelmed—beset by tribulation and Xiao Ning’s relentless claws. After recovering, he said, “If you don’t want us to perish together, we can negotiate!”

When frenzied, Xiao Ning was reckless, but now she seemed willing to compromise. “I accepted the Night King’s bounty to hunt you—that cannot be denied. But I swear before heaven, I will not harm your family in the slightest.”

Li Xuan, drifting like a small boat in the electric sea, nodded. “Fine. We’ll each endure our tribulation. If you want to hunt me, so be it.”

The two reached a verbal truce, ceasing hostilities to focus on their tribulations.

Xiao Ning was merely undergoing another breakthrough from Martial realm tribulation, but the power of this heavenly trial was truly unprecedented. Waves of thunder rolled within the black clouds, filling the entire calamity cloud with lightning, ready to unleash a deluge of electric seas at any moment.

Her silver armor shielded her well, no need for worry.

Li Xuan, however, was flesh and blood, facing the tribulation with a pounding heart.

Boom!

Lightning cascaded like a waterfall, engulfing the black-clouded area in an ocean of electricity.

Li Xuan felt a grim premonition. He activated the “Holy Emperor Blue Lotus Tome” with all his might to resist, but his faint holy energy shattered instantly.

Even Xiao Ning’s protective armor cracked, her snow-white skin turning blackened.

“What’s happening?”

Li Xuan was baffled as the electric sea burst forth, black clouds roiling like a tsunami.

“Li Xuan, I hate you! You’ve fallen into my trap; now I shall perish and fade away!”

Despair glimmered in Xiao Ning’s eyes as the overwhelming threat made her realize this was an unstoppable heavenly tribulation.

Li Xuan’s suffering was no less. The moment his holy energy collapsed, his skin ruptured, blood dyeing him crimson.

He gritted his teeth, activating the “Blue Pouch Codex” while beginning body tempering and the I Ching transformation.

At that moment, Xiao Ning drifted closer amid the electric sea. As they made contact, a piercing cry echoed from the swirling black clouds. A fiery phoenix, wings beating fiercely, descended from the sky and entered her body.

Blazing flames enveloped Xiao Ning, condensing into a fiery spirit. Suddenly, its radiance flared brilliantly before shooting off into the distant sky.

Now, this was truly Li Xuan’s great Martial realm tribulation.

The black clouds thickened and gathered midair, compressing from hundreds of miles down to a hundred miles.

Yet the black clouds were multiplying exponentially.

The energy fluctuations within the clouds neared their peak.

The lotus flower’s radiant form grew more substantial, bathed in colorful light, gently spilling life’s vitality upon the earth.