Chapter 185 : Sect Master Crossing the Tribulation
Chapter 185: Sect Master Crossing the Tribulation
Inside the cave dwelling.
Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged on the stone bed.
The entire cave dwelling shook violently, frightening Chu Jing, Nangong E, Lin Chuan, and Jin Lang, who all looked at him in terror.
They could feel the spiritual energy within the cave dwelling surging madly toward Li Qingqiu, leaving them confused, unable to understand what exactly had happened.
Li Qingqiu opened his eyes.
An unusual radiance appeared within his pupils, making the three ghosts and one demon feel as if their vision had blurred.
He stood up and directly performed the Extreme Movement Technique, swiftly leaving the cave dwelling.
He arrived at the summit of Clear Sky Mountain.
As he appeared, vortices of energy formed around his body, and heaven-and-earth spiritual energy rushed toward him.
He had finally found the opportunity to break through the Spirit Perception Realm.
As this opportunity emerged, he sensed a trace of heavenly might.
That’s right—heavenly might!
This was the first time he had ever felt such a thing.
In the unseen depths, it was as though some supreme force was staring at him, pressing down upon him.
Following the sensation in his heart, he reached the mountaintop.
With no mountain mass obstructing him anymore, he could feel the heavenly might even more clearly.
Under his gaze, dark clouds continuously surged forth in the sky, rapidly gathering together.
The clouds gradually darkened, becoming increasingly oppressive.
Li Qingqiu actually felt a trace of panic.
This was his first time facing a heavenly tribulation.
The Supreme Purity Primordial Unity Scripture recorded methods for crossing tribulations.
On the path of immortal cultivation, whenever one broke through a major realm, one would face a heavenly tribulation.
Passing it meant transformation; failing it would sever one’s future path.
Even if one survived, it would be difficult to ever return to peak condition.
Li Qingqiu summoned the Dao Lineage panel and once more looked at his Fate Traits.
【Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root: A rare single-attribute spiritual root with exceptionally outstanding talent in thunder-attributed Dao techniques. To one with a Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root, thunder tribulations are instead a form of assistance.】
Assistance!
Li Qingqiu’s heart steadied, though he still felt somewhat uneasy.
Just because it was said to be assistance did not necessarily mean he would not be injured.
No—he could not be careless!
Li Qingqiu took a deep breath and sat cross-legged.
His gaze fixed on the dark clouds overhead as he waited for the heavenly tribulation to begin.
Clear Sky Mountain was still trembling, though the magnitude was gradually decreasing.
However, thunderous sounds began to appear at the summit.
The vast dark clouds continued to expand, drawing the gazes of disciples both on and off the mountain.
Even disciples on nearby peaks could not help but look over.
Li Qingqiu sensed people rushing toward Lingxiao Courtyard—Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and Yuan Qi among them.
When they were about to approach Lingxiao Courtyard, he spoke: “No one is allowed to approach the mountaintop. I am crossing the tribulation.”
His voice was sonorous and carried far.
Zhang Yuchun and the others climbing the mountain, along with all disciples who heard the voice, were stunned.
Crossing the tribulation?
They subconsciously thought they had misheard.
Rumble—!
A deep, muffled thunderclap sounded, jolting those disciples who had been standing there in a daze.
Zhang Yuchun took a deep breath, turned to Yuan Qi and the others following him, and said, “Pass the message down! Especially to Ziyang Peak—no disciples are allowed to fly their swords near the summit of Clear Sky Mountain!”
Everyone immediately acknowledged and rushed down the mountain, spreading word along the way that the sect master was crossing the tribulation.
Every disciple who heard the news felt shock and confusion.
What kind of tribulation was this?
Li Dongyue looked toward the mountaintop.
From her position, the sky had already darkened.
Within the thunderclouds, streaks of lightning intertwined like dragons and serpents, making one fear to even look at them.
“Senior Brother…”
Li Dongyue could not tell whether crossing the tribulation was a good thing or a bad thing.
Yet the vast heavenly might made her uneasy, and she worried something might happen to Li Qingqiu.
Zhang Yuchun did not comfort her.
He also turned and headed down the mountain to take charge of the overall situation, preventing Clear Sky Mountain from falling into chaos.
Li Qingqiu paid no attention to any of that.
All his focus was on the heavenly tribulation.
Jin Lang suddenly arrived on his shoulder, lifting its head together with him to gaze at the sky.
“Why did you come up?” Li Qingqiu asked in surprise.
Jin Lang replied, “To live and die together with Master.”
Its voice was cold and resolute, yet carried a trace of youthfulness, like that of a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy.
Li Qingqiu had not expected it to say such words and felt deeply moved.
A demon’s emotions were no shallower than a human’s!
“What living and dying together? This is a good thing—I’m about to break through a major realm. Go down and wait. I can endure this; you can’t.”
Li Qingqiu grabbed Jin Lang and directly tossed it backward.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Lin Chuan, Nangong E, and Chu Jing and said, “The same goes for you. Heavenly thunder causes even greater harm to you. Stay farther away.”
Seeing that Li Qingqiu was not joking, the three ghosts could only follow Jin Lang down the mountain.
They kept looking back.
Under their gazes, Li Qingqiu—who had been sitting cross-legged—actually floated up.
Li Qingqiu himself was also rather surprised, but he quickly steadied himself.
He could not afford to show timidity in front of others.
Heaven-and-earth spiritual energy lifted him into the air, as if an invisible hand were holding him up to face the heavenly tribulation.
The heavenly might continued to brew, and the thunder grew louder and louder.
At the same time, news that the sect master was about to cross the tribulation spread down the mountain, drawing more and more disciples to leap onto rooftops and treetops to gaze toward the summit.
At the foot of the mountain.
Xu Hong and the Xu mother and son had just crossed the Xi River.
They looked toward the summit of Clear Sky Mountain.
Seeing the oppressive thunderclouds, they all frowned.
“It’s going to rain.
We need to quicken our pace,” Xu Hong said.
The Xu woman nodded and held her son tighter as she hastened her steps.
Rumble—!
A thunderclap exploded, frightening the Xu woman’s son, Li Huaizhen, who shrank tightly into his mother’s arms.
When they arrived at the mountain gate at the foot of Clear Sky Mountain, they saw that Clear Sky Sect disciples were also watching the summit, not seeking shelter from the rain.
One disciple after another flew out from the mountain forest on their swords, swiftly passing through the mountain gate and heading toward Ziyang Peak.
“The sect master is about to cross the tribulation—no one is allowed to fly their swords into the air!”
These disciples repeatedly shouted this sentence, leaving the gatekeeping disciples stunned.
Xu Hong and the Xu woman were also dumbfounded, suspecting they had misheard.
Could the thunderclouds in the sky really be related to Li Qingqiu crossing the tribulation?
……
Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged in midair, surrounded by spiritual energy.
His robes billowed violently as he had already cast aside all stray thoughts and focused entirely on cultivating the Supreme Purity Primordial Unity Scripture.
Suddenly.
He opened his eyes.
Almost in the same instant, a bolt of heavenly lightning struck down, crossing several hundred zhang to land directly on him.
Numb!
This was Li Qingqiu’s first sensation.
He felt no pain, which finally eased his heart.
It seemed the 【Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root】 truly was effective.
Below the mountain.
Shen Yue and Xu Ning stood atop treetops, ten zhang apart.
When they saw lightning strike Li Qingqiu, their hearts both trembled.
Immediately afterward, they noticed that Li Qingqiu’s figure did not waver, nor did he fall.
Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
“Immortal cultivation tribulation… Is this what it means to contend with the heavens? I wonder what level of cultivation one must reach to face a lightning tribulation.”
Shen Yue sighed inwardly.
The heavenly might was so terrifying that it filled him with fear.
He found it hard to imagine how Li Qingqiu managed to withstand it head-on.
He decided to observe carefully, preparing for his own future tribulation.
Xu Ning held the same thought.
As the second-highest in cultivation within the sect, she could see more clearly the connection between the heavenly tribulation and the Primordial Unity Scripture.
Following their line of sight down the mountain, one could see many figures standing atop treetops, rooftops, and rocks.
Zhao Zhen, Xue Jin, Li Yang, Han Lang, Ji Ya, Yang Jueding, Cheng Canghai, Chai Yunshang, and many others—the numbers continued to grow.
They watched bolt after bolt of heavenly lightning strike the summit, all of them trembling with fear.
They could not see Li Qingqiu’s figure, but this was their first time witnessing lightning repeatedly striking a mountain peak.
The scene was truly spectacular.
Boom! Boom! Boom…
Bolt after bolt of heavenly lightning struck down, landing on Li Qingqiu.
His robes continued to billow violently, yet not a single tear appeared.
It was not because the material of his robes was exceptional, but because the heavenly lightning passed directly through them, drilling straight into his body.
The heavenly lightning seemed intent on targeting only the one crossing the tribulation.
As a result, heaven-and-earth spiritual energy lifted Li Qingqiu, ensuring the mountain summit itself did not suffer devastation.
The strikes came faster and faster.
Li Qingqiu felt his entire body grow numb, while an itch began spreading within him, as if insects were crawling through his tendons and bones.
He had no choice but to close his eyes again and begin circulating the mental method of the Supreme Purity Primordial Unity Scripture.
Through repeated cycles of guiding and refining his energy, he gradually grew accustomed to the abnormalities within his body—and even began to enjoy them.
After a while, Li Qingqiu clearly sensed his spiritual perception growing stronger.
Even with his eyes closed, heaven and earth appeared before him with ever-increasing clarity.
Suddenly.
Li Qingqiu’s spiritual perception broke into another world.
He actually saw everything within his own body.
Blood vessels, flesh, internal organs, bones, and more.
He could even push his vision deeper, discerning the mysteries hidden within his blood.
This sensation felt novel to Li Qingqiu, and he thought to himself, “Could this be the legendary inner vision?”
It was as if he were holding a clearer, blind-spot-free microscope, observing everything within himself.
Vital energy surged like a vast ocean, tendons and bones were like mountains, and within flesh lay countless small worlds.
The transformation of his spiritual perception gave Li Qingqiu a deeper understanding of his physical body.
Not only that, he could clearly feel his spiritual perception—once an intangible sense—condensing into a tangible force.
He moved his spiritual perception outside his body and fixed it on a stone below.
The stone rose into the air following his thoughts, moving as easily as if it were an extension of his arm.
Was this the true Spirit Perception Realm?
Li Qingqiu felt exhilarated, as if a door to a brand-new world had been opened.
While crossing the tribulation, he simultaneously manipulated his spiritual perception.
As he grew immersed in excitement, the tens of thousands of disciples of the Clear Sky Sect all broke into a cold sweat for him.
Even disciples at the mountain’s foot could see lightning flashing in the sky, the clouds unable to fully conceal it.
The commotion of this heavenly tribulation was truly immense, sparking intense discussion among the disciples.
On the Martial Arena, Ye Nan sat cross-legged on the ground, circulating his energy to heal while gazing at the summit.
His face was filled with fear.
What kind of tribulation was the sect master crossing?
Yang Xuan stood nearby, also watching the summit.
At that moment, a disciple flew down on his sword and shouted loudly, “The sect master is using his physical body to receive the tempering of heavenly thunder!”
Boom!
The disciples there grew even more excited, their discussions becoming increasingly clamorous.
Yet no matter how loud their voices were, they could not drown out the sound of heavenly thunder.
The thunder roared with earth-shaking force, echoing through the mountain range and sending forest beasts fleeing in panic.
After enduring dozens of heavenly lightning strikes, Li Qingqiu clearly felt himself step into an entirely new realm.
Heaven-and-earth spiritual energy surged madly into his body, converting into vital energy at a far more efficient rate.
As his vital energy skyrocketed, its very essence also underwent transformation.
The Spirit Perception Realm!
When Li Qingqiu truly stepped into this realm, he finally understood how extraordinary it was.
His bodily senses rose along with it.