Chapter 241 : Fleeing in Panic
Under the tribulation lightning, Yun Qingyue was already covered in wounds.
Fortunately, the spiritual medicine that the Crimson Blood Sect Leader had given her was exceptionally effective. Combined with the continuous healing from the Ice Soul Condensation Pearl within her body, her wounds opened and closed repeatedly, a sight painful even to witness. Yet the person standing under the tribulation maintained a calm expression, barely furrowing her brow, her glass-like eyes unusually bright.
Yun Qingyue wasn't a petty person, but that didn't mean she wouldn't hold grudges—the Nine Abyss Sect Leader's appearance explained everything. The wax ball had been his arrangement, and Guiyi Sect and Changyin Gate had been his doing. Even the Tiandao Sect's sudden accusation and the Grand Elder's knowledge of the Crimson Blood Sect Leader's mixed monstrous beast bloodline were likely all connected to him!
Such a person was truly difficult to trust, so she took advantage of the full power of the tribulation lightning overhead and charged directly toward him. Her unwavering determination convinced anyone watching that she was resolved to perish together with him.
The Nine Abyss Sect Leader's heart skipped a beat as he cursed "madwoman" under his breath, then turned and fled.
The speed of a Nascent Soul cultivator using all their strength isn't slow, but compared to a Grand Achievement cultivator, there's simply no comparison. Yun Qingyue had only chased halfway when he left her behind, and the thirteenth bolt of tribulation lightning brewing overhead crashed down.
This tribulation bolt was as thick as a water vat, its lightning a dazzling white. When it struck fiercely, it almost completely enveloped Yun Qingyue.
The Nine Abyss Sect Leader, who had fled far, stopped his steps upon hearing the commotion behind him. Turning around, he saw Yun Qingyue's figure submerged in lightning. Sensing her rapidly diminishing aura, his pounding heart immediately calmed down. First came a flash of delight, followed by anger—he, a Grand Achievement cultivator, had actually been frightened into fleeing by a mere Nascent Soul junior. The thought was humiliating!
Fortunately, this was the battlefield chosen by the Crimson Blood Sect Leader, and besides the three of them, no one else had witnessed that moment. Now Yun Qingyue would likely perish in the tribulation, leaving only the Crimson Blood Sect Leader...
With this thought, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader's gaze fell on the Crimson Blood Sect Leader opposite him, a sinister gleam passing through his eyes.
He clearly intended to finish her off completely, and in this brief moment, many scheming thoughts arose in his mind. However, before he could put any of them into practice, or even think more deeply, a white flash suddenly appeared before his eyes as a dazzling bolt of lightning struck toward him. The other end of this lightning bolt was connected to the tribulation that had just fallen.
Yun Qingyue in the center of the tribulation had used herself as a conduit to direct the lightning at him!
In an instant, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader was terrified out of his wits. Even as a Grand Achievement cultivator, he turned and fled in panic. No scheme or plot, not even silencing witnesses, mattered more than his own life.
In the blink of an eye, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader transformed into demonic energy and fled thousands of miles away, the shooting lightning only grazing the corner of his robe.
His already damaged robe, previously burned by the Ice Flame, was instantly reduced to ashes when struck by the lightning. It was fortunate that his body was now wrapped in pitch-black demonic energy; otherwise, the dignified demonic sect leader might have been performing a naked run. As he fled, he looked back again and saw that the tribulation clouds overhead seemed to have detected his presence. After churning for a moment, they suddenly merged all the remaining bolts of tribulation lightning into one.
The power of this combined bolt, even before it fell, made the Nine Abyss Sect Leader, a Grand Achievement cultivator, sense danger. He was certain that a mere Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't withstand this tribulation, but this crazy tribulation-facing junior was exactly like the Crimson Blood Sect Leader. He didn't want to suffer an undeserved disaster.
The Nine Abyss Sect Leader fled even faster, this time completely disappearing from the sight of Yun Qingyue and the Crimson Blood Sect Leader.
The Crimson Blood Sect Leader found his panicked escape somewhat amusing, but looking at the increasingly terrifying tribulation lightning overhead, she couldn't bring herself to laugh. She tried to help, but under the tribulation's coverage, she couldn't send anything in. If she entered the tribulation area herself, she would only increase its power—the Nine Abyss Sect Leader had merely been grazed, and the tribulation clouds had already reacted, not to mention anything further.
At this moment, the Crimson Blood Sect Leader felt extremely anxious, almost wanting to pull the person at the center of the tribulation out and scold her: Wasn't he just a skull-faced nobody? She could have defeated him herself; why did Yun Qingyue need to risk her life like this?
Now the tribulation bolts had merged into one, with power at least doubled.
The Crimson Blood Sect Leader watched helplessly, unable to assist. If Yun Qingyue truly perished under this tribulation, how would she explain to Qingyu?!
While the person outside the tribulation was distressed, Yun Qingyue inside the tribulation looked up at the still-brewing lightning bolt, her expression as calm as ever—the Nine Abyss Sect Leader had misunderstood. She wanted revenge, but not through mutual destruction. She wasn't at the end of her rope, and she didn't think trading her life for his was a good deal. The great Dao was long and winding, and that was what she truly sought!
In a moment, the tribulation finished brewing, and several bolts of lightning intertwined and fiercely struck down.
From a distance, even the Crimson Blood Sect Leader couldn't help stepping forward, feeling anxious for Yun Qingyue. But at the center of the tribulation, Yun Qingyue watched the descending lightning without panic. She opened her palm, finally revealing the small Square Seal within.
The Square Seal floated up from Yun Qingyue's palm, suddenly emitting a dazzling spiritual light no less bright than the tribulation lightning striking from above. As it continued to rise, what was originally a small seal suddenly expanded. First, it grew to the size of a fist, then to the size of a water bucket, and suddenly it became even larger than a millstone.
But the transformation didn't stop there. The Square Seal, suspended above Yun Qingyue, grew with the wind. In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into the size of a small mountain, firmly protecting her beneath it. It faced the tribulation without fear, instead displaying a majestic demeanor.
From a distance, the Crimson Blood Sect Leader observed the enlarged Square Seal, noting the fierce beast totems engraved on it, and suddenly made a soft sound of surprise.
However, no one heard this sound because the tribulation lightning had already struck the Square Seal fiercely.
In that instant, thunder roared in all directions, so deafening that one's ears buzzed, unable to hear any other sound.
Controlling the Square Seal, Yun Qingyue's body wavered, her entire aura weakening again, clearly at the end of her strength. Perhaps in the next moment, when her spiritual energy failed or the Square Seal could no longer withstand the power of the tribulation, her death and destruction of her path would be but an instant away.
Suddenly, a brilliant light radiated from the Square Seal, and the fierce beast totems engraved on it seemed to come alive. Taotie roared to the sky, Qiongqi shook its head and tail, their bodies formed of spiritual energy beginning to break free from the seal. Once these fierce beasts escaped their constraints, they each charged toward the tribulation lightning, using their own methods to counter it.
While the other fierce beasts were impressive, Taotie's performance was the most spectacular—legend had it that Taotie devoured everything, and facing this incredibly powerful tribulation lightning, it wasn't afraid of burning its mouth, swallowing it mouthful by mouthful.
Thus, under Taotie's excellent performance, the tribulation lightning that had struck the Square Seal and was in a deadlock with it was gradually consumed.
Though it sounds slow, everything developed rapidly. The observing Crimson Blood Sect Leader watched all this unfold, finally unable to suppress her surprise. She first looked at the rock-solid Square Seal, then at the ferocious beasts, and finally returned her gaze to Yun Qingyue... Her anxiety suddenly subsided; it seemed she had underestimated the other party, who had been prepared all along.
Cultivators normally have keen perception, but at this moment, Yun Qingyue had no attention to spare for anything else, because her situation wasn't as easy as it appeared externally. Even though she had been prepared, vaguely aware that the Square Seal could handle the tribulation, the current consumption far exceeded her imagination.
At this moment, the Square Seal stood firm and unmoving, the fierce beasts extraordinarily powerful—the situation seemed to have reversed. But what supported all this was an endless supply of spiritual energy—Yun Qingyue's internal spiritual energy had long been depleted. Fortunately, although the Ice Soul Condensation Pearl had been damaged under the tribulation, the ice spiritual energy originally contained within this treasure was extraordinarily abundant. To sustain the Square Seal's consumption, Yun Qingyue had no choice but to use her body as a transit station, channeling this spiritual energy to the Square Seal without even having time to refine it.
This process sounds simple but was actually quite painful. The unrefined ice spiritual energy not only rampaged through her body, but the massive amount of it nearly burst her recently healed meridians again.
Yun Qingyue's face was deathly pale, her eyebrows frosted over, as she struggled to endure against the tribulation lightning.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths—the incredibly powerful tribulation lightning was gradually consumed by the four fierce beasts, and the overwhelming thunder gradually became a small ball. Taotie charged forward unhesitatingly and swallowed the lightning ball in one gulp. It seemed to finally be satiated, letting out a burp that released a trace of electricity into the air. But soon, the insatiable Taotie was hungry again, looking up greedily at the tribulation clouds that had not yet dispersed.
The tribulation clouds seemed to sense Taotie's challenging gaze, with lightning jumping continuously within the rolling dark clouds. However, the eighteen bolts of tribulation lightning for advancing to the Void Crossing realm had been completely released, so the lightning in the clouds just jumped around without falling down, resembling impotent rage.
Seeing this, Taotie seemed eager to try, as if wanting to charge up to the sky for a hearty meal.
However, Yun Qingyue could no longer support herself. First, her legs weakened, and she fell to one knee, then collapsed entirely.
Fortunately, this time the Crimson Blood Sect Leader moved quickly enough, rushing forward in time to catch her. Looking closely, the person she had caught was no longer a peerless beauty, but a charred piece of coal!
Looking at her blackened skin, which was still sizzling, it was hard to tell how well-done she was.
For an ordinary person, this would have meant death many times over, but for cultivators, such injuries weren't uncommon. Especially for those who had just passed through a tribulation, no appearance was too wretched—as long as they survived, that was good.
The Crimson Blood Sect Leader waved her hand, producing a white robe and draping it directly over Yun Qingyue. Without Yun Qingyue's spiritual energy support, the Square Seal also calmed down. First, the four fierce beasts were forced to return to the seal's surface, then the mountain-sized Square Seal gradually shrank. After returning to its original size, the Square Seal fell once more, dropping toward Yun Qingyue's embrace.
Perhaps impressed by the Square Seal's earlier performance, or perhaps wanting to verify something, the Crimson Blood Sect Leader reached out to catch the falling Square Seal.
However, the Square Seal had already developed sentience. Just as it had not given face to the little White Tiger before, it would not give face to the Crimson Blood Sect Leader now. With a dazzling flash of spiritual light, even the mighty Grand Achievement cultivator failed to catch it. In less than the blink of an eye, it burrowed into Yun Qingyue's dantian.
For someone else, killing for treasure might not be out of the question, but facing this situation, the Crimson Blood Sect Leader naturally could only give up. She suppressed the extraneous thoughts in her mind and looked up at the sky, where she saw that after Taotie's provocation had ceased, the jumping lightning in the tribulation clouds finally subsided. After brewing for a moment more, the spiritual rain that should follow a cultivator's successful passage through tribulation finally belatedly fell.
The post-tribulation spiritual rain was a gift, a reward, with excellent effects for healing injuries. The fine drizzle fell on Yun Qingyue's badly wounded body, and those wounds began to heal at a visible rate.
The Crimson Blood Sect Leader, well aware of the benefits of this spiritual rain, didn't rush to leave. She allowed Yun Qingyue to bathe in the spiritual rain while also collecting some for her—whether because her injuries were too severe or for some other reason, despite bathing in the spiritual rain, Yun Qingyue didn't regain consciousness. However, the wounds on her body quickly healed completely under the rain's restorative power.
When the spiritual rain finally stopped, the Crimson Blood Sect Leader picked up the unconscious Yun Qingyue, tore through space, and disappeared from the spot.