Several months later, the fourth calamity struck.
This time, it was a letter.
The letter came from a post station in a town at the foot of the mountain, addressed to "Li Xuan of Qingfeng Temple".
When Zhao Yuanshan delivered the letter to his door, he jokingly asked, "Li Xuan, do you still have relatives outside?"
Chen Du took the letter but didn't open it. He placed it on the table first, activating the Calamity Warning.
[Calamity Warning triggered.]
[Simulation in progress... Simulation complete. This letter is bait. It invites the host to descend the mountain and meet at a certain location. The sender claims to be an elder of the host's clan. If the host opens the letter and goes to the meeting place, they will be ambushed. The ambush attacker's cultivation level and methods are unknown. However, the letter itself is being tracked; the sender will pinpoint the host's location the moment it is opened.]
[Suggestion: Do not open the letter. Return it unopened to the post station.]
Chen Du finished reading, his expression calm.
He handed the letter to Zhao Yuanshan intact. "Senior brother, I don't recognize this person. It's probably been sent to the wrong address. Could you please return it to me?"
Zhao Yuanshan didn't think much of it and left with the letter.
Several days later, the letter was returned to the post station, changed hands several times, and eventually disappeared.
The fact that the Calamity Warning did not continue to trigger indicates that the other party failed to pinpoint his location, and the ambush failed.
The Calamity Qi enters the account, lasting for a thousand years.
He channeled this millennium of Calamity Qi into the Heaven's Way's Gift, causing his talent to surge, and two orbs of dark golden light appeared deep within his sea of consciousness.
The Tribulation-Transcending Law, which others have comprehended over 70,000 years.
The Tribulation Armor Law: 70,000 Insights from Others.
He closed his eyes and deduced, operating [Divine Revelation Reading] at full power, integrating the 140,000-year-old threads one by one.
The Tribulation-Transcending Law and the Tribulation Armor Law both ascended simultaneously, advancing from the fourth realm to the fifth realm.
The Tribulation-Transcending Law, Five Realms.
The Tribulation Armor Law, Five Realms.
He opened his eyes and looked down at his hands.
He needs to give it a try in the five realms.
That night, he quietly left Qingfeng Temple and headed deep into the back mountains.
The back mountain is rarely visited by people, with steep terrain and clouds and mist that never dissipate.
He walked to the foot of a cliff, where there was no one around, only the sound of the wind and the occasional roar of beasts in the distance.
He raised his right hand, forming a sword shape with his fingers, and activated the Tribulation-Transcending Law.
A dim light shone from his fingertips, within which surged an indescribable Calamity Qi, like a storm compressed to its extreme.
He slashed with his sword, without any sword light or shockwave, yet a very thin mark appeared on the cliff face in front of him.
The mark seeped from the surface of the cliff into its interior, running downwards, through the entire cliff face, and through the rocks behind it.
All the rocks touched by that mark turned grayish-white, as if all life and spirit had been drained away, leaving only a deathly emptiness.
He walked closer and took a look, his fingertips lightly touching the grayish-white stone surface.
The stone is still a stone, but its inner spirit, texture, and structure have all been "robbed" away, leaving only an empty shell.
He withdrew his hand and activated the Tribulation Armor Law again.
An invisible barrier formed on his body, unseen by the naked eye but clearly perceptible to those with Spiritual Power.
The barrier was like an extremely thin membrane, clinging tightly to his skin, with countless intricate patterns flowing across it.
He picked up a stone and smashed it into his chest with half his strength.
The stone stopped three inches from him, as if it had hit an invisible wall.
The stone itself did not break, but the spiritual energy attached to it was completely swallowed up by the barrier, turning into a very faint wisp of Calamity Qi that nourished his body.
He nodded slightly. The Tribulation Armor did not defend against weapons or spells, but only against calamities. However, the essence of calamities was any force that could harm him.
Therefore, when weapons and spells fall on the Tribulation Armor, they will be devoured, transformed, and fed back.
He retrieved his Tribulation Armor and walked deeper into the cliff.
For the next few days, he secluded himself deep in the back mountains, simultaneously deducing the laws of Bury Heaven, Extinguish Earth and Divine Prison Law, using the five realms of Tribulation Traversal and Tribulation Armor as references to draw inferences from one instance to another.
The Eternal Night power of the Bury Heaven, Extinguish Earth and the devouring power of the Tribulation Armor resonated with each other, and the imprisoning power of the Divine Prison Law and the tempering power of the Tribulation Traversal mutually confirmed each other.
The two laws ascended simultaneously, advancing from the second realm to the Threefold Domain.
When he experimented with Bury Heaven, Extinguish Earth, he targeted the withered forest below the cliff.
With a single palm strike, Eternal Night descended. Within the reach of the force, the vegetation withered, decayed, and turned to ashes instantly; even the insects and ants underground were not spared.
When the Divine Prison Law was activated, he trapped a passing spirit fox in an invisible cage.
The fox struggled with all its might, pawing at the ground and hissing, but the surrounding air seemed to solidify, locking it firmly in place, unable to move.
He withdrew the law, and the spirit fox collapsed to the ground.
In reality, the spirit fox's soul, body, and even every inch of its body were imprisoned.
Finally, he activated all the laws simultaneously: the third level of Bury Heaven, Extinguish Earth, the third level of Divine Prison Law, the fifth level of Tribulation Traversal, the Tribulation Armor, the ninth level of Wrath of Heaven, and the ninth Wrath Devouring.
Dozens of laws surged, collided, and merged deep within his sea of consciousness.
He stood atop the precipice, holding the Eleventh Tier divine sword in his hand. It was made with the Bury Heaven, Extinguish Earth as its bone, the Divine Prison Law as its vein, the Tribulation Traversal and Tribulation Armor as its guide, and the Wrath of Heaven and Wrath Devouring as its soul. With a single slash, Myriad Tribulations Return to the Void.
When the sword flashed, the sky over the entire back mountain darkened for a moment.
Calamity clouds surged, Eternal Night descended, and the power of imprisonment and the intent of incineration intertwined to form a bottomless vortex.
Where the sword light fell, the small hill opposite the cliff vanished silently, as if dragged into some unseen abyss, leaving not even a trace.
He slowly sheathed his sword, the Ninth Level of the Myriad Tribulations Return to the Void. This move drags the enemy into an endless cycle of calamities, condemning them to eternal damnation.
He stood there for a while, then turned and walked towards Qingfeng Temple.
Dawn is breaking; the bells should be ringing soon.
In the days that followed, Chen Du set a strict rule.
He would rather die than leave Qingfeng Temple. As long as he didn't leave the mountain gate, the dangers outside wouldn't be able to reach him.
Qingfeng Temple has a history of 100,000 years. Its outer formation is unfathomable, and Master Xuanwei is stationed inside. Even if the enemy sends assassins at the Eleventh Realm or even stronger, they may not be able to sneak in silently.
He hid in this Daoist temple, growing taller inch by inch.
With just [Become a Saint on the Spot] and [The World as a Book], he could extract Eleventh Tier cultivation techniques and elixir formulas from every corner of Qingfeng Temple.
The pills refined in the alchemy room, the secret manuals unearthed in the scripture pavilion, and the fragments of laws comprehended in the ancestral hall all became nourishment for his growth.
"A thousand miles in a day" is far from enough to describe his speed at this moment.
On this day, he was in his room deducing the structure of the fourth sword of the Heavenly Tribulation Nine Swords when he suddenly felt a jolt deep within his consciousness.
[Calamity Warning triggered.]
[Simulation in progress... Simulation complete. Seven days later, the abbot of Xuandi Temple will bring his disciples to visit Qingfeng Temple. Xuandi Temple and Qingfeng Temple have a long-standing relationship, ostensibly for friendly exchange, but in reality, they are secretly vying for power. At that time, disciples from both temples will compete in the martial arts arena. During the competition, someone will challenge the host. If the host avoids the fight, it will give others ammunition to test the host further. If the host does fight, one of the opposing disciples will suddenly strike during the exchange; their cultivation level far exceeds what is apparent, and their true strength is at the Middle Stage the Eleventh Realm.]