Old Ancestor Tong Hui's consciousness had already grown somewhat blurred. Even his Sea of Consciousness seemed invaded by thunder, rumbling without end.
His internal organs felt as though they were being scorched by raging flames, while the flesh and bones of his body seemed on the verge of utterly collapsing.
The sword light under his control was still shooting straight upward, but he himself did not know where it was meant to strike—at the vast Heavenly Dao, which could not be seen at all, or at those golden tribulation clouds, heavy as lead.
Boom!
Another earth-shaking blast erupted above him.
His Dharma Sword could no longer withstand the onslaught of the tribulation lightning and shattered in the sky.
At the same time, the canopy of the Yin Thunder Umbrella, which had helped him block most of the tribulation lightning during this wave of lightning tribulation, completely split apart. Its broken ribs, trailing a canopy like shredded cotton, fell despondently amid the rolling thunder.
"What?"
Yet at that very moment, Old Ancestor Tong Hui instead felt the pressure lighten again. The blue lightning that had remained firmly suppressing the Nascent Soul in his qi sea suddenly began to dissipate, and his muddled Sea of Consciousness abruptly became clear.
"The lightning tribulation is over?"
In that instant, he sensed a figure appearing beneath the Yin Thunder Umbrella.
"Let's go over!"
At the same time, He Lingxiu gave a low shout to True Person Wu Yang in the sky.
"Now?"
True Person Wu Yang was startled. Before he could activate the Nuclear Boat, the golden tribulation clouds in the sky suddenly began to disperse.
"Who is that!"
"The Heavenly Tribulation has passed? Old Ancestor Tong Hui succeeded in crossing his tribulation?"
"The Yin Thunder Umbrella! That person is snatching the Yin Thunder Umbrella!"
"Someone actually dared to snatch the Yin Thunder Umbrella at a time like this!"
A wave of uncontrollable cries rang out continuously through the surrounding sky.
As the tribulation clouds and lightning rapidly dissipated, everyone saw that before the battered Yin Thunder Umbrella had truly reached the ground, it had already been seized in someone's hand.
The tribulation clouds were still swiftly vanishing, while immense amounts of heaven and earth spiritual energy surged ceaselessly toward the center of the tribulation.
Drawn by an extraordinarily mysterious Dao rhythm, this heaven and earth spiritual energy formed treasure flowers of every color and all kinds of profound ancient talismans, creating strange phenomena beyond description.
Though the interruption of this lightning tribulation had been far too abrupt, everything before them reminded all present that at the very moment this lightning tribulation had been about to annihilate Old Ancestor Tong Hui in body and soul, it had suddenly ended. Old Ancestor Tong Hui had successfully crossed his tribulation and was already absorbing vast amounts of heaven and earth spiritual energy and shattered lightning essence to temper his Nascent Soul.
Never mind that this person had dared approach Old Ancestor Tong Hui before the Heavenly Tribulation had even faded; now, facing a true Nascent Soul Cultivator who had successfully crossed tribulation, he still dared openly snatch such a Dharma treasure. Even the words "bold beyond measure" could not begin to describe it.
"Cough... cough..."
Wang Li coughed awkwardly twice.
Although they had exchanged their signal and confirmed that his senior sister was indeed not having an episode at this time, as a Qi Refining stage cultivator, openly snatching a Dharma treasure from beside a Nascent Soul Cultivator who had successfully crossed tribulation, in full view of everyone, did seem rather excessive.
"What cultivation was that?"
"The fifth or sixth level of the Qi Refining stage?"
Another uproar arose in the surrounding sky. Facing Old Ancestor Tong Hui, who had already succeeded in crossing tribulation, even those experienced tribulation-chasers did not dare casually approach this mountain. Yet that did not stop them from using every sort of spell and qi-observing Dharma treasure to inspect Wang Li's cultivation.
"What was he doing now?"
These people had already found it utterly inconceivable when their methods revealed Wang Li to be no more than a sixth-level Qi Refining stage cultivator. What left them even more dumbfounded was that Wang Li had swiftly begun picking through the scorched earth around him, seemingly collecting fragments of other Dharma treasures as well.
"Master, what are you waiting for? For New Year's?"
He Lingxiu watched Wang Li busily working on the mountain below and suddenly gave a chuckle.
Only then did the still-stunned True Person Wu Yang and True Person Qingyang both come to their senses.
The Rogue Cultivators and cultivators from other sects did not dare approach the mountain where Old Ancestor Tong Hui was, but as members of the Huayang Sect, they naturally need not fear angering Old Ancestor Tong Hui and inviting retaliation in the future.
The Huayang Sect's two flying Dharma treasures immediately streaked downward like falling meteors.
Wang Li moved quickly.
By the time the divine senses of the Huayang Sect's two Golden Core cultivators swept over him like tangible objects, he had already completed the additional task his senior sister had assigned him and gathered all the fragments of that crimson ancient mirror.
By custom, it was now time for his senior sister to make her entrance.
But when Wang Li swept his gaze around, he saw no sign of his senior sister at all.
He felt helpless again, but without the slightest hesitation, he straightened his back, looked toward where the Huayang Sect's two flying Dharma treasures had come from, and called aloud, "This junior is Wang Li of the Profound Heaven Sect. May I ask which seniors have arrived?"
"Profound Heaven Sect, Wang Li?"
True Person Wu Yang and True Person Qingyang were both taken aback. The name felt familiar to them, as though they had heard it somewhere before.
He Lingxiu, standing behind True Person Wu Yang with an innocent, smiling expression, suddenly had her eyes light up, as if she had recalled something.
"Wang Li... why does this boy's name sound so familiar?"
"A disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect, Wang Li! Right, isn't he the disciple of Solitary Peak in the Profound Heaven Sect? Doesn't he have a senior sister named Lü Shenliang?"
"That female cultivator from the Profound Heaven Sect who wants to self-detonate her Golden Core whenever a word displeases her?"
"This..."
All the cultivators around the mountain erupted into another commotion.
"True Person, what is the background of this Profound Heaven Sect disciple?" Behind True Person Baixi, the young boy named Li Youque looked curiously at Wang Li, and the corner of his mouth even curled into a faint smile.
Even he could tell that the cultivators aboard those two flying Dharma treasures were from the Huayang Sect.
This Profound Heaven Sect cultivator had snatched Old Ancestor Tong Hui's Dharma treasure right in front of those Huayang Sect cultivators, then actually turned around and asked who they were.
This seemed... a bit too much of an act.
A strange expression appeared on True Person Baixi's face.
He stared at Wang Li on the scorched earth. Only after several breaths did he slowly exhale and say in a deep voice, "The Profound Heaven Sect, like our Xianke Sect and this Huayang Sect, stands among the orthodox Seventy-two Immortal Sects of the Lesser Jade Continent. Among all these orthodox immortal sects of the Lesser Jade Continent, the Profound Heaven Sect is currently among the weakest. But remember this: just as the Huayang Sect was previously not strong, yet with Old Ancestor Tong Hui successfully forming a Nascent Soul today, it will likely rise into the top ten of the Seventy-two Immortal Sects, a sect's prosperity often depends upon the few cultivators with the highest cultivation within it. The Profound Heaven Sect may be weak now, but in the history of the Lesser Jade Continent, two of the three greatest cultivators came from the Profound Heaven Sect."
Li Youque was immediately astonished. "Then its foundation must be extraordinarily deep."
True Person Baixi unconsciously shook his head lightly, but he did not wish to dwell further on this matter with Li Youque. He merely continued, "This Profound Heaven Sect disciple Wang Li has a senior sister named Lü Shenliang. If the rumors are true, she was born with an immortal spirit root and possessed astonishing talent. Yet when she underwent tribulation to establish her foundation and form her Golden Core, she failed. Not only was her Golden Core damaged, but even her soul suffered grievous trauma, and her mind developed problems. Even within the Profound Heaven Sect, she would occasionally want to self-detonate her Golden Core whenever a word displeased her. To prevent her from causing disaster, the Profound Heaven Sect gave her a solitary peak to cultivate on and forbade her from entering the other peaks. The Profound Heaven Sect disciples originally on that solitary peak were reassigned to the other peaks. Wang Li was said to be the only disciple who remained on that solitary peak."
Li Youque's eyes widened enormously. "True Person, then isn't Wang Li afraid of being harmed by her?"
True Person Baixi gazed at Wang Li from afar. There was some appreciation and sympathy in his eyes, but he only said simply and indifferently, "Wang Li is said to be quite capable. His senior sister has suffered several episodes and nearly self-detonated her Golden Core each time, but he always found a way to save her."
"So it is a young friend from the Profound Heaven Sect."
True Person Wu Yang had found Wang Li's name familiar from the start. Hearing the voices from the surrounding sky, he immediately recalled the other man's origins, and his expression softened somewhat. "I am True Person Wu Yang of the Huayang Sect."
"Oh, so it is Senior. This junior has long admired your great name." Wang Li gave a solemn bow.
Everyone watched to see what he would do next. Yet after bowing solemnly, Wang Li made no further move, as though once he had offered his greeting, the matter at hand had nothing to do with him.
"What did that mean?"
"He knew they were Golden Core cultivators of the Huayang Sect, yet he still held onto the Yin Thunder Umbrella as if nothing had happened?"
A group of tribulation-chasers watched Wang Li from afar, all feeling that this man was probably insane.
Tribulation-chasers were often Rogue Cultivators who were bold beyond measure.
More than half of the Rogue Cultivators in the Lesser Jade Continent had been born lacking sufficient aptitude and could not enter orthodox sects to cultivate. These cultivators had neither sect resources supporting their cultivation nor sect rules restraining them.
But precisely because of this, these Rogue Cultivators understood even more clearly when there was profit to be taken and when they needed to slip away as quickly as possible.
Old Ancestor Tong Hui had already succeeded in crossing tribulation, so there was no longer any point in lingering here. Yet Wang Li's behavior made quite a few tribulation-chasers unable to resist staying behind.
True Person Wu Yang paused for a moment. Seeing that Wang Li still showed no reaction, he could not help but furrow his brows. Before he could speak, however, Qi Jianzhu behind True Person Qingyang spoke first. "Fellow Daoist of the Profound Heaven Sect, should you not return the Yin Thunder Umbrella in your hand to our Huayang Sect?"
True Person Wu Yang's frown deepened. He knew Qi Jianzhu had rushed to speak because he intended to perform before Old Ancestor Tong Hui. Now that Old Ancestor Tong Hui had successfully crossed tribulation, if he happened to be in high spirits, Qi Jianzhu might gain some benefit.
Thinking of this, he could not help turning to glance at He Lingxiu.
His true disciple He Lingxiu was usually extremely quick-witted. By all reason, she should not have failed to think of this, so he found it strange.
What made him even more puzzled, however, was that as he turned his head, He Lingxiu calmly winked at him.
"The Yin Thunder Umbrella?"
Wang Li raised the battered Yin Thunder Umbrella in his hand, his face full of confusion. "I just picked this up."
Qi Jianzhu stepped forward at once and stood beside True Person Qingyang. The breeze stirred his Dharma robe, making him feel rather dashing, but upon hearing Wang Li's words, he froze.
The cultivators in the surrounding sky, including the Immortal Seedlings behind True Person Baixi, all wore strange expressions.
This Profound Heaven Sect disciple seemed to think somewhat differently from everyone else. He seemed very difficult to communicate with.
"You..."
Qi Jianzhu froze for the space of a breath, anger appearing on his face. "This is clearly the Dharma treasure the Old Ancestor used to resist the Heavenly Tribulation."
Wang Li said, "Then why was I the one who picked it up?"
"..."
All the cultivators present froze once again.
This exchange truly seemed difficult.
Before you continue