What Kind of Reason Is This

He was absolutely convinced that the Heavenly Tribulation he would face was the standard seven-layered lightning tribulation, which was why he prepared to counter the first wave of lightning with the fire cloud tribulation.

The power of the heavenly fire and lightning in the fire cloud tribulation was generally moderate. For a tribulation transcender like him, the most threatening aspect was the heat contained within the heavenly fire. Therefore, the moment the first golden tribulation cloud appeared, he unleashed artifacts that would help him "cool down" a bit amidst the heat of the fire cloud tribulation.

The less capable one was, the more attention they had to pay to details.

He was wearing three layers of ice-cold garments that could resist heat alone.

Who would have thought that even though the tribulation clouds looked normal, the first layer of tribulation lightning to descend would be this kind of Exotic Thunder Tribulation?

He was almost frozen into a frozen pear.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the area covered by the Heavenly Tribulation, in a patch of woods at the foot of the mountain, a young cultivator in an azure robe stood still against the terrifying cold. The trees around him had completely withered the moment the cold erupted. As the cold continued to encroach, the brittle branches, frozen solid, kept falling off like decaying joints with a cracking sound. Thus, despite merely standing against the wind, the young cultivator in the azure robe possessed an indescribable upright posture.

"Senior Sister, are you cold?"

The young cultivator turned to look at his Senior Sister behind him.

After all, a Heavenly Tribulation was a Heavenly Tribulation, especially the seven-layered lightning tribulation for a Golden Core cultivator.

The young cultivator's face also looked somewhat bruised and bluish from the cold.

However, his expression was calm.

He and the young female cultivator behind him, who looked a few years older than him, were currently the closest cultivators to Old Ancestor Tong Hui.

But this composure vanished the moment he turned and saw his Senior Sister.

The young female cultivator, a few years his senior, was also wearing an azure robe. Her features were exquisite; she was the kind of beauty where any single feature was lovely on its own, but when put together, she was even more stunning. Furthermore, a seemingly pathological look of confusion always lingered on her face and in her eyes, evoking an irresistible sense of pity.

However, her current posture was extremely strange.

She was squatting on the ground.

It resembled squatting to relieve oneself, but not quite. When squatting, one's legs would be spread wider, and her waist wouldn't be held as straight as hers was.

"Senior Sister, what are you doing?"

The young cultivator in the azure robe's voice changed in fright. "You're not having an episode again, are you? We already used the Purple Bamboo Pill."

"I'm not sick!"

The female cultivator with exquisite features replied energetically. The next sentence, however, was transmitted telepathically, sounding like a mosquito's hum in the young cultivator's ear. "I'm a mushroom right now."

The young cultivator in the azure robe was on the verge of tears. "Senior Sister, and you say you're not sick?"

"Are you stupid!"

The female cultivator glared at him fiercely. "There are too many cultivators present today; we can't hide our tracks. If they think I'm sane, how will they let us snatch the artifact and leave later?"

"You really aren't having an episode?" The young cultivator in the azure robe looked at her suspiciously.

"Wang Li!" The beautiful female cultivator flared up. "Do you believe I'll self-detonate my Golden Core right now?"

"I believe you, I believe you, alright?" The young cultivator in the azure robe felt even more speechless.

A trace of scorching heat suddenly appeared in the extremely frigid air.

A ball of crimson light appeared in the center of where the Ice Soul Heavenly Thunder was falling.

Despite his grief and indignation, a Golden Core Peak cultivator, no matter how ordinary, was still a Golden Core Peak cultivator. They wouldn't just lie down and accept death without even struggling.

The slower one cultivated, the longer they prepared for tribulation, and the more thorough their preparations usually were.

Old Ancestor Tong Hui unleashed three fire-elemental artifacts in one go.

Being able to avoid conflict with his previously arranged formations and unleashed artifacts in such a short time, and to momentarily halt the heavenly might, fully demonstrated that even the most ordinary Golden Core Peak cultivator was by no means a pushover to be manipulated by the Heavenly Dao laws.

A circular crimson ancient mirror hovered above Old Ancestor Tong Hui's head. Though the mirror surface was only palm-sized, it seemed to connect to the fiery abyss beneath the earth, madly spewing out clusters of black Earth Fiend True Fire that resembled lingzhi mushrooms.

Even if these clusters of black Earth Fiend True Fire merely brushed against any stray lightning threads in the sky, they would instantly extinguish with a sizzle. However, where the flames vanished, a patch of exceptionally viscous black smoke would immediately rise. This mass of black smoke was about the size of a regular umbrella cap and could linger in the air for at least ten breaths, during which it would continue to release a large amount of heat.

A piece of purple tattered cloth spun around Old Ancestor Tong Hui. Upon closer inspection, this purple tattered cloth appeared to be a tattered bellyband.

Artifacts for cultivators also emphasized form. If a male cultivator were to unleash a female cultivator's personal garment during normal times, it would inevitably evoke strange feelings and associations. However, during a Heavenly Tribulation like this, no one would pay attention to such details.

Even though this item was a remnant artifact, it displayed astonishing power under Old Ancestor Tong Hui's control.

A large number of fire crows continuously emerged from around the piece of tattered cloth, emitting incredibly noisy sounds. These sounds had no effect on the Heavenly Dao tribulation lightning, but they caused the eardrums of most cultivators far from this mountain peak to sting.

The fire crows circling Old Ancestor Tong Hui seemed like real living creatures; not a single lightning thread could penetrate this flock of flying fire crows.

In addition, Old Ancestor Tong Hui held a white jade ancient coin in his palm. This coin, with its warm luster, emitted a hazy white light, forming a semi-transparent shield around him.

True Person Baixi had already escorted a group of Immortal Seedlings to a safe distance.

He looked at Old Ancestor Tong Hui at the center of the Heavenly Tribulation, a hint of doubt appearing in the depths of his eyes.

The reason Heavenly Tribulations were terrifying was not just their formidable power, but also their persistence.

Heavenly Tribulations controlled by the Heavenly Dao laws were notoriously emotionless; they would only relentlessly pursue.

When facing a Heavenly Tribulation, cultivators never needed to overwhelm it, but rather to endure and persist.

Therefore, the most practical approach when dealing with a Heavenly Tribulation was never to use artifacts of immense power, but rather those that were as tenacious as sticky candy.

They needed to be able to last a long time, and the tribulation transcender's own consumption should be minimal.

The artifacts Old Ancestor Tong Hui had unleashed were precisely of this nature.

The Old Ancestor Tong Hui had produced three highly targeted artifacts in an instant, performing much better than he had imagined.

Heavenly Dao laws never create something from nothing.

Could it be that the Old Ancestor Tong Hui of the Huayang Sect was actually a hidden, unparalleled genius, and that was why he dared not undergo tribulation easily?

"Bullshit!"

Old Ancestor Tong Hui was roaring internally. If he could hear True Person Baixi's thoughts, he would probably want to spit blood again.

Who knew himself better than he did?

If he were a genius, then the vast majority of Golden Core cultivators on the Lesser Jade Continent would be top-tier geniuses!

Before the Heavenly Tribulation began, he still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that perhaps the Heavenly Dao laws would be a little weaker due to his mediocrity. But now that this Exotic Thunder Tribulation had descended, his thoughts were no longer about successfully passing the tribulation, but about not dying too miserably, not setting the worst tribulation record on the Lesser Jade Continent, and not being annihilated in the very first lightning strike.

Moreover, the Huayang Sect's foundation was truly too thin. While cultivators undergoing tribulation from powerful sects in other continents might have thirty artifacts hidden away after using three, he was now so afraid of being instantly killed by this Exotic Heavenly Tribulation that he had sacrificed all the most suitable artifacts he possessed.

Among these three artifacts, which were somewhat effective against the Ice Soul Heavenly Thunder, that piece of tattered purple bellyband was a token of love his dao companion had left him. If there had been any other way, how could he have possibly sacrificed this artifact?

According to the experience of the cultivation world, the seven-layered lightning tribulation faced by normal Golden Core cultivators advancing to Nascent Soul typically lasted for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea for each lightning strike.

Do not underestimate the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

This was by no means a leisurely prelude, but a full-speed sprint of continuous storm.

Old Ancestor Tong Hui's three artifacts only held out for half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

The round, crimson ancient mirror was the first to collapse under the impact and lashing of the Ice Soul Heavenly Thunder. Along the inscrutable patterns on its surface, cracks rapidly deepened into the mirror's core. The moment it shattered, the edges of each crimson fragment flowed with a black, oil-like liquid. This liquid then burned away within the span of a finger snap, and the mirror fragments, devoid of brilliance, scattered outwards, sizzling as they fell within a radius of several hundred zhang around Old Ancestor Tong Hui.

"What a waste of a good treasure, you might as well have given it to me directly."

The female cultivator squatting on the ground, pretending to be a mushroom, commented thus as she watched the artifact shatter.

"The Huayang Sect and our Profound Heaven Sect are worlds apart, why would they give it to you directly?" Wang Li asked nervously, watching some of the tribulation lightning threads flashing not too far ahead. He couldn't help but worry more, "Senior Sister, this Exotic Thunder Tribulation, we're this close, is it really okay?"

The female cultivator looked at Wang Li as if he were an idiot and transmitted, "Trust me, it's absolutely fine."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Li's taut heart relaxed slightly. A tribulation lightning thread, as thin as a gossamer, suddenly flashed in front of him.

With a shrieking sound, a white layer of ice crystals instantly appeared on Wang Li's azure robe.

Wang Li's face turned ashen. "Senior Sister, is this what you call 'absolutely fine'?"

As he spoke, cracking sounds like shattering ice crystals echoed from within his body, giving the impression that his flesh and bones were breaking like over-frozen branches.

The female cultivator, however, seemed to completely ignore his question. She merely looked at the spot where Old Ancestor Tong Hui's artifact had shattered and fallen, lamenting, "This artifact is at least a Profound-grade high-tier treasure. It's a pity that when its body shattered, the spiritual energy contained within couldn't be preserved. These fragments are useless now."

Wang Li took a few steps back, feeling that the Senior Sister's words were somewhat reasonable. But her next sentence left him utterly dumbfounded.

"When the Heavenly Tribulation isn't too fierce later, I'll let you charge forward. You go and collect all these fragments."

"No... Senior Sister, if these artifact fragments are useless, why collect them?" Wang Li looked at her speechlessly.

The female cultivator maintained her mushroom pose and transmitted, "They're useless to us, and indeed they are useless, but they should be useful later."

Wang Li's scalp tingled, and his forehead throbbed painfully. He felt he might truly have been affected by the cold of the tribulation lightning entering his brain. "Senior Sister, what kind of logic is that?"

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