"It really is Danxiao Tribulation Lightning!"
The expression on Old Ancestor Tong Hui's face was far too complicated. Even if someone had been standing directly before him, looking at him, they likely would not have been able to tell whether he was grieving or rejoicing.
The Yin Thunder Umbrella above his head shifted several feet sideways as he raised his head, opening up a narrow passage.
In the next instant, hundreds of talismans of every color surged from Old Ancestor Tong Hui's sleeves like a waterfall, like a rainbow that had suddenly appeared.
These talismans seemed to activate simultaneously, yet only when they truly neared the fire clouds and thunder gang did their exquisitely layered arrangement reveal itself.
Though they were merely talismans, they hung in the air like floating magic shields. Only after the power of the foremost talismans had been exhausted and could no longer withstand the assault would the talismans behind them truly erupt with power.
This peerlessly exquisite art of talisman control immediately added a measure of reverence to the eyes of the tribulation spectators.
By this point, most of the tribulation spectators had already decided that Old Ancestor Tong Hui was indeed a peerless genius rarely seen in Lesser Jade Continent.
Most importantly, Old Ancestor Tong Hui was so good at enduring, and so good at putting on an act.
Yet only Old Ancestor Tong Hui himself truly understood what was going on.
Every tribulation transcender prepared many magic treasures and magical implements for each stage of their lightning tribulation. Old Ancestor Tong Hui was naturally no exception.
Before this, Old Ancestor Tong Hui, who knew his own limits very well, had been certain that the sevenfold lightning tribulation he would face should have been the most ordinary, least variable standard sevenfold lightning tribulation.
These talismans had originally been magical implements he had prepared to deal with the Pill Firmament Thunder Tribulation.
It was simply that, before this, he had possessed absolutely no confidence that he could survive the first few stages of lightning tribulation.
At the end of the day, neither he nor Huayang Sect had sufficient reserves. The magic treasures and magical implements in his possession were not so abundant that they could be squandered without concern. As for something like a Heavenly Tribulation, the slightest inadequacy in handling any one stage could trigger a whole string of reactions, causing expenditures beyond imagination.
Therefore, for a tribulation-transcending cultivator like him, he could only make the utmost use of every magic treasure and magical implement in his hands.
He did not know how many times he had practiced the method of controlling these talismans. Yet the greatest uncertainty before had been that if he could not endure the first few lightning tribulations, he might be forced to deploy these talismans during those earlier stages as well. He might even be unable to unleash the true power of these magic treasures and implements due to excessive True Essence depletion.
But now, he had passed the first three lightning tribulations completely unscathed. Every expenditure had been lower than even the most ideal state he had imagined. His current performance in controlling the talismans against this Danxiao Tribulation Lightning was naturally nothing short of perfect.
Even if the other Golden Core cultivators undergoing tribulation were more skilled than he was at controlling talismans, if they had already suffered excessive depletion during the earlier lightning tribulations, who among them could still perform as he did?
Among the normal sevenfold lightning tribulations, the Danxiao Tribulation Lightning was the fifth stage. It was famous for its wild bombardment, and the tribulation lightning contained the Golden Core laws of the tribulation transcender himself. It was like the tribulation transcender having to fight a clone of himself at the same time. Although Old Ancestor Tong Hui's hundreds of talismans had steadily blocked the Danxiao Tribulation Lightning's assault, there could not be the slightest mistake. It was still extraordinarily dangerous.
Yet by now, Old Ancestor Tong Hui had instead completely calmed down.
Eight small black shields resembling tortoise shells were already floating around him. Even if this Danxiao Tribulation Lightning lasted the normal duration of one incense stick, with his current condition, once those talismans had been exhausted, he could spend these eight magic shields and weather it without danger.
Only now did he begin to truly pay attention to what was happening at the outskirts of the Heavenly Tribulation. Then he noticed Wang Li, who was very close to him, as well as that female cultivator pretending to be a mushroom.
His thoughts immediately became a little disordered again. "Since when have Qi Refining stage cultivators become this ferocious? They dare come so close to a Golden Core cultivator's Heavenly Tribulation! And what is that female cultivator doing? What cultivation does she have?"
Cultivators were extraordinarily sensitive to power. There absolutely could not be a Qi Refining stage cultivator so dull-witted that they could not sense the danger even in such circumstances.
But he could determine with one hundred percent certainty that the young male cultivator at the foot of the mountain, almost pressed against the edge of the Heavenly Tribulation, was merely at the Fifth Level of Qi Refining.
As for that female cultivator crouching in such a strange posture, he found it difficult to determine her cultivation precisely.
She seemed to be a Golden Core stage cultivator, yet she also seemed not to have truly formed a Golden Core. She greatly resembled a cultivator who had failed Core Formation during the Foundation Establishment Realm but had luckily survived, and also resembled the kind of cultivator who had survived after reaching the Golden Core stage only for their Golden Core to shatter.
But no matter which kind she was, neither seemed sufficient for her and that young male cultivator to withstand the power of this Heavenly Tribulation.
Though these two seemed extremely certain of the range covered by the Heavenly Tribulation, as long as the slightest accident occurred—even if he himself moved slightly toward their location—the two of them should, in theory, be struck dead by the tribulation lightning at once.
"Senior Sister, he noticed us." At that moment, Wang Li's expression also turned grave. Somewhat uneasy, he spoke softly to the female cultivator beside him.
"It's fine." The female cultivator transmitted her voice. "He won't create complications out of nothing."
Wang Li's face stiffened slightly.
Sometimes, he truly could not understand where his Senior Sister got such absolute confidence. Still, at least she had said two sentences this time instead of merely saying "Mm."
For a brief moment, Old Ancestor Tong Hui truly wanted to test just what these two were capable of. But he immediately extinguished that thought.
Because, as far as he was concerned, the situation now truly seemed to be gradually entering a better state. After all, these two had not obstructed his tribulation, and he did not want to provoke any unforeseen accident.
To his slight delight, the Danxiao Tribulation Lightning did not last for the duration of one incense stick. After only half an incense stick, it began to wind down.
His eight Black Shields had only just been deployed.
Before, these eight Black Shields had floated at his side, each only the size of a palm and shaped like tortoise shells. Yet after they were truly activated, even their appearances completely changed, transforming into eight black hills more than ten zhang across.
The tribulation lightning, as viscous as molten iron, fell upon these black hills. The black hills only swayed slightly and gave off metallic reverberations, then began spinning like heavy tops.
A purple spirit pill had already appeared in Old Ancestor Tong Hui's right palm.
The purpose of this spirit pill was to replenish a cultivator's depleted True Essence at extraordinary speed. Yet so far, he had lost very little True Essence and had not even needed to use this spirit pill.
The Heavenly Dao laws had already begun nurturing the fifth lightning tribulation.
Within the golden tribulation clouds was something like a strange dye vat, rapidly staining the bottom of the golden tribulation clouds a deep azure.
What sounded next was not thunder, but a kind of whimpering wind.
"No way?"
True Person Wu Yang's eyes bulged once more aboard the Nuclear Boat.
Even compared to the rest of Huayang Sect, he was likely the one who most hoped Old Ancestor Tong Hui would successfully transcend his tribulation.
There was naturally no need to mention how many benefits a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator could bring to a sect. Beyond those pure benefits, when he had first entered the sect, he had also received some guidance from Old Ancestor Tong Hui.
Naturally, the simpler and easier Old Ancestor Tong Hui's lightning tribulation was to handle, the better it was for him.
But did this fifth lightning tribulation not seem a little too easy?
Under his gaze, filled with suspicion toward the Heavenly Dao laws, streams of azure gang wind entwined with hazy lightning descended.
A heavy collective gasp rose from heaven and earth all around.
Without the slightest doubt, this was the Azure Gang Thunder Tribulation.
But this kind of lightning tribulation should, by all rights, never appear during a Golden Core cultivator's tribulation. It would only appear in the lightning tribulation faced by Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators advancing into the Golden Core stage.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"...
The gang wind entwined with hazy lightning sliced against the eight black hills, producing crisp sounds like hammering iron. The instant the gang wind shattered like glazed glass, the lightning contained within it leapt free from the black hills, but all of it was erased by the Yin Thunder Umbrella floating above Old Ancestor Tong Hui's head.
Old Ancestor Tong Hui had once again fallen into a state of complete bewilderment.
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