Lightning Tribulation

As the White Snake's will erupted, the Heavenly Tribulation arrived…

The dark clouds overhead suddenly began to spin, forming a massive vortex. Tiny sparks of electricity flickered and danced at the center of the vortex. The White Snake raised its head, opened its mouth wide, and let out a hiss!

"Hiss!"

It was like the tiger in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, fierce and unwilling to yield, no matter the cost of life or death.

On Mount Hua, the unusual cloud formations above and below the mountain attracted much attention.

Yu Rong frowned deeply. She sensed that things were deviating from the norm. Normally, a beast undergoing tribulation would simply gather dark clouds and unleash lightning. When did it become a swirling vortex of thunderclouds? It was just a mere Snake Demon undergoing tribulation, not an ancient Fierce Beast reappearing. Besides, the White Snake didn't possess any rare ancient bloodline. Why was this happening?

After some thought, Yu Rong flew towards the Jade Void Palace, where the Sect Master resided.

Li Xiangyan, the Sect Master of Chunyang Palace, stood before the main hall, as if he had anticipated his Junior Sister's arrival.

Li Xiangyan appeared very old, wearing the Sect Master's jade crown and Daoist robes. His white eyebrows and beard nearly reached his waist. He held a whisk, looking drowsy, like an ordinary elderly immortal. However, those familiar with the Sect Master knew that he had long ago reached the Ascension Realm, his cultivation unfathomably profound.

"Greetings, Sect Master Senior Brother."

"Junior Sister, are you here about that White Snake?"

The Sect Master smiled, his beard and eyebrows swaying in the wind, appearing calm and carefree.

"Indeed. It's just a Form Transformation Tribulation, yet it's so violent. I fear my little snake will have a hard time surviving. Does Senior Brother know why?"

"Opportunity, fate, fortune."

Li Xiangyan uttered three words, leaving Yu Rong puzzled.

"This tribulation for the White Snake is incredibly perilous, far more difficult than a normal beast's form transformation. If she overcomes it, her future achievements will be limitless. This is her opportunity."

"All things in the world have their destiny. Even I can only deduce fragments of it. This is her fate."

"This tribulation is the White Snake's fortune and blessing. Junior Sister, do not worry. The little snake's destiny is not so bleak. Cultivate her diligently, and perhaps in the future, she can increase our Chunyang Palace's fortune. Hahaha~"

With that, Li Xiangyan burst into laughter and returned to the Jade Void Palace. Yu Rong breathed a sigh of relief, becoming even more interested in the fortune their Sect Master Senior Brother mentioned.

Below the mountain.

The White Snake, at the center of the storm, prepared to face the Heavenly Tribulation. The ink-black clouds cast a shroud over the world, making it seem like dusk. Xu Ling and the others unconsciously retreated, unaware of the cultivators lurking in the woods behind them. Only Yang Mu glanced back with a hint of confusion.

The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind. The senior disciples of Chunyang Palace felt it was necessary to deal with these Petty Villains before the White Snake's tribulation.

Zheng Yong and the Senior Brother surnamed Lin stared at the Chunyang disciples, eager for a fight. The female cultivators like Xu Ling especially stirred their lust, making them wish they could capture and sell them to Evil Cultivators.

Suddenly, a voice from above sent chills down their spines.

"Had enough watching?"

Turning around, they saw a Chunyang Palace disciple standing in the sky, flying on his sword.

Without waiting for any explanation, a flash of sword light appeared, and several corpses lay on the ground.

Yang Mu looked back, saw the fellow disciple, and witnessed the sword light. Knowing that this Senior Brother had resolved the hidden threat, he bowed respectfully from afar. The senior disciple returned the gesture and flew back towards the Mountain Gate.

"Huh? Isn't that the Senior Brother who guards the Mountain Gate? What's he doing here?" Xu Ling, as usual, was slow to catch on and waved towards the distant sword light.

Shaking his head, Yang Mu felt that he would need to descend the mountain for training more often in the future, and he must bring Xu Ling along. Chunyang Palace needed experienced and decisive cultivators, not a bunch of pedantic wooden blocks, like dried meat hanging in the air – it lasted a long time, but it was still just salted meat.

"The Heavenly Tribulation has begun!"

A shout drew everyone's attention back.

The scene seemed to freeze. In slow motion, a blinding light suddenly erupted from the clouds, followed by a dazzling bolt of lightning that snaked down towards the ground, aiming straight for the proud White Snake. It struck almost instantly…

Crack…!

After a deafening boom, the White Snake, which had been holding its head high on the hill moments ago, was now sprawled on the ground. Its scales were scorched and smoking, and its keen sense of smell could even detect the scent of its own roasted skin.

"Hiss…"

The pain was excruciating. Being struck by lightning was far worse than touching an electric wire. The entire snake head went numb instantly.

Shaking its head, the White Snake was furious.

Damn it!

As soon as it cursed internally, another bolt of lightning crackled down. Normally, lightning shouldn't strike so quickly; it required charging up. But this was a rapid succession of strikes. The numb snake head felt as if its curse had angered the heavens. It shouldn't curse today; wouldn't it be better to wait until after the tribulation to curse them?

Just as it thought this, another lightning bolt descended, shattering the scales on its back and exposing the flesh and blood…

Jade Void Palace, Mount Hua.

The old Sect Master watched the continuous flashes with confusion.

"Strange, when did the Heavenly Tribulation start changing like this…"

Its back scales were shattered, and blood poured out. The Demon Spirit within was rapidly repairing the injuries, but the growth rate of new flesh clearly couldn't keep up with the speed of the Heavenly Tribulation's lightning strikes. Especially the scales, which served as armor, couldn't regenerate quickly. The lightning striking the wounds caused even greater damage. What was the White Snake moments ago had turned into a blood-soaked serpent in just a few breaths.

Xu Ling and the others, standing at a distance, looked on in horror. They recalled that if they cultivated to Ascension, they would also have to face the Heavenly Tribulation, and were immediately terrified, their Dao hearts unstable. Fortunately, they were young and quickly regained their composure. This experience would at least prepare them, preventing them from being completely clueless. It could also be considered a form of tempering.

After seven or eight consecutive lightning strikes, it finally subsided, not because the tribulation had ended, but because it was brewing its next attack.

The White Snake, almost smashed into the ground, lifted its head and shook off the dirt. Its usually dull snake eyes were now filled with intelligence. The Heavenly Tribulation was a trial, but also a test. Every lightning strike endured brought about changes to its body. The pain and blood had completely awakened the wildness within the White Snake's heart. It didn't even touch the healing pills it had prepared, its fierce nature erupting as it glared at the heavens.

"Big White has gone mad…" Xu Ling remarked.

Yang Mu shook his head.

"No, it's not crazy. Crossing a Heavenly Tribulation using external means results in an incomplete Tribulation, leaving behind flaws. For example, many demons with human bodies but beastly features are a result of taking shortcuts to cross their tribulations. Crossing with one's own strength can improve one's aptitude, making them at least stronger than humans at the same realm. Humans primarily cultivate spells with little focus on their physical bodies, hence their speed. Demonic beasts are more balanced and emphasize body refinement. Our human race can only surpass demonic beasts by relying on superior cultivation methods and magic treasures. In terms of inherent ability, we have deficiencies."

Xu Ling nodded. Demonic beasts indeed had strong physiques.

"Junior Sister, you don't need to overthink it. The Human Race cultivates much faster than demonic beasts. The cultivation speed of demons is extremely slow, taking almost ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand times longer than humans. Their immense power is accumulated over vast stretches of time, so you must be extremely careful and cautious if you encounter them in the future."

"Senior Brother knows so much." Xu Ling quickly offered flattery.

Yang Mu, looking smug, pursed his lips.

"Master taught me long ago, and it's also in the classics in the Scripture Repository. Junior Sister probably forgot because she was too busy playing, right?"

"Hmph..."

Xu Ling's face flushed with embarrassment. She had indeed forgotten.