Thunder Tribulation

As the White Snake's will erupted, the heavenly tribulation arrived...

The pitch-black clouds overhead suddenly spun into a massive vortex. Tiny arcs of lightning flickered and danced at its center as the White Snake raised her head, opened her jaws, and let out a hiss!

"Hiss!"

Like that tiger in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, whether in life or death, she could never cast aside the savage ferocity that belonged to a beast.

On Mount Hua, the disturbance in the clouds below the mountain drew the attention of many people.

Yu Rong's delicate brows knitted tightly. She sensed that things had strayed somewhat off course. By all reason, a beast's tribulation merely gathered dark clouds and sent down lightning. Since when had it become a vortex-shaped thundercloud? It was only a mere snake demon undergoing the Form Transformation Tribulation, not some ancient ferocious beast returning to the world. Besides, the White Snake possessed no rare ancient bloodline. Why was this happening?

After some thought, Yu Rong flew toward the Jade Void Palace, where the sect master resided.

Li Xiangyan, the sect master of Chunyang Palace, stood before the hall as though he had guessed that his junior sister would come.

Li Xiangyan looked very old. He wore the jade crown and Daoist robe of a sect master, his white brows and beard nearly hanging to his waist. Holding a whisk, he seemed drowsy, looking like nothing more than an ordinary old man blessed with long life. Yet those familiar with the sect master all knew that he had long since reached the ascension realm, his cultivation unfathomably profound.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Sect Master."

"Did Junior Sister come because of that White Snake?"

The sect master smiled, his brows and beard stirring in the wind, looking utterly calm and untroubled.

"Precisely. It is merely a Form Transformation Tribulation, yet it is so violent. I fear my little snake will find it difficult to survive. Does Senior Brother know why?"

"Opportunity, fate, fortune."

Li Xiangyan spoke three words, leaving Yu Rong puzzled.

"That White Snake's tribulation is incomparably dangerous, far more difficult than an ordinary beast's transformation. If she passes it, her future accomplishments will know no limits. That is her opportunity."

"All things under heaven have their ordained numbers. Even this old man can only calculate a little. This is her fate."

"This tribulation is the White Snake's blessing and fortune. Junior Sister need not worry. The little snake's destiny will not end here. Cultivate her well—perhaps one day, she may add to Chunyang's fortune. Hahaha~"

After saying this, Li Xiangyan laughed heartily and returned to the Jade Void Palace. Yu Rong breathed a sigh of relief, and also developed a measure of interest in what her senior brother had said about increasing their fortune.

At the foot of the mountain.

At the center of the storm, the White Snake prepared to receive the heavenly tribulation. The ink-black clouds shrouded this stretch of the world as though dusk had fallen. Xu Ling and the others unconsciously backed away, never noticing the cultivators in the forest behind them watching like tigers eyeing their prey. Only Yang Mu turned back in puzzlement.

While the mantis stalked the cicada, The Yellow Oriole is Behind. The senior disciples of Chunyang Palace felt they had to deal with these petty scoundrels before the White Snake underwent her tribulation.

Zheng Yong and Senior Brother Lin watched the Chunyang disciples eagerly, especially Xu Ling and the other female cultivators. Their lust burned so fiercely that they could not wait to seize them and sell them to evil cultivators.

Suddenly, a sentence from overhead made them feel as though they had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Have you seen enough?"

When they looked back, they saw a Chunyang Palace disciple standing in the sky, flying on a sword.

He could not even be bothered to hear their explanations. Sword light flashed, and several more corpses lay on the ground.

Yang Mu turned and saw that fellow disciple, as well as the sword light. Knowing that this senior brother had helped eliminate the hidden danger, he bowed from afar. The senior disciple returned the gesture, then turned and flew toward the mountain gate.

"Huh? Isn't that the senior brother guarding the mountain gate? What was he doing here?" Xu Ling was as slow to catch on as ever, even waving toward the departing streak of sword light.

Shaking his head, Yang Mu felt that if they were to descend the mountain often for experience in the future, he had to bring Xu Ling along. What Chunyang Palace needed were experienced, decisive cultivators—not a group of pedantic rotten logs. Like meat hanging in midair to dry, it might have existed for a long time, but it was still only salted meat.

"The heavenly tribulation has begun!"

A shout pulled everyone's attention back.

The scene seemed to freeze. In slow motion, a blinding light suddenly erupted from the clouds. Then, a dazzling bolt of lightning snaked downward toward the White Snake raising her head from the ground, striking her almost instantly...

Crack...!

After the thunderous blast, the White Snake who had just been raising her head atop the hill was already sprawled on the ground. The Snake Scales atop her head were scorched and smoking, and her keen sense of smell could even catch the scent of her own roasted snake skin.

"Hiss..."

It hurt like hell. Being struck by lightning was far more miserable than touching a live wire; her entire head went numb in an instant.

Shaking her head, the White Snake was furious beyond measure.

Damn it!

The moment she finished cursing in her heart, another bolt of lightning came with a crackle. Ordinarily, lightning should not have come so quickly; it needed time to gather force before striking. Yet single shots had turned into a barrage. With her numbed head, the White Snake felt that cursing Heaven must have brought this upon her. She could not curse today—wouldn't it be better to wait until after the tribulation and curse when she had time?

Just as that thought crossed her mind, another bolt of lightning descended, shattering the Snake Scales on her back and exposing flesh and blood...

Jade Void Palace, Mount Hua.

The old sect master watched the continuous flashes with confusion.

"Strange, since when did heavenly tribulations change like this..."

The Snake Scales on her back had shattered, and blood streamed everywhere. The demon spirit within her rapidly repaired her injuries, but the growth of new flesh was clearly slower than the lightning of the heavenly tribulation. The Snake Scales that served as armor were even less able to regrow quickly. When lightning struck her wounds, the damage was worse. In just a few breaths, the White Snake had become a blood snake.

Xu Ling and the others standing at a distance wore expressions of terror. Remembering that they too cultivated immortality, and that they would also have to undergo heavenly tribulations if they reached ascension, their Dao Hearts immediately became unsteady. Fortunately, they were young and soon regained their composure. This insight would at least prepare them, so that they would not remain utterly ignorant. It counted as experience as well.

After seven or eight bolts of lightning in succession, it finally quieted down. The thunder tribulation had not ended; it was gathering strength for another assault.

The White Snake, who had nearly been smashed into the earth, lifted her head and shook off the mud. Her once rather dull snake eyes now brimmed with intelligence. The heavenly tribulation was both calamity and trial. Every bolt of lightning she endured brought changes to her body. Pain and blood had completely awakened the wildness deep within her. She did not take any of the Healing Pills she had prepared, instead glaring furiously at the heavens with her ferocity fully unleashed.

"Big White has gone mad..." Xu Ling said.

Yang Mu shook his head.

"No, she has not gone mad. Passing the heavenly tribulation with external aid means the tribulation is incomplete, leaving flaws behind. For example, many demons have human bodies but retain beastly features because they took shortcuts and relied on external objects during their tribulations. Passing the tribulation through one's own strength can improve one's aptitude. At the very least, at the same realm, demons are stronger than humans. Humans only cultivate spells and rarely cultivate the body, which is why their progress is fast. Demonic beasts are more balanced and place greater emphasis on body refinement. We humans can only surpass demonic beasts through better cultivation techniques and magical treasures. In terms of ourselves, we have shortcomings."

Xu Ling nodded. Demonic beasts truly possessed formidable physiques.

"Junior Sister need not dwell on it. Humans cultivate far faster than demonic beasts. Demons cultivate at an extremely slow pace, taking nearly ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand times as long as humans. The power accumulated over those long years is exceptionally deep and immense. You must be cautious if you encounter them in the future."

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

Yang Mu, looking serenely self-satisfied, curled his lip.

"Master taught us long ago, and it is also written in the records of the Scripture Pavilion. Junior Sister must have been too busy playing and forgotten, right?"

"Hmph..."

Xu Ling's face turned awkward. She really had forgotten.