Crossing the Tribulation

Northern Juru Continent. A rare wilderness free of miasma, where crimson dust swirled through the air, mingling with grievance qi that had lingered for eons uncounted—an eerily chilling sight.

On this day, a young man strolled through it.

"A hematite vein, and a super-sized open-pit one at that. Truly an ideal place to undergo my tribulation."

The young man was Li Yang. Since leaving the Immortal Crossing Sect and returning to Northern Juru Continent, he had visited all seven suitable tribulation sites. This one was the most fitting.

The vein stretched over two hundred li, almost entirely exposed to the sky, barren of vegetation and devoid of life.

Here, undergoing tribulation meant no worry about harming too many intelligent beings and incurring immense karma.

Though there was a slight risk of a human tribulation, it was still far preferable to massive karmic consequences.

"Even the human tribulation can be reduced."

Li Yang murmured, lightly tapping his storage pouch. Countless array flags, array plates, and 'Golden Cores' flew out, transforming into streaks of light that landed on mountain peaks, sank into soil, fell into streams, or merged into the void itself.

"Five Elements Eight Trigrams Array, rise."

"Sky Covering Sun Obscuring Array, rise."

"Nine Palaces Array..."

Li Yang's hand seals flew as he cast technique after technique, and heaven and earth shifted subtly in response.

This was a composite array he had designed himself, based on the research of his senior brother.

Countless grand arrays, minor arrays, maze arrays, trapping arrays, killing arrays—layer upon layer, stacked densely, intricately interwoven, yet surprisingly harmonious in coexistence.

These arrays were like a complex program, executing with precision and efficiency.

"Array, conceal!"

When Li Yang finished the final seal, the great array vanished, invisible unless actively triggered.

"With the array laid out so vast, even if the tribulation clouds stretch a hundred li, they won't be able to destroy it completely."

"Add in 108 Origin Immortal-stage 'Golden Core' clones, and with such a colossal formation, even a Celestial Immortal wouldn't frighten me."

Yes, this great array was never aimed at the heavenly tribulation—it was aimed at the human tribulation.

Those Qi Practitioners roaming Northern Juru Continent, upon seeing someone undergoing tribulation to become an immortal, might take advantage of their weakened state. Some wouldn't mind playing the role of bandit for a while.

This array was prepared for exactly those people.

And the array's energy supply came not only from spiritual qi, but also from earthly vein turbid qi, and later, the energy of the heavenly tribulation itself during the crossing.

As long as one didn't maliciously exploit loopholes in the tribulation, the Heavenly Dao didn't care about the leftover energy being taken and used.

Such matters were recorded from time to time in the sect's scriptures.

He tapped his storage pouch again. Several magical artifacts flew out, transforming into three lotus flowers, one lotus platform, and five streams of five elements qi.

The three lotus flowers flew above Li Yang's head, casting down three-colored divine light.

The lotus platform flew beneath his feet, rising an azure shield around him.

The five elements qi revolved behind him, slowly communicating with the five elements of heaven and earth.

Then Li Yang glanced at his panel.

[Name]: Li Yang

[Birthplace]: Primordial Wilderness

[Dao Heritage]: Immortal Crossing Sect

[Cultivation]: Return to Dao Ninth Stage

[Title 1]: Work-Life Balance (The longer the rest time, the better the cultivation effect. Current rest time: 20 months, 1 day, 3 hours, 6 quarters)

[Title 2]: To be unlocked (Origin Immortal stage)

"20 months, 1 day, 3 hours, 6 quarters—enough to convert into two months of cultivation time."

Li Yang tapped without hesitation, then sat cross-legged in meditation.

In an instant, the current rest time turned to zero, while Li Yang's mind and divine soul became instantly clear. All the countless scriptures and dao scriptures he had read over those twenty months, along with all the accumulated knowledge of the past decade, were rapidly digested by him.

The heightened enlightenment allowed him to quickly understand and absorb this knowledge—even those fleeting insights and principles surfaced clearly.

At the same time, drawing on the many ideas he had developed over those twenty months, he swiftly organized and integrated this knowledge and these principles.

'The Golden Core Clone method can be improved like this. With this, even the simplest mortal materials can produce a Golden Core Clone starting at Qi Practitioner Ninth Stage.'

'Origin Immortal-stage Golden Core Clones can be improved like this—their power increases by more than tenfold.'

'The Star Dou Great Array can be expanded further, its power doubling and doubling again.'

'If 'Fellow Daoist Please Stay' is improved like this, in less than half a breath, it could poison Yuwen Ling to death, divine soul and all. Based on the True Immortal aura I've gathered, theoretically it could even poison a True Immortal.'

'This composite array...'

Countless methods of alchemy, artifact forging, array formation, clones, and talismans rapidly expanded under the influence of this vast influx of knowledge.

This was something Li Yang had long understood: the more he knew about a given field, the greater the transformation when he comprehended the dao, and the greater the power.

And because these fields of knowledge influenced one another, mastering one could open the door to a hundred others.

Ten years of accumulated knowledge, ten years of accumulated experience—all of it, in this moment, transformed into his profound foundation and the fuel for his advancement.

'Forging the body this way will make it even stronger. By incorporating methods from alchemy, artifact crafting, talismans, and formations, I can obtain a body more powerful than an immortal's before I even ascend.'

'Cultivating Qi this way can accelerate Mana growth...'

'Modifying spells like this...'

Change—Li Yang was changing every moment.

Progress—Li Yang was progressing every moment.

His realm soared without end: Origin Immortal, True Immortal, Celestial Immortal.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

The boost from the trait vanished instantly. Li Yang slowly opened his eyes, unable to hide the joy on his face.

"My realm has reached Celestial Immortal. This means my cultivation path has no more obstacles before that stage—all of it has turned into a broad road to the heavens.

Now, the only things separating me from a true Celestial Immortal are the gap in cultivation level and the Immortal Ascension Tribulation I must undergo."

Feeling his cultivation stirring restlessly from the rapid realm advancement, Li Yang no longer suppressed himself.

"Hah!"

With each breath, endless spiritual energy was born from the void, merging into his body, turning into his Mana, and repairing the foundational flaws left by his rapid progress.

That Avatar, capable of converting Void Energy into spiritual energy, strained to supply him with power, laying an even firmer foundation for him.

Another month passed. Sensing that his cultivation could advance no further, Li Yang suddenly grew restless and irritable. An obscure, elusive Dao Rhyme began to emanate from around him.

'The tribulation is coming!!'

A flash of insight rose in Li Yang's heart. He knew he had reached the end of the Mortal Realm—the Immortal Ascension Tribulation was about to arrive.

Flipping his hand, he formed a seal. Dozens of special active and passive methods rapidly scanned a thousand miles in all directions.

"Three months. Only two Void Refining Stage Qi Practitioners passed by, and no immortals. It seems I chose the right place for the tribulation.

Since that's the case, let the tribulation begin!"

Li Yang released his full aura. A faint, intangible pressure gradually filled the sky.

"Rumble—!"

With a low thunderclap, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky. Patches of gray-black tribulation clouds converged rapidly, forming an Immortal Ascension Tribulation that loomed over Li Yang, covering an area roughly ten miles in radius.