Golden Immortal Tribulation

Baize stared intently at the rapidly gathering tribulation clouds above Xuanqing, his expression shifting between dark and bright.

A heavenly tribulation was a test set by the Heavenly Dao for cultivators, but it was also a form of recognition.

Yet a heavenly tribulation was not to be challenged.

If an outsider dared to attack someone undergoing tribulation within its range, the Heavenly Dao would lock onto them at once. The power of the ensuing lightning punishment would then increase by a geometric factor based on the intervener's cultivation.

He was a Golden Immortal. Was he supposed to interfere with another Golden Immortal's tribulation?

The lightning that came down would probably no longer be a Golden Immortal tribulation, but an even stronger Taiyi Golden Immortal tribulation!

"Consider yourself lucky!" Baize cursed resentfully.

He knew full well that today's business had been a complete loss. Not only had they failed to capture their target, but they had also lost dozens of Mystic Immortal Demon Soldiers and several Great Yi Mysterious Immortal Demon Generals. He would have trouble explaining it to Dijun when he returned.

"Let's go!"

Baize swept his Feather Fan, gathering up the wounded Demon Generals. They turned into a streak of light and vanished over the horizon without looking back.

Xuanqing watched them flee in disarray and curled his lip.

"Leaving? It won't be that easy."

He had no intention of letting the Yao Clan off just like that. He would settle this debt for now, then make them pay it back with interest someday.

For the moment, his most urgent task was dealing with the thing above his head.

"Rumble!"

Golden bolts of lightning raced wildly through the black tribulation clouds, and a destructive aura shrouded a hundred-mile radius.

This was the Yao Clan's border, a desolate stretch of wilderness with chaotic spiritual energy—not at all a good place to undergo tribulation. If a few clueless members of the Yao Clan showed up in the middle of it, things could get ugly.

"I have to get back to Kunlun Mountain!"

At a thought from Xuanqing, the double Merit Golden Wheel in his Consciousness Sea began spinning furiously.

A golden pillar of light, brighter than the sun, shot from his crown and plunged into the tribulation clouds.

The clouds, which had been violently raging, seemed like a ferocious beast being soothed by the power of merit. Their churning slowed.

The wild lightning was also wrapped in Merit Golden Light, temporarily suppressing its urge to erupt.

"It works!"

Xuanqing was delighted.

This was the benefit of having deep merit and fortune—even the Heavenly Dao had to show him some respect.

Daring not waste a moment, he took advantage of the precious window in which the power of merit held back the tribulation. Pushing his speed to the limit, he shot off as a golden streak toward Kunlun Mountain.

As he flew, the tribulation clouds followed, creating a wondrous sight.

Countless living beings across Honghuang witnessed the astonishing scene. A golden rainbow streaked across the sky, trailed by a vast expanse of dark clouds, like a loyal black dog.

"Who's that? How can he drag a heavenly tribulation along with him?"

"Look at that Merit Golden Light. He must be a disciple of some great power."

"He's heading toward Kunlun Mountain!"

Xuanqing had no time to care about what others were saying. He circulated his magical power to its limit, moving at an incredible speed.

In just half a day, the Kunlun Mountains appeared before him.

Without pausing, he headed straight for his cave abode in the Back Mountain of Jade Void Palace.

Outside the cave abode, a young woman paced anxiously. It was the spirit creature Xuanqing had named Luyao after she took human form. Suddenly sensing the familiar aura of a heavenly tribulation, she turned pale with fright.

"Get away at once! The farther you are from the cave abode, the better!"

Xuanqing's voice rang in Luyao's ears.

At his words, Luyao didn't dare delay. She turned into a streak of white light and hurried into the distance.

Xuanqing plunged into the cave abode and immediately activated every defensive formation. He had known he would undergo tribulation during this period, so he had prepared in advance.

The formations had all been casually set up by Yuanshi Tianzun. Though simple, their defensive power was astonishing.

Only after doing all this did he sit cross-legged and look up at the sky above the cave abode.

"Come on!"

Xuanqing withdrew the power of merit that had been suppressing the heavenly tribulation.

"Rumble!"

It was as if long-suppressed fury had finally found an outlet. In an instant, the tribulation clouds swelled several times over, shrouding the entire mountaintop.

Black clouds pressed down over the city, lightning flashed and thunder roared.

The first lightning strike was here!

A golden divine bolt as thick as a barrel came crashing down from the tribulation clouds, straight at Xuanqing.

"Gengjin Divine Thunder?"

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Xuanqing's gaze sharpened.

The Golden Immortal tribulation truly lived up to its fearsome reputation. Its very first strike was a punishment renowned for its sharpness and destructive power.

He didn't try to withstand it head-on. At a thought, the Mysterious Yellow Merit Robe activated its protective power, enveloping him in a thick, mysterious yellow light barrier.

"Crackle!"

The Gengjin Divine Thunder struck the barrier with a blinding flash. The barrier shuddered violently, but ultimately held.

Before Xuanqing could catch his breath, the second and third bolts followed one after another.

Each bolt was thicker than the last.

The light of the Mysterious Yellow Merit Robe dimmed a little.

Not daring to be careless, Xuanqing summoned the Heaven-Covering Seal above his head. Streams of mysterious light spilled from the seal, joining with the glow of his merit robe to withstand the tribulation.

After nine Gengjin Divine Thunder strikes, the tribulation clouds above began to spin even more violently.

A deep violet vortex appeared in the center of the clouds.

"Boom!"

The second wave of the tribulation descended.

This time, it wasn't merely lightning. One lotus after another, formed from purple thunder, came raining down.

"Doutian Divine Thunder!"

Xuanqing recognized the source of the lightning tribulation.

Doutian Divine Thunder was formed from the Malevolent Qi that escaped when Pangu split the heavens, combined with the Heavenly Dao's lightning punishment. Not only was it tremendously powerful, it could also defile one's spirit and destroy one's Dao foundation.

If an ordinary immortal were touched by even a trace of it, their cultivation would either regress or they would die and have their Dao destroyed.

"Bring it on!"

Instead of being alarmed, Xuanqing was delighted.

His true form was Purifying Mystic Bamboo, and he feared this sort of filthy Malevolent Qi least of all.

He put away all his Magic Treasures and began circulating the Myriad Qi Returning to Yuan Purification Technique.

He opened his mouth and inhaled. The purple thunder lotus rushing toward him was swallowed whole!

"Gulp."

Xuanqing's body shuddered violently, and countless purple arcs of electricity appeared across his skin.

A wild, destructive force rampaged through his body, trying to tear apart his meridians.

At the same time, however, the source power of Purifying Mystic Bamboo was stirred. A gentle green light rose from his dantian, purifying the violent aura of the Doutian Divine Thunder wherever it passed.

"Now that's satisfying!"

Xuanqing felt an extremely pure energy explode inside him. The bottleneck that had stalled his cultivation loosened a little more.

The tribulation clouds above seemed enraged by what he had done.

One, two, three...

Eighteen Doutian Divine Thunder lotuses came crashing down in a dense, overwhelming rain.

"No matter how many come, I'll eat them all!"

Xuanqing laughed heartily. He simply let loose, treating the Doutian Divine Thunder as a nourishing tonic and swallowing every last one.

His body cycled through tribulation and purification again and again. His Dao Body grew ever more resilient, and his spirit became increasingly condensed.

By the time he refined the final thunder lotus, his aura had risen to the pinnacle of the Great Yi Mysterious Immortal realm.

The tribulation clouds did not disperse. Instead, they grew even more oppressive.

All the dark clouds began to contract toward the center, eventually gathering into a gigantic, indifferent eye.

The Eye of the Heavenly Dao!

The third and final wave of the tribulation was coming.

The eye slowly blinked, and an intangible gray divine bolt came swiftly crashing down.

Chaos Divine Thunder!

Xuanqing's expression finally turned solemn. He no longer dared to take the strike lightly. The double Merit Golden Wheel in his Consciousness Sea shone brilliantly, firmly protecting his spirit.

The Chaos Divine Thunder pierced through the cave abode's formations and through Xuanqing's body, striking directly at his spirit.

"Buzzz!"

Xuanqing felt as if a stone had smashed into his head. The whole world spun, and his awareness began to blur.

The Merit Golden Wheel trembled violently above his spirit, its golden light rapidly draining away.

But the power of the Chaos Divine Thunder was also quickly worn down.

After an unknown length of time, the final trace of gray lightning was ground away by the Merit Golden Wheel, and Xuanqing's Consciousness Sea returned to calm.

The Eye of the Heavenly Dao gave him a long, deep look, then slowly faded away.

The tribulation clouds receded, replaced by Auspicious Clouds filling the sky and multicolored rays of light.