Crossing the Tribulation

When Li Fan opened his eyes again, he saw the snow-capped peaks of Yinshan Mountain illuminated by the rising sun.

Last night, Li Fan made a brief appearance and then his soul returned directly to Daoist Qiongqi's primordial spirit.

After all, judging from Xu Luoyan's leisurely bargaining with him, tonight's commotion probably won't affect the bidding for the Heavenly Market silk. The large batch of silk that the Grand Tutor and Ziwei Yuan were fighting over shouldn't be on the Weaving Bureau's ledger. And as long as the batch of raw silk that the various sects of Xuanmen are eyeing remains safe, the True Immortals and Divine Lords who come to purchase raw silk will probably be too lazy to get involved in the daily internal strife of the Three Enclosures Immortal Palace.

The value of that batch of goods was truly immense, and it was indeed worth it for the Grand Tutor to employ so many underhanded tactics, even going so far as to use the Immortal Palace to crash into the Taiwei Yuan, all to attract attention and deceive the Xuanmen (Daoist sect).

After all, if the news leaked out and the leaders of the Nine Great Xuan Sects found out that the Immortal Palace had been hiding so many treasures right under their noses all these years, the Dao Lords of Yuntai Peak would probably be possessed by Xuan Tian, and instead of attacking the Divine Sect, they would come to the Three Realms to confiscate their property first, right?

Moreover, given the commotion caused, a place like the Tianshi Yuan Silk Market must be teeming with Real Immortal. Li Fan figured that if he showed up there, some cautious old schemers would figure out his background. So, to be on the safe side, he decided not to contact Yao Xuanzhou for the time being.

Anyway, the conferment of the title of Guan Nei Hou is completely irrelevant. Originally, it was just to amuse Xuan Tian. Besides, now that Taiwei Palace has been burned down, the process of conferring the title will probably be simplified, and he won't need to show his face.

However, judging from the current promotion of the Central Guard to the Guardian General, it's clear that the Grand Tutor cares more about the stamping machine in the Ziwei Yuan than the tens of thousands of catties of fairy silk. He's not as obedient and compliant as he's appeared over the years, and he even dares to play tricks in secret. But this time it's confirmed that the company system really has connections with the Ziwei Yuan. The fairy silk is of such high quality that it's most likely a high-end product produced by the company.

Judging from the current situation, the company system hasn't taken control of the Grand Tutor yet. This time, Li Fan directly killed an apostle, revealing his whereabouts and attracting Guardian General's attention. For the time being, both sides are probably focused on internal strife and won't have the resources to hunt down 'a passing cult member'.

Therefore, Li Fan analyzed that this attempt to fish in troubled waters and reap the benefits, although seemingly dangerous, was actually not that dangerous. If they acted discreetly, lay low for a few more days, and hid the stolen goods in the cult's secret vault for two or three years, they could probably bring them to light.

Since the deed was already done, there was no point in worrying anymore. So Li Fan put the matter of the Three Enclosures out of his mind and checked Qiongqi's cultivation level.

Hmm... With the <Qingyang Yinshan Taixuan Gong> and the Moon Worship, I cultivated day and night, hunting and eating demons, almost clearing out the surrounding mountains for hundreds of miles. The Black and White Evil Qi has formed a stable vortex within my Inner Landscape, and this Daoist body has perfectly merged with Daoist Qiongqi's Nascent Soul Stage. My entire body has been thoroughly refined and transformed, shaped into Daoist Qiongqi's appearance. Breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm should not be a problem.

Let's make a breakthrough then, lest the company pushes us too far and actually uses railguns to attack us; if we're even a little slow, we won't be able to escape.

Li Fan suddenly opened his eyes, focusing all his efforts on improving his cultivation. Others only experience a tribulation every five hundred years, but he had only gone through five years before he had to endure it again. No wonder everyone said that cultivating a clone was a detour; it not only wasted time and energy but also his life! Moreover, based on his previous experience fighting Yang Ying, he knew that the primordial spirit and baleful energy were both weak against lightning-attribute damage. In other words, when the pure energy brought by the heavenly lightning exceeded the material's threshold, it could not withstand it and would disintegrate.

However, Li Fan wasn't too worried. The damage from the heavenly lightning was increasing wave after wave, and it seemed to reset once the body disintegrated. At most, Li Fan's clone was undergoing the second tribulation, and besides the <Qingyang Yinshan Tai Xuan Gong> tempering his physical body, he also had the Qingxu Primordial Spirit, the Qiongqi Primordial Spirit, and a Three Flowers Substitute for him. He could easily pass the tribulation.

By the way, I'd like to briefly mention some professional knowledge about transcending tribulations.

The tribulation of death has been experienced many times and need not be elaborated upon. Just cut it down. Moreover, there is the experience accumulated by the Xuanmen over many years. If a proper Xuanmen Nascent Soul Stage True Monarch cannot easily overcome the tribulation of death, then he might as well find a block of tofu and kill himself. Therefore, it will not be discussed below.

The tribulations during the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage are usually easy to withstand for the first three times. Of course, it's not about physically enduring them; you need to prepare magic treasures, robes, formations, pills, and so on. In short, the probability of passing the tribulation is even higher than the 50/50 chance of a fatal tribulation. It's basically a free gift from heaven, a chance to temper your Dao body. Some people who cultivate lightning magic even use this opportunity to hone their skills—can you believe it!

Moreover, breaking through to the Divine Transformation within the three tribulations of a thousand years is not difficult for the top Daoists of the Xuanmen. Furthermore, as long as they comprehend the Heavenly Dao and achieve the Dao Lord realm, they can reconcile with the Heavenly Dao and avoid being struck by lightning. Therefore, compared to the earlier tribulations, the first round of death in 1200 years is the first major hurdle that Xuanmen must take seriously after breaking through to the True Person realm.

This calamity of death is linked to things like destiny, fate, changes in heaven and earth, and the rise and fall of dynasties. It's tied to the karma one has created, and there's no specific form. As the saying goes, when heaven unleashes its killing intent, stars shift and constellations change; when earth unleashes its killing intent, dragons and snakes rise from the land; when man unleashes his killing intent, heaven and earth reverse. Perhaps if you've committed more sins, then you'll face more calamities, but it doesn't mean that you can escape calamities just by doing good deeds. Anyway, it's all metaphysics. When your time comes to face the calamity, you'll naturally know it yourself. Let's leave that aside for now.

The mechanism of the lightning tribulation is relatively simple and direct: 'Bang!' A bolt of lightning strikes, and it just keeps striking until you're dead. The damage from the heavenly lightning increases exponentially, and if you die, the damage resets. It's that straightforward. So, no matter how many Life-Prolonging Pill a cultivator refines, it's useless. If they really can't withstand it, they can just disintegrate and start over, resetting the damage.

According to the general experience of the Xuanmen (mystical sect), the first three tribulations are relatively easy to pass. However, starting from the fourth tribulation, if one still cannot break through from the Nascent Soul Stage to the Transformation Stage, then one's aptitude is probably quite average. Moreover, one will not have many magical treasures and resources, and may have to work tirelessly to prepare various formations, magical treasures, and immortal pills to resist the tribulation and save one's life.

In this situation, for the old tortoise who has lived long enough, the sixth tribulation of lightning in the 2,500th year comes immediately after the second tribulation of death. These two great tribulations are linked together, which is almost a death sentence for cultivators in the Nascent Soul Realm Transformation Stage, many have perished in this combo. So it can be considered the second major hurdle in cultivation.

Each time during the sixth round of tribulation lightning, the magical treasures are destroyed, the Dao body is severely damaged, and the primordial spirit collapses, resulting in a significant loss of strength and death. There are definitely not a few Xuanmen cultivators who perish by disintegrating their bodies. Therefore, at this stage, the Divine Transformation Lord is less a treasure to protect the sect and more a burden to the sect.

Li Fan had witnessed the situation in Penglai firsthand. The Divine Lords of the Nine True Palace could only hide in their sects and cultivate diligently every day. Those with some confidence tried to comprehend the Dao, while those who had given up on it refined magical treasures to withstand heavenly lightning. Some were in such dire straits that they didn't even have time to teach their disciples. Moreover, they dared not go out to fight swords and compete for resources. After all, swords have no eyes, and if they injured or damaged their magical treasures or Dao bodies, how would they survive the successive tribulations of lightning?

Therefore, apart from a few truly wealthy leaders of the Xuanmen sects, most ordinary sects cannot afford to support so many Divine Lords. Usually, after six tribulations, those who still haven't attained enlightenment will not receive much support from their sects for the sake of other disciples' inheritance. They can only rely on their own savings and make plans to dissolve their bodies as soon as possible.

Those deities who could truly survive the third round of death and the ninth tribulation of heavenly lightning are few and far between in historical records.

These three major hurdles—one thousand two hundred years, two thousand five hundred years, and three thousand six hundred years—are also the three most intensive death hurdles for cultivators in the Xuanmen sect to undergo liberation and reconstruction.

Of course, aside from a small minority who are truly unlucky or have very limited resources and ruin their character's progress, in most cases, if you can't overcome a calamity in one lifetime, you still won't be able to overcome it in two or three more lifetimes.

"Bang--!"

A bolt of lightning struck from the clear sky, a thunderbolt of immense power crashing down, scorching the snow-capped mountains black and changing the very color of the heavens and earth!

"Hiss... Holy crap... That's awesome..."

The lightning strike was so powerful that the electric snakes shot straight up his spine, almost splitting his waist apart. It was indeed much stronger than the one his main body had taken. But it was alright, he could withstand it. After being baptized by the heavenly lightning, this clone seemed to have broken free of its shackles and reached the realm of a true immortal!

Not only has his familiarity with all aspects of his body been greatly enhanced, but his aura of achieving the Nascent Soul Stage is also more pronounced. When he opens his eyes, two golden rays of light emanate directly from his pupils. With each breath, a fierce wind howls, the clouds swirl, and the Qiongqi Primordial Spirit Dharma Form manifests, roaring wildly towards the sky, shaking the heavens and earth, causing ghosts to wail and gods to howl!

Meanwhile, the Black and White Evil Qi within his body began to stir up the wind and clouds like a storm, absorbing all the spiritual energy of Yinshan into his body and transforming it into endless evil energy to temper his Dao body and true essence. For a moment, the summit of Yinshan was covered by a sudden blizzard, which could be seen from dozens of miles away!

Holy crap? At this rate, the clone might even reach the Divine Transformation before the main body!

Before Li Fan could even examine his inner self to confirm his current state, a sudden, bone-chilling cold erupted from his spine. In an instant, he used his teleportation ability to rush straight up into the clouds, standing atop them, his tiger-like eyes warily fixed on the storm clouds that shrouded the summit of Yinshan Mountain.

He watched for a while, and then saw a red shadow leap up from the dark clouds. From a distance, it looked like a roll of red silk, but he couldn't detect it with his Divine Sense.

Of course, just one glance was enough for Li Fan to guess what it was. Without any hesitation, he immediately flicked his sleeve, transforming himself into a gust of wind, enveloping himself in the swirling snow and wind, like a ghostly snow monster.

The red silk instantly floated to Li Fan's front, stood up, and resembled a red robe wrapped around a transparent human figure. It circled around Li Fan, seemingly very interested in his wind form.

Yes, the Blood God Child, again the Chanyu's Blood God Child!

This guy really didn't die. He was injured by the mountain lord and hid in Yinshan to recuperate in secret! He was probably disturbed by the lightning tribulation, so he made his move now, naturally wanting to wait for Li Fan's Nascent Soul Stage to reach the Nascent Soul stage so he could seize the opportunity to possess it!

"... The ferocious beast from Kunlun... how did it end up taking human form in the Arctic...?"

The Blood God Child's voice came intermittently, but who knew when the real body would arrive? Li Fan dared not stop chatting with this guy, much less restore his physical body and give it an opportunity to take advantage. With a gust of wind, he fled directly north.

But with the Blood God Child before him, how could he escape? The red robe followed him like a shadow, like a garbage bag being swept up by the wind, fluttering around Li Fan from side to side, impossible to shake off!

Holy crap! We've escaped one danger only to fall into another! What kind of world is this?! Can't a person just have some fun anymore?! Damn it!

"You're no use following me! I'd rather not become human! Look! There are a few horses over there, go and possess them!"

As Li Fan cursed, he conjured a gust of wind and swept past, tearing apart a herd of wild horses and replenishing his own blood and flesh.

This is troublesome. He just broke through, and his cultivation level is still unstable. Qiongqi is hungry now, and I don't know how much longer he can hold on!

Last time, we only managed to kill the Blood God Child thanks to the Sword Sect remnant squad's attacks; they practically turned us into a pincushion from all the sword strikes! And now there's another one! Are there really billions of Blood God Child?! We can't possibly kill them all, damn it!

What if he reaches a dead end? Wouldn't he have to abandon this newly created clone, like a gecko cutting off its tail? Wouldn't all the lightning strikes have been for nothing? What a loss! He couldn't bear to part with it!

Just as Li Fan was hesitating, he suddenly noticed that the red-robed figure beside him abruptly stopped and ceased chasing him!

Huh? What's going on...?

In the next instant, an unbelievable and terrifying sword force erupted from the heavens and earth. The stars in the sky and the snowfield on the ground churned. The starry sky, ice and snow, gale, earth, and all things converged into one place, transforming into endless sharp swords! They swept towards Li Fan in an overwhelming manner!

"Holy shit--!"

Li Fan didn't even have a chance to react! He was struck on the head by a sword! His Dharma form was cleaved out! Then he felt as if he had been thrown into a washing machine and churned up, the world spinning around him, and looking around, he saw Sword Light coming from all directions! When he came to his senses, he was knocked back to his original form, landing heavily on the ice, spitting out a mouthful of blood that gushed out like a tattered sack! Soaking the surrounding snow red!

Li Fan was stunned for a moment before he realized what had happened.

It was a sword formation, the very sword formation set up by the Sword Sect back then. And it was a truly high-level sword formation! Even with ten thousand swords slashing down, he didn't even have a chance to dodge or weave within the formation! He was instantly severed from his body and chopped into a human stump!

Yes! They got their sticks chopped off again!

Holy crap! He just broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage! In the blink of an eye, his Dharma Body was shattered, and countless Sword Light slashed wildly!

Fortunately, his Qiongqi Dao Body was quite robust. Although his limbs were severed and his abdomen was cut open, his neck was relatively strong. He was only cut in half by a sword, and half of his head was still connected. Unfortunately, he was also grazed on the face, which scrambled off half of his face, disfiguring him. However, it was fortunate that he was not decapitated.

Sigh, I was just stabbed by the Blood Talisman Sword, and then I got hacked and slashed by the Beichen Sword Array. There's really no one like me...

The Blood God Child floated far away in mid-air, emitting a mocking "Hehehe... hehehehe..." sound, drifting away into the distance.

Damn it, that bastard... he deliberately drove him into this dead end! A supposedly enlightened being like this, and you pull this kind of stunt... Damn it, those old foxes...

Li Fan couldn't, and dared not, move at this moment. Although more than five hundred years had passed, the sword formation was clearly still active; otherwise, the Blood God Child wouldn't have been able to escape so easily. Moreover, it would probably be very difficult for him to escape with his primordial spirit. After all, if even the Blood God Child dared not enter or leave a sword formation, then an ordinary Yin spirit would likely face certain death.

Hiss... Don't panic! Although I've been slashed like a stick before, it's not the first or second time! I haven't reached my last resort yet!

Li Fan took a deep breath and examined his injuries. Although the sword wounds looked terrifying, with severed heads and limbs, perhaps due to the effects of the Three Flowers or his subconscious reaction, none of them were directly fatal!

Although Li Fan doesn't have the Nine Revolutions Purple Gold Pill with him right now, he still has the Black and White Evil Qi! As long as he uses the White Fiend Qi as a temporary repair material to block the cut and prevent excessive blood loss, and then uses the Black Fiend Qi to promote the regeneration of flesh and blood, there is hope!

Using the Black and White Evil Qi in this way, the speed of restoring the Dao body is actually very fast. It's just that being struck by lightning and then immediately slashed by a sword has consumed too much energy, and I'm a bit overwhelmed for the time being. But as long as the bleeding stops, I can hold on!

Because if we just keep going, the sky will eventually darken!

As soon as it got dark, the False Moon appeared!

Yes, relying on False Moon's malevolent energy was enough to repair his body and revive him on the spot! No problem! As long as False Moon comes out, Moon Worship can be revived! If he could unexpectedly enter the Dream Void Abyss to go to the Tai Su Realm, that would be even more perfect! Maybe he could even escape directly!

Keep going! Perseverance leads to victory!

So Li Fan lay in a pool of blood, humming "Persistence is victory!" until nightfall.

It turned out to be a cloudy night...

"Grass--!!!"